What’s cookin’ good lookin?

[Mik]

Apron or no? Towel hanging from apron? Not usually.

Bench scraper? Or scrape cutting board with knife? Blade up or blade down? I rinse mine in sink

Garlic in with the aromatics or just for the last minute for fear of burning? Depends on the cook. If low heat immediately, if high heat, later.

Jarlic? Frozen garlic? Frozen or pre-peeled. 90% frozen Dorot brand.

Countertop trash bowl when chopping? yes.

Mis en place? Sometimes.

Clean as you go or all at once? Mostly as I go.

[wtg]

@Steve-Miller said in What’s cookin’ good lookin?:

Mango Chutney in egg fried rice?

No clue. Can't wait for the answer.

[Mik]

Why not? I made a chicken garlic stew last night. Boneless thighs, butter, lemon, cannellini beans, tons of garlic, shallots, a little sour cream at the end. I thought it was a little liquidy as I added a cup of chicken stock, so about an hour from done I added in halved mushrooms and some spinach. Pretty good with crusty bread to soak it up with. Better today for lunch. I did it in my dutch oven at 200F for four hours.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026893-slow-cooker-garlic-butter-chicken?campaign_id=58&emc=edit_ck_20250609&instance_id=156050&nl=cooking&regi_id=49184069&segment_id=199587&user_id=2127aee77c7a5b6be2d2c611f646d27e

[Steve Miller]

That sounds real good!

[Mik]

I wasn't keen on the lemon. Other than that, it's a great base and I think you could add and subtract as you wish. A bit of mirepoix maybe, or some other herbs . I really did not need to add the stock, and it's not in the recipe but I think it made it better today. It surprisingly created its own liquid, I guess from the chicken and beans. I really liked the halved mushrooms. I also like beans cooked down to mushy soup-like. If you want them firmer add them only for the last hour.

[Mary Anna]

@Steve-Miller said in What’s cookin’ good lookin?:

Apron or no? Towel hanging from apron?

My mother never understood why I didn't inherit her insistence on cooking in an apron. I've usually got a towel or two on the counter for when I need it.

Bench scraper? Or scrape cutting board with knife? Blade up or blade down?
Knife. Usually blade down.

Garlic in with the aromatics or just for the last minute for fear of burning?
With the aromatics. Since it's...you know...an aromatic. Right?

Jarlic? Frozen garlic?
No jarlic. It has a funky, musty taste and smell to me. I use fresh garlic when it matters and garlic powder when it's not so important. As long as there's not so much garlic powder that you can taste it as a separate ingredient, I think has its place. I've never tried frozen garlic.

Countertop trash bowl when chopping?
We have a pull-out cabinet for the trash. I just leave it open when I'm cooking.

Mis en place?
Not really. Before I start cooking, I chop what I'm going to need soon. Then I sorta cycle things through, chopping the next wave of stuff while the first wave is cooking.

Clean as you go or all at once?
Yes and no. I load the dishwasher while I'm working. When I'm still early in the process, I wash bowls and pots in the sink. When the meal's nearly ready, though, I need to focus on getting things done.

Where do you stand?
By the stove.

[Bernard]

Apron or no? Sometimes. Towel hanging from apron? I prefer over the shoulder.

Bench scraper? Sometimes. Or scrape cutting board with knife? Sometimes. Blade up or blade down? Down.

Garlic in with the aromatics or just for the last minute for fear of burning? Sometimes

Jarlic? Frozen garlic? Never heard of it

Countertop trash bowl when chopping? Sometimes.

Mis en place? Sometimes.

Clean as you go or all at once? Sometimes.

Where do you stand? In the kitchen.

[Bernard]

I made Braised Sausage and Lentils for dinner. Recipe from Pacific Northwest The Beautiful Cookbook. So easy, so delicious! I had green lentils in the cupboard and Andouille sausage. I think I'll have another peruse through the book before it goes to the thrift shop!

[Daniel.]

It's not fair the rest of you know how to good so well while you'd think I must have had a chef growing up and my grocery shopping skills are even worse. I do know how to clean so that's something.

[wtg]

@Bernard said in What’s cookin’ good lookin?:

Braised Sausage and Lentils for dinner. Recipe from Pacific Northwest The Beautiful Cookbook

Sounds nummy. I found the book on the Internet Archive and will check out the recipe!

https://archive.org/details/pacificnorthwest0000case

[Steve Miller]

@Daniel. Never too late to start!

[Bernard]

@wtg Page 139 in the printed book.

[rustyfingers]

Apron or no? Not usually

Towel hanging from apron?
On oven handle

Bench scraper? Or scrape cutting board with knife? Blade up or blade down?
All of the above

Garlic in with the aromatics or just for the last minute for fear of burning?
Last minute

Jarlic? Frozen garlic?
Jarlic

Countertop trash bowl when chopping?
Paper lunch bag on the counter. When I'm cleaning up, I put in the freezer. When it's full it goes into the compost tumbler outside. No fruit flies in the house this way.

Mis en place?
Rarely

Clean as you go or all at once?
As I go

Where do you stand?
In the corner at the cutting board between the fridge and oven

[wtg]

@Bernard said in What’s cookin’ good lookin?:

@wtg Page 139 in the printed book.

Very nice recipes in the book. The Internet Archive has links to used booksellers, if anyone is interested in buying a copy.

[Mik]

Dry brining? Yes or no?

I do with meats, almost religiously. Just put up an 11 oz strip steak for tomorrow night's dinner. We'll split it.

So now I have to figure out dinner tonight. Maybe Cincinnati chili.

[Steve Miller]

Is that the one with cinnamon in it?

[Mik]

Yup. And chocolate. Ambrosia, food of the gods.

10 oz can of Skyline chili
6 oz spaghetti
4 oz shredded mild cheddar

Cook spaghetti
Pour chili over and heat through
Divide betewen 2 bowls and top with cheese.

Serves 2, 650 calories each.

Proper beverage is diet cola, although a nice Rhone red is a great match if you want wine.

I add this to it. Great combo, better than Skyline's hot sauce. Excellent, not too hot, great actual flavor.

[Steve Miller]

I’ve seen hundreds of pepper sauces but I’ve never seen that one.

I’ll look for it!

[Mik]

I get it on Amazon. Go through a few bottles a year.

[wtg]

Non-cooking eating...well, I did bake the bread...but...

Went to Costco for the morning Executive member hours; love the store being mostly empty. Bought some prosciutto. And these very tasty spicy cocktail sticks. Olive, pickle, onion, pepper on a little skewer.

Those pickled things are fabulous. Spicy enough to be interesting. Have to go back and buy a few more jars to stash away in the pantry; they were marked as going away. From Spain.

Had some Shropshire Blue and Double Gloucester. Put it all together and it's dinner.