The Cooking Thread

I thought it would be nice to have a thread that just talked about cooking. The subject can be any darn thing, cooking related.

e.g,.

Good places to shop. (I'm a huge fan of the Rt. 10 Farmer's Market)
Favorite equipment or gadget. (I'm a gadget nut.)
Organizational tips or tricks. (What do I do with my pot lids in my tiny apartment kitchen????)
Excited about the Wegman's coming (sort of) to the area?

For example, I do something when writing down a recipe that I find helpful.

I keep all of my recipes in a big Word document. One page per recipe, if at all possible. But what I started to do recently is bold all the verbs in the cooking instructions. This way you can quickly see when and what you have to do.

e.g. I just took a recipe for a savory bread pudding from... the Times, I think.  Cut and pasted it into my document, and now it looks like this:




Great idea! I'm the Cookbooks buyer at Barnes & Noble and a Maplewood resident. May I periodically make y'all aware of great forthcoming cookbooks? As an example, Michelle Tam, author of NOM NOM PALEO and creator of the award-winning blog, has a new cookbook published by Andrews McMeel coming on August 1st called READY OR NOT! It's a collection of make-ahead recipes for all those Paleo diet lovers.  You can also ask me cookbook questions which I'll try to answer!


this is a recipe that was in the NY Times a couple months back for Jamie Olvier's roast chicken in milk.  The dish sounds pretty weird, but it's really very tasty.  And it can be made ahead for a dinner party and re-heated.  

Jamie Oliver's chicken in milk

It couldn't be easier to make.  Brown a whole chicken, toss in some sage leaves, a bunch of unpeeled garlic cloves, a cinnamon stick, strips of lemon peel and milk.  The flavors really balance nicely, and make for a beautifully aromatic sauce.


I make basmati rice all the time but Saturday I made "fragrant" basmati rice for the first time. I commute with some Indian people who told me how to integrate the cardamom, bay leaf and cinnamon (saute them briefly in a little oil or butter before adding the broth or water). It turned out really nicely - subtly aromatic and fluffy but firm. Served it with BBQ pork tenderloin in a spicy Asian marinade and a creamy cucumber salad. Yummy!


I've made that chicken. I got it from here, but I assume it's the same recipe:

http://www.thekitchn.com/jamie...

But yeah - it's quite good.

ml1 said:

this is a recipe that was in the NY Times a couple months back for Jamie Olvier's roast chicken in milk.  The dish sounds pretty weird, but it's really very tasty.  And it can be made ahead for a dinner party and re-heated.  

Jamie Oliver's chicken in milk

It couldn't be easier to make.  Brown a whole chicken, toss in some sage leaves, a bunch of unpeeled garlic cloves, a cinnamon stick, strips of lemon peel and milk.  The flavors really balance nicely, and make for a beautifully aromatic sauce.



that recipe is essentially the same, except it calls for lemon zest.  The Times recipe calls for thick strips of lemon peel, which is easier than zesting a lemon. Anything that saves me two minutes grin

drummerboy said:

I've made that chicken. I got it from here, but I assume it's the same recipe:

http://www.thekitchn.com/jamie...


But yeah - it's quite good.

ml1 said:

this is a recipe that was in the NY Times a couple months back for Jamie Olvier's roast chicken in milk.  The dish sounds pretty weird, but it's really very tasty.  And it can be made ahead for a dinner party and re-heated.  

Jamie Oliver's chicken in milk

It couldn't be easier to make.  Brown a whole chicken, toss in some sage leaves, a bunch of unpeeled garlic cloves, a cinnamon stick, strips of lemon peel and milk.  The flavors really balance nicely, and make for a beautifully aromatic sauce.



Crazy Salad

Lettuce; kale; scallion, black olives; tomatoes; black beans; radish, lentil, and broccoli sprouts (home-sprouted); sunflower seeds; sauteed chopped veggies (from TJs); cooked buckwheat. Recipe varies according to what's in the fridge, but most of this stuff is in it most times.  Dressing = mayo, garlic powder, rice wine vinegar, salt.




NotoriousEAM said:

Great idea! I'm the Cookbooks buyer at Barnes & Noble and a Maplewood resident. May I periodically make y'all aware of great forthcoming cookbooks? As an example, Michelle Tam, author of NOM NOM PALEO and creator of the award-winning blog, has a new cookbook published by Andrews McMeel coming on August 1st called READY OR NOT! It's a collection of make-ahead recipes for all those Paleo diet lovers.  You can also ask me cookbook questions which I'll try to answer!

I'd love to hear from you! The problem is, I love to buy cookbooks and I already have dozens of them, but I never use them any more because the NYT Cooking site is so incredibly convenient. I wish more cookbooks were available in a useful online format.


I have tried and tried to like kale.

I just can't do it. cheese

angelak said:

Crazy Salad

Lettuce; kale; scallion, black olives; tomatoes; black beans; radish, lentil, and broccoli sprouts (home-sprouted); sunflower seeds; sauteed chopped veggies (from TJs); cooked buckwheat. Recipe varies according to what's in the fridge, but most of this stuff is in it most times.  Dressing = mayo, garlic powder, rice wine vinegar, salt.



It's not my fave either, but once in awhile, I like it.  I like to mix up the greens:  green leafy lettuces, purple lettuce, romaine, spinach, kale.  I end up with different combos a lot of the time.  Green and/or purple cabbage often ends up in it as well.


Angelak  What are the proportions for your dressing? I want to try it.


1 tablespoon mayo + several sprinkles of vinegar + a healthy shake of garlic powder + sprinkle of salt (pepper too if I remember to put it in).  Not very quantitative, I'm afraid, except for the mayo because I like to know how many calories are in the salad.  It can add up with beans, grains, olives, and nuts.  You can substitute Greek yogurt for mayo if you're not a mayo fan.  If I make it ahead of time (rare) I'll often make a batch that's half mayo/half Greek yogurt.


Thank you. It all sounds delicious.


It really does come out really nicely, I have to say.  In the summer, I have a version with lunch or for lunch almost every day.


who can possibly not be a mayo fan?

It's practically its own essential food group.

And look at how hard the people at Hellman's worked to make their new squeeze bottle (of which I'm a big fan.)



angelak said:

1 tablespoon mayo + several sprinkles of vinegar + a healthy shake of garlic powder + sprinkle of salt (pepper too if I remember to put it in).  Not very quantitative, I'm afraid, except for the mayo because I like to know how many calories are in the salad.  It can add up with beans, grains, olives, and nuts.  You can substitute Greek yogurt for mayo if you're not a mayo fan.  If I make it ahead of time (rare) I'll often make a batch that's half mayo/half Greek yogurt.



I'm envious of your job!


NotoriousEAM said:

Great idea! I'm the Cookbooks buyer at Barnes & Noble and a Maplewood resident. May I periodically make y'all aware of great forthcoming cookbooks? As an example, Michelle Tam, author of NOM NOM PALEO and creator of the award-winning blog, has a new cookbook published by Andrews McMeel coming on August 1st called READY OR NOT! It's a collection of make-ahead recipes for all those Paleo diet lovers.  You can also ask me cookbook questions which I'll try to answer!

But now that you mention questions, here's one:

When evaluating a cookbook, how do you determine whether the recipes are good, or actually work? Do you ask the author to cook for you from the cookbook for a month?

That's what I'd do. cheese


anyone know where I can find some giancale around here? I tried Calandra's village but no go. (I think I was there one other time, wasn't too impressed. Not sure why I thought they might have it now.)

Is DiPietro's still in business? I never did go there.


if you're not into kale, have you tried broccolini? Do you have it over there? It's a hybrid of kale with broccoli, combining the good things (the nutrition, natural sweetness) and leaving out the not-so-nice (the tough leaves, tough stems, bitterness etc). Great for stir fries, steaming and eating raw. 

And I'm so sorry, DB, despite having been raised on French cooking I just can't stand mayo. Taste or texture. *shudder* I was very  glad of the excuse to avoid it when told I'm not allowed to eat it anymore due to my allergies. 


it's cumquat season! Teeny juicy bitter almost-oranges that are natural delight to savour when just picked, and make some of the best marmalade or liqueur you'll ever get! 

I have half of my brother's current crop sitting my dining table. There's more on his tree, and I gave away 4 kilos yesterday, and 2 kilos a couple of weeks ago. 

Here's a traditional recipe for cumquat whisky marmalade; unfortunately it's linked to a Masterchef site to hooks up to a supermarket shopping list. It also lists oranges not cumquat so - substitute whichever you have on hand. In fact, you could even use two-thirds oranges, one-third lemons or one-third mixed lemon and lime. Dead-easy and simply delicious!

http://www.taste.com.au/recipe...

Estimate a kilo as just under 2.5 pounds, and keep your proportions equal. It's not quite exact but close enough for this recipe. 


db -- that mayo squeeze bottle design is pretty darn cool.


For the giancale I'd try Union Pork Store on Morris Avenue.  Give them a call.


I think I tried broccolini once (sort of looks like broccoli rabe, doesn't it?) but I don't see it much anymore.

joanne said:

if you're not into kale, have you tried broccolini? Do you have it over there? It's a hybrid of kale with broccoli, combining the good things (the nutrition, natural sweetness) and leaving out the not-so-nice (the tough leaves, tough stems, bitterness etc). Great for stir fries, steaming and eating raw. 

And I'm so sorry, DB, despite having been raised on French cooking I just can't stand mayo. Taste or texture. *shudder* I was very  glad of the excuse to avoid it when told I'm not allowed to eat it anymore due to my allergies. 



it looks like skinny, young broccoli (not sure what 'rabe' is)


kthnry -- I know the feeling having too many cookbooks. I have to be selective. I found myself having cookbooks and not really looking at them any more or cooking from them. So I donate them. Incidentally, I periodically put out new cookbooks on the book rack at the train station. I think they get snatched up pretty fast. Online recipe mining is quick and easy but really affects cookbook sales and is the most challenging issue facing authors and publishers. Also, for cookbook authors and recipe developers, it's important to continue to innovate and not re-use recipes when creating a book so customers can truly enjoy something that is totally new and not found online. What are your favorite go-to sites for recipes? 

drummerboy -- it's a GREAT job, especially if you collect or like reading cookbooks and if you are an adventurous eater. In evaluating a cookbook, the recipes are important but it's not necessary to cook from them (at first). While content is king, the overall packaging and design is critical otherwise the consumer may never pick the book up off the table or shelf. I'm keen on examining the jacket, the typography, the layout inside the book, the food photography and how the recipes are written (or how the information is conveyed). All of these things must flow harmoniously throughout which will make for a better experience. 

Here's a question -- would you buy a cookbook that is only on preparing and cooking vegetables? Or do you have enough cookbooks in your personal library to find vegetable recipes?  



I donated most of the very few cookbooks that I had. They made me feel guilty, all of those unopened pages..... however I kept a few favorites and  have had great reviews for some of the recipes served at parties and a favorite is The Millennium Cookbook from the 4 star vegan restaurant. https://www.goodreads.com/book...

An old favorite that is vegetarian with vegan options is The Moosewood Cookbook also from that restaurant. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/...


Morganna -- MOOSEWOOD COOKBOOK is awesome. Have you ever tried Deborah Madison's SAVORY WAY or GREENS COOKBOOK? I still cook from VEGETARIAN COOKING FOR EVERYONE. Her last book, VEGETABLE LITERACY is amazing.


Great article by Bee Wilson, a wonderful writer for The Guardian and author of CONSIDER THE FORK: A HISTORY OF HOW WE COOK AND EAT and FIRST BITE: HOW WE LEARN TO EAT.

https://www.theguardian.com/li...


Have any of you tried making veggie burgers using chickpea flour as a binder?



NotoriousEAM said:

Online recipe mining is quick and easy but really affects cookbook sales and is the most challenging issue facing authors and publishers. 

I find a lot of online recipes to be unreliable. 

I would be happy to pay for cookbooks and recipes if they were presented in a handy, searchable online format like NYT Cooking. Cooks Illustrated is a good example of how not to do it. If you buy an online subscription, that just lets you page through back issues of the magazine online. I don't believe there's any way to search the entire library for a specific recipe or search by ingredient or save recipes. For me, it makes more sense to keep the back issues.

I have an old iPad mounted on the wall in my kitchen that I only use for NYT Cooking recipes. So much easier than making room on the counter for a big heavy book. The cookbook industry needs to figure out how to package its product in a way that consumers are willing to pay for. I doubt I'll ever buy another hardcopy cookbook.


One of my favorite kitchen / time-saving gadgets - mini chopper.  Great for chopping, mincing, almost-pureeing, etc.  Much smaller and more portable / stowable than a Cuisinart.  

https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-D...


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