What Have You Cooked Recently?

[Got Milk!]

I really like using my wok for quesadillas, it really does a great job of crisping and melting everything quickly, i guess bc it gets hotter than western cookware? I find that most of my western pans make quesadillas that end up being raw inside by the time the tortilla is starting to fully burn whereas the wok manages to melt the cheese around the same time you get a nice pleasant bit of char on the tortilla.

Extremely effective quesadilla maker. Even heat distribution. Puts nice, aesthetic, crispy cooking marks on the outside. Also works great for grilled cheese or pressing a burrito and a million other things not on the label

 

[souschef]

I really like using my wok for quesadillas, it really does a great job of crisping and melting everything quickly, i guess bc it gets hotter than western cookware? I find that most of my western pans make quesadillas that end up being raw inside by the time the tortilla is starting to fully burn whereas the wok manages to melt the cheese around the same time you get a nice pleasant bit of char on the tortilla.

Western pans, at least here, are triple bottomed and aluminum

They heat slowly, but there's better uniformity distributing heat. Woks are not aluminum, and designed for quick high temps

 

[JohnnyG]

I really like using my wok for quesadillas, it really does a great job of crisping and melting everything quickly, i guess bc it gets hotter than western cookware?

Anything you plug into 120v is going to use a 1500 watt heating element. But the shape, size, and material of the cook surface might change the temp you get. Our sandwich press hits both sides for a quick toast, but the wide flat griddle will let you do 4 quesadillas at once.

And of course the stove is what you want for real heat...I was pleasantly surprised to measure my cast iron over 700F on my electric stovetop.

 

[William F. Clinton]

Recently I made just a basic turkey sub for lunch, but decided to add some banana peppers. Added a lot of zest to it, would recommend.

 

[Big Miss Steak]

Recently I made just a basic turkey sub for lunch, but decided to add some banana peppers. Added a lot of zest to it, would recommend.

Banana peppers and turkey go very well together. I recommend pairing those two with dijon mustard as well.

 

[OrionBalls]

Got a dinner. 100-120ppl. It's my first request for fish, on account of the dinner being this Friday. The family has some chicken they are donating, so that takes care of one protein. Was thinking of either chicken parm and shrimp scampi, or roasted chicken and a lemon talapia. The chicken is boneless and skinless, so I don't know if I want to roast it... Then roasted redskins and whatever vegetable is cheap. Probably zucchini and yellow squash. Or French beans. Any ideas? My brain isn't working, right now. ETA- they chose the roasted chicken and talapia. Now... Should I grill the chicken? It has no skin, so I'm worried about it going dry, and grilling it will add some color to the meat while cooking it quickly. And for the talapia, I'm thinking of cajun seasoning, as opposed to lemon butter, because my roasted redskins are lemony and garlicky. I'd hate to have too much of the same flavor on one plate.

 

[Got Milk!]

Store that only ever sells precut meats had lump meat today and they were looking to move it. Saved 35% on this chuck roast and cut it into my own steaks.

Managed to get 5 about 3/4" to 1" thick steaks that will be saved for the grill. I also filled a gallon bag with thinner pieces or odd things that got sliced off. So either make small steaks faster or cut them up for something or whatever. This is the first time I've done this so if they look like shit, that's about right lol

 

[OrionBalls]

Jesus Fuck! 24lbs of talapia filets is a lot more time sensitive and delicate meat than I'm used to looking at, these days. Ha! Hahahaha! I'm not stressing out, you're stressing out! Also, i need to fit 45lbs of redskins into two ovens all at once. As much as I love a large family, there's not much more I can do, given the numbers of bereaved. This kitchen is only so large, and the women helping me, while awesome, are awesome septuagenarians. I'm going to have to cheat, somewhere. Can you blanch broccoli and cauliflower in advance, or will it go sad?

 

[souschef]

Got a dinner. 100-120ppl. It's my first request for fish, on account of the dinner being this Friday. The family has some chicken they are donating, so that takes care of one protein. Was thinking of either chicken parm and shrimp scampi, or roasted chicken and a lemon talapia. The chicken is boneless and skinless, so I don't know if I want to roast it... Then roasted redskins and whatever vegetable is cheap. Probably zucchini and yellow squash. Or French beans. Any ideas? My brain isn't working, right now. ETA- they chose the roasted chicken and talapia. Now... Should I grill the chicken? It has no skin, so I'm worried about it going dry, and grilling it will add some color to the meat while cooking it quickly. And for the talapia, I'm thinking of cajun seasoning, as opposed to lemon butter, because my roasted redskins are lemony and garlicky. I'd hate to have too much of the same flavor on one plate.

I'd pan sear the chicken then bake it, so it remains moist. Get some dry rub, it helps getting a nice crust even if you have no skin on the chicken

Can you blanch broccoli and cauliflower in advance, or will it go sad?

Blanching is quick, you don't need to make it in advance. You can always steam them too, it's my usually go to. I steam broccoli and cauliflower, then toss them on a pan, usually in rendered fat of whatever protein was cooked before

 

[Rungle]

Some times on my weekends I like making spagetthi with my own amalgamation of sauce.
Adding Cream, Milk, and Flour, mushrooms and onion.
I season it with anything that suits me at that time (Often white pepper and garlic).
Now sometimes I want more sauce so I add more milk, and sometimes more flour.
This always turns in a literal soft onion mushroom nutrient brick that tastes either like milk or is very spicy.

I dont know how but I do make it more and more trying crazy new things.

I feel like Kay when doing so but I am having fun

 

[Gorby-Chan]

Tried smoking some corned beef brisket into pastrami, ended up pulling it too early and had to finish in the oven. Wasn't that good hot, but turned out decent after letting it sit overnight

 

[Bassomatic]

Mrs and I are eating clean lately so I made and sliced our own turkey breast. It was bone in but then sliced it for sandwiches. Basically cooked like a T giving thing, pat dry rub with evoo, cook. She used mayo for sandwiches, I tried different things each day this week. Actually if you have something that keeps mess down buffalo sauce worked fine.

 

[WhatInTheActualFuck]

I really like using my wok for quesadillas, it really does a great job of crisping and melting everything quickly, i guess bc it gets hotter than western cookware? I find that most of my western pans make quesadillas that end up being raw inside by the time the tortilla is starting to fully burn whereas the wok manages to melt the cheese around the same time you get a nice pleasant bit of char on the tortilla.

A proper carbon steel skillet (think Matfer or De Buyer) is also excellent for that sort of thing largely because the materials and thickness of them are about the same.

Chucking a well-oiled pizza steel on a grill top also works a treat.

 

[souschef]

Today i woke up earlier this morning because i had cooking duties for the whole weekend at home, so i figured i'd make ragu alla bolognese. I tend to use the traditional recipe with some slight adaptations, so i'll put it in bold the non traditional items

1kg of ground chuck
Sofritto composed of:

• 120g onion
• 150g carrot
• 120g celery

2 cloves of garlic
Bayleef
Red table wine (i like Merlot)
Tomato paste
2 cans (400g) of peeled tomatoes
Whole milk
Salt/Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Step 1: brown meat

I've seen people working on the sofritto and i don't like it. Every step of bolognese involves reducing liquids, so for the best results, browning the meat first will yield better flavors. I use ground chuck because i like the fat ratio and flavors, has decent collagen that contributes to a better texture. More traditional recipes will call for pork in the mix, but for sake of simplicity and the reasons above, i go with chuck

It's better to use a huge pan or even a wok for this part: brown 1kg of ground chuck till there's no gray left, do it in parts so you don't end up boiling minced meat and losing temp. You can reserve the meat for now

The sofritto is just brunoise veg, the finer the better, as you want them to disappear on the sauce. If you want it more veg forward you can do it a little bit bigger, its just a matter of taste. About the combination, you don't need to use the same proportions as me. I use more carrot because i like mine sweeter. On the chuck's rendered fat sautee garlic for a few seconds until is aromatic (not golden), then add the sofritto and sautee it until you drawn off moisture. This is the best part to season it with salt. Add one tablespoon of tomato paste, combine and then you can add back the meat and pour 100ml of red wine until reduce (pour a glass for you as well) and you no longer smell alcohol

Step 2: simmering

Traditional recipes call for 5-6 hours, some even go beyond that. I experimented with ragu a lot, i did it 2, 2:30, 3, 5 and 6 hours. The magic happens after 2:30 hours. I myself never noticed any meaningful change from 5 to 6. Bolognese takes time, but simmering for 2:30 hours is non negotiable in my opinion

Transfer the contents from your pan to a larger pot, then add the tomato cans with the juice, a splash of milk, bayleaf then leave it partially covered in the lowest heat your oven can manage. Bolognese is a meat based sauce, some people get it wrong and think it's a tomato sauce, so the long simmer is important as we draw moisture out and let everything meld together.

Your work is pretty much over by this point, but you still need to take care of the sauce, checking on it every 15 minutes to check moisture. If it reduces too much it might burn at the bottom, you can add some beef stock if you have no moisture.

Step 3: finishing it up and plating

Regardless of how much you have simmered it, the finishing touch is the same. At the last 15 minutes i like to add another splash of milk to mellow everything before serving. I think the best pasta to serve this with is tagliatelle because the sauce clings better to it

Boil pasta til al dente, toss it with some butter on a pan and add your sauce

Some notes: i've seen people recommending using chicken livers along with the mince, i myself never tried but i think it might be good. Vincenzo from Vincenzo's Plate does this, and he's italian so he knows better

It's also good to make a huge batch because next day bolognese is the tits

My bolognese should be ready around 12:30, which is too bad because i'm leaving home and won't get to have it for lunch. Oh well

 

[Merry]

Venison steak with white wine and butter sauce on asaparagus


Elk patties on a yogurt sauce with mashed sweet potatoes and lime salsa

 

[Super Guido]

Walnut-crusted chicken thighs.

 

[Kuritan Deplorable]

First crack at peppers and mushrooms with balsamic vinegar - never really experimented with the latter (bachelor cooking) and I can't believe how good it turned out. The mushrooms soaked up everything and they're incredible.

 

[Squanto Airi]

Pasta Salad primarily with pickled vegetables. Rotini pasta, banana peppers, red bell pepper, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, pickled onions, chili peppers, Greek seasoning. Threw in some great northern beans for extra fiber

 

[SmokelessFire]

Making a thai peanut curry for a family event after my peanut pork stew was a hit. Got the basic ingredients for a soup on monday, I like heavier ones but with the warmer weather I was considering a light one. It is supposed to be raining cats and dogs so maybe it'll be the last hurrah for a winter soup/stew. Got some sausage mince so might do some kind of meatballs to be the protein.

 

[Kurmudgeon]

Last week I made my chicken thigh bake. You take baby potatoes and cut them in half, green beans or asparagus, and bone-in chicken thighs. Put it all on a baking sheet. Take some oil and spices and mix them up in a cup, garlic powder/salt/pepper works just fine. Pour that mixture over the stuff on the baking sheet and spread it around with your hands so everything is evenly coated. Pop it in the oven at 425F for about 40 minutes and you're done, only 5 minute prep time. I got a new oven that works phenomenally, and the potatoes, green beans, and skin on the chicken were all perfectly crispy.

Next week I'm gonna make a peanut soba noodle slaw recipe my mom gave me. Ate some leftovers she made and it was delicious. Looks easy enough, makes a ton, and it keeps well: https://cookieandkate.com/peanut-soba-noodle-slaw-recipe/