Does anyone here actually know how to cook?

Page 5 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
26 and cooks exclusively with a cast iron skillet.

Its like an RPG. Your skillet levels with every meal. Favor saturates the skillet and imparts it to all future meals cooked thereon.

Main meal I cook:

Chicken breast

seasoned with herb & garlic salt, cilantro, and a few other herbs.

Cooked in a olive oil and a little bit of burgundy cooking wine (alcohol cooks out for those of you that don't drink, like me).

Cooked on the stove top, covered, and low temperature, usually around 30 minutes are so. Alternating sides and adding cooking wine to steam up skillet when needed.

If you like the taste, then great, but just sayin' that you don't normally use burgundy with poultry (though I've seen it used when braising duck, and chianti is used with certain Italian chicken dishes). Try using something like sauvignon blanc next time and see if you like it. Also, not sure if you know this or not, but make sure your chicken juices are fully reduced before adding the wine. The wine should loosen up the carmelized bits of meat and fat to make your sauce. A lot of people just pour it on top of whatever meat they're cooking, which isn't as effective. :)
 

MJinZ

Diamond Member
Nov 4, 2009
8,192
0
0
you watch The Simpsons last night or something?

No don't like Simpsons anymore...

I wonder how much cooking classes cost.

But I someone to go with me or else I won't look as cool as they do in the movies.
 

moshquerade

No Lifer
Nov 1, 2001
61,504
12
56
No don't like Simpsons anymore...

I wonder how much cooking classes cost.

But I someone to go with me or else I won't look as cool as they do in the movies.
Well, last night it was about anonymous donations to crazy people who need it.
 

Hayabusa Rider

Admin Emeritus & Elite Member
Jan 26, 2000
50,879
4,268
126
If the skillet can't be made in a home made forge I want nothing to do with it.

From a metallurgic prospective. Cast Iron has more preamble space for food residue to lodge itself in as the skillet cools after cooking. This allows certain flavors to be stored until the skillet is used again.

Steel skillets physical molecular structure is much tighter having less carbon to space the iron molecules. Steel is about 1 - 3 % carbon, while cast iron is a bit higher.

Normal skillets cannot do what cast iron can do for food.

Cooking is both art and science!

EDIT: Addition note:

There is a different in the physical molecular structure as well between Iron and Steel. one is face center cubic while the other is body center cubic.

I like cast iron and use it, but not for everything. Acidic foods can pick up an off taste. One of my favorite pans is a huge saucier from All-Clad which was a second on sale because it had an exterior scratch you can hardly see. I find its shape more useful than a saucepan and if I'm making something like a lemon curd I definitely do not want cast iron.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
DrPizza you're fine with doing quick breads like that. Just don't try that method for making yeast breads, cakes or pastries. You might get lucky but, I'd bet against it. Outside of quick breads like you mentioned, baking is all about ratios and screwing with them will lead to disappointment.

Yeast always gets measured. I've never had a problem with cakes or breads, although I've rarely ventured outside of a few varieties of bread. I will say that the type of flour you use makes a huge difference in a lot of recipes.
 

HumblePie

Lifer
Oct 30, 2000
14,665
440
126
I know how to cook and have since I was little.

Actually I recently made a few nice purchases for my kitchen to make cooking a bit more fun. Which includes a few Shun Ken Onion knives (got them on clearance when they were discontinued) and the Tramontina tri-ply clad 18/10 12 piece cookware set. Top that off with my new weber genesis 320 grill and I'm a happy cook.

Since I'm a white boy living in Texas, I can make all sorts of local favorites including things like tamales. The reactions of people that eat my tamales when they realized I made them myself from scratch is just priceless. I've been making them since I was 19 or 20 I think.

But yah I can cook, bake, or grill just about anything. And it's not that hard to do really.
 

D1gger

Diamond Member
Oct 3, 2004
5,411
2
76
I was 16 when my mother started working again and told me dinner was now my responsibility, so ya, I was in my 20's and I could cook. I still do, and now I really enjoy cooking dinner for my family when I have the time.

I'm head cook for this upcoming weekend's Thanksgiving dinner (Canadian) and my menu will be:

Two turkeys (one baked, one on the BBQ)
Honey glazed ham
Sausage stuffing
turkey gravy
brussel sprouts with onion and bacon
potato salad
baked sweet potatoes
green beans
salad

My wife is making
pumpkin pie
apple pie
brownies

We are expecting 28-30 people for dinner.
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,353
1,862
126
I'm 30, but, I learned how to cook the basics from my mom a long time ago, and have built up a sold foundation in my 20s. I'm no chef, but, I can do anything simple and some decent and slightly less simple things. I love food.
 

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
126
I like cast iron and use it, but not for everything. Acidic foods can pick up an off taste. One of my favorite pans is a huge saucier from All-Clad which was a second on sale because it had an exterior scratch you can hardly see. I find its shape more useful than a saucepan and if I'm making something like a lemon curd I definitely do not want cast iron.

I just got turned on to anodized last year and replaced my whole pan set. The stuff is awesome, and you can just wipe it out while it's still hot, so cleaning is a snap.