what's cooking? part 5: 2017-2027

So I decided to make a quick batch of hand cut noodles with random sauce/toppings today for lunch. It somehow ended up being the most like pad see ew that I have ever made before. It might've been my generous use of mirin that gave it enough sugar. Who knows?

sounds good! The recipe I follow includes 1-2 teaspoons of sugar in addition to any already in sauces. I've been trying to improvise dishes more frequently, but I am still largely a recipe follower, constantly searching out trusted cooking texts. had my first crispy rice salad the other day as reference for my own attempt later this week. crispy rice salad lived up to the hype.

I am a big recipe follower for the first 1-2 times I make something, but after that I get lazy and just put in the things I like. Although, I have been making a lot of Indian food this year and always doublecheck several recipes and kind of keep altering them. I still haven't settled/figured it out yet for all the indian sauces. It might just be a matter of not using ghee.

The sauce I made today, I think in my mind thought I was going to make a hot oil noodle thing. So i started out with red pepper flakes and garlic slivers in sesame oil. I think added spinach, tofu (it was the filling from DUMPLINGS! I made earlier so it already had ginger, green onion, cilantro etc.) and the noodles (made from scratch). Then poured in splashes of fish sauce, mirin, soy sauce, balsamic I think that was it.

what is your fish sauce brand? do you ever buy fancy fish sauce like red boat?

No, I am in Chile right now, so i have limited choices. Using the one with the squid on it.

I am too, but I actually have choices ha

it's the fishiest one I have ever used.

hmm. do you find it to be overly salty? I used it in some nam prik and thought maybe it was a poor choice for that.

All the fish sauces I have used are salty. I try to make sure to cut down on soy sauce or miso if using fish sauce. Or to make sure to cut it with acid or something sweet.

I also think these noodles came out so well because I made a single serving size. So I didn't overcrowd the pan and the amount of stuff I added was probably more spot on than if I had made a whole batch to feed 3-4 people).

a lot of stir-fry noodle recipes i’ve worked from (pok pok book comes to mind) tell you to do noodles one serving at a time.

Oh damn. That seems like a lot of work. But obviously that makes sense and the taste of these noodles would probably be worth it 10xs over.

I only ever went to pok pok once. It was fine, I just thought a lot of things had too much sugar in them, or maybe that's just not my style. How is the book?

worth checking out IMO, the yam tuna salad is fairly easy and so delicious

the book is pretty impressive in its detail, and it definitely can be cooked from, but sourcing enough ingredients and doing the planning to put together anything resembling a meal is....a commitment.

yeah, yenbamroong also says 2 servings at a time max for stir fry. will check out the pok pok book as well.

The first time I bought fresh shahe fen, it was a bit dry. This made the noodles difficult to separate into long strands. I have since learned that you need to grab from the packs in the back to get truly fresh ones. It seems obvious now, but it has made my stir fried noodle addiction more manageable.

I have established a definitive guide to cookware materials:

- Frying and saucepans: stainless steel. Plus cast-iron skillet.
- Dutch oven: enameled cast iron (which I don’t actually have and is probably not a huge bonus over regular cast iron but I think I'd prefer it)
- cake pans and cookie sheets: aluminum
- small prep bowls: glass, ceramic
- mixing bowls: stainless steel, ceramic
- wooden spoons: wood
- liquid measure: glass
- measuring spoons: originally wrote "who cares", friend of mine pushed hard for metal, will have to evaluate
- potholders: cloth

to avoid:
- plastic and silicone prep and mixing bowls. They stain like mad and confer no advantages.
- plastic liquid measures like the Oxo ones (you will break off the handle someday then just have to replace it with the Pyrex you should’ve gotten in the first place)
- ceramic knives: who are these for
- nonstick frying pans: take your pick of reasons, just don’t bother

feedback and vicious arguments welcome

Oh I have some thoughts

silicone is good for spatulas and (especially) kitchen brushes.

silicone is permitted for spatulas for sure

I really need a brush, I keep having to rub things on other things with my damn hands

Measuring spoons and cups DEF

Metal, I meant

these brushes are great for basting, evenly distributing oil and marinades, etc: https://www.amazon.com/Zicome-Silicone-Pastry-Basting-Barbecue/dp/B00QF0RRAA/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1523389375&sr=1-7&keywords=silicone+brush

I don’t currently have a non-stick frying pan, only a stainless steel one and I’m largely ok with that except when it comes to frying eggs. It takes too much fat and the eggs still stick and turn into a mess.

Chefs knife 10” no more or less

a good quality nonstick frying pan is imo important for omelets frittatas etc

we have a bunch of oxo measuring cups & they are great and have lasted 10+ years without replacement
also like pryex

Too short for me but I think it comes down to how tall you are relative to the countertop

I have made some very good omelettes in a stainless steel pan lately. I consider the fact that this requires like a tablespoon of butter to be a feature not a bug.

wood spoons otm for stirring/sauteing. also otm that you need silicone spatulas for scraping every last bit out of a bowl or container.

also need a non-coated wok, shovel, and spider. more important to me than a cast-iron skillet these days.

I measured my chef's knife blade and it was 7.5". It works well for me. I think a 10" blade would start to be unwieldy for my preferences.

The 10" cast iron skillet I got from my sister for my 21st birthday has been in daily use for four decades. Now I could not live without it. The other kitchen item I swear by is a large (8 qt.?) sturdy stainless steel stock pot with a thick aluminum base and a steel (not glass!) lid. It gets used constantly.

btw, I am not a fan of glass lids on saucepans or pots. I've dropped one and shattered it and that was more than enough to convince me against them.

transparency is kind of useless after things get simmering, but the thermal conductivities are very different. I wonder if that can matter in some applications.

Nonstick frying pan: I keep ONE inexpensive one at a time, for eggs only, never touch it with anything except a silicone spatula, and cover it with an old potholder when I put it away. No one else is allowed to use it. Usually lasts at least a few years before it gets too scratched.

Whisk: Yes. You might think a fork is just as good until you're trying to combine something wet with something really powdery and it clumps up. You need a whisk.

uncoated wok & shovel otm
i dont fry in mine but our spider fell apart years ago anyway

NB I didn’t mean to list a minimally complete kitchen just my material preferences for some things. Can’t imagine a whiskless existence.

I admire yr approach to the nonstick pan IO, v sensible

Our landlord replaced our stove a few months ago; it’s a nice Samsung job with a powerful burner which came with an accompanying wok holder. So I own a wok now, have used it a few times, it’s a blast. It’s starting to blacken nicely.

nice, a round one that you use with the ring? I looked for a cheap one, but the majority are flat bottom.

I had plastic measuring cups until I left the 1 cupper in a soup pot and turned the burner on. Now my largest measuring cup is the 1/2 C. Stainless steel ones otm.

Another up-side: You can heat things in metal ones over the gas flame if you need to melt butter or infuse oil quickly.

^^^person I could cook with

I really love my microplan and dowel rolling pin and glass lasagna size pan that I use for a lot of things. All the rest above is pretty spot on. The last time I moved I fit almost all my utensils in a bottle bag and all the cookware in 2 boxes. I kind of want one of those deep soup pots though.

I make eggs every morning so a non-stick pan is a must.

i love non-stick pans. i just get really cheap ones and then replace when they are inevitably done.

I bought a bunch of paper last year to do fish en papillote but I can't seem to make myself do it.

Yeah found a round-bottom wok at Uwajimaya here in Seattle.

damn, that place looks amazing

i used a carbon steel 12" skillet at my friend's house the other day and i'm totally smitten. definitely gonna splurge on one in a few paychecks

They’re not even a splurge! ~$30

Oh wait I’m thinking wok; don’t know about a carbon steel skillet?