Serious Eats: Talk

What's a good word to replace "garlicky"?

2009-11-08T19:13:20Z

I don't think I'm the only one who's annoyed by the overuse of the word "garlicky," (Though I could be wrong; perhaps I'm just whiny.) so I find myself trying to think of words to replace it.

So far, my husband and I have come up with a couple:

garlescent - sort of like irisdescent, I suppose...

garlicious - also implies deliciousness.

Or, here's a thought - maybe we should just add an -ed to anything with garlic...as in, "garliced yogurt dip," instead of "garlicky yogurt dip."

I could just be crazy.

Have you used this actifry thingy?

2009-11-08T16:52:56Z

I noticed this do-dad, and I happen to like french fries. Love them. But deep frying makes my apartment stink something fierce, and apparently this a non-stinky appliance. If you have one, how good is it? How does it compare with real fries?

Cider fermentation question

2009-11-08T16:47:24Z

I'm making a batch of hard apple cider following the instructions provided by SE for a cheap fast cider.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/11/making-cheap-hard-cider-from-scratch.html

So I followed all the steps, but how do I know if the stuff is fermenting correctly?
This morning my airlock has all the water in the right tube and none in the left hand side, does that mean gas is passing through it correctly?

I haven't seen any bubbles which I thought I was supposed to. It does bubble slightly at the top of the liquid if I shake the jar up a bit. Is the airlock OK with all the water on one side?

Also it's sitting on my counter, should I be keeping it warm or just let it sit?

Thanks for any help!

weeknight cassoulet?

2009-11-08T15:56:39Z

We had a pot luck at work a few years ago where a coworker brought a cassoulet that brought tears to my eyes it was so good. I asked him for the recipe but when he started out, "well, first you make the duck confit..." I knew I was never going to make it myself. Then a few months ago, I ran across a recipe for "weeknight cassoulet" in a cooking magazine. I mentally filed it away until it was chilly enough for a bowl of warm bean stew to be just the thing to hit the spot and now, wouldn't you know it, I can't find the recipe anywhere.

Does anyone have a speed version of cassoulet that retains at least part of the richness and deliciousness of the real thing?

Slow cooker recipes?

2009-11-08T15:25:22Z

I'm cleaning out the basement and ran across the slow cooker my husband got me for Christmas a few years ago. It was a replacement for the cheap one I had that I used solely to keep chili warm at pot lucks but this one actually seems to have controls beyond "lukewarm" and "burn" like my old one. I'm thinking of giving it a whirl.

Anyone have good slow cooker they would like to share? I'm not a huge soup eater but stews and braises are favorites.

Thanks!

Is dating a picky eater a dealbreaker for anyone?!

2009-11-08T14:44:29Z

So im at a crossroad with this guy im seeing... We are either going to move forward or cut things lose...So i was making my pro con list, and his eating habbits really bother me. Should this be considered a deal breaker? Its not just picky eating either, he doesnt like cheesecake... (i want someone i can argue over the last piece with) No eggs (who doesnt love sunday morning eggs) Mayo, mustard, mushrooms, the list goes on. Its affecting the way i have to cook, and i LOVE to cook. When we first started dating i thought id be sweet and make him a sandwich (as im known for my sandwich making skills) well there was mustard on it, so he refused to even try it and went insdie to make his own. Ouch. I cook, he picks things out (biggest pet peve) Or he will put all the food i make on his plate to 'try' it and over half ends up in the garbage. Im not a waster so it makes me angry as well... Something I should consider... Or am i crazy to think this will work?! Any suggestions?!

Are all celebrities 'gourmets'?

2009-11-08T14:42:01Z

We always read about celebrities: actors, athletes, politicos being spotted at different restaurants? While it may make for compelling reading, does it mean these folk know better than us about food and dining? Should it influence you? I think not...What do you think?

find a nice food blog name

2009-11-08T14:31:19Z

my name is simin ı willing to open a food blog but ı could not find a nice name .ı am 46 years old and ı am turkish ı am a very good cook ı would lke to share my experience via internet ıf you can help me ı will be very glad thanks ındeed

Sauerkraut: the saga continues

2009-11-08T04:08:46Z

So I went back and reread all the instructions in all the books, and pondered all of the suggestions and methods in the past thread (which I can't get to at the moment. When I go back, I get a 404 error.)

Instructions say to pack firmly, but not to tightly...and one person said they poke their cabbage daily with a skewer. So I'm thinking maybe it's packed to tightly, and maybe I've got more weight than I need on top of the cabbage.

So I checked that out, and when I poked into the cabbage, great bubbles of cabbage belches arose. So, hmmm....there's bubbles happening, but they aren't rising to the top like I expect. So I put a plate back on top, make sure the liquid level is good, and put one jar on top to the hold the plate down. I figured that I'd check again in a day and see if more bubbles had formed, or if the bubbles I just released had been trapped a long time.

So again today I poked and prodded, and again I got a lot of bubbles.

So my new hypothesis is that this must be yet another quirk of living at high altitude. For whatever reason, the bubbles aren't finding their way to the surface the way I expected them to, but they are forming down below. After this last poking, the looser cabbage was a little higher in the containter, so I added more salt water per the Ball book's instructions. I'll poke it again daily, of that's what I have to do, but at least now I know that something's going on down there.

Dal Bukhara recipe?

2009-11-08T00:18:49Z

I had some of this dal bukhara (black gram lentil curry) from a prepared package of Kitchens of India. It was delicious.
And woohoo I found pre-cooked black lentils at TJ's today. Anyone have a recipe that does not include using a pressure cooker? I am a pc scaredy cat.
Thanks.

Phoenix, AZ Ethiopian Restaurants

2009-11-08T00:13:57Z

I'm going to be in Phoenix for a conference in January and I was thinking that the one thing Albuquerque is severely lacking in is Ethiopian food. Can anyone recommend an Ethiopian restaurant in Phoenix? It would be best if the restaurant were reasonably close to the airport and open on Sunday. TIA!

'Commissioner of Tailgating': Fun article and photo @CNN.com

2009-11-07T22:22:07Z

Just thought you tailgate lovers out there might like this article over at CNN.com. There's a cool photo (he certainly looks like he's having fun) and I thought there were some good tips there, too. Commissioner of Tailgating.

laser/infrared thermometer recommendations

2009-11-07T20:25:00Z

My husband wants a laser or infrared thermometer for Christmas. His new favorite book is Serious Barbecue, so I figured I'd post here and see what responses I get. Can someone recommend a medium priced infrared/laser thermometer? Is there a difference between laser and infrared? I googled it but I found what looks like construction tools. Help!

Smoked Chicken

2009-11-07T12:50:03Z

My husband smoked chicken tenders a little to long so I made a recipe using it, thinking I could "hide" the dry chicken. It was a hit so we are going to try to duplicate it, with a little less dry chicken. I baked the first recipe 350 for 45 min and it was a little soupy so we ate it like soup. My question: How do I translate the baking time to making it the same but cooking it on the stove? What change does it make to the food: baking vs on top of the stove?

brining a turducken?

2009-11-07T03:39:04Z

has anyone else made a turducken from scratch before? i made one last year, which was pretty delicious, except for the dryness in the breast meat of the turkey, probably due to the long cooking time needed. i'm revamping the recipe this year and following some guidelines from fearnley-whittingstall (namely the butter, the foil, and the 6 hour cooking time: http://www.rivercottage.net/SeasonalRecipes~December/160/TheRiverCottageMultibirdRoast.aspx

anyway, i'm wondering if anyone has experience with brining the components of a turducken. do you brine the deboned birds, brine them before deboning, or something else?