Chef in the house.

[baarat]

I'm a chef and I'd be happy to help in regards to technique, cooking methods, anything related to cooking.......No recipes though, there's enough here and you can google one in 10 seconds. I can help with the why's of a particular recipe, or the reasoning behind a recipe, that kind of thing.

[Giorrgi]

Cool

Can you tell me how to make my protein bars more eatable?

My receipe is:

Protein powder, 200~grams.

200grams of oatmeal (I do make them get the same texture as flour... dunno how you call it, but I make them pass through a machine that cuts in tiny pieces... )

500-700mL skim milk

Splenda

Some kind of oil, peanut butter [OPTIONAL]
..

Oven at 300~ degrees celcius, like 20 mins.

What I get is a very, very stiff thing in the end, it's eatable but no way as good as a real cookie or something

[baarat]

Originally Posted by Giorrgi

Cool

Can you tell me how to make my protein bars more eatable?

My receipe is:

Protein powder, 200~grams.

200grams of oatmeal (I do make them get the same texture as flour... dunno how you call it, but I make them pass through a machine that cuts in tiny pieces... )

500-700mL skim milk

Splenda

Some kind of oil, peanut butter [OPTIONAL]
..

Oven at 300~ degrees celcius, like 20 mins.

What I get is a very, very stiff thing in the end, it's eatable but no way as good as a real cookie or something

Didn't ya know a chef doesn't do pastry.....inside joke. But most chefs arn't very good bakers or pastery chefs, because it a completely different way of thinking. Anyway............You might try adding egg whites with steva to make a meringue, which is a great protein itself. A meringue is made by whipping egg whites in the blender and adding the sugar, but in this case the steva until stiff peaks form. Mix this in at the end of the recipe, and bake until they have some give in the middle. These will be thicker as well. Adding ingredients keeps the cookies moister, helping get a softer cooking, like dried fruit....cherries, cranberries that kind of thing. Hope this helps.

EDIT: try coconut oil instead of a liquid oil, that may help as well.

[rhollan]

Originally Posted by baarat

I'm a chef and I'd be happy to help in regards to technique, cooking methods, anything related to cooking.......No recipes though, there's enough here and you can google one in 10 seconds. I can help with the why's of a particular recipe, or the reasoning behind a recipe, that kind of thing.

COOL! A "real" chef. Many of my friends who can't cook consider me a chef, but I just "pretend".

One question: why do so many saffron-butter sauce recipies call for as much acid (vinegar or lemon juice or lime juice) as they do? I find it a bit much, though it goes well with fish/seafood. I was thinking kafir leaves or lemon grass (strained out at the end) would be better.

O.K. One more question: am I insane to quickly make my own butter from cream when I run out? I find fresh butter so much better / less processed in the recipies that call for it., though one has to whip the heck out of most processed cream to get it to break intentionally.

[baarat]

Originally Posted by rhollan

COOL! A "real" chef. Many of my friends who can't cook consider me a chef, but I just "pretend".

One question: why do so many saffron-butter sauce recipies call for as much acid (vinegar or lemon juice or lime juice) as they do? I find it a bit much, though it goes well with fish/seafood. I was thinking kafir leaves or lemon grass (strained out at the end) would be better.

O.K. One more question: am I insane to quickly make my own butter from cream when I run out? I find fresh butter so much better / less processed in the recipies that call for it., though one has to whip the heck out of most processed cream to get it to break intentionally.

Regardling saffron-butter sauce.......A butter sauce is basically a butter held in suspension through an emulsifiing agent generally a reduction of wine and cooked onion and the grand daddy of them all the Beurre Blanc....saffron is merely a derivitive. You can use any ingredient you want, so lemongrass and kafir would be fine. Make sure when making the sauce that you reduce the vinegar mixture by at least 1/2 before straining and adding the butter. Reallly you only need a tbsp or 2 of the vinegar mixture, before adding the cold butter.

Sure, nothing wrong with making your own butter....done it many times myself, by mistake.

[rhollan]

Originally Posted by baarat

Regardling saffron-butter sauce.......A butter sauce is basically a butter held in suspension through an emulsifiing agent generally a reduction of wine and cooked onion and the grand daddy of them all the Beurre Blanc....saffron is merely a derivitive. You can use any ingredient you want, so lemongrass and kafir would be fine. Make sure when making the sauce that you reduce the vinegar mixture by at least 1/2 before straining and adding the butter. Reallly you only need a tbsp or 2 of the vinegar mixture, before adding the cold butter.

Sure, nothing wrong with making your own butter....done it many times myself, by mistake.

Thanks! I prefer to make mine with a reduction of cooked shallots (instead of onions) and white wine. I used two tblsp of lemon juice instead of vinegar and found it a bit much. I think one would have been better. Does the acid serve to keep the emulsion suspended better? I was thinking that fresh dill weed would go well with fish, too.

In my case, I strained after whisking in the butter. It was not hot enough to completely melt, of course, but enough to flow through my strainer.

I think next time, before adding the cream, saffron, then butter, I will remove the lemongrass or kafir lime leaves, and puree the reduced shallot/wine mix with a small hand mixer, and then continue as usual, to give the sauce some more body, instead of straining it.

Pictures of my effort to make Broiled Tilapia with Capers and Garlic-steamed Broccoli with Saffron-Butter sauce at http://rhollan.clearwire.net/Tilapia...ronButterSauce.

I like to eat well, and have avoided rich sauces and alcohol since starting to work out, but in moderation, with a glass of wine, they do make the meal!

As for making my own butter from cream, it's more expensive than buying it (not much, though), but (a) sometimes I can't find unsalted butter, and (b), most commercial butter is overprocessed. Ah, to have a farm, and a cow, and some chickens. (I used to live in a town where one could buy live chickens on Sunday).

Back to more basic things: how to make an egg-white omelette in a normal (i.e. not teflon-coated) skillet? I'd think a well-seasond cast iron one would be necessary. Or, should I just break down and buy an omelette skillet? Or is there some magic minimal fraction of yolks that would help? (I can make an ordinary omelette just fine with a plain copper bottom stainless steel skillet).

[LayzieBone085]

just any insider tips on grilling / baking would be highly apprecaited.. even if its on a george foreman or while @ school would love to cook multiple things.. pies protein bars.. etc etc

[Nutridense]

stir frying techniques =p

[baarat]

Originally Posted by rhollan

Thanks! I prefer to make mine with a reduction of cooked shallots (instead of onions) and white wine. I used two tblsp of lemon juice instead of vinegar and found it a bit much. I think one would have been better. Does the acid serve to keep the emulsion suspended better? I was thinking that fresh dill weed would go well with fish, too.

In my case, I strained after whisking in the butter. It was not hot enough to completely melt, of course, but enough to flow through my strainer.

I think next time, before adding the cream, saffron, then butter, I will remove the lemongrass or kafir lime leaves, and puree the reduced shallot/wine mix with a small hand mixer, and then continue as usual, to give the sauce some more body, instead of straining it.

Pictures of my effort to make Broiled Tilapia with Capers and Garlic-steamed Broccoli with Saffron-Butter sauce at http://rhollan.clearwire.net/Tilapia...ronButterSauce.

I like to eat well, and have avoided rich sauces and alcohol since starting to work out, but in moderation, with a glass of wine, they do make the meal!

As for making my own butter from cream, it's more expensive than buying it (not much, though), but (a) sometimes I can't find unsalted butter, and (b), most commercial butter is overprocessed. Ah, to have a farm, and a cow, and some chickens. (I used to live in a town where one could buy live chickens on Sunday).

Back to more basic things: how to make an egg-white omelette in a normal (i.e. not teflon-coated) skillet? I'd think a well-seasond cast iron one would be necessary. Or, should I just break down and buy an omelette skillet? Or is there some magic minimal fraction of yolks that would help? (I can make an ordinary omelette just fine with a plain copper bottom stainless steel skillet).

Shallots are what I use as well, said onion because alot of people don't know what a shallot is.

No the vinegar doesn't help the emulsification really, the butter is already emulsified....1/5th of butter is water and generally water and oil doesn't mix but the protein in butter acts as the emulsifying agent, surrounding the fat molecules suspended in water. The trick to a good sauce is making sure you don't heat the sauce past 135 degrees, that's when the protein case disolves and the sauce splits and colapses. More liquid like vinegar gives more volume and height.

You add cream is see, something that is a modern restaurant trick, it acts as a stabalizer and the sauce keeps longer, but it does change the sauce from the original.

Pureeing the shallots is definately a good thing in my books, it adds texture and more flavour. But it's a balance, too much onion per volume of sauce isn't what you want.....some extra texture 10% by volume will give the sauce some character without crowding the liquid/sauce, which is better. IMO

First let me say I've never made an egg white omelette. A well seasoned cast iron fry pan that has gotten that way from repeated use, should be treasured and cared for, but so should an omelette pan. I use a french steel, sometimes called blue steel for my omelettes and I have another one for my crepes as well, that's all most french chefs use. I would recommend you either get a new steel pan exclusively for omelette making or buy a non stick, which is perfectly fine for that particular use. A stainless steel pan isn't really suited to egg cookery, thin steel french pans that have been seasoned are the best, same material as a wok. I would have to make an egg white omelette in order to recommend a little yolk as you mentioned. But, it's mostly about the heat of the pan adding cold fat, for good results.

[baarat]

Originally Posted by Nutridense

stir frying techniques =p

Originally Posted by Nutridense

stir frying techniques =p

Well the proper wok is key, it must be cold rolled steel, no stainless, electric or non stick. All the ingredients must be pre cut and ready for cooking, all liquids as well. The reasoning behind this is because most stir fry meals takes 1 or 2 minutes.

The biggest problem I see people do when stir frying is to over crowd the pan......the only result you'll get from doing that is a wet pile of food that has no distictive or individual tastes, just one homogenious mess. And the taste tends to meld into one taste throughout, and not resembling the ingredients you started with, sounds weird I know, but true. So ideally you want to cook ingredients so they sizzle not steam and to ensure this happens you would sometimes cook the food in the wok in stages and reasemble at the end. hope this helps.

[Oddball8945]

curious as to how much you make (if its alrite)

And how far up the chain of education did you go in Culinary. I plan to get an Associates in culinary and perhaps higher. But the work seems hard and pay, pretty lousy.

[LayzieBone085]

Originally Posted by baarat

Well the proper wok is key, it must be cold rolled steel, no stainless, electric or non stick. All the ingredients must be pre cut and ready for cooking, all liquids as well. The reasoning behind this is because most stir fry meals takes 1 or 2 minutes.

The biggest problem I see people do when stir frying is to over crowd the pan......the only result you'll get from doing that is a wet pile of food that has no distictive or individual tastes, just one homogenious mess. And the taste tends to meld into one taste throughout, and not resembling the ingredients you started with, sounds weird I know, but true. So ideally you want to cook ingredients so they sizzle not steam and to ensure this happens you would sometimes cook the food in the wok in stages and reasemble at the end. hope this helps.

say if you were making a simple stirfry of just broccoli, rice, and chicken.. the chicken is already cooked and diced just needs to be reheated again.. the brown rice was already cooked but cold, and the broccoli is raw..

i say this because this is what i do at the cafe @ night and was wondering how i could make it better seems like i cook too long

maybe add a little water or a good cup or so.. toss on the broccoli for abuot 2 minutes then add the chicken/rice for a minute or so until the water soaks up and serve? or cook it a lot longer?

i usually put a bowl over my pan and let it steam for about 5 minutes of just broccoli and then add rice and chicken for a good 2-3 minutes

then i pour it in my bowl and put 2 slices of cheese in between so it gooes in between ..

any suggestions?

[tinyman5000]

is there a way to make custard without cream or sugar but just milk for ice cream purposes? Any healthy ice cream ideas? I've been using broken ricotta with milk and sodium free CC along with fruit or cocoa, its terrific but i wanna make it like really really good

[baarat]

Originally Posted by Oddball8945

curious as to how much you make (if its alrite)

And how far up the chain of education did you go in Culinary. I plan to get an Associates in culinary and perhaps higher. But the work seems hard and pay, pretty lousy.

Don't do it! lol......TV has glamourized the cooking trade in respect to, it looks EASY. If you don't have a natural talent you will be peeling potatoes for a few years.....saying that a decent chef in Canada makes around 50k and 100k + in bigger hotels. Kichen help is just above minimum wage and a decent line cooks around 15.00 hr.

I did 3 yr culinary management and 1 year nutrition. Also did 1 year in france
at Le Cordon Bleu...... advance saucier. I've cooked in the Arctic, Europe and Canada. I've owned 2 restautrants with partners over the years and cooked in Toronto extensively, which is where I live. Sold my last place 3 years ago, and now I do private catering and mess around in the stock market from home.

[baarat]

Originally Posted by LayzieBone085

say if you were making a simple stirfry of just broccoli, rice, and chicken.. the chicken is already cooked and diced just needs to be reheated again.. the brown rice was already cooked but cold, and the broccoli is raw.......any suggestions?

Well, you don't really need to stir fry.......like you said just cook the brocolli and add the reheated rice and chicken. You could make a fried rice with your brocolli and chicken if you wanted to actually use a wok, but for what your doing a frying pan would probably be easier.

[tinyman5000]

lol really waiting on that answer about the custard baraat im gonna make it before i go to bed so i need to know lol

[baarat]

Originally Posted by tinyman5000

is there a way to make custard without cream or sugar but just milk for ice cream purposes? Any healthy ice cream ideas? I've been using broken ricotta with milk and sodium free CC along with fruit or cocoa, its terrific but i wanna make it like really really good

Not that I'm aware of. I would never have had any reason to make ice cream or custard without the classic ingredients. Sugar for example gives ice cream it's smoothness and the cream makes it thick. There are companies that replicate these textures in a lab, but as a chef I would never cook with anything other than natural ingredients. Now I just treat myself to the real thing once in a while...........sorry i couldn't help. There's nothing unhealthy about real ice cream.

[baarat]

Originally Posted by tinyman5000

lol really waiting on that answer about the custard baraat im gonna make it before i go to bed so i need to know lol

I'll give that one some thought.......no cream......no sugar....hmmmm, but that ain't ice cream. LOL I'll see what I can come up with.

[tinyman5000]

Originally Posted by baarat

I'll give that one some thought.......no cream......no sugar....hmmmm, but that ain't ice cream. LOL I'll see what I can come up with.

cant you use skim milk and whole eggs with splenda or something

[baarat]

Originally Posted by tinyman5000

cant you use skim milk and whole eggs with splenda or something

Not without a thickening agent, and without sugar (fructose or sucrose) it wouldn't have the right consistancy or taste, personally without that in ice cream, it would be a total waste of time. I've have a few store bought ice creams that used milk and it would pass at a kids birthday party, but not at my table. Why deprive yourself, moderation tinyman....

[tinyman5000]

Originally Posted by baarat

Not without a thickening agent, and without sugar (fructose or sucrose) it wouldn't have the right consistancy or taste, personally without that in ice cream, it would be a total waste of time. I've have a few store bought ice creams that used milk and it would pass at a kids birthday party, but not at my table. Why deprive yourself, moderation tinyman....

i eat 3700 calories a day dude i just hate the texture of the store bought crap, even breyers. I'm used to gelato that i ate overseas and nothing tastes right, i'm trying everything to mimick the texture without the huge caloric dent. Ricotta is working well

[baarat]

Originally Posted by tinyman5000

i eat 3700 calories a day dude i just hate the texture of the store bought crap, even breyers. I'm used to gelato that i ate overseas and nothing tastes right, i'm trying everything to mimick the texture without the huge caloric dent. Ricotta is working well

Yeah you can't beat gelato. The problem is you can't duplicate texture and mouthfeel of the real thing......some labratory food comes close, but the ingredient list and the eqipment just wouldn't fit in my kitchen.

[I-Am-Iron-Man]

Originally Posted by baarat

Not without a thickening agent, and without sugar (fructose or sucrose) it wouldn't have the right consistancy or taste, personally without that in ice cream, it would be a total waste of time. I've have a few store bought ice creams that used milk and it would pass at a kids birthday party, but not at my table. Why deprive yourself, moderation tinyman....

yea i eat this stuff



just gotta have control and fit it into your diet. i always say the best diet is one that you will stick to....

[tinyman5000]

Originally Posted by I-Am-Iron-Man

yea i eat this stuff



just gotta have control and fit it into your diet. i always say the best diet is one that you will stick to....

that doesnt look too good honestly. i eat store bought ice cream all the time, i go for breyers peanut butter tracks. the problem is the texture.
A-i dont have a sweet tooth, i have a saturated fat tooth lol
B-its hard as hell to scoop it
C-It's certainly sweet enough, but not rich enough.

Whole fat ricotta with skim milk and past. eggs and pureed berries has been doing it, but i'm starting to get tired of it just cause i eat it everyday before i got to bed (that or a goat cheese ommeletee)

[getgot211]

Originally Posted by tinyman5000

that doesnt look too good honestly. i eat store bought ice cream all the time, i go for breyers peanut butter tracks. the problem is the texture.
A-i dont have a sweet tooth, i have a saturated fat tooth lol
B-its hard as hell to scoop it
C-It's certainly sweet enough, but not rich enough.

Whole fat ricotta with skim milk and past. eggs and pureed berries has been doing it, but i'm starting to get tired of it just cause i eat it everyday before i got to bed (that or a goat cheese ommeletee)

why not go for HD or find a local parlor?

[tinyman5000]

Originally Posted by getgot211

why not go for HD or find a local parlor?

cause i got a cuisinart lol what's HD and we dont have local home made ice cream parlors just brewsters..it pisses me off. I eat ice cream everyday, whether it be home made or storebought, its too good not to eat lol and im staying lean bulking

[getgot211]

Originally Posted by tinyman5000

cause i got a cuisinart lol what's HD and we dont have local home made ice cream parlors just brewsters..it pisses me off. I eat ice cream everyday, whether it be home made or storebought, its too good not to eat lol and im staying lean bulking

Hagen-Dazs, where do you live? sounds like a sad, sad place.

[MrLovrLovr]

^^ lol ^^



tinyman make your own gelato at home .. Appreciate it for what it is - yoru own creation and don't compare it to the finest you've had ..

[LayzieBone085]

Originally Posted by tinyman5000

i eat 3700 calories a day dude i just hate the texture of the store bought crap, even breyers. I'm used to gelato that i ate overseas and nothing tastes right, i'm trying everything to mimick the texture without the huge caloric dent. Ricotta is working well

then dont eat ice cream if u dont like the ****.. go eat smoething else like cottage cheese, yogurt, orh ave a casein shake and eat some almonds on the side to curb ur eating habits.. its going to make no difference food is food and its going to get digested just get the damn cals..

[tinyman5000]

Originally Posted by LayzieBone085

then dont eat ice cream if u dont like the ****.. go eat smoething else like cottage cheese, yogurt, orh ave a casein shake and eat some almonds on the side to curb ur eating habits.. its going to make no difference food is food and its going to get digested just get the damn cals..

I love ice cream i just hate super hard ice cream lol and i eat yogurt and cottage cheese all the time