Archive for January, 2009

Good Eats fans

Are there a lot of Good Eats fans on OT? I keep stumbling on people repeating Alton Brown in various cooking threads. I’m a huge fan because I find it is the only show that teaches you how to cook instead of just giving you a recipe.

What things have you picked up from the show? I’ve certainly become a fan of cast iron cookware after watching the show. I’ve made some awesome fried hamburgers which is a savior since my condo complex doesn’t allow us to have grills or open flames on our balconies.
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Breakfast Crew v. Eggs

So breakfast is only 7 or 8 hours away, and since I’m pretty much insomnia’s bitch right now, I’m thinking about what the hell to make. I’d like to do something with eggs. Yeah, I know, I could have easily googled some recipes/ideas, but I’m already here on OT, so I figured why not. So any ideas?
Quiche. I hate it but it’s something different to do with eggywegs.
Make your own breakfast sandwich.

Bagel + Cheese + Eggs (Scrambled perhaps) + Ham or Sausage
I make my kids scrambled eggs with finely minced/chopped garlic and cheddar in it.They wont stop eating the stuff.
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Water Recovery/Remediation Opinions and Experience Help Please

Had some water damage in the condo. A 3×1 section of the wall was removed and a guy came in with a blower and a dehumidfier. Now they are charging over $1000 for 30 mins of work and some equipment rental?! Is this right?

Anyone had any experience with this?
That sounds ridiculously high.

Did they actually do anything other than cut out that little section of drywall?

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Red Wine Q. How long can you keep an opened bottle?

I’ve had one open for about 1 1/2 weeks Some say it tastes better the longer its open others say drink it right away
1 1/2 weeks is way too long.

After 24 hours it starts to lose some of the more complex flavors. After 48 you should get rid of it.

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anyone have experience v.battery powered trimmer

anyone use one of these yet?

this is a worx gt, 18v rechargeable trimmer/edger. there are other variations of the same thing by black and decker and american gardener. yes it was from an infomercial, but they also won a popular mechanics best buy award so……….
100% shit. unless you want to cut for 10 minutes, charge for an hour, cut for 10 minutes, charge for an hour, etc, etc. i wouldnt bother. go for a gas trimmer, way less bullshit.
I guess it depends on how much you have to trim and what you will be trimming. I have a big yard with lots of brush so I got a bigass Husqvarna that I can swap on a brush blade in place of the trimmer line if I need to.
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Best article on cooking steak that I’ve seen in a while

This is well worth the read. I used to be a grill cook at a top restaurant in Ann Arbor and now I feel like an amateur compared to the guys in the back of the house of Morton’s and Peter Luger.

Here’s the original article if you have a WSJ online sub:

The Search for the Perfect Steak
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So… who is adventerous enough to eat Marrow?

IBthat’sgross

If you’re a slow food kind of person, you should read this book.

From Publishers Weekly
In this expansive tome, food stylist and writer McLagan offers an alternative to the rubbery chicken breasts and fish filets now standard in Western cookery. By eliminating bones (and fat) from our diet, McLagan passionately argues, we’ve traded flavor for health and efficiency. Indeed, her book operates on the premise that the pleasure of gnawing on a lamb chop cannot be underestimated. More than a cookbook, this is a compendium of folklore, literary quotes and historical facts that refer to bones’ significance across cultures from ancient times to today. There are chapters on beef, pork, lamb, poultry, fish and game, each with an introductory section explaining anatomy and recommended cooking temperatures. Sidebars offer suggestions for carving, using unlikely parts, and recovering endangered bone-cooking arts like "spatchcocking," or removing the wishbone from a bird. McLagan’s recipes range from arcane (Lancashire Hot Pot, which traditionally consists of a deep dish of stew covered with a potato crust, and long lamb bones piercing through the topping) to contemporary continental (Osso Bucco with Fennel and Blood Orange Sauce). While some recipes are time-consuming, McLagan’s instructions are generally clear and precise. With its emphasis on tradition and technique, this work won’t appeal to the 20-minute chef, but it will be a welcome addition to the slow-food aficionado’s library. Photos. (Nov.)

Today I tried her Roasted Marrow Bones recipe with a parsley, basil, garlic, salt, and bread crumb topping. So good.
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I can’t eat oats!

Any ways to make them more edible for me?

Today I was so happy that i was going to have oatmeal for the first time and I tried to eat and it tasted sooooo bad.

I used

1/2 oats
1 cup water
Some milk
honey
flaxseed

microwaved for a little.

I cant get this stuff down ! But I want too since its such a great source of carbs.
Bring 1 cup of MILK to boil
Pour in 1/2 cup oats
Reduce heat and let cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally
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Need help: cooking with yogurt

My wife has been preparing me curry dishes. It’s pretty simple. Cook up some boneless skinless chicken breasts, drop in a half can of peas and some thinly sliced potatoes. Then you add in yogurt, the curry spices, and cayenne pepper.

NORMALLY everything works fine. Everything blends together in the yogurt and it comes out delicious.

About 30% of the time, however, the yogurt just breaks apart. You get this watery liquid with tiny white blobs floating in it. It doesn’t taste good at all and we wind up tossing it out.
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Need to get a new A/C unit air handler

someone told me Ream was a good name brand, or Trane. Anyone have any recommendations for good A/C manufacturers?
Ruud, Trane, Rheem, Coleman.. take your pic, they will all essentially work the same. Do some research into the company you will be buying it from as well as the warranty.
I’ve heard that Trane’s aren’t that great.

From personal experience I really like Lennox.
As long as you stay with any of the major manufacturers I don’t think there will be that much difference. I bought a carrier for my old house and it worked well.
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