What Have You Cooked Recently?

[Pickman's Modeling Agency]

I used to work in a dinner when I was a kid. The secret to crisp hashbrowns is to parboil peeled potatoes then stick them in a bucket of water with salt and let them sit in a fridge overnight. Then you just grate the potatoes (food processor with grater attachment works fastest), and pop em on the griddle with lots of oil. While the first side is cooking you put a lid over the tatties. When you flip them you remove the lid.

There's no way to say this without sounding gay as hell, but thank you I will definitely try this

 

[OrionBalls]

Tempura chicken with orange sauce and grilled broccoli.

 

[PositiveMonk]

If I make a really crusty bread, I think that makes the best kind of that thing where you tear a hole out of the middle of it and crack an egg into it.

My normal bread doesn't get nearly as crusty as I'd like. I've been steam baking it, both because that's what the recipe says to do and because my oven has a steam bake setting. Other than trying other recipes or maybe trying brushing it with oil I'm not sure what else I can do to give it a nice crust. Baking has been an unexpected detour in my cooking that I really enjoy, but I still feel pretty clueless and I haven't read a lot on the subject yet. None of the breads I've made have really scratched that itch for a savory bread. It may be worth taking a crack at a sourdough or something with different flour mixtures.

the measure for measure which has a different ratio of flours and xanthan gum.
the all purpose which has more starch and no xanthan gum.
Psyllium husk fiber is also a common staple in GF breads that I use myself to make it more spongey.

I think this is the most intimidating part of baking, especially gluten-free baking for me. It feels like I need to keep so many different ingredients on hand, and a lot of them are sold in relatively large amounts so I have trouble finding good places to store them. In fact I think the gluten-free baking was what inspired me to finally clean out my pantry and remove the 5 year old expired shit I was ignoring just to make more room for all the different flours, powders, and meals I seem to need. GF also seems like it has a steep learning curve, where if I stray from the recipes I'm gonna have a bad time.

Tried a normal people sandwich loaf yesterday. First time I've used a loaf pan. Came out nicely as well, buttery, soft, and the perfect shape for a nice sandwich. Since I like to freeze my bread, I decided to try tray freezing these slices before putting them in a bag. I'm hoping they'll be less likely to freeze together. I thought about putting small sheets of parchment paper between them but that feels a bit wasteful.

 

[Mandy Stroyer]

I think this is the most intimidating part of baking, especially gluten-free baking for me. It feels like I need to keep so many different ingredients on hand, and a lot of them are sold in relatively large amounts so I have trouble finding good places to store them.

GF also seems like it has a steep learning curve, where if I stray from the recipes I'm gonna have a bad time.

I do have an entire shelf of my pantry dedicated to baking, mostly different flours but some rogue items like canned pumpkin, coconut oil, peanut butter, flax and chia seeds. Cookies tend to fair the best in terms of GF baking basics but it still took a few years for me to find a recipe I actually liked that was reminiscent of a normal cookie. Bread seemed like some wizard fuckery I'd never figure out until I ventured into a few food science blogs. Unfortunately it can still be difficult to get right, especially with dairy also out of the question, but the results tend to be better than store bought.

Tried a normal people sandwich loaf yesterday. First time I've used a loaf pan. Came out nicely as well, buttery, soft, and the perfect shape for a nice sandwich. Since I like to freeze my bread, I decided to try tray freezing these slices before putting them in a bag. I'm hoping they'll be less likely to freeze together. I thought about putting small sheets of parchment paper between them but that feels a bit wasteful.

"Normal people sandwich loaf" got a laugh out of me. Sadly I wasn't too into baking breads when I could still eat gluten so I'm very jealous to hear it turned out so well. Tray freezing might dry them out a little unless you're wrapping the tray before putting it in the freezer, but I did find this on reddit which I may try myself when I get around to baking more bread.

Spoiler: Speaking of baking bread, I tried that recipe

I figured it'd be a batter sort of bread given the loaf pan and paddle attachment. The half an egg was achieved by weighing it out of shell and basic division. I wasn't sure how the bread would rise given the abysmal temperature and humidity of my kitchen so I placed it on top a low oven with a damp cloth over the bowl.

It didn't look like it rose, but the webbing when I 'deflated' it suggested otherwise. It didn't rise much after I put it in the loaf pan either. I brushed it with some olive oil before popping it in the oven. It definitely smelled like bread when baking. I used the old "wad of foil" trick since I didn't have a smaller loaf pan. It browned nicely.

I'm not so sure I'd use it for sandwiches since the structural integrity wasn't great though that was half probably because I cut into it minutes after taking it out of the oven. The texture was more like a fluffy cake than bread, but tasted pretty good on its own. I ended up toasting it with some herb and garlic (dairy free) butter and sprinkle of parm, saved the ends for snacking.

7/10 bread baking experience, turned out far better than I expected.

Spoiler: Also I made soup

Seared kielbasa, potato, lentil, and scallion in chicken broth. Seasoned with garlic, pepper, thyme, sage, and nutritional yeast. Threw in a bit of parm. I could not tell you the actual recipe because it's soup and you're not supposed to measure anything. 10/10 soup, can't go wrong with potato and kielbasa.

 

[ChampFantana]

Just today, I cooked up a couple of eggs over hard, sprinkled on some black pepper, and slapped them between two slices of wheat toast.

Sometimes, simplicity can be incredibly satisfying.

 

[Aiōn]

My new years resolution was to improve my diet by cutting way down on sugar and to try to get 7+ servings of fruit and vegetables a day. While that means no baking for a while *sob*, I have still been enjoying cooking, and it’s actually pretty economical too.

I’ve been eating only 2 meals per day and a lot of air-fried potatoes, brown rice and garbanzo beans and using spices like paprika, harissa paste, old bay and fresh parsley. I have learned that you can ripen an avocado by placing it in a low oven wrapped in foil and that hummus makes a good base for salad dressing.

Spoiler: Lepus cibum

I wanted something sweet so I made pumpkin oatmeal with cinnamon and topped with some apples that I stewed with a little maple syrup. I make my oatmeal with jumbo oats and water on the stove and sweeten with 1/2 a well-ripened banana mashed, plus nut butter for extra creaminess and chia seeds for added protein. I'll probably be making some with peaches and raspberries next time. I've also made a big pot of vegetable soup for the days that my oatmeal is too low calorie and doesn’t contain enough fruit to reach my goal.

 

[AnOminous]

It barely qualifies as cooking but I just made a bunch of mulled cider with apple cider, chopped ginger, ground cloves, Ceylon cinnamon, slices of orange, and star anise, simmered in a Dutch oven covered for a couple hours.

Oh and then added a bunch of rum to it.

It's a very cozy way to sit out a blizzard. Blow me, Jack Frost.

 

[Cloaca Rimjob]

Attempted toad in the hole. Really tasty and easy to make.

 

[Hateocracy]

Cinnamon rolls! With frosting! Using no butter! Except for the dough it has 1 tbsp in it so I guess I lied.

Fluffy, punchy, sweet, a little creamy.

 

[Marvin]

Wings, tendies, any kind of autistic food, air fryers make it amazingly. If you like autist food, definitely get one of these.

They're even good for normie food!

Another good use: Bubba Burgers.

They're that brand of frozen burger patties that you're supposed to be able to cook straight-from-frozen in a griddle or whatever. They're pretty good for the price. I think I've seen store brands of the same concept before. I'm sure they're the same thing.

I've found that cooking them at 370f (preheat first) for 15 minutes, flipping once about 6 minutes in, makes great, juicy burgers with even less effort than the box instructions, also without setting off the fire alarms (usually happens when I follow the box instructions) and less dishes to wash.

It's not a super fancy meal, more like a late night snack if you're buzzed. But way better than typical drunk snacks, like a microwaved hot pocket or something.

Seasoned the patty a bit each time I flipped it. Then added ketchup, mayo, and pimento cheese to a toasted bun.

 

[Equivocal_Iki]

I found the best mayo ever called "pure select" (some Japanese brand, likely a lot like kewpie). I love putting it on eggs. I showed it to my dad and he said "have you tried miracle whip?" and felt that the special Japanese mayo wasn't so special after all.

 

[AnOminous]

I am thawing out a batch of chicken hearts. I have bought a bunch of skewers too, specifically for them. I think hte first batch is going to be Brazilian style, the next jerk style, and the third batch teriyaki.

Haven't done this yet. I'm open to suggestions when they thaw out in a day or two.

 

[PositiveMonk]

I am thawing out a batch of chicken hearts.

When I get a whole chicken I chop up the neck for my stock but I'm not sure how to confidently identify the other organs. I'm usually pretty sure I can pick out the heart though, but I'm not really sure how to use the other organs. If the hearts come out good I'd love to know how to use mine.

Oh also I roasted a chicken. Wasn't happy with the results. The herbs and lemon seemed to do fuck all so it was really bland. Probably could have used more time as well. My last vegetable soup was probably my best, yet I have no clue what I did differently.

 

[Zeftax]

I'm not really sure how to use the other organs.

Liver dumplings are great in broth, but the amount of broth you get from one chicken skeleton is more than appropriate for the amount of dumplings you can make from one chicken liver, so it's probably best to visit your butcher for more. Pork liver is good for chicken broth too, that's what my grandma makes them from. Some people like fried chicken liver with rice, but not me.
I personally buy chicken without gibs, strip all the meat and do whatever I want with that, then freeze the bones and save them up for a broth. Then I can buy fresh liver and make a bunch of chicken broth from them whenever I feel sick.

 

[a terminal posture]

Goulash with polenta and a side salad is a nice meal for a snow day.

 

[Adamska]

Not really cooked but assembled: made a ham and cheese and also a chicken and cheese sandwich for lunch. Deli cuts are nice for quick meals sometimes.

 

[Equivocal_Iki]

Got an immersion blender for Christmas and made the most boring scrambled eggs possible. Separated the whites from the yolk then tried to blend the whites because I think I heard somewhere that you can make something fluffy from whipping egg whites enough. Didn't work and I ended up just cooking the eggs after.

I got some heavy whipping cream. Anyone with an immersion blender what do you use it for?

 

[Zeftax]

Anyone with an immersion blender what do you use it for?

Cream soups, just made butternut squash soup yesterday - delicious.

 

[CIS White Droid]

I've had some oat flour kicking around the pantry for ages so I decided to make some bread with it. No recipe, just by feel. Came out pretty good but I got impatient on the final rise so they're a little denser than they should be.

Anyone with an immersion blender what do you use it for?

I've used mine to make pesto and salsas.

 

[Harold Godwinson]

Senfbraten - pork shoulder seared in mustard, pressure cooked with wine, stock, herbs, garlic, onions and carrots with a home made creamy mash. Perfect for shitty UK winter days, I miss seeing the sun and not shivering my tits off all day