Voodoolily's Snacktastic Recipe Thread!!

[taolurker]

Thanks, but it looks like you have to register an account to view the thread. 

I have never used my account info at Something Awful in over 7 years, and don't think I've even visited it on the last three computer iterations of mine... and I was able to view the thread that NowhereMan referenced and read it without registering or loggin in..

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3573640

You sure you can't actually read the link? Or were just avoiding SomethingAwful on principle?

[Tmon]

No it popped up with a registration request when I clicked the thread after I navigated to the forum.  I have nothing against something awful, I've heard the name and have a vague understanding that they are somehow related to the goons but other than reading about some Eve scam a few years ago and whatever chatter there is here they aren't exactly on my radar.  I'd have happily registered but wasn't gonna cough up cash to do it without being able to read anything first.  Your direct link to the thread works fine, I booked marked it and I'm not gonna bother figuring out what happened the last time.  The circulater is shipped and should be here early next week so I have time to read through the site and a few others I've found.

[Mandella]

I too could read that thread just fine without logging in, and I now have to thank Something Awful for once again living up to its name by convincing me I will be building a desktop Cold Fusion reactor before I will try sous vide.

[Tmon]

Did my first sous-vide cook last night.  I rubbed a small boneless pork loin roast with some olive oil, sprinkled on a little garlic salt, added some fresh sage and vacuum sealed it.  I cooked it at 140 for 6 hours then gave it a quick sear.  It was very moist and tender, although the fatcap on it came out kinda gelatinous.  Next time I'll either give it more of a sear or just cut it off.   The Sansaire was pretty simple to setup and run, it brought the water up to temp fairly quickly and was very quiet.  I think for my next experiment I'm going to pull a round steak out of the freezer and see what sous-vide does for it.

[Paelos]

Sous-vide always seemed like a ton of effort for something that's mostly chef wankery. Like that fucking foam shit they do. Molecular gastronomy. That whole subsect of the food industry is so far up it's own ass they make European Film festival people look tame.

Anyway, is there a difference that makes it worth it in your mind for the waiting time?

[Tmon]

I can see some applications, especially since you don't have to do anything but wait once you have everything in the bag and floating. Based on this one trial it's better than putting the same roast in a crock pot for a day.  I can see cooking up a week's supply of chicken breast on the weekend and not having it turn to rubber when it gets reheated.   I don't like overly fussy recipes and from what I've found so far most sous vide recipes are pretty much add some flavorings seal the bag and cook for x time at y temp.

[Paelos]

Yeah large scale applications would make the most sense with things that get tough in my mind. I wonder if you could do flank steaks in there, or chuck steaks and see how tender they get.

[Khaldun]

See, with flank or something like that, you'd be going for the kind of tenderness you get in a ropa vieja presentation of flank, not the way flank tastes if it's marinated and then broiled or grilled, where the toughness is actually pretty intrinsic to the taste.

Sous vide really makes sense only if you want extremely precise control over doneness of large cuts of meat at more or less a moment's notice in response to demand--e.g., within a two-hour window you might want to sear off and serve meat because a bunch of people just showed up that you weren't expecting. It lets you keep something at a very precise amount of doneness for quite a while. It's not a bad way also to tenderize meat that needs long cooking, like a pork shoulder or beef short ribs, but it's not like it saves time over roasting or long braising, it's just a bit more forgiving of mistakes (nothing is going to dry out or burn in a sous-vide, but then a fatty cut like a shoulder or short ribs isn't going to dry out either in a low-heat roast unless they're in for crazy-long amounts of time.)

I think the best thing I've seen done with sous vide is using it to keep something that's really precise in terms of doneness at exactly that point until exactly the moment where you need it. I put soft-cooked eggs in ramen broth when I make the Momofuku version, for example, and I want them just at that precise moment where the yolk is starting to congeal just a teeny-tiny bit. Even in a double boiler, that's a pretty tricky thing to hit every time, especially if you're trying to serve multiple eggs into multiple bowls all at once. But if they're in sous vide, you can just keep pulling them as you want and they'll all be exactly the same.

[Tmon]

Yeah large scale applications would make the most sense with things that get tough in my mind. I wonder if you could do flank steaks in there, or chuck steaks and see how tender they get.

I split a side of beef with a friend so I have a freezer full of stuff to try out.  I don't think I had any chuck steaks cut when I ordered it, but I do have a nice pile of bone in chuck roasts to experiment with.  I also have a bunch of short ribs that I can do up.

[MisterNoisy]

Molecular gastronomy. That whole subsect of the food industry is so far up it's own ass they make European Film festival people look tame.

I actually like that stuff when it improves the experience/food - this Thanksgiving, we made mac and cheese with a sodium citrate cheese sauce instead of the typical bechamel base and everybody loved it - perfectly creamy cheese sauce.

[Samwise]

I made this thing for a party last night and my coworkers who saw it (I assembled it in the kitchen at work before leaving) were jealous so I'm making another one tomorrow to share at the office.



Start with a sourdough boule (I baked it myself because I'm awesome, and the recipe is in this thread somewhere from years ago, but you can buy bread at the store like a weakling if you prefer).

Slice it about an inch thick but stop about half an inch from the bottom so the loaf stays in one piece.  Now turn it ninety degrees and repeat so it's sliced into one inch squares.

Slice up a brick of cheese (half a pound, more if you want to go all out) really thin, like a quarter of an inch.  Stuff the slices into the slits between the squares.  Now melt a stick of butter and add stuff to it, like poppy seeds, mashed garlic, sliced green onion, whatever.  Drizzle that over everything.

Wrap it up in foil, bake at 350 for 15 minutes, unwrap, bake for another 10.

If you don't devour it while the cheese is still in its liquid phase, you might want to quickly re-slice through the congealed cheese, otherwise it's hard to pull the pieces of bread off.

Nom.

[Signe]

That looks beautiful.  I can only imagine how it tastes.  Well, until I make it on Xmas eve, that is!   

[Evildrider]

That makes me hungry.  I'd add pepperoni and some marinara to dip in. 

[RhyssaFireheart]

Oh that bread looks fabulous!  I may have to note the recipe down to take along to Mom's when we go down next week.  The pepperoni addition that Evildrider suggested will be seriously considered as well.

[Trippy]

That makes me hungry.  I'd add pepperoni and some marinara to dip in. 

You might as well just buy a stuffed crust pizza at that point.

[apocrypha]

Goddamn that looks fantastic. I've been considering giving making sourdough a try, you may have just given me the final push!

However, our house is cold. The sourdough recipes I've got say 20-24^oC for the starter mix and proving stages. Our house never, ever gets that warm. 16-18^oC is more like our average. Do you think that'll make it impossible? Will we need to set up a hotbox or something?

[Tmon]

Damn that is awesome looking.  It's definitely going on the menu for NYE.

[Evildrider]

That makes me hungry.  I'd add pepperoni and some marinara to dip in. 

You might as well just buy a stuffed crust pizza at that point.

I am sure that would taste better than a stuffed crust pizza. 

[Yegolev]

However, our house is cold. The sourdough recipes I've got say 20-24^oC for the starter mix and proving stages. Our house never, ever gets that warm. 16-18^oC is more like our average. Do you think that'll make it impossible? Will we need to set up a hotbox or something?

I think that could cause a problem but you might be able to use your oven in some manner.  Facing a similar issue, since bread seems a winter food, I just bought a bread machine.

[Tmon]

In my experience it the bread will rise, it just takes longer.  You can always warm up the oven a bit (I turn mine on for a couple minutes or so) and put the dough in it to raise.  Adding a pan of boiling water will help keep temp and humidity up.

[apocrypha]

I think using the oven will be difficult with sourdough because it's a slow-proving bread anyway. Might have to see if we can make one room in the house extra warm somehow.

[Samwise]

My kitchen is pretty cold too; I put the dough in a covered bowl in my oven with the light left on.  An incandescent lightbulb makes it just a little warmer in there.  You only need really warm temperatures if you want it to rise quickly; more fermentation time produces a better flavor anyway.

I recommend picking up the Tartine Bread book if you want to get serious about sourdough.  I'm not following their recipes exactly, but just taking some of the basic principles they explain and applying them to the recipes I was already using was hugely helpful.

[Tmon]

So my sous vide round steak was interesting.  I cut it into 3 portions and bagged them with just some salt sprinkled on.  I cooked them for 3 hours at 138 and pulled two out to have for supper.  I seared them in a cast iron skillet before serving them.  They were perfectly medium rare but were about as tough as you would expect a roundsteak to be.  The remaining portion I let go for 20 hours then had for lunch.  I fired up the grill and seared the steak on both sides.  This was far more tender, in fact I could cut it with a fork.  The texture was nicely steaky and not at all mushy.  That said it's a round steak and since it doesn't have much fat in it, it doesn't have a lot of flavor.   I think next I'm going to do up some short ribs.

[Yegolev]

Reading that makes me very happy with my dutch oven.

[apocrypha]

My kitchen is pretty cold too; I put the dough in a covered bowl in my oven with the light left on.  An incandescent lightbulb makes it just a little warmer in there.  You only need really warm temperatures if you want it to rise quickly; more fermentation time produces a better flavor anyway.

Nice one, thanks, I'm going to give it a go.

I recommend picking up the Tartine Bread book if you want to get serious about sourdough.  I'm not following their recipes exactly, but just taking some of the basic principles they explain and applying them to the recipes I was already using was hugely helpful.

I'll check that out too. I've got a Paul Hollywood book someone bought me as a present that has a whole section on sourdough, no idea if his ideas are good or not but every other recipe I've tried from it has turned out great!

[Jimbo]

Spice Rub that my Dad made up and we use on burgers, chicken, pork, potatoes, etc...





Also homemade saltwater beer cooler I made out of an old ice cube tray, holds about 4 beers to get cold quickly.


Both beers are pretty decent for mass produced stuff.

[MrHat]

Anova has their sous-vide immersion thingy for $99.

Picked one up.  Been wanting to try one for a while, should pair well with all this meat we've been getting from a local farm.

[Surlyboi]

Got one for free because...Apple. I dig the shit out off it.

On a recipe note,

Four cheese pizza with roasted, smoked duck breast, pepperoncinis and fresh arugula. killer.

[SurfD]

Need some advice from the foodies here:

A week or so ago, I made a terrible mistake and went shopping while half asleep on my way home from a late night at work.  As a result, I ended up with a family sized pack of Bone IN Chicken Breasts, instead of the Boneless ones I thought I was getting    (at least i got them on  sale  )

At any rate, I have absolutely no idea what to do with these things, so I figured I would  ask for suggestions.

As a Side note, I am not looking for anything too complicated.  As a single adult living alone, who doesnt do a huge amount of complicated cooking, I dont exactly have a large assortment of spices, etc, so simple dishes are better.  Bonus points if you have any suggestions that work with a slowcooker :P

[Evildrider]

Boil them with some carrots, onion, celery, and spices.  Then let the meat cool and use it to make chicken salad.
You can roast it in the oven, make it into fried chicken, or you can just cut the bone away and then cook it like you would normally.

Or you can chop the breast down into a couple of pieces and then put it in a pot with 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/2 cup of vinegar (apple cider or white), a few cloves of garlic (chopped/minced), some black pepper, and enough water to cover.  Then let it boil til the chicken is cooked to your satisfaction.  Take the meat out, let the sauce reduce a little bit, then eat with some rice or vegetables. 

[apocrypha]

Roast them - some olive oil on them, then rub salt & pepper into the skin, 190^oC, 20-30 mins. You'll have to work out how long for, depends on your oven, size of chicken pieces, etc. Do one for 15 mins, check it. 5 mins more, check again. Repeat 'til done to your taste. For a super easy meal roast veg at the same time. Potatoes, any root veg (parsnips, swede, turnips, sweet potatoes, carrots) in chunks, 30-40 mins. Peppers, aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, fennel, various times, experiment. Just lightly coat in olive oil and season well.

Chicken breast on the bone grills well too. Medium heat and don't have the meat too close to the flame. You want to cook it through without burning the skin. Same as roasting, oil & seasoning, and check it early and often. If it's under cooked it's easy to cook it a bit longer, if it's over cooked you're stuck with it.

Having bone attached is great for stopping chicken from drying out when cooked, as long as you don't over cook it ofc. I never, ever buy boneless chicken breast. It's the blandest, least tasty and by far the most expensive way of eating chicken. If you really can't handle bones then thigh fillets are OK, just don't over cook them. The best, cheapest and most versatile option is to buy whole chickens and joint them yourself. I buy top quality free range chickens for 1/3rd price per kg of shitty battery farmed breast fillets and get multiple meals off of a single bird. Save the bones for stock and it's the meat that just keeps on giving

[apocrypha]

For slow pot roasting try this. Quickly brown the seasoned chicken pieces in the pot, in butter & oil, then take them out and set aside. Turn the heat right down and slowly (10-20 mins) soften a chopped onion or two. Add some finely chopped garlic and fry for 1 min then return the chicken to the pot. Add liquid to just cover - cider, stock, wine, water, whatever you fancy. Slow cook for as long as you like, at least an hour but you can't over cook a pot roast as long as it doesn't dry out. Add veg of your choosing at some point. Hard root veg like carrots or swede will take 40 mins or more, more delicate veg - shredded cabbage is good - take less, 15-20 mins. Serve with mashed potato, buttered noodles, rice, whatever you like.

Good things to add to pot roast chicken:
Dried porcini mushrooms, soaked for 20 mins in hot water, plus the soaking liquid.
Butternut (or any kind) squash, peeled, in chunks.
Dried chiles, e.g. ancho, chipotle.
Bacon, fried 'til browned, in small pieces - v. good with cider as the liquid.
Green beans, peas, broad beans, etc. Don't over cook these, add them near the end.

Pot roasting is so versatile, try anything, experiment!

[Signe]

I always pick up the bone in chicken titties when I'm going to grill.  I also get the gams with thighs for the grill.

[Yegolev]

Fried.  Crispy chicken bones are great.

This may be the right place to mention that I signed up for Blue Apron and it successfully alleviates the need for me to plan fucking meals and manage groceries, at least for the nights on which I cook the pre-planned meals.

[MisterNoisy]

Cheap home-use immersion circulators are maybe the best thing to happen in a while for the home cook.  Perfect steaks every time is worth the price of admission alone.



(don't mind the plastic cup, heh)