Tips

New Gear Report

On July 11, 2010, In Equipment, Lifestyle, Shopping, Tips, By pjk

Surfas is a dangerous place for me. Maybe someone needs to step in and conduct an intervention.

Here’s the loot inventory of odds, ends and awesomeness from today’s raid:

Truffle salt
Cast iron griddle/grill (2 sides, covers 2 burners on stove)
Stainless steel tongs
Two round egg rings
1 oz. ladle
Heavy-duty meat thermometer
Imported British sausages (they call them “bangers” heh-heh)
A wad of pre-made pizza dough
Organic imported olive oil

The griddle/grill is seasoning as I write this, per the instructions in one of my first posts here. I can’t wait to give that bad boy a lifetime of kick-assery. As for those bangers…we may just have to whip up one of those truly British delicacies – Toad in the Hole. Not as gnarly as it sounds. My kid loves it. In fact, I’ll wager it will be one of the best (and easiest) dishes of mine you’ve ever tried. Keep watch for it.

Grow Forth and Multiply

On June 25, 2010, In Tips, By pjk

About a month ago, I trucked on out to Home Depot and picked up a few planters, some sprigs and seeds for an herb garden. I like having fresh herbs, but hated having to throw away all the brown wilty ones that I couldn’t get to fast enough. My brilliant idea was to start an herb garden (with a little bit of red chili pepper thrown in) so I could just pick off the herbs I wanted while the rest grew bountiful and free. While the former is wonderful, the latter is getting a little out of hand. I mean, I love my herbs, but no one can possibly use all these fast enough. So, I’ve decided to pare down the garden whenever I’m heading to meet friends. Everyone gets a bundle of herbs. Even if you don’t consume them, taking a big whiff of fresh basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and cilantro is just amazing.

I’m actually quite pleased with the garden, as many of my previous attempts to grow things have ended in brittle, brown death.

Tagged with: basil • cilantro • herb garden • oregano • rosemary • sage • thyme

TGK on iPhone

On April 23, 2010, In Tips, By pjk

It has been a while since I noodled around with Widgetbox, and I thought I’d give some of their new features a try. Particularly, an iPhone “app” creator that makes your site easier to read in Safari. You can view my test site here. What do you think? I’m leaning toward the non-Widgetbox version as it renders the way the site is supposed to look. Double-tapping a column or story to zoom in isn’t that big a deal to me.

But I do have options to make the site easier to read on iPhone. Including exploring other WordPress plugins that do similar things. Mobile/iPhone users – what do you think? Should I make this site easier to read on these devices?

Tagged with: iPhone • Safari • Widgetbox • WordPress

Um…I Meant To Do That!

On March 26, 2010, In Tips, By pjk

Omelette Scrambled Eggs with Feta, Fresh Basil and Tomatoes

This one started as an omelette and became scrambled eggs when it went ka-blooey on the second flip. There are no failures, only creative improvisations. A dash or two of red pepper sauce and this made a fantastic brunch.

Tagged with: basil • feta cheese • omelette • scrambled eggs • tomatoes

Seasoning a New Steel Wok

On March 21, 2010, In Equipment, Tips, By pjk

Culver City has a wonderful restaurant supply shop called Surfas, which is a fascinating place to wander and browse the shelves of literally every implement of culinary warfare imaginable. I was shopping for a wok, and found some so huge I could take a bath in them – but took home a modest 15″ pounded steel beauty for under $20.

The next step was to clean and season this baby. To keep it from rusting, its manufacturer had coated it with an oil-based substance that needed to come off, so I gave it a good scrubbing in hot soapy water, then filled it with water, set it on the stove, brought the water to a boil, dumped and cleaned it again.

The seasoning process I used is described in detail here. I essentially heated the wok on high until the “hot spot” focal area over the flame turned visibly brown, black, then a dark shiny blue. Over the course of about an hour, I moved the wok around, re-positioning this hot spot until I had treated the entire inner bowl. These photos show my progress.

Finally, I used about a teaspoon of canola oil and coated the entire inner surface of the wok, letting it sit on low heat for ten minutes. Then, I turned off the heat, wiped it out, and repeated the oil and heat process twice more.

All done – the wok looks great and is ready for use. I’ll see what I can whip together in there tonight. That’s the thing about stir fry cooking – it goes so fast, one blink and you miss it.

Tagged with: seasoning • stir-fry • wok

Simple Omelette

On January 9, 2010, In Recipes, Tips, By pjk

As much as I should try – I just can’t bring myself to eat breakfast during the week. It’s kind of sad, because breakfast foods are some of my favorites. On weekends, I enjoy putting something together after sleeping in just a bit. This morning I made a simple omelette. It’s been a couple years since I’ve had breakfast sausage in the fridge, so I carved off and threw a few slices of that in the pan to give me a starter base. If you ever want to really make the place smell great, just throw a pork product in your skillet. Beat a couple eggs until smooth. Tip: when you need to whisk together a couple of eggs, just use a coffee mug and a fork. No need for the bowl and whisk.

Once the sausage is cooked through, remove it, leaving the grease. You might want to stir it around a bit to distribute across the skillet before pouring on the egg mixture. As the eggs are starting to set, give them a couple cranks of black pepper and a pinch of coarse sea salt. Sprinkle on a handful of crumbled feta cheese, followed by a teaspoon of chopped basil. Once the eggs are softly set, fold gently with a spatula, then flip after about 30 seconds. Give it another 30 seconds before plating.

And there you have it. And now I’m going to have to run from here to Maine and back to work it off.

Tagged with: breakfast • feta cheese • omelette • sausage

Jesus, Deliver Us From Hunger

On January 6, 2010, In Lifestyle, Shopping, Tips, By pjk

Sometimes I don’t feel like cooking squat. Nope, sometimes I want to just click a button and have something brought to me. This week is “back to work” week for many folks. Those relaxing days when you could plan out meals, research ingredients, take your time preparing something, write shit for your blog – those have given way to the crazed crunch days that come with the digital media industry. Thus I came home last night around 8PM, looked at the refrigerator full of ingredients, and said, “Screw it – I’m getting Domino’s.”

Dominos Pizza isn’t the best pizza by a long shot. I order from them partly because they have the easiest system. I’ve always said, “never underestimate the collective buying power of lazy Americans”, and they seem to have heeded my words and built a web-based ordering system that blows away other online food delivery. It’s all Flash-based, streamlined and gives you a live play-by-play of the process of your order, from prep to delivery. Another reason I keep coming back is they have a great online deal: two large pizzas and a 2 liter drink for under $24. This means I can eat for the next three days for very little money and a few clicks. But the real reason I order from them is they have a cook named Jesus. That’s right, you filthy pagans – JESUS is back. And he’s kicking ass at Dominos.

When I place my order, the online tracker dutifully tells me “Jesus began preparing your order at 8:13PM.” – and I get a sense of great inner peace. Jesus doesn’t skimp on the toppings. Believe me – Jesus knows a thing or two about bread. He gets the crust just like I like it – thin and well-done. Like a giant Communion wafer. Jesus doesn’t goof around in the kitchen either – he hustles that order right out the door. I tip his apostle Paolo well. Consider it a double-tithe at 20%.

Just like Matthew 14: 13-21, Jesus rocks the house with a ton of food and very little up-front investment. It’s a freaking miracle.

They Ain’t All Fancy, Folks

On January 3, 2010, In Recipes, Tips, By pjk

Sometimes you just need to knock something out without a lot of prep work. This is why I like to keep a good collection of frozen vegetables on hand. Add some Minute Rice and some sweet & tangy stir fry sauce and boom: dinner. If you want the illusion of being fancy, light some candles and eat it with chopsticks.

2 cups Trader Joe’s mixed harvest vegetables (about 1/2 bag)
1 cup Minute Rice
2 tbsp Trader Joe’s Stir-Fry Sauce

Make the rice per the box’s instructions. Heat up a little vegetable oil in a skillet and stir-fry the vegetables for 3 minutes. Add the stir-fry sauce and stir for a minute more. Scoop the vegetables onto a bed of the rice. If anyone has to print this out for reference, I will be seriously disappointed.

Tip: if you want beautiful, vibrant green peas, go frozen – the ones from the can are grey and depressing. Unless that’s what you were going for, of course.

Tagged with: frozen vegetables • peas • rice • stir-fry • vegetables

Top 5 Kitchen Tips

On December 30, 2009, In Tips, By pjk

1. Handling eggs. The simple act of flicking a few drops of water onto your hands before handling eggs will ensure they don’t slip through your fingers.

2. Shucking a wine bottle. Picked this one up from Gary Vaynerchuk, and am amazed I haven’t seen it before. Rather than piddle around with foil cutters or peeling at the foil on your wine bottle with your fingernails, just firmly grab the foil at the neck of the bottle and pull it straight off. If it is a little tight, some side to side twisting may be necessary.

3. Storing oils. I keep a small collection of oils (canola, olive, vegetable) right by the stove in clear bottles fitted with a pour spout. Attractive to look at, easy to use.

4. Removing avocado seeds. Take the base of a kitchen knife (the edge of the blade closest to the handle) and give a firm whack to the seed, embedding the blade into it. A little twist, and it pops right out.

5. Vanilla yogurt. I always stock up on vanilla yogurt at the store. It is the key ingredient in my fruit smoothies to make them creamy and gives a mellowness to the citrus flavors.

Tagged with: avocados • eggs • Gary Vaynerchuk • kitchen tips • oils • yogurt

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

On December 29, 2009, In Equipment, Tips, By pjk

While an inventive procedure, it does ring of desperation. Play it cool and use a corkscrew. Or use an automatic opener like the one I have.

Tagged with: wine

The Gentleman's Kitchen

A bachelor's guide to the art of healthy eating for one or two.