Category Archives: Cooking

Here you’ll find everything about cooking that isn’t actually a recipe. Tips, techniques, gripes, whatever.

Can I reuse pickle juice?

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

After I sliced and served my last Kosher style pickle, I was left with a jar filled with wonderful brine. Rather than just throw it out, I got some more cucumbers from the garden and plunged them into this brine, … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Easy Kosher Pickles

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

These are darn close to Guss’s Kosher pickles in my opinion. All you need is cucumbers, water, salt, garlic and patience. Ingredients: A pound or more of nice pickling cucumbers Water Kosher salt or another non-iodized salt A handful of garlic … Continue reading →

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House brand taste test… cider vinegar!

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

My last batch of sour slaw looked a little off-white and I realized it must be the cider vinegar: I was near the bottom of a jug of Bragg’s Organic, which not only is unfiltered but comes “with the mother” … Continue reading →

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The miracle of cole slaw

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

The classic L’il Abner comic strip had a recurring character called the Schmoo. To quote Wikipedia, “Shmoos are delicious to eat, and are eager to be eaten. If a human looks at one hungrily, it will happily immolate itself—either by … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Carrot Pickle for Dave Chang

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

I found this carrot pickle recipe on chow.com originally, but it was way too sweet. After adjusting the ingredients I discovered it was the same pickling proportion used by David Chang in the Momofuku cookbook. If you want to mess with … Continue reading →

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Recipe forensics… revisited

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

A while back, we talked about recipe forensics …. the notion of figuring out the ingredients of a dish by getting inside the head of the person who makes it. Let’s say that person is an ethnic or home cook … Continue reading →

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House brand taste test… Ketchup!

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

I have a soft spot for store or “house” brands. I’m convinced that they are not made in actual houses, but in the same factories used to produce the national brands*. The difference comes when it’s time to slap on … Continue reading →

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Recipe: Korean Fried Chicken

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Burnt My Fingers

Sweet, sour, spicy, greasy: so good and so so good for you (not). This was my contribution to the neighborhood Super Bowl party. Makes 6-8 appetizer portions using one of the 2.5 pound Tyson bags I found at my supermarket; … Continue reading →

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Sour slaw: my obsession continues

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Burnt My Fingers

So I’m back in Dallas with the opportunity to compare my sour slaw recipe to the original at Highland Park Cafeteria. I’m ready to call it a draw. My concoction is as close as I’m likely to get considering the … Continue reading →

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Helpful bread

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Burnt My Fingers

My friend was in a battle with a pit bull. I could say “he was attacked by a pit bull” but it’s more complicated than that. What is undeniable is that the pit bull attacked his family dog on their … Continue reading →

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