The Deskthority Cooking Thread

[mr_a500]

Food on a keyboard forum? Sure, why the hell not? This isn't just another obsessive "take photos of your food" thread. No, no. I want this to be an informative thread on making your own meals - "food that doesn't suck"™.

So if you've got some great recipes, post them here (with photos, of course). Even half-assed recipes without proper measurements and missing steps are fine. (that's how my recipes will be)


I'll start with some home made chicken fingers and roast potatoes (which I call "potatoids"... for no logical reason). First, the potatoes:

1. Dice some potatoes and put them in a large bowl
2. Throw in some finely chopped fresh thyme and garlic
3. Add salt, pepper and a bit of olive oil
4. Mix, then dump potatoes on a baking pan
5. Sprinkle even more salt (yes, salt is good)
5. Bake for around 30 minutes (425˚F ...or 218.333˚C)
6. Optional - grate some cheese and bake a few more minutes

Before cooking:

Potatoids1.JPG

hmm... looks similar to my old keycap photo. (but I never threw these in the oven)

keycaps.jpg

After cooking, with aged cheddar (organic, PEI):

Potatoids2.JPG

It looks like a bit of a mess, but a flat metal flipper gets it off easily and the cheese breaks into little bits - nice seasoning for the potatoes.


Now the chicken fingers:

I've already become lazy about the steps, so I'll be brief. For the breading I toast and grind up some organic baguette to make bread crumbs (store bought bread crumbs are filled with chemicals). I add salt, pepper, flour, oregano, poultry seasoning and a few spices I now forget. The chicken breast (organic free range) is cut into reasonably small thin pieces, salted, then dipped in egg, then in the breading. You get something like this:

Chicken1.JPG

Then you heat (medium high) a pan of olive oil (not toxic canola):

Chicken2.JPG

And the result when finished:

Chicken3.JPG

I also like to make sandwiches out of these, put one or two on a baguette piece with (or even without) lettuce, tomato, maybe a pickle. These chicken fingers will last a few days in the fridge, and reheat nicely in less than 10 minutes in the oven.


That's it for now. Coming soon... chicken soup with tea biscuits:

soup.jpg

[ne0phyte]

EDIT: Oh, I didn't even read the OP and just posted pictures

Anyway, here are the pictures

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pizza2.jpg (268.4 KiB) Viewed 25331 times

pizza3.jpg (273.74 KiB) Viewed 25331 times

[mr_a500]

Oooh... did you make the crust or sauce? If so, tell us! Pizza is the last meal I need to replicate to have replaced every restaurant meal I ever liked.

[ne0phyte]

I'm not much of a chef to be honest. It was a basic tomato sauce that I bought at the supermarket.. but I make the pizza dough on my own. I can't find the recipe right now since I'm moving to Hamburg and am packing - I will update this post later. It's a hand written recipe from my mom

The topping was just Gouda cheese, salami, mozzarella and "Fuchs Pizzagewürz" (pizza spice blend) which consists of: Paprika, thyme, oregano, marjoram, basil, parsley, chillies, rosemary, lovage leaves.
( http://www.so-schmeckts.de/pizzagewuerz-fuchs )

[mr_a500]

I need a pizza dough recipe.

Here in Canada, nearly every processed food is now toxic - filled with chemicals and/or genetically modified ingredients. Unlike Europe, there is no required GMO labelling here, so it is impossible to avoid unless you make all your own food with carefully selected ingredients. It's like a giant conspiracy to poison the whole food supply without people knowing or having a choice.

[7bit]

Backed IBM key-stems are delicious:

[mr_a500]

Mmmm... tasty. They could use some salt though.

[IvanIvanovich]

Pizza dough recipe? Well here is mine:
1 cup warm water, 2 tsp yeast, 1-3 tsp raw sugar depending if you want a sweeter dough, stir to dissolve then wait until frothy. Add 1 cup unbleached flour, 1tsp fresh rosemary (or basil if you prefer), 1 tsp red pepper flakes, 1tsp onion powder, 2-3tsp olive oil, pinch of sea salt, stir well. Add 1- 1.5 more cup of flour gradually and stir well until start to get stiff then take out of bowl and place on flour dusted surface and kneed until elastic. Place back in lightly oiled bowl and cover until doubled. Makes enough for 1 thick pan style or 2 hand tossed style thick, or 3 thin crust. Unused dough keeps fine in refrigerator for few days or you can press the dough into balls and put in the freezer. When ready to bake heat oven to 220c (425f) and roll out on stone or sheet for tossed or thin crust, or place in skillet for pan style. Assemble toppings and bake for 15-18 minutes for thin or tossed, 20-25 minutes for pan. For pan style you may want to cook 5-10 minutes without cheese or otherwise it may get too dark depending on what cheeses you use.

[Iacoizumi]

Here in Canada, nearly every processed food is now toxic - filled with chemicals and/or genetically modified ingredients. Unlike Europe, there is no required GMO labelling here, so it is impossible to avoid unless you make all your own food with carefully selected ingredients. It's like a giant conspiracy to poison the whole food supply without people knowing or having a choice.

Not to start a flame war over GMOs or some such, but I wouldn't go so far as to generalize all GMOs as toxic. I mean, don't get me wrong, Monsanto is one huge dick of a company, but their products and the food grown from them are generally very safe. On a biological basis, their method of genetically modifying plant species is little more than accelerated breeding.

That aside, grab yourself a pizza stone! Makes it so much easier to cook crispy flatbreads. My roommate used a cast iron pan once when making deep-dish pizza though, and that worked well. His recipe for dough was actually pretty basic:

1. Add 1 cup warm water (40-45°C), 1 tablespoon active dry yeast, 1.5 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 a cup of olive oil into a mixing bowl.
2. Add flour one cup at a time while kneading the dough until you've added a total of 3 cups of flour and the dough is moist. (But not sticky.)
3. "Proof" the dough. (I get the impression that this means something different to about anyone who says it. Personally, I just let the dough sit out in the open for an hour or so. My roomie preheats the oven as low as it can go, lets it cool for a few minutes, then pops the dough in the oven for about twenty minutes before leaving it in the fridge overnight.)
4. Make your pizza!

[mr_a500]

I don't want to turn this into a GMO debate, but the idea that they're "generally very safe" is a myth that has been constantly pushed in the media. At least 300 scientists have signed a statement saying they have not been proven safe. There are even studies showing that they have long term toxic effects. Here's one that Monsanto tried to block, but has finally (after years) been republished:

http://www.enveurope.com/content/26/1/14

Monsanto only did short term studies and their scientists were naturally biased toward good results. I can't believe that government food safety agencies around the world didn't do any independent long term health studies before approving GMO food.

[Muirium]

The Ultimate Flame War: gas or electric?

[Findecanor]

The Ultimate Flame War: gas or electric?

Induction! As fast as gas. Available everywhere where there is electricity. Safer than regular electric and more energy-efficient.
The downside is that you have to use pots and pans with iron in the bottom.

BTW. These days there are cast-iron hybrid pans available that are much lighter than old-fashioned 100% cast-iron pans.

[mr_a500]

Induction is a neat idea... but all my pots are copper. I love copper. (who wouldn't?)

[scottc]

Oooh... did you make the crust or sauce? If so, tell us! Pizza is the last meal I need to replicate to have replaced every restaurant meal I ever liked.

When I make pizza, I make the sauce myself. I use tomato passata, though, so I suppose it's kind of cheating. I just crush up loads of garlic (the more the better!), add olive oil, tomato passata, less than a teaspoon of sugar, a bit of ground sea salt, then a metric shit-tonne of freshly ground black pepper, and lots of basil and oregano.

I recently saw this, too: a walk-through written by a person living in rural Korea who made their own pizza entirely from scratch:
http://imgur.com/gallery/Fmeh3

...even the cheese. Seriously.

[mr_a500]

When I make pizza, I make the sauce myself. I use tomato passata, though, so I suppose it's kind of cheating. I just crush up loads of garlic (the more the better!), add olive oil, tomato passata, less than a teaspoon of sugar, a bit of ground sea salt, then a metric shit-tonne of freshly ground black pepper, and lots of basil and oregano.

I recently saw this, too: a walk-through written by a person living in rural Korea who made their own pizza entirely from scratch:
http://imgur.com/gallery/Fmeh3

...even the cheese. Seriously.

Ah yes, I too use a "metric shit-tonne" (official unit of measure) of freshly ground black pepper, lots of basil and oregano. I don't use sugar though.

I can see why that person in Korea made their own pizza. I've been to Korea and their "pizza" is very disturbing. The "cheese" is a soft, milky stuff that looks like mayonnaise and toppings include broccoli and other non-pizza-compatible things.

[scottc]

I've been told that a small amount of sugar neutralise some of the acidity of the tomatoes, making it taste less acidic. Not sure how true or beneficial it is, though, it may just be an old wives' tale!

Seriously though, we need to talk about the broccoli... That's not okay.

[webwit]

When I make pizza, I make the sauce myself. I use tomato passata, though, so I suppose it's kind of cheating. I just crush up loads of garlic (the more the better!), add olive oil, tomato passata, less than a teaspoon of sugar, a bit of ground sea salt, then a metric shit-tonne of freshly ground black pepper, and lots of basil and oregano.

I recently saw this, too: a walk-through written by a person living in rural Korea who made their own pizza entirely from scratch:
http://imgur.com/gallery/Fmeh3

...even the cheese. Seriously.

If you're gonna do all that work, you might as well use fresh tomatoes and remove the skin and seeds.

[7bit]

Just let the tomatoes cook in vine for a while and you have the same effect, because there is suggar in the vine. Also: add garlic, onions and whatnot.

Induction: Rumors say that rats, cats and dogs run away because of the disturbing noise.

=> not suitable for Chinese cuisine.

[seebart]

ok kids it´s time I got "into" this thread, we will be starting with seebart´s super pizza
from scratch.Your´s looks delicious by the way ne0phyte, but that´s a LOT of cheese on there.
I make my own pizza dough with flour,sugar,salt,yeast and warm water. I like to let the
dough sit over night,it always turns out crunchier that way and I dont´t know why. I usually pre-bake
the dough for about ten minutes and then put on the toppings,the cheese comes on after fifteen
minutes in the oven.I like pizza because you can variate the toppings.I don´t usually make my
own tomato sauce,I have tried this in the past and it does taste better I must admit.

Anyway this is pizza with tomato,tuna,olives,gorgonzola and morzarella.

IMG_20140927_140120.jpg (968.5 KiB) Viewed 24961 times

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IMG_20140927_143224.jpg (830.69 KiB) Viewed 24961 times

[mr_a500]

That's interesting about leaving dough overnight and pre-baking the dough before adding toppings.

I've still got to try some of these pizza dough recipes. Meanwhile, I've made a "half-assed pseudo-pizza-like monstrosity" out of some homemade naan (more like pseudo-naan), which leftover from a homemade chicken vindaloo meal. I just shredded cheese on top of the naan, added some diced tomatoes and sliced olives (and more cheese), then baked and broiled until the cheese went crispy. It wasn't too bad. (not pizza, but edible)

[seebart]

That's interesting about leaving dough overnight and pre-baking the dough before adding toppings.

well the yeast need´s enough time to react with the sugar etc, I don´t know how much time exactly though.The pre-baking only makes sense to me because the toppings are not baked that long so it tastes "fresher" in my opinion.

hmm...naan "pizza",interesting.Cooking can always involve some experimentation in my opinion.

homemade vindaloo meal

uhh im getting hungry again!

[bazh]

my first attempt with hommade pizza, guess I will be more generous with cheese the next time

[seebart]

looks delicious!

[andrewjoy]

IMG_20140927_143224.jpg

That looks amazing i am so going to have to try that,

i usually eat quite simple food baked potato with cheese soup and so on.

My tip for a baked potato is to start them off in the microwave until almost soft, put a small amount of butter and some salt on them and rub it into the skin(mind you don't burn your hands ), then cook slow ( gas mark 4 )until the skin is very crispy .

I also like tuna steak i just grill them with a small amount of cumin rubbed into them do them medium so they are still a little pink in the middle mmm lovely

[mr_a500]

I've done it! I've finally perfected pizza. Yes, it has taken many years... but today I made one of the best damn pizzas I've ever eaten in my life. (and I've eaten a hell of a lot of pizza)

pizza Sept 19.jpg

Here's how to make it:

Dough
2 cups flour (Canadian flour, the best!)
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups warm water


Mix in bowl, knead, then let rise for 1 1/2 hours minimum.

Sauce
organic tomato sauce
olive oil
fresh basil
fresh oregano
salt (plenty)
pepper

Cheese
mozzarella (Canadian milk, none of that "modified milk ingredients" crap!)
cheddar (optional)

Toppings
portobello mushrooms
green olives (Greek)
fresh basil (from my garden!)

Carefully spread dough, put on pan, lightly spread sauce (not too thick!), grate some mozzarella, add toppings, grate a bit of cheddar. Throw into an oven at 500˚ F (ovens in Canada are in Fahrenheit, even though we use metric here ) and bake for about 8 minutes. Add the fresh basil, then bake for a couple more minutes, broiling if necessary.

[XMIT]

Very nice!

Obligatory: http://www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm

One of these days I'd love to build a wood burning brick pizza oven. I certainly have the space for it.

[mr_a500]

Thanks for the link. I'll check that out.

[seebart]

I've done it! I've finally perfected pizza. Yes, it has taken many years... but today I made one of the best damn pizzas I've ever eaten in my life. (and I've eaten a hell of a lot of pizza)

Very tasty looking pizza, the perfection is all about the dough! A basic meatloaf variation:

IMG_20170430_191042.jpg (965.82 KiB) Viewed 24577 times

[mr_a500]

I've never understood meatloaf. I think I've eaten it maybe once in my life. I don't understand the point of casserole either.

[andrewjoy]

https://www.just-eat.co.uk/

Your welcome.

But i will give you my recipe for pulled pork soon, its one of the only 2 cures to vegetableism.