The super-basic questions thread for non-cooks

rough guide i don't really follow:

lemon = lettuce-only salad, or maybe if you're having the salad alongside fish
vinegar = salad w/ tomatoes in

also sometimes olive oil is too strong to have in a salad and a thinner veg oil will work better

I put lemon on kale, usually, and red wine vin (maybe with a splash of balsamic if I want sweetness) on arugula & spinach salads. Don't really eat lettuce, I guess.

Just oil and vinegar gets old, I like flavor, like blue cheese vinaigrette or cucumber poppy seed vinaigrette or avocado vinaigrette, but they never work.

― JacobSanders, Friday, March 16, 2012 1:19 PM (7 hours ago) Bookmark

dude sounds like you should get a food processor or blender with that. also those tools totally emulsify the shit out of whatever you put in there

A good stick blender is worth every penny.

true dat i have a small food pro, a blender (which i never use for anything other than beverages) and the stick blender. and i use them often, boyo.

emulsifyin up what have u

realized that i shd probably start talking cooking over here instead of doing wheelies all over the ILE threads :)

- jelly jars for salad dressing is the easiest. emulsifies really good.
- different flavored vinegars like red wine, white wine, balsamic etc is an easy way to change dressing but that's probably super way too obv
- mustard awesome in dressing, also dried herbs can be kinda useful here if you aren't averse to keeping them around

- I was told of a salad mixing trick that tends to work pretty well for distribution:
- put the dressing in the bottom of the empty salad bowl (usually only a couple of TBs is all you need, unless you like a really super-wet-crazily-dressed salad.
- put veggies/all your salad extras in the bowl, minus the leafs
- put the leafs in last
- take your salad mixers or two spoons or w/e and grab what's on the bottom and pull it to the top. Do that a few times til everything's mixed.
- salad: tossed

This assumes you need to slice your own bread, I don't buy sliced, but if you do - even easier!

Where in the world would you even buy unsliced bread?

Of course you can find unsliced baguettes, but not regular loaf bread.

a good bakery will sell unsliced loaves

I often use empty spice jars for my dressing, as it usually makes enough in the jar for one salad!

lemonjuice based dressing, also good on a basic pasta salad (cold cooked spiral pasta, a few chopped things eg olives, spinach leaves, sundried tomatoes, artichokes from a jar, etc), dressing, stir. Tuna also if yr not veggie.

The food co-op here bakes good bread and sells them unsliced. They have a self-serve automatic bread slicing machine by the checkout though should you desire to have it sliced, which I usually opt to do.

Jesse, Treasure Island sells unsliced bread that they will slice for you in their slicing machine.

Huh. I have never noticed unsliced bread anywhere, but I've probably just repressed the memories.

are you wearing sunglasses, like in They Live? That might be why

I often use old mustard jars to make and keep dressings.

I've said this before on ilx, but I will again. Sometimes instead of oil, I use greek yogurt in salad dressings. You might give that a try, jacob, since it emulsifies every bit as well as oil and it's great for coating the salad. The flavors of whatever you add (pepper, herbs, mustard, etc...) also infuse pretty handily with yogurt but you might want to taste before adding somethings since greek yogurt is pretty tangy.

Roast chicken juices, esp if the chicken has been cooked with a lemon in it, are an exceptional leaf salad dressing.

Oh wow, Greek yogurt. Great idea.

I'm not sure I'm quite on board w/ the chicken juices, but it sounds interesting.

chicken juices great for combo bread/leaf salad, if you're into that kind of thing. You don't need much, but it's kind of a cool flavorsome touch for a special occasion dinner.

scrambled eggs. why do mine taste of nothing? what can i add to increase flavour?

Salt & pepper are an absolute must-have.

Good options:
A bit of sharp cheddar.

Minced chives.

Fresh thyme and scrambled eggs play together very well.

If you're not vegetarian and have it on hand, mince up a bit of smoked salmon or gravlax into the egg before scrambling.

My choice - lots of butter, cook slowly, don't overcook - my preference is for these soft, barely set curds rather than the polystyrene blocks. Salt and pepper. Also, fresh eggs.

Here is how I make basic "weekend" scrambled eggs (because they are really rich):

Add to a bowl: two eggs, salt, pepper, grated sharp cheddar cheese, and maybe a tablespoon one of the following dairy products: cream, milk, sour cream, plain yogurt.
Whip them up real good.
Meanwhile, melt some butter in a pan over low heat.
When the butter is melted, add the eggs. Let them sit a minute before you start messing with them, and then stir them gently over low heat. Right about the time you think they are almost done but could use another minute, turn the pan off.

barely-cooked >>> undercooked >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> overcooked

^yes, good point - they carry on cooking after you turn the heat off. xpost.

xp Those are basic. I also like to add onions, mushrooms, and diced ham or Canadian bacon. I dice all that stuff small, and saute thoroughly before adding more butter and the eggs. Otherwise the mushrooms will be too wet, plus I hate hate hate underdone vegetables in scrambled eggs.

Ste, what is your scrambled eggs method?

great. although i despise cheese to the point of wretching even at the smell, but i'll try the other suggestions.

I knew about the turning the heat off before they are cooked thing.

I put salt and pepper in, maybe i'm not putting enough in. also never tried butter instead of olive oil so i'll give that a go.

xp. yeah i use olive oil. a pinch of salt and pepper, a few eggs, some milk.

(straight from the "how to cook everything" book btw)

Personally I don't use milk.

I really think butter is key. Dairy and eggs are such a nice combo.

The milk/dairy mixed in is supposed to help with something... molecular... and make them more tender? I can't remember but I read or saw it somewhere and have accepted it as gospel every since. Also my mom always added milk to scrambled eggs.

I really want some scrambled eggs now.

I usually don't use milk; the fat is either butter or bacon fat, if I've fried some bacon to go with the meal the eggs are part of.

Julia Child taught me to ALWAYS paper-towel dry mushrooms before cooking - better sear or something (xpost to j's "...so they aren't wet" comment.

My method is similar to what I'm seeing here but I use water - heard it makes the eggs fluffier, so to speak.

This random website says to use water, not milk: http://www.i-hate-cooking-recipes.com/why-put-milk-in-eggs-for-omelets.html

xp!

Even if you towel dry mushrooms, they still release a ton of water when you cook them.

Frying mushrooms is so much fun...it's like a whole cooking class in microcosm.

a pinch of salt and pepper

^^this is your problem right here^^

a pinch of salt is right but you need a really good dose of freshly ground black pepper

I've heard the same thing about dairy doing...something...but I never bother, mostly cause I never have any dairy in the house other than yogurt, which just seems kind of odd in scrambled eggs but might actually be good.

Butter is essential, and they don't seem quite right without it. Also I love the eggs at the hippies with chickens in their yard and 4H kids sell through the co-op. And tons of fresh ground black pepper at the end.

my gf has taught me that the main mistake people make in their cooking is not adding way more spice than you think you need. especially a shitload of granulated garlic powder.

I never use butter in my scrambled eggs -- I prefer to add flavor with spinach, onions, hot sauce, avocado (and s/p obvs)

you can make really yummy fried eggs with sesame oil btw

this is how i do it up usually
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3440/4562680849_9662bd4ea4_o.jpg

RIP that fern

Even if you towel dry mushrooms, they still release a ton of water when you cook them.

this is true. Mushroom lovers should look up Julia Child's recipe in which they sweat out then re-gain all waters/oils and result in divine deliciousness.

ste i would say also you could probably do w/ a lil bit more than just a pinch of salt (but then i always say that abt salt)

salt, pepper, butter. a dash of milk if you want.

and if you can find farm-fresh eggs, they're worth it.

ste i would say also you could probably do w/ a lil bit more than just a pinch of salt

^^^ I agree w/this. The 3 foods whose flavors really bloom with generous salting are eggs, potatoes and corn, imo.

otm

i find that it's really easy to over-salt eggs. hard to over-pepper, though.

when my parents scramble eggs for used in fried rice they oversalt the eggs but don't really salt the rice, I find it's a great balance

(and i love salty food)