The 24-cup Black & Decker rice cooker I bought is very hard to find these days. However, I have been eying a 38-cup Black & Decker rice cooker at Amazon.com. There is a review form someone who is using it in their sous vide setup and they say it works great. It's only slightly more expensive than the 24-cup one was.
38-cup rice cooker link on Amazon.com (Price right now: $55)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Home Sous Vide Resources
Just compiling a list of resources for folks interested in coming up with their own setup.
My equipment:
My equipment:
- A very large rice cooker (24 cup Black and Decker) ($40)
- A Foodsaver vacuum sealer ($95 at Walmart)
- The PID controller from Auberins ($139)
Braised Chicken Thighs -- No flabby skin!
I can't post the recipe because it was in Cook's Illustrated (June 2010, Vol. 104, Pg. 18) but I can tell you about the method. Braising chicken always has the issue of flabby, floppy skin. I adore chicken skin, but I don't like it to be flabby. I prefer it crisp, although unless you reheat it in the oven, it won't be for the left-overs. However, if you do everything right, it also won't be flabby or floppy.
The recipe I used has you put eight thighs in an oven proof skillet. On medium-high heat you brown the skin side for 5-8 minutes, until... duh... brown! Then you flip them and brown the other side for about 5 minutes.
Remove the thighs and drain off most of the rendered fat, reserving about 2 tablespoons. Put your braising liquid in the skillet. The recipe had about 3 cups of liquid for a 12" pan that was cooked down a bit. Put your thighs in the pan, skin side up. Then put the pan in the oven at 325 degrees for about 1 hour 15 minutes. The meat should not be so over cooked it falls off the bone.
If the liquid is bubbling to vigorously then lower the heat until it is barely bubbling.
I stored the resulting thighs separately from their braising liquid so they wouldn't get mushy in the fridge. But I reheat them together.
The CI recipe was pretty complicated but I think it this technique could work nicely for other braised chicken applications.
Oh yes, be sure to use thighs with the skin! Thighs stay moister than breasts and they're the right thickness for this treatment. And of course you want to skin because it's so delicious and it keeps the thighs moist on top.
The recipe I used has you put eight thighs in an oven proof skillet. On medium-high heat you brown the skin side for 5-8 minutes, until... duh... brown! Then you flip them and brown the other side for about 5 minutes.
Remove the thighs and drain off most of the rendered fat, reserving about 2 tablespoons. Put your braising liquid in the skillet. The recipe had about 3 cups of liquid for a 12" pan that was cooked down a bit. Put your thighs in the pan, skin side up. Then put the pan in the oven at 325 degrees for about 1 hour 15 minutes. The meat should not be so over cooked it falls off the bone.
If the liquid is bubbling to vigorously then lower the heat until it is barely bubbling.
I stored the resulting thighs separately from their braising liquid so they wouldn't get mushy in the fridge. But I reheat them together.
The CI recipe was pretty complicated but I think it this technique could work nicely for other braised chicken applications.
Oh yes, be sure to use thighs with the skin! Thighs stay moister than breasts and they're the right thickness for this treatment. And of course you want to skin because it's so delicious and it keeps the thighs moist on top.
Monday, July 26, 2010
30-Days of High Omega-6 Diet--Stiffens Arteries and Increases Belly Fat
Someone followed a high-ish Omega-6 diet for 30 days and tracked the changes in her body.
Results: The results were surprising for only a 30-day evaluation. Susan’s weight remained unchanged. But there were dramatic changes in her blood fatty acid composition, body fat, arterial function, and body mass composition. During the 30-day period, omega-6 fatty acid was significantly increased, while omega-3 fatty acid content was decreased.
... While body weight remained the same, body fat increased in the abdominal area by nearly ½-pound. Fat was also increased in the trunk region, where notably, lean body mass decreased. Metabolic rate also decreased from 1367 to 1291 calories.
In just 30 days, brachial artery dilation dropped by 22%, a change much larger than the day-to-day variation of this test. The amplitude of this changed surprised everyone involved in this project. Susan’s arteries were also stiffer, as revealed by the ultrasound scan, which indicates blood vessels are less able to expand and contract.
Read the entire article to see the charts and other information.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Egg Crepes
I forgot about these. I make delicate, crepes out of just egg and water (possibly flavoring). It's very simple.
Put a pan on the stove to heat while you're mixing. Put a good sized spot of oil in the pan, don't worry about spreading it around.
Break one egg into a bowl, adding vanilla if you want, or a SF syrup if you're so inclined. Then add about 1 Tbl. of water. Beat it with a fork until you have a thin egg batter.
Pour this into the center of the oil-spot. The egg will spread the oil out over the pan as it flows out to the sides.
If your pan is non-stick and your crepe cooperates, you can flip it over. Otherwise just let it cook through.
It makes a really nice, although delicate, wrapper you can fill with whatever suits you. This morning I had low-carb lemon curd, blueberries and some whipped cream on mine. Made a wonderful breakfast!
Put a pan on the stove to heat while you're mixing. Put a good sized spot of oil in the pan, don't worry about spreading it around.
Break one egg into a bowl, adding vanilla if you want, or a SF syrup if you're so inclined. Then add about 1 Tbl. of water. Beat it with a fork until you have a thin egg batter.
Pour this into the center of the oil-spot. The egg will spread the oil out over the pan as it flows out to the sides.
If your pan is non-stick and your crepe cooperates, you can flip it over. Otherwise just let it cook through.
It makes a really nice, although delicate, wrapper you can fill with whatever suits you. This morning I had low-carb lemon curd, blueberries and some whipped cream on mine. Made a wonderful breakfast!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Paleo (Mostly) Biscuits
Lovely Lauren from Healthy Indulgences blog has this wonderful recipe for biscuits which I finally tried. The ingredients are: Almond flour, baking powder, butter, salt and egg whites. They came out really nicely! I totally enjoyed eating one slathered in butter and natural peanut butter.
Low Carb, Gluten Free Biscuits
Low Carb, Gluten Free Biscuits
Monday, June 7, 2010
Introduction to Thai Cooking: The Market
In my journey to Paleo I discovered that Thai food isn't all that bad a choice. The non-Paleo things can easily be eliminated, like rice. I often eat curry on top of steamed broccoli, I even ask for it that way in the restaurant. Another non-paleo ingredient often used is a little bit of sugar. When I make Thai food at home I use a non-caloric sugar option like stevia, erythritol or the extract made from Lohan fruit (aka SlimSweet). (I'm not affiliated with anything linked here so clicking on them, buying, etc doesn't make me a cent). Finally, Thai food often contains peanuts and one of my very favorite sauces has them (Satay sauce, aka peanut sauce) and that isn't a paleo ingredient either.
I love going to Asian grocery stores but not every Asian grocery has Thai ingredients like curry paste. For that I go to my favorite Thai restaurant, Sala Thai, and I ask them to recommend a good place to find Thai ingredients. My family has been patronizing that restaurant for as long as they've been open so they know us really well.
The Asian grocery I finally visited was in a really rather squalid area. Outside it was cringe-worthy. Inside, is another matter. I do have to warn you, Asian markets are usually an olfactory experience! They usually have a lot of smells we're not used to. Not unpleasant, in my opinion, just different.
The fresh foods are really fun, lots of things I'm utterly unfamiliar with, some I am. The daikon radishes can be thicker and longer than my forearm! The baby bok choy I bought was irresistible! A very large bag full and they were much less mature than the baby bok choy I've seen in American markets. I stir fried them in peanut oil with garlic and chopped peanuts. Ginger is also a bargain at Asian groceries. Sometimes I buy a few pounds of it, run it through my food processor to grate it (I don't bother peeling it) then I soak it in water and make a delicious strong ginger "beer" out of it, which is nice mixed with sparkling water.
In the produce section, if you're thinking of making Tom Kai Gai you might want to look for lemon grass and a root called galangal. The root is really hard to chop, it is very dense, but the taste is fabulous. The powdered stuff, in my opinion, is nearly tasteless. Get the fresh root if possible. Powdered lemon grass is also not very good either. You might also want to see if you can find some lime tree leaves. These are from a lime tree they grow in Asia which I believe is called "Kaffir lime" in the US. They're very flavorful and also used in Tom Kai Gai. You can freeze these leaves and use them later.
Another thing to look for is coconut milk. Asian markets sell it in much larger cans than American markets do, and it is much cheaper and higher in fat and coconut solids. So it is good to buy the authentic stuff if you can.
Get a bottle of fish sauce while you're here. It is very inexpensive and comes in a huge bottle. It'll keep for months in the fridge.
Find the canned curry pastes. You're going to be looking for cans that look like this, most likely.
I have also used importfoods.com to order Thai ingredients but it is cheaper to buy locally if you can find a store.
Which curry pastes? I love Prik Khing and often combine it with meat and yams to make curry. I think it is similar to red curry paste. Choo chee curry is a greenish, sour curry I've had with salmon and really enjoyed. Panang curry is one of my all time favorites. It goes well with any meat. Yellow curry is sometimes called Karee curry and is very mild. This is what they use to make that yellow curry with potatoes. But any sort of root veggie would be good in this curry, for instance yams or squash.
Those are the basic ingredients for Thai cooking although be sure to thoroughly browse around the market you never know what you'll find.
I make Pad Thai, a wonderful rice noodle dish, but instead of using rice noodles I use either riced cauliflower or kelp noodles. Both are very low carb.
I love going to Asian grocery stores but not every Asian grocery has Thai ingredients like curry paste. For that I go to my favorite Thai restaurant, Sala Thai, and I ask them to recommend a good place to find Thai ingredients. My family has been patronizing that restaurant for as long as they've been open so they know us really well.
The Asian grocery I finally visited was in a really rather squalid area. Outside it was cringe-worthy. Inside, is another matter. I do have to warn you, Asian markets are usually an olfactory experience! They usually have a lot of smells we're not used to. Not unpleasant, in my opinion, just different.
The fresh foods are really fun, lots of things I'm utterly unfamiliar with, some I am. The daikon radishes can be thicker and longer than my forearm! The baby bok choy I bought was irresistible! A very large bag full and they were much less mature than the baby bok choy I've seen in American markets. I stir fried them in peanut oil with garlic and chopped peanuts. Ginger is also a bargain at Asian groceries. Sometimes I buy a few pounds of it, run it through my food processor to grate it (I don't bother peeling it) then I soak it in water and make a delicious strong ginger "beer" out of it, which is nice mixed with sparkling water.
In the produce section, if you're thinking of making Tom Kai Gai you might want to look for lemon grass and a root called galangal. The root is really hard to chop, it is very dense, but the taste is fabulous. The powdered stuff, in my opinion, is nearly tasteless. Get the fresh root if possible. Powdered lemon grass is also not very good either. You might also want to see if you can find some lime tree leaves. These are from a lime tree they grow in Asia which I believe is called "Kaffir lime" in the US. They're very flavorful and also used in Tom Kai Gai. You can freeze these leaves and use them later.
Another thing to look for is coconut milk. Asian markets sell it in much larger cans than American markets do, and it is much cheaper and higher in fat and coconut solids. So it is good to buy the authentic stuff if you can.
Get a bottle of fish sauce while you're here. It is very inexpensive and comes in a huge bottle. It'll keep for months in the fridge.
Find the canned curry pastes. You're going to be looking for cans that look like this, most likely.
Which curry pastes? I love Prik Khing and often combine it with meat and yams to make curry. I think it is similar to red curry paste. Choo chee curry is a greenish, sour curry I've had with salmon and really enjoyed. Panang curry is one of my all time favorites. It goes well with any meat. Yellow curry is sometimes called Karee curry and is very mild. This is what they use to make that yellow curry with potatoes. But any sort of root veggie would be good in this curry, for instance yams or squash.
Those are the basic ingredients for Thai cooking although be sure to thoroughly browse around the market you never know what you'll find.
I make Pad Thai, a wonderful rice noodle dish, but instead of using rice noodles I use either riced cauliflower or kelp noodles. Both are very low carb.
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