Culinary Conversations

[worth1]

I happened upon something marvelous by accident this week.
Or at least the idea of it messing around with nuts.
We all or at least I do love those sweet caramelize smokey bits of flavor found on some BBQ.
Why not smoked salty sugar?
Something like smoked nut brittle using some liquid smoke.
Not much but just a little.

[MissS]

I happened upon something marvelous by accident this week.
Or at least the idea of it messing around with nuts.
We all or at least I do love those sweet caramelize smokey bits of flavor found on some BBQ.
Why not smoked salty sugar?
Something like smoked nut brittle using some liquid smoke.
Not much but just a little.

They do smoke sugar and salt/sugar too. It's much cheaper to make your own than to purchase it.
https://www.surlatable.com/smoked-brown ... 62890.html

A discussion on how to do this:
https://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2010/0 ... sugar.html

[worth1]

Read through both of them.
God as my witness i had never heard of smoked sugar before.
Sometimes if not many times I come up with stuff on my own without outside influence.
Only to look it up later only to discover it already done.
Just like my cutting right hand threads in reverse on the lathe.
Something considered blasphemy by many in that circle of people but done by several professionals as well.
I still think reverse smoking brisket is far superior to the traditional method and fool proof.
Plus you get the benefit of not having all of it smoked as well.
And a lower carbon footprint to boot.

[MissS]

[mention]worth1[/mention] Oh not saying that you are a copycat or have done anything wrong, It's a great idea and thought that you would enjoy reading about it! I love how you think outside of the box.

[worth1]

[mention]MissS[/mention]
Never thought you did.
Its called simultaneous invention or some such rot.
It happened with writing at least twice maybe three times or more.

[worth1]

I just read Popeyes is discontinuing Cajun rice and the green beans.

[worth1]

Just made a sauce for something with my homemade habanero sauce Gochujang dill relish and Dukes mayonnaise.
Over the top big time and not lip melting hot either.
This is going on a sandwich of obscene proportions.

[worth1]

I was wanting to heat up my leftover enchilada in my griddle skillet.
Then I realized I didn't have a square lid.
Looking on line i discovered they only had glass lids.
Next I thought maybe I do have a lid and looked in my Pyrex collection.
Low and behold there one was.
And guess what, the thing fit perfectly.

20210214_102515.jpg

[worth1]

My local HEB grocery store is back in full swing after the rather depressing week of weather related empty shelves.
To rejoice the event I purchased 1 pound of large Texas shrimp and 1/2 pound of large sea scallops.
Don't want to mess this up as the meal will be a little on the expensive side.
My intention is to flash sear them in a butter garlic sauce and finish them off in the same kettle with a dash of marsala lime juice and diced tomatoes sans juice.
Without over cooking..
Other ingredients will be black pepper some red New Mexico chilie powder and a dash of my homemade habanero sauce which will be used upon consumption.

[Amateurinawe]

[mention]worth1[/mention] that sounds delicious. If I ate that my wife would have me sleep the night in the garage as she is hyperallergic to white fish. Actually, ....the garage isn't that bad for one night.

[worth1]

I bought 2 pounds of shrimp and another USDA PRIME chuck roast.
The reason for the USDA PRIME is it only costs a dollar a pound more than USDA choice and has a ton more marbling.
Picked up two cans of Coconut milk and several cans of coconut water.
I want to use them as a base ingredient for both items but not any Indian curry type flavors.
Got to decide soon as I don't want the shrimp to go bad on me.
Probably going to just do a slow braise in the oven with the roast.
I also opened up a can of tomato puree and only used a little of it.
Now what to do with the rest.
Can I incorporate it with the coconut milk?

[worth1]

Got it figured out.
I forgot I bought a ton of dried onion flakes and 2 pounds of baby Bella mushrooms.
I love mushrooms and learned a long time ago that with fresh mushroom cooking always get at least twice as much as you think you need.
This is because they shrink so much.
The roast is 2.6 pounds.

[worth1]

I found it my long lost small cast iron kettle.
It was under something as always seems to be the case.
A woman gave us this set used around 25 years ago and this was the only piece I couldn't find for around 3 years now.
It is what we and I now fried fish in along with other fried things.
Its small and deep so not a lot of oil is used.
Probably an import but it is a good one.
One thing I'm going to do is modify the handle for oven use.
One thing I have to be careful with because I have so many kettles and pans is to keep them all washed.
The Dutch oven I used yesterday is washed oiled and put away.
Here's the lost kettle.

20210307_120151.jpg

[worth1]

Saint Patricks day is coming up and I bought a brisket to corn in a brine solution for corned beef.
Probably going to actually cook it on Friday night after the event because I don't want to be rushed..
There will be exciting sides to go with it too.

[worth1]

Stopped off at the store on the way home for a few items.
Large flour tortillas and HEB brand cola English peas and carrots.
Then I realized I needed ground allspice.
Oh yes I need horse radish been out for months.
Almost out of spicey brown mustard.
Well any who I'm set i hope.
The ground allspice and horse radish has been on my mind for months but only when I need it.
Not when I'm at the store.

I like horse radish with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and sometimes mayonnaise for a dipping sauce for various things.
Allspice for me is for seasoning meat mostly.

[Julianna]

I miss HEB! Had sone great things I have struggled to find elsewhere. I would love to ne able to find the same passion fruit boxed juice they had. I mixed it into smoothies and it was amazing.

[karstopography]

What’s everyone’s favorite grocery stores?
In my little hamlet, the options are HEB, Kroger, Walmart, Target, and Aldi. I like HEB and Aldi. Basically never set foot in Walmart. Takes too long to checkout and I hate their meat and produce sections. Kroger, the employees at ours tend to have an attitude problem, pretty much argue with each other about who is getting the next break everytime I’m in there. Aldi and HEB have the very best, smartest, funniest and nicest staff. The workers at Target always seem exhausted.

When I lived in Houston, I liked Central Market (HEB owned) and Fiesta. Rice Epicurean (extinct) had the hard to find ingredients at hard to find ingredient prices. But, all of them tended to have odd ball things like cardoons, baby artichokes, 4 kinds of mangos, 25 kinds of olives, Oysters from British Columbia, 15 types of dried peppers, etc.

In New England, I liked Market Basket, Roche Bros, never was a Stop and Shop or Shaw’s fan. Usually, there was a farm stand store somewhere nearby and some of those had good stuff.

Santa Fe, New Mexico. I like Market Street (Albertsons), Trader Joes, and Kaunes. Kaunes is just a little boutique type. Cannot beat the Farmer’s market there either.

My wife absolutely hates grocery shopping which works out because I like to. She ruins the experience if we happen to go together. We all have our lanes.

[worth1]

HEB is my favorite very friendly people and it's been that way in every one I have been in..
An exception was in Bastrop several years ago and I got them in trouble maybe even fired because I never saw them again.
My stuff ended up in some one else's cart or something and I told the checkout person.
She said it wasn't her problem because I had helped put my stuff in the cart.
Took ticket to the help desk and told them.
They told me to go get what was missing out of trust and wanted to know who it was.
They had the ticket and knew who it was I just confirmed it.
Another person kept ignoring some of us at the meat counter.
When I said something he said yeah what do you want and really nasty about it.
Turned him in and never saw him again.
Exact same experience in Lake Jackson Kroger and Angleton Kroger with the meat people.
Every time you wanted something they were on break.
Kroger was union at the time don't know about now.
Don't even get me started with Whole Foods.
They obviously don't like people with trucks.
Parking is a nightmare for trucks.
Central Market the prices are higher and wee little carts.
Fiesta is good for lots of stuff other places don't have.
Then the Jalisco market close to my house has more herbs and spices I have never seen or heard of in my life.
Nice place with nice people even the customers are friendly.
Friday some guy at HEB was cussing out a girl because she was going the wrong way.
Then he burned rubber in the parking lot like a mad man driving too fast.

[Old chef]

Ok, I'll post here since it can be about kitchen gadgets. I just watched a YouTube video comparing meat grinders & there was one for about $50 that tested favorably. It's the Gourmia meat grinder. I like the fact that it's not too large & it's a stand-alone unit not an attachment like for a Kitchenaid for example, which I don't have or want.
I'd like to know what you all use, & also when making sausage where do you buy that outer skin whatever it's called? Although I'll be using the grinder just to make ground meats of different kinds.

hello,
The sausage casing is either pig( large) or sheep( small) intestines and can be purchased online. they come packed in salt. need to soak a bit

[Old chef]

I have been pondering this for some time now.
Over a year.
I have decided I'm gonna drive straight to Academy sports and outdoors and pick up one of those Lodge cast iron combo skillets.
It is extra deep and you can cook with the lid to.
Decided I don't just want one I need one.
A real steal for 34 dollars and some odd cents.
I can think of a hundred things I could cook with it.
Had one in my hands the other day when looking at smokers and forgot to go back and get it.
LCC3(2).jpg

thic cast iron combo is great for baking bread!!!