everything you always wanted to know about cooking but were afraid to ask

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everything you always wanted to know about cooking but were afraid to ask (Page 10)

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Author	Topic: everything you always wanted to know about cooking but were afraid to ask
Princessjeanne Housemate	posted 11-11-2003 11:42 AM Wow Neici, that sounds awesome. On the milk thing, I also used to only buy powedered milk to use for cooking when I lived alone. I don't drink regular milk, only used it in cooking, and you can make as much or as little as you need. Plus then you get to do lots of fractions! Er, which may not be a plus for everyone. But I like fractions. IP: Logged
meggo Housemate	posted 11-11-2003 12:10 PM I liked fractions when my mom explained them with Keebler chocolate covered graham crackers! When they involve powdered milk though - not so fun... Here's my question - I made "Made it Up" soup - meaning I made it up as I went along. Chicken stock, threw in cubed butternut squash, threw in carrots, browned chicken & sausage with onion & garlic (in separate pan) - threw that in with the soup. Tossed in tarragon. At the end - I tossed in some noodles. But it's BLAND - how to fix it?? IP: Logged
cmtigger Housemate	posted 11-11-2003 12:16 PM I usually saute some onions at the very beginning and use the same pot... Add dried spices when you are browning the onions/garlic/whatever, at the beginning, add fresh herbs near the end. Hot pepper sauce works well to add a touch of spice. IP: Logged
Andree Housemate	posted 11-11-2003 12:32 PM Nieci, yes, you can substitute brown lentils. Try not to stir them too much while they're cooking, so they stay more or less in one piece. And you don't have to soak them; they'll be cooked through in about 30 minutes, like the recipe says. I'm going to have to try that soon, it sounds great! meggo, here are the things I do when something is really bland: 1. add some salt. If you're worried that adding salt will just make the soup too salty, take out a little broth and salt that first to see if it tastes better. 2. add some fresh herbs (since the soup is already cooked, adding dried stuff won't help much.) 3. add a squeeze of lemon. This always works wonders for me. Or you can add a little balsamic or red wine vinegar instead. 4. like cmtigger says, hot sauce is great to add flavour; if you use only a little, it'll just perk up your soup, without making it hot. Or you can try soy sauce. Hope this helps! IP: Logged
Chelle Housemate	posted 11-12-2003 04:20 PM What is a Jerusalem artichoke? IP: Logged
jstrizzy Housemate	posted 11-12-2003 04:50 PM not an artichoke, but "a variety of sunflower with a lumpy, brown-skinned tuber that often resembles a gingerroot", according to epicurious.com's dictionary. And this page shows what it looks like (photo of the plant at the top, scroll down for the tuber itself). Can you tell I don't want to actually work? IP: Logged
yam Housemate	posted 11-12-2003 11:49 PM It's a sunchoke! Weird root vegetable. The joy of cooking almost scowls at it, calling it the most misleading food name ever. Heh. IP: Logged
Lis Housemate	posted 11-13-2003 09:35 AM I have a meat defrosting question for any takers... Last night the boy was going to make us pork chops but he forgot to defrost 'em beforehand so he put them out at like 6 PM on the stovetop so the pilot light could speed up the process. They were completely defrosted, but we ran out of time to cook them, so I put them back in the fridge (not back in the freezer) around 10. Are they OK to cook up for today, or is that too many temperature extremes? IP: Logged
pollyhyper Housesitter	posted 11-13-2003 10:13 AM Oy, I don't know. They're probably okay, but in the future I would suggest defrosting in cool water, not on top of pilot light! IP: Logged
jstrizzy Housemate	posted 11-13-2003 11:09 AM I think you're fine, since you didn't refreeze. IP: Logged
pollyhyper Housesitter	posted 11-14-2003 08:26 AM I read in a magazine last night that defrosting frozen fish directly in a bowl of milk will make it fresher and less fishy. I'll have to try it and let y'all know. IP: Logged
PrincessPushPin Housemate	posted 11-14-2003 08:38 AM quote: Originally posted by pollyhyper: I read in a magazine last night that defrosting frozen fish directly in a bowl of milk will make it fresher and less fishy. I'll have to try it and let y'all know. I've heard that as well. You can also soak/marinate liver in milk and it will make it more tender. IP: Logged
blanketbat Housemate	posted 11-15-2003 10:30 AM This may have been addressed, but the thread is long and I'm slow... compare and contrast shallots, leeks, scallions, and the various colors of onions. IP: Logged
Princessjeanne Housemate	posted 11-16-2003 10:15 AM In 50 words or less? Shallots - taste like a combination of garlic and onion. Look like purple garlic cloves, but bigger. Used a LOT in French cooking. Leeks - Looks like a giant scallion (green onion). They are excellent brushed with olive oil and grilled, or otherwise sauteed in butter and used in... lots of stuff. Scallions - also called green onions. Tastes like a very mild onion usually. Good sprinkled on just abotu anything - used in most stirfries and asian soups. Onions (various) - I'm just going to go with yellow, white, and red (purple) for this particular assignment. White tends to be the strongest, yellow tends to be milder, and red tends to be sweeter. White and yellow are pretty much interchangeable in recipes though, from what I've seen. The smaller the onion, the spicier they tend to be, like the flavor gets condensed when they're littler. Does that help? IP: Logged
blanketbat Housemate	posted 11-16-2003 10:54 AM Wonderful, you get an A+! Now I can stop staring at them in the grocery store and wondering if they're all really just the same thing. Thanks! IP: Logged
jstrizzy Housemate	posted 11-16-2003 12:32 PM And while we're on the subject of bulbous vegetables, can I use garlic that's started to sprout from the top? How about garlic that's kinda green at one end? IP: Logged
yam Housemate	posted 11-16-2003 01:08 PM >can I use garlic that's started to sprout from the top Yes, but the green bits won't taste like garlic. But they're yummy, sort of like mild onions. You can either throw them in anyway, or just cut around the green bits. Or buy new garlic and plant the sprouty one in your garden. IP: Logged
JROTC_Mom Subletter	posted 11-16-2003 08:25 PM I like to make several different varieties of fudge for christmas, but i would like to do something other than cut in squares or use cookie cutters. Is there any type of molds that I can use for fudge to make different shapes? Thanks in advance Kim IP: Logged
briezee Housemate	posted 11-16-2003 08:44 PM You might try going to a crafts store like Michaels and looking in the baking/candy making area, JROTC_Mom. I know there are a lot of candy molds - they might serve your purpose, too. IP: Logged
Nieci Housemate	posted 11-17-2003 05:55 AM Just posting to say that I didn't have to substitute regular lentils for the french ones. I wound up finding them in a different store. OMG so delish. I'll be buying many more boxes. mmmm IP: Logged
Nieci Housemate	posted 11-17-2003 08:41 AM I've made my 2nd attempt at ham and bean soup yesterday. The first time I tried, the liquid was more of a broth. I was really wanting something thick and hearty, so yesterday, I boiled the ham bones and ham hocks, then made a roux, and added the ham, stock, beans, veggies and herbs to the roux. The flavor is absolutely perfect, but it's really not any thicker at all. What can I do to make this a thicker, heartier soup? IP: Logged
jstrizzy Housemate	posted 11-17-2003 11:22 AM that soup sounds great! you could try pureeing some of the beans and vegetables once they're cooked and adding them back in. That's how I make black bean soup. IP: Logged
Henna73 Housemate	posted 11-18-2003 06:53 AM If you have leftover mashed potatoes, they work great as a thickner. Or you can also add instant mashed potatoe flakes. I also take my immersion blender and stick it right in the pot and squish up some of the beans. Yummy! IP: Logged
pollyhyper Housesitter	posted 11-18-2003 07:38 AM I was just about to say, some potatoes would do the job, and taste great with the ham. IP: Logged
giamaria Housemate	posted 11-20-2003 01:18 PM does everyone else in the world use cooling racks? My family uses newspaper for this purpose. Are we weird? Incidentally, I just bought some cooling racks at the Dollar Store, 2/$1. yey IP: Logged
LazyGoddess Housemate	posted 11-20-2003 01:33 PM My MIL uses newpaper/paper bags ect...for cooling. I was like WTF?! the first time I saw her do that, but I guess lots of people use paper. Me personally I stole two wire shelves from the fridge of my old apt. and use those to cool goodies on. But hey the slumlord deserved it for making me live in an ice box and refusing to fix my heat. Umm, what was the topic again... IP: Logged
jstrizzy Housemate	posted 11-20-2003 01:43 PM well, I don't know about who uses what, but it seems like racks would help things cool faster because there's air circulating above and below the food instead of just above. And I think for cookies it affects how crispy vs. chewy they end up. IP: Logged
SuzyB Housemate	posted 11-20-2003 02:04 PM Speaking of which, how DO you make cookies chewy? It seems like with all the recipes I've tried, my cookies always come out crunchy. I love soft, chewy peanut butter cookies but mine never turn out that way. Is it my recipes or the way I am cooking them? I use a regular old nonstick cookie sheet and a cooling rack (until I run out of room and use a plate). Ideas? IP: Logged
ng-la Housemate	posted 11-20-2003 02:54 PM I'll have to check the recipe I use for the exact time and temp, but for a really good, chewy cookie turn the temputure down, and cook for a lot longer. If I remember right, it's something like 250 degrees for 18-20 minutes, but again, I'll have to double check. Anyway, that's for chocolate chip cookies, but I don;t see why the lower temp/longer cook time method wouldn't work with other types of cookies. IP: Logged
Bjerica Housesitter	posted 11-20-2003 04:07 PM SuzyB, take a look at this article form All Recipes: IP: Logged
Bjerica Housesitter	posted 11-20-2003 04:10 PM Uh, I've messed up the reply because I missed a '"'. The page to visit is How to Get the Texture You Want in Your Cookies. [This message has been edited by Bjerica (edited 11-20-2003).] IP: Logged
meggo Housemate	posted 11-21-2003 06:41 AM quote: Originally posted by giamaria: does everyone else in the world use cooling racks? My family uses newspaper for this purpose. Are we weird? I got some for Christmas a few years ago from the Evil Sister. I had been trying to cool cookies on plates prior to that and ended up with mis-shapen cookies as a result (trying to put them on the brim of the plate that turns up, stacking them on each other & having them soften around one another - big problem). But my mom used to use her broiler pan. It has slots on it so the air circulated & then crumbs would drop into the bottom. I never heard about newspaper... IP: Logged
giamaria Housemate	posted 11-21-2003 07:09 AM I'm sure the newspaper this is a holdover from the depression-era or before...my gram probably learned it from her gram and so on. It just only struck me recently as odd. I will say that it does absorb some of the grease too, that's handy...but I wonder about the ink. hmm. Not that eat sooo many cookies cooled this way. Just thinkinging/contemplating! IP: Logged
jstrizzy Housemate	posted 11-21-2003 09:23 AM quote: Originally posted by SuzyB: Speaking of which, how DO you make cookies chewy? I usually leave my cookies on the cookie sheet for a little while before moving them to the rack. Seems to help a little. But the recipe matters too. I have a great recipe for really chewy chocolate chip cookies that I'll try to find when I get home if you want. It uses melted butter instead of just softened, and that seems to make a big difference. IP: Logged
natalie Housemate	posted 11-21-2003 10:04 AM quote: Originally posted by jstrizzy: I have a great recipe for really chewy chocolate chip cookies that I'll try to find when I get home if you want. Ooooh, yes please!! IP: Logged
LazyGoddess Housemate	posted 11-21-2003 10:41 AM If you buy crisco sticks, there is an awesome chocolate chip recipe inside the sleeve. Very chewy and soft. mmmmmmmmmm IP: Logged
jstrizzy Housemate	posted 11-21-2003 01:04 PM I'm on a perpetual search for the perfect choc. chip cookie, so I'll have to try these. See, it's a good thing you mentioned it, because I don't buy crisco sticks for anything else, so I would never have known... IP: Logged
yeefan Head of the House	posted 11-21-2003 01:34 PM A friend taught me this trick: shape the dough into balls and freeze them till they're good and hard, then bake. Take them out of the oven when the cookies are just set enough to hold together shape -- do not overcook. Let them firm up a bit on the cookie sheet before gently transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling. You'll have nice, thick but very chewy cookies that stay yummy and soft for days. IP: Logged
weezy Subletter	posted 11-24-2003 07:35 AM Whenever I cook chicken it always seems to stick to the pan. Usually I chop it into small pieces and stir-fry it in a skillet with some oil but there are always little chicken pieces stuck to the bottom of the pan and then they start to burn. Do I need to add more oil? Should the skillet be less hot? Or more hot? Do I just need to stir more vigourously? Pre-treat the chicken somehow? Thanks for your suggestions! IP: Logged
giamaria Housemate	posted 11-24-2003 08:57 AM I accidentally left a bowl of fresh veggies out overnight. They were in a covered bowl. Are they ok to use? (carrots, broccoli, red pepper, green pepper and cauliflower.) IP: Logged

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