Hi veryone
I've recently found a superb butcher in north london that delivers for free. I bought some ribs and sprinkled some cajun seasoning over it. My son suggested to put some runny honey over it too, which I did. They were good but I think I needed some more intense flavour on it. Does anyone have any suggestion please, for next time.
I have tried using oil in cake recipes and muffins but they turn out really awful. I follow the recipe very closely. When I use butter they turn out much better.
Why is it that when I cook beef it doesn't taste like authentic? It's silly I know but it tastes too beefy. Can someone please tell me where i'm going wrong.
Well what can I say but YUMMY. Thank you all for your advice. I shall be experimenting.
I thank you all for your comments. I did add cornstarch and used a wok which has a flat base and is non stick tefal, I have in the past used the orental type wok but it needs a lot of loving care as it can go rusty. I have a gas stove. I bought some beef steak from the supermarket and cut it straight down which i think is not the right direction. I will endeavour and hopefully will get it right in the end. Today I bought a lovely chinese cook book from the charity shop for £2.50 a bargain called Regional Chinese Cookbook by Kenneth Lo.
@cytero, I'm a charcoal girl all the way but I don't foil. To my taste, the best ribs aren't fall-apart tender; I like them when the meat still has some "chew," and a tug of the teeth pulls it cleanly off the bone. Your mileage may vary. :)
I cook ribs at around 230º (grid level temp), usually with a mix of hickory and apple wood for smoke - 3-4 hours for baby backs, 5-6 for spares.
@cytero: if being a TinFoilHead is acceptable, then so is being a GasHead.
@cytero, thanks for the tip. If I ever decide to absolve myself of my 30+ year addiction to gas, I'll try it. ;-)
Kidding aside, I never try to convince woodies or charheads to change to gas. It's everyone's own choice as to what they feel comfortable with.
(This messsage was written on a Mac, but only because my PC isn't turned on.)
Gasheads listen! It takes me 45 seconds to start a hardwood fire from cold to grilling temp! How? The same way the Memphis In May BBQ pros do it: blast the charcoal or hardwood with a propane weed burner! Any hardware store has them. Instant bbq fire! As for ribs, smoke them at no more than 200. An hour before they are done wrap in tin foil, put in some mop, and they will steam their way to tenderness in the last hour in the smoker.
Only specific cakes, i.e. Jerz's olive oil cake and carrot cakes, can be made with oil. (Was the olive oil cake the one featured here at SE?)
Don't waste anymore ingredients trying to recalculate a butter-based cake recipe to accommodate the use of oil. Google "cakes made with oil" or some such sentence and find cakes where oil is the fat of choice.
I love "tweaking" a recipe as much as the next person - tossing in a handful of raisins or chocolate chips - but your query only stands to prove that while "cooking is an art, baking is a science." There are just some changes and substitutions that will not work.
I make once a week a yogurt oil olive/canola cake. This is so good and has a dense crumb. I usually put frozen berries in it too.
Chiffon cakes remind me of my grandmother. She would make coffee cake that was out of this world with veg oil.
Each type has its place in baking. If you're looking for moist, subtly fruity and flavorful, go with olive oil where indicated. If you're imagining a tight crumb, a light texture, and flakiness go with butter.
You can usually substitute some oil for butter in more forgiving methods, such as quick breads and pound cakes, but if you're making anything more technical it's best to stick with what the recipe recommends. Otherwise the texture/taste of the finished product will not be ideal.
Oh but as you've seen, switching from margarine or shortening to butter is ok, since they are both solid fats. You could also use lard, if you wanted.
They are not interchangeable. Butter is a solid/plastic and although it melts, it is solid at room temperature. Especially if it's a cream-the-butter type cake, you will not get the same structure.
You're not supposed to use melted butter for oil, either, although I suspect the consequences are much less noticeable. Clarified butter would be a better choice in that case, though.
If you want to make a cake using oil, look for chiffon cakes, which are designed to use oil. I love them.
I think in alot of chinese takeaway restaurants, they flash fry the meat first before stir frying. We don't do that with home cooking.
My mom used to drag me to Chinatown to shop, under the pretense of teaching me about chinese food (but really so I would carry the bags for her). But being a teenager, I was not thrill with these lessons nor did I pay attention. I sure do regret it now, especially since I don't really read chinese. I wish someone would translate what chinese cuts of meats are into their English equivalent . Preferably with pictures :D
Subscribe to our feeds:
Subscribe by email:
Website:
Location: London
About: Enjoy pottering about in my kitchen. And best of all eating!
Favorite foods: I love all types of food, Indian, Chinese, Italian and more!!
Last bite on earth: Don't want to think about my last bite on earth, just like thinking about what I would like to eat next.