What did you make for dinner?

[Nuke]

19 minutes ago, Spacescifi said:

 

So?

Get a goat. Milk it. Sell cheaply. And no.... I don't give up on crazy ideas easily.

What? Is the USDA going ruin my fun here too lol?

yea probibly.  

[Spacescifi]

10 minutes ago, Nuke said:

yea probibly.  

 

I double dog dare ya to persuade someone crazy enough to try and tell me how it goes later.

If you pull it off I will buy some popcorn as I read either of their success or failure.

 

That would make for a funnny movie by the way.

Selling milk undercover from the USDA in Alaska.

"Ya selling moonshine in that barn?"

"The best kind.... the white stuff!"

 

Of all the things someone could get arrested or fined for this would truly be hillarious.

 

No I am not encouraging breaking the law.... still it would be a funny movie.

Prompting law enforcement to scratch their heads and say, "After all the effort and funds spent to fund your illegal milk running enterprise.... you could have done it for the SAME price or nearly so legally!"

Edited March 25, 2022 by Spacescifi

[KSK]

Today's dinner was an experiment in fusion cuisine (because that sounds better than 'throwing together whatever I had left in the fridge').

Leftover chicken, vegetable and oyster sauce stir fry, bulked out a bit with black pudding, and served over rice.

As the song goes:  "This was a triumph."

 

[TheSaint]

Last night was homemade Reuben sandwiches again, by popular demand. We may never do corned beef and cabbage again.

[StrandedonEarth]

Riiiiiibs..... 

[tater]

Made a spicy pasta sauce Sunday (we had 3 different pasta options for Sunday dinner with the extended family). Hot Italian sausage based. Leftovers are now becoming lasagna—no idea how it will be, never made that before.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

On 3/17/2022 at 3:07 PM, Shpaget said:

My usual way to make scrambled eggs is to put a pan on low to medium heat,  crack the eggs in the pan, let the whites cook almost completely, then break the yolks, add salt, stir for a few moments and toss them out of the pan. This gives me whites that are a bit better cooked than yolks, without overcooking the yolks and making them dry.

 

On 3/17/2022 at 7:13 PM, TheSaint said:

I've heard of several various "scrambled eggs in the pan" methods which people swear by. Never had a chance to try any of them because when I'm making scrambled eggs I'm always making at least a dozen of them. Because teenagers.

Personally I like my eggs over medium: whites cooked through, yolks still runny. Unless they're going on an egg sandwich, in which case they should be over hard.

... 

. 

I found a different method for making eggs - and they're fantastic.  (first off - I used to use Shpaget's slow cook methods, but no more). 

Some time back I transitioned away from the Teflon /coated skillet to cast iron - and eventually graduated to the carbon steel frying pan.  Well seasoned, eggs slide right off. 

So first up - I like bacon... And I save the fat to use it for cooking: read up on the bad stuff in heated vegetable oil and learn how superior lard and tallow is (if you haven't done it yet). 

Okay - so my egg: I get the skillet up hot enough that it's almost smoking.  Regardless of whether I'm making eggs over easy or medium or scrambled.  The pan is 'coated' with a little fresh lard via a paper towel and has maybe a tsp worth pooling that I tilt around just before adding the eggs. 

The whites hit with a sizzle. Keep an eye on them - they cook kinda fast.  When it's time, separate the eggs from each other and flip.  The bottoms have this glorious brown and however you want to finish the yolks - they're perfect.* Slide right off the pan to the plate.  Scrambled - same thing - you get some of the good brown sear on the first part and the rest just cook till 'dry enough' (whatever that means for you). 

Then I toss in a few tortillas to brown and done. 

 

* when I'm doing 'over easy' I put a little bit of water in the edge of a lid then dump and cover so the eggs steam for a bit - comes out restaurant quality! 

 

 

(bonus)

Pan is already clean when I'm done cooking! Even the cheese slides off a hot, well seasoned carbon steel pan. 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by JoeSchmuckatelli

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

Grin... Just writing this made me hungry.  Scrambled egg burrito with green chilis, pace Picante, garlic and cheddar.  5mins 

 

Mm-mm-mmmmh-mmmmh-mm! 

[TheSaint]

15 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

So first up - I like bacon... And I save the fat to use it for cooking

I am TheSaint, and I approve this message.

17 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Some time back I transitioned away from the Teflon /coated skillet to cast iron - and eventually graduated to the carbon steel frying pan.  Well seasoned, eggs slide right off.

I would do this. But here is what I have discovered: My family is full of terrorists and hobgoblins. Unwashed heathens. Unabashed villains who patently refuse under any circumstances to provide even the most basic care for seasoned cookware. They don't oil it, they don't clean it properly, they leave it sitting dirty on the stove, they leave it sitting in the sink with the other dishes. Nothing I do can convince them to do anything other than treating it as any other pan.

What led me to buy the carbon steel pans in the first place is my wife. My darling wife, who destroys non-stick pans on a regular basis. We would go out and buy a nice set of non-stick anodized pans, and everything would be great for six or eight months, and then she would go to saute something and just pull out the non-stick pan because it was the only one clean or it was just convenient, or she would just lose track of the heat, and boom, there goes the non-stick.

So, in a desperate attempt to gather the shreds of my sanity, I threw out all of the pans and bought a set of solid carbon steel pans and one cheap non-stick pan. And I said, "The non-stick pan is for eggs and crepes. And nothing else. Everything else goes in the carbon steel pans." So far they haven't managed to destroy the carbon steel pans, but it hasn't been for lack of effort. I end up having to reseason them about every six months or so. And, amazingly, the cheap non-stick pan ($6 at Walmart) has held up for almost two years. I was just remarking as I made eggs on Sunday that it's just starting to get sticky, so it's probably getting to be time for a new one. Maybe, since it it apparent now that they will respect the declared pan roles, I can actually spend money on a nice pan.

For Mother's Day a couple of years ago I bought my wife a nice carbon steel mini-wok, because she likes to make stir frys, but they're too much for a normal pan, and a regular wok is too huge for our kitchen. It arrived completely unseasoned, so I spent an entire Saturday working with it to get a good initial season on it, nice and hard and black. Not a month later I walk into the kitchen, she's making tomato sauce for dinner in it.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

2 hours ago, TheSaint said:

, she's making tomato sauce for dinner

I was waiting for this with appropriate horror... And still, I winced. 

... 

My solution is that 'no one is allowed to use my skillet' and 'NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO CLEAN MY SKILLET' 

(Now I will admit that I have found my wife using the skillet - so I was only able to assert Rule 2 during those escapades).

So I bought (ouch) several All-Clad pieces (6qt stock pot, 3qt saute pan, 3qt sauce pan) and that solved both the Don't touch my skillet issue and has made my life in the kitchen more fun. 

(She likes the All-Clad because they're pretty) 

I like the All-Clad because they are awesome! 

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by JoeSchmuckatelli

[Shpaget]

I tried to convince my family to properly season one cast iron skillet which came "pre-seasoned" from the store. They reluctantly agreed, so I started the process. Five minutes later "Why is this taking so long. I need the pan.".

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

1 minute ago, Shpaget said:

I tried to convince my family to properly season one cast iron skillet which came "pre-seasoned" from the store. They reluctantly agreed, so I started the process. Five minutes later "Why is this taking so long. I need the pan.".

Apparently my seasoning of pans gives my wife a migraine... So I have to be judicious about it. 

 

Still - absolutely worth it! 

[TheSaint]

52 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Apparently my seasoning of pans gives my wife a migraine... So I have to be judicious about it. 

 

Still - absolutely worth it! 

When I season mine it can set off the smoke alarm in the hallway next to the kitchen, which makes me super popular in the household.

[StrandedonEarth]

All of our cookware has been replaced with Pampered Chef cookware (Surprise!), which does include some cast iron. Nice stuff, non stick, pretty tough. Removable handles are safer and make storage easier. And the stoneware for the oven is pretty nice too, stuff just easily scrapes right off.

[kerbiloid]

On 4/4/2022 at 2:59 AM, StrandedonEarth said:

Spoiler

 

 

[Spacescifi]

On 4/28/2022 at 10:11 AM, TheSaint said:

I am TheSaint, and I approve this message.

I would do this. But here is what I have discovered: My family is full of terrorists and hobgoblins. Unwashed heathens. Unabashed villains who patently refuse under any circumstances to provide even the most basic care for seasoned cookware. They don't oil it, they don't clean it properly, they leave it sitting dirty on the stove, they leave it sitting in the sink with the other dishes. Nothing I do can convince them to do anything other than treating it as any other pan.

What led me to buy the carbon steel pans in the first place is my wife. My darling wife, who destroys non-stick pans on a regular basis. We would go out and buy a nice set of non-stick anodized pans, and everything would be great for six or eight months, and then she would go to saute something and just pull out the non-stick pan because it was the only one clean or it was just convenient, or she would just lose track of the heat, and boom, there goes the non-stick.

So, in a desperate attempt to gather the shreds of my sanity, I threw out all of the pans and bought a set of solid carbon steel pans and one cheap non-stick pan. And I said, "The non-stick pan is for eggs and crepes. And nothing else. Everything else goes in the carbon steel pans." So far they haven't managed to destroy the carbon steel pans, but it hasn't been for lack of effort. I end up having to reseason them about every six months or so. And, amazingly, the cheap non-stick pan ($6 at Walmart) has held up for almost two years. I was just remarking as I made eggs on Sunday that it's just starting to get sticky, so it's probably getting to be time for a new one. Maybe, since it it apparent now that they will respect the declared pan roles, I can actually spend money on a nice pan.

For Mother's Day a couple of years ago I bought my wife a nice carbon steel mini-wok, because she likes to make stir frys, but they're too much for a normal pan, and a regular wok is too huge for our kitchen. It arrived completely unseasoned, so I spent an entire Saturday working with it to get a good initial season on it, nice and hard and black. Not a month later I walk into the kitchen, she's making tomato sauce for dinner in it.

 

For what it is worth, I will add what I read online.

 

Teflon is a known carcinogen, and basically using any sort of plastic that is heated during cooking will lead to it's fumes or worse leaching into your food.

 

For the most part natural materials we have been using for millenia (metals and ceramics with few exceptions) are safer to use

I actually used a ceramic  pan which is more or less non-stick for cooking eggs and saute... granted they are easy to scratch and require occasional seasoning, but I kept mine stashed away where none of the careless ones could use it anyway

Edited April 30, 2022 by Spacescifi

[Nuke]

On 4/28/2022 at 9:11 AM, TheSaint said:

I am TheSaint, and I approve this message.

I would do this. But here is what I have discovered: My family is full of terrorists and hobgoblins. Unwashed heathens. Unabashed villains who patently refuse under any circumstances to provide even the most basic care for seasoned cookware. They don't oil it, they don't clean it properly, they leave it sitting dirty on the stove, they leave it sitting in the sink with the other dishes. Nothing I do can convince them to do anything other than treating it as any other pan.

What led me to buy the carbon steel pans in the first place is my wife. My darling wife, who destroys non-stick pans on a regular basis. We would go out and buy a nice set of non-stick anodized pans, and everything would be great for six or eight months, and then she would go to saute something and just pull out the non-stick pan because it was the only one clean or it was just convenient, or she would just lose track of the heat, and boom, there goes the non-stick.

So, in a desperate attempt to gather the shreds of my sanity, I threw out all of the pans and bought a set of solid carbon steel pans and one cheap non-stick pan. And I said, "The non-stick pan is for eggs and crepes. And nothing else. Everything else goes in the carbon steel pans." So far they haven't managed to destroy the carbon steel pans, but it hasn't been for lack of effort. I end up having to reseason them about every six months or so. And, amazingly, the cheap non-stick pan ($6 at Walmart) has held up for almost two years. I was just remarking as I made eggs on Sunday that it's just starting to get sticky, so it's probably getting to be time for a new one. Maybe, since it it apparent now that they will respect the declared pan roles, I can actually spend money on a nice pan.

For Mother's Day a couple of years ago I bought my wife a nice carbon steel mini-wok, because she likes to make stir frys, but they're too much for a normal pan, and a regular wok is too huge for our kitchen. It arrived completely unseasoned, so I spent an entire Saturday working with it to get a good initial season on it, nice and hard and black. Not a month later I walk into the kitchen, she's making tomato sauce for dinner in it.

i swear by my gotham steel. cermet coated, so you could probibly use it as a re-entry shield. 

 

also bacon is glorious. 

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

15 minutes ago, Nuke said:

bacon is glorious

Speaking of which - to my wife's horror, I swapped out the vegetable oil called for in a Waffle recipe with melted lard and they were glorious! 

(of course I also added a bit of honey, vanilla and a pinch of brown sugar which were not listed in the ingredients) 

Oh - and speaking of such stuff... If anyone hasn't tried it - pick up some ghee at the farmers market! 

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-ghee

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by JoeSchmuckatelli

[TheSaint]

10 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Speaking of which - to my wife's horror, I swapped out the vegetable oil called for in a Waffle recipe with melted lard and they were glorious! 

(of course I also added a bit of honey, vanilla and a pinch of brown sugar which were not listed in the ingredients) 

Oh - and speaking of such stuff... If anyone hasn't tried it - pick up some ghee at the farmers market! 

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-ghee

I think the thing I do with bacon fat that most horrifies my wife is subbing it out for the butter in grilled cheese sandwiches. It's so good.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

12 minutes ago, TheSaint said:

subbing it out for the butter in grilled cheese sandwiches

So trying it out next time! 

(Course, I already make mine with brown mustard... So - perhaps I'll make two!) 

[Nuke]

1 hour ago, TheSaint said:

I think the thing I do with bacon fat that most horrifies my wife is subbing it out for the butter in grilled cheese sandwiches. It's so good.

you can also use mayo in a pinch.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

1 hour ago, Nuke said:

you can also use mayo in a pinch.

I grew up with mayo - or more correctly, Miracle Whip.  My dad's favorite topping for... Everything. 

My wife (for all her fine qualities) has a pathological aversion to all things mayo - and tolerates my pathological aversion to the sexual reproductive structures of fungi. 

So - no mayo in the house. 

(Or fungus. ) 

That said - I can't disagree: there are many fine things that go with a little bit of mayo. 

 

 

 

 

[Akagi]

12 hours ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

My dad's favorite topping for... Everything. 

Aight I'm out

*walks off cliff*

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

7 minutes ago, Akagi said:

Aight I'm out

*walks off cliff*

My wife's sentiment, exactly. 

 

(We don't eat at his place, much) 

[Akagi]

13 hours ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

and tolerates my pathological aversion to the sexual reproductive structures of fungi. 

Have you even tried white matsutake?

Slice it into small pieces and fry it. Yum.