Where my fellow cooks at???

[tifosi77]

That's the thing..... roast chicken and hamburgers are staples for me. Those two dishes were the basic ones that were supposed to set the ship right. The problems I've been having are related to attention to detail, or lack thereof. Things like letting a pan get too hot before adding ingredients, or over-reducing liquids that have already been seasoned (resulting in over-seasoned flavor). Simple stuff, that compound over the course of a dish to end up in a bad place.

What got me into cooking was northern Italian fare. Maybe I'll try a weeknight pasta.

[Shyster]

I think I’ve mentioned that I cook a week’s worth of food at a time, and eat the same thing all week long. It’s good inspiration to be a good cook, as if I make something that sucks I have to eat it for days.

This week is meatloaf seasoned with cardamom, coriander, ginger, and cinnamon, and smashed sweet potatoes with bourbon, butter, and caramelized sweet onions.

[Godric]

I feel like your level of cooking and my idea of my practical limits of cooking are completely different... so I can't really give you any advice, lol.

maybe try something on the grill or in a roasting pot, IE:

Chicken Cacciatore
Steak

idk

[BigMcK]

Take 2 slices of bread. On this piece of bread, add the jelly. On the other piece, add the peanut butter. Take the piece with the peanut butter and lay it over the piece with the jelly. Press together, gently. Lunch is now served.

New kitchen surroundings, maybe?


(giving Tif pointers on how to cook is like a novice biker telling Lance Armstrong which hidden vein in between his toes to hit)

[BadHands71]

That's the thing..... roast chicken and hamburgers are staples for me. Those two dishes were the basic ones that were supposed to set the ship right. The problems I've been having are related to attention to detail, or lack thereof. Things like letting a pan get too hot before adding ingredients, or over-reducing liquids that have already been seasoned (resulting in over-seasoned flavor). Simple stuff, that compound over the course of a dish to end up in a bad place.

What got me into cooking was northern Italian fare. Maybe I'll try a weeknight pasta.

I can kind of sympathize tif, I've had the same thing happen before. One thing that works for me is to try a brand new recipe. I find that if I don't know the amounts or ingredients or the steps, then I'm paying closer attention to the recipe and therefore what I'm doing.

Hope you get your mojo back soon!

[Shyster]

Tifosi needs a training montage. Just listen to this while you cook and you'll be back in shape in no time.

[Gaucho]

This may offend the Spanish, like a lot of things apparently do, but I'm not impressed at all with their cheese.

I'm not Spanish, but I'm offended on their behalf.

As I type this I have in my kitchen a Manchego, a Valdeon and a whole queso Murcia al vino.

I just remembered that I had some awesome Spanish cheese when I was in Madrid in December, but it certainly came at a price. However, wine and cheese certainly are two things I don't mind paying for.

[Gaucho]

It’s good inspiration to be a good cook, as if I make something that sucks I have to eat it for days.

[canaan]

That's the thing..... roast chicken and hamburgers are staples for me. Those two dishes were the basic ones that were supposed to set the ship right. The problems I've been having are related to attention to detail, or lack thereof. Things like letting a pan get too hot before adding ingredients, or over-reducing liquids that have already been seasoned (resulting in over-seasoned flavor). Simple stuff, that compound over the course of a dish to end up in a bad place.

What got me into cooking was northern Italian fare. Maybe I'll try a weeknight pasta.

i think the right avenue would be to buy yourself a new piece of cooking equipment and experiment with it. if it sucks, its the learning curve on your new toy. it doesnt have to be anything crazy expensive. something different and fun like one of these. this usually gets me out of my cooking valleys.

[canaan]

or cook something you've never cooked before. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/roma ... index.html this if you havent...youll love it. its one of my favorites.

[tifosi77]

Thanks for the encouraging words, especially the montage idea.

BadHands and canaan,trying something completely new was actually my wife's recommendation...... after "try something basic you know you can cook well" hit a few speed bumps.

It's interesting that you post a tagine. I've wanted one for years, but it's never managed to get to the top of the wish list. Maybe now's the time. Another possibility is Asian food. I know a couple Japanese street food dishes, and I can cook the hell out of a pack of Top Ramen, but actually doing a deep dive into a traditional dish from Japan or maybe Vietnam might be one way out of the valley.

[mac5155]

any good tilapia recipes?

[Shyster]

I know a couple Japanese street food dishes, and I can cook the hell out of a pack of Top Ramen, but actually doing a deep dive into a traditional dish from Japan or maybe Vietnam might be one way out of the valley.

You could try chanko-nabe, which is the Japanese one-pot stew eaten by sumo wrestlers. It’s pretty hard to screw up, seeing as there are no fixed recipes. A couple examples can be found here: http://www.banzuke.com/chanko-nabe/. I usually make the miso one. This is a dish that fits very well into by once-a-week cooking schedule, as even a small pot of chanko is huge once you add in all of the ingredients.

Trivia: During tournaments, the chanko eaten by wrestlers is made only with chicken, as chickens stand on two legs and a sumo wrestler who leaves his feet loses a match. It’s unlucky to eat chanko made with beef or fish because those animals either have four legs on the ground or no legs on the ground, which are losing conditions in sumo.

[tifosi77]

Possibly the coolest new cooking website I've found:

Chef Steps, by Chris Young and a team of awesome modernist cooks. Young was the research chef at The Fat Duck working for Heston Blumenthal when they were named the Best Restaurant in the World two years in a row. He went on to be the research director of the Modernist Cuisine project with Nathan Myhrvold, and authored most that book's food science content. (And I think all of the contributors to the site are MC vets)

I've been bemoaning the lack of multimedia content for modernist cooking for some time, and it looks like this site might finally be addressing some of that.

[BadHands71]

Possibly the coolest new cooking website I've found:

Chef Steps, by Chris Young and a team of awesome modernist cooks. Young was the research chef at The Fat Duck working for Heston Blumenthal when they were named the Best Restaurant in the World two years in a row. He went on to be the research director of the Modernist Cuisine project with Nathan Myhrvold, and authored most that book's food science content. (And I think all of the contributors to the site are MC vets)

I've been bemoaning the lack of multimedia content for modernist cooking for some time, and it looks like this site might finally be addressing some of that.

NIIIIIIICE!!!!!! I think that will be a great resource to go hand in hand with my Modernist Cuisine at home book. Awesome link tif, thanks for posting.

[BigMcK]

Possibly the coolest new cooking website I've found:

Chef Steps, by Chris Young and a team of awesome modernist cooks. Young was the research chef at The Fat Duck working for Heston Blumenthal when they were named the Best Restaurant in the World two years in a row. He went on to be the research director of the Modernist Cuisine project with Nathan Myhrvold, and authored most that book's food science content. (And I think all of the contributors to the site are MC vets)

I've been bemoaning the lack of multimedia content for modernist cooking for some time, and it looks like this site might finally be addressing some of that.

NIIIIIIICE!!!!!! I think that will be a great resource to go hand in hand with my Modernist Cuisine at home book. Awesome link tif, thanks for posting.

That looks about right for an appetizer. Is that the style of Modernist Cuisine?

[DudeMan2766]

Anyone tried to deep fry perogies? I've heard mixed reviews. We're getting together for the game tmw and everyone is bringing food and i just want to do something different. I can saute em with some good seasoning and onions/peppers, but I want to break out my deep fryer and get unhealthy. But Ive heard they wont taste nearly as good. Anyone know?

[the wicked child]

My experience is that they'll get really crispy, but you won't get any additional flavor into them like you would if you sauteed them with the onions/peppers.

[mac5155]

I did, they're Meh. No better than sautéed with some butter.

[shafnutz05]

any good tilapia recipes?

Warning: This isn't anything mind-blowing or exciting. But I absolutely love lemon pepper tilapia

http://www.food.com/recipe/lemon-pepper-tilapia-263057

[shmenguin]

Nothing makes me sadder than when I undercook or overcook scallops. Last night was very tragic.

[OutofFoil]

Nothing makes me sadder than when I undercook or overcook scallops. Last night was very tragic.

I'm sorry for your loss. A perfectly done scallop is a thing of beauty.

[mac5155]

I feel like hibachi chefs never know how to cook the perfect scallop. They're always well done

[shmenguin]

Hibachi chefs have the luxury of a consistent temperature on their cooktop. My pan was one giant question mark.

[tifosi77]

I think I busted out of the rut.

Friday night, I made pasta al'Amatriciana.... my single most favorite pasta dish in the world. I figured if I screwed that, I was quitting cooking. But I made it and paid super extra attention to detail (even setting a timer to cook the pasta, something I haven't done in probably 10 years), and it was delicious.

Then last night, I made something new....

Spoiler:

I called it SW Pork w Corn-Ginger Puree and Ancho-Whiskey Sauce

Pork was a wee bit overdone (literally by probably no more than 3-5 degrees), and the sauce was too much on the sweet side. And I feel like I need to start over in the discussion of plating, cos that's a mess. But generally, the dish was what I wanted in terms of flavor combinations. Considering the funk I've been in of late, this dish made me extremely happy.

Nothing makes me sadder than when I undercook or overcook scallops. Last night was very tragic.

On the bright side, diver scallops can't really be undercooked - they can be consumed raw.

Had the most perfectly cooked scallops at RM Seafood in Vegas over Christmas. The secret is a screaming hot pan, and to do like 85%-90% of the cooking on one side. That all but ensures a good Maillard crust on that first side for presentation, and leaves little room for error in the finishing. For your standard 1 1/2" thick sea scallop, I'd go maybe 5-7 minutes on the first side (depending on how dense the flesh is), flip, and leave it there no more than a minute at the most. you just want the other side (which will be the bottom on the plate) to be warm to the touch.