Posted by theo at 4:55 pm
Apr 142010
I witnessed the softening of butter by the microwave method the other night. … My God it was horrific. … Once the butter was released from the radiation chamber, aka microwave oven, is was this runny, half melted/half solid thing. …You know, don’t believe the hype. Say you’re making a cake and you need to cream butter and sugar. OK, first thing you do is take out your butter, slice it long-ways and lay out on the board. .. That’s it. … By the time you get the rest of your ingredients out and even do some [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 5:22 pm
Jul 072008
It’s hard to believe the amount of resistance and the number of fresh pineapple virgins there are out there. .. The last recipe called for fresh pineapple and it was if I was asking people to become Julia Child or something. So basically for all those who’ll never admit they’ve never prep’d one, here you go short and simple: Using a long blade knife cut the end off Cut a slice (outer rind and all) Using a paring knife go round the slice and remove the rind Lay the slice on a cutting surface and with [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 12:39 pm
May 232008
I could go into all the facts about how coffee once out of the roaster starts it’s slide down the slippery slope towards staleness and un-drinkability.. A horror show for the taste buds actually. … We have oxidation going on, flavor compounds degrading to the point where they’ve become extinct in your beans, flatness.. etc. etc. So like everything in cooking .. Fresh is Truely Best. But that being said, it all depends upon your logistics as well. For instance, you have a problem if you’re driving an hour every day to get fresh coffee right from your favorite [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 7:09 pm
Apr 182008
I saw my brother cooking a lamb over Easter .. Oven gets opened..peeks in. Pokes the carcass.. Shuts oven.. .. 15 minutes go by.. Opens oven door..peeks in. Takes a knife to the carcass.. inspects for redness.. Shuts oven door.. Repeats until he gets sick of it and says some cuss word and if anybody doesn’t like it tough (second cuss-word). .. Nothing catches the Easter Holiday Spirit like underdone lamb and cussing. .. But it doesn’t have to be this way… Most people think of recipes mostly with regards to complicated dishes, especially baking. I [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 1:51 am
Mar 272008
If you eat fish or meat and don’t go to the Supermarket/Farmer’s Market every day you might be eating old food. This stuff ages quickly so I like to go to a place that moves tons of volume. Then I buy what I need for the next day (and at worse case the next two days max). Always looking for the expiration date and search for the one that’s farthest out there. And in doing this my Salmon still smelled a bit fishy for my liking the other day. Imagine if this had been sitting [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 1:10 am
Mar 142008
When you cook vegi’s does the end result resemble this weird looking mush or are your vegi’s still firm enough to remain distinct entities? Well, unless you’ve lost your teeth or something don’t cook so much. Especially if you are cooking a big batch for reheating later, .. lay off a bit and leave something there. This morning I made a pot of vegi’s that I would eat right away and also reheat and feed on later in the day. Cooked them just to my liking and they were not mushed by the additional reheat [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 3:30 pm
Mar 072008
One good way to multiple your food repertoire is to add in chopped fresh or sauteed peppers to your existing recipes. This of course won’t work for everything but there are many possibilities including: Dips Meals made with Organic Ground Meats such as turkey or beef Sauces In sandwiches In condiments such as organic mustard or ketchup (even if we buy these things from the store we can still dress them up. After all, they’re made to appeal to the average consumer. That’s a good starting point, now we can make then unique for us). Side [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 2:38 am
Feb 202008
I just got back from my brother’s place (computer emergency) and noticed that the spice rack situation has further deteriorated. Now, not only are some spices in glass jars to let the light in, but they are on this shelf thing positioned right in front of the window. .. Sort of an effort made to get the maximum amount of sunshine on the spices… Now I almost feel guilty about exposing this to the entire world and thank God I never told him about this blog. If you like this post please share with a friend. [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 9:16 pm
Feb 112008
Proper Olive Oil storage to minimize oxidation leading to rancidity involves three major things: Keeping the Olive Oil Away From Heat Keeping the Olive Oil Away From Light Keeping the Olive Oil Away From Air You also want the Olive Oil in a small enough container that is easily handled when cooking. But if you’re like me, you also want to save some money and buy it in bulk. One solution is to purchase a smaller bottle of Olive Oil, use that up and keep the bottle for refilling from your large bulk container. Then just [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 12:31 am
Feb 112008
It seems that the most common form of pepper is the already pre-ground type that sits in a container with holes in it (aka the pepper shaker). My brother, who does spend some time cooking, will top off his creations with this stale excuse for a flavor enhancer. But pepper is a spice who’s sole purpose is to add flavor to your foods…there’s something wrong here. But when pepper is pre-ground and exposed to air 24/7 it’s aromatics simply evaporate. And if this isn’t bad enough he further insures that all his pepper turns into flavorless black specks on [...click to contimue reading...]
