Profile

Toddlessness

29, been cooking for a few years now with my GF. Can't get enough time to make everything I'd like, but I love reading about it. Especially enjoy the Food Lab.

  • Location: Long Beach, CA
  • Favorite foods: Favorite foods are junk, which is bad because I try to eat healthy. Corn chips are my Achilles. I also love a good burger or pizza.
  • Last bite on earth: Pork Tinga Tostada, recipe from ATK. That sh*t is delicious.

The Food Lab: How To Make Tacos Al Pastor At Home

@Kenji, Is it just a coincidence then that ATK just did an al pastor recipe? I'll bet yours is way better, although there's looks way easier.

Congrats to the 2013 James Beard Award Finalists

Kenji FTW! Hands down the best, most well-thought out (and explained!) recipes around.

Only One Beer For Life: What Would You Pick?

I don't know how it ranks amongst these fine beers you've all listed, but I'd go with Firestone DBA.

Gin Revival: The Return of Tanqueray Malacca

Grapefruit. With cinnamon. And bubblegum. Hahahaha!!

...but seriously, I'm on my way to the store right now.

Chef Michael Symon Talks to Us About Lay's New Chips Flavors

Why can't we learn about Brand-name products without people complaining that it's an ad? And Michael Symon is a sell-out? ...Too many people drinking Haterade.

How Will Maker's Drinkers Really Respond to Watered-Down Bourbon?

20 drops sounds like a lot, but the math is right. So how about this:
A 2 ounce pour of Maker's is about 60 ml. Under 2 ml of that will now be water.

Behind the Scenes: Goat Cheese & Apple King Cake at Cake Cafe, New Orleans

It looked so good before they drizzled all that horrendous goop on top. What a shame...

Serious Eats Guide: How To Buy Caviar

Great read, and very intriguing to someone who's never had caviar. I'm not saying I'm going to go buy some, but now I'm definitely not passing it up if it's offered.

We Try the Hot Cocoa Mixes from Starbucks

I've got the salted caramel version at home which I had mixed with Bailey's around Xmas time. Not the greatest combo, but the bourbon recommendation sounds like a winner. I'll have to try that! (On its own it's pretty good, too.)

Video: Alton Brown's 5 Essential Pieces of Kitchen Equipment

You guys don't get it. He's viewing cooking as an art that needs to be in the right environment to be properly and fully enjoyed. Cooking in a dark kitchen on an electric stove, cutting with a dull knife, and then eating at the counter or over the kitchen sink... you can't argue that it's not cooking, and is in fact what a lot of people do every day, but to truly enjoy the process and the product, you'll need AB's essentials. Very cool.

Deep Fried Chicago: Hackney's Printer's Row

Reuben.. wait for it... Egg Rolls.

I've never been more excited.

Looking for a Chow Mein Recipe

...this is why we need a chow mein recipe.

Poll: What's Your Approach to Topping Homemade Pizzas?

I'm still just working on the basics, especially when it comes to dough. Getting that perfect crust is what it's all about for me, so I always top with simple sauce and a cheese blend. At this point, I just want to be consistent.

Gingerbread Icebox Cake with Mascarpone Mousse

But how do you serve it?!

Video: Alton Brown on Why His Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Is Perfect

I'd also love to hear the whole conversation.

The Food Lab: Roast Turkey Breast For A Small Gathering

This looks delish. Pretty sure I'll be cooking it this weekend.

The Ultimate Turducken

Hey Kenji, Amazing post! I Love the Food Lab!

I was thinking that to practice de-boning a bird without getting too expensive, I might just try to make a sausage-stuffed chicken; essentially the first step. How would you recommend I cook it at that point? Poach then sear?

The Deal With Hershey's Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate Bar

I had to comment to say that I, too, dislike the basic Hershey bar. It's grainy or chalky or both and it definitely has a weird aftertaste. My gf loves it, though. Maybe this Extra-Creamy bar is the solution I've been looking for.

A Pizza My Mind: On Serving Sizes

Just this weekend I made some delicious, thin pizza and ended up eating a pie and a half myself. I felt like such a glutton, but it was so good! Although I don't frequent high-end pizza spots with friends, I can definitely see this being an issue. I'll have to remember to order a pie just for myself if I ever find myself in this situation.

Ask The Food Lab: On Hot Chocolate And Whole Wheat

"It's like throwing a truckload of razor blades into a fishing net factory."

brilliant.

A Pizza My Mind: Pepperoni and Pineapple Pizza

This has been my go-to pizza for a little while now, but get this: I add JALAPENOS! The spicy plays off of the sweetness and makes it all the better. So for me, P&P&J!

Where to Get Congee in Chinatown, NYC

This is all well and good, but is it pronounced with a hard or soft "g"?

Serious Entertaining: How To Throw a Pizza Party

Hey Kenji, I think you've hit on something here as my dough always sticks to the peel (er... cutting board). How quickly should I be working with the dough and toppings to make sure the transition to the oven is smooth?

The Pizza Lab: The Baking Steel Delivers

@Scott123: That was me, and yes, that's what I mean.

The Pizza Lab: The Baking Steel Delivers

Semi-related question:
I've got an oven with the broiler in the lower drawer. Does anyone have experience transferring a pizza in and out this type of broiler?

Trouble with the Thermapen Thermometer

Hey SE Community!

While making Chicken Adobo the other night, I was having trouble getting an accurate reading from my Thermapen thermometer. I didn't know where to stick it, or how far to stick it, and eventually gave up and cut into the meat. This isn't the first time this has happened either. Occasionally I'll be taking the temp of a cut of meat only to find out that it's gotten colder!

Does anyone else have trouble using the Thermapen?

Would like to see this reviewed

Is this the spot to post requests for reviews? I'd like to see this KettlePizza (http://uncrate.com/stuff/kettlepizza/) reviewed, it seems like a good idea, though I'm not sure it's entirely necessary. Thanks for the great site!

Burners are too small for Dutch Oven!

Hi SE community! I recently picked up a (red!) Lodge Enameled Dutch Oven and I love it, except that I was trying to fry some chicken the other night and I couldn't get the thing to heat oil past 325. I think the burners on the stove are too small; they were up all the way. They're also all the same size, which just seems crazy to me... Does anyone else have this problem? Anyone have any ideas to remedy?

Microplaned Garlic - How do I do it?

I love making garlic paste with my microplane, but I have 2 problems: getting the skin off of the garlic beforehand, and having leftover bits of garlic when I'm done.
Smashing the garlic to get the skin off makes it infinitely harder to hold and grate, and I end up only grating about 3/4 of the clove because I don't want my own skin in my garlic paste. Anyone have any tips?

Can I Save Leftover Tuna Steak?

I've been cooking tuna steaks more often recently and I always wonder if the leftovers are okay to save. Considering I'm just searing the outside, the inside is still rare. I guess the same question applies to other meats too... it never occurred to me. Are leftover, rare meats okay to refrigerate for the next day?

Where can I make a suggestion?

I was just wondering if there was a way to give the awesome team at SE a heads-up on something I'd like to see written about. Case in point, The Sriracha Cookbook.

(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1607740036/uncrate-20)

Is Le Cordon Bleu the best school?

My girlfriend is an amazing baker, and is looking to go to cooking school in France, namely to Le Cordon Bleu. I'd like to know if there's one school that stands above the rest, or does it depend on what one's ultimate goal is? And can community college culinary programs stand up to the big schools? We live near Los Angeles, if anyone has any local suggestions. Thanks in advance.

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