Did you have a watershed culinary moment in 2019?

I'm curious to know what new food/cooking breakthroughs people discovered this year. I'm not really thinking about restaurant meals and the like but more so about fundamental accomplishments like new techniques, mastering skills or dishes, learning how to handle ingredients you'd not used before, or acquiring some other new knowledge or equipment that really changed your culinary landscape.

And as long as we're on the subject, do you have any culinary goals for 2020?

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I'm curious to know what new food/cooking breakthroughs people discovered this year. I'm not really thinking about restaurant meals and the like but more so about fundamental accomplishments like new techniques, mastering skills or dishes, learning how to handle ingredients you'd not used before, or acquiring some other new knowledge or equipment that really changed your culinary landscape.

And as long as we're on the subject, do you have any culinary goals for 2020?

=R=

Thanks to all of the great and detailed recipes that Mike Satinover has put out, I've been able to put together a damn good bowl of ramen. I didn't think making a high quality ramen broth and tare at home was possible, but now I know better.

Not a lot of new cooking techniques, but I think I leveled up on time management: We hosted thanksgiving for the first time, and for our annual holiday party it was the first time ever that we had everything ready -- and the kitchen cleaned up -- before guests arrived.
* First smoked salmon
* First successful injera (about 15 years ago we tried and made teff leather)

For 2020? I just got a Smoking Gun, looking forward to smoked dairy goods. Maybe this will be the year I finally make cheese and break out the pressure cooker (both have been sitting around for years).

I believe I've finally mastered preparing jollof rice. The batch I made last night was given a thumbs up by my Ghanian husband who is hard to please as the seasoning and texture of the rice has to be just so to meet his approval.

Editing this post to indicate that for 2020 I've decided to learn how to make homemade pasta as I literally just received a pasta machine from my co-worker a few minutes ago.

GWiv turned me on to a dry braise for mushrooms that I use 95% of the time now, so apparently, you can teach an old dog/dinosaur new tricks.

Jazzfood wrote:GWiv turned me on to a dry braise for mushrooms that I use 95% of the time now, so apparently, you can teach an old dog/dinosaur new tricks.

This old dog was amazed at the technique as well. Works like a charm.
America's Test Kitchen has 5-7 minute videos on Youtube. Mushroom relevetory, rice, interesting. Plus many more.

Got good at both Vietnamese pancakes and Japanese pancakes ( okonomiyaki ). The Vietnamese are much harder to learn.

Not sure where I'm going in 2020.

G Wiv wrote:

Jazzfood wrote:GWiv turned me on to a dry braise for mushrooms that I use 95% of the time now, so apparently, you can teach an old dog/dinosaur new tricks.

This old dog was amazed at the technique as well. Works like a charm.
America's Test Kitchen has 5-7 minute videos on Youtube. Mushroom relevetory, rice, interesting. Plus many more.

Can you say more about this dry braise? Having trouble understanding what that means in the context of mushrooms. It also seems to directly contradict the content of the linked mushroom video that specifically instructs one to cook the mushrooms in liquid (or to microwave them) before sauteing.

I say "dry braise" more as an analogy than a fact. The scant amount of water (which I've taken to subbing Noilly Prat extra dry vermouth for) is a bit like a steaming as well. Main point is to me, it concentrates/fortifies/deepens the mushrooms natural umami. I also add my shallots- then steam/dry braise/whatever. Finish w/butter and s&p to taste.

Hi,

I will have to give this a shot. I posted on the Illinois Mycological Society page, aka Mushroom club, a mycologist replied, "Make sure your mushrooms are cooked through." There is a carcinogenic in mushrooms that is subdued by thorough cooking.

When I do pan fry mushrooms, I put in some oil and just let it ride. At some point, the mushrooms release a lot of liquid. They are not done until that liquid is evaporated. It does concentrate the mushroom flavor.

Some people prefer dried and rehydrated mushrooms to fresh, because of this ability to concentrate flavors.

Regards,
Cathy2

Jazzfood wrote:I say "dry braise" more as an analogy than a fact. The scant amount of water (which I've taken to subbing Noilly Prat extra dry vermouth for) is a bit like a steaming as well. Main point is to me, it concentrates/fortifies/deepens the mushrooms natural umami. I also add my shallots- then steam/dry braise/whatever. Finish w/butter and s&p to taste.

Huh. That's interesting. That's how I've pretty much always cooked my mushrooms (dry pan, little bit of liquid), but I just always thought I was doing it wrong, but I didn't care, since it seemed to come out fine. I can now do this without any guilt about culinary technique.

The one technique in particular I learned this year was for stir-fries. I've known about velveting (both water- and oil-) but they've never quite produced the soft texture of beef that I've encountered mostly in American-style Chinese takeouts. Then somewhere I had learned about letting the thin slices of beef soak in a solution of about 1/4 tsp baking soda and maybe a couple tablespoons of water for a half hour, rinsing it off thoroughly, and continuing on the recipe as usual. It works astonishingly well (something to do with raising the pH of the surface of the meat and breaking down protein bonds or something like that) and doesn't turn the meat into complete mush like papain or bromelain has a tendency to. Here's a Cooks Illustrated technique breakdown for Chinese restaurant style beef that mentions the technique (though I read about it somewhere else.)

It was more like 2018: cooking a turkey taken directly from the freezer. No lengthy defrosting process for me. No brining either, though I can live. As long as I keep an eye on temperatures toward the end, it is a crispy and juicy turkey.

I started with a chicken, which if it did not work out would not be a total loss. I have made a half-dozen turkeys straight from the freezer.

On New Year's Day, I did a steak straight from the freezer. It worked out just fine, too.

Regards,
Cathy2

Been doing tons of home cooking and have really gotten better at the whole mise en place thing. That and learning to clean as you go has really made the whole process smoother and more enjoyable. No more wrapping up a meal and leaving 6 thousand dirty bowls and dishes in my wake.

2020 Goal....Canelles/Canele'/Canneles-spelled as many ways as there are recipes and techniques. A dear friend bought a set of beautiful copper molds for me after I raved about their deliciousness on vacation in New Caledonia. For over a year now, the virgin molds continue to mock and taunt me as they have only made it out of their packing boxes. I have printed out a ream of various recipes, watched numerous YouTube videos and searched LTH past postings for guidance. Come Hell or high water I am going to learn how to make these wonderful pastries in 2020. I welcome any assistance in my endeavor.

AlekH wrote:learning to clean as you go has really made the whole process smoother and more enjoyable. No more wrapping up a meal and leaving 6 thousand dirty bowls and dishes in my wake.

Agree with this approach. At a minimum rinsing stuff off to make clean up easier.

Cathy2 wrote:When I do pan fry mushrooms, I put in some oil and just let it ride. At some point, the mushrooms release a lot of liquid. They are not done until that liquid is evaporated. It does concentrate the mushroom flavor.

We cook mushrooms frequently and this is my approach when either cooking in a cast iron skillet on the stove top or oven roasting.

I am going to try this Cook's Illustrated method to see if I can minimize the amount of oil that I'm using.

Al Ehrhardt wrote:[I am going to try this Cook's Illustrated method to see if I can minimize the amount of oil that I'm using.

The answer to above question will be Yes.
The CI method is not instantaneous, patience is rewarded with flavor and less oil/butter. (This method intensifies taste/texture.)

G Wiv wrote:rice, interesting.

I just watched the rice video. We usually make two or three cups at a time, so I do use more water than Dan is recommending. While I'm almost always happy with my rice, I'm interested in trying the 1:1 ratio + 1/2 cup. Any suggestions for how long to cook with this reduced amount of water?

Gary, can you elaborate on 'interesting'

Thanks,
Al

Been working on my New Year’s resolution and have been trying different recipes for Caneles. Think I have worked out a few bugs but have a ways to go. They are pretty tricky to get them right- crispy hard on the outside without burning and custardy/spongy inside without being too runny. Have been fun eating the test batches. Also resolution #2 was to make a castella cake( a Portuguese cake that is popular in Japan) that my daughters fell in love with on vacation. Have made a few and they are nice and light But still need to work out the technique more. The quarantine has brought out my inner baker. Figured if I didn’t try now when would I get the time to do it later.

lambskin wrote:The quarantine has brought out my inner baker. Figured if I didn’t try now when would I get the time to do it later.

This has been a plus to this whole thing.