Cooking

[jack duren]

Since I’ve been rising my grand daughter and less time in the shop , I’ve been doing a lot of cooking. I may try chocolate turtles today. Anybody else do a lot of cooking?

[Earl McLain]

My wife was a great cook, but dementia has made that very difficult for her--hard to process the steps involved in making a meal. So...for the past year or so i've been doing most of the meal prep--we're not eating nearly as well as we used to, but it is at least lower in carbs!! I'm very thankful for Alessi soup mixes--very tasty and easy to add leftover grilled meats to the selection. Plus, it's a dry mix so we're not hauling heavy cans of soup home from the store. The chicken stock & beef stock i use in place of the water i'm supposed to add is delivered by Sam's Club.

[Terence McGee]

Chocolate turtles sound simply delicious! I've never attempted them but have always loved eating them.

As for me, I've always loved baking bread so I won't buy from bakeries anymore.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Miss Doe and I take turns. She is training me to back off on fat and salt. Neither of has learned to scale down our recipes for just two. Big batches of soup, chili, beans, spaghetti, etc. get divided up and frozen. The young adults have finished with their vegan and vegetarian adventures. We had a rib roast for our holiday get together. It was a luxury. Best wishes Earl Mclain to you and yours .

[jack duren]

Chocolate turtles sound simply delicious! I've never attempted them but have always loved eating them.

As for me, I've always loved baking bread so I won't buy from bakeries anymore.

im a heavy bread eater. I guess I need to watch YouTube for bread making

[jack duren]

Miss Doe and I take turns. She is training me to back off on fat and salt. Neither of has learned to scale down our recipes for just two. Big batches of soup, chili, beans, spaghetti, etc. get divided up and frozen. The young adults have finished with their vegan and vegetarian adventures. We had a rib roast for our holiday get together. It was a luxury. Best wishes Earl Mclain to you and yours .

I have to watch phosphorus which is in almost everything…if I take in too much salt from peanuts, etc I get very flushed for about 15 minutes…

[Mike Soaper]

im a heavy bread eater. I guess I need to watch YouTube for bread making

You might want to give homemade pizza dough a try. I use either an Italian OO flour found in some grocery stores or an organic 00 flour from central milling (shipping is a killer).

In my 550 deg home oven i first pre bake the dough for 2 min before adding sauce and toppings then cook for about 7min ymmv.

[Jim Becker]

I do 100% of the cooking in our home at this point and have been the primary cook for a very long time. I used to do five nights and The Professor did two, but she has a medical condition at this point that doesn't really permit her to do this safely. It's actually not a terrible thing as I truly enjoy cooking and have become reasonably skilled over the years. Those who know me on Socials generally get to see "Tonight's Nosh..." almost every night 'cause I'm one of "those folks" who post photos of food. :D

Thursday nights we do "date nite" and with rare exceptions always eat at a locally owned establishment, rather than any kind of "chain" restaurant. Monday nights we have "whole family" meal with both daughters and the younger's SO. Last night was chicken stew which was truly delicious...

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[Pat Germain]

I have loved to cook since I was a wee lad.

Last week I invited my cousin and her boyfriend over for a pizza lunch. We sat at my kitchen island together while I made the dough and took instructions for what people wanted on their pizza. I think everyone enjoyed it. I know I did. I used a quick-rise pizza dough. Boyfriend was fascinated at the fact I put beer in the dough. Makes it rise fast as well as taste good. :)

[jack duren]

I’m looking for a chicken recipe for soup. Bought a whole chicken, but lost the recipe off YouTube..

If I have time will try and make butter steak and potatoes

[Maurice Mcmurry]

We rely on The Joy Of Cooking and the old, red plaid, looseleaf Better Homes And Gardens cook books.

[Edward Weber]

I've been cooking for myself for for 45 years or so.
If you start making bread, it's a deep rabbit hole to go down.
Turtles look good

[Jim Koepke]

I’m looking for a chicken recipe for soup. Bought a whole chicken, but lost the recipe off YouTube..

If I have time will try and make butter steak and potatoes

We often buy chicken pre-cooked at the local grocers or Costco.

With the leftovers, Candy & I like the dark meat so the left overs is usually the breasts, I make a Chili Verde Chicken.

Basically it is cutting up the chicken and removing bones while a chopped up onion is frying in a large pan. For two chicken breast I use two 15.7 oz jars. Add an extra jar and it will be like soup. Forgot to mention the fresh cilantro chopped up and sprinkled on top just before it is done.

My favorite Verde Salsa is Herdez Roasted Salsa Verde >

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I used to add chopped celery. Now days I use lovage since it grows in my garden. (it tastes like celery on steroids)

Add other chopped peppers as desired.

Simple and quick.

Tastes great in a burrito or over rice.

jtk

[Edwin Santos]

I have loved to cook since I was a wee lad.

Last week I invited my cousin and her boyfriend over for a pizza lunch. We sat at my kitchen island together while I made the dough and took instructions for what people wanted on their pizza. I think everyone enjoyed it. I know I did. I used a quick-rise pizza dough. Boyfriend was fascinated at the fact I put beer in the dough. Makes it rise fast as well as taste good. :)

Does it have something to do with yeast in the beer? Interesting!

[Jim Becker]

I’m looking for a chicken recipe for soup. Bought a whole chicken, but lost the recipe off YouTube..

Use the whole chicken this time, but I'll suggest you buy boneless/skinless thighs for soups and stews as they are easy to cut up and brown and they also carry a "ton" of flavor. That's what I used in the stew pictured above yesterday. I rarely buy the "white meat" unless I'm going to roast a whole chicken. (which I typically spatchcock for that, too)

[Pat Germain]

Does it have something to do with yeast in the beer? Interesting!

There is also a lot of yeast in the dough which I do think contributes to a umami flavor. The beer does add flavor as well as leavening. Of course, the type of beer you use has an affect. I good pilsner works really well. I sometimes also use an amber.

You can find this particular recipe on Brian Langerstrom's page. He also has a YouTube video for this "One Hour Pizza". If you've never made it before, it will take more than an hour. After you get the hang of it, you really can get a pizza in one hour.

[Pat Germain]

I’m looking for a chicken recipe for soup. Bought a whole chicken, but lost the recipe off YouTube..

If I have time will try and make butter steak and potatoes

I really like Brian Langerstrom's recipes and videos. Pretty sure he has multiple chicken soup recipes.

[George Yetka]

I do most but not all.

Every week we have
1 pasta meal(usually with a meat in there for protein and salad on the side)
1 baked chicken meal with rice and cooked veggie(every 5th or 6th week this will be breaded and fried)
1 taco night(mix up the meat)
1 takeout
1 fend for yourself night each I take kids out when its my turn. SO goes easy mac and cheese/ chicken nuggets
other 2 nights are always a surprise. extra chicken night, soup night, chili, Steaks. But never repetitive

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Time is running out on Pie day. We had one so far, homemade pizza. I might fold over a piece of bread with jam inside and grill it to keep the celebration going.

[Paul F Franklin]

While I was retired and Mary was still working, I did almost all the cooking. Now that Mary is also retired, she has mostly taken over (unless the smoker or grill are involved) and we are eating very well indeed. We have always (regardless of cook) tended to cook 2 or 3 times a week and enjoy leftovers the remaining days. Often Mary will cook two days in a row and then we will alternate leftovers for 3 or 4 days. Mary makes wonderful rye bread or wheat bread at least once a week. We had braised chuck roast a few days ago that was amazing. After having that twice we shredded the remaining beef and added spicy BBQ sauce and had that over sliced home made rolls for a couple more days. We use a similar strategy with lamb, making a whole boneless or bone-in leg, having that for a couple of days, and then using some to make lamb biryani while freezing the rest for future use.

One of my long time favorites is paprika chicken (not to be confused with chicken paprikas, another favorite). It's a skillet dish with bone-in chicken thighs and rice that has amazing flavor. Last week, Mary made lasagna with home made lasagna noodles and tomato sauce (tomatoes were from the garden) and it was the best I've ever had. As for pizza, Grandma pizza has become our go-to with home made dough.

We don't eat out nearly as much as we did when we were both working. Now it's mostly for special occasions or sometimes Sunday breakfast.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Been cooking most of my life. When I was a kid, both parents worked. Mother would leave me a menu of what to fix for dinner. When they got home at 6:25 PM, dinner was on the table. As an adult still cook most of the meals. especially if it's something going to a pot luck. Last week for a dinner at church, fixed both Potato Soup, and Brunswick Stew. Yesterday fixed a huge pot of Red Beans and Rice to share with family and friends. Today, made a Carrot Cake for sharing with friends tomorrow night while enjoying friend birthday. Get up almost every Saturday morning and make biscuits. Use my food processor to make pie crusts, biscuit dough and pizza dough. FYI, if you need a lot rice, cook it in the oven. Ratio of water to rice is five parts water to three parts rice. Most of our proteins (meats) are bought on sale. On Wednesday morning look at ads and see if there is something that fits our needs on sale, and plan meals accordingly. My recommended web site for recipes is "Collard Valley Cooks."

[Patty Hann]

Does it have something to do with yeast in the beer? Interesting!

Yes it does... look up recipes for "Beer Bread" . Quick and easy to make (as long as you have beer handy ;))

[Patty Hann]

I still make a lot of soup: Green Pea (Not Split pea as I don't have a ham bone handy)
Black bean and Corn
Vegetable (using box of Vegetable Stock and frozen vegetables and canned garbanzo beans and red beans)
Tomato (using canned tomatoes and box vegetable or chicken stock).
Sometimes (rarely, really) I'll make french onion soup, but it takes a long time to cook the onions to properly carmelize them.

I also make a lot of oatmeal (regular oats not quick cook) at one time and then portion it and freeze it.

I make the "crisp" used as the topping of fruit crisps (Flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon) make several cups of it, portion it and freeze it. Then it's ready for when I bake any kind of fruit.
Baking fruit usually takes less that 40 minutes, and you don't have to take the time to make the topping.

I also make my own hot cocoa mix. This is mainly because all the store bought mixes (and for the record Swiss Miss is my favorite) are made out of "Coffee creamer" and a boatload of unidentifiable ingredients.
I use the Nido dry milk, generic cocoa powder, sugar, and corn starch. I make enough dry mix to fill a gallon glass storage jar. You can use just hot water when ready to make a mug, but I usually do half water and half milk; the milk gives it a little more "body."

I oven roast a medley of vegetables (whatever is available) several times a week: Broccoli, onion, carrots, Brussell sprouts, asparagus,Sweet potato medallions, sometimes add some mushrooms, then drizzle with basalmic dressing while still hot.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Use the whole chicken this time, but I'll suggest you buy boneless/skinless thighs for soups and stews as they are easy to cut up and brown and they also carry a "ton" of flavor. That's what I used in the stew pictured above yesterday. I rarely buy the "white meat" unless I'm going to roast a whole chicken. (which I typically spatchcock for that, too)

I tried spatchcocking chicken for the grill this summer for the first time. It amazed how much easier it made getting the chicken done completely all at the same time! Thats become my favorite method of preparing chicken for the grill!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Yes it does... look up recipes for "Beer Bread" . Quick and easy to make (as long as you have beer handy ;))

I learned about beer bread with my FIL and 20 other guys opening a Boy Scout/Explorer camp in Canada 40+ years ago. I fixed it for my family but they couldn't get past knowing there was "beer" in it. I am a beer drinker and my wife detests beer! Visiting a friend/coworker in Christchurch, NZ in 2008, he did convert me to Scotch ales so unless we have friends or neighbors coming over that I know like a particular brand of beer, I have not bought a common commercial beer in years. I drink primarily a locally brewed Scotch ale.

[Patty Hann]

I learned about beer bread with my FIL and 20 other guys opening a Boy Scout/Explorer camp in Canada 40+ years ago. I fixed it for my family but they couldn't get past knowing there was "beer" in it. I am a beer drinker and my wife detests beer! Visiting a friend/coworker in Christchurch, NZ in 2008, he did convert me to Scotch ales so unless we have friends or neighbors coming over that I know like a particular brand of beer, I have not bought a common commercial beer in years. I drink primarily a locally brewed Scotch ale.


Yep... I was eating beer bread long before I was old enough to drink it legally. Learned how to make it from a Polish lady.

[George Yetka]

Forgot to mention anytime its over 40 degrees the grill/smoker runs at least once a week

[Rod Sheridan]

You might want to give homemade pizza dough a try. I use either an Italian OO flour found in some grocery stores or an organic 00 flour from central milling (shipping is a killer).

In my 550 deg home oven i first pre bake the dough for 2 min before adding sauce and toppings then cook for about 7min ymmv.

Sounds great Mike, you should make yourself a wood fired pizza oven, 60 seconds to cook a pizza to perfection.

I’m too lazy for that so I have a pizza oven that goes over a gas BBQ, 3 minutes to perfection

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Pizza made from homemade dough is fantastic

Regards, Rod

[Pat Germain]

My cousin has a massive, wood pizza oven in his back yard. It takes six hours to get it up to temp. Then it will stay hot for days.

There are many new, propane pizza ovens on the market. I'm looking to get one this spring. Wood pizza ovens are way cool, but I don't think the 60 seconds it takes to cook a pizza makes that much of a difference in taste.

[Jim Becker]

I tried spatchcocking chicken for the grill this summer for the first time. It amazed how much easier it made getting the chicken done completely all at the same time! Thats become my favorite method of preparing chicken for the grill!
Yea, it's a game changer for an even cook and works equally well in the oven as on the grill. Easy to do with a proper set of kitchen shears, too.

[Mike Soaper]

Sounds great Mike, you should make yourself a wood fired pizza oven, 60 seconds to cook a pizza to perfection.

I’m too lazy for that so I have a pizza oven that goes over a gas BBQ, 3 minutes to perfection

514354514357
Pizza made from homemade dough is fantastic

Regards, Rod

Looks most excellent Rod!! makes me want one now, but I need to wait until Friday for family pizza night.

3 minutes to cook sounds great particularly when I've got 4-5 14" pizzas to cook. There have been times I've pondered getting a grill pizza oven like yours but I've got a charcoal grill that would take some time getting hot, but I still toy with the deal of getting one.

fwiw I'll add diastatic malted barley to the dough to help brown the crust and feed the yeast, about 1/4 teaspoon to 1lb flour, I suspect the barley in the beer does the same thing.

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Seems this is the only pizza photo I can find, made me think of the old anti drug ad with a egg " This is you brain (egg), this is your brain on drugs (frying egg)".

Well, I had pizza dough on my mind.:)

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[Thomas McCurnin]

Like Jim, I am the cook for the family.

I know what I like to eat from favorite meals at restaurants. I then hit the Internet and my collection of cook books and try to replicate the recipe, and it usually takes 4-5 attempts.

I had a fun project a few years ago, buying old recipe boxes off eBay and trying many of the recipes.

[jack duren]

Made the chocolate turtle. I’ll get a little better with portions next try. I’ll put a price to make them later..

[Earl McLain]

Got a great deal on some fresh ground turkey patties last week. Put the first batch on the grill with Lawry's season salt the day we got them--okay. Did the last 4 yesterday at lunch--fog & drizzle outside so grilling didn't buzz me. Pan fried them after sprinkling garlic salt & crusted with some "Italian Style" bread crumbs we had in the pantry. Best turkey i've ever had!!

[Alan Lightstone]

SWMBO does most of the cooking, and she's outstanding at it. I clearly had no time for that when working absurd hours in the hospital. I do all the outdoor grilling now. I really miss the pellet smoker from our last house. Made amazing food.

I do lots of Sous Vide these days. Pretty impossible to mess up anything with it. Steak is always perfectly cooked, fish sometimes. Even did kangaroo and elk.

Lamb chops and duck breasts are particular favorites, and my wife nails them every time. Just perfectly cooked.

One dish I do make sous vide is Chilean lomito sandwiches. Pork tenderloin (or Boston Butt) slow cooked via sous vide on a brioche bun with good guacamole, mayo, onions, and lettuce. Truly amazing.

We do the big Thanksgiving thing with family, but now buy pre-cooked heritage turkeys from Whole Foods. So much simpler than cooking the big bird, and much tastier.

And still a sucker for Nathan's Coney Island hot dogs with cole slaw on Martin's potato buns. Brings back so many memories from childhood living close to the 2nd Nathans that was ever built.

I could go on and on. Really making me hungry.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Yea, it's a game changer for an even cook and works equally well in the oven as on the grill. Easy to do with a proper set of kitchen shears, too.

My wife and I discussed spatchcocking and I ordered a special set of shears for doing it. I have used them and they work well. I don't know that she has used them yet.

[Jim Becker]

Like Jim, I am the cook for the family.

I know what I like to eat from favorite meals at restaurants. I then hit the Internet and my collection of cook books and try to replicate the recipe, and it usually takes 4-5 attempts.

I had a fun project a few years ago, buying old recipe boxes off eBay and trying many of the recipes.
You will get to the point that you can not have to rely on recipes and start to understand intrinsically how to "get there" from the basic ingredients. One of the best things I ever did was read the book, Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat (https://www.saltfatacidheat.com/). While I occasionally glance at a published recipe for inspiration, I am comfortable "winging" it from there most of the time. There's also value in having variations on things that you and your family enjoy so the question, "What can I do to change this up a little" is always valid to ask and answer.

[Pat Germain]

My daughter gave me a copy of "The Food Lab" by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Good golly, it's HUGE and packed with great information. I'm a big fan of poached eggs and his method is a game-changer. It's now out on multiple YouTube videos, but cracking the eggs into a strainer to drain off excess water works really well. If you have access to very fresh eggs, this probably isn't necessary. Here in the suburbs, it can be hard to find very fresh eggs.

https://www.amazon.com/Food-Lab-Cooking-Through-Science/dp/0393081087/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ZK0LL8F7RVU6&keywords=The+Food+Lab&qid=1706277920&sprefix=the+food+lab%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1

[Mike Soaper]

Here's a follow up photo showing how adding malted barley can help the crust brown.

Bacon and white corn cooked on a pizza screen on the lower rack near the electric heating elements.

I don't think the photo does the pizza justice, but i hope it gives some sense of the browning.

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[Aaron Rosenthal]

I’m looking for a chicken recipe for soup. Bought a whole chicken, but lost the recipe off YouTube..

If I have time will try and make butter steak and potatoes

Jack, we make chicken soup every Friday.
Here's our recipe:
2 (one package) of Chicken backs
3 carrots peeled and chopped into ~ 3 to 4" lengths
One cooking onion, peeled, cut into quarters

In a 14 liter pressure cooker, add about one tablespoon of salt, a pinch of pepper, and one tablespoon of consume or chicken powdered soup base. We use "Osem" brand, because we're kosher.

Fill with water, put it on the stove and bring to a boil, then put the pressure cap on and turn the heat down so the cap just rocks, for about 20 minutes; turn off the stove, and when it's not pressurized any more, remove the cap and it's about ready.

Some of my friends use a whole chicken but we find it's too fatty so it should be done the day before and the fat skimmed off before reheating and serving.
Also, some prefer the broth only and strain off the veggies, but we like them.
Lot's of variations on the theme.

[Brian Runau]

I do most of the cooking. Love stir fry. Velveting makes all cuts of meat very tender. Brian

[Jim Koepke]

Aaron, your chicken soup made me think of something I do with rice. I will either add a couple chicken bullion cubes into the water or cook it in chicken broth/stock.

Makes for a great tasting rice.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

I do most of the cooking. Love stir fry. Velveting makes all cuts of meat very tender. Brian

Had to look up "velveting."

It sounds like a different yet similar technique described in a cooking book I recently purchased:

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It suggest salting or brining many proteins as much as a day or two before cooking.

jtk

[Brian Runau]

Had to look up "velveting."

It sounds like a different yet similar technique described in a cooking book I recently purchased:

514843

It suggest salting or brining many proteins as much as a day or two before cooking.

jtk

Jim: You can use any combination you like. Base is 1 tbls each per lb of meat of rice wine vinegar, corn starch, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg white. I like to add fish sauce 1/2 per lb & oyster sauce 1/2 per lb. You can add ginger, garlic etc...This makes chicken melt in your mouth in say 4 hours. I use it on pork or top sirloin overnight. I cut meat into thin strips and dump it in a tupperware cover and mix the sauce and then marinate. Thanks. Brian

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/velveting-meat