It means some form of glutamates - probably MSG, but maybe autolyzed yeast extract or hydrolyzed vegetable protein. The FDA allows broth to be listed as an ingredient without mentioning the broth's actual ingredients as long as they are "derived" from natural sources.
Sadly, the chickens are bred and raised in such a way that without the extra help, they would be dry and bland.
They are short loin flap meat. Picture a porterhouse. The piece at the "top" is known as the tail. If that were not cut off at an inch or so, it would run down the side of the animal. When this meat is cleaned up, it becomes sirloin tips. Beef bacon.
Sorry, I just saw the whole post, too. Yes, carbon steel by all means! There are 2 guages and you want the heavier. At my restaurant we use them for 95% of our stovetop work. Don't get a name brand, though. They're all the same. Like I said, it should cost under $30.
If you can get into a Restaurant Depot, get their house brand, called Winco. A 10" nonstick skillet will run you about $21. It is heavy aluminum with as good and durable a nonstick coating as is manufactured. My other choice would be to get French black steel skillets. They are probably about $26 for a 10" pan, but once seasoned, will last a lifetime. They are perfectly nonstick and are lighter than cast iron. I wouldn't bother with All Clad et al.
This isn't too exciting, but I like to process panko, reggiano, parsley and chervil in the Cuisinart until thoroughly green. After searing the racks (optional) I rub the fat cap side with dijon, then press on the crumb mixture. Then I bake at a low temperature, maybe 250-275 until the internal temperatire reaches 126 degrees - about 25 minutes.
I'm not a fan of adding creamy cheese to this recipe. I could see randomly placing little pieces of brin d'amour or a mild fresh chevre, but beyond that, I wouldn't touch it. It really goes against the grain of the dish.
I do the bulk of my shopping there, with the rest at Costco. Their prices are less expensive than most supermarkets for natural and organic themed foods, but higher for conventional products. In other words, a package of organic spaghetti will cost you less at WFM, but a roll of Charmin and an English cucumber will cost more.
At work, the wine pairing I see most often is raw or chilled shellfish with a giant cabernet. After that, it's anything else with a giant cabernet. It's become a running joke: shellfish tower with Jordan Cab, Sashimi App with Silver Oak... I don't notice very many people attempting to pair wine with food. I do. I am partial to food friendly wines: pinot gris, grenache, rhone blends. I also, gasp, believe that white wine pairs better with almost all food. Not chocolate. My wife, on the other hand, doesn't drink white wine, so we usually resort to glass wines or half bottles. Disclaimer: I was the executive chef at a Wine Spectator Grand Award winning restaurant.
One word of advice I try to share: if you think your wine is corked, send it back. Don't be shy; the restaurant gets full credit for it whether it is or isn't.
This is my go-to dish for cooking demos, and I make it all the time at home.
Pan Bread
1 purchased fresh pizza dough (1lb)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
leaves from 1 sprig thyme
½ tsp minced rosemary
generous sea salt (sel gris or fleur de sel) and freshly ground pepper
additional extra virgin olive oil as needed
1) Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.
2) Roll or form the dough into approximately the shape and size of the base of a medium (10 inch) nonstick skillet.
3) Heat the nonstick skillet over medium heat about 30 seconds; add dough and drizzle a small amount of additional olive oil around the circumference. Lower heat and cook about 5 minutes, checking occasionally that the garlic doesn’t burn.
4) Flip and cook an additional 5 minutes, checking again for burning. Bread should be golden brown on both sides. Allow to rest 5 more minutes before serving.
Tap the bread - it should sound somewhat hollow.
Note: Feel free to make any changes – omit the garlic, substitute different herbs, etc.
Process sweet smoked paprika and sel gris together for a great steak seasoning.
Also, processing breadcrumbs with herbs like chervil, parsley, etc makes the crumbs green, and they stay that way during cooking as a topping for fish or whatever.
You can make compound butters. Try softening crystalized ginger in warm water or rice wine, then pureeing with softened butter and chilling. Then you can use the butter to finish pan sauces for fish or pork.
I'm a flight attendant and go to Paris weekly. My absolute favorite bistrot is called Baribal, is not charming, and has the most magnificent food with incredibly low prices. They have gargantuan portions; some favorites are veal with roquefort sauce, lamb kidneys with mustard sauce, duck magret,lardon salad. Pasteur metro stop. Good markets are Poncelet Market (Terne metro stop)and it's not open Mondays; Roosevelt Market, also not open Mondays. L'ami Jean in the 15th on Malar is fantastic; just down a few doors is L'affriole, fantastic menu that changes almost as often as L'ami Jean. If you go to L'ami Jean make sure someone gets their signature rice pudding; you won't be disappointed. Another good restaurant is called Le Relais de Venise close to Congress. It's just off the Champs Elysees and has no menu. Patrons start to queue around 6:45pm for the first seating, and the only thing they serve is entrecote of beef with a mysterious tarragon sauce, hand-cut fries, and a simple salad. Seconds are automatically doled out without question, and you will want seconds. All that's required it how rare you enjoy your steak and what you'd like to sip. Have fun...
Here's some info from WholeFoods Markup on the east side.
I've been on a chicken roasting binge the past few months, (a chicken/week), and I've tried everything from free-range organic to what must have been a practical jokers rubber version!
The results were about what you would expect. I did think Pilgrims Pride was the best of the "adulterated" birds though.
@renzata: brined or injected?
@kjgibson: yep, I think so too.
It's a small world, or else Serious Eats readers have ESP. I was just mildly complaining (OK, bitching) today about trying to find a decent chicken that did not have this injection process in its life & death process. Hard to find, unless you buy frozen around these parts.
Time to raise chickens, both for fresh and cheap eggs and control over what goes into them before they go into your stomach!
Well, the chicken turned out last night with no ill effects. It was pretty much the same as my usual roast chicken and, in fact, I probably could have seasoned it a bit more, so my unscientific opinion would be that the added broth solution does little, if anything, to the flavor. It was, I think, a little moister than my usual, which could be due to the enhancements OR my ever-improving culinary skills ;)
Since I have three more in my freezer it's comforting to have completed a test run! By the way, these were purchased at about $3.50 per 4-lb bird so you can understand my desire that these taste as good as they are a value.
I totally agree with Loco about buying the whole tenderloin if you have the space. Otherwise, at least buy some whole filets or sirloin and cut them up yourself--usually better meat, and cheaper. If you freeze the meat about 20 minutes it will slice very easily.
Also one of my favorite meals this winter has been Cooks Illustrated's Beef Stroganoff which uses filet mignon, but a little goes a long way. I've also had the butcher chop the filets for me. That allows me to choose the filets I want, while also saving me time and money from buying the tips, or doing it myself.
Sounds like a relatively harmless brine, to me. Carrageenan is a plant gum (thickener) made from seaweed. You'll find it in all kinds of products, like ice cream, toothpaste, shampoo, etc... it's especially common in processed foods of the reduced fat variety. You paid for 12% liquid, but at least it's probably not going to have a huge effect on the overall flavor.
Thanks, everyone. The back of the packaging says the solution ingredients are chicken broth, salt and carrageenan, whatever that is. Interestingly enough, it also claims to be "minimally processed." I'll definitely be more careful in the future, as I like to control the amount of flavor "enhancements" myself, thank you very much.
I am roasting one as we speak; I didn't brine it (I usually don't) and I salted it overall a little less than normal, so I'll let everyone know how it turns out!
I'd definitely adjust your seasoning. Somewhere on the package it should identify the enhancing ingredients, which are almost guaranteed to contain significant levels of sodium.
Avoid this issue by seeking out poultry that is labeled "natural" and "minimally processed" and identifies the percentage of "retained water" -- you want retained water, not solution, etc., as this is simply the water absorbed during the chilling process (they use big vats of cold water to bring down the birds' body temp after processing). Labels that state all three of these things is free of additives. Look for the lowest percentage of retained water possible to get the best value for your money (why pay for water). In my area, 4% is typical of name-brand chickens, while the cheaper store-brand birds often contain 6% or even 8% retained water.
Avoid enhanced, self-basting, or products with "solution" on the label, all of which are marinated in or injected with solutions of various ingredients besides water (natural or artificial flavorings, sodium, etc.). Typically, they contain 10% or 12% added liquid. Why pay meat dollars for this liquid when you can make your own brine for pennies?
I've recently been interested in air-chilled poultry. It is cooled with blasts of cold air instead of vats of water, and therefore contains no retained water. However, it's hard to find and costs substantially more per pound.
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Location: Boston
About: I am a fine-dining chef of many years, have a wife and two sons, compose music on the computer, play a Gibson SG and ES335, an Almansa 447 and a Martin D28 (rarely). I would love to join Manu Chao and Radio Bemba Soundsystem on stage someday.
Favorite foods: Pimenton, marcona almonds, cheeses, charcuterie, olives, chimichurri, Brandt Beef, Nantucket bay scallops - actually pretty much anything unprocessed except hazelnuts, green bell peppers and poorly cooked eggplant.
Last bite on earth: Warm baguette, Saint Agur or Brillat-Savarin and red bell pepper jam.