Food and How you Cook/Eat it (2009-2012)

[lastobjective]

http://www.amazon.com/Grade-Sodium-Hydroxide-Micro-Beads/dp/B001EDBEZM

A few years ago when I was looking into it i found a discussion on a message board in which a few folks said the lye they sell at lowes is the same thing, i would never try it though.

http://bulkapothecary.com/buy-sodium-hydroxide-lye.htm?gclid=CM3Qq522_7ICFU6d4AodzA0ABA

Thanks I'll look into purchasing some online. No way Shoppers carries this stuff

And I'm too scared to buy some from Home Depot/Lowes...

[EdStroud]

I like to BBQ stuff. Meat. Over charcoal. Tastes good, is easy, makes you a hero.

I put random spices on like garlic, cinnamon, and taco seasoning. Whatever I can grab out of the cabinet. Tastes really good.

Otherwise, I'm usually too lazy and I eat a lot of sandwiches.

Check out these dudes if you haven't already......BBQ Pit Boys  http://bbqpitboys.com/
Baby Back Ribs in Pineapple Whiskey Sauce ....GUUD!

[lastobjective]

Just got a cast-iron pan (my first one), seasoning it now! I look forward to a nice piece of cookware where I don't have to worry about scratching it.

[HalfSmokes]

Just got a cast-iron pan (my first one), seasoning it now! I look forward to a nice piece of cookware where I don't have to worry about scratching it.

Rust becomes the fear with cast iron.  Do you have steel pans -  no scratch worry there

[lastobjective]

Rust becomes the fear with cast iron.  Do you have steel pans -  no scratch worry there

I'm going to instruct the roomies to not wash it like a normal pan - and NEVER put it in the dishwasher (though it's so heavy that I don't think our poor dishwasher would enjoy having it in there). And all my other other pans are teflon coated hand-me-downs

[tomterp]

Just got a cast-iron pan (my first one), seasoning it now! I look forward to a nice piece of cookware where I don't have to worry about scratching it.

Cast iron cooks great. 

Not only that, but the iron scrapings you ingest are good for you.  Don't try this with Teflon.

[lastobjective]

Cast iron cooks great. 

Not only that, but the iron scrapings you ingest are good for you.  Don't try this with Teflon.

Interesting, that's good to hear.

And yeah, my old heating elements are pretty uneven so having someone that'll release heat evenly is awesome. First thing I want to make is crepes, so good and tough on teflon (I've been making crepes for a while on those pans...)

[blue911]

I'm going to instruct the roomies to not wash it like a normal pan - and NEVER put it in the dishwasher (though it's so heavy that I don't think our poor dishwasher would enjoy having it in there). And all my other other pans are teflon coated hand-me-downs

[blue911]

Interesting, that's good to hear.

And yeah, my old heating elements are pretty uneven so having someone that'll release heat evenly is awesome. First thing I want to make is crepes, so good and tough on teflon (I've been making crepes for a while on those pans...)

Can't make real corn bread if you don't have a cast iron skillet

[Nathan]

My mom used to have an ancient cast iron pan that she used to make stroganoff.  I still think it tasted better when she used that than whenever she makes it now with a normal pan.  Not that I complain about free stroganoff

[tomterp]

Since I usually cook with mine when camping out, I generally skip the water part.   

[lastobjective]

Can't make real corn bread if you don't have a cast iron skillet

Seriously if you guys have good cast iron recipes I'm totally open to making them- I've definitely taken recipes meant for cast-iron pieces and just made do, so I'll have to go back and do them the 'right way' - like cornbread! Man I love cornbread.

[tomterp]

Seriously if you guys have good cast iron recipes I'm totally open to making them- I've definitely taken recipes meant for cast-iron pieces and just made do, so I'll have to go back and do them the 'right way' - like cornbread! Man I love cornbread.

Grease the pan with bacon drippings.  I like to add a little sorghum or molasses to give some color and depth of flavor to the cornbread.  I also like them a bit spicy, maybe a small amount of minced jalapenos but that last ingredient never gets past my personal food critic.   

[HalfSmokes]

Interesting, that's good to hear.

And yeah, my old heating elements are pretty uneven so having someone that'll release heat evenly is awesome. First thing I want to make is crepes, so good and tough on teflon (I've been making crepes for a while on those pans...)

No more Teflon for us since they started shedding. All enamel and steel

[lastobjective]

just made breakfast crepes and holy crap this pan is awesome.

It's a Lodge pan and it came preseasoned, but I just scrubbed it down with a stiff brush and hot water and reseasoned it myself last night. Used it today for crepes, a tiny bit of bacon and one egg and I'm pretty astounded by just how non-stick it is on first use. I heard it wouldn't be "completely" non-stick for a few months and the bottom is a bit rough but it's worked great on it's first go.

I'll definitely have to use it more too, cleaning it was a breeze. I've seen the light. Great deal for less than $20.

Edit-- just found out I can roast a WHOLE CHICKEN in this baby. I've been meaning to roast some birds but I didn't have the cookware to do it... until now that is! Aww yeah.

[imref]

where did you get it?

[HalfSmokes]

Edit-- just found out I can roast a WHOLE CHICKEN in this baby. I've been meaning to roast some birds but I didn't have the cookware to do it... until now that is! Aww yeah.

can't recommend this enough if you roast a lot of chickens

http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Stainless-Vertical-Poultry-Roaster/dp/B00004UE87

~1 hour at 325 (basically until it's almost done) take it out, raise the temp to 500, then put it back in for ~20 min

[lastobjective]

where did you get it?

http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-L10SK3-12-Inch-Pre-Seasoned-Skillet/dp/B00006JSUB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351779915&sr=8-1&keywords=cast+iron

Comes in a lot of sizes. Ships free on amazon prime in two days I got the 12" one.

But you can also just pop by garage sales and second hand stores, apparently they'll have those pans every once in a while. A little cheaper but you do have to work to clean them. But I don't have a car so I don't really have the luxury to stroll around for one at the moment, but I'll be keeping an eye out for another one next time I go.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

My grandmother used to make lutefisk, I think with lye.  She was pathologically cheap, so she probably used whatever industrial-grade sodium hydroxide they stocked at the fishermens co-op for cleaning boat propellers.

[imref]

My grandmother used to make lutefisk, I think with lye.  She was pathologically cheap, so she probably used whatever industrial-grade sodium hydroxide they stocked at the fishermens co-op for cleaning boat propellers.

i was in Oslo a few years ago around December and some of the restaurants had posted signs that they had lutefisk.  The locals I was with told me not to eat it under any circumstances (unless I was interested in fish-flavored jello).

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Yeah, I think it's much more popular amongst diaspora Norwegians than back in the old country.  Kind of like corned beef & cabbage in Boston vs Dublin.

i was in Oslo a few years ago around December and some of the restaurants had posted signs that they had lutefisk.  The locals I was with told me not to eat it under any circumstances (unless I was interested in fish-flavored jello).

[blue911]

just made breakfast crepes and holy crap this pan is awesome.

It's a Lodge pan and it came preseasoned, but I just scrubbed it down with a stiff brush and hot water and reseasoned it myself last night. Used it today for crepes, a tiny bit of bacon and one egg and I'm pretty astounded by just how non-stick it is on first use. I heard it wouldn't be "completely" non-stick for a few months and the bottom is a bit rough but it's worked great on it's first go.

I'll definitely have to use it more too, cleaning it was a breeze. I've seen the light. Great deal for less than $20.

Edit-- just found out I can roast a WHOLE CHICKEN in this baby. I've been meaning to roast some birds but I didn't have the cookware to do it... until now that is! Aww yeah.

Give this a try.

http://www.okiedokieartichokie.me/2011/12/peruvian-spiced-whole-roasted-chicken/

[saltydad]

That recipe looks simple and great. Thanks, Blue.

[Nathan]

Give this a try.

http://www.okiedokieartichokie.me/2011/12/peruvian-spiced-whole-roasted-chicken/

That looks amazing.  My chicken never turns out like that.  Must cook it at too low a temp to get that color.

[blue911]

That looks amazing.  My chicken never turns out like that.  Must cook it at too low a temp to get that color.

Roasted chicken is every bit as good as rotisserie chicken,IMO. Even if you simply season it with salt and pepper, it tastes great. The usual grocery store chicken is in the 5 to 6 lb range and will cook in under a hour at 450.  If you don't care about the drumsticks being overcooked you don't even need to tie them together.