What's for dinner?

[PersonalFavors]

Do you have a sous vide machine? I just use a pot and a candy thermometer for water temp control but I don't use this method very often. Certainly not enough to justify the cost of a machine.

I do. I’ve enjoyed some of what Ive done with it. Mostly beef and pork. I heard someone talking about it at a meat market. Purchased spontaneously in an Apple Store back when retail was still a thing.
What kind of heat did you cook at with a meat thermometer?

 

[OralAllOver]

He's got me on a diet of tossed salad

 

[HisArpy]

I do. I’ve enjoyed some of what Ive done with it. Mostly beef and pork. I heard someone talking about it at a meat market. Purchased spontaneously in an Apple Store back when retail was still a thing.
What kind of heat did you cook at with a meat thermometer?

It depends, beef and pork are about 145* and chicken is 160*. I have to be careful of chicken breasts because those can dry out really fast so the cook time is short (10-15 mins depending on how thick or bones) and I reverse sear afterward. I tend toward skinless breasts too because the skin is really unappetizing looking after the sous vide.

 

[PersonalFavors]

It depends, beef and pork are about 145* and chicken is 160*. I have to be careful of chicken breasts because those can dry out really fast so the cook time is short (10-15 mins depending on how thick or bones) and I reverse sear afterward. I tend toward skinless breasts too because the skin is really unappetizing looking after the sous vide.

I have done very little or no chicken with the sous vide. Can't think of a reason too. I did a turkey breast and the sous vide made it tough.
Pork is ready at 135. Most pork and chicken I do on the grill. Pork I take off at 135 unless it is a butt or something I am smoking. Pork loin I have done in the sous vide at 130 to tenderize it so 4 hours or more. Refrigerated over night and smoked at low temp the next day. That was some of the best pulled pork ever. So lean yet tender and juicy like a BButt. Chicken I am usually doing a half or whole also on the grill. Depending on cooking speed the breast is ~155 the thigh will be in the 170's.
The "cooked" temps are recommended based on a more technical fact. Which is why you measure in the center of the meat. The cell walls of the stuff that will kill you are broken and are no longer dangerous at 103 degrees for a min of 10 minutes. They simply cannot survive. Most meat is not tasty when under cooked. Specially chicken. The texture is actually gross when you bite into it. Cooked to the temps noted above and tented under foil is usually maximum preferred texture.
Chicken without skin and bones is normally cubed or sliced. Pork can be handled that way too. But no need for the sous vide. You want the fat to remain in the dish for flavor. I have not measured the temp of that when I do it. You can tell before it is done and will finish when all the ingredients come together.
Beef I prefer rare. If using the sous vide I can't get all the food to the table hot at the same time with more than 2 steaks. Each type is a little different. Ribeye NY strip and easiest. I sous vide to 125 - 128 for more than an hour not more than two. Still in the bag bury them in a bowl of ice for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from bag, salt and close to flaming charcoal fire. Or iron skillet, but getting the heat right on a skillet is not the simplest of tricks. The ice bath is a miracle find. When you flash chill the meat to 32 degrees the interior temp retains close to what it was in the sous vide. The effect when put to the fire is a natural insulator. The flavor is seared onto the outer edges of the steak and while the perfect red center is warmed the visual beauty and flavor of the rare red meat is maintained. I have experimented with other cuts of beef. Sirloin roasts. Eye rounds. Or even 3 or 4 rib Prime Ribs. With the roasts the sous vide temp needs to be a bit higher or the meat when sliced and served can have a kind of metally flavor I do not care for. I have done eye round at 129 for 12 and 24 hours. It is good but it turns it to mush. Like you could spread it on bread with a knife. Again texture becomes and issue.
I see in your posts you use a lot of recipes. I just make stuff I think up or combine idea I get from eating out or with others. I learned to cook first from remembering what I saw Mom or Dad do. Then later from a friend that lived in a private residence while doing his internship in Louisiana. Paul Prudhomme was a friend of the host and frequent guest. I learned the most about texture, heat level and timing, mixing flavors and the nuances of timing when adding spice or other dominant flavor in process. Turns out he was friends and a big fan of Julia Child. You can find much of what I imbued in "The Joy of Cooking" where technique is covered.

 

[Saint_Ann]

I have done very little or no chicken with the sous vide. Can't think of a reason too. I did a turkey breast and the sous vide made it tough.
Pork is ready at 135. Most pork and chicken I do on the grill. Pork I take off at 135 unless it is a butt or something I am smoking. Pork loin I have done in the sous vide at 130 to tenderize it so 4 hours or more. Refrigerated over night and smoked at low temp the next day. That was some of the best pulled pork ever. So lean yet tender and juicy like a BButt. Chicken I am usually doing a half or whole also on the grill. Depending on cooking speed the breast is ~155 the thigh will be in the 170's.
The "cooked" temps are recommended based on a more technical fact. Which is why you measure in the center of the meat. The cell walls of the stuff that will kill you are broken and are no longer dangerous at 103 degrees for a min of 10 minutes. They simply cannot survive. Most meat is not tasty when under cooked. Specially chicken. The texture is actually gross when you bite into it. Cooked to the temps noted above and tented under foil is usually maximum preferred texture.
Chicken without skin and bones is normally cubed or sliced. Pork can be handled that way too. But no need for the sous vide. You want the fat to remain in the dish for flavor. I have not measured the temp of that when I do it. You can tell before it is done and will finish when all the ingredients come together.
Beef I prefer rare. If using the sous vide I can't get all the food to the table hot at the same time with more than 2 steaks. Each type is a little different. Ribeye NY strip and easiest. I sous vide to 125 - 128 for more than an hour not more than two. Still in the bag bury them in a bowl of ice for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from bag, salt and close to flaming charcoal fire. Or iron skillet, but getting the heat right on a skillet is not the simplest of tricks. The ice bath is a miracle find. When you flash chill the meat to 32 degrees the interior temp retains close to what it was in the sous vide. The effect when put to the fire is a natural insulator. The flavor is seared onto the outer edges of the steak and while the perfect red center is warmed the visual beauty and flavor of the rare red meat is maintained. I have experimented with other cuts of beef. Sirloin roasts. Eye rounds. Or even 3 or 4 rib Prime Ribs. With the roasts the sous vide temp needs to be a bit higher or the meat when sliced and served can have a kind of metally flavor I do not care for. I have done eye round at 129 for 12 and 24 hours. It is good but it turns it to mush. Like you could spread it on bread with a knife. Again texture becomes and issue.
I see in your posts you use a lot of recipes. I just make stuff I think up or combine idea I get from eating out or with others. I learned to cook first from remembering what I saw Mom or Dad do. Then later from a friend that lived in a private residence while doing his internship in Louisiana. Paul Prudhomme was a friend of the host and frequent guest. I learned the most about texture, heat level and timing, mixing flavors and the nuances of timing when adding spice or other dominant flavor in process. Turns out he was friends and a big fan of Julia Child. You can find much of what I imbued in "The Joy of Cooking" where technique is covered.

I tried sous vide chicken wings. They were horrible.

 

[PersonalFavors]

I tried sous vide chicken wings. They were horrible.

Agreed. I didn't try them but can't think of a way to make them good. I like them with salt pepper and indirect heat hot smoke. I have a cone like shaped piece of steel. I put the fire and smoke in that and ring the wings around the edge. Hickory is best. I did mesquite one time. Sweet you would need to brine is something spicy. Too much work for wings.

 

[Saint_Ann]

Agreed. I didn't try them but can't think of a way to make them good. I like them with salt pepper and indirect heat hot smoke. I have a cone like shaped piece of steel. I put the fire and smoke in that and ring the wings around the edge. Hickory is best. I did mesquite one time. Sweet you would need to brine is something spicy. Too much work for wings.

Been buying sirloin tips and doing them in the sous vide. If you slice them correctly they're pretty tender. Slice them wrong and you get jaw breakers.

 

[PersonalFavors]

Been buying sirloin tips and doing them in the sous vide. If you slice them correctly they're pretty tender. Slice them wrong and you get jaw breakers.

haha I made some hockey pucks as I tried things. Inedible pork.
The beef I ruined I brined for a short bit and smoked em like you would a burnt end.
Used em in place of a bone in soup or sauce for flavor.
Have you tried scallops? I did em at 120 in butter. Basically poached them in butter. It is challenging as either the scallops or the butter creates some gas and blows up the bag. I made a long bag and with several dowels and some rubber bands fashioned a butter scallop pouch that could vent to an upper chamber that could release to the room. Then sear them however you like. Or make an oil vinegar shallot brine and then slice thin the next day and ring the salad bowl with the slices. I have not figured out shrimp. Fish if you do it flakes up you can't keep it together. I have added it to chowder like that. The sous vide does have a nice knack to concentrate flavor.
As of late, I have had mine for 12 years or so, it gets used when I am making a steak favorite for the woman or rapidly thawing stuff I bought at the right price for later. I think of it as a fun toy or novelty.
Have you any vegetable tricks I can try?

 

[HisArpy]

I see in your posts you use a lot of recipes. I just make stuff I think up or combine idea I get from eating out or with others.

My first real job as a teen was in a restaurant washing dishes then bussing tables. I learned technique from watching the cooks prep and cook the food that was served.

I don't really follow recipes. For instance, most recipes for the stuffed mushrooms use cream cheese or mascarpone cheese in the filling. I have both on hand but don't like the flavor or consistency in certain foods. For example, I'd never add it to meatloaf or salmon patties. OTOH, the filling needs a binder so I just added an egg and increased the bread crumbs to offset the extra moisture the egg brought to the party.

It worked perfectly. I could taste the bell peppers which would have been overwhelmed by any added cream cheese and I reduced the fat content slightly. Which is good for these old arteries.

When I curate a menu, I also looked for complimentary sides and dessert (because I always have a special dessert on Sunday's). When making the menu for the stuffed mushrooms, a lime Jello parfait was selected because the citrus flavor would pair well with the meal and cut through any lingering flavor of the entree.

Another example is when I added a spicy mustard sauce to the Schnitzel Cordon Bleu entree instead of a hunter sauce. I also made the spaetzle from scratch because I wanted a very herb forward flavor to offset the heavier Schintzel and sauce.

I also do things against the standard kitchen beliefs. For instance, this Sunday's dessert is supposed to be served warm. I'm serving it chilled because I live in So Cal where it's comfortably Hades most of the year.

So, no recipes, just me thinking about what I want to fix based on what I have on hand and then going for it. Mostly it works because I put a lot of thought into what I'm making, but sometimes we have frozen pizza when dinner fails and can't be rescued.

Finally I want to mention that there's a rule for Sunday dinner - it's not BBQ night so there isn't any grilled steak or chicken or pork. I'm not going to grab an expensive slab of meat and toss it on the grill and think that's good enough. It's not even close to good enough even if the meat is NY strip or Waygu. That makes it tougher because there are entrees I really like (like Carnitas! or Country Spare Ribs) which I don't get that often but those things just aren't enough for an elevated Sunday dinner. If it isn't "date night" at a fancy restaurant, it's not Sunday dinner at my house.

And, just like "date night" at a fancy restaurant, there aren't going to be any leftovers. I make just enough for dinner and no more.

 

[HisArpy]

He's got me on a diet of tossed salad

Even salads can be fun. I once made a chef's salad style salad with salmon and mango that was so good.

 

[PersonalFavors]

My first real job as a teen was in a restaurant washing dishes then bussing tables. I learned technique from watching the cooks prep and cook the food that was served.

I don't really follow recipes. For instance, most recipes for the stuffed mushrooms use cream cheese or mascarpone cheese in the filling. I have both on hand but don't like the flavor or consistency in certain foods. For example, I'd never add it to meatloaf or salmon patties. OTOH, the filling needs a binder so I just added an egg and increased the bread crumbs to offset the extra moisture the egg brought to the party.

It worked perfectly. I could taste the bell peppers which would have been overwhelmed by any added cream cheese and I reduced the fat content slightly. Which is good for these old arteries.

When I curate a menu, I also looked for complimentary sides and dessert (because I always have a special dessert on Sunday's). When making the menu for the stuffed mushrooms, a lime Jello parfait was selected because the citrus flavor would pair well with the meal and cut through any lingering flavor of the entree.

Another example is when I added a spicy mustard sauce to the Schnitzel Cordon Bleu entree instead of a hunter sauce. I also made the spaetzle from scratch because I wanted a very herb forward flavor to offset the heavier Schintzel and sauce.

I also do things against the standard kitchen beliefs. For instance, this Sunday's dessert is supposed to be served warm. I'm serving it chilled because I live in So Cal where it's comfortably Hades most of the year.

So, no recipes, just me thinking about what I want to fix based on what I have on hand and then going for it. Mostly it works because I put a lot of thought into what I'm making, but sometimes we have frozen pizza when dinner fails and can't be rescued.

Finally I want to mention that there's a rule for Sunday dinner - it's not BBQ night so there isn't any grilled steak or chicken or pork. I'm not going to grab an expensive slab of meat and toss it on the grill and think that's good enough. It's not even close to good enough even if the meat is NY strip or Waygu. That makes it tougher because there are entrees I really like (like Carnitas! or Country Spare Ribs) which I don't get that often but those things just aren't enough for an elevated Sunday dinner. If it isn't "date night" at a fancy restaurant, it's not Sunday dinner at my house.

And, just like "date night" at a fancy restaurant, there aren't going to be any leftovers. I make just enough for dinner and no more.

So many fancy words I saw when I traveled. I don't really know what they are and don't miss them. Unless they have normal names and I use them all the time. Sorry. But the way you talk about food sounds like a wine snob. From my experience I don't like what they are selling.

 

[OralAllOver]

So many fancy words I saw when I traveled. I don't really know what they are and don't miss them. Unless they have normal names and I use them all the time. Sorry. But the way you talk about food sounds like a wine snob. From my experience I don't like what they are selling.

As a point of clarification - and with deferrence to your feelings and approach - precision in language is not the same as snobbery. Sometimes they dine together; sometimes they don't
Smile

 

[Chernosoth]

Sous vide sounds like a more expensive way of saying "slow cooking." My thrift store crockpot is my slow cooker.

 

[HisArpy]

So many fancy words I saw when I traveled. I don't really know what they are and don't miss them. Unless they have normal names and I use them all the time. Sorry. But the way you talk about food sounds like a wine snob. From my experience I don't like what they are selling.

I'm not a wine snob (I don't drink alcohol but I get your point about nose in the air) nor am I foodie.

What I am is someone who wasn't satisfied with my Sunday meals so I decided to change it by taking on a new look for it. That's all.

Other than Sunday's, my weekday menu probably looks like yours; spaghetti, meatloaf and mashed taters, pork chops with applesauce, mac n cheese, tuna casserole, taco Tuesday, same ol' same ol'.

As for desserts, I have almost always baked. I started when I was something like 7 or 8 years old and tried to bake a pie (and ruined it, naturally). That failure spurred me to learn more.

Just as Sunday dinner does now.

 

[HisArpy]

Sous vide sounds like a more expensive way of saying "slow cooking." My thrift store crockpot is my slow cooker.

Sous Vide is "boil in the bag."

By controlling the temp of the water, you can cook the food to that temp right on the money. Every time.

 

[Saint_Ann]

haha I made some hockey pucks as I tried things. Inedible pork.
The beef I ruined I brined for a short bit and smoked em like you would a burnt end.
Used em in place of a bone in soup or sauce for flavor.
Have you tried scallops? I did em at 120 in butter. Basically poached them in butter. It is challenging as either the scallops or the butter creates some gas and blows up the bag. I made a long bag and with several dowels and some rubber bands fashioned a butter scallop pouch that could vent to an upper chamber that could release to the room. Then sear them however you like. Or make an oil vinegar shallot brine and then slice thin the next day and ring the salad bowl with the slices. I have not figured out shrimp. Fish if you do it flakes up you can't keep it together. I have added it to chowder like that. The sous vide does have a nice knack to concentrate flavor.
As of late, I have had mine for 12 years or so, it gets used when I am making a steak favorite for the woman or rapidly thawing stuff I bought at the right price for later. I think of it as a fun toy or novelty.
Have you any vegetable tricks I can try?

I'm pretty far from the ocean.

 

[HisArpy]

As a point of clarification - and with deferrence to your feelings and approach - precision in language is not the same as snobbery. Sometimes they dine together; sometimes they don't
Smile

Thanks, but it's all good. I didn't used to give a dam about food. If it was hot, and mostly edible, I'd eat it. That probably comes from my childhood In those years I cleaned the plate, even if I had to choke it down, because there wasn't anything else.

I just got tired of it, that's all. PF just hasn't reached that point and I'm glad. Life is simpler sometimes if you just close your eyes and swallow and those who have never known serious poverty are extremely lucky in that regard.

 

[Saint_Ann]

Thanks, but it's all good. I didn't used to give a dam about food. If it was hot, and mostly edible, I'd eat it. That probably comes from my childhood In those years I cleaned the plate, even if I had to choke it down, because there wasn't anything else.

I just got tired of it, that's all. PF just hasn't reached that point and I'm glad. Life is simpler sometimes if you just close your eyes and swallow and those who have never known serious poverty are extremely lucky in that regard.

I do miss the days of "hey, walk over the the pond and catch a supper's worth of bluegills".

 

[HisArpy]

I'm pretty far from the ocean.

But I'll bet the venison you get is loads better than anything I can get from New Zealand.

 

[HisArpy]

I do miss the days of "hey, walk over the the pond and catch a supper's worth of bluegills".

I wrote a story that had something like that in it. "I gots me a new fishin' lure, guaranteed to catch croppy."

"Corn pone for dinner then..."

 

[OralAllOver]

Thanks, but it's all good. I didn't used to give a dam about food. If it was hot, and mostly edible, I'd eat it. That probably comes from my childhood In those years I cleaned the plate, even if I had to choke it down, because there wasn't anything else.

I just got tired of it, that's all. PF just hasn't reached that point and I'm glad. Life is simpler sometimes if you just close your eyes and swallow and those who have never known serious poverty are extremely lucky in that regard.

I hope that I don't go too off point here.
There is a SPECIAL HEROISM, I think, in folks who suffer greatly when young, but as adults cast off selfishness and fear to help others in need as they once were

 

[PersonalFavors]

Sous vide sounds like a more expensive way of saying "slow cooking." My thrift store crockpot is my slow cooker.

Sous vide translates to under a vacuum. The original invention was an oven. No water. The sealed environment was put under vacuum and the temperature precisely monitored.
As is there is nothing to do with boil in bag. The temp is maintained exactly. In time the contents of what is sealed in a bag void of air will become the same temperature as the water. A rare steak at 132 degrees. Trying to boil water and get a steak inside a bag to 132 degrees would be impossible. Even if you came close the meat would be destroyed.
You cannot do with a slow cooker what you can do with a sous vide. Expensive or not I have enjoyed some of the things I have done with it.
I have a crock pot, pressure cooker and the newer mechanized instapot and have yet to make something in them I would share with others. The pressure cooker does cut down some time when making boiled peanuts but I still prefer a gas burner and larger pot.
Beef stew I do in a le creuset. Still a challenge to get the potatoes right. In the crock pot they never get soft correctly. If they do get soft they turn to mush. The right cooked texture of potatoes occurs at 205 degrees. To do that in the stew often ruins the stew. But I don’t like beef stew without potatoes. Also when I’ve made beef stew in the crockpot it was bland. In the insta pot or pressure cooker it comes out good but is a lot of work.

 

[Saint_Ann]

But I'll bet the venison you get is loads better than anything I can get from New Zealand.

Corn fed.

 

[HisArpy]

I hope that I don't go too off point here.
There is a SPECIAL HEROISM, I think, in folks who suffer greatly when young, but as adults cast off selfishness and fear to help others in need as they once were

Being dirt poor teaches you life lessons.


Like how not to be disappointed when you didn't get the meatloaf you were craving because you had to spend the time you would have used making and cooking that meatloaf repairing the power cord for your electric lawnmower you stupidly ran over and sliced through while cutting the grass when it's 9 zillion degrees out there in the yard.

Fuck me...

 

[briancamdudetenger2018]

chinese food