Justin & Meredith Winokur's Kitchen Cooking Notebook
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KitchenKatalog: Blog 272
Saturday, January 11, 2014, 11:11 AM
I have always enjoyed popcorn and I had been using the air popper for a while but it always tastes a bit stale. And I had to spray it with pam to get any seasonings to stick. Plus, I had some stove-top popcorn at friends house. So I decided to try it.
I used the basic method outlines by this America's Test Kitchen video which I also outlined below:
I followed this with small test batches. As I said above, I used heat 7/10 but I think I would bring it to 5 or 6. I also put a layer of parchment under the pot so I could shake without scratching (can only do that on induction).
On my first test, I used canola oil and I liked it a lot. The popcorn had a bit of the oil flavor and was a good texture. Enough oil stayed on the kernels that I could just season without pam. The next batch, I tried extra virgin olive oil. This seemed to smoke a little bit and a few kernels had a smokey taste but not too bad. While it is a healthier oil, I didn't like that it was smoking. And canola isn't really too bad anyway.
In the future, I may try to use regular (ie non extra virgin) olive oil. Also, Meredith found this post also by America's Test Kitchen and they use water. Not sure if I am willing to try that.
I also need to test with different pans. I did small amounts here (1/4 cup) which is half of what I normally pop. There was more room in the pan but probably not twice as much (though I could test with the pan dry and see). But if I go any bigger, I need a lot more oil to coat the pan. I'll play and see what I can figure out.
Also, I want to investigate adding seasonings right to the oil while popping. Maybe some garlic and pepper in the oil then other seasonings on top.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7120, 2014-01-11_111144
Thursday, January 09, 2014, 10:19 AM
I made spaghetti squash in homemade tomato sauce with shrimp. Nothing really new with the squash. I did it in the microwave as usual. I made the sauce from sautéd onions, then 28 oz petite diced tomatoes. I added a tiny bit of olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, some oregano and then some "italian seasonings" (Emril). I defrosted about 2/3 lbs of frozen shrimp (for two servings, 264 cal total) and sautéd/steamed them (they had a lot of water making it more like steaming).
Everything was very good. Again, nothing too special but I liked it with shrimp. It was certainly easy to do!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7116, 2014-01-09_101935
Wednesday, January 08, 2014, 03:57 PM
I again made Patatas Bravas using rutabaga like I did before. I followed the same basic idea for rutabaga with a bit of chipotle powder on them as well. On that note, I also used some chipotle powder in the sauce. I really adjusted the sauce spices as I see fit.
I then topped it with poached eggs. I let them cook too long so they were a bit over done. I also tried the trick again where you strain the egg. I am not sure if that made a difference or how fresh these eggs really were. Either way, it was a nice protein boost for the meal. Also, the whole thing was pretty easy and healthy.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7112, 2014-01-08_155718
Tuesday, January 07, 2014, 09:06 AM
I intended to make my regular Taco Stew with lentils. I followed the basic recipe except that I forgot to add the can of tomatoes. I think that is why the color is so off. I also used extra squash.
Despite forgetting the tomatoes, the stew was really good. I think I like the lentil version more than the beef one. Not only is the lentil one easier, but I think it tastes better (and my be healthier too)
(BTW, the beer is my Brown Ale)
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7092, 2014-01-07_090602
Sunday, January 05, 2014, 09:44 PM
I made dinner for me, Meredith and Emily. First, I made seared salmon using roughly my usual technique. I didn't have cast-iron so I used a stainless steel pan and I added a bit of coconut oil. I took them out of the oven a bit too soon making it slightly undercooked but still very good. Also, the skin came off a bit in the pan as you can see (they are a bit broken). I then took the skins and fried them in the leftover coconut oil and they came out really crispy and good. I could have probably done with less coconut oil (or none).
And I made a Kabocha squash. I followed the instructions from NomNomPaleo, but really, all I did is as follows. I cut the squash into wedges with the skin on. Then pam the squash and the tray and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. I cooked it for 30 minutes at around 400 flipped at the 15 mark. However, the temperature was probably not exact since the oven isn't exact and I upped it at the end for the salmon.
On Emily's suggestion, I ate the whole thing, skin and all! It was so good. The squash had an amazing flavor and the skin was even really good! I would do this again. It was also so simple!
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7062, 2014-01-05_214405
Sunday, January 05, 2014, 01:51 PM
Meredith and I made breakfast for us and Emily. I made the seitan chorizo multiplied by 1.5x. Meredith poached eggs (without vinegar too) and we topped it with scallions (it was some weird asian kind. I'll ask Meredith and update it)
The whole thing was pretty good. I am really liking this seitan chorizo recipe (and I have done it a lot in the past few weeks). It was also a great protein packed breakfast.
2020-11-27 note: the truth has finally come out. Emily had requested “poached eggs” which Meredith begrudgingly made. Only after she made it did Emily realize she meant to say “Fried eggs”
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7059, 2014-01-05_135130
Thursday, January 02, 2014, 01:49 PM
I had the other two links of sausage from the other day so I made a hash. I cut up two_tiny_ potatoes and a sweet potatoes and sautéd them in a frying pan until they were about half way there. I then added chopped up sausage. At the same time, I sautéd a whole bunch of shallot in a bit of olive oil (I didn't want it to burn with the potatoes). When the potatoes were almost done, I added the shallots, salt, pepper and tossed to combine.
It wasn't too fancy of a meal but it was still pretty good. Also pretty easy. Maybe a bit carb-heavy but not too bad I guess.
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7056, 2014-01-02_134933
Tuesday, December 31, 2013, 10:30 AM
I made roasted broccoli and chicken sausage. I chopped broccoli and roasted it for about 20 minutes at around 400 (the oven isn't exact). I then added two diced links of sweet italian chicken sausage (140 cal/link) and let it go for another 10 minutes for so. There wasn't too much to it and it wasn't all that special, but it was easy and quick (prep wise at least).
Original Wordpress ID and Date: 7052, 2013-12-31_103025