Monthly Cooking Update

[Jamestown1630]

Dear Cooking Friends;

Since I changed my weekly cooking thread to a monthly one, I've received several private emails from folks who are disappointed at this change.

It's very gratifying to me that the thread has been so popular and that so many have enjoyed engaging it. As I mentioned in March, my life is going to be rather consumed with a couple of unusual projects over the coming Summer. I have felt that my free time wouldn't be predictable enough to give the thread the care that I tried to give it over the past several years.

However, if anyone would like to access the ping list on my home page, and post more frequent threads, that would be great. Yaelle and Cottonball have done a wonderful job of this in the past.

-JT

[Chipper]

Yes. Right now I use a small chef torch, but want to upgrade. Any number of methods one can use to finish off the steaks. Check out Sous Vide Everything on YouTube. They literally try to Sous Vide everything.

[Jamestown1630]

Hey! You have to get some knuckle in those potato pancakes, or they’re not authentic ;-)

Mine doesn’t do carrots for salad very well - they turn to mush - that’s one of the problems with it. I need one with better blades.

Husband covets the Breville Sous Chef - very top-of-line, but excellent and versatile. Not sure we’re committed enough to shell-out for it though.

[Chipper]

I think my second one will be the 8 quart Ultra. I can’t quite do a beer can chicken in the 6 quart.

[CottonBall]

We have mountains!

I’m finally comfortable calling them mountains. After having a cabin in the Sierras at 7200 feet, they seemed a little low. But honestly, they have a lot more personality. The “smoke” after rain is just incredible, and it brings out the view of the multiple ridges. I should’ve taken a picture today.

The Appalachians go through much of the south, so you can have your pick of the states. We pick the middle of the road, attitude wise. Hoping we would have reasonable winters and summers. It could’ve gone the other way we could’ve had the worst of both worlds. But happily, summers are fantastic compared to Bakersfield. There is humidity, but it’s not near as bad as it was in Corpus Christi. I don’t even have to put my flour in plastic bins!

Here’s a picture of our homestead from last summer. You can click on it for a bigger picture. The mountains across the way are the Holston’s. Yes, I am now calling them mountains :-). They are part of the Appalachian range. The view on the other side of our property is of the Appalachian range where the trail is. I must’ve deleted the pictures of it from my phone accidentally.

I highly recommend the people here, very conservative very religious and very kind.

[NorthstarMom]

I’d like to check it out sometime, but don’t get to the metro often. I love small town life but it’s got some drawbacks-very limited shopping.

[miss marmelstein]

Empire seems to be disappearing here in the northeast. It’s concerning because it is a good product. Boo-hoo!

[CottonBall]

thanks for the butter not squash idea. I probably have about 15 to 20 of them left from last year‘s harvest. They last wonderfully in the basement.

Recently I have been peeling them with a serrated peeler, and cutting them into cubes and freezing them. That has been a lot less dangerous for me. And they are easy to cook on a whim after that.

I’ll have to think about the thread thing. I would love to do it, but I have obligated myself to do a granny style prepper thread. And I’m not doing very good keeping up with that! I’m sure I could do once a month though. Maybe we could find another person to help out?

[miss marmelstein]

Looks lovely and exactly what I’ve been passing through. We’re probably going a little further south. Yes, religion plays a huge role here. I was so pleased when our real estate agent stopped me from digging into lunch when he wanted to say Grace.

[be-baw]

you sound well-equipped. I have an instant pot but haven’t used it yet. At the same time, I bought an Anova Precision cooker. It’s an immersion circulator. It works well, and I’ve used it quite a bit, but am struggling with making sure I keep water out of the ziplock bags. I also have a vacuum sealer which I intend to try to better seal my food for sous vide cooking.

[CottonBall]

You’re about 100 miles from me :-) I’m in Northeast Tennessee, near North Carolina and Virginia.

Isn’t that sweet? I love how so many here live their religion, it’s not just a Sunday thing.

And there literally is a church on every corner :-) I have driven through some pretty desolate looking hollers, just to turn a corner and there is a church!

FYI East Tennessee is about 5° cooler in the summer and 5° warmer in the winter than the surrounding areas. Don’t ask me why, but I’ll take it!

[CottonBall]

I meant Northeast Tennessee… North of Knoxville.

[Jamestown1630]

That’s beautiful. I always thought I was strictly an ocean/flatland person until my husband introduced me to mountains.

[Chipper]

That is what I use is the vacuum sealer. Never had an issue with water leakage. I buy grass-fed ribeyes when Earth Fare has them on sale, by the loin. Have them cut them, and bag up the individual steaks. The one I had tonight was right from the freezer. I bagged them up with spices on them, and a little butter. Just threw two of them in at 129 degrees for 2 hours.

[Jamestown1630]

"...when our real estate agent stopped me from digging into lunch when he wanted to say Grace."

In my area, it seems we only see the Black people doing that; but we see it often. Also reading their Bibles on the bus and subway in the mornings.

[CottonBall]

Yeah, I am definitely a mountain girl. When we escaped Mexifornia we investigated all the mountainous areas. Although it’s funny, I only looked at West Virginia out here, nothing else anywhere along the rest of the Appalachians. We were taking a driving trip, looking at West Virginia properties and just happened to get lost and ended up down here. And the rest as is they say is history

I only went to the ocean once a year when we were in California, just because we thought we should. Kind a like in Vacation, we looked at iit, looked around, nodded our head and went on our way, with sand in our shoes of course. I don’t really see the attraction, although I do have ocean waves on my noise machine. They sound pretty nice. But I prefer the mountain meadow one :-)

[be-baw]

Thanks for the tips. I will most certainly try vacuum sealing my bags. Am I understanding correctly that you freeze the meat/butter/spiced sealed bags all together in the freezer?

Grass fed beef is becoming increasingly available in these parts. Don’t know any place yet that will sell a whole loin and cut it to order, but I’m pretty sure I could find one.

[Mears]

“I don’t really see the attraction, “

---

Salt water is very therapeutic.

.

[Jamestown1630]

I love the ocean, and would like living on the Outer Banks; but I’m getting too old to run away from hurricanes; and Husband can’t stand sand ;-)

[Chipper]

Yes, I prep the steak with spices and a slab of butter, seal it all in and toss in freezer. Earth Fare will sell grass-fed ribeyes for $8.99/lb, but $6.99 if you purchase the whole loin. They will then also cut and package it for me. The nearest store is about 30 miles away, so I buy at least a whole loin when I do make it over there.

Check out Sous Vide Everything on YouTube. They are excellent about trying different things in Sous Vide style. They test different searing methods, different meats, and beyond that even. They even did an ice cream Sous Vide.

[Yaelle]

I will keep my eyes peeled and let you know if the kosher chicken here is empire.

Not kosher but delicious and organic is Mary’s chicken. The farm is in central ca so I don’t know how far they ship. Makes killer roast chicken. And broth / soup. Like Bubbe used to make.