What Have You Cooked Recently?

Troonos said:
Whether you start with bechamel or butter+cheese, you need to buy a bag of Sodium Citrate. Add it after heating up the base, but before adding the cheese. It's the secret to a perfectly smooth, creamy cheese sauce with no denatured proteins or graininess.
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Thank you, so much! Of all the restaurants I ever worked, Italian was not one. I was completely unaware of that trick! How much do you add, and can I get such a thing at Walmart?
 
OrionBalls said:
Thank you, so much! Of all the restaurants I ever worked, Italian was not one. I was completely unaware of that trick! How much do you add, and can I get such a thing at Walmart?
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I don't think I've seen it at Wal-Mart, but Amazon certainly sells it. Very inexpensive.

The instructions are on the back of the bag, but I think the proper ratio is 1 pound of cheese, 1 cup of cream/milk, 1 tsp of sodium citrate. I definitely prefer cream as a base, heated slowly on medium-low, then the sodium citrate added once it's hot enough, then slowly add the cheese in small amounts while stirring continuously. If you want a thinner sauce, use 2 cups cream.
 
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OrionBalls said:
Thank you, so much! Of all the restaurants I ever worked, Italian was not one. I was completely unaware of that trick! How much do you add, and can I get such a thing at Walmart?
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There's also another trick you can use in a pinch, mixing a specific ratio of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and lemon juice (citric acid) to get a crude solution of sodium citrate to use in cheese sauces.
The problem is it'll give a slight lemon taste to whatever you're cooking, and it'll be less effective since this reaction forms a lot more monosodium citrate than trisodium citrate, which is a weaker emulsifier. It can work in a pinch, but just buy the pure stuff, careful to make sure it's food grade and not bulk chemicals from China.
 
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Burgers n' fries for the family, plus a slightly questionable decision to make Jack and Coke- except with Olipop cherry cola instead of actual coke. Tasted like an argument, but I'm not a big fan of cherry cola in general.
20250423_183033.webp
 
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Fae Supremacist said:
There's also another trick you can use in a pinch, mixing a specific ratio of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and lemon juice (citric acid) to get a crude solution of sodium citrate to use in cheese sauces.
The problem is it'll give a slight lemon taste to whatever you're cooking, and it'll be less effective since this reaction forms a lot more monosodium citrate than trisodium citrate, which is a weaker emulsifier. It can work in a pinch, but just buy the pure stuff, careful to make sure it's food grade and not bulk chemicals from China.
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Coincidentally, I watched a video today that used Alka-Seltzer and vinegar to make queso (nacho cheese). It's interesting if you're into that sort of thing. Chris Young - shorts - Nacho Cheese.

@OrionBalls More details on the gig? Just curious.

Here's a sandwich I made not so recently but I took a picture of it because it was absurd. He wanted the BLT and the Steak Sandwich together. Top to bottom:
Bread
Arugla/walnut Pesto
Iceberg
Heirloom tomato
Bacon
Roasted mushrooms
Blackened onions (that's chef speak for "oh shit the oven was too hot")
Extra sharp Cheddar
Flank steak (Montreal seasoning)
Horseradish sour cream
Bread
.
 

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Chatterbot said:
@OrionBalls More details on the gig? Just curious.
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I do the funeral dinners ministry at my church. ETA- This is a free dinner for all members and their immediate relatives, provided out of out General Fund. I get reimbursed for food cost, though I often short the bill. A very sweet lady who had been ill for a long time passed away Easter Sunday. I was quoted 40 guests, cooked for 60, and had 95 show up. I pulled every last bit of spare pasta out of my cupboard on the fly to make it work. Luckily, the immediate family went to the gravesite before coming back for dinner, so we had time to make it work. No one left hungry and I managed to even snatch a plate for later. God truly does provide.
 
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OrionBalls said:
I do the
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...Lord's work.
Thank you for doing that, no homo. And I'd say that if you were working at a Mosque or a Temple too. That's just good human shit.

To that, I'd add that in that kind of situation I might just go cheat mode and buy the packaged mix and bolster it with some grated parmesan and/or some other fat and a dash of nutmeg. I don't think people have high expectations when it comes to free food, it's more of a ...symbolic?... thing of "breaking bread" together. Not that you asked, and what the fuck do I know anyways.

Back on topic: I made refried beans today!
What's that black speck? I wondered too, so I ate it. It was a bit of bacon.
 

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Made cheese spaetzle to go with some bratwurst last night. Just boiled and then fried spaetzle with gruyere, swiss, and emmental cheese with crispy fried onions and chives on top. Baked in the oven for about 10 minutes to get the cheese melty. Came out pretty good, went well with the brats and sauerkraut. Also splurged on some whole grain mustard for the bratwurst. Inglehoffer makes some pretty good stuff.
 
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Lone MacReady II said:
2 John 1:10-11 for you...
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Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
What if they're doing good works? Soft pass.


I made mole today. Kind of time consuming, labor of love. Got mixed reactions from tasters, but fuck them what do they know? “I lived in California and so this is/isnot what food in Mexico tastes like”. It's just not a good example.You don't fucking know. You can shit on my dick and call it a sundae. It's not. It's shit. I don't know how this devolved into poop but every food eventually does.
 

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Chatterbot said:
Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
What if they're doing good works? Soft pass.


I made mole today. Kind of time consuming, labor of love. Got mixed reactions from tasters, but fuck them what do they know? “I lived in California and so this is/isnot what food in Mexico tastes like”. It's just not a good example.You don't fucking know. You can shit on my dick and call it a sundae. It's not. It's shit. I don't know how this devolved into poop but every food eventually does.
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Did you put chocolate in it?
 
Chatterbot said:
I made mole today. Kind of time consuming, labor of love. Got mixed reactions from tasters, but fuck them what do they know? “I lived in California and so this is/isnot what food in Mexico tastes like”. It's just not a good example.You don't fucking know. You can shit on my dick and call it a sundae. It's not. It's shit. I don't know how this devolved into poop but every food eventually does.
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It's a retard take anyway because mole poblano usually has like 20+ ingredients and every Oaxacan Mexican family has their own version of it. There is no one true mole poblano. Yours looks good.
 
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