The food and cooking thread.

jmcc

jmcc

CAGiversary!
It occurred to me that we have semi-official threads dedicated to pretty much every other bodily input or output, but no food thread, as far as I know (though I'm sure some boner will point it out if there is one.) So, here we go. Discuss recipes, utensils, ingredients, techniques, or whatever. It's all good.

brownalton11uf.jpg

"Do it for me, Alton Brown."
 
Tom Ka Gai soup is my favorite. I tried making it once, but failed miserably.
 
[quote name='Maklershed']I'm a boner!

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78258&highlight=recipe

I wonder if Alton Brown is pissed that Rachel Ray is on the Top 100 Most Influential people list and he isnt. I dont know how "influential" she is but she sure is hot as hell. Now that I think of it there are alot of hot chicks on Food Network .. Rachel Ray, Giada, Sandra Lee, etc.[/quote]

you think she's hot? ummm....okay....elisha cuthbert is hot, rachel ray is "pretty," for lack of a better word...not hot though (all my opinion of course ;))

anyway, i have watched some food channel programs, but i like brown's good eats show better for teaching about food/cooking
 
If college students want an easy meal to make here's one that I've been making a lot recently.

1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup honey
handful of chopped nuts
1/8 cup soy sauce

Make the rice normally (twice as much water per rice) then throw the finished rice into a saute pan with the honey, soy sauce, and chopped nuts, simmer for a while till it looks dirty, and serve. Really excellent and takes about 13 minutes.
 
That chick with the big fucking mouth always freaks me out whenever I see a commercial on the food network with her on it. God I want to smash all those teeth with a hammer.
 
[quote name='sonderiaom']If college students want an easy meal to make here's one that I've been making a lot recently.

1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup honey
handful of chopped nuts
1/8 cup soy sauce

Make the rice normally (twice as much water per rice) then throw the finished rice into a saute pan with the honey, soy sauce, and chopped nuts, simmer for a while till it looks dirty, and serve. Really excellent and takes about 13 minutes.[/QUOTE]
Instant white rice, I take it? And what kind of nuts? If you say walnuts, it's all over for me.
 
[quote name='jmcc']Instant white rice, I take it? And what kind of nuts? If you say walnuts, it's all over for me.[/quote]

no, doesn't have to be instant white rice, just normal white rice works too. And as for the nuts, it all depends on what type you want, the original is peanuts, but I found out I was allergic and switched it out for coconut for myself since I had some.
 
Giada :drool:

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The only other thing I want to add is don't take non-stick above 400 degrees, buy all you cooking supplies from the local Restaurant supply store. They cost a little more but all of the stuff last for years and years inside a home. Try fresh herbs, and spices.
 
[quote name='Graystone']Giada :drool:

IMAG001.JPG


The only other thing I want to add is don't take non-stick above 400 degrees, buy all you cooking supplies from the local Restaurant supply store. They cost a little more but all of the stuff last for years and years inside a home. Try fresh herbs, and spices.[/QUOTE]

THAT'S HER!

[quote name='2poor']That chick with the big fucking mouth always freaks me out whenever I see a commercial on the food network with her on it. God I want to smash all those teeth with a hammer.[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='swetooth9']you think she's hot? ummm....okay....elisha cuthbert is hot, rachel ray is "pretty," for lack of a better word...not hot though (all my opinion of course ;))....[/quote]
You know what makes her hot? 'Cause she can fucking cook a damn good meal! :D Elisha Cuthbert probably couldn't open a bag of peanuts without asking her assistant for help ;)
 
Just had my first corn of the season yesterday and it was outstanding. Got it at a supermarket (which is very hit or miss) but it must have been picked that morning because it rocked. Nothing better than good corn on the cob.

I'll give a recipe, even though it's super simple, just for kicks.

Shuck the corn.
Bring a gallon or so of water to a boil.
Add some sugar (optional) say a tablespoon or a little more.
Add no more than 6-8 ears at a time.
Return to a boil and let go for 6 minutes.
Fish em out with some tongs and eat with butter, salt and pepper.

Worst sin is overboiling the corn, yech!

And if you want some good non-stick pans get the hard-annodized set at Costco. They were right at the top (if not #1 can't remember for sure) of Consumer Reports last ratings and the set is dirt cheap. $150 for 12 pieces IIRC. And this was head to head with sets 3-4x the price. Oven safe as well.

Biggest drawback with anodized is that they can never be put in the dishwasher, but they clean up fairly easily anyway.
 
[quote name='wubb']Just had my first corn of the season yesterday and it was outstanding. Got it at a supermarket (which is very hit or miss) but it must have been picked that morning because it rocked. Nothing better than good corn on the cob.

I'll give a recipe, even though it's super simple, just for kicks.

Shuck the corn.
Bring a gallon or so of water to a boil.
Add some sugar (optional) say a tablespoon or a little more.
Add no more than 6-8 ears at a time.
Return to a boil and let go for 6 minutes.
Fish em out with some tongs and eat with butter, salt and pepper.

Worst sin is overboiling the corn, yech!

And if you want some good non-stick pans get the hard-annodized set at Costco. They were right at the top (if not #1 can't remember for sure) of Consumer Reports last ratings and the set is dirt cheap. $150 for 12 pieces IIRC. And this was head to head with sets 3-4x the price. Oven safe as well.

Biggest drawback with anodized is that they can never be put in the dishwasher, but they clean up fairly easily anyway.[/QUOTE]


I prefer the olive oil and salt/pepper on a grill for about 15 mins. But yours is defiantely a good way.
 
* 4 chickens, 2 1/2 lb. each, quartered
* 1 head of garlic, pureed
* 1/4 c dried oregano
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 c red wine vinegar
* 1/2 c olive oil
* 1 c pitted prunes
* 1/2 c Spanish green olives
* 1/2 c capers with a bit of juice
* 6 bay leaves
* 1 c brown sugar
* 1 c white wine
* 1/4 c chopped parsley

Combine all ingredients except brown sugar and white wine, and marinate overnight.

Arrange chicken in pan, spoon marinade over, and sprinkle with brown sugar and wine.

Bake 50-60 min at 350 degrees, basting often.

--------------

This is the original recipe ive gotten good results using balsamic vinegar instead of the red wine vinegar and about 3 1/2 pounds of boneless chicken breasts instead of chicken parts.

If you are horrified at the thought of prunes and chicken you can substitute dried cherries.

Sounds weird but it is an amazing meal.
 
Well starting today the gf and I are going on a 21 day cleansing/vegetarian centric diet, so if anyone can hook me up with some good healthy stuff to eat, I'd appreciate it.

I'll post some of my recipes later.
 
[quote name='swetooth9']you think she's hot? ummm....okay....elisha cuthbert is hot, rachel ray is "pretty," for lack of a better word...not hot though (all my opinion of course ;))

anyway, i have watched some food channel programs, but i like brown's good eats show better for teaching about food/cooking[/quote]

Rachel Ray is pretty hot for being 37... she seems to have a good personality and she is a great cook and loves to cook for guys.. that's pretty much an A in my book.
 
[quote name='Strell']Well starting today the gf and I are going on a 21 day cleansing/vegetarian centric diet, so if anyone can hook me up with some good healthy stuff to eat, I'd appreciate it.

I'll post some of my recipes later.[/quote]

How are you doing that. From a program in a book or something? I'm interested in doing something similar.
 
[quote name='coltyhuxx']Rachel Ray is pretty hot for being 37... she seems to have a good personality and she is a great cook and loves to cook for guys.. that's pretty much an A in my book.[/quote]

well in my book, hot = "dude, i SO wanna bang her right now!!!", and personally, that isn't what i feel about rachel...she's probably a great cook though, and she wouldnt be a bad mom, but that's it :p
 
I got this roasted garlic peppercorn marinade, it's HELLA GOOD!

take sum chicken, throw season salt on it, then the marinade,

throw it in the oven at 375F for like 45-50~ minutes.

serve wit rice!

I also make stir fry cabbage w/ eggs as well to go with that meal.
 
[quote name='Strell']:([/quote]

fresh spring rolls are outstanding IMO. google up a recipe for them. make a little thai peanut dipping sauce. basically just a rice wrapper (which you don't cook.. just soak it in water until it is pliable, and then it is filled with leafed lettuce, bean sprouts, these little (awesome) thai noodles that are super thin, and again, not cooked (!) carrot shreds, cabbage and a few mint leaves! they are much more hearty than they sound.

it's like a garden in a wrap. you can find these at thai restaurants but they are usually cooked. a lot of people don't know that at many places you can ask for them fresh and that's the way to go. they are quite filling.
 
[quote name='Snake2715']I prefer the olive oil and salt/pepper on a grill for about 15 mins. But yours is defiantely a good way.[/QUOTE]

Do you wrap the corn on the cob in aluminum foil or anything first? The weather's been pretty nice down here lately and I'm thinking of doing some grilling the next time I have a day off. I'll have to remember to pick up some olive oil too.
 
When boiling corn bring a gallon of water to a boil. Add salt, sugar, and milk to the water.

Grilling it is the best IMO, some olive oil and salt. You can either grill it with or without the husk on it. IMO the husk left on during grilling adds some earthiness to the corn. BTW just so everyone knows corn doesn't have to be cooked. You can eat corn raw just like any other veggie.
 
Oatmeal - Steel Cut Oats (this is based on an Alton Brown recipe)

Steel Cut Oats are different than your standard Quaker oats. Look for a package that says 'Steel Cut Oats' or 'Pinhead Oats'.

1 part steel cut oatmeal
1 part milk
3 parts water (Omit milk and use 4 parts water if desired, but the milk yields better results IMO.)
dash of salt (say quarter teaspoon)

If I'm making this just for me I do 1/2 C oatmeal, 1/2 C milk, and 1 1/2 C water.

Bring the milk and water to a low boil in a sauce pan.
Meanwhile (optionally) melt some butter (1 TB for 1 cup oats) in a fry pan and toast the oats on mediumish heat for a minute or two. Stirring to avoid burnage.
Add the oats to the milk/water. (The heat of the oats usually kicks it into a boil for me but if not bring to a boil.)
Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Add the dash of salt, give it a good stir, and continue to simmer, still covered, for 10 additional minutes.

Liquid should be reduced to just a thick gravy, not much liquid at all. Simmer or increase heat and cook longer if needed.

Spoon into bowls and serve as desired. Raisins and brown sugar or honey is my favorite.

Steel Cut oats take a bit of time, but with this recipe you just do 5 minutes or so of work at the beggining and then it pretty much goes unattended until finished.

Alton also has a recipe to make them overnight in a crockpot. ( http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_17138,00.html ) Not as good as the above method, but still pretty good. I used 3.5 parts water and 1 part milk instead of the half and half and that seemed to do fine.

Just don't add dried fruit (at least not raisins) for the cooking. Simply add them to the finished product. I added raisins the night before and in the morning they had rehydrated to perfect globe shapes (think peeled grapes) really gross.
 
good stuff my wife likes is this cheesy bow ties i make

1 lb. bow ties pasta
about 1 lb. italian sausage(we use sweet but hot would work too)
about 8 oz. of mozzarella cheese
regular sized jar of your favorite ragu, etc(or make your own sauce)
cut the mozzarella cheese up into little squares

cook the pasta till al dente

at the same time boil the sausage

once its done put the sausage in come cold water and peal them of the skin(if you cant get it all dont worry about it just get most of it)

heat up the tomato sauce and put the sausage meat in the sauce on low until the pasta is done the sausage is cooked into the sauce

once the pasta is done drain it (dont run it under cold water)

put half the sauce in the pot you used to boil the pasta
add the pasta
add half the cheese
mix a bit
and the rest of the sauce and cheese and mix thoroughly the cheese should melt from the heat of the pasta and sauce
if not put the heat on VERY low
and there you have it a good meal that makes the ladies happy and the tummy full :)


you can use pretty much any hearty pasta with this but bowties works best also you can use any amount of cheese/meat but this combo works good
you can even go vegetarian if you like and use no meat but use colliflower(SP?) or something along those lines

enjoy :)
 
[quote name='vietgurl']Anyone got good recipes for yummy lowfat low-calorie recipes? No salads please ;)[/quote]

There should be a low cal recipe thread spin off for all of us on diets. Or even like a diet thread. But I'm too lazy to make one :)
 
There was a thread just before this one asking for healthy snack ideas, you could try to hijack it. :lol:

BTW - steel cut oats are healthy, not sure on the calories however.
 
I made some good honey wheat bread yesterday...turned out great.

Lately, I've also been brewing my own beer. I've made a coffee stout and the batch i'm waiting on right now is a dark summer wheat beer.
 
I'm proclaiming right now that Schweppes Bitter Lemon may be the best carbonated beverage around. I can'na wait to mix in some gin with this.
 
I finally tracked down a good beef / steak powder based spice.

I cant wait to try it!!

I hope it's the secret to good beef I've been lookin for this whole time!!
 
New discovery:

Take a soft tortilla, spread a thin layer of peanut butter on it, lay on diced apple, scatter some coarsely chopped walnuts on, sprinkle with cinnamon and roll it up. It's easy to make and is hell of tasty.
 
FONDUE: simple instructions so anyone can make it!

breaking out one of the howitzer cannon of recipes. a total classic. SO easy. impress the (or a) lady with this one. so easy. measurements are casual. even my friends who weren't big swiss cheese fans love this. sometimes i'll cook it up for the guys, a ritual that we have named, "Fondudes". this recipe will easily feed the hell out of four people so adjust accordingly. you can purchase everything total for about $20-25 (to feed four, remember!)- and it's gonna be the best 20 spot you've dropped in a while.

here's a grocery list:

loaf of crusty french bread (fresh!)
1 fist sized brick of Emmenthaler (swiss cheese)
1 fist sized brick of Grueyer (another type of swiss cheese)
bottle of Chardonnay
basil or oregano
pepper
garlic
vegetables (carrots/celery/chiles etc)

first, throw about a cup or so of dry white wine (chardonnay) in a nice large crockpot. you want to use a thick pot, make sure it's stovetop safe.

drop a clove of garlic in there. let it start simmering. it's going to start smelling really good and it only gets better from here. i swear, people walking through will be asking, "whooaa.. what are you making?!"

meanwhile grate up one block of emmenthaler cheese and one block of gruyere (these are high quality aged swiss cheeses). you'll have this big bowl of grated cheese, mix in a small spoon of cornstarch and toss it all together.

remove the garlic from the wine and throw it out. slowly stir the lightly cornstarch dusted-cheese into the hot wine. keep stirring. as it melts, add more cheese. throw in some freshly cracked black pepper and a lot of basil (2-3 spoonfulls). from a jar is fine... fresh, even better, just mince it first. this gives it a great taste and adds to the look of the dish. you can use oregano instead if you like. it's all up to taste. if you like the liquor kirsch, purists like to throw a little of that in there. i don't personally use it. if it gets too thick spill some more wine on it. drink the rest of the bottle while you're doing this. JUST DON'T COOK IT TOO LONG! when it's all melted and smooth it's done. and remember you're going to want to keep it hot.

for prep you want to get some good crusty french bread.. as fresh as possible. soft on the inside, crusty on the outside (i use safeways bakery bread.. it's perfect and about $1.50 :) . cut this into 1"x1" cubes. also pick up some vegetables you like. some that are good: carrots, celery, zuchinni, mild chiles.. really anything you like. chop these up into fork size pieces.. you know, about an inch or so. organize these on a tray. you'll be dipping all of this into the cheese.

again, the only thing to watch out for is to not stir it/heat it for too long. when it's all melted, take it off the heat and bring it to the dining table. either get a sterno can and elevate it so that you can keep it heated, or else keep returning it to the stove every few minutes over a low heat. you want this to stay continually hot. use forks to stab the crusty side of the bread and veggies and dip them into the fondue.

voila.. you're all set!

ps: the tradition is that the first person to lose a piece of bread into the pot is supposed to kiss everyone at the table.. this might be a good thing to set up with like three of your hottest female friends. you gotta honor tradition.
 
So I made Mac and Cheese as a side tonight. It's quick, easy and good and now, thanks to the moden convenience of video and the internets you can too.

[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W5babl4jFQ[/MEDIA]
 
Once I tried to cook...kinda. I put a burger from Sonic in the microwave...little did I care to notice that the wrapping was tin foil...
 
Two Words.... Crock Pot..... best invention ever.
Mushroom Roast
3-4 pound beef roast (Chuck roast is fine as it's slow cooked and will tenderize)
1 can Campbells Golden Mushroom Soup- condensed
1 Can beef broth
1 pack- Sliced white mushrooms- cleaned
2-3 Medium to large potatoes- cut into about 1 inch chunks
2 Medium to large onions cut into medium sized wedges
2 Celery Stalks chopped finely
1/4 cup Worsteshire Sauce
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup Burgandy (can subsititue for other Red Wines)
2 bay leaves

Basically Put roast in bottom of a large crock pot, cover with vegetables (Expcept mushrooms and potatoes) season to taste. Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours. Add musrooms and potatoes and cook for an additional 4-5 hours.

Can use juice to make a great gravy or beef stock.
 
[quote name='JimmieMac']So I made Mac and Cheese as a side tonight. It's quick, easy and good and now, thanks to the moden convenience of video and the internets you can too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W5babl4jFQ[/quote]

My friend is a chef and a few months ago he made the BEST mac n cheese I have ever had in my life using Gouda.... (I think it was just plain, non-smoked gouda.. do they make that?) He calls it, appropriately, "comfort food"... comfort meaning "fat ass giving".
 
[quote name='JimmieMac']So I made Mac and Cheese as a side tonight. It's quick, easy and good and now, thanks to the moden convenience of video and the internets you can too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W5babl4jFQ[/quote]

That was JimmieMac's Next Food Network Star audition tape.

All kidding aside, that looks really good, and really easy. Next time I want Mac and Cheese (which is often), I'm gonna give this a shot.
 
[quote name='cletus']Do you wrap the corn on the cob in aluminum foil or anything first? The weather's been pretty nice down here lately and I'm thinking of doing some grilling the next time I have a day off. I'll have to remember to pick up some olive oil too.[/QUOTE]

no wrapping. Thats the best part. You dont wait forever (like in the husk) there is really no prep (like the husk being soaked etc) and there is no extra materials really needed.

I just runt hem under water to get most the 'hairs' off (whatever the remaining husk is called).

Grab a paper towel or a basting brush (paintbrush type) and slap some olive oil on them. Then salt and pepper. I might have to adjust the length of time per side depending on what else you are cooking with them and the new heat range. But typically its 4 mins a side give or take. you will notice it getting brighter yellow and maybe even a few grill marks. Then rotate 1/4 of a turn.
 
OMG total emegergency (not really)

I bought some pasta sauce and these gourmet sausages(the sausages are pre-cooked). I have this CRAZY idea of slicing up the sausages and putting them into the pasta sauce. What would be the best way to do this? Just slice them into the sauce, put that shit in the microwave and serve. Or to put the pasta sauce in a skillet and put the sausages with it, warm it up that way.

ugh helpo!
 
I've actually been hoping to come across a thread like this. See I want to start drinking green tea, but it tastes like shit and no amount of sugar I put in it helps. Besides I don't want to drink a pound of sugar with a cup of tea.

So does anyone have any recipes for green tea that make it more palatable without tons of sugar and crap?
 
[quote name='Scrubking']I've actually been hoping to come across a thread like this. See I want to start drinking green tea, but it tastes like shit and no amount of sugar I put in it helps. Besides I don't want to drink a pound of sugar with a cup of tea.

So does anyone have any recipes for green tea that make it more palatable without tons of sugar and crap?[/QUOTE]Well, I don't get real fancy or anything, just Lipton, but for some reason decaf green tastes a lot better to me.
 
[quote name='Scrubking']I've actually been hoping to come across a thread like this. See I want to start drinking green tea, but it tastes like shit and no amount of sugar I put in it helps. Besides I don't want to drink a pound of sugar with a cup of tea.

So does anyone have any recipes for green tea that make it more palatable without tons of sugar and crap?[/QUOTE]
Don't put sugar in your green tea. My brother wanted to start drinking it and put loads of sugar in it, kinda defeats the purpose. If you don't like it, green tea extract is available in pill form.

What I do is I brew 2 pots of green tea in the morning. I have a two 32 oz water bottles, fill them with ice to the top and then pour the hot green tea in it. The ice waters it down a bit to just a slight tea taste. I pop one bottle in the fridge and take the other bottle with me. Technically we don't know how much green tea you really need to drink to get all the benefits, but I've read in many fitness forums/magazines that around 64 oz/8 cups is ideal.

Before I used to just brew a cup, pour it over ice, then down it. But this way I only do it once and have tea ready for myself the whole day.
 
im debating picking up chineese when i got out today to run errands. some gen tso's and house noodles would be so good today. aside from that the best part of the summer is smoothies. i figured out the best way to make them years ago withotu even using ice just using frozen fruit ( frozen strawberries and pineapple and bananas as the base) then toss in whatever else you want booze and liquor wise as well as any additional fruit. mangoes are good.
 
[quote name='Scrubking']I've actually been hoping to come across a thread like this. See I want to start drinking green tea, but it tastes like shit and no amount of sugar I put in it helps. Besides I don't want to drink a pound of sugar with a cup of tea.

So does anyone have any recipes for green tea that make it more palatable without tons of sugar and crap?[/QUOTE]

  1. For each tea bag or (teaspoon of loose tea), use eight ounces of water.
  2. Bring the water just under a boil (you'll want it around 180°, or when the pot/kettle starts to make noise but the water isn't bubbling a lot). Boiling water scalds the green tea and makes it bitter.
  3. Pour the water over the tea bag or tea leaves.
  4. Steep for two to three minutes, then remove the tea bag or tea leaves.

Experiment to find your favorite brewing time. If the tea tastes bitter, shorten the brewing time. If the tea is too strong, use more water (if using a tea bag) or less tea (if using loose leaf tea).


[quote name='Strell']Well starting today the gf and I are going on a 21 day cleansing/vegetarian centric diet, so if anyone can hook me up with some good healthy stuff to eat, I'd appreciate it.[/QUOTE]

I'm not a vegetarian, but I've been trying to cut back on red meat lately (among other things) to drop a few pounds, so I've been eating a lot of turkey and making black bean burgers. They're pretty quick to make and pretty good. Here's what I do:

  1. Roast some frozen corn (maybe 1/4 cup) and some sliced peppers and onions (maybe another 1/4 - 1/2 cup) until the peppers and onions are soft and the corn is slightly toasty. I do it between 350° and 450°, 10-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  2. Chop the peppers and onions. Add them and the corn to a can of refried black beans in a bowl.
  3. Add in whatever seasonings you like. I usually do a bit of pepper, some cumin, and some chili powder. There's usually enough salt in the black beans, so I don't add any.
  4. Stir to combine.
  5. Gradually add flour, cornmeal, bread crumbs, or some other thickener until the mixture is firm enough to make patties. I typically use masa harina (the corn flour used to make tortillas) to give it a bit of an earthy flavor.
  6. Shape the mixture into patties, dipping the top and bottom of each patty into a shallow plate of whichever flour you used (this makes the outside crispier when it cookes).
  7. Sear the patties in a skillet over medium heat until your desired degree of browning is achieved.

I've been kind of vague with the measurements in this recipe because I don't have any set measurements; just experiment to see what you like best.

I make corn cakes the same way, using a can of creamed corn instead of a can of refried black beans. The corn cakes are good with crab mixed in them, but adding crab will take away the corn cakes' vegetarian food status.



As for what I've been cooking lately, I bought a smoker toward the end of last summer, but had a chance to use it only twice before the weather turned cold. Today, I smoked my first pork shoulder (so much for turkey and black bean burgers). I followed the recipe in Steven Raichlen's How to Grill cookbook, and it turned out pretty well. It should have cooked a little longer, but I had guests over for dinner and ran out of time. The meat was tender and juicy, but wasn't quite tender enough to fall apart like pulled-pork barbecue, so I had to chop it. The flavor was great, though, and the smoke ring was nearly half an inch into the meat. Overall, it wasn't bad for my first try. I'll have to give it a go again sometime; it's hard to find the time to watch a grill for eight hours, though, so I don't think I'll be doing it too often.
 
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