So a ways back I bought 12 lbs of ground beef, in 3lb vacuum-sealed packs. I broke two of them down into 1lb portions in Ziplok freezer bags/used a 1lb immediately, but left 2 of them in the original packages since that seemed like the best way to prevent freezer burn.
Now I need to thaw one out, but I was thinking that since it's such a big brick of meat, I could put the whole thing in a crock pot to cook through and then just freeze the cooked meat that I don't need. It probably won't get the same level of browning that I'd normally look for when pan frying, but I figure that with all of the rendered fat it might still get some color.
Am I missing an obvious reason why I shouldn't do this? Other than it won't be usable for patties, this seems like a decent way to cook out so much frozen beef at once.
So a ways back I bought 12 lbs of ground beef, in 3lb vacuum-sealed packs. I broke two of them down into 1lb portions in Ziplok freezer bags/used a 1lb immediately, but left 2 of them in the original packages since that seemed like the best way to prevent freezer burn.
Now I need to thaw one out, but I was thinking that since it's such a big brick of meat, I could put the whole thing in a crock pot to cook through and then just freeze the cooked meat that I don't need. It probably won't get the same level of browning that I'd normally look for when pan frying, but I figure that with all of the rendered fat it might still get some color.
Am I missing an obvious reason why I shouldn't do this? Other than it won't be usable for patties, this seems like a decent way to cook out so much frozen beef at once.
Only thing I'd add is that you kinda want high(er) heat since that will cook out the water and render the fact which will then fry (and thereby brown) the beef, but the slow cooker can probably get there if you give it a head start before you add the meat
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Oh my goodness. Smoked a tri-tip for an hour and a half and oh man, so tender, so flavorful. Paired it up with some oven roasted potatoes and carrots and perfection!
yeah I'm also lacking a bit on the storage space, but now I'm looking at my kitchen counter I realise I've had a 3D depth camera mounted to a miniature tripod up there since Monday, so clearly I'm not finding myself too cramped.
I need to get off my fucking duff and get some cabinets for our dining room so we have more room in our Kitchen drawers and suchlike for a stand mixer.
But COVID killed a lot of the profit I was hoping to make in the first half of the year so I’m antsy pulling the trigger.
Get yourself a credenza! It's a fun word and a cool thing to have!
That would be cool but there isn’t really an awesome spot to put one at the moment.
The cabinets would go in what is technically the living/dining over the dining table.
So I've been trying that cowardly alternative to actually eating right where you restrict all your calorie intake to a six-hour window. Since my work and sleep schedule already lend themselves to a late lunch and a fairly early dinner, cutting out breakfast did 90% of the work for me. It's been going pretty well so far.
The only problem is that I love breakfast food. So I made a deal with myself that instead of eating a basic-ass breakfast every day, I'll just have really elaborate late brunch food on my days off. Which means I just spent an hour roasting potatoes so I could put them in the best breakfast burrito I have ever had.
This diet rules.
It’s been pretty effective at lowering my blood pressure, too.
At the request of @webguy20 , my step-grandma's black bean recipe.
The style is "escabechado" because of the vinegar. Grandmami was Peruvian originally, so it may not actually be a traditionally Cuban style. This recipe is how much I usually make for myself, so that means it should serve four or five normal people.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups dried black beans (3 cups canned also works and is a lot faster, but Grandmami will be mad at you)
- 4 strips of bacon (I use 6, because I am a decadent fatass)
- 1 white onion, aim for a big one
- 1 tsp cumin
- A nebulous but very small amount of coriander that you're going to have to figure out for yourself and know that whatever volume you settle on it's wrong.
- A similarly nebulous small amount of cilantro, but I overwhelmingly prefer without.
- 1 tblsp garlic, minced (probably more, but it's a good place to start)
- 1 tblsp Aji Panca chili powder paste (my Mexican sister-in-law picks some up for me at the spanish grocery store, because my lily white ass is embarrassed to intrude there)
- 1 Aji Amraillo chili pepper. Remove seeds, slice thin. That's moderately spicy, so you can be forgiven for substituting a milder pepper if you want.
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
Soak your beans overnight. Drain. Fill pot with new water (not your bean soaking water), until beans are covered, then bring to a simmer. Add a slice of bacon. Simmer until beans are tender. This will be "a while". Such precision! Drain again, but this time keep about a cup of the bean water and set it aside.
Take half the beans. Puree them with the cup of bean water you saved.
Fry the rest of your bacon until it's crispy, crumble it, and set it aside. Don't clean out the skillet yet though, we need the grease still!
Slice up your onion into thin crescents. Put the onion and the garlic in the skillet you used for the bacon, and add the cumin, coriander, and the Aji Panca chili powder paste. And the cilantro, if you must. Cook in the bacon grease until the onions are golden brown and turning translucent. Add the Aji Amarillo pepper slices and simmer for a few more minutes.
Add the pureed beans to the skillet and simmer, stirring regularly, for a few minutes. Like 5 or so. This crap is not precise at all, sorry.
At a point in time that you will know in your heart if you are a true Samurai Warrior, add the rest of your un-pureed beans, the crumbled bacon, and the vinegar. Keep simmering until it's all warmed through.
Serve with white rice, obviously.
I'm only halfway through reading this recipe and I fucking love it! The recipe is good--great ingredients and it's going to be a very tasty end result! But I love--LOVE--how you're telling the story of this recipe. So damned enjoyable! Thanks, @Desert Leviathan !
[Edit]
I finished reading it and I was not disappointed! I think I may need to put a black bean recipe in my silly Saskatchewan kitchen. I'll see how my bro likes it. Thanks again![/Edit]
yeah I'm also lacking a bit on the storage space, but now I'm looking at my kitchen counter I realise I've had a 3D depth camera mounted to a miniature tripod up there since Monday, so clearly I'm not finding myself too cramped.
I need to get off my fucking duff and get some cabinets for our dining room so we have more room in our Kitchen drawers and suchlike for a stand mixer.
But COVID killed a lot of the profit I was hoping to make in the first half of the year so I’m antsy pulling the trigger.
Get yourself a credenza! It's a fun word and a cool thing to have!
That would be cool but there isn’t really an awesome spot to put one at the moment.
The cabinets would go in what is technically the living/dining over the dining table.
it turned out pretty good, the pie was more liquidy than I'd hoped (although it may have set up a bit overnight while chilling in the fridge)
the ice cream is weird - by itself it's not that great, which the recipe says, and has a kinda two flavor thing going on where first you get creamy and sweet, and then you get the sharper cheddar flavor
when you eat it with the pie, though, that first sweet note disappears (maybe because the pie itself is sweet) and the cheddar is a lot less pronounced, so it's just kinda a creamy topping
I don't think I'd do the ice cream again but it was a fun thing to try and yay pie
yeah I'm also lacking a bit on the storage space, but now I'm looking at my kitchen counter I realise I've had a 3D depth camera mounted to a miniature tripod up there since Monday, so clearly I'm not finding myself too cramped.
I need to get off my fucking duff and get some cabinets for our dining room so we have more room in our Kitchen drawers and suchlike for a stand mixer.
But COVID killed a lot of the profit I was hoping to make in the first half of the year so I’m antsy pulling the trigger.
Get yourself a credenza! It's a fun word and a cool thing to have!
That would be cool but there isn’t really an awesome spot to put one at the moment.
The cabinets would go in what is technically the living/dining over the dining table.
Get a three handled moss covered family credenza!
Right after you get a one eyed one horned flying purple people eater.
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lonelyahavaCall me Ahava ~~She/Her~~Move to New ZealandRegistered Userregular
Ok guys, please advise. I am in need of some sheet pans with lips for general purpose (including when I made my granola). I am torn and am unsure of what to look for. My old ones have finally bit the dust, but they are old, so no idea what they are as far as specs. I would like it to be from amazon due to having a good chunk of credit on there from my bday this past June, that I have yet to spend still. Input appreciated, possibly a link to referred item? Also, even though I have the credit, I am not really wanting to drop major coin, so they don't need to be some special w/e, just want durable and sturdy. Thanks.
"If nothing is impossible, than would it not be impossible to find something that you could not do?" - Me
I will second buying Nordic Ware. We have two half sheets and a quarter and I'd love to pick up a second quarter sheet pan. They are light and super sturdy. Just don't run them through the dishwasher as the detergent can discolor and corrode the aluminum.
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
Nordic Wares are the ones recommended by Cooks Illustrated so those were the last ones I bought. So far no complaints, one of them even went through the dishwasher once by accident and it hasn't gone gray and dusty yet like my last ones.
Nice. Ordered and ordered the sil mats too. One last thing. New Insta read thermometer? Digital preferred. Again the old one was somehow lost due to moving I suppose. Haven't needed for the last month and in that time I changed residence. Suppose it got lost somewhere along the way.
"If nothing is impossible, than would it not be impossible to find something that you could not do?" - Me
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
I have two nordic ware half sheets and they work amazing.
Nice. Ordered and ordered the sil mats too. One last thing. New Insta read thermometer? Digital preferred. Again the old one was somehow lost due to moving I suppose. Haven't needed for the last month and in that time I changed residence. Suppose it got lost somewhere along the way.
Thermapen is the "go-to" brand name for thermometers but there are a ton of competitors out there. I got this one by Lavatools (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F59K0IW, but a good bit cheaper on a flash sale) and it's been fantastic. The hinge is nice and snug, the auto-on/off by opening and closing the probe works great, it's splash resistant, and has a backlight you can use when taking reading at your smoker at midnight so you don't need to carry a flashlight as well. Oh and it also has a magnet embedded within it so you can stick it onto stuff.
My previous instant thermometer was a similar-ish design but I went for a cheap one (less than $10) and it definitely showed. The on/off switch was a momentary button switch held down by the probe in the closed position, it had no light up capability, the calibration was all over the place and it had no water resistance. So I'd say spend at least $25 or so.
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KetarCome on upstairswe're having a partyRegistered Userregular
webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
For a digital Thermometer I use a Thermo-Pop. Way cheaper than a Thermopen, made by the same company, and about 95% as versatile. I also use their leave in thermometer, the DOT, for when I'm running the smoker. It works very nice.
I got a little stone microwave steamer last christmas and I finally used it. I put some frozen mixed vegetables in there with low sodium soy sauce and steamed it for three minutes and oh snap its hella good! I used a little too much soy sauce but its taste. I'm usually not a fan of steamed vegetables but this is pretty good.
I got a little stone microwave steamer last christmas and I finally used it. I put some frozen mixed vegetables in there with low sodium soy sauce and steamed it for three minutes and oh snap its hella good! I used a little too much soy sauce but its taste. I'm usually not a fan of steamed vegetables but this is pretty good.
Try a teaspoon of sesame oil mixed in with your soy sauce. It's so good with broccoli and carrots.
Tomorrow I'm making a chili lemongrass, garlic and ginger pork loin, and am utterly stuck at what side to make with it. Thinking wild rice but totally blanking on veg.
Tomorrow I'm making a chili lemongrass, garlic and ginger pork loin, and am utterly stuck at what side to make with it. Thinking wild rice but totally blanking on veg.
Green beans or closely related veg! Stir fry or char blister em to have some sweet to go with that spicy and savory.
Gai Lan with garlic, steamed bok choy - if I'm doing a protein in the style of a certain culture I usually look to the same one for inspiration about sides.
Tomorrow I'm making a chili lemongrass, garlic and ginger pork loin, and am utterly stuck at what side to make with it. Thinking wild rice but totally blanking on veg.
Green beans or closely related veg! Stir fry or char blister em to have some sweet to go with that spicy and savory.
Oh this is a good suggestion. I'll pick up some string beans from Sprouts tomorrow and try my hand at blistering them on my range top straight on the flames. Maybe keep it super simple for the string beans and use nothing but salt and a little mirin.
Making mushroom broth with dried morels, dried shiitake, and Anaheim (maybe? I lost the label) chilies
<<
>>
.,, I may have been watching Britain’s Best Home Cook, and may have spent a bit too long figuring what I would make for a chicken and mushroom challenge
(Turns out: buckwheat noodles in mushroom broth with tequila and lime chicken and pan seared fresh mushrooms)
Not quite like the grilled version, but still delicious
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
It's not tasty food but I did a before and after of my Field #8 cast iron after 9 months of use and probably 100 different meals cooked out of it. It has darkened up nicely and is still super smooth. It's my main go-to pan for stove top and smaller baked meals.
Ok... I got some lean ground turkey while it was on sale, but don't plan to use it til Monday morning at earliest. The sell by date it 08/04. Should I freeze it and thaw when wanted or is it fine to let it "chill". Also, it is packaged meat, the foster farms type, not meat from the counter in one of those loose bags; it is sealed tight and unopened.
"If nothing is impossible, than would it not be impossible to find something that you could not do?" - Me
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
Ok... I got some lean ground turkey while it was on sale, but don't plan to use it til Monday morning at earliest. The sell by date it 08/04. Should I freeze it and thaw when wanted or is it fine to let it "chill". Also, it is packaged meat, the foster farms type, not meat from the counter in one of those loose bags; it is sealed tight and unopened.
Your fine to keep it in the fridge. It's colder than if it would have been in the display case at the store.
Ok. Any input for a multi cooker (slow cooker) hit weather dish using ground turkey and a good chunk of fresh basil? I was leaning towards a pasta sauce maybe. I got two pounds of the meat rearing to go. If pasta I am trying to decide on what type... and not sure if I want to go a lower carb option (been meaning to cut down on that a bit).
"If nothing is impossible, than would it not be impossible to find something that you could not do?" - Me
Brown the turkey in a pot, then add some ginger, garlic, salt (and/or MSG), black pepper, and let the aromatics cook in the pot with the meat for a few minutes. Break up your meat into small chunks while this is going down. Add sambal oelek, soy sauce (or ponzu) and as much basil as you think you can take (this dish can use a lot of basil). Lower heat to medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. While that's happening, prep your veggies and/or carb of choice (I think this goes best with noodles, but is also fine with rice) and just mix all that shit together. Let the sauce coat everything.
Usually I do this with pork instead of turkey, but anything that works with ground meat is interchangeable between all ground meats.
Posts
Now I need to thaw one out, but I was thinking that since it's such a big brick of meat, I could put the whole thing in a crock pot to cook through and then just freeze the cooked meat that I don't need. It probably won't get the same level of browning that I'd normally look for when pan frying, but I figure that with all of the rendered fat it might still get some color.
Am I missing an obvious reason why I shouldn't do this? Other than it won't be usable for patties, this seems like a decent way to cook out so much frozen beef at once.
Only thing I'd add is that you kinda want high(er) heat since that will cook out the water and render the fact which will then fry (and thereby brown) the beef, but the slow cooker can probably get there if you give it a head start before you add the meat
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
That would be cool but there isn’t really an awesome spot to put one at the moment.
The cabinets would go in what is technically the living/dining over the dining table.
It’s been pretty effective at lowering my blood pressure, too.
I'm only halfway through reading this recipe and I fucking love it! The recipe is good--great ingredients and it's going to be a very tasty end result! But I love--LOVE--how you're telling the story of this recipe. So damned enjoyable! Thanks, @Desert Leviathan !
[Edit]
I finished reading it and I was not disappointed! I think I may need to put a black bean recipe in my silly Saskatchewan kitchen. I'll see how my bro likes it. Thanks again![/Edit]
Get a three handled moss covered family credenza!
I made this crust from serious eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/07/easy-pie-dough-recipe.html
with this apple filling: https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/apple-cheddar-pie.html
and then I made cheddar cheese ice cream to go with it: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/11/cheddar-cheese-ice-cream-apple-pie.html
it turned out pretty good, the pie was more liquidy than I'd hoped (although it may have set up a bit overnight while chilling in the fridge)
the ice cream is weird - by itself it's not that great, which the recipe says, and has a kinda two flavor thing going on where first you get creamy and sweet, and then you get the sharper cheddar flavor
when you eat it with the pie, though, that first sweet note disappears (maybe because the pie itself is sweet) and the cheddar is a lot less pronounced, so it's just kinda a creamy topping
I don't think I'd do the ice cream again but it was a fun thing to try and yay pie
Right after you get a one eyed one horned flying purple people eater.
I need to practice on my pie crust some more.
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Thermapen is the "go-to" brand name for thermometers but there are a ton of competitors out there. I got this one by Lavatools (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F59K0IW, but a good bit cheaper on a flash sale) and it's been fantastic. The hinge is nice and snug, the auto-on/off by opening and closing the probe works great, it's splash resistant, and has a backlight you can use when taking reading at your smoker at midnight so you don't need to carry a flashlight as well. Oh and it also has a magnet embedded within it so you can stick it onto stuff.
My previous instant thermometer was a similar-ish design but I went for a cheap one (less than $10) and it definitely showed. The on/off switch was a momentary button switch held down by the probe in the closed position, it had no light up capability, the calibration was all over the place and it had no water resistance. So I'd say spend at least $25 or so.
God damn.
#smokergoals
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Try a teaspoon of sesame oil mixed in with your soy sauce. It's so good with broccoli and carrots.
now decades later I'm discovering there are other options
soy + sesame is still good tho
Green beans or closely related veg! Stir fry or char blister em to have some sweet to go with that spicy and savory.
Oh this is a good suggestion. I'll pick up some string beans from Sprouts tomorrow and try my hand at blistering them on my range top straight on the flames. Maybe keep it super simple for the string beans and use nothing but salt and a little mirin.
I want to make this
<<
>>
.,, I may have been watching Britain’s Best Home Cook, and may have spent a bit too long figuring what I would make for a chicken and mushroom challenge
(Turns out: buckwheat noodles in mushroom broth with tequila and lime chicken and pan seared fresh mushrooms)
Not quite like the grilled version, but still delicious
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Your fine to keep it in the fridge. It's colder than if it would have been in the display case at the store.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Usually I do this with pork instead of turkey, but anything that works with ground meat is interchangeable between all ground meats.