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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Iron Chef WAYCT - What Are You Cooking Today

    Hobbies and Pastimes
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    • GilesG
      Giles
      IHUK Crew
      Joined:

      I'll do mash with mine, love a bit of good, highly calorific, mash…

      "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • seawolfS
        seawolf
        Mod Squad
        Joined:

        Nothing like some fluffy mash with lots of butter.

        “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

        @zeebeeleather

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • mclaincauseyM
          mclaincausey
          見習いボス
          Joined:

          That looks great! We do the vegetable puree thing to thicken curries and other stews, as we avoid most ingredients that thicken.

          Think it, be it.

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • ChrisC
            Chris
            Raw and Unwashed
            Joined:

            Damn, @seawolf, that looks amazing.  You could probably cook for a living doing stuff like that.  😉

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • seawolfS
              seawolf
              Mod Squad
              Joined:

              @mclaincausey:

              That looks great! We do the vegetable puree thing to thicken curries and other stews, as we avoid most ingredients that thicken.

              Piqued my interest! Which ingredients that thicken do you still use? I feel like the onions in this dish cook down to nothing and really add a lot to the thickness of the sauce.

              Thanks @Chris ! I'm actively trying to avoid it at this point  😃

              “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

              @zeebeeleather

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • mclaincauseyM
                mclaincausey
                見習いボス
                Joined:

                We try to avoid wheat flour and corn starch and the like, but masa, potato starch, rice flour, and especially almond flour are some examples we use in addition to the immersion blender technique as you did here. I am interested in trying ancient grain flours (amaranth, sorghum, etc), but I have not gotten around to it.

                One other thing we really love is cashewgurt (cashew "yogurt," which can be made at home but we typically just buy it). It has a thinness and a sourness that is reminiscent of crema, so we will use it in lieu of dairy such as heavy cream, and also to bind things–we'll use that in lieu of mayonnaise in a ranch dressing, for example. That can thicken or provide a base for a sauce too.

                I know there's a lot of anti-gluten-free stuff going around and the science is not settled, but some of what I've read about it is enough for me to err on the side of caution at least enough to reduce our intake, particularly for possible neurological effects that would be difficult to detect until it's too late.

                Think it, be it.

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • seawolfS
                  seawolf
                  Mod Squad
                  Joined:

                  Awesome. I'll look into cashewgurt (that was a weird word to type out). Arrowroot is a really good thickener too if you're looking for something similar to corn starch that isn't corn starch.

                  I love how coconut milk thickens a sauce as it reduces. Such a great base for curries and the like.

                  Sounds like a smart and healthy approach.

                  “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

                  @zeebeeleather

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • mclaincauseyM
                    mclaincausey
                    見習いボス
                    Joined:

                    @seawolf:

                    Awesome. I'll look into cashewgurt (that was a weird word to type out). Arrowroot is a really good thickener too if you're looking for something similar to corn starch that isn't corn starch.

                    I love how coconut milk thickens a sauce as it reduces. Such a great base for curries and the like.

                    Sounds like a smart and healthy approach.

                    Yeah, cashewgurt is a weird word to type, read, and say.

                    Ah yes, interested in arrowroot but haven't used it yet. I also do use a lot of coconut products, though unlike a lot of ancestral eaters, I eschew coconut oil, as in the past it really drove my cholesterol high. Our house uses avocado oil, olive oil, ghee, and sometimes bacon fat for our lipids for the most part.

                    Think it, be it.

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • seawolfS
                      seawolf
                      Mod Squad
                      Joined:

                      Arrowroot is way more powerful than cornstarch.

                      We primarily use olive oil, butter, and bacon fat if it's available. I have ghee on-hand, but can't be bothered most times and reach for the butter instead.

                      Here's the requisite Shepherd's Pie with the leftover pot roast, sauce, and mashed potatoes.

                      “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

                      @zeebeeleather

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • JDelageJ
                        JDelage
                        啓蒙家
                        Joined:

                        Shepperd's pies are awesome. This one looks delicious.

                        Another thickener is gelatin. You can just make chicken broth using leftover bones from everyday roasted chickens, and boil it down a bit, and it will ad a lot of body to any (wet) dish. Of course, it's not as powerful as cornstarch and arrowroot.

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • mclaincauseyM
                          mclaincausey
                          見習いボス
                          Joined:

                          Delicious, @seawolf !!

                          Agreed @JDelage , we don't use it all too often, but we probably should save some when we make stock, which we always do with bones and vegetable fragments.

                          Speaking of stocks, we don't throw away vegetable or herb stems (like for onions or peppers, or thyme) and other supposed refuse, we instead throw them in an airtight bag or container and keep them in the freezer, as we also do with leftover bones. Those can then be used for stock. When we meal plan, we spend far less on groceries and we waste almost nothing. If we ever get into gardening and composting as we plan to do beyond the herbs we grow seasonally today, we will press this efficiency further still.

                          Think it, be it.

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • SeulS
                            Seul
                            Joined:

                            @JDelage:

                            Another thickener is gelatin.

                            One of the more treaterous bastards concerning ingredients if you're vegetarian…

                            "Ooooh this chocolate mousse looks delicious... Quick view at the ingredients, but we should be good..."

                            CONTAINS PORK GELATIN

                            "You utter BASTARD…"

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • JDelageJ
                              JDelage
                              啓蒙家
                              Joined:

                              Chocolate mousse should be made with beaten egg whites and not gelatin, anyway.  😉

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • SeulS
                                Seul
                                Joined:

                                You bloody tell 'm!..

                                Truth be told: the higher quality ones usually don't contain gelatin…

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • seawolfS
                                  seawolf
                                  Mod Squad
                                  Joined:

                                  Stop trying to eat low quality mousse!  😛

                                  “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

                                  @zeebeeleather

                                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • seawolfS
                                    seawolf
                                    Mod Squad
                                    Joined:

                                    @mclaincausey I've learned how to make stock from two different chefs, and I've made my decision on how I want my stock to be after seeing two very different sides.

                                    The first chef put anything and everything into his stock. He was very concerned with his food cost (as he should be) and wasted nothing. Onion skins, onion scraps (root, etc.), pepper remnants, carrot peels, carrots trimmings, celery leaves, etc., etc., etc., and added whatever chicken bones he could find.

                                    The second chef used only peeled onions, peeled carrots, and cleaned celery, a carefully assembled bouquet garni, and a hefty amount of chicken bones.

                                    Want to take a guess which one came out better?

                                    “Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible” - Don Norman

                                    @zeebeeleather

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • mclaincauseyM
                                      mclaincausey
                                      見習いボス
                                      Joined:

                                      Probably the inefficient and wasteful version, based on how these things usually work 😃

                                      Think it, be it.

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • JDelageJ
                                        JDelage
                                        啓蒙家
                                        Joined:

                                        I often will just make broth with leftovers from chickens and nothing else, but it's because I keep frozen broth in the freezer to use in any recipe that calls for it - it's "generic" broth. I also like a cup when I'm cold, with lots of pepper.

                                        If you're making broth for something very specific, like a clear soup, you have to be deliberate…

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                                        • ChrisC
                                          Chris
                                          Raw and Unwashed
                                          Joined:

                                          @seawolf:

                                          Want to take a guess which one came out better?

                                          All those weird bits and pieces add flavor…

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • mclaincauseyM
                                            mclaincausey
                                            見習いボス
                                            Joined:

                                            Since we buy a lot of cooked rotisserie birds (c'mon, they're delicious, cheap, and convenient), which often have pathetic wings, I'm a big fan of not eating the wings and using them with the carcass in the stock. This gets you some gelatin and body in tbe broth.

                                            Think it, be it.

                                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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