Good Eats

[Underseer]

I guess the point was that these days I appreciate vegetables and fruits for what they are, and don't feel the need to cook and slather them in seasoning and dressing. Just buy, take out of the fridge, chop, eat.

For dinner we'll usually steam them, but occasionally I'll just pile a plate with raw produce and eat it as is. I mention this because it seems like a lot of people have an aversion to eating food plain and just enjoying the natural flavours of it. But if you give it a chance, fresh foods are usually pretty tasty in their own right, and there is no real need for fancy recipes.

Sorry, I just felt the need to interject a complaint about vitamin supplements because I took them my entire childhood and a good chunk of my adult life before finding out that it was all horeshit based on the ravings of an otherwise brilliant scientist who was losing his mind.

A multi-vitamin with a good amount of iron keeps me from dealing with restless legs.

Vitamins have no value for healthy people. Sorry for not clarifying.

I have no idea if they do or don't help with restless legs.

I do know that there is zero value for otherwise healthy non-pregnant people.

 

[spikepipsqueak]

Apparently if I oven bake it in olive oil and a mustard maple syrup rub with a bit of soy sauce thrown in, the internet tells me this is good. I prefer anything in n oven, cuz anything on top of it except for bacon tends to fail on me. Even out of a box, like my pastas and rices, it tends to never be the same as they say it should so I have to figure out how to tweak it to keep it from being over or under done or the sauce too thick or too thin.

Does slow cooking lamb make it less tough and chewy? I tried grilling lamb shank once, with a jalepeno pesto spread and fresh mint in olive oil in the rub and it came out tough and chewy even going by the lowest number of minutes for rare/medium rare with the ends kinda really overdone compare to the middle.

Lamb shanks should always be done slow and wet. It's a beautiful, sweet meat but needs to be smothered in onions, browned, then cooked in an enclosed space, like a casserole or tagine. Oops, you say further down that onions rebel. Dispense with those, maybe tomato?

I never tried cooking lamb since except in chop form and it still never comes out the same as when a restaurant makes it, which is to say not tough or chewy, just tender and good.

Lamb seems to vary from country to country. A Korean and a Japanese boarder wouldn't believe that the roast lamb I had served them was actually lamb. If roasting, it should be rested for 15 minutes under cover after coming out of the oven. Tin foil will do the job. If BBQ/fried, cook it quick.

The quality of lamb is falling here, too. It's starting to answer the descriptions I hear from outside Aus. I wonder who they're selling the good Spring lamb to?

Could it be that I have an electric oven versus gas? Maybe I should get a slow cooker? Can you make lamb in a slow cooker?

Yes. Lovely. Like beef, you can use cheaper cuts, the slower you cook it. Like beef, brown it first for casserole/slow cookers.

The oven: I am always happy with a gas cooktop and an electric oven. (Not happy at the moment as I am cooking on an electric top and may never stop whinging about it )

Also . . . what the heck is tahbouli? The internet tells me it's parsley salad with onions, tomatoes and something called bulgur, which sounds ok minus the onion, except I don't what bulgur is?

Bulgur is cracked wheat. I react to wheat, so I just leave it out. I cheat and make it with bought lemon pepper (plus parsley, tomato, mint, red onion). It should be with actual lemon juice and some olive oil. Nothing to stop you making it to your own taste. If you do add cooked bulgur, don't add enough to show up through the parsley. They make it mainly bulgur with a parsley flavouring in the supermarkets and it sucks, big time.

What you get from a good Lebanese restaurant looks green, with dots.

 

[DolphinDynasty]

Lamb shanks should always be done slow and wet. It's a beautiful, sweet meat but needs to be smothered in onions, browned, then cooked in an enclosed space, like a casserole or tagine. Oops, you say further down that onions rebel. Dispense with those, maybe tomato?

Lamb seems to vary from country to country. A Korean and a Japanese boarder wouldn't believe that the roast lamb I had served them was actually lamb. If roasting, it should be rested for 15 minutes under cover after coming out of the oven. Tin foil will do the job. If BBQ/fried, cook it quick.

The quality of lamb is falling here, too. It's starting to answer the descriptions I hear from outside Aus. I wonder who they're selling the good Spring lamb to?

Could it be that I have an electric oven versus gas? Maybe I should get a slow cooker? Can you make lamb in a slow cooker?

Yes. Lovely. Like beef, you can use cheaper cuts, the slower you cook it. Like beef, brown it first for casserole/slow cookers.

The oven: I am always happy with a gas cooktop and an electric oven. (Not happy at the moment as I am cooking on an electric top and may never stop whinging about it )

Also . . . what the heck is tahbouli? The internet tells me it's parsley salad with onions, tomatoes and something called bulgur, which sounds ok minus the onion, except I don't what bulgur is?

Bulgur is cracked wheat. I react to wheat, so I just leave it out. I cheat and make it with bought lemon pepper (plus parsley, tomato, mint, red onion). It should be with actual lemon juice and some olive oil. Nothing to stop you making it to your own taste. If you do add cooked bulgur, don't add enough to show up through the parsley. They make it mainly bulgur with a parsley flavouring in the supermarkets and it sucks, big time.

What you get from a good Lebanese restaurant looks green, with dots.

So can you cook lamb shank AND chops in a slow cooker or just the shank meat? Now I need a slow cooker. Was trying to avoid it as it seemed an unnecessary expense for just me, but meat quality has fallen where I live and so it turns tough even when done rare an with a marinade. Hmmm, storage and counter space are an issue too, but I think they make smaller slow cookers for smaller portions now, like smaller rice cookers for if there's not too many people but you want perfect rice.

Food for thought, pun intended.

 

[DolphinDynasty]

Today I went for Italian bread, butter, and Virginia ham and sliced pickles. Then for dinner it was a fresh spinach salad again w crimini mushrooms but I added yellow pepper which I adore plus tomatoes and raw skin-still-on cucumbers.

Yesterday I had strawberry short cake with cream and raw strawberry on top, seasoned French fries and Italian bread and spicy brown mustard and ham, plus buttered popcorn later on.

Still a fat person who loves food, but some of it is healthy too lolz. O' Course I'm sure the peppercorn parmesan dressing cancels it out but whatever, it was still tasty.

 

[spikepipsqueak]

So can you cook lamb shank AND chops in a slow cooker or just the shank meat? Now I need a slow cooker. Was trying to avoid it as it seemed an unnecessary expense for just me, but meat quality has fallen where I live and so it turns tough even when done rare an with a marinade. Hmmm, storage and counter space are an issue too, but I think they make smaller slow cookers for smaller portions now, like smaller rice cookers for if there's not too many people but you want perfect rice.

Food for thought, pun intended.

When you say shank meat, are you removing the bone? There is a poster here who would disapprove mightily. (Hi Rick) It's better still on the bone and any cut can be cooked slowly,

but it is a waste of a good cut. I'm guessing you're not shopping at the top end, anyway. Neither do I.

I grew up on Irish lamb stew long before electric slow cookers were invented, you can do it stove top in a big pot.

I've never done it without onion, but there is nothing to stop you browning your meat, adding some form of moisture, (tomatoes, water, stock?) then putting the lid on, turning it down as low as it will go and leaving it to become delicious. Add vegies an hour before the end.

I want to suggest 2 things: don't leave it unattended until you have the method down pat and know what works. When you do, make large quantities and freeze extra meals.

 

[Treedbear]

... When you do, make large quantities and freeze extra meals.

That's what I always look for in recipes. Spaghetti sauce, stuffed cabbage, meat loaf, chili, chicken stock, beef stew, ... Any suggestions? I make a big pot of something every 2nd or 3rd weekend, besides chicken soup every weekend over the winter. I find most things freeze well except when they have potatoes in them. So I'll add them later, such as with beef stew over mashed potatoes.

 

[DolphinDynasty]

So can you cook lamb shank AND chops in a slow cooker or just the shank meat? Now I need a slow cooker. Was trying to avoid it as it seemed an unnecessary expense for just me, but meat quality has fallen where I live and so it turns tough even when done rare an with a marinade. Hmmm, storage and counter space are an issue too, but I think they make smaller slow cookers for smaller portions now, like smaller rice cookers for if there's not too many people but you want perfect rice.

Food for thought, pun intended.

When you say shank meat, are you removing the bone? There is a poster here who would disapprove mightily. (Hi Rick) It's better still on the bone and any cut can be cooked slowly,

but it is a waste of a good cut. I'm guessing you're not shopping at the top end, anyway. Neither do I.

I grew up on Irish lamb stew long before electric slow cookers were invented, you can do it stove top in a big pot.

I've never done it without onion, but there is nothing to stop you browning your meat, adding some form of moisture, (tomatoes, water, stock?) then putting the lid on, turning it down as low as it will go and leaving it to become delicious. Add vegies an hour before the end.

I want to suggest 2 things: don't leave it unattended until you have the method down pat and know what works. When you do, make large quantities and freeze extra meals.

So wait . . . leave bone in even when slow cooking? I find I cannot slow cook in a large pot since it dehydrates the meat and cooks it down too far so it ends up just as bad as when seating it first and then baking it, texture and taste wise. I think I'll go with the slow cooker idea. As log as I can start going through the rather massive amount of cheap meats I got from neighbors who said my fridge was too bare and being I'm fixed income I need more fresh food stuff, not so much the prepared meals I was getting from a local group handing them out.

But I know I won't eat it if it turns out tough or too chewy or tasteless so I'm trying out suggestions for different cooking that doesn't involve using my electric stove, cuz its shit at braising, steaming or much of anything else proper.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

A multi-vitamin with a good amount of iron keeps me from dealing with restless legs.

Vitamins have no value for healthy people. Sorry for not clarifying.

I have no idea if they do or don't help with restless legs.

I do know that there is zero value for otherwise healthy non-pregnant people.

I do know that it helps me.

 

[rousseau]

A multi-vitamin with a good amount of iron keeps me from dealing with restless legs.

Vitamins have no value for healthy people. Sorry for not clarifying.

I have no idea if they do or don't help with restless legs.

I do know that there is zero value for otherwise healthy non-pregnant people.

I do know that it helps me.

I've always heard that, roughly, they can be helpful if you're deficient. But if you eat a balanced diet and have no natural deficiencies they are usually not that useful.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I do know that it helps me.

I've always heard that, roughly, they can be helpful if you're deficient. But if you eat a balanced diet and have no natural deficiencies they are usually not that useful.

I got a test for iron and I was normal while taking the supplement (you obviously don't want high iron). It could be something else in the vitamin making a difference, but I read somewhere about iron and restless legs, so I gave that a shot... and it worked. When I took a cheaper multi-vitamin with less iron, it didn't work. And no, it isn't psychosomatic, I didn't realize the level in the vitamin until after the restless leg thing started again.

 

[Underseer]

Lamb shanks should always be done slow and wet. It's a beautiful, sweet meat but needs to be smothered in onions, browned, then cooked in an enclosed space, like a casserole or tagine. Oops, you say further down that onions rebel. Dispense with those, maybe tomato?

Lamb seems to vary from country to country. A Korean and a Japanese boarder wouldn't believe that the roast lamb I had served them was actually lamb. If roasting, it should be rested for 15 minutes under cover after coming out of the oven. Tin foil will do the job. If BBQ/fried, cook it quick.

The quality of lamb is falling here, too. It's starting to answer the descriptions I hear from outside Aus. I wonder who they're selling the good Spring lamb to?

Could it be that I have an electric oven versus gas? Maybe I should get a slow cooker? Can you make lamb in a slow cooker?

Yes. Lovely. Like beef, you can use cheaper cuts, the slower you cook it. Like beef, brown it first for casserole/slow cookers.

The oven: I am always happy with a gas cooktop and an electric oven. (Not happy at the moment as I am cooking on an electric top and may never stop whinging about it )

Also . . . what the heck is tahbouli? The internet tells me it's parsley salad with onions, tomatoes and something called bulgur, which sounds ok minus the onion, except I don't what bulgur is?

Bulgur is cracked wheat. I react to wheat, so I just leave it out. I cheat and make it with bought lemon pepper (plus parsley, tomato, mint, red onion). It should be with actual lemon juice and some olive oil. Nothing to stop you making it to your own taste. If you do add cooked bulgur, don't add enough to show up through the parsley. They make it mainly bulgur with a parsley flavouring in the supermarkets and it sucks, big time.

What you get from a good Lebanese restaurant looks green, with dots.

I'm from Chicago.

Most of our "Lebanese" restaurants are owned and operated by Assyrians.

Kind of like how most "Japanese" and "Chinese" restaurants around here are owned and run by Koreans, or most "American" diners here are run by Greeks.

 

[rousseau]

I do know that it helps me.

I've always heard that, roughly, they can be helpful if you're deficient. But if you eat a balanced diet and have no natural deficiencies they are usually not that useful.

I got a test for iron and I was normal while taking the supplement (you obviously don't want high iron). It could be something else in the vitamin making a difference, but I read somewhere about iron and restless legs, so I gave that a shot... and it worked. When I took a cheaper multi-vitamin with less iron, it didn't work. And no, it isn't psychosomatic, I didn't realize the level in the vitamin until after the restless leg thing started again.

Yea it's one of those things that can't really be generalized, with the variety of both ailments and supplements. But typically if you have no health problems at all you shouldn't need to take supplements as long as your diet is balanced.

With your restless legs there probably was some efficacy of the supplements.

 

[spikepipsqueak]

So wait . . . leave bone in even when slow cooking?

Yeah. THAT, plus browning, is how to get flavour, especially if you can't do onions and, I think I read in another thread? tomatoes.

I find I cannot slow cook in a large pot since it dehydrates the meat and cooks it down too far so it ends up just as bad as when seating it first and then baking it, texture and taste wise. I think I'll go with the slow cooker idea. As log as I can start going through the rather massive amount of cheap meats I got from neighbors who said my fridge was too bare and being I'm fixed income I need more fresh food stuff, not so much the prepared meals I was getting from a local group handing them out.

But I know I won't eat it if it turns out tough or too chewy or tasteless so I'm trying out suggestions for different cooking that doesn't involve using my electric stove, cuz its shit at braising, steaming or much of anything else proper.

I wish I was in the same city and could show you. I think your stove top doesn't have a low enough heat setting, so the slow cooker is your only recourse.

It shouldn't dehydrate. Too high? Ill fitting lid? Not enough liquid? BTW, the oven shouldn't produce tough meat, either. Again, long slow cooking.

I do know that it helps me.

I've always heard that, roughly, they can be helpful if you're deficient. But if you eat a balanced diet and have no natural deficiencies they are usually not that useful.

I got a test for iron and I was normal while taking the supplement (you obviously don't want high iron). It could be something else in the vitamin making a difference, but I read somewhere about iron and restless legs, so I gave that a shot... and it worked. When I took a cheaper multi-vitamin with less iron, it didn't work. And no, it isn't psychosomatic, I didn't realize the level in the vitamin until after the restless leg thing started again.

If it is a multi you are taking, it is more likely to be the magnesium in it that helps the restless legs. Worth testing, since once you know you can include foods that target the specific mineral. As a vegetarian, the iron supplement is probably a good idea, regardless.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Yeah. THAT, plus browning, is how to get flavour, especially if you can't do onions and, I think I read in another thread? tomatoes.

I wish I was in the same city and could show you. I think your stove top doesn't have a low enough heat setting, so the slow cooker is your only recourse.

It shouldn't dehydrate. Too high? Ill fitting lid? Not enough liquid? BTW, the oven shouldn't produce tough meat, either. Again, long slow cooking.

I do know that it helps me.

I've always heard that, roughly, they can be helpful if you're deficient. But if you eat a balanced diet and have no natural deficiencies they are usually not that useful.

I got a test for iron and I was normal while taking the supplement (you obviously don't want high iron). It could be something else in the vitamin making a difference, but I read somewhere about iron and restless legs, so I gave that a shot... and it worked. When I took a cheaper multi-vitamin with less iron, it didn't work. And no, it isn't psychosomatic, I didn't realize the level in the vitamin until after the restless leg thing started again.

If it is a multi you are taking, it is more likely to be the magnesium in it that helps the restless legs. Worth testing, since once you know you can include foods that target the specific mineral. As a vegetarian, the iron supplement is probably a good idea, regardless.

It could be magnesium based on the difference in amount in the two multi’s (just like iron). I’ll look deeper into it.

 

[gmbteach]

Spike, yours and Dolphins chat about lamb shanks is making me miss them.

I remember our butcher used to throw in the lamb shank or two for free when we bought a leg of lamb. He said they were for the dog, but mum used to save them and cook them in the oven with loads of onions, root vegetables and gravy!

 

[DolphinDynasty]

Spike, yours and Dolphins chat about lamb shanks is making me miss them.

I remember our butcher used to throw in the lamb shank or two for free when we bought a leg of lamb. He said they were for the dog, but mum used to save them and cook them in the oven with loads of onions, root vegetables and gravy!

Now I want that crock pot more than before. I might even buy onions ofr the roast I wanna make, even though I don't like to eat them, for flavor.

What kinda onions did your mum use? The big yellowy ones? People seem to use the big yellowy ones in roasts and stews.

 

[gmbteach]

Spike, yours and Dolphins chat about lamb shanks is making me miss them.

I remember our butcher used to throw in the lamb shank or two for free when we bought a leg of lamb. He said they were for the dog, but mum used to save them and cook them in the oven with loads of onions, root vegetables and gravy!

Now I want that crock pot more than before. I might even buy onions ofr the roast I wanna make, even though I don't like to eat them, for flavor.

What kinda onions did your mum use? The big yellowy ones? People seem to use the big yellowy ones in roasts and stews.

Big yellow/brown ones, and added potato, carrot and celery, at least.

 

[DolphinDynasty]

Spike, yours and Dolphins chat about lamb shanks is making me miss them.

I remember our butcher used to throw in the lamb shank or two for free when we bought a leg of lamb. He said they were for the dog, but mum used to save them and cook them in the oven with loads of onions, root vegetables and gravy!

Now I want that crock pot more than before. I might even buy onions ofr the roast I wanna make, even though I don't like to eat them, for flavor.

What kinda onions did your mum use? The big yellowy ones? People seem to use the big yellowy ones in roasts and stews.

Big yellow/brown ones, and added potato, carrot and celery, at least.

Oh celery and carrots are a given. I make an awesome home-made chicken sup with Italian seasoning, and I drop the noodles in only as I need them, already cooked, so then they do not get soggy. I might do it once I have the crock pot after making rotisserie chicken in it.

But the lamb, which is something I never got right before, I'm excited about. I wish my grocery sold rabbit cuz I'd get that too and crock pot it in a stew.

 

[rousseau]

Just tried pickled herring with cheddar and crackers after work..

Could get used to it.

 

[DolphinDynasty]

Just tried pickled herring with cheddar and crackers after work..

Could get used to it.

That's not what people usually say, lol. I'm Dutch by heritage and whenever I traveled to the Netherlands, people there loved pickled and smoked herring. There was a street vendor once that my elderly cousins tried to get me to over to but I aw the people who did tipping their heads back and swallowing the herring whole, tail still on. It was freaky. It's not for me.