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mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
4,261
12,607
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
I still can't get over the hotdogs. The only way I'll eat a hotdog if it's covered in a cornmeal batter and deep fried.
I like it Chicago style, i.e., with a salad on top. The traditional day-glow relish is something to behold:
f8827dfd-ec62-4293-a396-6e49f773735a.d19aa1a48f6794956489d0d68714176b.jpeg
 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,379
10,019
North Central Florida
I've recently greatly reduced my sugar and simple carbohydrate consumption. The result has been that I've been less hungry and less 'jittery' for lack of a better word.
I'm going with fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, whole grains, and tempeh. I have some tofu yet to prepare. Oh, eggs.
It's amazing what a plateful of colorful steamed and or stir 'fried' vegies can do for your mood even before you eat any. Thank goodness I have found the energy to do the preparations! It really doesn't require that much and it becomes easier with practice. I'm experimenting with spices and seasonings. Food is medicine. Sugar is poisonous and more addictive than tobacco. (imho)
 
Dec 10, 2013
2,619
3,368
Nijmegen, the Netherlands
I've recently greatly reduced my sugar and simple carbohydrate consumption. The result has been that I've been less hungry and less 'jittery' for lack of a better word.
I'm going with fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, whole grains, and tempeh. I have some tofu yet to prepare. Oh, eggs.
It's amazing what a plateful of colorful steamed and or stir 'fried' vegies can do for your mood even before you eat any. Thank goodness I have found the energy to do the preparations! It really doesn't require that much and it becomes easier with practice. I'm experimenting with spices and seasonings. Food is medicine. Sugar is poisonous and more addictive than tobacco. (imho)
I love me eggies . Poached, fried, boiled do not care as long as they are prepared properly.
Only not raw.
 

HawkeyeLinus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2020
5,862
42,284
Iowa
Good for you! Got the wok out a couple of weeks ago and back to exploring all things wok lately - shrimp, beef, pork, noodles, rice and all other things combinable! Love the flavors and we tend to eat smaller portions because it is so filling.
 
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HawkeyeLinus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2020
5,862
42,284
Iowa
Since I bought my first rice cooker a couple of months ago I've been eating rice with all sorts of things and having no regrets for my purchase.

I got to thinking how I used to enjoy egg fried rice from takeaways many moons ago so thought I'd have a go at that myself.....or rather a variant of egg fried rice.

My ingredients were a little basic/limited but the end result.....for a first time effort, I thought was exceptional.

Basically it included....

2 eggs beaten
1 cup frozen (but thawed) peas & sweetcorn
1 handful of fresh beansprouts
4 small hotdogs sliced small
1 bunch spring onions
garlic powder
1 good portion of jasmine rice (cooked the previous day in bouillon)
groundnut oil
sesame oil
dark soy sauce

It only occurred to me as I was adding the ingredients that I was making a meal that would feed 2 people (or me three times as I don't eat much) but hey ho, I'd already started so had to carry on.

I doled up about 2 thirds of it into a dish just in time to watch the 6 o'clock news......and it took me a whole 40 minutes to eat it....but wow was it nice!

I used a thick bottomed stainless steel skillet about 12" across but have already ordered a 13" carbon steel wok (with no coating) for my next effort. Apparently it will need seasoning which sound to be a rigmarole but I was determined not to have a Teflon coated wok.

Not sure if I made egg fried rice or a stir fry but I shall experiment with different ingredients in the future, and more importantly, gauge them for a 1 person meal.

Any good wok tips on the Forum?

Jay.
Nope, just a +1 for using day old rice for the fried rice.
 
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mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
4,261
12,607
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
Well it was a choice twixt hotdogs, corned beef or a tin of spam and the hotdogs won.

I'll be honest and say I could hardly taste the hotdogs but then they were cheapo dogs and not the nice ones I usually have.

Jay.
I occasionally make spam fried rice. I try to get the low sodium version that's available here in the States.
One can buy this weirdness online in Switzerland, costs about $50 over here, probably for the novelty factor of having something with food colouring that's not aimed at children. I see it costs $10 in the US.
I'm shocked that it's available in Switzerland. I've never seen that particular kind of relish used on anything other than hotdogs in Chicago! And the only place that I know that sells them in the US outside of Chicago is Amazon!
 

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,605
9,931
Basel, Switzerland
I'm shocked that it's available in Switzerland. I've never seen that particular kind of relish used on anything other than hotdogs in Chicago! And the only place that I know that sells them in the US outside of Chicago is Amazon!
Plenty of Americans living in the big cities here (even though Swiss banks make their lives hard to open accounts...), generally plenty of people from all over the world, for a small country it's very well served!

This company sells it, they are based in Geneva Sweet Chicago Relish for hot dogs 16 oz (1 pint) - https://ninelife.ch/products/sweet-chicago-relish-for-hot-dogs-16-oz-1-pint?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAibeuBhAAEiwAiXBoJKivLslBmcB5bE8DWeTJYctyWTfZb8xbcQZm-VpoM6Rim1C-6VKuJhoCaP0QAvD_BwE
 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,822
8,632
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
Well my wok arrived last night (a day early) and was surprised at its size (13") & weight. The brand is 'School of Wok' if that means anything to anyone. It has something to do with a TV/Youtube chef called Jeremy Wong. It has a slightly rounded bottom which I believe is preferred.

Later on today I'll tackle the seasoning of it. My main cooker is electric but I do have a single (canned) gas ring which I will be using to do the seasoning. If it hasn't enough oomph to do the job itself I'll use my gas blowtorch to assist.

I've been looking into some stir fry recipes and many of them appeal to me. The main thing is cooking time as I can't stand for too long though I do have a perching stool in the kitchen but by all acc

Onwards and upwards as they say 👍

Jay.
 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,822
8,632
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
but by all accounts, if everything is prepped beforehand, the actual cooking time is not too long.

For some reason this last sentence wouldn't load with the body of the post.

Jay.
 

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,605
9,931
Basel, Switzerland
Later on today I'll tackle the seasoning of it. My main cooker is electric but I do have a single (canned) gas ring which I will be using to do the seasoning. If it hasn't enough oomph to do the job itself I'll use my gas blowtorch to assist.
Hey Jay, are you familiar with seasoning cast iron? A gas flame or blowtorch is too intense in my opinion.
One way of seasoning is simply using it and, quoting my wife, "accepting it will be permanently dirty" (scrubbing with salt, chainmail etc - anything other actually cleaning it with soap and water!).

Another way if you want to waste some electricity is to season it in the oven (if it doesn't have a wooden/plastic handle), by dropping no more than 3-4 drops of oil on it, wiping it carefully with paper towels and putting it in the oven at ~150 degrees for a couple of hours. Then doing this over and over. Making cornbread in a cast iron skillet is also a great way of seasoning a pan organically.

Seasoning is essentially the plasticising of oils by heat, any concentrated heat like a stovetop or (lol) blowtorch will simply burn any residue off. Some people get very passionate about seasoning cast iron, I used to be among them.

I love cast iron but it's not practical, that's why it's not used in professional kitchens unless we're talking about a wok, or Dutch oven for braising. A chef friend of mine told me they use mostly stainless steel and aluminium because they need to be fast so they use high heat, and wash their pots and pans tens of times per day, cast iron wouldn't be practical for a professional kitchen.
 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,822
8,632
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
Hey Jay, are you familiar with seasoning cast iron? A gas flame or blowtorch is too intense in my opinion.
Thanks Karam but alas the deed is now done.....and I have 2 burns on my wrist to prove it plus the deafness I have from setting my smoke alarm off FOUR times :oops:.

I'd watched a couple of Youtube videos on seasoning and they pretty much said the same thing (one did actually mention your oven method).

As my single gas ring is of the portable type I figured it might need help so I did also use my blowtorch.

End result.....through the clouds of smoke & stink I now have a dark brown almost black wok, I just need to find somewhere to put it, this thing is huge.

Some folk recommend cooking some almost dead veggies and tossing them before using the wok proper, I just don't like to toss food away.

"A chef friend of mine told me they use mostly stainless steel and aluminium because they need to be fast so they use high heat...".

Interesting that you say that as my first attempt was done in my thick bottomed stainless pan and was an absolute breeze to clean afterwards!

When I was a commis chef many years ago we used heavy brass pots with a tin coating.

Jay.
 
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