# Things culinary, successful recipes, equipment insights, etc.



## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

This is a new catch-all thread for things culinary that do not fit in the photographic brilliance of threads like red meat, etc. It is a place to share brilliant recipes, dazzling menus, exciting ingredients, techniques and hacks, cool new tools, things that sounded like cool new tools but ended up unloved and unused, and all the other excitement that occurs in your kitchens that you found to be worth sharing. It is for the grand to the humble and from haute cuisine to greasy spoon gems. Have at it! I suggest you wear khakis with reverse pleats, a comfy chambray shirt, and Alden LHS under your best apron.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Most of the time when we go to the store for taco or enchilada fixings we have a tendency to wander down the "International" section of the market and just grab a package of whichever pre-cooked tortilla we're used to. However, my housekeeper turned me onto the ones that are only found in the refrigerated section, perhaps next to the cheese. These (Tortillaland is one brand) are _raw. _ You can either slip them into a thin layer of oil or lay them on a _comal _(griddle) and cook them until they puff up. You will not make a better taco unless you learned to pat the _masa_ out at your grandmother's elbow. I'll never go back to pre-made again.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

This is a great idea for a new Thread. Sometime in the future I'm going to have to pull out all the gimmicks/kitchen appliances I've purchased, used them once or twice and then cleaned them up real well and then set them aside. and wait for the next Don Quixote appliance venture that I find to be irresistible and purchase to further clutter our kitchen. LOL.


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

eagle2250 said:


> This is a great idea for a new Thread. Sometime in the future I'm going to have to pull out all the gimmicks/kitchen appliances I've purchased, used them once or twice and then cleaned them up real well and then set them aside. and wait for the next Don Quixote appliance venture that I find to be irresistible and purchase to further clutter our kitchen. LOL.


I hear you, O Winged One. I have a one year rule. If it isn't used for a year it's gone to start a new life elsewhere. I have a few exceptions for some tinned steel items that are just too cool and when I find occasions to use them I still get a thrill, even though some are over fifty years old. They include the usual Madeleine plaque, some unusual tart pans, brioche molds, a crown pate en croute mold, and a fish poacher. Lately I have been hankering to get the poacher down and make quenelles Nantua.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

The beginning of Amatriciana. Pancetta and onions living together in semi harmony.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

I am obsessed with food and wine. For around a decade I cooked for a living when I was young.

Now I just do it for fun. I rarely use recipes. I learnt the basics at a trade school in my 20s. I wake up in the morning and start thinking about what I will make us for lunch and dinner.

Like most classically trained cooks I tend to focus on French technique. I am making a fish Parmentier dish tonight. I will try to post a photo or two.


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

Very similar to my journey, and that first little pan I snagged at Au Printemps started me on a half century journey, so far, of collecting cooking wares, chiefly French. I have, however, recently fallen in love with a very inexpensive 240 gyuto that is truly a fait tout.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

My culinary journey started when I was six standing at my Italian grandmother's knee. She would pull a strand of pasta out of the pot and give it to me to see if it was _al dente_ and ready to serve. When I turned 13, my mother went to work full time to start providing for my college education and that meant that five nights a week I was responsible for the family's dinner. A couple of years later my grandfather gave Mom the Life Picture Cookbook the first coffee table cookbook published in America. I was enthralled and still have it. Always an amateur, I have had original recipes published and continually attempt to find new ways to have fun in the kitchen. Tonight after having several requests on this forum to come up with a eggplant taco, I gave it a try. Further research is required.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Vecchio Vespa said:


> Very similar to my journey, and that first little pan I snagged at Au Printemps started me on a half century journey, so far, of collecting cooking wares, chiefly French. I have, however, recently fallen in love with a very inexpensive 240 gyuto that is truly a fait tout.


Assuming the 240 gyuto is referring to those highly touted Japanese Chef knives, have you found yours to be as versatile as the company claims them to be? I have been tempted by their advertisements....is it time for me to add to my kitchen collection?


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

eagle2250 said:


> Assuming the 240 gyuto is referring to those highly touted Japanese Chef knives, have you found yours to be as versatile as the company claims them to be? I have been tempted by their advertisements....is it time for me to add to my kitchen collection?


Mine is a Tojiro ITK that is from Chefs Knives to Go. The 240 is the length. Yes, it is incredibly versatile, but then gyutos are basically chefs' knives and that shape is probably in far more western restaurant kitchens than all others combined for a reason. A line cook or a chef is under immense pressure and does not want to be changing knives constantly. They actually need a knife that will do the vast majority of the work and do it well. My knife has a terrific point for delicate tasks, very little belly, making it ideal for push cuts and slicing, and is very light and nimble. It is noticeably less clunky and more maneuverable than something like a Wusthof chef's knife. It takes and holds a superb edge. I use 1000/3000 water stones to keep it that way. It is not the flawlessly finished thing of beauty that more expensive knives are, but I find it attractive enough.

https://images.yswcdn.com/-67098781...go/tojiro-shirogami-itk-240mm-wa-gyuto-74.png
If this had been my first knife, I am confident that my knife collection would have been much smaller, probably this, a bread knife, and a Nogent paring knife would be sufficient.


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

Oldsarge said:


> My culinary journey started when I was six standing at my Italian grandmother's knee. She would pull a strand of pasta out of the pot and give it to me to see if it was _al dente_ and ready to serve. When I turned 13, my mother went to work full time to start providing for my college education and that meant that five nights a week I was responsible for the family's dinner. A couple of years later my grandfather gave Mom the Life Picture Cookbook the first coffee table cookbook published in America. I was enthralled and still have it. Always an amateur, I have had original recipes published and continually attempt to find new ways to have fun in the kitchen. Tonight after having several requests on this forum to come up with a eggplant taco, I gave it a try. Further research is required.


What a wonderful way to learn!


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

I have dipped my toe into the Japanese knife pool but have not dove into the deep end. I have a single bevel knife I use for sashimi and a small santoku made from basic steel. I use my entry level Shuns a lot. They are easy to sharpen and hold an edge very well.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

I made the Fish Parmantier last night. It was delicious but overall a bit loose. I made the veloute fairly thick, then placed the fish chunks and blanched veg in the sauce. I immediately put the mashed potatoes on top and broiled them. This insured the fish didn't overcook.


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## Troones (Mar 7, 2018)

For those with a sweet tooth, I’m planning to make my own homemade peanut butter cups. They’ve always been the only confection that I really enjoyed but I never realized how easy they are to make at home. 

Crushed Graham crackers, powdered sugar and peanut butter for the filling. My wife has finally stopped the eye-rolling and has offered to help me.👍


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

I watched a show called, I believe, Milk Street which tries to make restaurant quality food accessible to the home chef. One show strongly recommended the Chinese slicing cleaver over the chefs' knife. I went to a webstore in San Francisco that had been selling them for fifty years. They are carbon steel and remarkably inexpensive. They are not the easiest thing on you hands but the ability to slice, dice and pick up with all the same utensil keeps me coming back to it again. The store I bought it from is no longer in business. Since the proprietor told me on the phone that she had been in business for fifty years, I am not surprised. But if you might think about one, do try them out in the store first. I find that the back of the knife starts to dig into my index finger after I've been using it for a while so you might want to spend more than the $10.95 I did.


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

Oldsarge said:


> I watched a show called, I believe, Milk Street which tries to make restaurant quality food accessible to the home chef. One show strongly recommended the Chinese slicing cleaver over the chefs' knife. I went to a webstore in San Francisco that had been selling them for fifty years. They are carbon steel and remarkably inexpensive. They are not the easiest thing on you hands but the ability to slice, dice and pick up with all the same utensil keeps me coming back to it again. The store I bought it from is no longer in business. Since the proprietor told me on the phone that she had been in business for fifty years, I am not surprised. But if you might think about one, do try them out in the store first. I find that the back of the knife starts to dig into my index finger after I've been using it for a while so you might want to spend more than the $10.95 I did.
> 
> View attachment 64151


I find a chef's knife or gyuto more versatile because it has a point, at least for western food, especially French and Italian. For chopping they are pretty cool when you add the scooping ability.


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

This weekend we had a short cut coq au vin that was good enough to share. I skipped the sweating of the various vegetables and just let the braising liquid soften them. I skipped the garlic. I skipped the brandy. Floured and browned chicken thighs in peanut oil and butter with about a quarter of a thinly sliced red onion and some lardons of bacon. Tossed in a couple of carrots cut into match sticks, a bunch of quartered cremini mushrooms, and big chunks of red onions, and poured in home made chicken broth and a cheap Willamette Pinot Noir (Conscious...quite good for drinking, too!). Added a couple of tbsp. of tomato paste, thyme, a bay leaf, and oodles of ground black pepper. Served with steamed new potatoes and chopped flat leaf parsley after fishing out the bay leaf. Cooked covered at 325 F for three hours. Even better day two.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

That sounds delicious.


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## David J. Cooper (Apr 26, 2010)

The vegetables I did last night to accompany aged rib steaks that I grilled in a Tofino squall. Cooking in a rented studio hotel room has it's challenges. I cooked the beans and potatoes ahead and tossed them in with the Chantrelles. I dressed everything in something David Leibovitz calls "snail butter".


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

Harissa making day...the most tedious chore in my rotation. Worse than making demi.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

When working with chilis, gloves are always a good idea.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

So I found a recipe. Normally when I try something new, I follow the recipe religiously and the next time proceed to make perversions on a theme. But this time I decided it was just a guideline and began fiddling from the start.

"And Now For Something Completely Different Chicken"

Ingredients:
Olive oil, some​Chicken thighs, about one per person​Poblano peppers, as above, seeded, deveined and sliced thin​jalapeño peppers, as above, seeded, deveined and sliced thin​onion, one or two sliced thinly​garlic cloves, some (chopped)​lemon, one, zested and juiced​white wine, equal amount to the lemon juice​salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste​rice​Directions:
Preheat oven to 400º​Put about 1/2 cup basmati or jasmine rice and water per person in the rice cooker​Heat a heavy skillet and add 2-4 Tbs olive oil until it shimmers​Put the chicken thighs skin side down in the pan and sauté until crispy​Set the chicken aside and sauté the onions, peppers, lemon zest and garlic in the same pan until soft​Stir in the lemon juice and wine and lay the chicken thighs on top, skin side up​Place in the oven and cook 30-35 minutes until the chicken meat is >175ºF.​Adjust the seasoning and serve over the rice.​
I'm beginning to develop a true fondness for lemon and olive oil.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

This is a galette. It's a French answer to the beloved British 'Pie'. Very simply, roll out a pie cruse (frozen works fine), paint the center with duck fat, olive oil or butter, fill the center half with whatever you want, curl up the edges of the crust and bake. This one has onions, roasted beets and feta cheese. It can be savory, like this one, or sweet. I haven't made one in a long time. Must do something about that.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Oldsarge said:


> View attachment 84357
> 
> 
> This is a galette. It's a French answer to the beloved British 'Pie'. Very simply, roll out a pie cruse (frozen works fine), paint the center with duck fat, olive oil or butter, fill the center half with whatever you want, curl up the edges of the crust and bake. This one has onions, roasted beets and feta cheese. It can be savory, like this one, or sweet. I haven't made one in a long time. Must do something about that.


Looks to be potentially very tasty! I was actually salivating reading your description/recipe. I may have to give this a try.


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## Clintotron (Mar 24, 2015)

A couple of YouTube channels I follow have given me inspiration for meat and side dish preparations. Admittedly, I NEVER cook outside of a random night of grilling. Hurricane Laura has stolen that pleasure from me, but only momentarily. Once everything is back together, I'll be grilling as often as I can.
Please take a look at the channels below and enjoy learning something about dry aging and experimental cooking methods. I know I do.



https://www.youtube.com/c/GugaFoods




https://www.youtube.com/c/SousVideEverything


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Clintotron said:


> A couple of YouTube channels I follow have given me inspiration for meat and side dish preparations. Admittedly, I NEVER cook outside of a random night of grilling. Hurricane Laura has stolen that pleasure from me, but only momentarily. Once everything is back together, I'll be grilling as often as I can.
> Please take a look at the channels below and enjoy learning something about dry aging and experimental cooking methods. I know I do.
> 
> 
> ...


It looks like I will be investing many future hours viewing you tube videos on cooking approaches for a variety of meat cuts! Thanks for the references.


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

A delightful and dangerous addition to the kitchen, a tortilla press. Delightful because home made tortillas are just so wonderful. Dangerous because I discovered how easy it is to make puffy tacos and they are addictive. When you make corn tortillas (which are pathetically easy to make) they have significant water content. Store bought corn tortillas have probably lost most or all of their moisture. However, if right after making them you toss them into some hot oil, the water turning to steam inside them will make them puff up. It is that simple. If you pull them before they get super crisp you can make a partial fold, using them for tacos, or you can leave them flat for chalupas, etc. i rarely use a deep fryer, preferrng the route of less mess and waste that I get using only a small amount of oil, maybe 1/4", in a frying pan, but next time I fill up a cast iron casserole for deep frying, I plan to use the taco tongs to get puffiness, plus crispiness, plus a deep taco fold. 

On another faux Mexican food topic, I made some superb carnitas the other night. They were a bit of a cheat and quite easy. I cube some fatty pork roast, started it out in a frying pan with a little oil, sprinkled it very liberally with Fiesta steak seasoning, cumin, and New Mexico chili powder, and splashed on some soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and the juice of a large orange. As the orange cooked down it all caramelized beautifully. The resulting equvalent of crack cocaine was used in soft flour tortillas with all the usual taco trimmings. The only problem this presents is trying to decide how best to use leftover pork roast: Cubanos or carnitas?


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Vecchio Vespa said:


> A delightful and dangerous addition to the kitchen, a tortilla press. Delightful because home made tortillas are just so wonderful. Dangerous because I discovered how easy it is to make puffy tacos and they are addictive. When you make corn tortillas (which are pathetically easy to make) they have significant water content. Store bought corn tortillas have probably lost most or all of their moisture. However, if right after making them you toss them into some hot oil, the water turning to steam inside them will make them puff up. It is that simple. If you pull them before they get super crisp you can make a partial fold, using them for tacos, or you can leave them flat for chalupas, etc. i rarely use a deep fryer, preferrng the route of less mess and waste that I get using only a small amount of oil, maybe 1/4", in a frying pan, but next time I fill up a cast iron casserole for deep frying, I plan to use the taco tongs to get puffiness, plus crispiness, plus a deep taco fold.
> 
> On another faux Mexican food topic, I made some superb carnitas the other night. They were a bit of a cheat and quite easy. I cube some fatty pork roast, started it out in a frying pan with a little oil, sprinkled it very liberally with Fiesta steak seasoning, cumin, and New Mexico chili powder, and splashed on some soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and the juice of a large orange. As the orange cooked down it all caramelized beautifully. The resulting equvalent of crack cocaine was used in soft flour tortillas with all the usual taco trimmings. The only problem this presents is trying to decide how best to use leftover pork roast: Cubanos or carnitas?


A post that will serve me well as a motivator for expanding my cooking expertise, but I fear it will not serve me well when it comes to my weight loss/maintenance efforts! LOL. Thank you...I think?


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Carnitas can be made with little trouble in an InstantPot. Then, you crisp them up under the broiler. _Maravilloso!_


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

An equipment insight: My dish towels used to last quite well, but recently they all started showing holes. I thought it might have been the batch of cheap towels I got off of Amazon, but one night I realized that when flying through high speed prep work, rinsing my knife, and wiping it dry I was snagging the knife on the choil. Japanese knives have no bolsters but a sharp ninety degree angle at the choil. So, figuring fifty to sixty year old habits are unlikely to change, I am only using my Sabatiers and having zero issues. So I sprung for some nice all linen towels. They are a treat to use.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

I noticed the same thing with my Chinese slicing cleaver and have had to change my drying behavior. I'm thinking of replacing the inexpensive carbon steel cleaver with a more modern stainless one. Thanks for the heads up on the choil.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

This is a puttanesca sauce. As you can imagine, it's pretty full flavored with that many capers and Kalemata olives in it.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

A budding master


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food!--Julia Childe


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)




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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Oldsarge said:


> View attachment 88176


But I must ask...what is it?


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

eagle2250 said:


> But I must ask...what is it?


It's a toaster. My grandfather had one like it. He insisted that none of these new fangled electrical kind did the proper job--and he was an engineer!


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Like this!


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Oldsarge said:


> Like this!
> View attachment 89064


I am a sucker for almost every gimmick/gadget for the kitchen (or any other room of the house for that matter) that comes down the pike. Sure wish they would offer a remake of that toaster!


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

eagle2250 said:


> I am a sucker for almost every gimmick/gadget for the kitchen (or any other room of the house for that matter) that comes down the pike. Sure wish they would offer a remake of that toaster!


They were common enough that I believe a tour of the local second hand stores might prove fruitful. My grandfather had one because he swore that modern toasters didn't do a proper job, which is kind of how I feel about toaster ovens. Ovening they do. Toasting? Not so much.


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

Last night we went out to Kachka's, a restaurant in Portland that has been called, by many, the best Russian restaurant in N. America. The food was splendid, the service friendly (and cute) and they have a two level parking garage out back. The chef and her husband (she's Russian, he's Mexican) have written a eponymous cookbook that I also bought. They're in Portland so please patronize Powell's. Charmingly written, profusely photographed and (having eaten several of the dishes), a must for the enthusiast home cook. It is guaranteed 100% Putin-free.


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## martinlily (5 mo ago)

thanks for sharing this, it is very useful.


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## Vecchio Vespa (Dec 3, 2011)

Easy and tasty mashed potatoes: cube, boil, and rice potatoes, stir in the table cream variety of Mexican crema,


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

In NE Portland is a restaurant named Stammtisch. It is German. They have beers on draft that I've never seen this side of the Atlantic and some I've never heard of. The food is wonderful. If you live in the area, go there!


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## Oldsarge (Feb 20, 2011)

I found a recipe for an oatmeal pie. I know that sounds strange but it's pretty much a pecan pie substituting oatmeal. Made with agave instead of corn syrup, it would probably make a very healthy breakfast pie. I'm going to give it a try and if it turns out well, I'll post the recipe.


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