Cooking and Dining

[tifosi77]

I made tequila-lime chicken last night. Decided to do the whole cook-in-the-marinade thing, and bagged two half chickens separately. 8 hours @ 149F, onto a rack to cool, then onto the grill to finish. The idea was to cook over indirect heat to bring the dark meat up to temp. That part worked a treat.... but I didn't take into account that a portion of the water weight in the bird was replaced with 40% ABV booze. So the skin dried out on the grill much faster than it normally would've as the alcohol cooks out, and the combination of that speed desiccated skin coupled with the convection smoke meant that instead of the anticipated 30 minutes to achieve temp, I ended up with black chicken in around 17 minutes. So that was fun.

#burnttacos

[count2infinity]

I did tequila-honey-lime chicken a couple weeks ago. Just thighs... just grill. They turned out scrumptious. #nonfoodboiler4lyfe

[eddy]

thoughts and recommendations on using a torch for searing?

[Lemon Berry Lobster]

tiki...

[tifosi77]

I have a Searzall that I'm not all that impressed with, altho most others I know swear by them. Whatever you do, don't linger over one spot too long. Keep the heat source moving pretty constantly.

[Gaucho]

Another thread that needs more columbia, it seems.

[mac5155]

Wat

[dodint]

Why does it cost more to consume it there?

[tifosi77]

It usually costs more to eat in. You're taking up space not occupied by paying carry out customers, you're making a mees that someone has to clean, there's the potential of table service, etc.

[dodint]

I'm really curious what you think of me as a person, tbh.

Anyway, it was a rhetorical setup to a joke nobody went with. Oh well. Makes sense since I didn't realize what thread I was in, just saw a picture of someone selling fossilized turds as sustenance.

Box some up and boil them, let us know how it goes.

[mac5155]

Alright, what's the trick to stainless steel pans and sticking? Do I need to season these things and treat them like cast iron also?

[tifosi77]

Describe the sticking. Is it all food, or just certain kinds? Are there marinades or other elements involved?

Generally, proteins will release from stainless pretty free of sticking once they are denatured (e.g. cooked) Sticking can be a sign of fiddling with the food too soon in the process, not enough oil/fat in the pan, low quality steel, or temps that are too low (which goes to that fiddling point) or too high for the given food. The internet is full of recommendations for how to 'season' stainless, but I'm a little skeptical. (I don't know if the manufacturing and polishing process for stainless actually allows for the chemical polymerization that happens when you season cast iron. Smarter people than me are welcome to chime in on that, I'm honestly going on a hunch that may well be 100% wrong.)

[mac5155]

This morning I cooked sunny side up eggs. Low(ish) temp and about 2TBS of butter in the pan.

The other day I cooked chicken, it stuck pretty good. It did have a honey and soy based marinade.

The pans are brand new, so just wasn't sure if I needed to do something or not. I seem to get the best results when the pan gets hot then you swirl the oil in.

[tifosi77]

Sur La Table is having a big sale on Staub cast iron cookware. But the stuff is so expensive as a starting point, that even at 43% off a 7-qt oval cocotte is still around $400.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

ok so what does a staub cast iron do that a cheap ass lodge

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

I see that I can't finish my own sentences, but I will leave the previous post as is

[count2infinity]

Here's a big long article about cast iron dutch oven testing...

https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/11/bes ... eview.html

[Freddy Rumsen]

ok so what does a staub cast iron do that a cheap ass lodge

Rusty

[tifosi77]

ok so what does a staub cast iron do that a cheap ass lodge

They're enameled, so they look nicer and don't require seasoning. They're also going to have better fit and finish, and as Freddy notes they aren't going to rust if you get a drop of water on them (they actually dishwasher safe). Mainly, the nicer stuff will be more consistent. They're denser, as they actually have more material, so they retain heat and rebound faster.

I'm not against Lodge by any means - I own three skillets and a Dutch oven.

[Shyster]

Lodge makes enameled models too.

[count2infinity]

Lodge makes enameled models too.

Indeed they do. Just bought one actually. Love it for braising meats.

[mac5155]

Still can't seem to get stainless cooking down. Made hamburgers and they were definitely better, nice and crusty. But eggs still stick.

Also, what's the best cleaner for stainless?

[shafnutz05]

At long last, at the age of nearly 35, I finally bought a coffee bean grinder, a nice(r) Krups brewer, and made myself a pot. I never knew what I'd been missing out on all these years Best cup of coffee I've had in a long time.

[DigitalGypsy66]

[tifosi77]

I've highlighted in the past how I blow hot and cold on Kenji at The Food Lab. Today is a decidedly cold day. I just scrolled to a Facebook post where he said something along the lines of "Why is it so hard to find good xiao long bao in the Bay Area?" This is akin to going to Austin and saying "Why is it so hard to find good BBQ brisket here?" or going to South Carolina and saying "Where are the good ribs? This stuff is shite."

If you can't find good XLB in SF, it's a you problem.