Gravy's Cooking Thread

Lanx said:

is 2 cups of rice ready really fast b/c of the induction heating (IH)? i'm thinking about that one

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Induction heating is fast, yes, but there are more parameters at play than just that. There's some function of grain type and time at temperature required to get the rice to absorb the right amount of moisture and still come out at the target consistency. Medium grain white rice will be done in 20-25 min but brown can take an hour, the time difference being more than just the proportional difference in water added.

tldr; I'm not sure it's any faster than cooking on a traditional stovetop if you heat the water ahead of time. There is less thought and oversight involved, though.

Lendarios said:

First batch was a failure. I used too much salt. The meat was pink but without any blood inside. Medium term actually.
I have to learn the magic of sealing the juices inside that I keep hearing.

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Salting before cooking creates osmotic pressure that dehydrates the meat.

Lendarios said:

All the videos recommended overnight salting, but I really really went overboard. I ended up throwing away 3 pounds of meat because it was uneatable. 6 pounds to go. Next batch will have a lot less salt and maybe I’ll try the searing part of the grill.

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I've been using the recipes at amazingribs.com for my barbecue needs since I got my big green egg. They have a lot of good practical advice for cooking meat on a grill/smoker.

He recommends salting meat before cooking, 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pound of raw meat, this can sit for hours or overnight and you will get a dry brine effect. I find this is a great rule of thumb and prevents oversalting. The next part of this to be aware of is that many seasoning mixes contain salt, so don't double salt your food. I have stopped using pre-made rubs/spice mixes that contain salt because of this.

Lendarios said:

First batch was a failure. I used too much salt. The meat was pink but without any blood inside. Medium term actually.
I have to learn the magic of sealing the juices inside that I keep hearing.

Click to expand...

The common myth around sealing in the juices is searing. Searing doesn't seal juices, just adds to the flavor profile. A trick for sealing juices is to let the meat rest after cooking for 5~ minutes before cutting/eating.

Who here has an Instant Pot? I've been using a slow cooker previously but the long ass cooking times is really inconvenient. Also, I hate cooking with the passion of a thousand suns so I was looking for something that is quick and simple.

So, I tried cooking a frozen chicken breast and I thought I followed the recipe but it came out pretty tough. It was edible but barely. What's frustrating me is that the cooking times I'm seeing on various Youtube videos vary wildly. Some say 10 minutes, other say up to 25 minutes. How much water are you supposed to put in this? Instructions say 2 cups minimum, whereas I'm seeing Youtubers do a single cup or none at all. What the hell. Steam release immediately or wait a while? Again, different opinions.

Also, for the love of god, why do people put up recipes that assume you're cooking for an army? I'm a single guy so I'd love to see recipes targeting meals for 1.

So, how long should I cook a single frozen chicken breast for? I tried, I believe, 12 minutes and it came out tough.

I cook chicken wings and chicken in my instapot all the time and it always comes out perfect. 10 mins on high pressure with instant pressure relief.

I found these new Campbell sauces and decided to experiment. 2lbs of chicken breast with the sauce in the instapot for 10 mins and it was amazing. It was a skillet variant sauce as well.

I'm gonna start using these for lunches during the week.