Random Food Questions Thread

[philosophe]



I really want to improve my knife skills what's the best way to learn?

For a basic text and DVD, try this:

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Kni...=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324678354&sr=1-2

Then practice, practice, practice.

 

[indesertum]

i bought a duck

what should i do with it? break it down? roast it whole? what's the best way to save the duck fat?

 

[mordecai]

I bought 15 lamb rib chops. I am going to pound the eyes a little thinner and fry them in parmesan batter. Should I trim the thick layer of fat off the bone?

I was thinking of trimming them to look more like this:

 

[impolyt_one]

I bought a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. And drank it.

 

[mgm9128]



i bought a duck what should i do with it? break it down? roast it whole? what's the best way to save the duck fat?

It's probably more festive to roast it whole. But I would break it down. I did one last night with a friend that loves duck. We ate the breasts while the legs were braising, and then ate those with a salad. For the fat, just save all the skin and trimmings, give them a coarse chop, put them in a pan with a little water, and render on low heat for about an hour.

I bought 15 lamb rib chops. I am going to pound the eyes a little thinner and fry them in parmesan batter. Should I trim the thick layer of fat off the bone?

I was thinking of trimming them to look more like this:

I'd french and trim off as much fat as possible. Since you're frying them, you'd overcook the meat by the time you rendered all the fat. Or, you could place the lamb fat side down first on low heat to crisp. But since you are doing a parmesan crust, I think it would just be easier to trim most of it off.

 

[indesertum]

thanks. i'll break it down, render fat with leftovers and use bones to make stock

 

[itsstillmatt]

You can't really roast a duck whole to medium and eat the whole thing. The three solutions are to roast it slowly until it is tender but done, to cut it up and do as mm suggests, and to roast it to medium in the breast, cut them off and eat them, and broil the legs. The last is my favorite, and I like to brush the legs with mustard before broiling and then have it with a salad, but each gives a nice result. I just like roasting birds whole.

 

[Bhowie]



I bought a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. And drank it.

Is Clicquot any good?

 

[indesertum]

i broke it down and cooked things separately. i mistimed it still and the breasts were overcooked and the legs undercooked. i think next time do what you said. roast it whole, cut off the breasts while the legs cook. also i need a thermometer

 

[impolyt_one]



Is Clicquot any good?

I don't really like VC, tastes sulfuric - but sometimes (often?) it's the only champagne they'll have in a shop. It's better than having no champagne at all...

 

[philosophe]



I bought 15 lamb rib chops. I am going to pound the eyes a little thinner and fry them in parmesan batter. Should I trim the thick layer of fat off the bone?

My $.02 is that lamb + butter + parmesan is overkill. I prefer lamb with herbs and something acidic like lemon or pomegranate. Olives and capers also appeal to me as counterpoints to the richness.

But how did the chops turn out?

 

[kwilkinson]



I don't really like VC, tastes sulfuric - but sometimes (often?) it's the only champagne they'll have in a shop. It's better than having no champagne at all...

Disagree. VC sucks. Way overpriced. I'd drink Cava, Prosecco, a Cremant, or, if God is shining down on me a Franciacorta way before id drink ****** Champagne.

 

[alexg]

What's a good kitchen scale that can go to a tenth of a gram?

 

[b1os]

Any experience with ceramic non stick pans? Actually haven't heard of it until now. It seems like it is less vulnerable to abrasion than a teflon one (i.e. scrubbing metal in the pan). Does this also indicate they have a much longer durability in general?

 

[gomestar]

i don't like the Veuve style anymore, but I don't think it sucks either.