What's cooking? part 4

adding to the water gives the subtlest result i'd say. depends how sensitive your palate is

making sure your milk/cream is hot when it goes in is a mash must imo

i have never really measured when making mashed potatoes but i'd say like three cloves per pound of potatoes. cream i just eyeball, start with a healthy splash and then mix and taste.

I think I am going to try melting 4 tbsp of butter (half a stick) and sauteeing like 6 cloves of minced garlic for mayber 1-2 minutes and then mashing that in? And then doing maybe some splashes of cream until it looks right and also lots of salt and pepper

Why does cream have to be hot?

I mean I trust u bro/girl i just wanna know

Because chemistry.

k

maybe I will just throw 6-8 cloves in w/ the potaters and boil it all up for like 15 min. 2tsp-1tbsp of fresh rosemary for 2lbs spudz seems reasonable right?

Stevie do we need to talk about potato ricers; I have strong opinions on this subject.

- test the tater doneness with a paring knife rather than rely on a clock
- don't cut 'em too small
- plenty of butter is a good idea, but since it provides lots of fat, lowfat milk is fine in place of cream
- I never heat up the milk, not sure what that's about

No I know they are choice but I don't have one in my new apt so it will be forking :( also I never buy milk and I just bought a tiny thing of light cream bcz it was cheaper and seemed idk like it would be richer than using milk

the light cream in the tiny thing is fine; we never buy milk either.

i mash potatoes with a meat tenderizer, not sure if that makes me a savage.

if you have a sieve you could also push them through that

that is such work!

I'm too old for this nonsense.

I would not go for the sieve thing myself. A ricer is not bad because you have *leverage* on your side; on the other hand, it violates my No Single Purpose Kitchen Tools rule. Potato ricers are, however, something that passionately unites my otherwise disparate family. Upon high school and/or college graduation, you can be counted on the gift of a ricer from my father, who cannot understand why anyone would not care to own such a thing.

That said, my father can't understand why I do no own an egg slicer.

A sieve would break the potatoes down too much and you'd end up with a homogeneous gluey mass. I like my potato masher -- gives me the right amt of chunkiness.

Anyone else like leaving the skins on for mashed potatoes? That's where most of the flavor is. Definitely a different presentation, though.

for russets too? This also will be annoying bcz I have no masher, just a fork

I think I am going to try melting 4 tbsp of butter (half a stick) and sauteeing like 6 cloves of minced garlic for mayber 1-2 minutes and then mashing that in? And then doing maybe some splashes of cream until it looks right and also lots of salt and pepper

u need dis
http://www.oodora.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/potato-masher.jpg

it didn't post

http://creativityattemptingsamantha.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/potato-masher.jpg

Oh, I have two more uses for a potato ricer: making spätzle and making sev, and I think I need to make some sev this weekend.

Anyone else like leaving the skins on for mashed potatoes? That's where most of the flavor is. Definitely a different presentation, though.

― nickn, Tuesday, October 29, 2013 6:20 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

sure, with red potatoes especially

Even with russets, just scrub them well and slice off the discolored/rough spots.

main reason for heating up the milk/cream is because yr potatoes are hot, and adding something cold to them would = lukewarm mash. hot liquid + hot potatoes = hot mash.

for posterity, here's the julia child recipe. DEFINITELY if you own a ricer, you gots to try it. SO. GOOD.
http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/specials/2012/11/Mashedpotatoesrecipe.pdf

can i add my protip here:

after you've cooked the potatoes, drain them then put them back in the pot and BACK ON THE HEAT on really low and stir for a few mins - you want to dry them out, bc the less water in there, the more cream/butter they'll absorb.

do you have a whisk? or an electric egg beater? whisking/whipping the potatoes after they're all mashed is the way to go.

oh god now I have to google SEV and possibly make it; oh wait I do not currently have a ricer in the house HELP DAD HELP

I need to interrupt the potato talk momentarily to say that I am having to cook a bit differently now bcz acid reflux blah blah and I made this really delicious pasta thing tonight that ok I *know* greek yogurt alfredo it sounds disgusting but NO LIE this was really goddamn good. Even Mr Veg was like 'wow what did you do this is awesome'

http://backtoherroots.com/2013/01/03/creamy-chicken-and-kale-alfredo/

I usually get very rmde at recipes that try to be a full fat dish and substitute a bunch of bullshit in its place, but this is one of very few that actually kinda succeeds somehow

xpost oh so THAT'S what you call that stuff! Sev!

VG I am interested in that there recipe! I am having a problemo, however, with greek yogurt in Mexico. Problemo uno is I can't find it. Problemo dos is I can't make it because the plain yogurt sin azugar (not to be confused with "natural" yogurt, which turns out to have sugar, don't ask me how I know this) that I can find (it is not very common) has xanthan gum and other stabilizers that make it impossible to strain (don't ask me how I know this). But, back in States soon, will try!

I wonder if you could take out the parmesan and just use queso or something in place of the yogurt. I mean it's kind of a cross between the two when you think about it, at least consistency/purpose

Getting the tangy thing seems U&K. Sour cream/crema, maybe.

yeah true, the tang is the big finish

I'm always using low-fat yoghurt or creme fraiche in pasta dishes (at least those that aren't primarily about the cream). I prefer it, and make up the fat content with a mountain of parmesan

well i am believer

made these barbecued seitan burgers yesterday:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/barbecued-seitan-burgers/

and they were quite awesome. subbed oyser for shiitake 'cuz that's what was on hand. never made a seitan dish from scratch before and it was simple but i learned a couple things to try and make it better next time (want the seitan to be more tender so am gonna simmer instead of steam next time, to name one). texture was still nice enough and every meateater i gave some to seemed to like it. and dammit, chipotles rule.
anyhow, it's a fine recipe if anybody's interested

Chipotles do, in fact, rule.

Today I am going to make my First Ever Lasagne. How did I make it 40 years without having made a lasagne? I do not know. But yesterday I made the bolognese; today I will make a bechamel, and then I shall have a go at assembly + baking. The instructions on the (dried) pasta sheets are in French and Spanish, but I think I have figured out that these things do not have to be pre-cooked? Does that sound right? That I would just jam them in there dry?

Not usually? There is such a thing as "no-boil noodles", maybe this is what you have? But I think the normal kind has to be boiled slightly first? I've only made 1 or 2 lasagnas in my life so someone else might know more.

i think in orbit is otm

I think I'm going to need La Lechera to help me with the directions en espanol :(

that julia childs mash recipe...

Place the hot purée in the saucepan and beat with the spatula and beat with the spatula

AND BEAT WITH THE SPATULA

...beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time. Beat in salt and pepper to taste.(*) If not used immediately, set aside uncovered. To reheat, cover and set over boiling water, beating frequently [...]

beat the hot garlic sauce vigorously into the hot potatoes. Beat in the cream by spoonfuls but do not thin out the purée too much. Beat in the parsley

BEAT THAT FUCKER OK

no boil noodles should be avoided if possible. texturally they suck. regular dried sheets really don't need boiling as long as they are submerged with "stuff" (the two sauces you mentioned) they will rehydrate perfectly in the time that it takes to bake and they ought to be perfect and al dente when the lasagne is done

xpost

I disagree

grew up on instant lasagne noodles and they're the only kind I use now! I find the ones you have to boil a giant pain in the butt imo.

i still stand by my statement that if there is plenty of liquid surrounding the noodles, trad sheets will cook perfectly in the time that it takes the dish to bake

Alas, I did not have any lasagne sheet choices, so I've got these Barilla (I know, I know, but this was before the scandal and again, no choice!) things that say "Sans Precuisson" and "Ohne Vorkochen" and then this sticker slapped on with instructions en espanol. I have instructions in every language except the one in which I am actually fluent.

How many layers do ya'll typically do?

sauce bottom of pan is important esp if not parboiling, btw. so after sauce i usu go - sheet - cheese mixture- sheet with sauce - veg. or whatever other ings you are using besides cheese (if any) - sheet with sauce - cheese - sheet with sauce - another layer of veg or whatever other ingredients - sheet topped with plenty of sauce. then carefully lay down your bechamel.

If anyone calls a sheet of lasagne a 'noodle' one more time I am going to blow ILX to hell

I've made a zillion lasagnes and never pre-cooked any pasta of any kind. Just whack em in dry, it's what you're meant to do.
I normally only do two layers, three or more must be gigantic. I do kind of dream of doing that one day.

OK, I'm feeling a bit more confident about this--thank you for the tips and tricks!

quincie, barilla is the brand I use at home for lasagna, so I'm p sure it's the non-boiling kind that you have there.