What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[hypatia]

Yummy...fresh creamed corn!

Slice the kernels off of 6 ears of corn, then take the side of the knife and drag it down the bare cobs, letting the juice run into the pan.

Add 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of milk. Bring it to a slow simmer, stir often. Cook for about 15 minutes, salt and pepper to taste. It is so so sooooo good!

 

[Evo]

The reason that I typed all that is because not all cold-pressed olive oil is extra-virgin. All cold-pressed oil qualifies for the virgin grade, but only cold pressed oil with low acidity qualifies as extra-virgin. That's the grade that the CA growers are trying to win back from the crooks. If you find a pint bottle of extra-virgin in a store, and it only costs you $4-5, that is NOT real. The real stuff is a bit cloudy and green with a very smooth flavor.

If the USDA gets serious about enforcing the new grading regulations, look for some serious sales on "Extra-Virgin" oils as importers try to clear out misbranded inventory.

Oh fer crissakes turbo, I was making a joke.

You ruined it. Go away. Yer banned!

 

[turbo]

Oh fer crissakes turbo, I was making a joke.

You ruined it. Go away. Yer banned!

Use smilies when joking about food, please. I take food pretty seriously.

 

[Evo]

Use smilies when joking about food, please. I take food pretty seriously.

I said "Rachel Ray", what more of a joke do you want?

 

[turbo]

I said "Rachel Ray", what more of a joke do you want?

I guess that should have been a tip. Has she ever even bothered to educate her viewers about the various grades (and rampant mis-grading) of olive oil? I can't stand to watch her show, so I wouldn't know. Most food shows are a bit light on the facts, though.

 

[Evo]

I guess that should have been a tip. Has she ever even bothered to educate her viewers about the various grades (and rampant mis-grading) of olive oil? I can't stand to watch her show, so I wouldn't know. Most food shows are a bit light on the facts, though.

She's so bad that even the other Food Network Stars make a point of telling viewers it's nuts to use Extra Virgin olive oil for anything but a finishing oil. Rachel does high heat frying and rubs her grill with it and is always amazed when the oil turns black and smoke pours off the grill. I'm beginning to wonder if her show is actually meant to be slapstick comedy.

 

[turbo]

I'm a bit of a nut about cooking knives, but $600/inch for Kramer's damascus knives is way over the top.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/find-eat-drink/kramer-knives-chefs_b_698877.html

I have to confess that I fell prey to Jerry Rados' spectacular patterned damascus, though. Here is an ivory-scaled trout-and-bird knife.

And here is a closer shot of the blade and bolster. His work is incredible.

If I ever have the rare good fate to find a nickel/iron meteorite, I'll ship it to Jerry and have him make me MY dream-knife. If the meteorite is large enough, I won't even have to pay him for the knife - he can have the remaining material in trade for his labor.

 

[Borek]

You both ruined my evening. Now I will be thinking about possible meanings of Cold Pressed Virgin.

 

[turbo]

She's so bad that even the other Food Network Stars make a point of telling viewers it's nuts to use Extra Virgin olive oil for anything but a finishing oil. Rachel does high heat frying and rubs her grill with it and is always amazed when the oil turns black and smoke pours off the grill. I'm beginning to wonder if her show is actually meant to be slapstick comedy.

That's BAD! I always use peanut oil for high-heat cooking, standard grades of olive oil for some other applications, and save the REAL extra-virgin oil for drizzling on bread, salads, vegetables, etc. You'd have to be nuts to cook with oil that costs more than good scotch.

 

[Evo]

I'm a bit of a nut about cooking knives, but $600/inch for Kramer's damascus knives is way over the top.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/find-eat-drink/kramer-knives-chefs_b_698877.html

I have to confess that I fell prey to Jerry Rados' spectacular patterned damascus, though. Here is an ivory-scaled trout-and-bird knife.

And here is a closer shot of the blade and bolster. His work is incredible.

If I ever have the rare good fate to find a nickel/iron meteorite, I'll ship it to Jerry and have him make me MY dream-knife. If the meteorite is large enough, I won't even have to pay him for the knife - he can have the remaining material in trade for his labor.

Did you buy those?

You both ruined my evening. Now I will be thinking about possible meanings of Cold Pressed Virgin.

 

[DaveC426913]

:drool:

Now I want olive oil and balsamic for dipping tonight...

We buy these awesome balsamics with 75-year-old mothers. They have ruined me for anything less than $25/bottle.

 

[turbo]

Did you buy those?

Those are two shots of one knife, and yes, I bought it. It's a small knife, and I willingly ponied up $250 for it a couple of decades ago. Jerry is a master bladesmith, and his work is incredible. In return for teaching another knifemaker how to grind knives his way, he was taught an incredible technique for incorporating shapes into the layers of steels so that when you grind the blade and etch it, his name is in the pattern. He had a beautiful dagger on his table with Rados, Rados, Rados repeating all down the blade. Unfortunately, I didn't have that much money in my checking account.

I want him to forge and grind my dream knife - still waiting for a nickel-iron meteorite to fall on my house.

 

[nismaratwork]

:drool:

Now I want olive oil and balsamic for dipping tonight...

We buy these awesome balsamics with 75-year-old mothers. They have ruined me for anything less than $25/bottle.

Ahhhh, good man. You can take some of that rich and syrupy balsamic (better than wine in my view), and use it for savory and seet apps. One of my favorites (other than drizzled on strawberries or peaches) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/no-pan-pear-pie-recipe/index.html

You can modify this a million ways with plums, peaches, apples, and more, and use it as a side dish, or a companion with ice cream or whipped cream.

Personally, my favorite savory is a medium sliced roma tomato, fresh mozzarella, fresh and flash-fried basil, salt, pepper, a really nutty Olive Oil, and a generous drizzle of Balsamic, on the aged side. It's an oldie, but a goodie.

 

[nismaratwork]

Those are two shots of one knife, and yes, I bought it. It's a small knife, and I willingly ponied up $250 for it a couple of decades ago. Jerry is a master bladesmith, and his work is incredible. In return for teaching another knifemaker how to grind knives his way, he was taught an incredible technique for incorporating shapes into the layers of steels so that when you grind the blade and etch it, his name is in the pattern. He had a beautiful dagger on his table with Rados, Rados, Rados repeating all down the blade. Unfortunately, I didn't have that much money in my checking account.

I want him to forge and grind my dream knife - still waiting for a nickel-iron meteorite to fall on my house.

I have a blade such as that, but it's design is for combat, not cuisine! That is absolutely GORGEOUS! Do you think he could make a standard 8" chef's knife and a santoku?

 

[turbo]

I have a blade such as that, but it's design is for combat, not cuisine! That is absolutely GORGEOUS! Do you think he could make a standard 8" chef's knife and a santoku?

He can make anything! At the show that I bought this little knife at, he had a 6" patterned-damascus switchblade with matching fittings, button, etc. I wanted it REALLY bad, but I did the financially-responsible thing and passed. Should have bought it!

 

[Evo]

:drool:

Now I want olive oil and balsamic for dipping tonight...

We buy these awesome balsamics with 75-year-old mothers. They have ruined me for anything less than $25/bottle.

According to a food show hostess, adding sugar to rice wine vinegar is like Balsamic.

 

[nismaratwork]

He can make anything! At the show that I bought this little knife at, he had a 6" patterned-damascus switchblade with matching fittings, button, etc. I wanted it REALLY bad, but I did the financially-responsible thing and passed. Should have bought it!

Oh man, I know what you mean, but that is absolutely stunning work.

Evo: That food show hostess should be shot in the kneecaps and forced to eat only her own food. Clearly, she's made of pure evil, with a cream cheese frosting.

 

[DaveC426913]

Ahhhh, good man. You can take some of that rich and syrupy balsamic (better than wine in my view), and use it for savory and seet apps. One of my favorites (other than drizzled on strawberries or peaches) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/no-pan-pear-pie-recipe/index.html

Over barbequed peaches with ice cream!

You can modify this a million ways with plums, peaches, apples, and more, and use it as a side dish, or a companion with ice cream or whipped cream.

Or straight vanilla ice cream! One of our favorite 'sserts.

Personally, my favorite savory is a medium sliced roma tomato, fresh mozzarella, fresh and flash-fried basil, salt, pepper, a really nutty Olive Oil, and a generous drizzle of Balsamic, on the aged side. It's an oldie, but a goodie.

My wife makes an awesome Caprese salad. She uses grape tomatoes, and Bocconcini balls instead of Mozzarella.
She has gone a loooooong way toward me rediscovering the joys of salads.

 

[Evo]

Yummy...fresh creamed corn!

Slice the kernels off of 6 ears of corn, then take the side of the knife and drag it down the bare cobs, letting the juice run into the pan.

Add 4 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of milk. Bring it to a slow simmer, stir often. Cook for about 15 minutes, salt and pepper to taste. It is so so sooooo good!

Yummy hypatia! I love fresh corn.

 

[turbo]

For those who would like to see more of Jerry Rados' knives, here is a link. The guy is scary-good. If I were wealthy, I'd hire him to make me a set of chef's knives and USE them. The small trout and bird knife that I have is razor-sharp, and will make the hairs jump off your arm if that's how you evaluate sharpness.

http://radosknives.com/rad1/knives.htm

 

[Math Is Hard]

I sure could go for some spiral-cut ham.

 

[nismaratwork]

Over barbequed peaches with ice cream!


Or straight vanilla ice cream! One of our favorite 'sserts.


My wife makes an awesome Caprese salad. She uses grape tomatoes, and Bocconcini balls instead of Mozzarella.
She has gone a loooooong way toward me rediscovering the joys of salads.

Mmmmmm, BBQ peaches are amazing. I fire up a hibachi in winter just to fire fruits and veggies. I'll have to try your wife's version of the Caprese, it sounds delicious and I LOVE grape tomatoes.

Turbo-1: Thanks for the link! I'm not wealthy, but maybe I'll get one 8" chef's knife from him... with that you can do about 90% of cooking tasks.

 

[lisab]

I sure could go for some spiral-cut ham.

Mmmm. I

ham.

 

[nismaratwork]

Mmmm. I

ham.

...With a nice crispy glaze, and not that **** from a packet. Oh yeah, and on the bone, it has to be on the bone. Can I get some love for American country ham, and of course serrano... ooooh god. Give me Serrano ham and some melon and just leave me be, and all is well.

 

[lisab]

...With a nice crispy glaze, and not that **** from a packet. Oh yeah, and on the bone, it has to be on the bone. Can I get some love for American country ham, and of course serrano... ooooh god. Give me Serrano ham and some melon and just leave me be, and all is well.

True! That sticky stuff in the packets, it's nothing but high fructose corn syrup and coloring! It's not even food, much less something that should touch a delicious ham!

 

[nismaratwork]

True! That sticky stuff in the packets, it's nothing but high fructose corn syrup and coloring! It's not even food, much less something that should touch a delicious ham!

Amen sister! All glazes and sauces should be made from a base of the cooked beast in question. "De-glaze" is one of the most beautiful concepts in cookery; just get the good stuff and mix it with cream or honey or something else, reduce, and you have the best sauce, gravy or glaze you can get.

 

[Evo]

mmmm, I need salty ham. It was the only thing I could eat during both of my pregancies. And a real ham you cook for 2-3 hours, not one of those pretend hams.

MIH, you're not with kittens?

 

[Math Is Hard]

mmmm, I need salty ham. It was the only thing I could eat during both of my pregancies. And a real ham you cook for 2-3 hours, not one of those pretend hams.

MIH, you're not with kittens?

Don't think so. I've been keeping my distance from the tom cats.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Urrrrrrrrp. It's been a taco week. Mmmmmm.

I must have been brainwashed by my Mexican friends. To me, tacos are a food group that have a RDA.

 

[nismaratwork]

Urrrrrrrrp. It's been a taco week. Mmmmmm.

I must have been brainwashed by my Mexican friends. To me, tacos are a food group that have a RDA.

I've heard that tacos can cure everything from the heartbreak of psoriasis, to gout, and lumbago!

 

[nismaratwork]

My friends are going to wonder what the hell is wrong with me, when I suggest we go out for tacos, ribs, and stew this weekend.

 

[Math Is Hard]

My friends are going to wonder what the hell is wrong with me, when I suggest we go out for tacos, ribs, and stew this weekend.

And ham. Don't forget the ham.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

BBQ'd rib meat makes wonderful tacos.

Never made a ham taco; pork, but not ham. I'll stew on that one.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Steamed hams..

 

[turbo]

My tomato sauce is all blended and simmering on the stove.

Chopped Mariana tomatoes, German garlic, fresh basil, salt, and some olive oil, all pureed together in the blender. In the past, I often scalded the tomatoes then chilled them so I could slide the peels off easily. I think this method should be better because all of the tomato stays in the sauce, not just the pulp and juice.

We'll see. When my wife gets home from work, the sauce should be ready to evaluate. Nice thing about Marianas is that they are fleshy, so I don't have to juice them and don't have to simmer for a long time to reduce the liquids.