Today I learned that Ma-La (From Kenji Lopez-Alt's exceptional cookbook that I got for Christmas) means "numb spicy" and is a Sichuan concept of mixing peppercorns, chilis, and other spices.
I don’t have the Kenji Lopez Alt book but was pleased to see a reference to him
I learned that you can add baking soda when parboiling potatoes, and this will help lead to a crispy exterior when roasting
* bonus - not today, but he also taught me if you are going to salt a steak, either cook it immediately (if you don’t have time) or let the salt sit on it for at least 40 minutes. Anything between 3 and 40 minutes will give the worst results.
Quote:
Here's what's going on.
Immediately after salting the salt rests on the surface of the meat, undissolved. All the steak's juices are still inside the muscle fibers. Searing at this stage results in a clean, hard sear.
Within 3 or 4 minutes the salt, through the process of osmosis, will begin to draw out liquid from the beef. This liquid beads up on the surface of the meat. Try to sear at this point and you waste valuable heat energy simply evaporating this large amount of pooled liquid. Your pan temperature drops, your sear is not as hard, and crust development and flavor-building Maillard browning reactions are inhibited.
Starting at around 10 to 15 minutes, the brine formed by the salt dissolving in the meat's juices will begin to break down the muscle structure of the beef, causing it to become much more absorptive. The brine begins to slowly work its way back into the meat.
By the end of 40 minutes, most of the liquid has been reabsorbed into the meat. A small degree of evaporation has also occurred, causing the meat to be ever so slightly more concentrated in flavor.
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I don’t have the Kenji Lopez Alt book but was pleased to see a reference to him
I learned that you can add baking soda when parboiling potatoes, and this will help lead to a crispy exterior when roasting
* bonus - not today, but he also taught me if you are going to salt a steak, either cook it immediately (if you don’t have time) or let the salt sit on it for at least 40 minutes. Anything between 3 and 40 minutes will give the worst results.
Yeah, he's awesome. My sister tried those roast potatoes at my house and subsequently bought me the book for Christmas. The Food Lab is great, but I'm actually getting quite a bit out of reading the book as well. Its over 900 pages, so I'm not through yet, but there have been a number of things that were useful, imo. His French fries are very good as well.
I'm actually dry aging a few kgs of striploin in a mini-fridge right now according to his instructions. Wanted to try something cheaper before I bought a big prime rib for ribeyes in case I screw it up.
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^^^^^^^^^^^
$62 off amazon??!! Wtf, I read these posts and was literally going to hit order without a second thought until I saw that price. Wow.
Yeah, that's why I didn't already own it, but it's a nearly 1000 page hardcover with tons of full colour pictures. Now that I have it I realize I would be willing to pay the money for it. YMMV, obviously
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Today I learned that Ma-La (From Kenji Lopez-Alt's exceptional cookbook that I got for Christmas) means "numb spicy" and is a Sichuan concept of mixing peppercorns, chilis, and other spices.
The absence of experience with Sichuan peppercorns (huajiao) is like never having seen one of the colours of the rainbow. Ma la is the best flavour. Huajiao peppercorns are the best spice.
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The absence of experience with Sichuan peppercorns (huajiao) is like never having seen one of the colours of the rainbow. Ma la is the best flavour. Huajiao peppercorns are the best spice.
T&T has them here in Vancouver, so I assume they would have them in Calgary too. I would guess you can probably also find pre-mixed sauces or spice mixes that are ma la as well as snacks like ma la peanuts.
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I haven’t seen them around. My wife is from Chengdu so sometimes her parents send a big bag or we get some during trips.
Chengdu is probably my favourite city I visited in China. Different energy and vibe from everywhere else there.
Plus Pandas! We didn't go to Chengdu when we went to China pre-kids (just Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an). When we go with our kids at some point Chengdu will be on the list for sure.
Plus Pandas! We didn't go to Chengdu when we went to China pre-kids (just Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an). When we go with our kids at some point Chengdu will be on the list for sure.
The pandas are amazing. We have been a few times and it was always so fun to just watch them do their thing. Their ability to look lazy doing literally anything is mesmerizing.
There are also some macaques up in Mt. Emei that are entertaining. We did a lot of fun things around there.
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Sichuan is a great province. It has some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever experienced, the food is fantastic, and the cities are interesting. Chengdu is the only place my wife are considering moving to that isn't a major coastal hub. Cool culture there.
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I have finally learnt how to make a christmas light show blink to music. It has been something I have been trying to get done for 4 years and finally got some shows going.
Now I am intrigued by projector mapping and might give it a try in the new year. Might also wait until summer when it is warm out.
The pandas are amazing. We have been a few times and it was always so fun to just watch them do their thing. Their ability to look lazy doing literally anything is mesmerizing.
There are also some macaques up in Mt. Emei that are entertaining. We did a lot of fun things around there.
Mt. Emei was incredible in general. I didn’t see the macaques that were there (which was weird because apparently they’re always there!), but I thought that was amazing to visit.
Lab tests demonstrated that a cheese filter could remove 90 percent of the tar in cigarettes. A hard cheese worked best, such as Parmesan, Romano, or Swiss. Although an aged cheddar could also be used. Or even a blend of cheeses.
In 1966, Stebbings was granted Patent No. 3,234,948. But as far as I know, his cheese-filtered cigarettes never made it to market.
I just learned that a tallboy is the 24oz can. I've never actually used the phrase but thought it referred to the 650ml bottles.
So what are the 650ml bottles called?
wrong, a Tallboy is a kick-@$$ mountain bike made by Santa Cruz and I want one. Not really to be shared, unlike your version (which may be more sociable)
wrong, a Tallboy is a kick-@$$ mountain bike made by Santa Cruz and I want one. Not really to be shared, unlike your version (which may be more sociable)
