Weekly Cooking (and related issues)Thread

[Jamestown1630]

This week we're starting with: Implements, Strange and Wonderful!

I'm a sucker for 'gadgets' related to cooking and serving food - I have wonderful tools that I've never even used yet, and acquired quite a few 'Like on TV' failures that went immediately to the trash or to Goodwill. I now have every possible sort of sandwich toaster, for instance - including a couple of the old 'Toast Tite' ones; and yes, I bought that Hamilton Beach breakfast sandwich machine, and the ubiquitous red Quesadilla maker - both of which actually work very well, and get a lot of use!

I thought that for fun this week, I'd run through some of the things I've acquired, and ask you about your favorite tools.

1. A couple of years ago, my husband gave me one of the Jalapeno grilling racks, for Christmas. It's a tray with holes in it of different sizes that props-up your stuffed jalapenos for grilling or just baking in the oven.

Here's the Grillpro version, and their recipe:

http://www.grillpro.com/m/recipes.php?type=4&recipe=1

There are many recipes out there for different stuffings; the first time I used the rack, I used Cheddar cheese, but to save time I just carved a 'plug' to fit the jalapeno. That didn't work - the cheese melted down too much. So if you're using anything like Cheddar or Jack cheese, you need to grate it and really pack the stuffing in.

(My Grillpro came with a corer; but make sure you get all the seeds and ribs out, if you're serving jalapenos to 'heat-wimps'. These peppers are very inconsistent when it comes to the Scoville scale; I've bought some that were almost as mild as bell peppers; and others that nearly incapacitated me ;-)

If you don't have a rack, and/or just want to do these in the oven, the following recipe turns out very well; I've tried these on a foil-covered sheet, and on a wire rack; they actually came out best on the foil, but you have to grease it well:

http://www.food.com/recipe/bacon-wrapped-stuffed-jalapeno-peppers-152465

2. I was in the local ethnic store recently, and saw a gadget that looked like an elaborately-carved pestle of some sort. I had no idea what it was supposed to do, but was delighted to learn that it is used like a kind of 'whisk' to froth beverages, especially Mexican hot chocolate. Here's Lisa Fain, the 'Homesick Texan' on the 'molinillo':

http://www.homesicktexan.com/2006/12/mexican-hot-chocolate-and-molinillo.html

I will probably never use this for its intended purpose - more than once, anyway; I whip up my 'Abuelita' hot chocolate with a wire whisk. But at less than $5 for a whimsical purchase, it sure looks pretty in the kitchen :-)

3. Occasionally on a weekend, we do a lot of casseroles or soups to freeze and make weeknight meals easier. I prefer to steam vegetables that are going into a casserole, and my problem has always been that I didn't have a steamer set-up that was quite large enough to steam the big bags of vegetables that we buy for these mega-casserole projects. I recently found this, and it's wonderful:

http://importfood.com/stacked_steamer.html

The holes in the racks are kind of large, so it wouldn't work for things like peas and corn; but for broccoli, cauliflower, carrots - larger things - it works very well, gives you two tiers to work with, and you can do a lot else with it.

4. My passion for cooking implements sometimes becomes entangled with my fetish for 'containers' of any type. Show me a bento box, a clever jewelry box, or one of those wonderfully crafted wooden tool chests, and I'm in Heaven. (I've sometimes bought things I have no use for, just because I liked the container they came in. Go figure.)

In that vein, I've been a fool for 'tiffins'. I've got the pretty Thai type:

http://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Tier-Tiffin-Carrier-Lunch/dp/B0084Z18KO

And I have a couple of these vintage American ones:

https://img0.etsystatic.com/052/1/6761086/il_570xN.664860286_snnh.jpg

These are great for carrying cold or room temperature things to a big party or picnic. (And if you don't do parties or picnics, they're great for storing craft supplies - as one of mine is doing.)

5. Last but certainly not least is something I had wanted for ages, but only bought when I saw it at the thrift store for a great price and looking pristine: the old Farberware Open Hearth Rotisserie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cd_jTivLRM

I've never used this, because I need some parts - not least of which is a modern grounded plug!

I bought it because I thought it would be a great conversation piece for a holiday party - and everyone who remembered it said that it roasted meat wonderfully. Someday, I'll get it going!

-JT

[dp0622]

That sounds great. Now I just have to look up what poached is lol.
20 years of ordering out has taken its toll.

[Jamestown1630]

I was given one of those by a Korean friend years ago. He told me at the time, “Be very careful, this can cut you really bad!”

The first time I used it, I almost lost a thumb-tip.

I’ve got two in the house that I’ve never used since. Sometimes I see chefs on TV using them without a guard. Gives me the absolute willies :-)

-JT

[dp0622]

thanks. I don’t have the discipline and need to find it. have appointment with doc in two weeks.

new one. he is going to DIE when he sees my size!!!

[Liz]

The pounds will literally drip off.....you can eat anything you like in any quantity.

Just eliminate bread and all flour-based items from your diet.

[Liz]

Some of them come w/ a finger guard...like the one pictured.

[dp0622]

I thought those were just extra unnecessary calories. ou just get so used to them.

at the weight I’m at, just walking a block is exhausting. only ten yeas ago used to walk from Rockefeller plaza to the ferry.

only 47. but that feels old. lol

[Kirkwood]

I have a Zojirushi and it is great. All of their appliances are top notch.

[Jamestown1630]

Do you know the latest, best Zojirushi bread machine? I’ve kept putting off buying it, because reading all the reviews on Amazon is dizzying. I want one that makes a horizontal loaf; tired of those big almost-square Breadman loaves ;-)

-JT

[Rushmore Rocks]

lemon juice, fresh dill weed and butter.....salt and pepper

[Liz]

Once your taste buds get used to eating delicious fresh vegetables and fruits...you’ll wonder why you ever put all that floury junk in your mouth. It’s a good idea to have one go-to taste-sensation when you get those cravings.

How about a Double Chocolate Mocha Shake?
Blender s/f ice-cold chocolate soda, frozen s/f chocolate popsicle, cup or so cold coffee.

[Rushmore Rocks]

On my last trip to Alaska, I bought an Inuit Ulu. It’s carved out of a piece of birch, rather oval in shape and about five inches deep. The Ulu knife is a curved blade with a handle that you rock back and forth to chop the food in the bowl. It’s wonderful for guacamole, fruits, shrimp for ceviche, etc.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Popover tins.

I love popovers and used to make them in muffin tins until I found these at a garage sale.

[LibWhacker]

Like my 3-second Thermapen. Makes it a lot easier to figure
out what's going on at the center of your roasts.

[Fizzie]

Best of luck in your journey.

A George Foreman grill is a good start. Fast cooking, quick, easy cleanup, and drains most fat off of anything.
Great way for cooking fish. Great way for cooking anything@

Tilapia is a tasty fish, and comes individual piece flash frozen at Costco. Not as pricey as some of the other fish. Try a tilapia filet on the Foreman grill with a lemon juice-caper sauce.

Find an Asian supermarket, and find a jar of sushi ginger. (Refrigerated.) Very inexpensive. Very versatile, and jumpstarts any meal. (And it’s great for digestion.) Capers are a luxury, but a heavenly treat for fish, and a jar lasts a long time.

I just had a piece of tuna tonight cooked in the Foreman grill. 5 minutes! Tuna, marinated in soy sauce, then topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and slices of the ginger. Close the lid. Wait 5 minutes. YUM!

Try a sesame oil stir fry with veggies. Good sesame oil is intense, and you don’t need much.

The big thing is satisfaction. You don’t want to think all day long about food satisfaction. That’s why diets don’t work. You just think about it all day! Just change your way of doing things. Find out what is really satisfying and delicious, and build on that.

Again, best of luck on your journey

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Dill is good with fish.

Also Mrs. Dash.

A fruit sauce is also good on fish. Mango salsa is wonderful. As for tuna, wasabi, sesame or teriyaki.

[Rushmore Rocks]

My Japanese sister-in-law cooked dinner for us one night. I was quite surprised to find that she prepared it just like pasta. She just dumped the Basmati rice into well salted water and let it simmer until done, poured it into a colander to drain. It was perfect.

[CARDINALRULES]

Dill is great with salmon.

I also love plain yellow mustard with salmon patties.

To add flavor but not a lot of calories I like seasoned rice vinegar. I even use as a salad dressing. Comes in a few flavors but have to get seasoned.

Actually using vinegar or pickled food before you eat carbs help with blood sugar levels.

[Carthego delenda est]

“I’ve sometimes bought things I have no use for, just because I liked the container they came in. Go figure.”

You’re not alone in that “fetish”, lol! There was a brand of jelly that came in an octagonal, tall, jar that I would buy because I really liked the jars for storing herbs, tea, etc in. The jelly was quite good too, so it wasn’t just for the jar. Getting a little further off topic, you mentioned the well built wooden tool boxes... I love those. Most of the tool specific boxes that are made now are junk. Injection molded to fit the tool, but instead of a real hing, the thing just relies upon thin plastic to flex back and forth as the box is opened and closed, which ultimately fails. It might be a tool valued at a few hundred dollars that it protects, complete with foam hollowed out to fit the tool, but the lack of a decent hinge makes the box what I like to refer to a “future trash”. Lol

[Yardstick]

Salad spinner to dry lettuce for a salad after you’ve rinsed it is pretty handy.

Also the modern garlic presses that let you to press a clove with the skin still on it. They extrude the meat without passing the skin.

A splatter screen is handy if you’re doing high heat searing of meat on the stove top. Saves a lot of mess and clean up.

Digital instant read thermometer with thin probe for checking doneness without scarring up your food.

[Carthego delenda est]

The one gadget I really miss and am having one heck of a time replacing is my Bass-O-Matic. If anyone knows of a source, I’d LOVE to get another!