Cookin again

[trappedslider]

Went to the bakery today and they had donuts.

View attachment 144705

These are what we think of as American donuts. IDK how accurate that is.

mmmm 100% accurate.

 

[Zardnaar]

mmmm 100% accurate.

Hmmn donuts aren't such a big thing here so you have to know where to find them.

An NZ style donut is deep fried served hot with cinnamon Suger. Some gave jame in them as well or chocolate which is hot and gooey.

We've also got a food truck that does Spanish Churros which apart for mnthe shape are very similar.

Also you can get them from fish and chip shops.

Or cream donut


Go to the right fish and chip shop you can come home with Chinese dish, Indonesian dish, fries, blue Cod and deep fried donuts. The logic eludes me and I live here.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Went to the bakery today and they had donuts.

View attachment 144705

These are what we think of as American donuts. IDK how accurate that is.

View attachment 144706

More traditional raspberry bun. Coconut and raspberry icing (frosting?) with raspberry jam.

The first box looks “traditional”-ish in form, at least. We get some pretty whacky looking ones around here, but when it comes to donuts, I’m a simple, simple man. Glazed donuts, twists or holes are my go-tos. Cherry or Apple jelly filled would be next. Bear claws on occasion. Powdered sometimes. Chocolate Eclairs from certain places- preferably those with a New Orleanean sensibility. (They put chocolate cream in theirs, there.)

The rest? I experimented, and found I didnt care for many. At one point, chocolate covered ones were a fave for a while, but they’re too messy, and my mild chocolate allergy keeps me from eating chocolate things unless they’re GREAT (to me).

A few weeks ago, I had a sprinkle donut for the first time in decades, and almost couldn’t finish it.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hmmn donuts aren't such a big thing here so you have to know where to find them.

An NZ style donut is deep fried served hot with cinnamon Suger. Some gave jame in them as well or chocolate which is hot and gooey.

We've also got a food truck that does Spanish Churros which apart for mnthe shape are very similar.

Also you can get them from fish and chip shops.

Or cream donut


Go to the right fish and chip shop you can come home with Chinese dish, Indonesian dish, fries, blue Cod and deep fried donuts. The logic eludes me and I live here.

There’s a concept that’s been around a while in the USA based on the shopping mall food court- a standalone food court. We first encountered one in Denver in the 1970s, and recently found another here in Dallas. Alas, the one here failed (pre-pandemic) before we could try them out.

The one in Denver was BRILLIANT!

We’d frequently go there when the family failed to reach a consensus on dinner. Each person got a ticket, and got what they wanted from where they wanted, and the both woild write it down on your ticket. You paid when you left.

It was awesome.

 

[prabe]

Celebrated a big-round-number birthday by cooking my own dinner (and my wife's), trying something different with good ingredients.

The Brussels sprouts are oven-roasted (convection ovens are the bomb for this) with a sprinkling of Gorgonzola and balsamic vinegar.

The ribeye steaks were pan-cooked and served with a coffee-and-blue cheese pan sauce. What was an experiment worked out really well, if I do say so myself.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Sounds good, looks good!

 

[Zardnaar]

Traditional.



Flat white and cheese scone with butter.



Not traditional apple and oats ice cream in a cinnamon waffle cone. Kind of like an apple crumble ice cream it was delicious.

Shame no real variety in this week's cooking efforts. Can't be bothered tonight as been nibbling all day for a birthday or 3.

 

[Aeson]

I'd like to be able to take foodie pictures. My attempts look as messy as my kitchen does right now.

I tried making fried potatoes. I coated them in corn starch but the oil washed the corn starch off. They still turned out ok but were not the crispy crunchy potatoes I hoped for. I tried something else out that turned out a little better.
I opened a can of salmon coated chunks in corn starch and fried them. That had the crispy crunch I sought.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’ve never made French fries from scratch. At home, I use the store bought ones you bake in the oven.

However, there’s a technique from roasting DICED potatoes that resulting crispy exteriors that might help. The result is cubed potatoes with a crunchy exterior and soft interior.

Soooo, cutting and pasting from the recipe:

Bring 10 cups water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add potatoes, 1/3 cup salt, and baking soda. Return to boil and cook for 1 minute. Drain potatoes. Return potatoes to pot and place over low heat. Cook, shaking pot occasionally, until surface moisture has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

In my recipe, they then go into a hot oven. In your case, at this point you’d fry them.

The science of this is that the quick boil in salted water with baking soda roughens the surfaces of the cubed potatoes at a microscopic level. That results in a bigger surface area for the heat source to act upon and crisp up.

 

[Aeson]

Normally I'd use my mom's way. Slice the potatoes like chips (or crisps for the overseas audience) fry in a pan with a small amount of oil. I wanted to try a deep fry this time. I boiled then diced the potatoes. I dredged in the corn starch then fried.

Most of the time I buy the store bought fries and bake also. I really shouldn't fry anything but sometimes I go for a treat.