The Kitchen

[evearael]

This is a place to post stories about all the things that go right and horribly wrong with your cooking adventures, chat, share cooking tips and cry for help!

I always make way too much food. My daughter's birthday party is this Saturday and I've just spent the past hour and a half preparing chocolate cheesecake from scratch for the first time while trying to keep my daughter happy. The last part was difficult because the mixer scares her, but she hangs around anyway for the semi-sweet chocolate morsels. Anyway, I didn't know what a spring form pan was, so when I went looking for one at the store I just got a 10" pie pan. Apparently that is about half the size of what I needed so now I'm going to end up with two chocolate cheesecakes instead of one (as soon as I run out to buy a second pie pan this afternoon). I need to serve cake for 24 adults and children, so I guess it isn't bad to have extra, but I had planned to bake a spiced carrot cake with cream cheese icing tomorrow for the second cake. We are going to wind up with an obscene amount of leftovers. :areyoucra

 

[NoahideHiker]

I like making gourmet food and trying new stuff. I recently spent about four hours making a mango mousse sponge cake. I also made fresh from scratch mango sourbet to go on the side. Took me maybe 30 minutes to make. The
mousse cake was so-so but everyone raved about the sourbet that took no time at all to make. Lesson learned!

 

[evearael]

The cake and the sorbet both sound delicious! I just finished baking the spiced carrot cake. I'll make the icing for it tomorrow. It took forever to grate one and a half cups of carrots with a handheld rotary grater. *massages hands* I may have to buy a food processor. I'm happy all of the time intensive dishes are prepared so I can actually relax before the party.

 

[Djamila]

My husband says I always find a way to completely ruin his favorite meals. It's a running joke, whenever anyone compliments my cooking he says, "Oh for the love of God, don't tell her you like something or you'll never get it again."

I think I have a war-related psychological disorder because I feel extremely uncomfortable having anything canned in my cupboards. I remember, during the war, with no electricity, how frustrating it was to beat cans until you could make a hole big enough to suck out whatever was inside of it. Normally when I buy something that comes in a can, I'll open it and store it in glass jars in my cupboards.

I can't taste salt, really. Everyone I know always says, "It needs more salt" or "There's too much salt", but I can't taste a difference at all either way - so I've no idea how my cooking is in that regard.

I'm very fast at cooking everything from scratch, and I almost always make my own pasta and that sort of thing - and it's very good.

 

[Booko]

Anyway, I didn't know what a spring form pan was, so when I went looking for one at the store I just got a 10" pie pan.

Uh yeah... a spring form pan has a lot more depth to it, and you can't heap it up high like you could if it were a fruit pie.

Hint for cheesecake makers with no springform pan: Use a regular 9x9 baking pan. The first piece might come out a little messy, but who cares?

Apparently that is about half the size of what I needed so now I'm going to end up with two chocolate cheesecakes instead of one (as soon as I run out to buy a second pie pan this afternoon).

Just freeze it, Leonne! Cheesecake freezes very well. :yes:


Oh, another use for spring form pans: You know those pricey "ice cream cakes" they make at Hagen Daz? Well, just make your own -- wow is it cheaper!!!

1. Put a very light coating of veggie oil on spring form pan.
2. Jam ice cream flavor of your choice into spring form pan.
3. Freeze in coldest part of freezer for 24 hours.
4. Remove outer edge of spring form pan.
5. Drizzle with hard chocolate sauce and/or sprinkle with nuts as desired.


"Magic Shell" for culinary dummies.

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter

Melt in microwave on MED until butter is melted. Mix until it's a smooth consistency.

Whenver you want to use it again, just nuke on MED until it's melted again. You can keep melting and remelting this stuff -- it doesn't matter.

My daugher has always HATED cake, so I would make her ice cream "cakes" for her birthday. People thought I paid $20 for them at the store. hahaha! Try about $3 for the materials.

 

[Booko]

I think I have a war-related psychological disorder because I feel extremely uncomfortable having anything canned in my cupboards.

I have an aversion to canned food as well, but that's because my mother was always serving us canned veggies, even at the height of the season when you could get things fresh.

And then, like a good Dutchwoman, she'd take them and boil the living crap out of them until they tasted about as good as Gerber baby food.

BLECH!!!

I'm very fast at cooking everything from scratch, and I almost always make my own pasta and that sort of thing - and it's very good.

Yeah, I'm very fast at cooking from scratch as well. It really doesn't take that long if you're used to it.

It amazes me how many people go get takeout dinners at the grocery store. In the time it takes them to go to the store, buy the stuff and get home, I'd have cooked an entire meal from scratch. Most of the day to day meals take me 30 minutes tops, and that's only because it takes that long for the brown rice to finish.

 

[NoahideHiker]

Is there anything worse than putting together a lasagna, turning around and finding one of the major like meat was left out?

 

[evearael]

I just looked up springform pans online so now I will know what I'm looking for before I go to buy one. That looks like it would have worked much better.

I'm getting quicker with making things from scratch. It usually takes me more time to dice things than anything else... though I am so klutzy I don't dare go any faster. I have a nice little scar from the last time I tried to rush with a knife. What has really struck me is how ridiculously easy it is to make things from scratch... like peanut butter cookies. Why would anyone ever buy them? It's a cup of peanut butter, a cup of sugar and an egg.

I may have to make an ice cream cake for my next party. That looks like fun!

 

[Booko]

Is there anything worse than putting together a lasagna, turning around and finding one of the major like meat was left out?

Not being able to eat lasagna at all?

Thank goodness for sheep's milk cheese and silken tofu! I thought I'd have to give up lasagna forever. Two years was bad enough.

I'm still trying to convince my kids to eat more veggies in the lasagna, but since they're so ridiculous about it, I just stick everything imaginable in the marinara and then put it in the blender. What they can't see won't hurt them.

 

[Booko]

I'm getting quicker with making things from scratch. It usually takes me more time to dice things than anything else... though I am so klutzy I don't dare go any faster.

The real key is what kind of knives you're using. A sharp knife is always safer. And a French Chef knife is faster to dice with -- and your fingers are farther from the blade. People for some reason think if they wanna cut something small they should use a small knife. Not so!

Oh, for anyone who has marginal knives and not a lot of money, here's a REALLY good brand of knife that keeps it's edge better than anything short of Cutcos and is really inexpensive:

http://www.radamfg.com/

My Mom turned me onto these. You can find these things at flea markets or online, and the prices are just great! I've had mine for several years, use them constantly, stuff them in the dishwasher, and I've yet to have to sharpen a single one!

My favorites are still my Cutco knives, though. But they're pricey. Of course, your children will still be using them when you're dead, but hey.

Never buy a serrated knife, unless it's a Cutco, but then their knives are more than just serrated.

Well, actually I do use serrated knives -- to cut the rootballs when I'm dividing perennial plants. :biglaugh: That's about all they're good for.

What has really struck me is how ridiculously easy it is to make things from scratch... like peanut butter cookies. Why would anyone ever buy them? It's a cup of peanut butter, a cup of sugar and an egg.

Well, you might want to put a bit of flour in.

Just for fun sometime, try almond or cashew butter instead. It can get expensive, but our local farmer's market has a grinding machine where you grind your own fresh on the spot. Some healthfood stores and food co-ops have this sort of thing too.

I may have to make an ice cream cake for my next party. That looks like fun!

It's so much easier than a cake cake too! I don't know why people are so impressed with them. You can even get real fancy and make them in a jello mold and then dip them in the chocolate, if you want. That's all they do at Hagen Daz. I had to get one for work once and I schmoozed the guy behind the counter and he told me how they do it. Sneaky of me, huh?

Oh! Mixers! I have a Kitchenaid mixer. They are truly the best. They have a serious motor in them that can do most anything. They're worth every penny, and you'll never need another mixer in your life. Neither will your daughter...haha

 

[MaddLlama]

Book, will you come to my house and teach me to cook?! ;_;

I am so jealous of all of you, the fanciest I've ever gotten is home-made bruchetta.

Is there anything worse than putting together a lasagna, turning around and finding one of the major like meat was left out?

I'll do you one better - finishing prepping the lasanga and realizing that you bought ground beef instead of the soy crumblers for your 8 vegetarian friends. :cover:

 

[Booko]

Book, will you come to my house and teach me to cook?! ;_;

Maybe we should try out my dvd recorder and I can link to some video lessons. Ah...yeah...youtube cooking lessons! Maybe I can link up with FatMan and we can make it into a comedy routine too?

I am so jealous of all of you, the fanciest I've ever gotten is home-made bruchetta.

Seriously, with each new thing you learn, the easier it gets. You just have to be prepared to risk disaster once in a while, so be sure you have enough time to go score a roast chicken at your grocery store in case of emergency. hahaha!

Cooking is one of those things where there are not so many basic techniques, but it kinda takes having someone show you how to really learn how to do it.

If you don't have a copy of Joy of Cooking -- buy one. Their "about" sections are worth it, even if you don't use one of their recipes. They give you good (but brief!) info about materials and methods that other cookbooks just skip.

Other cookbooks tell you to braise something, and assume you know what it means to braise something. :areyoucra

Come to think of it, I've never know any other cookbook to give instructions on how to dress a squirrel...

I'll do you one better - finishing prepping the lasanga and realizing that you bought ground beef instead of the soy crumblers for your 8 vegetarian friends. :cover:

Oh no...now *that* would be horrible!

OK...so you freeze the one you made and then hike off to Sam's real quick.

Sam's actually has a so so veggie lasagna, btw. If you eat prepared foods, it's tasty enough and has no meat products. I serve it sometimes at big events where I do volunteer catering. We always have some vegetarians in the Baha'i community, so I just plan on having something at least halfway decent they can eat.

 

[NoahideHiker]

The real key is what kind of knives you're using. A sharp knife is always safer. And a French Chef knife is faster to dice with -- and your fingers are farther from the blade. People for some reason think if they wanna cut something small they should use a small knife. Not so!

Oh, for anyone who has marginal knives and not a lot of money, here's a REALLY good brand of knife that keeps it's edge better than anything short of Cutcos and is really inexpensive:

http://www.radamfg.com/

My Mom turned me onto these. You can find these things at flea markets or online, and the prices are just great! I've had mine for several years, use them constantly, stuff them in the dishwasher, and I've yet to have to sharpen a single one!

My favorites are still my Cutco knives, though. But they're pricey. Of course, your children will still be using them when you're dead, but hey.

Never buy a serrated knife, unless it's a Cutco, but then their knives are more than just serrated.

Well, actually I do use serrated knives -- to cut the rootballs when I'm dividing perennial plants. :biglaugh: That's about all they're good for.



Well, you might want to put a bit of flour in.

Just for fun sometime, try almond or cashew butter instead. It can get expensive, but our local farmer's market has a grinding machine where you grind your own fresh on the spot. Some healthfood stores and food co-ops have this sort of thing too.



It's so much easier than a cake cake too! I don't know why people are so impressed with them. You can even get real fancy and make them in a jello mold and then dip them in the chocolate, if you want. That's all they do at Hagen Daz. I had to get one for work once and I schmoozed the guy behind the counter and he told me how they do it. Sneaky of me, huh?

Oh! Mixers! I have a Kitchenaid mixer. They are truly the best. They have a serious motor in them that can do most anything. They're worth every penny, and you'll never need another mixer in your life. Neither will your daughter...haha

My wife bought me a nice santoku knife for the holidays and I don't know how I got along with out.

 

[NoahideHiker]

Maybe we should try out my dvd recorder and I can link to some video lessons. Ah...yeah...youtube cooking lessons! Maybe I can link up with FatMan and we can make it into a comedy routine too?

Wow! Looky what I found! Cooking vids on Youtube. These are Gordon Ramsey's vids. He's a total butt hole in the kitchen but he is a great chef. I have a couple of his books and like his recipes a lot.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gordon+ramsey&search=Search

But my all time favorite chef is this guy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9oyr_MKABY

 

[evearael]

My knives are Cutco. I've got a chef's knife, a bread knife, a paring knife, a shorter serated knife with a sharp point and a spatula spread knife.

Actually, the recipe I followed didn't require flour. I thought it was weird too, but they turned out great. I only made the peanut butter cookies because I've got about six jars of peanut butter in my cabinet and we weren't using them fast enough.

Ooo! I will have to get a Kitchenaid mixer! I had to borrow one from my neighbor to make the cheesecake. Maybe I can convince my husband to get it for us for Valentine's Day or actually our anniversary because I think he wants a bread machine for V Day. I'll have to slip the Joy of Cooking in for one of those...

Thanks NoahideHiker! Gordon Ramsey is awesome! I hadn't seen him before. Now I want scrambled eggs...

 

[Mavrikmind]

Speaking of Knives, I bought a set from Shieffer. All of them are the Japanese style with bamboo hilts. I have one in the set that looks identical to Noahidehikers. I love that one.
As far as serated, I only have a set of steak knives with that type of blade.
I much prefer smooth or non serated because I sharpen all my knives on diamond wet stones. I can make them so sharp it's scary. Booko is right, sharp knives are safer and it's easier if your knives are of the proper steel as well .

 

[Gentoo]

I hate being in a kitchen having to cook, I have a meltdown before I take anything out of the fridge..

The best I can do is either put something in the oven to cook, or make pasta.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Once (and only once) I wasn't paying attention and I put some fish on a plastic tray, and put it in the oven. :cover:
That was not fun cleaning.

 

[Mavrikmind]

I bet that melted plastic smelled wonderfull LOL

 

[Guitar's Cry]

I've worked in many a kitchen.

The worst thing I did was serve raw chicken to a customer. I was a steak cook at a small restaurant. It was busy, and I didn't have time to temp anything. I used a frozen chicken breast for...something. Probably a chicken sandwich. At any rate, it looked and felt done. One of the worst mistakes you can do as a cook! I got a good talking to for that. Luckily, that was my first mistake, so I wasn't fired.

The funny part is, the next day I heard a caller on a local radio station complaining about how he was served raw chicken! He didn't mention where, but it was still so embarrassing!