Any Culinary Artists?

I wouldn't say I'm a nazi, but I do try to be careful with my raw meats. I have two seperate cutting boards one for meats, and one for everything else. I don't use a wood board for my meats because the bacteria can get into the porus wood and that isn't good.

Onions, peppers, and garlic...building blocks for any good meal.

Z

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Originally Posted by Spec A!

Potatoes!

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I love potatoes. Unfortunately, I don't eat them fast enough and they end up going bad on me. Does anyone have any good storage tips?

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Originally Posted by Spec A!

Mashed Potatoes:
Skinned and boiled till done- the smaller the chunks the quicker it cooks and easier it is to mash. Drain and add in stick of butter, a little bit of whole milk, and white pepper powder (great flavor and invisible in those white potatoes!). Be careful when adding in the milk as it doesn't take much to make them soupy! Mash and Blend to your liking of consitency. I always taste and add more butter/pepper till I get what I like. You can always subsitute in sour cream (fat free of course) for milk and the butter spray for butter. I don't like using fat free milk or 2% as it is no where creamy enough.

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My favorite mashed potato recipe is Dirty Garlic Cheese Mashed Potatoes. Instead of spending time peeling all the potatoes, just give it a good scrub to get all the dirt off. Chop them into smaller chunks, boil until they mash easily with a fork. Drain them (pasta pots with the draining inserts are good for this). Add in a stick of butter and sour cream or cream cheese (for a richer flavor). Season with garlic powder, and blend together using an electric hand mixture. As you blend, add shredded cheese.

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Originally Posted by Spec A!

Baked potatoes- try them wrapped in foil, with a little water and a sprinkle of garlic pepper. Cook like you usually do.

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That would destroy my microwave.

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Originally Posted by walterick

Following my own advise. Here's tonight's dinner. Spaghetti with extra virgin olive oil, parm and romano cheeses and basil. Mmm! Easy and yummy! :)

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Only thing missing from that is GARLIC, it's my favourite.

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Originally Posted by masdog

I love potatoes. Unfortunately, I don't eat them fast enough and they end up going bad on me. Does anyone have any good storage tips?

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I keep mine in the pantry- cool, dark, and dry. Moisture is what causes the rot and tuber growth.

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My favorite mashed potato recipe is Dirty Garlic Cheese Mashed Potatoes. Instead of spending time peeling all the potatoes, just give it a good scrub to get all the dirt off. Chop them into smaller chunks, boil until they mash easily with a fork. Drain them (pasta pots with the draining inserts are good for this). Add in a stick of butter and sour cream or cream cheese (for a richer flavor). Season with garlic powder, and blend together using an electric hand mixture. As you blend, add shredded cheese.

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Sounds awesome! That's basically my Parsley Potato recipie, albiet the cheese, and I mash by hand instead of mixer. Try boiling 4-5 garlic cloves with the potatoes instead of using garlic powder- mashes right along with the potatoes and gives a fresher flavor.

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That would destroy my microwave.

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That's why they call them baked potatoes ;)

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Originally Posted by walterick

So let me get this straight... you're supposed to cook meat before you eat it?

Does that go for eggs too? ;)

The one thing I don't know how serious to take is how important it is to keep your "raw meats" away from everything else. I mean, are you guys nazis about it? I try to be careful, but sometimes I just don't worry if the chicken cutting board sits out for awhile or whatever.

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Some meats you can eat raw but you have to be very careful where it comes from. Usually fish and beef (tartar which I've never had, Carpaccio which I have had but it was seared on the edges like cooking a steak for 30 seconds). Pork and poultry? No way. Avoid the chicken sushi.

Eggs can be OK raw but it can be Russian Roulette. When in doubt, don't do it. A real Caesar salad uses a raw egg but it can be "coddled" too which is kind of like searing the beef as above (boiled in the shell for about 30 sec).

I'm pretty much of a fanatic when it comes to keeping stuff clean and separate. Cross-contamination is a bad thing. Getting sick from food isn't fun, been there. Treat raw meats (especially poultry) almost as a hazardous substance. Wash the cutting board and all utensils you've used with it very thoroughly, including your hands. As far as meat staying out of the fridge for awhile, I don't worry about it too much. It's actually better to let it sit on the counter for a little while to let it warm up slightly before cooking. I wouldn't try to thaw something by leaving it on the counter though.

The "danger zone" of bacteria and all that fun stuff is 40 degrees to 140 degrees. Within that range, it can grow quickly. Once it's below that (fridge, freezer) or above that (cooked and kept warm), you're OK. I use an instant read thermometer which looks like an oversized pin with a dial on the end of it, about 6" or so long.

http://www.goya.com/english/recipes.html

Thanks Nat!

I haven't forgotten about this thread y'all. I just haven't taken the time to buy the ingedients I don't have yet. I tried to do one of Adina'a the other night but I didn't have the right stuff :(

I made Adina's black bean chicken last night!

I was good, we both ate it right up. But I overcooked it :( Still have a lot to learn.

Thanks Adina!

Looks tasty there rick. Might have to try that one myself.

Z

The problem I'm having is getting used to our gas range. It cooks the $#@! out of everything :D

Post a review if you try it :wink: I think I will add more black bean sauce next time.

What kinds of pans are you using?

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Originally Posted by walterick

The problem I'm having is getting used to our gas range. It cooks the $#@! out of everything :D

Post a review if you try it :wink: I think I will add more black bean sauce next time.

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You might want to adjust the gas flow to the range. If you're using too much gas, it would explain why you're overcooking everything.

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Originally Posted by walterick

I made Adina's black bean chicken last night!

I was good, we both ate it right up. But I overcooked it :( Still have a lot to learn.

Thanks Adina!

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That looks great. I'm getting hungry just looking at it.

It kinda reminds me of the Orange Chicken you get at a Panda Express, but I can tell this tastes much better. :)

That sounds like a good idea. But I like being able to boil water very fast on high heat!

Metal ones with teflon?

Those one heat quickly and evenly, so you need less heat than you would if you were using something like cast iron.

Ah, the education of Rick continues :)

Oh, I almost forgot! I didn't have any corn oil so I used olive oil. You think there's much of a difference?

Hey Adina. Do you think I could make this with chicken instead of pork chops?

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Originally Posted by walterick

Hey Adina. Do you think I could make this with chicken instead of pork chops?

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You could try it, let me know how it turns out. I used boneless pork loin instead of chops, as the girls freak out with the whole bone thing.

Also, corn oil, olive oil, not a big difference.

try going from gas to electric. Electric doesn't heat nearly as evenly as gas, and I burn everything if I'm not careful with electric.

Z

Anybody got any marinades?

You might not believe this, but I had never marinaded a piece of meat before last Sunday. Now I know how people get their chicken tasting so yum :) I used a bottle of Tequila Lime, don't remember the brand, and grilled using our indoor electric grill. Kinda salty, but good. Made for a nice summer meal.

It occured to me that it must be cheaper to make your own marinades. The bottle I bought was $4, which seems pretty expensive to me. So I went to epicurius and started looking around I found <A href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/105576">Mojito Marinade</a> which had a high user rating and sounds pretty easy. The chicken recipe using the marinade is <A href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/105575">here.</a>

Anybody got one?

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Originally Posted by walterick

I made Adina's black bean chicken last night!

I was good, we both ate it right up. But I overcooked it :( Still have a lot to learn.

Thanks Adina!

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That sounds good, but your pic doesn't look that appetizing Rick!
:rolleyes: :D :p
Can one of you post the recipe?
Brian

Uh, okay. I'll make sure to take more appetizing pics in the future :D

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...32033

Marinade I use a lot of the time is

Worchestshire
Fresh ground pepper
Salt
Garlic
Bourbon
Lemon Juice

combine these in a tupperware container or ziploc bag, and let the meat set in it for at least an hour in the frig. Its good on just about anything. Plus the bourbon adds a little smokiness to things.

enjoy
Z