Thread 21701021

This is a thread for stupid questions.

What are some good seasonings for a burger? All of the ones I have been looking up are just prepackaged ones, or they say the same four things. There has to be something better than using paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.

>>21701021 (OP)
Here in SE Asia they use Maggi seasoning on burgers, it has a really savory taste that's great for beef. Also white pepper

>>21701021 (OP)
a burger doesn't need anything more than salt & pepper imo

>>21701021 (OP)
Maybe a bit of Worcestershire sauce and MSG.

What combination of cheeses are go your go-to for a Thanksgiving Baked Mac 'n Cheese side?

>>21701021 (OP)
Salt, pepper, and smoke. Smoke your burgers with hickory or oak. Make thick burgers. Half pound each. Start grill at 350, put burgers in and drop to 275 and cook until they reach a 130-135 internal. You can sear them after, but you don't need to.

Alternatively you can make quarter pound burgers and just smoke them for like 45-60 minutes at 250ish and not care about internal.

>>21701068
>>21701083
I'll try these two. My burgers are so plain even with salt and pepper. I don't want to load them up with topping when I can just season them properly. I'm not going to make them ridiculous with a bunch of toppings either.

>>21701076
This guy gets it

>>21701272
You need to be liberal with your salt.

>>21701021 (OP)
depends on the meat, for beef burgers just salt and pepper is best, i like to put sliced smoked provolone on mine when i'm eating raw veggies as a side.

chicken/turkey burgers are best if you throw them in the bin and never buy them again

>>21701083
>cheeses
Cheddar. If you make it properly with a separate bechamel, the texture of your cheese won't matter and you choose your cheese based only on flavor.

>>21701021 (OP)
Are carbon steel pans actually worth it?

>>21701751
>Cheddar. If you make it properly with a separate bechamel, the texture of your cheese won't matter and you choose your cheese based only on flavor.
Thanks the bechamel base is what I'm gonna do and I'm waiting to see what's going to be on sale closer to Turkey Day but I'm thinking a 50% Sharp English Cheddar according to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV0Wq-aYAeY&t=857s
25% Gruyere for nuttiness, & 25% Fontina/Brie for Creaminess along with either Parm Reg or Pecorino Roman for the top. I've also been mulling over picking up some Oaxacan or Full-fat Low-Moisture Mozzarella as I've seen several recipes mixed shreds of it still cold/room temp into the mixed macaroni/cheese in the casserole dish before it goes into the oven for added cheese stretch.

>>21701021 (OP)
Do you ever mix herbs or vegetables in? We often had chopped onions mixed into the hand formed patties when I was growing up

>>21701349
>liberal
Americans literally can’t even talk about burgers without bringing politics up

>>21703213
Yeah Oklahoma-style onion smash burgers are amazing

My buddy manages a sushi place and asked if I can help with catering for an event. Never done anything like that, he said I'll be carrying stuff around and cleaning but what else should I expect? All the food will be prepared beforehand

>>21703305
>Never done anything like that, he said I'll be carrying stuff around and cleaning but what else should I expect? All the food will be prepared beforehand
That's basically it and just setting the spread and plates/glasses.

>>21703328
Easy, thanks

>>21703305
Just be clean.

>>21703381
100% I've worked food service before, and in a factory even just never catered. And it has been a while. I am zero tolerance with cleanliness since I expect the same for any food I'm served

Can dehydrated onion act as a panko/breadcrumb substitute when deep frying?
Not necessarily a substitute, maybe an addition?

What I'm trying to ask is: will adding dehydrated onion to my deep fry coating fuck it up? Brave's LLM says it's fine but the search results say nothing about it.

>>21703522
Like chunks of dehydrated onion or onion powder? Chunks might burn but idk, and I would think onion powder would give a similar result and it works without any issues. Try it out on a small scale, it'll probably be fine.

>>21703533
Oh I know onion powder would be fine.
I'm talking about the shit labeled "dehydrated onion" at the store.
"Flakes" is probably the best descriptor.

>>21701076
Depends on which country your beef is from, as well as what cut/s and fat ratio they use for the patty.


But in general, agreed

.>>21703215
Kek nice

>>21703522
>>21703563
agree with other anon, just try it. experimenting is gonna be the only way to know for sure. make a small piece of dough or cut off a little strip of chicken or something, and give it a test run.

what's so bad about hexclad? it seems fine to me

Why does everything I cook suck ass? I do tend to stir and flip a lot when I cook. Should I be more patient and leave the food alone?

>>21703794
>Should I be more patient and leave the food alone?
It depends on what you're cooking. A hunk of meat that you want to sear? Yes, leave it alone. Bechamel? You have to whisk the shit out of it or it'll be ruined. Soup? It's not going to taste any better or worse if you stir it more than necessary.
Without knowing any details about what you're trying to cook it's impossible to say.
You're probably just not using enough salt though

>>21703831
Ok thanks

Does "2 cups rice" in this recipe mean before or after it's cooked? https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8909/chicken-and-rice/

>>21704894
I think that is boil in a bag or minute rice
I hate specific shit like that in recipes, I think it cooks in half the time, maybe you can par cook some rice.
I think it's uncooked though in that recipe,

>>21704908
Are you sure? Wouldn't uncooked make an enormous amount of rice to go with just one can of condensed soup?

>>21704944
if it was regular rice or already cooked rice, I would think it would say that
maybe there is an instant rice that is quicker than the bag stuff ma used back in the day, ??

>>21703794
Common home chef problems tend to be the following:
1. No salt
2. No fat (no flavor)
3. Under/over cooking

People at home are deathly afraid to use proper salt amounts or proper oil/fat amounts. So you make a thing, but can't taste it because zero salt was added.

Under cooking is pretty obvious - shit is raw after all. But overcooking is a thing too and it is NOT obvious, and results in ass food. Obviously eventually you burn shit, but that is WAY past overcooked.

Flipping meat is fine, you just don't want to fuck with it till it releases after initial sear. Once released, be free to flip as often as desired. Though too much grill flippage might break burgers apart. Steaks and the like will be fine.

>>21704894
Your rice cooker comes with a measuring cup for dry rice. The cup on that is how you decide water.

The whole finger test is myth, measure your water based on the recommended ratio and amount per package instructions. Actual levels of water will surprise you.

>>21704944
1 cup of dry white long grain rice makes 2 cups of cooked long grain rice. If you don't want to half that, do 1 cup with soup, use other cup later for fried rice.

Also condensed soup is shit, it's never properly condensed.

>>21703794
When sauteeing, you want the food to sit still enough to caramelize properly and develop a fond in the pan (that you can deglaze to release a bunch of flavour). But you also want to move it around enough so that it doesn't stick and burn. It's a bit of a balancing act, you just gotta learn a feel for it.
That said, it's probably not making or breaking your food, this is more shit you do to fine tune your technique. If your food doesn't taste good, it's probably something else. I agree with other anons that a lack of salt or fat are the most likely culprits. Lack of acidity too, that's underrated by a lot of people. A little splash of vinegar or lemon juice can really brighten up a dish and bring the flavours out.

>>21705028
What does any of that have to do with what I was asking? I just want to know whether the recipe is talking about uncooked or cooked rice.

>>21704894
>>21705210
it calls for instant rice, which is already mostly cooked so it won't expand as much as regular uncooked rice would. if I were using regular rice, I'd probably cut it to 1 cup.

>>21705222
Oh, I see. So I should actually use two uncooked cups?

>>21705357
if you're using instant rice, stick to the recipe cause that's what it calls for. if you're using regular, uncooked rice I would cut it to one cup, or one a half at most.

I'm poor, due to being an alcoholic. I've spent my last dollar on booze.
There is a work function that I am not allowed to skip because... I crashed my car drunk at work. I have carrots, peas, garlic, ginger, 10 lbs of lean ground beef, pork, a bag of sysco restaurant brown gravy, a tablespoon of garlic butter... I'm thinking of making something like a cottage pie for the work potluck.
The problem is that my corningware dish has those brown stains on the side from cooking. I think this looks unappetising. Any way to get that stuff off?
Also, is there any easy crowd favourites for work potlucks? If it's happening in the next few days, I don't have a choice. I'm flat broke. If it happens a bit later I can go to the grocery store.

Is it okay to make coq au vin with boneless skinless chicken thighs, or does the skin really make that much of a difference?

>>21707355
meh, it would be better with bones and skin, but if that's all you have it will be fine.

can I use armor piercing flour as a substitute for corn starch to thicken a soup?

>>21703794
season it better nigga
>i tend to stir and flip a lot
not a problem, but if its getting in the way of you leaving it the fuck alone when you’re supposed to just let it sit then be mindful of that

>>21701021 (OP)
there really isnt anything better. salt pepper onion garlic powder is all you need. maybe msg?

>>21708565
no
mix the flour with butter or oil or fat to make a roux first
make more than needed so you have some for next time

>>21705832
>Also, is there any easy crowd favourites for work potlucks? If it's happening in the next few days, I don't have a choice. I'm flat broke. If it happens a bit later I can go to the grocery store.
Meatballs are pretty classic, sounds like you might have a lot of the ingredients but not a set sauce. Personally I think fresh garlic bread would be a hit

Can you get to a food bank? If so they may give you eggs, flour, butter, and sugar, and you could use that to make some holiday cookies (sugar, snickerdoodle if you have cinnamon).

Are you doing okay though? If you have health insurance I’ve heard Ozempic helps with all addictions, not just food.

>>21705832
>because... I crashed my car drunk at work
let's hear more about this
to get that dish clean, I would just soak it in very soapy hot water for 20 minutes and then take a wire brush to it

I'm new to pickling.

I jarred some pickled onions earlier today but came up a little short on the malt vinegar (even though I bought more than the recipe stated) so there's just a sliver of onion sticking out of the vinegar in some of the jars. The onions were brined for 24 hours then boiled in the malt vinegar for a couple minutes then everything was added to the jars still hot. Is it OK for me to leave things as they are or should I buy more vinegar and boil again and repack so absolutely everything is completely submerged? It's not like that'd be some big hassle but I figure if I can leave well enough alone then I should.

>>21709985
She’ll be right mate.

I buy potatoes in bulk so I freeze them. Every one online say to par cook them. Why I can't freeze them raw? They come out mushy regardless when cooked from frozen.

>>21707355
I was under the impression that you're supposed to keep the bones but remove the skin the coating them in flour.

I inadvertently found myself hosting a family gathering of sorts. Never cooked for more people than just myself. Need something easy to prepare that serves many, please.

>>21701021 (OP)
egg or rice in the pan first when you are making fried rice.

>>21710539
meat and veg, cook those, then add rice. make a well in the center, add egg and scramble cook it. mix in when mostly cooked. add soy sauce last just about 30 seconds before taking off the heat it burns easy. dont mix raw egg into the rice it will cook uneven, burn and be raw in parts.

>>21710539
>>21710552
to answer more directly, rice first. egg cooks real quick and should be done last

>>21710526
>Need something easy to prepare that serves many, please.
How many people, what do you consider yourself good at cooking now, budget, and any cuisine preferences?

>>21710526
Something you've cooked many times before. Cooking for a bunch of other people for the first time combined with cooking something for the first time is a great way to fuck it up.
Go with something you're comfortable with that can be scaled up.

Why does suateing take so long

>>21711707
depends what you're cooking, but most likely your pan just isn't hot enough

>>21710526
Stew and mashed potatoes.

>>21710526
Your local big box store might have a good selection of pork tenderloins prepackaged in various marinades or rubs. They'll be inexpensive and come with simple baking instructions. For a side you could do green bean casserole. Everyone loves GBC and it was designed from the ground up to be a bunch of stuff from cans thrown together for ease & simplicity.

>>21703305
Update: event is tomorrow and I'm on bruschetta. Didn't event know what bruschetta was until looking it up. Anything I need to know? Buddy says he has a nice bread knife for me

>>21711715
Nah, I was suateing mushrooms in a stainless steel and it took 35 minutes

>>21711321
8-10, budget is $150, crowd pleasers nothing fancy

>>21701021 (OP)
Are eggs shellfish? I never got a straight answer from anyone.

>>21711507
I don’t cook much that scales up easily and when I’ve cooked for multiple people before (superbowl party) literally no one touched my food so I ended up just taking it home and eating all of it. not really an option if mines the only dish there
>>21711880
maybe. this is at least something I can cook.
>>21712365
this sounds like a good idea, I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks anon