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Hobby Cook form SC

835 views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  daltonj 
#1 ·
Hey everyone,

I'm a guy whose a hobby cook who likes to experiment and try to make unique things. I do enjoy making the standard southern dishes that everyone around here is used to, but I really enjoy trying new stuff (new for me and my family anyway). I'm hoping to learn some new and interesting things on this site as well as improve my techniques. I'd like to make my food look more attractive and professional. It's a little hard for me to practice, because my family are big eaters (I fed 15 people at thanksgiving), so I'm more comfortable cooking in bulk than making small portioned meals.

And I guess my secret shame is being southern and having zero ability to make biscuits. I've tried multiple times. I've got relatives who make really good biscuits and I've had them walk me through it and check my work. Theirs are nice and fluffy and my are flat and hard. Hope that improves, because I keep trying occasionally.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the tip. I have been using Crisco, because that's what my mother always used. I'll try it with cold butter. I have been trying to mix it as little as possible. Last time, I'm not sure I even mixed it enough to get every spec of flour damp from the butter milk. They still didn't rise as much as they should, but they were one of the better biscuits I'd made.

One problem I'd had before is I didn't have a recipe. My mother just eyeballed it. I'm more of a measuring guy. I eventually would do stuff like get her to cut in the Crisco and then let me feel what it felt like when she thought it was cut in correctly. Then I'd pour a measured amount of butter milk in a measuring cup, let her use what she thought she needed and then measure what was left. It got me closer, but I'm still not there.
 
#4 ·
Biscuits

2 cups Gold Medal Self-rising flour

½ cup Crisco or lard

1 cup milk or buttermilk

Cut Crisco into flour with pastry cutter. Gradually add milk until dough

sticks together. Flour hands, counter and rolling pin. Turn dough onto

counter. Knead a few times. Roll to ½ inch. Cut with biscuit cutter. Place

on baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes, or until brown

I am old school and like my butter on the biscuit not in the dough. Let them touch each other on the baking pan. This helps them rise.
 
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