Cheap Tricks

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

UPDATE: This cheap tricks post was originally about an outfit called TryTheWorld and a special offer they featured at holiday time. Apparently I misunderstood the offer, and it’s not online any more to verify. The deal is that you get shipped a box of gourmet goods from a different country every two months, for which you pay $39 shipped. The link above should get you a 15% discount, and you also get a free box with your first order so it may be worth checking out. A negative is that their online support is quite difficult; if you have a problem it will take a lot of back and forth to resolve it.

While on the subject of cheapness, which you know is near and dear to my heart, here are a couple of other strategies:

  1. When you’re shopping online, fill your cart and set up an account with your email address, then “abandon” it by just leaving the order there. Very often the retailer will email you with an extra incentive to complete the order. This will not work in all cases, but it can’t hurt to try it, EXCEPT with the daily specials on Amazon where if you don’t buy right away they will sell out and disappear.
  2. Want to subscribe to a magazine? Go to the library and find an issue from several years back then shake it so the blow-in subscription card falls out. Very often it will be at a much lower price. Write a check and send it in and see if the magazine honors it. They may because they get most of their revenue from advertising, which depends on paid subscriptions. Won’t always work but you can’t hurt to try it.

That’s it for now. Have a cheap and happy weekend.

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Recipe: Harvey Randall’s Egg Cream

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

Harvey Randall is a member of the Gates of Heaven Congregation in Schenectady NY who makes this concoction each year for the Jewish Food Festival. He shared his egg recipe with Daniel Berman of Fussy Little Blog. It’s untraditional, but close to what you’d get at a New York lunch counter, and very easy.

Ingredients:
1 part chocolate syrup (he specifies Fox’s U-Bet but I’ve used Hershey’s without serious consequences)
4 parts whole milk
8 parts seltzer water

Method: Milk and seltzer should both be chilled. Combine ingredients in a wide-mouth jar with a lid. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds until very fizzy. Pour into serving glasses and serve.

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What to do with leftover sourdough starter

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

Being obsessively thrifty, I have traditionally not had leftover sourdough starter after making a recipe. I keep around 150 g of 60% starter (for no good reason, I have several of them) in the refrigerator and when I get ready for a bake I add whatever additional amount of flour and water is required to make the quantity I need, plus a little bit for insurance, then let it sit a day or so till good and bubbly, then make my bread and put the remainder back in the starter jar for the next batch. Everything gets used, now or later.

But that’s stupid. First of all you don’t need that much starter to get a fresh batch going (many recipes will tell you to start with a spoonful or so) and second a starter used after a single refresh is never going to be as strong as one that’s kept lively through regular feeding. So, with a bit more baking time recently, I’ve been refreshing my starter more frequently without making bread which means I have leftovers. These I transfer to a 1-liter plastic container (the kind your takeout hot-and-sour soup comes in) and when it’s full, deal with it. Here are some options:

  • Turn starter into a holiday gift. Package an 8 oz jar with our Kettle Bread recipe inside a cast iron Dutch oven; add a sack of stone ground flour if you like.
  • Make a recipe like sourdough onion rings, sourdough English muffins or sourdough waffles* that uses large amounts of starter for flavor, not leavening. Or do your own experiments with a batter/base/dough made with a ratio of 1 part starter, 2 parts water, 3 parts flour and salt as needed.
  • Dry it. Spread some starter on a piece of parchment paper and dry it in a dehydrator or just leave it out on a counter (if you’re not afraid of introducing new wild yeasts) till dry and flaky. Transfer to a Ziploc bag then store as you would yeast packets, in the refrigerator or freezer. Reconstitute by adding flour and water in your original proportions (60%, 100% or whatever) then refresh several times until lively. I haven’t actually tried this, by the way, but no reason it shouldn’t work.
  • And here’s one thing NOT to do: pour it down the drain. It’s very likely to turn into library paste and bring a visit from the plumber.

Many of these ideas are from this old thread on The Fresh Loaf which has even more; check it out.

*When making this or any KAF sourdough recipe, remember that they use a starter at 100% hydration and ours is 60%. So you need to do a bit of simple math to adjust the flour/water ratio.

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Food for Thought: ChefSteps Premium

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

I’ve previously endorsed ChefSteps for their elegant and professional videos of food prep techniques and complete recipes. This page has enough free videos to keep you busy for quite a while… the old fashioned donut recipe definitely has a place in my queue.

However, they’ve recently added a Premium channel which is where I expect they’ll put more and more content in the future. I’m not clear on what determines free vs firewalled content but at $39 for unlimited access I’m happy to support these guys.

Did I say $39? Through January 15 ChefSteps Premium is only $19. Great gift for somebody who is obsessed with food. Check it out.

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Betrayed by the Bowmore

Posted on December 8, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers
Bowmore 12 year old

From the Bowmore website, which promises “Puffs of peat smoke and pools of honey, sharpened by lemon zest.” I think not.

I don’t always drink Islay single malt, but when I do I drink Bowmore. In addition to peat and smoke there’s an extra note that might be called seaweed. It’s easy to conjure up a picture of a bubbling spring flowing through moss somehow intertwined with kelp to produce a salty, bracingly acidic base for the intense smoky complexity of the malts.

I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy the legendary 1991 Port Matured and then some proprietary bottlings from K&L Wines which are offered at cask strength (close to 60% ABV, which is half again as strong as off the shelf whiskys). I had also tried and dismissed the “darkest red” which is sold at retail. But it wasn’t until my supply of the cask strength bottles ran low, and I saw that K&L had no more on offing, that I panicked and ordered some bottles of the 12 year old at close to $50 each.

And you know what? It’s fine as a well Scotch, but for anybody looking for peat and smoke it’s a total disappointment. I can’t believe the accolades that are all too easy to find on the web which I think are from people giving credit to the Bowmore brand and think this bottle is a relative bargain. It’s not. Trader Joes’ Finlaggan provides more smoke and peat for 1/3 the price. And while I’ll admit the Bowmore 12 is a bit more complex than Dewar’s, my go-to drink in a bar, I could get 1.75 liters of Dewar’s plus a bonus pocket bottle for what I’m paying for my 750 of Bowmore 12 year old.

I like to advise folks on what to eat and drink in this blog, not what to avoid. But this is just too heinous. Go elsewhere for your Islays, or seek out the rarer Bowmore bottlings and be prepared to pay the price.

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Recipe: Chef Salad

Posted on December 3, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers
Chef Salad (missing the turkey, but that's okay)

Chef Salad (missing the turkey, but that’s okay)

Is it Chef Salad or Chef’s Salad? Considering its roots in the aspirational 1950s, “Chef” might have been some food writer’s idea of a descriptive adjective connoting quality—the kind of salad a chef (as opposed to a mere cook) might make. Or, it could be the chef’s own salad, like he or she would eat in the kitchen, a variation on the “family meal”. That’s a more recent and more sophisticated perspective, so I’m going with “Chef”. Serves one as a main dish (recommended) or 4 as a salad course.

Ingredients:
½ head iceberg lettuce or 3 c sturdy greens like romaine or frisée—no micro greens
¼ c ham, bacon or prosciutto, chopped
½ c turkey or chicken breast meat, chopped
¼ c grated cheddar or provolone
¼ c croutons
1 medium tomato, peeled and chopped, or 4 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/8 c chopped onions or scallions
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
¼ French dressing

Method: Toss all the salad ingredients and serve with the dressing on the side, for diners to add themselves (if pre-dressed it gets too gloppy).

our-growing-edge-badgeI’m adding this post to the international food bloggers’ monthly link up party Our Growing Edge. This month is hosted by Jazzmine at Dash of Jazz. The theme is NOSTALGIA, and what could be more nostalgic than a nice bowl of Chef Salad.

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Recipe: French* Dressing

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers
French Dressing

French Dressing

Here’s a midcentury classic from a jingoistic time when Americans (and specifically Kraft Foods) were happy to take international flavors and give them a uniquely inauthentic makeover. French Dressing is tangy, a bit heavy, but delicious on a composed Chef Salad (another made up conceit) which I lived on at one time in college. Makes about 14 oz.

Ingredients:
1/2 small onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c cider vinegar
1 T white sugar
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 t lemon juice
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t Kosher salt

Method: put the onion in a blender of food processor with a little of the liquid ingredients and processed until it is pulverized, no visible bits remaining. Add oil, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, lemon juice, paprika and salt and blend until smooth. Let it set an hour before using so the sugar can dissolve and the flavors meld. Will keep quite a while in the refrigerator, or a few days on the kitchen counter.

*This is what they put on their salads on the boulevards of Paris, non? No. That would be vinaigrette, or what we call “Italian” dressing. Anyway, I’m going with the Association for Dressings and Sauces (now there’s a trade group for you) who define it as “tangy, zesty and spicy, flavored by tomato and/or paprika products added to oil (35% minimum) and vinegar”.

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Food for Thought: Roadfood

Posted on November 26, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

The other day I got an email with some of the sweetest food writing I’ve seen, describing a phenomenon called Nashville Hot Chicken: “These quarters and halves are ferociously seasoned down to the bone; and their crust, which strips off in luxurious patches that are equal measures crunch and chew, glows with red-orange spice. It’s salty but not throat-parching; and the miracle of it is that the flavor of plush chicken imbued with plenty of natural schmaltz (chicken fat) bursts right through the heat. The chicken is so addictive Jane says there should be a 12-step program for it!”

The description is from the Roadfood Newsletter, and you can taste Nashville Hot Chicken along with a number of other Roadfood discoveries December 3 in Washington, DC or December 9 in Atlanta as part of “a food-lover’s dream road trip in a single meal: authentic regional specialties from the best Roadfood restaurants across the USA.

“Ticket price includes the meal, unlimited beer and wine, and a signed copy of Roadfood: The Coast to Coast Guide to 900 of the Best Barbecue Joints, Lobster Shacks, Ice Cream Parlors, Highway Diners, and Much, Much More. Jane and Michael will be sharing stories from the road and leading a conversation among guests about regional food: where and how to find it.”

I was going to just tell you about this event, but their words say it better than I could. The cost is an entirely reasonable $90 plus service fee while tickets last on Eventbrite.

Roadfood is what it implies… reports filed by food loving folks as they ply the backways of America, get hungry, and discover authentic regional fare hidden amongst the Waffle Houses and Cracker Barrels. I have occasionally contributed and often used their discussion boards as a resource, as when I was headed to Binghamton NY and wanted to get the back story on spiedes. Now they’ve branched out into organized tours and these occasional dinners, and I certainly will join one when I have the opportunity. But meanwhile, a free account on their discussion board is your gateway to receiving emails like the one I quoted. Check it out.

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My Thanksgiving clips post

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers

The great thing about Thanksgiving (the way we celebrate at my house anyways) is that it’s the same year after year. So, no reason to break new ground when a bunch of existing posts cover the subject well enough:

We’ll cook our turkey this way following the options from sfgate.com with a light brining, stuffing, and roasting at moderate heat with a paper towel or cheesecloth covered with oil or butter over the breast till the last half hour. We’ll use this stuffing recipe, though we’ll dial back the spices because we will be using our bread machine bread for stuffing  which has the spices already mixed in, accompanied by fresh cranberry sauce which, according to our taste test, is the best option and very easy.

The next day we’ll have turkey sandwiches on some good stiff country sourdough with leftover stuffing, gravy, wilted salad and cranberry sauce, nicely lubricated with Durkee’s Famous Sauce. And then the real work begins as we figure out what to do with the remaining 15 pounds or so of turkey.

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The real problem with fast food today

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Burnt My Fingers
Quarter Pounders from McDonalds

Does this food look appetizing to you?

Walk into most any fast food establishment, approach the counter to order, and what do you see? Typically a bank of dispensing stations with the actual food preparation nowhere in sight. I think separating the kitchen from the people who serve and eat the food is one of the reasons fast food disappoints today.

My local McDonald’s is unusual because the counter is especially wide, and I can stand at one particular spot and watch the activity behind the scenes. As I waited for my two Quarter Pounders with Cheese the other day, I observed a number of assembly operations in which cooked meats are taken out of a drawer with tongs. Also watched a desolate dropped bun lying on the ground, and an employee banging some frozen object against a cabinet in hopes of separating the components that were within (I think they were burgers) then giving up in frustration and tossing the object in the trash. I did not see any grilling, though I was able to identify the double griddle that cooks the burgers on top and bottom at the same time. All in all it was not a view that makes me feel a tasty meal is being created for my enjoyment.

Compare that to the counter experience at In-N-Out Burger, where the kitchen is in plain view and you can observe employees grilling burgers and also slicing onions and chopping potatoes for fries. Real food preparation is going on, and you can participate by ordering from their “secret” menu or doing your own mods which they are happy to accommodate.

McDonald’s has a new CEO who has been credited with some promising changes, including a directive to “toast its hamburger buns longer so sandwiches would be warmer, and change the way it sears and grills its beef so that the patties are juicier” according to the NY Times. Indeed, both the meat and the bun on my burger were fine. As an experiment I tried asking for a In-N-Out style mod. I wanted one of my Quarter Pounders with mustard but no ketchup, and after several “voids” at the register that’s what I got. It’s on the right in the picture above. The amount of mustard has not been adjusted (maybe it’s dispensed by a volume-regulated nozzle like they use in bars) and is unconscionably paltry. It’s not possible that the person who prepared this gave any thought to the fact a real person is going to eat this and hope to enjoy it.

The folks who prepare and dish up the cuisine in many fast food restaurants (who will soon be earning $15/hr in New York State, same as many beginning chefs) have no training or inkling they are in the foodservice business. And therein lies the problem.

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