Gravy's Cooking Thread

Lanx · Sep 3, 2023

Dr.Retarded said:
I use different knives for different things. I try to be diligent about sharpening them maybe once a month, and a varies dependent upon how much I'm using them. The wife well occasionally say this isn't cutting well or I see you're trying to chop a tomato, and I say give me that to sharpen.

Sometimes a knife might be dirty but I'll hand wash it quick if I prefer it for different tasks. I'm not as rigorous about knife upkeep as I ought to be, but we've been using these Ikea knives for a few years and I've already bought a backup set, and for the money they're pretty phenomenal. They're really shaped and have the same feel as Global, which is a nice brand I've always wanted but I have a hard time spending that much money on them. I need to replace my Victorinox though. I battered and abused it, and it's just there for rough chopping at this point.

I guess with Amazon having sales for Labor Day I need to look at two things, replacing that chef's knife, and probably getting a new sharpener. I think the one I have is from back in college. It still works but I'd probably be better off with something new.

If you know of a good manual one, or hell even an electric I'm all ears.

i'll stand by the worksharp manual sharpener

Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener
while i now currently use a tormac clone (basically a slow bench grinder)

i've used a few of these types of "kitchen clamp, stationary sharpeners" and this is the best one, the angle is easily adjustable, theres no "clamp" to worry about sticking to your countertop or even cracking it, and the magnetic holder is nice in that it can be flipped easily.
(it's not practically for me as an all in 1 solution since i use chinese chef knives)

they have a motorized sharpener that uses belts, that i also have, but i find that it takes off too much metal and i find that it's great for my mower blades.

pharmakos · Sep 3, 2023

So for years now I've been cooking steak sous vide style. But a couple weeks ago I was impatient and decided to cook one in a frying pan "butter basting" style. For those unaware, butter basting = using an excess of butter in the pan so that you can continuously scoop hot butter onto the top of the steak as you cook it. Helps it cook more evenly and more quickly, since both sides get cooked at the same time that way. And holy cow is it a great way to cook steak.

The ideal steak for it is a smaller, thin cut steak. Thicker steaks or wider steaks tend to cook a little too unevenly this way. But for, say, an 8-10oz thin cut... Just about perfection cooking this way. And cooks all the way through in roughly 2.5-3 minutes. (Oh, btw, make sure to flip it every 30 seconds or so. Not like cooking on a grill where you want to flip it only a few times)

Been watching a lot of steak porn on Facebook reels lately, something I never see anyone do, that I learned from my mother growing up -- after salting/seasoning the steak, take a firm fork with thick tines and stab a bunch of holes in the steak (probably 30-50 stabs per side, making sure to cover the entire surface with little holes). It both helps get the seasoning down into the middle of the steak and helps the steak cook quicker. Works especially well for this butter basting method, the butter oozing down into the holes as you baste it.

Make sure to drizzle some of the butter / juices from the pan onto the steak after you plate it.

And yeah, I'm back to eating meat occasionally, no longer eating strictly vegetarian. Only about once or twice a week. Feels like my health has been a lot better since I took it back up.

Lanx · Sep 3, 2023

What is more cruel? Breading you in a batter of your own unfertilized eggs or cooking you with a stick of processed rectangular baby cow juice?

*edit,
damn my bowls are super chipped

Dr.Retarded · Sep 3, 2023

Lanx said:
What is more cruel? Breading you in a batter of your own unfertilized eggs or cooking you with a stick of processed rectangular baby cow juice?

View attachment 489211

*edit,
damn my bowls are super chipped

Dude, what is that? Velveted chicken of some sort? Looks good whatever it is.

Lanx · Sep 3, 2023

Dr.Retarded said:
Dude, what is that? Velveted chicken of some sort? Looks good whatever it is.

Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl) 牛丼

Thinly sliced beef simmered with tender onions and savory-sweet sauce, Gyudon or Japanese Beef Rice Bowl is synonymous with comfort.

www.justonecookbook.com

mine is a bit korean, as i always have a quart of korean dashi around in lieu of japanese dashi since thats what my wife prefers

Dr.Retarded · Sep 3, 2023

Lanx said:
Gyudon (Japanese Beef Rice Bowl) 牛丼

Thinly sliced beef simmered with tender onions and savory-sweet sauce, Gyudon or Japanese Beef Rice Bowl is synonymous with comfort.

www.justonecookbook.com

mine is a bit korean, as i always have a quart of korean dashi around in lieu of japanese dashi since thats what my wife prefers

Wait, so where does the cow egg fall in? Reading your deal I assumed it was chicken, but looking at it it's definitely got the texture of beef. At whatever I probably just misread it. Had a couple of too many beers earlier fishing.

Looks good though. I'll hatto give it a shot. Always nice to have something else in the repertoire.

Lanx · Sep 3, 2023

Dr.Retarded said:
Wait, so where does the cow egg fall in? Reading your deal I assumed it was chicken, but looking at it it's definitely got the texture of beef. At whatever I probably just misread it. Had a couple of too many beers earlier fishing.

Looks good though. I'll hatto give it a shot. Always nice to have something else in the repertoire.

oh no, pic wasn't related i was just saying does it feel worse to be a chicken being breaded w/ batter made from it's own eggs or a cow being cooked by it's own butter

Dr.Retarded · Sep 3, 2023

Lanx said:
oh no, pic wasn't related i was just saying does it feel worse to be a chicken being breaded w/ batter made from it's own eggs or a cow being cooked by it's own butter

I'm sorry, i thought that was something you made, and I was like damn that's pretty photogenic, much better than the stuff I share...

Lanx · Sep 3, 2023

Dr.Retarded said:
I'm sorry, i thought that was something you made, and I was like damn that's pretty photogenic, much better than the stuff I share...

rice always looks better if you dome it first

Dr.Retarded · Sep 3, 2023

Lanx said:
rice always looks better if you dome it first

What are these presentation things you speak of, I know not these tricks of the trade.

It is something so simple that makes your plate look much better, I think it's just by the time I get done cooking and I'm ready to eat all I want is to throw it on a plate, snap a photo for posterity, and enjoy a nice meal. The biggest reason I take photos of it it's just what I remember hey I made this some this day it was kind of a neat recipe technique or whatever. I can always go back and look and say hey that was a pretty good meal I need to replicate it.

That and the wife pesters me about it, and you have woman and their Instagram. One of these days I'll take something I make and really try to jazz it up from the presentation standpoint.

Lanx · Sep 3, 2023

Dr.Retarded said:
That and the wife pesters me about it,

who do you think i'm making the dome'd rice for? lulz

Dr.Retarded · Sep 3, 2023

Lanx said:
who do you think i'm making the dome'd rice for? lulz

pharmakos · Sep 3, 2023

Awesome cheap food hack I recently started doing... Instead of using water for your ramen packs, use a can of vegetable soup.

Lanx · Sep 4, 2023

i just made air fried general tsao and microwave steamed the veggies

then after i had made the sauce in a sauce pan, why don't i microwave the sauce as well?
i'll try that next time, the problem would probably be melting the sugar, but i'll just use honey instead

Dr.Retarded · Sep 4, 2023

Lanx said:
i just made air fried general tsao and microwave steamed the veggies

then after i had made the sauce in a sauce pan, why don't i microwave the sauce as well?
i'll try that next time, the problem would probably be melting the sugar, but i'll just use honey instead

Was that with the corn starch batter and everything? That's a good idea.

Lanx · Sep 4, 2023

Dr.Retarded said:
Was that with the corn starch batter and everything? That's a good idea.

i use tapioca starch for the chicken dredging yea, i do see many ppl use corn starch to thicken the sauce too, but i don't use that much sauce, so i don't use the corn starch (rather than coating the chicken in the sauce i just drizzle it on top of the chicken, i don't need a full sauce coating, i find it too much actually)

Dr.Retarded · Sep 4, 2023

Lanx said:
i use tapioca starch for the chicken dredging yea, i do see many ppl use corn starch to thicken the sauce too, but i don't use that much sauce, so i don't use the corn starch (rather than coating the chicken in the sauce i just drizzle it on top of the chicken, i don't need a full sauce coating, i find it too much actually)

How long did you have to cook it in the air fryer? Also do you have a recipe. Think want to make that soon. Haven't done Chinese in a while.

Lanx · Sep 4, 2023

Dr.Retarded said:
How long did you have to cook it in the air fryer? Also do you have a recipe. Think want to make that soon. Haven't done Chinese in a while.

i just do thinly sliced chicken thighs (not cubed i don't want it thick), marinating in egg then dredged in tapioca starch, i've used potato starch too interchangably, i don't season cuz thats what the sauce is for and airfry at 425 for 6m then flip for 6, my air fryer i don't have to flip, but it gets more evenly crispier if i do.

sauce is ketchup/soy/hoisin/rice vinegar and white pepper/sugar

for a video i'd recommend lau, i personally cant watch him cuz he reminds me too much of my father (the good memory kind) his is the more traditional frying method

| Made With Lau

www.madewithlau.com

Dr.Retarded · Sep 4, 2023

Lanx said:
i just do thinly sliced chicken thighs (not cubed i don't want it thick), marinating in egg then dredged in tapioca starch, i've used potato starch too interchangably, i don't season cuz thats what the sauce is for and airfry at 425 for 6m then flip for 6, my air fryer i don't have to flip, but it gets more evenly crispier if i do.

sauce is ketchup/soy/hoisin/rice vinegar and white pepper/sugar

for a video i'd recommend lau, i personally cant watch him cuz he reminds me too much of my father (the good memory kind) his is the more traditional frying method

| Made With Lau

www.madewithlau.com

Just need to pickup the starch and chicken. Think I have everything else. Thanks.

lurkingdirk · Sep 7, 2023

Lanx said:
i don't season cuz thats what the sauce is for

Always season your batter. It will be better.

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