Comments for Experimental Chefery

Comment on Challenge #1: Bacon Donuts–Ben Serves up some WIN!! by Mr. Cooksalot

Mr. Cooksalot — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 04:14:56 +0000

Bacon = Win
Bacon + Sugar = Win^2
Bacon-wrapped scallops sprinkled with a bit of sugar and broiled until crispy = Win^3

Donut = Win
Donut with maple glaze = Win^2
Bacon inside donut with maple glaze = Exercise left to the reader. (Hint: OMFG!)

Comment on Food Philosphy by Mr. Cooksalot

Mr. Cooksalot — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:47:04 +0000

I don’t totally agree. While Americans do value convenience above all, that is not to say that they do not value other things about their meals. Americans also value “value”, that is how much they are getting for their money. While Italians may aim for the best quality food, Americans want the best quality they can afford in relation to their other life goals. This seems to me to be a prudent balance.

Americans are also far more influenced by the East (e.g. Japan) than the Europeans are. Americans value the texture and novelty of their food much more than the Europeans. But it still must come at a good price. We’ve many other things to buy than food!

And American cheese, far from being a monstrosity, is reveled for three reasons — it tastes good, melts easily, and is no more expensive than cheddar. It’s also completely natural, having no artificial ingredients. Your cheese sensor is set to “Snob”, and you should work to reset it and enjoy life.

Comment on Emergency Pot Roast by Mr. Cooksalot

Mr. Cooksalot — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:31:55 +0000

Or instead of boiling things to death, you could use a pressure cooker. That’s what Grandma used to use. You could use all the same ingredients and end up with flavorful, fork tender pot roast *and* vegetables to boot. But I understand that not everyone has a pressure cooker. Absalom.

I think the lesson here is to not be afraid of speeding things up when necessary, but realize that some compromises will ensue. “Mediocre” is better than “burned and raw at the same time”.

Comment on Emergency Pot Roast by Big-O

Big-O — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:05:25 +0000

Mmmm…Pot Roast….

Comment on Food Philosphy by Ben

Ben — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:08:07 +0000

AMEN!!

Comment on Quick Tip: White Sauce by Ben

Ben — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:28:45 +0000

This is actually pretty simple stuff. AND it’s MUCH cheaper than buying it from the people who want to sell you a kit. I’m ranting about that a bit somewhere else, but think about this too: those kits have scads & scads of sodium, while this is going to only have sodium if YOU add it. Something to consider if you are on a diet.

Comment on More on brining….[an experimental brine WIN!] by Big-O

Big-O — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:59:05 +0000

Pics or it didn’t happen.

Comment on Fathers Day Grilling by Ben

Ben — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:46:23 +0000

Great pics man!

Comment on More about Big-O by Ben

Ben — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:42:53 +0000

Just a note to say that I’ll be posting more about my own culinary journey when I finally get to it. There are a number of parallels, obviously, but there are some important divergences. I’ll get to that in my own post, however.

Comment on More on brining….[an experimental brine WIN!] by Joe

Joe — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:29:24 +0000

Oh hey, one more note on frying. I find that when frying “moist” foods like chicken, shrimp, most fish, really anything that starts its dipping/coating process wet on the outside, I like to start by coating it in flour. This allows me to add another layer of flavor (salt, pepper, cajun seasoning, anything that mixes well with flour), and forms one more layer to lock in moisture during the actual frying. I tried catfish one time without this layer and was sorely disappointed at the resulting dryness. I don’t *think* I did anything else different, but it was the only time I ever had that problem when frying.