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Archive through November 09, 2009

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: August 2009 ~ December 2009: Cooking Corner: QUICK QUESTIONS: Archive through November 09, 2009 users admin

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Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Saturday, October 03, 2009 - 2:54 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
Terrific site, Tishala thank you! I've already copied off the meat pie, foccaccia and apple galette recipes.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Saturday, October 03, 2009 - 6:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
BBfreak - could he do a chicken/rice combo? I'd think the smaller pieces of chicken (like boneless tenderloin pieces) would cook a bit faster and by adding any number of sauces (bbq, teriyaki, curry paste, etc.) it could be "jazzed" up with no problem at all.

Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Sunday, October 04, 2009 - 4:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
Texannie, I surprised Colossus with your chicken enchilada recipe tonight. It was an UNEQUIVOCAL success!!! He's already plowing into the leftovers and asking when we should make it again.

Terrific recipe, thank you!!!

Oh, and I got a side lesson on how to prepare an avocado - I don't eat avocado, so how would I know? I was prepared to peel it with a carrot peeler LOL!! Colossus (who loves to chop vegetables and prepare fixins) showed me the proper equatorial manner of cutting said avocado, separating, cleaving the pit to remove it with a knife, and scooping the edges with a spoon to remove the fruit. I will never be able to do this because a) that would deprive Colossus of his kitchen fun and b) because I suck. I never met a sharp knife I didn't cut myself with.

Anyway, ladies you should give this recipe a shot it is twelve kinds of tasty.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Sunday, October 04, 2009 - 5:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
Glad it was such a success!

Bbfreak
Member

07-06-2009

Thursday, October 08, 2009 - 1:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Bbfreak a private message Print Post    
Thanks Teach, That's a great idea! We are having a ball with this! I visit a couple of other websites and I find I am going to have to start writing some of these things down. DH never really had to cook for himself before and he is really getting into it. He got some egg beaters and some ham and made an omlette in the lunchbox cooker. He was so proud of himself that he took a picture of it and sent it to me on the phone. LOL The next night he made meatloaf. Same thing ...he sent a picture. LOL you know you have been married too long when you get pics of FOOD on your phone from your husband!!!LOLOLOL

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Thursday, October 08, 2009 - 4:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Sounds like he's having a blast - tell him he'll be giving Mark Bittman a run for his money before long. :-)

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:24 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Bbfreak, I just googled around and found these sites (with recipes):

http://www.truckersforum.net/forum/f18/12-volt-lunchbox-stove-recipes-1848/

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/27/earlyshow/living/recipes/main1839790.shtml

http://www.truckersforum.net/forum/f18/12-volt-lunchbox-stove-recipes-1848/

http://www.roadcookin.com/roadcookinrecipes.html

http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=51437

And eTrucker (http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=46175) included info on a book you might consider:

Cool Cookbook
All the fanciest 12-volt appliances in the world won’t help you if you don’t know what to cook. Truckers News offers the Cookin’ in the Cab section in the magazine three times a year (see pg. 42), and the Cookin’ in the Cab cookbook compiles all these recipes and more each year. Enjoy trucker-tested recipes from fellow drivers, cooking appliance manufacturers and our resident OTR chef, Randy Pollak. Get your free Cookin’ in the Cab cookbook by calling (800) 633-5953, ext. 1776. Quantities are limited.


P.S. Too lazy to create proper short links, so sorry about that! But I just googled around for "12 volt lunchbox recipes" and found all those!

Bbfreak
Member

07-06-2009

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 7:47 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Bbfreak a private message Print Post    
Wow Costa, Thank you so much! DH Is going to be so excited to see this!
When he got home on Friday, I was so surprised, he has lost 15 LBS! In just over 2 weeks. No More truck stop food, LOL. I am sure he has saved well over $100 too.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 9:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
That's awesome, BB!! Let me know how he does and if he likes anything! I'd bet he could play around with things, too, figuring 2-4 hours for whatever it is he's cooking.

Cooking for yourself provides lots of benefits. Besides the health aspect and cost savings, you get to exercise your creative and adventurous side.

Tell DH the trick is to do a recipe the first time exactly as it says, and then experiment after that, once you know what it's supposed to do and be. So if he does something that's a chicken dish, he might be able to substitute fish next time (or a can of tuna or something).

Keep me posted!

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Saturday, October 31, 2009 - 2:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Not a question, but something I read in a crock pot cook book I just bought. I live alone, but I own and use three different size crock pots -- 1 qt., 1.5 qt., and a 3.5 or 4 qt. Cook book says if you only own a larger crock pot, you can use a smaller oven-safe dish (Pyrex, Corningware) inside the larger crock to cook a lesser quantity of food.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Friday, November 06, 2009 - 8:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
I picked up White Lily all-purpose flour the last time I was shopping and I'm wondering how different it is from Gold's. My pizza crust tonight, while wonderfully light, took more flour and was stickier than usual. I noticed the same thing (more flour needed) when I made cookies last week.

Anyone have any ideas why?

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Sunday, November 08, 2009 - 4:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Another question - has anyone ever brined a chicken or a turkey? We're trying the chicken tonight, but I'm wondering 1) how different is it with a turkey? and 2) does it make enough of a difference to go to the trouble?

After attempting the chicken, I realized that the brine takes a LOT longer to cool than I anticipated (a cooler of ice helped). It's in the oven, so I don't yet know if it has made an difference in taste. I only left the chix in the brine for an hour (we wanted to eat before 10 PM!), so that may affect my results, too.

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Sunday, November 08, 2009 - 5:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
I brine both chicken and turkey (and pork), and it really does make a difference. If it feels like too much of a hassle to brine them, you might want to try dry brining, which I do when I don't want to go through the trouble of a traditional brine (and I think the results are just as good). here's a good article about dry brining, but a word of caution: it does require you to plan ahead, as dry brining a chicken has to be done ~2 days in advance and ~3 for a turkey. The results are really good, though.

BTW, I went to the Williams Sonoma site last night and came across the "Ultimate Chicken Roaster" by All Clad and, while I covet it, I am not willing to pay $180 for it.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Sunday, November 08, 2009 - 6:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Well, the chicken was nice and moist after only an hour, so we're gonna' take the plunge and do the turkey. I'm getting a fresh turkey from a local butcher. If I make the brine one day (Thurs.), cool it over night, and then brine the turkey the next night (Fri.) to cook the following day (Sat.), will that work? The site I read said turkeys take 10-12 hours to brine. After the brining, I'd planned to put it in the roaster and bake as usual w/my Emeril basting recipe (minus the salt).

Mamie316
Member

07-08-2003

Sunday, November 08, 2009 - 6:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mamie316 a private message Print Post    
My brother has done the brine turkey for Thanksgiving a few times and it's delicious.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Sunday, November 08, 2009 - 6:45 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
That is Some Roaster! I agree, though - no way I'd pay that kind of money for it. Shoot, we only paid $25 for THIS ROASTER. It browns evenly, keeps the meat moist, so other than having the veggies in a separate pan, I don't think it's that much different.

Landileigh
Member

07-29-2002

Monday, November 09, 2009 - 9:08 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landileigh a private message Print Post    
what kind of brine has to be made a day ahead? i have a 5 gallon bucket dedicated for my turkey. i just add salt to water and dissolve thoroughly the night before then add turkey to bucket and set outside (it's usually around 30 degrees outside overnight) and then start cooking the next morning.

Prisonerno6
Member

08-31-2002

Monday, November 09, 2009 - 9:19 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Prisonerno6 a private message Print Post    
I brine with salt and sugar, as well as a variety of herbs. It works best by heating the brine to thoroughly dissolve the salt and sugar and extract the herb flavors into the water. However, you do need to let it cool overnight. I do my turkey brining in a lobster pot lined with a trash bag; it still fits in the fridge.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Monday, November 09, 2009 - 10:38 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Dry brine is different than brine in salt water. Dry brine is basically a rub.

Landileigh
Member

07-29-2002

Monday, November 09, 2009 - 11:32 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landileigh a private message Print Post    
wow, i've never heated my brine, and my salt is always dissolved. i don't put sugar in my brine.

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Monday, November 09, 2009 - 11:35 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
Just a question: Does the brine raise the salt content for the food? Just curious, because my Grandpa is diabetic, and we always have to be very careful about his sodium intake, but brining a turkey sounds very good.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Monday, November 09, 2009 - 11:54 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Supposedly it doesn't (if you use a wet brine). Be sure to rinse the turkey completely after you've removed it from the brine and before you roast it. A dry brine will increase the sodium content (the salt is absorbed into the poultry).

Since I don't eat meat, I've never eaten a brined turkey. You can google around and most sources say it doesn't increase the sodium in the final prepared product, but some people claim it does.

Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Monday, November 09, 2009 - 11:59 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
Dammit, now I'm going to have to try this. Need to go get that home-sized meat slicer.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Monday, November 09, 2009 - 12:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
To be perfectly honest, GAL, some folks I know who've brined their turkeys have said that they actually prefer the good old-fashioned normally roasted turkey. Then again, they usually buy free range turkeys, rather than the kind that are pumped full of stuff... :-)

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Monday, November 09, 2009 - 12:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
You're supposed to rinse a dry brined chicken or turkey, too, so the amount of sodium it adds isn't significant--and brining wet or dry does add sodium to it. One way to get around the brining process is to buy kosher chicken or turkey, if available. The koshering process is in effect brining.

Honestly, I think dry brining is best: buy a chicken or turkey, salt is when you get it home, and cook it when you get around to it. When I wet brine, I do heat the water and add kosher salt and brown sugar.....so, to me, dry brining is just easier.