What Have You Cooked Recently?

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souschef said:
i got feedback from some teachers that it's a dated presentation (autism compelled me to focus too much on symmetry, and according to them that's more of a 2000's thing)
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I hope it was meant as, "We want you to have a bunch of techniques to draw on, not just the first you learned", rather than "Only Current Thing exists, don't be a peon doing last week's fad".

I keep seeing people apologize for delicious but visually unappealing meals, and I think amateurs can pick up a few simple techniques/ingredients to add colour or texture. For sauces I like squeeze bottles and drizzles (surely very 2000 & late), but recently grabbed some little side cups as another option.

If I went to dinner at a friend's and they did the yin-yang spoon swipes, I'd be impressed.

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JohnnyG said:
"We want you to have a bunch of techniques to draw on, not just the first you learned", rather than "Only Current Thing exists, don't be a peon doing last week's fad
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It was more of the later, yeah

Fad plays a lot of the criteria for judges and critics nowadays. Even though on the exam test, i said fuck it, and did the presentation as i did on the picture, none of the judges complained about it though, one of them a head chef from Copacabana Palace

As for the utensils, i simply did it with a regular spoon, though there is spoons made for this, i don't enjoy them very much

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JohnnyG said:
I hope it was meant as, "We want you to have a bunch of techniques to draw on, not just the first you learned", rather than "Onleberyy Current Thing exists, don't be a peon doing last week's fad".

I keep seeing people apologize for delicious but visually unappealing meals, and I think amateurs can pick up a few simple techniques/ingredients to add colour or texture. For sauces I like squeeze bottles and drizzles (surely very 2000 & late), but recently grabbed some little side cups as another option.

If I went to dinner at a friend's and they did the yin-yang spoon swipes, I'd be impressed.

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The OXO squeeze bottles are a little pricey, but I fucking love them. Last thanksgiving, I brought a basque cheesecake and some dulce de leche in one of them as my contribution and got to do the whole 'squiggle or spiral some sauce down' thing when plating the cheesecake and everyone was a huge fan.

They also ended up squeezing a bunch of that into their coffee with dessert and on top of some vanilla ice cream too, lol.
 
CIS White Droid said:
Shit like that is why I never pursued a career or further education in the culinary arts after going to vocational school for it, too much pageantry and pettiness.
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I hear this word a lot, "instagramable", it's grating to the ears

I think we should stick to what's classic, it works and that's that
 
WhatInTheActualFuck said:
The OXO squeeze bottles are a little pricey, but I fucking love them
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I just have some cheap ones from a bargain store. Those look a little heavier duty, and probably easier to clean. I'm actually looking for some tiny ones, since I seldom need 8-16oz and either end up with a ton of extra, or shaking the little bit from the bottom.

CIS White Droid said:
too much pageantry and pettiness
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Stains Davidson said:
my passion is/was just towards making simple things that taste good
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I agree that chasing the perfect social media picture is ridiculous, but I do think learning some of the basic garnish/presentation techniques would benefit a lot of casual chefs. The classic sprinkling of chopped green onion, or stripes of sour cream / sriracha / etc over an otherwise bland-looking dish can do wonders.
 
Speaking of presentation...

I love to marinate uncooked tuna in ponzu. It penetrates the outside layer and creates a flavorful, chewy exterior. Then, slice it thinly and enjoy with cucumber as a canapé:
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I used English cucumber and topped with green onion and furikake. Thinking it could use a little more pizzazz for presentation, I decided to do that smear thing with some hot sauce, and I think I just made it look dumb:
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JohnnyG said:
I'm actually looking for some tiny ones, since I seldom need 8-16oz and either end up with a ton of extra, or shaking the little bit from the bottom.
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These might be up your alley. I haven't used them myself, but I do like the relatively wide mouth (basically the full width of the bottle), which would make them easier to fill and clean.
 
WhatInTheActualFuck said:
These might be up your alley. I haven't used them myself, but I do like the relatively wide mouth (basically the full width of the bottle), which would make them easier to fill and clean.
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Awesome find, I figured there must be smaller ones, just haven't bothered to look. And agree on the non-narrowing opening...I usually fill mine with hot soapy water and shake them out, but these look more convenient.

Pickman's Modeling Agency said:
Thinking it could use a little more pizzazz for presentation, I decided to do that smear thing with some hot sauce, and I think I just made it look dumb
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I think it looks nice. My guess is there are rules for when to use different techniques (maybe @souschef knows), so I could see this being the "wrong" technique since the canapes aren't as easy to drag through the sauce streaks. But if you want it optional (ie not striped across the tuna), I think this works, and adds to the visual presentation.
 
I am currently cooking Swiss steak from the 1944 Army cookbook. The "Spanish" variant (the only difference is adding chopped green peppers).

I've changed it a bit by adding low slow cooking and it needs a couple hours but it's already delicious.

This is almost certainly the recipe from World War II that my grandfather used, with a pressure cooker, when I was a child.
 
I deep fried some potatoes. I've been practicing this for a while now. I think I'm getting close to making the best deep fried potatoes I can.
 
Only the greatest buttered noodles I’ve had in a while.
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Unbelievably luxurious and creamy, with amazing flavors.
I’ve been studying sauces and wanted something easy to practice with, so I boiled pasta in a skillet so the starchy water would be concentrated. Then right before it was al dente I saved a few ladles of the water and drained the pasta and put it right back into the skillet.
I added a good amount of high quality cold butter, the pasta water, a healthy amount of freshly ground black pepper, and the secret ingredient that is a dash of fish sauce.
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Stir on lower heat until the butter is fully emulsified and the pasta is finished, no salt needed. The fish sauce adds so much savor, this light oceanic yet not fishy taste, and these slightly funky undertones that all highlight the rich butter sauce. Unlike adding parmesan you still get that nice fermented flavor, but not the cheese so it’s just rich butter with a hint of ocean and fermentation.
 
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VeteranOfTheRetardWars said:
I added a good amount of high quality cold butter, the pasta water, a healthy amount of freshly ground black pepper, and the secret ingredient that is a dash of fish sauce.
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So much shit is just kicked up into the stratosphere with just a few drops of this.

I like the Thai, but the Vietnamese rocks too, and the Italians have something that is almost ancient garum with colatura di alici.
 
VeteranOfTheRetardWars said:
It’s a cheat code, it’s job is to make things better. Fried eggs are also amazing with just a dab of it, it adds depth of flavor.
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I always keep a few kinds of fish sauce, and soy sauce (light dark and tamari), and both Vegemite and Marmite, and things like Bragg's Aminos. And Worcestershire sauce (fun fact it has anchovies), and anchovy paste.

I'm probably slightly obsessed and hoarding umami shit, but they all have their different traits. And then there are things like stout beers, which also have that savory flavor. One of my favorite glazes is just mix stout in equal proportions with brown sugar, reduce by half, that's it.
 
AnOminous said:
I always keep a few kinds of fish sauce, and soy sauce (light dark and tamari), and both Vegemite and Marmite, and things like Bragg's Aminos. And Worcestershire sauce (fun fact it has anchovies), and anchovy paste.

I'm probably slightly obsessed and hoarding umami shit, but they all have their different traits. And then there are things like stout beers, which also have that savory flavor. One of my favorite glazes is just mix stout in equal proportions with brown sugar, reduce by half, that's it.
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It’s a thing that so many people are missing out on yet is so common on the other side of the world.
I use mostly the fish sauce, Maggi seasoning sauce, Silver Swan soy sauce, and the really secret ingredient that is chicken bouillon powder. I learned some things from some grandmothers in Vietnam, and once you understand how to use these enhancers in your cooking it’s a game changer.
EDIT: Just while I’m sperging, the best fish sauces you can get are in Asian stores. Red Boat is the best of all, no questions about it, but Three Crabs and Squid are also very high quality and better as ingredients whereas Red Boat is best for sauces and as a condiment.
 
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