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Cooking Questions II: The Master Speaks


MercenaryChef

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That's more of a broil than braise, no?

Lol - of course it is, I didn't finish, too lost in thought about timing I guess. :P

<contemplating braising TP continued - searing done, get TP into the whirlpool, add case of red wine, case of vegetable broth, spices, hmmm cloves?, don't forget the bay leaf, salt, pepper, does one need to put the whirlpool cover on...>

Vegetables? Onions, potatoes...carrots?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bless me Bacon Father, for I have sinned against a chicken breast. I tried to poach it but I screwed up the temperature and I forgot to cover it. I was disrespectful in my use of herbs. I accept my penance of eating this foul breast which is tough and a little gray.

I am heartily sorry for having offended you.

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Bless me Bacon Father, for I have sinned against a chicken breast. I tried to poach it but I screwed up the temperature and I forgot to cover it. I was disrespectful in my use of herbs. I accept my penance of eating this foul breast which is tough and a little gray.

I am heartily sorry for having offended you.

poaching is actually harder than people think. it is a delicate balance between time and temperature. you want your protein to be cooked just so.

you have punished yourself rightfully for making a meal of the offended and corrupted flesh.

what was your poaching liquid?

I am fond of stock accented with white wine or lemon (acid is key), parsley and thyme sprigs, peppercorns and slices of shallot. bring this liquid to a gentle simmer. season your protein with salt & pepper. gently introduce it to the bath and let magic happen.

a favored french preperation of mine is a la nage. in that the poaching liquid is strained of aromatics, enriched with cream, butter, creme fraiche and fresh chopped herbs. this then becomes the sauce for the poached meat.

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It felt like the time to pay tribute to the processes meat potential of the United Kingdom, so I finally tried the scotch eggs recipie. I don't know why I do this stuff, really. It's like some elaborate, self destructive obsession. Why can't I just stick to real food, which hasn't been processed and cooked twice at least? And has, y'now, flavour.

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I am experimenting w/ sweet potato fries for the first time really, and it hasn't gone so well.

Actually, they still tasted great which just seemed to give me a hint of the potential, but they came out mushy rather than crispy.

I cut up a tater into fry-sized bits and coated w/ just a little olive oil and kosher salt. I placed in the oven on high heat for 15 or so and then moved them around a bit and stuck them back in. I tested at various stages, and they just seemed to stay soft.

Any guidance is appreciated.

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How high is "high heat"? If you'r'e not hitting 425+ the outside is not going to crisp. Also, you may consider finishing off with the broiler.

It was exactly 425.

I did see one theory online that the salt shouldn't be added at the beginning as it somehow might keep it from crisping, but I have no idea. :dunno:

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Trisk,

I make sweet potato fries all the time. If you cut them too small or skinny, they will basically just disintegrate. I cut mine so that they're about a 1/2 inch thick, about 4 inches long. I toss them in some olive oil, throw some spices and salt on them (I like the herbs de' whatever that comes in the pot at TJ Maxx w/the rosemary in it) and pepper the heck out of them. Then I bake them about 20 to 25 min. at 450 degrees.

Anyone got some good vegetarian recipes to share?

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I am the same way in the baking department... If I follow directions precisely, something you can eat appears, but the minute I wing it, I have a pile of inedible crap and my kitchen is a mess.

i'm pretty sure that is the case for everyone. there is a reason it says 250ml of this, 400gm of that. baking is about precision.

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Trisk,

I make sweet potato fries all the time. If you cut them too small or skinny, they will basically just disintegrate. I cut mine so that they're about a 1/2 inch thick, about 4 inches long. I toss them in some olive oil, throw some spices and salt on them (I like the herbs de' whatever that comes in the pot at TJ Maxx w/the rosemary in it) and pepper the heck out of them. Then I bake them about 20 to 25 min. at 450 degrees.

OK, I'll try this. It's possible that I made them a bit too small last time.

Also, I'll have to double-check, but I think my oven maxes out at an alleged 425 degrees.

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I did see one theory online that the salt shouldn't be added at the beginning as it somehow might keep it from crisping, but I have no idea. :dunno:

Salt will leech water out of the potato to the surface and prevent it from crisping, yes. On the other hand, if you salt it like a steak - let it sit and then dry the surface before applying heat (NB: many people consider this a crime against juicy steak) - you might end up with a crisper fry, but who wants to dry off a bunch of cut up potatoes? I've never tried it with sweet potatoes, but freezing the cut up potato first and then dethawing before applying heat supposedly works well also because it theoretically fractures the surface area of the cut potato creating more surface area to crisp, although it is possible that only works when frying in oil.

In related news, I finally bought a mandolin slicer and it is fantastic. Definitely makes me feel more inclined to make some sweet potato fries.

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what was your poaching liquid?

You'll be happier not knowing. Let's just say that none of the things you mentioned were in it and...let us never speak of it again. I have about 3 more meals of it to choke down.

They were having a sale on the family pack and I was trying to just cook it up while it was fresh so I could reheat during the week. Presumably this was the worst sort of factory chicken at $1.88/lb. I believe I started with a tragic, unhappy bird and then just made things worse.

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You'll be happier not knowing. Let's just say that none of the things you mentioned were in it and...let us never speak of it again. I have about 3 more meals of it to choke down.

They were having a sale on the family pack and I was trying to just cook it up while it was fresh so I could reheat during the week. Presumably this was the worst sort of factory chicken at $1.88/lb. I believe I started with a tragic, unhappy bird and then just made things worse.

I'm sorry but this really made me laugh.

Also, kudos for being brave and daring the Master's wrath in the first place. I actually had a bad dream about the board 2 nights ago and looking foolish in this thread was a part of it. :uhoh:

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I'm sorry but this really made me laugh.

Also, kudos for being brave and daring the Master's wrath in the first place. I actually had a bad dream about the board 2 nights ago and looking foolish in this thread was a part of it. :uhoh:

Me too, Sis. Poor Litechick...I felt her pain. I know poaching has something to do with cooking it in liquid. Other than that, you're maybe stealing from the chicken? Or you've stolen the chicken? I dunno.

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