What Have You Cooked Recently?

[Mordecai "3 Finger" Brown]

We've had a small decorative pumpkin sitting on our kitchen table for a few months given it was an entrance prize at a fall fair & we now have multiple feet of snow.

Decided to try to make pumpkin soup. Halved the pumpkin, kept the seeds,

In follow-up, the pumpkin soup is all gone and was delicious to the last spoonful.

Roasted the seeds in the air fryer last night. It's been a long time since I made roasted pumpkin seeds.

35 mins at 350 deg. The recipe was really paranoid about the seeds burning. The most aggravating part was having to stick around to shake the baskets every 5 mins (which I think was mostly unnecessary).

Very happy with the final result. Used a shitload of paprika like most recipes in the air fryer do.

The seeds were quite small since the pumpkin was as well (only the size of a small-medium squash).

The seeds ended up a nice light brown color. I'm curious if they would've darkened in the air fryer alone or if it's only a paprika artifact.

 

[toilet_rainbow]

I made a batch of sugar cookies, I got a set of snowflake cookie cutters around Halloween and finally got around to using them. Icing is not a gift that I naturally possess so I took it as a chance to practice, just as I was beginning to get the hang of it I ran out of cookies lol, sprinkled them with edible glitter.

They came out adorable. Especially for someone that hasn’t iced many cookies.

Haven’t gotten into Christmas baking yet (mostly finalizing my list/buying ingredients), but I did make chicken alfredo for dinner because I had some heavy cream that was getting old. While my wife likes my cooking in general, she’ll particularly clean her plate (and the pan) when alfredo is on the menu. Tonight was a repeat.

 

[WhatInTheActualFuck]

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We've had a small decorative pumpkin sitting on our kitchen table for a few months given it was an entrance prize at a fall fair & we now have multiple feet of snow.

Decided to try to make pumpkin soup. Halved the pumpkin, kept the seeds, roasted it at 400 deg for 45 mins face down on a baking sheet. I was surprised how good of a shape both the inside & outside was in, considering I believe it dates back to September. No soft spots at all.

Cooked an onion in bacon grease, added carrots, garlic, nutmeg, thyme, chicken broth, cream and a bay leaf.

The cooked pumpkin flesh separated from the skin very easily.

Didn't bother pureeing the flesh separately, just added it to the broth and pureed everything at the end.

Color & texture turned out quite well. Served it with real bacon bits and a dollop of sour cream.

Quite pleased with the result. I usually add salt to soups on the table, but this one was very flavorful out of the pot.

Not sure if I'd be able to Pepsi challenge between squash & pumpkin soups.

Very comfy to have a bowl of homemade harvest soup on a Sunday afternoon even if I'm about a month late.

Winter squash soups are fuckin great. Next time, you may want to try adding a bit of chipotle in adobo along with a hint of cinnamon. Adds a little heat and smoky flavor and the cinnamon helps enhance the natural sweetness of the squash.

 

[bug_ensneeded9000]

Work steak. Steak I make before working my evil job.

 

[Mordecai "3 Finger" Brown]

Made chicken stock for the first time from a rotisserie chicken carcass as I'm heard my grandmother describe countless times.

I didn't measure anything just filled a large pot with enough water to cover the carcass. Threw whatever skin I could find in there as well. Skimmed any scum off the top intermittently. Probably simmered it for about 6 hours. I was surprised how difficult it was to keep the stock from boiling over and rattling the lid even on the very lowest setting on an electric stovetop.

Scooped anything solid out this morning. I was surprised how much it had reduced in volume despite simmering it essentially on Minimum the whole time uncovered (because the lid kept rattling). The end volume was probably a third of the beginning.

Threw whatever I could find in to make soup: carrots, frozen veggies, limp celery, leftover chicken, potatoes, dried basil & rosemary, a little bit of tabasco, a whole lot of crushed garlic.

TBH, the final result was very mid. It looked and smelled great, but the broth itself seemed very thin and not that flavorful.

Even with adding copious amounts of salt, which often fixes flavor issues, it isn't anywhere close to Grandma's.

 

[CIS White Droid]

Made chicken stock for the first time from a rotisserie chicken carcass as I'm heard my grandmother describe countless times.

I didn't measure anything just filled a large pot with enough water to cover the carcass. Threw whatever skin I could find in there as well. Skimmed any scum off the top intermittently. Probably simmered it for about 6 hours. I was surprised how difficult it was to keep the stock from boiling over and rattling the lid even on the very lowest setting on an electric stovetop.

Scooped anything solid out this morning. I was surprised how much it had reduced in volume despite simmering it essentially on Minimum the whole time uncovered (because the lid kept rattling). The end volume was probably a third of the beginning.

Threw whatever I could find in to make soup: carrots, frozen veggies, limp celery, leftover chicken, potatoes, dried basil & rosemary, a little bit of tabasco, a whole lot of crushed garlic.

TBH, the final result was very mid. It looked and smelled great, but the broth itself seemed very thin and not that flavorful.

Even with adding copious amounts of salt, which often fixes flavor issues, it isn't anywhere close to Grandma's.

You needed to add carrots, onions and celery when you made the stock, tossing in some fresh herbs can also add a nice flavor. In my experience "simmering" for 6 hours is overkill, 2-4 is more than enough. When it comes to the soup being bland, how much salt is "copious"? Remember you need to add enough for each ingredient and to season the stock.

 

[Mordecai "3 Finger" Brown]

You needed to add carrots, onions and celery when you made the stock, tossing in some fresh herbs can also add a nice flavor. In my experience "simmering" for 6 hours is overkill, 2-4 is more than enough. When it comes to the soup being bland, how much salt is "copious"? Remember you need to add enough for each ingredient and to season the stock.

A few of the descriptions I came across talked about using carrot peels and onion skins during the boiling carcass phase, but I didn't add any at that point.

Wouldn't adding edible ingredients to the first carcass phase make it a lot harder later on to sieve out the undesirable bits of skin/cartilage/who knows what from the final product?

Maybe I simmered it too long, but the carcass itself mostly disintegrated leaving mostly long bones to remove.

I did simmer the filtered stock with the vegetables for a good 2 hours+ on top of that this morning.

I didn't add any salt whatsoever to the stock because I figured the Costco precooked rotisserie chicken carcass would be plenty salty to start with. I found many people complaining online that the precooked rotisserie versions were unpleasant due to this fact.

In terms of salt, I'm only talking about my usual practice of adding salt to bland soups in the bowl on the table.

I don't recall any of the instructions I read describing adding additional salt.

Maybe the problem has been identified

 

[CIS White Droid]

A few of the descriptions I came across talked about using carrot peels and onion skins during the boiling carcass phase, but I didn't add any at that point.

Wouldn't adding edible ingredients to the first carcass phase make it a lot harder later on to sieve out the undesirable bits of skin/cartilage/who knows what from the final product?

Maybe I simmered it too long, but the carcass itself mostly disintegrated leaving mostly long bones to remove.

I did simmer the filtered stock with the vegetables for a good 2 hours+ on top of that this morning.

I didn't add any salt whatsoever to the stock because I figured the Costco precooked rotisserie chicken carcass would be plenty salty to start with. I found many people complaining online that the precooked rotisserie versions were unpleasant due to this fact.

In terms of salt, I'm only talking about my usual practice of adding salt to bland soups in the bowl on the table.

I don't recall any of the instructions I read describing adding additional salt.

Maybe the problem has been identified

I typically use a "china cap" for straining stocks so I've never had issues with bits of the veggies but I also chop them into pretty large pieces and I tend to not worry about fine particulate in my stocks. Simmering too long isn't really a "bad" thing but it is unnecessary and, like in your case, can lead to a large reduction in volume.

I wouldn't add salt directly to the stock as it can lead to an overly salty final product in something like a sauce where you're doing a lot of reducing and won't give as much control over the saltiness in something like a soup. That being said I always recommend tasting as you cook and seasoning as needed; I am constantly surprised at just how much salt some things end up needing. I'm not sure how salty Costco's rotisserie chickens are but I've found that even stock made from a well seasoned rotisserie chicken will come out needing salt.

 

[CallmeCicada]

Spicy Salmon gimbap, white barley miso soup with silken tofu and wakame, and chilled nigori.

 

[Niggs Monaghan]

No pics cuz it just looks like slop, but I made a big batch of chicken rice porridge (made with bone broth, garlic and onion powder, some salt). Add some cheese on there, chives, white pepper.
So fucking good on freezing days and nights like these. Had it with a side of a small kale and Italian herb omelette for breakfast today, with a hot mug of dandelion root tea.
Peak cozy.

 

[AnOminous]

Threw whatever I could find in to make soup: carrots, frozen veggies, limp celery, leftover chicken, potatoes, dried basil & rosemary, a little bit of tabasco, a whole lot of crushed garlic.

You should have started with those. Even sauteed them a bit in butter before even adding the chicken.

Wouldn't adding edible ingredients to the first carcass phase make it a lot harder later on to sieve out the undesirable bits of skin/cartilage/who knows what from the final product?

No, it's just as easy to sieve out plant bits from whatever gross chicken bits remain. But the stock will retain the essence of what you discarded. It just isn't going to be rich at all if you don't add the aromatics at the very start. Best is to do a mirepois (chopped carrots celery and onion), sautee that, then start the stock.

You do throw away the mirepois at the end of this, unless you're into doing presscakes or other weird stuff with the remnants of vegetables left over, but you can always add more. I mean seriously, carrots, celery, onion. You should have tons of those at all times.

 

[There She Glows]

A few of the descriptions I came across talked about using carrot peels and onion skins during the boiling carcass phase, but I didn't add any at that point.

Wouldn't adding edible ingredients to the first carcass phase make it a lot harder later on to sieve out the undesirable bits of skin/cartilage/who knows what from the final product?

Maybe I simmered it too long, but the carcass itself mostly disintegrated leaving mostly long bones to remove.

I did simmer the filtered stock with the vegetables for a good 2 hours+ on top of that this morning.

I didn't add any salt whatsoever to the stock because I figured the Costco precooked rotisserie chicken carcass would be plenty salty to start with. I found many people complaining online that the precooked rotisserie versions were unpleasant due to this fact.

In terms of salt, I'm only talking about my usual practice of adding salt to bland soups in the bowl on the table.

I don't recall any of the instructions I read describing adding additional salt.

Maybe the problem has been identified

Try adding a splash of vinegar to help break down the collagen, but i agree that I'm less impressed with stock from rotisserie chickens.

 

[AnOminous]

I haven't cooked it yet but the important parts are done. Moroccan lamb meatballs. I've mixed the ground lamb and other ingredients and it already smells delicious. The actual cooking is for tomorrow. I'm literally drooling waiting for the flavors to mix. I'm going to fry those litle fuckers up, chop some tomatoes and red onions, and serve them in pitas with mint-yogurt sauce.

 

[Equivocal_Iki]

Hard-boiled eggs. Rolling boil 7 minutes 30 seconds. I feel like I learn a new peeling strategy every time I take them out of the ice bath afterwords. Currently I found cracking them at the thin end and pushing down to separate works best.

While I know eggs are good after their expiration date, I'm paranoid because I lost a lot of meat because I kept it in the fridge too long, so whenever I have a bunch of eggs about to go past their "use by" date I just make a ton of hard-boiled eggs.

Also what do you like to use hard-boiled eggs for? I know an egg cut in half is great for ramen.

 

[HamFan]

Ground pork stir fry with a lemon-ginger sauce. I never use a recipe for stir fry, just improvise with what's on hand. I wound up using both fresh and ground ginger- stir fried the fresh ginger, added dried ginger to the sauce- I think that's what really made it.

 

[Mandy Stroyer]

Try adding a splash of vinegar to help break down the collagen, but i agree that I'm less impressed with stock from rotisserie chickens.

This worked well when I made pork bone broth. Lemon juice also works. Stuff was like pork jello.

Wouldn't adding edible ingredients to the first carcass phase make it a lot harder later on to sieve out the undesirable bits of skin/cartilage/who knows what from the final product?

Ninja'd by the china cap suggestion, but you can also use an herb sachet or wrap up your herbs and aromatics with cheesecloth to make them easier to remove.

 

[SanctedElectromagnetism]

made a chicken and beef risotto a few days ago and it's probably the worst ones ive made so far. It's still pretty edible and not that bad but man did I fuck it up. The chicken was fine, the issue was I added this cut of ham (around 200 grams) I had lying around the fridge because I didn't want it going to waste. The ham clashes so much with the rest texture wise it's insane. It feels like randomly biting into a bit of cartilage after you get used to the other relatively soft ingredients

TBH, the final result was very mid. It looked and smelled great, but the broth itself seemed very thin and not that flavorful.

Even with adding copious amounts of salt, which often fixes flavor issues, it isn't anywhere close to Grandma's.

cooked chicken bones tend to give a different flavor than raw ones. When I make tori paitan chicken ramen (boiled on high instead of low) I find raw bones give a more pure chickeny flavor as opposed to cooked ones who give a kinda different one. Maybe the flavor was lacking because you only used 1 chicken? I usually buy an entire chicken, dismember it, filet the meat and throw the leg and torso bones in the freezer until I have 2-3 chickens worth of carcasses, then I cook them. Maybe it was diluted by the sheer amount of water?

 

[Mordecai "3 Finger" Brown]

Maybe the flavor was lacking because you only used 1 chicken?

If I ever try it again, I'm going to salt the shit out of the broth from the get-go.

I appreciate the input from everyone in the thread. I can't realistically imagine that I could be bothered to finely sieve out other ingredients other than the bones & such itself. So next time I'd only add vegetable ingredients for the broth phase that I didn't plan on eating in the end product.

I can't think of too many scenarios where I'd have more than a single rotisserie chicken carcass on hand.

I used the biggest pot I had that's not the giant corn boiler. The single chicken fit but two would be tight. The water level was essentially at the top of the pot in order to fully submerge the single chicken. And I only ended up with 1/3 of the volume with the final product even with the more dilute ratios.

 

[There She Glows]

I can't think of too many scenarios where I'd have more than a single rotisserie chicken carcass on hand.

I stash bones and vegetable ends in the freezer and make stock once I have enough for a batch. Sieving out the bits won't be so difficult if you shorten your cook time but if you're really picky about the broth's clarity you can strain it through something with fine weave like a handkerchief.

 

[CIS White Droid]

I wasn't planning on making Christmas cookies this year but still wanted to do a little baking so I made Toll House Inn cookies. Normally I'm super picky when it comes to chocolate chip cookies but these are amazing.

Also what do you like to use hard-boiled eggs for? I know an egg cut in half is great for ramen.

I usually just cut them in half and sprinkle with a little salt for a snack or light breakfast. Otherwise I slice them for a green salad topping or make things like deviled eggs and egg salad sandwiches.