Kitchen Tools - Weighing In & Weeding The Clutter

Wow! Some of the articles I ran into these last few weeks. People love lists! Today I cover 3 different lists that will help you find your tools in the kitchen.

This first list "15 Awesome Kitchen Tools You Didn't Know You Needed" should change to "2 or 3...".
https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartmentliving/tips-tricks-renters/15-kitchen-tools-you-didnt-know-you-needed/

These are my top 3 picks out of that list:

1. FreshForce Orange Juicer - Not worth $45 but I like the concept. I use tongs to squeeze the fruit and my hand to catch the seeds. Cheaper products: https://amzn.to/3s8fyWA

2. Silicone Universal Lid - I can see the usefulness of this product. But again, not worth the estimated $54 for that particular lid. Cheaper glass see-through options are available. https://amzn.to/3LNHhE2

3. Cherry and Olive Pitter/Obsessive Chef Cutting Board - This is a tie. A cherry/olive pitter can be useful but I buy them pitted. But a good quick smash with the back of a knife and you can remove the pit. The cutting board may be useful for those still working on their knife skills. The pitter is OXO: https://amzn.to/3v6fCIG The Chef Board: https://amzn.to/3JLeDkS

Most of these items on the list are drawer stuffers. One-hit wonders. But if you're into having the newest gadgets, feel free to disagree.

The next list "9 Kitchen Tools For Clumsy People" I can get behind and endorse. Depends on your level of clumsy. Check it out: https://thepracticalkitchen.com/kitchen-tools-for-clumsy-people/

If you haven't figured it out by now, I am a bit of a minimalist in the home kitchen. This article "The Only Pieces of Kitchen Equipment You Actually Need" is a good start. https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-06-04/the-only-pieces-of-kitchen-equipment-you-actually-need

I wouldn't go so far to say it's the ONLY pieces you need. But it's a great understanding of getting started.

Is that a frywall on his head?

There is a method in this article. The way I presented the lists. Check out all the articles in order. You
start to see they start overlapping each other. I want you to pick up on what will actually help you. For example, the first article lists a "frywall". A funny heat-resistant "plastic" cone that looks like they put on animals so they don't scratch. In the second article, we find a splatter guard. In the third, we find a great non-stick pan that the splatter guard will work great on. You now have no need for that "one-hit-wonder flea cone". Either that or buy a wok or flat-bottom wok! Definitely more uses than a "frywall". https://amzn.to/3sW8mMB

Check out my kitchen lists of suggested equipment! You can save yourself some time on finding affordable high rated items to complete your kitchen! http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Lasagna Rolls!

Tytus and I make Lasagna Rolls. We kept it simple. Lasagna sheets, ground turkey meat, jar tomato sauce, and many kinds of cheese. If you want to make a bechamel sauce or add ricotta it's up to you. The amount of cheese and sauce to use is also up to you.

You can make the meat and sauce mixture and cook the noodles ahead of time. That way you can later assemble and bake in case you're involving others in making supper. 

The best thing about this is you can pre-prep most of the meal up to a couple of days ahead. The other great advantage is the lasagna roll holds together without resting long. Unlike regular lasagna that may turn into soup and spread out on the plate if not given enough time to set up.

Ingredients:

6 lasagna sheets (about half a box)

1# ground turkey meat

1 to 1 1/2 Jars of your favorite tomato sauce

1 bag mixed cheeses shredded

1 bag mozzarella cheese shredded

Mac and Cheese with 3 Ingredients!

 

Mac and Cheese with 3 ingredients? YES. I see this recipe pop up all over the internet every few years and I want y'all to know, it works! And it's great! If you want to go one step faster buy the cheese already shredded. 

My son Ezra (8 years old) is the pickiest eater in our house and he PREFERS this over the bright yellow shells and cheese in the box. Do you know the one with "almost melted" American cheese in the foil packet? To be clear, we always bought the one that has no artificial preservatives. Good source of calcium. No certified synthetic colors...

Pasta, evaporated milk, cheddar cheese (or Monterrey Jack, anything melty)...water and salt. << Those don't count. Added BONUS it only takes about 12 minutes. 

Shredded Chicken Tacos!

Shredded Chicken Tacos! Tytus is getting more involved with the process as he feels comfortable tackling each new recipe. This recipe is from Americas Test Kitchen - The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs.  https://www.americastestkitchen.com/kids/recipes/shredded-chicken-tacos

Current News on The Bcookin Show -- We recently purchased a shotgun microphone in order to help with the sound quality. The microphone definitely made the volume louder. BUT unfortunately, it also picked up way more noise in the background. It was supposed to have built-in noise reduction. We did return it and order another option that I researched more heavily. It may be another week before we get to start using it on the videos.

Thank y'all for those who are hanging in there with us! Please remember to like and share our videos and subscribe to our channel if you are on YouTube!

Eggs in Lasagna?

A lot of people over the years ask me how to make lasagna. Sometimes they just want a recipe, and some want me to tell them step by step how I make it...So for those of you who have asked I found a really simple video for making lasagna (I guess I should define it's like most North American lasagna's) posted below.

Here are some of the usual questions I get when it comes to lasagna:

• Do you have to put an egg in it to bind it? No, I haven't for a long time. Just use the shredded mozzarella you have and put about a third of the total recipe amount in your ricotta (or cottage cheese) mixture, when it melts in, it helps bind. Most problems are not with binding the lasagna, its with letting it rest long enough to congeal/setup so the lasagna becomes firm again.
• Do you have to buy no-cook noodles to bake it without boiling the noodles first? No, I never have. There may be some 'secret' process I don't know about with those noodles, but I just use the regular noodles.
• Why do some people put cottage cheese in lasagna? Or Ricotta? Preference. I prefer ricotta. But some will simply put a nice bechamel sauce in it.

I make a mean chicken Florentine (spinach) lasagna BUT I will save that for another post! The possibilities for lasagna are many; Meats, sauces, veggies...how do you make yours?

 

Do you like to Pickle Things?

Do you like to pickles things? This is an easy experiment I think you will like.  If you have a certain favorite pickle or pickled vegetable that you buy at the store then after eating all the contents inside the jar save the 'pickling' juice or liquid.

You can then experiment by adding more cucumber or other vegetables back to the liquid and give it a good 5 to 7 days back in the refrigerator before trying/eating your newest pickled treat.

Additional things you can do:

1. add more herb/spices or hot pepper or two


2. use a 'shot' of a different kind of vinegar to enhance the taste; cider, wine, balsamic, rice, seasoned vinegar.  But be prepared to accept that it may just make it taste worse!


3. add some MORE garlic or shallots (or another vegetable) to increase a certain taste you like


4. add sugar (honey, brown, cane...) of some sort to make it a bit sweeter

I can't guarantee to do all of this will make it taste better, that's up to you to figure out.  Usually, we (my wife and I) only refill the jar once after the original purchase, water does come out of the new ingredient(s) so the concentration of pickling gets diluted.  It also works better when the cucumbers are cut or sliced.

Just thought I might give you a new idea to play around with without getting too scientific about it!  And yes this is the cheater version of the already easy Refrigerator Pickles.

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Watermelon Carving

Have you ever carved something? This past week I carved 2 watermelons for a July 4th BBQ at Church. A lady that knows my wife figured out that I know how to carve watermelons. She then emailed me to see would I be willing to do them with the church logo, and the summer nights logo they use. I said sure. 

It had been over a year since I last carved one. There's not much high demand for carved watermelons in Monrovia Liberia, West Africa (where I was all last year). So as you can imagine I was a bit rusty...but things still seemed to go well. The pictures in this post were taken by one of there photographers then posted on Facebook at Westgate Church. 

Here is a link to an old Chef article that I wrote about watermelon carving. --> Watermelon Carving 

Not much has changed since I wrote that article. I bought some 'special' fruit carving tools from a site that are currently collecting dust. It took too much force to make cuts or work right. This is not the way to make precision graphics or any work you want to do on a fruit.

Moving on...Click on pictures to see them bigger.
  

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Equipment 4 Small Kitchens and Small Budgets

There was a question posted at SeriousEats.com (of which I am a member) which garnered at least 64 comments:

What does a young foodie/recent grad need in his kitchen?

First, we will review my answer to the above question as I responded on the site - add suggestions and pictures to help visualize how this would work for anyone. (of course, if you are extremely messy and uncoordinated then there may not be a 'happy' medium for you and your kitchen)

A few thoughts:

The knife (as one person said) may be a more personal purchase, but maybe not if you spend more money on it than he would!

*Good forged metal well-known and trusted brand knives can be found at Marshall's, Ross, and TJ Max in the 'kitchen' section at great reductions...knife sets are a waste of money unless it's a chef's, paring, serrated/bread knife set. You don't need 7 to 14 knives.  These three do most of the jobs you are going to do in your home kitchen with some exceptions.  Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart, Chicago Cutlery also have good starting knives at Target and Wal-Mart.  Most in the 30$ or less range.

Cast Iron skillet (as somebody suggested) would usually be a good recommendation, but being in an apartment with a small kitchen, those things tend to smoke too much...and it's not about controlling the heat. It's about 'seasoned' cast iron heating up and smoking.

But consider this, I bought 2 twelve inch COMMERCIAL non-stick pans from Sam's Club (because at that time they came in two AND Sam's has a commercial restaurant supply section now - BUT NOT COSTCO DARN IT!) pretty cheap and they are made from thick aluminum under the non-stick coating...2 years later they still have the coating. I pulled the rubber handles (good for oven temps up to about 350) off and threw them away, cook on top, finish in the oven. Works wonderfully. Heavy-duty, lighter, and less smokey than cast iron.

Someone suggests getting a mini-processor from Cuisinart, but I say get the KitchenAid mini processor (3 cups model) not the Cuisinart. The reason being is because the 'catch' for making the motor work is a long piece of plastic protruding down from the lid, prone to breaking off! Kitchenaid, not so much small 'catch' on both sides of the lid that doesn't protrude past the lip much, even if you manage to drop the lid on the floor and break one, you can still swivel the lid to the other.

*BUT now you can order thru amazon.com or go to target and get an Oster blender with 3 cup processor attachment...here is a picture of what that looks like.  The one at target is cheaper than mine because its sold as a combo and my blender is the more expensive one. AGAIN, if you already own a Hamilton or some kind of Oster blender you can order the processor unit separately on Amazon.com.  Why is this important?  Because it doesn't create another electric appliance that needs a plug/outlet. AND saves space.

As someone mentioned, electric hot water kettle. Starts things that need hot or boiled water much quicker.  The one pictured is about $20 at Target.

Is he a serious tea or coffee drinker? Bodum (french press) goes good with that electric water kettle. $16 Target or Wal-Mart.

Small microwave as already said. $30 to $50 depends on how good a sale you find!  Good for melting things, heating things, mostly good for leftovers & quick fixes!

Coffee bean grinder for grinding spices or coffee $15. (I have 2, one for coffee, one for spices)

I buy bar towels in bulk from Sam's or Costco's, there just like the ones in commercial kitchens I use...and they're cheap. $10 for 20? (approximate)

Immersion blender, as already said. This thing should be a must. It's terrific. $15 at some Longs Drugs or $19 on Amazon.com with a 4-star rating or higher.  Procter-Silex.

My pasta roller still comes in handy for (duh) pasta, and also: pita bread, rolling thin tortillas, flatbread...etc. $30 for most brands.  This one $22 Amazon.com 4 stars (out of 5).

If you going to spend some money, then buy a nice kitchen cart with storage underneath...then you can roll a 'chopping' island around to use and store these small appliances underneath when not in use.

OK, I'll stop here...I cook professionally as well as not letting my small kitchen in my apartment keep me from cooking extensive and 'fine dining' meals at home.  This list is not made to be comprehensive of all things needed, but a help.  Just like using 3 knives in the kitchen pots & pans need not be in 20 piece sets...good cutting board, tongs, whisk, grater...

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about my suggestions, stuff you currently using, or your own recommendations for this list!

How do you Hotdog?

Most of you know by now (if you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or this site) when I get a craving I usually try to indulge in it, go for it,  or 'do it' the next time I get a chance.  For example one day last week I had Butterfinger Ice Cream for breakfast.  It's just that simple.

The newest craving I had that came on real strong was something I first learned about years ago (like when I was 16) when I worked at A&W Rootbeer or Restaurant (as ours was called A&W Family Restaurant).  But first I want you to know it was not one of those new modern A&W restaurants.  It was an old one.  Women working the 'car hops', a fireplace in the center of the dining area, little league/softball/baseball pictures hung everywhere from their sponsorship.  And we still made the Rootbeer syrup before linking it in with the CO2(soda machine for carbonation).  Yeah, 'back in the day'.

A good friend of mine from high school was working there told me I needed to try one of his favorite hot-dog combinations.  You melted American cheese on top of a hot-dog in a bun, then add chopped onion, pickles, ketchup, and mayo, then top it with coleslaw (the white coleslaw, not that ketchup or vinegar coleslaw).  I thought he was crazy, but the flavor combination really surprised me.  I loved it!

Slaw-dogs with cheese, onion, pickle, mayo, & ketchup.  For some reason that struck me yesterday and I really wanted to have it, so I did.  I bought the ingredients at the store (much cheaper) with a bag of Kettle Sour Cream and Onion potato chips.  Kettle chips are the greatest, all flavors are good...Crispy, thick, and crunchy.  And for dessert, I finished off with Caramel Caribou ice cream.  Delicious.

You're probably wondering what's wrong with me and why I didn't eat BBQ?  Why not make your own rules?  July 4th can still be a day of celebration no matter what you eat or how you enjoy it (even if it's your birthday)!

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Dutch Crunch Bread

Recently I tried my own Dutch Crunch Bread as I have had it several times and love it in 'loaf' and roll form for straight consumption or to build a massive sandwich!  What is it? You may ask...

The following quote is credited to Bacon Press, (as I try to keep it short and sweet here on my site for you) I find this paragraph to sum up its origin. ->

Like your typical sourdough loaf or baguette, Dutch Crunch didn't originate here, although the name probably did. In the Netherlands, it's known as Tijgerbrood and sold in the UK as "Tigerbread". It gets its name from the color and texture of the crust, which is striped with dark brown crunchy spots with light blond bread peeking out from underneath. The crust gets its flavor and texture from washing the top prior to baking with a mixture rice flour, butter, yeast, sugar, and salt. The final product is a mildly sweet, light, and fluffy white loaf with a somewhat crunchy, savory crust. ~ Bacon Press 

In addition, I find that Dutch Crunch Bread is a 'bay area' California thing and does not reach far out of this area...as in its prevalent in all our grocery stores and bakeries.  Supposedly the name originated from San Francisco when the bakeries there started making it.

My attempt to make it did produce a good tasting product, BUT I found two mistakes in my own rendition:

1. I made my dough too soft and I was not using a baguette pan, so my bread was a little 'flatter' in shape than I wanted. (but that's my own perfectionism kicking in)


2. After looking at several recipes I was led to believe I needed to coat the top of my dough with a much thicker coating than I thought was necessary for the 'Crunch' effect and taste.

I used my own Easy White Dough recipe and went HERE for the topping recipe.

*I researched Dutch Crunch Bread only to find most information about it was not referenced or researched extensively, so for that, I apologize in advance to my Dutchy friends if you find me in error!

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Basil Overload!

Here on my site and on Facebook, I posted my findings from my first 'Farm Fresh to You' home delivery organic food box.  Which was noted as having at least ten bunches of Basil in it!

Well of course even I couldn't use that much without getting sick of it!  So I cut the stems off and processed all the basil down with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a few heads of garlic.  Then I scooped the mixture into a Ziploc bag and cut the corner off.  I piped the whole bag into two ice cube trays and put them in the freezer for future use!

I would have made pesto but I don't like what the freezer does to cheese (Parmesan) and nuts (pine nuts, or in my case I like to use roasted sunflower kernels, their cheaper too!) which are both ingredients of pesto.

Later when you want to cook something with a little garlic and basil 'zip' you just throw in a cube or two while cooking or sauteing.  They also use this ice cube trick with stock (chicken, beef, pork...) too, so if you are only cooking in small amounts you can throw a few frozen 'stock' cubes into the pan or food to meltdown and help the flavor.

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Pork Meatballs with Chorizo Seasoning

Anybody out there had Chorizo before?  Well for those of you who have and know what I am talking about, you can buy a packet of seasoning called Chorizo Seasoning/Spices.  Usually on the 'quick pick' rack of various seasonings not on the spice aisle in your grocery store, but on the international or ethnic aisle.  In the Hispanic/Spanish section - usually right next to the severely limited 'Asian' section - in one of those 99 cents bags.

So an idea came to me to use it with some ground pork for meatballs.  My wife is allergic to beef so I use different meats to create meatballs when we get the urge for a good meatball sandwich, with spaghetti, or some other kind of way.

Basically, for one pound of ground pork, I used 1 Tablespoon Chorizo Seasoning, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, salt & pepper, a few bread crumbs, and fennel seed I had toasted then ground.

(next time I would add a minced shallot!)

I cooked my meatballs on top of the stove browning them nicely then finishing them in a 350-degree oven.  Sauteing some thick sliced 'baby Bella' mushrooms and adding in a quick marinara (combined in a processor) with fire-roasted tomatoes, a little tomato paste, garlic, and roasted red bell peppers...Later adding only oregano, salt, and pepper.  Then add the meatballs back into the sauce.

We had the meatballs and sauce over farfalle (bowtie) pasta.  I served basil and sundried tomato dip (basil also courtesy of the box) made with cream cheese with the fresh carrots and broccoli from the 'Farm Fresh to You' box.

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Farm Fresh To You

I recently found out about a service available to me here locally (Northern California - San Jose area) thanks to Brandi who enjoys good food as much as I do and of course us 'foodies' usually look out for each other.

Farm Fresh To You.  Here is a snippet from their site: 

Welcome To Farm Fresh To You

As people are becoming increasingly interested about where their food comes from and how it was grown, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is becoming a popular alternative for getting high quality food from a trusted local farm. Currently over 800 families are participating in our family farm's CSA, Farm Fresh To You. By joining our CSA these families are connecting directly to our farm and receiving regular deliveries of nutrient rich, mouth watering, organic produce delivered directly to their home or office. See how it works or why join Farm Fresh To You.

Some of the things I like about it is:

• I can cancel anytime


• Home delivery - choice of weekly, bi-weekly, monthly


• Customized your delivery


• Satisfaction guaranteed

Customer service seems to be 'on the ball' too...last night I emailed a request to have something added to my 'box' and received a reply first thing this morning!

We'll see how it goes and maybe take some pictures from 'the box'.  Produce changes as to what's available changes.  There are many choices for different types of boxes.

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Ice Cream That Doesn't Melt?

Ice Cream That Doesn't Melt? - Restaurant News - QSR Magazine.

And it has Jello-O pudding flavors?

Cold Stone Creamery's Tastemaster, Ray Karam, has created a new form of ice cream, JELL-O® pudding ice cream.

What I don't like about this claim is supposedly when or if the ice cream melts at room temperature it turns into pudding.  To me, this seems like a gimmick.  When ice creams are made they are usually with dairy cream and/or  'custard type' base.  So why would it be a stretch to use pudding?  Pudding would be considered a 'fast food' cousin to the custard would it not?

So let's say I made some pudding, then used the pudding in my 'ice cream maker' to make ice cream...when my ice cream melts it will still be pudding right?

I'm not knocking the ice cream if it tastes good, but it's not exactly a new form of ice cream, is it?  The story says it was developed through "rigorous testing & tasting".  You be the judge.

Jalapeno Cheddar Bread

For this recipe, it would help to start by reading this post - Easy White Dough.

Then follow the pictorial by clicking on the first picture below, captions/directions will then show underneath!