Help Me Cook An Edible Dinner For Once

[Borodog]

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Like bobman said, cook in liquid, and also cook on low-medium heat. It is almost impossible to overcook meat under these circumstances; basically you are just simmering. The worst that happens is that the meat continues to get more and more tender until it basically falls apart.

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I disagree strongly on the low/medium heat plan. An easier way to cook meat more slowly is to sear it over high heat, then move it to a 350 degree oven to finish. Using low heat in a pan is a one way ticket to mushy, bland food.


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I completely agree with you on steak, and probably pork (because I don't cook pork very often I will defer). But for chicken, or a ground beef or sausage, there is absolutely nothing wrong with simmering on low-medium heat. What you call "mushy" I call falling-apart tender. There's a reason crock-pots work. And you can't get bland food if you don't use bland ingredients.

I'm not a chef, though, so what do I know. I only make a few things, but I never get any complaints when I do. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[punkass]

I haven't read any posts...

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...then fried them up in butter, garlic, and onions. I added some crushed red pepper and salt. Success. It was deliciously unhealthy.


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You can do this to almost anything, and it'll be awesome.

[Runkmud]

Gratz on your success!

Here's one I use to make me look like a culinary expert at parties, and it's super easy. (requires a grill)

Buy a half a salmon, preferably a big one, feeds about 5 or 6.
3 lemons
2 cloves of garlic
Can of Old Bay seasoning

put the salmon on two long sheets of aluminum foil, curl at edges.
Press the garlic and apply liberally.
Squeeze the lemon juice all over the salmon.
Cover the entire fish with tons of Old Bay, when it's totally covered, put on more, more is better in this case.

Cook on the grill (covered) 30ish minutes, should be ready when white foam starts to come out and a fork stuck in comes out clean.

It's great, and super easy, and it's hard to screw up.

[nutfloppa]

Here is a tip for pork but I have been told it works well for chicken and turkey as well. Try brining the meat first.

3/4 c. kosher salt, 3/4 c. sugar (molasses or honey can be used instead of sugar) and about a gallon of water. You can also throw garlic or what ever herbs you like. Boil enough water to dissolve the salt and sugar in and then combine with the rest of water. Submerge the meat in the brine and place in refrigerator for 6 to 12 hours depending on how much you are making. Make sure bring is cooled to room temp. befor placeing meat in it.

I love grilled pork chops but I could never keep them from drying out by the time they were done. This solved the problem. I bet it would work on chicken breast as well.

[MrMon]

Kosher salt with pork. Hohoho!

Actually, brining is a trick for nearly any meat. Works especially well with turkeys, unless you buy a kosher one, in which case it's already been done for you. All kosher meat is brined at some point.

[JJNJustin]

Buy those herb broasted chickens at the market and take the meat off the bone and discard as much fat and skin as you can. Use the meat in homemade pasta sauces, curries, etc.

The herb roasted chicken costs like $3-4 and it's the same for a whole raw chicken, and it takes a few hours to cook, so you're better off buying it pre-cooked.

The best thing to do when cooking chicken (raw) is to heat oil in a pan over high heat, and brown the chicken pieces for about 5-7 minutes on each side, flipping only once. Then you can finish them off in the oven for like 30-60 minutes at about 375. Always season the raw pieces with salt, pepper, and whatever before you fry. This is a good basic method that works with many recipes- brown first, drain on towels, simmer in sauce or bake in oven.

-J

[SamIAm]

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Any suggestions on how not to kill people with my cooking?

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yet not deadly.

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Keep in mind, especially with chicken, we're not worried about killing people. If you get salmonela, you definitely won't die. Pork, on the other hand, is pretty bad.

Trichinosis << Salmonela. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
-Sam

[acoustix]

Don't scare me, man. I'm grilling porkchops tonight.

[SamIAm]

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3 ingredients: Pasta (I prefer penne), a jar of good sauce (some kind of basil/garlic/oregano/3 cheese whatever [censored] with some flavor), and a package of Italian sausage (mild or hot to your liking).

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I made this tonight. I used chicken-sausage, because I don't dig on swine, and I sauteed onions with the meat, but otherwise as you described.

Definitely very good. My local international-market sells loose sausage as well as cased, so I used loose in the sauce with a whole sausage on the side. I had a "Hot" sausage, and got my girlfriend a "Mild" one.

Steamed spinach made the meal healthy, and it was a fast, good weekday dinner.

Sorry my camera phone sucks. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

-Sam

[MCS]

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I had a "Hot" sausage

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I'll bet you did.

Ho ho ho!