I’ve found that I can put a few frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot with various ingredients, throw in some veggies, and cook it all day with great success!! I have heard that it’s not “recommended” but it’s always turned out just fine for me… nobody’s died or even gotten sick and the chicken stays really moist. Whee!
I recently purchased a stoneware “Deep Covered Baker” with lid from a certain home party kitchen chef company - I really debated buying it since it was pretty pricey, but it has been well worth it! Frozen chicken breasts, any marinade, cream of “something” soup, or my favorite Mirabella recipe; put in the micro with the lid on for 20 minutes, dinner is ready and the chicken is moist and delicious. Even my mom was impressed! I think it has something to do with the unfinished stone interior - I am truly getting my money’s worth.
I found this book very helpful as well as entertaining. Some folks did not like it becasue they thought the author was disparaging of people. I liked the chapeter ends where she would break down the cooking into components. ie cooking vegtables - you can bake, boil, roast, etc and what each of those entails.
A George Foreman Grill question: I used to love the little/original George Foreman grill. I got a fancier one somewhere along the line- the surface area is larger, you can set the heat, and the grill is detachable for easier washing, but I swear it doesn’t cook half as well. Does anybody else have this experience? (I’m thinking of buying a cheap original and selling the bigger/better one at a yard sale.)
A “too stupid to be real” question about seasoning grilled/fried meat: is it best to season meat for grilling/frying before you cook it, while cooking it, or at the end of cooking it? Take chicken breasts as an example: I can tell if it’s been marinaded after cooking it but I can’t always taste the seasonings, especially when frying, and was wondering if I waited until later to add garlic powder/paprika/Mrs. Dash, etc., if it would be more noticeable.
In general, you can always add seasoning. Most seasonings, however, benefit by a little heat, so adding them after you take the food off the heat doesn’t work as well as adding them 30-60 seconds before taking the food off the heat. But that’s just for last-minute seasonings. If you’re adding seasoning at the beginning of the cooking process and you’re not tasting them at the end, add more at the beginning.
Also, sometimes the seasoning won’t always stick. If you’re frying, for example, you can add a bit of dried herbs to the outside of the meat, but often it’s hard to get enough of the milder spices to stick. That’s when adding a bit at the end (or making a sauce) works better.
Also, a bit of salt and/or acid at the end really can bring out the seasonings. A dish without enough salt tastes bland, even with a lot of other seasonings. Same with acid (lemon/lime/vinegar/etc), which is often overlooked. To get good at balancing these flavors, take small spoonfulls of your dish and add a tiny bit of salt or a splash of vinegar and taste it. If it tastes better, add that ingredient to the pot. Rinse and repeat.
That’s not a “cup”, it’s a plastic thing that measures rice; it’s the size of those wooden things sake is served in, which is actually a traditional rice measure.
The marks on the side of a carafe are not “cups” in the sense of a standard measurement either, they are how many servings of coffee they think you will get. But they are assuming a small coffee cup rather than a mug.
Perhaps this is heresy but tomatoes still attached to the vine (a healthy, fresh vine) are the best I’ve found at supermarkets. They actually smell like tomatoes are supposed to.
My idiot question is: can you cook frozen fish, if so how will it taste and how much cooking time to add?
A couple of days ago I was making salmon (using the suggestions in this very thread!) and I wanted some lima beans with it. I had a bag of frozen limas in the freezer. It said to cook them in the microwave, put them in a container, put two tablespoons of water in it, cover, and cook them for about 7 minutes. I did that…and they were inedible. Hard, chewy, icky. What did I do wrong, and how can I fix it? I’d prefer to microwave them if I can (faster and easier) but I guess if they’re going to turn out like that I’ll have to try steaming them.
Seven minutes is a DAMN long time. I’d say it’s an error on the packaging or your own error.
Microwaving frozen foods is wholly dependent on the power of your microwave. Generally speaking, the older\cheaper your microwave, the longer things will take.
A pound of lima beans should be hot and ready to eat (if nuked in a glass dish\bowl) in about 2-4.5 minutes.
((In learning precisely how long your microwave takes, you should always use the lowest suggestion, take out and see what’s what. Guesstimate and remember for the future how long it took last time.))
I never bother adding water to frozen veggies before nuking either.
I’d vote for “too long” instead of “not long enough”, especially if Infovore was only cooking part of the bag. Check the instructions again, and if you’re making less than the amount they suggest, start with 2 minutes and check the veggies, then increase in one-minute intervals till they’re done. I’ve never had to cook frozen veggies longer than about 5 minutes in the microwave, and I can’t imagine how they’d look after 12!
Beans need a long time to cook in a wet environment. Cooking them on a stovetop takes around 20-25 minutes in simmering water. If he was using half a package, then 7 minutes should have been fine, but he needed about 1/2 cup of water. 12-14 minutes for a full package with a whole cup of water.
2 minutes wouldn’t be close to enough time. “Veggies” aren’t universal. Peas may take 1/4 as much time as lima beans.
Frozen Brussel sprouts take a HELLUVA long time in the microwave! And frequent stirring! Otherwise, you’ll get some piping hot sprouts, and some that are still popsicles.
Never cooked lima beans, in any fashion. I hate them.
~VOW
Yes, fish can be cooked while still frozen. Most recipes suggest cooking while still frozen, unless it’s fresh fish. And right on the package are usually suggested cooking times. Depends on the type of fish, and the thickness.
~VOW
There seem to be countless ways to cook rice. I sit the rice in newly boiled water for 20 mins without stirring. Then, still in the pot, I pour away the hot water and slowly run cold water in there without disturbing the rice too much. Repeat Until the water runs relatively clear. Put on the hob at a medium/high temperature and bring to the boil. NEVER STIR THE RICE AT ANY POINT. As soon as the water starts to boil and rise you’re done. Strain, serve, enjoy.
This is the Persian way of doing rice. I asked an Iranian woman an supermarket once how she did It and she used the same method however instead of soaking in hot water, she’d soak the rice OVERNIGHT in cold salt water. If you’ve ever gone to an Iranian restaurant you’ll realise they serve the best rice you’ll ever eat.
For bonus points, after cooking steam the rice over some potato and egg: slice a potato to half cm slices, pit some oil in the pan, lay potato pieces on top, whisk an egg in a mug and add a tablespoon of your cooked rice to it, mix all together and pour over potatoes. Then whack the rest of your rice on top and put the pan over a low heat for 20 mins. You’ll get a nice accompaniment with the rice to slice up for everyone.
