And yet I eat tons of it, because it is ostensibly the healthiest form of chicken. Until I put a butter sauce on it.
It's simple in prep compared to rendering fat out of the skin and getting it crispy but definitely do not breed mass market chicken for flavor and texture.
Few things encourage one to learn to make sauces of various types like eating lots of skinless chicken breast.
And yet I eat tons of it, because it is ostensibly the healthiest form of chicken. Until I put a butter sauce on it.
It's simple in prep compared to rendering fat out of the skin and getting it crispy but definitely do not breed mass market chicken for flavor and texture.
Few things encourage one to learn to make sauces of various types like eating lots of skinless chicken breast.
Even for recipes without crispy skin -- soups, casseroles, etc... -- you get a better dish with dark meat.
And yet I eat tons of it, because it is ostensibly the healthiest form of chicken. Until I put a butter sauce on it.
It's simple in prep compared to rendering fat out of the skin and getting it crispy but definitely do not breed mass market chicken for flavor and texture.
Few things encourage one to learn to make sauces of various types like eating lots of skinless chicken breast.
Even for recipes without crispy skin -- soups, casseroles, etc... -- you get a better dish with dark meat.
Boneless chicken thighs are a great ingredient for dishes involving cutting up chicken that few people seem to use. The shape is more irregular than with chicken breast but there's a lot more flavor and it's usually cheaper to boot. The ideal cooking temperatures for the dark meat are higher than for white meat, but most of those recipes involving slicing it up before using are going to exceed that easily.
I did Chicken Marsala -- again -- in the InstantPot last night. And it was arguably the best dish I've made with that thing.
I took a few (boneless skinless) chicken breast and cut them to half thickness, then I threw them in salt+pepper flour and "browned" them (I still call it frying) in butter and olive oil before tossing in with broth, marsala wine, and mushrooms for pressure cooking. The chicken fell apart with a fork, despite me having trouble getting the heat high enough for a proper brown/sear (to the point I tossed some of the pieces into a super hot skillet instead of trying to use the InstantPot).
I think the butter helped a lot with both browning and adding flavor. For once, the chicken wasn't just super dried out, and it still had both flavor and a bit of moisture (though the sauce did most of the work).
Marsala isn't something that couldn't be done without a pressure cooker; it just would take slightly longer. Brown chicken, add mushrooms, add liquid, turn up heat. The recipe adds cornstarch + milk at the end as a thickening agent -- mine ended up in little clumps; I suspect because I should have heated the mixture prior to dumping into the pot.
And yet I eat tons of it, because it is ostensibly the healthiest form of chicken. Until I put a butter sauce on it.
It's simple in prep compared to rendering fat out of the skin and getting it crispy but definitely do not breed mass market chicken for flavor and texture.
Few things encourage one to learn to make sauces of various types like eating lots of skinless chicken breast.
Even for recipes without crispy skin -- soups, casseroles, etc... -- you get a better dish with dark meat.
Boneless chicken thighs are a great ingredient for dishes involving cutting up chicken that few people seem to use. The shape is more irregular than with chicken breast but there's a lot more flavor and it's usually cheaper to boot. The ideal cooking temperatures for the dark meat are higher than for white meat, but most of those recipes involving slicing it up before using are going to exceed that easily.
Yes, but depending on what you do, bone-in thighs are much better. if your frying chicken thighs, then plan to use that grease to impart flavor to something (like a roux), you definately want bone in. Same with soup base.
I made chicken quesadillas tonight. No fancy sauces or cremes, just chicken, veggies, and cheese. MMmmm....
I'm so uncultured.
Pfft, you didn't tell us you had tortillas and cheese around. That changes things a bit obviously. Not that one of us wouldn't suggest doing something like slicing the tortillas into strips and crisping them in the pan to use as a crunchy topping for the chicken instead of a quesadilla but still . . .
We're making a ratatouille and we have, like, 4x the veggies chopped that we ended up having space for. We're trying it in cast iron. Is there something else I can do with a ton of sliced squash, zuchinni, eggplant, and red peppers? I don't have any more tomatoes unfortunately.
What an earth could I do with these on short notice? Could I just throw them in a pot with some olive oil and seasonings and stew them?
We're making a ratatouille and we have, like, 4x the veggies chopped that we ended up having space for. We're trying it in cast iron. Is there something else I can do with a ton of sliced squash, zuchinni, eggplant, and red peppers? I don't have any more tomatoes unfortunately.
What an earth could I do with these on short notice? Could I just throw them in a pot with some olive oil and seasonings and stew them?
So, I have some blanched and frozen squash and zuchini which held its shape nicely. I also have some blanched eggplant that is going to have to be a stew or filling of some sort. I'm wondering if I should make a squash soup out of all of this or something, since it's my first time blanching and I think everything is going to be a bit mushy when I thaw it. I've done soup with butternut squash a million times, I'm dubious about the zuchini and eggplant.
If your veg does turn out mushy you could try a take on baba ghanoush, which is traditionally eggplant, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice and some salt and spices. I bet blended squash would go pretty well into that dish. Serve with warm pitas.
I did Chicken Marsala -- again -- in the InstantPot last night. And it was arguably the best dish I've made with that thing.
I took a few (boneless skinless) chicken breast and cut them to half thickness, then I threw them in salt+pepper flour and "browned" them (I still call it frying) in butter and olive oil before tossing in with broth, marsala wine, and mushrooms for pressure cooking. The chicken fell apart with a fork, despite me having trouble getting the heat high enough for a proper brown/sear (to the point I tossed some of the pieces into a super hot skillet instead of trying to use the InstantPot).
I think the butter helped a lot with both browning and adding flavor. For once, the chicken wasn't just super dried out, and it still had both flavor and a bit of moisture (though the sauce did most of the work).
Marsala isn't something that couldn't be done without a pressure cooker; it just would take slightly longer. Brown chicken, add mushrooms, add liquid, turn up heat. The recipe adds cornstarch + milk at the end as a thickening agent -- mine ended up in little clumps; I suspect because I should have heated the mixture prior to dumping into the pot.
Is there a specific InstantPot you'd recommend? I get recipes from SkinnyTaste all the time and that author shills for them hardcore, but in a helpful way. I've just got a basic rice cooker/veggie steamer right now and it seems like an InstantPot would be a worthy upgrade.
It seems strange that more filler makes a better meatloaf, but it totally work. Only thing I changed was using my grocery store's 'meatloaf' mix of beef/pork/veal instead of straight up ground chuck.
It seems strange that more filler makes a better meatloaf, but it totally work. Only thing I changed was using my grocery store's 'meatloaf' mix of beef/pork/veal instead of straight up ground chuck.
you can basically do the same thing for meat balls.
like the milky bread stuff takes up space when wet and kinda cooks out. So you get less dense softer loaf/balls with a better texture.
I did Chicken Marsala -- again -- in the InstantPot last night. And it was arguably the best dish I've made with that thing.
I took a few (boneless skinless) chicken breast and cut them to half thickness, then I threw them in salt+pepper flour and "browned" them (I still call it frying) in butter and olive oil before tossing in with broth, marsala wine, and mushrooms for pressure cooking. The chicken fell apart with a fork, despite me having trouble getting the heat high enough for a proper brown/sear (to the point I tossed some of the pieces into a super hot skillet instead of trying to use the InstantPot).
I think the butter helped a lot with both browning and adding flavor. For once, the chicken wasn't just super dried out, and it still had both flavor and a bit of moisture (though the sauce did most of the work).
Marsala isn't something that couldn't be done without a pressure cooker; it just would take slightly longer. Brown chicken, add mushrooms, add liquid, turn up heat. The recipe adds cornstarch + milk at the end as a thickening agent -- mine ended up in little clumps; I suspect because I should have heated the mixture prior to dumping into the pot.
Is there a specific InstantPot you'd recommend? I get recipes from SkinnyTaste all the time and that author shills for them hardcore, but in a helpful way. I've just got a basic rice cooker/veggie steamer right now and it seems like an InstantPot would be a worthy upgrade.
The Smart adds some additional functionality but at a much higher cost. Things like doubling as a limited sous vide setup (that requires calibration unlike most dedicated devices) and preset recipes which may or may not be of use.
The Lux models only operate on high pressure setting.
The Duo does all the stuff one expects an electric pressure cooker to do.
That... is a super good idea and I want to try it. All the recipes for baba ghanoush call for roasting before slicing though. Hmm.
"Throw it all in a blender with some spices and olive oil, eat it with pita" might not be terrible anyway.
Perhaps try hard frying the aubergine* as you have it before blending. Should add some of that nice smokey roast/fried flavours that you want out of baba ganoush.
*Might stick horribly to the pan. Proceed with caution...
So today, I took a cue from the grocery flyer. Baby back ribs $1.99/lb and name brand BBQ sauce for cheaper than store brand.
I cut one rack in half and threw it in the crock pot with a half stick of butter (about 4 TBSP) and 2/3 bottle of BBQ sauce. Set on high, go run errands.
4hrs later, I pulled it out of the crock pot onto a sheet pan and glazed the ribs with sauce/drippings. Put them in the oven at 400F for 15 mins. I barely had to chew the meat.
Doing another rack on Tues with a different sauce.
It's cheating using the sauce but both kids are in softball and dance. Plus I couldn't beat the price.
First batch was Honey BBQ and second will be Hawaiian. (Sweet Baby Ray's)
If I wasn't trying to get the kids to eat, I'd add some spicy heat in there somewhere.
+3
Options
MayabirdPecking at the keyboardRegistered Userregular
Because it was cold and rainy I couldn't do most of the things I needed to do (which was outdoors stuff) so I made chicken soup instead. There were some chicken thighs and a turkey neck in the freezer and we needed space cleared out.
Made it in the usual method (six hours, put in meat and some celery at first for stock, take out meat two-three hours in, add vegetables/seasoning, debone and put meat back in, let it simmer for a few more hours) but this time added garlic mustard that I gathered wild in the woods. Worked well as a fresh green added, kinda like spinach in texture once cooked, though next time I'll just put in leaves and flowers and not include the stems - they were edible but a little chewy. Easily could've added a lot more since it's invasive as heck and didn't take up much room in the pot.
I've never heard of garlic mustard. Or do you mean mustard greens?
0
Options
MayabirdPecking at the keyboardRegistered Userregular
Nope. Garlic mustard the invasive weed that destroys forest understories. Chokes out all other species and creates a monoculture of itself. Was originally introduced as a farm herb and it escaped to the wild and spread like wildfire in a drought.
Garlic mustard also makes great pesto (blend with walnuts, cheese, and olive oil). Maybe I'll make some later this week when I start running low on soup.
----
Shifting gears slightly, I want to make a Mississippi Pot Roast out of one of the venison roasts I have in the fridge, but I'm nervous about it drying out and there not being enough liquid for a gravy/au jus. I have 3/4 lb of bacon that needs used up. Questions:
1) Would this work to add fat/liquid for the roast? Should I also add a few cups of water or broth? Is it worth adding some butter?
2) If I add the bacon, should I cook it ahead of time to render the fat out, or let the Crock Pot handle it?
3) If I add just pepperoncini juice, will it be too spicy for the fam? (general rule of thumb: the kids say that mild Tostito's salsa is still "too spicy") If I gave them something like a sour cream topping, would that be enough to offset the heat?
It seems strange that more filler makes a better meatloaf, but it totally work. Only thing I changed was using my grocery store's 'meatloaf' mix of beef/pork/veal instead of straight up ground chuck.
The Veal really makes a meatloaf stand out from just being a big hamburger. I like to buy one of those premade beef/pork/veal meatloafs, cut it in half, flatten it into two large patties, coat it with katchup and cook it really well. So delicious...
----
Shifting gears slightly, I want to make a Mississippi Pot Roast out of one of the venison roasts I have in the fridge, but I'm nervous about it drying out and there not being enough liquid for a gravy/au jus. I have 3/4 lb of bacon that needs used up. Questions:
1) Would this work to add fat/liquid for the roast? Should I also add a few cups of water or broth? Is it worth adding some butter?
2) If I add the bacon, should I cook it ahead of time to render the fat out, or let the Crock Pot handle it?
3) If I add just pepperoncini juice, will it be too spicy for the fam? (general rule of thumb: the kids say that mild Tostito's salsa is still "too spicy") If I gave them something like a sour cream topping, would that be enough to offset the heat?
What's wrong with adding some not-too-hoppy ale? I mean if just chucking in a glass of red wine isn't an option (I have no idea what a mississipi pot roast is)
----
Shifting gears slightly, I want to make a Mississippi Pot Roast out of one of the venison roasts I have in the fridge, but I'm nervous about it drying out and there not being enough liquid for a gravy/au jus. I have 3/4 lb of bacon that needs used up. Questions:
1) Would this work to add fat/liquid for the roast? Should I also add a few cups of water or broth? Is it worth adding some butter?
2) If I add the bacon, should I cook it ahead of time to render the fat out, or let the Crock Pot handle it?
3) If I add just pepperoncini juice, will it be too spicy for the fam? (general rule of thumb: the kids say that mild Tostito's salsa is still "too spicy") If I gave them something like a sour cream topping, would that be enough to offset the heat?
What's wrong with adding some not-too-hoppy ale? I mean if just chucking in a glass of red wine isn't an option (I have no idea what a mississipi pot roast is)
you need to be careful cooking with beer because of the bitterness of the hops.
it can get in places and become a flavor that you don't want.
i generally only cook with really rich stouts because they tend to be really low in hops.
even a non hoppy light ale is dangerous I think
lagers are great for cooking because you can get the delicate malty flavor without a lot of bitterness.
"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to give into it." - Oscar Wilde
"We believe in the people and their 'wisdom' as if there was some special secret entrance to knowledge that barred to anyone who had ever learned anything." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Mississippi Pot Roast:
Meat
Ranch Dressing Mix
Pepperoncinis (at least the juice; but usually the peppers too)
Toss in Crock Pot and enjoy when time is done
---
I could probably add either wine or some lager (I have Dos Equis and Corona in the fridge) instead of water or broth. I've had good experiences with lagers, so I may give that a run. I'll update with what I end up using. At this point, it's an experiment in "how can I fuck this up the least."
Posts
And yet I eat tons of it, because it is ostensibly the healthiest form of chicken. Until I put a butter sauce on it.
boneless skinless is nonsense
fat isn't the enemy, that's just what the sugar lobby wanted you to think
i mean obviously don't eat too much fat because everything in moderation but
It's simple in prep compared to rendering fat out of the skin and getting it crispy but definitely do not breed mass market chicken for flavor and texture.
Few things encourage one to learn to make sauces of various types like eating lots of skinless chicken breast.
Steam Profile
3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
Even for recipes without crispy skin -- soups, casseroles, etc... -- you get a better dish with dark meat.
Boneless chicken thighs are a great ingredient for dishes involving cutting up chicken that few people seem to use. The shape is more irregular than with chicken breast but there's a lot more flavor and it's usually cheaper to boot. The ideal cooking temperatures for the dark meat are higher than for white meat, but most of those recipes involving slicing it up before using are going to exceed that easily.
Steam Profile
3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
Legends of Runeterra: MNCdover #moc
Switch ID: MNC Dover SW-1154-3107-1051
Steam ID
Twitch Page
I took a few (boneless skinless) chicken breast and cut them to half thickness, then I threw them in salt+pepper flour and "browned" them (I still call it frying) in butter and olive oil before tossing in with broth, marsala wine, and mushrooms for pressure cooking. The chicken fell apart with a fork, despite me having trouble getting the heat high enough for a proper brown/sear (to the point I tossed some of the pieces into a super hot skillet instead of trying to use the InstantPot).
I think the butter helped a lot with both browning and adding flavor. For once, the chicken wasn't just super dried out, and it still had both flavor and a bit of moisture (though the sauce did most of the work).
Marsala isn't something that couldn't be done without a pressure cooker; it just would take slightly longer. Brown chicken, add mushrooms, add liquid, turn up heat. The recipe adds cornstarch + milk at the end as a thickening agent -- mine ended up in little clumps; I suspect because I should have heated the mixture prior to dumping into the pot.
Hot water will cause it to clump immediately, which is then very annoying to break up.
I usually make my slurry from cornstarch and cold water. I stir until the moment I dump it in or even while I'm dumping it in sometimes.
Yes, but depending on what you do, bone-in thighs are much better. if your frying chicken thighs, then plan to use that grease to impart flavor to something (like a roux), you definately want bone in. Same with soup base.
Pfft, you didn't tell us you had tortillas and cheese around. That changes things a bit obviously. Not that one of us wouldn't suggest doing something like slicing the tortillas into strips and crisping them in the pan to use as a crunchy topping for the chicken instead of a quesadilla but still . . .
Steam Profile
3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
We're making a ratatouille and we have, like, 4x the veggies chopped that we ended up having space for. We're trying it in cast iron. Is there something else I can do with a ton of sliced squash, zuchinni, eggplant, and red peppers? I don't have any more tomatoes unfortunately.
What an earth could I do with these on short notice? Could I just throw them in a pot with some olive oil and seasonings and stew them?
Yes you can! Caponata!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/caponata-235724
@Darkewolfe
"Throw it all in a blender with some spices and olive oil, eat it with pita" might not be terrible anyway.
Is there a specific InstantPot you'd recommend? I get recipes from SkinnyTaste all the time and that author shills for them hardcore, but in a helpful way. I've just got a basic rice cooker/veggie steamer right now and it seems like an InstantPot would be a worthy upgrade.
They're basically the same thing right? Just one is more spiced than the other.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/238038/chef-johns-prison-style-meatloaf/
It seems strange that more filler makes a better meatloaf, but it totally work. Only thing I changed was using my grocery store's 'meatloaf' mix of beef/pork/veal instead of straight up ground chuck.
you can basically do the same thing for meat balls.
like the milky bread stuff takes up space when wet and kinda cooks out. So you get less dense softer loaf/balls with a better texture.
The 6 quart DUO is the most popular model and often goes on sale during Amazon's bigger sales.
The Smart adds some additional functionality but at a much higher cost. Things like doubling as a limited sous vide setup (that requires calibration unlike most dedicated devices) and preset recipes which may or may not be of use.
The Lux models only operate on high pressure setting.
The Duo does all the stuff one expects an electric pressure cooker to do.
Steam Profile
3DS: 3454-0268-5595 Battle.net: SteelAngel#1772
Perhaps try hard frying the aubergine* as you have it before blending. Should add some of that nice smokey roast/fried flavours that you want out of baba ganoush.
*Might stick horribly to the pan. Proceed with caution...
http://steamcommunity.com/id/pablocampy
I cut one rack in half and threw it in the crock pot with a half stick of butter (about 4 TBSP) and 2/3 bottle of BBQ sauce. Set on high, go run errands.
4hrs later, I pulled it out of the crock pot onto a sheet pan and glazed the ribs with sauce/drippings. Put them in the oven at 400F for 15 mins. I barely had to chew the meat.
Doing another rack on Tues with a different sauce.
It's cheating using the sauce but both kids are in softball and dance. Plus I couldn't beat the price.
First batch was Honey BBQ and second will be Hawaiian. (Sweet Baby Ray's)
If I wasn't trying to get the kids to eat, I'd add some spicy heat in there somewhere.
Made it in the usual method (six hours, put in meat and some celery at first for stock, take out meat two-three hours in, add vegetables/seasoning, debone and put meat back in, let it simmer for a few more hours) but this time added garlic mustard that I gathered wild in the woods. Worked well as a fresh green added, kinda like spinach in texture once cooked, though next time I'll just put in leaves and flowers and not include the stems - they were edible but a little chewy. Easily could've added a lot more since it's invasive as heck and didn't take up much room in the pot.
Garlic mustard also makes great pesto (blend with walnuts, cheese, and olive oil). Maybe I'll make some later this week when I start running low on soup.
----
Shifting gears slightly, I want to make a Mississippi Pot Roast out of one of the venison roasts I have in the fridge, but I'm nervous about it drying out and there not being enough liquid for a gravy/au jus. I have 3/4 lb of bacon that needs used up. Questions:
1) Would this work to add fat/liquid for the roast? Should I also add a few cups of water or broth? Is it worth adding some butter?
2) If I add the bacon, should I cook it ahead of time to render the fat out, or let the Crock Pot handle it?
3) If I add just pepperoncini juice, will it be too spicy for the fam? (general rule of thumb: the kids say that mild Tostito's salsa is still "too spicy") If I gave them something like a sour cream topping, would that be enough to offset the heat?
The Veal really makes a meatloaf stand out from just being a big hamburger. I like to buy one of those premade beef/pork/veal meatloafs, cut it in half, flatten it into two large patties, coat it with katchup and cook it really well. So delicious...
What's wrong with adding some not-too-hoppy ale? I mean if just chucking in a glass of red wine isn't an option (I have no idea what a mississipi pot roast is)
you need to be careful cooking with beer because of the bitterness of the hops.
it can get in places and become a flavor that you don't want.
i generally only cook with really rich stouts because they tend to be really low in hops.
even a non hoppy light ale is dangerous I think
lagers are great for cooking because you can get the delicate malty flavor without a lot of bitterness.
"We believe in the people and their 'wisdom' as if there was some special secret entrance to knowledge that barred to anyone who had ever learned anything." - Friedrich Nietzsche
Meat
Ranch Dressing Mix
Pepperoncinis (at least the juice; but usually the peppers too)
Toss in Crock Pot and enjoy when time is done
---
I could probably add either wine or some lager (I have Dos Equis and Corona in the fridge) instead of water or broth. I've had good experiences with lagers, so I may give that a run. I'll update with what I end up using. At this point, it's an experiment in "how can I fuck this up the least."