Food Thread!

[Berzee]

I think that my thread about a toasted eveything-bagel bacon sandwich was kind of the Last Word on Food; making this thread a bit superfluous really.

BUT CARRY ON.

Edit: Dubbil, I just saw your signature and, goodness me, I lol'ed.

Edit2: Ride out with me. Ride out and eat them!

[alms]

For those who love meat (I do and also generally eat low carb), this is one of my favorite recipes:

Beer-braised beef with onions

it's quite easy, but I would suggest using a pressure cooker instead of the oven, it's quicker, more energy efficient and generally less hassle.

[westyfield]

For those who love meat (I do and also generally eat low carb), this is one of my favorite recipes:

Beer-braised beef with onions

it's quite easy, but I would suggest using a pressure cooker instead of the oven, it's quicker, more energy efficient and generally less hassle.

Damn, that looks delicious and fairly simple to make. Sadly I lack a casserole dish (I refuse to call it a Dutch oven) otherwise I would make this tomorrow.

[icupnimpn2]

Damn, that looks delicious and fairly simple to make. Sadly I lack a casserole dish (I refuse to call it a Dutch oven) otherwise I would make this tomorrow.

Whoa now. Firstly, I'm shocked to see Pioneer Woman linked to from RPS. It's like my wife's world just invaded mine. So thanks, alms.

Now westy, buddy, there is a hugegantic difference between a Dutch oven (which I think I own because my wife reads Pioneer Woman) and a casserole dish. Dutch ovens are heavy affairs suitable for the stove top, inside a kitchen's oven, or over a campfire flame. Regular casserole dishes are only fit for baking.

Dutch ovens are great for doing what she's done right there... searing meat and then transferring to the regular oven for cooking it through. Casserole dishes are great for... well, casseroles. But who really likes casseroles? Do you order casseroles from restaurants? No. Not if there is any other choice on the menu.

[alms]

Whoa now. Firstly, I'm shocked to see Pioneer Woman linked to from RPS. It's like my wife's world just invaded mine. So thanks, alms.

You're very much welcome sir =)

@westyfield you don't REALLY need a dutch oven, anything that can go into an oven and has a tight lid will do.

[westyfield]

Now westy, buddy, there is a hugegantic difference between a Dutch oven (which I think I own because my wife reads Pioneer Woman) and a casserole dish. Dutch ovens are heavy affairs suitable for the stove top, inside a kitchen's oven, or over a campfire flame. Regular casserole dishes are only fit for baking.

Hmm, maybe it's a regional thing, but what I would call a casserole dish is the exact same orange enamelled pot shown in the Pioneer Woman recipe. Though Google image searching "casserole dish" shows some of those, and some smaller glass ones as well, so perhaps that's what you're thinking of?

I didn't want to call it a Dutch oven because, to my mind, a Dutch oven is an unsavoury practical joke.

@westyfield you don't REALLY need a dutch oven, anything that can go into an oven and has a tight lid will do.

Aw, I don't have anything that fits that description. Frying pan, saucepan, milk pan (a small saucepan), and a lasagna dish are all I've got to work with. Might have a go at making that when I go home for the summer though, my mum's kitchen is far better-stocked with food/equipment than my poxy student kitchen. :)

[icupnimpn2]

Hmm, maybe it's a regional thing, but what I would call a casserole dish is the exact same orange enamelled pot shown in the Pioneer Woman recipe. Though Google image searching "casserole dish" shows some of those, and some smaller glass ones as well, so perhaps that's what you're thinking of?

I didn't want to call it a Dutch oven because, to my mind, a Dutch oven is an unsavoury practical joke.

My apologies. It is a regional thing. In the USAmericas, a casserole dish is anything roughly that shape, made of any material that can stand baking - glass, ceramic, whatever. Casserole dishes just have to be able to bake a casserole, so they need a certain amount of depth. It's deeper than a pan and has a lid.

Dutch Ovens are usually iron or other material heat resistant enough to stand an open flame.

Wikipedia tells me that in English-speaking places other than the USA, what we call Dutch ovens are just called casserole dishes.

So, I guess my question is, what on earth do you call something that you can bake a casserole in but that isn't made of iron?

[Voon]

I think that my thread about a toasted eveything-bagel bacon sandwich was kind of the Last Word on Food; making this thread a bit superfluous really.

BUT CARRY ON.

We can never get enough of our foods, can't we?

I used to eat out in a couple of Indian restaurants a year ago. One serving northern dishes and the other, southern. I'm quite familiar with the southern dishes which are quite spicy. But the northern dishes? Now that's new to me. I ordered some Qurma from the northern Indian restaurant and I was a bit surprised that the dish looked, rather than reddish, creamy. And it tasted creamy, too. It turns out that the Qurma from the northern Indian recipe had plain yogurt rather than coconut milk as an ingredient. Northern Indian dishes are much like southern Indian dishes, really, although some of the northern dishes are milder and thicker compared to the southern dishes.

[Feldspar]

Qurma is known as korma in the UK, not that I suggest that any of the UK curries bear much resemblance to their Indian ancestors, I intend to cook my own version later with coconut cream and some leftover sour cream that's sat in the fridge.

[Dubbill]

We're making burgers this evening. My girlfriend's going to bake up a batch of these and I will be in charge of the meat.

Any good tips for the burgers (or patties, if you will)? My technique is to use plain beef with no added extras. Form the burgers, season one side and fry seasoned side down. Spread some dijon mustard on the top and then flip them. This cooks out the raw sharpness from the mustard and leaves a more intense flavour. Burgers are constructed with pickled jalapeños, cheddar, lettuce and tomato. Shit, I'm hungry now.

[westyfield]

Any good tips for the burgers (or patties, if you will)? My technique is to use plain beef with no added extras. Form the burgers, season one side and fry seasoned side down. Spread some dijon mustard on the top and then flip them. This cooks out the raw sharpness from the mustard and leaves a more intense flavour. Burgers are constructed with pickled jalapeños, cheddar, lettuce and tomato. Shit, I'm hungry now.

Step 1: Buy the most circular slice of fillet steak you can find.
Step 2: Pan-fry it the usual way (a little oil, salt, pepper).
Step 3: Slap it between two halves of a burger bun, add whatever else you want (sauce, salad, bacon, cheese etc.)
Step 4: You now have the best 'burger' of all time. You can thank me later.

[Voon]

We're making burgers this evening. My girlfriend's going to bake up a batch of these and I will be in charge of the meat.

Any good tips for the burgers (or patties, if you will)? My technique is to use plain beef with no added extras. Form the burgers, season one side and fry seasoned side down. Spread some dijon mustard on the top and then flip them. This cooks out the raw sharpness from the mustard and leaves a more intense flavour. Burgers are constructed with pickled jalapeños, cheddar, lettuce and tomato. Shit, I'm hungry now.

You've probably had some good burgers but whatever. This reminds me of something I watched in a travelling channel, a few weeks ago:

[Timofee]

Interesting video, I was with that guy right up until he used the processed cheese. I actually quite like that stuff but at a certain threshold I think you need to use higher quality ingredients.

Also, bleh I hate pickles. I hate them with the passion of a thousand suns and cannot understand why people like them - SCREW YOU PICKLES

I was quite pleased with the result of some burgers I made a few weeks ago. Good quality lean beef mince, seasoned and combined with an onion and a couple of red peppers that I'd blitzed very fine along with some dijon mustard, tomato puree and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Moulded them together and gave a very light rub with oil. I didn't manage to get that nice crust he got but then I was grilling them rather than frying.

Damn I'm hungry now... Oh well Toad in the hole tonight MmmMm

[alms]

The guy doesn't always make sense to me. Did he use butter and then claimed the burger was cooking in its own fat? Oo Also I'm not sold on eating a burger which is basically burnt outside (the bacon looks especially bad around the edges) and raw on the inside. I have no problem with rare meat but that's for real steaks not ground meat.

Another bunch of easy ways to make your steaks more interesting: how to marinate meat and 10 marinade recipes. I can recommend 3, 7 and 8.

[Dubbill]

I was quite pleased with the result of some burgers I made a few weeks ago. Good quality lean beef mince, seasoned and combined with an onion and a couple of red peppers that I'd blitzed very fine along with some dijon mustard, tomato puree and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

Sounds good. Some parmesan grated into the meat gives a nice depth to your burger. It works especially well with turkey burgers which can be a bit monotone otherwise.

The guy doesn't always make sense to me. Did he use butter and then claimed the burger was cooking in its own fat?

The butter means that you can oil the meat so it doesn't stick to the cooking surface but you don't lose any of the meat's fat or juices (e.g. the flavour) to the pan. If you fry burgers in oil, the fat/juices leak out in to the pan and are lost.

[Voon]

Speaking of burgers, whenever I see this, I... HOLY MOTHERF-

[Theblazeuk]

So, I guess my question is, what on earth do you call something that you can bake a casserole in but that isn't made of iron?

A casserole dish.

You're overcomplicating this :)

[westyfield]

Just made spaghetti carbonara. It's delicious, quick, and super-easy to make.

Cook spaghetti in boiling water. Whilst that's going, cut up a few rashers of bacon into roughly 2x1cm pieces, and set them gently frying in a pan (don't bother with oil, just leave the fat on the bacon when you cut it). Chop a small onion and add that to the pan to fry along with the bacon. Beat an egg and finely grate some parmesan into it.
Try to time it so that the pasta and the bacon/onion are finished as closely to each other as possible.
From here on you need to be as quick as possible.
Drain the pasta, but drain the hot water into the bowl you're going to eat from. Let it sit for a few seconds while you pour the rest of the water away. Then empty the bowl of water and put the spaghetti in. Pour the egg and cheese mixture onto the pasta and lift it with a fork a few times so it mixes in and cooks (that's why you want the bowl hot - if you're using a plate then leave the pasta in the pan once drained and add the egg to that instead). Throw the bacon and onions in as well and mix it some more, then grind too much black pepper onto it (and more grated parmesan if you want) and eat.

Can be done in 15-20 minutes with a good cooker, the limiting factor when I made it was how long it took to get the water to boil so I could add the pasta. Overall it took me about 25 minutes.

[Voon]

So it's an egg and cheese mixture? I always thought it was cream sauce!

[westyfield]

So it's an egg and cheese mixture? I always thought it was cream sauce!

I think you can add cream if you want, but the recipe I have doesn't call for it.

I found a slightly different way of doing it, which sounds like it could be a little easier - you don't fully cook the pasta, instead when the bacon is done you transfer the pasta and a little bit of the water to the pan with the bacon, then mix the egg in there.