Where my fellow cooks at???

[count2infinity]

That's honestly my dream... if I win the lottery, opening a brew pub with a wood fire oven.

[shmenguin]

fresh herbs...say you buy them from the store because you're too lazy to grow them yourself. you're making something later where you're using them raw. what's your strategy? mine is to almost ruin them by rinsing them off and trying to cut up a soggy mess.

do you even rinse them?
if you do, how do you get them nice and usable again in a short amount of time?
is there an easier way of plucking a bundle of cilantro than to just curse under your breath while you go leaf by leaf?

[viva la ben]

Salad spinner bro

[tifosi77]

Herbs should not be cut or otherwise prepared until the moment they are ready to be used. Cilantro and parsley can be cut from the stems easily; hold the bunch with the stems up and the leaves pointed down towards the board, and use your knife to 'shave' along the stems. Personally, I like the textural crunch from the stems, so I'm happy to leave small bits of them in the batch I'm mincing.

Definitely rinse herbs and pat them dry, but keep them covered by a moist paper towel. Wet it and wring all of the water out, then wrap the leaves and store in an airtight bag with the air squeezed out. Herbs that come in bunches (like parsley, cilantro, basil, etc) are stored with the cut stems in an inch or so of water, with a plastic bag covering the leaves tied tight around the container. (I use a tall glass with a pirate hooker graphic for parsley and cilantro, and a small cocktail glass for basil.) I just used up a bunch of parsley last night that was nearly two weeks old and still vibrantly green and fragrant.

[shmenguin]

Herbs should not be cut or otherwise prepared until the moment they are ready to be used. Cilantro and parsley can be cut from the stems easily; hold the bunch with the stems up and the leaves pointed down towards the board, and use your knife to 'shave' along the stems. Personally, I like the textural crunch from the stems, so I'm happy to leave small bits of them in the batch I'm mincing.

Definitely rinse herbs and pat them dry, but keep them covered by a moist paper towel. Wet it and wring all of the water out, then wrap the leaves and store in an airtight bag with the air squeezed out. Herbs that come in bunches (like parsley, cilantro, basil, etc) are stored with the cut stems in an inch or so of water, with a plastic bag covering the leaves tied tight around the container. (I use a tall glass with a pirate hooker graphic for parsley and cilantro, and a small cocktail glass for basil.) I just used up a bunch of parsley last night that was nearly two weeks old and still vibrantly green and fragrant.

rinse before or after they're cut?

[tifosi77]

Before. Once they are cut, they should go directly into the bowl/pan/pot whatever.

[columbia]

I was going to put this in the podcast thread, but this makes more sense...

The Stories of Southern Food
http://gardenandgun.com/blog/stories-southern-food" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tifosi77]

Stock up

The Black Year Of Italian Olive Oil

Production is down 37% across Italy, but in Tuscany and Umbria (where the best Italian oils come from, imho) it's down as much as 45%.

[BigMcK]

Quality for quality / taste for taste, how does Olive Oil from Greece and California stack up to Italian?

I sometimes buy stuff from the central coast that seems to fit the bill. There also seems to be high end ($$$) oils from CA as well.

[tifosi77]

I don't like the oils produced in the eastern Med nations. They tend to be too aromatic in my experience. California makes some exceptional olive oils (Da Vero being the leading light), and my every day oils are all from CA. They are the olive oil equivalent of the sub-$20 bottle of Pinot Noir - takes a lot of searching to find a good one, but when you find it you're set. California Olive Ranch, Santa Barbara Olive Co., excellent value for the money. I like that in recent years CA growers have started producing oils from Spanish varietals (like Arbequina [my favorite] and Gordal) over the mainstay types from central Italy (like Moraiolo and Frantoio).

[eddysnake]

My wife and I are just doing stocking stuffers for each other for Christmas this year. She needs a new pot holder for the kitchen. Being that we are not really doing much for gifts, I thought this would be a good opportunity to get something nice/different knowing how ordinary pot holders can be. Anyone have any suggestions?

[Letang Is The Truth]

[tifosi77]

Penne Rigate, Fennel, Crimini, Pecorino Romano

[blackjack68]

My wife and I are just doing stocking stuffers for each other for Christmas this year. She needs a new pot holder for the kitchen. Being that we are not really doing much for gifts, I thought this would be a good opportunity to get something nice/different knowing how ordinary pot holders can be. Anyone have any suggestions?

Buy a kit and hand make them.

[PensFanInDC]

The wife is making poultry broth. The house smells amazing. This is why we only buy whole birds. You get so much use out of every part.

[tifosi77]

Since LGP was borked today, I spent my morning at work putting together my Turkey Day job list:



Green means active prep, red means active cook, yellow means passive cook, blue means down time.

[tifosi77]

I've purchased two blades from Epicurean Edge, in the Seattle area. They are having a Cyber Monday sale, with prices ranging from 20% to 50% off. They haven't announced what all products are covered, but if you're knife shopping this might be a good opportunity to get a good knife for cheap. I might actually get a Wüsthof Ikon if they're part of the sale.

[pittsoccer33]

ideas for a Thanksgiving dinner for two couples?

I am thinking of getting a turkey breast (possibly 2), butterflying it, and stuffing it that way instead of having a whole bird.

That's what I did last year. It was delicious and more than enough for two. Remember, one de-boned turkey breast is like 3 pounds of meat, plus whatever you stuff it with.

this worked out great. enough meat and well cooked. but how would you handle the skin? it was tpp much and needed tp be trimmed

[tifosi77]

This is the recipe I used last year and will be making again tomorrow.

Sous-Vide, Deep-Fried Turkey Porchetta (Turchetta)

Just make sure you tie it off with twine and you'll be good.

[count2infinity]

Roasted off a chicken today. Bones and scraps are being boiled now for some stock... The menu for the week from the meet:

Tonight: Chicken pot pie using the dark meats
Monday: Chicken breast, brown rice, green beans
Wednesday: White bean chicken chili using the other breast

I'm pretty sure it's way cheaper to just buy the chicken and roasted it, make your stock and use the meat and stock throughout the week than to buy it all prepared, plus, it's much better this way as far as quality goes.

[ville5]

When your pot pie is getting close, whip up enough cornbread batter to cover it. And let it bake til cornbread is done. You won't regret it. Or to ensure proper doneness, make the cornbread in same size container and place on top as pot pie is finishing. So good.

[count2infinity]

When your pot pie is getting close, whip up enough cornbread batter to cover it. And let it bake til cornbread is done. You won't regret it. Or to ensure proper doneness, make the cornbread in same size container and place on top as pot pie is finishing. So good.

I topped it with puff pastry. It just came out of the oven. Letting it cool for a few before digging in.

[shafnutz05]

Do your research on olive oil. There was a big study done of a bunch of different olive oils and how many of them were fake.

I currently use California Olive Ranch

[mac5155]

Dellalos gets used in this house.

[count2infinity]

Tonight's dinner:

1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa (cooked in 1 cup of chicken stock)
15 (ish) brussel sprouts cleaned halved, coated with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roasted for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn half way through.
Saute half an onion in slices, add 1 tsp minced garlic and deglaze with balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup (total of the 3) of sunflower seeds, papitas, and chopped almonds toasted in a skillet pan
hand full of dried cranberries

combine everything together and drizzle with olive oil. add salt, pepper, and oregano to taste

We had this by itself for dinner, but would be great as a side dish for roasted chicken.