What's cooking? part 4

Best deal I ever got on anything in my life is my 8qt all-clad stockpot. Someone had broken up a set and there was some slight model change happening so I got it for $44. I was returning a wedding gift so I traded a crystal punch bowl or something equally useless for that and $10.

A disk bottom one would be fine for most stuff I use it for but man is it nice.

Ya I would never not buy 3-ply if buying stainless. Aggghh, I came in here looking for reassurance to buy hard anodized but everyone loves stainless but I still don't understand why stainless is better than hard anodized!!

I have one anodized piece, and it's an odd slope sided pan so I don't use it that often. It seems to do all the things that stainless does but all things being equal I would much rather have the bright shiny surface as it makes browning of pan juices much easier to see.

Nonstick and cast iron are similarly dark but have other advantages that make up for this.

Sorry Stevie, but I'm on Team Stainless. I've used nice anodized stuff when housesitting, and I just didn't bond with it like I did with my All-Clad. All-Clad protip: you can get factory seconds online; basically all of my pieces are seconds and I'll be damned if they aren't excellent. Maybe a scratch on the outside but whatever, I bang mine up anyway.

Tramontina makes a line of good nonstick with an off-white cooking surface. xp

I got a Oxo stainless set with a BB&B gift card because the handles were super comfortable and everything I've bought from Oxo has been pretty good. Made the mistake of making scrambled eggs in the saucepan day two and wasn't gentle enough with the heat I guess. Scrambled eggs freaking weld themselves to stainless.

i don't have the patience to learn to cook eggs in stainless & can't control heat well enough on my stupid electric stovetop. i believe that it is possible.

i grew up w/ an electric range, we had those coil things for a while, then my parents bought one of those flat glass/ceramic electric ranges and they've had that since. i hate the fucking thing, also you can't use cast iron on it because it can scratch or crack the ceramic surface. but growing up, my dad taught me how to cook fried eggs "peruvian style" which is basically heating a shitload of olive oil super hot (almost to smoking) in a skillet, crack the eggs in, and spoon all that excess oil over the top of the egg, and the eggs cook very very fast, and they come out super crispy on the edges, white is perfectly cooked, yolk is drippy and perfect for bread dipping, somehow the hot oil spooned over puts this very thin membrane of cooked egg white over the yolk like you might achieve doing over-easy, the whole technique is like flash-frying your eggs in hot olive oil. it's my favorite way to cook eggs, and a stainless steel skillet on my parents' electric ceramic range is honestly the very best way i've ever been able to achieve the ideal peruvian eggs. i have gas in my home now and i would never, ever, choose to have electric but i have tried and tried to cook eggs this way in my cast iron skillet on my gas range and it never comes out the way it does at my folks house in a stainless steel skillet on their glass smoothtop electric. that said i would never try scrambled eggs in a stainless steel skillet.

like something about the extremely high heat you can get from an electric range in such a short period of time combined with the heat conduction of stainless lets me flash fry these eggs in a way that i cannot achieve w/ cast iron on my gas stove at home. i heat this stainless skillet for like just a few minutes and it is hot as fuck. the eggs bubble up and the edges crisp immediately and oil is splattering every and it is a little scary tbh because i always get a little burned from the oil flying everywhere but it is so good. my dad always has good crusty bread around plus some alphonso olives and some feta cheese and that is always breakfast at my folks' house

also i really don't know if there is anything particularly "peruvian" about this style tbh, this could just be the way my dad had eggs growing up in his house in peru and because of that he passed them on to us as "fried eggs peruvian style"

the flat glass cooktop came with my house and i HATE it. i have a gas line i just need like $10,000 more to redo the kitchen.

I grew up with coil electric and had it in every apartment, now renting a house with gas. Started using a portable induction burner instead of the coil electric at my last two places - it kind of turned the kitchen into a hot plate situation (I pulled the coils on one side and set the burner there - theoretically I could still use the other side) but it's a really good hot plate and I can generally get away with using one pan plus the oven.

Gas is nice but given the climate in Texas if I ever buy I'm going to put in real induction. All the controllability of gas without the wasted heat running up AC bills.

I've had gas everywhere I've lived for the last 25 years. Switching back to electric would be a bummer in the short term.

Electric is great for ovens but I cant stand it for stovetop - too hard to control the heat quickly!

I had a glass top stove for a year at the last rental I lived in and was so awful that the electric coil stove at the first house we bought was good enough for seven years. Current place came with a super nice gas stove that I would probably never have bought myself but am extremely happy to have. I still sort of wish I had one electric burner though because even the smallest gas one is too hot sometimes for low simmering.

When I see a recent kitchen remodel with a glass stove I just think "those people don't care about cooking".

Marcos I saw the Spanish chef Jose Andres cook eggs like that on a cooking show once - super hot pan, crispy whites with barely cooked yolks, in like a small metal pan. I think he threw a smashed whole garlic clove in the oil too. I've done it a couple times and it's super good with bread and Spanish chorizo

My parents have always had an electric hob - first halogen and now induction - and I hate it. Even the induction one I find hard to control and the range of pans you can use with it is quite limited. Gas 4 evah!

Spooning over the hot oil is how I fry my eggs too, though not on the highest heat because the spitting terrifies me.

xp oh cool! smashed garlic sounds like a great addition, so does chorizo too

I actually tracked this down last night cause I was curious and made it for breakfast this morning:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdeszbyfAdE

Yolks were totally runny but seemed to work out and I don't have salmonella yet.

finally getting around to making tempeh chili w/red beans and a 3-ingredient chili powder(toasted anchos,cumin seeds, smoked paprika) i made for sake of convenience. and dammit, i am out of habaneros for the first time all year. i do have some ghost chile flakes that'll have to suffice for heat

this is my absolute favorite way of making smokey tempeh: http://www.yourveganmom.com/your_vegan_mom/2008/08/the-b.html

perfect served on grainy bread with slow roasted cherry tomatoes, avocado, mayo and romaine.

that all looks and sounds yummy. wonder if smoked paprika wld work subbed for liquid smoke.

i made these awesome energy nuggets yesterday: http://www.thehealthymaven.com/2014/05/chocolate-matcha-energy-balls-energy-ball-round.html

I made tempeh "meat"balls with spaghetti and marinara sauce the other day, from an isa chandra moskowitz recipe, and it was just the greatest thing ive cooked in months

salted a bone-in NY strip and let it sit in the fridge overnight
pre-seared with a blowtorch
oven @ 250F for ~20 minutes (until internal temp was 105F)
cast iron pan screaming hot for 45-60 seconds on each side (internal temp 125F)
<3 - the overnight cure makes it taste pretty damn close to expensive dry-aged beef

whoa

xps not sure but worth a try. i LOVE liquid smoke, only need a drop for an entire recipe and it just gives that lift .

i asked about aquafaba upthread but i feel like that might be something you'd be into experimenting with, outdoor-miner (and also jaq!). i still haven't tried it again, maybe after xmas.

i've got four ilxors to bake xmas cookies for, so i best get on that.

yeah, i read a bit about aquafaba when you posted. def will work that into something someday, thx 4 reminding! i'm sure yer right abt liquid smoke. for some reason the concept of smoke in a bottle has eluded me. may have something to do with a scary gallon-sized jug we useda keep at work that i never saw anybody go near (except me to take a whiff)

Happy holidays ilx! I have an exciting meal I'm trying out. It's a lamb pithivier. I'm cooking a confit of lamb shoulder right now and I've folded the puff pastry once. I have 6 more times to fold the dough. I stole the idea from this http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lamb_shoulder_pastilla_74296 but instead of making pastille I'm making a pithivier.

Family coming over soon. Tradition dictates simplicity and reliability, therefore we're serving: baked ham, homemade cranberry & orange sauce, bakery bread & butter, braised Brussels sprouts, a shredded broccoli salad with sliced almonds & dried cranberries, blueberry cheesecake, Russian tea cake cookies, coffee, eggnog & whiskey.

made this for breakfast, omg delicious

http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-ham-and-cheese-breakfas-43364

I made Swedish pancakes for breakfast, and lunch was spinach salad with pears sauteed in sherry/butter, spiced toasted pecans, pancetta, and three fried sage leaves on top of each one (dressing was dijon mustard/apple cider vin/s/p/oo). Ate hummus/cheese on crackers on the side, drank delicious beers. Just me & mr <3
later we will go to our friends' house where they will serve us delicious food that i didn't have to make!

I took the old reliable Apricot Nectar Cake recipe, a southern warhorse, and tried a pomegranate variation — turned out great. The violet juice made the cake turn out a dingy yellowish-brown color, but the flavor was A+.

What is violet juice??

I am making a "piecaken" for dessert - store bought apple pie in a white cake mix from a box

we thought it would be funny but I didnt feel like scratch baking a pie AND a cake for a joke / possible cakewreck

xp - just referring to the violet color of the pomegranate juice

I will never attempt to make puff pastry from scratch again.

^^^ what I said the one time I tried it

For our annual New Year's "open house" (drunken slurry with strange people) I'm making an all Chinese/Vietnamese menu, partially to impress somebody, and partially because it's the best food in the world? Six crispy fragrant ducks (brine on day one, steam on day two, deep fry on day three), black cod with lily buds, banh cuon, ground pork with salted fish, wonton soup topped with lo soi pork (stock and wontons from scratch), pomelo salad, fried rice, pickled mustard greens, and probably a couple things I'm forgetting-- enough to feed 80 people.

But, the point is that a few nights ago, with all these great ingredients, I decided to whip up mapo tofu for my boyfriend and I. We had it at Mission Chinese last time we were in NYC and it was delicious, and then a friend bought me the cookbook for Christmas, so I tried it out. It was.. one of the best and easiest things I've ever made and eaten, and I want to share it with everyone in the world. It's also vegan (the meat-version is delicious but v heavy).

Mapo Tofu

Before you start, make sure you’ve made Chili Oil and Chili Crisp (see below)

Base

2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
3 cups very hot water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup spicy bean paste (doubanjiang)
1/3 cup tomato paste

Combine shiitakes and water in medium bowl. Add soy and let soak for an hour. Drain, reserving the liquid. Whizz the mushrooms in a food processor until small chunks. You should have 1 cup of mushrooms.

Whisk together reserved liquid, bean paste, tomato paste, then add chopped mushrooms. You should have 3 1/2 cups; use 1 3/4 for this recipe and save the other half for next week.

Braise

1/2 cup chili oil (see below)
15 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup fermented black beans
1/3 cup chili crisp (see below)
1 12oz bottle of shitty beer
2 teaspoons mushroom paste (or MSG)
1 teaspoon toasted and ground Sichuan peppercorns
1 15oz package of firm tofu, cut into 1” cubes
1 teaspoon cornstarch slurry (optional)
Soy sauce

Also:

Chopped cilantro
2 Scallions, trimmed and sliced
Steamed rice
Sichuan peppercorn oil (optional)
Ground Sichuan pepper (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat chili oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, fermented black beans, chili crisp and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic softens and the mixture becomes aromatic.

Add the beer, mushroom powder, Sichuan paper, and 1 3/4 cups of the base, and stir. Bring to a simmer, and let simmer for one hour. (At this point you can let cool and refrigerate or freeze for up to 2 months.)

Fold in the tofu and heat through. If the sauce is thin, add cornstarch slurry. Season with soy sauce if necessary.

Sprinkle herbs on top, serve with steamed rice. Add extra oil and/or pepper if you like.

Chili Oil and Chili Crisp

4 cups dried chilies de arbol, stems removed
1 tablespoon whole Sichuan peppercorns
3 star anise
1 3” piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 3” cinnamon stick
1 black cardamon pod, smashed
10 garlic cloves
1/2 cup mushroom powder (or MSG)
3 tablespoons salt
4 cups peanut or vegetable oil
1/2 cup sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
1/4 cup store-bought fried garlic (optional)
1/2 cup store-bough fried shallots (optional)
1 tablespoon fermented black beans (optional)

Combine chilies, peppercorns, anise, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, garlic, mushroom powder and salt in a deep saucepan. In a separate pan, heat the oils to 375 F. Carefully and quickly pour the oil over the dry ingredients, whisking vigourously. The mixture will hiss and bubble. Allow to cool.

Strain the oil, reserving everything. Discard the larger spices (star anise and cinnamon), then mortar/pestle (or food process) the remaining solid ingredients until the size of red pepper flakes. Season with fish sauce, then incorporate enough oil to turn it into a salsa-like consistency. Add the garlic, shallots and beans if you like. Store crisp and oil separately.

made polenta pizza last night. turned out awesomer than expected. made fairly stiff batch of po-po, then spread it ~1/4" thick on sheet pan to cool. after the final pizza-topped product was finished it was actually stiff enough to pick up, like a actual pizza. small revelation.

HMMMM you've got me thinking about an arepa pizza now as a matter of fact.

fgti that is an amazing recipe but the chili oil/chile crisp part makes is not that easy?

or maybe easy but a lot of ingredients

anyone have any really sublime casserole recipes?

Just1ne to thread! And outdoor miner, too. Do you know of any totally reliable vegan cake recipes that don't involve chocolate?

has anyone re-used pasta cooking water to add to a stock instead of plain water? i'm not sure if it would give it some extra body or if it would just be too starchy

i cooked some udon for a noodle soup i am making later today and i need to make a stock for it, so i was thinking about using the cooking water

Sure why not? How salty is it?

went ahead and did it! turned out totally fine. tbh i didn't notice much of a difference because the vegetables in the stock dominated the flavor but it was a good stock

xps to ljub - i can't recommend anything, since i'm not really into cakes (too much work - i prefer cookies or vegan cheesecake) but if you go to veganbaking.net and look for any recipes by 'mattie', you should find something pretty good.

Thanks j! It's not me doing the baking (I got away with spiced nuts this time) but have passed the tip on to the person who offered to bake a congratulations cake, discovered the recipient was vegan, and valiantly did not withdraw their offer.