Do you cook? Best dish?

[KD in CA]

35 minutes ago, chknwing334 said:

I’ve grown to love cooking over the last few years. I find it relaxing after a long day. It is a tough call as far as my best dish. I make a mean steak. Sous vide at 129 and then sear in carbon steel pan while hitting the edges with the blowtorch. I usually pair that with a mushroom risotto. I also make a great bourbon scallop dish. Shrimp with caper brine, lemon, and garlic is in the running too. I recently tried octopus sous vide and seared. It was pretty good! 

 

Octopus looks yummy....I almost never pass up the chance to order it when out.   We should really try it at home.

[DC Tom]

5-cheese proscuitto lasagna.

 

I make a mean paella, too, though my risotto is nothing to write home about.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Yes!

 

best dish? Handmade pierogi. I also make a mean donut, have thought of opening a shop in the past

[T&C]

Good thread... and I agree with some others, baking is a tough one. In my mind its scientific with the ratio's of yeast, baking powder, what kind of flour to use, how long at what temp, what to add and when to add it, water or soda water, etc. I leave this to others lol.

 

More of a traditional cook here, I like making breakfast for any meal any time of the day.

 

As far as my best dish goes it would be roasted leg of lamb with whole garlic inserted with rosemary sprigs over the top and the usual sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Baste every half an hour. Side dish with that is mashed rutabaga with chopped bacon and mushroom gravy made with the juices of the roast. I haven't made this one in awhile though as I have less people in the house nowadays. 

 

Have a great wing recipe that I got from an old Buffalo eatery and when I make them I use whole wings, I don't break them up into flats and bats... you do that. Keeps more of the juices inside of the crispy exterior I have found. Use Marie's extra chunky bleu cheese dressing.

[Seanbillsfan2206]

9 hours ago, chknwing334 said:

I’ve grown to love cooking over the last few years. I find it relaxing after a long day. It is a tough call as far as my best dish. I make a mean steak. Sous vide at 129 and then sear in carbon steel pan while hitting the edges with the blowtorch. I usually pair that with a mushroom risotto. I also make a great bourbon scallop dish. Shrimp with caper brine, lemon, and garlic is in the running too. I recently tried octopus sous vide and seared. It was pretty good! 

Steak looks perfect. I’ll pass on the octopus 

[BuffaloBill]

8 hours ago, Augie said:

 

Unfortunately, the wife barely eats and has restrictions, and my options are limited these days. 

 

That was basically the genesis for this thread.  My Mrs. is out of town taking care of her dad so I am cooking stuff she will not or can not eat.  I did sous vide steak for the first time the other day which was awesome.  Yesterday it was a broiled lobster tail, risotto and Brussels sprouts cooked in bacon fat. 

 

It’s tough to get overly excited about tofu and veggies all the time (wife is vegetarian partly by choice but more due to common sense necessity).  Although I will say that I’ve felt a lot better since changing the diet about two years ago.

[Gugny]

I love to cook and do it often.  I don't really have a "claim to fame;" I like to think I do a decent job, but wouldn't consider myself anything above an average cook.

 

One dish that I made that I was rather proud of is pastelón.  It's a Puerto Rican dish that's very similar to lasagna, in structure.  However, sliced plantains are lightly fried and used in lieu of pasta and the meat filling is a traditional Puerto Rican picadillo (simplified: ground beef, sazon, oregano, garlic, adobo, cilantro, tomato sauce, Spanish olives).

 

I've only made it once, but it was fantastic.

[swnybillsfan]

i have been reading through some of the specialty dishes and favorite meals on here, and i have to say that there are a lot of things that are far above my pay grade in here. but it all sounds great. i think i would have to add omelets and chili to my own list of things i can cook well. not that they are all that difficult to make, but when my kids will eat it without complaining, i consider that a victory.

[BuffaloBill]

16 minutes ago, swnybillsfan said:

i have been reading through some of the specialty dishes and favorite meals on here, and i have to say that there are a lot of things that are far above my pay grade in here. but it all sounds great. i think i would have to add omelets and chili to my own list of things i can cook well. not that they are all that difficult to make, but when my kids will eat it without complaining, i consider that a victory.

 

 

While I am no expert, at the end of the day really good cooking is about techniques.  If you learn the basics about one technique you can build on it and add to your list.  There is a lot to be said for just jumping in and trying things.

 

It’s also easy for some to get stupidly “snobby” about cooking.  For example I could simply say I carmelized onlions or I could BS about it and talk about my mize en place, fantastic knife skills needed to slice or dice an onion, how to properly deglaze the pan and the importance of the right amount of material in the pan, etc.  If you are cooking for some high end restaurant then, yes, you must have really high end skills.  However, for the rest of us having good foundational skills is enough.

[CommonCents]

17 minutes ago, swnybillsfan said:

i have been reading through some of the specialty dishes and favorite meals on here, and i have to say that there are a lot of things that are far above my pay grade in here. but it all sounds great. i think i would have to add omelets and chili to my own list of things i can cook well. not that they are all that difficult to make, but when my kids will eat it without complaining, i consider that a victory.

I'm with you. A lot of my dinners are pretty simple but I get them TLC and enjoy making em! I made Hassleback Chicken this weekend for the first time. It looked pretty fancy when all was done but it was easy.

[swnybillsfan]

21 minutes ago, BuffaloBill said:

 

 

While I am no expert, at the end of the day really good cooking is about techniques.  If you learn the basics about one technique you can build on it and add to your list.  There is a lot to be said for just jumping in and trying things.

 

It’s also easy for some to get stupidly “snobby” about cooking.  For example I could simply say I carmelized onlions or I could BS about it and talk about my mize en place, fantastic knife skills needed to slice or dice an onion, how to properly deglaze the pan and the importance of the right amount of material in the pan, etc.  If you are cooking for some high end restaurant then, yes, you must have really high end skills.  However, for the rest of us having good foundational skills is enough.

everything i have learned has been trial and error, and fortunate accident. learning the art of seasoning to taste, and not over/under cooking are probably my two biggest struggles. but i do love to cook...preferably far, far too much. my goal is always to make sure everyone is full and happy. 

14 minutes ago, Commonsense said:

I'm with you. A lot of my dinners are pretty simple but I get them TLC and enjoy making em! I made Hassleback Chicken this weekend for the first time. It looked pretty fancy when all was done but it was easy.

nice! i always try to make it look pretty, lots of colors and textures whenever i can. and i have to ask...so, when are you making the HassleHOFF chicken? 

[Jauronimo]

I don't have a go to dish.  I tend to make things then move on to a new challenge.  Recently, I've made a few things that I'm proud of:

 

Dan-dan mian with homemade alkaline noodles

Homemade fettuccine with mushroom cream sauce

Singaporean style chili crab

 

I finally got the perfect sear on one my sous-vide steaks (without setting off all the smoke alarms!) which was a highlight too.  Less oil in the cast iron and a herb butter baste seems to be the secret. 

 

 

 

 

[FappyTheClown]

Veggie pizza.

Edited February 26, 2018 by FappyTheClown

[Johnny Hammersticks]

I can cook like a mofo.  I basically grew up in a restaurant.  Started washing dishes at 14 and worked my way up to line cook before moving out to the front of the house where the real money is.

 

I don’t like recipes.  I like to go to the grocery store and pick out ingredients that I think go well together.  Usually turns out to be pretty delicious.

[Augie]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBill said:

 

 

While I am no expert, at the end of the day really good cooking is about techniques.  If you learn the basics about one technique you can build on it and add to your list.  There is a lot to be said for just jumping in and trying things.

 

It’s also easy for some to get stupidly “snobby” about cooking.  For example I could simply say I carmelized onlions or I could BS about it and talk about my mize en place, fantastic knife skills needed to slice or dice an onion, how to properly deglaze the pan and the importance of the right amount of material in the pan, etc.  If you are cooking for some high end restaurant then, yes, you must have really high end skills.  However, for the rest of us having good foundational skills is enough.

 

For Christmas I gave myself MasterClass, online instruction in all kinds of things from cooking, to tennis to how to write a novel. One of the chefs is Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se fame. (He’s a big deal for those who don’t know.) That’s his thing...he’s all about teaching techniques. Perfect the technique and you get good food. It’s pretty good stuff. 

 

I did this instead of taking a basic culinary class at a nearby college. They wanted high school and college transcripts and...get this...proof of immunization. There is a short cut process for old farts who just want to take a few classes, but they don’t make it easy. I decided to wait a few more semesters because when you hit a certain age the classes are free. One advantage of getting old....

[Misterbluesky]

7 hours ago, Gugny said:

I love to cook and do it often.  I don't really have a "claim to fame;" I like to think I do a decent job, but wouldn't consider myself anything above an average cook.

 

One dish that I made that I was rather proud of is pastelón.  It's a Puerto Rican dish that's very similar to lasagna, in structure.  However, sliced plantains are lightly fried and used in lieu of pasta and the meat filling is a traditional Puerto Rican picadillo (simplified: ground beef, sazon, oregano, garlic, adobo, cilantro, tomato sauce, Spanish olives).

 

I've only made it once, but it was fantastic.

This sounds really good and different..I'm going to try this but with black olives.I really like ground beef with black olives and rice. Never heard of adobo..need to get that...

[Jauronimo]

1 minute ago, Augie said:

 

For Christmas I gave myself MasterClass, online instruction in all kinds of things from cooking, to tennis to how to write a novel. One of the chefs is Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se fame. (He’s a big deal for those who don’t know.) That’s his thing...he’s all about teaching techniques. Perfect the technique and you get good food. It’s pretty good stuff. 

 

I did this instead of taking a basic culinary class at a nearby college. They wanted high school and college transcripts and...get this...proof of immunization. There is a short cut process for old farts who just want to take a few classes, but they don’t make it easy. I decided to wait a few more semesters because when you hit a certain age the classes are free. One advantage of getting old....

Any new kitchen technique I want to learn I read up to understand why its important then head to youtube to see it performed.  Anything from how to fold dumplings to killing a crab or how to eat a tide pod.

[HereComesTheReignAgain]

1 hour ago, Jauronimo said:

 

I finally got the perfect sear on one my sous-vide steaks (without setting off all the smoke alarms!) which was a highlight too.  Less oil in the cast iron and a herb butter baste seems to be the secret. 

 

 

 

 

I have smoke alarms that go off if you look at them wrong!  I have found that laying a box fan flat on the floor aimed at the smoke alarm (elevated a few inches off the ground) will keep the smoke alarm from going off.  I can't disable the alarm due to living in an apartment.  I am also tempted to try putting a shower cap over the alarm.

[Augie]

28 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

Any new kitchen technique I want to learn I read up to understand why its important then head to youtube to see it performed.  Anything from how to fold dumplings to killing a crab or how to eat a tide pod.

 

My mother likes to ask what cookbook I get recipes from. “It’s called an iPad, mom.”  It’s amazing how you can learn to do just about anything (in a kitchen or elsewhere) with a quick search. 

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, Augie said:

 

My mother likes to ask what cookbook I get recipes from. “It’s called an iPad, mom.”  It’s amazing how you can learn to do just about anything (in a kitchen or elsewhere) with a quick search. 

 

This is the book I used for experimenting with Puerto Rican food.  "Used," because I let a former co-worker borrow it and never saw it again.

 

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/puerto-rican-cuisine-in-america-nuyorican-and-bodega-recipes_oswald-rivera/522604/?mkwid=s79WclwC7|dc&pcrid=70112914152&pkw=&pmt=&plc=&gclid=CjwKCAiA_c7UBRAjEiwApCZi8Q7r1g1VleU_99ATPen1ycdbUskRiJ_rreNpWh6K8lhOhXXHXO7nBxoC5G8QAvD_BwE#isbn=1568582447&idiq=5582795