Cooking and Dining

Postby **tifosi77** » Sat Sep 11, 2021 2:26 pm

I've been invited to do some product testing for a new Breville countertop oven. Yay4me

Postby **Shyster** » Sat Sep 11, 2021 10:24 pm

I've been invited to do some product testing for a new Breville countertop oven. Yay4me

Might that be a competitor to the new Anova steam oven?

Postby **tifosi77** » Sat Sep 11, 2021 11:41 pm

Haven't gotten details yet.

Postby **shmenguin** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 7:00 am

My sous vide broke a couple of years ago (while overcooking $100 worth of steak). I haven’t bothered to replace it since I actually prefer my other process for steak.

Freeze for 3-4 hours
Sear the heck out of it
Put it in a 200 degree oven on a rack until it hits medium

…for tougher cuts, obviously the bath helps break things down, but I really don’t miss my SV in general.

Postby **shafnutz05** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 8:21 am

My sous vide broke a couple of years ago (while overcooking $100 worth of steak). I haven’t bothered to replace it since I actually prefer my other process for steak.

Freeze for 3-4 hours
Sear the heck out of it
Put it in a 200 degree oven on a rack until it hits medium

…for tougher cuts, obviously the bath helps break things down, but I really don’t miss my SV in general.

Tif might have a stroke when he reads this

Postby **Kane** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 8:34 am

Trying my hand at making my mom’s sauce and meatballs for the first time ever. If it tastes as good as it smells right now, I’m going to be very, very happy.

Homemade sauce is light years ahead of anything in a jar. When I moved out I made sure to get my mom's recipe.

Postby **NTP66** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 8:50 am

Trying my hand at making my mom’s sauce and meatballs for the first time ever. If it tastes as good as it smells right now, I’m going to be very, very happy.
Homemade sauce is light years ahead of anything in a jar. When I moved out I made sure to get my mom's recipe.

Oh, absolutely. My makes makes so much that I just grab a mason jar of it every once in a while. This just allows me to make my own now, and modify it a little as I see fit. We did a blind taste test last night, and while my wife and daughter still preferred my mom's, both said they taste very similar. I think I should have added a little more white sugar, and I didn't add as much fresh basil, fearing that it would overpower it.

Postby **shmenguin** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 12:56 pm

My sous vide broke a couple of years ago (while overcooking $100 worth of steak). I haven’t bothered to replace it since I actually prefer my other process for steak.

Freeze for 3-4 hours
Sear the heck out of it
Put it in a 200 degree oven on a rack until it hits medium

…for tougher cuts, obviously the bath helps break things down, but I really don’t miss my SV in general.
Tif might have a stroke when he reads this

I think the partial freezing was his suggestion actually.

Postby **tifosi77** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 12:56 pm

Nah, I don't really trust shemgy's takes on food/cooking in general, so he can overcook his food by whatever method he deems appropriate.

Postby **tifosi77** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 12:57 pm

And actually his method there is perfectly fine. It's the "until it hits medium" part that's cringey.

Postby **shmenguin** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:00 pm

I use the instant read thermometer and monitor closely. I never miss with this method. Pink all the way up to the sear.

Postby **NTP66** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:10 pm

I could see doing that with a larger cut of meat, but a steak? Dunno, seems like there are more efficient ways to handle that.

Postby **tifosi77** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 1:11 pm

Honestly, I have about 10-12 recipes in mind for testing this Breville thing (whatever it is), and one of them is that kind of steak preparation.

A slow oven is a really good alternative to sous-vide imo.

Postby **shmenguin** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 2:36 pm

I could see doing that with a larger cut of meat, but a steak? Dunno, seems like there are more efficient ways to handle that.

Not looking for efficiency. I’ve had a steak or two at some fancy places. My filet is on par with the best I’ve ever had. I’ll take my time.

Strip steak, though…different story. There’s some magic that happens in professional grade kitchens there.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:36 pm

So we ended up with 4 lbs of someone else's "firm" tofu in our Walmart pickup order. Any ideas on how to use it?

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:37 pm

So we ended up with 4 lbs of someone else's "firm" tofu in our Walmart pickup order. Any ideas on how to use it?

The recipe calls for silken tofu, but I have made it with firm tofu, and it’s terrific: https://altonbrown.com/recipes/moo-less-chocolate-pie/

Otherwise, I would make pad Thai using that tofu.

Postby **Viva la Ben** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:40 pm

Cube it, bake in oven until crispy, stir fry in Asian sauce with veg, serve over rice.

Postby **NTP66** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:40 pm

Another note about the silken tofu, if you blend it before making that pie recipe, that’ll do. I want to say that I may have added a little water if it was too firm, but I think blending it well did the job.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:46 pm

Thanks all.

Postby **mac5155** » Sat Sep 25, 2021 5:13 pm

My wife went to some Italian place today and took a pasta making class. I was so excited to eat whatever she came home with.

They made f'ing pumpkin gnocchi.

Postby **MrKennethTKangaroo** » Sat Sep 25, 2021 5:39 pm

It isn’t bad air fried.

Postby **NTP66** » Sat Sep 25, 2021 5:41 pm

My wife went to some Italian place today and took a pasta making class. I was so excited to eat whatever she came home with.

They made f'ing pumpkin gnocchi.

Postby **tifosi77** » Sat Sep 25, 2021 8:23 pm

I bet that was delicious.

Postby **tifosi77** » Sat Sep 25, 2021 8:24 pm

Wait. Wait wait wait wait wait........ "Walmart tofu"?????

Postby **NTP66** » Sun Sep 26, 2021 3:15 pm

Del Monte’s Honeyglow pineapples are the best pineapples I’ve ever had outside of Maui Gold. I’m making hula chicken for dinner, so a sweet pineapple is necessary.