Let's talk about food

If you know how to cook a few things well, you'll probably be able to handle most anything you find in a recipe book. You should be confident enough in cooking those things that you can do it from memory and can pretty much eyeball everything. That doesn't mean you won't measure anything, especially when going off of a recipe, but you know what is inside.A good teriyaki marinade:1/2 measure of teriyaki sauce
1/4 measure soy sauce
1/8 measure Worcestershire sauce
1/8 measure olive oil
As much garlic as you likeDifferent foods marinate at different rates but most meats could stand a few hours. If you're doing eggplant or some other vegetation, it won't need as long.My father's porkchops:Get a good breadcrumb pile for breading. Whisk an egg and dip the chops in the egg and then the breadcrumbs. Fry in a medium-hot skillet just for a minute in order to get the breading to cohere. Then put in a glass pan, don't overlap...if you need more pans, use more...in a 400-degree oven for 25-30 minutes. While they're baking, fry what's left of the egg and give it to the dog. I thought one might be able to substitute a cat, but my cat apparently didn't like greasy, garlicky scrambled eggs.Simple dip:6 oz can of tuna fish
8 oz of softened cream cheese
8 oz of sour creamBlend thoroughly and add a dash of Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice if you like.Guacamole:2 avocados
1 tomato, seeded, chopped fine
Scallions, chopped fine
Garlic, mincedMash the avocado and mix in the tomato, scallions, and garlic. Start adding chili powder, coriander, and salt until its hot enough, smoky enough, and salty enough. This is a perfect recipe to help you train your taste buds to determine what it needs when "it needs something." There's a good chance it's salt (and this was the first recipe where I was able to realize "it needs salt"), but the distinction between the spiciness and smokiness is an interesting one to notice.OK...now I'm hungry.

---

Rrhain
WWJD? JWRTFM!

crashfrog responds to me:

quote:

---

quote:

---

Mash the avocado and mix in the tomato, scallions, and garlic. Start adding chili powder, coriander, and salt until its hot enough, smoky enough, and salty enough.

---

​

Coriander? That's interesting.

---

Yeah, and I mean the ground powder, not the leaves (often referred to as cilantro). The two do not taste the same and cannot be substituted for each other. You could add cilantro if you wish, but that's not the same as adding coriander.And while you could probably get away with just chopped chiles, I would probably add the chiles and consider adding some chili powder anyway. The powder will help maintain an overall level of heat that the chopped chiles can intensify with their other flavors.But as I said, guacamole is one of those great things that you can use to train your taste. "It needs something"...so start adding something that you think might help. There are obvious contributions to the basic dip such as lemon or lime juice. Try using just one and then on your next batch, try the other. Notice the difference. You'll eventually learn how individual flavors will add to the overall mixture.

---

Rrhain
WWJD? JWRTFM!

crashfrog writes:

quote:

---

If you just want a good cup of coffee pick up a french press.

---

Just make sure you have a good carafe, too. A french press may be good for making coffee, but it is the worst thing in the world for holding it. Once the coffee is brewed, pour it out into something else. Do not let the coffee sit on the grounds after it's done brewing.

---

Rrhain
WWJD? JWRTFM!