Cookin again

[VashVet]

Mine is too (Samsung), but just isn't very good. I think I'm going to slowly swap out my Samsung appliances one by one over the next few years because they all seem to under preform.

I see you have a cast iron too. I've noticed with mine if I clean it really good with hot water and warm it up again it shows smudgy, brownish spots kind of like this picture I found:
View attachment 439883
Then I wipe it with a little bit of oil and it's jet black again. Is that normal? Can't seem to find a consensus on the internet over it.

That’s oxidation on the pan - it’s rust, but the oil is coating it.

 

[payn]

That’s oxidation on the pan - it’s rust, but the oil is coating it.

Yeah, if it’s bad you should steel wool it off and then re-season the pan.

 

[Jahydin]

I got time this weekend, couldn't hurt to scrub it off and re-season. Good excuse to cook up some bacon.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

My paternal aunt likes to give us boudin balls every once in a while. She gets them from different places on her trips back to NOLA.

This current batch was…OK. This was compounded by the fact that the seller recommended deep frying them, but I don’t deep fry anything. I SHOULD have flattened them and pan fried them like a burger patty, but instead, I did them in the oven. The best way to eat them so far had been as a simple sandwich on toasted bread.

But I had an idea: I made a pot of essentially chicken soup without the chicken.

METHOD: Combine cooked boudin ball with chicken soup in bowl. That’s it- I placed a (flattened) boudin ball in a bowl in the microwave to zap it, then poured a couple ladles worth of veggies & broth in with it.

VERDICT: I had 2 bowls.

It was kind of like eating matzoh ball soup. As I ate, the ball slowly disintegrated somewhat into the soup, and it got better over time.

WHEN (not IF) I do this again, I might try adding heavy cream, a light roux or even a can of cream of celery to the pot to thicken it and make the texture more decadent.

As stated, these were store bought boudin balls, baked (I should have pan fried or deep fried them for better results). TBH, any sausage ball should work.

The chicken soup? Store bought (of any ethnic variety) will do, even grocery-store ramen. But I made mine from scratch with a variety of onions, celery and carrots, seasoned with bay leaves, salt, pepper parsley and chives. (The only oddity to mine is I add sliced button mushrooms.)

 

[Jahydin]

@VashVet @payn
I think it was a tiny bit of rust. Came off quickly with a scrub of my chain mail, so nothing major thankfully.

Bacon was delicious too. I've just been dicing it up and frying a pound at a time until just stiff. Great to throw on top of just about everything. Been saving the fat and using it for refried beans and popcorn.

 

[Jahydin]

My latest culinary achievement has been making Hot and Sour soup. Was quite the scavenger hunt to get all the ingredients, but very much worth it. Not only delicious, but pretty nutritious as well.

Quick summary of what I learned:

• Dried mushrooms are really handy! Cheap and can be stored forever. Just hydrate in boiling water and they're good to go.
• Chinese soy sauce is actually pretty different to Japanese and I think I actually like the flavor better. I really like Pearl River Bridge.
• Vinegar and white pepper lose flavor when heated, so add it last to dishes!
• Add beaten eggs to soup after thinking with corn starch. It helps suspend the egg and not cloud up the broth.

Hot and Sour Soup

Our family's hot and sour soup recipe is from my grandpa, who ran a Chinese restaurant. It's still the best hot & sour soup I've ever had.

thewoksoflife.com

 

[trappedslider]

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/286017/parmesan-crusted-chicken-thighs/

 

[VashVet]

Maybe a hot take: dessert at 90% of restaurants is incredibly overrated and worse than just going to the store and buying a pint of Ben and Jerry’s or going to an actual bakery.

 

[Jahydin]

Maybe a hot take: dessert at 90% of restaurants is incredibly overrated and worse than just going to the store and buying a pint of Ben and Jerry’s or going to an actual bakery.

Agree. Also pains me to say most of the restaurant lasagna I've ordered tastes worse than what could be found in the frozen section at Walmart.

Also on that note, frozen pizza is way better than what the cheap national chains offer now. Highly recommend Home Run Inn, Motor City Pizza Co., Screaming Sicilian, or even Red Baron (especially topped with your own toppings).

 

[payn]

Agree. Also pains me to say most of the restaurant lasagna I've ordered tastes worse than what could be found in the frozen section at Walmart.

Also on that note, frozen pizza is way better than what the cheap national chains offer now. Highly recommend Home Run Inn, Motor City Pizza Co., Screaming Sicilian, or even Red Baron (especially topped with your own toppings).

Home run inn is so good.