To fuck or to cook?

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

i think he is distinguishing "on the meat" from "mixed in the meat."

Ah. I thought he was saying he only likes meat between his buns.

[PresentTense Pirate Penske]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

Ah. I thought he was saying he only likes meat between his buns.

Meat or a lifelike strap on. He's liberal in the bedroom.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

I made a pasta dish last night of fusilli with collard greens and mushrooms (as well as some onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and crushed red pepper flakes). The recipe called for the collard greens to chopped and then cooked in boiling water until tender. Instead, I sauteed them in a pan, since I didn't want to boil water for the greens and then dump it and start again with water for the pasta. (Maybe I need a hotter stove.) Is there any reason why cooking the greens in boiling water would have been preferable?

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

I made a pasta dish last night of fusilli with collard greens and mushrooms (as well as some onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and crushed red pepper flakes). The recipe called for the collard greens to chopped and then cooked in boiling water until tender. Instead, I sauteed them in a pan, since I didn't want to boil water for the greens and then dump it and start again with water for the pasta. (Maybe I need a hotter stove.) Is there any reason why cooking the greens in boiling water would have been preferable?

some greens have a bitter taste that can be lessened by the boiling,

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

I made a pasta dish last night of fusilli with collard greens and mushrooms (as well as some onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and crushed red pepper flakes). The recipe called for the collard greens to chopped and then cooked in boiling water until tender. Instead, I sauteed them in a pan, since I didn't want to boil water for the greens and then dump it and start again with water for the pasta. (Maybe I need a hotter stove.) Is there any reason why cooking the greens in boiling water would have been preferable?

Collards can also be very tough. Boiling them is often necessary to make them edible. Although if you get young enough greens or you slice them in small enough peices, that problem should be avoided.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

I made a pasta dish last night of fusilli with collard greens and mushrooms (as well as some onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and crushed red pepper flakes). The recipe called for the collard greens to chopped and then cooked in boiling water until tender. Instead, I sauteed them in a pan, since I didn't want to boil water for the greens and then dump it and start again with water for the pasta. (Maybe I need a hotter stove.) Is there any reason why cooking the greens in boiling water would have been preferable?

Because collards are tough.

Instead of a hotter stove, get a pot with an insert so you can pull the greens out and use the still-boiling water for the pasta.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

I made a pasta dish last night of fusilli with collard greens and mushrooms (as well as some onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and crushed red pepper flakes). The recipe called for the collard greens to chopped and then cooked in boiling water until tender. Instead, I sauteed them in a pan, since I didn't want to boil water for the greens and then dump it and start again with water for the pasta. (Maybe I need a hotter stove.) Is there any reason why cooking the greens in boiling water would have been preferable?

In the first few pages of Ad Hoc at Home, Thomas Keller reveals himself as a blanching advocate. I think he likes it because the vegetables are uniformly cooked when blanched. I'm not as big of a fan because the blanching process loses nutrients. He recommends using a big pot (so you don't lose the boil when you add the vegetables) and more salt than you think you need.

BTW, we've done the Fried Chicken (recipe is on the Amazon page of the book) and the blueberry cobbler by the book. Both were excellent. My boyfriend tends to use cookbooks more for technique than specifics of ingredients, and he followed Keller's recs for roast chicken, but he modified the recipe a bit. It was also pretty good. We chose to age our rib roast on Christmas Day, so we used Alton Brown's roast technique instead of the blow torch method Keller recommends. (We did bring the blowtorch, though, just in case anything needed quick fire, but no go.) We'll do the blowtorch method next time a rib roast presents itself.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

Because collards are tough.

Instead of a hotter stove, get a pot with an insert so you can pull the greens out and use the still-boiling water for the pasta.

I think the other factor for deciding to blanch greens, particularly when using for a sauce, is water. You drain the collards (or whatever) and can squeeze out excess water before you chop them. If you cook them raw into a sauce base, you are going to have to cook out a lot of water (risking overcooking the vegetables) or have a very diluted sauce. If the greens are raw and ultra-dry when you put them in the pan, you would also risk burning them before the water content effectively steam-cooks them in the saute pan.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Replaced_Texan

In the first few pages of Ad Hoc at Home, Thomas Keller reveals himself as a blanching advocate. I think he likes it because the vegetables are uniformly cooked when blanched. I'm not as big of a fan because the blanching process loses nutrients. He recommends using a big pot (so you don't lose the boil when you add the vegetables) and more salt than you think you need.

BTW, we've done the Fried Chicken (recipe is on the Amazon page of the book) and the blueberry cobbler by the book. Both were excellent. My boyfriend tends to use cookbooks more for technique than specifics of ingredients, and he followed Keller's recs for roast chicken, but he modified the recipe a bit. It was also pretty good. We chose to age our rib roast on Christmas Day, so we used Alton Brown's roast technique instead of the blow torch method Keller recommends. (We did bring the blowtorch, though, just in case anything needed quick fire, but no go.) We'll do the blowtorch method next time a rib roast presents itself.

Blanching takes out less nutrients than you might think, especially since blanching makes the vegetables slightly easier to chew and digest vis. serving them raw, which increases bioavailability.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

Blanching takes out less nutrients than you might think, especially since blanching makes the vegetables slightly easier to chew and digest vis. serving them raw, which increases bioavailability.

And decreases farting.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by Replaced_Texan

In the first few pages of Ad Hoc at Home, Thomas Keller reveals himself as a blanching advocate. I think he likes it because the vegetables are uniformly cooked when blanched. I'm not as big of a fan because the blanching process loses nutrients. He recommends using a big pot (so you don't lose the boil when you add the vegetables) and more salt than you think you need.

BTW, we've done the Fried Chicken (recipe is on the Amazon page of the book) and the blueberry cobbler by the book. Both were excellent. My boyfriend tends to use cookbooks more for technique than specifics of ingredients, and he followed Keller's recs for roast chicken, but he modified the recipe a bit. It was also pretty good. We chose to age our rib roast on Christmas Day, so we used Alton Brown's roast technique instead of the blow torch method Keller recommends. (We did bring the blowtorch, though, just in case anything needed quick fire, but no go.) We'll do the blowtorch method next time a rib roast presents itself.

Mrs. Finch got me that book (and several others -- my cookbooks runneth over) for xmas. I'm trying to decide where to start -- perhaps the fried chicken and blueberry cobbler is the place.

I'm definitely doing the blowtorch method next time I make prime rib. That's what we had on xmas -- If only I'd known that recipe was in there, I'd have used it.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by Sparklehorse

I think the other factor for deciding to blanch greens, particularly when using for a sauce, is water. You drain the collards (or whatever) and can squeeze out excess water before you chop them. If you cook them raw into a sauce base, you are going to have to cook out a lot of water (risking overcooking the vegetables) or have a very diluted sauce. If the greens are raw and ultra-dry when you put them in the pan, you would also risk burning them before the water content effectively steam-cooks them in the saute pan.

Good point, especially since Ty was already using mushrooms, which contain lots of water.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by Replaced_Texan

We'll do the blowtorch method next time a rib roast presents itself.

I'll be looking for your youtube blowtorch video!

[PresentTense Pirate Penske]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

And decreases farting.

In that event I'd have no reason to actually be present in my office.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

Instead of a hotter stove, get a pot with an insert so you can pull the greens out and use the still-boiling water for the pasta.

Yes, I want one of these.