Quarantine Cooking

[tullius]

things a yank has learned trying to make... biscuits, so far

• self rising flour
• cold everything
• more fat than you think
• half lard half butter good
• salt has to be right
• buttermilk and something basic a la minute
• make it wetter than you think
• pull/mix it together until it just comes together
• don't handle it too much
• don't mix it too little
• soft as a baby's bottom, gently but quickly folding with your hands
• laminations are good, like a croissant
• no rolling pins!!!
• commercial hex cutters
• brush tops
• hot oven, 500 deg F

Pic from 2017 when I was doing about half of the stuff above

we could do an entire separate long thread on this

 

[tullius]

 

[tullius]

White lily got jacked up when smuckers bought them because smucker's didn't buy either one of the two mills that actually produced white lily. The Knoxville mill (C.H. Guenther&Son) that has milled white lily since 1883 and had been milling for smuckers after the sale has now been shuttered.

The flour is distinctly different and coarser now. Switched to other flours and have had unmistakably better results, where several years ago it was the other way around.

White lily used to be the absolute gold standard finest soft winter wheat flour, but no more..

 

[GreenDragon]

White lily got jacked up when smuckers bought them because smucker's didn't buy either one of the two mills that actually produced white lily. The Knoxville mill (C.H. Guenther&Son) that has milled white lily since 1883 and had been milling for smuckers after the sale has now been shuttered.

The flour is distinctly different and coarser now. Switched to other flours and have had unmistakably better results, where several years ago it was the other way around.

White lily used to be the absolute gold standard finest soft winter wheat flour, but no more..

That's a real shame! WL is hard to get around here, so I haven't used it in years. Pretty much been using King Arthur lately.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Gotta be honest. I think I have to travel for this. It all sounds like a lot of work, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. You didn't even make the gravy yet. I could put in half the effort and be sitting, enjoying a nutritious and tasty as heck meal of huevos rancheros, and you're still swimming in flour and dough resting periods.

 

[Knucklehead]

Gotta be honest. I think I have to travel for this. It all sounds like a lot of work, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. You didn't even make the gravy yet. I could put in half the effort and be sitting, enjoying a nutritious and tasty as heck meal of huevos rancheros, and you're still swimming in flour and dough resting periods.

If you are pushed for time, Pioneer brand biscuit mix is pretty doggone good for a mix or for a not so good biscuit maker. They have quick sausage gravy in packets also.

 

[deluxestogie]

Aw, @Knucklehead, you've gone and "liked" yourself.

Bob

 

[plantdude]

Don't worry @Knucklehead, if you don't like yourself others won't like you either
I still like you regardless of what Bob says about you

 

[Knucklehead]

Don't worry @Knucklehead, if you don't like yourself others won't like you either
I still like you regardless of what Bob says about you

pssst. Is he talking about the thumbs up thingy? I like everybody.

 

[GreenDragon]

Spicy Teriyaki Wings: One part homemade Tabasco sauce, 1 part dark soy sauce, 1 part teriyaki sauce, shot of rice wine vinegar, shot of mirin, chopped green onions and minced fresh garlic. Marinate wings 4 hours. Place skin down on Med/Hot grill, flip when they start to get nice grill marks. Paint the wings with the leftover marinate each time you flip. Once both sides are marked and the skin is turning slightly crispy (10-15 min), move to indirect heat, paint again, and continue to cook at Med heat for 20 minutes or till done. As you can see below I turn off my middle burner and keep the two outside burners going. No sauce needed, and no leftovers yet.

 

[deluxestogie]

I had 2 bun-less hot dogs with mustard, some pickle slices and a pile of potato chips. Dessert was a pair of Little Debbie Nutty Buddy bars and a large mug of milk. Almost a picnic.

Bob

 

[plantdude]

Too many people have been getting away from the true meaning of quarintine cooking this wonderful pandemic season. In an effort to "keep it real" I proudly present the following... (Turn you spam filters off)

That's right, a classic spam sandwich! Lightly toasted white bread, fried spam topped with a healthy dose of some sort of unidentified white cheese from the back of the drawer in the fridge, mayonnaise and a few cherry tomatoes on the verge of going bad. For a side there is the bottom of the bag of cool ranch Doritos with plenty of smashed chip pieces included.
The really disgusting part is it tasted surprisingly good

 

[GreenDragon]

Mmmmm I love fried Spam! Growing up my mom would grate a can of Spam and a block of sharp cheddar cheese, mix together and keep in the fridge. We would spread this on toast with mayo and mustard for an instant sandwich. You can also take this and mix into drop biscuit dough for an awesome fast easy breakfast.

 

[plantdude]

Mmmmm I love fried Spam! Growing up my mom would grate a can of Spam and a block of sharp cheddar cheese, mix together and keep in the fridge. We would spread this on toast with mayo and mustard for an instant sandwich. You can also take this and mix into drop biscuit dough for an awesome fast easy breakfast.

I tried it uncooked as a kid and didn't like it. I hadn't tried it since until a few months ago when the wife bought it as a joke since I'm always telling her to keep lots of canned goods on hand. Cooked a little up and was pleasantly surprised. My son loves it. Goes good with eggs too. Glad my wife has a sick sense of humor or I would have probably never tried it.

 

[deluxestogie]

The true Spam test is whether or not you drink your coffee out of the empty can.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Of course, SPAM® is the pricey brand-name version of ground pig parts (snouts, tails, ears, eyelids, etc.). There are more parsimonious ways to go.

I like to keep a half-dozen or so cans of Spam-like meat in the far back of my pantry. Every few years, I review their "best by" dates, and consume any that are a year or more beyond the date. Then, next food shopping trip, I replace them. I'm not all that fond of Spam, but it is a calorie-dense meat that easily stores for a half-decade or more. Great for quarantines, nuclear winter, etc.

When it goes bad (perhaps "worse" is a better term), it will smell bad, and swell the can. I've never seen that.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Drinking from a Spam can (or other similarly shaped can) is a real thing. But it requires the old-style twist key opener.

The key always starts on a narrow end. You open the can mostly, stopping just after that 4th corner. This leaves the top attached at the end, so you can fold it back, flatten the sharp edges of the top, then use the top as a handle. Some military rations used to come in such cans, and this use for the can (as well as using it as a small cooking pot in the same way) was taught in the USAF survival training.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Spamish Food

Okay. I'm a copycat. This fake Spam is only 20 months beyond its "best by" date. I think it tastes best when undoctored. I find that when I attempt to make it taste like something else, it shouts, "SPAM!" These slices are lightly fried. The veggies are from my garden.

Thank you, @plantdude, for your inspiration.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

A quick search of the pantry yielded my personal Spam horde:

 

[plantdude]

Chorizo is another fun miscellaneous lips and peck - ahh, pieces - pork product. Chorizo burritos - pork chorizo, some eggs, some hot red peppers, a tortilla and a roll of toilet paper. Chorizo fundido - pork chorizo, some tatters, lots of Mexican/quesso cheese, some hot red peppers, tortilla chips, more toilet paper. Chorizo is also good for stuffing poblano peppers as well.
They also make beef chorizo which is a little less greasy than the pork chorizo.

I'm going to have to find out if there is a beef version of spam...