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Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

Posted on 09/28/2016 8:29:58 AM PDT by Jamestown1630

One of the most interesting food writers I’ve encountered, and an American Treasure, is John Thorne, who for many years produced a snail-mail newsletter called ‘Simple Cooking’. The newsletter doesn’t seem to be produced anymore, but fortunately we have the many books that he and his wife Matt Lewis have published. These are just delightful books to read, even if you aren’t going to cook any of the recipes in them:

https://www.amazon.com/John-Thorne/e/B000AQ1J0Y/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1"

I remember that one of Thorne’s newsletters contained a recipe for ‘Puffed Wild Rice’, which was suggested as a snack, a topping for salad, or even an addition to a poultry stuffing; but this recipe from Epicurious pulverizes the puffed rice and uses it in place of a bread crumb coating for fish. The recipe includes the technique for making the puffed rice:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/wild-rice-crusted-halibut-56389978

A link to Thorne’s website:

http://www.outlawcook.com

and a good article about him

http://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/simple-cooking/Content?oid=2129904

_________________________________________________

I originally purchased the item above for stripping herbs like thyme; in my experience, it’s not really great for thyme, but excellent for other vegetables, especially for kale. I use kale a lot in soups, and have begun making the crispy snack which has become popular in recent years. Using the large hole of the tool makes very quick work of stripping the kale away from the ribs. You can season the kale in many ways, but here is a basic recipe for Baked Kale Chips:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/176957/baked-kale-chips/

Here is a link to the gadget; they also make one that's attached to a bowl to catch the herbs, if that's what you're stripping; but this is the one for greens:

https://www.amazon.com/Chefn-Chard-Collard-Greens-Stripper/dp/B00QWNRGS8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1475074336&sr=8-3&keywords=herb+stripper

__________________________________________________________

Some months ago we had a couple of threads on peeling boiled eggs. I had still not found a foolproof way, so I did another search this week and tried something new: adding oil to the water.

I pricked the large end with a tiny hole, covered the eggs with water, and added about a tablespoon of olive oil into the water. After bringing to a boil, I cut down the heat and let the eggs simmer for 10 minutes, and then put the pan under cold running water until the eggs cooled down.

These eggs came out perfect – no green ring, despite boiling the eggs for ten minutes - and very easy to peel. In addition, these were relatively fresh eggs from the grocery (purchased two days before.)

But: don’t ask me what the oil is supposed to do, or why it works; none of the videos I took the idea from really explained it ;-)

-JT


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Food; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: eggs; kale; puffedrice
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To: Liz

This too funny! I make your Greek Salad too! Expect I use mayo instead of evo. I’m cooking your food in a higher calorie version. I wonder what other recipes of yours have I been using? LOL


41 posted on 09/28/2016 3:55:45 PM PDT by lizma2
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To: leaning conservative

I also saw the salt used in some videos- but again, no explanation of what it does (???)

(In my experience, you can find time to do anything that’s fun for you; and if you’re really interested in something, ideas fall out of the air ;-)


42 posted on 09/28/2016 3:57:13 PM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, If you can keep it.")
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To: Jamestown1630
Lazy? Grilled Cheese and Campbells Tomato Soup ☺ Lashings of hot sauce.
43 posted on 09/28/2016 4:34:10 PM PDT by mylife (The roar of the masses could be farts)
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To: Liz

Yummo!


44 posted on 09/28/2016 4:36:11 PM PDT by mylife (The roar of the masses could be farts)
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To: mylife

One of my favorites from ‘school lunch’ days :-)


45 posted on 09/28/2016 4:38:00 PM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, If you can keep it.")
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To: samiam1972

Auracana eggs are delicious!


46 posted on 09/28/2016 4:40:59 PM PDT by mylife (The roar of the masses could be farts)
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To: Jamestown1630

Just comforting in cool weather, and so lazy....


47 posted on 09/28/2016 4:43:45 PM PDT by mylife (The roar of the masses could be farts)
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To: mylife

Grilled cheese is what I’ll always make, if I’m hungry for comfort food and don’t really want to cook.

Lately there have been lots of articles on using mayonnaise instead of butter, for grilled cheese. I want to try it, but I think I’d still want butter, too ;-)

http://www.thekitchn.com/should-you-fry-your-grilled-ch-144259


48 posted on 09/28/2016 5:12:47 PM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, If you can keep it.")
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To: Liz

Save it for the holidays? Liz, you gotta be kidding!


49 posted on 09/28/2016 5:40:58 PM PDT by Silentgypsy
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To: Jamestown1630

You don’t need the butter if you use real mayo (not the low-fat stuff).


50 posted on 09/28/2016 6:12:46 PM PDT by Silentgypsy
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To: Jamestown1630

Try Both!


51 posted on 09/28/2016 6:13:47 PM PDT by mylife (The roar of the masses could be farts)
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To: Silentgypsy

I love butter :-(


52 posted on 09/28/2016 6:14:24 PM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, If you can keep it.")
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To: Jamestown1630

That’s MY plan :-)


53 posted on 09/28/2016 6:14:54 PM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, If you can keep it.")
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To: Calvin Locke

Hay. We have about 6-7 acres in mostly brome. A neighbor bales it a couple of times each year and we keep a bale or two when needed. We don’t have animals to feed over the winter nor do we have the equipment to take care of it ourselves. It’s a fair swap. We still have several square bales leftover from a previous year that we use around the garden. It comes in quite handy! I use it in the nesting boxes and give the hens a chunk of it every once in awhile. They love scratching through it.


54 posted on 09/28/2016 9:41:43 PM PDT by samiam1972 ("It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."-Mother Teresa)
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To: Jamestown1630

By the way, thank you for posting that tool for herbs. That would have come in handy this year! I grew a few herbs and dried them for use in cooking and in soap making. It took me forever to get them on the dehydrator plates! What a mess!


55 posted on 09/28/2016 9:46:25 PM PDT by samiam1972 ("It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."-Mother Teresa)
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To: lizma2

That is a good idea.....rolling up the salad ing in a tortilla.


56 posted on 09/29/2016 2:47:15 AM PDT by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nohing penetrates it.)
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To: samiam1972

It works pretty well. You need a big bowl, if you do something with tiny leaves and woody stems like thyme, on it; the leaves pop all over the place.


57 posted on 09/29/2016 6:55:05 AM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, If you can keep it.")
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To: All

HARD BOILED EGGS AND SCIENCE...
http://freethoughtblogs.com/stderr/2016/09/28/important-science/

Inspired by America’s Test Kitchen.


58 posted on 09/29/2016 8:30:19 AM PDT by V K Lee (u TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP to TRIUMPH Follow the lead MAKE AMERICA GREAT)
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To: samiam1972

Thank you.


59 posted on 09/29/2016 8:57:50 AM PDT by bankwalker (Does a fish know that it's wet?)
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To: Silentgypsy

Just a suggestion....LOL


60 posted on 09/29/2016 11:59:06 AM PDT by Liz (SAFE PLACE? A liberal's mind. Nothing's there. Nohing penetrates it.)
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