Topic: A Cooking Thread? (Read 469254 times)

Emaline · « **Reply #500 on:** 04 Mar 2010, 11:42 »

Quote from: Barmymoo on 04 Mar 2010, 10:27

What is a fairly simple, vegetarian and delicious way of cooking sweet potato? It could be as a side or as a main dish, but I have no idea beyond treating it like a normal potato and boiling it.

I really really like to have them just like regular baked potatoes. I put chives and butter on them, and they are absolutely amazing. What Allison said though is also really really good. Thats how I typically prepare them for Thanksgiving.

Slick · « **Reply #501 on:** 04 Mar 2010, 12:56 »

Man I was reading on the winter war just the other day. That's where Molotov cocktails come from!

Lunchbox · « **Reply #502 on:** 04 Mar 2010, 14:00 »

May I like to make sweet potato and garlic mash!
Peel, cut into cubes and boil one sweet potato (if you don't have much or you think it will be too sweet, boil some regular potato too) till soft, then mash it with a smidgen of milk/cream/soy/ricemilk, some fresh minced garlic (sautee it for a bit if you want but this isn't necessary) and maybe a bit of butter/margarine/vegan spread. It is AMAZING and basically the only delicious thing I can cook.

StaedlerMars · « **Reply #503 on:** 09 Apr 2010, 13:36 »

Sweet potatoes are neat.

Another food item that is neat when cooked? Bananas.

Johnny C · « **Reply #504 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 04:32 »

Quote from: Barmymoo on 04 Mar 2010, 10:27

What is a fairly simple, vegetarian and delicious way of cooking sweet potato? It could be as a side or as a main dish, but I have no idea beyond treating it like a normal potato and boiling it.

I sincerely hope you do more with potatoes than just boil them.

Johnny C · « **Reply #505 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 04:32 »

Why don't you try making oh I don't know SWEET POTATO FRIES and dip them in homemade honey dill sauce i mean seriously

Slick · « **Reply #506 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 06:50 »

Quote from: StaedlerMars on 09 Apr 2010, 13:36

Another food item that is neat when cooked? Bananas.

I prefer plantains. Assuming you are slicing, battering, and frying them (this is the only way I've cooked bananas), plantains are nicer because you only have to dredge them in flour instead of battering them! Just make sure your plantains are ripe, and they are not ripe until they are going black on the outside.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #507 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 08:00 »

Quote from: Johnny C on 14 Apr 2010, 04:32

Quote from: Barmymoo on 04 Mar 2010, 10:27
What is a fairly simple, vegetarian and delicious way of cooking sweet potato? It could be as a side or as a main dish, but I have no idea beyond treating it like a normal potato and boiling it.

I sincerely hope you do more with potatoes than just boil them.

Well yeah, sometimes I mash them, sometimes I cut them into rings and fry them, sometimes I bake them, sometimes I roast them. I was wondering if there was any special way to use sweet potatoes, bearing in mind that I'm in a crappy student kitchen and can't use the stove for more than about half an hour or the other 16 people get cross.

I'm currently on a lunch kick, so if any of you have great ideas for cold vegetarian lunches, let's hear them!

Slick · « **Reply #508 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 08:45 »

Spicy sweet potato fries are something I love but have never made. I will probably try this recipe soon because it looks good.

Slick · « **Reply #509 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 09:53 »

Three kinds of meat and a fried egg? Looks great.

I made a bacon explosion again last night, marking the second time I've done so. Man it is good to be smoking food on a barbecue.
I never like to make the same thing over and over, though, so my thought was, why not keep the bacon lattice for the shell, but replace the sausage with ground beef so it'd be bacon-spiral burgers? Or maybe stuff it with jalapeno peppers!
I've never really had a satisfactory experience stuffing meat with cheese, but I would consider a jalapeno-cheddar stuffed bacon beef log because that sounds good enough to be worth the gamble.

Anybody else have good ideas on bacon explosion mods?

pwhodges · « **Reply #510 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 13:03 »

Hey guys, do you want me to tell you about what a heart attack is like now, or shall I come back when you're eating?

Johnny C · « **Reply #511 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 13:19 »

James - instead of pork sausage, use lamb.

Slick · « **Reply #512 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 14:11 »

Lamb, that is a good approach.

This winter I was very pleased with my tourtiere and would like to find a way to make it in the summer. Obviously I could just, make it in the summer, but meat pie feels like a winter thing. The core of the pie was just that it was pork & lamb simmered in turkey broth, so maybe I will do turkey & lamb bacon log on the barbecue.

Johnny C · « **Reply #513 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 21:52 »

Ground turkey is very unexciting in my opinion. You gotta get something with some flavour to it.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #514 on:** 15 Apr 2010, 00:01 »

Quote from: StaedlerMars on 09 Apr 2010, 13:36

Another food item that is neat when cooked? Bananas.

Although they have gotten a bad rap for contributing somewhat to the death of Elvis Presley, fried banana sandwiches are fucking tops. Just don't eat several every day like he did and you should be fine.

What is the difference between bananas and plantains?

KvP · « **Reply #515 on:** 15 Apr 2010, 02:42 »

Quote from: Barmymoo on 14 Apr 2010, 08:00

Well yeah, sometimes I mash them, sometimes I cut them into rings and fry them, sometimes I bake them, sometimes I roast them. I was wondering if there was any special way to use sweet potatoes, bearing in mind that I'm in a crappy student kitchen and can't use the stove for more than about half an hour or the other 16 people get cross.

I seem to recall a recipe for coconut candied yam slices that was pretty simple. I'll have to track it down.

Lunchbox · « **Reply #516 on:** 15 Apr 2010, 02:57 »

Boil em, mash em, stick em in a stew?

Slick · « **Reply #517 on:** 15 Apr 2010, 05:37 »

Plantains are like bigger, heavier bananas. You do not eat them like bananas because they are tougher and not as sweet, but they cook much more nicely in my opinion.

J.C. I agree totally on ground turkey being lame but I want that turkey flavour in there. Maybe the solution is to make a special barbecue sauce for it based on a reduction of turkey stock?
As soon as I start getting paid at my exciting new call-centre job I will buy a turkey and make stock and make a turkey-based barbecue sauce.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #518 on:** 15 Apr 2010, 06:38 »

Turkey has a flavour?

David_Dovey · « **Reply #519 on:** 16 Apr 2010, 21:46 »

Guys I made nachos last night, they were excellent! But there is A Problem

I freakin' love nachos, everybody loves nachos. But if you are like me, you prefer the first part of the nachos: When they are fresh and the chips are so deliciously crispy. Then when they night wears on the chips begin to get soggy until you are left with a soggy chip/salsa slurry. Often I just stop eating and let those nachos, which once had so much potential, go to waste.

CookingThread is there any way to stop this from happening? Or is it just an unassailable, eternal property of nachos themselves?

Elizzybeth · « **Reply #520 on:** 16 Apr 2010, 22:19 »

Make them in smaller batches throughout the night?

Spluff · « **Reply #521 on:** 17 Apr 2010, 00:55 »

Step up your game and eat faster.

It ain't rocket science.

Inlander · « **Reply #522 on:** 17 Apr 2010, 01:20 »

Quote from: KharBevNor on 15 Apr 2010, 06:38

Turkey has a flavour?

If you've never eaten turkey with any flavour you need to start spending more money on the meat you buy. I'd suggest you hang the expense and buy an organic turkey next Christmas, make sure it doesn't get overcooked, and taste the difference.

Ã¶de · « **Reply #523 on:** 20 Apr 2010, 09:14 »

I finally cooked something worth talking about

Quorn chicken fried with chilis and capers with sun-dried tomatoes and stuffed peppers on salad and humus.

Surprisingly quick to make! Probably too many ingredients though. Next time I'll leave out the stuffed peppers and fry the tomatoes with the quorn, and add a few more capers and chilis.

scarred · « **Reply #524 on:** 20 Apr 2010, 12:38 »

that looks scrumptious!

Barmymoo · « **Reply #525 on:** 20 Apr 2010, 16:15 »

I attempted to "cook" a microwave ginger sponge pudding earlier, and the pot melted.

MELTED. After less than two minutes in an 800w microwave. What is that about?

Ã¶de · « **Reply #526 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 07:36 »

Breakfast: rice fried with chilli, onion, spinach, assorted asian veg, and peanuts, in soy sauce.

I love cooking!

Lunchbox · « **Reply #527 on:** 26 Apr 2010, 22:19 »

I have a nice little salmon fillet in my freezer, I am going to cook this for dinner. However I am trying to reduce my grocery bill over the next few weeks and don't want to buy anything. Let us assume I have staples (rice, pasta, herbs, sauces etc) in my kitchen.
What can I do with this salmon for dinner?

Slick · « **Reply #528 on:** 27 Apr 2010, 07:54 »

I did salmon the other day by just frying it up plain, then accessorizing it with herb & lemon rice and stir-fried pepper and broccoli tossed with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup.
If you add lemon to rice as it's cooking the flavour kind of disappears, so just give a couple squirts of lemon juice right before the rice is done. Herbs can go in when you feel appropriate.

Gemmwah · « **Reply #529 on:** 27 Apr 2010, 08:00 »

Salmon is way good when you lemon it up, stick it in a tin foil parcel with a few herbs and bake it for 20 minutes or so, and serve with boiled new potatoes and salad. Yum.

Lunchbox · « **Reply #530 on:** 27 Apr 2010, 08:32 »

In the end I fried it with some tomato paste, basil and garlic and ate it with rice. It was ok but not amazing. I am such a bad cook.

StaedlerMars · « **Reply #531 on:** 28 Apr 2010, 00:40 »

I just ate some of my flatmate's peppers stuffed with goat cheese and mushrooms.

Fucking A

Johnny C · « **Reply #532 on:** 28 Apr 2010, 14:07 »

Quote from: Gemmwah on 27 Apr 2010, 08:00

Salmon is way good when you lemon it up, stick it in a tin foil parcel with a few herbs and bake it for 20 minutes or so, and serve with boiled new potatoes and salad. Yum.

Salmon en papillote is probably great.

Gemmwah · « **Reply #533 on:** 28 Apr 2010, 14:31 »

you know what, johnny, that sounds really fucking tasty and now i am cursing not picking up some salmon yesterday when i had the chance!

Ozymandias · « **Reply #534 on:** 13 May 2010, 19:37 »

I got brand new cookware so I cooked some wares

Ham and broccoli frittata. Steamed asparagus w/ hollandaise sauce.

Fresh baked rosemary peasant bread.

Fuck yeah dinner!

beat mouse · « **Reply #535 on:** 14 May 2010, 14:39 »

Timewarping all the way back to sweet potatoes, mash that shit up with some carrots (like 3:1 sweet:carrot), nutmeg and cinnamon, line the bottom of a bake dish, cover in small marshmallows and dust with more cinnamon/nutmeg and bake that shit until its golden brown on top. mmmmmmm.

Slick · « **Reply #536 on:** 14 May 2010, 17:20 »

That sounds a little fucked but I will try it because it also sounds a little great.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #537 on:** 14 May 2010, 20:23 »

I was 100% with you until the marshmallows. Say what?

Johnny C · « **Reply #538 on:** 14 May 2010, 21:09 »

if you're baking it they'll melt and carmelize and possibly brown on top meaning you get a nice caramel-y substance on top that goes nicely with the natural sweetness of yams and sweet potatoes

David_Dovey · « **Reply #539 on:** 14 May 2010, 21:22 »

I very much want to try this recipe, and not just because it comes to us courtesy of Peter Cropes

Inlander · « **Reply #540 on:** 16 May 2010, 05:24 »

Recently I've discovered the magic and delight of deep-frying food at home. Last week I made these Italian parmesan and egg and bacon puff thingies from the Silver Spoon cookbook which were delicous but also basically a heart attack you can fit in your pocket; last night I cooked Thai fish cakes for the first time ever, using the recipe in David Thompson's Thai Food book, and they were delicious (though very messy and sticky to make).

I'm very fortunate in having reputedly Melbourne's best fishmonger only a block from my house.

Johnny C · « **Reply #541 on:** 16 May 2010, 10:20 »

Deep-frying is something I do quite sparingly but it's nevertheless something really fun to do in yr own kitchen. There's something to be said for making a nice, crisp batch of french fries at home.

Also, everyone learn how to make quinoa. It's basically a wonder food. I tossed a bunch with some sautéed spinach, mushrooms, shallots and asparagus today, tossed on some parmesan and some green onion, and pulled the bus into Flavourtown, population me.

Slick · « **Reply #542 on:** 16 May 2010, 13:53 »

Also quinoa has a decent amount of protein in it so your meal doesn't feel as carb heavy as if you have a side of rice or potatoes.

Inlander · « **Reply #543 on:** 16 May 2010, 17:26 »

Yes, but will it prevent malaria?

Lines · « **Reply #544 on:** 16 May 2010, 21:05 »

Does anyone have any recipes for sauces? I've been stir-frying a lot lately and want to venture in making some sauces for them. Would I be wrong to start with soy sauce and just go from there? I have never made a sauce, so I honestly have no idea what to do there. (Mostly I just want to learn how to do this so I can mimic this pineapple curry sauce I had at a Mongolian bbq restaurant and I'm not sure what base to use or which curry I should go with, but I'm thinking yellow at the moment just because it didn't have too much heat.)

Also I want it to stop raining so I can grill more veggies. It is my favorite thing to do in the summer is to grill whatever type of veggie that I think would taste good grilled. So far I've done: asparagus, yellow squash, red onion, red and green bell peppers, red potatoes, green onions, and also pineapple. What other fruits and veggies do you guys like grilled?

StreetSpirit · « **Reply #545 on:** 16 May 2010, 22:01 »

I think you are exactly right to start with some soy sauce. You could always tweak it a bit by adding some brown sugar, ground ginger, a bit of rice vinegar, and some siracha if you like it spicy to make a richer sauce with a definitely Asian twist. Using different oils in the stir-frying process can also help to add a bit more complexity to the veggies/meats which can save you from having to over sauce the dish later on (or it will bring out more flavor by interacting with the sauce you concocted).

As for other random fruits/veggies to grill: apples, peaches, nectarines, and pears grill well into sweeter dishes or as a condiment to a savory dish, as far as veggies, i think you can just continue on the path you are and move onto eggplants, corn and then to various fungus.

But seriously, everyone posting here as some unique tastes and a definite passion for food - I dig it! Keep up the wonderful work everyone, I'll try and add a nice recipe or two to the page a bit later.

Inlander · « **Reply #546 on:** 16 May 2010, 22:10 »

Sauces for stir-fries are really easy because you can make incredibly tasty ones just by quickly mixiing he components together: unlike a lot of European sauces you don't have to do any cooking or any tedious mixing or folding, just tip everything into a cup and stir them together with a spoon and you're on the train to tasty town. A really good combination is sesame oil, fish sauce or soy sauce (depending on what kind of salty flavour you want), rice vinegar, and palm sugar. Just tinker with the quantities until everything is balanced: bear in mind that fish sauce and soy sauce are going to be much stronger in flavour than any of the other components so don't go overboard with them; also the vinegar is quite sweet so don't put too much sugar in, just enough to take the bite out of the saltiness. The sesame oil gives a really nice nutty base which softens the harsher elements of the other components. When I'm making a stir-fry I like to marinate some chicken in this kind of sauce beforehand, and then tip the sauce into the stir-fry near the end of the cooking; if you are using it as a marinade then adding some star anise to it is a really nice touch.

Elizzybeth · « **Reply #547 on:** 17 May 2010, 03:07 »

Lately I've been starting with a 1/2 honey, 1/2 soy sauce base for all my stir fry sauces (adding, at different times, white vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, sesame oil, apple juice, coconut milk, etc.), and it makes me really happy.

Slick · « **Reply #548 on:** 17 May 2010, 13:41 »

I also feel totally fine throwing in some hot wing sauce or something with a stir-fry. It is spicy, tasty, and simple. It is not authentic, but it is gets in my tummy OK.

philharmonic · « **Reply #549 on:** 10 Jul 2010, 17:42 »

I made some sponge toffee (hokey pokey for you people down under).
Then posted it on youtube (see link below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaEg1bt0l8w

It didn't turn out as well as i would like. Next time I'll try putting a little bit of vinager in to counter the baking soda taste. Cooking it a little longer to more brown than yellow. Oh and pour all of it into one pan so it will be thicker.

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: A Cooking Thread? (Read 469254 times)