Come all ye self-styled chefs and kitchen users, we must talk.

clover wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:
clover wrote:

Re: magnetic strips, just put the knife on it carefully, spine first, then rotate it toward the spine and pull to remove it again.

Magnets get a bad reputation from people just slapping their knives onto them, then ripping them back off with no regard for the blade.

I WILL NEVER APPROVE OF THEM! Yeah, I get that they're not going to harm the edge, so from a practical standpoint they are great. Likely, they won't even scratch good steel, or at most, the scratching will be minimal. Using them at people's houses, doing it just like you mention, makes me cringe.

Yeah, my dad got one and is exceedingly careful with it, but I don't want one near my own stuff :D

Because of the way you typically hold knives and because they taper from the spine to the edge you really don't even have to be that careful about slapping them on to the magnet. They pretty much always go on spine first. Can't say I particularly care about what the flat of the blade looks like, the edge being the important bit, but I have no recollection of knife magnets leaving noticeable marks.

If your knives are made of a material that gives a rat's bikini about that magnetic strip, you might want to look into better knives. The metal those are made of is very soft. I'm not saying you should try to hack it out of the wall when you're putting your knives away, but to each their own.

I have a Cuisinart set the girls got me one year in a nice block, and that's what I keep on the counter for people to use when they're over (and it did come with a solid steak knife set). My "real" knives are Wusthoff's (chef's knife, boning knife, paring knife) and they live safely scabard-ed in a drawer.

I'm not a complete snob. I do have one 12" chef's knife labelled Anolon I picked up at a department store clearance I'm quite fond of, too. It keeps a very nice edge, though I mostly use it for things like slicing a watermelon or carving a really big roast.

TBH if you're not sharpening your knives on a stone regularly it doesn't really bloody matter how you're storing them and if you are sharpening them on a stone regularly then you're probably not going worry about scratches.

The secret to good scrambled eggs is milk or heavy cream, and a whisk. The curds will be fluffy and silky smooth.

You can't buy crumpets in Sweden. I've ordered crumpet rings with a view to making my own.

Not that any of you uncultured muppets would care.

Maq wrote:

You can't buy crumpets in Sweden. I've ordered crumpet rings with a view to making my own.

Not that any of you uncultured muppets would care.

Alexis makes her own; I haven't had them elsewhere, so I can't really compare, but they're delicious

Maq wrote:

You can't buy crumpets in Sweden. I've ordered crumpet rings with a view to making my own.

Not that any of you uncultured muppets would care.

For the record, I am an exquisitely cultured muppet.

KingGorilla wrote:

The secret to good scrambled eggs is milk or heavy cream, and a whisk. The curds will be fluffy and silky smooth.

I've been using Gordon Ramsay's method (video below). The milk/cream and whisk are helpful, but his technique makes some amazing eggs.

Jonman wrote:
Maq wrote:

You can't buy crumpets in Sweden. I've ordered crumpet rings with a view to making my own.

Not that any of you uncultured muppets would care.

For the record, I am an exquisitely cultured muppet.

IMAGE(http://images.wikia.com/muppet/images/3/34/Swedishchef-myspace.jpg)

Maq wrote:

You can't buy crumpets in Sweden. I've ordered crumpet rings with a view to making my own.

Not that any of you uncultured muppets would care.

IMAGE(http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/pictures/picture-8293.jpg)

fleabagmatt wrote:
Maq wrote:

You can't buy crumpets in Sweden. I've ordered crumpet rings with a view to making my own.

Not that any of you uncultured muppets would care.

IMAGE(http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/files/pictures/picture-8293.jpg)

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/OcBqR6A.jpg)

Huh, I've never added butter when doing scrambled eggs, maybe because my pan is non-stick? Anyway, it's just whisk the eggs and dump them in, preferably with a handful of shredded cheese.

Am I missing something by omitting the butter? Other than calories?

Yellek wrote:

Huh, I've never added butter when doing scrambled eggs, maybe because my pan is non-stick? Anyway, it's just whisk the eggs and dump them in, preferably with a handful of shredded cheese.

Am I missing something by omitting the butter? Other than calories?

Deliciousness.

I am not saying making it a weekly or every day thing, but heavy cream or butter in the eggs does make a world of difference so far as flavor.

As I initially mentioned how I make them, I only use butter when doing mushrooms, thyme and onions. With only thyme, I don't do butter. I don't really like rich tasting eggs with butter/cream. I'd rather have a bit of herbs, salt, and pepper to accent the taste rather than fat.

I'd think it's mostly for those who lack non-stick pans or those trying to simmer omelet ingredients prior to adding the eggs.

+whatever# on whisking a bit of milk in with the eggs.

Is it sad that I'm excited about my 28cm sateuse pan that arrived today? Its a Greenpan in the Michel Roux range, and it feels great. Can't wait to use it.

I always scramble my eggs in a small non-stick milk pan, rather than a frying pan. Largely to ensure that the eggs are relatively deep so that on the lowest flame they take the longest time to cook. I'm all about the slow cooking of the eggs.

krev82 wrote:

I'd think it's mostly for those who lack non-stick pans or those trying to simmer omelet ingredients prior to adding the eggs.

I can tell you now that butter does absolutely nothing to prevent eggs sticking so I'm pretty sure it's just therey for the flavour. I always add it for the flavour.

With regards milk or cream; I'm broadly against it as I find all it does is dilute the taste of the eggs.

clover wrote:
dhelor wrote:

The Impossible Cookbook: How to Cook for the World’s Most Difficult Dietary Restrictions. Thought some might find this of interest around here. The gluten-free chicken and dumplings recipe sounds quite interesting.

Shenanigans! Those recipes are full of nightshades... I can't make most of them!

My weirdness aside, the book looks like it's full of good stuff. I love the title.

I was thinking about the same for my sisters family... I don't think a single dish without corn, wheat, egg, or dairy products is likely to be found.

Speaking of eggs, how do you guys make omelets? Mine always turn into scrambled eggs anyway, because I can't fold or turn them right...

sometimesdee wrote:

Speaking of eggs, how do you guys make omelets? Mine always turn into scrambled eggs anyway, because I can't fold or turn them right...

To make an omelet you need an omelet pan. Seriously After that, I never quite succeed in making one that isn't runny. Robear uses a lid to help the egg finish cooking before folding.

plavonica wrote:

Picked up a big bag of do it yourself popcorn for a bit under $2 today. Decided to try and make my own. Used a 2-3 qt pot, put about 1/8inch of oil on the bottom and some butter and seasoned salt. Put on the high end of med/hi covered until all the butter melted and the oil started boiling. Stuck 4 kernels in and waited for them to pop. That took awhile.
Once they popped I poured in enough to generously cover the bottom of the pan but not enough to have them start to pile up. They started popping much faster than the original 4. Just a word of caution when making your own: use much less salt than you think. Wow those things were salty. Still turned out better than those microwave ones.

I recently made a quick post about doing lime/salt popcorn in the microwave here. It's probably a bit healthier than using butter and extremely easy. The whole process takes about 5 minutes, and that includes the minimal clean up. I've done the over the stove method and it always is a slight pain because you have to be careful to get the heat and timing right.

Enjoy making your own popcorn! It always feels more personal than buying microwave bags, and it's a great deal cheaper, too.

And you can eat a ton of it and not have to worry about popcorn lung.

Lucky Wilbury wrote:
sometimesdee wrote:

Speaking of eggs, how do you guys make omelets? Mine always turn into scrambled eggs anyway, because I can't fold or turn them right...

The alton brown method is broadly how I do both omelet and frittata. Except...

For the omelet in a 12" pan I use only 2 eggs and after pouring the eggs in I just run them around the pan to get an even coating. I don't use a spatula nor do I pull the edges in, I'm aiming for a very thin delicate set layer. Once the omlette has cooked just enough to release from the pan I fold/roll it over itself immediately leaving the inside slightly under done. If it looks too under done I'll let it cook in the pan rolled up for a moment if not I'll serve it.

For the frittata, I typically use a slightly smaller 10" pan than he's got and 4-5 eggs as I'm trying to make something a bit deeper and slightly more quiche (cake?) like. My favourite frittata recipe goes like this:

1-3 inch of Chorizo finely diced
1 red chilli v.finely diced
1 large tomato chopped.
4-5 eggs whisked with a little salt
2-3 scallions sliced lengthways at an angle
Sharp cheddar

Add the chorizo, chilli and tomato to a medium hot 10" pan and cook through until the fat has run from the chorizo and the tomato is reducing. Add the egg and stir through the rest of the ingredient thoroughly. Once the eggs is setting sprinkle the scallions over the top then grate a layer of cheese over the onions. Place the pan under the grill/broiler and allow the top to cook through and the cheese has well melted.

I practiced. I think there is a reason why so many culinary institutes, in so many cultures make eggs the pass-fail dish; Egg Sushi in Japan, Mettlesome in French Schools, etc.

I make more fritatta these days than omelet, just because it is easier to make 1 egg dish for 3+ people.

Some basic tips on the omelet, use enough oil. Make the filling a part of the structure. You need to saute the onions, or peppers, or mushrooms first. You pull out some of that water, and that bit of vegetable becomes like rebar. With omelet, less is more. If you over stuff, the omelet will break. It is just like a burrito or a wrap. Lastly, a big spatula helps- even learn to use 2 spatulas.

Yeah, I usually use something similar to the tamagoyaki technique, except it was how my mom taught me.

Basically, you put your beaten egg into the pan, give it a moment to settle and form a good start. Then begin working around the edges with a rubber spatula, lifting them and rolling the pan to let the still liquid egg go under the edges, cooking it and also reinforcing the parts you have to fold.

Then, once the top is not moving anymore, add in your pre-saute'd ingredients and your cheese and fold, either in half or in thirds, depending on the ingredients inside. If there are peas or a semi-liquid ingredient like sour cream or anything else that tends to escape on you, you want the 3-fold to hold onto it, but for just cheese and a meat, in half is fine.

Then I'll usually use a spatula to flip it over onto it's belly and let it cook some more, while adding a bit of grated cheese to melt onto it's back.

While we are on the subject of eggs, here's a great vid with a genuinely great way to make poached eggs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...

I'll be trying that in the morning

DanB wrote:

While we are on the subject of eggs, here's a great vid with a genuinely great way to make poached eggs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...

I'll be trying that in the morning

I am so trying this tonight. I've never poached an egg before! I've got one of those strainers (best purchase ever by the way). I'll just have to go to the store after work today for fresh eggs, English muffins, and some sort of meat product.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

some sort of meat product.

IMAGE(http://www.toptenz.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/pottedmeat.jpg)