We made pork chili and braised lamb with tomatoes, thyme, and Mediterranean spices. Eating both with rice.
Over the course of the Good Eats series, Alton Brown went from advocating a sturdy pot and a digital thermometer to a restaurant-style countertop deep fryer and back to pot for just that reason. The countertop models still couldn't maintain a consistent oil temperature.
The ones you can actually afford can’t, anyway. Most countertop ones just can’t hold a sufficient mass of oil to survive the temperature drop caused by plunging anything bigger than a single breaded shrimp into it.
—Patrick
I've owned a number of 'consumer grade' fryers over the years. I've always been disappointed. I always go back to my le creuset dutch oven as my defacto fryer
Hey, that (and a clip-on candy thermometer) is exactly what we use, and it has worked well every single time. Reclaiming the oil can be a chore since it means having to heft and slowly pour a Le Creuset full of oil through a coffee filter, but that ends up being my job.
—Patrick
My Le Creuset was defective and I never managed to get it back to them for the warranty replacement, but I just use a big heavy bottomed stock pot for most of my frying. I picked up the countertop unit for an after Xmas gift one year when I had a lot of Amazon cards left over. It's a good brand, I just couldn't afford the larger model at the time, and really should have saved up until I could, because the smaller one can almost submerge most of a chicken leg. A wok burner, however, would allow me to actually use a wok to stir fry at a temperature that they're made for, and I could fry in a wok too. It just means finding a good manufacturer and deciding if I want to get a portable or wait until the remodel (which could be 5 to 10 more years before it gets started) and build one in near the range on the island.
i'm out of town on my birthday week, so i've been treating myself to cajun food. Crawfish etouffee
Had to go to Wegmans for lunch for dry chorizo (for pinto beans and chorizo dinner), but could not resist picking this up to make a side-dish for my lunch 
It's a heavy cross to bear.
Thanks, it turned out to be my best one yet, but I still can't get it to live up to my memories of the ones I had in Barcelona. It is my white whale.
I hate those YouTuber comments too, I don't think I've ever been at a house or restaurant that didn't have their own unique take.
Recipe? That really looks delicious.
... it's kind of a mishmash of various paella recipes.
Saute some chicken thigh chunks, remove from pan, add your chorizo rendering at decent amount of fat out, then add chopped onions. When the onions are semi-translucent add chopped garlic, then 30 seconds to a minute later add a tablespoon or 2 of tomato paste. cook for a bit then add some chopped red peppers (I like to julienne the pepper then slice in half) and smoked paprika, before adding your rice (short grain, preferably Spanish). Let the rice get coated and toasted a bit before adding the stock of your choice (I should have shelled the shrimp, sautéed them, then simmered in chicken stock for 20 minutes, but I didn't) I used chicken stock with saffron brought up to a simmer before adding. you'll need at least 2x the amount of stock to rice. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cover for ~20 minutes.
When most of the liquid has been absorbed and your rice is almost done add the shrimp to the top along with somefresh defrosted peas (although they could probably still be frozen. Raise the heat back up to medium high to get rid of the remaining stock and steam the shrimp, as well as caramelize the rice on the bottom creating the socarrat, the best part of the dish. There's a fine line between carmelized rice and burnt rise though, so as soon as you hear the bottom of the pan sizzling, remove from the heat, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. This is a dish that gets better when not served piping hot.
Of course be sure to season things along the way with salt & pepper.
So yeah, not much of a recipe sorry, but the best kind of unauthentic.
Saute some chicken thigh chunks, remove from pan, add your chorizo rendering at decent amount of fat out, then add chopped onions. When the onions are semi-translucent add chopped garlic, then 30 seconds to a minute later add a tablespoon or 2 of tomato paste. cook for a bit then add some chopped red peppers (I like to julienne the pepper then slice in half) and smoked paprika, before adding your rice (short grain, preferably Spanish). Let the rice get coated and toasted a bit before adding the stock of your choice (I should have shelled the shrimp, sautéed them, then simmered in chicken stock for 20 minutes, but I didn't) I used chicken stock with saffron brought up to a simmer before adding. you'll need at least 2x the amount of stock to rice. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cover for ~20 minutes.
When most of the liquid has been absorbed and your rice is almost done add the shrimp to the top along with some
Of course be sure to season things along the way with salt & pepper.
So yeah, not much of a recipe sorry, but the best kind of unauthentic.
Another batch of chili (variation #7). Really liking the TVP and forest mushrooms I added in, though I think I need more liquid in there next time--a smidge too on the chunky side (more of the kinda chili you'd want to top a bun, rather than in a bowl).
I definitely prefer my chili to be chunky than loose. So to me, this looks absolutely delicious.
Two recent dinners, since I finally ate my way through that chili batch...
Chicken with brown rice and vegs, using a jar of Aldi's Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce. Surprisingly good (I've had worse tikka masala at cheap restaurants). Cost me about $1.60 per serving (3) with all ingredients accounted for (should've stretched the sauce to 4-5 servings, but I didn't prep enough chicken). Recommended, if you have an Aldi nearby.
"Uhhh I should use all these things up" type 'a dinner: thawed pork loin, a sweet potato, a fried egg, cheese, some sour cream, sad sad old chives. Tasted great, anyhow.
Chicken with brown rice and vegs, using a jar of Aldi's Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce. Surprisingly good (I've had worse tikka masala at cheap restaurants). Cost me about $1.60 per serving (3) with all ingredients accounted for (should've stretched the sauce to 4-5 servings, but I didn't prep enough chicken). Recommended, if you have an Aldi nearby.
"Uhhh I should use all these things up" type 'a dinner: thawed pork loin, a sweet potato, a fried egg, cheese, some sour cream, sad sad old chives. Tasted great, anyhow.
Pizza, charcuterie (salami, chorizo, sopressata), 7 layer dip, crackers, chips, nuts, fruits, mochi... the usual NYE stuff.
tacos and martinis
SHROOMS! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Are you sure you weren't looking for the high thread?
At the time no, but yeah that woulda made more sense.
Tonight will be carne asada and coconut shrimp
Dave
Staff member
Outback Steakhouse is giving away free coconut shrimp because the Iowa Hawkeyes won their bowl game. Had Mississippi State won it would have been a free Bloomin' Onion. I was really torn. I mean, I'm an Iowa fan but Bloomin' Onions are FAR superior to fucking coconut shrimp!
Soft-boiled eggs and gochujang are A+ additions to bagged ramen.
