Switched knives for chicken

[Kaido]

I cook a lot of chicken. A loooooooot of chicken. Mostly BSCB, but also BSCT lately. Most of the fresh packs I get from the grocery store have some degree of fat left on them that needs trimming off, so I buy it, bring it home, trim it, then either cook it or flash-freeze & vac-seal it for future use in the sous-vide or whatever. I recently picked up a 7" filet knife (a bit bendy, to go with the flow of meat & around bones), as I've been working with fresh fish more & also meat with bones in it, and snagged this Kast King model: ($25 shipped, plus there's a coupon sometimes)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BPY8QG4/

I grabbed it to trim the chicken fat & connective tissue and WOW did it cut good! I use my 9.5" Dalstrong Chef's knife for nearly everything, but I'll be using the filet knife for all of my chicken from now on! So if you do a lot of chicken & are looking for a good knife, this one is my current recommendation!

 

[deadlyapp]

I used to do a lot more hand trimming of my chicken (I exclusively eat chicken breasts to minimize fat) but have started simply doing most all of my chicken prep in a crock pot and skimming the fat off the top after it's rendered.

My wife and I go through almost 5lb of chicken a week between us - there's not a lot of ways to cook that chicken in bulk easily.

 

[Kaido]

I used to do a lot more hand trimming of my chicken (I exclusively eat chicken breasts to minimize fat) but have started simply doing most all of my chicken prep in a crock pot and skimming the fat off the top after it's rendered.

My wife and I go through almost 5lb of chicken a week between us - there's not a lot of ways to cook that chicken in bulk easily.

That's a great trick!

Are you interested in newer techniques, and are you familiar with the Instant Pot & Sous-Vide methods, and also newer smokers, like the compact & relatively inexpensive Oster model that can handle pellets?

 

[deadlyapp]

That's a great trick!

Are you interested in newer techniques, and are you familiar with the Instant Pot & Sous-Vide methods, and also newer smokers, like the compact & relatively inexpensive Oster model that can handle pellets?

I have an IP and use it occasionally but have found that excessive chicken cooking in it will start to impart a constant chicken smell into it. Plus we often have the IP going at the same time as the crockpot (we use the IP for steaming veggies, softening potatoes, etc). I've looked into Sous Vide but TBH don't need more appliances in the kitchen and the likely need to do some "post processing" to get a finished product that my wife would enjoy. Same thing for a smoker - we used to grill a lot of our chicken which was also painless but the often undesirable weather and mosquitoes here in Houston have lessened that activity.

I'll probably get a Sous Vide at some point in the future, as I like the idea of consistently perfect and delicate fish like Ahi and Swordfish, as well as steak. I generally have used Cast Iron methods for steak which has worked great, however to minimize smoke inside the house I use the grill and it's generally harder to control the temp on my Weber (jetted for natural gas but uses propane and a regulator).

 

[CalebRockeT]

I used to do a lot more hand trimming of my chicken (I exclusively eat chicken breasts to minimize fat) but have started simply doing most all of my chicken prep in a crock pot and skimming the fat off the top after it's rendered.

I cook about 5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast per week as well. For the longest time I've taken 20-30 minutes to thoroughly remove any fat and undesirable bits before baking/roasting it in the oven. Your crock pot method sounds like it could be a nice option to have in one's repertoire.

What else do you put in there while it's cooking? Do you shred it afterwards? Do you have a favorite meal or dish to use it with after it's been cooked in the crock pot, or is it just a stand alone protein source? Is there ever any risk of it drying out because it gets cooked to too high of a temp or is that less of a concern if it's braising in some sort of liquid?

 

[deadlyapp]

I cook about 5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast per week as well. For the longest time I've taken 20-30 minutes to thoroughly remove any fat and undesirable bits before baking/roasting it in the oven. Your crock pot method sounds like it could be a nice option to have in one's repertoire.

What else do you put in there while it's cooking? Do you shred it afterwards? Do you have a favorite meal or dish to use it with after it's been cooked in the crock pot, or is it just a stand alone protein source? Is there ever any risk of it drying out because it gets cooked to too high of a temp or is that less of a concern if it's braising in some sort of liquid?

Generally I'll just use some chicken broth and a dry seasoning mixed into it and will shred it afterwards. It can dry out somewhat if you cook it for too long but i'm pretty tolerating of chicken being drier since I rarely eat it just alone. I'll usually mix it with veggies and a carb in a big mix of stuff but also in salads and any other type of dish as long as you use a relatively neutral seasoning.

 

[Muse]

I cook a lot of chicken. A loooooooot of chicken. Mostly BSCB, but also BSCT lately. Most of the fresh packs I get from the grocery store have some degree of fat left on them that needs trimming off, so I buy it, bring it home, trim it, then either cook it or flash-freeze & vac-seal it for future use in the sous-vide or whatever. I recently picked up a 7" filet knife (a bit bendy, to go with the flow of meat & around bones), as I've been working with fresh fish more & also meat with bones in it, and snagged this Kast King model: ($25 shipped, plus there's a coupon sometimes)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BPY8QG4/

I grabbed it to trim the chicken fat & connective tissue and WOW did it cut good! I use my 9.5" Dalstrong Chef's knife for nearly everything, but I'll be using the filet knife for all of my chicken from now on! So if you do a lot of chicken & are looking for a good knife, this one is my current recommendation!

Mostly BSCB, but also BSCT lately. ???

Please explain. Boneless chicken breasts and what??

I have some chicken (frozen) I bought at Costco must be 2+ years ago now but I never get motivated to do anything with it these days. I need that motivation, so am subscribed. I need to expand my protein repetoire.

I too trim fat from my chicken. One thing I think you can do is boil it and the chicken teases out and you can discard it after it solidifies.

I got a tip from Alan Watts, who said IIRC that Asians will boil a whole chicken (something like that) and that the results are excellent and quite underappreciated. Very easy to do.

 

[CalebRockeT]

BSCT

Boneless skinless chicken thighs?

A local store had split chicken breast on sale for 99-cents a pound this past week, so I bought several pounds and processed the meat off the bone. I set aside the tenders and treated myself to breading and pan-frying those, while I oven roasted the breasts. I don't think it even took that much longer to take the meat off the bones than it usually does for me to trim up the BSCB that I buy regularly. Good stuff.

 

[Kaido]

Mostly BSCB, but also BSCT lately. ???

Please explain. Boneless chicken breasts and what??

I have some chicken (frozen) I bought at Costco must be 2+ years ago now but I never get motivated to do anything with it these days. I need that motivation, so am subscribed. I need to expand my protein repetoire.

I too trim fat from my chicken. One thing I think you can do is boil it and the chicken teases out and you can discard it after it solidifies.

I got a tip from Alan Watts, who said IIRC that Asians will boil a whole chicken (something like that) and that the results are excellent and quite underappreciated. Very easy to do.

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It's a convenience thing. I like the skin, but especially for sous-viding, BSCT is pretty awesome. Or pounded into a cutlet & cooked in a cast-iron pan for a sandwich or something else delicious!

Are you interested in recipes, or are you interested in learning how to use a meal-prep system so that you have a plan & don't need motivation?

 

[Muse]

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It's a convenience thing. I like the skin, but especially for sous-viding, BSCT is pretty awesome. Or pounded into a cutlet & cooked in a cast-iron pan for a sandwich or something else delicious!

Are you interested in recipes, or are you interested in learning how to use a meal-prep system so that you have a plan & don't need motivation?

I'm interested in both. I already do some meal-prep system type things but I'm not organized enough, have other things going on! I described my beef stew, did I mention that it includes kabocha squash (cut in pieces)? I grow average 150lb a year and have a big table covered with this summer's bounty.

 

[Muse]

I'm interested in both. I already do some meal-prep system type things but I'm not organized enough, have other things going on! I described my beef stew, did I mention that it includes kabocha squash (cut in pieces)? I grow average 150lb a year and have a big table covered with this summer's bounty.

Just prepared my big 3 quart beef stew... it's cooking on the stove, the meat, beans, barley, split peas in my ancient pressure cooker, the veges in a very large covered pan where they are being steamed.

 

[herm0016]

do you ever get them professionally sharpened? It does seem like you have a new knife for this or that often. Maybe the ones you use and don't like anymore just need a professional sharpening on a slack belt. I know my stuff is due about every year or so, even using a steel in-between.

its the classic rapalla, wood handle, full tang, and leather sheath attached to my tackle bag.

we also like doing bsct as well. cast iron or IP depending on recipe, but we rarely get out the suis vide anymore. the IP is just so much more convenient.

if you are cutting any bones, they will wear much faster on that fish knife's thin and flexible aka malleable steel.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

If you're trimming the fat off chicken, why no give rabbit a try?

 

[BW86]

I picked up a pair or Kitchen Scissors and haven't looked back.

 

[Muse]

I've never had anything professionally sharpened. There was a book at my local library on sharpening tools and I read that avidly, bought a few things, have been sharpening all my tools personally ever since. Even drill bits... You can buy sharpening tools for them but I developed a system of my own that's reasonably effective. I can get a knife extremely sharp in 3 minutes if it's in good condition. A professional might be able to get a knife even sharper, but after 2 minutes of use it will be no sharper than my own knives, so what's the point?

My cutting blades of various kinds are of excellent steel. In my kitchen I have a two grit stone, a leather strop, a steel, several grits of wet/dry sandpaper, also a 4 sided diamond dust coated multi-grit steel device I picked up at Harbor Freight. I can get a blade as sharp as I want it, no problem, and quickly.

It's helpful to educate yourself on the nature of steel. Prime cutlery is made from alloys, of course. Tool steel generally is high carbon steel, which will rust. Even stainless steel is not impervious to the effects of moisture, so after washing my super sharp blades, I dry them personally before setting aside after washing. I do the same with the razors I shave with. They last much longer because of this careful treatment, many times longer than if not so treated.