Cookin again

[Jahydin]

I know what you mean- made a turkey noodle soup with sweet onions by accident. (We NEVER buy sweet onions. ) It was mind-bogglingly awful.

Only use I've found for sweet onions is Hawaiian potato mac salad. I imagine they're popular though with as much as they grow/stock them?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Only use I've found for sweet onions is Hawaiian potato mac salad. I imagine they're popular though with as much as they grow/stock them?

I haven’t done much with them myself, but I’m sure they’re good for SOMETHING. Maybe raw on a hamburger? Or perhaps their sugar content makes them better for applications involving caramelization.

 

[CleverNickName]

I haven’t done much with them myself, but I’m sure they’re good for SOMETHING. Maybe raw on a hamburger? Or perhaps their sugar content makes them better for applications involving caramelization.

They make pretty good onion rings.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’m looking for advice on buying a rice cooker.

I’ve gotten pretty good at doing basic brown or white rice in a regular stovetop pot over the past 3+ years, but I’ve had a bad streak the past month and I’m tired of the screwups.

I need something that’s going to to do 2-4 cups uncooked (at least) brown or white rice, consistently, used 1-2 times a week. I want something that will last years, not months, so I want something decent quality, timed turn-off and turn on features would be great. Durability is a must- I’ve seen reviews of cookers that apparently do a great job, but break in 12-18 months.

But I’m also not looking for the Rolls Royce of rice cookers, and I’m not cooking for a big family or a restaurant.

Any advice?

 

[TiQuinn]

I’m looking for advice on buying a rice cooker.

I’ve gotten pretty good at doing basic brown or white rice in a regular stovetop pot over the past 3+ years, but I’ve had a bad streak the past month and I’m tired of the screwups.

I need something that’s going to to do 2-4 cups uncooked (at least) brown or white rice, consistently, used 1-2 times a week. I want something that will last years, not months, so I want something decent quality, timed turn-off and turn on features would be great. Durability is a must- I’ve seen reviews of cookers that apparently do a great job, but break in 12-18 months.

But I’m also not looking for the Rolls Royce of rice cookers, and I’m not cooking for a big family or a restaurant.

Any advice?

We have an Aroma 6-cup rice cooker that was about $25. Haven’t had a bad batch of rice since we started using it. Ours isn’t timed, but I know the brand has others that are.

 

[Jahydin]

I’m looking for advice on buying a rice cooker.

I know it's expensive, but Zoji is a worldwide name for a reason. I've had mine for 6 years now and have been enjoying perfect rice twice a week. It's been especially nice for consistent sushi rice since that's one of my favorite dishes.

I'd recommend the following, but they do offer many other options at differing price points.

 

[Jahydin]

@Dannyalcatraz
As another option, I also use my Instant Pot to make to make non-plain rice all the time, so that would work too!

Here's a vid on brown rice, a vid on Jasmine, and another on Mexican for some examples.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

So I beer-braised a pair of 3.5lb CB briskets at low heat overnight.

I had to tweak my method a little. Usually, I use 2 darker beers (like Guiness or Shiner Bock) or 1 dark and one lighter beer (like Shiner Blonde, Kirin or Blue Moon). But I only had Blue Moon on hand. I also use a can of beef broth, but I seemed to be out and substituted chicken broth. Some braising liquid was a bit lighter flavored than usual.

Sliced them up and had a taste of one’s end cap: damn near spoon tender; quite tasty. I’m beginning to think this method is almost foolproof.

 

[TiQuinn]

I made Kenji Lopez-Alt’s Scallion oil noodles for dinner tonight, and OMG…

Easy. Cheap. Delicious.

 

[CleverNickName]

St. Patrick's Day dinner? How about this classic Irish treat:

CleverShepherd's Pie

Topping:

• 3 pounds peeled and chopped potatoes
• 1 cup buttermilk (more or less, to desired consistency)
• 1/2 stick of butter, melted
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbsp. minced chives

Filling:

• 2 strips of bacon, chopped
• 2 lbs. ground lamb
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup peeled and chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup peeled and chopped parsnip
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2-1/2 cups mushroom broth or beef stock
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. sage
• 1/2 tsp. rosemary
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.
2. Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and boil for about 15 minutes or until tender.
3. Drain the potatoes, then mash them
4. Stir in the buttermilk, melted butter, cheddar cheese, and minced chives.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then set aside.
6. Get out your cast iron skillet or Dutch oven.
7. Add the chopped bacon and cook until the fat renders out.
8. Add the ground lamb, and cook until well-browned.
9. Remove the meat and drain, leaving about about a tablespoon of the fat.
10. Add the onion, mushrooms, carrots, and parsnips, and cook until tender.
11. While the vegetables cook, stir together the broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and tomato paste.
12. When the veggies are tender, add the garlic and flour, and stir well until all of the vegetables are coated.
13. Cook for about a minute or until the flour begins to brown.
14. Stir in the broth mixture, and bring to a boil. Keep stirring, the mixture will thicken as it cooks.
15. Stir in the thyme, sage, rosemary, and bay leaves, and simmer for 5 minutes.
16. Remove from heat, then stir in the peas and the cooked lamb/bacon mixture.
17. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
18. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the filling mixture (or if you're fancy, use a piping bag) to completely cover the top.
19. Bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are browned and the filling is bubbling.
20. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

If you don't like lamb, or if you can't find/afford it, you can use ground beef. (I've had people tell me that this is actually called "Cottage Pie" when it's made with beef, but I've never met anyone who cared.)

Also, watch the sodium. A lot of these ingredients are already heavily salted from the start (bacon, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, broth, sometimes the butter and cheese too) so be gentle and taste as you go. Consider using low-sodium ingredients--you can always add more salt later.