The Cooking Thread

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 6:40 pm

There hasn't been one of these (to my knowledge) in a long time..

I'm looking for more interesting, but simple, things to cook at home... Very Happy

I'll start! My Mom told me about a yummy way to cook brussel sprouts. Just toss them with some olive oil, minced FRESH garlic, salt and pepper. Roast them in the oven at 350 until just tender. Last night, I ate these with seasoned salmon fillet and a chicken and broccoli brown rice pilaf. All it was missing was some toasted almonds.

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 7:11 pm

Groan - I just had two eggs, scrambled, and now I'm hungry again after reading your brussels sprouts thingy.

I got myself a George Foreman grill, and I'm loving it! I take two boneless skinless chicken breasts, wipe them with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), and sprinkle seasoning on them. Sometimes I use poultry seasoning, sometimes a little cumin and/or sweet paprika, sometimes a little ground ginger and lemon peel. Then I grill as directed. I eat one right then, and save the other to cut up into a salad.

I also do beef - those little "breakfast steaks" are quite tasty when rubbed with EVOO, Worcestershire sauce, and a little cracked black pepper.

For healthy eating, of course, I always make sure my veggies equal half the meal, with the carbs and protein sharing the other half.

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 7:56 pm

@Titania

The GF grill is a real fave in our house as well. 8 minutes for a chicken breast with fajita/creole/montreal seasoning sprinkled on it- a real winner.

For Xmas we had to make pakora- a traditional asian starter

Pakora Recipe:

> Preparation time: approx. 45 minutes
> For 6-8 people

1 cup chickpea flour (Besan)
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 finely chopped green chillies,
1 tablespoon coriander, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
oil for frying
An assortment of vegetables ( including sliced brussel sprouts): Onions, cut into rings or sliced, potato

Steps:

1. Stir the flour, salt and chilli powder into a bowl.
2. Pour in sufficient water to make a thick batter and beat well until smooth. Leave to stand for at least 20 minutes.
3. Stir the chillies, coriander and baking powder into the batter.
4. Drop in the potatoes/onions to coat with batter.
5. Heat the oil in a deep pan, drop in the battered potatoes/onions and deep-fry until crisp and golden.
6. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen towel and keep warm.
7. Serve hot with a mint yoghurt dip.

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 8:03 pm

Wow, you guys really go through a lot of work for your food. I just plant some bratwurst on my grill, flip 'em over a few time, and take 'em off when the hot juice starts breaking the skin. Gotta keep all of that yummy grease and cholesterol wrapped in.

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 8:51 pm

^^ Bratwurst is good, too. But only bratwurst? No sauerkraut? Confused

I had a small GF grill.. Used to cook everything in it.. But, sadly, the non-stick coating started peeling off and getting in to my food. I wish they made them with removable cast iron plates.

Cast iron.. I have a crap load of pans and griddles of all sizes. I even have a corn stick pan and an ebelskiver. Laughing

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 9:07 pm

419weasel wrote:

But only bratwurst? No sauerkraut? Confused

If you know of where I can find good sauerkraut in NorCal, please do share. The sauerkraut they sell at the stores here tastes like wet ass flaps compared to the sauerkraut in Germany. I'd go back just to stock up on that stuff. Oh, and the beer too.

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 9:25 pm

You could make your own sauerkraut. Smile

I don't personally eat a lot of it.. I don't like the way the stuff in jars tastes, either.

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 9:33 pm

Boil those brats (after perforating them 1 time each side) in Leinenkugel's Berryweiss TM Beer (about 2-3 bottles) with one large sweet vidalia onion, sliced, until brat oil starts to boil on top.
Then take them to your grill and finish them off to crisp the skin. You aren't grilling brats until you use beer. Different flavors give different tastes. Using Corona and substituting lime slices for the onion gives a great flavor.

Another great grill item is pineapple. Skin, core and quarter the fruit. Mix 4 tbls honey, 1 tbls lemon or lime juice, and 1/4 tsp pepper (to taste if more pepperiness wanted) in a small sauce dish. Brush on the sauce to the top of the quarters then place these on the grill, brushed side down. brush the mixture on the now exposed bottom. Monitor fruit and turn after about 5 minutes, re-brushing as before. After another 5 minutes turn and brush again. Repeat until furit is done. The way to tell if the fruit is grilled is the noticeable odor of the pineapple.

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 10:08 pm

Ah! A cold winters morning at Paderborn Bus Station. Curried Bratwurst. Heaven in a bun.

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 11:19 pm

I really, really don't want to derail this thread, but I can't help teasing Nick from time to time..

NickTheCop wrote:

The sauerkraut they sell at the stores here tastes like wet ass flaps compared to the sauerkraut in Germany.

Please, enlighten me, how on earth do you know how wet ass flaps taste?

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 11:25 pm

^^ What I do behind closed doors is none of your business.

And for the sake of not derailing this thread, I'd like to add that I make some mean microwave noodles.

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 11:46 pm

Caligula wrote:

Please, enlighten me, how on earth do you know how wet ass flaps taste?

I was wondering the same thing... Razz

Microwave noodles are ok for a quick snack.

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:00 am

^^ What do you mean? That's some real gourmet stuff right there.

The noodles, that is. Not the ass flaps. (Although the latter certainly have a sizable fringe following)

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:13 am

Before Nick the Ass-Flap derails this thread entirely,

Mango, Pineapple and Chilli sauce

1 ripe mango
1/2 pineapple
4 - 5 onions
1 clump of garlic (Clump, not cloves, this is not for wimps)
about 4- 5 inch piece of root ginger
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup brown sugar
as many Thai birdseye chillies as you can get, I use 2 cupfuls, you can use habaneros, or long red, whichever chilli type you can get
1 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil
Either Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, about 1200ml, 2 pints for those that can't use a calculator.

Peel, chop, slice everything, gently stirfry the onion, garlic and ginger till soft, add the chillies, pawpaw, pineapple and stir till it looks sweaty, then add sugar, black pepper, salt, stir for a few minutes till the sugar has dissolved then add 1/2 the vinegar. Bring to a boil and then simmer at a slow roll till the liquid has reduced to a thickish consistency.

Process through a blender, then return to pot and add sufficient vinegar for a slightly runny texture, bring to boil and simmer till you get a pouring consistency. Bottle and leave for a day or two.

Master Baiter Joined: 07 Nov 2009 Posts: 201

I worked under a chef for about a year which was more or less cooking bootcamp. Since then, I've been working on my skills and if I do say so myself, I'm pretty damn good.

Currently I am learning to make my own cheese which I am really excited about. I also make my own mayonnaise which is incredible. I highly recommend that everyone make their own mayo once, you'll never buy it from the store again (costs me about $1.50 to produce what costs $3 at the store). Not only is it 100 times better, it has no preservatives and it's better for you since you choose what oil goes into it (9 times out of 10, a mayo company will use cheaper oil with more fat).

My father growing up in the Southern United States taught me how to barbecue (NOT grilling) properly. It's actually a lot of fun to stay up untill 4 or 5 in the morning drinking beer and starting a pork shoulder. By the time you wake up and do some things during the day, you have several pounds of pulled pork BBQ ready to go. Delicious.

If you have any cooking questions I'll be happy to answer. If I don't know I'll try to point you somewhere that will answer it.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 26 Sep 2008 Posts: 689

"Healthy Eating" and "George Forman Grill"? .... NO! Rolling Eyes

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:31 am

The GF grill is intended to be used with leaner cuts of meat and less fat. It also drains off the fat that comes out of the meat while cooking. So it does indeed belong with "healthy eating." Believe me, as a diabetic who does NOT want to go on insulin, I'm very careful about such things. Very Happy

I also use a mini-chopper (poor person's food processor) to chop up celery, bell peppers, and Napa cabbage, to which I add shredded carrots and a small dollop of Asian sesame dressing. I either eat this straight out of the bowl as a twist on cole slaw or wrap it in a flour tortilla with a little shredded cheese or tuna mixed in - makes a great lunch.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 05 Mar 2009 Posts: 582

Quote:

I had a small GF grill.. Used to cook everything in it.. But, sadly, the non-stick coating started peeling off and getting in to my food. I wish they made them with removable cast iron plates.

There are several GF grills with removable plates.

amazon.com sells several styles, including one that comes with an assortment of plates.

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 6:26 am

^^ But do they come without the teflon coating?

EDIT:

I'm just tired of buying things with non-stick coating, only to have them bubble and peel. I just don't want those little flakes of teflon in my food.. So, I have switched to using cast iron pans and stainless steel pots. I'm still wanting a small dutch oven to make no-knead bread in..

Not quite a Newb Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 41

Quote:

My Mom told me about a yummy way to cook brussel sprouts.

Weas, I'm sorry, but I really don't think that you can lump 'yummy' and 'brussel sprouts' in the same sentence. Wink

I still use your 'Omelet in a bag' recipe from the previous, previous cooking thread when I go fishing. Very Happy

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 May 2007 Posts: 18313

I'm with you on the Teflon, 419Weasel. I won't cook with it. Do a little Googling on Teflon poisoning. They aren't sure that it's toxic (well, the fumes are toxic to birds) yet but from what I've read, it's not something I want to cook for myself and my kids on.
Plus, cast iron pans make the food taste better and increase your iron intake.

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:03 am

^^^ Exactly, Ima! Good cast iron tends to be a little expensive, but if you take care of it, it will last for ages.

What annoys me is seeing cast iron cookware that's been sent to the thrift store for being a little rusty.. I end up taking them home and restoring them. Now I have TOO MUCH! Laughing

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:43 am

Eel, yum.

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 8:38 am

Tsnerd wrote:

Weas, I'm sorry, but I really don't think that you can lump 'yummy' and 'brussel sprouts' in the same sentence. Wink

You can, actually. Over here we all learn the small kids to eat their sprouts with a mit of mayonaise - then gradually cut back on the mayo. Eventually you just lke them, without the mayo needed.

and Thumbs up

to Reaper. Eel is just delicious. My grandfather and I catch about 40 kgs of it a year.

Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2009 11:16 am

Brussel sprouts simply gently steamed for me. As a child I had to pinch my nose in order to get them into my mouth, minimally masticated and down the throat. Now they're one of my favourite veges.