<![CDATA[ChefTalk Cooking Forums - Food & Cooking Questions and Discussion]]>

<![CDATA[ChefTalk Cooking Forums - Food & Cooking Questions and Discussion]]> http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/ en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:56:03 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/images/styles/cheftalk/misc/rss.jpg <![CDATA[ChefTalk Cooking Forums - Food & Cooking Questions and Discussion]]> http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/ Question What are you smoking? http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57363-what-you-smoking.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:41:41 GMT Hi all :)

I thought it could be inspirational to post what your currently smoking. This doesn't have to be anything formal, just post what you smoked and/or get some ideas for new recipes.

The other day I smoked a couple of things...

On the top rack I Cured/Rubbed/Smoked some tasso ham. I got the cure recipe and the inspiration from CapeChef's Hot & Cold smoking thread.

After doing a little research on tasso ham I found that it is traditionally made from raw pork shoulder, not the ham portion. So I cut the pork butt into 1 1/2lb pieces and applied Cape Chef's cure recipe. After 3 1/2 hours I rinsed, dried and rubbed for a rest overnight. Because this was cured raw pork I did cook it to an internal temperature of 180f.

The tasso ham was absolutely wonderful. Great hammy flavor, nice spice, plenty of fat...YUM! This is great by itself, with breakfast, in rice dishes, or sliced thin on a sandwich. ...I wonder if I'll ever by sliced ham from the deli again???

Below the tasso ham I had a brisket cooking, using BDL's brisket recipe. I followed the recipe with the exception of the truffles. I really wanted to give it a try with the truffle oil injected into the brisket, but I was making this for alot of people...and truffles are just one of those things that people seem to find heavenly, or down right objectionable.

My only complaint about the brisket recipe was that there were NO leftovers!

Under the brisket and tasso ham I had some raw kielbasa sausage smoking. I like to make some of these guys and throw them in the freezer. It turns out great for rice dishes, gumbo, etc. The trick is trying to find the raw kielbasa. It's just not out every time I want to smoke.

At the bottom I had a large foil pan of baked beans that I was smoking. I took the quick route (I had enough things on my plate for that day) and used canned beans. I used drained/rinsed baked beans, black beans and white beans. I cut up some onion, garlic and red pepper. I added some molasses, some bourbon, dry mustard, salt and pepper and then lined the top with bacon. All the juices and spices from everything the tasso ham, the brisket and the kielbasa all dripped right into the beans. They were wonderful!

Dan ]]> gonefishin http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57363-what-you-smoking.html Question Turkey bags http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57359-turkey-bags.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:25:56 GMT I recently overheard a conversation about cooking turkeys. They were talking about using a cooking bag. Any opinions? I am pretty coventional, I just usually roast with seasoning under the skin and bacon over the breast. They were saying the turkey cooks faster. I recently overheard a conversation about cooking turkeys. They were talking about using a cooking bag. Any opinions? I am pretty coventional, I just usually roast with seasoning under the skin and bacon over the breast. They were saying the turkey cooks faster. ]]> Teresa http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57359-turkey-bags.html Question Pork belly in a crock pot? http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57358-pork-belly-crock-pot.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:09:18 GMT Making it for an early Thanksgiving get together. Oven and stove will be reserved for turkey and other things, so I figured the crock pot might be a good alternative for braising some pork belly. The belly will be used in pork buns a la Momofuku. I need some advice on timing and temp. Normally I... Making it for an early Thanksgiving get together. Oven and stove will be reserved for turkey and other things, so I figured the crock pot might be a good alternative for braising some pork belly. The belly will be used in pork buns a la Momofuku.

I need some advice on timing and temp. Normally I would do 2-3 hours. I'm thinking 4-5 hours on low in the crock. But I am also thinking a better way might be to just cook the belly to a specific internal temp and then stop the cooking. Any advice or guidelines on what internal temp to cook the belly to? Will it be difficult to get a good temp reading with such a fatty cut? Any other advice or suggestions welcome!

Thanks! ]]> MingusRude http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57358-pork-belly-crock-pot.html <![CDATA["Cook"book suggestion?]]> http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57354-cook-book-suggestion.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:41:58 GMT I'm being asked for gift ideas, and since I like to try new things cooking I was wondering if anyone knew of a good book that had great descriptions and/or instructions for creating 'food art,' sculpting fruits into various flower designs. Thanks ]]> pullmanpair http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57354-cook-book-suggestion.html Umami? http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57353-umami.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:59:15 GMT Can anyone explain Umami? It seems to be the new buzz word for foodies, but what exatcly is it supposed to be? I saw it defined as "savory", however after that I watched a food network show where the contestants were supposed to have umami in all the dishes they prepared. Either the food had umami, or it lacked umami, even though the dish was supposed to be sweet, sour, salty, etc. My cooking has delighted family and friends for decades with neither compliment nor complaint about this "umami"... is it real, or just more pretentious food snobbery? ]]> amazingrace http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57353-umami.html Ideas to cook with Meyer lemons? http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57351-ideas-cook-meyer-lemons.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:35:07 GMT My Meyer lemon tree is full of almost ripe fruits. I know I can use them to make lemonade, but what else? I don't have a sorbet machine. Any ideas you might want to share?

I have so many lemons.. I'm wondering if those would work ok for preserved lemons?

Thanks! ]]> French Fries http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57351-ideas-cook-meyer-lemons.html Question hard beans http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57349-hard-beans.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:22:14 GMT Greetings: Ever since I moved I have had difficulty getting beans, even lentils, to cook thoroughly. I soak the beans over night and do not salt until the end of cooking. I live at 1,770', have well water, and cook with propane. Last week I soaked lentils for 6-8 hours, and cooked for close to three hours and they were still al dente. I would appreciate any ideas on what is happening here or what I might try. jeff ]]> hoplandhophead http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57349-hard-beans.html A Challenge! http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57344-challenge.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:56:07 GMT So here is a challenge for you creative cooks lurking these forums. What you see before you is a list of ingredients I have selected which you HAVE to use inorder to create your special gourmet meal. You have: 2 Squabs (pigeons) Fresh foie gras Bacon slices Grean peas Fava beans

So here is a challenge for you creative cooks lurking these forums.

What you see before you is a list of ingredients I have selected which you HAVE to use inorder to create your special gourmet meal.

You have:
2 Squabs (pigeons)
Fresh foie gras
Bacon slices
Grean peas
Fava beans
Baby carrots
Baby turnips
Potatoes
Summer Savory

Along with these ingredients you can use any other herbs and spices, aromatic garnishes (carrots, celery, onions), alcohol, and dairy products.

Get your brains ticking. I'd love to see what you guys will come up with, with these rather ingredients.

]]> Guacamoule http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57344-challenge.html Feedback Please How to Prepare the Turkey http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57340-how-prepare-turkey.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:27:43 GMT I've been mulling the topic, and thought you might be interested in what I came up with: http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/blogs...ng-turkey.html

Let me know,
BDL ]]> boar_d_laze http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57340-how-prepare-turkey.html Question Bland Salad, How would you have fixed it? http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57339-bland-salad-how-would-you-have-fixed.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:36:32 GMT Hi, I made a salad tonight that had cucumber, tomatoes, avocado and fresh mint. The dressing was: yogurt, fresh mint, cucumber and honey all pureed together. It looked beautiful -the green and red and specs of mint...but it was bland and lacking in flavor. So what would you have done to... Hi,

I made a salad tonight that had cucumber, tomatoes, avocado and fresh mint. The dressing was: yogurt, fresh mint, cucumber and honey all pureed together. It looked beautiful -the green and red and specs of mint...but it was bland and lacking in flavor.

So what would you have done to make it more delicious is my first question. My next question is, Ive got a lot of the dressing left over, is there anything I can add to give it more flavor? What about mustard? ]]> LeChefette http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57339-bland-salad-how-would-you-have-fixed.html Feedback Please Tips for Deep Frying a Turkey http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57334-tips-deep-frying-turkey.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:09:20 GMT I will be deep frying our turkey this year and I have never done it before. Any tips/tricks etc to help make the experience a smooth and safe one? I will be deep frying our turkey this year and I have never done it before. Any tips/tricks etc to help make the experience a smooth and safe one? ]]> Nicko http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57334-tips-deep-frying-turkey.html Holiday Food! http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57347-holiday-food.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:04:24 GMT The client wants all of the food to be red, white and green. There will be approx. 70 people. Any suggestions would be great!:rolleyes:]]> :look:I need suggestions for a holiday party I am doing next month> The client wants all of the food to be red, white and green. There will be approx. 70 people. Any suggestions would be great!:rolleyes: ]]> AIC319 http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57347-holiday-food.html How do you like your burger? http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57322-how-do-you-like-your-burger.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:28:21 GMT How do you like your burger? I like mine medium, with one slice of american cheese (I know, yuck! but I can't help it), a smidgeon of ketchup, a dollop of mayo, one slice of romaine and a hint of slivered red onion. No pickles please!!! It has to be on a soft squishy warm bun that's lightly toasted, but no sesame seeds. ]]> Koukouvagia http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57322-how-do-you-like-your-burger.html Crab cakes binding agent http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57313-crab-cakes-binding-agent.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:54:58 GMT It's dungeness crab season here on the west coast and things are good.

I'm attempting to create "my ultimate crab cake recipe" and am having trouble keeping the cakes in one piece in the pan. Working with big dungeness crab the meat is so lumpy it just falls apart if you look at it too hard.

I want to incorporate a binding agent to help, but I don't want to end up with crab burgers.

A few items i've seen suggested is Mayo, egg white, egg yolk, etc.

Any suggestions or best practices I should consider? ]]> Pierre http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57313-crab-cakes-binding-agent.html Seasoning Conversions for different size batches http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57309-seasoning-conversions-different-size-batches.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:19:19 GMT I'm in need of assistance and this seems to be the right place. :)

Currently I'm working on some software for my company that helps in meal planning and inventory. What we're running into is getting the base amounts for scaling the seasonings correctly. Most recipes they use are 100 yield portions. So if the recipe is for cheeseburgers they get 100 patties, 100 buns, etc. Now if they need to serve 1000 people today they'd just multiply it by 10. This is really easy and straightforward. But we move in to recipes where we're talking about a casserole or stew that requires actual seasoning. I know from experience that you can't just multiply the salt or pepper by the same amount as your recipe is increasing by (double, triple, times 17, etc). So is there a method you use to determine a base amount to start with on large batches? This is an industrial kitchen so they have fryers and ovens that can accommodate these large recipes. But like I said, all the recipes are built around 100 person yields. Since this is a large kitchen they can sometimes serve up to 2500 people per meal. Right now we've got many locations and they all keep track differently so we're trying to use the software to get everyone on the same page at the same starting point. The end result should be to calculate ahead of time how much inventory has to be pulled from the shelves and set aside for the next weeks meal. Thanks in advance for your help!! ]]> manshack_one http://www.cheftalk.com/forums/food-cooking-questions-discussion/57309-seasoning-conversions-different-size-batches.html