The Cooking Thread

I'm setting up to make a recipe for the struesel from inglorious bastards.

One of the steps is really pounding the dough to make a gluten network, whatever that is.

I wonder if that would help with bread dough.

I'm setting up to make a recipe for the struesel from inglorious bastards.

One of the steps is really pounding the dough to make a gluten network, whatever that is.

I wonder if that would help with bread dough.

That's what my dough hook is supposed to be doing. But if I need to get a hammer out and beat that dough into submission, I am prepared to take that step.

I understand what a gluten network is. It's just that the damn robot was supposed to get that going for me. Bread goes in the oven very soon. We'll see if I made some progress today or if I'm in the same boat.

Today's results. Better. Still needs refining, but getting better. This loaf looked like the right height, and I put a cut in the top before baking to help with the oven spring. It's hard to get a good shot of the crumb, but it's about what I want, maybe a little bigger air bubbles would be good, but I'm going for sandwich bread and not some crazy high-hydration artisan stuff.

Looks good to me. Did you knead it with the robot or by hand?

This was robot-kneaded.

This is a pair of buttermilk loaves, with some ground oats subbed in for some of the flour (about a cup). I haven't cut into them yet, but the robot appeared to do its job at least as well as it did on the earlier loaf. They aren't very tall, but it was a lot less dough per loaf with the recipe I used so I kinda expected that. It rose really well on the second proofing.

Croissants. Well technically crescent rolls. Not sure if there's a difference.

Croissants gotta be all flaky. I think they need a lot of Crisco.

Can you believe I made these extremely precise shortbread cookies while I was drunk? Bet you couldn't tell.

Happy birthday murica! You don't look a day over 200.

Drunk is a better excuse than seizure.   

Chicken and dumplings.



Strawberry tarts. I have determined that a homemade crust definitely tastes better than a store bought one.



Cornbread. Pretty easy to make it turns out.

Want.

All of it.

Can you believe I made these extremely precise shortbread cookies while I was drunk? Bet you couldn't tell.

Happy birthday murica! You don't look a day over 200.

I see you buy the same baby food I did. I had to order from the likes of iHerb or VitaCost because Australia doesn't have a good variety

Does anyone know how to thicken chile?

Does anyone know how to thicken chile?

Usually: time (not thyme). What is the recipe you are starting with?

You can boil some of the liquid off, you can put a can of refried beans in it, or you could stir a little cornbread mix in it but that might make lumps. I guess you could make it a slurry first and then put it in the chili.

my recipe is simply fry beef with onions, oil and some water, stew in a can of tomatoes, two kinds of beans, green pepper, cumin and crushed chile's. Then I make a whole wheat (or whatever kind) slurry so I don't end up with noodles. I've also put in flax seed powder in my vegetarian version. I heard peanut butter was a secret ingredient...


It's just that the flour adds a bit of a floury flavour, so i was think of going the industrial route of some refined thickening agent. I'll probably try the corn thing but the corn is all gmo...I guess there's a lot of options, like evaporation, which works well. I'll probably try the refried beans or peanut butter idea, for all the extra protein. I like a big blob of chile on my tortilla chips.

You can thicken chili with tomato paste or even a light to medium roux.  I think the flavor might change to much with a dark roux, though.

A little bit of corn starch can help thicken it, too.

Refried black beans are really delicious in chili. I always get La Costeña brand because they are so good, but I don't know if they are gmo. I don't worry about that sort of thing.

A little bit of corn starch can help thicken it, too.

I've done the corn starch route in the past, But make sure it is very wet and stirred.  Roux is the the way to go, in my opinion. 

great thx, this experiment will take 2 yrs, 5 chile's a year
I make pumpkin chile at the end of the harvest/year

A little bit of corn starch can help thicken it, too.

Two tablespoons stirred into and dissolved in 4oz of cold water poured into half a gallon of food stuff is plenty.
Bring it to a boil and stir for a few minutes. Boiling is required. Won't work otherwise.

Over do it a couple of times and you'll realize how little it takes.
Don't ask me how I know. 

A rue is fine if you cook it long enough to get rid of the raw flour taste before you add it to your pot.
If the rue is not fully developed, the flour taste will not cook out in the pot.

Rue works best to thicken something watery.

Arrowroot. I'm pretty sure it is a joke played on n00bs. 

Yeah I think going overboard on thickening with corn starch is a rite of passage in cooking

Yeah I think going overboard on thickening with corn starch is a rite of passage in cooking

Wanna know what's worse?

Mistaking baking soda for corn starch and stirring it into tomato sauce.
It erupted like a 4th grade volcano science fair project. 

ATTENTION FLAT EARTH CHEFS!!

I bought a pork belly, I've never cooked one of those. How would you cook it? Right now I'm thinking I could grill it, but I know I have to prepare it the day before.

I don't have much advice, never grilled pork before.  I'm guessing it's probably easier than grilling chicken since it has a lot more fat.

What are you doing to prepare it that takes a day?

A flourless chocolate torte. Its kind of difficult to make.



I don't even know why I made this. I don't really like flourless tortes.

ATTENTION FLAT EARTH CHEFS!!

I bought a pork belly, I've never cooked one of those. How would you cook it? Right now I'm thinking I could grill it, but I know I have to prepare it the day before.

Salt cure.
Smoke.
Slice thin.
Pan fry.

Serve with eggs and toast.

 

Dats bacon!

The day (the night before, or very early in the morning) I need to get some marinade on it, and some salt on the skin side, I think. I watched a couple youtube videos.

My plan so far - I will put some Memphis rub on the meat side, and put a layer of salt on a pan, then lay it skin side down on top of the salt and let it sit in the fridge overnight (tomorrow night) and then on Sunday I will cut some slits in the skin and rub the rub into it, then make a really hot grill on one side and put the meat on the cool side. I'm not sure if I should cook it skin side up or down, I forgot already and probably should watch another fricking video. 

Looks like you cook fat side up, high temp for 30 minutes, then reduce the temp and cook for a few hours.

Now I have to figure out how to reduce the temperature on a charcoal grill. lol

I'm grilling chicken thighs in a few minutes, I'm good with the chicken thighs now. You have stay with them the whole time, or else you'll set the world on fire.