[{"content":"The pasta cooks in the pan it\u0026rsquo;ll be sauced in, in just enough salted water to cover it. That\u0026rsquo;s the whole trick. A big pot of water dilutes the starch the pasta gives off; a pan with a little water keeps it, and the starch is what tightens the sauce later.\nThe variables Pan. Wide and straight-sided, so long pasta lies flat and the water stays shallow. Water. Just enough to cover the pasta. Add a splash more if it runs low before the pasta is close. Remove water using a ladle if it\u0026rsquo;s not boiling off quickly enough. Salt. Salt the water as you would a pot, but a little lighter: the water reduces and becomes part of the sauce. Timing. The sauce goes in 2–3 minutes before the package time, and the pasta finishes in it (see [[Finishing pasta in the sauce]]). Options Option Pick it when Changes Short (penne, rigatoni) A thick sauce, like a meat sauce Stir now and then so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t stick Long (spaghetti, linguine) A looser, oilier sauce Lay it flat and stir regularly Fresh You have it, or made it Skip this step; it cooks in the sauce in 2–3 minutes, with a splash of water. It brings less starch, so lean on cheese to tighten the sauce Notes Getting the ratio perfect takes some practice, but adding or removing water is trivial. I often remove 60–125 ml (¼–½ cup) of water. Cheese goes in at the end, off the heat (see [[Off the heat]]). Recipes [[Fresh egg pasta]].\n","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/one-pan-pasta/parts/cooking-pasta-in-the-pan/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"The pasta cooks in the pan it’ll be sauced in, in just enough salted water to cover it. That’s the whole trick. A big pot of water dilutes the starch the pasta gives off; a pan with a little water keeps it, and the starch is what tightens the sauce later.\n","title":"Cooking pasta in the pan","type":"methods"},{"content":"A burger patty is ground meat, portioned and shaped, and almost nothing else. Its texture comes from how little you handle it, and its size decides everything after it: how it cooks, how much of it ends up as crust, and which bun it fits. Most burgers here use thin patties, because a thin patty is mostly crust and a burger is mostly about crust.\nThe variables Fat. 70:30 (regular ground beef) for a smashed patty, 80:20 for a pressed or frozen one, 85:15 at the leanest. Grind. Medium grind for a loose, crumbly bite. Double-ground for a soft, almost pillowy patty like a fast-food burger (see [[McDouble]]). Weight. 115–140 g (4–5 oz) for a single. For a double, 75 g each for a fast-food double, up to 115 g each for a smash burger. Two thin patties beat one thick one. Size. Press the patty 5–10% wider than the bun. It shrinks as it cooks, and a patty that matches the bun is the first rule of a navigable burger. Salt. None in the meat. Salt mixed in early pulls out moisture and binds the proteins, which turns a loose patty into a dense, springy one. Season the outside, at the pan or after cooking (see [[Seasoning burgers]]). Shaping Portion the meat into loose balls by weight. Don\u0026rsquo;t knead or pack them; some irregularity helps the crust form.\nFor a smashed patty, keep the balls cold and smash them in the pan.\nFor a pressed patty, set each ball between two squares of parchment, about 10 cm, and press it flat with a cutting board or the bottom of a pot to 5–7 mm (¼ inch). Tidy the edges with your fingers. Stack the patties with their parchment and freeze them, at least partly, before cooking. Freezing tightens the texture a little, in a good way, and the parchment peels off as the patty drops into the pan.\nOptions Option Pick it when Changes Thin, pressed (115–140 g, 5–7 mm) Most of the time; make-ahead Cooking: hot griddle or pan, from frozen Paper thin, smashed (3–6 mm) You want the most crust and lacy edges Cooking: smash on a hot griddle, flip once Thick (170 g and up) You want a pink centre Cooking: grill or reverse sear The thick option is the [[Pub burger]]\u0026rsquo;s patty.\nHow it fails Dense and springy: the meat was salted, mixed, or packed. Tough: handled too much, pressed too hard, or the mince got warm. Keep it cold. Bigger than the bun, or lost in it: the patty wasn\u0026rsquo;t sized against the bun, or wasn\u0026rsquo;t pressed wide enough to allow for shrinking. Balled up in the pan: too thick in the middle. Press to an even thickness, or smash it. Dry and grey: too lean, or too thick to brown before the centre overcooks. Other meats Lean meats need help. Turkey and chicken don\u0026rsquo;t have the fat to brown and stay juicy, so [[Turkey burgers]] adds roasted eggplant or mushrooms, soy, and Marmite for savouriness and browning, and presses the patties thin. Ground chicken worked until tacky becomes sausage-like, which is a different patty again (see [[Chicken patties]] and the texture scale in [[The impossible quest for the perfect chicken burger]]). Plant patties are their own method: [[Veg patties]], [[Vegan burger]].\nRecipes [[White Spot burger]] (smashed), [[McDouble]] (double-ground, pressed and frozen), [[Turkey burgers]] (pressed thin). Other meats and plants: [[Chicken patties]], [[Pan-fried chicken burger]], [[Veg patties]], [[Vegan burger]].\n","date":"10 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/parts/patties/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"A burger patty is ground meat, portioned and shaped, and almost nothing else. Its texture comes from how little you handle it, and its size decides everything after it: how it cooks, how much of it ends up as crust, and which bun it fits. Most burgers here use thin patties, because a thin patty is mostly crust and a burger is mostly about crust.\n","title":"Forming burger patties","type":"methods"},{"content":"The sauce either comes from a base you made ahead, like a meat sauce or a marinara from the freezer, or it\u0026rsquo;s built fresh, quickly, in the time the pasta takes. Either way it goes into the pan with the pasta, not over it at the end.\nOptions Option Pick it when Changes From a base There\u0026rsquo;s meat sauce or marinara in the freezer Thaw it first; it goes in as is Built fresh You want something light: cherry tomatoes, garlic, oil Cook it first in the same pan, then scrape it into a bowl until the pasta is close Cream You want it rich Loose finish; add the cream off the heat or at a low simmer Win the fridge Pasta is a great vessel for [[Win the fridge|winning the fridge]]. I often mop up baby tomatoes, zucchini, and other more robust veg, adding freezer veg (like kale) to the pan early. Just balance with garlic, salt, and lemon or wine.\nRecipes [[Meat sauce (AKA American bolognese)]], [[Simple marinara]], [[Vodka cream sauce]].\n","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/one-pan-pasta/parts/pasta-sauces/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"The sauce either comes from a base you made ahead, like a meat sauce or a marinara from the freezer, or it’s built fresh, quickly, in the time the pasta takes. Either way it goes into the pan with the pasta, not over it at the end.\n","title":"Pasta sauces","type":"methods"},{"content":"Salt only ever touches the outside of a burger patty made with ground beef or pork. Mixed into raw mince, salt pulls out moisture and binds the proteins, the same way it does in sausage, and the patty comes out dense and springy instead of loose and crumbly. Season the surface, either as the patty hits the pan or as it comes off.\nThe variables When. In the pan as the patty cooks, or as it comes off; either works. For a smash burger, season the top just before you smash. What. Salt and black pepper are the base, with MSG optional. How much. For a seasoning blend, mix by weight: 4:2:1 salt, MSG, and black pepper, plus 0.25 parts onion powder if you like (from the [[McDouble]] recipe, replicating the dried onion flavour). Options Option Pick it when Changes Salt and pepper, in the pan or after cooking Any burger; the default Nothing Salt, pepper, and MSG (4:2:1) You want the fast-food flavour Nothing Lawry\u0026rsquo;s Seasoned Salt A\u0026amp;W-style burgers ([[Teen burger]], [[Mozza burger]]) Nothing Season the top, then smash Smashed patties Cooking: season in the pan, before the smash How it fails Springy, sausage-like patty: salt went into the meat before shaping. Tough: usually handling, not seasoning (see [[Forming burger patties]]). Notes There are burger recipes that tend towards meatloaf. I don\u0026rsquo;t have much experience with these, so I won\u0026rsquo;t cover them here. Lawry\u0026rsquo;s Seasoned Salt is a common restaurant burger seasoning (A\u0026amp;W Canada uses it), and celery salt makes an appearance in other restaurants. Recipes [[McDouble]] (4:2:1 blend, after cooking), [[White Spot burger]] (salt, pepper, and Accent, in the pan before the smash).\n","date":"10 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/parts/seasoning/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"Salt only ever touches the outside of a burger patty made with ground beef or pork. Mixed into raw mince, salt pulls out moisture and binds the proteins, the same way it does in sausage, and the patty comes out dense and springy instead of loose and crumbly. Season the surface, either as the patty hits the pan or as it comes off.\n","title":"Seasoning burgers","type":"methods"},{"content":"When the pasta is 2–3 minutes from done, add the sauce to the pan and keep it moving. The pasta finishes cooking in the sauce and takes some of it in, and the starchy water binds the two into one glossy sauce that clings. This is the step a restaurant does with its pasta water; here the water is already in the pan.\nOptions Option Pick it when Changes Tight A thick base, like meat sauce Cook it down until the sauce clings and nothing pools Loose An oily or fresh sauce Stop while it\u0026rsquo;s still saucy; it tightens on the plate Notes You can push the noodles hard: let the water cook off, add oil, and fry the noodles, adding the sauce a bit at a time. Fry hard, add sauce, repeat. This is close to Spaghetti all\u0026rsquo;Assassina. How it fails Watery or thin: too much water, so the starch was diluted, or it wasn\u0026rsquo;t cooked down before the sauce went in. Keep cooking it down, or thicken it with cheese off the heat. Cheese is almost always the answer. Dry or stuck: it cooked too long. Loosen it with a splash of water. ","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/one-pan-pasta/parts/finishing-pasta-in-the-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"When the pasta is 2–3 minutes from done, add the sauce to the pan and keep it moving. The pasta finishes cooking in the sauce and takes some of it in, and the starchy water binds the two into one glossy sauce that clings. This is the step a restaurant does with its pasta water; here the water is already in the pan.\n","title":"Finishing pasta in the sauce","type":"methods"},{"content":"There are many ways to cook a burger patty. I prefer a patty with a crust, so that\u0026rsquo;s what I\u0026rsquo;ll outline.\nA burger patty cooks for its crust. The surface has to be hot enough to brown the meat before the thin patty overcooks, so the pan is hotter than for almost anything else, and the patty stays still until it\u0026rsquo;s ready to flip. Done is medium to medium-well, never tough.\nThe variables Heat. A heavy pan, cast iron, or flat-top, heated through on medium-low and turned up to medium-high just before cooking. About 220°C (425°F) at the surface. Fat. A little oil in the pan. The patty adds its own as it renders. Flips. As many as you want, but I do two or three. Ignore anyone who says it needs only a single flip. Cheese. On the patty after the flip, a minute or so before it comes off. Seasoning. On the surface, in the pan or as it comes off (see [[Seasoning burgers]]). Options Option Pick it when How Smash Fresh, cold meatballs; you want the most crust Season the ball, then smash it to 3–6 mm (⅛–¼ inch) with a spatula or press, with parchment between to stop sticking. Leave it until liquid pools on top, then flip once. Griddle from frozen Pressed, frozen patties Peel off the top parchment, flip the patty onto the pan, peel off the bottom sheet. Cook until well browned, 2–3 minutes; flip; another minute. A bacon press helps them brown. Grill Wide, thin patties; you want char and smoke Over a hot flame, flipped once. The fat drips away, so you get char instead of a fried crust. Move the patty off a flare-up before it blackens. Reverse sear Thick patties Cook gently first, then sear (see [[Reverse cooking: reverse sear and water frying]]). Pre-smashed frozen patties work fine on high heat with a bacon press. Fresh patties still come out slightly better.\nHow it fails Grey, steamed patty: the pan wasn\u0026rsquo;t hot enough, or too many patties went in at once and cooled it. Keep the pan hot between patties. Burnt outside, raw middle: the patty is too thick for the heat. Press it thinner, or cook it gently first. Tough: overcooked. A thin patty only needs a few minutes. Safety Ground beef is safe at 71°C (160°F) in the centre, which is past medium-well. A thin patty is difficult to undercook unless it starts from frozen (see [[Food safety: time and temperature]]).\nRecipes [[White Spot burger]] (smash), [[McDouble]] (from frozen), and [[Turkey burgers]] (pressed, from frozen).\n","date":"10 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/parts/cooking/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"There are many ways to cook a burger patty. I prefer a patty with a crust, so that’s what I’ll outline.\nA burger patty cooks for its crust. The surface has to be hot enough to brown the meat before the thin patty overcooks, so the pan is hotter than for almost anything else, and the patty stays still until it’s ready to flip. Done is medium to medium-well, never tough.\n","title":"Cooking the patties","type":"methods"},{"content":"Take the pan off the heat before the finishing notes go in. Cheese turns grainy and stringy over a flame, butter splits out of the sauce, good oil loses its flavour, and herbs go dark. Off the heat they melt into the sauce instead. Then plate it straight away, since the sauce keeps tightening as it sits.\nOptions Option Pick it when Changes Cheese and butter A tomato or meat sauce Parmesan and a knob of butter stirred in, more cheese on top Oil and herbs A fresh sauce Good olive oil and torn basil Lemon and chili It needs brightening Zest and juice, chili flakes Notes Cheese proteins tighten and squeeze out fat when they get too hot. Off the heat, the pan is cooling rather than heating, so the cheese melts before it can seize. ","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/one-pan-pasta/parts/off-the-heat/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"Take the pan off the heat before the finishing notes go in. Cheese turns grainy and stringy over a flame, butter splits out of the sauce, good oil loses its flavour, and herbs go dark. Off the heat they melt into the sauce instead. Then plate it straight away, since the sauce keeps tightening as it sits.\n","title":"Off the heat","type":"methods"},{"content":"The patty brings salt, fat, and savoury depth. Everything else on the burger is there to contrast it: something cold and crunchy (lettuce, raw onion, pickle) and something sharp (onion, mustard, pickle, vinegar). Skip the cold crunch and the burger is one note. Skip the sharpness and it turns heavy by the third bite. Get both, on a bun that fits, and even a mediocre patty works.\nThe variables The bun. Soft and simple, not large or dense, and the same size as the patty (see [[Chef John\u0026rsquo;s hamburger buns]]). Toast it, cut side down in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat, while the burger pan heats. Of the three ways to toast a bun (dry under radiant heat, dry on a griddle, or griddled in butter or oil), I prefer the dry griddle: it gives a dark, smooth surface with some crunch and caramelized flavour. For a fast-food burger, press the bun a little flat. Cold crunch. Lots of finely shredded iceberg, loose rather than packed. Pickles, sliced thin or lengthwise. Sharp. Raw onion, sliced paper thin: white, yellow, or purple. Onion is the most important topping on the burger. Two forms beat one: raw for sharpness, plus onion sautéed in the beef fat for sweetness. Rehydrated dried minced onion is a third form: mellower than raw, with a distinct flavour you notice right away (the fast-food double\u0026rsquo;s onion). Sour. Double-sour pickles, hard to buy and easy to make (see [[Sauces and condiments]]). Juicy. Ripe tomato, sliced thin. Skip it when tomatoes aren\u0026rsquo;t good. Cheese and bacon. Optional. A thin slice of processed cheese melts into a thin patty; bacon only if it\u0026rsquo;s crisp, never chewy. Black pepper. A crack or three over the tomatoes. Pepper, pepper, pepper! Order Bottom up, with the sauce against the bread so it soaks into the bun, not the lettuce:\nBottom bun, sauce Patty, cheese Pickles, onion Tomato, lettuce Sauce or mayo on the top bun, then the top bun The exact order changes by build (see [[Drive-in deluxe burger]], [[Fast-food double burger]], [[Grilled onion burger]]). Sauces are the glue, and they keep the buns from going soggy.\nSteam it in paper Wrap the finished burger in burger paper or parchment, or cover it in a pan with a lid, and let it sit for a minute or a few. It steams gently, the bun softens, and the flavours settle. It tastes better than the same burger straight off the griddle. Then eat it right away; burgers hold badly after that.\nHow it fails Soggy bottom bun: the bun wasn\u0026rsquo;t toasted, or the wettest layers sat on it. One note: no cold crunch. Heavy by the third bite: nothing sharp. Add onion, mustard, or a sharper pickle. Falls apart, or can\u0026rsquo;t be bitten: too tall, or the patty and bun don\u0026rsquo;t match. A burger has to be navigable. Recipes [[White Spot burger]], [[McDouble]], [[Turkey burgers]]. The bun: [[Chef John\u0026rsquo;s hamburger buns]].\n","date":"10 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/parts/assembly/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"The patty brings salt, fat, and savoury depth. Everything else on the burger is there to contrast it: something cold and crunchy (lettuce, raw onion, pickle) and something sharp (onion, mustard, pickle, vinegar). Skip the cold crunch and the burger is one note. Skip the sharpness and it turns heavy by the third bite. Get both, on a bun that fits, and even a mediocre patty works.\n","title":"Assembling burgers","type":"methods"},{"content":"A burger sauce adds sweetness, acid, and sharpness, and sometimes fat. There are two ways to get there: keep the condiments separate and let them meet on the burger, or blend them into one spread. Either way, the sauce sits against the bread, where it soaks in, and it shouldn\u0026rsquo;t drown the onion and pickle.\nThe variables Sweet to sharp. Ketchup brings sweetness; mustard brings sharpness. McDonald\u0026rsquo;s runs about 11:1 ketchup to mustard, Burger King about 3:1, and diners land anywhere in between. The [[McDouble]] recipe settles on 5:1. Fat. Mayo carries a blended sauce and softens the mustard. Kewpie adds sweetness and acidity. It also provides a protective layer and the glue for toppings like lettuce. Pickle. Diced pickle or relish gives a spread its texture and sourness. Many fast-food pickles are double-sour. Special sauces. A blended spread with raw onion or pickle tastes better after an hour in the fridge, once the onion mellows. Options Option Pick it when Ratio Ketchup and mustard, separate Deluxe and fast-food burgers From 11:1 to 3:1 ketchup to mustard, or the reverse. [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s burger sauce]] Swiss or deluxe burgers 1:1:1 mayo, diced pickle, mustard [[In-N-Out burger spread]] Diner-style griddle burgers Mayo-based, with ketchup, relish, and a little vinegar and sugar Red sauce and sweet mayo [[White Spot burger]] Red: 2:3 red relish to chili sauce. Mayo: Hellmann\u0026rsquo;s, egg yolk, paprika, honey, cider vinegar [[Mozza burger sauce]] [[Mozza burger]] Mayo, sweet pickle or red relish, chili sauce, a touch of Thousand Island or sugar Teen sauce [[Teen burger]] Mayo (soybean oil, egg yolk, vinegar) with mustard, sugar, and spices; served with ketchup and mustard Mayo and mustard [[The Bruce burger]]; when ketchup is too sweet Best with grilled onions, as the onions provide the sweetness. Condiments The jarred and bottled condiments the builds use, on their own or as the base of a sauce.\nCondiment What it brings Used on Ketchup Sweet [[McDouble burger]], [[Fast-food double burger]], [[Smash burger]], [[Teen burger]], [[The Whopper]]; on the table for the [[Pub burger]] Yellow mustard Sharp [[The Bruce burger]], [[McDouble burger]], [[Fast-food double burger]], [[Smash burger]], [[Teen burger]]; on the table for the [[Pub burger]]; alone on the [[Grilled onion burger]] Mayonnaise Fat; carries a blended sauce [[The Bruce burger]], [[Pub burger]], [[Big Boy burger]], [[The Whopper]] (both buns); the base of Triple “O” mayo, Mozza sauce, and Teen sauce Red relish Sweet, sour, texture [[Big Boy burger]]; with chili sauce in Triple “O” sauce and Mozza sauce Chili sauce Sweet, tangy tomato Triple “O” sauce ([[Drive-in deluxe burger]]) and Mozza sauce ([[Mozza burger]]) Thousand Island Sweet, creamy, tangy [[Big Boy burger]], and a touch in Mozza sauce Dill pickles Sour, crunch Most builds, sliced thin or lengthwise Double-sour pickles The strongest sour: dill pickles with a sprinkle of citric acid powder [[Drive-in deluxe burger]] Double-sour pickles are difficult to buy in my region and easy to make: add a sprinkle of citric acid powder to ordinary sandwich-style dill pickles and let them sit. They get remarkably close to commercial double sours. On a fast-food double, non-kosher dills with a little citric acid or vinegar do the same job (see [[McDouble]]).\nHow it fails Harsh: too much mustard. A squeeze of ketchup or a splash of pickle brine softens it. Too mild: lean towards more pickle for brightness. Notes The ratio matters most when the sauces stay separate, like ketchup and mustard. For my tastes I reverse the restaurant ratio, or drop the ketchup and let sautéed onion bring the sweetness (see [[The Bruce burger]]). Recipes [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s burger sauce]], [[In-N-Out burger spread]], [[Mozza burger sauce]], [[White Spot burger]] (red sauce and sweet mayo), [[Turkey burgers]] (special sauce).\n","date":"10 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/parts/sauces/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"A burger sauce adds sweetness, acid, and sharpness, and sometimes fat. There are two ways to get there: keep the condiments separate and let them meet on the burger, or blend them into one spread. Either way, the sauce sits against the bread, where it soaks in, and it shouldn’t drown the onion and pickle.\n","title":"Sauces and condiments","type":"methods"},{"content":"I reworked my flexible Thai curry into something I can make in under an hour: [[Simpler Thai red curry]]. I also made it friendly to vegetarians, since it works so well with tofu and mushrooms.\nThe biggest change was bringing the method closer to authentic, dropping some of the French techniques I\u0026rsquo;d used in earlier versions. The other change saves time: use a good commercial curry paste, or make a large batch of fresh paste and freeze it in ice cube trays. We have plenty of stores catering to Asian cuisines in our area, so I usually reach for fresh or preserved pastes.\n","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/cooking-reflections/a-simple-vegetarian-red-thai-curry/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"I reworked my flexible Thai curry into something I can make in under an hour: [[Simpler Thai red curry]]. I also made it friendly to vegetarians, since it works so well with tofu and mushrooms.\n","title":"A simple vegetarian red Thai curry","type":"essays"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/bases/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Bases","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/beef/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Beef","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/","pinned":false,"section":"Bruce loves to cook","summary":"","title":"Bruce loves to cook","type":"page"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/camping/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Camping","type":"tags"},{"content":"I like to tell people that I\u0026rsquo;m proactively lazy. I like to cook when I have the energy and not cook when I\u0026rsquo;m lazy, and have great food either way. I also have limited freezer space, which has led me to prepare condensed versions of foods that can be defrosted and turned into full meals in under 20 minutes. Condensing foods is an old technique that works well for home cooks today.\nWhat makes a good condensed base? I think of condensing meals in terms of capturing the most difficult or time consuming steps into something that freezes well, while also taking up a minimum of space. The parts that are more easily cooked or don\u0026rsquo;t freeze well are added when preparing the meal for service, so that you preserve texture, flavour, and nutrition of the more delicate components.\nA good example of this is [[Beef stew|beef stew]]. While it\u0026rsquo;s possible to freeze carrots, peas, and other root vegetables in a stew, they are easy to add at service and keep their texture better when added later. And while it\u0026rsquo;s possible to freeze condensed gravy, it usually changes texture and loosens up a bit after defrosting. So my approach to freezing stew is to capture the base of braising liquid, softened chuck roast, fond, and softened allium (onions, leeks, garlic), as well as the more key spices (rosemary, thyme, bay, and pepper).\nMy condensed stew takes about ½ of the storage space of the stew itself, and about ¼ the space of the stew and accompanying sides like potatoes and dumplings. A 500 ml container can generally be stretched to about 4 meals, if you include sides.\nA good stew base can be adapted to a number of meals as well, but there are even more flexible base recipes that give a home cook more options when making weeknight meals.\nGeneralizing the condensed stew for other cuisines The concept of reducing sauces is fundamental to some of the French mother sauces. Soup stocks can be reduced by half or more and frozen for future meals. If you reduce a stock enough, you end up with a demi-glace (literally \u0026ldquo;half glaze\u0026rdquo;), which can fortify soups, gravies, stews, and can be used in pan sauces for plating.\nMost Indian restaurants (in our area at least) prep a number of bases and base gravies that they turn into specific curry dishes at service. These base gravies (mine is [[Base curry gravy]]) freeze well, and can be used to make dozens of different dishes with the addition of proteins and vegetables after defrosting.\nThe same technique can be used for most cuisines. I make various condensed protein bases that can be used in a large number of dishes:\nminced beef/mushroom mix (for meat sauces, [[Cottage pie|cottage pie]], soups, etc.) \u0026ldquo;taco\u0026rdquo; seasoning (simpler minced beef with chilis, great for burritos, tacos, salads, chili, hot dogs, etc.) veg taco bases (lentils and seasoning) soup bases (like French onion, phở, tonkotsu, chowders, etc.) curry gravies (for various southeast Asian dishes) Reducing waste and saving time Condensed cooking can also be used to mop up the fridge, using up ingredients that otherwise may go to waste.\nItalian-style sauces are a great way to use up leftover herbs, proteins, and cheeses which freeze better when combined into thick sauces. And meatballs, fritters, and pasta can be a great way to use up extra eggs, meats, cheeses, grains, bread, and vegetables. I\u0026rsquo;ll make a batch of ravioli every few months to mop up extra mince and eggs, adding older hard cheeses, spinach, and other foods that need to be used.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve found that freezing [[Meatballs|meatballs]] can result in disappointingly dry meatballs, but if you freeze them in sauce they tend not to suffer from freezer burn. I usually freeze meatballs in a classic red sauce (using pantry onions, garlic, and tinned tomatoes), or in their own juices and stock.\nSpeeding up prep work Preparing bases and condensed foods can be time-consuming. As a proactively lazy human, I\u0026rsquo;ve found a number of ways to speed up the process.\nUse a pressure cooker For minced meats and soup stocks a pressure cooker is more than twice as fast as the same recipe using standard methods. I use a 7.5 L (8 qt) stovetop pressure cooker to turn 2 kg (4 lb) of minced meat, mushrooms, and accompanying vegetables into a tender base in 25 minutes (plus heat up time of 10 minutes, and cool down of 15 minutes), rather than 3-4 hours. I\u0026rsquo;ll do two batches on a lazy Sunday afternoon, and get about two months of meals worth of proteins.\nAny protein that you can braise is also significantly faster to prepare in a pressure cooker. Cuts that braise well also tend to be cheaper, so roasts like chuck roast, pork shoulder/butt, chicken thighs, ribs, and such are easy to prep in under 45 minutes. Typically, a full pork shoulder will feed 4 people 10-15 meals. And don\u0026rsquo;t forget that beans and lentils are braisable, and work well in a pressure cooker.\nPressure cookers are also great for soups and stocks. Both [[French onion soup|French onion]] and [[Mushroom soup|mushroom soup]] bases can be made in under 30 minutes, and most clear stocks can be made in under 45. It\u0026rsquo;s even possible to make longer simmering broths like tonkotsu in around an hour (though you do need to fast-release to emulsify the fats).\nClear stocks work especially well in a pressure cooker, as long as you slow-release the pressure to avoid a full boil. The method is easy too, add stock ingredients (optionally roasted ahead of time), and cover with water. Add a bouquet garni (bag of herbs). I suggest avoiding plants in the brassicaceae family (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.) and tender herbs, as they tend to add bitter notes with long (or high pressure) cooks. Also remember that flavours like garlic and celery are intensified by the process.\nI recommend reducing stocks after pressure cooking, pouring the liquid through a colander and fine mesh strainer. I use a spider or slotted spoon to remove most of the larger chunks from a stock, and then pour it over another pot with a colander and fine mesh strainer in it. I do this over the cook top, to prevent myself from accidentally forgetting the pot. There is nothing more disappointing than pouring a stock down the sink, a mistake most cooks have made at least once.\nIt can take a few hours to reduce a stock by half, so I suggest using the widest pot you have that fits the stock safely. I use a kitchen timer and check the reduction every 30 minutes or so, skimming off any froth that forms. I prefer a gentler simmer, and I run the range hood to minimize condensation in the house.\nBatch preparation It may seem counterintuitive that preparing larger batches takes less effort, but most of the overheads are shared. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t matter if you chop 1 onion or 10, you will dirty the same number of dishes. Cooking down those onions only takes incrementally longer and uses a similar amount of energy. Any waste from the process needs to be discarded either way, and both need to be packaged up for freezing.\nWorking in larger batches also lets you apply better tools and techniques to the process, like using a mandoline to slice onions for French onion soup, a grater for making soffritto base, a blender for smoothing out sauces, or roasting on multiple large sheet pans.\nYou will also find that preparing larger batches makes for good practice that would otherwise take a lot longer. Dicing a 5 kg (10 lb) bag of onions will significantly improve your knife skills, as well as cleaning out your tear ducts. I find a strange satisfaction in dicing up a bag of onions, a few heads of garlic, and a head of celery. I find it even more satisfying to eat the soups and stews in the following weeks.\nFood safety and freezing It can be difficult to properly cool large batches of bases, sauces, and gravies. Most home refrigerators can\u0026rsquo;t handle a large volume of hot food, so I usually use the sink method to quickly cool up to 8 L (8.5 qt) of base:\nMove the pot to an empty sink, placing it over the drain. Pour cold water around the pot, which should drain slowly. Keep the water on low enough to maintain a constant amount of water. The slow flow of water will help the contents cool. You can speed up the process by adding ice to the sink, and stirring the contents. It\u0026rsquo;s possible to cool a large pot of stock from 80°C to 20°C (175°F to 70°F) in about 20 minutes. Most refrigerators can complete the process from there. The goal is to get food through the danger zone, 4–60°C (40–140°F), as quickly as possible: down to 21°C (70°F) within 2 hours, and to 4°C (40°F) within another 4. Bacteria multiply fastest in that range, and their growth is exponential over time. And while reheating food will kill most bacteria in prepared foods, it will not always destroy the toxins created by those pathogens.\nOnce a batch of base is cooled enough to handle, I like to use deli containers of various sizes. As these containers come in 250 ml, 500 ml, and 750 ml, it\u0026rsquo;s easy to make predictable portions for future meals. Even better, these containers can be reused (assuming you don\u0026rsquo;t get them too hot, and sanitize them between uses). They\u0026rsquo;re also clear, they stack nicely, and take a label well. The main section of my home freezer is nearly always full of these containers, with future lazy meals waiting to be made.\nI strongly recommend labelling the food you freeze. I usually include the name of the food or base, and the month and year it was frozen in. This is helpful for using the oldest foods first, and especially handy if you make meals for differing food preferences and needs. I often have a mix of vegetarian and flexitarian foods in our freezer, and it\u0026rsquo;s important not to mix the two up. Most liquid bases freeze well for 3 months (and up to 6).\nPreparing lazy meals I go through all of this effort to make great (and healthy) food easy to prepare when I\u0026rsquo;m pressed for time (or feeling especially lazy). Having a choice of bases often prevents us from eating or ordering out, especially when some of those bases can be used to make comforting foods.\nSome of my favourite quick meals using condensed bases:\nRamen and other soups (using stock or French onion bases) Pastas (using red sauce/meatballs, or beef/mushroom/onion base with a tin of tomatoes) Cottage and minced pies (using beef/mushroom/onion base, with frozen veg, and mashed potatoes) Tacos or taco salad (using chipotle taco beef, or frozen carnitas) Burritos, which freeze well themselves (using frozen chili and chipotle taco beef) Curries, which also freeze well (using frozen curry gravy) Lazy meals are some of my favourite, and I get a lot of satisfaction from [[Win the fridge|winning the fridge]]. I grew up in a household that needed to be frugal, which led me to appreciate good, home cooked meals with a desire to reduce wasted food.\n","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/technique-essays/condensing-recipes-for-freezer-prep/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"I like to tell people that I’m proactively lazy. I like to cook when I have the energy and not cook when I’m lazy, and have great food either way. I also have limited freezer space, which has led me to prepare condensed versions of foods that can be defrosted and turned into full meals in under 20 minutes. Condensing foods is an old technique that works well for home cooks today.\n","title":"Condensing recipes for freezer prep, or how I make things like beef stew","type":"essays"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/condiments/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Condiments","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/cooking-on-the-road/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Cooking-on-the-Road","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/cooking-reflection/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Cooking-Reflection","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Cuisine","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/curries/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Curries","type":"tags"},{"content":"A foil packet is a small, sealed pan that steams on top and fries on the bottom. The food sitting on the foil browns in fat; everything above it cooks in the steam from its own juices, which baste the whole pouch in one shared flavour. The catch is that potatoes, meat, and soft vegetables cook at very different speeds, and once the packet is sealed you can\u0026rsquo;t add things in stages. So you stage them with the knife instead: cut the slow things small and the fast things big, and they all finish at once.\nThe variables Cut size sets the cooking time. Dense vegetables (potato, carrot, sweet potato, beets) go in 1–1.5 cm (½ in) dice. Medium ones (onion, peppers, mushrooms, corn) go in 2–3 cm (1 in) pieces. Fast, watery ones (zucchini, tomato, greens) go in big chunks, or in near the top. Order sets the browning. Whatever touches the foil fries; whatever sits above it steams. Put the fat and the things you want crisp (potatoes, meat) on the bottom. Fat, salt, and a little savoury. About 1 tbsp butter or oil per packet, salt or half a bouillon cube, and pepper. The bouillon dissolves into the juices and seasons everything in the packet. Liquid is already in the food. Add none, or a splash at most. Vegetables and meat give off enough to steam, and more makes it soggy instead of browned. Size. One serving per packet, about 350–450 g (¾–1 lb) of food, in a single layer no more than 5 cm (2 in) deep. Bigger packets cook unevenly and are hard to flip. Heat. Medium heat: coals, not flames, or a grill or oven at about 200°C (400°F). Steps Tear two sheets of heavy-duty foil about 45 cm (18 in) long and stack them. Why: one layer tears on the grate or burns through on a hot coal. Fat on the foil, then the slow layer. Butter or oil in the centre, the meat and dense vegetables on it in one layer. The fast layer on top, then the seasoning, and any butter or herbs. Seal it. Bring the long sides together over the food and fold them down in 1 cm folds until the seam sits just above the food, leaving some headroom. Fold each end in twice. Why: a tight seal keeps the steam in, and the headroom gives it room to circulate. Cook seam side up on coals or a medium grill, 20–30 minutes for vegetables and diced or thin meat, 30–40 for a raw potato base. Flip it once in the last 5–10 minutes if you want both sides browned. In a 200°C (400°F) oven, give it 25–40 minutes on a sheet pan. Check one. Open a corner with tongs, away from your face, and test the biggest piece of potato with a knife. Ground meat should reach 71°C (160°F); chicken 74°C (165°F). Reseal and keep going if it isn\u0026rsquo;t there. Why: packets vary with the fire, so check one before calling them all done. Open and serve in the foil. The juices at the bottom are the sauce. How it fails Burnt bottom, raw top: flames instead of coals, a single sheet of foil, or no fat on the bottom. Rake the fire down and lift the packet to the edge. Hard potatoes, mushy zucchini: the cut sizes are backwards. Dice the dense things smaller, and give the soft things more size. Soggy and pale: too much liquid, too many watery vegetables, or a packet piled too deep. Leaking: a tear, or a seam that wasn\u0026rsquo;t folded enough. A leak lets the steam out and the juice into the fire. Wrap it in another sheet. Bland: no salt or bouillon. The steam spreads seasoning around the packet, but it can\u0026rsquo;t make any. Variations Camp burger pouch. The one from [[Camp cooking]]: diced potato and mixed vegetables, 115 g (¼ lb) of crumbled or pattied ground beef, half a bouillon cube, a pat of butter, and pepper.\nFish packet. A fillet on a bed of thinly sliced vegetables, with butter, lemon, and herbs. Fish cooks fast, so everything under it is sliced thin, and the packet takes 12–18 minutes.\nSausage and peppers. Sliced cooked sausage with peppers, onion, and diced potato. The sausage only needs heating, so the potato sets the time.\nPrep ahead. Pack the packets at home and keep them flat in a cooler for up to a day. Leave out raw tomato and salt-sensitive vegetables until the day you cook, or they weep.\nFurther reading [[Camp cooking]] ","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/foil-packets/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"A foil packet is a small, sealed pan that steams on top and fries on the bottom. The food sitting on the foil browns in fat; everything above it cooks in the steam from its own juices, which baste the whole pouch in one shared flavour. The catch is that potatoes, meat, and soft vegetables cook at very different speeds, and once the packet is sealed you can’t add things in stages. So you stage them with the knife instead: cut the slow things small and the fast things big, and they all finish at once.\n","title":"Foil packets","type":"methods"},{"content":"I regularly stay at a corporate apartment with a nice little kitchen that has only stainless steel pots and pans. Real pans are normally a good thing, but when I\u0026rsquo;m travelling I don\u0026rsquo;t bring oil or butter, and I don\u0026rsquo;t want to buy more than I need, since I hate throwing out food (or packing it home). And while stainless pans are inert and last forever, they\u0026rsquo;re picky until they reach the right temperature and are properly lubricated.\nInstead, I use a variant of [[Reverse cooking: reverse sear and water frying|water frying]] that works well with ground meat. Add enough water to cover the bottom of a pot (the high walls stop splatter) and bring it to a simmer. Add the beef, break it up, and stir. The fat renders out as the water evaporates, and very little sticks to the pan. If anything does stick, add a splash of water (or wine) and deglaze.\nThis might not work as well with ground chicken or turkey, which don\u0026rsquo;t have enough fat. For those, add some sausage, or a little salad dressing for the oil.\n","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/technique-essays/frying-ground-beef-without-oil/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"I regularly stay at a corporate apartment with a nice little kitchen that has only stainless steel pots and pans. Real pans are normally a good thing, but when I’m travelling I don’t bring oil or butter, and I don’t want to buy more than I need, since I hate throwing out food (or packing it home). And while stainless pans are inert and last forever, they’re picky until they reach the right temperature and are properly lubricated.\n","title":"How do you fry ground beef without oil?","type":"essays"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/mains/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Mains","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/make-ahead/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Make-Ahead","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/pork/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Pork","type":"tags"},{"content":"Pork loin was on sale this week, packaged in half loins (roughly 3.5 kg). I picked one up and split it into four roasts. Loin usually ends up as chops, or brined and smoked as back bacon (Canadian bacon). It\u0026rsquo;s a fairly lean cut, but cut right it has some marbling and a fat cap, and it makes great ground pork if you include the fat cap.\nI ground a quarter of the loin, then seasoned and brined it overnight. I fried a small test portion and decided to run the rest through the stand mixer with the paddle attachment to soften the texture. Then I formed it into balls and patties and froze them.\nSausage patties and rolled breakfast sausage are easy and cheap if you follow a few rules of thumb, all by weight of meat:\n1.25–1.5% salt 3–5% water 0.5–0.6% MSG 0.5–1% sugar 0.5–0.75% spices You have a few ways to control texture:\ngrind: single or double, and grind size mixing: combined, mixed, or whipped hydration and time: more or less water fat: 90% lean is chewier, 70% lean is juicier additions: bread, milk, butter, cheese This test was about mixing. A Vienna sausage is double ground and mixed until homogeneous; a farmer sausage is loosely mixed and barely holds together. For patties I want something in between.\nThese ranges are a starting point, not a recipe. [[Breakfast sausage]] is the tested version, a little saltier at 1.6% and with milk powder for binding. If you only take one thing from this, fry a test piece before you form the whole batch. It\u0026rsquo;s the cheapest way to fix seasoning and texture while you still can.\nPaddle mixing works well with caveats:\ndon\u0026rsquo;t over mix, as heat becomes the enemy (add ice instead of water, or place a second bowl of ice-water under the mixer bowl) use the splash guard, unless you want to decorate your kitchen with pork ","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/technique-essays/pork-loin-sausage/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"Pork loin was on sale this week, packaged in half loins (roughly 3.5 kg). I picked one up and split it into four roasts. Loin usually ends up as chops, or brined and smoked as back bacon (Canadian bacon). It’s a fairly lean cut, but cut right it has some marbling and a fat cap, and it makes great ground pork if you include the fat cap.\n","title":"Pork loin sausage","type":"essays"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/quick/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Quick","type":"tags"},{"content":"A quick, sweet-and-sour relish from the pickle shelf, for when a dish wants one.\nIngredients ½ cup sweet pickles, chopped ½ cup pickled peppers (mild–medium), chopped ½ cup frozen corn, diced and fried until the edges are brown and crispy ¼ cup red onion, diced ½ cup mustard 2 tbsp ketchup 1 tbsp freeze-dried dill (or fresh, in season) salt and pepper, to taste Method Combine everything, taste and adjust, and rest in the refrigerator for a few hours.\n","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/quick-relish/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A quick, sweet-and-sour relish from the pickle shelf, for when a dish wants one.\nIngredients ½ cup sweet pickles, chopped ½ cup pickled peppers (mild–medium), chopped ½ cup frozen corn, diced and fried until the edges are brown and crispy ¼ cup red onion, diced ½ cup mustard 2 tbsp ketchup 1 tbsp freeze-dried dill (or fresh, in season) salt and pepper, to taste Method Combine everything, taste and adjust, and rest in the refrigerator for a few hours.\n","title":"Quick relish","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/sausage/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Sausage","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/soups/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Soups","type":"tags"},{"content":"Two pork stir fries from one method: lemongrass pork, and sweet ginger and garlic pork. Use a lean, tender cut like pork sirloin tip, which wants a fast cook. There\u0026rsquo;s no deep frying, so both are much lighter than takeout.\nMechanic Baking soda and cornstarch in the marinade tenderize and coat the pork, a shortcut to [[Velveting (pork)|velveting]]. The pork stays tender and browns in a little oil instead of a deep fryer.\nLemongrass pork 500 g pork, silverskin removed, cubed 5–6 stalks lemongrass, washed, sliced very thin on the bias ½ head garlic, crushed and sliced 1 shallot, sliced fine 1 tbsp each soy sauce, mirin, and rice wine (or rice wine vinegar, or lime juice) 1 tsp baking soda 1–2 tbsp cornstarch salt and pepper, to taste neutral oil, for frying 1 cup green onion, sliced on the bias in largish chunks 3–4 cups vegetables (onion, celery, peppers), cut on the bias into largish bite-size pieces Salt and pepper the pork, then marinate it in the liquids, garlic, shallot, and a small handful of the lemongrass. Toss with the baking soda and cornstarch. Refrigerate for 30–60 minutes.\nHeat some oil in a wide pan on medium-low. Add the remaining lemongrass and cook until it starts to brown. Add the pork and cook until it browns too. Add the vegetables and turn the heat up to medium. Flip regularly until the vegetables are browning and the pork is cooked through. Toss in the green onion just before serving.\nGarlic/ginger pork 500 g pork, silverskin removed, julienned (5 × 5 mm, 3–4 cm long) ½ head garlic, crushed and sliced 1 shallot, sliced fine 1 knob ginger, sliced fine (or grated) 1 tbsp each soy sauce, mirin, and rice wine (or rice wine vinegar, or lime juice) 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1–2 tbsp cornstarch 1–2 tsp white pepper (a classic with ginger and garlic) salt and pepper, to taste neutral oil, for frying 1 cup green onion, sliced on the bias in largish chunks 3–4 cups vegetables (onion, celery, peppers), cut on the bias into largish bite-size pieces water and rice wine vinegar, for deglazing Marinate the pork in the garlic, shallot, ginger, sugar, white pepper, salt and pepper, and liquids. Toss with the baking soda and cornstarch. Refrigerate for 30–60 minutes.\nHeat some oil in a wide pan on medium. Fry the pork until the edges start to brown. Add the onion and celery and keep cooking. Add the remaining vegetables and flip regularly.\nDeglaze the pan with a splash of water and rice wine vinegar. Cook until the liquid reduces to a glaze, adding more if it gets too thick. Toss in the green onion just before serving.\nTo serve Over rice. Brown basmati cooked in chicken stock, with sunflower seeds and five-spice, is a good match.\nVariations Tofu. Press it dry, then treat it exactly like the pork.\nDeeper lemongrass. Marinate the pork overnight in [[Lemongrass marinade]] instead of the quick marinade, then fry it the same way. More flavour, but it needs planning a day ahead.\n","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/stir-fry-two-ways/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Two pork stir fries from one method: lemongrass pork, and sweet ginger and garlic pork. Use a lean, tender cut like pork sirloin tip, which wants a fast cook. There’s no deep frying, so both are much lighter than takeout.\n","title":"Stir fry two ways","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Stock is a savoury tea: flavour and gelatin pulled from bones and vegetables into water, then concentrated.\nEvery stock on this site follows the same five steps: roast, extract, lift out the solids, reduce, strain. The roast sets the colour, the reduction sets the strength, and only the extraction time changes. Bigger, denser bones take longer to give up their gelatin. No bones, no wait.\nRoast deep brown → Extract bones set the time → Lift out the solids → Reduce by half → Strain The steps Prep (optional). Wash the vegetables before peeling, and taste any peels before they go in. Cut roughly, or slice thin (a mandoline helps) for a darker, sweeter roast.\nRoast at 200–230°C (400–450°F), tossed with a couple of tablespoons of oil, until deep brown but not burnt, 30–45 minutes. Flip halfway, and scrape the fond into the pot. Why: the roast sets the colour and most of the flavour. Extract. Cover with water (4–5 L in a 6 L pressure cooker), add the peppercorns and herbs, and hold at a gentle simmer for the time in the table below. Let the pressure release naturally. Why: a hard boil or a fast release clouds the stock. Lift out the solids at the cooktop with a spider and tongs, then pour the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a smaller pot. Why: strained over the sink, it ends up down the drain. Reduce by half at a gentle simmer, 2–3 hours, in the widest pot that holds it safely. Skim every 30 minutes or so. Bone stock reduced by half sets to jelly when cold. Cool fast in a sink of ice water, or with an ice-filled pot or cooling paddle (see [[Food safety: time and temperature]]). Keep the fat for starting soups, or lift it off once set. Refrigerate up to 5 days, or freeze for 3 months (6 at most). Steep kombu or bonito (optional, before reducing). Off the heat, steep them in the strained stock for 15–25 minutes, then lift them out. Kombu tastes better below a simmer.\nTaste (optional, before reducing). Try a spoonful with a pinch of salt or a splash of soy. Leave the stock itself unsalted, so it can be reduced and used anywhere.\nExtraction time by base The steps don\u0026rsquo;t change. The time does, and it follows the size of the bones. On the stovetop, allow 3–4 times the pressure cooker time.\nBase Pressure cooker Stovetop Notes Vegetable and mushroom (no bones) 20 min, low pressure ~1 hr Flavour comes almost entirely from the roast; ~2:3 veg to water Chicken or turkey carcasses 30–45 min, high pressure 2–3 hr Backs, necks, and wing tips; the small bones give up gelatin fast Beef bones 45–100 min, high pressure 3–6 hr Knuckle, neck, or side cut; the bigger and denser the bones, the longer What goes in, and what doesn\u0026rsquo;t Put in things that taste good and extract well. [[Why ingredients matter in stock]] goes into the details; in short:\nBase: onion, carrot, celery, shallot, and garlic, with black peppercorns, bay, and thyme or rosemary. Tomato paste browned on the roasting trays adds colour and savouriness. Leave out: brassicas like broccoli, cabbage, and kale (bitter); starchy vegetables (cloudy); leafy greens and tender herbs (they go off over a long cook); the pope\u0026rsquo;s nose and organ meat (bitter, gamey); anything mouldy or rotten. Use sparingly carrots (sweet), fennel and celery (they take over), and strong seeds. Garlic and celery come through stronger under pressure. Add late, or not at all: kombu and bonito go in off the heat, before reducing. Acids belong in the finished soup, not the stock. How it fails Weak: too much water, or not enough roasting. Reduce it further. Bitter: brassicas, untasted peels, the pope\u0026rsquo;s nose, or a roast taken past dark brown into burnt. Cloudy: a hard boil, a fast pressure release, or starchy vegetables. Fine for a soup base; a problem only if you want it clear. Gone: poured down the drain. Strain at the cooktop (step 3). Variations Pale stock. Skip the roast and put the bones and vegetables straight into the water. Lighter in colour and flavour, for delicate soups and sauces.\nRamen stock. Chicken carcasses with ginger and a little pork fat or bones, finished with a kombu and bonito steep. Reduce at a rolling boil if you want a richer, cloudier broth.\nOther cuisines. Ginger, star anise, and cinnamon turn the vegetable or beef base toward phở; miso and kombu toward Japanese.\nRecipes [[Chicken or turkey stock]] [[Beef stock]] [[Basic chicken ramen stock]] [[Rich veg/mushroom stock]] For reduced stock as a freezer base, see [[Condensing recipes for freezer prep, or how I make things like beef stew|Condensing recipes for freezer prep]].\n","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/stock/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"Stock is a savoury tea: flavour and gelatin pulled from bones and vegetables into water, then concentrated.\nEvery stock on this site follows the same five steps: roast, extract, lift out the solids, reduce, strain. The roast sets the colour, the reduction sets the strength, and only the extraction time changes. Bigger, denser bones take longer to give up their gelatin. No bones, no wait.\n","title":"Stock","type":"methods"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/stocks/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Stocks","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tags","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/thai/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Thai","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"A coconut curry noodle soup built on quick-marinated pork (a shortcut to [[Velveting (pork)|velveting]]), lemongrass, and whatever vegetables are on hand. Brown the pork fast and leave it underdone, so it finishes in the soup and stays tender.\nPork and mushrooms 500–750 g pork sirloin, sliced thin and halved (3–4 mm thick, ~2 cm square) 2–3 cups mushrooms (such as shiitake), sliced 3–4 stalks lemongrass, sliced very fine on the bias garlic and shallots, minced fine 2 tbsp each soy sauce, mirin, and rice wine (or wine vinegar, or lime juice) 1 tbsp fish sauce 1–2 tbsp cane sugar (or any sugar) 1–2 tbsp cornstarch 1 tsp MSG 1 tsp baking soda salt and pepper, to taste Toss the pork and mushrooms with everything else and marinate in the fridge for up to a few hours.\nFry the mixture in a nonstick pan on medium, stirring or flipping regularly, until well browned outside but still underdone in the middle. Set aside; it finishes cooking in the soup.\nSoup base coconut oil (or the solids skimmed from the coconut milk) 2–3 tbsp curry paste (whatever you have on hand) 1–2 cups onion, sliced thin 1 cup celery, sliced thin on the bias 1 can coconut milk 500 ml (2 cups) partially condensed stock (unsalted and homemade is best; season carefully if using store-bought) 4 cups broccoli, in bite-size pieces 2–3 cups mild and medium peppers, sliced thin on the bias 1-2 tsp crushed garlic 2-3 tsp grated ginger 1 pack noodles, par-cooked in boiling water if needed Heat some coconut oil in a large 5–6 L (5–6 qt) saucier on medium. If the coconut milk has separated, use its solids instead. Add the curry paste and stir until aromatic.\nAdd the onion and celery and cook until they start sticking. Deglaze with the coconut milk, add the stock, and scrape up the browned bits. Add the remaining vegetables and simmer until they\u0026rsquo;re almost tender.\nAdd the noodles and the pork mixture and simmer until the pork is cooked through. Taste and adjust.\nTo serve In large bowls.\nVariations Tofu. Treat it exactly like the pork, and leave out the fish sauce.\n","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/thai-inspired-noodle-soup/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A coconut curry noodle soup built on quick-marinated pork (a shortcut to [[Velveting (pork)|velveting]]), lemongrass, and whatever vegetables are on hand. Brown the pork fast and leave it underdone, so it finishes in the soup and stays tender.\n","title":"Thai-inspired noodle soup","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/vegetarian/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Vegetarian","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"17 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/weeknight/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Weeknight","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"14 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/burgers/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Burgers","type":"tags"},{"content":"Spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, and garlic cooked together in a little oily water, so the sauce makes itself as the water boils off. It\u0026rsquo;s the [[Cherry tomato and garlic pasta]] build of one-pan pasta.\nMechanic Everything goes in the pan at once: a reverse sauce. Under a lid, the water steams the tomatoes until they burst, while the garlic poaches gently and can\u0026rsquo;t brown. With the lid off, the water boils down, turns starchy, and leaves the pasta, tomatoes, and garlic frying in the oil, and the starch pulls the oil and tomato juice into a loose, glossy sauce.\nIngredients 250 g spaghetti or linguine 500 g (about 3 cups) cherry tomatoes, whole 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin ½ tsp chili flakes 45 ml (3 tbsp) olive oil Salt 1 tbsp tomato paste A handful of basil leaves, torn 30 g (½ cup) Parmesan, finely grated Extra virgin olive oil, to finish Method Lay the pasta flat in a wide pan, about 33 cm (13 in). Scatter the tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, and chili flakes over it, add the olive oil, and pour in salted boiling water just to cover the pasta.\nCover and boil over high heat. Cook, stirring once or twice, until most of the tomato skins split, about 5 minutes.\nUncover and keep boiling, stirring regularly so the pasta doesn\u0026rsquo;t stick, until the water is nearly gone and the pasta is 2–3 minutes from the package time. Add a splash of water if it runs dry first; ladle some out if it isn\u0026rsquo;t reducing.\nPress about half the tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Toss over high heat as the last of the water cooks off and the pasta fries in the oil, until the sauce turns glossy and coats the pasta but is still loose, 2–3 minutes.\nTake the pan off the heat. Stir in the basil, half the Parmesan, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.\nTo serve Straight away, with the rest of the Parmesan on top.\nVariations Mushroom aglio e olio No tomatoes; savoury and oily. Soak 15 g (½ oz) dried mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes, then chop them roughly. Add the mushrooms with the garlic, and use the soaking liquid as part of the water, topping up as needed. Season with salt, pepper, and more chili flakes, and drizzle in olive oil as you stir so it emulsifies with the starchy water.\nWin the fridge Uses up the last of the salad tomatoes and whatever else needs eating (see [[Win the fridge]]). Add a handful of sliced mushrooms and a few sprigs of thyme with the tomatoes. Off the heat, finish with lemon zest and a squeeze of juice along with the Parmesan.\nNotes The garlic can\u0026rsquo;t brown while there\u0026rsquo;s water in the pan. Once the water is gone it can, so take the pan off the heat as soon as the sauce turns glossy. The sauce should look a little too loose in the pan; it tightens on the plate. ","date":"14 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/cherry-tomato-and-garlic-spaghetti/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, and garlic cooked together in a little oily water, so the sauce makes itself as the water boils off. It’s the [[Cherry tomato and garlic pasta]] build of one-pan pasta.\n","title":"Cherry tomato and garlic spaghetti","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"14 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/italian/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Italian","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"","date":"14 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/pasta/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Pasta","type":"tags"},{"content":"The burger I make at home. It starts from [[The Whopper]]: one wide patty with everything cold stacked on top. The technique comes from the [[White Spot burger]]: a thin griddled patty, seasoned after it cooks, built deluxe. Every part is there because I tested the alternatives and they lost.\nThe story of how it got here is in [[The quest for the perfect burger]].\nPicks Sharp, sour, and crunchy veg sitting on a loose, seasoned patty.\nForming burger patties: One thin patty, 140 g, not mixed Seasoning burgers: Salt and cracked black pepper, after cooking Cooking patties: Griddled hot, flipped two or three times Assembling burgers: Shredded lettuce, thin tomato, paper-thin raw purple onion, onion sautéed in the beef fat, double-sour pickles, on a toasted hamburger bun ([[Chef John\u0026rsquo;s hamburger buns]]), wrapped in paper to rest Sauces and condiments: Mayonnaise and mustard, kept separate Toasted bun, mayo soft, rich Shredded lettuce cold crunch Thin tomato juicy, acid Mustard sharp Double-sour pickles sour Onion sautéed in beef fat sweet Thin patty, 140 g salt, fat, savoury Raw purple onion sharp Toasted bun, mayo rich, barrier Why these picks Griddled, not grilled. The Whopper\u0026rsquo;s shape with a flat-top crust instead of char, and the fat stays in the pan for the onions. This is both a practical decision and a flavour decision, as a griddled burger has more browned surface. Two types of onions, paper thin. Raw purple onion for sharpness, and onion sautéed in the beef fat for sweetness. Together they do more than either alone. Double-sour pickles. The strongest sour on the burger. Hard to buy and easy to make (see [[Sauces and condiments]]). Mustard. Punchy acidity. I no longer use ketchup on these, as the sautéed onions provide the sweetness more naturally. Rest in paper. A few minutes wrapped in burger paper steams the bun and settles the flavours. It tastes better than the same burger straight off the griddle. How it fails Springy, dense patty: it was mixed, or salted raw. One-note: the double-sour pickles or the raw onion are missing, so nothing cuts the fat. Mostly bun, or mostly meat: the patty and bun don\u0026rsquo;t match in size. Variations Blended sauce: swap the mayonnaise and mustard for [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s burger sauce]] or the [[In-N-Out burger spread]]. Drive-in deluxe: swap the mayonnaise and mustard for the Triple “O” sauces (see [[Drive-in deluxe burger]]). ","date":"14 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/bruce-burger/","pinned":true,"section":"Methods","summary":"The burger I make at home. It starts from [[The Whopper]]: one wide patty with everything cold stacked on top. The technique comes from the [[White Spot burger]]: a thin griddled patty, seasoned after it cooks, built deluxe. Every part is there because I tested the alternatives and they lost.\n","title":"The Bruce burger","type":"methods"},{"content":"The weeknight version of a meat-sauce pasta: the sauce is already made, so dinner is the time it takes the pasta to cook, about 10 minutes from a freezer full of previous laziness.\nPicks Rich and savoury, tight enough to cling.\nCooking pasta in the pan: Long pasta, spaghetti or linguine Pasta sauces: From a base: meat sauce from the freezer, thawed Finishing pasta in the sauce: Tight Off the heat: Cheese: Parmesan, and basil if there is some Why these picks Meat sauce from a base. The long cook happened weeks ago, when the [[Beef base]] braised until tender and became a batch of meat sauce. Tonight it only needs heating through with the pasta. Spaghetti or linguine. It\u0026rsquo;s how I make it most often, partly out of nostalgia. A thick sauce is harder on long pasta than short, so it needs stirring in the low water, but the starchy water loosens the sauce enough to coat every strand. Tight. A meat sauce left loose pools under long pasta. Cooked down until nothing pools, it clings. Parmesan off the heat. It salts the sauce and tightens it a little more, without going grainy. How it fails Sauce pools in the bowl: it wasn\u0026rsquo;t cooked down far enough. Keep tossing over the heat, or stir in more cheese. Clumped spaghetti: it wasn\u0026rsquo;t stirred while it cooked. Long pasta in shallow water sticks to itself and the pan. Pasty or dry: the sauce went in frozen or too thick. Thaw it first, and loosen it with a splash of water. Variations Short pasta: penne or rigatoni hold the sauce inside the tubes. Stir now and then so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t stick. Fresh broad noodles: tagliatelle or pappardelle from [[Fresh egg pasta]] suit a rich sauce best. Skip cooking it in the pan; it finishes in the sauce in 2–3 minutes with a splash of water, and brings less starch, so lean on the cheese. Recipes [[Meat sauce (AKA American bolognese)]].\n","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/one-pan-pasta/builds/american-bolognese/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"The weeknight version of a meat-sauce pasta: the sauce is already made, so dinner is the time it takes the pasta to cook, about 10 minutes from a freezer full of previous laziness.\n","title":"American bolognese pasta","type":"methods"},{"content":"","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/canadian/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Canadian","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"The fresh version: nothing made ahead, just cherry tomatoes, garlic, and oil cooked in the pan with the pasta. It\u0026rsquo;s also the best way I know to use up the last of the cherry tomatoes.\nPicks Bright, sweet, and garlicky, loose and oily.\nCooking pasta in the pan: Long pasta, spaghetti or linguine Pasta sauces: Built fresh, in the pasta water: whole cherry tomatoes and sliced garlic cooked with the pasta in oily water, chili flakes, and a spoonful of tomato paste at the end Finishing pasta in the sauce: Loose Off the heat: Oil and herbs: torn basil, Parmesan, a drizzle of good oil This is one of the few cases I recommend adding oil to the pasta water. The water boils off quickly, and the remaining contents fry gently in the oil.\nWhy these picks A reverse sauce. Garlic wants gentle heat and the tomatoes want high heat. It turns out that steaming the tomatoes hastens bursting them, and the garlic survives the gentle heat of the water. Whole tomatoes, burst. They cook until the skins split, then half get pressed, so their juice becomes the sauce and the rest stay as sweet, whole bites. Add a lid to speed this up, then remove it so the water evaporates. Tomato paste. Fresh tomatoes don\u0026rsquo;t get deep in 10 minutes; a spoonful of paste, darkened in the oil once the water is nearly gone, adds the cooked-tomato depth. Extra virgin olive oil and basil off the heat. Good oil loses its flavour over a flame, and basil goes dark. How it fails Oily, separated sauce: not enough starch, or not tossed hard enough. Toss over high heat with a splash of water until it turns glossy. Watery: too much water left with the pasta, or the tomatoes weren\u0026rsquo;t cooked down. Keep tossing, then lean on the Parmesan. Bitter: the garlic browned once the water was gone. Take it off the heat as soon as the sauce turns glossy. Variations Mushroom aglio e olio: no tomatoes. Dried mushrooms soaked, added with the garlic, and their soaking liquid used as part of the pasta water; olive oil drizzled in at the end to emulsify. Win the fridge: mushrooms, thyme, and lemon alongside the last of the small tomatoes (see [[Win the fridge]]). Recipes [[Cherry tomato and garlic spaghetti]].\n","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/one-pan-pasta/builds/cherry-tomato-and-garlic/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"The fresh version: nothing made ahead, just cherry tomatoes, garlic, and oil cooked in the pan with the pasta. It’s also the best way I know to use up the last of the cherry tomatoes.\n","title":"Cherry tomato and garlic pasta","type":"methods"},{"content":"A\u0026amp;W Canada\u0026rsquo;s bacon cheeseburger, built around mozzarella instead of cheddar. Mozzarella is mild and milky, so the sauce does the work: Mozza sauce, a creamy, tangy spread of mayo, relish, and chili sauce, goes on both buns. Bacon, lettuce, and tomato fill in the rest.\nThis is one of the few unique variations I\u0026rsquo;ll eat out a few times a year. A\u0026amp;W Canada uses the highest quality of ingredients of any fast food in Canada, and was a champion of recycling before it was cool.\nPicks Creamy, tangy, and mild; the sauce leads.\nForming burger patties: One regular patty, 85 g (3 oz) Seasoning burgers: Lawry\u0026rsquo;s Seasoned Salt, on the griddle Cooking patties: Griddled, flipped two or three times, mozzarella on after the last flip Assembling burgers: Real mozzarella, bacon, lettuce, and tomato, on a toasted sesame seed bun Sauces and condiments: [[Mozza burger sauce]] on the top and bottom buns Toasted sesame bun, Mozza sauce creamy, tangy Lettuce cool crunch Tomato juicy, acid Bacon smoke, salt Mozzarella mild, melt Beef patty, 85 g salt, savoury Toasted sesame bun, Mozza sauce tangy, barrier Where it comes from A\u0026amp;W Canada sells the Mozza burger alongside the Burger Family, though it isn\u0026rsquo;t one of the family. The Canadian chain has been separate from the American A\u0026amp;W since 1972, and its menu has drifted far from the U.S. one; the Mozza is one of the burgers only Canada has, introduced in the 1980s. (A\u0026amp;W (Canada), Wikipedia.)\nConstraint Pick it explains A burger to stand apart from the Burger Family Mozzarella and its own sauce instead of cheddar and Teen sauce Mild cheese Sauce on both buns, to carry the flavour Why these picks Mozzarella. Milder and creamier than cheddar, and it melts soft and stretchy. Sauce on both buns. The mozzarella doesn\u0026rsquo;t bring much flavour, so the sauce has to. Two layers put the tang in every bite. Mozza sauce. A mayo base with sweet pickle or red relish, chili sauce, and a touch of Thousand Island dressing or sugar: creamy, sweet, and tangy, close to a Thousand Island. Bacon. The salt and smoke the mild cheese can\u0026rsquo;t give. How it fails Bland: too little sauce, or the sauce on one bun only. Slides apart: too much sauce on a bun that wasn\u0026rsquo;t toasted. Recipes The sauce: [[Mozza burger sauce]].\n","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/mozza-burger/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"A\u0026W Canada’s bacon cheeseburger, built around mozzarella instead of cheddar. Mozzarella is mild and milky, so the sauce does the work: Mozza sauce, a creamy, tangy spread of mayo, relish, and chili sauce, goes on both buns. Bacon, lettuce, and tomato fill in the rest.\n","title":"Mozza burger","type":"methods"},{"content":"The classic Canadian A\u0026amp;W Mozza burger has a sweet sauce.\nMechanic A mayo base with roughly half as much red relish, and a spoonful of Thousand Island to round it out. The relish brings the sweetness, sourness, and texture; the chili sauce in it gives the tomato tang that sets it apart from a plain relish mayo.\n2Mayo : 1Relish Ingredients 125 ml (½ cup) mayonnaise 60–75 ml (4–5 tbsp) red relish: sweet pickle relish mixed with Heinz Chili Sauce 15–30 ml (1–2 tbsp) Thousand Island dressing A pinch of sugar (optional) Method Stir everything together. Taste, and add the sugar if it isn\u0026rsquo;t sweet enough.\nTo serve On both buns of a [[Mozza burger]].\nNotes [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s burger sauce]] was also developed for a mozza-style burger: sharper, with mustard, where this one is sweeter. ","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/mozza-burger-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"The classic Canadian A\u0026W Mozza burger has a sweet sauce.\nMechanic A mayo base with roughly half as much red relish, and a spoonful of Thousand Island to round it out. The relish brings the sweetness, sourness, and texture; the chili sauce in it gives the tomato tang that sets it apart from a plain relish mayo.\n","title":"Mozza burger sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/sauces/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Sauces","type":"tags"},{"content":"The classic diner burger, as A\u0026amp;W Canada still makes it. One seasoned patty, real cheddar, and bacon, under every topping a diner offers: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and Teen sauce, a tangy, slightly sweet, savoury mayonnaise spread with mustard, sugar, and spices. The seasoning is what makes it taste like a Teen: Lawry\u0026rsquo;s Seasoned Salt, not plain salt.\nPicks Savoury and smoky, with everything on it.\nForming burger patties: One regular patty, 85 g (3 oz) Seasoning burgers: Lawry\u0026rsquo;s Seasoned Salt, on the griddle Cooking patties: Griddled, flipped two or three times, cheddar on after the last flip Assembling burgers: Real cheddar, bacon, lettuce, tomato, a slice of onion, and pickles, on a toasted sesame seed bun Sauces and condiments: Teen sauce, with ketchup and mustard Toasted sesame bun, Teen sauce tangy, savoury Lettuce cool crunch Tomato juicy, acid Onion slice sharp Pickles sour Bacon smoke, salt Cheddar sharp, melt Seasoned patty, 85 g salt, savoury Ketchup and mustard sweet, sharp Toasted sesame bun barrier Where it comes from The Teen is one of the Burger Family, a line of burgers A\u0026amp;W introduced in the U.S. in the early 1960s and named after its 1963 mascots: Baby, Mama, Teen, and Papa. A\u0026amp;W came to Canada in 1956, with its first restaurant in Winnipeg, and the Canadian chain split from the American one in 1972. The U.S. chain mostly dropped the Burger Family in the 1980s; A\u0026amp;W Canada brought it back in the late 1990s, as part of a retro, 1950s-style revival aimed at baby boomers, and still sells it. The Teen is the Mama burger plus bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. (A\u0026amp;W (Canada) and The Burger Family, Wikipedia.)\nConstraint Pick it explains A family of burgers built from one patty The same 85 g patty as the Mama and Papa; the Teen adds the toppings A drive-in griddle and fast service A thin patty, seasoned on the griddle One house spread across the whole line Teen sauce on every Burger Family burger Why these picks Seasoned salt. Lawry\u0026rsquo;s brings paprika, garlic, onion, and a little sugar along with the salt, so a plain patty tastes seasoned all the way through the bite. Real cheddar. Sharper than American cheese, so it holds its own against the bacon. Teen sauce and the condiments. Teen sauce is mayonnaise (soybean oil, egg yolk, and vinegar) seasoned with mustard, sugar, and spices. With ketchup and mustard alongside, it gives the burger the full sweet, tangy, sharp range of a diner burger. Everything on it. Lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles keep a bacon cheeseburger from getting heavy. How it fails Too salty: seasoned salt and bacon both bring salt. Go light on the seasoning. Heavy: the cold toppings were skimped. Variations Double Teen: two patties. Mama burger: the Teen without the bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. ","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/teen-burger/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"The classic diner burger, as A\u0026W Canada still makes it. One seasoned patty, real cheddar, and bacon, under every topping a diner offers: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and Teen sauce, a tangy, slightly sweet, savoury mayonnaise spread with mustard, sugar, and spices. The seasoning is what makes it taste like a Teen: Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, not plain salt.\n","title":"Teen burger","type":"methods"},{"content":"The big fast-food burger. One wide, flame-grilled patty, and above it everything cold: pickles, raw onion, ketchup, tomato, and lettuce, with mayo on both halves of a toasted sesame bun. The char from the grill is what sets it apart from the griddled burgers. I made these for about five years as a teen, and they\u0026rsquo;re the base of the burger I make at home today: [[The Bruce burger]].\nPicks Smoky and fresh; big and cold on top.\nForming burger patties: One wide patty, 115 g (4 oz), 80:20 chuck Seasoning burgers: Salt and black pepper Cooking patties: Flame-grilled Assembling burgers: Hand-torn or shredded iceberg, two or three slices of vine-ripe tomato, thin white onion rings, three dill pickle chips, on a large sesame seed bun Sauces and condiments: Mayo on both buns, ketchup over the onion Sesame bun, mayo soft, rich Iceberg, torn cool crunch Vine-ripe tomato juicy, acid Ketchup sweet White onion rings sharp Dill pickle chips sour Flame-grilled patty, 115 g smoke, salt Sesame bun, mayo rich, barrier Where it comes from Burger King co-founder James McLamore created the Whopper in 1957, after noticing that a rival restaurant in Gainesville, Florida, was succeeding with a larger burger. He took size to be the reason, and named it for the \u0026ldquo;imagery of something big.\u0026rdquo; It sold for 37 cents. The bun was plain until around 1970, when it switched to sesame. Other chains didn\u0026rsquo;t answer it until the early 1970s, with the McDonald\u0026rsquo;s Quarter Pounder and Burger Chef\u0026rsquo;s Big Shef. Today it\u0026rsquo;s a 4 oz (113 g) flame-grilled patty with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, pickles, ketchup, and sliced onion on a sesame bun, and anything can be added or left off: \u0026ldquo;Have It Your Way.\u0026rdquo; (Whopper, Wikipedia.)\nConstraint Pick it explains Beat a rival on size A 4 oz patty, wider than most, on a large bun A flame grill, not a griddle Char and smoke instead of a seared crust \u0026ldquo;Have It Your Way\u0026rdquo; Simple toppings, each one easy to add or leave off Why these picks Flame-grilled. Char and smoke from the grill, and a looser, juicier patty than a smash. The fat drips away instead of frying the crust. Mayo on both buns. A barrier against the patty\u0026rsquo;s juice below and the tomato above, and richness in every bite. Cold on top. Lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle sit above the hot patty, so the top of the burger stays cool and crisp. Ketchup on the onion. The only sweet thing on the burger, against the sharp onion and sour pickle. How it fails Soggy bottom bun: no mayo on it, or the bun wasn\u0026rsquo;t toasted. Dry patty: lean beef, or overcooked on the grill. A wide, thin patty cooks through fast. Bitter: flare-ups blackened the patty instead of charring it. Variations Whopper Jr.: the same build on a small hamburger bun. It started in 1963 in Puerto Rico, when the Whopper buns hadn\u0026rsquo;t arrived for an opening. Cheese or bacon: American cheese on the patty, bacon above it. Double or triple: two or three patties. ","date":"12 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/whopper/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"The big fast-food burger. One wide, flame-grilled patty, and above it everything cold: pickles, raw onion, ketchup, tomato, and lettuce, with mayo on both halves of a toasted sesame bun. The char from the grill is what sets it apart from the griddled burgers. I made these for about five years as a teen, and they’re the base of the burger I make at home today: [[The Bruce burger]].\n","title":"The Whopper","type":"methods"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;ve never liked the Big Mac, but I once tried a Big Boy burger. It feels like an old-school, club-sandwich take on the Big Mac, but it\u0026rsquo;s closer to a diner burger, so it has real texture and sharpness. I admit I still don\u0026rsquo;t get the middle bun, but when in Rome.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s the first double-decker, historically speaking, that I know of. A quarter pound of beef is split into two thin patties, and a middle slice of bun gives each one its own deck of sauce and lettuce. It\u0026rsquo;s the same weight of beef as a single burger, but twice as tall and with twice the crust. Cool lettuce and a sweet, creamy sauce on both decks balance the salt and fat.\nPicks Tall, creamy, and sweet; soft crunch on every deck.\nForming burger patties: Two thin patties, a quarter pound split in half, wider than the bun Seasoning burgers: Salt and pepper on the griddle Cooking patties: Griddled hot, flipped two or three times, cheese on the lower patty after the last flip Assembling burgers: A three-part sesame bun, toasted; shredded iceberg on both decks; one slice of American cheese Sauces and condiments: Mayonnaise and red relish, or a Thousand Island special sauce Sesame bun soft, toasted Thin patty salt, fat Shredded iceberg cool crunch Middle bun, red relish sauce sweet, creamy, the second deck American cheese melt Thin patty salt, fat Shredded iceberg cool crunch Bottom bun, red relish sauce sweet, barrier There are a few variations on the construction of these, but this is one common take.\nWhere it comes from Glendale, California. Bob Wian opened Bob\u0026rsquo;s Pantry there in 1936, and in February 1937 a bass player from a band that ate there asked for something different. Wian made a double-decker, meant to look ridiculous, like a leaning tower. It was named for a boy who came in while Wian was looking for a name, whom he greeted with \u0026ldquo;Hello, Big Boy.\u0026rdquo; The original was a quarter pound of fresh beef in two thin patties, with lettuce, American cheese, and mayonnaise with red relish (sweet pickle relish, ketchup, and chili sauce) on a three-layer sesame bun. In the late 1940s Wian licensed it to regional chains like Frisch\u0026rsquo;s in Cincinnati, which sold it under their own restaurant names, and the sauce drifted: Frisch\u0026rsquo;s used tartar sauce on a plain bun with pickles. (Big Boy Restaurants, Wikipedia.)\nConstraint Pick it explains A regular asked for something new A double-decker, built to look tall A quarter pound of beef Two thin patties, not one thick one Franchised to regional chains under their own names Red relish, Thousand Island, or tartar sauce, depending on where you ate it Why these picks Two thin patties. Twice the browned surface from the same beef, and each cooks through in a couple of minutes on a griddle. The middle bun. It separates the decks, so each patty has its own sauce and lettuce, and it soaks up the juices that would otherwise make the bottom bun soggy. Lettuce on both decks. The only crunch, and the only thing cool on the burger. Sweet, creamy sauce. Relish and ketchup in mayonnaise, so the sweetness and the fat arrive together. How it fails Leans or slides: patties too thick, or too much sauce between the decks. Soggy middle: the middle bun wasn\u0026rsquo;t toasted on both sides. Bready: the middle bun is too thick, so bun outweighs beef. ","date":"11 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/big-boy/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"I’ve never liked the Big Mac, but I once tried a Big Boy burger. It feels like an old-school, club-sandwich take on the Big Mac, but it’s closer to a diner burger, so it has real texture and sharpness. I admit I still don’t get the middle bun, but when in Rome.\n","title":"Big Boy burger","type":"methods"},{"content":"The [[Fast-food double burger]] as one chain fixed it, and the cheapest way to eat two patties. Two thin patties, one slice of cheese between them, and the fast-food condiments: ketchup, mustard, sour pickles, and onion. Nothing cold or crunchy and nothing optional. Every part is there because it\u0026rsquo;s cheap, fast, and the same every time.\nPicks Salty, sweet, and rich; the same every time.\nForming burger patties: Two thin patties, 45 g each (ten to the pound), cooked from frozen. These are likely double-ground to get a soft texture from cheap cuts. Seasoning burgers: Salt and pepper (and MSG), as they come off the heat Cooking patties: On a hot flat-top, both sides at once in a clamshell griddle at the restaurant; two or three flips at home Assembling burgers: One slice of American cheese between the patties, pickles, and rehydrated dried minced onion, on a small toasted bun; wrapped so it steams Sauces and condiments: Ketchup and mustard Small bun soft Ketchup and mustard sweet, sharp Rehydrated dried onion mellow, sharp Pickles the only sour Thin patty, 45 g savoury American cheese, 1 slice salt, fat Thin patty, 45 g savoury Small bun barrier Where it comes from McDonald\u0026rsquo;s used the McDouble name as early as 1964. The modern McDouble arrived in 1997, as a deluxe: two patties with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise instead of cheese. The version here, one slice of cheese with ketchup, mustard, pickles, and onion, is the value-menu burger it became. It\u0026rsquo;s one of the cheapest things the company sells, half the price of a Big Mac for the same amount of beef, and it\u0026rsquo;s almost identical to the double cheeseburger, which has a second slice of cheese. A Bacon McDouble joined the U.S. Dollar Menu \u0026amp; More in 2013. (McDouble, Wikipedia.)\nConstraint Pick it explains A value-menu price One slice of cheese instead of two; no lettuce or tomato The same burger in every restaurant Frozen patties of a fixed weight; fixed condiments Cooked and served in a couple of minutes Thin patties, both sides at once; dried onion that only needs water Held and carried in paper A soft bun, wrapped so it steams Why these picks Two thin patties. Twice the browned surface, and they cook through in a minute or two. One slice of cheese, between the patties. Both patties melt it, so one slice does the work of two. It\u0026rsquo;s also the whole difference from the double cheeseburger. Rehydrated dried onion. Mellower than raw onion and distinctly fast-food. Fresh onion isn\u0026rsquo;t the same, though you can soak fresh onion in water overnight to get something close. Ketchup, mustard, and pickle. Sweet, sharp, and sour against the salt and fat. Without them it\u0026rsquo;s heavy. Wrapped. A minute in paper steams the bun soft and melts everything together. How it fails Heavy: skimped on pickle or mustard. Dry bun: served straight off the griddle, without the minute in paper. Thick, chewy patties: pressed too thick. A 45 g patty is hard to handle at home, so the [[McDouble]] recipe uses 75 g, pressed thin. Variations Bacon McDouble: two half slices of crisp bacon on the cheese. Deluxe: the 1997 original. Lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise instead of the cheese. Double cheeseburger: a second slice of cheese, one on each patty. Cheeseburger: a single patty, but otherwise the same build. These were two for $0.99 for a long time in the 1990s. Recipes [[McDouble]].\n","date":"11 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/mcdouble/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"The [[Fast-food double burger]] as one chain fixed it, and the cheapest way to eat two patties. Two thin patties, one slice of cheese between them, and the fast-food condiments: ketchup, mustard, sour pickles, and onion. Nothing cold or crunchy and nothing optional. Every part is there because it’s cheap, fast, and the same every time.\n","title":"McDouble burger","type":"methods"},{"content":"The fried onion burger is a classic diner burger; sweet, savoury, and simple.\nMechanic The onion is smashed into the patty, not cooked beside it. A ball of beef goes on a hot griddle under a pile of paper-thin onion, and a heavy press drives the onion into the meat. The beef browns underneath while the onion steams in its juices on top; after the flip, the onion fries in the beef fat until it\u0026rsquo;s sweet and browned at the edges. Use about 2 parts beef to 1 part onion by weight: less onion and it\u0026rsquo;s a smash burger with a garnish, more and the patty won\u0026rsquo;t hold together. The onion has to be sliced paper thin, or it won\u0026rsquo;t cook through before the beef is done.\n2Beef : 1Onion By weight, onion sliced paper thin Burgers 450 g (1 lb) ground beef, 80/20, cold 1 large sweet, white, or yellow onion (about 250 g), sliced paper thin on a mandoline Kosher salt and black pepper 4 slices American cheese 4 soft hamburger buns or potato rolls, not toasted Yellow mustard and dill pickle slices, to serve Method Divide the beef into 4 loose balls, about 110 g each. Keep them cold until the griddle is ready.\nHeat a griddle or large cast iron pan over medium-high until a drop of water skitters and vanishes. Put the balls on the dry surface, well apart. Pile a quarter of the onion on each, a loose mound as wide as the patty will be.\nPress each ball flat through the onion with a heavy spatula, as thin as it will go, about 6 mm (¼ inch). Lean on it for a few seconds so the onion sticks. Season the tops with salt and pepper.\nCook without moving until the edges are deep brown and crisp and the juices bubble up through the onion, about 3 minutes. Scrape under each patty with the spatula edge to keep the crust, and flip so the onion is on the griddle. Season again.\nLay a slice of cheese on each patty. Set the bottom bun on the cheese and the top bun on the bottom bun, so the buns steam over the patty. Cook until the onion underneath is soft and browned at the edges and the cheese has melted, 1 to 2 minutes.\nSlide the spatula under the patty and onion together and flip the whole stack onto a plate, onion side up. Take off the top bun, add mustard and pickles, and close it.\nTo serve Straight off the griddle, with fries or nothing.\nVariations Sliders The same method, smaller. Use 50 g balls, a small pinch of onion each, and slider buns. They cook through in about 2 minutes a side.\nDouble Two 75 g patties, one onion pile each, cheese on one, stacked on one bun. More crust and onion per bite.\nNotes Salting the sliced onion and squeezing it in a towel takes out water, so it browns faster and doesn\u0026rsquo;t steam the crust off the beef. A burger press, a heavy pot, or a second spatula stacked on the first all work. Thin spatulas bend. Don\u0026rsquo;t oil the griddle. The beef renders enough fat for the onion. Fried onion burger on Wikipedia ","date":"11 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/oklahoma-fried-onion-burger/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"The fried onion burger is a classic diner burger; sweet, savoury, and simple.\nMechanic The onion is smashed into the patty, not cooked beside it. A ball of beef goes on a hot griddle under a pile of paper-thin onion, and a heavy press drives the onion into the meat. The beef browns underneath while the onion steams in its juices on top; after the flip, the onion fries in the beef fat until it’s sweet and browned at the edges. Use about 2 parts beef to 1 part onion by weight: less onion and it’s a smash burger with a garnish, more and the patty won’t hold together. The onion has to be sliced paper thin, or it won’t cook through before the beef is done.\n","title":"Oklahoma fried onion burger","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This build is the opposite of the smash. Where the griddled burgers press a little beef thin for crust, the pub burger keeps a lot of beef thick for juice: one hand-formed patty, cooked so the centre stays moist, on a toasted soft bun that can hold it. The toppings stay simple and savoury so the beef leads. It\u0026rsquo;s built to be a hearty meal on its own plate, with a knife beside it and chips on the side.\nI cook these medium to medium-well. In Canada, anything less is uncommon and feels, well, weird.\nPicks Beefy and juicy; a hearty meal.\nForming burger patties: One thick patty, 170–180 g, hand-formed loosely, with a thumbprint in the middle so it cooks flat Seasoning burgers: Salt and pepper on the outside, just before cooking Cooking patties: Grilled or griddled over medium-high heat and turned two or three times, or reverse seared; rested a couple of minutes Assembling burgers: A soft bun, toasted; leaf lettuce, a thick slice of tomato, raw purple onion, pickle; aged cheddar and crisp bacon if you want them Sauces and condiments: Mayonnaise on the bun; ketchup and mustard on the table Toasted soft bun soft, toasted Leaf lettuce cool crunch Thick tomato juicy, acid Raw purple onion sharp Aged cheddar sharp, salt Thick patty, 180 g juicy, beefy Pickle sour Toasted soft bun, mayonnaise rich, barrier Where it comes from The pub burger came in with pub food that took itself seriously. Pubs were traditionally drinking places with little emphasis on food; in the 1980s and \u0026rsquo;90s, the gastropub raised it to restaurant quality, and hamburgers are now one of the dishes pubs commonly serve. One of the earliest was in Canada: Spinnakers in Victoria, British Columbia, opened in 1984 and is sometimes called the world\u0026rsquo;s oldest gastropub. The term itself was coined in London in 1991, at the Eagle in Clerkenwell, and gastropubs spread through the U.K. and U.S. in the 1990s and early 2000s. (Wikipedia, Gastropub.)\nConstraint Pick it explains A sit-down meal, not something eaten from paper One thick patty, on a plate, with a knife Food meant to stand with the beer Simple, savoury toppings; the beef leads Cooked to order in a restaurant kitchen A thick patty cooked juicy, on a grill or flat-top Why these picks One thick patty. Thickness is what keeps it juicy: the centre stays moist while the outside browns. It trades the crust of a thin patty for juice and beefiness. Hand-formed, loosely. Packed beef cooks up dense and springy. A thumbprint in the middle stops it doming into a ball. Salt at the last minute. Salt left on the beef too long pulls out moisture and firms the texture. Toasted soft bun. Soft enough to bite through a thick burger, toasted so the juice doesn\u0026rsquo;t soak straight in. Simple toppings. Lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle add cool, sharp, and sour without hiding the beef. How it fails Burnt outside, raw middle: the heat was too high for the thickness. Lower it, or cook it gently first and sear it after. Dry and grey: cooked through to well done, or the beef was too lean. Domed, falls off the bun: no thumbprint, so the middle puffed as it cooked. Soggy bottom bun: the bun wasn\u0026rsquo;t toasted, or there was no mayo between it and the patty. Variations Bacon cheeseburger: aged cheddar melted on the patty and crisp bacon. Mushroom Swiss: mushrooms sautéed in butter and melted Swiss cheese instead of the cold toppings. ","date":"11 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/pub/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"This build is the opposite of the smash. Where the griddled burgers press a little beef thin for crust, the pub burger keeps a lot of beef thick for juice: one hand-formed patty, cooked so the centre stays moist, on a toasted soft bun that can hold it. The toppings stay simple and savoury so the beef leads. It’s built to be a hearty meal on its own plate, with a knife beside it and chips on the side.\n","title":"Pub burger","type":"methods"},{"content":"This build is all crust. Each patty is a cold ball of beef smashed thin on a very hot griddle, so the whole underside browns at once and the edges go lacy and crisp. Thin patties have little bulk, so they\u0026rsquo;re stacked two (or three) high with cheese melted between them. Onion goes under the patties, pickles and sauce on top.\nPicks Crisp, lacy, and savoury; crust in every bite.\nForming burger patties: Two cold balls, 90–115 g each, loosely packed; not formed into patties first Seasoning burgers: Salt and pepper on top of the ball, just before the smash Cooking patties: Smashed once, hard, as soon as they hit a smoking-hot griddle; scraped up and flipped after about 2 minutes Assembling burgers: A double, cheese between the patties, onion under them, pickles above, on a soft toasted bun Sauces and condiments: Ketchup and mustard, or a burger sauce Toasted soft bun soft Pickles sour Sauce sweet, sharp Smashed patty lacy, crisp edge American cheese melt Smashed patty lacy, crisp edge Diced onion sharp Toasted soft bun barrier Where it comes from Older than it looks. Cooks in the 1880s smashed balls of beef onto hot flat-tops so factory workers and fairgoers could eat in two minutes instead of ten (George Motz\u0026rsquo;s account). Diners kept the flat-top, the Depression kept smashing as a way to stretch beef, and the style got its name and its fame in the 2000s. (Smash burger, Wikipedia.)\nConstraint Pick it explains Browning is where the flavour is Smashed thin, so the whole underside browns at once Thin patties have little bulk Stacked double or triple Workers and fairgoers with minutes to eat Smashed thin, cooked in about two minutes; seasoned and cheesed on the griddle, no resting Pressing a cooking patty squeezes out its juice Smashed once, early, while the beef is cold Why these picks Cold, loose balls. Cold beef holds together under the spatula and stays juicy; loosely packed beef spreads into a lacy edge instead of a tight disc. One hard smash, early. The browning happens in the first minute. A second press only pushes juice into the pan. Scrape, don\u0026rsquo;t lift. The crust sticks to the griddle; a stiff spatula scraped under it keeps it on the patty. A double. Two smashed patties give four browned sides instead of two, which is why the double is the standard. Cheese between the patties. Both patties melt it, and it glues the stack together. Onion underneath. Raw onion under hot beef softens a little and stays sharp, and the bottom bun gets a barrier. How it fails Grey, not brown: the pan wasn\u0026rsquo;t hot enough, or too many patties went in at once. Crust left on the pan: the spatula was flimsy or dull, or the patty was lifted instead of scraped. Dry and tough: pressed again after the first smash, or the beef was too lean. Round and tidy, no lace: the ball was packed tight, or formed into a patty before smashing. Variations Triple: three 75 g patties, cheese between each. Onion smash: thin-sliced onion smashed into the patty, the [[Grilled onion burger]] way. ","date":"11 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/smash/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"This build is all crust. Each patty is a cold ball of beef smashed thin on a very hot griddle, so the whole underside browns at once and the edges go lacy and crisp. Thin patties have little bulk, so they’re stacked two (or three) high with cheese melted between them. Onion goes under the patties, pickles and sauce on top.\n","title":"Smash burger","type":"methods"},{"content":"This is a variation of the [[White Spot burger]], the drive-in and diner burger I grew up with. I love onions, so it has two kinds.\nThe build works because everything above the patty is cold, crunchy, sharp, or sour, and the patty below brings the salt, fat, and savoury depth. It\u0026rsquo;s [[The Bruce burger]] with the drive-in\u0026rsquo;s two sauces in place of mayo and mustard.\nPicks Cold crunch and sharp against a salty patty.\nForming burger patties: One thin patty, 140 g, not mixed Seasoning burgers: Salt and pepper after cooking Cooking patties: Griddled hot, flipped two or three times Assembling burgers: Shredded lettuce, thin tomato, paper-thin raw purple onion, onion sautéed in the beef fat, double-sour pickles, cracked pepper, on a toasted bun Sauces and condiments: Triple “O”: red relish sauce on the base, sweet enriched mayo under the top bun Toasted bun, sweet mayo soft, rich, sweet Shredded lettuce cold crunch Thin tomato juicy, acid Raw purple onion sharp Double-sour pickles sour Onion sautéed in beef fat sweet Thin patty, 140 g salt, fat, savoury Toasted bun, red sauce sweet, sharp, barrier Where it comes from This is the diner and drive-in burger of the 1960s, the burger they still make: built from ingredients a drive-in could buy reliably and cooked fast on a flat-top. Most of the picks are that kitchen\u0026rsquo;s constraints.\nConstraint Pick it explains A flat-top griddle and fast service A thin patty, griddled hot and fast Ingredients bought in bulk Bottled relish, chili sauce, and mayo; iceberg lettuce Eaten in the car, from paper A soft bun, wrapped so it steams \u0026ldquo;Deluxe\u0026rdquo; as an add-on Lettuce and tomato The Triple “O” name comes from the carhop order tickets: a customer who wanted extra sauce, relish, and mayonnaise got three “O”s marked on the slip, and the mark carried into White Spot\u0026rsquo;s point-of-sale system as late as the 2010s. The sauces and builds have changed over the decades; [[White Spot burger]] has the closest home version of both sauces.\nWhy these picks The onions, double-sour pickles, and rest in paper are the same picks as [[The Bruce burger]], for the same reasons. The difference is the sauce:\nTwo sauces, apart. The red sauce goes on the base, where it meets the hot patty; the mayo goes under the top bun with the cold layers. Each stays distinct instead of blending into one. How it fails No cold crunch: without the lettuce and pickle, it\u0026rsquo;s a one-note burger. No onion: the onion is the most important part of a deluxe build. Variations BC burger: add cheddar and bacon (White Spot\u0026rsquo;s name for it). Ketchup and mustard: swap the red sauce for ketchup and mustard, kept separate. Blended sauce: swap both sauces for [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s burger sauce]] or the [[In-N-Out burger spread]]. Recipes [[White Spot burger]].\n","date":"10 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/drive-in-deluxe/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"This is a variation of the [[White Spot burger]], the drive-in and diner burger I grew up with. I love onions, so it has two kinds.\nThe build works because everything above the patty is cold, crunchy, sharp, or sour, and the patty below brings the salt, fat, and savoury depth. It’s [[The Bruce burger]] with the drive-in’s two sauces in place of mayo and mustard.\n","title":"Drive-in deluxe burger","type":"methods"},{"content":"This is the rich build. Where the drive-in deluxe is all contrast, this one leans into salt and fat: two thin, soft patties with a slice of processed cheese melted between them. Pickles, ketchup, mustard, and onion keep it from going heavy. It\u0026rsquo;s the one case where American cheese earns its place on a burger.\nMost every chain sells one; the [[McDouble burger]] is one chain\u0026rsquo;s version. Some regions lean harder on mustard, which I prefer, and I like the sharper cut of real onion through the fat (see Variations).\nPicks Salty, sweet, and rich; little crunch.\nForming burger patties: Two thin patties, 75 g each, double-ground Seasoning burgers: 4:2:1 salt, MSG, and pepper, after cooking Cooking patties: From frozen on a hot griddle, cheese on after the flip Assembling burgers: Half a slice of processed cheese between the patties, thin pickles, rehydrated dried minced onion, on a small bun pressed a little flat Sauces and condiments: Ketchup and mustard, 5:1 Small bun, pressed flat soft Ketchup and mustard, 5:1 sweet, sharp Rehydrated dried onion mellow, sharp Thin pickles the only sour Thin patty, 75 g savoury Processed cheese, ½ slice salt, fat Thin patty, 75 g savoury Small bun barrier Where it comes from The value-menu double of the 1990s: frozen, double-ground patties and fixed condiment ratios, so it tastes the same at every chain.\nWhy these picks Two thin patties, not one thick one. Twice the crust, and the cheese melts between them. Double-ground beef. It gives the soft, almost pillowy texture of a fast-food patty instead of a coarse, chewy one. Processed cheese. It melts smooth into a thin patty. Use half a slice of Kraft Deluxe; a full one is too thick. Rehydrated dried onion. Dried minced onion, soaked in water, instead of raw. It\u0026rsquo;s a clever ruse: the flavour is mellower than raw onion and distinctly different, and it\u0026rsquo;s very obvious when you taste it. 5:1 ketchup to mustard. The fast-food sweet-savoury balance. Pickle and mustard. The only sharp and sour on the burger, so they can\u0026rsquo;t be skipped. How it fails Heavy: no pickle or mustard to cut the fat. Coarse, chewy patty: the beef was single-ground. Variations Bacon double cheese: add crisp bacon. Only if it\u0026rsquo;s crisp; chewy bacon pulls the burger apart. Water-frying gives flatter, more evenly crisp strips (see [[Reverse cooking: reverse sear and water frying]]). Fresh onion: diced white onion, soaked in cold water and drained, instead of the dried. Sharper, and less like the chain. Single: one 45 g patty on a small bun, the drive-thru hamburger (see the [[McDouble]] variations). ","date":"10 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/fast-food-double/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"This is the rich build. Where the drive-in deluxe is all contrast, this one leans into salt and fat: two thin, soft patties with a slice of processed cheese melted between them. Pickles, ketchup, mustard, and onion keep it from going heavy. It’s the one case where American cheese earns its place on a burger.\n","title":"Fast-food double burger","type":"methods"},{"content":"This build is about one ingredient: onion, cooked down in the beef fat until it\u0026rsquo;s sweet. Where the drive-in deluxe gets its contrast from cold crunch, this one is sweet and savoury with one soft, even texture. I make these occasionally, especially if I happen to be prepping [[French onion soup]].\nI make them with pickles, as I love the crunch and acidity, but if you want to be true to the past skip them.\nPicks Sweet and savoury; one soft, even texture.\nForming burger patties: Paper thin, smashed Seasoning burgers: After cooking Cooking patties: Onion grilled in the beef fat alongside the patty, or smashed into it Assembling burgers: A pile of cooked onion, a pickle for the only sharp note Sauces and condiments: Yellow mustard Soft bun soft Pickle the only sour Grilled onion, piled on sweet Paper-thin patty, smashed lacy, crisp edge Yellow mustard sharp Soft bun soft There are two ways to get the onion there. Both are variations on the same idea.\nGrilled alongside Slice the onion thin and cook it on the griddle next to the patty, in the fat the patty renders, until it\u0026rsquo;s soft, browned, and sweet. Pile it on the patty. Cooked down further and seasoned, the same onion becomes a jam: the onion jam on a double smash burger in the October 2026 Food Log was savoury and sweet.\nSmashed in Pile thin-sliced onion on the meatball and smash the patty onion side down, so the onion cooks into the meat. It\u0026rsquo;s a shortcut for grilling the onion separately: a similar effect in one step, and the onion soaks up the griddle juices instead of leaving them in the pan.\nWhere it comes from A lunch counter in El Reno, Oklahoma, a railway town on Route 66. The fried onion burger was made there in the 1920s by Homer and Ross Davis, a father and son, at the Hamburger Inn, to feed striking workers cheaply during the Great Railroad Strike of 1922. Beef was dear and onions were cheap, so a small ball of beef was pressed flat under a pile of onion on the griddle. They called it the Depression Burger and sold it for five cents, and it spread across western Oklahoma through the Depression. Stretching beef with onion was older than that: an 1883 Boston cookbook already mashed onion into ground beef.\nConstraint Pick it explains Beef was expensive, onions cheap Onion as half the filling, not a topping One flat-top griddle, no fryer Patty and onion cooked together, in the beef fat A small ball of beef had to look like a burger Smashed paper thin, to the edges of the bun No time or space for a toaster Soft bun, steamed over the patty It\u0026rsquo;s one of the oldest griddled burgers still made, though not the first: cooks were smashing balls of beef on flat-tops from the 1880s (see [[Smash burger]]). The slider, the drive-in deluxe, and the fast-food double share its thin patty, its flat-top, and its soft bun, and change what goes on top.\nWhy these picks Onion cooked in the beef fat. The fat browns it and the onion soaks up the beef flavour, so it tastes of the burger, not just of onion. A smashed patty. Thin enough to cook in the time the onion takes to soften, with crisp edges against the soft onion. Yellow mustard. The only sharp note under all that sweetness. A pickle. Not traditional, but it adds the crunch and acid the soft onion can\u0026rsquo;t. How it fails Raw, sharp onion: sliced too thick, or the heat was too low to soften it before the patty was done. Burnt onion: the griddle was too hot or the onion sliced too thin. Pull it to a cooler spot once it browns. Cloying: too much onion and nothing sharp. Don\u0026rsquo;t skip the mustard. Recipes [[Oklahoma fried onion burger]] is the smashed-in version.\n","date":"10 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/builds/grilled-onion/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"This build is about one ingredient: onion, cooked down in the beef fat until it’s sweet. Where the drive-in deluxe gets its contrast from cold crunch, this one is sweet and savoury with one soft, even texture. I make these occasionally, especially if I happen to be prepping [[French onion soup]].\n","title":"Grilled onion burger","type":"methods"},{"content":"","date":"10 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/seasoning/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Seasoning","type":"tags"},{"content":"In high school I worked in a string of fast food and fast casual restaurants, often on split shifts. A split shift leaves you with a few hours in the middle of the day, not enough time to go home, and not much money to spend. I spent most of those hours at the mall, in a food court that sat next to a big arcade.\nMost of the food court was chains. One counter wasn\u0026rsquo;t. It was a one-off shop that sold chicken burgers, and if it sold anything else, I don\u0026rsquo;t remember it. I only ever ordered the chicken burger.\nThe chicken had a dark, crispy crust, fairly thick, with the crunch of a medium-grind cornmeal. I suspect it was cut with some flour, since it held together better than straight cornmeal would. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t spicy, so the colour probably came from well-used oil or a longer fry, though there may have been a little sweet paprika in the mix. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t the pale, flaky breading the chains used. It was closer to something you\u0026rsquo;d fry at home, if you fried things at home, which we didn\u0026rsquo;t. Inside was a real piece of chicken, breast I assume, reasonably tender and not pressed into a perfect patty. You could tell it had been a piece of meat that morning.\nThe bun was a kaiser, I think. I remember a chew to it, and a lightness: a crusty outside, chewy, but airy inside. The toppings were quiet. I think it was the usual for the era: mayo, lettuce, maybe a slice of tomato. Nothing competed with the crust, which was the whole point. It was simple, crunchy, and cheap, and it was exactly what I needed between shifts. I kept eating there into college.\nI met the owner before I knew he had a restaurant. He came into one of the places I worked and helped himself to a stack of napkins on the way out, and later more napkins. When I eventually found his counter and saw the napkins sitting there, it clicked. He wasn\u0026rsquo;t a thief so much as a guy trying to save a few dollars a week any way he could. A business that has to pilfer napkins is not a business with much margin.\nHe was kind. He was a single dad, and that counter was how he fed his family. On slow afternoons I\u0026rsquo;d hang out and chat with him while I ate. I don\u0026rsquo;t remember his name, which bothers me more than I\u0026rsquo;d like to admit, but I remember the way he talked about the shop. It was his whole livelihood, and it was always one bad month away from not being enough.\nHe\u0026rsquo;s one of the reasons I\u0026rsquo;ve never really wanted to open a restaurant. I\u0026rsquo;ve worked enough kitchens to know the hours, and he showed me the rest of it: the arithmetic of a small menu, a rented counter, and a family at home. (The one exception is a food truck idea I had once, which is a story for another day.)\nI still crave that sandwich. The trouble is that my memory of it is fading, and the details I\u0026rsquo;d need to rebuild it are the ones going first. I know the crust was dark and thick and tasted of corn. I know the chicken was real, and the bun had some chew. I\u0026rsquo;m less sure about the rest.\nSo I\u0026rsquo;m trying to [[The impossible quest for the perfect chicken burger|rebuild it]], one test at a time. The cornmeal-to-flour ratio, paprika or no paprika, how long it stays in the oil. Taste is a strange kind of memory: I can\u0026rsquo;t describe that sandwich well, but I\u0026rsquo;m fairly sure I\u0026rsquo;ll know it when I bite into it. Any version I make now will probably be better than his, and also not quite right, until one day it is.\n","date":"8 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/food-memories/chicken-sandwich-crispy-mall-style/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"In high school I worked in a string of fast food and fast casual restaurants, often on split shifts. A split shift leaves you with a few hours in the middle of the day, not enough time to go home, and not much money to spend. I spent most of those hours at the mall, in a food court that sat next to a big arcade.\n","title":"Chicken sandwich, crispy, mall style","type":"essays"},{"content":"","date":"8 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/food-memory/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Food-Memory","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"7 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/reference/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Reference","type":"tags"},{"content":"Restaurants don\u0026rsquo;t put a dish on the menu the first time they cook it. It goes through the test kitchen first: cooked, tasted, adjusted, and cooked again, until it holds up night after night. Only then does it make the menu.\nThis cookbook works the same way. None of these recipes started out finished. Each one began as something cooked once and written down roughly, then changed a little every time it was made: less sugar, a hotter pan, a different bean. Eventually a recipe stops changing. It becomes the version the family makes without looking, and it\u0026rsquo;s a keeper.\nSome recipes here haven\u0026rsquo;t got there yet. They\u0026rsquo;re marked Test kitchen, and they\u0026rsquo;re published on purpose.\nWhy publish a recipe that isn\u0026rsquo;t done The usual way to write a cookbook is to hide the work. Recipes get tested until they\u0026rsquo;re right, then printed as if they came out that way. That\u0026rsquo;s tidy, but it teaches the wrong lesson: that a recipe is a fixed set of instructions you either follow correctly or get wrong.\nA recipe is closer to source code than scripture. It has a working version, a history of changes, and a list of things that could be better. Showing one while it\u0026rsquo;s still moving makes that visible. You can see what\u0026rsquo;s being tried, cook the current version, and change it yourself without feeling like you\u0026rsquo;re breaking something.\nWhat test kitchen means here It works. A test kitchen recipe is cookable. If it weren\u0026rsquo;t, it wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be published. It will change. Quantities, method, even the name might move before it settles. It says what\u0026rsquo;s being tried. When there\u0026rsquo;s a \u0026ldquo;Working on\u0026rdquo; line under the banner, that\u0026rsquo;s the next experiment. It\u0026rsquo;s a good place to experiment. A recipe that\u0026rsquo;s still moving is the easiest one to make your own. When a recipe stops changing, the banner comes off. Nothing else announces it, because most of the cookbook should read that way.\nRun your own test kitchen A keeper doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean finished for you. Every recipe here is a starting point. Cook it, taste it, change one thing, and write down what you changed. That\u0026rsquo;s how all of these got here.\n","date":"7 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/essays/test-kitchen/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Restaurants don’t put a dish on the menu the first time they cook it. It goes through the test kitchen first: cooked, tasted, adjusted, and cooked again, until it holds up night after night. Only then does it make the menu.\n","title":"Test kitchen","type":"reference"},{"content":"These vegetable patties are quick to make and delicious. They\u0026rsquo;re perfect when you\u0026rsquo;re looking for a lighter sandwich or salad topping.\nThe formula is simple: Beans 1 can blackpintochickpea \u0026#43; Starch 1 cup ricemashquinoa \u0026#43; Veg 1 cup carrotpeascorn \u0026#43; Binder ½ cup \u0026#43; 1 egg or gluten \u0026#43; oats = Patties 6 Mechanic A veg patty is a formula, not a fixed recipe: per can of beans, 1 cup cooked starch, 1 cup vegetables, ½ cup breadcrumbs, and 1 egg.\nThe beans are the body, the starch makes the mix tacky, and the binder holds it together in the pan. Swap freely within each slot and the ratio still holds.\nBeans: black, pinto, kidney, or chickpeas (~250 g drained, one 540 ml can) Starch: cooked rice, cold mashed potato, cooked quinoa, or cooked bulgur Vegetables: grated carrot, peas, corn, diced mushroom, or grated beet, sautéed until dry Binder: egg and breadcrumbs, or vital wheat gluten and oats for an egg-free, chewier patty (see [[Vegan burger]]) Seasoning: about 1 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tsp of dry spices per can of beans, plus salt (aiming for 1-1.5% by weight) Bean and rice patties 1 can (540 ml / 19 oz) black, pinto, or kidney beans, rinsed, drained, and patted very dry (~250 g) 1 tbsp neutral oil, plus more for frying ½ small onion, finely diced 1 medium carrot, finely grated (~60 g, ½ cup) 70 g (½ cup) frozen peas, thawed 160 g (1 cup) cooked rice, day-old is best 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp kosher salt ½ tsp black pepper 1 egg, beaten 50 g (½ cup) dry breadcrumbs Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium. Add the onion and carrot and cook until soft and the pan looks dry, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.\nMash the beans in a large bowl, leaving about a quarter of them in rough pieces. Add the peas and press them with the masher until split. Stir in the rice, onion and carrot, soy sauce, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in the egg, then the breadcrumbs. The mix should hold its shape when squeezed and not feel sticky-wet; if it does, add breadcrumbs a tablespoon at a time.\nDivide into 6 portions of about 100 g. Shape into firm patties about 2 cm (¾ in) thick. Chill on a plate for at least 30 minutes.\nHeat a thin layer of oil in a non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium. Cook the patties until a dark, crisp crust forms, 4–5 minutes per side. Flip once, gently.\nTo serve In toasted buns with burger sauce and pickles (toast the cut sides in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat until golden), or over rice with a fried egg.\nVariations Potato instead of rice. Use 1 cup cold mashed potato in place of the rice. Softer and creamier inside; dredge the patties in breadcrumbs before frying for a firmer crust.\nChewy and vegan. [[Vegan burger]] is a heavier take on this pattern: two kinds of beans, mushrooms and nuts as the vegetables, and vital wheat gluten and oats as the binder. Denser and meatier; it holds together without egg.\nNotes Water is what breaks a veg patty, so dry or cook every wet ingredient first: pat the beans dry, sauté the vegetables, and smash anything round so it can\u0026rsquo;t roll loose. If the beans still feel wet after patting, spread them on a tray and bake at 160°C (325°F) for 15 minutes, until the skins split. Shaped patties freeze well between sheets of parchment. Cook from frozen over medium-low, about 7 minutes per side. ","date":"6 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/veg-patties/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"These vegetable patties are quick to make and delicious. They’re perfect when you’re looking for a lighter sandwich or salad topping.\nThe formula is simple: Beans 1 can blackpintochickpea + Starch 1 cup ricemashquinoa + Veg 1 cup carrotpeascorn + Binder ½ cup + 1 egg or gluten + oats = Patties 6 Mechanic A veg patty is a formula, not a fixed recipe: per can of beans, 1 cup cooked starch, 1 cup vegetables, ½ cup breadcrumbs, and 1 egg.\n","title":"Veg patties","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Early October is mostly trip notes: a tabbouleh worth learning, a subtly sweet red cabbage, an onion jam on a double smash burger, and a German dinner of roulade and pork tenderloin with apple. Plus all of the Hawaii treats we have grown to love.\nWeek of Friday, October 16th Old warped food posts #p0 Review drafts from warpedvisions, likely overlap #todone @2026-10-17 Essay topics: #ideas toasting methods → dry, dry/smooth, oil, whole vs. surface add cheesey pasta (one pan) build or recipe research \u0026ldquo;national dish\u0026rdquo; dishes and consider adding (ramen, pizza, mole, tapas, pot au feu, borsch, pasta al pomodoro, rice, meze) On the list: oh-no with cocunut cream cerveche bananas (Apple bananas, ice cream bananas) → delicious https://www.pukadog.com/ → the relishes were great, but the bun + toasting technique were the real MVP. https://www.pukadog.com/ → sauces, bun Real pineapple is amazing, ditto for all of the fruit we had. Turkey dinner notes: it was surprisingly good for a scaled dinner Tiki dinner was amazing! Food memories:\nAmerican Grill in Cottonwood mall? this is a guess from some research, either that or Boardwalk burgers. Methods and blueprints #todo I\u0026rsquo;m adding a section to explain how anyone can develop recipes, by showing methods for making things, blueprints, and talking about their lineages.\nSettle the eight open choices in the methods pages mock (mockups/methods-pages.html §7, each card shows the proposal and its alternative) #todone @2026-10-10 Start a Fugu session to take phase 2 (concept pages, blueprint and build pages, the stack render hook), and push its four queued commits #todone @2026-10-10 Review the burger method drafts (6 parts, 3 builds) for voice and accuracy #todone @2026-10-10 Gather reference examples for the layer drawings that read least well (bacon, pickles, bread, etc.), for the phase 6 redraw #todone @2026-10-14 Week of Friday, October 9th On the list:\nresearch poke: Hawaiian style, garlic style, shoyu. These are great on rice or with salad. research crab salad (like salmon salad), but with cabbage and carrot. This was surprisingly excellent. Week of October 6th Week of October 2nd On the list:\nresearch + testing for a gyro beef pan flattened parchment (thin, roasted hot, sliced for pitas/salad/sandies) Food notes from our trip.\nhad a delicious Tabbouleh salad (this is a pattern worth learning) a dish of red cabbage was subtly sweet and perfectly seasoned (one of the best I\u0026rsquo;ve had) a double smash burger had an onion jam on it that was savoury and sweet, perfectly balanced Ann had a chicken sandwich at the hotel that was lovely (chicken breast, tender, nice bread, great flavour) → pull from hotel menu German dinner: roulade, pork tenderloin/apple were both great Bolognese/simple hit the spot Addition food ideas:\nRecipe based on that photo of lightly breaded minced chicken patties (similar to fast food, but more like schnitzel). ","date":"1 October 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2026-october/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Early October is mostly trip notes: a tabbouleh worth learning, a subtly sweet red cabbage, an onion jam on a double smash burger, and a German dinner of roulade and pork tenderloin with apple. Plus all of the Hawaii treats we have grown to love.\n","title":"October 2026","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"","date":"29 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/chicken/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Chicken","type":"tags"},{"content":"This is a lighter version of Milanese, with no egg or breadcrumbs. Crispy chicken and a pan sauce pairs nicely with fresh sides.\nMechanic A quick flour dredge and fry leaves the pan full of fond, ready to become a pan sauce while the chicken rests.\nIngredients 2 chicken breasts, pounded flat (butterflied first if thick) Flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper, mixed in a low bowl Oil, for frying 250 ml stock and/or wine, for the sauce A splash of cream Salt and pepper Method Flatten the chicken, season the cutlets, and dredge them in the flour mixture. Let them rest while you prepare the sides.\nHeat a frying pan over medium heat and add oil. Add the chicken carefully and fry on both sides, flipping a few times and moving the pieces around the pan so nothing sticks. Remove once cooked through (65°C/150°F internal) and rest.\nDeglaze the pan with the wine and/or stock, about 250 ml total, scraping up the fond. Season, reduce until it coats a spoon, and season again. Stir in a splash of cream and balance for acid and salt.\nTo serve Rice or potatoes, and a salad.\n","date":"29 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/chicken-milanese/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a lighter version of Milanese, with no egg or breadcrumbs. Crispy chicken and a pan sauce pairs nicely with fresh sides.\nMechanic A quick flour dredge and fry leaves the pan full of fond, ready to become a pan sauce while the chicken rests.\n","title":"Chicken Milanese","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"29 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/food-log/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Food-Log","type":"tags"},{"content":"Before I kept a log, my stock was flat. I\u0026rsquo;d made it a dozen times, tweaked it a little each round, and it never got much better: more roasted vegetables one week, a splash more vinegar the next, none of it adding up to anything. The problem wasn\u0026rsquo;t the stock. It was that I couldn\u0026rsquo;t remember what I\u0026rsquo;d already tried, so every batch was really just the first batch again, wearing a different hat.\nThe Food Log is where I fixed that. It\u0026rsquo;s an engineering log for the kitchen, the same thing I used to keep on paper for real engineering work: a running record of tests, research, half-formed ideas, and the TODOs that don\u0026rsquo;t belong anywhere else yet. Before it existed as a section of this site, it was a stack of notebooks. The format changed; the job didn\u0026rsquo;t.\nThat cooking gets an engineering log isn\u0026rsquo;t an accident. Cookery has always looked a lot like software design to me: tactical skills worth honing for their own sake, planning and execution that take years to master, and a whole way of thinking about how food works that feels like ontology and architecture. Problems that look like engineering deserve an engineering tool.\nStateless is the whole point A good engineering log is stateless in a specific sense: you should be able to walk away from a problem entirely, forget everything you were holding in your head, and come back weeks later and pick up exactly where you left off. Not from memory, from the log. What did I try? What worked, what didn\u0026rsquo;t, what was I about to try next?\nCooking has the same problem engineering does: you don\u0026rsquo;t work on any one thing continuously. A stock gets tested once a month, if that. A sauce might sit untouched for a season while you\u0026rsquo;re busy with something else. Without a log, every return trip starts from zero, because \u0026ldquo;I feel like the fennel was too much last time\u0026rdquo; is not information, it\u0026rsquo;s a vague impression that erodes a little more each time you reach for it.\nThe log is where I put whatever I\u0026rsquo;m circling before it becomes a recipe: a dish I want to research, a technique I don\u0026rsquo;t understand yet and need to read up on, a version of something that\u0026rsquo;s close but not right. When I\u0026rsquo;m starting a new recipe I don\u0026rsquo;t just start cooking; I do the research first, the way [[How to find great recipes]] describes, and that research and its notes land in that month\u0026rsquo;s log entry, not in my head.\nIterating needs a fixed point Here\u0026rsquo;s the part that isn\u0026rsquo;t obvious until you\u0026rsquo;ve done it the slow way: iteration only works if you\u0026rsquo;re iterating from something known. Not a memory of a dish, not a rough sense of \u0026ldquo;more like this, less like that\u0026rdquo;, but an actual version, written down, with real quantities, that you can point to and say: this one, exactly this one, is what I\u0026rsquo;m changing next.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s what the stock was missing. I was iterating from a feeling instead of a recipe, so nothing accumulated. Once I started writing down the actual version I\u0026rsquo;d made, what was in it, what I thought was wrong with it, the next attempt had something to push against. The rigour of writing it down forced me to be specific about what I thought was missing, instead of leaving it as a vague dissatisfaction I\u0026rsquo;d carry to the next attempt and probably forget half of anyway.\nSampling, testing, adjusting The way I actually develop a recipe: sample three or four existing versions, side by side, the way [[How to find great recipes]] talks about running a batch through the diary. Then draft something in the log, mixing what I like from each. Then test it. Then adjust, in the log, against that draft, not from scratch.\nPizza sauce and dough are the clearest example I\u0026rsquo;ve got. [[Pizzeria pizza sauce]] says outright that it\u0026rsquo;s still evolving, and it\u0026rsquo;s right: what\u0026rsquo;s on this site now is a few log entries and a few kitchen tests past where [[Pizza dough]] started, itself built from memory of doughs I\u0026rsquo;d had in restaurants and then tested against that memory until the ratios held up. Neither of those got good in one attempt. They got good because each attempt was written down clearly enough that the next one could actually build on it instead of re-litigating it.\nLog notes and recipe notes aren\u0026rsquo;t the same thing I keep both, and they do different jobs. The log is scratch space: bendy, informal, allowed to be wrong, allowed to trail off into a half-finished thought I pick up again next month. A ## Notes section on a published recipe is not that. Those notes are the things worth keeping, the ones that survived contact with an actual reader following the recipe, not just me thinking out loud while I cooked.\nIf I only kept notes in the recipe itself, I\u0026rsquo;d lose the scratch work: the dead ends, the version that was almost right, the ingredient I ruled out for a reason I\u0026rsquo;d otherwise forget by the next attempt. If I only kept the log, the finished recipes would never get the clean, tested version a reader actually needs; they\u0026rsquo;d stay drafts forever. Both matter. The log is where a recipe gets made. The recipe is where it gets kept.\nThe takeaway If a dish of yours has stalled, plateaued at \u0026ldquo;fine\u0026rdquo; for a few attempts running, the fix probably isn\u0026rsquo;t a better palate or a cleverer tweak. It\u0026rsquo;s a record. Write down what you actually made, not what you meant to make, and what you think is wrong with it, before you try again. The next attempt needs a fixed point to push off from, or it\u0026rsquo;s not iteration, it\u0026rsquo;s just repetition with extra steps.\n","date":"29 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/technique-essays/the-food-log/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"Before I kept a log, my stock was flat. I’d made it a dozen times, tweaked it a little each round, and it never got much better: more roasted vegetables one week, a splash more vinegar the next, none of it adding up to anything. The problem wasn’t the stock. It was that I couldn’t remember what I’d already tried, so every batch was really just the first batch again, wearing a different hat.\n","title":"The food log","type":"essays"},{"content":"According to r/burgers, most chicken burgers are not burgers:\nA chicken sandwich contains an entire piece of chicken or filet, rather [sic] a ground and blended patty. A pulled chicken sandwich is also not a burger.\nOn paper, that leaves room for ground chicken. A minced patty is built exactly like a burger: ground meat, salted, formed, seared. In practice, the subreddit rejects those too. I\u0026rsquo;ve tried.\nI\u0026rsquo;m going to keep calling it a chicken burger. I\u0026rsquo;ve been chasing a good one for most of my life, and I\u0026rsquo;m not about to lose the argument on a technicality.\nChicken mall guy About forty years ago there was a guy in a mall food court who made the best crunchy chicken burger I\u0026rsquo;ve ever had. I don\u0026rsquo;t remember his name or his stall, so he\u0026rsquo;s just Chicken mall guy.\nHis patty was a chicken breast, medium-brined, in a dark, mealy, crunchy breading. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t a KFC-style flaky coating. It was closer to cornmeal: gritty, fried hard, and deeply browned. I don\u0026rsquo;t remember the condiments at all. Probably lettuce and mayo, maybe tomato. It didn\u0026rsquo;t matter, because the patty carried the whole burger.\nHe went out of business, and I\u0026rsquo;ve been trying to find that crunch ever since.\nThe BK years In the late 80s and early 90s I worked at Burger King, which meant I ate a lot of BK. Two chicken sandwiches from that era set my expectations for everything since.\nThe first was the Chicken Specialty Sandwich, the long one, now sold as the Original Chicken Sandwich. It was a minced patty, lightly breaded, deep-fried, and pepper-forward, served on a long sesame bun with mayo and shredded lettuce. By any honest standard it was a low-quality patty. It still hit salt, pepper, and fat in exactly the right proportions. In our market it also came in variations: Italian, American, and French.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s the strange part: they were best about an hour old. I usually ate between rushes, which meant I ate whatever had expired in the holding bin. After an hour, the deep-fried fat, the chicken juices, and the mayo had all worked into each other. They never went soggy. They just got better. There were days I ate four or more of these stupid things.\nAs a manager, I could build my own, so I made them Whopper style: onion, pickle, tomato, ketchup, the works. That version was even better, and I still order one that way every four or five years.\nThe second was the BK Broiler, a \u0026ldquo;chicken breast\u0026rdquo; patty that was really chunks of brined breast glued together into a patty shape. It was soft and salty, with lettuce, tomato, and a ranch-style sauce. The bun was too soft for my taste, but the whole thing had a very chill vibe. It was the relaxed cousin of the fried sandwich.\nThe crunch camp The McChicken and Wendy\u0026rsquo;s Spicy Chicken Sandwich brought the crunch. They\u0026rsquo;re salty, crispy, and one-note. Once the crunch is gone, there\u0026rsquo;s nothing left to find.\nThese days, a good pub fried chicken sandwich does the same job much better. It\u0026rsquo;s the McChicken concept with real seasoning under the coating, which is roughly what Chicken mall guy was doing.\nThe Subway sub The last reference point is Subway\u0026rsquo;s roasted chicken sub: floppy pressed patties of brined breast, with mayo, BBQ sauce, mustard, and raw onion, and fully dressed with lettuce, pickles, and tomato. It\u0026rsquo;s sweet, sharp, and tangy, with enough onion bite to cut through the sauce. It\u0026rsquo;s not a burger, but it taught me more about builds than any of the burgers did.\nFast food chicken is engineered It took me years to understand why a homemade chicken breast on a bun never tasted like any of these. The answer is that none of them were a plain piece of chicken. They were engineered.\nThe Broiler\u0026rsquo;s glued-together chunks are a salt trick. Salt draws a protein called myosin out of the muscle, and when you mix or tumble the meat, that protein turns sticky and binds the pieces together. When my recipes say \u0026ldquo;mix until the meat turns tacky,\u0026rdquo; that\u0026rsquo;s the same glue.\nThe juicy, slightly processed bite of the BK patty is a pH trick. Commercial patties use phosphates; at home, a little baking soda and some added water do the same job, raising the pH so the meat holds onto moisture. It\u0026rsquo;s a dial. A little gives a juicy patty that still eats like chicken, which is where the BK classic sat. A lot, worked hard with salt, turns bouncy like a Vietnamese beef ball or a fish ball: good, but closer to sausage than burger.\nThe brine is the third trick. The Broiler and the Subway chicken were both brined or injected, which is why they stayed salty and juicy all the way through.\nOnce I understood those three tools, I could build every one of these at home.\nThe texture scale My perfect chicken burger isn\u0026rsquo;t one patty. It\u0026rsquo;s a spot on a texture scale, and every sandwich above lands somewhere on it.\nTexture Reference At home Mega crunch Chicken mall guy [[Pan-fried chicken burger]], double-coated Crunch McChicken, Wendy\u0026rsquo;s spicy, a good pub sandwich Brined breast, breaded and fried Fried and floppy BK classic, an hour old Minced breast, lightly breaded Floppy whole cut BK Broiler, Subway Breast, dry-brined in the [[Mayo marinade]] Floppy and sausage-like Fish balls, not burgers [[Chicken patties]], worked until tacky Three choices move a patty along the scale. The cut is minced breast, whole breast, or thigh. The coating is none, a light breading, or a double coat. The salt either brines a whole cut, which keeps it tender and floppy, or gets worked into mince until it binds, which pushes it toward sausage. The BK classic shows that mince doesn\u0026rsquo;t have to go all the way: it was minced breast, but it never ate like a sausage.\nThigh works at every step, breaded, bare, or brined, and forgives more overcooking than breast.\nThe whole cuts are fast. A butterflied breast in the [[Mayo marinade]] is a dry brine with a coat: the salt seasons the meat, and the mayo binds emulsified oil and vinegar to the surface. It takes five minutes to prep and thirty to marinate, so that\u0026rsquo;s my weeknight sandwich. Mince is the most work, so I make it when I find ground chicken on sale.\nThe top of the scale is still unfinished. The double coat of flour dredge, loose cornstarch batter, and breadcrumbs is properly crunchy, but it isn\u0026rsquo;t Chicken mall guy\u0026rsquo;s crunch. A cornmeal breading is next on my list.\nFour builds The patty is only half the burger. Each build is a different way of contrasting it.\nDeluxe (Whopper style). Raw onion, pickle, tomato, cold lettuce, ketchup, and mayo. This is the build that made a cheap BK patty great, and it works anywhere on the scale. The onion is the most important part.\nBacon and Swiss. Smoke and more fat, piled onto a fatty patty. It needs mustard or a sharp pickle, or it turns heavy by the third bite.\nSweet pickle and mustard. Bread-and-butter pickles with yellow mustard, or honey mustard if you want it sweeter. It\u0026rsquo;s the simplest build, and it\u0026rsquo;s all about sweet and sharp landing at the same time.\nBBQ and onion. The Subway sub on a bun. Sweet, smoky sauce against raw onion bite. It works best on the softer patties; heavy sauce on a crunchy patty eats the crunch.\nThe rule under all of it Every combination that works follows the same pattern. The patty brings salt, fat, and savoury depth, plus a spot on the texture scale. Then the build adds something cold and crunchy (lettuce, raw onion, pickle) and something sharp (onion, mustard, vinegar).\nSkip the cold crunch and you get a McChicken: fine, but one note. Skip the sharpness and you get a bacon Swiss burger that you regret by the third bite. Get both and you can forgive a mediocre patty, which is exactly what a Whopper-style BK chicken taught me in 1990.\nPick the patty by how much time you have. Pick the build by mood. Toast the bun, and don\u0026rsquo;t forget the onion.\nThe quest is impossible, of course. The perfect chicken burger was an hour-old BK sandwich eaten between rushes at nineteen, or a crunchy patty from a food court stall that closed forty years ago. I\u0026rsquo;ll never taste either again, and that\u0026rsquo;s okay. The home versions are better anyway.\n","date":"28 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/cooking-reflections/the-impossible-quest-for-the-perfect-chicken-burger/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"According to r/burgers, most chicken burgers are not burgers:\nA chicken sandwich contains an entire piece of chicken or filet, rather [sic] a ground and blended patty. A pulled chicken sandwich is also not a burger.\n","title":"The impossible quest for the perfect chicken burger","type":"essays"},{"content":"Short definitions for terms that come up more than once but don\u0026rsquo;t need a page of their own. A term with its own page (a technique essay, a principle like [[Win the fridge]]) links straight there instead of to an entry below — this page is only for the ones that don\u0026rsquo;t.\nKewpie mayonnaise Japanese mayonnaise made with only egg yolks (not whole eggs) and rice or apple vinegar, instead of the whole eggs and distilled vinegar most Western mayo uses — richer, tangier, and a shade more yellow. Traditionally sold in a soft squeeze bottle with a star-shaped nozzle.\n","date":"27 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/glossary/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Short definitions for terms that come up more than once but don’t need a page of their own. A term with its own page (a technique essay, a principle like [[Win the fridge]]) links straight there instead of to an entry below — this page is only for the ones that don’t.\n","title":"Glossary","type":"reference"},{"content":"","date":"27 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/glossary/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Glossary","type":"tags"},{"content":"You have probably noticed that most recipes are hot garbage. I’m not just talking about those recipes that contain more story than method, or recipes that underestimate cooking times, temperatures, and ingredients, or recipes that are so poorly formatted that they’re difficult to read. I’m talking more about recipes that have no clear idea about what they are or why. And failing any semblance of self-awareness, most recipes fail to teach you much about the how either.\nZero to carbonara For example, it’s okay that there are all sorts of paths to make something like carbonara. Where most recipes fail is in not knowing where they sit on the scale of zero to carbonara — how far a given version strays from the traditional technique — and which techniques are needed for each variation. Traditional carbonara gets its creaminess from the starches in the pasta water, the aged cheese, and eggs. It’s okay to make an approximation or another version of carbonara with heavy cream or creamed cashews too, but it’s a different dish, and a recipe should be able to talk about the reasons for the approach.\nWhen a recipe doesn’t include that little bit of context, it forces the reader to think and fill in the gaps themselves. I remember when I was learning to cook that I wasn’t even aware that there were distinct styles or variations of a type of recipe, nor of the differing techniques needed. Low-quality recipes didn’t help me learn technique or style, and often resulted in more failures than necessary (things like broken sauces, undercooked or overcooked elements, and so on).\nIdeally a recipe can give you a tiny bit of background on what sort of thing it is (e.g., this is a creamy, vegan carbonara-style pasta), and then help you as a cook to understand the techniques and tools required to make it. Armed with some knowledge, you can then research and practice the techniques, and understand if it’s the style of dish you had in mind.\nA recipe with some context communicates so much more to a cook, and makes their life easier. Knowing that a recipe starts with a dark roux or a soffritto tells me how it will go together. These hints are solid building blocks for learning to understand, execute, and adapt recipes. As shortcuts, these hints make it easier to memorize recipes, which gives you more time to focus on technique (rather than reading and re-reading the instructions).\nIf you’re making a vegan version of carbonara, for example, you’ll need to know how to stabilize a nut cream, and how to build a savoury base that no longer comes from cured pork.\nOr if you’re making a simple North American-style carbonara, you will need to know how to work with cream in a sauce, and that bacon as a substitute can be pretty salty.\nVarious styles of a carbonara-style dish can be well worth making, but the sequence of ingredients and techniques is both subtly and not-so-subtly different from a more authentic or simplified version. Your expectations of the results can also differ with a bit of understanding about the what and why. A better understanding of a recipe makes it easier to understand if you’ll like it, and more importantly, how you can adapt or improve it.\nThe jerk marinade hunt Many years ago I remember my frustration when I was trying to recreate a jerk marinade. A friend regularly made a recipe handed down through generations; it was the perfect balance of savoury, sweet, and spicy. Combined with a long, slow cook time, it resulted in the most memorable chicken I’ve had. I tested dozens of recipes, dozens of times in those early years of cooking. And while the chicken I made was edible and often delicious, it fell short of the ideal I had in mind.\nAs I’ve learned more about cooking, I’ve realized that you can take a recipe like jerk marinade and make it thousands of different ways. A roadside jerk shack, a high-end restaurant, and a home cook in North America will likely need different styles of recipes based on equipment, skill levels, and availability of ingredients.\nIt’s surprising how good some of the alternative approaches to a dish can be, even when they’re not traditional. I’ve tasted excellent jerk marinades that use the traditional Scotch bonnet peppers (which are a bit sweet, and very hot), but I’ve also tasted marinades that were just as good using ground cayenne or other peppers instead. Using something like cayenne vastly simplifies your prep (and it’s easier to get and store), making it appealing to restaurants and home cooks too.\nThe hunt is on When I am researching a recipe, I read (and watch) hundreds of recipes, which means I don’t have time to read most of them properly. So I skim: past the ads, past the paragraphs about someone’s grandmother’s kitchen, until I can verify the recipe as rational, interesting, and correct — sound ratios, techniques I recognize or want to learn, ingredients I can actually find. Long, SEO-tuned recipes exist partly because length sells more ad space than a clean recipe card does, and a story that never touches technique is just there to hold that space. Serious Eats is the exception: I read their stories in full, because the story is usually the investigation, the reason a ratio works, not a detour around it. That’s the test I actually apply: is this story doing the what/why/how work the recipe needs, or is it just filling space?\nOnce a recipe clears that bar, I ask myself a bunch of other questions, things like:\nHow authentic is it? If it isn’t authentic, why is it different? What is the style of the variation? Does it have any ingredients that my guests or I can’t eat? Or does it have any ingredients that I don’t have access to? What style of techniques does it imply? Do I know how to pull it off? Will it work with the equipment I have? Can I prep some or all of it ahead of time? Will it freeze and reheat nicely? How closely does the recipe match what I have in mind? Building the diary Once I’ve got a stack of recipes that clear the noise filter, I run them through something like a diary: I lay a batch out together, side by side, and classify and rank them. Are the ratios sound? Are the units rational? Does the ingredient list respect quality, or does it cut a corner I’d rather not cut? Doing this across ten versions of stroganoff at once teaches me more about stroganoff than reading any one of them closely ever could.\nThe classifying sorts recipes into a few buckets: authentic and regional variations, cultural variations and related dishes, and something else entirely, versions tied to a specific decade. That last one isn’t about correctness at all. When I go looking for a 1950s cottage pie, I’m not hunting for the most authentic technique; I’m hunting for simple ingredients, chuck roast, diced carrots, the kind of thing that predates the pantry-convenience style that shows up by the 1970s, with its canned soup and frozen vegetables standing in for what used to be fresh. Nostalgia by decade feeds a different need than authenticity does: sometimes what I want isn’t the correct version of a dish, it’s the version my parents made, or the version my grandparents or great-grandparents made.\nTwo kinds of hunt That’s the real split underneath all of this. Carbonara and jerk marinade are both technique hunts: I’m chasing the right ratio, the right method, the thing that makes the dish work the way it’s supposed to. Cottage pie is a comfort hunt: I already know which decade I’m chasing, and the recipe just has to get me there. The good ones make that plain enough that you don’t have to guess.\n","date":"27 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/technique-essays/how-to-find-great-recipes/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"You have probably noticed that most recipes are hot garbage. I’m not just talking about those recipes that contain more story than method, or recipes that underestimate cooking times, temperatures, and ingredients, or recipes that are so poorly formatted that they’re difficult to read. I’m talking more about recipes that have no clear idea about what they are or why. And failing any semblance of self-awareness, most recipes fail to teach you much about the how either.\n","title":"How to find great recipes","type":"essays"},{"content":"A warm bowl of soup on a fall day is a wondrous thing. This is a classic fridge magnet recipe that I use to clean up old veg.\nMechanic This is a one-pot pasta: the pasta cooks directly in the soup, with starch as the only thickener. Reduce the cooking liquid down to just what the soup needs. The released starch turns it smooth and velvety without any flour or cream.\nIngredients 1 package (~550g) prepackaged meatballs, or ground meat 100g grated smoked sausage, smoked tempeh, or bacon 1 onion, grated 1 carrot, grated 1 celery stalk, diced or grated 1 tablespoon double-concentrated tomato paste 1–2 cups dried shiitake mushrooms, broken into bite-sized pieces 500ml passata (deseeded tomato sauce) 120ml (½ cup) dry white wine, for deglazing 180g dried pasta, something hardy (rigatoncini, fusilli, orecchiette) balsamic vinegar, to taste thyme, dried oregano, salt, and pepper, to taste a handful of parsley, chopped, to finish leftover tomatoes, zucchini, kale, or other hardy vegetables, chopped (optional) #win-the-fridge bonus: whatever needs using up goes in with the mushrooms Method Cover the shiitakes with warm water and let soak while you prep everything else.\nBake the meatballs (or shape and bake ground meat into rough meatballs) until browned, reserving the drippings. Add half the meatballs to the pot and mash into a rough crumble. Add the grated sausage and fry it with the meatballs, dry, and over medium-high heat until they start to stick. That\u0026rsquo;s the point; it\u0026rsquo;s where the fond comes from.\nAdd the onion, carrot, and celery and fry until softened. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it darkens slightly. Drain the shiitakes, reserving the soaking liquid, and add them to the pot along with any hardy extra vegetables. Set the mushroom soaking liquid aside.\nDeglaze with the white wine, scraping up the fond.\nAdd the passata, the remaining meatballs, the reserved mushroom liquid, and enough water to cover everything generously. Bring to a simmer.\nAdd the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until it\u0026rsquo;s about 80% done. The starch it sheds is what thickens the soup. Season with balsamic, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper.\nStir in the parsley just before serving.\nHold briefly off the heat to let the pasta finish and the soup thicken further, then serve.\nTo serve Fresh bread, for mopping. And I won\u0026rsquo;t complain if you add fresh garlic and olive oil to that bread.\nNotes Flexible by design: swap the hardy veg for whatever\u0026rsquo;s about to turn. Grating the aromatics reduces the time to cook and lets them melt into the soup. This started out as a pasta dish that evolved into a hearty soup, that really deserves some navy beans. A vegetarian version of this can use vegan fritters (to replace the meatballs), and tempeh. The principle is the same, building fond, softening veg, and using a bright wine for balance. ","date":"27 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/lazy-tomato-soup/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A warm bowl of soup on a fall day is a wondrous thing. This is a classic fridge magnet recipe that I use to clean up old veg.\nMechanic This is a one-pot pasta: the pasta cooks directly in the soup, with starch as the only thickener. Reduce the cooking liquid down to just what the soup needs. The released starch turns it smooth and velvety without any flour or cream.\n","title":"Lazy tomato soup","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"27 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/recipes/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Recipes","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"27 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/stock/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Stock","type":"tags"},{"content":"My first restaurant job was flipping burgers, and I loved it. Not just the job, the food. Standing at a griddle all shift taught me what I actually wanted from a burger: crunchy, fresh veg, a thin patty, and flavours that didn\u0026rsquo;t hide.\nThe best burger I ever ate wasn\u0026rsquo;t from that kitchen, though. It was at a campsite, after a long hike, when the friend responsible for toppings flaked and showed up with nothing but butter. Dinner was bun, butter, and patty. Charred beef, a fresh bun soaking up the fatty drippings, nothing else. It shouldn\u0026rsquo;t have worked. It was one of the best things I\u0026rsquo;ve ever eaten.\nThat burger taught me something I\u0026rsquo;ve spent years relearning: a burger doesn\u0026rsquo;t need much to be good, but what it does need, it needs exactly right.\nA good burger, to me, is more than beef. It\u0026rsquo;s strong onion flavour mixed with beef fat. It\u0026rsquo;s acid and crunch. It\u0026rsquo;s salty, and mildly sweet. Cheese is optional; I don\u0026rsquo;t love it, except in the specific case of a McDouble or a Quarter Pounder, where a thin slice of Kraft Deluxe and bacon, with pickles, ketchup, mustard, and onion, is heaven. A few fancy burgers earn their place too: Swiss and banana peppers, done right, work fine. But cheese was never the point. Onion, fat, acid, and crunch were.\nChicken burgers are a different animal, and a different post.\nWhat a great burger needs Once you start paying attention, the checklist is short:\nThe patty and bun have to match in size. A burger that\u0026rsquo;s mostly bun, or mostly meat hanging off the edges, has already lost. ([[Chef John\u0026rsquo;s hamburger buns]] is my bun.) It has to be navigable: thin enough to bite through cleanly, not a wall of meat you have to disassemble. Cooked medium to medium-well, but never tough. Savoury, sharp, sour, sweet, salty, all present, none dominant. Crunch. Mother-fucking crunch. A beef flavour strong enough to be the reason you\u0026rsquo;re eating this instead of anything else. How I build mine The burger I make now is a 140-gram thin patty, griddled, seasoned after cooking, double sour pickles, built deluxe style: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, ketchup, mustard. It\u0026rsquo;s sublime, and every part of it is there because I tested the alternative and it lost. Its picks and stack are in [[The Bruce burger]].\n\u0026ldquo;Deluxe\u0026rdquo; is [[White Spot burger]] language: lettuce and tomato make it deluxe, and that recipe is where a lot of this technique actually comes from, down to the patty weight and the seasoning timing below. I keep ketchup and mustard separate rather than blending them, but [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s burger sauce]] and the [[In-N-Out burger spread]] are both good arguments for combining them into one sauce instead.\nPatties don\u0026rsquo;t get mixed, and they don\u0026rsquo;t get seasoned until after they\u0026rsquo;re cooked. Salt added early pulls moisture out and changes the texture of the meat before it ever hits the griddle; season the raw patty and you get a denser, springier bite instead of the loose, crumbly one a burger wants.\nOnions should be paper thin, and two forms are better than one. Raw purple onion for sharpness, and onion sautéed in the beef fat for sweetness. Together they do more work than either alone.\nDouble sour pickles are the hardest ingredient on this list to buy and the easiest to make: sprinkle citric acid on ordinary sandwich-style dill pickles and let them sit. It gets remarkably close to the commercial double-sour pickles that most home cooks can\u0026rsquo;t find.\nRound it out with shredded lettuce, thin-sliced tomato, and a crack of black pepper, and you\u0026rsquo;ve got most of what the checklist above is asking for.\nThe last trick isn\u0026rsquo;t about the burger at all. Wrap it in burger paper before serving and let it rest a few minutes. It steams gently, the flavours settle, and it tastes better than the same burger served straight off the griddle.\nNone of this is complicated. It\u0026rsquo;s the same lesson as the campsite: a burger only needs a few things, but it needs them exactly right, and it\u0026rsquo;s worth the years it takes to figure out which few.\n","date":"27 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/cooking-reflections/the-quest-for-the-perfect-burger/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"My first restaurant job was flipping burgers, and I loved it. Not just the job, the food. Standing at a griddle all shift taught me what I actually wanted from a burger: crunchy, fresh veg, a thin patty, and flavours that didn’t hide.\n","title":"The quest for the perfect burger","type":"essays"},{"content":"My first dozen batches of stock were bad — unbalanced, weak, bitter, whatever else could go wrong. The worst one wasn\u0026rsquo;t even a flavour problem. In the chaos of a working kitchen, I grabbed a colander instead of a fine strainer and poured an afternoon\u0026rsquo;s worth of stock straight down the drain. I stood there for a second before it registered what I\u0026rsquo;d just done. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t really a story about being careless; it was a reminder that I needed a method I could repeat, not instincts I could only trust on a good day.\nA lot of the principles in cookery are obvious in hindsight. Like: what can you put in stock? Assuming you want your stock to taste good, you put in things that taste good and are safe to eat. It\u0026rsquo;s important to remember that stock is really just a savoury tea, and the process itself needs to be matched with ingredients that extract well.\nWhile the premise is simple, there is a lot of well-meaning but ultimately bad advice about what goes into a good stock. For example, you see people indiscriminately freezing all of their vegetable scraps for stock without thinking about how well they extract, what they taste like, and what condition they\u0026rsquo;re in. The result can be inconsistent and disappointing.\nIngredients to avoid Of the various ingredients, there are some you should generally or always avoid when making stock:\nCruciferous vegetables (brassicas like broccoli, cabbage, kale) tend to turn bitter, thanks to the sulphur-containing compounds in them. Mouldy or rotten vegetables carry the same risk, plus toxins that don\u0026rsquo;t break down even with long simmers. Starchy vegetables (potatoes, parsnips) tend to cloud a stock without adding much flavour — more of a problem if you\u0026rsquo;re after a consommé-clear broth than if you\u0026rsquo;re building a soup base anyway. Many vegetable peels can be bitter and may carry pesticide residue from commercial farming. Wash or soak vegetables before peeling, and taste peels before adding them to a stock. Many non-cruciferous leafy greens and herbs turn bitter or off-flavoured over longer simmer times. Certain animal parts add strong, off flavours to stock: see the examples below. There are exceptions to these rules. With care, some chefs get great flavour out of roasted cabbage (for example). A small amount of carrot greens can add a herbaceous note to short-simmered stocks.\nExamples A few specific cases are worth calling out directly. These carry both a flavour and a safety consideration:\nIngredient Flavour Safety Carrot peels Can be bitter, taste before using. Wash aggressively before peeling to remove dirt and pesticide residue. Carrot tops (greens and the crown end) The greens turn bitter when cooked. Use sparingly, and taste for bitterness. Wash aggressively. The crown end may hold dirt, pesticides, or mould; peel it. These are a flavour risk only, nothing to do with safety:\nIngredient Flavour Pygostyle (or pope’s nose) Can be bitter when roasted (as it contains the uropygial gland that produces oil for preening). Organ meat Can be bitter or gamey in stock. Ingredients to use sparingly Another class of stock ingredients is those that should be used sparingly. These ingredients are not unsafe or even unsavoury, but can dominate a stock either due to over-extraction or unbalanced flavours. These ingredients tend to include things like sweet vegetables (like carrots), opinionated vegetables (like fennel bulb or celery), or strong spices (like fennel seed or celery seed).\nIngredients that should work, but don\u0026rsquo;t There are other ingredients that seem to make sense for stock but, based on the cooking method, don\u0026rsquo;t tend to work well with long simmers or under pressure. These include things like miso paste (long simmers flatten the subtle notes) and kombu (which tastes better kept below a simmer). Acids also tend to do poorly: they\u0026rsquo;re for balancing a finished soup, and seem to throw off the extraction when added early. That\u0026rsquo;s unconfirmed, but it follows standard French technique, which adds acid at the end.\nThe method, not the instinct None of this is really about any single ingredient. It\u0026rsquo;s about having a method you trust before you\u0026rsquo;re standing over a pot at the end of a long day, making decisions on autopilot. My method now stays at the cooktop instead of migrating to the sink, which is where the colander incident happened: fish the solids out with a spider into a bowl, pour the stock into a smaller pot to reduce, then strain the reduced stock through a fine mesh strainer. The ingredients stay simple and consistent too, the same short list batch after batch, so I\u0026rsquo;m not relearning the recipe under pressure.\nThe whole process, step by step, is in [[Stock]]. For the actual ratios, see [[Chicken or turkey stock]], [[Basic chicken ramen stock]], [[Beef stock]], and [[Rich veg/mushroom stock]].\n","date":"27 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/technique-essays/why-ingredients-matter-in-stock/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"My first dozen batches of stock were bad — unbalanced, weak, bitter, whatever else could go wrong. The worst one wasn’t even a flavour problem. In the chaos of a working kitchen, I grabbed a colander instead of a fine strainer and poured an afternoon’s worth of stock straight down the drain. I stood there for a second before it registered what I’d just done. It wasn’t really a story about being careless; it was a reminder that I needed a method I could repeat, not instincts I could only trust on a good day.\n","title":"Why ingredients matter in stock","type":"essays"},{"content":"Win the fridge is the practice of using every scrap of food before it goes to waste: working through the fridge, freezer, and pantry regularly instead of letting things quietly expire in the back. It\u0026rsquo;s a frugal habit and an ethical one at the same time: food waste is avoidable, and being well-fed enough to have a fridge full of choices worth wasting is a privilege, not a given.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s the same idea nose-to-tail butchery and root-to-stem cooking are built on, just applied to an ordinary week instead of a whole animal or a single vegetable: every cut, every stalk and leaf and peel, everything that would otherwise go in the bin but is still delicious and nourishing, gets used. A carrot top is a garnish. Onion skins and a chicken carcass are stock, not garbage. The heel of a block of parmesan flavours a pot of soup long after the last shaving is gone.\nWhy it\u0026rsquo;s an engineering problem, not a willpower problem I used to treat \u0026ldquo;don\u0026rsquo;t waste food\u0026rdquo; as a discipline I kept failing at: a vague virtue I\u0026rsquo;d resolve to do better on, then forget about until something furry turned up behind the milk. What actually worked was reframing it as a systems problem instead of a moral one. A fridge doesn\u0026rsquo;t lose a war of willpower; it loses because nothing was planned to use what\u0026rsquo;s already in it.\nTwo habits do most of the work:\nShop against what\u0026rsquo;s already there. Before planning a week of meals, look at what\u0026rsquo;s already open, cut, or about to turn; that\u0026rsquo;s the starting ingredient list, not an afterthought bolted onto a shopping list built from scratch. Build a step that absorbs scraps. A soup, a stir-fry, a stock, a frittata: something in the week\u0026rsquo;s rotation that\u0026rsquo;s genuinely improved by throwing in \u0026ldquo;whatever\u0026rsquo;s around,\u0026rdquo; not just tolerant of it. [[Lazy tomato soup]] is built exactly this way: the base recipe is fixed, but the last handful of vegetables in the method is a deliberate gap for whatever needs using. [[Pasta sauces]] work the same way: half a container of sauce from the freezer, or the last of the cherry tomatoes and a few cloves of garlic, becomes dinner in the time the pasta takes. Both are things you set up once, not things you have to remember to do every single day. That\u0026rsquo;s the engineering move: the unglamorous fix isn\u0026rsquo;t more discipline, it\u0026rsquo;s a system that makes the wasteful path the harder one.\nThe takeaway Winning the fridge isn\u0026rsquo;t a single virtuous cooking session where you use up everything at once; it\u0026rsquo;s closer to a maintenance habit, the kitchen equivalent of clearing your inbox a little every day instead of once a year. Recipes tagged win-the-fridge across this cookbook share the same shape: a fixed technique with a deliberate, flexible slot for whatever\u0026rsquo;s about to turn. Start there if you\u0026rsquo;re looking for a place to practice.\n","date":"27 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/essays/win-the-fridge/","pinned":true,"section":"Reference","summary":"Win the fridge is the practice of using every scrap of food before it goes to waste: working through the fridge, freezer, and pantry regularly instead of letting things quietly expire in the back. It’s a frugal habit and an ethical one at the same time: food waste is avoidable, and being well-fed enough to have a fridge full of choices worth wasting is a privilege, not a given.\n","title":"Win the fridge","type":"reference"},{"content":"","date":"24 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/doneness/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Doneness","type":"tags"},{"content":"Food safety is a combination of temperature and time. The familiar \u0026ldquo;safe\u0026rdquo; numbers (74°C for poultry, 71°C for ground meat) are the temperatures where bacteria die almost instantly. Below them, the same kill happens if the meat holds that temperature long enough. This is how sous vide chicken at 63°C is safe, and it\u0026rsquo;s how you keep lean cuts juicy without gambling.\nThe short version What Instant (no hold) Juicier, with a hold Whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb 71°C (160°F) 63°C (145°F) held 5 minutes Ground beef, pork, lamb 71°C (160°F) 63°C (145°F) held 5 minutes, through the centre Chicken and turkey (whole, pieces, ground) 74°C (165°F) 65°C (149°F) held 6 minutes, or 63°C (145°F) held 13 minutes Fish 63°C (145°F) See Fish Reheated leftovers and casseroles 74°C (165°F) Don\u0026rsquo;t rely on a hold; reheat all the way Poultry needs longer than red meat at the same temperature. 63°C for 5 minutes is enough for beef, pork, and lamb, but poultry at 63°C needs 9 to 13 minutes. For poultry, 5 minutes works from about 65°C.\nDoneness by cut Target internal temperatures for texture, assuming the temperature is held (reached and maintained) for the time in the tables below. ⛔️ means not recommended for that cut, for safety or texture.\nCut Medium rare Medium Well Fall-apart tender Chicken/turkey (white meat) ⛔️ 65°C 70°C ⛔️ Chicken/turkey (dark meat) ⛔️ 68°C 72°C 80–85°C Chicken (ground) ⛔️ 70°C 80°C ⛔️ Pork (loin) 60°C 65°C 75°C ⛔️ Pork (shoulder) 60°C 65°C 75°C 90–95°C Pork (ground) ⛔️ 65°C 75°C ⛔️ Beef (steak, roasts) 57°C 63°C 70°C ⛔️ Beef (chuck) 57°C 63°C 70°C 90–95°C Beef (ground) ⛔️ 63°C 70°C ⛔️ Salmon (steaks) 52°C 60°C 68°C ⛔️ Tuna (steaks) 50–60°C 63°C 68°C ⛔️ Ground fish (all) ⛔️ 63°C 70°C ⛔️ Shrimp 60°C 63°C 68°C ⛔️ Doneness is a function of time and temperature. This chart aims for the best texture that is still safe, which means holding the stated temperature rather than just touching it. For beef, pork, and lamb, a 3–5 minute hold covers it. For poultry, check the hold time in the poultry table: white meat at 65°C needs about 5 minutes, while dark meat at 68°C and ground chicken at 70°C need only about a minute. These temperatures are lower than USDA and CFIA consumer recommendations, which assume no hold. Some cuts suit higher temperatures and longer cooks that soften and dissolve connective tissue (chuck roast, pork shoulder/butt). Others are better at rarer temperatures (bottom round roasts, loins, most steaks). Most meats should rest for about 5% of their cooking time to stay moist: steaks for 5 minutes, roasts for 10–20 minutes. For large cuts, the rest is also part of the hold. Most fish has little connective tissue and is best rare to medium. Fish and seafood don\u0026rsquo;t need a significant rest. Poultry can have streaks of red in the dark meat near the bone even when fully cooked. It\u0026rsquo;s pigment leached from the marrow through weak, broken, or cut bones, common in bone-in poultry that has been frozen. It\u0026rsquo;s safe and has no strong flavour, even if it looks unpleasant. How it works Cooking doesn\u0026rsquo;t sterilize meat; it reduces the bacteria by a set factor. The USDA standard for ready-to-eat poultry is a 7-log reduction of Salmonella (10 million to 1). For beef it\u0026rsquo;s 6.5-log. Each temperature has a time that achieves that reduction, and the time drops fast as the temperature climbs: roughly 20% less time for every extra degree Fahrenheit.\nFat protects bacteria slightly, so fattier meat (skin-on thighs, 70/30 ground) needs a little longer than lean breast at the same temperature.\nPoultry Time needed at temperature for a 7-log reduction of Salmonella (USDA FSIS). \u0026ldquo;Lean\u0026rdquo; is 2% fat (skinless breast); \u0026ldquo;fatty\u0026rdquo; is 10% fat (skin-on dark meat).\nTemperature Chicken, lean Chicken, fatty Turkey, lean Turkey, fatty 60.0°C (140°F) 25.7 min 32 min 28.3 min 31.5 min 61.1°C (142°F) 16.4 min 21 min 19 min 21.7 min 62.2°C (144°F) 10.6 min 13.9 min 12.8 min 15 min 62.8°C (145°F) 8.6 min 11.3 min 10.6 min 12.4 min 63.3°C (146°F) 6.9 min 9.1 min 8.7 min 10.2 min 63.9°C (147°F) 5.5 min 7.4 min 7.1 min 8.4 min 64.4°C (148°F) 4.4 min 5.8 min 5.8 min 6.8 min 65.0°C (149°F) 3.5 min 4.6 min 4.7 min 5.4 min 65.6°C (150°F) 2.7 min 3.5 min 3.7 min 4.3 min 66.7°C (152°F) 1.5 min 1.9 min 2.3 min 2.5 min 68.3°C (155°F) 45 sec 52 sec 1.2 min 1.3 min 71.1°C (160°F) 14 sec 16 sec 26 sec 27 sec 73.9°C (165°F) under 10 sec under 10 sec under 10 sec under 10 sec The source table is in Fahrenheit. If your reading falls between two rows, use the lower temperature\u0026rsquo;s (longer) time.\nBeef, pork, and lamb USDA FSIS guidance for cooked beef (6.5-log reduction of Salmonella): 60°C (140°F) held 12 minutes, or 63°C (145°F) held 4 minutes. USDA\u0026rsquo;s consumer guidance for whole cuts of beef, pork, and lamb is 63°C (145°F) with a 3-minute rest. This book rounds up to 5 minutes for margin.\nWhole cuts are safe at lower temperatures (a rare steak) because bacteria live on the surface, and searing kills them. Ground meat mixes the surface into the middle, so the centre has to reach the temperature and hold it.\nWhat \u0026ldquo;held\u0026rdquo; means The hold only counts while the coldest part (the centre of the thickest piece) stays at or above the temperature. Check with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone.\nLarge pieces (roasts, whole birds, bone-in breasts) hold their temperature during a normal rest. A 10-minute rest after pulling a bone-in chicken breast at 65°C is a real hold. Thin pieces (patties, cutlets, strips, butterflied breasts) cool within a minute or two off the heat. Carry-over is only 1–2°C, not 5°C. See the next section for where to pull them. Sous vide is the easy way to use these tables: the water bath holds the temperature exactly. Add the time it takes the centre to come up to temperature. The climb counts The kill is cumulative. Every second the centre spends above about 55°C adds to it, so the last minutes in the pan and the carry-over during the rest are part of the hold, not separate from it. A 60°C second does about a seventh of the work of a 65°C second, and a 70°C second does about seven times more.\nThe catch is that the centre heats last. A patty that cooks 4 minutes a side has a hot surface for most of that time, but the centre only reaches its final temperature at the moment you pull it. It spends the cook climbing, not holding.\nModelled for a 7 mm turkey patty (centre climbing from 50°C over the last 1–3 minutes in the pan, 1°C of carry-over, then cooling), the share of the needed kill that the climb, carry-over and cooling deliver:\nCentre at pull Share of the kill 63°C (145°F) 12–16% 65°C (149°F) 25–32% 68°C (154°F) 73–91% 70°C (158°F) 150–190% For thin pieces, that gives these pull temperatures, with a short rest:\nChicken (cutlets, strips, butterflied or pounded breast, patties): 68°C (154°F). Turkey (patties, cutlets): 70°C (158°F). Ground beef, pork, lamb (patties): 68°C (154°F). These sit 4–6°C below the instant numbers, and 5–6°C of doneness is the difference between dry and juicy for lean poultry. Going lower means a real hold in a low oven or a water bath, with the centre checked at the end.\nFish Most fish is safe at 63°C (145°F). Fish served rare (tuna, salmon, sushi) is a parasite question, not a bacteria one. Use fish sold as previously frozen for raw use; freezing kills parasites, where a low cook doesn\u0026rsquo;t. \u0026ldquo;Sushi grade\u0026rdquo; is a marketing term with no legal definition.\nWho should use the instant numbers Use the no-hold column (74°C poultry, 71°C ground meat) when cooking for anyone pregnant, over 65, under 5, or immunocompromised. The margin of a precise hold depends on an accurate thermometer and on the centre really staying at temperature, and that\u0026rsquo;s not a risk worth taking for vulnerable guests.\nStorage and leftovers Danger zone: 4–60°C (40–140°F). Don\u0026rsquo;t leave cooked food in it for more than 2 hours total. Cooling: get cooked food from 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours, then to 4°C within 4 more. Split big batches of stock, chili, or rice into shallow containers. Reheating: bring leftovers to 74°C (165°F) all the way through. Fresh salsas and dressings with raw onion, garlic, or herbs: 5–7 days in the fridge. Raw egg ([[Caesar dressing]], homemade mayo): use pasteurized eggs for vulnerable guests, and use it within a few days. Thermometer check Everything above depends on your thermometer being accurate. Check it in a glass of ice water: stirred and well packed with ice, it should read 0°C. If it\u0026rsquo;s off by more than a degree, correct for it or replace it.\nSources USDA FSIS, Time-Temperature Tables for Cooking Ready-to-Eat Poultry Products (reproduced by RiverStone Health) USDA FSIS, Cooking Guideline for Meat and Poultry Products (Revised Appendix A) ","date":"24 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/food-safety-time-and-temperature/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Food safety is a combination of temperature and time. The familiar “safe” numbers (74°C for poultry, 71°C for ground meat) are the temperatures where bacteria die almost instantly. Below them, the same kill happens if the meat holds that temperature long enough. This is how sous vide chicken at 63°C is safe, and it’s how you keep lean cuts juicy without gambling.\n","title":"Food safety: time and temperature","type":"reference"},{"content":"Most recipes brown first and cook through second. Reverse methods swap the order: cook gently first, then brown at the end. The gentle phase controls doneness; the hot phase is only for crust. Doing them in this order gives more even results and fewer burnt bits.\nGentle doneness → Hot crust Reverse sear Cook a thick cut in a low oven until it\u0026rsquo;s a few degrees below your target, then sear it hard in a very hot pan.\nSeason the meat, ideally dry-brined on a rack in the fridge overnight so the surface is dry. Roast on a rack at 95–120°C (200–250°F) until the centre is 5–8°C below your target. For a 4–5 cm steak this takes 30–60 minutes; roasts take longer. Use a probe thermometer. Sear in a smoking-hot pan with a little oil, 45–60 seconds a side, plus the edges. Butter and aromatics can go in for the last 30 seconds. Serve right away. The low oven has already done the resting, so there\u0026rsquo;s little carry-over. Why it works: the slow phase heats the meat evenly, so there\u0026rsquo;s almost no grey band under the crust. It also dries the surface, so the sear browns in under a minute instead of steaming first.\nWhen to use it: thick cuts, 4 cm (1½ inch) and up: steaks, pork chops, tenderloin, roasts, bone-in chicken breasts. Thin steaks don\u0026rsquo;t benefit; they\u0026rsquo;re done before the slow phase does anything, so sear them straight.\nSafety: the slow phase is a long, gentle hold, so it works well with the time-and-temperature approach in [[Food safety: time and temperature]]. Check the centre, not the surface, before the sear.\nWater frying (reverse frying) Start fatty meat in a little water instead of oil. The water keeps the pan at about 100°C (212°F) while the fat renders out. Once the water boils off, the meat fries in its own fat.\nAdd the meat to a pan with enough water to just cover the bottom (or, for bacon, to just cover the strips). Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring or turning, as the water evaporates. Ground meat should be broken up as it goes. When the water is gone and the fat starts to sizzle, lower the heat to medium and fry until browned. If anything sticks, add a splash of water or wine and scrape it up. Why it works: the water caps the temperature, so the meat renders gently instead of seizing and scorching on the outside. It needs no added oil, and the meat ends up frying in fat it has already released. Bacon comes out flatter and more evenly crisp, and the rendered fat stays clean.\nWhen to use it: fatty ground beef or pork, sausage meat, bacon, pork belly, and skin-on chicken thighs (skin side down). It\u0026rsquo;s handy in a travel kitchen with no oil (see [[Tips and tricks for cooking on the road]]).\nWhen not to: lean meats like ground chicken or turkey, and lean beef, don\u0026rsquo;t have enough fat to fry in once the water is gone. Add a little oil, some sausage, or a spoonful of salad dressing.\nRelated methods Mushrooms and onions are basically water-fried too. Mushrooms release their water, simmer in it, and only brown once it\u0026rsquo;s gone; a splash of water at the start helps them cook evenly and soak up less oil. Onions soften in their own moisture first, and a splash of water when they start to catch lets them cook down and caramelize without scorching. Potstickers and gyoza use the same idea the other way round: fry the bottoms, add water and cover to steam them through, then let the water boil off so the bottoms crisp again. Braise, then brown works for ground beef in batch cooking: simmer it in a little liquid until tender, then let the liquid cook off and brown it. ","date":"24 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/reverse-cooking-reverse-sear-and-water-frying/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"Most recipes brown first and cook through second. Reverse methods swap the order: cook gently first, then brown at the end. The gentle phase controls doneness; the hot phase is only for crust. Doing them in this order gives more even results and fewer burnt bits.\n","title":"Reverse cooking: reverse sear and water frying","type":"methods"},{"content":"","date":"24 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/safety/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Safety","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"24 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/temperature/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Temperature","type":"tags"},{"content":"This is a quick and effective way to marinate chicken and pork. The mayo ensures spices don\u0026rsquo;t burn, and it adheres to the cut surprisingly well.\nMechanic Mayonnaise coats the meat evenly and holds the seasonings in contact throughout marinating, producing more consistent browning and a tender surface. The big win is surface adhesion: the fat carries the spices and shields them, so they\u0026rsquo;re less prone to burning.\nIngredients For ~2 butterflied chicken breasts.\n40g mayonnaise (Hellmann\u0026rsquo;s or Kewpie) zest of 1 lemon (or a squeeze of lemon juice) 2 cloves garlic (10g minced) ~1g black pepper (10 cranks) 1 teaspoon dried oregano 3g kosher salt 1g MSG Method Remove fat, skin, and butterfly larger chicken breasts or pork chops. Pound out slightly, to a desirable shape.\nCombine all ingredients and mix well. Coat chicken and marinate for 30 minutes minimum, up to 8 hours in the fridge.\nGrill, broil, or pan-fry as usual. The mayo coating browns and crisps on contact with heat. Cook pork until the centre reads 63°C (145°F), then rest 5 minutes. Cook chicken until the centre reads 68°C (154°F); for a thin, butterflied breast the last minutes of cooking count toward the safety hold (see [[Food safety: time and temperature]]). Rest briefly.\nTo serve Serve chicken or pork with rice, a salad, or on a bun.\nVariations Teriyaki (sake, mirin, soy, ginger, sesame seeds, and sriracha for some spice) Notes I was skeptical about this technique until Kenji explained that mayo is oil emulsified with egg and acid, already seasoned with salt. Tested as a pure marinade (not salted separately first). Worked well; slightly salty, very tasty. Reduce salt if using a thinner cut that will marinate longer. Kewpie is a thick, savoury, enriched Japanese mayonnaise (packaged in a classic squeeze bottle). Cook chicken to 74°C (165°F) for vulnerable guests. ","date":"21 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/mayo-marinade/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a quick and effective way to marinate chicken and pork. The mayo ensures spices don’t burn, and it adheres to the cut surprisingly well.\nMechanic Mayonnaise coats the meat evenly and holds the seasonings in contact throughout marinating, producing more consistent browning and a tender surface. The big win is surface adhesion: the fat carries the spices and shields them, so they’re less prone to burning.\n","title":"Mayo marinade","type":"recipes"},{"content":"I am not a chef. I spent time in restaurants in the late 1980s and early 1990s, learning how fast-casual and family-owned restaurants worked. I prepped. I cleaned. I worked the line. I managed for a bit. I toyed with the idea of a career in the industry, but was pulled away to an internship in tech.\nWe had kids, and we ate simply when they were young. Our cooking evolved, and we started cooking from scratch. We watched a lot of food television: Good Eats, Iron Chef, Bourdain, and the various travelling food shows. We tried more recipes, bought cookbooks, and slowly we learned.\nAnd then one day it clicked. Those college years in restaurants, the explanations by TV chefs, and the hours of watching chefs work all made sense. I learned how to properly dice onions, to set my mise en place, to prepare sauces, bases, and full meals. It was a lot of fun discovering technique and authentic flavours, and learning how flavours have evolved by culture and time. Learning to cook, and cooking for family and friends, became one of my reasons for existing.\nAnd now I love to cook. It\u0026rsquo;s an obsession. It\u0026rsquo;s cathartic. It\u0026rsquo;s fulfilling. I\u0026rsquo;m glad I stuck with it.\nThe recipes here are the foods we eat. They span cooking styles from the 1950s through today, with a focus on food memories, discoveries, and traditions new and old.\nThe archives We started our collection of recipes on paper, in a few binders. It lived in those flour-dusted binders for decades, until lockdown, when we digitized the recipes into Google Docs. This year I turned that collection of documents into this site.\nWe love food 🩶 A small collection of food we\u0026rsquo;ve made over the years.\nNotes The site is built on:\nObsidian for editing Hugo for publishing, with Blowfish as the theme base Markdown, the text format for the recipes Claude for updates, theme editing, and design changes You can find the custom theme and recipes on GitHub.\n","date":"18 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/about/","pinned":false,"section":"Bruce loves to cook","summary":"I am not a chef. I spent time in restaurants in the late 1980s and early 1990s, learning how fast-casual and family-owned restaurants worked. I prepped. I cleaned. I worked the line. I managed for a bit. I toyed with the idea of a career in the industry, but was pulled away to an internship in tech.\n","title":"About","type":"page"},{"content":"A simplified weeknight coconut curry built around pan-browned butternut squash and yellow Thai curry paste. Soy sauce keeps it vegetarian; fish sauce adds more depth if you eat it.\nIngredients 250 g long-grain white rice, uncooked 3 tablespoons coconut or canola oil, divided ½ small butternut squash (about 450 g), peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, peeled 3 tablespoons yellow Thai curry paste 1 can (400 ml) light coconut milk 1 jalapeño or Thai chili, halved 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 1 cm pieces 2-4 tablespoons lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or fish sauce if not vegetarian 140 g (5 oz) baby spinach, chopped Chopped cashews and cilantro, to serve Method Cook the rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the squash and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and beginning to soften, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.\nAdd the remaining tablespoon of oil along with the onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until darkened, 1 minute.\nAdd the coconut milk, jalapeño, and turmeric, and bring to a simmer. Add the red pepper and squash, and simmer until the squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, discard the jalapeño, and stir in the lime juice and soy sauce. Fold in the spinach until wilted.\nServe over rice, sprinkled with cashews and cilantro.\nNotes Original recipe notes 3 tablespoons of curry paste plus a whole jalapeño runs hot; halve the jalapeño or omit it for a milder version. A can of chickpeas stirred in adds protein and heft if serving as a main. ","date":"18 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/butternut-squash-curry/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A simplified weeknight coconut curry built around pan-browned butternut squash and yellow Thai curry paste. Soy sauce keeps it vegetarian; fish sauce adds more depth if you eat it.\nIngredients 250 g long-grain white rice, uncooked 3 tablespoons coconut or canola oil, divided ½ small butternut squash (about 450 g), peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, peeled 3 tablespoons yellow Thai curry paste 1 can (400 ml) light coconut milk 1 jalapeño or Thai chili, halved 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 1 cm pieces 2-4 tablespoons lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or fish sauce if not vegetarian 140 g (5 oz) baby spinach, chopped Chopped cashews and cilantro, to serve Method Cook the rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the squash and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and beginning to soften, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.\n","title":"Butternut squash curry","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Adapted from an Instant Pot beef chuck curry, swapped to boneless chicken thighs for a faster weeknight cook. Pressure time is cut way down from the original, which called for 35 minutes to break down chuck roast.\nIngredients 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided 1 red onion, sliced 5 mm thick 1 large red pepper, quartered lengthwise then sliced crosswise Kosher salt and pepper 900 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3 cm pieces 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk, well shaken 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste Method Press Sauté on the multicooker and heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and pepper, season with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.\nAdd the remaining tablespoon of oil, season the chicken with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.\nWhisk together the coconut milk and curry paste, add to the pot, and scrape up any browned bits. Cover, lock the lid, and cook on high pressure for 8–10 minutes. Quick release.\nToss the chicken with the onion and red pepper.\nTo serve Over rice, with lime wedges, cilantro, and sliced red chili.\nNotes The original recipe uses 900 g beef chuck roast at 35 minutes high pressure with a 10-minute natural release; chicken thighs need far less time and are prone to overcooking at that duration. One reviewer of the original found it came out greasy with beef chuck fat. Chicken thighs should sidestep that, but trim visible fat before cutting. ","date":"18 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/instant-pot-chicken-thigh-curry/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Adapted from an Instant Pot beef chuck curry, swapped to boneless chicken thighs for a faster weeknight cook. Pressure time is cut way down from the original, which called for 35 minutes to break down chuck roast.\n","title":"Instant Pot chicken thigh curry","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"18 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/japanese/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Japanese","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This is a simple, warm curry, based on widely available Japanese curry cubes. These cubes last forever and are delicious.\nMechanic The curry roux goes in on top of the other ingredients, unmixed, right before sealing the lid. Stirring it in first lets it sink and scorch on the bottom under pressure; left on top, it melts gradually into the stock as the pot comes up to pressure and stays clear of the heating element.\nIngredients 3 large onions (about 1 kg), halved and cut into wedges 1½ carrots (about 150 g), peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces (rangiri cut) 3 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 450 g), peeled, cut into quarters, soaked in water 15 minutes 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon ginger, grated, with juice 700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces (sogigiri cut) ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon neutral oil 750 ml chicken stock (or half stock, half water for lower sodium) 1 package (240 g) Japanese curry roux 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon soy sauce Cooked Japanese short-grain rice, to serve Fukujinzuke (Japanese red pickled vegetables), to serve Method Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Press Sauté on the Instant Pot (or preheat a stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat). When the pot is hot, add the oil and distribute evenly.\nAdd the onion wedges, garlic, and ginger with its juice, and mix well. Add the chicken and mix until just coated with the oil. Add the carrots and potatoes and mix well.\nAdd the stock and press down the meat and vegetables with a spatula so everything is submerged. Place the curry roux cubes on top of the other ingredients without mixing them in.\nCover and lock the lid, making sure the steam release handle points to Sealing. Cancel Sauté mode and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. Quick release, or let pressure release naturally (about 15 minutes, not counted in total time).\nUnlock the lid carefully. Add the ketchup and soy sauce and mix well, stirring to fully dissolve the roux and checking for any undissolved chunks. Taste and add salt if needed; this varies by stock and roux brand.\nTo serve Rice on individual plates, curry spooned over top, fukujinzuke on the side.\nNotes Do not use russet potatoes; they break down too easily under pressure. Yukon Gold holds its shape. Leftover sauce thickens into a paste as it cools and scorches easily on reheat. Loosen with 120 ml water or more, then reheat gently; simmer uncovered to re-thicken if needed. Keeps refrigerated up to 3 days, or frozen up to a month (pull the potatoes out before freezing, since their texture suffers). Original recipe uses a stovetop or Instant Pot pressure cooker interchangeably; stovetop needs medium-low heat to hold high pressure for the same 15 minutes. ","date":"18 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pressure-cooker-japanese-curry/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a simple, warm curry, based on widely available Japanese curry cubes. These cubes last forever and are delicious.\nMechanic The curry roux goes in on top of the other ingredients, unmixed, right before sealing the lid. Stirring it in first lets it sink and scorch on the bottom under pressure; left on top, it melts gradually into the stock as the pot comes up to pressure and stays clear of the heating element.\n","title":"Pressure cooker Japanese curry","type":"recipes"},{"content":"I remember learning to make [[Foil packets|foil camp packets]] at a kids\u0026rsquo; camp. The recipe was simple: a handful of cut-up veg, a potato cut into cubes, ¼ pound of beef, half a bouillon cube, and a pat of butter in a foil pouch (with some ground pepper). We cooked it over a fire until it smelled lovely.\nThat first pouch I made was so flavourful. The beef and potatoes browned and were crunchy, and the veg tasted like the rest of the pack. I don’t think I realized it at the time, but I had a whiff of what simple pleasure food could be.\nI don’t think my childhood kitchen ever had bouillon, and ground beef was something that was boiled for hours so that it was safe to eat. I don’t remember making camp pouches again until I had my own kids.\nWe went camping at least a few times when I was younger. In the early days, we had an old, musty canvas tent that we spent as little time as possible in. Later, we bought a tent trailer that was also musty, but we would open it up in our backyard every year to air it out, so it was much nicer to spend time in.\nOddly, I don’t remember much about what we ate when we were camping. I do remember that my dad had a hibachi and a butane camp stove. I’m pretty sure the hibachi was used mostly to make hot dogs, which I likely ate plain on a white fluffy bun. This is how we ate them in grade school, and I had no idea that hot dogs had condiments until I was an adult.\nI suspect that the camp stove was used to make pancakes and percolated coffee, though I mostly remember eating those tiny boxes of cereal, which opened up into an awkward bowl. I would always fight for my favourite cereals, which were Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies. I never understood why people ate Froot Loops or Cheerios, neither of which tasted like much.\nCamping in my childhood was mostly about what we did and not what we ate: time at the lake, playing with cousins, and generally avoiding the adults. There was food, but it was simple, and mostly perfunctory and frugal.\nAs an adult, camping became as much about the food as the fun, and we have a long list of camp favourites that we make every year we get up to the family lake property. The foods we make have evolved over the years, but my best memories are of planning menus that would make the family happy, with some nostalgia, and something new. I also have fond memories of buying groceries for camping, where we always bought more than we needed.\n","date":"17 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/food-memories/camp-cooking/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"I remember learning to make [[Foil packets|foil camp packets]] at a kids’ camp. The recipe was simple: a handful of cut-up veg, a potato cut into cubes, ¼ pound of beef, half a bouillon cube, and a pat of butter in a foil pouch (with some ground pepper). We cooked it over a fire until it smelled lovely.\n","title":"Camp cooking","type":"essays"},{"content":"My dad only knew how to cook a few dishes, but he was proud of each one. He loved making boxed mac and cheese. It was usually the blue generic box, and not brand-name KD (Kraft Dinner for anyone not from Canada).\nDad would start by heating a few tablespoons of margarine in a tiny, janky aluminum pot, stirring in the cheese powder, adding in some fresh milk. He cooked the noodles in a larger copper-bottom pot, draining them, and then adding back his special sauce.\nHe served the macaroni with canned brown beans, which he spiced up with mustard and pepper, along with sliced wieners. He served the beans on the side, which I would immediately mix in with the mac as soon as the bowl hit the table. I would add generic branded catsup and preground black pepper, and would devour the bowl in a few minutes.\nI still make [[Baked mac \u0026amp; cheese|macaroni and cheese]], with baked beans and sausage. My kids call it a garbage plate, and it has always been one of their favourite comfort meals. I think of my father every time I make it, and even now it brings equal parts joy and sadness. He tried so hard.\n","date":"17 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/food-memories/garbage-plates/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"My dad only knew how to cook a few dishes, but he was proud of each one. He loved making boxed mac and cheese. It was usually the blue generic box, and not brand-name KD (Kraft Dinner for anyone not from Canada).\n","title":"Garbage plates","type":"essays"},{"content":"I remember an old cast aluminum pot, handed down from my grandparents. It was pockmarked, with a patina of polymerized oils in the depressions. It once served as a pressure cooker that exploded in my grandmother’s kitchen, so it no longer had a lid. The handle was loose and the bolt seized, making it a death trap when loaded with a hot sauce. This pot was mostly used for my mom’s frugal spaghetti sauce, which was a simple combination of beef, puréed tomatoes, and just a hint of oregano, salt, and pepper.\nAnd when I say a hint of oregano, it was an almost homeopathic amount of seasoning. I remember helping my mom move in the 1990s and packing up that oregano, labelled with a best before date from somewhere in the early 1980s. I opened the bottle and smelled it, and somehow it still smelled like my childhood.\nThe method my mom used for making her tomato sauce was to drop a 1 pound package of mince into the hot pot, which I imagine was a 70/30 mix of beef and fat. We bought or traded for a quarter of beef every year, and stored the stamped, paper-wrapped packages in one of the two large freezers in our shed in the backyard. I don’t remember her adding fresh onions or garlic, but I’m pretty sure a teaspoon of garlic and onion powder made their way into the sauce near the end.\nThat pound of beef would cook down for half an hour or so, not to brown it, but so that it was safe to eat. A lot of the lore of the kitchen in the 70s and 80s was learned in the 60s, when overcooking meat was an important step in food safety. The result was a very softened, but somehow unbrowned mass of meat and oil.\nA small amount of salt and pepper was added once the beef was cooked, along with a tall pint can of store brand tomato sauce. On a good day, we used Hunt’s, usually after a case lot sale.\nWe knew that the sauce was done when there was a thick slick of oil on top. By today’s standards this would be unappealing, and today I usually use leaner beef and [[Meat sauce (AKA American bolognese)|emulsify the fat into the sauce]]. But back then, the fat was nutrition and normal, and the calories kept us fed and warm.\nThe sauce was then poured over overcooked house brand spaghetti, so that water pooled around it. We stirred it up and it was delicious for a hungry young boy, and it was cheap enough that I always had seconds. Occasionally we had shelf-stable parm to dust on top, which was heaven.\nI remember eating spaghetti at my aunt’s house. She used green pepper, fresh onion, and (I assume) fresh garlic. I wasn’t used to the bitter and herbaceous flavour of the green pepper, but thinking back now I suspect it tasted better. I also remember having spaghetti at a friend’s house. They used more oregano, the fancy flaked style. Unfortunately the only thing I remember about it is that it was reheated in a space-age microwave that had a big dial timer. It must have been good, though, as we always finished it quickly.\n","date":"17 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/food-memories/slick-spaghetti-with-a-hint-of-oregano/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"I remember an old cast aluminum pot, handed down from my grandparents. It was pockmarked, with a patina of polymerized oils in the depressions. It once served as a pressure cooker that exploded in my grandmother’s kitchen, so it no longer had a lid. The handle was loose and the bolt seized, making it a death trap when loaded with a hot sauce. This pot was mostly used for my mom’s frugal spaghetti sauce, which was a simple combination of beef, puréed tomatoes, and just a hint of oregano, salt, and pepper.\n","title":"Slick spaghetti with a hint of oregano","type":"essays"},{"content":"I grew up in a small town of immigrants mostly from various parts of central, eastern, and northern Europe. Many of our neighbours were second- and third-generation Mennonites, with a few Dutch families sprinkled here and there. We were the outsiders, which was honestly a great way to grow up.\nIf I wanted to be extra honest, I would say that we were white trash. We had an old pickup sitting on blocks in the front yard. Our driveway was gravel. Well, it was mostly weeds and some gravel, always in a state of disrepair. The driveway led back to the backyard, which had a shed and two lean-tos, each filled with firewood and spiders. The shed itself had a lonely extension cord strung to it from the house, powering two old chest freezers. Beyond the shed was a small garden and a chicken coop with a sagging roof. Beyond the coop was an empty field that occasionally housed goats or sheep, all backing onto a dyke separating us from a canal and swampy land.\nThe term white trash didn’t quite fit who we were. My mom was Métis, or mixed-blood. A mudblood. My dad was Scottish, separated by several generations from the homeland and identity. When people caught a hint that we were even partly Métis, there were jokes and sideways glances, so we avoided talking about it. We identified as Canadian, or rural Canadian, but we always felt like outsiders.\nOur small town had a single corner store, a gas station, a credit union, and a Dutch deli. The deli was fantastic. We didn’t visit it often, and I imagine that it was too expensive for our modest lifestyle. But when we did visit it, the food was sublime. I remember pillowy soft kaisers, fragrant Swiss cheese, and tender and savoury meats. Mustard, onions, pickles, and fermented cabbage. I loved it! I’ve always appreciated the value of a good deli, and good delis are hard to find in our area these days.\nDeli sandwiches were the pinnacle of cuisine for me at the time. Deli-sliced Swiss cheese tasted nothing like bulk block cheddar, the only cheese I knew. The sliced turkey was moist and deeply flavourful, in stark contrast to the perfunctory holiday turkeys cooked past oblivion out of the 1960s mindset of pasteurizing food. The mustard was sharp, the sprouts fresh and earthy. It was the perfect sandwich.\n","date":"17 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/food-memories/the-dutch-deli/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"I grew up in a small town of immigrants mostly from various parts of central, eastern, and northern Europe. Many of our neighbours were second- and third-generation Mennonites, with a few Dutch families sprinkled here and there. We were the outsiders, which was honestly a great way to grow up.\n","title":"The Dutch deli","type":"essays"},{"content":"As our small town evolved, more families moved in from all over the world.\nI remember one family bought my best friend’s house. It was something like 15 acres of fallow land, with a large house that was built at the pinnacle of their grandparents’ careers. The house was grand, with 10 bedrooms, two kitchens, a library, conservatory, and countless other amenities that I found fascinating as a kid who lived in a tiny two-bedroom turn-of-the-century home.\nFive families moved into that house. It caused a stir in the community as you can imagine, but I’ve always thought it was one of the most practical things that a large family could do. The family went on to completely change how the region was farmed, but more important to me, they changed my perspective on food.\nThe food, oh the food! I remember the first time I smelled the food from their kitchen. It was a confusing and intoxicating symphony of sweet and savoury. They turned milk into a sort of cheese, and ate these large beans I had never seen, all with this fresh flatbread that had burnt spots all over it. They had a strange oven on the back deck used to bake the bread, and the meat that they ate sparingly.\nEven then, I think I realized that the food served in our house wasn’t in the same league as the food of India. Our country stews were flat and pale in comparison, our soups were flavourless, and our canned foods were bland. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned about the spices and layers that make up various Indian dishes, but the seed was planted in my head at a young age.\n","date":"17 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/food-memories/the-smells-of-india/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"As our small town evolved, more families moved in from all over the world.\nI remember one family bought my best friend’s house. It was something like 15 acres of fallow land, with a large house that was built at the pinnacle of their grandparents’ careers. The house was grand, with 10 bedrooms, two kitchens, a library, conservatory, and countless other amenities that I found fascinating as a kid who lived in a tiny two-bedroom turn-of-the-century home.\n","title":"The smells of India","type":"essays"},{"content":"","date":"11 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/drinks/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Drinks","type":"tags"},{"content":"We call this camping cream, but it\u0026rsquo;s equally comforting around Christmas when the weather is miserable.\nMechanic Sweetened condensed milk carries both the sweetness and the body; regular milk is too thin, and evaporated milk won\u0026rsquo;t thicken the same way. Blend everything on low speed. A high-speed blender whips air into the cream and can curdle it as the whiskey\u0026rsquo;s alcohol hits the dairy.\nIngredients 250 ml (1 cup) heavy cream or half-and-half 1 can (300 ml / 14 oz) sweetened condensed milk 3 tbsp chocolate syrup 1 tsp instant coffee granules 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 400 ml (1⅔ cups) Irish whiskey, such as Jameson Method Put the cream, condensed milk, instant coffee, chocolate syrup, and vanilla in a blender. Blend on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.\nWith the blender still running on low, slowly pour in the whiskey. Blend a few seconds more, just until smooth.\nTaste and adjust with more whiskey, chocolate syrup, or vanilla.\nPour into clean, sterilized glass bottles with tight-fitting lids. Refrigerate, and shake well before serving.\nVariations Spiced Add ½ tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. For a pumpkin version, also blend in ½ cup pumpkin purée (not pie filling).\nOrange Swap the vanilla for orange extract and add extra chocolate syrup.\nSubstitutions Irish whiskey → Southern Comfort and Amaretto, brandy, or bourbon Irish whiskey → Fireball, for a cinnamon version Instant coffee and chocolate syrup → Kahlúa Cream and condensed milk → coconut milk and dairy-free sweetened condensed milk, for a dairy-free version Notes If it curdles, strain it through a fine sieve and skim any separation off the top. Keeps in the fridge up to 2 months. Good for gifting in small swing-top bottles. Serve it small, about 37 ml (1¼ oz) per glass, like the original Baileys. ","date":"11 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/homemade-baileys-irish-cream/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"We call this camping cream, but it’s equally comforting around Christmas when the weather is miserable.\nMechanic Sweetened condensed milk carries both the sweetness and the body; regular milk is too thin, and evaporated milk won’t thicken the same way. Blend everything on low speed. A high-speed blender whips air into the cream and can curdle it as the whiskey’s alcohol hits the dairy.\n","title":"Homemade Baileys Irish cream","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"11 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/irish/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Irish","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"Two goulash tests: a first-principles pork version on the 14th that came out better than expected, then a v2 on the 29th with oven-roasted pork, soaked dried mushrooms and smoked paprika. Alongside it, chicken Milanese from freezer-marinated cutlets, a more acidic batch of sweet pickled red onions, and the start of research into a cornmeal-breaded chicken patty. The backlog is mostly curries (butternut squash, Japanese, Instant Pot chicken thigh) plus a list of recipe sites to work through.\nWednesday, September 30th Recipe hunt #todo #p0 Vegetarian patty (peas, beans, potato, etc.) find a pattern here [[Veg patties]] #todone @2026-10-06 Cornmeal-breaded chicken patty → this needs research Bruce loves to cook site #todo Image thingy doesn\u0026rsquo;t swipe on mobile #todone @2026-10-10 Tuesday, September 29th Research:\nBase gravy for curry exmaple (newer) This week\u0026rsquo;s menu:\n[[Chicken Milanese]] (from freezer-marinated cutlets) [[Goulash|Pork goulash v2]] (another test of this recipe) oven-roasting the meat worked well (seasoned, rested, 233C quick heat) started onions/spices, then added dried mushrooms (soaked), garlic, carrot, celery fennel, coriander, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, anchos, salt, pepper white wine tomato paste beef stock (paste), chicken stock (homemade), mushroom soak water (strained) browning (1 tablespoon) salt/msg to taste Sweet pickled red onions (balanced more acidic with 1.5c vinegar to 1c water and 1c sugar) used pickling spice that may be a masala (coriander, bay, peppercorn, clove, etc.) Monday, September 28th Recipe book review pass Cornmeal-breaded chicken patty → this needs research chase the dark, mealy, crunchy breading from Chicken mall guy (see [[The impossible quest for the perfect chicken burger]]); try it on the [[Pan-fried chicken burger]] patty or a brined breast Friday, September 18th Food ideas butternut squash curry → [[Butternut squash curry]] beef thai curry → chicken thighs → [[Instant Pot chicken thigh curry]] Japanese curry → [[Pressure cooker Japanese curry]] One pot meals Chinese sausage rice Enchilada pie Chicken curry (simplified recipe, but likely good weeknight meal) Chicken pho TODO: Chutney recipes TODO: Dry vindaloo spice blend (write it up; offer it in [[Vindaloo wing sauce]] as an alternative to the paste) Do a deep dive on mennonitegirlscancook and The Woks of Life\nExample recipe sites (above, and \u0026hellip;):\ndollar recipes Monday, September 14th The food log has moved!\n[[Goulash]] from 1st principles Made this as a prep day hack. Turned out better than expected.\n1 pork shoulder (trimmed into 2cm cubes) 4 onions, rough dice (white, purple, shallot, leek) head of garlic, rough dice 6-10 large cremini mushrooms, sliced Salt, pepper, MSG 2 heaping tablespoons of sweet paprika 1 large carrot sliced 500ml chicken/beef stock 1 teaspoon of crushed fennel or caraway 1 large tin tomatoes (diced, or hand-crushed whole) 30ml tomato paste Browning sauce (15ml) Worcestershire sauce (15ml) Sherry (125ml), cider vinegar (50ml) Season the pork cubes with salt and pepper, and toss in oil. Broil on a pan until one side browns nicely. Remove and set aside, keeping the pan drippings.\nAdd the mushrooms to a large pot with some neutral oil and add 100 ml of water. Cook until the water evaporates and the mushrooms brown. Add the onions and carrot, and cook down. Add the garlic and continue to cook. Add tomato paste, and cook until it starts to stick and the veg continues browning. Add the paprika and fennel or caraway, heating them (but not burning).\nDeglaze with sherry and add the stock and Worcestershire. Add the tomatoes and crush if needed. Add the pork and pan drippings. Do not waste the pan drippings.\nHold a bare simmer, stirring regularly. Cook until pork is fork-tender (2-5 hours).\nAdd browning as needed. Balance with salt and cider vinegar.\nWednesday, September 9th New foods\nCooking day Stew (1, 2) ","date":"1 September 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2026-september/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Two goulash tests: a first-principles pork version on the 14th that came out better than expected, then a v2 on the 29th with oven-roasted pork, soaked dried mushrooms and smoked paprika. Alongside it, chicken Milanese from freezer-marinated cutlets, a more acidic batch of sweet pickled red onions, and the start of research into a cornmeal-breaded chicken patty. The backlog is mostly curries (butternut squash, Japanese, Instant Pot chicken thigh) plus a list of recipe sites to work through.\n","title":"September 2026","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"Cabbage is a comforting side dish on a cool, dark evening. It pairs nicely with schnitzel, sausage, roasts, and dumplings.\nIngredients 2 tbsp butter 1 small red cabbage, sliced thin, about 565 g (1¼ lb) 80 ml (⅓ cup) water 60 ml (¼ cup) red wine 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, or to taste 2 tbsp white sugar Pinch of caraway seeds Salt and pepper, to taste Method Halve the cabbage. Make an angled cut at the base of each half to trim out the core and the thick white ribs. Flip each half to the cut side and slice into thin ribbons; the exact thickness doesn\u0026rsquo;t matter as long as the cut is consistent, so it all cooks at the same rate.\nMelt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the cabbage, then season with salt. Add the water, red wine, red wine vinegar, sugar, and caraway seeds.\nCook uncovered, raising the heat to medium-high if you want it to go faster, stirring occasionally to keep it moving. You\u0026rsquo;re cooking off the liquid, and the cabbage should be tender by the time it\u0026rsquo;s gone, about 15 minutes. If the liquid evaporates before the cabbage is tender, add a splash more water and keep cooking.\nTaste once the liquid is gone. Adjust with more salt and pepper, sugar for sweetness, or vinegar for tang, to taste.\nNotes Everything here is to taste, not precisely measured; the amounts above are a starting point. For a more complex version, sauté diced or sliced onion in the butter before adding the cabbage. Bacon or pancetta also works, cooked first to render fat. Raisins, currants, shallots, leeks, apples, and pears are all common additions. Good base for a one-dish meal with smoked sausage or leftover pork ribs stirred in. ","date":"29 August 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/braised-red-cabbage/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Cabbage is a comforting side dish on a cool, dark evening. It pairs nicely with schnitzel, sausage, roasts, and dumplings.\nIngredients 2 tbsp butter 1 small red cabbage, sliced thin, about 565 g (1¼ lb) 80 ml (⅓ cup) water 60 ml (¼ cup) red wine 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, or to taste 2 tbsp white sugar Pinch of caraway seeds Salt and pepper, to taste Method Halve the cabbage. Make an angled cut at the base of each half to trim out the core and the thick white ribs. Flip each half to the cut side and slice into thin ribbons; the exact thickness doesn’t matter as long as the cut is consistent, so it all cooks at the same rate.\n","title":"Braised red cabbage","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"29 August 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/german/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"German","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"","date":"29 August 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/sides/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Sides","type":"tags"},{"content":"Pulled pork is a great base for dozens of dishes, including sliders, chilies, tacos, macaroni, rice bowls, and more.\nMechanic The pork braises in stock and aromatics only; the barbecue sauce is a separate reduction of vinegar, ketchup, and liquid smoke, not the strained braising liquid. Keeping them apart means the sauce flavour doesn\u0026rsquo;t depend on how much fat and pork juice ends up in the pot.\nIngredients ½ cup spice rub per shoulder, adapted with paprika, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, and cumin (I use [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s poultry and pork spice rub]]) 1–2 pork shoulders (see Notes for what fits) 2 onions, roughly chopped 1 head garlic, peeled 125–250 ml chicken stock 125 ml cider vinegar 125 ml ketchup ½ teaspoon liquid smoke brown sugar, salt, and pepper, to taste (sauce) Method Coat the pork evenly with the adapted spice rub. Refrigerate for 12–24 hours.\nCombine the chicken stock, onion, and garlic in the pressure cooker pot. Nestle in the rubbed pork.\nBring to high pressure and cook for 45–60 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes; a quick release makes the liquid cloudy.\nWhile the pork depressurizes, simmer the cider vinegar, ketchup, and liquid smoke in a saucepan until slightly thickened, 10–15 minutes. Season with brown sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.\nShred the pork, discarding the fat. Skim the fat from the braising liquid; stir a little into the sauce for extra flavour and body, or discard it.\nTo serve Some sauce stirred into the shredded pork, on buns, with the rest of the sauce on the side.\nNotes Plan on 150–250 g of pulled pork per person. A 6 L pressure cooker holds 2 boneless shoulders (or 1 bone-in). ","date":"20 August 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pulled-pork/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Pulled pork is a great base for dozens of dishes, including sliders, chilies, tacos, macaroni, rice bowls, and more.\nMechanic The pork braises in stock and aromatics only; the barbecue sauce is a separate reduction of vinegar, ketchup, and liquid smoke, not the strained braising liquid. Keeping them apart means the sauce flavour doesn’t depend on how much fat and pork juice ends up in the pot.\n","title":"Pulled pork","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A month of ideas rather than cooking: samosas and pakoras, empanadas, kofte, and a summer lasagne on the list, plus a couple of recipe sites bookmarked for later digging.\nSaturday, August 22nd Ideas Samosas and pakoras Chutneys Sunday, August 9th Ideas Empanadas Saucy dishes Garganelli (1) Kofte (1) Summer lasagne (1) General Indian cuisine (1) North American (1) ","date":"1 August 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2026-august/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A month of ideas rather than cooking: samosas and pakoras, empanadas, kofte, and a summer lasagne on the list, plus a couple of recipe sites bookmarked for later digging.\nSaturday, August 22nd Ideas Samosas and pakoras Chutneys Sunday, August 9th Ideas Empanadas Saucy dishes Garganelli (1) Kofte (1) Summer lasagne (1) General Indian cuisine (1) North American (1) ","title":"August 2026","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"","date":"19 July 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/greek/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Greek","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"Gyro beef or lamb is a great base for salads, pitas, sandwiches, and other preparations.\nMechanic This is the gyro spice-and-meat base, sized to 1 kg of ground meat so it scales cleanly for freezing or batch cooking. The technique is sausage-making applied without a grinder: mixing with cold water and a bread crumb panade until sticky emulsifies the proteins, giving a snap and shape-holding bite whether you form it into dogs, patties, or kebabs. MSG rounds out the umami without adding more salt to the mix. Skipping the chill or under-mixing gives a crumbly result.\nIngredients 500 g ground lamb 500 g ground beef 65 ml (¼ cup + 1 tsp) grated yellow onion 4 cloves garlic, crushed 2¼ tbsp dry bread crumbs 1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary 2 tbsp minced fresh parsley 2¼ tsp dried oregano 2¼ tsp kosher salt ¾ tsp MSG 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp paprika ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper 1 tiny pinch ground cinnamon 2¼ tbsp cold water Method Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix by hand for about 2 minutes, until the mixture feels sticky and emulsified. A food processor gives a firmer, snappier texture if you want that instead.\nPortion and shape as needed for the intended use: logs for dogs, patties, or skewered for kebabs.\nChill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before cooking. If freezing raw, pack flat in a freezer bag, thaw in the fridge, then shape and chill as above before cooking.\nNotes The base freezes well in flat zip-top bags. Flat bags defrost in cold water in 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge. MSG and salt work together here; ¾ tsp MSG per kg is enough to round out the umami without needing more salt. Cayenne stays subtle at this stage; add more heat at the cooking or glazing step if you want it. ","date":"19 July 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/gyro-base/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Gyro beef or lamb is a great base for salads, pitas, sandwiches, and other preparations.\nMechanic This is the gyro spice-and-meat base, sized to 1 kg of ground meat so it scales cleanly for freezing or batch cooking. The technique is sausage-making applied without a grinder: mixing with cold water and a bread crumb panade until sticky emulsifies the proteins, giving a snap and shape-holding bite whether you form it into dogs, patties, or kebabs. MSG rounds out the umami without adding more salt to the mix. Skipping the chill or under-mixing gives a crumbly result.\n","title":"Gyro base","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This recipe was inspired by a Chef John video. It inspired me to make the gyro mix as a base, which I freeze in large flat zip-top bags.\nMechanic This is sausage-making technique applied to a gyro spice blend; see the [[Gyro base]] Mechanic for how the cold water and panade emulsify the meat. That emulsion is what gives the dogs their snap and lets them hold a hot-dog shape on the grill instead of falling apart like a loose burger. Skipping the chill or under-mixing gives a crumbly result.\nDogs 1 batch [[Gyro base]] (about 1 kg) Make the gyro base, then weigh it and divide it into 8 equal portions, about 125 g each. Roll each portion on plastic wrap into an 18 cm (7 in) log with damp fingers, then twist the ends of the wrap to hold the shape.\nChill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.\nSwicy glaze 3 tbsp honey 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tbsp Sriracha 1 tsp cayenne pepper Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.\nGarlic sauce 250 ml (1 cup) Greek yogurt 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tsp lemon juice ⅛ tsp salt 1 tbsp olive oil 30–60 ml (2–4 tbsp) water, to adjust thickness Stir the garlic sauce ingredients together, thinning with water until pourable. Refrigerate until needed.\nGrill and assemble 8 hot dog buns 12 cherry tomatoes, sliced 125 ml (½ cup) cucumber, diced 125 ml (½ cup) red onion, thinly sliced Heat a grill to medium-high. Grill the dogs, turning every 2 minutes, until firm and springy to the touch, about 8 minutes. Brush with glaze, flip, brush the other side, and repeat every 30 seconds until the glaze is used up and the centre reaches 71°C (160°F).\nSpread garlic sauce inside the buns and add the dogs, then the tomatoes, more garlic sauce, red onion, and cucumber.\nNotes Cayenne shows up twice, once in the meat mix and again in the glaze. That\u0026rsquo;s intentional: it builds heat in two layers rather than front-loading it. The panade (bread crumbs plus cold water) is what lets this work in a normal kitchen without a meat grinder or casings. ","date":"19 July 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/gyro-dogs/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This recipe was inspired by a Chef John video. It inspired me to make the gyro mix as a base, which I freeze in large flat zip-top bags.\nMechanic This is sausage-making technique applied to a gyro spice blend; see the [[Gyro base]] Mechanic for how the cold water and panade emulsify the meat. That emulsion is what gives the dogs their snap and lets them hold a hot-dog shape on the grill instead of falling apart like a loose burger. Skipping the chill or under-mixing gives a crumbly result.\n","title":"Gyro dogs","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"19 July 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/lamb/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Lamb","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"19 July 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/mediterranean/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Mediterranean","type":"tags"},{"content":"Thailand\u0026rsquo;s everyday lunch dish: minced pork stir-fried hard and fast with garlic, chili, and holy basil, served over rice with a fried egg. The dish lives or dies on two things: real holy basil (not sweet Thai basil) and heat high enough to sear the pork rather than steam it.\nIngredients 2 tablespoons neutral oil, divided 5 cloves garlic 3–4 Thai bird\u0026rsquo;s eye chilies, to taste 300 g ground pork 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (for colour) 1 teaspoon sugar 1 cup (about 30 g) holy basil leaves, picked from the stem 2 eggs Steamed jasmine rice, to serve Method Pound the garlic and chilies to a rough, chunky paste with a mortar and pestle. A knife works if you don\u0026rsquo;t have one. A blender doesn\u0026rsquo;t: it purées instead of crushing and loses the texture.\nHeat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over high heat. Add the paste and stir-fry until fragrant, 20–30 seconds. Don\u0026rsquo;t let the garlic brown.\nAdd the pork. Break it up with the spatula and stir-fry over high heat until nearly cooked through, 2–3 minutes.\nAdd oyster sauce, light soy, dark soy, and sugar. Stir-fry until the pork is fully cooked and the sauce coats it evenly, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust.\nTurn off the heat. Add the basil and stir just until wilted, about 10–15 seconds. Don\u0026rsquo;t leave it on the heat longer than that.\nFry the eggs in the remaining oil over medium-high heat, spooning hot oil over the whites until set, keeping the yolk runny.\nServe the pork over rice, topped with a fried egg.\nNotes Holy basil (bai kra pao) is not optional for the real flavour: peppery, almost clove-like. Thai sweet basil (horapa) is a common substitute but tastes anise-like and changes the dish. High heat matters more than any single ingredient ratio. If your stove runs cool, cook in two batches rather than crowding the wok. Traditional side: prik nam pla (fish sauce with sliced chili and lime). ","date":"11 July 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pad-kra-pao-moo-saap/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Thailand’s everyday lunch dish: minced pork stir-fried hard and fast with garlic, chili, and holy basil, served over rice with a fried egg. The dish lives or dies on two things: real holy basil (not sweet Thai basil) and heat high enough to sear the pork rather than steam it.\n","title":"Pad kra pao moo saap","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Sometimes I\u0026rsquo;m craving a diner-style griddle burger with a classic hamburger sauce. This is a fairly close match to a popular burger chain that hasn\u0026rsquo;t made it to our region yet.\nIngredients 120 ml mayonnaise (½ cup) 3 tablespoons ketchup ½ teaspoon yellow mustard 1 tablespoon white vinegar 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons finely minced white onion ¼ teaspoon paprika 0.1 g MSG (a smidgen, about 1/32 teaspoon; 0.05% of total weight) Salt and pepper, to taste Method Combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, vinegar, relish, sugar, onion, paprika, and MSG in a mixing bowl. Stir until uniform in colour with no streaks of ketchup or mustard visible.\nTaste and adjust with salt and pepper.\nCover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, until the onion and pickle flavours have mellowed into the base.\nTo serve Spread on burger buns, use as a sandwich spread, or serve as a dip for fries.\nNotes 0.05% MSG by weight is small enough that a kitchen scale is the only reliable way to measure it; volume spoons this small (smidgen, drop) are approximate. Keeps refrigerated about 1 week in a sealed container. ","date":"7 July 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/in-n-out-burger-spread/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Sometimes I’m craving a diner-style griddle burger with a classic hamburger sauce. This is a fairly close match to a popular burger chain that hasn’t made it to our region yet.\n","title":"In-N-Out burger spread","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Back from time off and easing into fresher food, starting with a tested and approved batch of gyro dogs — freezer-friendly, and good for quick meals.\nThursday, July 2nd Post-time off, focus on fresher foods\nMore summer Gyro dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQZWsH2Mpb4 → [[Gyro dogs]] these would freeze well + be good for quick meals tested, these were good ","date":"1 July 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2026-july/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Back from time off and easing into fresher food, starting with a tested and approved batch of gyro dogs — freezer-friendly, and good for quick meals.\nThursday, July 2nd Post-time off, focus on fresher foods\n","title":"July 2026","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"This is a restaurant-style base for takeout curries.\nMechanic This is a BIR (British Indian Restaurant) base gravy: a neutral, lightly spiced vegetable purée that acts as the liquid foundation for takeaway-style curries. Most BIR curries start by blooming aromatics and spices in oil, then adding this gravy to build the sauce. The gravy itself is deliberately mild; the individual dish recipes add heat and character on top.\nIngredients Gravy 250 ml neutral oil (or oil reserved from frying [[Onion bhaji]]) 2 tablespoons [[Ginger/garlic paste]] 1 tin (400 g) plum tomatoes 3 medium yellow onions, quartered 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper, roughly chopped ½ large carrot, roughly chopped 250–750 ml water, plus more to adjust consistency 250 ml cream (or coconut cream) 250 ml garam masala water (see Notes) ¼ cup spiced tomato purée (or tomato paste) Spices 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder or masala 1 teaspoon hot paprika or ground Indian chili 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder 1 teaspoon salt Method Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add the ginger/garlic paste and bloom until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the powdered spices and bloom another minute. Stir in the tomato purée and cook another minute.\nAdd the water and all the vegetables. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on medium-low until everything is very soft, about 45 minutes. Alternatively, pressure cook on low for 30 minutes.\nAdd the garam masala water. Blend smooth with an immersion blender.\nTemper the cream by whisking in a few ladles of hot gravy, then stir it back into the pot. Add water until the gravy coats the back of a spoon: not thick, not watery.\nTo serve Use as the liquid base in [[Butter chicken]] and other BIR-style curries.\nNotes Garam masala water: steep a tablespoon of whole garam masala spices (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper) in 250 ml of just-boiled water for 10 minutes, then strain. Add cream after the tomato acidity has mellowed (toward the end of cooking) to prevent curdling. Use coconut cream for a vegan, dairy-free gravy. Keeps refrigerated 5 days. Freezes well in 500 ml portions. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/base-curry-gravy/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a restaurant-style base for takeout curries.\nMechanic This is a BIR (British Indian Restaurant) base gravy: a neutral, lightly spiced vegetable purée that acts as the liquid foundation for takeaway-style curries. Most BIR curries start by blooming aromatics and spices in oil, then adding this gravy to build the sauce. The gravy itself is deliberately mild; the individual dish recipes add heat and character on top.\n","title":"Base curry gravy","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is our classic-style beef stew. I tend to make it as a base now, skipping the potatoes and more delicate vegetables, which are served alongside it.\nMechanic Brown the beef in batches without crowding; you want a sear, not a steam. The fond that builds on the bottom of the pot is the stew\u0026rsquo;s backbone; the wine deglaze lifts all of it. Making this as a minimal stew, without vegetables in the braise, means you can cook it longer without anything going mushy and serve it over whatever you have on hand.\nIngredients 1–2 kg chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 4 cm cubes ½ cup AP flour or other starch 1–2 tablespoons neutral oil, bacon fat, or shortening 2 large yellow onions, diced 225 g cremini mushrooms 2 leeks, white and light green parts, diced 2–3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 240–480 ml (1–2 cups) bright, drinkable red wine 1 L (4 cups) beef or chicken stock 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1–2 tablespoons herbes de Provence, in a cheesecloth bundle or tea infuser Smoked paprika (optional) Salt and pepper Flavour enhancers 1 teaspoon MSG (Accent) (optional) 1–2 tablespoons soy sauce (optional) 2–3 teaspoons fish sauce (optional) Method Season the beef generously with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika if using. Toss with the flour until lightly coated.\nHeat fat in a large Dutch oven or pressure cooker over medium-high. Sear beef in batches until deeply browned on all sides, 3–4 minutes per side. Don\u0026rsquo;t crowd the pan. Remove and reserve with any drippings.\nAdd mushrooms with a little more fat. Cook until they release their liquid and begin to brown. Add onions and leeks and cook until soft. Stir in tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Deglaze with the wine, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom.\nAdd the Worcestershire, stock, any flavour enhancers, and the reserved beef with its drippings. Nestle in the herb bundle. Bring to a simmer.\nDutch oven: cook on the lowest possible heat until the beef is spoon-tender, 2–3 hours.\nPressure cooker: cook at high pressure for about 35 minutes; cookers vary, so check a cube and add time if it isn\u0026rsquo;t spoon-tender. Let the pressure release naturally.\nTaste and season. Thicken with a flour slurry if needed, or reduce uncovered.\nTo serve Over roasted potatoes, egg noodles, or roasted veg. Frozen peas stirred in at the end. Occasionally with KD for a nostalgic 80s extend-a-meal.\nNotes Improves overnight. Make it a day ahead. Freezes well up to 3 months. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/beef-stew/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is our classic-style beef stew. I tend to make it as a base now, skipping the potatoes and more delicate vegetables, which are served alongside it.\nMechanic Brown the beef in batches without crowding; you want a sear, not a steam. The fond that builds on the bottom of the pot is the stew’s backbone; the wine deglaze lifts all of it. Making this as a minimal stew, without vegetables in the braise, means you can cook it longer without anything going mushy and serve it over whatever you have on hand.\n","title":"Beef stew","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A warm and comforting stew. This is a 3-part stroganoff that covers a few styles of the dish.\nMechanic This recipe exists in three versions; choose the protein and build accordingly. The method is the same in all three: brown the beef, brown the mushrooms, deglaze, simmer, finish with sour cream. The sour cream must be tempered (hot liquid added gradually) or it will break.\nIngredients Nostalgic (Hamburger Helper style) 750 g ground beef 120 g yellow onion, diced 350 g cremini mushrooms, sliced 500 ml beef or chicken stock 45 g unsalted butter 14 g (2 tablespoons) mild paprika 500 ml sour cream 455 g (4 cups) wide egg noodles Salt and pepper Authentic (1950s style) 750 g chuck roast, cut into thin strips Pearl onions (up to 400 g) 350 g cremini mushrooms, quartered 1 clove garlic, crushed 500 ml homemade stock 45 g unsalted butter 12 g (2 teaspoons) Dijon mustard 250 ml dry white wine, or 1–2 tbsp white wine vinegar topped up to 250 ml with stock 250 ml sour cream or crème fraîche 455 g (4 cups) wide egg noodles Salt and pepper Fancy (bistro style) 750 g beef tenderloin, in one piece 1 shallot, finely diced 350 g cremini, chanterelles, or mousserons, quartered 45 g neutral oil, for browning A splash of vodka, brandy, sherry, or dry white wine, for deglazing 250 ml crème fraîche 455 g (4 cups) wide egg noodles Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, or MSG Chives and fresh thyme or parsley, to finish Salt and pepper Method Season the beef with the paprika (if using), salt, and pepper. Dust with flour for extra browning if you like.\nFor the nostalgic and authentic versions, brown the beef in batches in a hot skillet with the butter (or oil). Remove and reserve. For the fancy version, sear the whole tenderloin on all sides in the oil until the centre reads 52°C (125°F) for medium rare, then rest it while you make the sauce.\nIn the same pan, cook the mushrooms until they release their liquid and begin to brown. Add the onion, shallot, or pearl onions and cook until softened. Add the garlic and Dijon, if using, and stir briefly.\nDeglaze with the wine, vinegar and stock, or spirit, scraping up the browned bits. For the versions with stock, add half, reduce slightly, then add the rest.\nSimmer until tender: return ground beef for about 30 minutes, or chuck for about 1 hour. For the fancy version, simmer the sauce alone for about 20 minutes, seasoning it with Worcestershire, fish sauce, soy sauce, or MSG.\nCook the egg noodles to al dente per the package.\nTake the pan off the heat. Temper the sour cream or crème fraîche by whisking a few ladles of hot liquid into it, then stir it back into the pan. Don\u0026rsquo;t let it boil after this, or it will break.\nStir in the herbs. Taste and adjust the seasoning. For the fancy version, slice the tenderloin on the bias and lay it over the sauce.\nTo serve Over egg noodles, with extra sour cream alongside.\nNotes Pressure cooker: 10 minutes at high pressure for ground beef, 20 minutes for chuck. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/beef-stroganoff/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A warm and comforting stew. This is a 3-part stroganoff that covers a few styles of the dish.\nMechanic This recipe exists in three versions; choose the protein and build accordingly. The method is the same in all three: brown the beef, brown the mushrooms, deglaze, simmer, finish with sour cream. The sour cream must be tempered (hot liquid added gradually) or it will break.\n","title":"Beef stroganoff","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/breads/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Breads","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/breakfast/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Breakfast","type":"tags"},{"content":"Butter chicken was a gateway curry for our kids. This recipe is our best attempt at the warm, delicious curries from our local takeout shops.\nMechanic This is a BIR-style (British Indian Restaurant) butter chicken, built on a pre-made base curry gravy rather than starting from scratch. The gravy does the heavy lifting; this recipe adds the butter, cream, and finishing flavours that make it distinctly butter chicken.\nIngredients 500 ml [[Base curry gravy]] 4 tablespoons almond powder 4 tablespoons yogurt or cream 2 tablespoons oil (onion oil preferred) 40 g butter, plus more to finish 1 teaspoon [[Ginger/garlic paste]] 2 teaspoons garam masala 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional) Sugar, to taste 2 teaspoons methi (dried fenugreek leaves) 500 g chicken thigh or breast, diced and precooked To finish Salt, to taste Butter Toasted nuts Fresh coriander leaves Method Heat oil and butter in a large pan over medium. Add ginger-garlic paste and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the garam masala and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste if using and stir in.\nAdd the almond powder and a little sugar, and stir until combined and fragrant, 1–2 minutes.\nAdd the diced precooked chicken and stir to coat in the spice mixture.\nPour in the base curry gravy and stir to combine. Bring to a bare simmer.\nTurn off the heat. Temper the yogurt or cream by stirring a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce into it, then stir it into the pan until smooth. Warm gently over low heat until heated through; don\u0026rsquo;t let it boil, or the yogurt may curdle.\nFinish with butter, salt, and methi. Taste and adjust.\nTo serve With basmati rice or naan. Top with toasted nuts and fresh coriander.\n","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/butter-chicken/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Butter chicken was a gateway curry for our kids. This recipe is our best attempt at the warm, delicious curries from our local takeout shops.\nMechanic This is a BIR-style (British Indian Restaurant) butter chicken, built on a pre-made base curry gravy rather than starting from scratch. The gravy does the heavy lifting; this recipe adds the butter, cream, and finishing flavours that make it distinctly butter chicken.\n","title":"Butter chicken","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a warm, filling soup that pairs nicely with garlic or cheese bread, or grilled cheese.\nMechanic Roasting the squash and vegetables first concentrates their sugars and develops colour before anything goes in the pot. Straining the blended soup through a fine-mesh sieve at the end gives a silky texture you can\u0026rsquo;t get any other way. Loosen with stock until it pours easily. It\u0026rsquo;s not a pie filling.\nSoup 1 medium butternut squash, halved and seeds removed 1 onion, roughly diced 240 ml (1 cup) carrots or yam, diced 6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled 1 tablespoon olive oil 1.5 L (6 cups) vegetable stock, plus more as needed 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Toss the squash, onion, carrots, and garlic with olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Roast on a baking sheet about 1 hour, until soft and browned.\nTransfer to a large pot and add stock. Simmer on low 30–60 minutes. Blend smooth with an immersion blender. Stir in the sage brown butter, maple syrup, and vinegar. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and discard solids. Add stock to reach a pourable consistency. Taste and adjust salt, acid, and sweetness.\nSage brown butter 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 6–8 large sage leaves Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Cook until it stops foaming and smells nutty. Remove from heat and add the sage leaves. Let infuse while the soup simmers.\nTo serve With a spoon of crème fraîche or yogurt and something green. Good with fresh bread or grilled cheese alongside.\nNotes Keeps refrigerated 5 days. Freezes well. Thyme or rosemary can replace the sage. Vegan with neutral oil instead of butter; skip the crème fraîche or yogurt when serving. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/butternut-squash-soup/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a warm, filling soup that pairs nicely with garlic or cheese bread, or grilled cheese.\nMechanic Roasting the squash and vegetables first concentrates their sugars and develops colour before anything goes in the pot. Straining the blended soup through a fine-mesh sieve at the end gives a silky texture you can’t get any other way. Loosen with stock until it pours easily. It’s not a pie filling.\n","title":"Butternut squash soup","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is an emulsified dressing that\u0026rsquo;s commonly used in local Greek restaurants. It may not be authentic, but it hits all of the notes of the classic table-side service.\nMechanic This is a blended emulsion: the egg white and Dijon suspend the olive oil. Drizzle the oil slowly with the blender running so it incorporates rather than pools. The 2 tablespoons of sugar is not a mistake. It\u0026rsquo;s the family version, rounding out the anchovy and lemon without making the dressing noticeably sweet.\nIngredients 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 egg white 1 teaspoon anchovy paste (or Worcestershire sauce) 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons dried basil 1 teaspoon dried oregano 2 tablespoons sugar ¼ teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 125–175 ml (½–¾ cup) good olive oil 1 teaspoon Accent (optional) Method Add everything except the olive oil to a blender. Blend until smooth. With the blender running, drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is thick enough to coat a spoon.\nTo serve Romaine, croutons, shaved Parmesan.\nNotes From Auntie Linda Stout. Keeps refrigerated 3–4 days. The egg white is raw. Use a pasteurized egg if serving anyone pregnant, elderly, very young, or immunocompromised. Not vegetarian: both anchovy paste and Worcestershire sauce contain anchovy. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/caesar-dressing/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is an emulsified dressing that’s commonly used in local Greek restaurants. It may not be authentic, but it hits all of the notes of the classic table-side service.\nMechanic This is a blended emulsion: the egg white and Dijon suspend the olive oil. Drizzle the oil slowly with the blender running so it incorporates rather than pools. The 2 tablespoons of sugar is not a mistake. It’s the family version, rounding out the anchovy and lemon without making the dressing noticeably sweet.\n","title":"Caesar dressing","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is my favourite cake. Cover it in a light cream cheese icing with a hint of lemon, and serve at room temperature. Also makes a great breakfast with tea.\nMechanic The high oil content, 480 ml to 360g of flour, makes this exceptionally moist and keeps it that way for days. Refrigerating the layers overnight before icing firms the crumb so they don\u0026rsquo;t slide and the icing goes on cleanly.\nCake 600g (3 cups) sugar 480 ml (2 cups) canola oil 6 eggs 500g (4½ cups) carrot, finely grated 360g (3 cups) AP flour 1½ tablespoons cinnamon 3 teaspoons baking soda ¾ teaspoon salt 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract 100g (1 cup) walnuts, roughly chopped Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Oil and flour three 23 cm (9-inch) round cake pans.\nBeat the sugar and oil together until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Mix in the carrots, vanilla, and walnuts.\nIn a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.\nDivide the batter evenly between the three pans. Bake 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans, then run a knife around the edge before inverting. Wrap layers in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before icing.\nIcing 310g (11 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature 170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature 360g (3 cups) icing sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 100g (1 cup) walnuts, roughly chopped, for finishing Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and beat until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and lemon zest.\nSpread icing between each layer and over the top and sides of the assembled cake. Press the chopped walnuts into the sides.\nNotes Bruce\u0026rsquo;s birthday cake, originally from Afterthoughts Dessert Restaurant. Keeps refrigerated up to a week, since the icing is cream cheese. Bring it to room temperature before serving. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/carrot-cake/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is my favourite cake. Cover it in a light cream cheese icing with a hint of lemon, and serve at room temperature. Also makes a great breakfast with tea.\n","title":"Carrot cake","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/casseroles/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Casseroles","type":"tags"},{"content":"French dressing is a classic early restaurant memory for us. The emulsified version is a North American twist, but it works just as well as an oil and vinegar dressing.\nMechanic Equal parts oil and lemon juice makes this sharper than a modern vinaigrette: the usual ratio is 3:1. The dry mustard emulsifies it. Garlic goes in split rather than crushed so it infuses gently over days rather than overwhelming the dressing immediately.\n1Oil : 1Lemon Ingredients 2 teaspoons dry mustard 2 teaspoons salt 2 cloves garlic, split Dash of Tabasco sauce 60 ml (¼ cup) neutral oil 60 ml (¼ cup) lemon juice, freshly squeezed 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (use a vegan one for a vegan dressing) 1 tablespoon onion juice Method Combine all ingredients in a jar or bottle. For the onion juice, halve an onion and squeeze it through a lemon squeezer directly into the jar. Seal and shake well.\nRefrigerate. Shake before each use.\nTo serve Any tossed salad.\nNotes The 1:1 oil-to-lemon ratio is noticeably tart. For a mellower dressing, increase oil to 90 ml (6 tablespoons). Remove the garlic after a week if the flavour gets too strong. Keeps 2–3 weeks refrigerated. Recipe from Don\u0026rsquo;s mother, via the family archive. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/classic-french-dressing/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"French dressing is a classic early restaurant memory for us. The emulsified version is a North American twist, but it works just as well as an oil and vinegar dressing.\n","title":"Classic French dressing","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/dairy-free/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Dairy-Free","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/desserts/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Desserts","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/dressings/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Dressings","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/family/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Family","type":"tags"},{"content":"I started making focaccia when I needed to find a use for some leftover pizza dough. I enriched it with olive oil, topped it with kosher salt, and baked it in a pan. We ate it with olive oil and balsamic, and it was lovely.\nMechanic Focaccia is pizza dough enriched with olive oil, baked in an oiled pan rather than on a stone. The heavy oil in the pan fries the bottom crust as it bakes, giving it crunch, and more oil drizzled over as you dimple soaks into the top. Deep dimples aren\u0026rsquo;t decorative; they anchor toppings and prevent the dough from puffing unevenly. Rest the dough between spreading attempts; it will relax and spread to the corners without tearing.\nIngredients 1 batch [[Pizza dough]] (1 kg dough, split into 2–3 portions) olive oil, a generous amount for the pans, the top, and the herbs coarse salt Toppings (any combination) olives garlic cloves, smashed cherry tomatoes fresh herbs, or dried herbs steeped in olive oil Brine (optional) 1 tbsp salt 120 ml (½ cup) water 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil Method Put the dough portions in heavily oiled pans and let them rise until puffy and close to room temperature, 1–2 hours. Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) partway through the rise, so the dough isn\u0026rsquo;t waiting on a cold oven.\nPrepare the toppings. If using herbs, steep them in olive oil for 10–15 minutes.\nDrizzle olive oil over the dough and press it toward the corners of the pan with your fingers. If it springs back, let it rest 10 minutes and try again; with enough rest it spreads without resistance. Once it\u0026rsquo;s spread, press deep, generous dimples across the whole surface.\nScatter the toppings evenly over the dough. Press larger items (olives, tomatoes) gently into the dimples so they don\u0026rsquo;t roll off. If using the brine, whisk it together and drizzle it over. Finish with coarse salt.\nFor thinner focaccia, bake until deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. For thicker focaccia, lower the oven to 190°C (375°F) and bake until deep golden, 35–40 minutes.\nTake it out of the pan right away and cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting.\nNotes The brine is traditional but tends to wash the herbs off. Worth trying, but optional. Leftovers keep well at room temperature for 1 day. Reheat in a hot oven for 5 minutes to refresh the crust. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/focaccia/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I started making focaccia when I needed to find a use for some leftover pizza dough. I enriched it with olive oil, topped it with kosher salt, and baked it in a pan. We ate it with olive oil and balsamic, and it was lovely.\n","title":"Focaccia","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/french/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"French","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"Making pasta by hand is easier than it looks. It takes about 20 minutes, plus a bit of cleanup.\nMechanic 250g flour to 2 whole eggs plus 4 yolks is the ratio. Extra yolks rather than whole eggs make the pasta richer, more golden, and silkier in texture. The 30-minute rest after kneading relaxes the gluten so the dough sheets smoothly without springing back.\nFlour 250 g \u0026#43; Eggs 2 \u0026#43; Yolks 4 Ingredients 250g (about 2 cups) AP flour, plus more for dusting 2 large eggs (about 110g) 4 egg yolks (about 70g) 3 g (½ teaspoon) salt Method Mound the flour on a counter or in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the eggs, yolks, and salt. Beat the eggs gently with a fork, gradually pulling in flour from the inside wall of the well. Once the liquid is absorbed, bring the rest of the flour in with a bench scraper until a shaggy ball forms.\nKnead until smooth and elastic, 10–15 minutes. The dough is ready when it springs back slowly when poked. Add flour a pinch at a time if sticky; a few drops of water if too dry.\nWrap tightly and rest 30 minutes at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge.\nDivide into 3–4 pieces. Flatten each piece to fit your pasta sheeter and sheet to your desired thickness, folding and re-sheeting a few times for even texture. Cut or shape as needed, dust with flour, and let rest briefly before cooking.\nCook in well-salted boiling water 2–3 minutes.\nNotes A bowl works as well as the counter method. Shaped pasta (dumplings, ravioli, tortellini) freezes well: freeze on a tray first, then bag. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/fresh-egg-pasta/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Making pasta by hand is easier than it looks. It takes about 20 minutes, plus a bit of cleanup.\nMechanic 250g flour to 2 whole eggs plus 4 yolks is the ratio. Extra yolks rather than whole eggs make the pasta richer, more golden, and silkier in texture. The 30-minute rest after kneading relaxes the gluten so the dough sheets smoothly without springing back.\n","title":"Fresh egg pasta","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/gluten-free/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Gluten-Free","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/indian/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Indian","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"A scalable, by-weight meatball for spaghetti, braises, and the freezer.\nMechanic A meatball is a protein base, binders, moisteners (panade), and flavourings. The panade, breadcrumbs soaked in liquid, keeps the meatball from drying out. Grated onion (not diced) disappears into the mix and adds moisture. The percentages below are by weight, relative to 1 kg of ground meat, so the recipe scales to any quantity.\nIngredients Based on 1 kg ground meat:\n1000 g ground meat (100%) 180 g water or stock (18%) 180 g onion, grated (18%) 150 g breadcrumbs (15%) 70 g egg, beaten (7%), about 1½ large eggs 60 g Parmesan, grated (6%) 25 g garlic, minced (2.5%) 15 g fresh parsley, chopped (1.5%) 13 g salt (1.25%) 5 g MSG (0.5%) 5 g dried oregano or thyme (0.5%) 4 g black pepper (0.4%) 3 g ground fennel (0.25%) 3 g ground coriander (0.25%) 1 g white pepper (0.13%) Method Combine breadcrumbs and liquid (water, stock, or a mix with cream, buttermilk, or sour cream). Let soak until absorbed. This is the panade.\nGrind or measure spices and herbs. Add to the panade along with grated onion and garlic. Mix to combine.\nAdd ground meat and mix thoroughly, by hand or with a paddle attachment, until the mixture is homogenous and slightly sticky.\nPortion into balls (about 50 g each for a standard meatball). Place on a rack over a baking sheet.\nBake at 190–220°C (375–425°F) until browned and 71°C (160°F) in the centre, 15–20 minutes.\nVariations Asian-style Replace some of the liquid with hoisin (3%), soy sauce (1.5%), and sesame oil (1%). Add ginger (1%). Reduce salt (soy takes its place). Skip the Parmesan. Scale back liquid slightly. The mixture should be a little firmer than the Italian version.\nGlaze: 60 ml hoisin, 30 ml ketchup, 15 ml honey or maple syrup, 30 ml rice vinegar, 15 ml soy sauce, 5 ml sesame oil. Brush over meatballs in the last 5 minutes of baking. Finish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.\nNotes Freezes well after baking. Cool completely, freeze on a tray, then bag. Can be added to any braise or sauce directly from frozen. Add 10 minutes to simmer time. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/meatballs/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A scalable, by-weight meatball for spaghetti, braises, and the freezer.\nMechanic A meatball is a protein base, binders, moisteners (panade), and flavourings. The panade, breadcrumbs soaked in liquid, keeps the meatball from drying out. Grated onion (not diced) disappears into the mix and adds moisture. The percentages below are by weight, relative to 1 kg of ground meat, so the recipe scales to any quantity.\n","title":"Meatballs","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a classic, comforting soup, perfect for late summer or fall.\nMechanic The vegetarian base replaces pancetta with deeply browned mushrooms, toasted bread, and smoked paprika. The bread is the surprising part: it toasts in the oil, adding a savoury nuttiness that disappears into the soup. Don\u0026rsquo;t skip it.\nIngredients Base 2 tablespoons olive oil 280 g cremini or white mushrooms, diced (about 4 cups) 30 g bread, diced small (about 1 cup; or 60 g breadcrumbs) 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1–2 teaspoons soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos Or: 150 g diced pancetta instead of all of the above Soup 1 onion, diced 120 g celery, diced (about 1 cup) 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 L (4 cups) vegetable or chicken stock 500 ml (2 cups) water 1 large tin (825 ml) plum tomatoes, crushed by hand 2 tins (540 ml each) mixed beans, drained and rinsed 270 g kale or other sturdy greens, roughly chopped (about 4 cups) 110 g (⅔ cup) small pasta (ditalini, orzo, or similar) salt and black pepper ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped ¼ cup Parmesan, grated Method Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid, then dry out and begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add bread and toast until golden. Add paprika and soy sauce and stir to combine.\nFor the pancetta version, brown the pancetta in the oil until crisp at the edges, about 6 minutes, and skip the mushrooms, bread, paprika, and soy sauce.\nAdd more olive oil to the pot if needed. Add onion and celery and soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning and stir. Pour in the stock, water, and tomatoes. Bring to a bare simmer.\nAdd beans and greens and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add pasta and increase heat to a lively simmer, not a boil. Cook until pasta is just tender, 8–10 minutes.\nTo serve Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil, Parmesan, and parsley.\nNotes For extra savoury depth, add 1 tablespoon tomato paste once the mushrooms start to colour. If freezing, cook pasta separately and add when reheating. The bread in the base can be a stale heel. It disappears completely. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/minestrone/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a classic, comforting soup, perfect for late summer or fall.\nMechanic The vegetarian base replaces pancetta with deeply browned mushrooms, toasted bread, and smoked paprika. The bread is the surprising part: it toasts in the oil, adding a savoury nuttiness that disappears into the soup. Don’t skip it.\n","title":"Minestrone","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Our kids loved this recipe, and it makes an appearance most Christmas days still.\nMechanic The baking powder goes in last, just before cooking. Most baking powder is double-acting and saves most of its lift for the heat, so batter mixed early loses only some of its rise, but adding it at the last moment still gives a slightly lighter, fluffier result. Don\u0026rsquo;t overmix once it\u0026rsquo;s in.\nIngredients 2 eggs 530 ml (2¼ cups) milk 2 tablespoons neutral oil 240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour 50 g (¼ cup) sugar pinch of salt 3 teaspoons baking powder, heaping Method Whisk together the eggs, milk, and oil. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and stir until just combined: a few lumps are fine.\nHeat a pan over medium-low and brush lightly with oil.\nJust before cooking, stir in the baking powder until just incorporated. Do not overmix.\nLadle batter onto the pan without crowding. Cook until the edges look set and the bottom is golden, then flip. The first batch is almost always a throwaway. Adjust heat as needed.\nKeep finished pancakes warm in a 90°C (200°F) oven until ready to serve.\nTo serve Maple syrup. Butter. Berries if you have them.\nNotes The same batter works for waffles. Heat the iron fully and brush it with oil, then fill it about two-thirds so the batter spreads to the edges. Cook until the steam slows and the waffle releases easily. From Ann\u0026rsquo;s dad, Will Imanse. The Alderson family\u0026rsquo;s only pancake recipe. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pancakes-and-waffles/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Our kids loved this recipe, and it makes an appearance most Christmas days still.\nMechanic The baking powder goes in last, just before cooking. Most baking powder is double-acting and saves most of its lift for the heat, so batter mixed early loses only some of its rise, but adding it at the last moment still gives a slightly lighter, fluffier result. Don’t overmix once it’s in.\n","title":"Pancakes and waffles","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A good peanut sauce is perfect with salad rolls and satay.\nIngredients 150g (½ cup) hoisin sauce 60g (¼ cup) peanut butter 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 cloves garlic, grated 1 tablespoon sambal oelek 60 ml (¼ cup) warm water Method Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Thin with more water if needed.\nTo serve Dipping sauce for salad rolls or spring rolls. Also works alongside satay.\n","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/peanut-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A good peanut sauce is perfect with salad rolls and satay.\nIngredients 150g (½ cup) hoisin sauce 60g (¼ cup) peanut butter 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 cloves garlic, grated 1 tablespoon sambal oelek 60 ml (¼ cup) warm water Method Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Thin with more water if needed.\n","title":"Peanut sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/russian/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Russian","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/salads/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Salads","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/vegan/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Vegan","type":"tags"},{"content":"This was our kids\u0026rsquo; first and favourite lasagna, and we used it as a vessel to hide vegetables in.\nMechanic Eggs in the cheese filling bind the layers together so the lasagna cuts cleanly as a casserole. Draining the ricotta and cottage cheese if they\u0026rsquo;re watery prevents the lasagna from going soupy. The 20-minute rest after baking is non-negotiable: the layers need time to set before cutting.\nMarinara Use as much [[Marinara sauce]] as the layers need, about 1.5 L. Make extra; leftovers make a quick lunch.\nSavoury veg 2 tablespoons olive oil 280 g mixed mushrooms, finely chopped (about 4 cups) 1 onion, finely diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1–2 carrots, finely diced or grated 1 zucchini, finely diced Heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and cook until they release their liquid and begin to brown. Add onion, garlic, and remaining vegetables and cook on medium-low until everything is soft and starting to caramelize. Deglaze the pan if needed. Stir in enough marinara to coat generously. Set aside.\nCheese filling 2 eggs 2 small containers (about 425 g each) whole milk ricotta 2 medium containers (about 500 g each) dry cottage cheese 110–220 g grated mozzarella (about 1–2 cups; fresher is better; mix in some cheddar) 100 g Parmesan, grated (about 1 cup) ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped salt and pepper If the ricotta or cottage cheese are watery, drain in a fine-mesh strainer first. Beat eggs and mix in the cheeses and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.\nGarnish 75 g (¾ cup) Parmesan, grated 100 g (1 cup) mozzarella, diced or grated ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped Toss together.\nAssembly 1 box (375 g) lasagna noodles, cooked to al dente and drained Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).\nSpread ¼ of the marinara on the bottom of a large lasagna pan. Layer noodles, then cheese filling, then the veg mixture. Repeat three more times. Finish the top layer with the remaining marinara and the garnish.\nCover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes more.\nRest 20 minutes before cutting.\nNotes Make the components a day ahead: the lasagna is better assembled and baked the next day. Leftovers keep refrigerated 4–5 days and freeze well. ","date":"18 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/vegetarian-lasagna/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This was our kids’ first and favourite lasagna, and we used it as a vessel to hide vegetables in.\nMechanic Eggs in the cheese filling bind the layers together so the lasagna cuts cleanly as a casserole. Draining the ricotta and cottage cheese if they’re watery prevents the lasagna from going soupy. The 20-minute rest after baking is non-negotiable: the layers need time to set before cutting.\n","title":"Vegetarian lasagna","type":"recipes"},{"content":"I grew up on oatmeal, and love it prepared pretty much any way, but baked is best.\nMechanic 2 cups oats to 1½ cups milk to 2 eggs is the ratio that gives you a result creamy in the middle and firm enough to slice. Less milk makes it denser; more makes it spoonable. The butter matters: without some fat, the texture turns rubbery. Fruit goes on top rather than stirred in so it steams and softens while the oat base sets underneath.\nOats 2 cups \u0026#43; Milk 1½ cups \u0026#43; Eggs 2 Ingredients ½ cup pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped 180 g rolled oats (2 cups) 1½ cups milk 2 large eggs ¼ cup maple syrup or honey 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ¼ cup mashed ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon salt 1½ cups fresh or frozen fruit Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 20 cm or 23 cm (8 or 9 inch) square baking dish. Spread the nuts on a dry baking sheet and toast 4–5 minutes while the oven heats. Set aside.\nWhisk together the milk, eggs, maple syrup, butter, banana, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the oats and three-quarters of the nuts. Pour into the prepared dish and smooth into an even layer. Scatter the fruit and remaining nuts over the top.\nBake 38–42 minutes, until the top is golden and the centre is just set; a slight wobble is fine. Rest 10 minutes before serving; the middle firms as it cools.\nTo serve Warm, with plain yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.\nVariations Blueberry banana Use 150 g blueberries (1 cup) and 1 banana, sliced, as the fruit. Pecans on top.\nApple cinnamon Peel and dice 2 medium apples into ½ cm pieces. Add a pinch of nutmeg to the wet mix. Walnuts on top.\nPumpkin chocolate chip Replace the mashed banana with ¼ cup pumpkin purée. Fold ½ cup chocolate chips into the oat mix instead of topping with fruit. Add ½ teaspoon each nutmeg and ginger to the wet mix.\nPB banana Skip the topping fruit. Press 1 sliced banana across the top before baking. After baking, warm 2 tablespoons peanut butter until pourable and drizzle over.\nNotes Mix and bake immediately. Oats absorb liquid fast; batter left to sit produces a dry, uneven result. For gluten-free, use oats labelled gluten-free. Regular oats are often processed alongside wheat. Keeps refrigerated 5 days. Frozen fruit works straight from the bag. Add 3–5 minutes to the bake time. ","date":"17 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/baked-oatmeal/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I grew up on oatmeal, and love it prepared pretty much any way, but baked is best.\nMechanic 2 cups oats to 1½ cups milk to 2 eggs is the ratio that gives you a result creamy in the middle and firm enough to slice. Less milk makes it denser; more makes it spoonable. The butter matters: without some fat, the texture turns rubbery. Fruit goes on top rather than stirred in so it steams and softens while the oat base sets underneath.\n","title":"Baked oatmeal","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A catalog of directorial and editorial methods drawn from Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson, mapped to practical food video production. Each technique includes the cinematic source, food application, a concrete example, and production cost rating.\nCategories Editorial Sound design Structural Visual comedy Temporal Compositional Two directors whose methods translate unusually well to food video, for opposite reasons.\nWright works with momentum. He cuts on functional completion (the moment a step finishes its purpose) rather than on feeling or aesthetic peak. Cooking is already organized as discrete steps; Wright\u0026rsquo;s editing respects that structure where most food video overrides it with beauty shots. His rhythm is shared pulse, not sync: cuts and music both run against a common underlying grid, with Foley treated as composition before the editing rhythm begins.\nAnderson works with stillness and geometry. His camera waits, centred, while the subject arrives in frame. The comedy and emotion come from the precision of the composition, not the energy of the edit. His colour discipline is total: every film establishes a palette in the first minute and holds it through production design, wardrobe, and grade. His structural move is the chapter card: typography as story beat, not transition.\nUsed together: Anderson for the frame and the structure, Wright for the cuts between them.\nEditorial Match cut on action Director: Wright | Production cost: High ★★★\nTechnique Cut mid-action so two shots share a kinetic arc. The motion completes across the edit, and the brain supplies the missing frames. Creates momentum without chaos. Requires pre-planned coverage and multiple takes of each gesture so you have a cut point at the right phase of motion.\nFood application Knife lifting from board → cut → knife landing in mise en place bowl. Cracking egg on rim → cut → yolk falling into pan. Whisk lifting from bowl → cut → same motion in a larger vessel. The motion must be genuinely continuous across two set-ups.\nConcrete example\nShot A: CU knife leaving board on upswing Shot B: CU of knife arriving at cutting board on downswing Audience brain stitches into one fluid motion Compression: 30 seconds of chopping into 2 cuts Action cut compression Director: Wright | Production cost: Medium ★★\nTechnique Stack 4–6 quick cuts of the same class of action, each slightly advanced in state. Used in Spaced and Hot Fuzz to condense montages. Feels musical: a rhythm, not just a time-lapse.\nFood application Mise en place assembly: each cut lands on the next ingredient hitting the board, already partially chopped. Bread baking: each cut advances the Maillard browning by one stop: raw, pale, golden, amber, dark. Cumulative state change read instantly without narration.\nConcrete example\nCut 1: raw onion, whole Cut 2: onion halved Cut 3: onion sliced Cut 4: onion diced, knife at rest Total runtime: 6 seconds. Information density: very high. Smash cut to consequence Director: Wright | Production cost: Low ★\nTechnique Jump from inciting moment directly to aftermath, skipping process. Then optionally cut back to explain. Subverts the \u0026ldquo;building tension\u0026rdquo; arc: we see the result before we understand how we got there. Used to comic effect in Shaun of the Dead.\nFood application Open on finished plated dish (smash). Then cut back: \u0026ldquo;here is what I almost destroyed.\u0026rdquo; Non-linear recipe narration. It works especially well for long braises, ferments, or any recipe with catastrophic failure risk. Treats the recipe like a mystery, not a tutorial.\nConcrete example\nBeat 1: Beautiful ramen in bowl Beat 2 (smash): Raw broth at 6am, narrator looking exhausted Narration: \u0026ldquo;It started here.\u0026rdquo; Motivated whip pan Director: Wright | Production cost: Medium ★★\nTechnique A whip pan only lands cleanly if something in the frame motivates it: a turning head, a thrown object, a door swinging. Unmotivated whips feel cheap. Wright always links the pan to a physical cause.\nFood application Chef turns sharply to the stove → whip pan → land on a time-lapse of the braise cooking over 4 hours. The turn is the trigger; the pan is the time jump. Works for any long passive wait that would otherwise require narration to skip.\nConcrete example Motivated by wrist flick when tossing pasta → whip → land in finished plated shot. Viewer feels the continuity of effort even though hours collapsed.\nSound design Percussive sound design Director: Wright | Production cost: Medium ★★\nTechnique Sound effects timed to cuts like drum hits. Wright and supervising sound editor Julian Slater treat Foley as composition, not documentation. Every crash, bang, and pop is deliberate and metrically placed.\nFood application Knife on board = snare hit. Sizzle onset = hi-hat. Timer beep = cowbell accent. The edit rhythm and the sound rhythm reinforce each other. Mostly a post-production choice; no extra camera work required.\nConcrete example 4-bar \u0026ldquo;beat\u0026rdquo; of chopping at 120bpm. Sizzle drop lands on beat 1 of bar 5. Viewer unconsciously syncs to it. Tone shifts from tutorial to music video without losing information.\nSound bridge across time Director: Wright | Production cost: Low ★\nTechnique The next scene\u0026rsquo;s signature sound bleeds in before the image arrives, orienting the viewer before the visual cut lands. Wright uses it aggressively and deliberately.\nFood application Sizzle of the pan heard 2 seconds before cutting from the mise en place shot to the cooking shot. Or: timer going off heard while still on a beauty shot of the plated dish (non-linear). Tells the viewer where we are going before the image confirms it.\nConcrete example Still on hero shot of raw steak → faint sizzle fades in → cut to pan → sizzle at full volume. Viewer\u0026rsquo;s brain is already in \u0026ldquo;cooking\u0026rdquo; mode before they see it.\nComic sound punctuation Director: Wright | Production cost: Low ★\nTechnique A comedic action gets a sound effect that\u0026rsquo;s slightly too large for it. The comedy lives in the mismatch between the smallness of the act and the enormousness of the sound. Used constantly in Hot Fuzz.\nFood application Gentle tap of a spoon on a ramekin sounds like a cathedral bell. The \u0026ldquo;plop\u0026rdquo; of a single drop of sauce is a bass thud. Works best on moments of disappointment or unearned pride: small thing, big sound = funny.\nConcrete example Chef carefully plates a single microgreen. Sound effect: thunderclap. Back to chef looking satisfied. Cut.\nStructural Spatial geography montage Director: Wright | Production cost: High ★★★\nTechnique Hot Fuzz\u0026rsquo;s first act is almost entirely geography, establishing the layout of Sanford so later action sequences feel spatially coherent. The viewer knows where things are, which makes movement through space meaningful.\nFood application Open every episode with a fast 8–10 shot montage of the kitchen: stove, fridge, knives, mise en place station. Each shot is 1.5 seconds, oriented. Now every later shot of someone reaching for something carries spatial weight: \u0026ldquo;that\u0026rsquo;s the far side of the stove\u0026rdquo; means something.\nConcrete example Establish: left side = prep, right side = fire. A crossing shot, reaching from prep to fire, reads as escalation without a single word of narration.\nRecurring motif callback Director: Wright | Production cost: Low ★\nTechnique Wright plants a visual or behavioural motif early, then returns to it later in a different context. The callback pays off for observant viewers and creates a feeling of structural coherence, as if the story planned itself.\nFood application Chef takes the onions darker than planned in the first 2 minutes. The exact same shot (dark pan, same angle) appears at minute 14 when the dish succeeds because of the deep caramelization. Same image, completely recontextualized. Works especially well for redemption arcs or unexpected techniques.\nConcrete example\nShot A (early): black-bottomed pan, chef winces Shot B (late): same angle, same pan, chef smiles; it\u0026rsquo;s intentional this time Title cards and chapter typography Director: Anderson | Production cost: Low ★\nTechnique Intertitles and chapter cards used as narrative structure, not transitions. The French Dispatch is organized entirely this way. Typography is chosen with the same intentionality as cinematography: font, weight, colour, and position all carry meaning. The card is a story beat; it tells the viewer how to feel about what follows.\nFood application Replace voiceover narration for recipe structure with chapter cards:\nPart I: The Bones Part II: The Long Wait Part III: The Reckoning\nWorks especially well for multi-stage or multi-day recipes where the time jumps would otherwise require narration to navigate. Typography signals tone: elegant serif for classic technique, typewriter for rustic, sans-serif for modern.\nConcrete example Single white card, centred, on a muted background that matches the episode\u0026rsquo;s colour palette. Text: \u0026ldquo;Part I: The Bones.\u0026rdquo; Hold 2 seconds. Cut to overhead of raw stock ingredients. No voiceover. No music change. The card carries the whole transition.\nVisual comedy Hold on reaction Director: Wright | Production cost: Low ★\nTechnique The joke isn\u0026rsquo;t usually the action, it\u0026rsquo;s the duration of the reaction. A look held one beat past comfortable. An object left on screen one frame after it should have been cut. Timing is everything; the comedy is purely editorial.\nFood application Chef tastes something. Expression of mild horror. Normal video cuts immediately. Wright-style: hold for 2–3 beats. Viewer extrapolates the horror. Works for unexpectedly good and unexpectedly bad outcomes equally.\nConcrete example Reaction shot begins at 1.5s. Normal editors cut at 2s. Wright cuts at 3.5s. That 1.5-second extension is the punchline.\nDeadpan insert shot Director: Wright | Production cost: Low ★\nTechnique Cut to an extreme close-up of something mundane with the same gravity as a plot-critical object. The humour comes from the mismatch between the shot\u0026rsquo;s weight and its subject. Used throughout Spaced.\nFood application Cut to clinical ECU of a single caper. Hold. Cut back to chef who just said \u0026ldquo;and add the capers.\u0026rdquo; The shot treats the caper as evidence in a crime scene. No narration, no music change. The gravity is the joke.\nConcrete example ECU of a fish sauce bottle with dramatic lighting. Two-second hold. Chef\u0026rsquo;s hand enters, tips bottle, exits. Cut.\nParallel action rack Director: Wright | Production cost: Medium ★★\nTechnique Cross-cutting between two simultaneous things for comedic or rhythmic effect. Used to build absurd equivalence: this thing and that thing are happening at the same time, and the juxtaposition is the joke.\nFood application Cross-cut between chef carefully tempering chocolate and a second chef casually eating chocolate out of the bag. Same ingredient, entirely different relationship to it. Or: cross-cut between the stated \u0026ldquo;correct\u0026rdquo; technique and what\u0026rsquo;s actually happening.\nConcrete example Narration: \u0026ldquo;gently fold until just combined.\u0026rdquo; Cut to: aggressive, chaotic folding. Narration continues, oblivious.\nDeadpan blocking Director: Anderson | Production cost: Low ★\nTechnique Anderson\u0026rsquo;s actors are positioned like exhibits, often facing the camera directly. Movement is deliberate and choreographed rather than naturalistic. The artificiality is the style. It signals that this is a performance, not a document. The humour comes from the precision of the staging, not from anything said.\nFood application Host faces camera directly. States one fact. Does not look at the food they\u0026rsquo;re describing. Turns 90 degrees. Performs the action. Turns back. Useful for instructional moments where Wright\u0026rsquo;s kinetic energy would be wrong, such as slow, deliberate technique or ratio-based information.\nConcrete example\nHost (facing camera): \u0026ldquo;The ratio is two to one.\u0026rdquo; Host turns 90 degrees to the stove. Host performs the pour. Host turns back to camera. Host: \u0026ldquo;Never more.\u0026rdquo; Cut. Temporal Step-print freeze Director: Wright | Production cost: Low ★\nTechnique A frame freeze in the middle of an action, often with graphic text appearing. The Cornetto freeze-frame endings. Used to punctuate moments of absurd consequence.\nFood application Freeze mid-fall of a collapsing soufflé, or a sauce skin forming. Text appears: \u0026ldquo;this is fine.\u0026rdquo; Use sparingly: once or twice per video at most, or it becomes a crutch.\nConcrete example Soufflé rising perfectly → freeze → \u0026ldquo;4 minutes and 23 seconds of smugness\u0026rdquo; → resume → collapse.\nNon-linear reveal structure Director: Wright | Production cost: Medium ★★\nTechnique Baby Driver\u0026rsquo;s opening isn\u0026rsquo;t the beginning of the story. Wright often starts in medias res and lets the full picture assemble from fragments. The structure itself generates suspense.\nFood application Open on plating the dish. Then rewind: \u0026ldquo;to understand this, we need to start 24 hours ago.\u0026rdquo; Braises, ferments, and multi-day cooks are naturals for this structure. The finished dish becomes a mystery to be solved, not a destination to reach.\nConcrete example Episode structure:\nFinished dish (30s) \u0026ldquo;It started badly\u0026rdquo; Day 1 failure Day 2 refinement Day 3 final cook Plate → match cut back to opening shot Expressive time-lapse integration Director: Wright | Production cost: Medium ★★\nTechnique Time compression used not as neutral connective tissue but as an active narrative device. The speed change itself has emotional register. Fast compression = anxiety. Slow compression = anticipation.\nFood application A bread proof at 1000× feels like impatience. A gentle 60× proof feels like meditation. The speed of the time-lapse is an editorial statement about the emotional quality of the waiting. Most food video time-lapses are neutral; making them expressive costs nothing.\nConcrete example Aggressive quick-cut time-lapse of messy prep = chaos energy. Single slow near-real-time shot of steam rising from broth = calm confidence. Same waiting, different story.\nCompositional Symmetrical framing Director: Anderson | Production cost: Medium ★★\nTechnique The camera is almost always centred on the subject, frame divided into equal halves. This is a compositional commitment. Everything in the shot is placed relative to the centre axis: symmetry signals control; any deviation from it signals disruption. The flatness (no dynamic angle, no Dutch tilt) reads as authorial confidence.\nFood application Overhead mise en place with ingredients arranged symmetrically around a central bowl or board. Two pans equidistant from centre on the stove. A plated dish positioned exactly at frame centre. Forces pre-planning of the physical set-up; the camera cannot fix asymmetric prep. Most food video uses overhead shots aesthetically; Anderson uses them architecturally.\nConcrete example\nTop-down shot: knife centred vertically, vegetables in equal rows left and right Camera does not move The arrangement of the ingredients is the shot\u0026rsquo;s entire content No narration, no host hands, no movement; the composition does the work Lateral tracking shot Director: Anderson | Production cost: Medium ★★\nTechnique The camera tracks left or right to reveal a pre-staged scene as if pulling back a curtain on a diorama. Used throughout The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch. The track doesn\u0026rsquo;t follow a character; it reveals a tableau the character is already part of.\nFood application Camera tracks along a counter to reveal each mise en place station in sequence (spices, then aromatics, then proteins) as if opening a display case. Each station is a held beat before the track resumes. Replaces ingredient introduction narration; the reveal is the introduction.\nConcrete example\nCamera starts tight on empty cutting board Tracks right: ingredients appear in sequence, already arranged Camera stops centred on the full layout Hold 2 seconds Cut to first step Colour palette as episode identity Director: Anderson | Production cost: Low ★\nTechnique Each film has a signature palette established in the first 30 seconds and maintained through production design, wardrobe, and colour grading. The Grand Budapest Hotel: pink and purple. Moonrise Kingdom: earth tones. The Life Aquatic: aquamarine. The palette is identity. Viewers recognize an Anderson film by colour before they recognize it by content.\nFood application Assign a palette to each recipe category or episode arc. Tomato-based dishes: terracotta and cream. Seafood: slate blue and white. Baking: warm amber and parchment. The colour consistency signals \u0026ldquo;this is one thing\u0026rdquo; without verbal cue. Post-production grading handles part of it; consistent props, boards, and backgrounds handle the rest.\nConcrete example Pasta episode: board, bowl, linen, walls all in cream, tan, or terracotta. A single green basil leaf is the only accent. The visual unity makes the food the obvious subject without any graphic design or motion work.\nStrategic notes Highest leverage / lowest production cost The sonic techniques (percussive sound design and sound bridges) require zero additional camera work. Colour palette discipline and title cards are pure post-production and prop choices. Together these four techniques create both a rhythmic identity and a visual one without a second camera or a shot list.\nMost unexplored territory in food video Structural techniques from both directors: spatial geography montages and motif callbacks (Wright), and lateral tracking shots (Anderson). These require planning the episode arc before shooting, a fundamentally different creative mode than \u0026ldquo;follow me as I cook.\u0026rdquo; The lateral track is particularly unused; a slider achieves it at a fraction of the cost of a dolly, and the effect is immediately distinctive.\nProduction cost cliff Match cuts, motivated whip pans (Wright), symmetrical framing, and lateral tracking (Anderson) all require committing to the shot before you shoot it. You cannot fix asymmetric staging or a missed cut point in post. These techniques demand fiction-film production discipline applied to a food shoot.\nUsing both directors together Wright provides the kinetic energy; Anderson provides the geometry. A video that opens with Anderson\u0026rsquo;s symmetrical overhead and chapter cards, then cuts to Wright-style action compression for the cooking sequence, then closes on an Anderson deadpan hold is using both grammars correctly, each where the other would be wrong.\nRecommended starting stack (low cost, high signal) Five techniques achievable entirely in post or with minimal planning:\nSmash cut to consequence: reorder the narrative, open on the end state Percussive sound design: treat Foley as composition Hold on reaction: extend the uncomfortable beat by 1.5 seconds Colour palette discipline: assign a palette per episode category Title cards: replace voiceover narration for structural transitions No second camera required. No storyboard required. Pure editorial and production design choices.\nGlossary Abbreviations bpm: beats per minute. Tempo measurement; 120bpm is standard dance tempo. Used here to describe edit rhythm.\nCU: close-up. A shot framing one object or body part tightly.\nECU: extreme close-up. Tighter than a CU; fills the frame with a very small subject. A single caper in ECU.\nProduction terms Coverage: the full set of shots filmed for a scene so editors have options. Match cuts require pre-planned coverage from multiple angles.\nFoley: sound effects recorded in post to replace or augment what the camera mic captured. Wright treats Foley as musical composition, not cleanup.\nIn medias res: Latin: \u0026ldquo;into the middle of things.\u0026rdquo; Narrative that begins mid-story rather than at the start.\nMatch cut: an edit where two shots share a continuous motion across the cut, so the action appears uninterrupted.\nMise en place: French culinary term for prepped, portioned, and arranged ingredients. Also refers to the staged shot of those ingredients before a cooking sequence.\nMotivated: a camera move triggered by something in the frame (a turning head, a thrown object). Unmotivated moves feel arbitrary.\nSmash cut: an abrupt cut with no transition, often from action directly to aftermath.\nStep-print: a film effect that repeats frames to create a stutter freeze or slow motion.\nWhip pan: a rapid horizontal pan that blurs the frame mid-movement, used as a transition between locations or time periods.\nFilms referenced Spaced (1999–2001): Wright\u0026rsquo;s British sitcom. Established his editorial voice at low budget; directly applicable to solo food video.\nShaun of the Dead (2004): First Cornetto film. Smash cuts, match cuts, and comic sound punctuation throughout.\nHot Fuzz (2007): Second Cornetto film. Spatial geography montages and motif callbacks dominate the first act.\nBaby Driver (2017): Every cut tied to a shared rhythmic grid; the clearest demonstration of sound design as structural editor.\nThe Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Anderson\u0026rsquo;s clearest use of lateral tracking shots and symmetrical framing as compositional grammar.\nThe French Dispatch (2021): Organized entirely around chapter cards and intertitles; the reference for typography as narrative structure.\nMoonrise Kingdom (2012): Earth-tone palette discipline. Strong example of colour as episode identity.\nThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004): Aquamarine palette; lateral tracking used to reveal the ship\u0026rsquo;s interior as a diorama.\n","date":"17 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/food-video-filming-techniques/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"A catalog of directorial and editorial methods drawn from Edgar Wright and Wes Anderson, mapped to practical food video production. Each technique includes the cinematic source, food application, a concrete example, and production cost rating.\n","title":"Food video filming techniques","type":"reference"},{"content":"","date":"17 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/video/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Video","type":"tags"},{"content":"Classic beany dip for nachos, which is also required for most family gatherings.\nIngredients 1 can (398 ml / 14 oz) black beans, rinsed 2 cups sweet corn ¼ cup cilantro, chopped 1 bunch green onions, diced juice of ½ lime 1 tsp salt, or to taste ½ avocado, diced 1 clove garlic, pressed (optional) 1 tbsp olive oil (optional) zest of ½ lime (optional) Method Toss everything except the avocado together in a bowl or container. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Stir in the avocado just before serving, so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t brown.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/grand-moms-black-bean-corn-salsa/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Classic beany dip for nachos, which is also required for most family gatherings.\nIngredients 1 can (398 ml / 14 oz) black beans, rinsed 2 cups sweet corn ¼ cup cilantro, chopped 1 bunch green onions, diced juice of ½ lime 1 tsp salt, or to taste ½ avocado, diced 1 clove garlic, pressed (optional) 1 tbsp olive oil (optional) zest of ½ lime (optional) Method Toss everything except the avocado together in a bowl or container. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Stir in the avocado just before serving, so it doesn’t brown.\n","title":"(Grand) Mom’s black bean \u0026 corn salsa","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Al pastor is a tart and savoury marinade that begs for pork and fresh tortillas. I don\u0026rsquo;t always have easy access to whole dried chilies, but I do have ground dried and fresh ones, so this is a pantry version that captures the intent of a Mexican chili paste turned into a marinade.\nMechanic Toasted chili powders bloomed in stock stand in for rehydrated whole dried chilies. Toasting wakes up the powders, and simmering them in a good stock gives the paste the body and depth that soaking liquid from whole chilies would. Splitting the cook into two passes (slow bake, then crisp in a pan) lets you prep it ahead and eat it all week.\nIngredients Marinade ~50 g dried chilies or chili powders, ideally a mix of ancho, guajillo, árbol, and similar 1–2 chipotles in adobo, plus some of the sauce 300 ml chicken, beef, or pork stock, or water 150 ml cider vinegar Juice from the tin of pineapple (below) 2 teaspoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 onion, quartered ½ teaspoon each cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and allspice 25 g kosher salt (1–1.5% of the meat\u0026rsquo;s weight) ~100 g roasted red peppers from a jar, for sweetness without more heat (optional) 2 teaspoons achiote paste or tomato paste, spices, lime (optional) Meat 1 pork shoulder, about 2 kg (4½ lb), boneless or bone removed or ~2 kg chicken thighs Topping 1 tin (398 ml / 14 oz) sliced pineapple, drained, juice saved for the marinade Method If using whole dried chilies, clip and deseed them.\nToast the dried spices and chilies in a dry pan until fragrant. Add them to the simmering stock and simmer briefly. Let cool, then pour into a medium-large blender.\nAdd the pineapple juice and the remaining marinade ingredients and blend until completely smooth, with no whole chili pieces or seeds left. This takes longer than you think.\nTaste and adjust the acid and salt. It should taste sweet, spicy, and deep, with salt and acid present but not prominent.\nSlice the pork shoulder as thin as you can, across the grain. For chicken thighs, slice them in half horizontally if you can; this is easier when they\u0026rsquo;re partially frozen.\nCombine the meat and marinade in a large bowl and mix thoroughly, so every nook has some marinade. Pack the slices tightly in a hotel pan, loaf pan, or CorningWare-style dish. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 24–48 hours.\nHeat the oven to 135°C (275°F). Top the meat with the pineapple slices. Bake until the centre of the pork reaches 82–87°C (180–190°F), 2–4 hours depending on the depth of the pan. Cool, and store up to 5 days.\nTo serve, chop the meat and fry it in a pan until the edges crisp. Dice the roasted pineapple for topping.\nTo serve In tacos, on salads, on sandwiches, and in bean chili.\nNotes Good-quality chili powders work well here, especially toasted and combined with a good stock. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/al-pastor-marinade-pantry-hack/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Al pastor is a tart and savoury marinade that begs for pork and fresh tortillas. I don’t always have easy access to whole dried chilies, but I do have ground dried and fresh ones, so this is a pantry version that captures the intent of a Mexican chili paste turned into a marinade.\n","title":"Al pastor marinade (pantry hack)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/appetizers/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Appetizers","type":"tags"},{"content":"We first made this on Mother\u0026rsquo;s Day 💜, many years ago.\nIngredients 650 g flour 100 g caster (baker\u0026rsquo;s) sugar or grind granulated sugar briefly in a mortar and pestle 20 g baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon Pinch of salt 125 g butter, cold and diced 1 large apple (or 2 medium), peeled and diced 2 eggs 200 ml buttermilk 2 tsp vanilla 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash A handful of fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries) A handful of flaked almonds Icing sugar, to dust Method Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F), or 180°C (350°F) with the fan on. Line a baking tray with parchment.\nCombine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the apple.\nAdd the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla and mix to a rough dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently, just until all the flour is taken up.\nRoll the dough to 2.5 cm (1 in) thick. Cut the scones with a floured cutter and space them evenly on the tray.\nPress your thumb into the centre of each scone. Brush the tops with the egg wash. Fill each indentation with 1–2 berries and top with flaked almonds.\nBake until golden, 16–18 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. Cool on a wire rack, then dust with icing sugar.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/apple-berry-almond-scones/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"We first made this on Mother’s Day 💜, many years ago.\nIngredients 650 g flour 100 g caster (baker’s) sugar or grind granulated sugar briefly in a mortar and pestle 20 g baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon Pinch of salt 125 g butter, cold and diced 1 large apple (or 2 medium), peeled and diced 2 eggs 200 ml buttermilk 2 tsp vanilla 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash A handful of fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, or blackberries) A handful of flaked almonds Icing sugar, to dust Method Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F), or 180°C (350°F) with the fan on. Line a baking tray with parchment.\n","title":"Apple, berry \u0026 almond scones","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/asian/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Asian","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This is a fresh and delicious autumn salad.\nOn a women\u0026rsquo;s retreat in 2019, there was a private chef that cooked for the retreat for the entire weekend. They were a vegan chef who supports local, and they made this dish for one of our lunches. Everyone at the retreat absolutely loved it and Erika kindly shared the recipe she used with all the attendees. They noted that she added more lemon to the dressing, and also puts a bunch of herbs on the veggies as they\u0026rsquo;re roasting.\nLemon dressing 1 bunch parsley (about 1 cup), minced 1 small garlic clove, minced 160 ml olive oil (⅔ cup) 1 lemon, juiced, plus more to taste 1 tsp agave (optional) ½ tsp salt Pepper, to taste Combine everything in a jar with a tight lid and shake until blended.\nSalad 1 cup spelt (or another grain: freekeh, quinoa, bulgur) Broth or water for the grain, per the package 1 head cauliflower 2 sweet potatoes 1 tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper Fresh herbs (a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary) or a sprinkle of dried spices 1 large apple A handful of dried cranberries A sprinkle of pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds Rinse the grain and put it in a rice cooker with the broth or water. Set it on the white rice setting and prep the rest while it cooks.\nHeat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Toss the vegetables in a large bowl with the oil, salt, pepper, and herbs or spices, then spread them on a baking sheet. Roast 20 minutes, stir, and roast until golden brown and soft, another 10–15 minutes.\nWhile the vegetables roast, make the dressing and chop the apple.\nWhen the grain and vegetables are done, toss them with the apple, cranberries, and seeds. Serve hot or cooled; hot is heavier in texture.\nTo serve Toss with the dressing. Store leftover salad and dressing separately if you can.\nNotes For crunch, add a few handfuls of chopped nuts like cashews or pecans. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/autumn-glow-salad-with-lemon-dressing/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a fresh and delicious autumn salad.\nOn a women’s retreat in 2019, there was a private chef that cooked for the retreat for the entire weekend. They were a vegan chef who supports local, and they made this dish for one of our lunches. Everyone at the retreat absolutely loved it and Erika kindly shared the recipe she used with all the attendees. They noted that she added more lemon to the dressing, and also puts a bunch of herbs on the veggies as they’re roasting.\n","title":"Autumn glow salad with lemon dressing","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Baguettes are a crusty, airy bread, perfect for snacking, sandwiches, and with soup.\nMechanic 75% hydration, a narrow shape, and steam make the baguette. The wet dough gives an open crumb; the thin shape and a steamy oven let the crust set crisp and brown before the inside dries out. This is more of a method than a specific recipe: the same dough makes several similar breads by varying the rise and oven time.\n100Flour : 75Water 75% hydration, by weight Ingredients 10 g instant yeast 375 g water (~30°C) 490 g all-purpose or bread flour 10 g diastatic malt powder (optional, for browning and texture; replace with 10 g flour if omitting) 10 g non-iodized salt Method This is a high-hydration dough, sticky and easy to deflate, so handle it gently. A stand mixer with a dough hook makes kneading easier, though it can be done by hand. Start to finish takes 5–6 hours, or overnight with a cold rest in the fridge.\nOptionally, bloom the yeast in the water with 50 g of the flour, about 10 minutes.\nCombine the remaining flour, salt, and diastatic malt powder (if using) in a large bowl with a fork or whisk. Add the water and yeast mixture and stir with a spatula until combined, scraping down the bowl and folding the dough into itself as you work, 5–10 minutes.\nUse the stretch and fold method every 30 minutes for 2 to 2½ hours, until the dough stretches thin enough to see through. Pull each corner of the dough and fold it over itself, gently; a wetted bowl scraper makes this a bit faster than working by hand.\nFor an overnight dough, cover the bowl after the last fold and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before dividing.\nDivide the dough into 6 portions (150 g each) on a floured surface. Shape each into a rough rectangle, stretching it to about 15 cm (6 inches) wide, then fold it in thirds toward the middle to form a sealed roll, sealing the seam with your fingers. Roll each piece to length, tapering the ends to points for a traditional shape (or leave them blunt for sandwich-friendly loaves). Place the rolls on parchment, cover with a slightly dampened towel, and let rest 15 minutes.\nKeep them covered and proof until springy and almost doubled in size, about 40 minutes.\nNear the end of proofing, preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F) with convection on if you have it, and place a hotel pan or casserole dish of water on a rack below the loaves. Score each roll at a 45° angle along its full length, at least 1 cm (½ inch) deep, then spray or sprinkle with water to encourage browning.\nBake until deep golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped, about 20 minutes per tray. Rotate the tray before the crust fully sets, somewhere before the 10-minute mark. Let cool fully on a wire rack before slicing.\nNotes Based on Ethan Chlebowski\u0026rsquo;s tutorial video. Also see Paul Hollywood\u0026rsquo;s recipe. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/baguettes/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Baguettes are a crusty, airy bread, perfect for snacking, sandwiches, and with soup.\nMechanic 75% hydration, a narrow shape, and steam make the baguette. The wet dough gives an open crumb; the thin shape and a steamy oven let the crust set crisp and brown before the inside dries out. This is more of a method than a specific recipe: the same dough makes several similar breads by varying the rise and oven time.\n","title":"Baguettes","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a classic baked mac and cheese. You can sub in pretty much any combo of cheese, though some are better than others: cheddar, Jack, and something like Gruyère or Edam make a great base, or you can lean towards a creamier sauce with provolone, smoked Gouda, and Edam. I\u0026rsquo;ve seen people use cream cheese, but it doesn\u0026rsquo;t add much flavour (provolone or mozzarella gets a similar effect while adding some needed funk).\nMechanic A mornay is a béchamel (roux plus milk) with cheese melted into it. A roux is flour and fat, 1:1. The sauce breaks and turns gritty if it overheats, so the cheese goes in off the heat and the bake stops at bubbling.\nRoux 1:1 \u0026#43; Milk \u0026#43; Cheese = Mornay Crust ¾ cup panko bread crumbs 2 tsp herbs, like basil, oregano, or parsley (freeze-dried works fine) 4 tbsp (¼ cup) unsalted butter or olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste Melt the butter in a frying pan, then take it off the heat. Stir in the bread crumbs and herbs, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside; they brown in the oven.\nNoodles 500 g (1 lb) macaroni, or a fancier noodle that holds onto the sauce Cook the noodles until 1–2 minutes short of al dente; they finish in the oven. Reserve some pasta water in case the sauce needs loosening, then drain.\nMornay sauce ⅓ cup unsalted butter (or part neutral oil) ⅓ cup flour (or sweet rice flour) 3 cups whole milk 2–3 cups grated cheddar, sharp or old 2–3 cups grated Gruyère or similar (I also like Edam) ½ cup mozzarella (or provolone for a stretchy sauce) 1 cup grated Parmesan Splash of lemon juice or mustard Splash of cider vinegar, to taste (usually around 25 ml) Salt and pepper, to taste 1 tsp paprika (optional) MSG, 1.5% of the cheese weight (about 10 g) (optional) Sodium citrate, 3% of the cheese weight (about 20 g), an emulsifying salt for a smoother sauce (optional) Combine the grated cheeses and weigh them to work out the MSG and sodium citrate. Over low heat, stir the butter and flour into a blonde roux. Slowly whisk in the milk until you have a smooth, lightly thickened béchamel. Whisk in the sodium citrate, if using, until dissolved.\nTake the pot off the heat. Add most (not all) of the cheese a handful at a time, stirring until silky. Keep it off the heat so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t break.\nSeason with pepper, paprika, and MSG, then salt; taste first, since some cheeses are already salty. Add the lemon or mustard and vinegar a little at a time. You can fix a flat sauce with the right acid and more salt, but go slowly, since it\u0026rsquo;s hard to undo.\nAssembly Heat the oven to 175–190°C (350–375°F).\nStir the noodles into the sauce in the pot, along with any add-ins.\nSpread half the cheesy noodles in a baking dish and scatter over half the remaining cheese. Add the rest of the noodles, then the rest of the cheese, the crumb mixture, and any reserved add-ins.\nBake until browning and bubbly, 25–35 minutes (40–50 minutes from the fridge). Don\u0026rsquo;t let it go longer; overheating breaks the sauce and makes it grainy.\nVariations Jalapeño Mix 2 small tins of roasted jalapeños into the noodles and sauce.\nSmoked tempeh Dice ½ package of smoked tempeh and fry it in butter or oil with a little salt. Mix most into the noodles and sauce and save some for the top.\nBacon Chop a couple of strips of crispy bacon. Mix most into the noodles and sauce and save some for the top.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/baked-mac-cheese/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a classic baked mac and cheese. You can sub in pretty much any combo of cheese, though some are better than others: cheddar, Jack, and something like Gruyère or Edam make a great base, or you can lean towards a creamier sauce with provolone, smoked Gouda, and Edam. I’ve seen people use cream cheese, but it doesn’t add much flavour (provolone or mozzarella gets a similar effect while adding some needed funk).\n","title":"Baked mac \u0026 cheese","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/baking/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Baking","type":"tags"},{"content":"Many people like to prepare entire meals for the week or month, or to make a large meal on the weekend and use it for leftovers. Preparing foods in bulk can save money and time, but the problem with preparing a single meal for an entire week is that you have to eat a single meal for an entire week. This works for some people, but not for me.\nLess common at home is what restaurants do: prepare sauces and bases, as well as other washed and cut ingredients. These simpler preparations can be adapted into several recipes quickly. The bases are easy to scale up, and they often hold well in the refrigerator or freezer, though restaurants rarely freeze their prep, since freezing can hurt texture and flavour. At home, however, there are many sauces and bases that freeze exceptionally well.\nIf you look back at the art of preserves, you’ll see a lot of foods that serve as bases for many different meals: red sauce, beans, gravies, boiled meats, pickles, vegetables, and so on. The practice is less common in kitchens today, and canning takes investment, practice, and specialized recipes that preserve well.\nI’ve found that by following similar principles, but using the fridge and freezer, I can have ingredients for dozens of meals at the ready. I like to call this proactive laziness, but honestly it’s proactive gluttony as well, as I love to eat a variety of fantastic foods with as little effort as possible.\nExample bases Here are some of the things I keep in my freezer:\nProteins, stews, stocks, and sauces [[Beef base|cooked beef/mushroom mix]]\n[[Chicken patties|chicken patties]]\nbeef patties\n[[Meatballs|meatballs]]\nchicken chunks in broth\n[[Breakfast sausage|handmade breakfast sausage]]\nprecooked bacon\n[[Beef stew|basic beef stew]]\n[[Base curry gravy|base gravy for curries]]\n[[French onion soup|French onion soup]]\n[[Meat sauce (AKA American bolognese)|meat sauce]]\nThai curry base\n[[Chicken or turkey stock|chicken stock]]\n[[Beef stock|beef stock]]\npork stock\nBBQ sauce\nchipotles in sauce\nIn the fridge: pickles, dressings, sauces, and prepped veg [[Simple, sweet pickled veg|pickled onions]] [[Simple, sweet pickled veg|pickled beets]] [[Simple green goddess dressing|green goddess]] donkey sauce [[Uncle Bruce\u0026rsquo;s ranch dip|ranch]] [[Asian slaw dressing]] Broc/cauli/carrots Some examples of adapting a base into quick meals Precooked ground protein bases The [[Beef base]] is a great example and one of my favourites, as it can be transformed into so many different meals. The mix itself includes some form of the holy trinity, garlic, and mushrooms, and can be pushed towards pretty much any cuisine. We use this mix to make several quick meals:\nAmerican-style meat sauce, adding the beef to a quick marinara, or an already prepared frozen red sauce It makes a great base for a ravioli or tortellini filling (adding ricotta and herbs) Taco beef, by adding half a tin of minced chipotles in adobo, and some cumin, which can be adapted to taco salads and tacos burritos, quesadillas nachos taco soup taco pizza (etc.) A quick [[Canadian chili]], adding the taco beef to a few cans of beans, some red sauce (or whole tinned tomatoes), great with mac \u0026amp; cheese over fries over salad Sichuan beef, by adding Sichuan peppercorns, five-spice, soy, and some ginger, great over rice bowls Asian-style noodles eggs [[Bulgogi beef|Bulgogi-style beef]], by adding a tin of Asian pears, ginger, soy, and five-spice, also great for applications like Sichuan beef [[Cottage pie]], by making gravy out of the beef, adding frozen veg, and topping with mash I freeze my mince bases in 500 ml and 250 ml deli containers, which are portion sizes for 2–4 people, or 1–2, depending on the adaptation. As I normally prepare it using a pressure cooker, it’s extra tender and deeply seasoned. If you want some browning, water-fry it (see [[Reverse cooking: reverse sear and water frying]]): heat it on high, stirring regularly. It will express any remaining water, reduce, and start browning in about 5 minutes.\nPatties, sausages, and meatballs I try to keep a dozen or so ground [[Chicken patties|chicken patties]] in the freezer for quick burgers, sandwiches, and noodle or rice bowls. The patties are made from ground chicken, with some added water and elevated pH, making the patties a bit more springy, and more substantial feeling than straight ground chicken (similar to Vietnamese or Chinese beef balls).\nI also like to keep a kilo or so of breakfast sausage in the freezer, either in patty or hand-made link form. These are great for breakfast sandwiches and wraps, but are also great in a quick mac \u0026amp; cheese, chili, or stir-fry. They tend towards a mildly sweet and fennel-y flavour.\nMeatballs are a fantastic freezer food, if frozen carefully. They can dress up a quick red sauce or pizza, they make great sandwiches, and they work surprisingly well in Italian or French soups.\nStocks and base gravies Base gravies are a superpower that I learned from a few BIR (British Indian Restaurant) streamers, who taught the art of takeout-style Indian dishes. You can make base gravies for other cuisines too, similar to how Thai cooks use curry pastes, or Japanese cooks use curry blocks: little flavour bombs.\nA base gravy can be adapted into almost any takeout-style Indian dish. Each adaptation is approximately half base gravy, added to a more specific spice blend, veggies, and protein add-ins. To me the result tastes more layered than a traditional curry, with more depth, though I\u0026rsquo;m biased: many of our local Indian restaurants are similar to the British-style takeout menus.\nStocks and gravies are a great way to make a traditional meat-and-potatoes meal, or quick soup. They’re also great ways to fortify rice dishes, casseroles, and pan sauces.\nA theory for better cooking isn’t exactly new The French have a long history of codifying and categorizing food bases. Many of the French preparations can be adapted to freezer bases. A demi-glace, for example, freezes well and packs a bunch of flavour and texture, and can be adapted to dozens of different dishes. As I continue to learn to cook, I look to other cuisines and their history of sauces, bases, pastes, and pickled ingredients.\nI enjoy cooking on my own terms, so I like to weaponize my love of cooking against my occasional laziness, which is why I spend a lot of time filling my freezer with things that set my week up for delicious food.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/base-recipes-for-weeknight-cooking/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Many people like to prepare entire meals for the week or month, or to make a large meal on the weekend and use it for leftovers. Preparing foods in bulk can save money and time, but the problem with preparing a single meal for an entire week is that you have to eat a single meal for an entire week. This works for some people, but not for me.\n","title":"Base recipes for weeknight cooking","type":"reference"},{"content":"Beans and lentils are a great addition to soups and stews, or as a side dish.\nMechanic The water-to-legume ratio and cook time depend on the legume: lentils and split peas use less water and cook fast, while beans need more water and much longer. Soaking is optional. It shortens the cooking time but does little for gassiness.\nIngredients Dried beans, lentils, or split peas Water, 3:1 (lentils, split peas) or 4:1 (beans) 1 tsp salt per cup of legumes Method Rinse the legumes thoroughly and pick out any stones or debris. Soak beans overnight if you like.\nAdd the legumes to water at the ratio above, then add the salt. Cook until tender, using the pressure cooker or stovetop times below.\nDon\u0026rsquo;t cook beans, especially kidney beans, in a slow cooker unless you boil them hard for 10–15 minutes first. Slow cookers don\u0026rsquo;t get hot enough to destroy the naturally occurring toxin (phytohaemagglutinin), and undercooked kidney beans can make you sick.\nTiming Type Water ratio Pressure cooker Stovetop Medium beans 4:1 17–21 min, high pressure, slow release 60–90 min, simmered Large beans 4:1 20–25 min, high pressure, slow release 60–120 min, simmered Lentils 3:1 3–5 min, high pressure, slow release 15–20 min, simmered Split peas 3:1 5–7 min, high pressure, slow release 25–35 min, simmered ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/basic-beans-and-lentils/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Beans and lentils are a great addition to soups and stews, or as a side dish.\nMechanic The water-to-legume ratio and cook time depend on the legume: lentils and split peas use less water and cook fast, while beans need more water and much longer. Soaking is optional. It shortens the cooking time but does little for gassiness.\n","title":"Basic beans and lentils","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is the basic chicken ramen stock I use for my lunch ramen (when working). It\u0026rsquo;s a hybrid of a French and a chintan-style stock, with ingredients that are easy to find.\nThis recipe uses a pressure cooker and a family-size pan (or stock pot) to reduce. You can replace the pressure cooker with a stock pot, given 3–4 times the cooking time.\nIngredients Base stock 4 L water, or enough to cover 2–3 chicken carcasses, including backs, necks, and wing tips Pork fat or bones (optional) 2 large onions 4–6 large garlic cloves, crushed 1 knob of ginger 1 bay leaf Black peppercorns Dashi 10–15 g bonito or saba-bushi flakes (optional) 1 medium or large piece of kombu Method Roughly chop the onions, garlic, and ginger, trimming off any dirty peel or root.\nFor a darker broth, roast the vegetables and chicken on a sheet pan at 230°C (450°F) until browned, about 20 minutes (optional). The darker the roast, the darker the broth.\nPut the base stock ingredients in a large pressure cooker, add water to cover, and cook at high pressure for 30–40 minutes (check your cooker\u0026rsquo;s manual for broth times).\nLet the pressure release naturally. Lift the solids into a metal bowl with a spider and tongs. Pour the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a smaller pot.\nWith the heat off, add the bonito and kombu to the strained stock and steep for 15–25 minutes. Lift them out with a fine-mesh spider, or strain again.\nReduce the stock at a low simmer until it\u0026rsquo;s down by half, 2–3 hours. A rolling boil emulsifies the fat for a richer, cloudier broth, if you want that. Skim any remaining scum with the fine-mesh spider.\nNotes Draining over the cooktop is safer than straining in the sink, as you\u0026rsquo;ll never accidentally pour your stock down the drain. NOT THAT I\u0026rsquo;VE EVER DONE THAT. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/basic-chicken-ramen-stock/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is the basic chicken ramen stock I use for my lunch ramen (when working). It’s a hybrid of a French and a chintan-style stock, with ingredients that are easy to find.\n","title":"Basic chicken ramen stock","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a savoury ground beef base for tacos, salads, soups, casseroles, and sauces.\nMechanic The cooking method sets the texture. A hot pan reduces the stock quickly and leaves a crumbly mince for tacos and salads; a long braise or the pressure cooker makes it much softer. The pressure cooker is my favourite: under an hour for a texture that otherwise takes most of an afternoon. Mushrooms cooked from wet to dry to browned add a savoury backbone either way.\nIngredients 4 cups sliced mushrooms 1 onion, diced 1 shallot, diced 4 garlic cloves, diced Salt and pepper 2 tsp MSG (Accent) (optional) 1.36 kg (3 lb) ground beef, or a mix of beef, veal, and pork 250 ml chicken stock Italian-style add-ins 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1 bouquet garni (bay, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns) or dried herbs in cheesecloth or a stainless steel tea infuser Taco-style add-ins 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons ground chilies, something sweet and spicy like Aleppo 1 small tin (185 g / 6.5 oz) smoked jalapeños Method Sauté the mushrooms until they go wet, then dry, then brown. Add the onion and sweat until translucent. Add the shallot and garlic and sweat again.\nAdd the ground spices for the style you\u0026rsquo;re making and heat until fragrant. Add salt, pepper, and MSG.\nAdd the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add half the chicken stock, and the bouquet garni if using.\nCook on medium-high, stirring regularly, until the beef is cooked and the liquid has mostly evaporated, 15–25 minutes.\nSkim off any fat that separates, or stir in a spoonful of flour to thicken and cook until the raw flour taste is gone.\nVariations Single-pot braise Follow the method, but add all the chicken stock, plus a splash of red wine if you like. Simmer, reducing the liquid, until it reaches the texture you want, 60–90 minutes.\nPressure-cooked Follow the method, but add all the chicken stock, plus a splash of red wine if you like. Cook in a 6 L (6 qt) pressure cooker on low pressure for 20–45 minutes, and let it release slowly so the remaining liquid doesn\u0026rsquo;t emulsify and go cloudy. At 45 minutes the beef turns very soft: great on bread or crackers, or finished with tomato paste and milk as a bolognese.\nThis is the fastest method if you use the beef wet. The result is wetter mince; for salads or tacos, brown it in a frying pan on medium-high, turning regularly, until the liquid cooks off. It\u0026rsquo;s much more savoury than the other methods, though with the frying step it takes about as long as the pan method.\nEquipment 6 L (6 qt) pressure cooker, for the pressure-cooked version ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/beef-base/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a savoury ground beef base for tacos, salads, soups, casseroles, and sauces.\nMechanic The cooking method sets the texture. A hot pan reduces the stock quickly and leaves a crumbly mince for tacos and salads; a long braise or the pressure cooker makes it much softer. The pressure cooker is my favourite: under an hour for a texture that otherwise takes most of an afternoon. Mushrooms cooked from wet to dry to browned add a savoury backbone either way.\n","title":"Beef base","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a rich stock that uses the bones left over when buying and breaking down whole cuts.\nIngredients 2–3 kg beef bones (side cut is best; knuckle or neck is good too) 2 yellow onions (250–350 g) 1 medium carrot (100 g) 1 large celery rib (90 g) 1 shallot 2 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons black peppercorns 3 bay leaves 1 teaspoon thyme and rosemary, or a few sprigs ~2 tablespoons vegetable oil ~5 L water, or enough to cover Method Heat the oven to 220°C (450°F). Roughly cut the onions, carrot, celery, shallot, and garlic, and toss them with the oil.\nRoast the bones until browned, 30–60 minutes. About halfway through, flip the bones and brush them with the tomato paste, so it browns in the fat from the bones. Add the vegetables to the pan.\nTransfer everything to a pressure cooker, including any liquid and fond left on the pan. Add the water, peppercorns, bay, and herbs, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook at high pressure for 45–100 minutes, then let the pressure release slowly for a clearer stock.\nLift out the solids and strain. Taste a little in a small bowl with a pinch of salt or soy, to judge whether it\u0026rsquo;s strong enough for what you plan to use it for. Reduce by half for freezing, or refrigerate and use within 5 days.\nNotes The reduced stock should set solid and gelatinous as it cools. I don\u0026rsquo;t bother skimming off the fat, as I use it to start soups with a bit of extra flavour. To speed up cooling, set a smaller pot filled with ice and water in the stock, or use a cooling paddle. Equipment 6 L (6 qt) pressure cooker ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/beef-stock/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a rich stock that uses the bones left over when buying and breaking down whole cuts.\nIngredients 2–3 kg beef bones (side cut is best; knuckle or neck is good too) 2 yellow onions (250–350 g) 1 medium carrot (100 g) 1 large celery rib (90 g) 1 shallot 2 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons black peppercorns 3 bay leaves 1 teaspoon thyme and rosemary, or a few sprigs ~2 tablespoons vegetable oil ~5 L water, or enough to cover Method Heat the oven to 220°C (450°F). Roughly cut the onions, carrot, celery, shallot, and garlic, and toss them with the oil.\n","title":"Beef stock","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A bright red, earthy hummus. Makes about three grocery-store tubs\u0026rsquo; worth.\nIngredients 200 g raw beetroot, cubed (or 200 g already roasted) 400 g tin chickpeas, drained 3–4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced 80–100 ml tahini 60 ml lemon juice (about 2 lemons) 2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt ¼ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground coriander ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper a few ice cubes 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting and to drizzle Method Toss the beets in a little oil and roast at 200°C (400°F) until a knife slides through easily, about 40 minutes. While they roast, simmer the chickpeas in water until very soft, 15–20 minutes, then drain.\nPut the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, spices, and ice cubes in a high-powered blender. Add the beets and chickpeas once they\u0026rsquo;ve cooled. Blend until completely smooth, 1–2 minutes in a Vitamix and longer in other blenders.\nTaste. Add salt and lemon until it tastes like hummus, then blend again. Blend in the olive oil last.\nTo serve In a shallow bowl with a well of olive oil on top, with pita or raw vegetables.\nNotes You can blend the beets and chickpeas hot. Hold the lid down with a towel: the steam can push the lid up and spray hot hummus. The ice cubes keep the blend cool and make it lighter and fluffier. For a quicker version without tahini, see [[Beetroot dip]]. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/beetroot-and-chickpea-hummus/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A bright red, earthy hummus. Makes about three grocery-store tubs’ worth.\nIngredients 200 g raw beetroot, cubed (or 200 g already roasted) 400 g tin chickpeas, drained 3–4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced 80–100 ml tahini 60 ml lemon juice (about 2 lemons) 2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt ¼ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground coriander ⅛ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper a few ice cubes 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting and to drizzle Method Toss the beets in a little oil and roast at 200°C (400°F) until a knife slides through easily, about 40 minutes. While they roast, simmer the chickpeas in water until very soft, 15–20 minutes, then drain.\n","title":"Beetroot and chickpea hummus","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is one of our cherished family recipes. It\u0026rsquo;s a light, sweet dessert, that serves well with coffee or tea.\nThis is a Rille Family Recipe! Oma Rille’s sister, Erika, used to make this cake for each family gathering and it was always a family favourite. It was almost not a Rille Family gathering without Bienenstich. I had asked my Great Auntie Erika for this recipe a few times and she replied that she thought she had already given it to me. Then one day, I received a letter from Great Auntie Erika; she had written out the recipe and on the bottom of the recipe had written, “Good Luck, Happy Baking, Enjoy. Auntie Erika. Love you. Tell me how you made out.” Auntie Erika passed away before I ever had a chance to make the recipe and let her know how delicious it was! Now I try to make Bienenstich for Rille Family gatherings or events. I’m going to write out the recipe in the format of Auntie Erika’s letter.\nAnn Marie - I hope you can make heads or tails out of all this - It’s easy after your first try.\nGood Luck, Happy Baking Enjoy! Auntie Erika. Love you.\nCake 1¼ cups milk 3 tbsp margarine or butter 1 tsp vanilla 5 eggs 2 cups white sugar 2½ cups flour 3 tsp baking powder Scald the milk, then stir in the margarine and vanilla. Set aside to cool; it takes a while, so do this first.\nHeat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Line a half sheet (jelly roll) pan with parchment.\nBeat the eggs and sugar until smooth and pale. Mix the flour and baking powder, then fold them into the eggs alternately with the cooled milk until just smooth.\nSpread the batter in the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Make the topping while it bakes.\nTopping 10 tbsp brown sugar 4 tbsp margarine or butter 6 tbsp whipping cream ¾ cup medium shredded coconut ¾ cup blanched almonds Melt the brown sugar and margarine with the cream in a medium saucepan, then bring to a slow boil. Stir in the coconut and almonds.\nSpread over the hot cake. Put it under the broiler for a few minutes, until golden. Watch carefully; it browns fast.\nCool on a rack, then freeze the cake for 1–2 hours so it\u0026rsquo;s firm enough to split.\nFilling 1½ cups whipping cream ¼ cup sugar 3 tbsp instant vanilla pudding mix Beat the cream, sugar, and pudding mix until firm, but not too firm. Refrigerate 10–15 minutes.\nLoosen the cake from the pan and lift it out. Cut it in half. Spread the filling on one half and set the other half on top, topping side up.\nPut the cake in a clean pan and keep it in the fridge.\nNotes It freezes well and is very good for company. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/bienenstich/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is one of our cherished family recipes. It’s a light, sweet dessert, that serves well with coffee or tea.\nThis is a Rille Family Recipe! Oma Rille’s sister, Erika, used to make this cake for each family gathering and it was always a family favourite. It was almost not a Rille Family gathering without Bienenstich. I had asked my Great Auntie Erika for this recipe a few times and she replied that she thought she had already given it to me. Then one day, I received a letter from Great Auntie Erika; she had written out the recipe and on the bottom of the recipe had written, “Good Luck, Happy Baking, Enjoy. Auntie Erika. Love you. Tell me how you made out.” Auntie Erika passed away before I ever had a chance to make the recipe and let her know how delicious it was! Now I try to make Bienenstich for Rille Family gatherings or events. I’m going to write out the recipe in the format of Auntie Erika’s letter.\n","title":"Bienenstich","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/blends/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Blends","type":"tags"},{"content":"This is a rustic farmer mash, a family recipe from one of the Dutch branches of our tribe. Roughly translated, it\u0026rsquo;s farmer\u0026rsquo;s cabbage hodgepodge: a combination of potatoes, cruciferous vegetables (in our version, kale), and dairy.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s commonly served with sausage, often a medium-grind rookworst. We make it in a single large pot. Many online recipes use 3–4 pots, but for us it\u0026rsquo;s comforting because it\u0026rsquo;s so simple to make.\nIngredients 1 tablespoon oil 1 medium onion, diced 2 whole rookworst (optional) 1 medium bag of Yukon Gold potatoes, cleaned and roughly diced (enough to fill ½–⅔ of your largest pot) 1 large tin or jar of stewed kale (from most Dutch grocers) 2–3 tablespoons salt, for the cooking water 2 bay leaves (optional) 250 ml (1 cup) cream or whole milk 2–4 tablespoons butter ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (optional) Salt and pepper, to taste Vinegar, to serve Method Heat the oil in a large pot (6–8 L / 6–8 qt) and sauté the onion until soft. Add the whole rookworst, if using, and fry, flipping a few times.\nAdd the potatoes and cover with cold water. Add the kale with its brine, the salt, and the bay leaves.\nBring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are soft; they\u0026rsquo;ll be about 95°C, and the rookworst will be over 80°C.\nLift the rookworst onto a large cutting board. Drain the pot carefully and remove the bay leaves. Mash with the butter, cream, and nutmeg. Season to taste.\nOnce the sausage has cooled a bit, dice it and stir it back into the mash.\nTo serve In a bowl, with an ample side of nice vinegar.\nVariations Caulipots Replace up to half the potatoes with roughly chopped, washed cauliflower. We called this \u0026ldquo;caulipots\u0026rdquo;, a way to hide more cruciferous veg when the kids were younger.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/boerenkool-stamppot-aka-green-potatoes-aka-boerenkool-met-worst/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a rustic farmer mash, a family recipe from one of the Dutch branches of our tribe. Roughly translated, it’s farmer’s cabbage hodgepodge: a combination of potatoes, cruciferous vegetables (in our version, kale), and dairy.\n","title":"Boerenkool stamppot","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/bread/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Bread","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/british/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"British","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This is my lazier iced tea recipe. The cold brew process gets a smoother overall flavour, though it takes an extra day or so to get there.\nIngredients 2 L cold tap water 6 bags Ceylon black tea 1 bag flavoured tea, peach or raspberry (optional) 100 g (½ cup) white sugar 80 ml (⅓ cup) lime juice, lemon juice, or a mix Method Put the tea and water in a 2 L glass or plastic jug. Steep in the fridge for 24–48 hours.\nRemove the tea bags. Add the sugar and citrus juice and stir until the sugar dissolves. Serve over ice.\nNotes Steep in the fridge, not on the counter. Tea left at room temperature for hours is the \u0026ldquo;sun tea\u0026rdquo; pattern food safety agencies warn against: lukewarm tea is a good home for bacteria. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/bruces-cold-brewed-iced-tea/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is my lazier iced tea recipe. The cold brew process gets a smoother overall flavour, though it takes an extra day or so to get there.\nIngredients 2 L cold tap water 6 bags Ceylon black tea 1 bag flavoured tea, peach or raspberry (optional) 100 g (½ cup) white sugar 80 ml (⅓ cup) lime juice, lemon juice, or a mix Method Put the tea and water in a 2 L glass or plastic jug. Steep in the fridge for 24–48 hours.\n","title":"Bruce’s cold-brewed iced tea","type":"recipes"},{"content":"My working-day tea: sweet, tart, and calming.\nIngredients 6 bags high-quality black tea 1 L boiled water ½ cup granulated white sugar 1 lime, juiced 1 pinch of kosher salt Method Pour the boiled water over the tea bags in a large heat-safe container (I use a 2.5 L Pyrex). Steep 4–5 minutes, but no longer, then lift out the bags with a spider or slotted spoon.\nStir in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Add the lime juice. Let cool to room temperature.\nPour into a 2 L jug and top up with cold water or ice. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.\nNotes In the summer, I like to add some peach tea when I can find it at the farmers\u0026rsquo; market. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/bruces-iced-tea/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"My working-day tea: sweet, tart, and calming.\nIngredients 6 bags high-quality black tea 1 L boiled water ½ cup granulated white sugar 1 lime, juiced 1 pinch of kosher salt Method Pour the boiled water over the tea bags in a large heat-safe container (I use a 2.5 L Pyrex). Steep 4–5 minutes, but no longer, then lift out the bags with a spider or slotted spoon.\n","title":"Bruce’s iced tea","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Fried black beans are a perfect base for nachos, quick burritos, beans and rice, and other quick food hacks.\nIngredients 1 tbsp olive oil ½ onion, diced 2–3 garlic cloves (or 1 tsp granulated garlic, or both) 1–2 tsp cumin ½ tsp ground chilies (or 1 tsp cayenne) 1–2 jalapeños, diced (seeds removed, if you like) 1 can (540 ml / 19 oz) black beans, drained Salt, to taste Black pepper, to taste (a few grinds) ½–1 cup chopped cilantro leaves (optional) ½ lime, juiced (plus some zest for extra zing) Method Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium until it shimmers. Sauté the onion until translucent, 2–3 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and chilies and cook until fragrant, another 1–2 minutes.\nAdd the jalapeños and beans with the salt and pepper. Stir over medium to medium-low until everything is heated through, without letting anything stick. Mash the beans about halfway, adding a teaspoon of oil if they start to stick.\nTurn off the heat. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice, then taste. Finish seasoning with salt and pepper.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/bruces-quick-fried-black-beans/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Fried black beans are a perfect base for nachos, quick burritos, beans and rice, and other quick food hacks.\nIngredients 1 tbsp olive oil ½ onion, diced 2–3 garlic cloves (or 1 tsp granulated garlic, or both) 1–2 tsp cumin ½ tsp ground chilies (or 1 tsp cayenne) 1–2 jalapeños, diced (seeds removed, if you like) 1 can (540 ml / 19 oz) black beans, drained Salt, to taste Black pepper, to taste (a few grinds) ½–1 cup chopped cilantro leaves (optional) ½ lime, juiced (plus some zest for extra zing) Method Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium until it shimmers. Sauté the onion until translucent, 2–3 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and chilies and cook until fragrant, another 1–2 minutes.\n","title":"Bruce’s quick fried black beans","type":"recipes"},{"content":"These are rough approximations for the Thai red and green curries I’ve been making for many years now. These are not super authentic, but are based in reality from some recon a friend did at a local Thai restaurant back in the 90s.\nThe most important part of these recipes is the curry paste. While you can make curry paste yourself, there are many store brands that are fantastic. Most stores have a few great choices including these pastes.\nAlso note that the only difference between red and green curry with this method is (a) the paste (and chilies used), and (b) veg that tends towards sweet/reds and more savoury/greens, so both colour and flavour pairings.\nMechanic Cracking the coconut cream (cooking the thick top of the tin until its fat separates) gives you oil to fry the curry paste in, which is what makes the curry taste like a restaurant\u0026rsquo;s rather than a soup. The paste provides almost all the seasoning; the rest is sugar, salt, and lime to balance it.\nIngredients Green curry 4 tbsp green curry paste 2 tbsp cane sugar 2–3 cups green vegetables (broccoli stalks, peas) Fresh or dried basil 1 lime, juiced Red curry 4 tbsp red curry paste ¼ cup cane sugar 2–3 cups colourful vegetables (red or yellow peppers) 1 can good whole tomatoes, broken up by hand, or crushed tomatoes Both curries 1–2 cans (400 ml each) coconut milk, unshaken 2 cups mirepoix (onion, celery, carrot), diced 2 tbsp [[Ginger/garlic paste]] 2–3 potatoes or sweet potatoes, roasted and diced 1 can bamboo shoots, drained 1 can baby corn, drained 1–2 cups protein (tofu, shrimp, or chicken) 1–2 cups stock A handful of makrut lime leaves, pulled off their stems About 1 tbsp salt Method Brown the protein separately first. Fried medium tofu (with salt and garlic) works for a vegetarian curry; shrimp or chicken, marinated and browned, for the rest. Set aside.\nSpoon the thick coconut cream off the top of the cans, keeping the thin milk underneath.\nSweat the mirepoix in a little oil over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut cream and cook on high, stirring, until the fat splits out and pools on top.\nAdd the curry paste and fry in the coconut fat until fragrant and darker, 1–2 minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry 1 minute more.\nAdd the thin coconut milk, the stock, and (for red curry) the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.\nAdd the vegetables, potatoes, bamboo shoots, and baby corn. Simmer until the vegetables are just tender, 5–10 minutes.\nReturn the protein to the pot with the lime leaves, sugar, and salt. Simmer until the protein is hot through, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust.\nOff the heat, stir in the lime juice and basil (for green curry).\nVariations Extras You can include any of the following if you want:\nRoasted squash Roasted potatoes Fried broccoli stalks (green curry) Frozen peas (green curry) Frozen or canned corn (green curry) Extra seasoning 1-2 tbsp fish sauce (or vegetarian equivalent) Fish sauce is traditional and adds a bunch of depth, but you can simulate it with any standard vegetarian fish sauce recipe.\nVegetarian fish sauce The goal is a dense, savoury sauce. Soy + mushrooms can be enough, but the following is a bit closer:\nWakame Dark soy Garlic Miso Water Even miso on its own is a good savoury base.\nVegetarian depth add mushrooms to the mirepoix and brown a bit add dried mushrooms soaked in water (and diced) Notes Thai curries build their base by sweating down the curry paste rather than a mirepoix. The two do a similar job, so the mirepoix here is optional.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/bruces-thai-redgreen-curry/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"These are rough approximations for the Thai red and green curries I’ve been making for many years now. These are not super authentic, but are based in reality from some recon a friend did at a local Thai restaurant back in the 90s.\n","title":"Bruce’s Thai red/green curry","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a sweet, barbecued Korean beef dish that is typically made with boneless short rib or rib eye. It can also be made with ground beef or pork for a faster weeknight meal.\nSauce ½–1 onion, puréed ¾ cup puréed pear 4–6 cloves garlic, puréed 1 tbsp puréed ginger 2 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 4 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp gochugaru 2 tbsp brown sugar ½ tsp MSG Salt and pepper Stir everything together. Taste and adjust.\nBeef 1 kg thinly sliced rib eye or short rib, or ground beef or a beef and pork blend 500 g mushrooms, thinly sliced 200 g carrot, grated For sliced meat, toss it with half the sauce and marinate in the fridge for 1–12 hours. Sear in a very hot pan in batches, without crowding, until charred at the edges, 1–2 minutes a side. Cook the mushrooms and carrot in the same pan until the mushrooms brown, then return the meat with the rest of the sauce and toss until glossy.\nFor ground meat, brown it in a hot pan, breaking it up, until crisp in spots. Add the mushrooms and carrot and cook until their liquid has evaporated. Add the sauce and simmer until it thickens and coats the meat, about 5 minutes.\nTo serve Rice, chopped green onion, and more toasted sesame seeds.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/bulgogi-beef/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a sweet, barbecued Korean beef dish that is typically made with boneless short rib or rib eye. It can also be made with ground beef or pork for a faster weeknight meal.\n","title":"Bulgogi beef","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Ingredient costs and menu pricing from a home burger night, 2022.\nIngredient costs Ingredient Package price Unit Portion Cost/portion Beef $10.12/kg kg 120g $1.21 Buns $7.34/doz doz 1 $0.61 Pickles $15.99/4L 4L 5g $0.02 Cheese $99/case slice 1 $0.15 Onion $0.016/g g 5g $0.08 Ketchup $0.004/ml ml 6ml $0.02 Mustard $0.003/ml ml 3.5ml $0.01 Lettuce $0.002/g g 5g $0.01 Tomato $0.008/g g 15g $0.12 Bacon $20.50/kg kg 50g $1.03 Chicken $18.49/kg kg 130g $2.40 Potato $0.002/g g 175g $0.35 Cheese curds $0.020/g g 50g $0.98 Gravy $0.001/g g 50g $0.06 Menu pricing (single burger) Item Food cost Price at 20% food cost Actual price Actual food cost % Deluxe $2.08 $10.40 $8 26% Cheese $2.23 $11.15 $9 25% Cheese + Bacon $3.26 $16.30 $10 33% Chicken $3.27 $16.35 $15 22% Fries $0.35 $1.75 $5 7% Poutine $1.39 $6.95 $10 14% ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/burger-night-2022/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Ingredient costs and menu pricing from a home burger night, 2022.\nIngredient costs Ingredient Package price Unit Portion Cost/portion Beef $10.12/kg kg 120g $1.21 Buns $7.34/doz doz 1 $0.61 Pickles $15.99/4L 4L 5g $0.02 Cheese $99/case slice 1 $0.15 Onion $0.016/g g 5g $0.08 Ketchup $0.004/ml ml 6ml $0.02 Mustard $0.003/ml ml 3.5ml $0.01 Lettuce $0.002/g g 5g $0.01 Tomato $0.008/g g 15g $0.12 Bacon $20.50/kg kg 50g $1.03 Chicken $18.49/kg kg 130g $2.40 Potato $0.002/g g 175g $0.35 Cheese curds $0.020/g g 50g $0.98 Gravy $0.001/g g 50g $0.06 Menu pricing (single burger) Item Food cost Price at 20% food cost Actual price Actual food cost % Deluxe $2.08 $10.40 $8 26% Cheese $2.23 $11.15 $9 25% Cheese + Bacon $3.26 $16.30 $10 33% Chicken $3.27 $16.35 $15 22% Fries $0.35 $1.75 $5 7% Poutine $1.39 $6.95 $10 14% ","title":"Burger night costing (2022)","type":"reference"},{"content":"This is a sweet and tasty treat, a cherished family recipe from the 1950s.\nGrandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) always used to make butter tarts and coconut jam tarts and this was her recipe. Back in the day, the tart shells were homemade, but as convenience became more convenient, the tarts went to the store-bought type.\nMechanic Most butter tarts use corn syrup, which keeps the filling runny. This one uses a little maple syrup instead, less than the usual corn syrup, so the filling sets firmer while staying soft.\nPastry Skip this and use 12 store-bought frozen tart shells, set on a baking sheet, if you prefer.\n1 cup flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ cup shortening 3–4 tbsp ice water Sift the flour and baking powder together. Cut in the shortening until it looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in the ice water a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork, until the dough just holds together.\nRoll out on a floured surface. Cut rounds with a circle cutter and press them into a muffin tin.\nFilling 2 eggs 1 cup brown sugar ¼ cup maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup raisins 2 tbsp butter, melted Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).\nBeat the eggs in a mixing bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla, then fold in the raisins and butter.\nSpoon into the tart shells, filling them only ¾ full. Bake until the pastry is golden and the filling is puffed and set, 12–15 minutes.\nCool on a rack. Store in the fridge.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/butter-tarts/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a sweet and tasty treat, a cherished family recipe from the 1950s.\nGrandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) always used to make butter tarts and coconut jam tarts and this was her recipe. Back in the day, the tart shells were homemade, but as convenience became more convenient, the tarts went to the store-bought type.\n","title":"Butter tarts","type":"recipes"},{"content":"The chili I grew up with is not the chili of the American South. It\u0026rsquo;s a beany, tomato vegetable stew with a hint of beef.\nMechanic Layers of browned mushrooms stand in for most of the beef. Cook them until they give up their water, then keep going until they brown and start to stick; that fond, deglazed with stock, is the savoury base. Add ground meat or TVP to the same stage if you want it meatier.\nIngredients 2–3 tsp olive oil 4–6 cups chopped mushrooms (1–2 cups once cooked down) 1 cup dried shiitakes, soaked in hot water until soft, then chopped (keep the water) Ground meat or TVP (optional) 1–2 onions, diced 1 shallot, diced 4 garlic cloves, crushed 4 stalks celery, sliced 1 tbsp tomato paste (I use the toothpaste tubes) 1–2 cups homemade stock (vegetable for a vegetarian version) 800 ml (1 large can) kidney beans 400 ml (1 small can) black beans 400 ml (1 small can) white beans 800 ml (1 large can) San Marzano tomatoes 400 ml (1 small can) crushed tomatoes 2 cups roasted or fried corn kernels, or diced carrot 4 garlic cloves, roasted 1 lime 1 handful cilantro or parsley (or both), finely chopped Spice mix, to taste 2–3 tbsp whole cumin seeds, toasted and crushed in a mortar and pestle 2–3 tbsp good chili powder 3 tsp ancho (or similar) ground chilies Salt and pepper Method Heat the oil in a large pot over medium. Add the fresh mushrooms and shiitakes and cook until they release their water. If using ground meat or TVP, add it to the wet mushrooms. Keep cooking until the water evaporates and everything browns; the meat stretches this out, but be patient.\nAdd the onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add the shallot, crushed garlic, celery, carrot (if using), and tomato paste, and sauté until softened. Let the bottom of the pot brown, but not burn, then deglaze with the stock and the shiitake soaking water, scraping up the browned bits. If the soaking water is gritty, strain it, or leave it out.\nStir in the spice mix. Add the beans, tomatoes, corn, and roasted garlic, and bring to a simmer. Taste and make small adjustments.\nBalance with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Stir in the cilantro or parsley.\nVariations Whole-chili spice paste For better depth than dried spices, blend these together and use in place of the spice mix: 2–3 tbsp toasted and crushed cumin seeds, ½ cinnamon stick (toasted), dried guajillo and ancho chilies rehydrated in boiling water (with the water), roasted diced tomatoes, 2–3 garlic cloves, chipotles in adobo, and salt and pepper.\nNotes This is vegetarian as written, with extra layers of mushrooms for savouriness. For a meaty version, add some ground beast (any ground meat) at the mushroom stage. Shortcut: use a batch of [[Beef base]] in place of the mushroom and meat stage. It cuts the cook to about 25 minutes. Swap in any beans you like. You can also cook the beans from dry; follow the package directions. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/canadian-chili/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"The chili I grew up with is not the chili of the American South. It’s a beany, tomato vegetable stew with a hint of beef.\nMechanic Layers of browned mushrooms stand in for most of the beef. Cook them until they give up their water, then keep going until they brown and start to stick; that fond, deglazed with stock, is the savoury base. Add ground meat or TVP to the same stage if you want it meatier.\n","title":"Canadian chili","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Tart and sweet, frosted like snow, with a pop when you bite in. Good on a charcuterie board, as a dessert topping, or in a dish to add colour to a table or buffet.\nI had attended a roller derby event that had a potluck and someone brought candied cranberries. They were surprisingly really good! A teammate, Lashes, found the recipe on Instagram (@ourbestbites) and forwarded it to me, as we both enjoyed them at the event.\nIngredients 340 g (12 oz) fresh cranberries Equal parts granulated sugar and water for the syrup, enough to cover the berries (about 1 cup each) About ½ cup coarse sugar, for rolling About ½ cup granulated sugar, for rolling Method Wash the cranberries and pick out any damaged or squishy ones.\nMake a simple syrup: bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool to room temperature.\nPour the syrup over the berries and refrigerate overnight. The syrup thickens a little and the sugar sticks better. If you\u0026rsquo;re short on time you can go straight to the next step, but the berries will be more tart.\nLift the berries out of the syrup with a slotted spoon and set them on a cooling rack over foil to drip. Let them dry until they have just a thin, tacky coating of syrup, 45 minutes to an hour.\nRoll the berries first in the coarse sugar, then in the granulated sugar to fill the gaps.\nSpread them on a baking sheet and let them dry completely, a couple of hours or overnight. The outsides turn crisp and crunchy, and the berries burst when you bite in.\nNotes Best served the same day. To store, leave them uncovered at room temperature, or in an airtight container if it\u0026rsquo;s humid. If they look wet when you go to serve them after storing, give them a quick roll in sugar. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/candied-cranberries-sugared-cranberries/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Tart and sweet, frosted like snow, with a pop when you bite in. Good on a charcuterie board, as a dessert topping, or in a dish to add colour to a table or buffet.\n","title":"Candied cranberries (sugared cranberries)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A sweet little treat! It\u0026rsquo;s a great snack to put out for a get-together or before dinner.\nIngredients ½ cup sugar ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp salt 1 egg white 2 tsp cold water 5 cups whole pecans Method Heat the oven to 110°C (225°F).\nMix the sugar, cinnamon, and salt together well.\nIn a large bowl, whip the egg white with the cold water until frothy. Add the pecans and toss to coat. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the pecans and toss again.\nSpread the pecans evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, turning them every 15 minutes.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/candied-pecans/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A sweet little treat! It’s a great snack to put out for a get-together or before dinner.\nIngredients ½ cup sugar ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp salt 1 egg white 2 tsp cold water 5 cups whole pecans Method Heat the oven to 110°C (225°F).\n","title":"Candied pecans","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/caribbean/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Caribbean","type":"tags"},{"content":"Every now and then, I crave cheddar herb biscuits. I\u0026rsquo;ve tried a few recipes, and this is the best so far.\nIngredients 3 cups all-purpose flour 4 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp sugar ¾ tsp cream of tartar ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt ½ tsp granulated garlic (optional) ¾ cup butter, cold, cut into cubes 1 large egg 1 cup buttermilk 2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded (old white cheddar plus old cheddar is a great combo) ¼–½ cup fresh herbs, chopped any combo: parsley and chives is my favourite, but thyme, sage, and rosemary work too; freeze-dried herbs are fine Method Heat the oven to 230°C (450°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment.\nIn a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and garlic, if using. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and buttermilk.\nCut the cold butter into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry blender until the pieces are the size of small peas.\nAdd the egg mixture, cheese, and herbs, and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a loose ball. You may need your hands for the last few moments; handle it as little as possible.\nShape the biscuits: either form loose balls by hand and pack them lightly into biscuit shapes, or roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut rounds with a biscuit cutter.\nSet the biscuits on the baking sheet. Bake until the tops are golden brown, 10–15 minutes.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/cheddar-herb-biscuits-or-savoury-scones/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Every now and then, I crave cheddar herb biscuits. I’ve tried a few recipes, and this is the best so far.\nIngredients 3 cups all-purpose flour 4 tsp baking powder 2 tbsp sugar ¾ tsp cream of tartar ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt ½ tsp granulated garlic (optional) ¾ cup butter, cold, cut into cubes 1 large egg 1 cup buttermilk 2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded (old white cheddar plus old cheddar is a great combo) ¼–½ cup fresh herbs, chopped any combo: parsley and chives is my favourite, but thyme, sage, and rosemary work too; freeze-dried herbs are fine Method Heat the oven to 230°C (450°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment.\n","title":"Cheddar herb biscuits (or savoury scones)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/cheese-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Cheese-Sauce","type":"tags"},{"content":"Based on a recipe from Fooooood Wishes Dot Com. If you didn’t sing that in your head, go find John’s videos on YouTube and watch them until you do.\nEven on your first try, these buns are better than what you can find in most markets, mostly because they’re fresh and you have to work for them.\nDough 2½ tsp (1 package) active dry yeast 450 g (1 lb, about 3½ cups) all-purpose flour 250 g (1 cup) warm water, 40°C (104°F) 1 large egg 3 tbsp melted butter 3 tbsp white sugar 1¼ tsp salt 1 tsp olive oil (not extra-virgin) Method Whisk the yeast, ½ cup of the flour, and the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer until smooth. Let stand until foamy, 10–15 minutes.\nAdd the egg, melted butter, sugar, and salt, and whisk until smooth again.\nSwitch to the dough hook. Add the rest of the flour slowly until the dough forms a ball. Knead until cohesive and somewhat sticky, about 5 minutes. Sticky is better than dry here.\nTurn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a smooth, taut ball. I pull the dough over itself a few times with a bench scraper, then invert it and use the scraper to tighten it into a smooth-topped round.\nPut the ball in a container greased with the olive oil, cover, and let rise in a warm spot, around 24°C (75°F), until doubled, 1–2 hours. A warming tray or a slightly warmed oven works well.\nFlatten the dough into a rectangle and cut into 8 equal pieces, about 100 g each. Fold each piece over itself, then roll it into a taut ball on the counter with your hand or a bench scraper. Set the balls on a lined sheet pan and flatten slightly.\nLet rise until doubled, 45–60 minutes. Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F).\nEgg wash and topping 1 egg, beaten 1 tbsp milk A pinch of salt 1–2 tsp sesame seeds Whisk the egg, milk, and salt together. Brush the buns lightly and top with sesame seeds.\nBake until lightly browned, 15–18 minutes. Cool completely, then slice with a serrated knife.\nNotes Half milk Add soft butter at end Replace half or all with Diastatic Malt Powder (malted barley) ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/chef-johns-hamburger-buns/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Based on a recipe from Fooooood Wishes Dot Com. If you didn’t sing that in your head, go find John’s videos on YouTube and watch them until you do.\nEven on your first try, these buns are better than what you can find in most markets, mostly because they’re fresh and you have to work for them.\n","title":"Chef John’s hamburger buns","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a rich chicken or turkey stock that uses the bones left over from breaking down whole birds. Great for soup, sauces, and consommé.\nIngredients Spines, ribcages, and wing tips from 3 whole chickens 2 large carrots 2 onions 1 shallot (optional; sub onion or garlic) 3 garlic cloves 2 teaspoons black peppercorns 3 bay leaves 1 teaspoon thyme or rosemary, or a few sprigs ~2 tablespoons vegetable oil ~5 L water Add-ins 1 knob ginger, diced (optional) Bouquet garni, fennel, and similar (optional) Method Heat the oven to 220°C (450°F). Slice the vegetables thinly (or roughly) and toss them with the thawed bones and oil on one or more roasting trays. A mandoline is handy for the denser vegetables; slice the softer ones by hand.\nRoast the bones and vegetables until deep brown but not burnt, 30–45 minutes, flipping about halfway through.\nTransfer to a pressure cooker, add the water, peppercorns, bay, herbs, and any add-ins, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook at high pressure for 35–45 minutes, then let the pressure release slowly for a clearer stock.\nLift out the solids and strain. Taste a little in a small bowl with a pinch of salt or soy, to judge whether it\u0026rsquo;s strong enough for what you plan to use it for. Reduce by half for freezing, or refrigerate and use within 5 days.\nNotes The reduced stock should set solid and gelatinous as it cools. I don\u0026rsquo;t bother skimming off the fat, as I use it to start soups with a bit of extra flavour. Equipment 6 L (6 qt) pressure cooker ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/chicken-or-turkey-stock/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a rich chicken or turkey stock that uses the bones left over from breaking down whole birds. Great for soup, sauces, and consommé.\nIngredients Spines, ribcages, and wing tips from 3 whole chickens 2 large carrots 2 onions 1 shallot (optional; sub onion or garlic) 3 garlic cloves 2 teaspoons black peppercorns 3 bay leaves 1 teaspoon thyme or rosemary, or a few sprigs ~2 tablespoons vegetable oil ~5 L water Add-ins 1 knob ginger, diced (optional) Bouquet garni, fennel, and similar (optional) Method Heat the oven to 220°C (450°F). Slice the vegetables thinly (or roughly) and toss them with the thawed bones and oil on one or more roasting trays. A mandoline is handy for the denser vegetables; slice the softer ones by hand.\n","title":"Chicken or turkey stock","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/chilean/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Chilean","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/chili/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Chili","type":"tags"},{"content":"Cost breakdown for a large batch of [[Canadian chili|chili]]. Total yield: 9.5L, 38 portions at 250ml each.\nIngredient costs Item Qty Unit cost Total Beef (stew) 1 $14.48 $14.48 Pork (stew) 1 $9.51 $9.51 Sausage 1 $5.00 $5.00 Kidney beans 1 $4.19 $4.19 Black beans 2 $2.49 $4.98 White beans 1 $2.49 $2.49 Canned corn 2 $1.69 $3.38 Diced tomato 2 $0.99 $1.98 Crushed tomato 1 $0.99 $0.99 Peppers 1 $2.26 $2.26 Jalapeño 1 $1.32 $1.32 Canned/roasted peppers 0.5 $1.44 $0.72 Carrots 0.25 $2.49 $0.62 Lime 1 $0.69 $0.69 Tomato sauce 0.25 $1.99 $0.50 Spices 1 $3.00 $3.00 Food cost total $56.11 Loaded costs (includes labour and kitchen) Item Hours Rate Cost Labour 2.5h $16/h $40.00 Kitchen overhead 4h $20/h $80.00 Total loaded $176.11 Per-portion summary Cost Food cost per portion $1.48 Loaded cost per portion $4.63 Potential cost reductions Change Current Reduced Dry beans (vs canned) $11.66 canned ~$3.00 dry; saves ~$8.66, adds soaking and cooking time Butcher own meat — saves ~$7.24 per hour of butchering; not counted below Use pressure cooker ($60 one-time) 4 h kitchen time ~1.5 h; saves ~$50 of overhead Total with dry beans and pressure cooker $176.11 ~$117.45 loaded ($3.09/portion) The dry bean cost (~$3.00 for the equivalent of four cans) and the 1.5 hours of pressure cooker kitchen time are estimates. The butchering saving depends on how many hours you spend, so it isn\u0026rsquo;t in the total.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/chili-costing-2022/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Cost breakdown for a large batch of [[Canadian chili|chili]]. Total yield: 9.5L, 38 portions at 250ml each.\nIngredient costs Item Qty Unit cost Total Beef (stew) 1 $14.48 $14.48 Pork (stew) 1 $9.51 $9.51 Sausage 1 $5.00 $5.00 Kidney beans 1 $4.19 $4.19 Black beans 2 $2.49 $4.98 White beans 1 $2.49 $2.49 Canned corn 2 $1.69 $3.38 Diced tomato 2 $0.99 $1.98 Crushed tomato 1 $0.99 $0.99 Peppers 1 $2.26 $2.26 Jalapeño 1 $1.32 $1.32 Canned/roasted peppers 0.5 $1.44 $0.72 Carrots 0.25 $2.49 $0.62 Lime 1 $0.69 $0.69 Tomato sauce 0.25 $1.99 $0.50 Spices 1 $3.00 $3.00 Food cost total $56.11 Loaded costs (includes labour and kitchen) Item Hours Rate Cost Labour 2.5h $16/h $40.00 Kitchen overhead 4h $20/h $80.00 Total loaded $176.11 Per-portion summary Cost Food cost per portion $1.48 Loaded cost per portion $4.63 Potential cost reductions Change Current Reduced Dry beans (vs canned) $11.66 canned ~$3.00 dry; saves ~$8.66, adds soaking and cooking time Butcher own meat — saves ~$7.24 per hour of butchering; not counted below Use pressure cooker ($60 one-time) 4 h kitchen time ~1.5 h; saves ~$50 of overhead Total with dry beans and pressure cooker $176.11 ~$117.45 loaded ($3.09/portion) The dry bean cost (~$3.00 for the equivalent of four cans) and the 1.5 hours of pressure cooker kitchen time are estimates. The butchering saving depends on how many hours you spend, so it isn’t in the total.\n","title":"Chili costing analysis (2022)","type":"reference"},{"content":"Ever want a quick snack and have a stocked pantry? This single cookie can serve 2 modestly, or 1 decadently. It\u0026rsquo;s based on a recipe from the Savvy Cookbook, with some tuning for our pantry.\nIngredients 1 tablespoon nut butter 1½ teaspoons honey, maple syrup, or golden syrup 1½ tablespoons ground almonds (or other flour) Pinch of baking soda Pinch of salt Splash of vanilla extract 1–2 squares dark chocolate (or chips) Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Oil a ramekin.\nCombine everything and press it into the ramekin.\nBake until the edges are set and the centre looks just underdone, 6–8 minutes.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/chocolate-chip-cookie-for-one/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Ever want a quick snack and have a stocked pantry? This single cookie can serve 2 modestly, or 1 decadently. It’s based on a recipe from the Savvy Cookbook, with some tuning for our pantry.\n","title":"Chocolate chip cookie for one","type":"recipes"},{"content":"There are a few ways to make pizza sauce, depending on how lazy you are. One of our favourites is cooked down from good tomatoes for a moderate amount of time; my fastest comes from a tin of crushed tomatoes or sauce, thickened with paste. Better tomatoes make a difference here, as cheaper ones are less sweet and flavourful.\nIngredients 1 tin (796 ml / 28 oz) San Marzano tomatoes 1–2 tbsp tomato paste, for punch and to thicken things faster 2–3 tbsp olive oil 1 small yellow onion and/or shallot, diced 2–3 garlic cloves, finely minced 1–2 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp granulated garlic Salt and pepper, to taste 1–2 tsp balsamic vinegar (or red wine), to taste 1–2 tbsp unsalted butter (optional) Method Crush the tomatoes by hand, with a pastry cutter, or with a hand blender (optional). For an even smoother sauce, pass them through a food mill or force them through a fine-mesh strainer with a spatula.\nSweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil until aromatic but not browned, 2–3 minutes.\nReduce the heat. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, and granulated garlic.\nSeason with salt and pepper. I do this 2–3 times, tasting in between, so I don\u0026rsquo;t oversalt.\nSimmer at the lowest heat that barely bubbles for 20–30 minutes. You can go longer, but not much shorter: tinned tomatoes only mellow after some simmering, and otherwise taste tinny or harsh.\nStir in the balsamic and the butter, if using. Taste and adjust.\nVariations Quick sauce Use 1 jar or medium tin of crushed tomatoes, or 1 jar of tomato sauce plus 1 tbsp tomato paste, in place of the San Marzanos. Balance with 1–2 tbsp balsamic, honey, or sugar, depending on how bland the tomatoes are.\nNotes I don\u0026rsquo;t add chilies or paprika anymore, leaving those for toppings. Paprika, especially smoked paprika, can make a sauce taste heavy and muddle the sweet notes of the tomatoes. If the sauce tastes bitter, strain out the seeds through a fine-mesh strainer, add a little balsamic, honey, or sugar (or some of each), or add a bit more salt. See also [[The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza]], our family\u0026rsquo;s 12-pizza Christmas marathon. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/classic-pizza-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"There are a few ways to make pizza sauce, depending on how lazy you are. One of our favourites is cooked down from good tomatoes for a moderate amount of time; my fastest comes from a tin of crushed tomatoes or sauce, thickened with paste. Better tomatoes make a difference here, as cheaper ones are less sweet and flavourful.\n","title":"Classic pizza sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a family recipe from the 1950s.\nGrandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) always used to make butter tarts and coconut jam tarts and this was her recipe. Back in the day, the tart shells were homemade, but as convenience became more convenient, the tarts went to the store-bought type.\nPastry Skip this and use 12 store-bought frozen tart shells, set on a baking sheet, if you prefer.\n1 cup flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ cup shortening 3–4 tbsp ice water Sift the flour and baking powder together. Cut in the shortening until it looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle in the ice water a tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork, until the dough just holds together.\nRoll out on a floured surface. Cut rounds with a circle cutter and press them into a muffin tin.\nFilling ½ cup butter, softened ½ cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup shredded coconut ¼ cup raspberry jam Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).\nCream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth. Stir in the coconut and vanilla.\nSpoon 1 tsp jam into the bottom of each tart shell, then top with the coconut mixture, filling them only ¾ full.\nBake until golden brown, 15–20 minutes. Cool on a rack. Store in the fridge.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/coconut-jam-tarts/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a family recipe from the 1950s.\nGrandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) always used to make butter tarts and coconut jam tarts and this was her recipe. Back in the day, the tart shells were homemade, but as convenience became more convenient, the tarts went to the store-bought type.\n","title":"Coconut jam tarts","type":"recipes"},{"content":"We were at the Rempels\u0026rsquo; for dinner and Grandma made this corn salsa. We could not get enough of it.\nIngredients 5 cups corn, cut from the cob (about 4 large ears) or frozen 2 tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional) ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup sour cream ½ cup Parmesan, finely grated 2–3 tbsp lime juice ½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped ½ red onion, finely chopped 1 cup green onion, finely sliced (about 2 stems) 1 tbsp jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped Garnish 55 g (2 oz) cotija, feta, or Parmesan jalapeño slices, cilantro leaves, lime wedges Method Cut the corn off the cob. If using frozen corn, don\u0026rsquo;t thaw it.\nMelt the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and stir for 10 seconds. Add the corn and cook, stirring only now and then, until it has brown bits and tastes cooked and sweet, about 5 minutes. Constant stirring stops it browning. Add the salt, pepper, and paprika, if using, halfway through.\nTransfer the corn to a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and Parmesan, and toss well; the heat melts them into a dressing. Add the cilantro, red onion, green onion, and jalapeño, and toss again.\nTransfer to a serving bowl and add the garnishes. Serve warm or at room temperature.\nNotes Canned corn works, but it\u0026rsquo;s too wet to brown well. Drain it and let it dry out in the fridge overnight first. Swap parsley for the cilantro for anyone who can\u0026rsquo;t stand cilantro. Go light on the dressing. This isn\u0026rsquo;t meant to be coated thickly with mayo like potato salad; the mayo and sour cream melt on the hot corn into a thin dressing. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/corn-salsa/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"We were at the Rempels’ for dinner and Grandma made this corn salsa. We could not get enough of it.\nIngredients 5 cups corn, cut from the cob (about 4 large ears) or frozen 2 tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, minced ½ tsp salt ½ tsp pepper ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional) ¼ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup sour cream ½ cup Parmesan, finely grated 2–3 tbsp lime juice ½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped ½ red onion, finely chopped 1 cup green onion, finely sliced (about 2 stems) 1 tbsp jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped Garnish 55 g (2 oz) cotija, feta, or Parmesan jalapeño slices, cilantro leaves, lime wedges Method Cut the corn off the cob. If using frozen corn, don’t thaw it.\n","title":"Corn salsa","type":"recipes"},{"content":"We had half a kilo of baby red peppers left over after a social event, so I tried a simple roasted red pepper soup. This is roughly based on Chef John\u0026rsquo;s take, but with the ingredients that I tend to have on hand.\nIngredients 650 g red peppers 250 g onion 100 g carrots 4 cloves garlic about 20 ml light olive oil (or neutral oil) 50 g cremini mushrooms 20 ml tomato paste 100 ml white wine or sherry 750 ml stock (vegetable or chicken) 1 tin (400 ml) coconut milk, unshaken; use the thick cream from the top (about 250 ml) and reserve the rest 1 tsp smoked paprika, or other spices (see Notes) salt and pepper, to taste Method Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Roughly dice the peppers, carrots, onion, and garlic. Toss them in the oil and roast until soft and charred at the edges, 20–30 minutes.\nChop the mushrooms and fry them until golden brown. Add the paprika or other spices. Add the tomato paste and fry until it starts to stick. Deglaze with the wine, scraping up any brown bits in the pan.\nAdd the stock and roasted vegetables. Simmer until heated through.\nBlend thoroughly. For a smoother soup, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer, using a ladle to push it through.\nStir in the coconut cream and season to taste. The finished soup should coat the back of a spoon; thin it with the reserved coconut milk if needed.\nNotes If the soup tastes flat, add wine, lemon or lime juice, and salt, a little at a time, tasting as you go. If the garlic isn\u0026rsquo;t punching through, cheat by adding some granulated garlic. This works well with Thai (red curry), Indian (masala), or French (herbal) seasonings, and may also work with Creole or southwestern spices. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/creamy-roasted-red-pepper-soup/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"We had half a kilo of baby red peppers left over after a social event, so I tried a simple roasted red pepper soup. This is roughly based on Chef John’s take, but with the ingredients that I tend to have on hand.\n","title":"Creamy roasted red pepper soup","type":"recipes"},{"content":"We had a craving for crème brûlée one day, and not having anywhere to go to have it, we decided to make it at home.\nIngredients 2¼ cups (560 ml) 35% cream 1 vanilla bean, or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 5 egg yolks ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar, for the topping Method Heat the oven to 165°C (325°F).\nSplit the vanilla bean in half and heat it in a saucepan with the cream for 5 minutes, without boiling, to infuse. Scrape the seeds into the cream and discard the pod. If you\u0026rsquo;re using vanilla extract instead, add it to the hot cream.\nIn a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together. Stir in the hot cream. Pour the mixture into four 180 ml (¾ cup) ramekins.\nSet the ramekins in a baking dish and pour in hot water until it comes ¾ of the way up their sides. Bake until the custards are set at the edges with a slight wobble in the centre, about 40 minutes.\nLet cool, then refrigerate until completely chilled. The plain custards keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.\nTake the custards out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. Just before serving, sprinkle with the topping sugar and caramelize it quickly with a torch or crème brûlée iron, or under a very hot broiler. Serve right away; the crust goes soft and weeps within a few hours.\nVariations Irish cream Replace ⅓ of the cream with Irish cream and cut the sugar in the custard in half.\nLemon Add the zest of 2 lemons to the cold cream and warm them together. After blending the hot cream and egg yolks, add the juice of 1 lemon and ½ tsp vanilla extract.\nAmaretto Add 2 tbsp Amaretto and ¼ tsp almond extract to the cream and warm them together. Garnish with lightly toasted slivered almonds, if you like.\nEquipment Four 180 ml (¾ cup) ramekins or crème brûlée dishes Kitchen torch or crème brûlée iron (or a broiler) Notes Cut the sugar in the custard a little for a less sweet version. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/creme-brulee/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"We had a craving for crème brûlée one day, and not having anywhere to go to have it, we decided to make it at home.\nIngredients 2¼ cups (560 ml) 35% cream 1 vanilla bean, or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 5 egg yolks ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar, for the topping Method Heat the oven to 165°C (325°F).\n","title":"Crème brûlée","type":"recipes"},{"content":"These are common spice blends for UK-style Indian curries.\nGaram masala 2 tbsp green cardamom seeds (from shelled pods) 1 tsp black peppercorns 3 tbsp black cumin seeds ½ tsp whole cloves ⅓ whole nutmeg 1 medium Ceylon cinnamon stick, broken into pieces 1 medium stick cassia bark 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 star anise 4 tbsp coriander seeds ¾ tsp ground bay leaves Toast the whole spices in a dry pan over medium-low heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Let them cool. Grind them fine with the nutmeg, then stir in the ground bay leaves.\nBase spice mix 6 tbsp turmeric 6 tbsp ground coriander 6 tbsp ground cumin 6 tbsp paprika 2 tbsp garam masala (above) 10 tbsp Supreme Bassar curry masala Mix everything together. Toast very lightly in a dry pan over low heat, stirring, until just fragrant.\nGinger/garlic paste 30 g ginger 30 g garlic about 2 tbsp water Blend until smooth. This is the quick version; for a batch that keeps for weeks, see [[Ginger/garlic paste]].\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/curry-powders-and-related-spice-mixes/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"These are common spice blends for UK-style Indian curries.\nGaram masala 2 tbsp green cardamom seeds (from shelled pods) 1 tsp black peppercorns 3 tbsp black cumin seeds ½ tsp whole cloves ⅓ whole nutmeg 1 medium Ceylon cinnamon stick, broken into pieces 1 medium stick cassia bark 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 star anise 4 tbsp coriander seeds ¾ tsp ground bay leaves Toast the whole spices in a dry pan over medium-low heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Let them cool. Grind them fine with the nutmeg, then stir in the ground bay leaves.\n","title":"Curry powders and related spice mixes","type":"recipes"},{"content":"White beans are an Old World secret for making thick, hearty soups. Blended, they add a creamy texture and some protein without muddying the flavour.\nIngredients 1 can (796 ml / 28 oz) whole tomatoes, with their liquid 2 cups vegetable broth ½ cup cooked white beans, rinsed and drained baby lima, cannellini, great northern, etc. 1 medium yellow onion, diced 2 tbsp tomato paste 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp miso (or light soy sauce) 1 tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar, to taste 1 tsp salt freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tbsp vegan butter (optional) a few basil leaves, torn (optional) Method In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion with the salt in the olive oil until softened. Add the tomato paste and stir constantly until it starts to stick.\nAdd the broth and scrape up the browned bits. Add the tomatoes, sugar, pepper, and beans. Bring to a bare simmer and cook, stirring regularly, until the tomatoes have broken down, 30–60 minutes.\nTake the pot off the heat and let it cool a little. Blend until smooth in a stand blender, or use an immersion blender.\nSeason with the miso or soy, sugar, and salt to taste. Stir in the vegan butter and basil, if using.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/dairy-free-tomato-soup/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"White beans are an Old World secret for making thick, hearty soups. Blended, they add a creamy texture and some protein without muddying the flavour.\nIngredients 1 can (796 ml / 28 oz) whole tomatoes, with their liquid 2 cups vegetable broth ½ cup cooked white beans, rinsed and drained baby lima, cannellini, great northern, etc. 1 medium yellow onion, diced 2 tbsp tomato paste 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp miso (or light soy sauce) 1 tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar, to taste 1 tsp salt freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tbsp vegan butter (optional) a few basil leaves, torn (optional) Method In a large pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion with the salt in the olive oil until softened. Add the tomato paste and stir constantly until it starts to stick.\n","title":"Dairy-free tomato soup","type":"recipes"},{"content":"We found this one when a craving for banana bread hit. Of all the recipes we looked at, the Smitten Kitchen version stood out. It has been reliable, is pretty easy, and always fills the craving.\nIngredients 3 medium-to-large very ripe bananas ½ cup butter, melted ¾ cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt ½ tsp cinnamon (optional) 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup cocoa powder 1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter a 23×13 cm (9×5 in) loaf pan.\nMash the bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. Whisk in the melted butter, then the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.\nPut the baking soda, salt, cinnamon (if using), flour, and cocoa in a sifter or fine-mesh strainer, and sift them over the wet ingredients. Cocoa is almost always lumpy, so don\u0026rsquo;t skip this; push the last of it through with the back of a spoon.\nStir with a spoon until just combined. Stir in the chocolate.\nPour the batter into the pan. Bake until a toothpick in the centre of the loaf comes out mostly batter-free, 55–65 minutes. A smear of melted chocolate is expected.\nCool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.\nNotes Keeps up to 4 days at room temperature, wrapped in foil, and a little longer in the fridge. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/double-chocolate-banana-bread/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"We found this one when a craving for banana bread hit. Of all the recipes we looked at, the Smitten Kitchen version stood out. It has been reliable, is pretty easy, and always fills the craving.\n","title":"Double chocolate banana bread","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/dutch/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Dutch","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"Simple English muffins that I very occasionally make to feed my McMuffin cravings.\nNote: I’m still tuning this recipe.\nIngredients 1¾ cups lukewarm milk 2¼ tsp (1 package) yeast 4½ cups flour 3 tbsp butter, softened 1¼ tsp salt 2 tbsp sugar 1 large egg Cornmeal or semolina, for dusting Method Stir the milk, yeast, and ½ cup of the flour together in a large bowl. Let stand at least 10 minutes, up to 24 hours. Longer bloom times develop more funk (flavour).\nAdd the butter, salt, sugar, egg, and most of the remaining flour. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until smooth, or use a stand mixer, adding the last of the flour if it\u0026rsquo;s very sticky.\nScrape into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until roughly doubled, 1–2 hours. For more flavour, rise it in the fridge overnight instead.\nDivide into 75 g (2½ oz) balls. Press each flat and set on a tray dusted with cornmeal or semolina, dusting the tops too. Rest 10–20 minutes.\nCook on a griddle over medium-low until golden, about 6 minutes a side. They\u0026rsquo;re done when the centre reads 93°C (200°F). If the outsides are done first, finish them in a 175°C (350°F) oven for about 10 minutes.\nCool on a rack. Split with a fork.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/english-muffins/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Simple English muffins that I very occasionally make to feed my McMuffin cravings.\nNote: I’m still tuning this recipe.\nIngredients 1¾ cups lukewarm milk 2¼ tsp (1 package) yeast 4½ cups flour 3 tbsp butter, softened 1¼ tsp salt 2 tbsp sugar 1 large egg Cornmeal or semolina, for dusting Method Stir the milk, yeast, and ½ cup of the flour together in a large bowl. Let stand at least 10 minutes, up to 24 hours. Longer bloom times develop more funk (flavour).\n","title":"English muffins","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/events/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Events","type":"tags"},{"content":"This is a work-in-progress recipe to replicate Farmer Soup (from the ABC Country Restaurants). This needs to use farmer sausage from Rempel Meats in Abbotsford, or a large hand-made, smoked farmer sausage.\nIngredients ½ large farmer sausage, cut into bite-size pieces 1 cup onion, diced 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, diced ¾ cup celery, diced 1½ cups carrots, diced 4 cups chicken broth 1 tbsp herbes de Provence 1–2 tbsp soy sauce salt and pepper, to taste To thicken 3 tbsp cornstarch 1 cup cream 1 cup whole milk Method In a large pot over medium heat, fry the farmer sausage until lightly browned. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the remaining vegetables, broth, herbes de Provence, and soy sauce, and stir. Lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft.\nWhisk the cornstarch into the milk and cream. Stir it into the soup and bring it back to a simmer, stirring, until the soup thickens slightly. Cornstarch doesn\u0026rsquo;t thicken until it\u0026rsquo;s close to boiling.\nSeason with salt and pepper and serve.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/farmer-soup/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a work-in-progress recipe to replicate Farmer Soup (from the ABC Country Restaurants). This needs to use farmer sausage from Rempel Meats in Abbotsford, or a large hand-made, smoked farmer sausage.\n","title":"Farmer soup","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/flour/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Flour","type":"tags"},{"content":"Protein content affects gluten development and final texture. Bread flour (typically 14 g/100 g; Canadian bread flours run 13–14.5%) is the reference point for most yeasted bread recipes. Higher-protein flours build more structure; lower-protein flours produce more tender results.\nFlour Ash min Ash max Protein/100 g Vital wheat gluten to match bread flour (per 100 g) 00 Italian 0.50% 0.60% 12.5 g +2 g US AP unbleached 0.50% 0.60% 11.7 g +3.1 g CAD AP unbleached 0.65% 0.85% 13 g +1.3 g Bread flour unbleached 0.50% 0.60% 14 g reference Pasta flour unbleached 0.65% 0.70% 12 g +2.7 g The last column is how much vital wheat gluten to add per 100 g of flour to approximate bread flour. Vital wheat gluten is about 75% protein, so it takes about 1.33 grams to add 1 gram of protein.\nNotes 00 flour (AKA \u0026ldquo;double-oh flour\u0026rdquo;) often performs softer than its protein number suggests. That\u0026rsquo;s usually down to the wheat (softer varieties with weaker gluten) more than the fine grind. Many people don\u0026rsquo;t realize AP flour differs so vastly in Canada ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/flour-protein-content/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Protein content affects gluten development and final texture. Bread flour (typically 14 g/100 g; Canadian bread flours run 13–14.5%) is the reference point for most yeasted bread recipes. Higher-protein flours build more structure; lower-protein flours produce more tender results.\n","title":"Flour protein content comparison","type":"reference"},{"content":"Most recipes can be boiled down to a ratio of their ingredients. There is an interesting range for many ingredients, and in the tables below a tilde (~) denotes a moderate difference, and explicit ranges are given for ingredients that matter more. You’ll find that the ranges can lean a recipe towards one set of flavours or another, or adjust for differences between ingredients like acids that can be stronger or weaker (or sweeter, saltier, etc.).\nI find that a digital scale is helpful, and using the metric system you can often treat grams and millilitres as equivalent for things that contain mostly water. Dry ingredient weights are not usually interchangeable with millilitres, especially dried spices.\nTODO This chapter is a work in progress, and I still need to develop and test ratios for a number of recipes.\nBreading (for deep frying)\nGravies\nroux reductions starches bouillon or stock Breads by type\nPizza\n100% (1 kg) flour (1000 grams) 70% water (700 grams) ← adjust 1% yeast (10 grams) 3% salt (30 grams) Pasta doughs (by type)\nSausages by type/texture\nDressings and sauces Salad dressing Ingredient Ratio % of oil Example Oil 4 100% 175 ml Vinegar ~1 ~25% ~45 ml Water 0–1 0–25% 0–45 ml Emulsifier ~0.2 ~5% ~10 ml Seasonings ~0.04 ~1% ~2 g Salt ~0.04 ~1% ~2 g Water can be added to balance the strength of the vinegar (especially as most mustard emulsifiers also include vinegar) Salt can (and should) include some glutamate or equivalent (like anchovies, Worcestershire, MSG, etc.) If blending or grinding spices, take care as both can cause bitterness Mayonnaise Ingredient Ratio % of oil Example Oil 4 100% 250 ml Large egg 1 25% 62.5 ml Lemon juice 0.2 5% 12.5 ml Dijon 0.2 5% 12.5 ml Salt 0.04 1% 2.5 g MSG 0.02 0.5% 1.25 g Sugar, fat, and additional glutamates (or dashi) can be added to make more of a Kewpie mayonnaise Other seasonings can be added, or mixed in afterwards Use a large deli container and immersion blender by adding everything but the oil to the bottom of the container, covering ingredients with the blender head. Pour oil over the blender head, and blend. The oil will get pulled in slowly (much simpler than drizzling it in). Brines (TODO: add pickling, which feels like a subset of brines) Wet brine Ingredient % of water Example Water 100% 1000 ml Salt 2.5–7.5% 25–75 g Sugar 0–5% 0–50 g Seasonings ~5% ~50 g MSG 1% 10 g Baking soda \u0026lt; 1% \u0026lt; 10 g A wet brine is typically 2.5–7.5% salt to water (5% is a good default), with sugar from none up to about the weight of the salt\nWet brines can be used on both meats and vegetables (and tubers)\nTubers like potatoes become softer Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower taste more like themselves, and can have a softer internal texture Brine time is proportional to the size of the pieces of food\nBrining longer makes foods:\nmore salty, and sweeter if using sugar more seasoned (if using seasoning), though the effect of this depends on the solubility of the spice juicier softer in texture slightly watered down in flavour For meats, longer brines make foods behave more like ham or deli meats\nIf aggressively mixed at cooler temperatures, minced meats can become more like Vienna sausage (or mortadella) With a higher pH (more alkaline), you can achieve a bouncy Asian meatball texture (with the addition of \u0026lt; 1% baking soda)\nWorks well for chicken or turkey patties (similar to fast food) Higher pH (baking soda) is also how you velvet sliced meats With a lower pH (more acidic), you can achieve a softer texture if used carefully\nWorks well for Southern-style fried chicken (using buttermilk instead of water) Dry brine Ingredient % of salt Example Salt 100% 240 g Sugar 0–100% 0–240 g Seasonings ~5% ~12 g MSG 1% 2.4 g Baking soda \u0026lt; 1% \u0026lt; 2.4 g Generally, you should use about 1% salt by weight for the food you are dry brining\ne.g., 1 kg of chicken needs 10 g of salt; the rub as a whole weighs more once sugar and seasonings are added 10 g of kosher salt is about a tablespoon (depending on the brand) Dry brines can tend towards salty, sweet, or balanced\nSavoury red meats do better with less sweet (generally) BBQ style foods can handle more sweet Poultry and pork do well with a balanced sweet/salty General wet brine rules work well for dry brines (in terms of times and effect)\nLess water is absorbed (so less flavour dilution) I suspect salt/sugar absorption is slower It’s simpler and less messy for weeknight cooking, and flavour is generally more meaty Note that dry brines cause meats to\nexpel moisture, and then re-absorb it if the meat is still wet, let it brine for longer frozen meats will expel more moisture due to cellular tearing via freeze/thaw ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/food-ratios-for-creating-your-own-recipes/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"Most recipes can be boiled down to a ratio of their ingredients. There is an interesting range for many ingredients, and in the tables below a tilde (~) denotes a moderate difference, and explicit ranges are given for ingredients that matter more. You’ll find that the ranges can lean a recipe towards one set of flavours or another, or adjust for differences between ingredients like acids that can be stronger or weaker (or sweeter, saltier, etc.).\n","title":"Food ratios for creating your own recipes","type":"methods"},{"content":"This is a simplified version of the classic French-cut, slowly caramelized onion soup. It blends methods from Serious Eats, Chef John, Andrew Rea, Joshua Weissman, and others.\nMechanic The flavour comes from the fond: onions cooked low and slow for an hour or more until deeply browned, with the brown layer scraped off the bottom of the pot again and again before it burns. Traditionally the soup uses a homemade veal or beef stock, but it also works well with a [[Rich veg/mushroom stock]].\nSoup 1 bag (1.3 kg / 3 lb) yellow onions 1–2 large white onions 2 leeks 1–2 shallots 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp olive oil 2 sprigs thyme or sage 1 bay leaf ½ cup (120 ml) dry sherry, such as Amontillado or white wine plus a splash of cider vinegar or bourbon plus white wine 2 L stock of your choice, ideally a darker one (veal, beef, mushroom, roasted chicken) salt and pepper Thinly slice the onions, leeks, and shallots. Put them in a large pot or Dutch oven with the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring regularly, until deeply browned, 1–1½ hours. Scrape the fond off the bottom each time you stir so none of it burns, and add more butter or oil if the onions start to stick.\nDeglaze with the sherry (or substitute), scraping with a wooden spoon until all of the fond is lifted. Add the stock and herbs, and simmer for 20–30 minutes.\nSeason with salt and pepper. Remove the herb stems and bay leaf, and take the pot off the heat.\nCrusty bread 1 baguette, cut into 2 cm slices olive oil 1–2 garlic cloves, halved Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Rub the bread with the cut garlic, brush lightly with oil, and toast until golden. The broiler is faster, but don\u0026rsquo;t walk away or it will burn.\nAssembly about 100 g cheese per portion, usually Gruyère or similar Ladle the soup into individual oven-safe bowls or a larger casserole dish. Set the bread in the soup, half submerged. Top with the cheese and broil until bubbling and browned. Don\u0026rsquo;t walk away from it; it goes from browning to sadness quickly.\nNotes A pressure cooker can handle the first phase: cook the sliced onions with the fat at high pressure for 20–25 minutes, with a soft release, then cook uncovered, stirring, until the liquid is gone and the onions brown. The stovetop method is best. Unless you have access to a great commercial stock (there aren\u0026rsquo;t many good ones), make your own. It really makes the dish shine. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/french-onion-soup/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a simplified version of the classic French-cut, slowly caramelized onion soup. It blends methods from Serious Eats, Chef John, Andrew Rea, Joshua Weissman, and others.\nMechanic The flavour comes from the fond: onions cooked low and slow for an hour or more until deeply browned, with the brown layer scraped off the bottom of the pot again and again before it burns. Traditionally the soup uses a homemade veal or beef stock, but it also works well with a [[Rich veg/mushroom stock]].\n","title":"French onion soup","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a generic fruit compote, which I typically make with frozen or canned fruit.\nMechanic Compote is fruit reduced in its own juice with sugar. Start at 10 parts fruit to 1 part sugar by weight, then sweeten to taste at the end; tart fruit can take more. Juicy or frozen fruit releases enough liquid on its own. Add water only for firm fruit like apples or pears. The flavouring should suit the fruit: citrus zest brightens berries, cinnamon and nutmeg suit apples and pears, and balsamic deepens red fruit.\n10Fruit : 1Sugar By weight; sweeten to taste at the end Ingredients 500 g fresh or frozen berries or fruit (about 1 lb), chopped if large 50 g white sugar (¼ cup) ½ lemon or lime, juiced (about 1 tbsp) 1 small pinch salt 30–60 ml water (2–4 tbsp), for firm fruit only Method Combine the fruit, sugar, salt, and citrus juice in a saucepan. Add water if the fruit is firm. Add any flavourings now.\nBring to a boil over medium heat. Crush some of the fruit against the side of the pan to release its juice. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid turns syrupy and coats a spoon, about 10–15 minutes.\nTaste and add sugar as needed. Remove any whole spices. The compote thickens further as it cools.\nTo serve Warm over waffles or pancakes, or cold with yogurt or ice cream.\nVariations Flavourings Add one or two, matched to the fruit: lemon, lime, or orange zest; a cinnamon stick; a grating of nutmeg; a split vanilla bean; a splash of balsamic for red fruit; a chili for heat. Stir a knob of unsalted butter in off the heat for a glossier finish.\nPourable sauce For a smooth, glossy sauce that holds on waffles, stir 1 tsp cornstarch into 2 tsp cold water. Stir it into the simmering compote and cook until it turns clear and thickens, about 1 minute.\nStrawberry-rhubarb See [[Strawberry-rhubarb compote]]. The rhubarb supplies enough liquid that no water is needed.\nNotes Keeps refrigerated for up to a week.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/fruit-compote/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a generic fruit compote, which I typically make with frozen or canned fruit.\nMechanic Compote is fruit reduced in its own juice with sugar. Start at 10 parts fruit to 1 part sugar by weight, then sweeten to taste at the end; tart fruit can take more. Juicy or frozen fruit releases enough liquid on its own. Add water only for firm fruit like apples or pears. The flavouring should suit the fruit: citrus zest brightens berries, cinnamon and nutmeg suit apples and pears, and balsamic deepens red fruit.\n","title":"Fruit compote","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A neighbour used to make this fruity coffee cake weekly. They had a huge boxy house with two kitchens, where the second kitchen was for making desserts and canning. I always thought having a kitchen for large batch cooking was a fantastic idea.\nIngredients Cake 1⅔ cups cake flour 1 cup sugar ¼ tsp salt 3 tsp baking powder ⅓ cup neutral oil 1 tsp vanilla 2 large eggs, lightly beaten ⅔ cup whole milk Fruit 2 cups diced fruit or small berries Crumble topping 1 cup cake flour ½ cup sugar ½ cup butter, cold Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter a half sheet pan (2.5 cm / 1 in deep) and line it with parchment.\nStir the oil, vanilla, eggs, and milk together in a large bowl. Add the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder, and mix only until blended; too much mixing makes it chewier than cake should be.\nSpread the batter in the pan. Scatter the fruit evenly over it.\nRub the crumble ingredients together with your fingers until crumbly, and sprinkle evenly over the fruit.\nBake until golden and a skewer in the cake layer comes out clean, 25–35 minutes.\nNotes Strawberries and rhubarb were the best fruit, as I remember it; blueberries were also quite good. The fruit amount is a guess, since the old recipe card didn\u0026rsquo;t give one. All-purpose flour works in place of cake flour, but the cake will be slightly chewier. Parchment over the greased pan makes it much easier to get out. The neighbours\u0026rsquo; house (and its two kitchens) turns up in [[The smells of India]]. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/german-platz/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A neighbour used to make this fruity coffee cake weekly. They had a huge boxy house with two kitchens, where the second kitchen was for making desserts and canning. I always thought having a kitchen for large batch cooking was a fantastic idea.\n","title":"German platz","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Something similar to the fresh salsa at Gina’s Mexican Café, our favourite Nanaimo spot. This is a fairly liquidy salsa, great as a starter for a dinner party (or snack).\nIngredients 1 can (796 ml, 28 oz) whole Roma tomatoes, with their liquid 1 small carrot, roughly chopped 1 medium onion, roughly chopped 2–3 cloves garlic, whole or smashed 1 small bunch cilantro, woody stems removed 2 poblano or Anaheim peppers, seeded and roughly chopped 3 tsp salt, about 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp ground chili (hot-ish) 1 tsp granulated garlic 1 tbsp white sugar 1 tsp ground cumin 2 limes, juiced, plus more to taste Method For more depth, roast the onion, garlic, and peppers at 230°C (450°F) until the onion and peppers are charred in spots. The broiler speeds this up if you can watch it. Cover the peppers with foil or a plate and let them steam. Once cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the charred skins.\nBlend everything except the second lime\u0026rsquo;s juice in a blender or food processor until medium-fine.\nAdd the remaining lime juice. Taste and adjust. Depending on the size of your limes, another lime is often needed.\nNotes I don\u0026rsquo;t think Gina\u0026rsquo;s roasts their peppers, but it adds some depth. Keeps 5–7 days in the fridge. The raw onion, garlic, and cilantro are what limit it. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/ginas-tomato-salsa/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Something similar to the fresh salsa at Gina’s Mexican Café, our favourite Nanaimo spot. This is a fairly liquidy salsa, great as a starter for a dinner party (or snack).\n","title":"Gina’s tomato salsa","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This paste is a common base for many South Asian dishes, including Indian takeaway-style cooking. Use a spoonful in soups, gravies, and on meats.\nIngredients 1 cup garlic, peeled (2–3 heads) 1 cup ginger, peeled or scrubbed (about 150 g) 1 bunch coriander 1 green pepper 4 green chilies 2 tsp turmeric 2 tsp salt 1 cup water 1 cup neutral oil, plus more as needed Method Put the garlic, ginger, coriander, green pepper, chilies, turmeric, salt, water, and oil in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding more oil until it has the consistency of soft peanut butter.\nCook the paste in a wide pan over medium heat, stirring, until the sizzle dies away. Stop there; the water keeps it from overcooking. Let it cool before jarring.\nNotes Tastes better after a few days in the fridge. Lasts weeks refrigerated. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/gingergarlic-paste/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This paste is a common base for many South Asian dishes, including Indian takeaway-style cooking. Use a spoonful in soups, gravies, and on meats.\nIngredients 1 cup garlic, peeled (2–3 heads) 1 cup ginger, peeled or scrubbed (about 150 g) 1 bunch coriander 1 green pepper 4 green chilies 2 tsp turmeric 2 tsp salt 1 cup water 1 cup neutral oil, plus more as needed Method Put the garlic, ginger, coriander, green pepper, chilies, turmeric, salt, water, and oil in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding more oil until it has the consistency of soft peanut butter.\n","title":"Ginger/garlic paste","type":"recipes"},{"content":"The buns are soft and perfect for turkey sandwiches.\nIngredients Starter 2 packages (about 15 g) instant yeast 1 scant cup warm water 3 tsp white sugar Dough 3 cups white flour 2 cups whole wheat flour ½ cup unsalted butter, softened 1 tsp salt 1 scant cup sugar 1 scant cup boiling water Method Stir the yeast, warm water, and 3 tsp sugar together. Let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes.\nMix the butter, salt, sugar, and boiling water in a large bowl until smooth. Once it cools to room temperature, stir in the yeast mixture, then the whole wheat flour.\nWork in the white flour and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.\nLet rise in a greased bowl until doubled.\nPunch down, cut into 6–12 pieces, and shape gently into balls. Set on a greased sheet pan and let rise 45 minutes. Brush with egg wash or butter if you like.\nBake at 175°C (350°F) until browned and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath, about 20–25 minutes. Brush with a little butter after baking if you like.\nNotes A scant cup is a cup less 1–2 tbsp. A heaping cup is a cup plus 1–2 tbsp. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/grandma-fergusons-buns/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"The buns are soft and perfect for turkey sandwiches.\nIngredients Starter 2 packages (about 15 g) instant yeast 1 scant cup warm water 3 tsp white sugar Dough 3 cups white flour 2 cups whole wheat flour ½ cup unsalted butter, softened 1 tsp salt 1 scant cup sugar 1 scant cup boiling water Method Stir the yeast, warm water, and 3 tsp sugar together. Let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes.\n","title":"Grandma Ferguson’s buns","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Our family tater salad recipe. I mean, it’s not a salad per se, but it’s a classic. Add fried chicken and it’s a picnic!\nIngredients 9 cups red potatoes (1 small bag) ½ onion, diced ½ cup celery, diced ¼ cup green relish 3 hard-boiled eggs (but not too hard, that’s cruel), chopped 1 clove garlic, minced ¾ cup sour cream ⅓ cup mayonnaise (Hellmann’s, please) 2 tbsp parsley 1 tsp dry mustard ¾ tbsp salt, or to taste ¼ tsp black pepper, or to taste Method Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces. Boil them in well-salted water until a knife slides in and out easily, about 8 minutes. Drain and let them cool.\nPut the cooled potatoes in a bowl with the eggs, celery, relish, onion, and garlic.\nIn a separate bowl, stir the mayo, sour cream, parsley, mustard, salt, and pepper together well.\nPour the dressing over the potatoes and fold gently to coat, so the potatoes don\u0026rsquo;t break up. Chill for at least 30 minutes.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/grandmas-potato-salad/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Our family tater salad recipe. I mean, it’s not a salad per se, but it’s a classic. Add fried chicken and it’s a picnic!\nIngredients 9 cups red potatoes (1 small bag) ½ onion, diced ½ cup celery, diced ¼ cup green relish 3 hard-boiled eggs (but not too hard, that’s cruel), chopped 1 clove garlic, minced ¾ cup sour cream ⅓ cup mayonnaise (Hellmann’s, please) 2 tbsp parsley 1 tsp dry mustard ¾ tbsp salt, or to taste ¼ tsp black pepper, or to taste Method Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces. Boil them in well-salted water until a knife slides in and out easily, about 8 minutes. Drain and let them cool.\n","title":"Grandma’s potato salad","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A classic ambrosia-style salad from the Rempel family.\nIngredients 1 package (85 g) lemon Jell-O 2 packages (85 g each) strawberry Jell-O 2 packages (85 g each) cherry Jell-O (optional, for larger bowls) 1 cup miniature marshmallows 1 package (250 g) cream cheese, softened 1 container Cool Whip 1 can (398 ml / 14 oz) crushed pineapple, drained 7 cups boiling water ½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional) Method Dissolve the lemon Jell-O in 1 cup of the boiling water and let it cool slightly. Add the marshmallows and cream cheese and beat with a mixer on low until smooth. Chill until slightly thickened.\nStir half the Cool Whip, the pineapple, and the walnuts, if using, into the partly set lemon mixture. Pour into a 3 L bowl and chill until set but not quite firm, about 1 hour.\nDissolve the strawberry Jell-O in 3 cups of the boiling water. Let it cool, then whip in the rest of the Cool Whip. Say “whhhhhiiiippped” topping for bonus points. The Cool Whip is optional in this layer, but you still have half a container, so waste not, want not! Pour the cooled but still pourable strawberry layer over the lemon layer and chill until set, about 4 hours.\nIf you have room in the bowl, dissolve the cherry Jell-O in the last 3 cups of boiling water. Let it cool, pour it over the strawberry layer, and chill until set.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/grandmas-yukkie-salad/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A classic ambrosia-style salad from the Rempel family.\nIngredients 1 package (85 g) lemon Jell-O 2 packages (85 g each) strawberry Jell-O 2 packages (85 g each) cherry Jell-O (optional, for larger bowls) 1 cup miniature marshmallows 1 package (250 g) cream cheese, softened 1 container Cool Whip 1 can (398 ml / 14 oz) crushed pineapple, drained 7 cups boiling water ½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional) Method Dissolve the lemon Jell-O in 1 cup of the boiling water and let it cool slightly. Add the marshmallows and cream cheese and beat with a mixer on low until smooth. Chill until slightly thickened.\n","title":"Grandma’s yukkie salad","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a survey of techniques and sample recipes, not a recipe; it\u0026rsquo;s what led to [[Greek Islands\u0026rsquo; creamy Greek dressing]]. The samples are kept as found, so their ratios don\u0026rsquo;t all agree.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve been trying to replicate the Greek Islands / Rendezvous style creamy Greek dressings at home. The standard ingredients are simple anyway, and it only takes a few minutes to prepare … so there\u0026rsquo;s no good reason to buy it from the restaurant or the lesser stuff from the grocery store.\nThe way this works is that I simplify a recipe enough that I can memorize it. Just a ratio or two, a principle, and then I can make it while I prepare dinner (and can make sure we have the ingredients on hand). Greek dressing looks simple enough that it\u0026rsquo;s just 1:1 (oil/acid), and 1:1:1:1 to most of the spices (tsp per 500ml). Important flavours are oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. It looks like you can stabilize it in the standard ways (lecithin, mustard powder, mayo, or egg yolk), and there are a bunch of other flavours you can fold in.\nOn to the research \u0026hellip;\nMain ratio 1:1 oil/vinegar\n(and can split vinegar 50:50 with lemon juice for a more classic flavour)\nPer 500ml, flavour with \u0026hellip; 1–2 cloves of garlic (top up with some granulated garlic) 2 tsp of oregano (can include some basil) 1.5 tsp of salt 0.75 tsp of black pepper Many recipes also include (but I have not tested) \u0026hellip; 1 tsp onion powder Dijon versus yellow mustard (versus just mustard powder) 1:1 basil to oregano (this seems very basil-y for Greek dressing) A few recipes include \u0026hellip; Mint (1:1 w/oregano) Dill (also 1:1) Thyme (1:1) Yogurt (1 tbsp, similar to mayo) Marjoram (.25:1) Extra notes Oil/acid ratios vary widely, though 1:1 seems common (least common was .75:1, fairly common was 2:1 … but this tastes very oily) My preference so far is something around 1:1, splitting the acid between a wine vinegar and lemon (and using a mellower oil) Mustard powder to help emulsify (or mustard, though this would push it more acidic) Can also cut with 1–2 tbsp mayo to push to creamy (and help emulsify) (this means that you could probably whisk into an egg yolk + mustard powder) Some recipes include water (I don\u0026rsquo;t see the need) Source recipe samples Restaurant 1 1/2 quarts olive oil 1/3 cup garlic powder 1/3 cup dried oregano 1/3 cup dried basil 1/4 cup pepper 1/4 cup salt 1/4 cup onion powder 1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard 2 quarts red wine vinegar Smaller version 3/4 cup oil 1 cup vinegar 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp oregano 2 tsp basil 1.5 tsp pepper 1.5 tsp salt 1.5 tsp onion powder 1.5 tsp mustard Creamy (\u0026ldquo;Creamy Greek-style dressing\u0026rdquo;) 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1-2 cloves of grated garlic 1 Tbs of honey 2 Tbs of mayonnaise 1-2 tsp of red wine vinegar salt and black pepper to taste Creamy 2 1 1/2 quarts olive oil 1/3 cup garlic powder (garlic cloves) 1/3 cup dried oregano 1/3 cup dried basil 1/4 cup pepper 1/4 cup salt 1/4 cup onion powder (onions) 1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard 2 quarts red wine vinegar (I add some sugar or honey) Mix in a blender or food processor A dry-goods style 1 cup light virgin olive oil 1 cup red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons pepper 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard A fresher version 4 TBSP olive oil 3 TBSP lemon juice 2 tsp oregano 1 TBSP crushed garlic 2 tsp red wine vinegar 1/8 tsp kosher salt A larger ingredient list 2 large garlic cloves, crushed through a garlic press to get a fine paste 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or two teaspoons dried basil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon onion powder 1 tablespoon dried Mediterranean or Greek oregano leaves 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint Juice of one lemon (about 1/8 cup) 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 cup good quality Greek extra virgin olive oil (use Italian olive oil if you can’t find Greek) A more general recipe 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup any vinegar, lemon or lime juice 1/2 cup honey, maple syrup, or jelly 1 heaping Tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 heaping Tablespoon any fresh herb (optional) a sprinkle or two sea salt and freshly ground pepper ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/greek-dressing-research/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"This is a survey of techniques and sample recipes, not a recipe; it’s what led to [[Greek Islands’ creamy Greek dressing]]. The samples are kept as found, so their ratios don’t all agree.\n","title":"Greek dressing research","type":"reference"},{"content":"Our version of the house dressing at Greek Islands, the one on every side salad. Shaken, it\u0026rsquo;s a bright, garlicky vinaigrette. Whisked into an egg yolk, it turns creamy like the restaurant\u0026rsquo;s.\nIngredients 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (1–2 lemons) ½ cup red wine or cider vinegar 1–2 cloves garlic, grated or minced 2 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp dried basil 1 dash Accent (MSG) (optional), or a dash of Bragg Liquid Aminos 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp white sugar 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 dash mustard powder 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1–2 egg yolks, for the creamy version (optional) Method Put everything except the egg yolks in a jar and shake for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust: lemons vary in sourness, and you may want more or less salt.\nShaken, the dressing is close to the restaurant\u0026rsquo;s but thinner. For the creamy version, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with another pinch of mustard powder, then drizzle in the shaken dressing while whisking until thick.\nA blender works too: blend everything except the oil, then drizzle the oil in with the blender running to emulsify it fully.\nNotes Nearly any tasty vinegar works. The lemon juice can be replaced by the same volume of vinegar. The onion powder and basil are optional if you\u0026rsquo;re out. The mustard powder and Dijon help it stay emulsified. Without them it separates in the fridge more quickly. Keeps a week in the fridge. The creamy version has raw yolk: use it within a few days, and use pasteurized yolks for anyone pregnant, elderly, very young, or immunocompromised. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/greek-islands-creamy-greek-dressing/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Our version of the house dressing at Greek Islands, the one on every side salad. Shaken, it’s a bright, garlicky vinaigrette. Whisked into an egg yolk, it turns creamy like the restaurant’s.\n","title":"Greek Islands' creamy Greek dressing","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This marinade is great for rice, tofu, chicken, shrimp, and fish. It’s a bright, herbal blend that balances acid, salt, and sweet. In a pinch it works as a finishing sauce drizzled over the plate, and on salads (where it’s even better blended).\nIngredients 3–4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 shallot (or small onion), finely diced 4 tbsp Greek oregano (freeze-dried or fresh) 1 cup parsley, minced 4 tbsp celery leaves, minced (optional) 1–2 tbsp rosemary, crushed or minced 1 tsp sage, finely minced (or poultry spice) 1 tsp (4 g) freshly ground black pepper 2–3 tsp sugar (or honey) 4–5 tsp kosher or sea salt (about 2–2½ tsp per kg of protein) 1 tsp Accent (MSG) 1 tsp roasted granulated garlic (or garlic powder, but not garlic salt) 1 tsp ground coriander 2 lemons, juiced (about 100 ml) ½ cup olive oil Method Grind the rosemary, pepper, and salt together in a mortar and pestle. Add the sage, garlic, and shallot, and grind into a loose paste.\nPut the paste in a bowl with the remaining herbs and spices and the MSG. Add the lemon juice and olive oil, and whisk until combined.\nTaste and adjust the pepper, salt, and sugar. It should taste balanced: tart, salty, and sweet, with a good kick of garlic and a hint of onion. The herbs should work together without overpowering, and the flavour should linger in a good way.\nNotes The salt is sized for a large cut, or that cut sliced into chops. For less protein, scale it at 2–2½ tsp per kg. Amounts are estimates. I use what I have on hand and balance the tart, sweet, and salt at the end. Some lemons need more sugar to balance, and some garlic is stronger than others. Works as a marinade on most proteins, but the herbs need gentle, slow cooking. Don\u0026rsquo;t over-marinate; the acid changes the texture of the protein. Also great for roast potatoes, rice, and Greek fried rice. For a quicker, lemon-forward version, see [[Greek marinade]]. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/greek-lemon-and-herb-marinade/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This marinade is great for rice, tofu, chicken, shrimp, and fish. It’s a bright, herbal blend that balances acid, salt, and sweet. In a pinch it works as a finishing sauce drizzled over the plate, and on salads (where it’s even better blended).\n","title":"Greek lemon and herb marinade","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/growing/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Growing","type":"tags"},{"content":"I love sprouts in sandwiches, in soups, and stir-fry. I usually buy them, but in the summer I\u0026rsquo;ll occasionally grow them myself.\nGeneral There are many types of sprouts I mostly grow sandwich sprouts Follow the instructions that come with your seeds and your grower Using a mason jar Tips You can find growing kits for mason jars that tilt the jar (and add a fine mesh lid) to help water drain. Place the device on a plate with a lip. Germinating and watering are similar to the Biosta grower. Key is to hydrate the …\nUsing a Biosta grower Tips The sprouter needs to sit on a flat surface (or it may leak) Make sure the red siphons are not directly on top of each other, staggering them ⅓ or ½ way around works. Most sprouts are happy in a bright area, but not in direct sunlight Plant one tray per day or two, to spread out growth (oldest tray should be on top). Germinating Wash the tray(s), see Cleanup below for details.\nInstall the red siphons on the drain tubes. Don\u0026rsquo;t press them in too far, or they won\u0026rsquo;t drain well.\nBefore adding the seeds, rinse the growing surface of the trays again, but do not dry.\nIn a fine mesh strainer, rinse the seeds (some seeds may not need this, check the instructions on the seeds just in case).\nAlternatively, soak the seeds in the tray by watering (this is what I usually do). Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of small seeds evenly on the tray.\nWatering Fill the top tray with cool (and rested) tap water. If it’s not full enough, it may not start to drain. This takes 500–750 ml of water. Wait until all of the trays are irrigated, then recycle the water from the bottom recovery tray (and return it to the sprouter stack). If water is sitting in a tray, you may need to clear or slightly loosen the red siphons. Sitting water will kill the sprouts. Harvesting Cleanup Wash with warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly. Use a brush to clean out the ridges. Do not put it in the dishwasher! ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/growing-sprouts/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"I love sprouts in sandwiches, in soups, and stir-fry. I usually buy them, but in the summer I’ll occasionally grow them myself.\nGeneral There are many types of sprouts I mostly grow sandwich sprouts Follow the instructions that come with your seeds and your grower Using a mason jar Tips You can find growing kits for mason jars that tilt the jar (and add a fine mesh lid) to help water drain. Place the device on a plate with a lip. Germinating and watering are similar to the Biosta grower. Key is to hydrate the …\n","title":"Growing sprouts","type":"reference"},{"content":"My Mom (Joanne Rempel) made this salad a lot in my youth and it holds nostalgic memories! I had not had it in years and in my early 40s had a strong craving for it. I found a recipe online and made it for something different. It took me back to my childhood and I still enjoy it as much as I did as a kid!\nIngredients 2 large cucumbers (English or field), peeled and sliced thin 1 tsp salt ½ cup sour cream 2 tbsp white sugar 2 tbsp white vinegar 2 tsp dried dill a pinch of pepper Method Slice the cucumbers as thin as you can, on the thinnest setting of a mandoline or with a knife.\nLayer the slices in a colander, salting each layer lightly, and set it in the fridge so the salt can pull the water out, at least 30 minutes (or however long the rest of the prep takes). If you have time, toss and squeeze them once partway through.\nMix the sour cream, sugar, vinegar, dill, and pepper to make the dressing. Go light on salt in the dressing; the cucumbers are already salted.\nWhen you\u0026rsquo;re ready to combine, squeeze the excess water from the cucumbers. Fold them into the dressing and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.\nSubstitutions Dried dill → parsley (fresh or freeze-dried) plus a little thyme or tarragon Notes If possible, prepare the cucumbers and dressing 24 hours ahead, but keep them separate and combine them an hour before serving. For 2 people, use one cucumber and halve everything else. A small batch is best served shortly after mixing (still chill it for at least an hour). ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/gurkensalat-german-cucumber-salad/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"My Mom (Joanne Rempel) made this salad a lot in my youth and it holds nostalgic memories! I had not had it in years and in my early 40s had a strong craving for it. I found a recipe online and made it for something different. It took me back to my childhood and I still enjoy it as much as I did as a kid!\n","title":"Gurkensalat (German cucumber salad)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/hawaiian/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Hawaiian","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This is a classic chicken dip, mildly spicy, tangy, and tasty.\nIn 2023, Ann stayed in Calgary to house/dog sit for cousin Rachael, and during that trip, also had a visit with Auntie Diane who always spoils me when I’m visiting. She made this dip and I insisted on the recipe which she forwarded from Pinterest. It took over a year for me to finally make it, for Jay \u0026amp; Taylor’s Back Home Wedding Celebration, and it was a huge success which means it gets added to our family recipes!\nIngredients 1 tbsp unsalted butter 2 tsp garlic, minced 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded ½ cup Frank\u0026rsquo;s RedHot Original hot sauce 250 g (8 oz) cream cheese, softened ½ cup sour cream ½ cup white cheddar, freshly shredded ¼ cup American cheddar, freshly shredded ¼ cup blue cheese, crumbled (optional) 2 tsp green onions or chives, sliced celery sticks, carrot sticks, tortilla chips, crusty bread, or potato chips, for dipping Method Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F), with a rack in the middle.\nMelt the butter in a 20 cm (8 in) cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and hot sauce and simmer until the sauce has thickened and reduced by half, about 2 minutes.\nReduce the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese until combined. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the sour cream, and top with both cheddars.\nBake until bubbling around the edges and the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Broil for another minute to brown the top.\nGarnish right away with the blue cheese, if using, and the green onions. Serve with the vegetables, chips, and bread for dipping.\nNotes No ovenproof pan? Make it in a regular pan on the stove, then transfer it to a 1 L (1 qt) baking dish. Rotisserie chicken works well. Halve the hot sauce for a milder dip, or add more for a spicier one. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/hot-buffalo-chicken-dip/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a classic chicken dip, mildly spicy, tangy, and tasty.\nIn 2023, Ann stayed in Calgary to house/dog sit for cousin Rachael, and during that trip, also had a visit with Auntie Diane who always spoils me when I’m visiting. She made this dip and I insisted on the recipe which she forwarded from Pinterest. It took over a year for me to finally make it, for Jay \u0026 Taylor’s Back Home Wedding Celebration, and it was a huge success which means it gets added to our family recipes!\n","title":"Hot Buffalo chicken dip","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A dip for crabby people. Recipe provided by a coworker.\nIngredients 1 cup mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip, m’kay?) 1 cup cheese, shredded (Asiago, Parmesan, or a lazy pack of 3-cheese grated Italian) 1 small can (120 g) crab, drained, or 1 cup shredded crab meat 1 can (398 ml / 14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained, dried, and chopped 1 tsp lemon juice 1–2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed pepper, to taste Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).\nCombine everything in a baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, then broil until browned. Don’t walk away from the broiler… just sayin’.\nTo serve Warm, with crackers, sliced baguette, or tortilla chips.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/hot-crab-artichoke-dip/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A dip for crabby people. Recipe provided by a coworker.\nIngredients 1 cup mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip, m’kay?) 1 cup cheese, shredded (Asiago, Parmesan, or a lazy pack of 3-cheese grated Italian) 1 small can (120 g) crab, drained, or 1 cup shredded crab meat 1 can (398 ml / 14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained, dried, and chopped 1 tsp lemon juice 1–2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed pepper, to taste Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).\n","title":"Hot crab \u0026 artichoke dip","type":"recipes"},{"content":"From a grocery store card.\nIngredients ¾ cup creamy ranch dressing ¾ cup sour cream ½ cup Parmesan 1 can (398 ml / 14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1 package (300 g / 10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 2 green onions, finely chopped salt, pepper, and hot sauce, to taste 2 cups dry mozza, grated Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).\nStir everything except the mozza together in a bowl, then stir in half the mozza. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.\nSpoon into an oven-safe dish and top with the rest of the mozza. Bake until bubbly and browned, about 30 minutes.\nTo serve With chips, vegetables, or crackers.\nNotes Squeeze the spinach hard; wet spinach makes a watery dip. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/hot-ranch-spinach-and-artichoke-dip/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"From a grocery store card.\nIngredients ¾ cup creamy ranch dressing ¾ cup sour cream ½ cup Parmesan 1 can (398 ml / 14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1 package (300 g / 10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 2 green onions, finely chopped salt, pepper, and hot sauce, to taste 2 cups dry mozza, grated Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).\n","title":"Hot ranch spinach and artichoke dip","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Making Indian-style dishes quickly is much easier with a few base ingredients prepared ahead of time. This takeout-style tomato purée adds depth and body to many types of curries.\nIngredients about 100 ml neutral oil 320 ml (small tin) tomato purée 250 ml water 2 tbsp [[Ginger/garlic paste]] 2 tbsp English-style curry powder 1½ tsp ground coriander 1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tbsp kasuri methi ½ tbsp ground chilies ½ tbsp garam masala 1 tsp turmeric Method Heat the oil in a pan. Add the ginger/garlic paste and stir until fragrant.\nAdd the spices and stir until even more fragrant. Add a splash of the water to keep the spices from scorching.\nAdd the tomato purée and stir until combined. Add the rest of the water and simmer, stirring more often as it thickens, until it\u0026rsquo;s slightly thinner than regular tomato paste, 20–30 minutes.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/indian-takeout-tomato-puree/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Making Indian-style dishes quickly is much easier with a few base ingredients prepared ahead of time. This takeout-style tomato purée adds depth and body to many types of curries.\nIngredients about 100 ml neutral oil 320 ml (small tin) tomato purée 250 ml water 2 tbsp [[Ginger/garlic paste]] 2 tbsp English-style curry powder 1½ tsp ground coriander 1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tbsp kasuri methi ½ tbsp ground chilies ½ tbsp garam masala 1 tsp turmeric Method Heat the oil in a pan. Add the ginger/garlic paste and stir until fragrant.\n","title":"Indian takeout tomato purée","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/indonesian/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Indonesian","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/italian-american/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Italian American","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/jamaican/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Jamaican","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This recipe is based on something I found in a magazine in the 90s, recently updated with Chef John’s simplified version and the Serious Eats method. I knew a guy who made the best jerk chicken I’ve ever had, but he wouldn’t share his recipe. This is about as close as I could get to that now fading memory.\nMechanic Scotch bonnets give jerk its heat and fruitiness; habaneros are the closest substitute. Allspice and cinnamon are the warm backbone, so don\u0026rsquo;t reduce them. Blending everything wet makes a paste that clings to the chicken and penetrates it overnight.\nIngredients 6–8 green onions (about a bunch), roughly chopped 3 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, roughly chopped ¾ cup soy sauce 2 limes, juiced and lightly zested ¼ cup red wine or cider vinegar ½ cup olive oil ½ cup brown sugar (or raw or cane sugar) 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from woody stems 1 tbsp ground allspice 1 tsp whole cloves, crushed 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed ½ tsp ground cloves ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1–2 chickens, quartered Method Blend everything except the chicken in a high-powered blender until smooth. Pour over the chicken in a sealable container and marinate in the fridge for 2–24 hours.\nHeat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Lift the chicken out of the marinade, let the excess drip off, and lay it skin side up on a half sheet pan.\nBake until browned and tender, 45–60 minutes: breasts to 65°C (149°F) and dark meat to 85°C (185°F). If it browns too fast, drop the oven to 175°C (350°F) and cover with foil. Rest 5 minutes; for bone-in quarters the rest is the safety hold.\nTo serve With rice and peas, coleslaw, and fried plantain.\nVariations Jamaican cooking-class paste A brighter, citrus-and-ginger paste from a cooking class we took in Jamaica. Enough for about 1 kg of meat; double it for a whole chicken. Blend 4–6 green onions, 4–6 Scotch bonnets (seeds in for hot, out for medium), 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried), 1 tbsp ground allspice, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, 4 cloves garlic, 1 small onion, 1 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, the juice of 1 lime and 1 lemon, 2 tbsp orange juice, and salt into a rough paste. Taste: it should be hot, fragrant, sweet, and sour in roughly equal balance. Adjust with soy, honey, or citrus. Marinate at least 4 hours or overnight.\nGrilled over allspice and bay (Serious Eats) For smoke, grill the chicken over indirect heat with about ¼ cup whole allspice berries and a couple of loosely packed cups of dried bay leaves scattered over the coals. Adapted from the Serious Eats method, which also adds chili flakes, a 7.5 cm (3 inch) knob of ginger, and nutmeg to the marinade.\nNotes Great grilled or smoked. Also works with pork sirloin tip or shoulder, cut into manageable pieces. For skin-on pieces, score the skin deeply before marinating so the paste reaches the meat. The marinade keeps in the fridge for up to a week. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/jerk-chicken/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This recipe is based on something I found in a magazine in the 90s, recently updated with Chef John’s simplified version and the Serious Eats method. I knew a guy who made the best jerk chicken I’ve ever had, but he wouldn’t share his recipe. This is about as close as I could get to that now fading memory.\n","title":"Jerk chicken","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/korean/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Korean","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This is a simple korma paste, which is combined with [[Base curry gravy]] and other ingredients to make various braised dishes.\nIngredients About 8 onions, finely sliced 6 tbsp green sultanas 1 tbsp [[Ginger-garlic paste]] 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp ghee Water Method Heat the oil and ghee in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly, stirring often, until soft and deep golden, 40–60 minutes. Add a splash of water whenever they start to catch.\nAdd the ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell is gone, about 1 minute. Add the sultanas and 250 ml (1 cup) water, and simmer until the sultanas are plump, about 5 minutes.\nBlend until completely smooth, adding water a little at a time until it\u0026rsquo;s a thick, spoonable paste.\nNotes Keeps a week in the fridge, or freeze in portions. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/kormaqorma/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a simple korma paste, which is combined with [[Base curry gravy]] and other ingredients to make various braised dishes.\nIngredients About 8 onions, finely sliced 6 tbsp green sultanas 1 tbsp [[Ginger-garlic paste]] 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp ghee Water Method Heat the oil and ghee in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly, stirring often, until soft and deep golden, 40–60 minutes. Add a splash of water whenever they start to catch.\n","title":"Korma/qorma","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Some days I just want an easy pizza dough. I don’t want it 3 days from now, I just know I have food in the fridge that needs to be used up, and a pizza is the most palatable way to do it. This recipe is based on a Serious Eats recipe, and I start it after coffee in the morning on the weekend. So, like 11:30AM.\nMechanic Every ingredient here is scaled as a baker\u0026rsquo;s percentage against the flour weight, so the recipe holds up if you scale it up or down. At 70% hydration it\u0026rsquo;s a medium-hydration dough, and the [[Flour protein content comparison|vital wheat gluten]] nudges standard Canadian AP flour (13.5% protein) toward bread-flour territory for more chew.\n100Flour : 70Water 70% hydration, by weight This recipe uses weight measures as it’s simpler, assuming you have a decent scale. I just tare (reset) it between ingredients.\nIngredients Ingredient % Weight Notes AP flour 100% 600 g Canadian AP is 13.5% protein Vital wheat gluten 2.5% 15 g Gets close to a good bread flour, more chew White sugar 2.5% 15 g Helps crisp in a home oven Kosher salt 2.5% 15 g Pushes flavour a bit Olive oil 5.8% 35 g 25 g added with the liquid, ~10 g for the rise Instant yeast 1.7% 10 g Lukewarm water 70% 420 g Medium hydration Makes about 1.1 kg of dough: enough for a 350 g focaccia and three 250 g pizzas.\nMethod In a large Pyrex measuring jug, stir together the water, most of the oil, and the yeast until the yeast dissolves.\nIn your stand mixer bowl, combine the dry ingredients, including the sugar, and set the mixer to low. Slowly pour in the liquid and mix on low into a shaggy lump.\nTurn off the mixer for a few minutes and clean up some of your mess. This is a lazy autolyse-like step and is totally optional, but why not clean up a bit?\nReturn the mixer to low and mix until a ball starts to form. Speed up to around medium for 4–7 minutes, scraping the bowl down occasionally (or lowering and raising the bowl). On a good day, a ball comes together without much fuss and cleans your bowl. Other days, you need to coax the stubborn thing along.\nLet the dough proof until doubled, about 1–2 hours, or until you remember you need to be somewhere else. This depends a lot on your yeast and the temperature of your kitchen.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re not using it right away, oil it and refrigerate it in a sealed container.\nI don’t bother with any fancy dough prep while it proofs, though folding can help develop layers and gluten alignment or whatever. The dough works pretty well as-is, at least for a Greek- or Roman-style pizza.\nFocaccia We usually make a focaccia snack in the afternoon with part of the dough (because focaccia is awesome).\nPour too much olive oil (about 75 ml) into a medium baking dish or a ½ short steam pan, and add about 350 g of the dough. Stretch it to the size of the pan and let it rest 10–20 minutes. Stretch it again, repeating until it relents to your will.\nDimple the dough with your fingers as hard and deep as you can, like you’re playing a Ben Folds song on someone else’s piano. Add another 25 ml of oil and your toppings, and press them in with more force than seems necessary.\nBake in a 220°C (425°F) convection oven, or 230°C (450°F) standard, until nicely browned, 25–30 minutes.\nCool in the pan on a rack. Once it\u0026rsquo;s cool enough to handle, lift the bread out and cool it another 20 minutes or so. Waiting to cut into it is always best, but I don’t care if you cut into it early. I know you probably will anyway.\nPizza Divide the remaining dough into 3 portions of about 250 g and roll into balls. Rest them 10–20 minutes if the dough is at room temperature, or a few hours if it’s coming out of the fridge.\nFlatten and stretch the dough as thin as you can reasonably get it. Form a crust or not; either way it will be tasty pizza. It really doesn’t matter how you do this: roll it out, flip it in the air, use cutting boards to flatten it, or whatever. Just make sure it’s even and about the size of pie you want to make. If the dough won\u0026rsquo;t stretch, leave it for 10–20 minutes to think about its life choices and try again. This may be inconvenient to your dinner plans, but it’s unlikely you can convince dough that time matters.\nSet your oven to the hottest temperature it goes. Put a cast iron griddle, carbon steel pan, or similar on the middle rack (or even better, a pizza steel). If you have none of these, use a few baking sheets instead.\nBuild your pizza on parchment dusted with cornmeal, on a cutting board, then transfer it to the hot surface: slide the pizza and parchment on, then pull the parchment out. If the parchment doesn\u0026rsquo;t come out it\u0026rsquo;s likely fine, but it does tend to char at 260°C (500°F) and above.\nBake until the top is browning. If the bottom isn’t done, pull it anyway and finish it in a pan on the stovetop. Every oven is different, and you\u0026rsquo;ll have to experiment with temperature and rack position to get both crusts right.\nCool the pizza on a wire rack. I don’t recommend cutting into molten hot pizza as it will just melt back together anyway, but you do you.\nNotes Pizza in a home oven can be a bit frustrating, but the finish-it-in-a-pan-on-the-hob hack has saved me more than a few times. You can also par-bake the crust for ~10 minutes (until you see a tiny bit of colour), but I’ve always found this much less satisfying for my ego.\nThe challenge is getting everything cooked to the right doneness without a lot of practice, and there are several ways to do it:\nThe easy bake: 175°C (350°F) for 25–30 minutes, like a Roman pie or focaccia. It may bubble and lose its shape because the crust forms slowly, so docking the stretched dough helps. You won’t see scorch marks. Finding the right rack takes practice. The par-bake: 220°C (425°F). Bake the crust until about half done, then dress it and finish baking until browned (at a lower temperature if you load it up like we do). The steel or stone: 275°C (525°F), or as hot as the oven goes. Slide the pizza onto the stone and pray. Scorching will happen, so timing is key. The preheated sheet pan pile: 250°C (475°F). Slide onto the stacked sheet pans (an oven-safe griddle works too, but watch for smoke). You get nice browning, and both sides will be done if you’ve picked the right rack. Keep practising and track your results. A mediocre home pizza is usually better than most quick delivery pizzas (assuming good ingredients and assembly).\nSee also [[The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza]], our family\u0026rsquo;s 12-pizza Christmas marathon. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/lazy-pizza-dough-2022/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Some days I just want an easy pizza dough. I don’t want it 3 days from now, I just know I have food in the fridge that needs to be used up, and a pizza is the most palatable way to do it. This recipe is based on a Serious Eats recipe, and I start it after coffee in the morning on the weekend. So, like 11:30AM.\n","title":"Lazy pizza dough (2022)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A Canadian take on a classic Vietnamese marinade. Great on pork, chicken, beef, and tofu.\nIngredients 1½ tsp (4 g) ground white pepper 1 tsp (3 g) ground coriander 3 stalks lemongrass, finely minced (about 60 g) 1 small shallot, minced (about 30 g) 5 cloves garlic, minced (about 20 g) ⅓ cup palm sugar (about 85 g) ¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce zest and juice of 1 lime 1 Thai chili, finely sliced (optional) salt, to taste Method Mix everything together. Taste and add salt if it needs it.\nCut the protein into large slices; they absorb the marinade well and brown better later. Marinate for 4–24 hours.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/lemongrass-marinade/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A Canadian take on a classic Vietnamese marinade. Great on pork, chicken, beef, and tofu.\nIngredients 1½ tsp (4 g) ground white pepper 1 tsp (3 g) ground coriander 3 stalks lemongrass, finely minced (about 60 g) 1 small shallot, minced (about 30 g) 5 cloves garlic, minced (about 20 g) ⅓ cup palm sugar (about 85 g) ¼ cup (60 ml) fish sauce 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce zest and juice of 1 lime 1 Thai chili, finely sliced (optional) salt, to taste Method Mix everything together. Taste and add salt if it needs it.\n","title":"Lemongrass marinade","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This stew is based on a package we bought from a farmers market years ago (as Jamaican Me Hungry Lentil Stew). It’s a great stew on its own, or over roasted veg.\nIngredients olive oil, for sautéing 1 onion, diced 1 pepper (poblano or Anaheim), diced 1 small sweet potato, diced 1 small carrot, diced 2 sticks celery, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp tomato paste ½ cup white wine 3 cups vegetable stock 1 cup lentils (mixed red, green, and black) 2–3 tbsp spices (Caribbean, French, Mexican, Greek, Indian, etc.) sugar, to taste salt, to taste (start with 1 tsp) Add-ins 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk 1 cup rice cilantro, to garnish Method In a large pot or pressure cooker, sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent. Add the pepper, sweet potato, carrot, and celery and keep cooking. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1–2 minutes.\nAdd the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it starts to stick to the pan a bit, 1–2 minutes.\nDeglaze with the wine, scraping up any browned bits. Add the stock, lentils, spices, a little sugar, and the salt, and bring to a boil.\nIf pressure cooking, lock the lid and cook on the low (2) setting for 15–20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally (10–15 minutes), then remove the lid. Without a pressure cooker, simmer until the lentils are soft, 40–50 minutes.\nAdd the coconut milk and rice, then top up with water until it\u0026rsquo;s one knuckle above the rice. Simmer until the rice is tender.\nTaste and add more spices and sugar. The original base mix is pretty bland; I roughly double the spices.\nNotes Browning the peppers under the broiler first adds a bunch of flavour. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/lentil-stew/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This stew is based on a package we bought from a farmers market years ago (as Jamaican Me Hungry Lentil Stew). It’s a great stew on its own, or over roasted veg.\n","title":"Lentil stew","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A basic marinara sauce can be used directly or as a base to other sauces. This recipe is based on Chef John’s and others I have seen. It’s thicker and richer than a [[Classic pizza sauce|pizza sauce]], and can be adapted as a base for savoury sauces (meat or mushroom), or into other recipes (like pastas, soups, and stews).\nIngredients 1 (796 ml / 28 oz) tin San Marzano tomatoes 1 (398 ml / 14 oz) tin diced fire-roasted tomatoes (optional) 1½ tbsp tomato paste 1 white or yellow onion, finely minced 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 tsp dried oregano (or Italian herbs) 2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) olive oil 60 ml (¼ cup) white wine, stock, or water, to deglaze (optional) salt and black pepper sugar, to taste (optional) 1–2 tbsp butter, to finish (optional) Method Warm a splash of olive oil in a pan over medium-low. Add the onion and garlic and cook without browning until soft. Add the tomato paste and stir it in, cooking for 1–2 minutes without browning. If anything is sticking, add the wine, stock, or water and scrape the pan clean.\nCrush the tomatoes by hand or with a pastry cutter and add them to the onion base. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and the red pepper flakes, if using. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Add half the herbs.\nSimmer on low for 1–2 hours, adding water or stock as needed to keep the sauce smooth.\nAdd the rest of the herbs. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Stir in the butter off the heat.\nNotes Good quality tomatoes shouldn\u0026rsquo;t turn bitter over the long simmer. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/marinara-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A basic marinara sauce can be used directly or as a base to other sauces. This recipe is based on Chef John’s and others I have seen. It’s thicker and richer than a [[Classic pizza sauce|pizza sauce]], and can be adapted as a base for savoury sauces (meat or mushroom), or into other recipes (like pastas, soups, and stews).\n","title":"Marinara sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A classic no-bake holiday square: peanut butter and butterscotch (or chocolate) fudge set around mini marshmallows.\nAnn never had these growing up, but a friend posted a few pictures of making these during the 2020 holiday season. I asked for the recipe she used (from Food.com) and it turns out Bruce used to have these as a childhood treat. They turned out well, brought back nostalgic memories, and will continue to be a holiday treat.\nIngredients 115 g (½ cup) butter 250 g (1 cup) peanut butter 300 g (1 bag) butterscotch chips or chocolate chips 200 g (1 bag) mini marshmallows, white or coloured up to 200 g more mini marshmallows, 2 cups Rice Krispies or puffed wheat, or chopped nuts (optional) Method Put the bag of marshmallows in the freezer.\nGrease a 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 in) pan, or line it with parchment. If you only grease it, you can chill the pan in the freezer to speed up setting.\nMelt the butter and peanut butter together in a double boiler over medium-low heat (or in a regular pan on low). Once melted, remove from the heat.\nAdd the butterscotch or chocolate chips and stir until melted and smooth. Stirring off the heat keeps the mixture from going grainy.\nLet the mixture cool a little so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t melt the marshmallows, then stir in the marshmallows and any add-ins.\nPour the mixture into the prepared pan. Refrigerate until completely cool and firm, then cut into squares.\nNotes To keep them over time, wrap each square in plastic wrap (or pack them in containers) and store in the fridge. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/marshmallow-squares/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A classic no-bake holiday square: peanut butter and butterscotch (or chocolate) fudge set around mini marshmallows.\nAnn never had these growing up, but a friend posted a few pictures of making these during the 2020 holiday season. I asked for the recipe she used (from Food.com) and it turns out Bruce used to have these as a childhood treat. They turned out well, brought back nostalgic memories, and will continue to be a holiday treat.\n","title":"Marshmallow squares","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a Hawaiian-style pulled pork that doesn\u0026rsquo;t need a BBQ or fire pit, based on various recipes from local Maui residents. The pork itself is simply seasoned, braised, and pulled, paired with a sweet and acidic sauce.\nPork 2–3 kg bone-in pork shoulder 2 tbsp [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s poultry and pork spice rub]] 2 tbsp Knorr chicken bouillon powder (the large jar, not packets or cubes) 2 tsp Hawaiian alaea salt (or coarse salt) 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp liquid smoke banana, taro, ti, or bamboo leaves, enough to wrap the shoulder (optional) found frozen at Asian markets like T\u0026amp;T Rub the spice rub, bouillon, salt, Worcestershire, and liquid smoke over the pork shoulder. Wrap the shoulder in leaves, if using, then in foil. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes, or up to overnight.\nHeat the oven to 165°C (325°F). Put the wrapped pork in a hotel pan, a Dutch oven, or any pan 5–10 cm (2–4 in) deep. Cook until the shoulder falls apart, 4–5 hours.\nUnwrap the pork, saving all the accumulated liquid for the sauce. Pull out the larger pieces of fat and shred the meat. Reserve the fat for a future snack.\nSauce 50 g (¼ cup) golden brown sugar 1 (398 ml / 14 oz) can crushed pineapple, or a can of pineapple pieces, blended a 355 ml (12 oz) can works too 55 g (¼ cup) butter, melted 1 tbsp liquid smoke (optional) the liquid saved from the cooked pork Combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until slightly reduced. Taste for salt and adjust with a little rub or sea salt.\nTo serve The shredded pork, with the sauce spooned over.\nVariations Other cookers Skip the oven and cook the wrapped shoulder another way: 4–5 hours on high in a slow cooker, about 50 minutes on high pressure in a pressure cooker, or 7–10 hours in a 120°C (250°F) oven. All of them should end with pork that falls apart.\nEquipment Aluminum foil Notes Sources: Slappyodaddybbq and Hawaii\u0026rsquo;s Pickle Lady. For a slow-cooker version finished with cabbage, see [[Kālua pig \u0026amp; cabbage]]. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/mauikalua-pulled-pork/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a Hawaiian-style pulled pork that doesn’t need a BBQ or fire pit, based on various recipes from local Maui residents. The pork itself is simply seasoned, braised, and pulled, paired with a sweet and acidic sauce.\n","title":"Maui/Kalua pulled pork","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/meal-prep/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Meal-Prep","type":"tags"},{"content":"I make this meat sauce a few times a month, from the pantry and my regular freezer prep. It’s based on fairly standard meat sauce recipes, primarily on one I made at a pizza restaurant.\nIngredients 500 ml [[Beef base]], thawed (beef, mushrooms, onion, garlic, bay) 1 can (796 ml, 28 oz) San Marzano-style whole tomatoes 15 ml (1 tablespoon) tomato paste 500 ml frozen chopped spinach or kale (optional) 100 ml (a splash) red wine Dried thyme, and sometimes rosemary; save the basil for garnish Salt and pepper A dash of balsamic vinegar Method Crush the tomatoes by hand in a bowl, cutting out any stem pieces (cheaper brands have them).\nHeat the beef base, and the spinach or kale if using, in a large pan until it starts to brown. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it just starts to stick. Deglaze with the wine (or stock or water), scraping the browned bits off the bottom.\nStir in the herbs, then the tomatoes. Simmer until it\u0026rsquo;s as thick as you like, 20–45 minutes; the beef is already tender.\nSeason with salt and pepper. Balance with balsamic (or more wine) if it needs acidity or sweetness.\nNotes Freezes well; I often make a double to quadruple batch. Works in any pasta dish that needs a meat sauce, on pizza, or wherever. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/meat-sauce-aka-american-bolognese/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I make this meat sauce a few times a month, from the pantry and my regular freezer prep. It’s based on fairly standard meat sauce recipes, primarily on one I made at a pizza restaurant.\n","title":"Meat sauce (AKA American bolognese)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/mediterranean/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Mediterranean","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/mennonite/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Mennonite","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/menus/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Menus","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/mexican/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Mexican","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This is a great filling for vegetarian pasta like ravioli, tortellini, or sauced pastas like lasagne or ragù.\nIngredients 1–2 tbsp butter (or oil) 150 g shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and finely diced 150 g cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and finely diced 1 tsp ground porcini powder (optional) 2 shallots, finely minced (~¼ cup) 3 cloves garlic, minced (~1 tbsp) 1 tsp thyme leaves, minced (fresh or dried) kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 125 ml (½ cup) dry red wine or dry sherry 25 g (~½ cup) Parmesan, grated, plus more for serving Method Fry the mushrooms in the butter with a pinch of salt. They\u0026rsquo;ll release their water, the water will evaporate, and then they\u0026rsquo;ll start to brown, 15–20 minutes. Keep frying and scraping the bottom as you go so the fond doesn\u0026rsquo;t burn.\nAdd the shallots and garlic and cook until soft, still stirring to keep the fond from burning.\nDeglaze with the wine or sherry, scraping up all the brown bits. Add the thyme and porcini powder, if using. Stir, taste, and adjust the salt and pepper.\nRemove from the heat and let cool partway. Stir in the Parmesan thoroughly. Cool completely before using as a pasta filling.\nNotes Roll the cooled filling into a log and freeze it. You can then slice it into 5–10 g pieces, depending on the size of pasta you plan to fill. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/mushroom-parmesan-pasta-filling/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a great filling for vegetarian pasta like ravioli, tortellini, or sauced pastas like lasagne or ragù.\nIngredients 1–2 tbsp butter (or oil) 150 g shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and finely diced 150 g cremini mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and finely diced 1 tsp ground porcini powder (optional) 2 shallots, finely minced (~¼ cup) 3 cloves garlic, minced (~1 tbsp) 1 tsp thyme leaves, minced (fresh or dried) kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 125 ml (½ cup) dry red wine or dry sherry 25 g (~½ cup) Parmesan, grated, plus more for serving Method Fry the mushrooms in the butter with a pinch of salt. They’ll release their water, the water will evaporate, and then they’ll start to brown, 15–20 minutes. Keep frying and scraping the bottom as you go so the fond doesn’t burn.\n","title":"Mushroom Parmesan pasta filling","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a recipe from our childhood: a three-layer icebox cookie, chocolate, vanilla, and cherry, chilled in a log and sliced.\nAnn made this recipe with an elementary school friend, Shannon Donselaar. This was our favourite treat.\nIngredients 1 cup butter ½ cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 2½ cups flour ½ tsp salt ⅓ cup walnuts, finely chopped ⅓ cup maraschino cherries, finely chopped 28 g (1 square) semi-sweet chocolate, melted, or 2 tbsp cocoa red food colouring Method Cream the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together thoroughly in a mixer. Stir in the flour and salt and mix well.\nDivide the dough into 3 equal portions. Stir the melted chocolate (or cocoa) into one. Stir the cherries and a few drops of red food colouring into the second. Stir the walnuts into the third.\nLine an empty wax paper box with plastic wrap, or make a box about 30 cm long and 5 cm square. Press the chocolate dough evenly into the box. Top with the vanilla dough, then the cherry dough. Without a box, shape each portion into a 30 × 5 cm strip and stack the 3 strips into a 5 cm high log.\nWrap well in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.\nHeat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Cut the log into 6 mm (¼ in) slices and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until set, 7–10 minutes.\nCool before storing in an airtight container.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/neapolitan-strips/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a recipe from our childhood: a three-layer icebox cookie, chocolate, vanilla, and cherry, chilled in a log and sliced.\nAnn made this recipe with an elementary school friend, Shannon Donselaar. This was our favourite treat.\n","title":"Neapolitan strips","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Four-day meal plan for a trip to Nicola (2018).\nMeal schedule Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Breakfast Granola/yogurt, cereal, fruit Breakfast snack, see Friday Leftovers, fruit, French toast, boiled eggs Lunch Sandwiches, veggies, chips Brunch wraps, fruit Dinner Boston Pizza Pierogies, farmer sausage, corn Cheese ravioli, pesto/marinara, roasted veg Snacks Chips Banana boats, s\u0026rsquo;mores Banana splits (or fruit + ice cream) Grocery list Dairy:\nCream, milk, cheese, sour cream (small), yogurt (plain) Proteins:\nLunch meat (200g), farmer sausage (from home), eggs (from home) Dry/pantry:\nCoffee, bread, wraps, granola, cereal, cheese ravioli, pierogies, pesto (from home), marinara Produce:\nBananas, berries, frozen berries, lettuce, tomato, small tomatoes, broccoli (from home), zucchini (from home), carrots, bell pepper, corn, canned pineapple Snacks/dessert:\nChocolate, marshmallows, graham crackers, ice cream (?), chocolate sauce, M\u0026amp;M\u0026rsquo;s, Doritos, jalapeño Cheetos, Miss Vickie\u0026rsquo;s ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/nicola-2018-food-planning/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Four-day meal plan for a trip to Nicola (2018).\nMeal schedule Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Breakfast Granola/yogurt, cereal, fruit Breakfast snack, see Friday Leftovers, fruit, French toast, boiled eggs Lunch Sandwiches, veggies, chips Brunch wraps, fruit Dinner Boston Pizza Pierogies, farmer sausage, corn Cheese ravioli, pesto/marinara, roasted veg Snacks Chips Banana boats, s’mores Banana splits (or fruit + ice cream) Grocery list Dairy:\n","title":"Nicola 2018 food planning","type":"reference"},{"content":"A ham-hock bean soup built on a mix of nine dried beans.\nI found this recipe in our old recipe book with the following: All proceeds to charitable projects CHAPTER BF, PEO SISTERHOOD, ABBOTSFORD, BC.\nIngredients ½ cup each of 9 types of dried beans (4½ cups total), or a store-bought 9-bean mix salt, for soaking 1 ham hock (or a ham bone) 2–4 cups sausage, turkey, and/or bacon, cooked and chopped Aromatics 1 large onion, chopped 1 (796 ml / 28 oz) can tomatoes or tomato sauce 1 tsp chili powder 1 clove garlic, minced 1 lemon, juiced and zested 1 tbsp Tabasco salt and pepper Method Soak the beans overnight in a large pot with twice their volume of water and a little salt.\nDrain and rinse the beans. Return them to the pot with 2 L (2 qt) of water and the ham hock or bone. Simmer until the beans are almost tender, 2½–3 hours.\nLift out the ham hock or bone. Pull the meat off the bone, chop it, and return it to the pot; discard the bone, skin, and fat.\nAdd the aromatics and the sausage, turkey, or bacon. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring regularly. Taste and season with salt and pepper.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/nine-bean-soup-mix/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A ham-hock bean soup built on a mix of nine dried beans.\nI found this recipe in our old recipe book with the following: All proceeds to charitable projects CHAPTER BF, PEO SISTERHOOD, ABBOTSFORD, BC.\n","title":"Nine bean soup mix","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Pizza with less effort, what\u0026rsquo;s not to like? A long rise time results in a deeper flavour.\nMechanic Adapted from my traditional and very knead-y pizza dough, which we discovered by accident that one time when we somehow left it in a cupboard for a few days. It turns out we weren’t the first ones to discover this, and it’s a fantastic way of making doughs in general.\nMany recipes use weights for ingredients \u0026hellip; this one does not. It is a lazy dough that can take as little as 10 minutes if you work at it. It also produces one of the nicest pizza and focaccia doughs I’ve ever made.\nIngredients 6–7 cups flour, ideally 00 pizza flour, then bread flour, then all-purpose 710 ml (3 cups) warm tap water 2 tsp (10 ml) instant yeast 3 tsp (15 ml) salt 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil (optional), plus 1 tsp for the container 2 tbsp sugar (optional); home-style pizzas usually have a sweeter crust, and it helps browning at lower temperatures Method Whisk 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, and the salt into the warm water in a large bowl until combined. Add the oil and sugar now if you\u0026rsquo;re using them.\nStir in the remaining flour ½ cup at a time with a spoon or spatula, until a very wet, sticky ball forms.\nGrease a container with 1 tsp olive oil. Form the dough into a ball, turn it to coat, and cover. Leave at room temperature until doubled, 2–3 hours. For more flavour, move it to the fridge for 1–5 days.\nDivide the dough into 4–6 balls, depending on the size of your pizzas. Cover and let them come to room temperature, 1–2 hours, until soft and puffy. Stretch and top.\nNotes See also [[The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza]], our family\u0026rsquo;s 12-pizza Christmas marathon. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/no-knead-pizza-dough/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Pizza with less effort, what’s not to like? A long rise time results in a deeper flavour.\nMechanic Adapted from my traditional and very knead-y pizza dough, which we discovered by accident that one time when we somehow left it in a cupboard for a few days. It turns out we weren’t the first ones to discover this, and it’s a fantastic way of making doughs in general.\n","title":"No-knead pizza dough","type":"recipes"},{"content":"These are a sort of deep-fried doughnut. Various western European cultures make a variant of these around the holidays, and some call them a New Year\u0026rsquo;s cookie.\nIngredients 3–4 cups flour 1 cup white sugar 3 heaping tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt up to 1 tsp cinnamon (optional; more is overpowering) 2 eggs 2–2½ cups milk, enough to make a thick, scoopable batter 1 cup raisins 3 small apples (or 2 large), diced canola or similar oil, for frying icing sugar, to roll in Method Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the eggs, then stir in the milk until the batter is thick and scoopable. Fold in the raisins and apples. Mix only until combined.\nHeat 10–12 cm (4–5 in) of oil in a saucier or Dutch oven to 160–175°C (325–350°F), using a candy or digital thermometer to watch the heat.\nDrop ice-cream-scoop-sized balls of batter slowly into the hot oil. Use a slotted steel spoon or spider to move them around so they don\u0026rsquo;t stick. Fry, turning once, until deep golden and cooked through, about 4–6 minutes.\nCool on a rack. Toss in a bowl of icing sugar if eating right away; otherwise, wait and dip them just before eating.\nNotes Best eaten fresh or within a few days. Store airtight and reheat in the oven. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/oliebollen/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"These are a sort of deep-fried doughnut. Various western European cultures make a variant of these around the holidays, and some call them a New Year’s cookie.\nIngredients 3–4 cups flour 1 cup white sugar 3 heaping tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt up to 1 tsp cinnamon (optional; more is overpowering) 2 eggs 2–2½ cups milk, enough to make a thick, scoopable batter 1 cup raisins 3 small apples (or 2 large), diced canola or similar oil, for frying icing sugar, to roll in Method Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the eggs, then stir in the milk until the batter is thick and scoopable. Fold in the raisins and apples. Mix only until combined.\n","title":"Oliebollen","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A Kipfel is traditionally a crescent-shaped yeast bread, one of the oldest styles of pastries.\nAnn and the kids visited Oma to make these for a school project that Jayda was doing on family heritage, measuring everything from memory. This is an approximation of her method.\nDough 1 L homogenized milk ½ cup unsalted butter ¼ cup sugar, for the yeast 2 packages (4½ tsp, 14 g) yeast About 8 cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup sugar 1 tsp salt 2 eggs ¼ cup vegetable oil Scald the milk and butter over high heat, stirring and watching carefully so it doesn\u0026rsquo;t burn. Turn off the heat and let cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.\nTake out ½ cup of the lukewarm milk, stir in the ¼ cup sugar and the yeast, and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.\nMix the flour, ¾ cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the rest of the milk mixture, the yeast mixture, the eggs, and the oil. Mix thoroughly by hand, adding flour as needed until the dough is smooth and soft.\nOil your hands and work the dough for 10 minutes, punching and turning.\nPut the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with damp tea towels, and set in a warm spot (the oven, turned off, works on a cold day). Let rise until doubled.\nKipfels 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash Coarse salt About ¼ cup caraway seeds Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F).\nRoll a small chunk of dough into a circle and cut it into quarters, like pizza slices. Roll each slice up from the wide end and bend it into a crescent. Brush with egg and sprinkle with coarse salt and caraway seeds.\nSet the kipfels on a sheet pan, cover with a tea towel, and let rise 15–20 minutes. Bake until nicely browned, about 17 minutes.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/omas-kipfels/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A Kipfel is traditionally a crescent-shaped yeast bread, one of the oldest styles of pastries.\nAnn and the kids visited Oma to make these for a school project that Jayda was doing on family heritage, measuring everything from memory. This is an approximation of her method.\n","title":"Oma’s kipfels","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Many curries have a chunky onion base (like Balti). We use this when riffing on curries, as it\u0026rsquo;s an easy build, freezes well, and adds a bunch of flavour to any gravy-like dish.\nIngredients 2–3 tbsp ghee or neutral oil ~8 onions 1 green pepper, roughly chopped ~1 cup [[Base curry gravy]] ~2 tbsp [[Ginger/garlic paste]] Spices 1 tbsp green cardamom 1 star anise 2 tbsp cumin seed 2 pieces cinnamon bark (about 5 cm each) 4–5 bay leaves 5 cloves Method Add everything to a medium pot. Bring to a simmer, then drop to low and cook for about 1 hour.\nRemove the whole spices.\nTo serve Add about 1 cup to any portion of curry for depth and texture.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/onion-base-for-curries/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Many curries have a chunky onion base (like Balti). We use this when riffing on curries, as it’s an easy build, freezes well, and adds a bunch of flavour to any gravy-like dish.\n","title":"Onion base for curries","type":"recipes"},{"content":"What else is there to say! Once we found this recipe, it became our family favourite. You can use vanilla, chocolate, or butterscotch pudding depending on the type of cookie you\u0026rsquo;re craving, and mix up the chips for even more variety.\nIngredients 4½ cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking soda pinch of salt 454 g (2 cups / 4 sticks) butter, softened 1½ cups packed brown sugar ½ cup white sugar 2 (100 g / 3.4 oz) packages instant pudding mix 4 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 4 cups chocolate chips (2–2½ bags of Chipits) Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).\nSift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then set aside.\nIn a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter. Add the brown and white sugar and cream together. Beat in the pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.\nBlend in the flour mixture. If the mixer gets too full to take the last of the flour, tip the batter into the flour bowl and finish there. Mix in the chocolate chips.\nDrop spoonfuls of dough onto ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake until the edges are just turning golden brown, 10–12 minutes.\nLet the cookies cool for a few minutes on the sheet, then move them to a rack to cool completely.\nVariations Pudding and chip combinations we like:\nVanilla pudding with semi-sweet and white chocolate chips Chocolate pudding with peanut butter and milk chocolate chips Vanilla pudding with butterscotch and semi-sweet chocolate chips Chocolate pudding with white chocolate chips and mini M\u0026amp;M\u0026rsquo;s Butterscotch pudding with milk chocolate and white chocolate chips Any pudding with milk, dark, and white chocolate chips Notes Store in an airtight container: a few days in the cupboard, a week in the fridge, or longer in the freezer. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/our-favourite-chocolate-chip-cookies/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"What else is there to say! Once we found this recipe, it became our family favourite. You can use vanilla, chocolate, or butterscotch pudding depending on the type of cookie you’re craving, and mix up the chips for even more variety.\n","title":"Our favourite chocolate chip cookies","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This recipe works for most vegetables, though corn is a slightly special case as it needs a bit longer than most veg. It sounds simple (and is), but the trick is to get the corn to brown and char a bit, for those summer roasting flavours.\nIngredients 4+ cobs fresh corn, shucked olive oil (not extra-virgin), butter, or neutral oil salt and pepper Method Toss the corn with oil or spread butter evenly over it. Season with salt and pepper and let sit for 20–60 minutes.\nHeat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Roast until browned and charred in spots, about 30 minutes, turning halfway through.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/oven-roasted-corn/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This recipe works for most vegetables, though corn is a slightly special case as it needs a bit longer than most veg. It sounds simple (and is), but the trick is to get the corn to brown and char a bit, for those summer roasting flavours.\n","title":"Oven-roasted corn","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a sort of copy-cat recipe of the BK classic chicken sandwich, which is a lightly breaded, pepper-forward, minced patty made from mostly white meat. I like them with fresh onion, mustard, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. The goal is something with a few layers of crunch, some bite, and a good kick of savoury fatty goodness.\nMechanic Baking soda raises the pH of the ground chicken, keeping it tender and juicy through a hot fry, the same trick as velveting in Chinese cooking. The double dip through a flour dredge and a loose cornstarch batter before the breadcrumbs is what builds the layered, extra-crunchy shell the BK original is known for.\nPatties 800g ground chicken (breast/rib meat and some fat) 32g water (4%) 10g salt (1.25%) 5g sugar (0.625%) 2g baking soda (0.25%) 4g MSG (0.5%) 2g spices (0.25%): white pepper, granulated garlic Dissolve the salt, sugar, baking soda, and MSG in the water, then mix thoroughly into the ground chicken along with the spices.\nForm into patties about 1–2 cm wider than the buns you plan to use; this batch makes about 9 patties at ~90g each. Rest on lightly oiled parchment in the refrigerator (or freezer) for 20 minutes, or up to a few hours.\nBreading Dredge 50g flour 1g black pepper 1g onion powder 1g garlic powder Batter 100g water 50g cornstarch 2g salt Breadcrumbs 100g breadcrumbs Combine the flour, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder for the dredge. Separately, combine the water, cornstarch, and salt into a loose batter.\nDredge each patty in the flour mixture, dip into the batter, let the excess drip off, then roll in breadcrumbs until maximally covered. Let sit for 10–20 minutes.\nShallow fry in oil at 175–190°C (350–375°F) until both sides are deep golden and the centre reads 70°C (158°F). The last minutes of frying count toward the safety hold, so 70°C is enough for a patty this size; see [[Food safety: time and temperature]]. Cook to 74°C (165°F) for vulnerable guests.\nBuild your sandwich Per sandwich:\n1 bun Mayonnaise Lettuce, tomato Toast the cut sides of the buns in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat until golden. Be proud of them. Spread a generous amount of mayonnaise on the buns and dress.\nVariations Panko: skip the batter and bread the patties the standard way, dredged in flour, dipped in beaten egg, and rolled in panko.\nClassic: mayo with lettuce. Chicken in the middle.\nThe Bruce: mayo with lettuce and tomato (top), extra pickles and onions, chicken, and a good amount of mustard.\nSwiss: mayo, lettuce and tomato (top), Swiss cheese, ham, chicken, mustard, and pickle.\nItalian parm: mayo, lettuce and tomato (top), mozzarella, Parmesan, chicken, and marinara.\nRancher-style: mayo, lettuce and tomato (top), cheddar, onions, chicken, BBQ sauce.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pan-fried-chicken-burger/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a sort of copy-cat recipe of the BK classic chicken sandwich, which is a lightly breaded, pepper-forward, minced patty made from mostly white meat. I like them with fresh onion, mustard, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. The goal is something with a few layers of crunch, some bite, and a good kick of savoury fatty goodness.\n","title":"Pan-fried chicken burger","type":"recipes"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s this Canadian franchise that makes a very classic style of pizza: thick crust, tonnes of sauce and toppings, everything that isn\u0026rsquo;t a New York-style pizza. They make a jalapeño dip that I miss when we order from somewhere else. This is my attempt at recreating it.\nIngredients 2 tbsp Cheez Whiz or similar cheese spread 1 tbsp sour cream 1–2 tsp spicy pickle juice 1 tbsp pickled jalapeños, finely diced or banana peppers, pepperoncini, etc. Method Combine everything and stir. Taste, and add more pickle juice to smooth out the texture.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/panago-style-jalapeno-cheese-dip/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"There’s this Canadian franchise that makes a very classic style of pizza: thick crust, tonnes of sauce and toppings, everything that isn’t a New York-style pizza. They make a jalapeño dip that I miss when we order from somewhere else. This is my attempt at recreating it.\n","title":"Panago-style jalapeño cheese dip","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a family recipe, a classic European bun.\nWhen Ann was growing up, her Great Oma Hamm (Oma Rille’s mom) would make Paska bread for Easter. When Great Oma passed away, her recipes disappeared with her as she never wrote anything down. She had her recipes memorized and the measurements were done with her hands. I miss the family traditions of holiday baking and am hoping this recipe brings back some nostalgia.\nBuns 2 tbsp instant dry yeast 1 cup room-temperature water 1 tsp white sugar 7–7½ cups all-purpose flour ¾ tsp salt 1 lemon 1 orange 1¼ cups milk, at room temperature ½ cup butter, melted 2 eggs ¾ cup sugar Combine the yeast, water, and 1 tsp sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or a large bowl and a hand mixer with dough hooks). Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.\nAdd 6 cups of the flour and the salt. Zest the lemon and orange into the bowl.\nPeel the lemon and orange, remove the seeds, and put the flesh in a blender. Add the milk, melted butter, eggs, and ¾ cup sugar, and blend on high until smooth.\nPour the blender contents into the mixer bowl and mix on low until a sticky dough forms. With the mixer kneading, add the remaining 1–1½ cups flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough is less sticky but still soft.\nCover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 90 minutes.\nDivide the dough into 30 equal pieces and roll each into a round bun. Set them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise about 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 165°C (325°F) while they rise.\nBake until light golden brown on top, about 18 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheets.\nFrosting 250 g (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature ½ cup butter, at room temperature 2 cups icing sugar A few drops of milk Sprinkles (optional) Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a hand mixer or wooden spoon until smooth. Add the icing sugar ½ cup at a time, mixing well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add a few drops of milk if needed to make it spreadable.\nSpread a little frosting over each cooled bun and top with sprinkles.\nNotes Store unfrosted buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; the fridge dries them out. Frost only the buns you\u0026rsquo;ll eat that day. Frosted buns go in the fridge, since cream cheese frosting shouldn\u0026rsquo;t sit out more than a few hours. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/paska-buns/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a family recipe, a classic European bun.\nWhen Ann was growing up, her Great Oma Hamm (Oma Rille’s mom) would make Paska bread for Easter. When Great Oma passed away, her recipes disappeared with her as she never wrote anything down. She had her recipes memorized and the measurements were done with her hands. I miss the family traditions of holiday baking and am hoping this recipe brings back some nostalgia.\n","title":"Paska buns","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a classic summer treat, with peaches from the Okanagan.\nFruit filling 2 cans peaches in juice (398 ml / 14 oz each), drained with the juice reserved 100 g white sugar (½ cup), or to taste 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon peach schnapps (optional) 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon lemon juice ¼ teaspoon salt Whisk the reserved juice, sugar, cornstarch, schnapps, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and salt together in a cold saucepan until no lumps of cornstarch remain. Bring to a simmer over medium-low, stirring, until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the peaches and set aside to cool.\nCrumble 225 g cold butter (1 cup), diced or grated 65 g all-purpose flour (½ cup) 135 g rolled oats (1½ cups) 70 g brown sugar (⅓ cup) 55 g pecans (½ cup), crushed 4 teaspoons cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt Rub the butter into the dry ingredients by hand until everything is coated and the mixture is crumbly. A few pulses in a food processor or a short mix with the paddle attachment on a stand mixer also works.\nTo bake Spread the fruit and sauce in a medium baking dish and cover with the crumble. Bake at 190°C (375°F) until the crumble is deep golden and crisp and the filling bubbles at the edges, about 45 minutes.\nNotes Frozen fruit with fruit juice works in place of canned peaches. Use unsalted butter in the crumble; the salt is measured for it. For a leaner, sandier topping, see [[Crisp topping]]. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/peach-fruit-crisp/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a classic summer treat, with peaches from the Okanagan.\nFruit filling 2 cans peaches in juice (398 ml / 14 oz each), drained with the juice reserved 100 g white sugar (½ cup), or to taste 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon peach schnapps (optional) 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon lemon juice ¼ teaspoon salt Whisk the reserved juice, sugar, cornstarch, schnapps, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and salt together in a cold saucepan until no lumps of cornstarch remain. Bring to a simmer over medium-low, stirring, until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the peaches and set aside to cool.\n","title":"Peach (or any fruit) crisp","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A Nanaimo bar with a peanut butter middle layer in place of the custard. A family recipe, checked against a Food Network version.\nCookie base ½ cup unsalted butter ¼ cup sugar ⅓ cup cocoa 1 large egg, beaten 1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut ½ cup blanched almonds, finely chopped Line a 20 cm (8 in) square pan with aluminum foil, leaving long flaps hanging over each edge.\nPut the butter in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring 2–3 cm of water to a very slow simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and set the bowl over the pan without touching the water. Once the butter melts, stir in the sugar and cocoa. Add the egg and cook, whisking constantly, until warm to the touch and slightly thickened to about the consistency of hot fudge, about 6 minutes.\nRemove from the heat and stir in the graham crumbs, coconut, and almonds. Press firmly into the prepared pan. Keep the pan of hot water for the glaze.\nPeanut butter filling ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened ⅓ cup peanut butter ½ cup icing sugar Beat the butter, peanut butter, and icing sugar until light. Spread over the base and freeze while you make the glaze.\nChocolate glaze 115 g (4 oz) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 2 tbsp unsalted butter Put the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl and set it over the barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.\nWhen cool but still runny, pour the chocolate over the chilled peanut butter layer and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Freeze for 30 minutes.\nTo serve Let sit out of the freezer for 5 minutes. Lift out of the pan by the foil flaps and cut into squares with a sharp knife. Serve cool or at room temperature.\nNotes Finished bars keep frozen for up to a month, wrapped in the pan in plastic wrap and then foil. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/peanut-butter-nanaimo-bars/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A Nanaimo bar with a peanut butter middle layer in place of the custard. A family recipe, checked against a Food Network version.\nCookie base ½ cup unsalted butter ¼ cup sugar ⅓ cup cocoa 1 large egg, beaten 1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut ½ cup blanched almonds, finely chopped Line a 20 cm (8 in) square pan with aluminum foil, leaving long flaps hanging over each edge.\n","title":"Peanut butter Nanaimo bars","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Our take on pebre, the Chilean table salsa: a fresh, chunky tomato salsa sharpened with lime, lemon, and a splash of red wine vinegar. It\u0026rsquo;s better after a rest in the fridge, once the onion mellows and the juices come together.\nIngredients 6 fresh tomatoes, diced, or 1–2 cans diced tomatoes 1 large green pepper, diced 1 large onion, finely diced 1 large jalapeño, seeds removed and kept, finely diced 1 lime, juiced ½ lemon, juiced 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp kosher salt 2 tsp black pepper 1–2 cloves garlic, finely minced ½ cup cilantro, finely chopped Method Mix everything except the jalapeño seeds by hand in a large bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning.\nToast the jalapeño seeds in a dry pan or the oven until fragrant and lightly browned. Crush them in a mortar and pestle and stir them into the salsa.\nRest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.\nNotes The original recipe had 1 cup of vinegar, but that seems like a lot. Keeps 5–7 days in the fridge. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pebre-chilean-red-salsa/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Our take on pebre, the Chilean table salsa: a fresh, chunky tomato salsa sharpened with lime, lemon, and a splash of red wine vinegar. It’s better after a rest in the fridge, once the onion mellows and the juices come together.\n","title":"Pebre (Chilean red salsa)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This recipe is from an old family recipe card. Not our family, of course, but from a random internet stranger\u0026rsquo;s family.\nDough 3 cups flour ½ tsp salt 1 tbsp neutral oil 1 cup sour cream 1 egg ~¾ cup warm water Combine everything except the water in a large bowl. Add the water gradually and mix until you have a soft, pliable dough. It\u0026rsquo;s a wet dough, so flour the counter well when you roll it. Cover and let it rest while you make the filling.\nPotato filling 2.3 kg (5 lb) potatoes, peeled and cubed 1 onion, finely diced 250 g (1 block) cream cheese, or any cheese butter, salt, and pepper Boil the potatoes and onion together until the potatoes are completely tender. Drain, then mash with the cheese. Season with butter, salt, and pepper. Let cool before filling.\nAssembly butter, for frying Roll the dough out on a floured counter to about 3 mm thick. Cut into 7–8 cm (3 in) rounds.\nPut about 1 tbsp of filling in the centre of each round. Fold in half and pinch the edges firmly to seal.\nBoil the perogies in batches in a large pot of salted water. Once they float, cook 2 minutes more, then lift them out with a slotted spoon.\nFry in butter until golden on both sides.\nVariations Other fillings Sauerkraut, sweet cabbage, or any filling you like works in place of the potato.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/perogies/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This recipe is from an old family recipe card. Not our family, of course, but from a random internet stranger’s family.\nDough 3 cups flour ½ tsp salt 1 tbsp neutral oil 1 cup sour cream 1 egg ~¾ cup warm water Combine everything except the water in a large bowl. Add the water gradually and mix until you have a soft, pliable dough. It’s a wet dough, so flour the counter well when you roll it. Cover and let it rest while you make the filling.\n","title":"Perogies","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/pizza/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Pizza","type":"tags"},{"content":"This is an improved dough tuned to work easily with a 6 L stand mixer. It\u0026rsquo;s high-hydration and can be sticky, but the extra water provides a better ferment and lift. It also works well for focaccia with more oil in the pan and whatever toppings you enjoy.\nMechanic This is a high-hydration dough (~67%), which trades easy handling for better ferment and lift. The diastatic malt powder supplies enzymes that break starches down into sugars, giving the yeast more to work with and helping the crust brown. If you can\u0026rsquo;t find it (specialty baking stores and online sell it), replace it with the same weight of flour and give the dough a bit more ferment time.\n100Flour : 67Water ~67% hydration, by weight I don\u0026rsquo;t suggest 00 flour for this recipe unless you have a pizza steel or an oven that can reach 300°C (575°F) or more. All-purpose works better in a home oven, though kneading and cooking times are a bit longer.\nIngredients Yeast slurry 400 g water, warmish 20 g olive oil, plus more for the container 10 g diastatic malt powder 6 g yeast Dry 600 g all-purpose flour 12 g salt Method Combine the water, olive oil, malt powder, and yeast in a pourable container. Let sit until a light foam appears, 10–20 minutes; no foam means the yeast is dead.\nPut the flour and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the yeast slurry and mix on low (1 on our KitchenAid) until combined.\nTurn the mixer to medium and knead until a smooth dough forms, 5–10 minutes. You may need to scrape down the dough hook, but it generally works itself out with some speed adjustments. The mixer may bounce its way off the counter, so don\u0026rsquo;t leave it unattended.\nScrape the dough into an oiled container 3–4 times its size and form a rough ball. Let it proof until roughly doubled, about 1 hour.\nIf you have time, a cold ferment improves the texture and flavour. Make sure the dough is well oiled (or covered in plastic wrap) and put it at the back of the fridge for 24–72 hours. Let it come back to room temperature before shaping.\nStretch and fold the dough over itself in the bowl 4 times. Let rest 30 minutes and repeat. This aligns and strengthens the gluten for larger bubbles. You can repeat up to 4 times, but a few rounds is usually enough.\nDivide into 3 portions and place on pizza or sheet pans that are oiled and dusted with cornmeal or semolina. If the dough won\u0026rsquo;t stretch easily, let it sit for 10–20 minutes and try again.\nBake one of two ways. Grandma-style pizza is easiest in a home oven: 175°C (350°F) for 30–40 minutes. With some practice, a thinner pizza rises nicely at 220°C (425°F) or above, with a bit more rise and crunch. Both work well.\nNotes See also [[The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza]], our family\u0026rsquo;s 12-pizza Christmas marathon. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pizza-dough-2021-edition/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is an improved dough tuned to work easily with a 6 L stand mixer. It’s high-hydration and can be sticky, but the extra water provides a better ferment and lift. It also works well for focaccia with more oil in the pan and whatever toppings you enjoy.\n","title":"Pizza dough 2021 edition","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is another iteration of my pizza dough recipe, based on some experimentation in late 2021. This is a medium-high hydration dough, optionally reinforced with additional gluten for structure and chew. I skip the autolyse step now, which I’ve replaced with a longer cold rise time. This recipe is based on Flour Water Salt Yeast, with gluten ratios lifted from recipes at Serious Eats (aiming at ~13–14% protein).\nMechanic This dough runs at ~75% hydration, with [[Flour protein content comparison|vital wheat gluten]] added to push the flour blend toward ~13–14% protein, closer to bread flour, for more structure and chew. Skipping the autolyse in favour of a long cold ferment (24 hours minimum, up to 5–6 days) develops flavour instead, while keeping the mixing itself to one pass.\n100Flour : 75Water ~75% hydration, by weight Ingredients 1000 g all-purpose flour 20 g vital wheat gluten (replace with flour if needed) 25 g kosher salt 20 g granulated sugar 7 g instant yeast (~2¼ tsp, one packet) 750 g warm water, 30–35°C (86–95°F) 30 g olive oil 10–20 g olive oil, for the proofing bucket Method Put the flour, gluten, salt, sugar, and yeast in a stand mixer bowl. Stir to combine with the dough hook on the lowest setting.\nDrizzle in the water and mix until combined. Add the olive oil and mix until combined.\nKnead on medium until the dough is smooth and pulls free of the bowl, 5–10 minutes. You may need to scrape down the hook and bowl a few times with a dough scraper, or raise and lower the bowl. It\u0026rsquo;s ready when it forms a smooth, cohesive ball (or lump).\nOil a proofing bucket and transfer the dough to it. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours; 48–72 hours is ideal, and up to 5–6 days works.\nMaking pizzas Pull 300 g (small) to 450 g (medium) chunks of dough from the bucket and form balls on a lightly floured counter. Let them come up to room temperature and rise a bit, about 2 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is. Use the finger test to tell when they\u0026rsquo;re ready: underproofed dough won\u0026rsquo;t stretch well and bubbles up more in the bake.\nHeat the oven to 230°C (450°F). Roll out or otherwise flatten each ball on a floured counter. Put it on a lightly greased pan or ungreased parchment and add toppings.\nBake on the middle rack until the crust is golden and crisp underneath, 10–15 minutes. A pizza steel or stone, or a cast-iron or carbon-steel pan, gives a slightly better crust in less time.\nNotes Making other breads When you have leftover pizza dough you can make other breads with it. Since leftovers have usually cold-fermented more than 72 hours, you\u0026rsquo;ll get something closer to a sourdough.\nFocaccia: bring dough to room temperature, longer rise, lots of oil.\nCiabatta: form short loaves with the letter fold technique. Longer rise. Cooking in a vessel can result in a better crust.\nBaguette: similar to ciabatta, but also vented and sprayed with additional water.\nLoaf: With loose dough pull the corners over itself 5–10 times, rotating between corners. Invert and form a tight dough ball much like a bun or pizza, let rise. Drop in a parchment-lined Dutch oven and score.\nInternal temperature guide 88°C (190°F): slightly under 94°C (200°F): fully done Troubleshooting If the dough isn’t crispy or cooked on the bottom, add it to a medium-hot non-stick pan and finish the crust. For future pizzas, try different pans, steels, stones, and positions in the oven. Try to use the hottest temperature possible, to get the best structure and chew. Electric ovens recover poorly from being opened, so making more than 2–3 will often require a bunch of recharge time to get that temp back up again. See also [[The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza]], our family\u0026rsquo;s 12-pizza Christmas marathon. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pizza-dough-2022-edition/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is another iteration of my pizza dough recipe, based on some experimentation in late 2021. This is a medium-high hydration dough, optionally reinforced with additional gluten for structure and chew. I skip the autolyse step now, which I’ve replaced with a longer cold rise time. This recipe is based on Flour Water Salt Yeast, with gluten ratios lifted from recipes at Serious Eats (aiming at ~13–14% protein).\n","title":"Pizza dough 2022 edition","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/planning/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Planning","type":"tags"},{"content":"I plan a week of meals by picking proteins and vegetables, stocking the pantry and fridge, and planning base sauces and preparations that can be used in several different ways. I [[Win the fridge|win the fridge]] when I use up all of the perishable ingredients, either in meals or in foods I can freeze for lazier days.\nBites, dishes, meals In Ratatouille, Remy tastes a strawberry and a piece of cheese together, and his head fills with colour and music. A single bite works like that. A dish is more so: several bites built to go together. A meal is more so again: dishes paired so they play off each other. Planning is dreaming in flavours and pairings, just at a larger scale each step up.\nPlanning a week runs the same ladder from the top down. I plan the meals first, for pairing and variety. The meals decide the dishes. The dishes decide the bases: the chicken, the beef, the stock, and the vegetables that get cooked on Sunday and pulled apart all week.\nAn example week for 2–4 people Pick a few proteins. I plan on about 140 g (5 oz) per person per meal. An example week:\n2 whole chickens 1.36 kg (3 lb) of ground beef 1 roast: whatever\u0026rsquo;s cheap, usually under 2 kg (4.4 lb) unless we have guests Stock the pantry and fridge.\n2–3 onions, 1–2 heads of garlic, 3–4 shallots, 1 knob of ginger Salad greens and a few raw vegetables 3–4 robust vegetables for roasting or steaming (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) 1–2 starches (rice, potatoes, noodles, bread) Spices and special sauces Salad dressings Rice bowl sauces Dipping sauces Plate sauces Oils Pick one or two dinners for the week that share ingredients. Every other meal builds on the prep for those, so the week uses up what they leave behind without repeating the same dinner.\nSunday prep would typically look like:\nBreak down and roast the chicken\nCut each bird into breasts, thighs and drumsticks, and wings Set the wings aside for a wing night; the tips go into [[Chicken or turkey stock]] with the necks and backbones Dry brine 3–4 hours and season however you like (Indian spices, herbes de Provence, etc.) Roast on sheet pans to 74°C (165°F) For salads, casseroles, and roast veg plates Braise the ground beef (cook it in a little liquid until tender, then brown it; see [[Beef base]])\nSeason lightly Let cool and package up in meal-sized portions For [[Meat sauce (AKA American bolognese)|meat sauce]], taco beef, [[Canadian chili|chili]], dressed beans Cook the roast (oven or braise)\nDry brine for 24 hours (often cooking 1–2 days later), starting this Friday or Saturday Slice and package up for lunches (sandwiches, soups) Freeze the extra for sandwiches and snacks Roast the vegetables, 2–3 days\u0026rsquo; worth at a time\nSheet pan, veg, oil, salt, and seasoning The week Sunday\u0026rsquo;s prep turns into five dinners that don\u0026rsquo;t feel like the same meal five times. The roast covers lunches all week.\nDay Dinner From Sunday\u0026rsquo;s prep Monday Roast chicken plates with roast veg and rice Chicken thighs and drumsticks, roast veg Tuesday [[Meat sauce (AKA American bolognese)|Meat sauce]] over pasta, with a green salad Half the beef base, salad greens Wednesday Chicken salad, or a casserole if it\u0026rsquo;s cold out Chicken breasts, the rest of the roast veg Thursday Tacos or [[Canadian chili|chili]] The rest of the beef base Friday Wing night The wings, while the tips and backbones simmer into stock Each dinner leans on one or two bases and adds something fresh: a salad, a starch, a sauce. The bases do the slow work once; the weeknight cooking is assembly.\nWhen it goes wrong Some weeks go sideways. \u0026ldquo;Who wants sushi? How about Cantonese?\u0026rdquo; You order out, have leftovers, then your plans are delayed. What do you do?\nTake your plans, and make a base you can freeze. Some stew, curry, or just a casserole. Use up the bits for stock. This takes a few hours, but the alternative is both the material costs and opportunity costs of wasting a fridge full of food.\nThe takeaway Plan from the top down, then cook from the bottom up. Pick the meals first, for pairing and variety, and let them decide the dishes and the Sunday prep. Then cook the bases once and spend the week assembling. If Thursday\u0026rsquo;s fridge still holds half a bag of spinach and a container of beef, that isn\u0026rsquo;t a failed plan; it\u0026rsquo;s Friday\u0026rsquo;s dinner, or something for the freezer. The week is won when the perishables are gone and nobody ate the same dinner twice.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/planning-essays/planning-meals-is-like-planning-dishes-but-bigger/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"I plan a week of meals by picking proteins and vegetables, stocking the pantry and fridge, and planning base sauces and preparations that can be used in several different ways. I [[Win the fridge|win the fridge]] when I use up all of the perishable ingredients, either in meals or in foods I can freeze for lazier days.\n","title":"Planning meals is like planning dishes, but bigger","type":"essays"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/pnw/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"PNW","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"For the 2021 Christmas season, we made a variety of soups. This one was one of them, and it combines two of our favourite soups into one: potato-leek, and mushroom-cream. It\u0026rsquo;s based roughly on Serious Eats\u0026rsquo; and Chef John\u0026rsquo;s take on the dish.\nMechanic This soup is an emulsion of potato starch and slowly stewed leeks. The easiest way to get it smooth at home is to blend with an immersion blender, then run the soup through a fine-mesh strainer (or a chinois).\nSoup 2 tbsp unsalted butter 3–4 leeks, washed and finely sliced 125 ml (½ cup) dry sherry 2 L vegetable stock 3 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered 1 bay leaf salt and pepper 375 ml (1½ cups) cream (or sour cream, buttermilk, or cashew cream) ½ tsp ground nutmeg Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over low heat. Add the leeks and cook slowly, stirring often so they don\u0026rsquo;t brown, until very soft, 15–25 minutes. Softer is better.\nDeglaze with the sherry. Add the stock, potatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Simmer gently until the potatoes start to fall apart.\nDiscard the bay leaf. Blend until smooth, taking care not to over-blend. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and return to low heat.\nStir in the cream and nutmeg, and taste for seasoning.\nMushroom garnish 1–2 tbsp butter 225 g mushrooms, washed and sliced 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tsp thyme salt and pepper Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms, stirring often. Once the mushrooms release their water, add the garlic and thyme and season. Add more butter if the pan gets too dry. Sauté until browned.\nTo serve Topped with the sautéed mushrooms, for a pop of savoury and colour.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/potato-leek-and-mushroom-soup/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"For the 2021 Christmas season, we made a variety of soups. This one was one of them, and it combines two of our favourite soups into one: potato-leek, and mushroom-cream. It’s based roughly on Serious Eats’ and Chef John’s take on the dish.\n","title":"Potato, leek, and mushroom soup","type":"recipes"},{"content":"The best sangria I’ve ever had was made by my Auntie Diane when Jay and I visited Calgary during a Junior Roller Derby trip and we were staying with the Pattersons. This is the way my Auntie Di made it, and it’s still one of the recipes I like best.\nIngredients 1 bottle red blend wine (I’ve used Chaberton Red Blend) ½ bottle Zinfandel (Barefoot makes one) ½ cup brandy Fresh fruit: strawberries, mango, blueberries, orange; strawberries, mango, and orange cut into small cubes, with as much peel and pith removed from the orange as possible 1 bottle (750 ml) Prosecco, chilled Method Put the chopped fruit in a large pitcher first, to prevent splashing. Add the wines and brandy. Chill for at least 2 hours so the fruit flavours the wine.\nSpoon an equal share of fruit into each glass. Add ice if you like, pour the sangria over, and top each glass with Prosecco.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/prosecco-sangria/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"The best sangria I’ve ever had was made by my Auntie Diane when Jay and I visited Calgary during a Junior Roller Derby trip and we were staying with the Pattersons. This is the way my Auntie Di made it, and it’s still one of the recipes I like best.\n","title":"Prosecco sangria","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a simple pulled or shredded BBQ-style chicken that can be made without a smoker or BBQ. It\u0026rsquo;s a braise, so it works on the stovetop, in the oven, in a crock pot, or in a pressure cooker. I prefer making it in the oven, in covered hotel pans.\nSee also: [[Shredded taco chicken]]\nChicken 1 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs, quartered 1 kg boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed 1 tsp liquid smoke 1½ tbsp [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s poultry and pork spice rub]] 1½ tsp bouillon powder 20–30 g salt (1–1.5% of the chicken), to taste Rub the liquid smoke, spice rub, bouillon, and salt over the chicken. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours.\nBraising liquid 250 ml water or stock 125 ml cider vinegar (or light beer, white wine, etc.) ½ cup brown sugar or maple syrup 4 cloves garlic, smashed ½ onion, roughly chopped Combine the braising liquid in a Dutch oven or large pot and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves.\nIf you like, sear the chicken in a separate pan first for extra texture and flavour.\nAdd the chicken to the braising liquid and simmer over medium-low. Lift out the breast pieces when they reach 70°C (158°F) inside. Keep cooking the thighs to 80–85°C (176–185°F); they need the extra heat to shred.\nTake the pot off the heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Lift out the thighs, saving the liquid, and shred all the chicken with a fork or by crushing the pieces with tongs.\nStir back in enough braising liquid to keep the chicken moist.\nVariations Sauce Strain the leftover braising liquid, then reduce, thicken, and season it as a sauce.\nOther cookers Pressure cook on high for about 15 minutes, or bake in a hotel pan covered with foil at 160°C (325°F) for 30–40 minutes. Aim for the same temperatures: 70°C for breasts, 80–85°C for thighs.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pulled-bbq-style-chicken/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a simple pulled or shredded BBQ-style chicken that can be made without a smoker or BBQ. It’s a braise, so it works on the stovetop, in the oven, in a crock pot, or in a pressure cooker. I prefer making it in the oven, in covered hotel pans.\n","title":"Pulled BBQ-style chicken","type":"recipes"},{"content":"I like to save wings from the whole chickens that I roast for weekly dinners by stashing them in the freezer until I have enough for a wing day. In 3–4 weeks I\u0026rsquo;ll have 5 birds\u0026rsquo; worth of wings, which when split at the elbow makes 20 winglets. That\u0026rsquo;s enough for 2–3 people, served with some veg.\nWings ~20 winglets Spicy poultry rub ½ cup [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s poultry and pork spice rub]] 1 tbsp sugar 1–2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, ground in a mortar and pestle 1 tsp smoked dried habanero 1 tsp baking powder (optional, for crispier wings) 1 tbsp cornstarch (optional, for crispier wings) If you have whole wings, cut each one apart at the joints with a sharp knife, saving the tips for stock. Thaw frozen wings first.\nMix the rub and season the wings liberally, keeping a little rub back for the sauce. Refrigerate for 1–8 hours.\nHeat the oven to 220°C (425°F), with convection if you have it. Set the wings on a rack in a lined baking sheet.\nBake for 20–30 minutes, turning the pan once. Flip the wings once they lift without tearing and bake until well browned, another 20–30 minutes. They should read about 85°C (185°F) on an instant-read thermometer.\nHot sauce ¼ cup vinegar-based hot sauce (like Frank\u0026rsquo;s) ¼ cup melted butter spicy poultry rub, to taste 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as celery leaves, dill, oregano, or parsley (freeze-dried works in a pinch) Stir the hot sauce, butter, and a little rub together. Toss the hot wings in the sauce and sprinkle with the herbs.\nNotes Frozen wings from younger birds may ooze a bit of red. This is harmless and comes from the bones; it doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean the wings are underdone. Fresh wings are better, and air-chilled ones come out much crispier. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/quick-crispy-wings/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I like to save wings from the whole chickens that I roast for weekly dinners by stashing them in the freezer until I have enough for a wing day. In 3–4 weeks I’ll have 5 birds’ worth of wings, which when split at the elbow makes 20 winglets. That’s enough for 2–3 people, served with some veg.\n","title":"Quick crispy wings","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A great snack or condiment, based on restaurant-style hummus.\nIngredients ~400 g tin chickpeas, drained 6–8 cloves garlic, peeled 100 ml tahini (1–2 big spoons) 90 ml lemon juice (2–3 lemons, or from a bottle) 2–4 tsp kosher salt, to taste 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Seasoning ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander ½ tsp granulated garlic, for more garlic punch ⅓ tsp black pepper (optional) Method Simmer the chickpeas and whole garlic cloves in water until soft. Drain, saving the cooking liquid.\nPut the tahini, lemon juice, salt, and seasoning in a powerful blender. Add the chickpeas and garlic once they\u0026rsquo;ve cooled enough not to burn you if they splash.\nBlend until smooth, 1–2 minutes in a Vitamix, possibly longer in other blenders. Taste and add salt and lemon juice until it tastes like hummus, then blend again.\nBlend in the olive oil last. The heat and friction of a long blend can turn olive oil bitter.\nTaste one last time. It should be balanced between creamy, nutty, and lemony, with a moderate garlic punch.\nNotes Flat taste: check for salt, then acid, adding more in small amounts. Too thick: blend in a little of the reserved cooking liquid, or more olive oil if the lemon balance is already good. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/quick-hummus/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A great snack or condiment, based on restaurant-style hummus.\nIngredients ~400 g tin chickpeas, drained 6–8 cloves garlic, peeled 100 ml tahini (1–2 big spoons) 90 ml lemon juice (2–3 lemons, or from a bottle) 2–4 tsp kosher salt, to taste 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil Seasoning ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander ½ tsp granulated garlic, for more garlic punch ⅓ tsp black pepper (optional) Method Simmer the chickpeas and whole garlic cloves in water until soft. Drain, saving the cooking liquid.\n","title":"Quick hummus","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a simple chewy noodle recipe perfect for ramen, based on the Serious Eats base recipe with some tweaks from Ramen Lord’s book. These noodles will start out very shaggy, but will come together after resting.\nScale the ingredients by weight (using the percentages below) if you need more or less noodle.\nMechanic Sodium carbonate (baked baking soda) makes the dough alkaline, which is what gives ramen noodles their characteristic chew, yellow tint, and springiness, as opposed to a soft Italian-style pasta. At about 36% hydration this is a stiff, shaggy dough that only comes together with rest and lamination, not extra water.\n100Flour : 36Water About 36% hydration, by weight: a stiff dough Ingredients 380 g all-purpose flour 20 g vital wheat gluten 4 g salt (1%) 6 g sodium carbonate (1.5%), baked baking soda 145 g water (36%) Method Combine the flour and gluten in a large bowl. Dissolve the salt and sodium carbonate in the water.\nMake a well in the middle of the flour and add the water mixture. Stir together with a fork until things start to stick, then blend with a pie dough blender or cutter, then with your hands.\nSpread the shaggy dough on plastic wrap, press it into a wide, flat “board”, and wrap tightly. Rest in the fridge for 24 hours, or on the counter for 20+ minutes.\nCut the dough into 4 portions and use a rolling pin to flatten each enough to fit in your pasta maker. Carefully fold and repeat 2–3 times, focusing on laminating in one direction to encourage long gluten strand development. Let rest again, wrapped tightly.\nWork the dough further, down to the second-narrowest setting on your pasta maker. Switch to a cutting blade and run it through to cut the noodles.\nToss the noodles in flour (or starch) and store in sealed deli containers or similar. Freezes well, lasts at least a few days in the fridge.\nNotes Sodium carbonate can cause burns, so keep it out of your eyes and wash up after working with it. These noodles cook quickly, even from frozen: no more than a few minutes. To try next: replace some of the water with egg white. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/ramen-noodles/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a simple chewy noodle recipe perfect for ramen, based on the Serious Eats base recipe with some tweaks from Ramen Lord’s book. These noodles will start out very shaggy, but will come together after resting.\n","title":"Ramen noodles","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/ratios/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Ratios","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/research/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Research","type":"tags"},{"content":"This is a rich vegetable stock, a perfect replacement for beef stock in soups and stews. It\u0026rsquo;s simplified with a French profile, but can easily be adapted to phở, ramen, or any cuisine with a few add-ins. This recipe blends the method from Bon Appétit\u0026rsquo;s Andy with Glen \u0026amp; Friends Cooking (AKA, Canada\u0026rsquo;s Alton Brown), which rely on thinly sliced veg roasted for hours to deliver a deeply flavoured and coloured stock.\nIt takes about 3 hours (or about half that with a pressure cooker).\nMechanic The rich, sweet flavour and colour come mostly from deeply browned vegetables, sliced very thin so they roast dark. It works best at 2:3 veg to water.\n2Veg : 3Water Ingredients 2 large carrots 2 stalks celery 1 red pepper (optional) 2 large yellow or white onions 1 shallot (optional; sub onion or garlic) 1 leek (optional; sub onion) 1 head garlic 8 dried porcini mushrooms 8–10 (60 g) dried shiitake mushrooms 200 g mixed fresh mushrooms 1 tsp (5 ml) black peppercorns 3 tbsp white (or other) miso 2 tbsp tomato paste ~2 tbsp vegetable oil ~4 L water 1 medium piece kombu (dried kelp) Optional add-ins 1 beet 1 knob ginger, diced cinnamon, star anise bouquet garni, fennel, etc. Method Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Thinly slice the veg into one or more roasting trays; slice the denser vegetables on a mandoline and the softer ones by hand.\nCrush the dried mushrooms (without soaking them) and add them to the trays.\nMix the tomato paste, miso, and vegetable oil together and toss with the vegetables until thoroughly coated.\nRoast, stirring occasionally, until deep brown but not burnt, 30–45 minutes.\nTransfer to a large pot, add the water, and simmer for 1 hour. In a pressure cooker, cook on low pressure for 20 minutes and let it depressurize naturally for a clearer stock.\nRemove the solids and strain. With the heat off, add the kombu to the strained stock and steep for 15–25 minutes, then lift it out. Or soak the kombu in the water before it goes in with the veg.\nTaste a little stock in a small bowl with a pinch of salt or soy to judge its strength for whatever you plan to use it for.\nNotes At 2:3 the stock should be dark and rich, ready to use 1:1 in most preparations. It varies a bit with roasting time and the ratio of veg to water. Reduce the stock by half for freezing, or use within 5 days refrigerated. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/rich-vegmushroom-stock/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a rich vegetable stock, a perfect replacement for beef stock in soups and stews. It’s simplified with a French profile, but can easily be adapted to phở, ramen, or any cuisine with a few add-ins. This recipe blends the method from Bon Appétit’s Andy with Glen \u0026 Friends Cooking (AKA, Canada’s Alton Brown), which rely on thinly sliced veg roasted for hours to deliver a deeply flavoured and coloured stock.\n","title":"Rich veg/mushroom stock","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Fudgy brownies swirled with a toasted marshmallow meringue, from the assistant pastry chef at Tiny Lou\u0026rsquo;s in Atlanta\u0026rsquo;s Hotel Clermont.\nThis recipe is an original from the Assistant Pastry Chef at Tiny Lou’s located inside the Hotel Clermont, Atlanta, Georgia. Dad \u0026amp; I have each stayed at Hotel Clermont individually and together. On our first trip together (January 2020), we ate at Tiny Lou’s 6 times! On one of our first nights, the waitress handed us a free dessert to take back up to our room. We were not sure what it was, but Dad loved it. So the next day we asked at the restaurant what it was that they had given us, and they replied that the Assistant Pastry Chef was playing around with a new recipe and it was a rocky road brownie. The next night we had dinner at Tiny Lou’s, they sent us up with 2 more brownies. We thanked the staff and let them know we really enjoyed the treats, and on the final day, the staff provided us with the rocky road brownie recipe written out and 4 more brownies to take with us.\nMarshmallow meringue 120 ml large egg whites (about 4) 185 g sugar 3 pinches salt 4 tsp vanilla extract Make the meringue first. Bring 5 cm (2 inches) of water to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.\nCombine the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over the water, making sure the water doesn\u0026rsquo;t touch the bowl.\nWhisk until combined, then switch to a spatula and keep stirring so the whites don\u0026rsquo;t scramble. When the mixture reaches 76°C (170°F), return the bowl to the mixer, add the vanilla, and whisk on high until the bowl is cold and the meringue is bright white.\nBrownies 600 g bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 230 g unsalted butter 8 large eggs 540 g sugar 2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp salt 140 g flour 120 g black cocoa powder 100 g chocolate chips 100 g white chocolate, chopped 100–200 g pecans, halved or quartered Heat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Butter a 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 inch) baking dish.\nMelt the bittersweet chocolate and butter together over low heat or in a bowl over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Let cool slightly.\nWhisk the flour and cocoa powder together in a bowl and set aside.\nIn a stand mixer with the whisk, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt on high until pale yellow.\nWith a rubber spatula, fold the melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Fold in the flour and cocoa, then the chocolate chips, white chocolate, and pecans.\nPour the batter into the pan. Dollop the meringue over the top and swirl it into the surface of the batter.\nBake until the centre no longer jiggles and the meringue is toasted, about 35–45 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.\nNotes The original recipe didn\u0026rsquo;t list amounts for the pecans or salt, or say to melt the butter and chocolate; these are best guesses. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/rocky-road-brownies/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Fudgy brownies swirled with a toasted marshmallow meringue, from the assistant pastry chef at Tiny Lou’s in Atlanta’s Hotel Clermont.\nThis recipe is an original from the Assistant Pastry Chef at Tiny Lou’s located inside the Hotel Clermont, Atlanta, Georgia. Dad \u0026 I have each stayed at Hotel Clermont individually and together. On our first trip together (January 2020), we ate at Tiny Lou’s 6 times! On one of our first nights, the waitress handed us a free dessert to take back up to our room. We were not sure what it was, but Dad loved it. So the next day we asked at the restaurant what it was that they had given us, and they replied that the Assistant Pastry Chef was playing around with a new recipe and it was a rocky road brownie. The next night we had dinner at Tiny Lou’s, they sent us up with 2 more brownies. We thanked the staff and let them know we really enjoyed the treats, and on the final day, the staff provided us with the rocky road brownie recipe written out and 4 more brownies to take with us.\n","title":"Rocky road brownies","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A classic fresh tomatillo salsa. It’s fresh, tart, and great on chips or tacos.\nIngredients 500 g (8–10) tomatillos, husks removed, halved ½ onion, roughly chopped 2 serrano or jalapeño peppers, chopped, seeds removed if you don’t like it hot or dried chilies, rehydrated, or 1–2 tbsp good ancho powder 2–3 cloves garlic 1 handful cilantro, lower stems removed Salt 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (optional) Method Wash the vegetables and chop them roughly. For a deeper flavour, roast the tomatillos, onion, and garlic until they have brown spots.\nBlend the vegetables and cilantro to the texture you like, adding the oil, salt, and lime juice to taste.\nNotes Keeps 5–7 days in the fridge. The raw onion, garlic, and cilantro are what limit it. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/salsa-verde/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A classic fresh tomatillo salsa. It’s fresh, tart, and great on chips or tacos.\nIngredients 500 g (8–10) tomatillos, husks removed, halved ½ onion, roughly chopped 2 serrano or jalapeño peppers, chopped, seeds removed if you don’t like it hot or dried chilies, rehydrated, or 1–2 tbsp good ancho powder 2–3 cloves garlic 1 handful cilantro, lower stems removed Salt 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (optional) Method Wash the vegetables and chop them roughly. For a deeper flavour, roast the tomatillos, onion, and garlic until they have brown spots.\n","title":"Salsa verde","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a simplified satay marinade, great for chicken, tofu, pork, and beef. It\u0026rsquo;s based loosely on Chef John\u0026rsquo;s Penang Pork Satay.\nIngredients 2 tsp turmeric 1 small (4 cm) piece fresh ginger, grated or sliced 1 large shallot, diced 8 cloves garlic, diced 3 tbsp ancho chili powder 2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp chipotle (or paprika) ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup rice vinegar 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp tamarind paste 1 lime, juiced and zested ½ bunch cilantro, packed (optional) 1 tbsp fish sauce or Worcestershire (optional) 1 tbsp neutral oil Protein about 1 kg protein (chicken thighs, pork shoulder, chuck roast, tofu, mushrooms, etc.) 1 tbsp salt Method Season the protein with the salt; it dry-brines while you make the marinade.\nBlend everything except the protein and salt in a blender or food processor until fairly smooth.\nAdd the marinade to the protein and work it in thoroughly, 1–2 minutes. Refrigerate for up to 4 hours.\nCook the protein one of three ways: in a 230°C (450°F) oven on a foil-lined pan, fried over medium-high, or grilled on high, turning every 2–3 minutes. Cook chicken to 68°C (154°F) and pork to 63°C (145°F); beef to your liking (see [[Food safety: time and temperature]]).\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/satay-marinade/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a simplified satay marinade, great for chicken, tofu, pork, and beef. It’s based loosely on Chef John’s Penang Pork Satay.\nIngredients 2 tsp turmeric 1 small (4 cm) piece fresh ginger, grated or sliced 1 large shallot, diced 8 cloves garlic, diced 3 tbsp ancho chili powder 2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp chipotle (or paprika) ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup rice vinegar 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp tamarind paste 1 lime, juiced and zested ½ bunch cilantro, packed (optional) 1 tbsp fish sauce or Worcestershire (optional) 1 tbsp neutral oil Protein about 1 kg protein (chicken thighs, pork shoulder, chuck roast, tofu, mushrooms, etc.) 1 tbsp salt Method Season the protein with the salt; it dry-brines while you make the marinade.\n","title":"Satay marinade","type":"recipes"},{"content":"I’ve seen gyros done many ways, including whole cuts marinated and spit-roasted, minced, and cased + mince. This recipe is closer to a food cart style gyro, based on a mix of minced meats and some filler to achieve a classic fast food texture.\nI like to cook sausage-like things in a sheet pan or thin steam pan, sort of like a thin meatloaf, then I cut it up to freeze. To prepare the meat for gyros or other uses, defrost, slice thinly, and reheat in a pan (to get that classic style crust). Prepping it in this way allows you to cook a bunch for future use, and to make it easy to get consistent shapes for all sorts of applications. Also, it’s easier than forming or casing sausages, or piling meat on a spit you might not have.\nThe recipe is based on Chef John’s and one Food Network, adjusted to my kitchen and preferences. I consider it a sort of basic sausage that could be cased, rolled, or in my case, baked in a pan.\nIngredients 1 batch [[Gyro base]] (about 1 kg), mixed but not shaped 1 tsp vinegar (optional; classic in gyros, still being tested) Method Make the gyro base, mixing in the vinegar if using. Fry a tablespoon of the mixture to taste for salt, seasoning, and texture, and adjust if needed.\nLine a quarter sheet pan with parchment and press the mixture into a flat, even loaf. Cover with plastic wrap (or another pan) and chill for about 2 hours.\nBake at 175°C (350°F) until the centre reads 71°C (160°F), 25–35 minutes. Cool, then slice thinly, or cut into portions to freeze.\nTo serve, reheat the slices in a hot pan until the edges crisp.\nTo serve A classic food cart gyro is served on a pita (heated in olive oil in a pan), with tzatziki, diced tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. In Northern Greece, ketchup and mustard may be added, even though this is crazy talk.\nGyro meat is also great in soups, on salads, and in other styles of sandwiches.\nNotes Freezes well once cooked, and reheats quickly. I ended up bumping the heat up a bit to crisp some edges. I think the higher temperature works better overall and will try that for the entire bake time on my next pass. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/sheet-pan-fast-food-style-gyros/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I’ve seen gyros done many ways, including whole cuts marinated and spit-roasted, minced, and cased + mince. This recipe is closer to a food cart style gyro, based on a mix of minced meats and some filler to achieve a classic fast food texture.\n","title":"Sheet-pan fast-food-style gyros","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a quick shredded chicken for tacos, salads, or rice bowls.\nMechanic Aim for a good crust and an internal temperature of 75–90°C (170–195°F). Dark meat with connective tissue softens above 75°C and shreds best closer to 90°C; lean cuts like breast shouldn\u0026rsquo;t go far past 70°C.\nIngredients 1 kg (1 package) boneless, skinless chicken thighs 100 g (½ tin) chipotle peppers in adobo, minced 1 onion, finely minced juice of 1 lime 3 large cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp ancho chili powder 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper ½ tsp MSG (Accent) (optional) Method Make a paste with the chipotles, lime juice, onion, garlic, and spices.\nMarinate the chicken in the paste for 30 minutes to 4 hours. Overnight is okay, but the texture starts to turn \u0026ldquo;ham-like\u0026rdquo; the longer it sits.\nLift out the chicken, shaking off the excess marinade. Cook it on an oiled grill over medium or in an oiled pan over medium-low, turning often, until browned and at temperature. Or bake it at 200°C (400°F) on an oiled foil- or parchment-lined pan, turning the chicken to coat it in the oil, until browned and at temperature, about 20–30 minutes.\nWhile the meat rests, simmer the leftover marinade in a small pot for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.\nShred the chicken in a large bowl. Stir in ½–1 cup of the sauce.\nTo serve In tacos, salads, or rice bowls, with the rest of the sauce on the side or as a dip.\nNotes The sauce keeps 2–3 days in the fridge. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/shredded-taco-chicken/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a quick shredded chicken for tacos, salads, or rice bowls.\nMechanic Aim for a good crust and an internal temperature of 75–90°C (170–195°F). Dark meat with connective tissue softens above 75°C and shreds best closer to 90°C; lean cuts like breast shouldn’t go far past 70°C.\n","title":"Shredded taco chicken","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Gravy is a simple sauce of meat drippings thickened with a roux.\nMechanic A roux is equal parts fat and flour by weight. Use about 1:5 roux to liquid (for example, 50 g roux to 250 ml liquid). A darker roux tastes nuttier but thickens slightly less.\n1Roux : 5Liquid Roux is fat and flour, 1:1 by weight Ingredients 25 g butter (or vegetable oil or rendered fat) 25 g flour 250 ml stock and pan drippings, combined salt and pepper Method Make a roux: melt the fat, whisk in the flour, and cook, stirring, until it takes on some colour.\nStir in the stock and pan drippings. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Taste and season, then take it off the heat.\nScale up at the same ratio for a bigger batch.\nNotes Taste the pan drippings before salting. Some dry brines make the drippings salty, and you don\u0026rsquo;t want to over-season early. Any stock works. I usually make chicken stock with extra bones from our weekly dinners; see the [[Chicken or turkey stock|poultry stock]] and [[Beef stock|beef stock]] recipes. Boxed or frozen stock also works, as do bouillon cubes and jars (check the salt on those). Any starch or gluten-free flour substitute can replace the flour, though some hold up less well in leftovers. Balance a flat stock with some MSG and salt. White pepper adds depth, and a very small amount of acid can brighten it. Gravy keeps 3–4 days in the fridge and freezes well, in casseroles or on its own. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/simple-chicken-pork-and-beef-gravy/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Gravy is a simple sauce of meat drippings thickened with a roux.\nMechanic A roux is equal parts fat and flour by weight. Use about 1:5 roux to liquid (for example, 50 g roux to 250 ml liquid). A darker roux tastes nuttier but thickens slightly less.\n","title":"Simple chicken, pork, and beef gravy","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a fridge-magnet recipe that is perfect to mop up old herbs and sour cream. We often have it over a chunky combination of sliced cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and celery.\nIngredients ½ cup Hellmann\u0026rsquo;s mayo ½ cup sour cream 1–2 tablespoons cider vinegar (Bragg is good) 2 tablespoons white sugar 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon MSG salt and pepper Method Whisk everything together in a small bowl. Season to taste; it should balance sweet, acid, and salt.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/simple-chunky-salad-dressing/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a fridge-magnet recipe that is perfect to mop up old herbs and sour cream. We often have it over a chunky combination of sliced cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and celery.\n","title":"Simple chunky salad dressing","type":"recipes"},{"content":"I saw a simpler version of green goddess dressing on a wedge salad in Atlanta. It was bright, garlic-forward, and herbal (but not emulsified). This is my version of it.\nIngredients ¾ cup fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, chives) 200 ml neutral (or nice olive) oil 80 ml lemon juice 25 ml white vinegar (or white wine) 25 ml honey or maple syrup 12 g garlic (2–3 cloves), minced 15 ml Worcestershire sauce 2 whole anchovy fillets or a pinch of MSG (optional) kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Method Combine everything in a sealable container. Add salt and pepper to taste.\nRefrigerate for at least 6 hours; 24 is better.\nBlend until smooth, if you like.\nNotes So far I\u0026rsquo;ve made it with flat-leaf parsley as the herb and MSG as the savoury boost; both work well. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/simple-green-goddess-dressing/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I saw a simpler version of green goddess dressing on a wedge salad in Atlanta. It was bright, garlic-forward, and herbal (but not emulsified). This is my version of it.\n","title":"Simple green goddess dressing","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Rice bowls are a simple combination of rice, veg, protein, and sauces. You can put pretty much any combination of foods in a rice bowl, and the goal is a balance of crunch and savoury. These bowls are about 650–800 kcal per portion.\nMechanic A bowl is a formula, not a fixed recipe: rice, 2–3 vegetables, 1–2 proteins (100–250 g), 2 sauces, 1–2 pickles, and garnish. Use one richer sauce for the proteins and one brighter sauce for the pickles or veg. I like one plant-based protein, like tofu, alongside one of baked fish or chicken.\nPickles: pickled ginger, or quick [[Simple, sweet pickled veg]] (cucumber, carrot, or onion, sliced fine) Garnishes: finely chopped green onion, chili oil, ponzu sauce, sesame seeds Teriyaki chicken, fish, or tofu bowl Per bowl:\n1 cup cooked basmati rice 1 portion chicken, fish, or tofu Bottled teriyaki sauce or [[Teriyaki sauce]] Salt and MSG 100 g bok choy, sautéed 100 g cabbage, shredded 100 g broccoli, steamed Pickles and garnish Season the protein lightly with salt and MSG. Coat lightly with teriyaki sauce, keeping some back for halfway through and the rest for the bowl. Bake on parchment at 200°C (400°F) until browned at the edges, 15–25 minutes. Chicken is done when the centre reads 68°C (154°F); fish at 60–63°C (140–145°F).\nBuild the bowl on the rice with the vegetables, protein, reserved sauce, pickles, and garnish.\nBulgogi beef bowl Per bowl:\n1 cup cooked basmati rice 100 g (½ cup) [[Beef base]], or thinly sliced beef or pork, cooked Bulgogi sauce (see [[Bulgogi beef]]) 100 g cabbage, shredded 100 g broccoli, steamed 100 g carrot, julienned Pickles and garnish Reheat the beef in bulgogi sauce until it bubbles. Build the bowl on the rice with the vegetables, beef, pickles, and garnish.\nVariations [[Sweet gochujang sauce]] works well with chicken or pork, cooked the same way as the teriyaki.\n[[Shredded taco chicken]] works with any sauce.\n[[Simple green goddess dressing]] suits any protein, especially chicken or prawns.\nOther plant-based proteins work too; sauce them like any of the meat combos.\nCabbage, kale, and carrots make a good slaw for the top of a bowl with [[Asian slaw dressing]].\nNotes Add a piece of cinnamon (or five-spice, or any warming spice) to the rice as it cooks. Freeze any cooked beef you won\u0026rsquo;t use within 3–4 days. Cook chicken to 74°C (165°F) for vulnerable guests. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/simple-rice-bowls/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Rice bowls are a simple combination of rice, veg, protein, and sauces. You can put pretty much any combination of foods in a rice bowl, and the goal is a balance of crunch and savoury. These bowls are about 650–800 kcal per portion.\n","title":"Simple rice bowls","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A quick, tasty marinade for shrimp.\nIngredients about 450 g shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 tsp grated ginger ½ shallot, minced 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp mustard powder ½ tsp salt juice of 1 lemon or lime Bonus ingredients roasted jalapeños, seeds in cilantro or other herbs Method Roughly mix everything except the shrimp. Add the shrimp and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Much longer and you\u0026rsquo;ll end up with ceviche.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/simple-shrimp-marinade/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A quick, tasty marinade for shrimp.\nIngredients about 450 g shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 tsp grated ginger ½ shallot, minced 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp mustard powder ½ tsp salt juice of 1 lemon or lime Bonus ingredients roasted jalapeños, seeds in cilantro or other herbs Method Roughly mix everything except the shrimp. Add the shrimp and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Much longer and you’ll end up with ceviche.\n","title":"Simple shrimp marinade","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a quick, refrigerator sweet pickle, perfect for beets, cabbage, and other hearty veg.\nPickling solution 2 cups water 2 cups apple cider vinegar 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tbsp kosher salt 10 whole peppercorns 10 cloves 1 tbsp pickling spice Veg about 1 kg (1 bag) beets, peeled 1 shallot, sliced 3 cloves garlic, halved Method Steam or roast the peeled beets until al dente, about 15 minutes steamed or 30 minutes roasted. Halve any larger beets so they cook evenly. Let cool until you can handle them.\nTie the pickling spice in cheesecloth or a reusable tea bag. Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a saucepan with the spice bag, the loose peppercorns and cloves, the shallot, and the garlic. Simmer until the sugar and salt dissolve. Let cool enough to handle.\nPut the beets and brine in a large glass container. Refrigerate for 2–3 days before eating.\nVariations Raw veg For cabbage, carrots, and other veg that don\u0026rsquo;t need cooking, skip the steaming. Slice them, pack them into the container, and pour the warm brine over.\nNotes Keeps in the fridge for up to a few months. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/simple-sweet-pickled-veg/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a quick, refrigerator sweet pickle, perfect for beets, cabbage, and other hearty veg.\nPickling solution 2 cups water 2 cups apple cider vinegar 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tbsp kosher salt 10 whole peppercorns 10 cloves 1 tbsp pickling spice Veg about 1 kg (1 bag) beets, peeled 1 shallot, sliced 3 cloves garlic, halved Method Steam or roast the peeled beets until al dente, about 15 minutes steamed or 30 minutes roasted. Halve any larger beets so they cook evenly. Let cool until you can handle them.\n","title":"Simple, sweet pickled veg","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a simpler version of my Thai curry recipe that works especially well with vegetarian ingredients. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit closer to an authentic curry, except that we skip the shrimp paste and use a commercial curry paste rather than making it from scratch.\nIngredients 6 tbsp red curry paste 1½ tbsp tomato paste 2 cans non-emulsified coconut milk (no guar gum or other stabilizers, so the cream splits when fried) 2 cups veg stock ½ cup sugar (cane, brown, or similar) 2–3 cups colourful veggies, such as carrots and sweet potato (roasted) and frozen peas 3 tbsp [[Ginger/garlic paste]] 2 tbsp savoury sauce (miso, soy, or sake) 1 tin bamboo shoots, drained 1 tin mini corn cobs, drained 2 limes, juiced ~2 cups protein, such as thinly sliced mushrooms and tofu (dusted with rice flour, white pepper, and salt) neutral oil salt, to taste (about 1 tbsp) Optional toppings fresh herbs: mint, basil, cilantro sliced Thai chilies extra coconut cream Method Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Toss the larger veg in oil and salt and roast until browning or slightly charred. Set aside.\nFry the mushrooms in oil until they release their water, it evaporates, and they start to brown. Add the dusted tofu and the ginger/garlic paste, and keep frying until the tofu starts to brown.\nIn a large pot, fry the curry paste and tomato paste in a little oil for 2–3 minutes. Add the thick coconut cream from the tops of the cans and keep frying until fragrant and the oil starts to separate slightly, 3–4 minutes. Add the rest of the coconut milk.\nAdd any uncooked veg and cook until nearly tender. Add the roasted veg, the mushrooms and tofu, and the tinned veg. Add the stock, sugar, and savoury sauce, and simmer until everything is hot and the veg is tender.\nLower the heat, add the lime juice, and season with salt to taste.\nTo serve With basmati or cinnamon rice, topped with picked or chopped herbs, finely sliced chilies, and a drizzle of coconut cream.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/simpler-thai-red-curry/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a simpler version of my Thai curry recipe that works especially well with vegetarian ingredients. It’s a bit closer to an authentic curry, except that we skip the shrimp paste and use a commercial curry paste rather than making it from scratch.\n","title":"Simpler Thai red curry","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Sodium citrate lets almost any cheese melt smoothly without splitting, from a firm sliceable cheese to a thin soup. The texture comes down to one ratio: liquid as a percentage of the cheese\u0026rsquo;s weight. Adapted from a Reddit r/AskCulinary thread.\nLiquid ratios Liquid (% of cheese weight) Result Use 0–35% Firm to soft, sets when cool Sliceable cheese, moulded cheese 35–85% Thick and flowing Dips and queso 50–90% Dippable Fondue and queso for chips 85–120% Thin sauce [[Baked mac \u0026amp; cheese 120–175% Soup Cheese soup (heartier at 120%, thinner at 175%) Sodium citrate: 2–3% of the combined weight of the cheese and liquid. It adds a salty, sour note, so stay near the low end and season to taste.\nMethod Pick a cheese or two for the flavour you want. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t need to be a traditionally melty cheese; anything that isn\u0026rsquo;t very dry works.\nPick a liquid that complements it: beer, wine, cider, stock, milk, or juice.\nWeigh the cheese, then measure the liquid and sodium citrate from the table. Dissolve the citrate in the warm liquid, then add the cheese a handful at a time over low heat until smooth. An immersion blender gives the smoothest sauce; a whisk gives a stringier one.\nFor parties, a slow cooker on low keeps it melted on the counter.\nFor sliceable cheese, pour it into a lined mould and chill until set.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/sodium-citrate-ratios/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Sodium citrate lets almost any cheese melt smoothly without splitting, from a firm sliceable cheese to a thin soup. The texture comes down to one ratio: liquid as a percentage of the cheese’s weight. Adapted from a Reddit r/AskCulinary thread.\n","title":"Sodium citrate ratios","type":"reference"},{"content":"Recipe research notes for a soft sandwich bun. Adapted from Serious Eats (Cemita rolls) and Food Wishes (hamburger buns). See also [[Chef John’s hamburger buns]].\nDough Ingredient Imperial Metric Notes All-purpose flour 12.5 oz 354 g Heavy cream 8 oz 227 g Or milk + 50ml softened butter Eggs 3 Divided (2 in dough, 1 for wash) Instant yeast 1½ tsp 4.5 g Slightly increased from original Kosher salt 2 tsp 6 g (Diamond Crystal) or 10 g (Morton) More salt than original Sugar 3 tbsp 38 g A bit more would be good Toppings The third egg, beaten with water, for egg wash (too much egg wash is a problem, so dilute it well) ½ cup sesame seeds 1 tbsp coarse sea salt (better mixed into the egg wash than sprinkled on top) Method Combine the flour, cream, 2 eggs, yeast, salt, and sugar, and knead by hand or with a dough hook into a smooth, slightly sticky dough, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and rise at room temperature until 1½× original size, about 4 hours. Alternatively: proof overnight in a bucket in the fridge for better flavour and texture. Flour dough, transfer to floured work surface. Form into a ball, divide into 6 even pieces with a bench scraper. Form each into a ball, flatten, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet seam-side down. Rest uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour (uncovered gives a better crust than covered in plastic wrap). Preheat to 230°C (450°F) with convection. A small ramekin of water in the oven helps develop a thicker crust. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle sesame seeds. Bake until deep golden brown, ~17 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Total active time: ~35 min. Total time with rise: ~4.5 hours (or overnight + 1.5 hours).\nStorage: Up to 1 week in the refrigerator in a bag.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/soft-sandwich-bun-research/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Recipe research notes for a soft sandwich bun. Adapted from Serious Eats (Cemita rolls) and Food Wishes (hamburger buns). See also [[Chef John’s hamburger buns]].\nDough Ingredient Imperial Metric Notes All-purpose flour 12.5 oz 354 g Heavy cream 8 oz 227 g Or milk + 50ml softened butter Eggs 3 Divided (2 in dough, 1 for wash) Instant yeast 1½ tsp 4.5 g Slightly increased from original Kosher salt 2 tsp 6 g (Diamond Crystal) or 10 g (Morton) More salt than original Sugar 3 tbsp 38 g A bit more would be good Toppings The third egg, beaten with water, for egg wash (too much egg wash is a problem, so dilute it well) ½ cup sesame seeds 1 tbsp coarse sea salt (better mixed into the egg wash than sprinkled on top) Method Combine the flour, cream, 2 eggs, yeast, salt, and sugar, and knead by hand or with a dough hook into a smooth, slightly sticky dough, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and rise at room temperature until 1½× original size, about 4 hours. Alternatively: proof overnight in a bucket in the fridge for better flavour and texture. Flour dough, transfer to floured work surface. Form into a ball, divide into 6 even pieces with a bench scraper. Form each into a ball, flatten, and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet seam-side down. Rest uncovered at room temperature for 1 hour (uncovered gives a better crust than covered in plastic wrap). Preheat to 230°C (450°F) with convection. A small ramekin of water in the oven helps develop a thicker crust. Brush with egg wash, sprinkle sesame seeds. Bake until deep golden brown, ~17 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Total active time: ~35 min. Total time with rise: ~4.5 hours (or overnight + 1.5 hours).\n","title":"Soft sandwich bun (research notes)","type":"reference"},{"content":"This dish is great when spaghetti squash is in season.\nBoth Grandma Rempel and my sister, Teresa, eat Spaghetti Squash Boats (Grandma) or Spaghetti Squash Casserole (Teresa) on a weekly basis! So we wanted to give it a try. The concepts are pretty much the same and both have room for variations.\nIngredients 1 spaghetti squash oil and salt, for the squash ~450 g (1 package) ground chicken, turkey, or beef/pork mix 1 small onion or shallot, diced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped seasoning to taste: French or Italian herbs, or taco spice for the Mexican version chopped celery, celery leaves, zucchini, or peppers (optional) grated cheese, for topping For a more Mexican version 1 can black beans, drained 1 cup corn (frozen, canned, or fresh) Method Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Cut the squash in half and scoop out all the seeds. Brush with oil and season with a little salt. Bake until a fork shreds the strands easily, about 30 minutes.\nWhile the squash bakes, brown the meat with the onion and garlic. Add any vegetables and cook until tender, then stir in the seasoning. If using canned beans and corn, add them once the mixture is cooked.\nFor boats, fill the squash halves with the mixture. Top with grated cheese, feta, salsa, or sun-dried tomatoes, and return to the oven until the cheese melts and everything is hot.\nFor a casserole, shred the baked squash with a fork into a mixing bowl. Toss with the meat mixture, spread in a casserole dish, and top with shredded cheese. Bake for 15–20 minutes. A few minutes under the broiler browns the cheese nicely.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/spaghetti-squash-boats-or-casserole/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This dish is great when spaghetti squash is in season.\nBoth Grandma Rempel and my sister, Teresa, eat Spaghetti Squash Boats (Grandma) or Spaghetti Squash Casserole (Teresa) on a weekly basis! So we wanted to give it a try. The concepts are pretty much the same and both have room for variations.\n","title":"Spaghetti squash boats (or casserole)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/spanish/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Spanish","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"A classic 1980s party dip.\nAuntie Betty-Lou used to make this spinach dip and it is now Ann\u0026rsquo;s favourite version to make and is always a hit no matter where we take and serve it! We make this for most holidays or family gatherings.\nIngredients 1 (300 g) package frozen chopped spinach 1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix 1¼ cups sour cream 1¼ cups Hellmann\u0026rsquo;s mayonnaise 1 (227 ml) can water chestnuts, finely chopped black pepper sourdough, crackers, or other dip vehicle Method Thaw the spinach overnight in the fridge. Squeeze out the water; if it\u0026rsquo;s not completely thawed, run it under cold water first.\nChop the spinach and combine it with the soup mix, sour cream, mayo, and water chestnuts. Add black pepper to taste and stir well.\nRest in the fridge, ideally for 24 hours before serving.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/spinach-dip/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A classic 1980s party dip.\nAuntie Betty-Lou used to make this spinach dip and it is now Ann’s favourite version to make and is always a hit no matter where we take and serve it! We make this for most holidays or family gatherings.\n","title":"Spinach dip","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a quick flatbread, similar to the Trader Joe\u0026rsquo;s mushroom and truffle flatbread (but without the truffle oil).\nIngredients 2 flatbreads or naans, about 20 cm (8 in) 1 tbsp mayonnaise ¼ cup grated Parmesan ½ cup grated Swiss or Emmental Topping 1 tbsp unsalted butter (or olive oil) 1 cup sliced mushrooms (cremini work) 1 cup frozen spinach 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp thyme ½ tsp ground coriander ½ tsp MSG, for punch salt and pepper Method Melt the butter in a medium pan. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook until they release their water, then until browning. Add the spinach and cook until the water is gone. Add the garlic and cook until softened but not browned. Stir in the lemon juice, thyme, coriander, MSG, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.\nHeat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Warm the flatbreads in the oven until heated through (and thawed, if frozen), so they don\u0026rsquo;t start out soggy. Pull them out before they toast.\nSpread a thin layer of mayo on each flatbread. Spread the mushroom mixture evenly over it, breaking up any lumps of spinach. Top with a spartan amount of cheese.\nReturn to the oven and bake until the bread is crisp and the cheese has melted.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/spinach-mushroom-flatbread/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a quick flatbread, similar to the Trader Joe’s mushroom and truffle flatbread (but without the truffle oil).\nIngredients 2 flatbreads or naans, about 20 cm (8 in) 1 tbsp mayonnaise ¼ cup grated Parmesan ½ cup grated Swiss or Emmental Topping 1 tbsp unsalted butter (or olive oil) 1 cup sliced mushrooms (cremini work) 1 cup frozen spinach 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp thyme ½ tsp ground coriander ½ tsp MSG, for punch salt and pepper Method Melt the butter in a medium pan. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook until they release their water, then until browning. Add the spinach and cook until the water is gone. Add the garlic and cook until softened but not browned. Stir in the lemon juice, thyme, coriander, MSG, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.\n","title":"Spinach mushroom flatbread","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a great filling for vegetarian pasta like ravioli, tortellini, or sauced pastas like lasagne or ragù.\nIngredients butter or oil, for frying 40 g pecans, crushed 1 shallot, minced 15 g (2 cloves) garlic, smashed or minced 60 g thawed chopped spinach 20 g fresh herbs (thyme, basil, oregano, etc.), chopped, or about 1 tbsp dried 1–2 g freshly ground black pepper 3 g salt 250 ml ricotta cheese 25 g (~½ cup) Parmesan, grated, plus more for serving Method Toast the pecans in a little butter or oil until fragrant. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until soft and translucent.\nAdd the spinach, herbs, pepper, and salt, and cook, stirring, until the spinach starts to dry out. Deglaze with a splash of water if needed, scraping up any fond. Let cool.\nMix the cooled spinach mixture thoroughly with the ricotta and Parmesan. Chill before using as a pasta filling.\nNotes Roll the cooled filling into a log and freeze it. You can then slice it into 5–10 g pieces, depending on the size of pasta you plan to fill. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/spinach-pecan-pasta-filling/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a great filling for vegetarian pasta like ravioli, tortellini, or sauced pastas like lasagne or ragù.\nIngredients butter or oil, for frying 40 g pecans, crushed 1 shallot, minced 15 g (2 cloves) garlic, smashed or minced 60 g thawed chopped spinach 20 g fresh herbs (thyme, basil, oregano, etc.), chopped, or about 1 tbsp dried 1–2 g freshly ground black pepper 3 g salt 250 ml ricotta cheese 25 g (~½ cup) Parmesan, grated, plus more for serving Method Toast the pecans in a little butter or oil until fragrant. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until soft and translucent.\n","title":"Spinach pecan pasta filling","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/sprouts/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Sprouts","type":"tags"},{"content":"Mushroom caps stuffed with Boursin, hummus, and finely minced pepper and onion, then baked.\nGrandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) used to make stuffed mushroom caps for special occasions. I never had a taste for them, but then one day, I realized I was missing out. There was no real recipe for these, and my mom just told me how she whipped them up and this is how I’ve been making them since. The ingredients can be altered/adjusted based on the number and size of mushrooms and you are welcome to add or change to your taste preferences. I’m basing this recipe on 8 large white mushrooms so alter as required.\nIngredients 8 large white mushrooms ⅓ Anaheim pepper, finely minced ½ shallot, finely minced 2 tbsp red onion, finely minced (about one slice) ¾ package Boursin, shallot and chive or garlic and herb 3 tbsp hummus, plain or garlic ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for topping 30 g fresh shrimp or 1 large prawn, finely chopped (optional) Salt and pepper Oil, for brushing (optional) Method Wash the mushrooms and remove the stems. Set them on paper towel and let them dry completely.\nHeat the oven to 190°C (375°F), with convection if you have it; it helps dry out the mushrooms.\nMix all the filling ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. Go easy on the shrimp, or the caps will taste fishy.\nOnce the mushrooms are dry, trim the bottom edges to make as much room for filling as possible. Lightly oil the outsides if you want more browning.\nSet a rack on a lined baking sheet, so the mushrooms don\u0026rsquo;t sit in their own liquid and stay mushy. Pack each cap level with filling, then dome any extra on top. Top with more Parmesan if you like.\nBake until the mushrooms are tender and the tops are browned, 30–45 minutes depending on size. Finish under the broiler for a few minutes if you want more colour.\nLet the caps sit 5 minutes before moving them.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/stuffed-mushroom-caps/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Mushroom caps stuffed with Boursin, hummus, and finely minced pepper and onion, then baked.\nGrandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) used to make stuffed mushroom caps for special occasions. I never had a taste for them, but then one day, I realized I was missing out. There was no real recipe for these, and my mom just told me how she whipped them up and this is how I’ve been making them since. The ingredients can be altered/adjusted based on the number and size of mushrooms and you are welcome to add or change to your taste preferences. I’m basing this recipe on 8 large white mushrooms so alter as required.\n","title":"Stuffed mushroom caps","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A cooked, glossy gochujang glaze for wings, chicken sandwiches, noodles, and tofu. It\u0026rsquo;s savoury, sweet, and mildly spicy (according to our family). For an uncooked version, see [[Gochujang wing sauce]].\nIngredients ¼–½ cup gochujang 2 tbsp ketchup 3 tbsp rice wine, rice vinegar, or vinegar 2 tbsp soy sauce (dark or regular) 2 tbsp honey, brown sugar, or maple syrup 1–2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or granulated garlic) 1–2 tsp ground ginger, or 1 tbsp fresh, minced ½ tsp five-spice powder Method Whisk everything together in a saucepan. Heat and reduce until thickened.\nTake it off the heat and let it cool enough to handle.\nTo serve Drizzled over fried tofu or roast veggies, or tossed with lightly seasoned oven-baked chicken wings.\nNotes Keeps in the fridge for up to a few weeks. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/sweet-gochujang-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A cooked, glossy gochujang glaze for wings, chicken sandwiches, noodles, and tofu. It’s savoury, sweet, and mildly spicy (according to our family). For an uncooked version, see [[Gochujang wing sauce]].\n","title":"Sweet gochujang sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"We watched Alton Brown make this on Food TV, then had to try it for ourselves, and loved it!\nIngredients 540 g (1 lb 3 oz) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 1¼ cups plain yogurt ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg 5 egg yolks pinch of salt one 23 cm (9 in) deep-dish frozen pie shell 1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted 1 tbsp maple syrup Method Steam the sweet potatoes until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Mash with a potato masher.\nHeat the oven to 175°C (350°F).\nBeat the sweet potatoes in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the yogurt, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg yolks, and salt, and beat until well combined.\nPour the filling into the pie shell and set it on a sheet pan. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over the top and drizzle with the maple syrup.\nBake until the centre is just set with a slight wobble, 50–55 minutes. Cool on a rack.\nNotes Keep refrigerated once cooled. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/sweet-potato-pie/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"We watched Alton Brown make this on Food TV, then had to try it for ourselves, and loved it!\nIngredients 540 g (1 lb 3 oz) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 1¼ cups plain yogurt ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg 5 egg yolks pinch of salt one 23 cm (9 in) deep-dish frozen pie shell 1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted 1 tbsp maple syrup Method Steam the sweet potatoes until fork-tender, about 20 minutes. Mash with a potato masher.\n","title":"Sweet potato pie","type":"recipes"},{"content":"What’s to say? This is a broccoli salad that has bacon. It’s a sweet and savoury salad that is more filling than most.\nDressing 1 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann’s or fresh) ½ cup white sugar or maple syrup 1 tsp white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) Whisk the dressing ingredients together. You’re way cooler if you use one of those tiny whisks.\nSalad 500 g (1 lb) bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 large head broccoli, cut into small raw florets 2 cups red seedless grapes, halved 1 cup celery, diced 1 small red onion, diced ~100 g (1 package) slivered almonds Combine the salad ingredients gently, without mashing or crushing them. Toss with the dressing.\nVariations Vegetarian Use smoked tempeh in place of the bacon, or roasted sweet potatoes tossed with smoked paprika.\nOther tweaks Use ½ or ¼ of the onion for less bite. Sauté sunflower seeds with the almonds in butter before adding them; add spices to that and you’ll be a god.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/ts-broccoli-salad/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"What’s to say? This is a broccoli salad that has bacon. It’s a sweet and savoury salad that is more filling than most.\nDressing 1 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann’s or fresh) ½ cup white sugar or maple syrup 1 tsp white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) Whisk the dressing ingredients together. You’re way cooler if you use one of those tiny whisks.\n","title":"T’s broccoli salad","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a simple teriyaki sauce, with some common add-ins. It\u0026rsquo;s simmered until reduced, and can be thickened if desired.\nMechanic Every ingredient scales as a percentage of the soy sauce (shoyu) volume, the base of the formula, so the sauce scales to any batch size. Liquids are by volume and solids by weight: 40% sugar means 40 g per 100 ml shoyu.\nThe sauce itself is four ingredients: mirin at 80–100%, sake at 50%, and brown sugar at 40% of the shoyu. Everything else is seasoning at 5% or less.\n100Shoyu : 80–100Mirin : 50Sake : 40Sugar % of shoyu; liquids by volume, sugar by weight Ingredients Ingredient % of shoyu Example: 250 ml shoyu Shoyu (soy sauce) 100% 250 ml Mirin 80–100% 200–250 ml Sake 50% 125 ml Brown sugar 40% 100 g MSG 1.5% 3.8 g Sesame oil 5% 12.5 ml Ginger (optional) 3% 7.5 g Garlic (optional) 3% 7.5 g Sesame seeds (optional) 2% 5 g Method Combine the ingredients and simmer for 10–15 minutes, reducing slightly. Adjust the shoyu or mirin to taste, depending on your local ingredients.\nTo thicken, combine 1–1½ tablespoons of cornstarch or rice starch with the same amount of water, then add to the boiling sauce.\nTo serve Rice bowls, kebabs, and burgers.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/teriyaki-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a simple teriyaki sauce, with some common add-ins. It’s simmered until reduced, and can be thickened if desired.\nMechanic Every ingredient scales as a percentage of the soy sauce (shoyu) volume, the base of the formula, so the sauce scales to any batch size. Liquids are by volume and solids by weight: 40% sugar means 40 g per 100 ml shoyu.\n","title":"Teriyaki sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A bright, uncooked blender sauce of lime, fish sauce, and chili for wings, chicken sandwiches, noodles, and tofu. It\u0026rsquo;s sour, sweet, and very mildly spicy (according to our family), and doubles as a marinade.\nIngredients To purée 60 g (about 3½ tbsp) Thai chili paste 120 ml (½ cup) fish sauce 150 ml lime juice (about 5 limes) 60 g (½ cup) brown sugar 20 g (about 1½ tbsp) neutral oil 40 g (1 medium) shallot, roughly chopped 20 g garlic, finely minced 10 g ginger, finely minced 2–4 red Thai chilies, seeds removed, roughly chopped 1–2 cups cilantro (the top of a small bunch), roughly chopped 5 g (about 1¼ tsp) Accent MSG 10 g salt, to taste After puréeing 1 red Thai chili, seeds removed, finely chopped zest of the limes Garnish ¼ cup finely sliced green onions Method Purée the main ingredients in a blender, stopping before the sauce is completely smooth. Taste and add salt as needed.\nStir in the chopped chili and lime zest with a spoon.\nLet it rest, then taste one final time and adjust the salt and acid. It should be sweet and sour, and mildly spicy.\nGarnish with the green onions.\nNotes As a marinade, keep it to 30 minutes for shrimp and a few hours at most for chicken and pork. The acid denatures the proteins and can make them chalky. Look for real ingredients on the chili paste label (Aroy-D is a good brand in our area). ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/thai-style-chili-lime-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A bright, uncooked blender sauce of lime, fish sauce, and chili for wings, chicken sandwiches, noodles, and tofu. It’s sour, sweet, and very mildly spicy (according to our family), and doubles as a marinade.\n","title":"Thai-style chili lime sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Twelve pizzas, one theme each night, all built around a Christmas carol pun. A family tradition that got out of hand.\nThe lineup We Three Cheeses All Melty and Gooey Merry Margarita Frankincense and Myrrh (smoked tofu, paprika, mushrooms, cheesus) Gifts from Afar (buttered paneer, butter chicken sauce) Oh Christmas Tree (basil, pine nuts, cheese chunks) A Winter Wonderland (Alfredo, mushroom) Mario, Toad \u0026amp; Luigi (mushroom and spinach) Feliz Navidad (taco pizza) We Three Kings (treatsa pizza, with fruit) A Shepherd\u0026rsquo;s Story (shepherd\u0026rsquo;s pie pizza) Noel, noel (poutine pizza) I’m dreaming of a white mac \u0026amp; cheese Christmas Remember that time when we tried to make 12 days of pizza around Christmas? Pepperidge Farm remembers!\nWe didn’t actually make all 12 of these pizzas, and they most definitely were not all good (we’re looking at you mac-and-cheese pizza), but it was a fun, uh, experiment.\nRecipes Doughs, sauces, and toppings used across the marathon:\n[[Pizza dough]] [[Pizza dough 2021 edition]] [[Pizza dough 2022 edition]] [[No-knead pizza dough]] [[Lazy pizza dough (2022)]] [[Classic pizza sauce]] [[Quick pizza sauce]] [[Pizzeria pizza sauce]] [[Flatbread white sauce]] [[Tofu pepperoni]] ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/the-aldersons-epic-12-days-of-pizza/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"Twelve pizzas, one theme each night, all built around a Christmas carol pun. A family tradition that got out of hand.\nThe lineup We Three Cheeses All Melty and Gooey Merry Margarita Frankincense and Myrrh (smoked tofu, paprika, mushrooms, cheesus) Gifts from Afar (buttered paneer, butter chicken sauce) Oh Christmas Tree (basil, pine nuts, cheese chunks) A Winter Wonderland (Alfredo, mushroom) Mario, Toad \u0026 Luigi (mushroom and spinach) Feliz Navidad (taco pizza) We Three Kings (treatsa pizza, with fruit) A Shepherd’s Story (shepherd’s pie pizza) Noel, noel (poutine pizza) I’m dreaming of a white mac \u0026 cheese Christmas Remember that time when we tried to make 12 days of pizza around Christmas? Pepperidge Farm remembers!\n","title":"The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza","type":"reference"},{"content":"You can make pretty much any leftovers into a casserole. This works especially well with large holiday dinner leftovers, or family-style takeout for American/Chinese, Indian, Thai, and similar cuisines.\nIngredients 2–3 cups cooked, seasoned protein, such as: turkey or chicken minced beef (cottage pie) lentils or chili (vegetarian cottage pie) breakfast eggs (can be made vegetarian) stir-fried pork, curry, and so on 1–2 cups gravy, matched to the protein 2–3 cups mashed potatoes 2–3 cups vegetables, from dinner or a frozen mix ½ cup grated cheese (optional) Method Layer the protein and gravy in a baking dish. Cover with the vegetables, spread the potatoes over top, and sprinkle with cheese.\nBake at 200°C (400°F) until browned and bubbling at the edges and the centre reads 74°C (165°F), about 30–40 minutes from the fridge.\nTo freeze instead, cover with a lid or wrap and freeze before baking. Bake from frozen, covered, for about 60 minutes, then uncover until browned and the centre reads 74°C (165°F).\nNotes Leftovers have already been cooked, cooled, and stored once, and a casserole\u0026rsquo;s centre heats slowly and unevenly, so reheat all the way to 74°C rather than relying on a lower temperature with a hold. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/the-anything-casserole/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"You can make pretty much any leftovers into a casserole. This works especially well with large holiday dinner leftovers, or family-style takeout for American/Chinese, Indian, Thai, and similar cuisines.\nIngredients 2–3 cups cooked, seasoned protein, such as: turkey or chicken minced beef (cottage pie) lentils or chili (vegetarian cottage pie) breakfast eggs (can be made vegetarian) stir-fried pork, curry, and so on 1–2 cups gravy, matched to the protein 2–3 cups mashed potatoes 2–3 cups vegetables, from dinner or a frozen mix ½ cup grated cheese (optional) Method Layer the protein and gravy in a baking dish. Cover with the vegetables, spread the potatoes over top, and sprinkle with cheese.\n","title":"The anything casserole","type":"recipes"},{"content":"I occasionally cook on the road while staying in corporate apartments. These kitchens are functional, but often lack basic ingredients that you don’t want to buy and leave on the road.\nHow do you fry ground beef without oil? Start it in a little simmering water instead of oil, and let it fry in its own fat once the water cooks off. The full method is in [[How do you fry ground beef without oil?]].\nHow do you cook other foods without oil? Salad dressing or water can help.\nHow do you cook without salt and pepper (or other seasoning)? Salad dressing, sausage, prepared meats all contain spices.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/cooking-reflections/tips-and-tricks-for-cooking-on-the-road/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"I occasionally cook on the road while staying in corporate apartments. These kitchens are functional, but often lack basic ingredients that you don’t want to buy and leave on the road.\n","title":"Tips and tricks for cooking on the road","type":"essays"},{"content":"One of our favourite family Christmas traditions! Shortbread balls, each hiding a piece of Toblerone.\nAnn \u0026amp; Bruce first had these cookies made by Linda, a coworker at Discover Software. We loved them and have been making them every holiday season since.\nIngredients 454 g (1 lb) butter, softened 1 cup icing sugar ½ cup cornstarch 3 cups flour 2 tsp vanilla Toblerone (original), chopped: halve the triangles of a small bar, or cut a large bar\u0026rsquo;s triangles into thirds (one small bar gives 24 pieces) Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F).\nBeat the butter in a mixer until lightly fluffy. Add the icing sugar, cornstarch, flour, and vanilla and beat until fluffy.\nThe dough needs to be fluffy but not too warm. If it\u0026rsquo;s too warm, chill it for about half an hour, but don\u0026rsquo;t let it get so cold that you can\u0026rsquo;t work it.\nRoll a spoonful of dough into a ball. Push a piece of Toblerone into the centre, then reroll so the dough covers it completely.\nBake until the edges just start to turn golden, roughly 12–15 minutes. Ovens vary a lot, so go by the colour, not the clock. The balls will spread slightly.\nLet the cookies cool on the pan, then move them to a rack to cool completely.\nNotes Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve straight from the fridge, or pull some out a few hours ahead. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/toblerone-shortbread/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"One of our favourite family Christmas traditions! Shortbread balls, each hiding a piece of Toblerone.\nAnn \u0026 Bruce first had these cookies made by Linda, a coworker at Discover Software. We loved them and have been making them every holiday season since.\n","title":"Toblerone shortbread","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/tofu/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tofu","type":"tags"},{"content":"This vegetarian pepperoni substitute is great for pizzas, calzones, and rice dishes. It\u0026rsquo;s firm and sliceable like a hard cheese, with a nice, peppery flavour. It browns nicely, so put it on top of the cheese when using it on pizza!\nIngredients ~200 g (½ package) smoked tofu, or home-smoked medium-firm tofu 2 tbsp smoked or hot paprika 2 tsp kosher salt 5–10 turns fresh black pepper 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1–2 tbsp olive oil Method Mix the spices and taste; the salt, sweet, and spice should balance.\nSlice the tofu thinly and toss it with the oil and spice mix in an airtight container.\nLet it marinate in the fridge. It keeps 1–2 weeks.\nNotes Smoked tempeh also works well. See also [[The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza]], our family\u0026rsquo;s 12-pizza Christmas marathon. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/tofu-pepperoni/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This vegetarian pepperoni substitute is great for pizzas, calzones, and rice dishes. It’s firm and sliceable like a hard cheese, with a nice, peppery flavour. It browns nicely, so put it on top of the cheese when using it on pizza!\n","title":"Tofu pepperoni","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/travel/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Travel","type":"tags"},{"content":"Three layers over a graham crust: a baked pumpkin cheesecake, a set cream cheese mousse, and whipped cream on top.\nCrust Graham crumbs, enough to cover the bottom of your pan (or half graham and half chocolate or Oreo crumbs) ¼ cup butter, melted A sprinkle of cinnamon Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F).\nPour the crumbs into your pan about 2.5 cm (1 inch) deep. Sprinkle in a little cinnamon (skip it if it won\u0026rsquo;t complement your flavours) and mix it in with your fingers. Make a well in the middle, pour in the melted butter, and mix it into the crumbs with your fingers. If it\u0026rsquo;s too wet, add more crumbs; too dry, add more butter. Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the pan, including the edges.\nBake 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.\nPumpkin layer 250 g (1 block) cream cheese, softened 4 eggs 1 (300 ml) can sweetened condensed milk 1 can (284 ml) pumpkin purée 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla Turn the oven up to 175°C (350°F).\nBlend everything in a mixer until smooth. Pour slowly over the crust.\nBake until set at the edges with a slight wobble in the centre, 45–60 minutes; start checking at 40. Cool slightly on a rack, then refrigerate until completely cool, about 1½ hours.\nCream cheese layer 2 envelopes Knox gelatine 250 g (1 block) cream cheese, softened 1 tsp vanilla, divided 3 tbsp sugar, divided 1 L whipping cream, divided Sprinkle the gelatine over 60 ml (¼ cup) cold water and let it bloom for 5 minutes. Add 60 ml (¼ cup) hot water and stir until completely dissolved.\nIn the mixer, beat the cream cheese with ½ tsp of the vanilla, 2 tbsp of the sugar, and 30 ml (⅛ cup) of the cream until smooth. Beat in the dissolved gelatine.\nIn another bowl, whip 500 ml (2 cups) of the cream with half the remaining sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold it into the cream cheese mixture.\nSpread over the cooled pumpkin layer and return to the fridge.\nWhipped cream layer Whip the remaining cream, sugar, and vanilla until firm. Spread over the top.\nChill at least 1 hour before serving.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/triple-layered-double-pumpkin-cheesecake/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Three layers over a graham crust: a baked pumpkin cheesecake, a set cream cheese mousse, and whipped cream on top.\nCrust Graham crumbs, enough to cover the bottom of your pan (or half graham and half chocolate or Oreo crumbs) ¼ cup butter, melted A sprinkle of cinnamon Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F).\n","title":"Triple-layered double pumpkin cheesecake","type":"recipes"},{"content":"It can be difficult to make turkey into a great burger without some extra oomph. This recipe uses extras packed with flavour to add savouriness, improve texture, and help browning.\nPatties 1 small eggplant, about 200 g (7 oz), or the same weight of mushrooms Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp olive oil 1 tsp soy sauce ¼ tsp Marmite or soup base (bouillon, demi, soup powder) 500 g (1 lb) boneless, skinless turkey thighs, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes, or ground turkey 1 anchovy fillet, mashed to a paste or 60 ml (¼ cup) feta and 60 ml (¼ cup) diced sun-dried tomatoes Parmesan works in place of the feta Oil and season the eggplant or mushrooms, wrap in foil, and roast at 200°C (400°F) until tender, 20–30 minutes. Cool. Scrape the flesh away from the skin and mince or mash it fine.\nStir the Marmite or soup base, soy sauce, and any other minced savoury extras together in a bowl. Add the turkey and mash everything together, or run it through a meat grinder.\nCut squares of parchment slightly larger than your patties. Set a 140 g (5 oz) ball of the mixture on each square, top with a second square, and press flat with a cutting board or pan to no more than 7 mm (¼ inch) thick. Tidy the edges with your fingers. Thin patties brown more for their weight and don\u0026rsquo;t ball up in the pan; two thin patties beat one thick one.\nFreeze the patties, at least partially, before cooking.\nHeat a pan with oil, a flattop, or a grill. Peel off the top sheet of parchment, flip the patty onto the cooking surface, and peel away the bottom sheet as it drops. Cook until well browned on both sides and the centre reads 70°C (158°F). Rest briefly while you toast the buns.\nSpecial sauce 250 ml (1 cup) Hellmann’s mayonnaise 2 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, diced fine 2 sweet garlic or dill pickles, diced 2 tbsp onion or shallot, diced fine Salt and pepper Parsley, dill, or other soft herbs, chopped (optional) Mix everything together. Taste and adjust. Set aside.\nTo serve Buns, cut sides toasted in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat until golden, with the special sauce and any of: shredded iceberg or romaine, thinly sliced tomato, thinly sliced red onion, sliced pickles, mustard. The patties also work over salads, or on regular bread with sprouts.\nNotes Patties keep 3–4 days in the fridge or 3–4 weeks in the freezer, stacked with their parchment in a container or zip-top bag. Most parchment can be composted. The 70°C target counts the last minutes in the pan toward the safety hold. See [[Food safety: time and temperature]]. Cook to 74°C (165°F) for anyone pregnant, elderly, very young, or immunocompromised. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/turkey-burgers/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"It can be difficult to make turkey into a great burger without some extra oomph. This recipe uses extras packed with flavour to add savouriness, improve texture, and help browning.\n","title":"Turkey burgers","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/ukrainian/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Ukrainian","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This is a pretty-much-any bun recipe based on Joshua Weissman\u0026rsquo;s famous multipurpose dough. It\u0026rsquo;s soft, and works for burger, dinner, hot dog buns, and likely other softish buns.\nMechanic A tangzhong, a paste of flour cooked with water and cream, pre-gelatinizes the starch before it ever meets the yeast. That lets the dough hold more liquid than a straight-kneaded one without turning slack, which is what keeps these buns soft for days instead of just on the day they\u0026rsquo;re baked.\nTangzhong 20 g all-purpose flour 70 ml filtered water 20 ml cream Whisk the flour, water, and cream together in a small pot until smooth. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until it thickens into a paste and reaches 65°C (150°F). Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.\nDough 200 ml water 50 ml cream 10 g instant dry yeast 550 g all-purpose flour 10 g sugar 10 g kosher salt 60 g beaten egg (about 1 large egg) 20 g egg yolk (1 large yolk) 40 g unsalted butter, melted the tangzhong Warm the water and cream to about 38°C (100°F), combine in a metal bowl, and stir in the yeast. Let sit until foamy, 10–15 minutes.\nMeanwhile, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in the stand mixer bowl. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and, with it running on low, pour in the yeast mixture. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until the dough comes together. Add the tangzhong and knead for 3–4 minutes. Add the melted butter and knead until fully incorporated, another 2–3 minutes.\nCover and let rise until doubled, about 1½ hours.\nShaping and baking 1 large egg, beaten, for egg wash sesame seeds, for topping (optional) Divide the dough into pieces using the table below. For each piece, stretch and fold the dough over itself in your palm 6–7 times, then roll between your palms until the surface is taut. Place seam side down and shape according to the bun style.\nStyle Pieces Weight each Shape Burger buns 6 170 g Roll flat with a rolling pin, slightly wider than the final width Hot dog buns 8 130 g Roll into logs to the desired length, keeping them uniform Dinner buns 9 115 g Place close enough together to fuse slightly as they rise Cover and let proof until visibly puffy and nearly doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.\nHeat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a sheet pan with parchment, if not already proofing on one. Brush each bun with egg wash and top with sesame seeds, or score the top for a plain finish.\nBake until golden brown: 15–20 minutes for burger buns, 12–15 minutes for hot dog buns, 28–32 minutes for dinner buns.\nCool in the pan briefly, then transfer to a wire rack.\nNotes Best fresh, or refrigerated for up to a week. Scoring instead of topping with sesame seeds works well for a plainer dinner roll. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/ultimate-every-bun-recipe/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a pretty-much-any bun recipe based on Joshua Weissman’s famous multipurpose dough. It’s soft, and works for burger, dinner, hot dog buns, and likely other softish buns.\nMechanic A tangzhong, a paste of flour cooked with water and cream, pre-gelatinizes the starch before it ever meets the yeast. That lets the dough hold more liquid than a straight-kneaded one without turning slack, which is what keeps these buns soft for days instead of just on the day they’re baked.\n","title":"Ultimate every-bun recipe","type":"recipes"},{"content":"These are a classic no-bake chocolate oat cookie from our childhood.\nThese cookies Grandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) used to make all the time! These were such a treat for me and Teresa. So easy to make and so nostalgic.\nIngredients 2 cups sugar ½ cup butter ½ cup milk 4 tbsp cocoa 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut 3 cups rolled oats 1 tsp vanilla Method Put the sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1½ minutes. Too short and the cookies stay wet; too long and they crumble.\nTake the pan off the heat and stir in the cocoa, coconut, oats, and vanilla.\nDrop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool until set.\nVariations Cereal Use part rolled oats and part Cheerios or puffed wheat.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/unbaked-cookies/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"These are a classic no-bake chocolate oat cookie from our childhood.\nThese cookies Grandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) used to make all the time! These were such a treat for me and Teresa. So easy to make and so nostalgic.\n","title":"Unbaked cookies","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Growing up we ate a lot of post-war-style food, including the famous Uncle Dan’s powdered ranch dip. I’m far too principled and lazy to buy powdered mix, so I came up with my own approximation. Two things make this dip stand out: MSG and an overnight stint in the fridge. Don’t skimp on either.\nIngredients 200 g (1 cup) sour cream 200 g (1 cup) Hellmann’s mayonnaise 1 g (½ tsp) ground black pepper 2 g (1 tbsp) dried dill 1 g (½ tsp) MSG 2 g (1 tsp) roasted or granulated garlic 2 g (½ tsp) kosher salt, plus more to taste Method Combine everything in a sealable container. Taste and add more salt if needed.\nRefrigerate for at least 6 hours; 24 is better.\nVariations Buttermilk or yogurt Replace some of the mayo with buttermilk if you have it. Yogurt can stand in for the sour cream in a pinch, but it needs a little sugar to balance the tartness.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/uncle-bruces-ranch-dip/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Growing up we ate a lot of post-war-style food, including the famous Uncle Dan’s powdered ranch dip. I’m far too principled and lazy to buy powdered mix, so I came up with my own approximation. Two things make this dip stand out: MSG and an overnight stint in the fridge. Don’t skimp on either.\n","title":"Uncle Bruce's ranch dip","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A hearty bean, nut, and mushroom burger. The vital wheat gluten gives it a savoury chew, so it holds together in the pan instead of crumbling.\nIngredients 1 cup walnuts and/or cashews, chopped 1 cup black beans, chopped or mashed 1 cup chickpeas, chopped or mashed 1 onion, diced 225 g (8 oz) mushrooms, diced 1 cup oats, pulsed in a food processor if you can ½ cup grated beets ½ cup vital wheat gluten 2 tbsp soy sauce ½ tbsp ground cumin 2 cloves garlic, diced, or ½ tsp garlic powder 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp vegan mayonnaise 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce ¼ tsp liquid smoke 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for frying 1 tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper Method Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high. Fry the mushrooms, onion, and nuts until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and everything is browning, 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Let cool.\nCombine everything in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Rest 20 minutes so the oats and gluten hydrate and the mix firms up.\nForm into 6–8 patties. Fry in a little oil over medium heat until well browned and firm, 4–5 minutes a side.\nTo serve On toasted buns with the usual burger toppings. Toast the cut sides in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat until golden.\nNotes Regular Worcestershire contains anchovy; use a vegan brand. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/vegan-burger/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A hearty bean, nut, and mushroom burger. The vital wheat gluten gives it a savoury chew, so it holds together in the pan instead of crumbling.\nIngredients 1 cup walnuts and/or cashews, chopped 1 cup black beans, chopped or mashed 1 cup chickpeas, chopped or mashed 1 onion, diced 225 g (8 oz) mushrooms, diced 1 cup oats, pulsed in a food processor if you can ½ cup grated beets ½ cup vital wheat gluten 2 tbsp soy sauce ½ tbsp ground cumin 2 cloves garlic, diced, or ½ tsp garlic powder 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp vegan mayonnaise 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce ¼ tsp liquid smoke 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for frying 1 tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper Method Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high. Fry the mushrooms, onion, and nuts until the mushrooms have given up their liquid and everything is browning, 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Let cool.\n","title":"Vegan burger","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/vietnamese/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Vietnamese","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This was one of the first fancy recipes we made when the kids were young. It was the beginning of our shared journey into cooking new foods.\nIngredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 shallots, minced 1 cup vodka (and 1 cup for the cook) 1 cup chicken or mushroom stock, fresh if you’ve got it 1 large can (796 ml, 28 oz) crushed tomatoes, the good ones if you can find them salt and pepper 450 g (1 lb) pasta with texture, like penne rigate ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream 1 cup fresh basil (about 20 leaves), julienned or torn ½ cup Parmesan or similar (optional) Optional proteins 2 handfuls medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1–2 cups uncooked sausage (something nice) 1–2 cups mushrooms, cleaned Method If using a protein, cook it in a little oil with salt and pepper until browned and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.\nHeat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots, and sauté until translucent but not browned, 3–5 minutes.\nAdd the vodka (step back if cooking over gas) and stir to lift any fond. Reduce by half.\nAdd the stock and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Drop the heat to medium-low and simmer while the pasta cooks.\nCook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.\nAdd the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the cream, the protein, the cheese, ¾ of the basil, and enough pasta water to make it smooth.\nTo serve Garnish with the remaining basil. Salad and French bread (or garlic bread, if you\u0026rsquo;re smart) on the side.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/vodka-cream-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This was one of the first fancy recipes we made when the kids were young. It was the beginning of our shared journey into cooking new foods.\nIngredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 shallots, minced 1 cup vodka (and 1 cup for the cook) 1 cup chicken or mushroom stock, fresh if you’ve got it 1 large can (796 ml, 28 oz) crushed tomatoes, the good ones if you can find them salt and pepper 450 g (1 lb) pasta with texture, like penne rigate ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream 1 cup fresh basil (about 20 leaves), julienned or torn ½ cup Parmesan or similar (optional) Optional proteins 2 handfuls medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1–2 cups uncooked sausage (something nice) 1–2 cups mushrooms, cleaned Method If using a protein, cook it in a little oil with salt and pepper until browned and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.\n","title":"Vodka cream sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/welsh/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Welsh","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This is a classic family recipe for Welsh cakes, sweet griddle cakes studded with currants. They are dense, sweet, and filling.\nGrandpa Rempel had a Welsh background. This recipe was given by his family, yet it has been Grandma Rempel and Ann who continue to make this recipe. They are great on their own, topped with cream cheese icing, or warmed and served with butter. Gluten-free flour can be substituted for the all-purpose flour and they still taste the same!\nIngredients 3 cups flour 1½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1¼ tsp salt 1 tsp nutmeg 1 cup sugar 1 cup shortening 1 cup currants 6 tbsp milk 2 eggs, beaten Method Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in the sugar. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until it looks like coarse crumbs.\nStir in the currants, milk, and eggs until the dough comes together.\nDivide the dough into 3 parts and refrigerate. Roll out one portion at a time on a floured surface to 1 cm (½ inch) thick, and cut into rounds with a cookie cutter.\nHeat a griddle to 165°C (325°F), or a pan over medium-low heat, and let it heat through before adding the rounds. Cook until browned on both sides, turning once, about 3–4 minutes a side.\nCool on a rack.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/welsh-cakes/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a classic family recipe for Welsh cakes, sweet griddle cakes studded with currants. They are dense, sweet, and filling.\nGrandpa Rempel had a Welsh background. This recipe was given by his family, yet it has been Grandma Rempel and Ann who continue to make this recipe. They are great on their own, topped with cream cheese icing, or warmed and served with butter. Gluten-free flour can be substituted for the all-purpose flour and they still taste the same!\n","title":"Welsh cakes","type":"recipes"},{"content":"An unbaked, whipped cheesecake on a graham crust, set overnight in the fridge.\nOriginally from Afterthoughts Dessert Restaurant back from Ann’s working days.\nCrust graham crumbs, enough to cover the bottom of the pan (or half graham and half Oreo crumbs) ¼ cup butter, melted a sprinkle of cinnamon Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F).\nPour the crumbs into a 23 cm (9 inch) round pan about 2.5 cm (1 inch) deep. Sprinkle in a little cinnamon (skip it if it won\u0026rsquo;t complement your flavours) and mix it in with your fingers. Make a well in the middle, pour in the melted butter, and mix it into the crumbs with your fingers. If it\u0026rsquo;s too wet, add more crumbs; too dry, add more butter. Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the pan, including the edges.\nBake 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.\nFilling 750 g cream cheese 1½ cups icing sugar 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla 1 L whipping cream Cream the cream cheese in a mixer. Add the icing sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla, and mix until blended.\nWith the mixer on low, pour in the whipping cream slowly. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl.\nStart the mixer on low again, and increase the speed as the cream is incorporated. Whip until thick enough to stick to a spatula rather than slide off. Don\u0026rsquo;t over- or under-whip.\nThrow the filling against the sides of the pan to prevent air bubbles. Smooth it with a spatula, pushing it to the edges.\nChill for 24 hours before removing from the pan.\nTo serve Top with a sauce or fresh fruit, or drizzle the sides with ganache.\nEquipment 23 cm (9 inch) round pan Variations Cherry You\u0026rsquo;ll need 1 can cherry pie filling. Fill the pan just over half with the filling and form a shallow well to within 2.5 cm (1 inch) of the edges. Add the cherry pie filling, reserving some of the jelly (no cherries) for the top. Fill the pan with the remaining cheesecake mixture and smooth the top. Add a circle of the reserved jelly to the top. Drizzle the sides with chocolate ganache and top with whipped cream rosettes.\nTiramisu You\u0026rsquo;ll need a baked white cake, 2 shots of espresso, and cocoa and icing sugar for dusting. Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight, then trim all the edges. Replace the lemon juice and vanilla in the filling with 1 shot of espresso. Fill the pan just over half with the filling and form a shallow well to within 2.5 cm (1 inch) of the edges. Lay the trimmed cake in the well and drizzle it with the second shot of espresso. Fill the pan with the remaining filling and smooth the top. Dust with a 50/50 mix of cocoa and icing sugar.\nWhistler You\u0026rsquo;ll need a baked chocolate cake, chocolate sauce, and ganache. Use a boxed cake mix: it\u0026rsquo;s drier and more cohesive than scratch-made, so it holds up better in the filling. Wrap the cooled cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight, then cut it into cubes. Fold half the cake gently into the filling without overmixing. Mound the rest of the cake on top of the cheesecake. Drizzle the mound with chocolate sauce, then ganache.\nFresh berry You\u0026rsquo;ll need fresh berries, washed and dried. Fold blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries gently into the filling. For strawberries, save a little filling for the top: push the strawberries into the filling once it\u0026rsquo;s in the pan, then cover them with the remaining filling and smooth the top. Drizzle the sides with chocolate ganache and top with whipped cream rosettes and fresh fruit.\n","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/white-rock-cheesecake/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"An unbaked, whipped cheesecake on a graham crust, set overnight in the fridge.\nOriginally from Afterthoughts Dessert Restaurant back from Ann’s working days.\nCrust graham crumbs, enough to cover the bottom of the pan (or half graham and half Oreo crumbs) ¼ cup butter, melted a sprinkle of cinnamon Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F).\n","title":"White Rock cheesecake","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is Bruce’s take on the classic White Spot Triple “O” deluxe burger (lettuce and tomatoes make it deluxe; cheddar and bacon make it a “BC” burger).\nThe White Spot burgers are something like a 70:30 beef blend on a soft bun. I believe they use preformed patties these days, but I’ve found that at home a smashed 115–140 g (4–5 oz) patty works better, as you can get a nice crust on it.\nThe sauces and build of these burgers have changed a lot over the last 50 years, but if you turn back time they were a drive-in burger made from readily available ingredients. The Triple “O” name comes from the carhop order tickets: when a customer asked for extra sauce, relish, and mayonnaise, the carhop marked the slip with three “O”s. The mark lasted: it was still in White Spot\u0026rsquo;s point-of-sale system as late as 2010. Accounts of the sauce itself disagree, but these days there are two: a red sauce that, in home testing, is close to the relish and chili sauce blend below, and a white sauce, an enriched, sweet mayo.\nTriple “O” (red) sauce 2 parts Bick’s Red Relish 3 parts Heinz Chili Sauce Stir together. In home taste tests, this is close enough to work well.\nThe red sauce has likely changed a lot over the years, but there are stories that it was produced by a local Vancouver supplier from repackaged bulk ingredients, an evolution of an earlier in-house secret sauce made mostly from off-the-shelf products. In recent samples from White Spot, the red sauce and mayo are applied separately.\nWhite Spot mayo Makes enough for about 8 burgers.\n375 ml (1½ cups) Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise 1 pasteurized egg yolk ½ tsp smoked paprika ¾ tbsp honey (one “blop”) 1 tsp cider vinegar or lemon juice Stir everything together thoroughly.\nWhite Spot’s mayo is a bit sweeter than normal, has fine flecks of red, and has a yellow tinge. My guess is that it’s a more 1950s-style mayonnaise, which was typically richer and more flavourful than today’s manufactured mayos.\nPatties About 500 g (1 lb) fresh medium-grind ground beef, 70:30 (regular) Salt, pepper, and Accent Fat or oil, for the pan Split the beef into 115–140 g (4–5 oz) portions and form into loose meatballs. Don’t pack them tight; some irregularity helps the smashed patty form a better crust. Set aside while you prepare everything else, and hold off on seasoning until you cook.\nHeat a large, heavy pan or flat-top over medium-low, then turn it up to medium-high shortly before cooking.\nAdd oil to the pan and drop in a meatball. Season it, then smash it with a spatula (or a smash press) to 3–6 mm (⅛–¼ inch) thick. Work quickly, then leave the patty alone until liquid pools on top. Repeat with the rest, keeping the pan from cooling down. A square of parchment between the meat and the spatula stops it sticking.\nFlip each patty once a deep crust has formed. Add the cheese shortly before the patties come off.\nBurgers 4 soft buns (brioche or soft kaiser) Iceberg lettuce, loosely shredded Tomatoes (big, red, and fresh), sliced Kosher garlic pickles, sliced lengthwise Cheddar, sliced (real if you have it) Toast the cut sides of the buns in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat until golden, while the burger pan heats.\nBuild from the bottom up: bottom bun, Triple “O” sauce, patty, cheese, pickles, tomato, lettuce, sweet mayo, top bun. For authenticity, lay the pickle over the bun and wrap.\nTo serve Salad or fresh-cut fries.\nNotes The mayo has a raw yolk. A pasteurized yolk is safest, since the batch is made ahead; with an ordinary yolk, use it the same day. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/white-spot-burger/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is Bruce’s take on the classic White Spot Triple “O” deluxe burger (lettuce and tomatoes make it deluxe; cheddar and bacon make it a “BC” burger).\nThe White Spot burgers are something like a 70:30 beef blend on a soft bun. I believe they use preformed patties these days, but I’ve found that at home a smashed 115–140 g (4–5 oz) patty works better, as you can get a nice crust on it.\n","title":"White Spot burger","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a hearty and herbal noodle soup. For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken and stock with large white beans and a [[Rich veg/mushroom stock|veg stock]].\nChicken 1 whole chicken, or 1 large (560 g, 20 oz) can of white beans salt and pepper Spatchcock the chicken: cut out the spine and remove the wings with shears, and save them for stock. Season the bird with salt and pepper and rest it in the fridge for 45 minutes.\nHeat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Flatten the chicken and roast it on a sheet pan until golden brown, with the breast at 65–68°C and the thighs at 75°C or more. This is slightly under, but safe, and it keeps the chicken from overcooking in the soup later. Let it cool while you prepare the vegetables.\nFor the vegetarian version, cook the beans from scratch or drain the can, and set them aside.\nSoup olive oil 1 onion, thinly sliced 1 shallot, thinly sliced 1 small fennel bulb, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (fronds saved for stock) 4 stalks celery, with leaves, thinly sliced 1–2 large carrots, thinly sliced 1 large bunch fresh kale, stalks removed, chopped bite-size 2 cups dry white wine 4 cups homemade soup stock (chicken or veg) 4 cups water 1 lemon 2–4 tbsp soy sauce (light if you have it), to taste 1–2 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp white pepper 1 tbsp freeze-dried (or fresh) dill salt and pepper, to taste Bouquet garni 3 bay leaves 1 sprig rosemary (or 1–2 tsp dried, in a tea infuser) 1–2 tsp peppercorns (in a tea infuser) Soak and rinse the chopped kale, drain it, and set it aside in a large bowl. Halve the lemon, and zest it if the peel smells good (winter lemons may not have tasty zest).\nHeat oil in a Dutch oven and sauté the onion, carrot, and celery until they start to soften. Add the fennel and shallot and keep softening.\nDeglaze the pot with a splash of the wine. Add the stock, water, kale, and bouquet garni. Simmer until the kale and carrots are almost tender.\nWhile the soup simmers, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat off by hand. Chop it bite-size, checking for bones and cartilage. Stir it into the soup (or add the beans).\nAdd the coriander, white pepper, and dill, and season with soy, salt, and pepper. Add the juice of half the lemon, taste, and add the other half if needed. Add more wine to taste, about 1 cup in all; the rest is for the cook.\nNoodles ¼ cup dry pasta per bowl (broken spaghetti in 2 cm pieces, or orzo) Cook the noodles separately for each meal, and ladle the soup over them in small bowls.\nNotes Cooking the noodles separately keeps them from getting gummy. Most noodles work. Toasting them before cooking adds a nutty flavour. Keeps in sealed containers in the fridge for 3–5 days. Reheat on the stove over low heat. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/winter-noodle-soup-with-kale-and-fennel/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a hearty and herbal noodle soup. For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken and stock with large white beans and a [[Rich veg/mushroom stock|veg stock]].\nChicken 1 whole chicken, or 1 large (560 g, 20 oz) can of white beans salt and pepper Spatchcock the chicken: cut out the spine and remove the wings with shears, and save them for stock. Season the bird with salt and pepper and rest it in the fridge for 45 minutes.\n","title":"Winter noodle soup, with kale and fennel","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/world/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"World","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"This is a great filling for vegetarian pasta like ravioli, tortellini, or sauced pastas like lasagne or ragù. Makes enough filling for around 50 small stuffed pastas (10 g each).\nIngredients 250 ml ricotta 480 g (2 cups) cooked and mashed yam or sweet potato 40 g toasted pecans, crushed 1 egg yolk 25 g (about ½ cup) grated Parmesan, plus more for serving 10 g sage, minced A splash of lemon juice A shot of maple syrup, to balance the sweetness 5 g freshly ground black pepper 3 g salt Method Bake or steam the yam or sweet potato until soft. Mash and let cool.\nWhip the ricotta, Parmesan, and cooled yam together with everything else until smooth. Whipping gives a much better result if you have the time. Taste and adjust the salt, lemon, and maple.\nChill before using. For easy portioning, roll the cooled filling into a log and freeze it, then slice it into 5–10 g pieces to suit the size of your pasta.\nNotes The lemon juice was missing from the first batch; adjust it to taste. ","date":"8 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/yam-and-sage-pasta-filling/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a great filling for vegetarian pasta like ravioli, tortellini, or sauced pastas like lasagne or ragù. Makes enough filling for around 50 small stuffed pastas (10 g each).\n","title":"Yam and sage pasta filling","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A good side for any Tex-Mex-style meal, and a filler for leftover burritos.\nIngredients 185 g long-grain white rice (1 cup) 2 tablespoons neutral oil 2 Roma tomatoes ¼ onion 1 garlic clove (optional) 1 serrano or jalapeño (optional) Small pinch of cilantro (optional) 480 ml hot water (2 cups) 1½ tablespoons Knorr chicken bouillon powder Garnish ¼ onion, finely sliced (optional) 1 jalapeño, halved (optional) Chopped cilantro, to finish (optional) Method Wash the rice thoroughly in hot water, then finish with a cold rinse, until the water runs mostly clear. Spread it out and let it dry briefly.\nHeat the oil over medium in a heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the rice and stir often until golden brown, 8–10 minutes.\nWhile the rice toasts, blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, pepper, and cilantro until smooth.\nWhen the rice is golden, turn the heat down. Add the tomato blend and stir briefly to incorporate.\nStir the bouillon powder into the hot water until dissolved. Add it to the pan and stir well. Lay the sliced onion and halved jalapeño on top, if using.\nCover, turn the heat to its lowest setting, and cook until the water is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered for 5–10 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Scatter with chopped cilantro, if using.\nNotes The tomato blend is the flavour base. Don\u0026rsquo;t skip the blend step, even if it seems like extra work. Toasting until genuinely golden (not just warm) is what keeps the rice from going mushy. Knorr chicken bouillon is key to the flavour; regular chicken stock is a poor substitute here. ","date":"1 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/arroz-rojo-mexican-red-rice/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A good side for any Tex-Mex-style meal, and a filler for leftover burritos.\nIngredients 185 g long-grain white rice (1 cup) 2 tablespoons neutral oil 2 Roma tomatoes ¼ onion 1 garlic clove (optional) 1 serrano or jalapeño (optional) Small pinch of cilantro (optional) 480 ml hot water (2 cups) 1½ tablespoons Knorr chicken bouillon powder Garnish ¼ onion, finely sliced (optional) 1 jalapeño, halved (optional) Chopped cilantro, to finish (optional) Method Wash the rice thoroughly in hot water, then finish with a cold rinse, until the water runs mostly clear. Spread it out and let it dry briefly.\n","title":"Arroz rojo (Mexican red rice)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Quiet month — just baked oatmeal noted as an idea to try, pulled from the recipe book but not yet tested.\nWednesday, June 17th Summer thinking baked oatmeal (see recipe book for an untested recipe) → [[Baked oatmeal]] ","date":"1 June 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2026-june/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Quiet month — just baked oatmeal noted as an idea to try, pulled from the recipe book but not yet tested.\nWednesday, June 17th Summer thinking baked oatmeal (see recipe book for an untested recipe) → [[Baked oatmeal]] ","title":"June 2026","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"Lemon chicken is great on salad, in wraps, or in rice bowls.\nMechanic A weight-based Mediterranean marinade built on a 1.6:1 ratio of fat to acid (80 g oil : 50 g lemon juice). Lemon zest does more flavour work than the juice alone; don\u0026rsquo;t skip it. MSG rounds out the savouriness, so you can use less salt.\n1.6Oil : 1Lemon By weight Ingredients 80 g extra-virgin olive oil 50 g fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon) zest of 1 lemon 25 g garlic cloves, minced (3–4 large) 5 g dried oregano 3 g sweet paprika 4 g black pepper, freshly cracked 2 g dried thyme 7 g kosher salt 2 g MSG Method Whisk all ingredients together. Taste: it should be sharply lemony, well-seasoned, and fragrant.\nAdd protein and coat thoroughly. Marinate in the fridge: 30 minutes for thin cuts, up to 12 hours for bone-in pieces or whole breasts.\nTo serve On chicken kebabs, spatchcocked chicken, or thighs. Works for pork as well.\nNotes Increase paprika to 6 g for deeper colour on the grill. Hold back a portion before adding raw meat and use it as a basting liquid. ","date":"24 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/lemon-chicken-marinade/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Lemon chicken is great on salad, in wraps, or in rice bowls.\nMechanic A weight-based Mediterranean marinade built on a 1.6:1 ratio of fat to acid (80 g oil : 50 g lemon juice). Lemon zest does more flavour work than the juice alone; don’t skip it. MSG rounds out the savouriness, so you can use less salt.\n","title":"Lemon chicken marinade","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A Vietnamese home-style dish: fried tofu braised briefly in a quick tomato and shallot sauce.\nMechanic The key is frying the tofu separately before it meets the sauce. A golden crust holds shape during the braise and absorbs flavour without turning to mush. Lard rather than oil deepens the sauce noticeably: worth seeking out.\nIngredients 3 blocks firm tofu, each cut into 6 pieces 2 large tomatoes (or 4 small), cut into thin wedges 2 shallots, sliced thin 3 green onions, finely chopped neutral oil, enough to shallow-fry 2 tablespoons lard 1 teaspoon seasoning powder (Vietnamese hạt nêm, or chicken or mushroom bouillon powder) ½ teaspoon MSG 1 teaspoon sugar a pinch of salt or a dash of fish sauce (to help the tomatoes soften) 120 ml (½ cup) water black pepper, to finish Method Rinse and pat the tofu dry.\nHeat a generous amount of oil in a pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the tofu and fry undisturbed until golden on the first side, then flip and repeat. Remove and set aside.\nIn a separate pot, heat the lard over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, seasoning powder, MSG, sugar, and a pinch of salt or fish sauce. Stir and cook for about 3 minutes.\nAdd the water. Cover and simmer on low, occasionally pressing the tomatoes with the back of a spoon until they break down and the sauce is sufficient to coat all the tofu, about 5 minutes. Add a splash more water if needed.\nTaste and adjust seasoning. Add the fried tofu, fold gently to coat. Cover and cook until the tofu softens and absorbs the sauce, about 5 minutes.\nFinish with black pepper and green onions.\nTo serve With steamed rice and a bowl of boiled vegetable soup.\nNotes Fish sauce or salt added with the tomatoes helps them break down faster. ","date":"18 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/tofu-in-tomato-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A Vietnamese home-style dish: fried tofu braised briefly in a quick tomato and shallot sauce.\nMechanic The key is frying the tofu separately before it meets the sauce. A golden crust holds shape during the braise and absorbs flavour without turning to mush. Lard rather than oil deepens the sauce noticeably: worth seeking out.\n","title":"Tofu in tomato sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Fajita rice bowls are a quick weeknight dinner.\nMechanic The marinade leans on toasted cumin and a cinnamon-forward spice blend as much as the acid-fat ratio. Pounding the chicken to even thickness is the key to consistent browning on a broil or grill. Toast and grind the whole cumin; pre-ground is noticeably flatter.\nChicken 700g chicken breasts (3–4), pounded to 1.5 cm thick 100ml fresh lime juice, plus zest of the limes 80ml olive oil 10g dark brown sugar (or white sugar, maple syrup) 30g fresh cilantro, stalks finely diced, leaves coarsely chopped 3 cloves garlic, finely minced 7g whole cumin (2½ teaspoons) 1g black pepper (½ teaspoon), ground ¼ stick cinnamon, ground (or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon) 1–2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano pinch dried thyme 1 fresh red chili, minced (optional) chili or sweet paprika to taste 6g kosher salt (1 teaspoon) 1g MSG (¼ teaspoon) Toast the cumin in a dry pan until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Cool and grind.\nCombine everything except the chicken. Taste for balanced acid, salt, and a little sweetness, and adjust.\nAdd the chicken and coat well. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to 12 hours.\nGrill or broil the chicken until browned and the centre reads 68°C (154°F). At this thickness the last minutes of cooking count toward the safety hold; see [[Food safety: time and temperature]]. Rest 5 minutes, then slice or pull.\nVegetables 2 tbsp neutral oil 300g corn kernels (2 cups) 1 clove garlic, minced 2 bell peppers, sliced into strips 1 large onion, sliced fajita-style Salt Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan until shimmering. Add the corn with a pinch of salt and the garlic, and cook until spotty black, about 5 minutes.\nHeat the rest of the oil in a wok or cast iron over high heat. Fry the peppers and onion until softened and charred at the edges.\nTo serve 150 g slaw (about 2 cups), as a base Guacamole and salsa Tortillas (optional) Start with a base of slaw. Add the corn, peppers and onion, chicken, guacamole, and salsa. Tortillas on the side.\nNotes Paprika gives colour if you skip the fresh chili. Salsa and guacamole work as the dressing; a creamy cilantro-lime crema also works. Cook the chicken to 74°C (165°F) for vulnerable guests. ","date":"16 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/fajita-chicken-bowl/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Fajita rice bowls are a quick weeknight dinner.\nMechanic The marinade leans on toasted cumin and a cinnamon-forward spice blend as much as the acid-fat ratio. Pounding the chicken to even thickness is the key to consistent browning on a broil or grill. Toast and grind the whole cumin; pre-ground is noticeably flatter.\n","title":"Fajita chicken bowl","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is my favourite spring and summer drink.\nIngredients 400 ml cold brewed tea 3 heaping tsp sugar 15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh lime juice 10 ml (2 tsp) fresh lemon juice ice Method Put the sugar, lime juice, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker (or a pint glass, with a second one to cap it) with ice. Add the tea and shake until cold and slightly frothy.\nStrain over fresh ice in a tall glass.\nTo serve Straight. As written it leans tart; add another half-teaspoon of sugar if you like it sweeter.\nVariations Weight-based batch 350 g strong black tea, 40 g 1:1 simple syrup, and 30 g citrus juice (3:1 lime to lemon). Stir over ice in a pitcher rather than shaking. Scales cleanly to any size.\nCold brew batch Steep tea bags in 1 L cold water overnight in the fridge. Combine the 1 L of cold brew with 90 g white sugar and 65 ml lime juice, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Serve over ice. No shaking needed: cold brew is already smooth and low in bitterness.\n","date":"16 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/lemon-lime-iced-tea/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is my favourite spring and summer drink.\nIngredients 400 ml cold brewed tea 3 heaping tsp sugar 15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh lime juice 10 ml (2 tsp) fresh lemon juice ice Method Put the sugar, lime juice, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker (or a pint glass, with a second one to cap it) with ice. Add the tea and shake until cold and slightly frothy.\n","title":"Lemon-lime iced tea","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a lovely, light, chocolate cake.\nMechanic The beaten eggs and sugar are the only leavening: no flour, no baking powder. Beat until the mixture has tripled in volume and gone very pale; this is what lifts the cake. Ground almonds give it structure and a dense, fudgy crumb. Don\u0026rsquo;t overbake: the skewer test fails here. You want the crust firm and the interior still moist.\nIngredients 200 g dark chocolate (75–80% cocoa) 200 g unsalted butter, chopped 5 large eggs (or 6 medium) 200 g soft brown sugar 120 g ground almonds 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Pinch of salt Cocoa powder, for dusting Method Heat the oven to 170°C fan, or 190°C (375°F) conventional. Line a 23 cm (9 in) cake tin with baking parchment.\nBreak the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl with the butter. Set over a saucepan with a few centimetres of simmering water. Melt slowly, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat immediately.\nBreak the eggs into a large bowl. Add the brown sugar and beat with an electric whisk until very pale and tripled in volume, about 4 minutes (8–10 minutes by hand).\nPour in the chocolate-butter mixture and whisk to combine.\nSprinkle over the ground almonds, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until just incorporated.\nPour into the prepared tin, scraping out every drop with the spatula.\nBake 30–35 minutes, until the top is firm and no longer jiggles. If you can feel liquid under the crust, give it 5 more minutes.\nCool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before turning out.\nTo serve With whipped cream sweetened with a little icing sugar, and a dusting of cocoa sifted over the top.\nNotes Improves on the second day. Stores well in a tin for 2–3 days.\n","date":"9 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/almond-chocolate-cake/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a lovely, light, chocolate cake.\nMechanic The beaten eggs and sugar are the only leavening: no flour, no baking powder. Beat until the mixture has tripled in volume and gone very pale; this is what lifts the cake. Ground almonds give it structure and a dense, fudgy crumb. Don’t overbake: the skewer test fails here. You want the crust firm and the interior still moist.\n","title":"Almond chocolate cake","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"9 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/chocolate/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Chocolate","type":"tags"},{"content":"This is the chocolate cake of my childhood, but using a more nuanced technique.\nMechanic About 1:3.6 cocoa to flour by weight (75 g to 270 g). The fat combination (butter for flavour, oil for lasting moisture) outperforms either alone. One-bowl method: wet into dry. The batter is intentionally thin. Bake to touch, not skewer.\nIngredients 270 g (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour 75 g (¾ cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder 300 g (1½ cups) granulated sugar 75 g (⅓ cup packed) light brown sugar 1½ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 3 large eggs 85 g (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled 60 g (¼ cup) vegetable oil 240 ml (1 cup) warm brewed coffee or water 120 ml (½ cup) whole milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Method Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease two 23 cm (9 in) round pans and line the bases with parchment.\nWhisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.\nIn a measuring jug, combine butter, oil, eggs, coffee, milk, and vanilla. Whisk briefly to break up the eggs.\nPour the wet mixture into the dry. Whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. The batter will be thin. This is correct.\nDivide evenly between the prepared pans. Bake until the top springs back when pressed and the edges have pulled slightly from the sides, 28–32 minutes.\nCool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out and cool completely on a rack before frosting.\nTo serve Frosted as a layer cake, or dusted with cocoa and eaten with whipped cream.\nVariations Buttermilk Replace the whole milk with 120 ml buttermilk (1:1 swap) and reduce the baking soda to 1¼ teaspoons. Adds tang and tightens the crumb slightly. If you want the full buttermilk effect, replace both the milk and the coffee with 360 ml buttermilk total and reduce the baking soda to 1 teaspoon. No buttermilk on hand? Mix ½ cup evaporated milk and ½ cup water (or 1 cup whole milk) with 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice, and let it sit for 5 minutes.\nSheet cake Pour all the batter into a single 23 × 33 cm (9 × 13 in) pan. Bake 34–38 minutes.\nNotes Coffee in the wet mix deepens the cocoa without adding coffee flavour at this proportion. Water works but coffee is better. Dutch-process cocoa is strongly preferred. Natural cocoa gives a lighter result and needs the baking soda increased by ¼ teaspoon. Keeps 2 days at room temperature, tightly wrapped. Improves slightly on day 2. Synthesized from King Arthur Baking, Smitten Kitchen, and Mel\u0026rsquo;s Kitchen Cafe. ","date":"9 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/never-fail-chocolate-cake/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is the chocolate cake of my childhood, but using a more nuanced technique.\nMechanic About 1:3.6 cocoa to flour by weight (75 g to 270 g). The fat combination (butter for flavour, oil for lasting moisture) outperforms either alone. One-bowl method: wet into dry. The batter is intentionally thin. Bake to touch, not skewer.\n","title":"Never-fail chocolate cake","type":"recipes"},{"content":"I use this spice blend a few times a week. It\u0026rsquo;s perfect for grilled chicken or pork.\nMechanic The flavour comes from the salt-to-sugar ratio of roughly 1:1.6 by weight (270 g salt to 460 g combined sugar). Brown sugar adds depth and caramelization; white keeps it clean. MSG rounds out the savoury end without adding any single identifiable flavour. The lemon notes come from the coriander and poultry seasoning; the smoky notes come from the Tellicherry pepper (the brand I buy is smoky).\n1Salt : 1.6Sugar By weight, brown and white sugar together Ingredients 270 g kosher salt 360 g brown sugar, packed (break up clumps before measuring) 100 g white sugar 16 g poultry seasoning (ground rosemary, sage, thyme, marjoram; any blend works) 7 g Tellicherry black pepper, ground 7 g white pepper, ground 6 g ground coriander 9 g MSG (Accent) Method Grind any spices that aren\u0026rsquo;t already fairly fine. Break up brown sugar clumps with a fork. Combine all ingredients in a large sealable container. Seal and shake to combine, then stir with a spoon to catch anything settled at the bottom. Taste: it should be sweet, savoury, with lemon and smoky notes.\nTo serve Rub generously onto chicken or pork before grilling, smoking, or roasting. Works as an overnight dry brine.\nNotes Spice weights (pepper, coriander, poultry seasoning) are estimates; volume measurements are fine here since small variations don\u0026rsquo;t shift the flavour much. The salt and sugar weights are precise and worth following by weight for batch consistency. Scales linearly: the core ratio is salt (270 g) : brown sugar (360 g) : white sugar (100 g). Store sealed at room temperature; keeps for several months. ","date":"8 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/bruces-poultry-and-pork-spice-rub/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I use this spice blend a few times a week. It’s perfect for grilled chicken or pork.\nMechanic The flavour comes from the salt-to-sugar ratio of roughly 1:1.6 by weight (270 g salt to 460 g combined sugar). Brown sugar adds depth and caramelization; white keeps it clean. MSG rounds out the savoury end without adding any single identifiable flavour. The lemon notes come from the coriander and poultry seasoning; the smoky notes come from the Tellicherry pepper (the brand I buy is smoky).\n","title":"Bruce's poultry and pork spice rub","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a warming, filling, vegetarian delight.\nMechanic Red lentils cook fast and dissolve into a creamy base. The ratio matters: 1 cup lentils to 4–5 cups water. Less water (1:4) gives a thicker dal you can heap on rice; more (1:5) gives something looser.\n1Lentils : 4–5Water 1:4 for a thicker dal, 1:5 looser The tadka is not garnish. Hot fat with spices poured over at the end is the flavour. Don\u0026rsquo;t skip it.\nDal 200 g red lentils (masoor dal, about 1 cup), rinsed until the water runs clear add split peas for more texture (add ~10 minutes pressure cooking time) 1.2 L water (5 cups) 2 tomatoes, chopped 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated or minced (or 1 tsp paste as a fallback) 1½ tsp turmeric ¾ tsp garam masala ¼ tsp cinnamon (optional, adds warmth) 3–4 garlic cloves, minced salt, to taste Add the dal ingredients to a pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir and lightly mash; the lentils should dissolve into a smooth, creamy texture. Taste and adjust the salt.\nTadka 2 tbsp butter (or ghee; ghee is better) 1 small red onion, sliced 4–5 garlic cloves, sliced thin 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 whole cloves (optional) ½ tsp fenugreek seeds (optional) a pinch of hing, or asafoetida (optional) Melt the fat in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds, and the cloves and fenugreek, if using. When the cumin sizzles, add the garlic, onion, and hing. Fry until golden and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes. Pour over the dal and cover for a minute to let it infuse.\nTo serve Warm basmati rice, plain raita, a crunchy salad (tomatoes, onion, cucumber, lime, salt), lime pickle on the side.\nVariations Onion-first dal Cook a diced onion in oil until golden, then add the garlic, ginger, ground coriander, and turmeric before the lentils go in, so the lentils absorb a more developed flavour. Use the 1:4 ratio for a thicker result. Finish with lemon juice and the garam masala off the heat. The tadka is simpler: ghee, cumin, hing, and a dried red chili. Adapted from Vice.\nCoconut cream dal Use yellow split peas instead of masoor (400 g, no soak needed). Sauté a diced onion in oil until soft, add 2 tbsp ginger and 1 tsp crushed red chili, then stir in the dal\u0026rsquo;s spices (turmeric, garam masala, and cinnamon) for one minute. Add 1 tsp honey, a 400 g can of crushed tomatoes, a 400 ml can of coconut cream, and 3 cups water. Stir in the split peas and simmer, covered, for 80 minutes, stirring occasionally.\nGo deeper Use toor dal (yellow split pigeon peas) instead of masoor; it\u0026rsquo;s nuttier and slower to cook (40 minutes simmered, or 8 minutes in a pressure cooker). Build the base separately with more spice: coriander seeds, cloves, Kashmiri chili powder.\nFor smokiness, try the dhungar technique: nestle a small metal bowl in the pot, drop in a lit piece of charcoal, add a splash of ghee, and put the lid on for 5 minutes.\nNotes Masoor (red lentils) need no soaking. Toor dal benefits from 30 minutes in water first. Hing smells aggressive in the jar; it mellows completely in hot fat and adds a savoury depth. After pouring the tadka, spoon a bit of dal into the pan, stir to pick up the remaining spiced fat, and return it to the pot. Leftovers thicken considerably. Loosen with water when reheating. ","date":"2 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/dal-tadka/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a warming, filling, vegetarian delight.\nMechanic Red lentils cook fast and dissolve into a creamy base. The ratio matters: 1 cup lentils to 4–5 cups water. Less water (1:4) gives a thicker dal you can heap on rice; more (1:5) gives something looser.\n","title":"Dal tadka","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a tasty topping for fruit, crisp casseroles, and other desserts.\nMechanic The topping works as a top crust, a bottom crust, or both. Cold fat is what creates the crumbly, sandy texture; cut it in until the mixture clumps when pressed but stays loose otherwise. This v2 uses 60 g butter + 20 g neutral oil instead of all butter, which slightly reduces richness and keeps the oats crisping evenly. Sugar is high (130 g, more than the oats and flour combined), which is what caramelizes and crisps the top; use less when the fruit is already sweet.\nIngredients 55 g old-fashioned rolled oats (⅔ cup) 50 g all-purpose flour (⅓ cup) 130 g brown sugar, packed (⅔ cup), or 60 g cane sugar for a much less sweet topping, or maple syrup to taste 2.5 g salt (½ teaspoon) 60 g cold butter, cubed 20 g neutral oil Method Combine oats, flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the butter cubes and oil. Work the butter in with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture holds together when squeezed but stays crumbly. Don\u0026rsquo;t overmix; visible butter pieces are fine.\nIf using it as both a bottom and top crust, make 1½–2 batches. Press about half into the pan and par-bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes. Add the fruit, scatter the rest of the topping over it, and bake until the crust is golden and crisp, about 25 more minutes.\nIf using only as a topping, press loosely over the fruit and bake at 180°C (350°F) until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbling at the edges, about 35 minutes.\nTo serve With vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Best warm.\nNotes Fruit layer is not defined here. Add it based on what\u0026rsquo;s in season. Stone fruit and berries need minimal sugar; apples and pears benefit from a bit more and some cinnamon. The oil substitution is intentional; all butter is richer but the oats don\u0026rsquo;t crisp as evenly. One batch gives a thin layer over a 23×33 cm (9×13 in) pan. Make 1½ batches for a thick top, or when using it as both the bottom and top crust. For single-serve ramekins, see [[Fruit crisp (individual)]], which uses a softer melted-butter topping. Maple syrup in place of brown sugar adds flavour but loosens the mixture; reduce oil slightly to compensate. ","date":"1 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/crisp-topping/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a tasty topping for fruit, crisp casseroles, and other desserts.\nMechanic The topping works as a top crust, a bottom crust, or both. Cold fat is what creates the crumbly, sandy texture; cut it in until the mixture clumps when pressed but stays loose otherwise. This v2 uses 60 g butter + 20 g neutral oil instead of all butter, which slightly reduces richness and keeps the oats crisping evenly. Sugar is high (130 g, more than the oats and flour combined), which is what caramelizes and crisps the top; use less when the fruit is already sweet.\n","title":"Crisp topping","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A fajita chicken marinade and bowl format built out and tested, a lemon chicken marinade and a crisp topping recipe finalized, plus early research into West African stews (yassa, mafe) and Turkish kebabs for later.\nSunday, May 24th Research Turkish kebabs Lemon chicken marinade → [[Lemon chicken marinade]]\n80 g extra virgin olive oil 50 g fresh lemon juice (~1 large lemon) 1 lemon, zested 25 g garlic cloves, minced (3-4 large) 5 g dried oregano 3 g sweet paprika 4 g black pepper, freshly cracked 2 g dried thyme 7 g kosher salt (and 2 g MSG) Monday, May 18th Research Yassa and mafe (Senegalese braise/stews, not too far from curry) mafe (1, 2, 3) yassa (1) Saturday, May 16th Fajita salads/bowls → [[Fajita chicken bowl]]\nfajita marinated chicken (1, 2) 3-4 chicken breasts pounded to ½-inch thick, or whole (marinate longer) 100 ml lime juice + zest (if from fresh) 80 ml olive oil 10 g dark brown sugar (or white sugar, maple syrup, etc.) ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I finely dice the stalks for marinade) 3 cloves finely minced garlic 2 ½ teaspoons whole cumin, toasted and ground ½ tsp ground black pepper Mexican oregano, thyme cinnamon (¼ stick) chilies (to taste, I sometimes use sweet paprika for colour) 1 teaspoon kosher salt ¼ tsp MSG Added: cinnamon, oregano, thyme, MSG, chilies.\nToast whole spices, and grind.\nAssemble marinade, and season to taste (it should be a balanced acid/sweet/salt, with some depth).\nMarinate chicken (30 minutes to 12 hours), and cook (grill or broil) to medium (or ~62°C, resting to 65°C). You want consistent browning in addition to an internal temperature exceeding 62°C.\nSalad/bowl version pan-fried corn (salt, garlic, oil), until slightly blackened fajita-sliced onion, peppers (fried, or sautéed) wok can work here! slaw as a base tortillas pulled/diced chicken (from above) guac + salsa dressing Lemon/lime-aid iced tea, single serving → [[Lemon-lime iced tea]]\n3 heaping teaspoons sugar 3 dashes lime juice, 2 dashes lemon 500-700 ml cold tea Shake with ice in a martini shaker, serve over ice. Balances sweet and tart, and is a nice sunny day treat.\nFriday, May 1st Crisp, v2 + clean the cupboards For crisp topping/crust, combine: → [[Crisp topping]]\n1 cup old-fashioned oats 55 g ⅔ cup flour 50 g 1 cup brown sugar (maple syrup, white sugar) 130 g 60 g cane sugar (like brown) 2 tsp salt and 12 tbsp (¾ cup) cold butter to create the base (use fingers, or pie thingy) 60 g butter 20 g oil Par cook bottom crust (if adding).\nCook until top crust is crispy.\nDal → [[Dal tadka]]\n1, 2, 3 ","date":"1 May 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2026-may/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A fajita chicken marinade and bowl format built out and tested, a lemon chicken marinade and a crisp topping recipe finalized, plus early research into West African stews (yassa, mafe) and Turkish kebabs for later.\n","title":"May 2026","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"This is a warm, filling Japanese stir-fry.\nIngredients Sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 teaspoon granulated sugar Stir-fry 2 chicken breasts, cut into 4 cm strips Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1 small onion, sliced 1 carrot, cut into thin planks ½ head green cabbage, roughly chopped 3 green onions, cut into thirds 100 g (1 cup) bean sprouts 450 g yakisoba noodles (e.g. Maruchan) Method Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.\nSeason the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until browned and the centre reads 68°C (155°F), about 7 minutes. Set it aside.\nAdd the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Sauté the onion and carrot until just softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cabbage, green onions, and bean sprouts, and stir-fry until the cabbage wilts slightly and some vegetables start to brown, 4–5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.\nCook the noodles according to the package, discarding any seasoning packets. Drain well. Add the noodles to the skillet and toss to distribute the vegetables. Return the chicken, pour over the sauce, and toss to coat. Stir-fry until the noodles start to brown in places, 2–3 minutes. Serve immediately.\nNotes The ketchup is not a mistake. It\u0026rsquo;s a tomato-based umami hit that\u0026rsquo;s common in Japanese-style yakisoba sauce. Garlic and fresh ginger (added with the onion and carrot) make a noticeable improvement. ","date":"18 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/chicken-yakisoba/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a warm, filling Japanese stir-fry.\nIngredients Sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 1 teaspoon granulated sugar Stir-fry 2 chicken breasts, cut into 4 cm strips Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1 small onion, sliced 1 carrot, cut into thin planks ½ head green cabbage, roughly chopped 3 green onions, cut into thirds 100 g (1 cup) bean sprouts 450 g yakisoba noodles (e.g. Maruchan) Method Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.\n","title":"Chicken yakisoba","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"18 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/chinese/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Chinese","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"All the flavour of egg rolls without the wrapper: ground pork with cabbage, carrot, ginger, and sesame. Low-carb, quick, and highly riff-able.\nIngredients 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled ginger 450 g ground pork 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil ¼ head green cabbage, thinly sliced ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced 110 g shredded carrot 60 ml reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon sriracha Kosher salt 1 green onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds Method Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.\nAdd the pork and cook, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 8–10 minutes.\nPush the pork to the side and pour in the sesame oil. Add the cabbage, onion, and carrot, and stir them into the meat. Add the soy sauce and sriracha. Cook, stirring often, until the cabbage is tender, 5–8 minutes. Season with salt.\nDivide among bowls. Top with the green onion and sesame seeds.\nNotes A bag of coleslaw mix is a great shortcut in place of the cabbage and carrot. If the pork releases a lot of fat, drain before adding the sesame oil. You\u0026rsquo;ll get a proper stir-fry instead of a braise. Good base for additions: a splash of rice vinegar, fish sauce, or oyster sauce deepens the flavour. Serve as-is for low-carb, or over rice or cauliflower rice. ","date":"18 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/egg-roll-bowls/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"All the flavour of egg rolls without the wrapper: ground pork with cabbage, carrot, ginger, and sesame. Low-carb, quick, and highly riff-able.\nIngredients 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled ginger 450 g ground pork 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil ¼ head green cabbage, thinly sliced ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced 110 g shredded carrot 60 ml reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon sriracha Kosher salt 1 green onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds Method Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.\n","title":"Egg roll bowls","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Soft, chewy hoagie rolls built for serious sandwiches. A hoagie roll is a sort of baguette for sub-style sandwiches, and these swap in for beef dips, subs, po\u0026rsquo; boys, or even hamburger buns (halved). They have body and a bit of crust, and hold up to robust fillings.\nMechanic Diastatic malt powder is the key ingredient: its enzymes turn starch into sugar, which feeds the yeast and promotes browning. Steam in the first minutes of the bake gives the rolls a proper crust.\nDough 260 g 1% milk 6 g instant yeast 8 g diastatic malt powder 400 g bread flour 10 g honey 20 g olive oil, or melted and partly cooled butter 8 g salt Warm the milk to 40–43°C (105–110°F). Stir in the yeast and malt powder and let stand until foamy, 3–5 minutes. If there are no real bubbles by 20 minutes, the yeast is dead; start again with fresh yeast.\nCombine the flour, honey, oil, and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix by hand until no dry flour remains, about 2 minutes. Cover and rest 15 minutes.\nKnead on a clean surface until smooth and no longer sticky, 8–10 minutes, or about 10 minutes with a dough hook. It\u0026rsquo;s ready when a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through without tearing (the windowpane test).\nReturn the dough to the bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, 45–60 minutes. Or ferment it in the fridge for 12–24 hours.\nShaping and baking Cornmeal, for the pan 1 egg white, beaten with a splash of water 4–5 ice cubes, for steam Sesame seeds, dried herbs, or everything bagel seasoning (optional) Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 equal pieces, about 175 g each. Press each into a rectangle about 20 cm wide and 2.5 cm thick. Roll it up tightly from the bottom, seal the seam, and roll it out into a cylinder about 25 cm long. Set on cornmeal-dusted baking sheets, 2 per sheet.\nCover loosely and let rise until 1.5–2 times the size, 45–60 minutes. A gentle poke should spring back slowly.\nFifteen minutes before the rolls are ready, heat the oven to 190°C (375°F), with convection if you have it, and put an oven-safe pan on the bottom rack.\nScore each roll with one long slash at 45°, off to one side. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with cornmeal or toppings. Load the rolls onto the middle rack and toss the ice cubes onto the hot pan. Bake 10 minutes, rotate, then bake another 8–10 minutes, until golden and the centre reads 93°C (200°F).\nCool completely on a wire rack.\nNotes Diastatic malt powder is sold at baking specialty shops and online. It\u0026rsquo;s not the same as malted milk powder. Texture improves overnight. For that chewy hoagie texture, bag the cooled rolls and refrigerate them for 24 hours before making sandwiches. For a lighter dough, cut the milk 50:50 with water. For a denser, softer crumb, use cream. A 50:50 mix of whole wheat and white flour, or all-purpose flour, also works. A food-safe spray bottle helps: mist the rolls before they go in and again halfway through. ","date":"18 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/hoagie-rolls/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Soft, chewy hoagie rolls built for serious sandwiches. A hoagie roll is a sort of baguette for sub-style sandwiches, and these swap in for beef dips, subs, po’ boys, or even hamburger buns (halved). They have body and a bit of crust, and hold up to robust fillings.\n","title":"Hoagie rolls","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Kālua pig and cabbage is Hawaiʻi\u0026rsquo;s ultimate comfort food: slow-cooked pork shoulder until it\u0026rsquo;s fall-apart tender, then finished with wilted cabbage and a splash of soy sauce. Traditionally cooked in an imu (underground oven); this slow cooker version is a weeknight-friendly stand-in.\nIngredients 1.5–2.3 kg pork shoulder (butt) flaky sea salt freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 800 g green cabbage (about ¾ head), chopped into 2.5 cm pieces 60 ml reduced-sodium soy sauce Method Season the pork generously on all sides with salt and pepper, rubbing it into the meat.\nPut the pork in a slow cooker. Add the Worcestershire sauce and turn the pork to coat. Cover and cook on low until tender enough to shred with a fork, 7–9 hours depending on size.\nShred the meat with two forks, leaving the drippings in the slow cooker. Add a third of the cabbage. Once it cooks down, stir and add another third; repeat until all the cabbage is wilted, about 30 minutes total.\nKeep cooking on low until the pork and cabbage are very tender, 30–60 minutes more. Stir in the soy sauce, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper.\nTo serve Ladle the pork, cabbage, and some juices over white rice.\nNotes Liquid smoke (a few drops rubbed into the pork with the salt) gets you closer to the traditional imu smoke flavour. The drippings are key. Don\u0026rsquo;t drain them before adding the cabbage. For an oven or pressure-cooker version with a sauce, see [[Maui/Kalua pulled pork]]. ","date":"18 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/kalua-pig-cabbage/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Kālua pig and cabbage is Hawaiʻi’s ultimate comfort food: slow-cooked pork shoulder until it’s fall-apart tender, then finished with wilted cabbage and a splash of soy sauce. Traditionally cooked in an imu (underground oven); this slow cooker version is a weeknight-friendly stand-in.\n","title":"Kālua pig \u0026 cabbage","type":"recipes"},{"content":"All the flavour of pork dumplings, ground pork, shrimp, cabbage, and green onions, tossed with chewy wheat noodles instead of wrapped. Weeknight-friendly.\nIngredients 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 340 g ground pork 115 g shrimp, peeled, deveined, finely chopped ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided 450 g Napa cabbage, coarsely chopped 450 g Shanghai or thick-cut wheat noodles 225 g shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, thinly sliced 5 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, divided 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 3–5 green onions, sliced 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger 60 ml Chinese light soy sauce ½ teaspoon white pepper (optional) Black vinegar and chili oil, for serving Method Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large wok or high-sided skillet over high heat. Cook pork, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until just a little pink remains, 3–5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until opaque, about 2 minutes more; season with ½ teaspoon salt. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl.\nIn the same wok over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Cook cabbage, stirring frequently, until wilted, tender, and lightly golden at the edges, 5–6 minutes; season with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Transfer to the bowl with the pork and shrimp.\nMeanwhile, cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente per package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Set aside.\nIn the same wok over medium heat, heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add mushrooms and 3 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, browned, and reduced, 5–7 minutes. Add green onions, garlic, and ginger and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper (if using), and remaining 2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine; toss to combine. Return the cabbage and pork mixture to the wok, then add noodles, and toss well to coat.\nTo serve Divided among bowls, with black vinegar and chili oil.\nNotes Regular (not low-sodium) soy sauce gives better flavour; reviewers who used low-sodium found it underseasoned. Udon noodles work well as a substitute for Shanghai wheat noodles. ","date":"18 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pork-dumpling-bowls/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"All the flavour of pork dumplings, ground pork, shrimp, cabbage, and green onions, tossed with chewy wheat noodles instead of wrapped. Weeknight-friendly.\nIngredients 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 340 g ground pork 115 g shrimp, peeled, deveined, finely chopped ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided 450 g Napa cabbage, coarsely chopped 450 g Shanghai or thick-cut wheat noodles 225 g shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, thinly sliced 5 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, divided 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 3–5 green onions, sliced 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 teaspoons finely grated peeled ginger 60 ml Chinese light soy sauce ½ teaspoon white pepper (optional) Black vinegar and chili oil, for serving Method Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large wok or high-sided skillet over high heat. Cook pork, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until just a little pink remains, 3–5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, until opaque, about 2 minutes more; season with ½ teaspoon salt. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl.\n","title":"Pork dumpling bowls","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Sometimes you just want a small portion of crisp. For science, of course.\nIngredients Filling 500 g (3 cups) fresh or frozen berries or stone fruit 50 g granulated sugar (¼ cup) 2 teaspoons cornstarch (use 1½ tablespoons for a thicker filling) 10 ml lemon juice (2 teaspoons) pinch of salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for stone fruit and berry combinations) Topping 45 g old-fashioned rolled oats (½ cup) 60 g salted butter, melted (¼ cup) 50 g brown sugar (¼ cup) 30 g all-purpose flour (¼ cup) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon cinnamon Method Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease 4 ramekins.\nToss the filling ingredients together until the fruit is evenly coated. The cornstarch will thicken as it bakes; for a thicker filling you can cook the fruit briefly on the stovetop first.\nStir the topping ingredients together until the mixture is batter-like.\nDivide the filling among the ramekins. Spoon the topping evenly over each.\nBake until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges, 20–25 minutes. Frozen fruit takes the longer end or a few minutes more.\nTo serve Warm, with ice cream or whipped cream.\nNotes Tested with strawberry-rhubarb and vanilla. Good result. Can be made in one cake pan instead; increase the baking time to 30–35 minutes. For a full-pan topping, see [[Crisp topping]]. It uses cold butter cut into the dry ingredients, which gives a sandier, crisper result than this melted-butter version. ","date":"17 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/fruit-crisp-individual/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Sometimes you just want a small portion of crisp. For science, of course.\nIngredients Filling 500 g (3 cups) fresh or frozen berries or stone fruit 50 g granulated sugar (¼ cup) 2 teaspoons cornstarch (use 1½ tablespoons for a thicker filling) 10 ml lemon juice (2 teaspoons) pinch of salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (for stone fruit and berry combinations) Topping 45 g old-fashioned rolled oats (½ cup) 60 g salted butter, melted (¼ cup) 50 g brown sugar (¼ cup) 30 g all-purpose flour (¼ cup) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon cinnamon Method Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease 4 ramekins.\n","title":"Fruit crisp (individual)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A run of quick-dinner formulas locked in: breakfast wraps on the plancha, fast sauced noodle bowls, and rice bowls v3 with three tested proteins (teriyaki, bulgogi, oyster-soy-sake); a fruit crisp tested with strawberry and rhubarb; and a complicated teriyaki sauce recipe rejected in favour of the simpler 1:1:1 ratio already in the book.\nMonday, April 27th Various tests Breakfast wraps (to use wraps up) → plancha was great Noodle dishes (sauced noodle + toppings) ← this works well + is fast Rice bowls, v3 → [[Simple rice bowls]] quick pickled carrots + cukes cabbage slaw (kewpie, ponzu) stir fry protein + larger veg tested: teriyaki, bulgogi, and oyster/soy/sake rice or quinoa base Friday, April 17th Food thinking for the rest of spring better scrambles cabbage uses ← watch/read/learn desserts ← practice Crisp, simpler crust Combine 1 cup old-fashioned oats, ⅔ cup flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 12 tbsp (¾ cup) cold butter to create the base.\nSome notes in Obsidian.\nQuick crisp → [[Fruit crisp (individual)]]\nFilling\n2 cups fresh or frozen berries/fruit ¼ cup granulated sugar 2 tsp cornstarch (use 1½ tbsp for a thicker filling) 2 tsp lemon juice pinch of salt vanilla (for some fruits, at least) Can be added without cooking, or can quickly cook down (to thicken to taste).\ntested with strawberries + rhubarb (and vanilla) Oat topping\n½ cup old-fashioned oats ¼ cup salted butter, melted (or softened for chunkier crumble) ¼ cup brown sugar ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional) ½ tsp cinnamon (optional) Instructions\nMix filling ingredients in a bowl until evenly coated. Mix topping ingredients in a separate bowl until batter-like. Preheat the oven to 176°C (350°F). Grease 4 ramekins (7 oz) or one cake pan. Divide filling into dishes, then spoon topping evenly over each. Bake at 176°C (350°F) for 10-15 minutes until topping is golden and filling is bubbling. Serve warm, optionally with ice cream or whipped cream. Thursday, April 16th Bowls, v284 For the teriyaki sauce: ← okay, but weird process + too many ingredients\n3 tbsp teriyaki sauce ← this isn\u0026rsquo;t really needed (rando internet recipe) 3 tbsp hoisin sauce 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp white vinegar 1 tbsp sesame oil ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar 2 large or 3 medium garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp freshly grated ginger, or ½ tsp ground ginger I occasionally test other recipes for teriyaki. This was fine, but the 1-1-1 ratio version is simpler and better, so we\u0026rsquo;ll just ignore this weird one. → [[Teriyaki sauce]]\n","date":"1 April 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2026-april/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A run of quick-dinner formulas locked in: breakfast wraps on the plancha, fast sauced noodle bowls, and rice bowls v3 with three tested proteins (teriyaki, bulgogi, oyster-soy-sake); a fruit crisp tested with strawberry and rhubarb; and a complicated teriyaki sauce recipe rejected in favour of the simpler 1:1:1 ratio already in the book.\n","title":"April 2026","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"This is a fresh, quick, and tasty salad dressing. I make this a few times a month.\nIngredients 50 g ripe avocado (about half) 50 g fresh lemon or lime juice 50 g extra virgin olive oil 30 ml maple syrup 15 g fresh ginger, grated 2 g (½ teaspoon) garlic powder 2 g salt Black pepper, to taste 1 g MSG A big pinch of dried thyme 15 ml chicken stock, drippings, or water (optional) Method Blend or whisk all the ingredients until just smooth; don\u0026rsquo;t overblend. Taste and adjust salt and acid.\nTo serve On green salads, grain bowls, or slaws. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 2 days; stir before serving.\nNotes 50 g citrus juice is the working amount; 75 g was too sharp. Chicken stock adds quiet savoury depth; water works if you want this vegetarian. Blend briefly; overblending turns olive oil and herbs bitter. ","date":"24 March 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/avocado-salad-dressing/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a fresh, quick, and tasty salad dressing. I make this a few times a month.\nIngredients 50 g ripe avocado (about half) 50 g fresh lemon or lime juice 50 g extra virgin olive oil 30 ml maple syrup 15 g fresh ginger, grated 2 g (½ teaspoon) garlic powder 2 g salt Black pepper, to taste 1 g MSG A big pinch of dried thyme 15 ml chicken stock, drippings, or water (optional) Method Blend or whisk all the ingredients until just smooth; don’t overblend. Taste and adjust salt and acid.\n","title":"Avocado salad dressing","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"24 March 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/japanese/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Japanese","type":"tags"},{"content":"I ate a handmade wide noodle dish with this tofu that had chew, and depth. This is my version, which I usually use in Japanese-style dishes.\nMechanic Freezing tofu (the Chinese dong doufu technique) expels water and restructures the interior into a sponge. Freeze solid for at least 48 hours, then thaw completely before slicing. The result is chewier and absorbs marinade far more readily than fresh tofu.\nIngredients 400 g firm tofu 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine (or rice wine vinegar) 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated Method Freeze the tofu block in its container for at least 48 hours. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 2–4 hours.\nSqueeze gently to remove any remaining liquid. Slice into 1.5 cm slabs.\nCombine the marinade ingredients. Coat the tofu and marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 4 hours.\nBake on a parchment-lined tray at 200°C (400°F) until browned at the edges, about 20–25 minutes, flipping halfway. Watch for colour rather than time.\nRefrigerate or freeze. Slice for stir-fry or cube for bowls.\nTo serve In rice bowls, stir-fries, or alongside pickled vegetables.\nNotes Frozen tofu keeps for months, so this is an easy way to preserve it and prep for simple meals. A light coat of neutral oil before baking promotes browning. ","date":"24 March 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/marinated-pressed-tofu/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I ate a handmade wide noodle dish with this tofu that had chew, and depth. This is my version, which I usually use in Japanese-style dishes.\nMechanic Freezing tofu (the Chinese dong doufu technique) expels water and restructures the interior into a sponge. Freeze solid for at least 48 hours, then thaw completely before slicing. The result is chewier and absorbs marinade far more readily than fresh tofu.\n","title":"Marinated pressed tofu","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Spring cooking: a quick avocado dressing dialed in (a bit too much citrus at 75g, aim for 50g), a marinated pressed-tofu method worked out for freezer-to-stir-fry, and a wide scatter of recipe research — dal, kale salad, pho meatballs — mostly still just links.\nThursday, March 26th Explorations chia pudding looks neat beef / pork mix (variation of recipe) Tuesday, March 24th Spring is here quick avocado salad dressing ← needs a recipe → [[Avocado salad dressing]] 50 g avocado / half an avocado 50 g lemon/lime juice (used 75 g, was just a bit too much) 25 g olive oil 10 g ginger (grated/jarred) salt, pepper thyme (big pinch) garlic powder (½ teaspoon) 1 g MSG 1 tbsp chicken stock or drippings (or water) Dal/mixed beans [1] marinated pre-frozen + pressed tofu → [[Marinated pressed tofu]] firm freeze in container for 48-72 hours minimum thaw in fridge, slice into slabs marinate with soy rice wine (or rice wine vinegar) sesame oil ginger bake 205°C until browned freeze/fridge slice for stir fry, or cube Thursday, March 5th Random recipes pho meatballs chana palak masala dal palak puppy chow snack ← midwestern quick snack quinoa salmon - two pans instead kale salad (from this vid) simple dressing (lemon, garlic, parm, pepper, salt, olive oil, anchovies) kale breadcrumbs ","date":"1 March 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2026-march/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Spring cooking: a quick avocado dressing dialed in (a bit too much citrus at 75g, aim for 50g), a marinated pressed-tofu method worked out for freezer-to-stir-fry, and a wide scatter of recipe research — dal, kale salad, pho meatballs — mostly still just links.\n","title":"March 2026","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"I was looking for the perfect granola bar recipe, minimizing refined carbs (flour, sugar, and binders) and costs.\nMechanic The binding ratio is dates : oats : nuts at 1:2.5:1 by weight, held together with nut butter and maple syrup. Mashed banana adds adhesion. The mixture sets in the fridge without baking; a short bake firms the bars further if you prefer less chew.\nIngredients 100 g dates, pitted and mashed 250 g rolled oats, toasted 100 g mixed nuts, chopped and toasted 77 g maple syrup 25 g nut butter (almond or peanut) 50 g banana, mashed spices to taste (cinnamon, cardamom) Method Toast oats in a dry pan or at 175°C (350°F) for 10–12 minutes, stirring once, until lightly golden. Cool. Toast nuts separately until fragrant. Cool and chop.\nMash dates until smooth. Combine with maple syrup, nut butter, and banana. Mix until uniform.\nAdd oats, nuts, and spices. Mix well; the mixture should hold when pressed.\nPress firmly into a lined 20×20 cm pan. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before slicing.\nTo serve Cut into bars. Keep refrigerated; they soften at room temperature.\nNotes More banana may improve binding. More dates makes chewier bars; more syrup makes them softer. Toasting the oats is essential for flavour; don\u0026rsquo;t skip it. ","date":"2 February 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/granola-bars/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I was looking for the perfect granola bar recipe, minimizing refined carbs (flour, sugar, and binders) and costs.\nMechanic The binding ratio is dates : oats : nuts at 1:2.5:1 by weight, held together with nut butter and maple syrup. Mashed banana adds adhesion. The mixture sets in the fridge without baking; a short bake firms the bars further if you prefer less chew.\n","title":"Granola bars","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Tested granola bars (assembles in under 20 minutes, held together fine, oats toasted for next time) and built out a lunch rice bowl formula: dry-brined slow-baked pork, pressed tofu, pickled onions, and a dressed cabbage.\nMonday, February 2nd Prep and good food Granola bars (see recipe) → [[Granola bars]] tested as-is, assembles in \u0026lt; 20 minutes stuck together well enough toasted the oats, would also toast nuts next time more bananas? rice bowls (for lunches) → [[Simple rice bowls]] pork (dry brine + mild chilies), baked slow → hot, sliced frozen/pressed tofu pickled onions dressed cabbage (teriyaki, sesame, seasoned vinegar) rice w/mushrooms/t ","date":"1 February 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2026-february/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Tested granola bars (assembles in under 20 minutes, held together fine, oats toasted for next time) and built out a lunch rice bowl formula: dry-brined slow-baked pork, pressed tofu, pickled onions, and a dressed cabbage.\n","title":"February 2026","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"This is one of the best pork recipes I know; tender, savoury, and perfect on soups and with noodles. The braising liquid becomes the tare (seasoning base) for simple ramen broths.\nMechanic The 1:1:1 braise ratio (water : soy : mirin) keeps the pork moist and seasoned through. Refrigerating in the liquid overnight firms the meat and deepens the flavour; slicing cold gives cleaner cuts. Pork belly (or shoulder) braises to 85–93°C for a yielding, fatty result; loin braises to 60°C for a leaner, cleaner slice.\n1Water : 1Soy : 1Mirin Ingredients 500 g pork belly, shoulder, or pork loin (towards the rib end) 250ml water 250ml soy sauce 250ml mirin 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons neutral oil 2 large garlic cloves, crushed 3 green onions, cut into 5 cm lengths 5 cm piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced Method Sear pork on all sides in oil over medium-high heat until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and deglaze the pan with a splash of water.\nReturn pork. Add soy, mirin, water, sugar, garlic, green onion, and ginger. Bring to a low simmer.\nCover and braise over low heat for 1–2 hours, or in a 110°C (230°F) oven. Target 85–93°C (185–200°F) internal for belly or shoulder, 60°C (140°F) for loin.\nCool slightly, then transfer pork and braising liquid to a container. Refrigerate at least 24 hours.\nLift off the fat once cold (keep it for stock if you like), and strain the liquid to use as tare.\nSlice as needed. Reheat in a dry pan, in a little oil, in stock, or in the oven.\nTo serve Over ramen, in rice bowls, alongside pickled vegetables. The braising liquid doubles as a tare for ramen broth.\nVariations Sake oven braise A lighter, less sweet braise inspired by Ramen_Lord. Season the pork with salt and pepper (or [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s poultry and pork spice rub]]). Replace the braising liquid with 250 ml water, 125 ml sake, 125 ml soy sauce, 50 ml mirin, 12.5 g brown sugar, and 1–2 smashed garlic cloves, plus a knob of ginger or some togarashi if you like. Braise uncovered in a 110°C (230°F) oven to the same internal temperatures.\nNotes The tare keeps a week in the fridge and freezes well. Freeze leftover pork after 3 days. Belly is richer and more forgiving on temperature; loin dries out if overcooked. ","date":"11 January 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/chashu-pork/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is one of the best pork recipes I know; tender, savoury, and perfect on soups and with noodles. The braising liquid becomes the tare (seasoning base) for simple ramen broths.\n","title":"Chashu pork","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This technique is surprisingly effective for the effort, producing soft, savoury bites.\nMechanic Baking soda raises the pH of the meat surface, which inhibits protein cross-linking and keeps the exterior tender and silky even at high wok heat. Massage for 3 full minutes before resting: contact time matters. Cornstarch forms a light coating that seals in moisture.\nIngredients 350 g pork (shoulder, tenderloin, or loin), thinly sliced ½ teaspoon baking soda 1½ teaspoons cornstarch 5 g water, if the mixture feels dry Optional flavouring 7 g Shaoxing wine 7 g oyster sauce 1 teaspoon neutral oil ¼ teaspoon sesame oil ⅛ teaspoon white pepper Method Add the baking soda to the pork and massage for 3 minutes, until evenly distributed. Add the water if it feels dry.\nRest 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 2 hours in the fridge.\nRinse the pork briefly to remove any soapy taste, and pat it dry. Toss with the cornstarch and the flavouring, if using, until evenly coated.\nStir-fry in a hot wok with a little oil. The pork stays tender even when the wok temperature drops as the meat hits the pan.\nTo serve In any stir-fry or wok dish.\nNotes Applies equally to chicken or beef; the method is identical. Baking soda is the critical ingredient; cornstarch and flavourings are supporting. Velveted pork keeps well refrigerated for a day before cooking. [[Stir fry two ways]] and [[Thai-inspired noodle soup]] use a quicker version: the baking soda and cornstarch go straight into the marinade, with no rinse. ","date":"11 January 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/velveting-pork/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This technique is surprisingly effective for the effort, producing soft, savoury bites.\nMechanic Baking soda raises the pH of the meat surface, which inhibits protein cross-linking and keeps the exterior tender and silky even at high wok heat. Massage for 3 full minutes before resting: contact time matters. Cornstarch forms a light coating that seals in moisture.\n","title":"Velveting (pork)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"10 January 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/chinese/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Chinese","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"10 January 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/chinese-japanese/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Chinese-Japanese","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"Classic takeout garlic broccoli is very simple, and delicious.\nIngredients 400 g broccoli (about 4 cups), cut into florets 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon neutral oil 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine 250 ml vegetable stock, chicken stock, or dashi ⅛ teaspoon white pepper ½ teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water, combined into a slurry Method Heat a wok over high until smoking. Add the oil and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant and just starting to colour, about 30 seconds.\nAdd the broccoli and toss to coat. Add the Shaoxing wine and stock; the pan will steam heavily. Cover and steam until the broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.\nAdd the white pepper. Pour the cornstarch slurry in around the edge; toss until the sauce clings, about 1 minute. Finish with the sesame oil.\nEquipment A medium to large carbon steel wok (not non-stick) To serve As a side or part of a multi-dish wok meal. Goes well alongside [[Weeknight ginger beef]].\n","date":"10 January 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/garlic-broccoli/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Classic takeout garlic broccoli is very simple, and delicious.\nIngredients 400 g broccoli (about 4 cups), cut into florets 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon neutral oil 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine 250 ml vegetable stock, chicken stock, or dashi ⅛ teaspoon white pepper ½ teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water, combined into a slurry Method Heat a wok over high until smoking. Add the oil and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant and just starting to colour, about 30 seconds.\n","title":"Garlic broccoli","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a quick version of ginger beef, great in rice bowls.\nMechanic Drizzle soy around the edge of the hot wok, not into the centre. It caramelizes briefly as it hits the metal before reaching the meat, adding depth without extra ingredients.\nIngredients 680 g ground beef chuck, 80% lean 8 cm piece fresh ginger, minced or grated 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 shallot, minced 60 ml (¼ cup) soy sauce 2 limes, juiced 2 tablespoons sriracha 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon neutral oil kosher salt 30 g fresh cilantro, leaves and stems, thinly sliced 2 carrots, julienned (optional) Method Heat a wok over high heat until very hot. Add oil.\nFry ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add garlic and shallot; cook until softened, another minute.\nDrizzle soy around the edge of the wok. Add lime juice. Add beef and break up, cooking until no pink remains and the edges have some colour.\nAdd fish sauce and sriracha. Toss and reduce briefly until the sauce clings and the mixture looks slightly glossy.\nIf using carrots, stir-fry them separately until crisp-tender, then toss them in with the beef.\nTo serve Over rice or in bowls. Top with sliced cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, and chili oil.\nEquipment Medium to large carbon steel wok (not non-stick) Notes Adapted loosely from Carla Lalli Music\u0026rsquo;s \u0026ldquo;That Sounds So Good.\u0026rdquo; Pre-cooked frozen mince works well: add from frozen, break up as it heats. ","date":"10 January 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/weeknight-ginger-beef/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a quick version of ginger beef, great in rice bowls.\nMechanic Drizzle soy around the edge of the hot wok, not into the centre. It caramelizes briefly as it hits the metal before reaching the meat, adding depth without extra ingredients.\n","title":"Weeknight ginger beef","type":"recipes"},{"content":"I make this for lunch more than dinner, and it\u0026rsquo;s a tasty and quick meal.\nMechanic Toast the whole Sichuan peppercorns first, then grind with the chilies and paprika. Adding soy along the edge of a hot wok caramelizes it before it hits the meat. Add tofu last and stir minimally; it breaks up easily.\nIngredients Spice powder 2–3 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns, whole 4–5 dried red chilies, chopped 1 tablespoon sweet paprika Base 2 tablespoons neutral oil 1 cm piece fresh ginger, julienned 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 green onions, cut into ½ cm pieces (dark greens reserved for garnish) 30 ml (2 tablespoons) sake 30 ml (2 tablespoons) mirin 15 ml (1 tablespoon) light soy sauce Protein 120 g ground beef (precooked or fresh) 60 ml low-sodium chicken stock, dashi, or water 680 g silken tofu (medium-firm), cut into 1.5 cm cubes 1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water, combined into a slurry Method Toast Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Cool, then grind with the chilies and paprika to a medium powder.\nHeat oil in a wok over medium-high. Add ginger, then garlic, then green onion whites. Cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spice powder and stir briefly.\nDrizzle soy along the wok edge. Add sake and mirin. Add beef and break up; stir to combine.\nAdd stock until the mixture is slightly soupy. Simmer 3–5 minutes. Pour in cornstarch slurry and let thicken.\nTaste and adjust salt. Add tofu gently and fold in; heat through without mashing.\nTo serve Over steamed rice, topped with green onion greens and chili oil.\nEquipment Medium to large carbon steel wok (not non-stick) Notes For a properly numbing version, use up to 2–3 tablespoons of peppercorns. Adapted toward Sichuan flavour from Kenji López-Alt\u0026rsquo;s \u0026ldquo;The Wok.\u0026rdquo; Pre-cooked frozen mince works well: add directly from frozen and break up as it heats. ","date":"10 January 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/weeknight-mapo-tofu/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I make this for lunch more than dinner, and it’s a tasty and quick meal.\nMechanic Toast the whole Sichuan peppercorns first, then grind with the chilies and paprika. Adding soy along the edge of a hot wok caramelizes it before it hits the meat. Add tofu last and stir minimally; it breaks up easily.\n","title":"Weeknight mapo tofu","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A three-course wok meal built out (mapo tofu, ginger beef, garlic broccoli, all in 30 minutes), alongside a chashu pork braise and a pork velveting technique dialed in — the wok lesson of the month being that velveting genuinely works, and scorching the oil matters. Also on the list after a good meal out: dal, paratha, and homemade yogurt.\nMonday, January 19th Post-holidays grind (fresher foods)\nIndian food TODO We had some Indian food this week that has me wanting to add a few dishes to my book:\nsome forms of dal → [[Dal tadka]] paratha (bread) for dipping (Ethan has a great video recipe for this) homemade yogurt, seasoned Wednesday, January 14th Wok learnings Velveting really works. Takes some practice, but wow. Scorching the oil and some of the sauces really makes a difference in flavours. Sunday, January 11th Pork loin for the week ½ as sliced (for stir-fry) ½ as chashu Chashu braise → [[Chashu pork]]\n250 ml water 250 ml soy sauce 250 ml mirin 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons oil 500 g pork (belly, or loin towards the rib end) 2 large garlic cloves, crushed and peeled 3 green onions, cut lengthwise into 5 cm (2-inch) pieces 5 cm (2 inches) fresh ginger root, thinly sliced (peeled if desired) Sear pork. Deglaze pan. Add braise ingredients and bring to low simmer. cook to 85°C (belly) or 60°C (loin) 1-2 hours on low/simmer Refrigerate in braise liquid for 24 hours. Slice as needed, reheat in oil, stock, oven, etc. Freeze leftovers or use within 3 days. Velveting (pork) → [[Velveting (pork)]]\n350 g pork 5 g water (if needed, but I\u0026rsquo;ve never used it) ½ teaspoon baking soda (optional) 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch Optional flavouring:\n7 g Shaoxing wine 7 g oyster sauce 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (plus more for stir-frying) ¼ teaspoon sesame oil (optional) ⅛ teaspoon white pepper (optional) Add pork to mixture and massage for ~3 minutes, then rest for 30.\nSaturday, January 10th Wok with Bruce A fairly quick 3 course wok meal that can be made in 30 minutes or less in a single wok:\nMapo tofu (mince) Ginger beef (mince) Garlic broccoli These pair nicely with pickled veg as well, and things like bean sprouts, bok choy, etc. Make and hold the mapo tofu, then ginger beef, and lastly the garlic broccoli. Serve over rice, top with sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and some sort of crunchy chili oil.\nGarlic broccoli → [[Garlic broccoli]]\n~4 cups broccoli 5 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon oil 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine 250 ml chicken stock or dashi ⅛ teaspoon white pepper ½ teaspoon sesame oil cornstarch slurry to thicken (1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp cold water) Weeknight ginger beef (minced) → [[Weeknight ginger beef]]\n3-inch piece ginger 6 garlic cloves 1 shallot 2 limes ¼ cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons sriracha 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1½ pounds ground beef chuck (80% lean) Kosher salt ½ cup thinly sliced cilantro leaves and stems (from That Sounds So Good)\nThe OG author cooks this in a skillet, but it can equally be done in a wok:\nfry ginger, adding garlic halfway, then onion in oil add soy (drizzling around edges) and lime juice (and wine) add beef mince (my precooked/frozen) reduce, while adding fish sauce, sriracha add to stir-fried broccoli and carrots (julienned) and combine plate Weeknight mapo tofu → [[Weeknight mapo tofu]]\n2 tablespoons neutral oil 120 g ground beef (half of a medium deli portion of beef) 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 1 inch knob of ginger, julienned or thinly sliced 2 scallions, chopped into ¼-inch pieces (dark greens reserved for garnish) 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sake 2 tablespoons (30 ml) mirin 1 tablespoon (15 ml) shoyu or light soy sauce ¼ cup (60 ml) low-sodium chicken stock, dashi, or water 1½ pounds medium to firm silken tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes steamed rice and chili oil, for serving cornstarch slurry to thicken (1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp cold water) Spices:\nSichuan pepper (1-2 tbsp) 4-5 chopped red chilies 1 tbsp sweet paprika Adapted from The Wok (but towards Sichuan)\nSimilar method:\nToast whole spices, cool, then grind into a medium powder. Heat oil, ginger, adding garlic, scallions (or onions), then the spice powder. Add soy sauce along the edge of the wok, then mirin/sake. Add precooked mince (half a 250 ml container), reduce slightly. Add water/stock (until slightly soupy) reduce and thicken as desired taste for seasoning Add tofu and stir carefully. Top with onions (if you have them). ","date":"1 January 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2026-january/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A three-course wok meal built out (mapo tofu, ginger beef, garlic broccoli, all in 30 minutes), alongside a chashu pork braise and a pork velveting technique dialed in — the wok lesson of the month being that velveting genuinely works, and scorching the oil matters. Also on the list after a good meal out: dal, paratha, and homemade yogurt.\n","title":"January 2026","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"A great topping for waffles or as a base for a crisp.\nIngredients 300g fresh strawberries (2 cups), chopped 300g fresh rhubarb (2 cups), chopped 65g brown sugar (⅓ cup) ⅛ teaspoon salt 15ml lemon juice (1 tablespoon), from 1 medium lemon Method Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to coat the fruit.\nCook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb breaks down and the mixture thickens to a loose jam, about 15–20 minutes. The strawberries will stay slightly chunkier; press a few against the side of the pan if you want a smoother result.\nTaste and adjust sugar. The compote thickens further as it cools.\nTo serve Warm or cold. Over ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, or alongside pork. Keeps refrigerated for up to a week.\n","date":"25 December 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/strawberry-rhubarb-compote/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A great topping for waffles or as a base for a crisp.\nIngredients 300g fresh strawberries (2 cups), chopped 300g fresh rhubarb (2 cups), chopped 65g brown sugar (⅓ cup) ⅛ teaspoon salt 15ml lemon juice (1 tablespoon), from 1 medium lemon Method Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to coat the fruit.\n","title":"Strawberry-rhubarb compote","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a simple way to use frozen tuna, cooking quickly, served with easy sides.\nIngredients Tuna 2 tuna steaks (~200 g each), frozen, about 2 cm thick salt and black pepper 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 1 tablespoon neutral oil Tuna sauce (for cubing and tossing) 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 tablespoon sriracha 2 teaspoons soy sauce ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil Bowl dressing 60 ml soy sauce (¼ cup) 60 ml rice vinegar (¼ cup) 60 ml water (¼ cup) 12 g sugar (2½ teaspoons) 1 green onion, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced 7 g toasted sesame oil (1½ teaspoons) ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes Bowl steamed rice or quinoa cucumber, thinly sliced or lightly pickled green onions, for garnish kimchi (optional) Method Combine all tuna sauce ingredients and set aside. Combine all bowl dressing ingredients and set aside.\nThaw the tuna overnight in the fridge, then pat it very dry. Season with salt, pepper, and sesame seeds on all sides.\nHeat the oil in a pan over high heat until smoking. Sear the tuna until a crust forms but the centre is still red to pink, 60–90 seconds per side. Rest briefly.\nCube the tuna and toss with the tuna sauce.\nTo serve Spoon rice into bowls. Add cucumber, dressed lightly with some of the bowl dressing. Top with tuna and green onions. Drizzle remaining bowl dressing over everything. Add kimchi if using.\nNotes Keep the centre red to pink; well-done tuna dries out fast. The bowl dressing is the base layer; the tuna sauce punches up the fish specifically. Crispy rice variation: fry cold leftover rice in oil until a crust forms before building the bowl. ","date":"5 December 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/tuna-rice-bowl/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a simple way to use frozen tuna, cooking quickly, served with easy sides.\nIngredients Tuna 2 tuna steaks (~200 g each), frozen, about 2 cm thick salt and black pepper 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 1 tablespoon neutral oil Tuna sauce (for cubing and tossing) 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 tablespoon sriracha 2 teaspoons soy sauce ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil Bowl dressing 60 ml soy sauce (¼ cup) 60 ml rice vinegar (¼ cup) 60 ml water (¼ cup) 12 g sugar (2½ teaspoons) 1 green onion, thinly sliced 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced 7 g toasted sesame oil (1½ teaspoons) ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes Bowl steamed rice or quinoa cucumber, thinly sliced or lightly pickled green onions, for garnish kimchi (optional) Method Combine all tuna sauce ingredients and set aside. Combine all bowl dressing ingredients and set aside.\n","title":"Tuna rice bowl","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Holiday week ran heavy on batch cooking: a strawberry-rhubarb compote, a burger week testing sour bread-and-butter pickles, and tuna steaks that turned into rice bowls, salads, and sandwiches all week, plus early transglutaminase experiments toward homemade lunch meat.\nThursday, December 25th Holiday week recipes compote → [[Strawberry-rhubarb compote]] 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries 2 cups chopped rhubarb ⅓ cup brown sugar ⅛ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice from 1 medium lemon Saturday, December 20th Thinking about fall and winter\nWinter holiday food ideas Apple pancakes Chunking Pork (pork/cabbage from the Wok) Monday, December 8th Burger week 130 g patties (1/10th of a chub)\ndeluxe QPC deluxe bacon-swiss tested: sour bread and butter pickles (tough to find source sliced garlic pickles around here) great for bacon/swiss okay for QPC Friday, December 5th December foods Tuna steaks → huge win this week\nPrep:\nseason + pan fry (salt, pepper, sesame seeds) cook to medium Uses:\nTuna rice bowl Tuna quinoa bowl Tuna salad sandwiches salad crackers! Lunch meat, v3:\ntransglutaminase (TG) ham maker (packing/boiling tube + thermo) or can bake What\u0026rsquo;s the minimalist take on lunch meat?\nChicken loaf:\nroasting pan transglutaminase + seasoned chicken chunks or breast slow roast to temp ","date":"1 December 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-december/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Holiday week ran heavy on batch cooking: a strawberry-rhubarb compote, a burger week testing sour bread-and-butter pickles, and tuna steaks that turned into rice bowls, salads, and sandwiches all week, plus early transglutaminase experiments toward homemade lunch meat.\n","title":"December 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"This is one of my favourite stews. It\u0026rsquo;s slightly sweet and savoury, and completely delicious.\nMechanic The paprika load here is 4 tablespoons per kg of meat, not the 1 tablespoon most North American recipes use. That\u0026rsquo;s what makes this taste like goulash and not like beef stew with a little paprika. Caraway is more traditional than cumin; either works but they produce different results. Bacon fat is optional; fatty pork shoulder brings enough of its own.\nIngredients 3 tablespoons fat (lard, fat cap, olive oil, or bacon fat) 1 kg cubed stew meat (pork shoulder or beef chuck), lightly floured 2 yellow onions, medium diced 3 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 red bell pepper, seeded and medium diced 3 vine-ripe tomatoes, cored and medium diced (or 1 × 400g tin) 1½ teaspoons caraway seeds (or ground cumin, or fennel) 4 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika 250ml red wine (1 cup) 1 litre beef or chicken stock (4 cups) 2 bay leaves 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm chunks 3 carrots, peeled and large diced 15 ml Worcestershire (optional) salt and pepper Optional: 1 cup each large diced celeriac and turnip.\nMethod Heat fat in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high. Brown the floured meat in batches without crowding, about 4 minutes per side. Set aside.\nReduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and bell pepper; cook 2 more minutes.\nStir in paprika and caraway. Add tomatoes and cook until they break down slightly, about 3 minutes.\nAdd wine and scrape up any browned bits. Add stock, bay leaves, and browned meat. Bring to a simmer.\nCover and cook on low for 1 hour. Add potatoes, carrots, and optional root vegetables. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender and the stew is thick, 30–45 more minutes.\nSeason with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves.\nTo serve With egg noodles, sour cream, and crusty bread. The stew deepens overnight.\nVariations Goulash with mushrooms and sherry From a prep-day session, we substituted sherry and fennel (for the wine and caraway), and added a large bowl of sliced mushrooms. Browning sauce added depth, but can be sweet.\nSimplified goulash with dried mushrooms From another prep day, cleaned the pantry using white onions and dried mushrooms. 233C for the seasoned pork in the oven was perfect. The simpler version was still great.\nNotes Pork shoulder is more forgiving than chuck; equally good result. ","date":"9 November 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/goulash/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is one of my favourite stews. It’s slightly sweet and savoury, and completely delicious.\nMechanic The paprika load here is 4 tablespoons per kg of meat, not the 1 tablespoon most North American recipes use. That’s what makes this taste like goulash and not like beef stew with a little paprika. Caraway is more traditional than cumin; either works but they produce different results. Bacon fat is optional; fatty pork shoulder brings enough of its own.\n","title":"Goulash","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"9 November 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/hungarian/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Hungarian","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"First pass at goulash, aiming for an easy, thicker near-American stew but closer to authentic on caraway and paprika (4+ tablespoons per kg of meat, not 1), and skipping bacon since the pork brings enough fat on its own.\nSunday, November 9th Goulash, v1 → [[Goulash]]\n(1, 2, 3, 4)\nAiming towards an easy almost American style (e.g., thicker) stew, but closer to authentic in terms of caraway and more paprika (4 tbsp+ per kg of meat, versus 1+). Skipping bacon (no need with fatty pork).\n3 tablespoons fat (bacon, lard, fat cap, olive oil, etc.) 1 kg cubed stew meat (pork shoulder, chuck, etc.) lightly flour 2 peeled and medium diced yellow onions 3 finely minced garlic cloves 1 seeded and medium diced red bell pepper 3 cored and medium diced vine ripe tomatoes (or 1 tin) 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin or caraway seeds (caraway is more 1 (4 seems more common) tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika 1 cup red wine 4 cups beef stock 2 bay leaves 2 peeled russet potatoes cut into 2.5 cm (1-inch) chunks 3 peeled and large diced or thickly sliced carrots optionally add 1 cup each of large diced peeled celeriac root and turnips salt and pepper to taste ","date":"1 November 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-november/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"First pass at goulash, aiming for an easy, thicker near-American stew but closer to authentic on caraway and paprika (4+ tablespoons per kg of meat, not 1), and skipping bacon since the pork brings enough fat on its own.\n","title":"November 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"Turkey timing dialed in for round two, dark and white meat roasted separately to hit their own targets, plus a fish burger revisit that was nostalgic but went soggy fast, and a twice-baked shepherd\u0026rsquo;s-pie potato idea filed for later.\nSunday, October 19th Turkey v2 Bird prepped 125 Dark meat: 165°C × ~1 hour (77–79°C internal) 45 Breasts: 205°C × ¾ hour (63°C internal) Start dark meat 30-45 minutes early 45 Stuffing in oven 45 Roast veg in oven 30 Potatoes 125 Roast garlic Wash potatoes, pot, ready to boil 20 minutes at boil (max) 10 minutes to finish 20 Gravy 45 Make roux, set aside (use chicken fat, butter, flour) Finish gravy while potatoes boil 10 Corn Add to pot, start when potatoes finish (or are about to) Thursday, October 9th Ideas Eggnog for Ann Friday, October 3rd Other burgers and interesting ideas Fish burger tartar (mayo, pickle, dill, parsley, garlic, s\u0026amp;p, msg, mustard, sugar, citric acid) preformed cod filets (breaded) buns + lettuce + ½ slice of cheese per were nostalgic, but got soggy too quickly Twice Baked Shepherds Pie Potatoes (1) may be easier as baked potatoes + but novelty is fun ","date":"1 October 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-october/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Turkey timing dialed in for round two, dark and white meat roasted separately to hit their own targets, plus a fish burger revisit that was nostalgic but went soggy fast, and a twice-baked shepherd’s-pie potato idea filed for later.\n","title":"October 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"These make great patties, sausages, or crumble, with no casings needed unless you have the equipment and time. I use this sausage in pastas, on breakfast sandwiches, and in stir-fries.\nMechanic A percentage-based spice formula: salt runs 1.5–2% of the meat\u0026rsquo;s weight, and every other ingredient scales against the meat, so it\u0026rsquo;s trivially scalable and easy to dial in. Milk powder improves binding and moisture and adds a subtle dairy richness. Cold water keeps the mix from emulsifying too far. 100Meat : 1.5–2Salt By weight; every other ingredient scales to the meat too Ingredients 1–2 kg ground pork shoulder (80/20 or 70/30); pork belly also works Spice mix (% of meat weight) Ingredient % Per 1 kg Notes Water, cold 7.5% 75 g Milk powder 2% 20 g Don\u0026rsquo;t skip it Salt 1.6% 16 g Sugar 0.75% 7.5 g Brown sugar 0.63% 6.3 g MSG 0.5% 5 g Black pepper 0.4% 4 g Toast before grinding Dried sage 0.3% 3 g Dried thyme 0.3% 3 g Garlic 0.3% 3 g Crushed or minced fine Coriander seed 0.3% 3 g Toast before grinding Fennel seed 0.2% 2 g Toast before grinding White pepper 0.13% 1.3 g Method Toast the fennel, coriander, and black peppercorns in a dry pan until fragrant, then grind them in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Add the remaining spices and the milk powder and mash together until smooth; a few drops of cold water help.\nIn a large bowl, combine the pork, spice mix, and half the water. Mix with a pastry blender or a stand mixer with the paddle. Knead by hand 3–4 times, adding the remaining water slowly, until the mix is tacky but still soft. Work it more than just folding in, but don\u0026rsquo;t overmix.\nFry 1–2 tbsp of the mixture and taste for seasoning. Adjust.\nRefrigerate at least an hour, or up to overnight.\nForm into sausage shapes or patties. For sausages, roll them in parchment and refrigerate to set.\nBake unwrapped at 200°C (400°F) until lightly browned, 15–25 minutes, or pan-fry in a little oil until browned. Cook until the centre reads 68°C (155°F); the last minutes of cooking count toward the safety hold (see [[Food safety: time and temperature]]). Or leave it as bulk sausage and brown it in pieces.\nVariations Sage-forward A punchier, less sweet mix. Per 1 kg pork: 20 g salt (2%), 6 g dried sage, 4 g black pepper, 3 g each dried parsley, dried thyme, ground coriander, and minced garlic, 2 g each red pepper flakes, ground fennel, and MSG, 40 g milk powder, and 100 g cold water. No sugar. Stir the dry ingredients into the water, then mix into the pork as above. Marjoram at 0.2–0.3% gives a softer, more floral version.\nNotes Many restaurants make casing-less breakfast sausage to reduce costs and reuse cuts of meat. These don\u0026rsquo;t have the snap of a cased sausage, but are still quite delicious. Aim for a softer grind (if grinding yourself) and less fennel than a typical Italian sausage. ","date":"19 September 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/breakfast-sausage/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"These make great patties, sausages, or crumble, with no casings needed unless you have the equipment and time. I use this sausage in pastas, on breakfast sandwiches, and in stir-fries.\n","title":"Breakfast sausage","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A comforting and simple meal, based on the classic 1950s Americanized version. Easy to make from pantry and freezer items.\nMechanic Built from a batch of pre-cooked frozen beef mince, so the cooking time is mostly about thickening the filling and building the potato topping. A 1:1 spice ratio (equal parts salt, pepper, coriander, and rosemary) gives the beef a clear identity. Better than Bouillon and browning sauce add depth without a long braise.\n1Salt : 1Pepper : 1Coriander : 1Rosemary Topping 700 g steaming potatoes (Yukon Gold or similar) 60 g butter 60–80 ml cream or milk salt and pepper 50 g aged cheddar, grated Steam the potatoes until a fork slides in easily, 25–30 minutes. Drain and mash with the butter, cream, salt, and pepper until smooth. Stir in the cheese.\nFilling 500 g [[Beef base]] or other cooked beef mince, frozen 1 tsp each kosher salt, black pepper, ground coriander, and dried rosemary or thyme 1 tsp granulated garlic 1 tsp MSG 2 tbsp flour or cornstarch, adjusted for thickness 1 tsp Better than Bouillon (beef or chicken) 1 tsp browning sauce, to taste 250 ml beef or chicken stock, or water 300 g mixed frozen vegetables (peas, corn, carrots) While the potatoes steam, heat a wide pan over medium-high. Add the frozen mince and break it up as it heats through. Add the spices and garlic, and stir to coat.\nSprinkle the flour over the meat and stir for 1 minute. Add the Better than Bouillon, browning sauce, and stock. Simmer until the filling is thick and glossy, adding more thickener if needed. Stir in the frozen vegetables and heat through.\nAssembly Transfer the filling to a baking dish. Spoon the mashed potato over the top and rough it up with a fork. Broil until the peaks are golden, 5–8 minutes.\nTo serve With a simple green salad. Better the next day.\nNotes Steaming the potatoes (rather than boiling) keeps them from getting waterlogged, for a drier, better-textured mash. Freezes well. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat at 175°C (350°F), or bake from frozen at 160°C (325°F) for about twice as long. ","date":"10 September 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/cottage-pie/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A comforting and simple meal, based on the classic 1950s Americanized version. Easy to make from pantry and freezer items.\nMechanic Built from a batch of pre-cooked frozen beef mince, so the cooking time is mostly about thickening the filling and building the potato topping. A 1:1 spice ratio (equal parts salt, pepper, coriander, and rosemary) gives the beef a clear identity. Better than Bouillon and browning sauce add depth without a long braise.\n","title":"Cottage pie","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Late summer wind-down: cottage pie nailed (steamed potatoes, a simple 1:1:1:1 beef seasoning) alongside beef and chicken sandwich patties tested, a breakfast sausage recipe rebuilt by comparing three sources (landing closer to sage and marjoram), and a no-knead pizza bianca that needs more time in the oven next round.\nFriday, September 19th Breakfast sausage 3 recipes to use as a base, to update my breakfast sausage recipe (scaling recipe) → [[Breakfast sausage]]\nBBQ (1) 2% salt .6% sage (dried) .4% black pepper .3% dry parsley .3% dry thyme .3% coriander .3% garlic (fresh) .2% red pepper flakes .2% ground fennel .2% MSG 4% milk powder 158 g water @ 10% Homemade (1) 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 teaspoons dried sage 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 pinch ground cloves 2 pounds ground pork Chef (1, 2) 1 pound de-boned pork shoulder or pre-ground pork 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme 1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes 1 ½ teaspoons ground paprika ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 finely grated garlic cloves 1 ½ teaspoons packed light brown sugar 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon cooking oil The bolded items differ somewhat from my recipe, so I\u0026rsquo;ve adjusted to lean more towards sage/marjoram.\nFoods we\u0026rsquo;ve talked about Chez/hurb biscuits and scones Simple karaage chicken Stir fry Goulash (1, 2, American style) → [[Goulash]] Borsch (1, 2, 3) Bolognese (a nona-recipe) beef Jamaican things (or any related culture) Summer is almost done Chicken sandwich patties (brined chicken, either for breading or not) Friday, September 12th Later later later summer Chicken sandwich patties (brined chicken, either for breading or not) pickle juice vs. self-brewed meh, not enough texture for me beef patties these were good, perfect shapes using a stainless tray in the freezer (faster freezing, flat base) pasta breakfast taters (left over mashed potatoes, baked, cheese, egg) this was good + simple should have added cabbage Wednesday, September 10th Late late late summer Cottage pie Chicken sandwiches Blackened / unbreaded Steaming potatoes (Yukon or similar) is amazing 25-30 minutes, until fork easily goes through steamer water heat duh butter, cream, salt, pepper Cottage pie was 👍👍👍 → [[Cottage pie]] wide pan 1 container of freezer beef mince beef seasoning (1:1:1:1, salt, pepper, coriander, rosemary, thyme) granulated garlic, MSG flour or corn starch simmer until thickened (add more thickener if needed) teaspoon of BtB and browning sauce (and chicken stock powder if you have it) mixed frozen veg and steam potatoes, cheese, butter, etc. Friday, September 5th Late summer no-knead pizza bianca (similar to focaccia) good recipe, but I didn\u0026rsquo;t quite cook it through (need to play with cook times) baked potatoes (I should add a recipe here) ","date":"1 September 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-september/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Late summer wind-down: cottage pie nailed (steamed potatoes, a simple 1:1:1:1 beef seasoning) alongside beef and chicken sandwich patties tested, a breakfast sausage recipe rebuilt by comparing three sources (landing closer to sage and marjoram), and a no-knead pizza bianca that needs more time in the oven next round.\n","title":"September 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"Mostly summer produce: a mango green salad, a scalable family meatball recipe, and a wide search for fresh pickles and salads — Japanese and Chinese cucumber pickles, sesame spinach, agedashi tofu — none yet tested.\nSaturday, August 9th Summer blow out mango green salad Fam foods meatballs (scalable recipe) → [[Meatballs]] Fresh summer foods fresh summer veg pickles and salads like cuke or cabbage (side dishes) Agedashi Tofu Pickled Cucumber with Ginger thin pickled cukes (light) Chinese pickled cukes (another) Japanese pickled cukes (Tsukemono) Sesame Spinach Salad (Horenso no Goma-ae) ","date":"1 August 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-august/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Mostly summer produce: a mango green salad, a scalable family meatball recipe, and a wide search for fresh pickles and salads — Japanese and Chinese cucumber pickles, sesame spinach, agedashi tofu — none yet tested.\n","title":"August 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"This is my favourite tea towards the end of fall. It\u0026rsquo;s warming and mellow.\nMechanic This breaks English tea rules on purpose. Boiling the tea with spices for 5 minutes and then \u0026ldquo;boiling over\u0026rdquo; the milk three times produces a different flavour than standard steep-and-strain: more caramelized, less grassy, with the spices fully integrated. The goal colour is caramel sauce.\nIngredients 500–750 ml water 3–4 whole cloves 3–4 cardamom pods, lightly crushed A few slices fresh ginger 2 teaspoons loose-leaf black tea (Scottish breakfast or similar strong black) 2 teaspoons sugar 120 ml whole milk or 60 ml cream Method Combine water, cloves, cardamom, and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Simmer 2–3 minutes. Toast spices in the pan first if you want a deeper flavour.\nAdd tea and simmer for 5 minutes.\nAdd milk or cream. Bring to a boil. The moment it foams and rises, remove from heat and stir back down. Repeat three times. This is the \u0026ldquo;boil over\u0026rdquo; technique; watch it closely.\nStrain and serve.\nTo serve In small cups. Add more sugar at the table.\nVariations Allspice and cinnamon Keep the cardamom, and swap the cloves and ginger for 3 allspice berries and 1 cm of Ceylon cinnamon stick, broken up. Warmer and rounder, with less bite. Nutmeg or 2–3 black peppercorns also work here; pick two or three spices, not all of them.\nLazy daily cup Put the spices, lightly crushed, into a tea ball or filter with the tea. Pour over water at a full boil and steep 6–8 minutes, longer than English tea. Add milk and sugar in the cup. No boil-over, so it\u0026rsquo;s lighter and less caramelized, but it takes one pot and no watching.\nNotes Scottish breakfast tea is the go-to; strong enough to stand up to the spice and milk. Cinnamon stick is a common addition; not essential with clove and cardamom already present. Chai masala blends can be used in place of whole spices. ","date":"9 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/chai/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is my favourite tea towards the end of fall. It’s warming and mellow.\nMechanic This breaks English tea rules on purpose. Boiling the tea with spices for 5 minutes and then “boiling over” the milk three times produces a different flavour than standard steep-and-strain: more caramelized, less grassy, with the spices fully integrated. The goal colour is caramel sauce.\n","title":"Chai","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A poultry seasoning batch made and dry-rubbed chicken tested, a refined chai recipe (technique intentionally breaks standard tea-brewing rules, works anyway), and a running want-list — a deli meat press, crispier roast chicken, Nanaimo bars — alongside a \u0026ldquo;win the freezer\u0026rdquo; push to clear out beef balls, patties, and ham.\nThursday, July 24th Recipe ideas for later this year Nanaimo bars (from SE) Monday, July 21st Food explorations Things I didn\u0026rsquo;t know I wanted:\nDeli meat press (for making homemade deli meat) Monday, July 14th Winner winner, chicken dinner make batch of poultry seasoning → [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s poultry and pork spice rub]] update precise recipe, update simple recipe (TODO) dry rub / break down chicken (+1 on hind) potatoes (brined?) Sunday, July 13th Food ideas Use up pecans! Test out some fresh tuna sandies? Masala syrup (for drinks) chai without the tea Test crispier roasty chicken (lower temp? watch a few videos + adjust method) Kalbi beef ribs Weekly food prep soup stock (pho ga?) Wednesday, July 9th Food links Food adulterants testing WTF: win the freezer edition beef balls → lunch soups patties → burgs ham → breakfast sandies Transglutaminase → meat glue (great for making lunch meats, though a farce + emulsification does so naturally) Home food thinking Chai (updated recipe) → [[Chai]]\nSome of the chai masala techniques I\u0026rsquo;ve seen break the rules of tea making (temp + time are much harder than English style tea brewing). It works, however, and you end up with a different (but good) tea flavour. Ingredients 2-3 cups of water 3-4 cloves 3-4 cardamom pods 2 teaspoons loose tea (Scottish breakfast is what I usually use) 2 teaspoons sugar a few slices of ginger milk (120 ml) or cream (60 ml), or to taste Steps Boil water/spices (can toast first if you want) Add tea ~5 minutes Add milk or cream and \u0026ldquo;boil over\u0026rdquo; 3 times: boil until it foams, remove from heat, stir, repeat, avoiding catastrophe. Goal: caramel sauce colour Sunday, July 6th July meals Strawberry salad and roast pork ","date":"1 July 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-july/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A poultry seasoning batch made and dry-rubbed chicken tested, a refined chai recipe (technique intentionally breaks standard tea-brewing rules, works anyway), and a running want-list — a deli meat press, crispier roast chicken, Nanaimo bars — alongside a “win the freezer” push to clear out beef balls, patties, and ham.\n","title":"July 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"Heavy batch-prep month: chicken and pork patties, back bacon, and pickled carrots and cucumber all made ahead; a new pan-in-pan method confirmed as the fastest way to cool stock; plus a teriyaki chicken recipe and a Korean meatballs idea saved for later.\nThursday, June 26th Food thinking Korean meatballs Tuesday, June 10th Spring!\nWeek plan Summer salads (Tuesday) roasted chicken (from last week, defrosted, diced) roasted veg quinoa Hummus (Wednesday) Beef mince → freezer (× 8) Soup stock (× 4) note new method of cooling, pan-in-pan is far better than anything else tested Teriyaki chicken: (reddit suggestion) 1 cup soy sauce 1 cup granulated sugar 1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar 6 garlic cloves, crushed in a press 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger ¼ teaspoon black pepper 1 cinnamon stick, 7.5 cm (3 inches) 1 tablespoon pineapple juice 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs 2 tablespoons cornstarch Sunday, June 1st Week plan M T W T F S S Breakfast Muesli / oats Egg muffin Egg muffin Muesli / oats Muesli / oats TBD TBD Lunch Pho Ga Chicken B Noodles TBD TBD Dinner Rice bowls / pork Rice bowls / pork Rice bowls / chicken TBD TBD TBD TBD Monday Make chicken patties (1) → [[Chicken patties]] Make pork patties (1) Prep pork tenderloin (dry rub, extra sugar?) Prep back bacon (slices) Make few days worth of pickled carrots, and cucumber (1) Friday Make pickled onions (for fridge) Prep corn Prep freezer beef Goals clean up frozo meats + bits clean up condiments veg++ ","date":"1 June 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-june/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Heavy batch-prep month: chicken and pork patties, back bacon, and pickled carrots and cucumber all made ahead; a new pan-in-pan method confirmed as the fastest way to cool stock; plus a teriyaki chicken recipe and a Korean meatballs idea saved for later.\n","title":"June 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"This is a fresh, delicious dip for pita and vegetables.\nIngredients 430 g canned chickpeas, drained 140 g cooked beets 2 teaspoons dried or fresh oregano 30 g extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons) ½ teaspoon minced garlic 1 medium lemon, zest finely grated and juiced Black pepper Salt Method Blend all ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust salt, lemon, and garlic.\nIf the texture is too thick, add water or more olive oil a tablespoon at a time. The dip thickens in the fridge.\nTo serve With pita, flatbread, raw vegetables, or as part of a mezze spread. A drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of oregano on top.\nNotes Rinsing the chickpeas is optional; not rinsing gives a slightly beany flavour that works here. Roasted beets are more intensely flavoured than boiled; canned beets are convenient and consistent. For a richer version with tahini, see [[Beetroot and chickpea hummus]]. ","date":"31 May 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/beetroot-dip/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a fresh, delicious dip for pita and vegetables.\nIngredients 430 g canned chickpeas, drained 140 g cooked beets 2 teaspoons dried or fresh oregano 30 g extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons) ½ teaspoon minced garlic 1 medium lemon, zest finely grated and juiced Black pepper Salt Method Blend all ingredients until smooth. Taste and adjust salt, lemon, and garlic.\n","title":"Beetroot dip","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a simple, classic burger sauce.\nMechanic A 1:1:1 ratio by volume: mayo, diced burger pickles, mustard. Kewpie in place of or alongside regular mayo adds sweetness and acidity.\n1Mayo : 1Pickles : 1Mustard By volume Ingredients 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or Kewpie mayo (or 1 tablespoon each) 2 tablespoons diced burger pickles (bread and butter style) 2 tablespoons yellow or Dijon mustard ½ teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika Method Stir together. Taste and adjust ratios.\nTo serve On Swiss, mozza-style, or deluxe burgers. Good as a spread on both bun halves.\nNotes Developed for A\u0026amp;W-style mozza burger. The ratios are starting points; lean more mayo for a milder sauce, more pickle for brightness. A small squeeze of ketchup or splash of pickle brine can soften the mustard edge. ","date":"31 May 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/bruces-burger-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a simple, classic burger sauce.\nMechanic A 1:1:1 ratio by volume: mayo, diced burger pickles, mustard. Kewpie in place of or alongside regular mayo adds sweetness and acidity.\n","title":"Bruce's burger sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A roasted chicken or turkey is a comforting base for a family meal, or for food prep.\nMechanic Dark and light meat have different target temperatures. Splitting them into separate pans and starting dark meat 30–45 minutes earlier solves this without tenting or shielding. No water in the pan: the char marks are deliberate and deglaze into stock. Two temperatures: low to build internal temp evenly, high to finish and brown.\nMethod Break the birds down into pieces. Season both sides of all pieces with poultry seasoning or your spice rub. Set in roasting pans: dark meat (thighs, legs, wings) in one pan, breasts in another. Rest in the fridge 40 minutes to let the seasoning penetrate. Add a small amount of neutral oil to each pan.\nStart dark meat in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 50–65% of the total cook time.\nAdd breasts to a second pan. Raise oven to 220°C (425°F). Finish both until dark meat reaches 79–91°C (174–196°F) and the thickest part of the breasts reads 65°C (149°F).\nRest 10 minutes. For bone-in breasts this rest is the safety hold: they stay above 65°C for the 5 minutes chicken needs at that temperature (see [[Food safety: time and temperature]]). Pull boneless breasts at 68°C (154°F) instead, since they cool faster. Deglaze pans with a little water or stock; use the cooking liquid in stock or gravy.\nTiming examples Bird Low phase High phase Large turkey (5–7 kg), in pieces 50 min 45 min 2 whole chickens, in pieces 30 min 20 min Notes Char marks on the pan bottom are fine; deglaze them rather than avoiding them. 2 whole chickens take roughly the same oven space as a large turkey but yield about ⅓ the meat. Alternative temperatures used for turkey: 165°C (325°F) low phase, 205°C (400°F) high phase, slightly less aggressive browning with comparable results. Pull breasts at 74°C (165°F) for vulnerable guests. ","date":"31 May 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/roast-poultry/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A roasted chicken or turkey is a comforting base for a family meal, or for food prep.\nMechanic Dark and light meat have different target temperatures. Splitting them into separate pans and starting dark meat 30–45 minutes earlier solves this without tenting or shielding. No water in the pan: the char marks are deliberate and deglaze into stock. Two temperatures: low to build internal temp evenly, high to finish and brown.\n","title":"Roast poultry","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A deep dive into Mediterranean cooking (dips, vegetable brining, a shift toward plant-forward meals) alongside a beetroot-chickpea hummus and a roast poultry method that splits dark and light meat onto separate pans by temperature. Also nailed down: Bruce\u0026rsquo;s burger sauce and a personal taxonomy of go-to burger styles (the deluxe, the swiss, the mcdub, and more).\nSaturday, May 31st Summer ideas [[Chai]] (inspiration: 1) (this was really good, just cardamom + clove + small cinnamon) Pho is close to Chai Chicken patties v3 (inspiration: 1, 2, 3) → [[Chicken patties]] Rice bowls Mandoline-sliced + lightly dressed (or pickled) carrot ← pickle (light) cuke ← pickle (light) cabbage ← slaw purple onion ← pickle (sweet) Sweet Mango Thin apple/pear slices Extras Black beans Blanched green beans Corn ← lightly fried Protein (1-2) pan-fried steak + pan-made teriyaki sauce pork (chops, loin, tenderloin) seared tuna (cubed) tofu (cubed) ground/tofu blend (mapo) Future Pho base (Quoc Viet Foods Beef Flavored \u0026ldquo;Pho\u0026rdquo; Soup Base) quick pho base that is considered good or better Undated Summer/fall challenge Eat our way through our cookbooks (source):\nfor each physical book we own, pick 3-5 recipes any cookbook not worth cooking from can go cookbooks with lame recipes can go keep only the best Laziest chili Beef base → meat sauce + homemade salsa + 1 chipotle + 1 can of black beans 💯 + leftover roast veg (yams are great) More Mediterranean learning TODO Brining potatoes for roasting (lemon, salt, oil?) Consider a par boil in brine (similar to SE, but with stock/lemon/seasoning) Use brine for braise? Falafel (1, 2) Tabbouleh salad (1) Kababs Mince (beef or lamb) Whole lamb/beef Meal planning [[Autumn glow salad with lemon dressing]] with green dressing with chicken or pork? (maybe chicken meatballs?) Sheet pan (and other) ideas from RecipeTin Eats 💚 Oven quesadillas Meat stuffed pitas (oven or pan) Sausage rolls → or Jamaican beef patties 🤔 Vindaloo Spicy Korean soup Wontons in sauce Another curry base ← try this alternative version Food research Brining vegetables (conclusion: brine brussels) Martini dip Red pepper dip ← new Beetroot chickpea hummus → [[Beetroot and chickpea hummus]]\nSources: 1, 2\nNew recipe sources (from a Reddit thread)\nRecipeTin Eats Modernist Cuisine (pizza stone guys) Nik Sharma (Indian mostly) 177 Milk Street ($, founder of ATK) Chef Steps ($$, high quality) Thinking in Mediterranean foods The foundation of the Mediterranean diet is plant foods. That means meals are built around vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, beans and whole grains. (source)\nThis is a shift in thinking about meal planning from rural Canadian cooking where we build a meal around a protein. I don\u0026rsquo;t think these have to be conflicting, but there\u0026rsquo;s a shift to plant-forward for better fibre and micro nutrient coverage.\nProteins: legumes \u0026gt; fish \u0026gt; seafood \u0026gt; eggs \u0026gt; chicken \u0026gt; pork \u0026gt; lamb \u0026gt; beef (generally)\nDiets: DASH, Mediterranean\nI don\u0026rsquo;t advocate for specific diets, but there are good recipes and ways of thinking in these.\nRecipe ideas:\nChunky salads Roast protein (chicken, fish, pork) 125 g Zucchini fritters Charred Zuch Veg/breads and dip Fresh hummus Baba Ganoush Potato spread Beetroot dip Bean dip I\u0026rsquo;ve observed that many North American versions of Mediterranean dishes are still focused more on the proteins, so it\u0026rsquo;s worth looking at more EU style sites and cookbooks and thinking about entire meals and not just the mains, as Mediterranean meals often include a number of dishes and dips. Also worth noting that there are generally sampling problems in diet studies around food and specific regions due to differences in data quality (sampled ages can be incorrect for various reasons), so regional diets may be better but not quite the panacea they appear to be.\nBeetroot dip → [[Beetroot dip]]\n(Source)\n1 small can (430 g) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed (rinse is optional) 140 g beets, cooked 2 teaspoons dried or fresh oregano 2 tablespoons / 30 g extra virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon minced garlic 1 medium lemon, rind finely shredded and juiced black pepper, 1 dash salt Iced tea in grams 350 g strong black tea 40 g 1:1 simple syrup 30 g 3:1 lime/lemon juice Bruce\u0026rsquo;s burger sauce → [[Bruce\u0026rsquo;s burger sauce]]\nI have 4-5 styles of burgers that I feel define burgers for me, one of which is the 🇨🇦 A\u0026amp;W mozza burger. My replica uses a sauce that I\u0026rsquo;m developing:\n1:1:1:1, mayo/kewpie, diced burger pickle slices, mustard My burger list, while I\u0026rsquo;m thinking about it is:\nThe deluxe (wide, thin patty ~130-150 g, standard dressing, but with much less ketchup) whopper / quarter pounder deluxe, etc. (double is way too much beef) push towards quarter pounder with American cheese The swiss (semi-sweet savoury burger sauce, swiss cheese) mozza-like The mcdub (90 g patties, ½ cheese, tend towards sweet and fake onion) McDouble Bacon double (variant) The pub burger (thicker patty, lots of deluxe) Triple OOOOO (chili sauce, sweet mayo, pickle) Roast poultry tests → [[Roast poultry]]\nI seasoned both sides (poultry seasoning), set in fridge for 40 minutes in the roasting pans. One pan for dark meat, one for light.\nRoast:\nNo water, just a bit of oil in the pan. There will be char marks, but deglaze the pans and use in stock.\nDark meat: 150°C for 50%-65% of the time, 218°C for the remainder (until 79-91°C) Light meat: 218°C for the remaining thigh time Examples:\nLarge turkey (50 minutes, 45 minutes) 2 chickens (30 minutes, 20 minutes) Notes:\ninteresting that 2 chickens == space of 1 turkey, but only about ⅓ the meat works well for both turkey and chicken remaining cook liquid for stock (especially if there\u0026rsquo;s some dark cooked on spots) Ideas Oxtail soup (Jamaican) Ramen reboot Korean and Japanese bbq Sheet pan pizza ","date":"1 May 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-may/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A deep dive into Mediterranean cooking (dips, vegetable brining, a shift toward plant-forward meals) alongside a beetroot-chickpea hummus and a roast poultry method that splits dark and light meat onto separate pans by temperature. Also nailed down: Bruce’s burger sauce and a personal taxonomy of go-to burger styles (the deluxe, the swiss, the mcdub, and more).\n","title":"May 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"All research, no cooking: a lime crema and two Greek chop marinades worked out on paper (the marinade needs more lemon), and a big scatter of Mediterranean and vacation-inspired ideas — tabbouleh, homemade hummus, Jamaican beef patties, Dutch split pea soup — none yet tested.\nUndated.\nApril food TODO Lime crema → [[Lime crema]]\n125 ml Mexican cream, sour cream, or Greek yogurt plus 30 ml mayo 30 ml fresh squeezed lime (about 1) ~1 clove garlic minced ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt (and then to taste) ½ cup loosely packed cilantro finely chopped ¼ teaspoon onion powder, dehydrated onions, or any fresh onion MSG (2-4 mg) Greek chops 1:1 olive oil / lemon juice 1:.25 red wine vinegar 1:.1 spices (pepper, garlic, oregano, msg) Marinate for 30+ minutes alt:\n1 : 1 : ½ (oil, onion, lemon) garlic (1-2 cloves per cup of liquid) red wine vinegar (1:.25) salt/pepper/oregano Needs more lemon Misc. research ideas (theme: Mediterranean) Chickpea stew (1) ← braises Salads (carrot-raisin, carrot slaw, kerabu) ← chonker salads Meatballs of Earth ← flavour bombs Tsukune Kofte (with harissa, hummus, pita, salad) Stews of Earth ← braise/low-slow Fesenjan (pom/walnut meat braise) Ideas from vacation Tabbouleh salad Homemade hummus (1) Jamaican beef patties (1) Dutch style split pea soup (1, 2, 3), with rookwurst or speklapjes (or ham) Mandoline sliced onions, apple on salad Stew/biscuits ","date":"1 April 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-april/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"All research, no cooking: a lime crema and two Greek chop marinades worked out on paper (the marinade needs more lemon), and a big scatter of Mediterranean and vacation-inspired ideas — tabbouleh, homemade hummus, Jamaican beef patties, Dutch split pea soup — none yet tested.\n","title":"April 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"I developed this when trying to replicate a local Greek restaurant\u0026rsquo;s roast chicken and potatoes. It\u0026rsquo;s good enough for a weeknight meal.\nMechanic Built on a roughly 1:1 olive oil to lemon juice base, with red wine vinegar added for a sharper secondary acid. It needs more lemon than 1:1 suggests; start there and taste up.\n1Oil : 1Lemon Start here, then taste up the lemon Ingredients 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil 60 ml fresh lemon juice 15 ml red wine vinegar 1–2 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon dried oregano ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ teaspoon MSG salt to taste Method Whisk all ingredients together. Taste: it should be clearly lemony, well-seasoned, and fragrant. Adjust lemon if you want more brightness.\nCoat protein and marinate: 30 minutes for thin cuts, 2–4 hours for chops, up to overnight for bone-in.\nTo serve On lamb or pork chops, chicken thighs, or fish. Doubles as a dressing for a Greek salad.\nNotes An onion-forward variation replaces some lemon with grated or mashed onion (1:1:0.5 oil, onion, lemon). Works well with marjoram added alongside the oregano. For a herb-heavy version that also works on rice and salads, see [[Greek lemon and herb marinade]]. ","date":"1 April 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/greek-marinade/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I developed this when trying to replicate a local Greek restaurant’s roast chicken and potatoes. It’s good enough for a weeknight meal.\nMechanic Built on a roughly 1:1 olive oil to lemon juice base, with red wine vinegar added for a sharper secondary acid. It needs more lemon than 1:1 suggests; start there and taste up.\n","title":"Greek marinade","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A fresh-tasting sauce, perfect for nachos, tacos, or over rice bowls.\nIngredients 125 ml Mexican crema, sour cream, or Greek yogurt 30 ml mayonnaise 30 ml fresh lime juice (about 1 lime) 1 clove garlic, minced ½ teaspoon kosher salt (adjust to taste) 30 g fresh cilantro (½ cup loosely packed), finely chopped ¼ teaspoon onion powder (or dehydrated or minced fresh onion) 1–2 g MSG Method Whisk or stir all ingredients together until combined. Taste and adjust salt and lime.\nRefrigerate for 15 minutes before serving if time allows; the flavours settle.\nTo serve On tacos, fajita bowls, fish, roasted vegetables, or as a dipping sauce. Keeps refrigerated for 3 days.\n","date":"1 April 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/lime-crema/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A fresh-tasting sauce, perfect for nachos, tacos, or over rice bowls.\nIngredients 125 ml Mexican crema, sour cream, or Greek yogurt 30 ml mayonnaise 30 ml fresh lime juice (about 1 lime) 1 clove garlic, minced ½ teaspoon kosher salt (adjust to taste) 30 g fresh cilantro (½ cup loosely packed), finely chopped ¼ teaspoon onion powder (or dehydrated or minced fresh onion) 1–2 g MSG Method Whisk or stir all ingredients together until combined. Taste and adjust salt and lime.\n","title":"Lime crema","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Late-winter research mode: a Jamaican jerk chicken recipe card saved for spring testing (missing browning sauce), a tuna rice bowl sauce worked out, and a hot pot shopping list — proteins, veg, hardware — built for spring/summer, alongside a simple stroganoff and turkey noodle soup that actually got made.\nUndated. Late winter.\nJamaican recipe card Note: this recipe is missing browning sauce. Will test and add to the book this Spring.\nTuna rice bowls → [[Tuna rice bowl]]\nTuna sauce 2 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tbsp sriracha 2 tsp soy sauce ½ tsp rice wine vinegar ½ tsp toasted sesame oil Tuna steaks Slice (~2 cm steaks) Dry, kewpie/sriracha? Does this need salt? cube steaks after cooking, toss in sauce Sesame crusted?! soy ginger marinade? Dressing ¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup rice vinegar ¼ cup water 2 ½ teaspoons sugar 1 medium scallion, sliced thin 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes add-ins cuke (make a salad? dress it lightly?) rice/crispy rice scallions/green onions kimchi? Hot pots research for spring/summer (Weissman | Serious | Serious 2)\nProtein Meat balls (home made!) Sliced beef Shrimp Fish slices Tofu Tofu skin Veg Carrots Bok thin slice carrots Mushrooms (sliced, small ones, etc.) Carb Noods (esp. speciality noodles) Other Dumpling (wonton, etc.) Hardware Hot pot (split) Burner? (or combo?) Strainer scoops (2-4) portable table (nice?) February food ideas Stroganoff (simple/1950 style, recipe) → [[Beef stroganoff]] Very simple + slapped Turkey soup (chicken noodle) Also simple + delicious Chicken patties (skipped the garlic) → [[Chicken patties]] Dessert ideas Think smol (1-2 person portions so there\u0026rsquo;s no evidence) ","date":"1 February 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-february/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Late-winter research mode: a Jamaican jerk chicken recipe card saved for spring testing (missing browning sauce), a tuna rice bowl sauce worked out, and a hot pot shopping list — proteins, veg, hardware — built for spring/summer, alongside a simple stroganoff and turkey noodle soup that actually got made.\n","title":"February 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"Post-holiday month: pulled chicken stretched across three meals, a mushroom-quinoa side that needed more mushroom, breakfast sausage adjustments (softer grind, less fennel, sweeter), and a backlog of missed December ideas — goulash, stroganoff, French onion soup — to catch up on.\nUndated.\nJanuary meals Made pulled chicken ([[Pulled BBQ-style chicken]]) for Ann\u0026rsquo;s redhot chicken dip ([[Hot Buffalo chicken dip]]) and leftovers Will adapt leftovers for chicken taco salad (similar to [[Shredded taco chicken]]) Chicken cottage pie (standard cottage pie assembly, using braising liquid for gravy) Roast chicken and quinoa Quinoa was: dried mushrooms raisins sunflower seeds oil 1 cup quinoa fried with above 1.5 cups stock 12 minutes this needed more mushrooms, but was delicious with some pan drippings in it Egg / English muffin / sausage patty Homemade sausage adjustments needed → [[Breakfast sausage]] Softer grind 20% less fennel Sweeter 50g →a Food ideas, post-holiday Meat loaf Queso + chips Pho ga (chicken) Wonton soup (use up freezer wontons) Chicken stock (homemade) Shrimp shells (or bonito?) Missed December recipes Goulash Stroganoff Soups Pea soup / split pea (1) French onion Needs a beef stock Crumbles Pho update Red Boat fish sauce (more common than what I have) ","date":"1 January 2025","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2025-january/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Post-holiday month: pulled chicken stretched across three meals, a mushroom-quinoa side that needed more mushroom, breakfast sausage adjustments (softer grind, less fennel, sweeter), and a backlog of missed December ideas — goulash, stroganoff, French onion soup — to catch up on.\n","title":"January 2025","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"A full winter-break meal plan (two turkey dinners, snacky days, soup days) sketched out day by day, alongside a breakfast sausage recipe locked in (half a pork loin at $1.20/100g works out to half the price of premade) and a steamed, three-day hoagie roll process built from four different sources.\nUndated. Winter.\nPho bo based on Winter break menu Date Theme Meal plan Tues 18th (grocery run) Turkey 6–9 kg; turkey neck and/or wings Sat 21st (grocery run) Sun 22nd Turkey day prep Stock; gravy base; stuffing; veg prep; brine turkey (possibly on the 21st) Mon 23rd Turkey day #1 Classic turkey meal: turkey, gravy, corn, roast veg, mashed taters, stuffing, cran sauce, pie? Tues 24th 🎄 Leftovers, snacky day Leftovers; sandwiches. Snacky: spinach dip, veggie platter, corn bean salsa, jalapeño cheese sticks n red sauce, popcorn chicken and various sauces Wed 25th 🎄 Breakfast wraps, leftovers, snacky snacks Wraps: mashed potatoes, corn, sausage (breakfast), eggs, hot sauce (optional). Leftovers: casserole or sandwiches Thurs 26th Soup day Leftovers; French onion ([[French onion soup]]) Fri 27th Soup day Pho tai / bo vien: beef balls, thin sliced top round (beef). Turkey prep (repeat some set of #1) Sat 28th Turkey day 2 Classic turkey meal Sun 29th Leftovers day Squash soup Mon 30th Leftovers day MacBurgers or Junior Whippers Tues 31st 🥂 Snacky day Leftovers (duh). Snacky: Hawt Buffalo dip ([[Hot Buffalo chicken dip]]), Welsh cakes ([[Welsh cakes]], leftovers for the Remple\u0026rsquo;s) Wed 1st 🥂 Grandparents leftovers Sodium citrate and citric acid Queso Sour pickles Mac \u0026amp; Cheese 🍝🧀 (recipe) 2.0% to 3.0% sodium citrate of the total weight of liquid plus cheese Breakfast sausage → [[Breakfast sausage]]\nUpdated %s, texture and flavours were spot on (more fennel could work, maybe more brown sugar).\nI bought a half pork loin for $1.20/100g and turned ¼ of it into breakfast sausage (about ½ of premade sausage pricing). To get the right texture:\nGrind using small plate Partially frozen fat and strips of pork loin (including fat cap) Pre-froze grinding hardware Paddled minced meat the next day from cold Pressed patties and hand-formed links Hoagie roll → [[Hoagie rolls]]\n(Sources: Hoagie roll recipe from a Reddit comment, Ethan\u0026rsquo;s recipe video / text, and another from Sorted, and one more from Charlie Anderson the pizza guy)\nFor 3 x 15cm/6\u0026quot; hoagie rolls:\n290g bread flour 174g lukewarm water 23g oil 6g salt (1.2% note: less salt → lighter roll, typical is ~2-3%) 6g diastatic malt or sugar 2.2g instant dry yeast Mix all ingredients in a stand mixer or by hand for 10-12 minutes or until the dough isn\u0026rsquo;t sticky anymore. Once the dough is all mixed, let the dough rest for 30 minutes, covered in a bowl. Once rested, ball the dough up tightly to a smooth dough ball. Let the dough rise at room temperature for an hour or until the dough doubles in size. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and ball them up tightly. Stick the dough balls in the fridge for 24 hours.\nAfter 24 hours, take the dough balls out at room temperature and ball them again. Let the dough balls sit at room temp for 2+3 hours or until the dough balls double in volume.\nOnce doubled in volume, roll the dough balls into a cigar shape that is 6 inches long. Let them rest in a towel or a deep covered container for 1-2 hours to proof.\nPreheat your oven to 500 F with a cast iron dutch oven inside. Once the oven has been heated to 500 F for 30 minutes, take your Dutch oven out of your home oven and place one roll in the oven along with two ice cubes. Cover the Dutch oven so the ice cube melts and steams the dough and bake the Dutch Oven for (covered) for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes uncover the lid of your Dutch oven and bake your roll for 5 more minutes or until golden brown. Repeat the same baking steps for the two remaining rolls.\n","date":"1 December 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2024-december/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A full winter-break meal plan (two turkey dinners, snacky days, soup days) sketched out day by day, alongside a breakfast sausage recipe locked in (half a pork loin at $1.20/100g works out to half the price of premade) and a steamed, three-day hoagie roll process built from four different sources.\n","title":"December 2024","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"When we crave shake-and-bake, this is what we make. It hits the same notes with fewer calories.\nMechanic Baking powder in a dry rub raises the surface pH of the skin, which helps it brown and crisp faster. Use it sparingly; too much leaves a chalky flavour. Mushroom powder, if you have it, adds quiet umami that amplifies any pan sauce or gravy.\nIngredients 15 g kosher salt (1 tablespoon) 3 g baking powder (1 teaspoon) ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon MSG 1 teaspoon mushroom powder (optional; use if serving with gravy) Method Combine all ingredients. Rub all over chicken, including under the skin where possible. Let rest uncovered in the fridge for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight. The salt draws out moisture, which then reabsorbs, and the skin dries out for better crisping.\nCoat skin lightly with neutral oil before roasting.\nRoast at 205–230°C (400–450°F) until the breasts reach 65°C and the dark meat reaches 75°C. Rest for 5–10 minutes before carving; for a whole bird or bone-in pieces, the rest is the hold that makes 65°C safe for the breast meat.\nNotes 230°C (450°F) gives maximum browning; use it only if your oven runs accurately at that temperature. For a whole bird, see [[Roast poultry]] for the two-temperature timing method. ","date":"1 October 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/crispy-chicken-rub/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"When we crave shake-and-bake, this is what we make. It hits the same notes with fewer calories.\nMechanic Baking powder in a dry rub raises the surface pH of the skin, which helps it brown and crisp faster. Use it sparingly; too much leaves a chalky flavour. Mushroom powder, if you have it, adds quiet umami that amplifies any pan sauce or gravy.\n","title":"Crispy chicken rub","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Who doesn\u0026rsquo;t like cola? This is a great mixer or addition to a glaze.\nMechanic A concentrated syrup of citrus oils, warm spices, and caramel notes that forms the flavour base of a homemade cola. Gum arabic is the traditional emulsifier that gives cola its characteristic mouthfeel; it\u0026rsquo;s optional but worth including. The browning sauce adds the dark colour without bitterness.\nIngredients zest and juice of 1 lemon zest and juice of 1 lime zest and juice of 2 oranges 3 large cinnamon sticks (12 cm / 5 in), broken into small pieces 2 tablespoons dried bitter orange peel 2 teaspoons coriander seed ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 teaspoon gum arabic (optional) 900 g (2 lb) sugar 60 ml browning sauce (such as Kitchen Bouquet) ½ teaspoon vanilla extract small amount of ascorbic acid or additional lemon juice (to taste) 10 ml neutral alcohol, such as vodka (optional; see Notes) Method Combine the sugar with 900 ml water in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon, bitter orange peel, coriander seed, and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer 10 minutes.\nAdd the citrus zests and juice. Steep off heat, covered, for 20 minutes.\nStrain through a fine sieve. If using gum arabic, whisk it into 2 tbsp of the warm syrup until smooth, then stir it back in; added straight to the pot, it clumps. While the syrup is still warm, stir in the browning sauce, vanilla, alcohol, and ascorbic acid.\nCool completely before bottling.\nTo serve Mix 30–45 ml syrup per 300 ml of cold carbonated water. Adjust the ratio to taste.\nNotes Bitter orange peel is available dried at specialty and Middle Eastern grocers. Gum arabic dissolves best in warm liquid; add it while the syrup is still hot. The alcohol helps preserve the syrup. Vanilla extract already contains some, so you can skip it. ","date":"1 October 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/essence-of-cola/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Who doesn’t like cola? This is a great mixer or addition to a glaze.\nMechanic A concentrated syrup of citrus oils, warm spices, and caramel notes that forms the flavour base of a homemade cola. Gum arabic is the traditional emulsifier that gives cola its characteristic mouthfeel; it’s optional but worth including. The browning sauce adds the dark colour without bitterness.\n","title":"Essence of cola","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A big stock-and-broth push (chicken, turkey, a reworked pho ga base) ahead of the holidays, a McDouble clone dialed in to the gram, and a sandwich-shop sour pickle reverse-engineered against BK, McDonald\u0026rsquo;s, and A\u0026amp;W\u0026rsquo;s own ingredient lists. Turkey day mostly went to plan, and a crispy roast chicken rub and homemade naan both landed well.\nUndated.\nFood prep Clean out freezer Large batch beef/mushroom base Chicken stock → [[Chicken or turkey stock]] Pho ga Rework chicken stock recipe to be based of Pho Ga broth Add toasted spices, sugar as a second step (using base stock from freezer) Vietnamese stock is similar to French (but more roasting, w/ginger) Turkey stock (for Xmas week) Sausage patties Breakfast style (update recipe, balance better) → [[Breakfast sausage]] December food wishes Goulash → [[Goulash]] Stroganoff → [[Beef stroganoff]] Soups Pea soup / split pea (1) French onion → [[French onion soup]] Needs a beef stock Crumbles (Mexico cruise had me thinking about the dishes above)\nBroths Tonkotsu → Pho → Miso → McDouble style burgers (recipe) → [[McDouble]]\n50g patties (note: needs to be double-ground to get softer beef) Smash + freeze 9cm buns → roughly 11cm / 4 ⅓ inch pressed 1358g = 27 (.73) 5:1 ketchup to mustard 2 sour pickles Dried onion (or fresh, soaked and then drained) Soups Vietnamese beef balls - 10 minutes from frozen (boiling water) Sandwich/sour pickles → [[Sandwich sour pickles]]\nThis is a hack version of a sour pickle (more like a fast food or deli sandwich). Goal is to bring max contrast, without adding too much muddy or sweet (i.e., garlic or sugar).\n2 Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced (225g total) 300ml water 250ml distilled white vinegar 10g kosher salt (up to 15) 2 medium cloves garlic, roughly sliced 2 teaspoons (6g) black peppercorns 2 teaspoons (6g) whole yellow mustard seeds 2 sprigs fresh dill Ratios to consider:\nSome of the weird ingredients help keep the pickles crunchy and green.\nBK: Cucumbers, water, vinegar, salt, 1/10 of 1% sodium benzoate as a preservative, alum, propylene glycol, polysorbate 80, natural flavours, yellow #5, turmeric oleoresin, blue #1, soy lecithin. Pickle flavoring may contain soy lecithin and is processed on shared equipment with peanuts.\nMcD: Cucumbers, Water, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Alum, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Natural Flavors, Polysorbate 80, Extractives Of Turmeric (color).\nA\u0026amp;W: Pickles, water, distilled vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, potassium sorbate (as a preservative), polysorbate 80, natural flavors, turmeric oleoresin, garlic powder.\nTurkey day prep Stock (extra roasted this year, reduced 50%) Turkey (start by 3PM) 160C 3 hours, flip Dry brine x2 Mac Grate cheese Sauce Bacon Breadcrumbs Gravy Potatoes Garlic roasted Butter Potatoes washed Roast veg (one pan) Cornholio Prep night dinner Meat balls → [[Meatballs]] Ratio recipe (forgot parm, was still tasty) Simple marinara → [[Simple marinara]] 1 raw meatball as a base Tomato paste Red wine to deglaze 1 tin of tomatoes, mashed Light seasoning (salt, pepper, oregano) Naan → [[Naan]]\n620g bread flour 7g (2 tsp) instant or rapid rise yeast 12g kosher salt (2 ½ teaspoons) 22g (about 2 tablespoons) sugar 400g (about 1 ¾ cups) full fat yogurt or whole milk 110g (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (1171g) portion into 100g balls rise by 2x cook in hot pan or over grill apply butter (and or garlic, herbs, etc.) WTF it\u0026rsquo;s Fall? Crispy roast chicken, gravy, mash, and roast veg\nChicken: this was good → [[Crispy chicken rub]]\nRub 1 tablespoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder Coriander MSG Mushroom powder (if serving with gravy) Steps Cover skin with oil before baking 205C or 219 or 230 (230 max brown) Until breasts are 65C brown meat is 75F Essence of cola → [[Essence of cola]]\nFinely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime Finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges 3 large (5-inch) cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces 2 tablespoons dried bitter orange peel 2 teaspoons coriander seed 1/4 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg 1 teaspoon gum arabic (optional) 2 pounds sugar 1/4 cup browning sauce, such as Kitchen Bouquet 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Ascorbic acid (or lemon juice?)\n10ml alcohol (vanilla may have enough)\n","date":"1 October 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2024-fall/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A big stock-and-broth push (chicken, turkey, a reworked pho ga base) ahead of the holidays, a McDouble clone dialed in to the gram, and a sandwich-shop sour pickle reverse-engineered against BK, McDonald’s, and A\u0026W’s own ingredient lists. Turkey day mostly went to plan, and a crispy roast chicken rub and homemade naan both landed well.\n","title":"Fall 2024","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"A very cravable burger. This is the closest I\u0026rsquo;ve gotten to perfecting it, along with its little sibling, the single drive-thru hamburger.\nMechanic The McDouble is built on two thin patties, a single slice of cheese between them, and a sharp dressing ratio. Double-grinding the beef (or triple-grinding, for softer still) is what gives the patty its soft, almost pillowy texture rather than a coarse, chewy one. The seasoning is a 4:2:1 ratio of salt, MSG, and black pepper by weight, plus 0.25 parts onion powder if you like.\n4Salt : 2MSG : 1Pepper By weight Smash-and-freeze before cooking locks the shape. Press between parchment sheets using two flat surfaces until 5–10% wider than your target bun, then par-freeze.\nPatties 150 g ground beef (80/20; a blend of chuck, top round, and sirloin is ideal), double-ground, for two 75 g patties Seasoning: 4:2:1 salt, MSG, and black pepper by weight, plus 0.25 parts onion powder (optional) Form two balls of double-ground beef. Flatten into patties slightly larger than the bun (they will shrink). Freeze on a flat tray until firm, 20–30 minutes.\nCook from frozen on a hot griddle or cast iron pan, about 220°C (425°F) at the surface. Press flat as they hit the pan if you want a smash texture. Cook until well browned on the bottom, 2–3 minutes. Flip and add the cheese to one patty. Cook another minute. Season as soon as they come off the heat.\nBuild 1 small bun (about 9 cm), slightly pressed flat 2 tsp ketchup ½ tsp mustard (5:1 ketchup to mustard) 2 extra-sour dill pickle slices, thinly sliced 1 tsp dried minced onion, rehydrated (or fresh white onion, diced, soaked in cold water, and drained) ½ slice Kraft Deluxe American cheese Toast the cut sides of the bun in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat until golden. Stack the patties with the cheese between them. Add the ketchup, mustard, pickles, and onion. Close the bun.\nWrap in parchment or burger paper, or cover in a pan with a lid, for a minute to steam the burger slightly and soften the bun.\nTo serve Immediately. These hold badly.\nVariations Single hamburger The little drive-thru slider. Use one 45 g patty on a small bun (Dempster, 7.5 cm / 3 inch). Build it bottom up: bottom bun, a few drops of mustard, 2 tsp ketchup, pickles, onion, half a cheese slice (optional), patty, top bun. Steam it in its wrapper.\nBacon McDouble Cook 1 slice of bacon until crisp and cut it in half. Lay the two halves on the cheese before stacking the second patty.\nNotes The 5:1 ketchup:mustard ratio gives that distinctive fast-food sweet-savoury balance. Double-ground beef: put the ground beef through the grinder twice, or blitz briefly in a food processor. A bun pressed to about 11 cm (4⅓ inch) matches the patty diameter after smashing. The restaurant uses 45 g patties for both, but they\u0026rsquo;re a pain to work with at that size at home. Kraft Deluxe cheese is thicker than what the golden king uses, so use half a slice. No extra-sour pickles? Regular non-kosher dills with a little citric acid or vinegar added work. Research Background PDF Example patty video ","date":"1 October 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/mcdouble/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A very cravable burger. This is the closest I’ve gotten to perfecting it, along with its little sibling, the single drive-thru hamburger.\nMechanic The McDouble is built on two thin patties, a single slice of cheese between them, and a sharp dressing ratio. Double-grinding the beef (or triple-grinding, for softer still) is what gives the patty its soft, almost pillowy texture rather than a coarse, chewy one. The seasoning is a 4:2:1 ratio of salt, MSG, and black pepper by weight, plus 0.25 parts onion powder if you like.\n","title":"McDouble","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Naan is a simple, delicious bread, best covered with garlic and ghee.\nMechanic Yogurt is the key acid and tenderizer: it produces the slight tang and soft interior that sets naan apart from other flatbreads. Portioning into 100 g balls and cold-proofing overnight gives the dough time to develop flavour and makes the bread easier to roll and cook.\nIngredients Dough 620 g bread flour 7 g instant dry yeast (2 teaspoons) 12 g kosher salt (2½ teaspoons) 22 g sugar (~2 tablespoons) 400 g full-fat yogurt or whole milk 110 g unsalted butter, melted To finish 3–4 tbsp melted butter or ghee 2–3 cloves garlic, minced (optional) chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro (optional) Method Combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add yogurt and melted butter; mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead by hand or in a stand mixer until smooth and elastic, 8–10 minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky.\nCover and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1–1½ hours.\nDivide into 100 g portions. Shape into tight balls and place on a floured tray. Refrigerate overnight, uncovered or loosely covered.\nPull from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into a rough oval, about 5 mm thick.\nCook in a very hot dry pan (cast iron or similar) or over a grill. The pan should be smoking. Cook until large bubbles form and the underside is charred in spots, 1–2 minutes. Flip and cook another minute.\nBrush immediately with the melted butter or ghee. Scatter over the garlic and herbs, if using.\nTo serve Warm, alongside curries or dips. Stack in a towel to keep soft.\nNotes Cold proof is important; room-temp-only proofed dough works but is harder to handle and less flavourful. Whole milk can substitute for yogurt; the result is slightly less tangy. ","date":"1 October 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/naan/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Naan is a simple, delicious bread, best covered with garlic and ghee.\nMechanic Yogurt is the key acid and tenderizer: it produces the slight tang and soft interior that sets naan apart from other flatbreads. Portioning into 100 g balls and cold-proofing overnight gives the dough time to develop flavour and makes the bread easier to roll and cook.\n","title":"Naan","type":"recipes"},{"content":"These are delicious little pickles, perfect for fresh roast beef sandwiches.\nMechanic A fast fridge pickle built for max contrast over sweetness. No sugar, no turmeric, no brightening agents: just sharp acid and mustard seed. The ratio is roughly 1.2:1 water to vinegar, which is milder than a straight vinegar pickle.\n1.2Water : 1Vinegar Ingredients 225g Kirby cucumbers (2 small), thinly sliced 300ml water 250ml distilled white vinegar 10–15g kosher salt 2 cloves garlic, roughly sliced 6g black peppercorns (2 teaspoons) 6g whole yellow mustard seeds (2 teaspoons) 2 sprigs fresh dill Method Combine water, vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat until salt dissolves; no need to boil. Cool slightly.\nPack cucumbers, garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and dill into a clean jar. Pour brine over to cover.\nCool to room temperature, then refrigerate. Ready in 4–6 hours; better after 24.\nTo serve On burgers, sandwiches, or alongside charcuterie. Keeps refrigerated for 2–3 weeks.\nNotes 10g salt is the working amount; 15g for a sharper, brinier result. No sweetener is intentional; adding even a small amount shifts the profile significantly. ","date":"1 October 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/sandwich-sour-pickles/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"These are delicious little pickles, perfect for fresh roast beef sandwiches.\nMechanic A fast fridge pickle built for max contrast over sweetness. No sugar, no turmeric, no brightening agents: just sharp acid and mustard seed. The ratio is roughly 1.2:1 water to vinegar, which is milder than a straight vinegar pickle.\n","title":"Sandwich sour pickles","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A perfect sauce for flatbreads, pizza, and as a quick pasta sauce.\nMechanic A short, hot cook: the tomato paste goes in first and caramelizes briefly in the fat, the wine lifts it off the pan, and the tin of tomatoes finishes it in 15 minutes. Cooking it in meat drippings instead of oil (see Variations) makes it much more savoury.\nIngredients 1–2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp tomato paste splash of red wine 400 g tin whole or crushed tomatoes, mashed pinch dried oregano salt and black pepper Method Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium. Add the tomato paste and stir until it darkens slightly, 1–2 minutes.\nAdd the wine and scrape up any browned bits. Add the tomatoes and oregano. Simmer for 15 minutes, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon.\nTaste and adjust the salt and seasoning.\nTo serve Tossed with pasta, spooned over meatballs, or as a pizza sauce base.\nVariations Pan drippings Use 1–2 tbsp of meat drippings in place of the olive oil: saved drippings from the fridge, or the pan you just cooked meatballs or browned meat in, with its browned bits. It\u0026rsquo;s no longer vegan, but it\u0026rsquo;s the richer version.\nNotes A clove of garlic added with the tomato paste is a natural extension. ","date":"1 October 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/simple-marinara/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A perfect sauce for flatbreads, pizza, and as a quick pasta sauce.\nMechanic A short, hot cook: the tomato paste goes in first and caramelizes briefly in the fat, the wine lifts it off the pan, and the tin of tomatoes finishes it in 15 minutes. Cooking it in meat drippings instead of oil (see Variations) makes it much more savoury.\n","title":"Simple marinara","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A wide-ranging summer: a quick pizza sauce that turned out great, a vindaloo paste built from whole spices, a broiled burger method dialed in (6 minutes a side at 288°C), and a teriyaki sauce ratio locked in for the rice-bowl rotation, alongside travel-inspired ideas from Atlanta and a growing retro-dishes wishlist.\nUndated.\nRetro dishes (from a reddit thread)\nRed beans and rice Meatloaf Midwest stroganoff Shepherds pie Baked custard Potato gratin Rice pudding Flan Chicken divan Chili (Texas Red) Curried sausage Pizza dogs Small portion of pizza sauce → [[Quick pizza sauce]] 2 tablespoons tomato paste (tube of 2x paste) 3-4 tablespoons of water Salt, pepper Oregano, thyme Olive oil Wine (splash) Sugar (if needed) (this works quite well!) A bit sweet A bit thick Very deep tomato flavour (I think this recipe could be great) Frozo drinks Blended fruit drink 225ml Vodka 75ml peach schnapps 500ml fruit 250ml ice 50ml lime juice (too tart, think, decent ratio overall) Mexican food ideas Pueblan cemitas Pickled morita, chipotle, colorado chiles Vindaloo Vindaloo paste (for the meat) → [[Vindaloo paste]] 2\u0026quot; fresh ginger, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 10 dried red chilies 2 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp fenugreek seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 6 green cardamom pods 6 cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1/4 tsp black peppercorns 3 tbsp lemon juice (see notes) End of July food Fajitas + salads Pan cooked chicken Pan cooked veg (peppers, onion) Broiled burgers (using all-beef frozen burgs, 170g/6oz) 6 minutes per side on a wire rack, 288C/550F Salt/pepper/msg Chez Order (top, down) bun, mayo + tomato + mustard + dots of ketchup + pickle + chez + burger + mustard, onion, mayo, bun Back home New to me (Japanese food site) Platz → [[German platz]] Korean rice bowls (Bibimbop) Serious Eats bibimbap Rice bowls, need fucking real food Teriyaki chicken Also: Chicken Teriyaki Burgers (slaw, tomato?, onion?) Make a large batch of sauce Veg Shredded carrot Asian style slaw Vaguely Asian dressing Rice 1 cup basmati rice, 1 inch grated fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Teriyaki (ratio recipe) → [[Teriyaki sauce]] Atlanta inspirations Teriyaki (from Kenji\u0026rsquo;s new series) Pasta and spinach bean red sauce Sausage/beef → sauté Add spinach Add tortellinis Add red sauce (canned or make ahead) Muesli + frozos + oat milk (Bob\u0026rsquo;s redmill was especially good) Recreate Tiny Lou\u0026rsquo;s micro wedge salads ","date":"1 August 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2024-summer/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A wide-ranging summer: a quick pizza sauce that turned out great, a vindaloo paste built from whole spices, a broiled burger method dialed in (6 minutes a side at 288°C), and a teriyaki sauce ratio locked in for the rice-bowl rotation, alongside travel-inspired ideas from Atlanta and a growing retro-dishes wishlist.\n","title":"Summer 2024","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"A quick pizza sauce that requires only tomato paste. One batch makes enough for about one pizza.\nMechanic Built on double-strength tomato paste rather than crushed tomatoes. The paste is already concentrated so the sauce is ready in under 15 minutes and has a deep tomato flavour without a long simmer. The splash of wine deglazes and adds acidity.\nIngredients 2 tablespoons tomato paste (double-concentrated tube paste) 3–4 tablespoons water (adjust for consistency) splash of red wine 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil pinch dried oregano pinch dried thyme salt and black pepper pinch of sugar (if needed) Method Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it darkens slightly and smells sweeter, 1–2 minutes.\nAdd the wine and stir to deglaze. Add the water and herbs and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and add a pinch of sugar if the sauce is sharp.\nTo serve Spread on pizza dough, flatbread, or as a dipping sauce. Can be made ahead and refrigerated for a week.\nNotes For a bigger batch built on strained tomatoes, see [[Pizzeria pizza sauce]]. Add more water for a looser sauce. The double-paste concentrate is important; regular paste needs more reduction time. See also [[The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza]], our family\u0026rsquo;s 12-pizza Christmas marathon. ","date":"1 July 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/quick-pizza-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A quick pizza sauce that requires only tomato paste. One batch makes enough for about one pizza.\nMechanic Built on double-strength tomato paste rather than crushed tomatoes. The paste is already concentrated so the sauce is ready in under 15 minutes and has a deep tomato flavour without a long simmer. The splash of wine deglazes and adds acidity.\n","title":"Quick pizza sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Vindaloo is my favourite curry, so I developed this paste.\nMechanic In this version, the fenugreek and dried chilies set the paste apart from a generic curry paste. Toast all whole spices first: the heat activates their oils and deepens every flavour in the final dish.\nIngredients 50 g fresh ginger (5 cm), roughly chopped 3 or more cloves garlic, to taste, roughly chopped 10 dried red chilies (adjust heat to taste) 2 teaspoons coriander seeds 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 6 green cardamom pods 6 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns 3 tablespoons lemon juice Method Toast whole spices (coriander, fenugreek, cumin, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns) in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Cool.\nGrind toasted spices to a fine powder.\nBlend ginger, garlic, dried chilies, and ground spices with lemon juice until a smooth paste forms, adding a splash of water if needed.\nTo serve Rub onto pork, lamb, or chicken. Marinate at least 2 hours, overnight preferred. Use the paste as the base of a braise or curry sauce.\nNotes Vinegar is traditional (vindaloo comes from the Portuguese vinha d\u0026rsquo;alhos, meat in wine vinegar and garlic); lemon is my swap. Tamarind also works. Don\u0026rsquo;t skip the fenugreek; its bitterness defines this paste. Keeps refrigerated for a week or frozen for a month. ","date":"1 July 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/vindaloo-paste/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Vindaloo is my favourite curry, so I developed this paste.\nMechanic In this version, the fenugreek and dried chilies set the paste apart from a generic curry paste. Toast all whole spices first: the heat activates their oils and deepens every flavour in the final dish.\n","title":"Vindaloo paste","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A big stretch, January through June: Hawaii-trip-inspired kalua pulled pork and poke research, a bulgogi marinade and an Asian slaw dressing that both worked well on the first try, and a char siu marinade. Also dialed in: a broiled \u0026ldquo;home whopper\u0026rdquo; method, a family-weekend rotation of pulled pork, chili, and mac and cheese, and two wing sauces (gochujang, chili-lime) for puzzle nights — while a Serious Eats peanut sauce got flatly rejected in favour of trying Weissman\u0026rsquo;s version next time.\nUndated. January to June; the original notes grouped these as Spring.\nRice bowls Quinoa Herbs, onions, dried fruit (inspiration: 1) Mint sauce (1) 1:1 mint/parsley, garlic or shallot, ¼ June celebration planning Pulled pork (1, 2, 3, 4, 5/5) Adapted recipe → [[Maui/Kalua pulled pork]] coconut rice (1) Pulled chicken → [[Pulled BBQ-style chicken]] June food ideas Make Piri Piri Quinoa salad (curry) Quinoa, diced veg (carrots, onion) raisins, currents parsley pepper, turmeric, curry mustard (or masala?), stock (pairs great with roasted veg/beast) May food prep Chicken meatballs (and/or pork) springy, for soup Soup stock (next week) Beef prep Post-Maui Hawaii learnings Pork (various) Soy-glazes (general) Poke (1, 2, 3) ❤️‍🔥 Pineapple soy pork Green papaya salad Spicy (from 3) Standard (1, island) Street taco Al pastor Grilled chicken Glazed salmon Loco moco Salads Wooden spoon house salad Soup Secret ingredient soup Drinks Chai → [[Chai]] Roast beast Blade roast (shoulder blade → chuck) 230C for 25, then 177C for 45 (ish) 60C target In liquid, not covered Carrots, celery, soup stock (~1 inch) Next up CHAR SIU → [[Char siu marinade]] Snacky Friday Pork glaze (was good, though a bit heavy? Something simpler might be better)\n1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon red curry paste 2 garlic cloves, minced ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger ½ cup canned coconut milk ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons peanut butter 1 tablespoon lime juice 2 ½ teaspoons fish sauce Peanut sauce from Serious eats: DID NOT LIKE THIS ONE (check out Weisman\u0026rsquo;s next time)\n1 cup (256g) creamy peanut butter ½ cup hot water 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste 2 tablespoons palm sugar or light brown sugar 2 tablespoons Sriracha 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice from 1 lime 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 scallions, thinly sliced Kosher salt, to taste Too much thai curry paste, likely needs tamarind or hoisin, and was missing coconut milk (adding that made it better)\nIndonesian sweet soy sauce (good for glazes) → [[Sweet soy sauce (kecap manis style)]]\n¼ cup soy sauce ⅜ cup brown sugar (heat to combine) Rice paper rolls (with some pork too?)\nThai cucumber relish → [[Thai cucumber relish]]\n¼ cup white vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped coarse 1 shallot, minced 1 tablespoon fish sauce Flatbread White sauce (adapted from ATK) → [[Flatbread white sauce]] ½ container ricotta (whole milk, avoid stabilizers) 4 cloves garlic finely minced 1 shallot finely minced 2 tablespoons Olive oil 2 tablespoons Cream 1-2 egg yolks Salt, pepper, MSG Oregano Thyme Lunch hacks → [[Sichuan quick noodles]]\nSecond Szechuan attempt: (draft recipe) + big fat spoon of chili/garlic paste + 115g tofu Rice vinega → sake − togarashi + sesame seeds + more soy Szechuan quick noodles, single pan 85g noodles (spag or whatever) Szechuan peppers, teaspoon or so Korean chili flakes, 2-3 teaspoons Beef base (has stock in it), 125ml Minced ginger, 1 tablespoon or so Cabbage 1-2 cups Tomato paste, 1 tablespoon or so Togarashi Soy/sesame oil/rice wine To taste Next time More salt Edamame Tofu More acid Dashi Was close to amazing Food prep Chicken patties (tuned down most add-ins by 25%) → [[Chicken patties]] Beef patties 125g (slightly smaller than the usual 140g), no seasoning (added after cooking) Beef base → [[Beef base]] Chicken stock Appetizers Mushroom flatbread → [[Spinach mushroom flatbread]] Learn more asian cooking Bulgogi (basic, standard, SE, Chef John, another) → [[Bulgogi beef]] Test recipe (this worked really well) Asian slaw → [[Asian slaw dressing]] 90g ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 45g / 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, plus extra for seasoning 30g tablespoons Dijon mustard 15g 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 10g soy sauce 10g maple syrup (this also worked really well) Side dishes Stir fried greens Fried mushrooms Other Broiled zucchini Turkey burgers → [[Turkey burgers]] Food thoughts Really enjoying casseroles, especially cottage pie → [[Cottage pie]] Idea for a scallop lasagne (test for lunches?) Home whoppers Broil 258C + convection On grate 6-7 minutes per side Let rest S\u0026amp;P\u0026amp;MSG Medium - medium well Pressure cooker parts 26cm (I think it\u0026rsquo;s this one: Fissler sealing ring) 600-700-00-205 Or 600-000-26-795/0 Weekend famjam food Results Pulled pork: worked despite problem with pressure cooker (~3 hours instead of 40 minutes) Sauce worked well Chili New technique for chilis TODO Prep pork shoulder (spice rub → fridge) Start chili (beef browned) Prep tomatoes Sidequest: make meat sauce lunch Make chili Prep cheese Coleslaw dressing Recipes Pulled pork → [[Pulled pork]] Spice rub 40 minutes Chili (freezer beef mince precook) → [[Canadian chili]] Mac\u0026amp;Chez (simple, unbaked version of this) → [[Baked mac \u0026amp; cheese]] Pasta tests Ravioli style (torts?) Research and food thinking Spinach/artichoke dip → Baps are great buns (SE recipe) Had these from a local grocer: great for simple sandies Nut breading? 1:½ nuts/parm Seasoning (parsley, s\u0026amp;p) Pound out Season Flour Egg Nuts Bake 233C ~20 until 65C Worked well, but not quite dark enough (par pan fry first?) Stroganoff → Ann → [[Beef stroganoff]] Fancy version (SE) Classic style (John) Breakfast sausage recipe → [[Breakfast sausage]] 7 oz. lean ground pork 3 tsps. maple syrup 2/3 tsp. salt ½ tsp. ground sage ¼ tsp. ground black pepper ½ tsp. onion powder (missing fennel?) Wings test (for puzzle night snacks) Gochujang → [[Gochujang wing sauce]] Dressing/marinade Half on the wings to marinade/cook, half to dress Chilli lime Dressing/marinade Half on the wings to marinate/cook, half to dress Roast chicken 205/218C (400/425F) (article) ~40 minutes January is different Nutritional yeast dressing (to use up left over) Full recipe Sprouts Model My growing notes ","date":"1 June 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2024-spring/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A big stretch, January through June: Hawaii-trip-inspired kalua pulled pork and poke research, a bulgogi marinade and an Asian slaw dressing that both worked well on the first try, and a char siu marinade. Also dialed in: a broiled “home whopper” method, a family-weekend rotation of pulled pork, chili, and mac and cheese, and two wing sauces (gochujang, chili-lime) for puzzle nights — while a Serious Eats peanut sauce got flatly rejected in favour of trying Weissman’s version next time.\n","title":"Spring 2024","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"This is my approximation of an Asian slaw dressing, based on pantry ingredients. It\u0026rsquo;s a great base for a slaw or chunky salad.\nMechanic A weight-based emulsified dressing at 2:1 oil to acid. The Dijon acts as both flavour and emulsifier; the sesame oil is for aroma, not bulk.\n2Oil : 1Acid By weight Ingredients 90 g extra-virgin olive oil, or a lighter neutral oil 45–50 g rice vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar, plus more to taste 30 g Dijon mustard 15 g toasted sesame oil 10–15 g soy sauce 10 g maple syrup 2 g MSG (optional) 2 g ginger, finely minced (optional; jarred is fine) Method Whisk everything together, or blend with an immersion blender, until emulsified. Taste and adjust: rice vinegar for brightness, soy for salt, maple for sweetness.\nTo serve On shredded cabbage, carrot, or any Asian-style slaw. Dress just before serving.\nVariations Add sliced fresh chilies for heat, or more ginger and some garlic for depth.\nNotes Tested alongside bulgogi and stir-fry components; worked very well. Seasoned rice vinegar already has sugar and salt, so go easier on the maple and soy. Keeps in the fridge; whisk again before using. ","date":"1 April 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/asian-slaw-dressing/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is my approximation of an Asian slaw dressing, based on pantry ingredients. It’s a great base for a slaw or chunky salad.\nMechanic A weight-based emulsified dressing at 2:1 oil to acid. The Dijon acts as both flavour and emulsifier; the sesame oil is for aroma, not bulk.\n","title":"Asian slaw dressing","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a hacky white sauce recipe, for a mushroom flatbread snack.\nIngredients 250 g whole-milk ricotta (avoid brands with stabilizers) 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 shallot, finely minced 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1–2 egg yolks pinch dried oregano pinch dried thyme salt, black pepper, MSG Method Combine ricotta, garlic, shallot, olive oil, and cream in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Add egg yolks and season with salt, pepper, MSG, oregano, and thyme. Stir to combine.\nSpread on flatbread or pizza dough before adding toppings. The egg yolk sets as the flatbread bakes, thickening and enriching the sauce.\nTo serve Under mushrooms, roasted garlic, or prosciutto on flatbread. Also good as a dip; leave out the egg yolks, since they only set in the oven.\nNotes Adapted loosely from an America\u0026rsquo;s Test Kitchen white pizza sauce. 1 egg yolk gives a lighter result; 2 is richer and slightly sturdier. Avoid stabilized ricotta (such as brands with guar gum); it doesn\u0026rsquo;t blend as smoothly and can separate. See also [[The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza]], our family\u0026rsquo;s 12-pizza Christmas marathon. ","date":"1 April 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/flatbread-white-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a hacky white sauce recipe, for a mushroom flatbread snack.\nIngredients 250 g whole-milk ricotta (avoid brands with stabilizers) 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 shallot, finely minced 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons heavy cream 1–2 egg yolks pinch dried oregano pinch dried thyme salt, black pepper, MSG Method Combine ricotta, garlic, shallot, olive oil, and cream in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Add egg yolks and season with salt, pepper, MSG, oregano, and thyme. Stir to combine.\n","title":"Flatbread white sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A one-pan work-from-home lunch built on a precooked protein base. Twenty minutes, cleanup included.\nMechanic The noodles cook in the sauce. Start them in just enough water to cover in a wide pan, and add the aromatics and base halfway through; the starch from the noodles thickens the reducing liquid into a sauce that coats them. Add water a spoonful at a time, not all at once. If it ends up as soup, use less water and more heat next time.\nIngredients 85 g dried noodles (spaghetti, linguine, ramen, or Chinese egg noodles) 250 ml [[Beef base]] 115 g medium tofu, cubed 1 tbsp chili-garlic paste 1 tbsp tomato paste 1–2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground 2 tsp Korean chili flakes (gochugaru) 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced 1–2 g MSG (a small pinch) 150 g cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups) soy sauce, sesame oil, and sake or rice wine, 1–2 tbsp each to taste splash of rice vinegar Method Drop the noodles in a wide pan with just enough water to cover and bring to a simmer. Keep a cup of hot water nearby.\nWhen the noodles are halfway cooked by the package time, add the beef base, tofu, chili-garlic paste, tomato paste, Sichuan pepper, chili flakes, ginger, and MSG. Stir and cook until heated through and the liquid is reducing. Ramen and egg noodles cook faster; start them in less water.\nTaste the liquid. Season with soy sauce, sesame oil, and sake. Test a noodle; if it\u0026rsquo;s still firm and the pan is dry, add 1–2 tbsp water.\nAdd the cabbage and cook until tender-crisp, 2–3 minutes. Finish with a splash of rice vinegar for acid. Taste again: it should be savoury, spicy, and bright without being too salty. The sauce should cling to the noodles.\nTo serve In the pan or a bowl, topped with sliced green onion, sesame seeds, and togarashi.\nVariations Stock only No beef base on hand? boil and drain the noodles, reserving a splash of water. In the same pan, fry the ginger in a little oil until fragrant, 1 minute, then the pepper, chili flakes, and tomato paste. Add 125 ml beef stock and the cabbage and simmer until the sauce reduces slightly, 3–5 minutes. Toss in the noodles and season as above.\nNotes Use dashi in place of some of the stock in the stock-only version. Edamame works in place of or alongside the tofu. ","date":"1 April 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/sichuan-quick-noodles/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A one-pan work-from-home lunch built on a precooked protein base. Twenty minutes, cleanup included.\nMechanic The noodles cook in the sauce. Start them in just enough water to cover in a wide pan, and add the aromatics and base halfway through; the starch from the noodles thickens the reducing liquid into a sauce that coats them. Add water a spoonful at a time, not all at once. If it ends up as soup, use less water and more heat next time.\n","title":"Sichuan quick noodles","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is a great glaze for pork or chicken, perfect for rice bowls.\nMechanic A 1:1.5 ratio of soy sauce to brown sugar by volume. Heat is what makes this a glaze rather than just a sweetened soy: the sugar dissolves and begins to thicken as it reduces.\n1Soy : 1.5Sugar By volume, brown sugar Ingredients 60ml soy sauce (¼ cup) 90ml brown sugar, packed (⅜ cup) Method Combine soy sauce and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Simmer 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool. It thickens more as it cools.\nTo serve As a glaze for grilled or roasted pork, chicken, or tofu. Brush on in the last few minutes of cooking.\nNotes Authentic kecap manis uses palm sugar and is thicker; this is a fast approximation. A star anise or a sliver of galangal in the warm sauce adds depth. ","date":"1 April 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/sweet-soy-sauce-kecap-manis-style/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a great glaze for pork or chicken, perfect for rice bowls.\nMechanic A 1:1.5 ratio of soy sauce to brown sugar by volume. Heat is what makes this a glaze rather than just a sweetened soy: the sugar dissolves and begins to thicken as it reduces.\n","title":"Sweet soy sauce (kecap manis style)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is our version of a common Thai side.\nIngredients 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½ cm dice 60ml white vinegar (¼ cup) 2 tablespoons sugar ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped 1 shallot, minced 1 tablespoon fish sauce Method Stir together vinegar and sugar until dissolved. Add fish sauce, red pepper flakes, shallot, and cucumber. Toss to combine. Fold in mint just before serving.\nTo serve Alongside satay, fried foods, grilled meat, or rice paper rolls. Use within a few hours; the mint wilts and the cucumber softens overnight.\n","date":"1 April 2024","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/thai-cucumber-relish/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is our version of a common Thai side.\nIngredients 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½ cm dice 60ml white vinegar (¼ cup) 2 tablespoons sugar ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped 1 shallot, minced 1 tablespoon fish sauce Method Stir together vinegar and sugar until dissolved. Add fish sauce, red pepper flakes, shallot, and cucumber. Toss to combine. Fold in mint just before serving.\n","title":"Thai cucumber relish","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This dry rub is especially nice on beef flank or chuck. Great for tacos.\nIngredients 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon sweet paprika 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1½ teaspoons onion powder 1½ teaspoons dried oregano 1½ teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon chili powder Method Combine all spices and store in a sealed jar. Label with the date.\nTo serve Use as a dry rub on pork, chicken, or beef. Excellent on meatballs. Also good as a seasoning base for rice, beans, or stew.\nNotes Used for meatballs; very good. A slightly wet panade worked well. A small amount of smoked paprika in place of some sweet paprika adds depth for grilling. ","date":"1 November 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/adobo-seasoning-mix/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This dry rub is especially nice on beef flank or chuck. Great for tacos.\nIngredients 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon sweet paprika 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1½ teaspoons onion powder 1½ teaspoons dried oregano 1½ teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon chili powder Method Combine all spices and store in a sealed jar. Label with the date.\n","title":"Adobo seasoning mix","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Sweet, savoury, and warm. Perfect for wings.\nMechanic This is the standard KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) red sauce ratio. The gochujang provides the base heat and fermented depth; sesame oil and sugar round it out. Everything combines cold: no cooking required, though it can be warmed.\nIngredients 60 ml gochujang (¼ cup) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (or sake) 45 ml dark brown sugar or maple syrup (3 tablespoons) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon) 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (or jarred) 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil Method Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Taste and adjust: more gochujang for heat, more sugar for balance, more vinegar for brightness.\nToss freshly baked or fried wings while still hot.\nTo serve On baked or fried wings. Also good on chicken thighs or as a dipping sauce.\nNotes This is the go-to wing sauce; tested repeatedly. Straightforward and reliable. Maple syrup makes a noticeably different (rounder, less sharp) sauce than brown sugar. For a cooked, glossier glaze with ketchup and five-spice, see [[Sweet gochujang sauce]]. ","date":"1 November 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/gochujang-wing-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Sweet, savoury, and warm. Perfect for wings.\nMechanic This is the standard KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) red sauce ratio. The gochujang provides the base heat and fermented depth; sesame oil and sugar round it out. Everything combines cold: no cooking required, though it can be warmed.\n","title":"Gochujang wing sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"1 November 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/latin/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Latin","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"A holiday-heavy stretch — Friendsmas and Christmas feast prep, turkey, stocks, and a French onion soup that \u0026ldquo;was great!\u0026rdquo; — alongside a chicken burger weekend comparing brined breast patties, ground chicken patties, and pork schnitzel. A meatball-and-marinara combo both turned out \u0026ldquo;very good,\u0026rdquo; a mayo-based chicken skewer marinade worked well as a pure marinade, and the go-to wing sauce turned out to just be the standard Korean-fried-chicken red sauce all along.\nUndated. About July to December; the original notes grouped these as Fall.\nFriendsmas Turkey 219C 2-3 hours Put dark meat in a bit earlier Break down into 2 trays Potatoes (mash) Veg (roasting) Stock Gravy Stuffing Mac \u0026amp; cheese Bacon 2024 goals and ideas Potato casseroles (texture, flavour) Christmas feasts prep Roast chicken dinner Potatoes Cheese sauce Steamed veg Stock Chicken → [[Chicken or turkey stock]] Beef → [[Beef stock]] Stew → [[Beef stew]] French onion soup (was great!) → [[French onion soup]] Finished the lazy way: crostinis + cheese, atop hot soup Prep order:\nFriday: stock, chicken, beef cubes Saturday: Food prep, early December 2x beef (no stock) → [[Beef base]] Ideas Gratin recipe Start developing a pho broth for the pressure cooker Waiting on cheesecloth Beef bones or knuckles Beef balls Asian style dressing (quick) TODO ✅Chicken skewers (video, recipe) ✅Mayo Marinade → [[Mayo marinade]] 50 g mayo 4 garlic cloves (20g of minced garlic) 20 cranks black pepper Large spoonful (about 2 tsp) dried oregano Lemon zest (or juice) 6g salt (1.25%) 2g msg (~10% of salt) Recipe calls for salting the chicken before, but testing as a pure marinade. Pure marinade worked Slightly salty, but very tasty Mayo worked well ✅Chicken ramen stock → [[Basic chicken ramen stock]] (no celery, but with ginger, finish with kombu/bonito) Beef balls Writing Ranking food quality (relates to quality generally) (note danger of writing about quality) Axes? Perfect balances (SAFH), interesting combinations, textures, layers, experience, Comfort, Sources (local, in-season, responsible), price/value Learning Learn more about tadka Square pan pizza is something I should try again Lentil curry TODO: map of curries using a base Butter chicken / murgh makhani → [[Butter chicken]] Rogan Vindaloo Korma Tikka masala Saag Dal Back home Poboys or Burgers Tacos and wraps (cabbage, roast carrots) Make bread dough for focaccia snacks Sunday Roasted garlic, oil, balsamic Bolognese Moroccan roasted carrots Yogurt/chicken for Nan wraps Chicken tikka (or the no yoghurt method) Chana masala Coconut curry Soups Minestrone Pesto soup Bean/kale soup Weeknight meal ideas Squash ravioli, mushroom/spinach/homemade sausage sauce Rolled pork sausage (fennel?) December menus French onion soup Indian curry Pakora Butter chicken Vindaloo Naan (buy) Pho Beef balls Sliced roast Extras Broth Noodles (buy) Ramen Fresh noodles (TNT) Broth (shoyu?) Weissman’s 3 broths Christmas breakfast Hash browns Food for friends \u0026amp; family Stew? Next up Pressure cooker: Pho Broth (SE1, SE2) “two parts oxtail for the base flavor of the broth, along with one part each of chuck and brisket” Meatballs (R1, R2, R3) Ramen broth Vindaloo Weeknight quick meals Butter chicken Hand pulled noodles Wing sauce (nothing new under the sun) → [[Gochujang wing sauce]]\nIt turns out my go to wing sauce is just the standard K(orean)FC red sauce:\n1/4 cup gochujang 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (I use sake) 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar (lazy me uses maple syrup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon) 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or jarred) 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil Roux/gravy ratios 3tbsp:2tbsp:1c flour:fat:stock 100ml:66g:500ml Soup ideas Tomato soup (from a Reddit thread): → [[Tomato soup]]\n3 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped into ½\u0026quot; dice 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 (28 oz/780ml) can of whole peeled tomatoes in juice, roughly chopped 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth ½ teaspoon sugar, plus more to taste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup heavy cream, or more to taste Parmesan Crisps In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 7-8 minutes until translucent and slightly golden. Add the garlic and stir for about a minute.\nAdd the tomatoes, including the juice, along with the broth, sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until liquid reduces slightly, 12-13 minutes. Remove from the stove and set aside to cool for a few minutes.\nPour the slightly cooled soup mixture into a blender (or food processor) and puree for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add the cream and blend for 10 seconds more. Taste and see if it needs more salt, pepper, or sugar and adjust accordingly.\nAn alternative is proposed, too:\n28oz can of whole peeled San marzano tomatoes 3-4 cloves of garlic Handful of fresh basil Splash of milk Splash of balsamic vinegar Crushed red pepper salt \u0026amp; pepper and maybe some msg if you\u0026rsquo;re feeling wild sometimes I\u0026rsquo;ll throw in a carrot instead of sugar for some sweetness Optionally - I add a can of navy beans and blend for extra protein, fibre, and thickness Chicken burger weekend New plan: chicken burgers.\nChicken breast patties Brined 100g kosher salt, 10g MSG 50g sugar 1L water 1L vinegar Breaded (flour, egg, breadcrumbs) Ground chicken patties → [[Chicken patties]] Brined/mixed Breaded Seasoning (per kg): 25g kosher salt 5g MSG 10g granulated sugar 1 tablespoon grated onion 1 teaspoon sage powder 1 teaspoon ground white pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder Pork schnitzel Dry brined (salt, pepper) Breaded Burger weekend? My fav burgers Deluxe burger Double bacon Mozza BC burger Sweet Ice tea, take #598,954,038,345 → [[Bruce’s cold-brewed iced tea]]\n2L cold brew tea (black tea, 6 bags, 12-18 hours) 3.25 scoops white sugar (3 is better) 6 squirts lime / 1 squirt lemon (too much, aim for 4) Stir Drink over ice Small foods for fam Meatballs Adobo seasoning mix → [[Adobo seasoning mix]] 2 tablespoons salt 1 tablespoon paprika 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon chilli powder Beef/pork Gluten free bread for the panade Meatball recipe ← very good → [[Meatballs]] Panade was a bit wetter than normal: worked well (milk, cream, sour cream instead of buttermilk) Sauce recipe ← also very good → [[Simple marinara]] minor adjustments (added fire-roasted tomatoes + balsamic instead of sugar, and sake instead of wine) September post vacation food thoughts Ramen eggs 1:1:½:½:½ (water\u0026#x1f376;soy:mirin:sugar) → [[Ramen eggs (ajitsuke tamago)]] September post vacation food thoughts Need to learn to make various Hot \u0026amp; sour soups Soto Ayam Madura (2, 3) Hot and sour More pasta dishes Curries Rendang / Sumatra (1, 2) Food prep Chicken stock (4x chicken bones) Roasted Garlic roasted Ginger Onion (2 small) Chili August entertaining Red curry → [[Red Thai curry]] Roast sweet potatoes / carrots Peas Standard red curry method (second point of reference) Make a chilli oil/sauce Red chillies Garlic Shallot Ginger Salt/sugar Shrimp Brine “a quick brine of salt and baking soda. It may sound minor, but the combination works wonders: the salt helps keep the shrimp nice and moist as they cook, while alkaline baking soda delivers a crisp, firm texture. You\u0026rsquo;re looking for about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for every pound of shrimp; give it a quick toss and rest the shrimp in the fridge for anywhere from 15 minutes to about an hour.” Garlic/ginger/shallot/salt/unspciy chilis Broiled (2-3 minutes per side) Note: I didn’t brine these, but I did: Lightly seasoned with Momofuku spicy salt Broiled for ~2 minutes per side Should have dried them off first, tossed in oil Chicken thighs Pound out Same treatment ^^ 20 minutes Rice + cinnamon (and salt) Weekly cookery (July) Fettuccine, roast veg, chicken, pesto Pesto from Linda Rempel Needs a touch of acid/salt next time, otherwise fantab Chicken slightly underdone; check next time if it’s frozen from the market Lunch meat Roasted turkey “loaf” Dry brine / rub (1 hour) Used a prepared spice mix from momofuku 135C → (45 minutes) 45C 205C → (15 minutes) 62C Moderate seasoning Fridge (12 hours) Simple rice dish for dinner Rice (mix of wild, short, long to clean up the cupboard) Rough mince asian pork mix from the freezer Quick fry to heat up Cabbage on top Soy + chilli crispy → This was fantastic, also great with the pork breakfast patties below Pork breakfast patties (WIP) Learned:\npatties bake in the oven nicely + quickly (chicken or pork at least), and make a quick meal with noodles. Rice, buns, etc. This is a great time hack/ Roasted meats (brined) are a decent sub for lunch meats, cheaper, and can be frozen sliced in small containers (to take out the night before) Deli meats are ~$3/100g ($30/kg) vs from whole cuts at ~$1.5/100g (or better on sale) Can also control salt/nitrite levels better Jerky jerk jerk → [[Jerk chicken]]\n(haven’t made this yet, just logging it for Sunday)\n6 scallions 10-14 sprigs thyme 2 scotch bonnet peppers 2 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon Pimento (allspice) powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 lime 1 lemon 4-5 thick slices of ginger 8 cloves garlic 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoon rice vinegar 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1/4 cup orange juice 2 medium onions Ideas Asian beef for soup and noodles for the freezer Pork attempt (chops) 1089g Smash/dice pork Garlic / ginger / onion or shallot tbsp goju garu / szechuan Sauce 2:1:1:.5 Oyster sauce Black vinegar (balsamic/red wine/water) Soy sauce Msg Sugar Method Cook pork (in oil) until brown, remove Cook aromatics Add goju garu (cook for a bit) Add pork + sauce Stir to combine Top with Green onion Sesame Pork and other ideas Everything salads were good (coriander/sesame chicken) Pork ideas Quick pork Momofuku Another garlic chili noodles Long weekend Burgers and prep Beef patties ($12 / 7 = 1.71 ~ 1kg) Veg patties (try something new?) Beef mince Basic 1.2kg / 10.58 5*500ml Taco 5*500ml Momofuku noodles and crunchy chilis Yum\nSnacks and sauces Korean style wings (gochujang) Hidden fraser valley ranch Salad rolls (ate out) ← need to make more of these T\u0026amp;T! New finds at T\u0026amp;T:\nMango crepe cake Kiki noodles (which also work well in soup) Jongga kimchi ← very clean tasting + crunchy! ","date":"1 October 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2023-fall/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A holiday-heavy stretch — Friendsmas and Christmas feast prep, turkey, stocks, and a French onion soup that “was great!” — alongside a chicken burger weekend comparing brined breast patties, ground chicken patties, and pork schnitzel. A meatball-and-marinara combo both turned out “very good,” a mayo-based chicken skewer marinade worked well as a pure marinade, and the go-to wing sauce turned out to just be the standard Korean-fried-chicken red sauce all along.\n","title":"Fall 2023","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"These savoury and jammy eggs are a perfect topping for ramen.\nMechanic The 1:1:½:½:½ marinade ratio (water : sake : soy : mirin : sugar) produces a mildly sweet, balanced brine. The eggs are shocked in ice water and go into a cool marinade, so they don\u0026rsquo;t cook further: the 7-minute boil sets the jammy yolk.\n1Water : 1Sake : ½Soy : ½Mirin : ½Sugar Ingredients 6 large eggs 100 ml water 100 ml sake 50 ml soy sauce 50 ml mirin 50 g sugar Method Bring a pot of water to a boil. Lower the eggs in gently and cook exactly 7 minutes for a jammy yolk. Transfer immediately to an ice bath for 5 minutes.\nPeel carefully.\nCombine marinade ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Cool to room temperature.\nPlace peeled eggs and cooled marinade in a zip-lock bag or small container, ensuring eggs are fully submerged. Refrigerate at least 4–6 hours; overnight is better.\nTo serve Halved over ramen, rice bowls, or sliced in salads.\nNotes Eggs keep in marinade refrigerated for up to 5 days; flavour intensifies over time. Save the marinade after use; it works 2–3 times before losing potency. Bring it to a boil and cool it before each reuse, since it has held peeled eggs for days. ","date":"1 September 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/ramen-eggs-ajitsuke-tamago/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"These savoury and jammy eggs are a perfect topping for ramen.\nMechanic The 1:1:½:½:½ marinade ratio (water : sake : soy : mirin : sugar) produces a mildly sweet, balanced brine. The eggs are shocked in ice water and go into a cool marinade, so they don’t cook further: the 7-minute boil sets the jammy yolk.\n","title":"Ramen eggs (ajitsuke tamago)","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A methodical pizza dough test (five iterations, landing on 1.5% yeast with a long ferment for a perfect crust), plus a ramen stock and chashu pork build-out, a big pre-vacation prep push that checked off beef stew, cottage pie, and meat sauce, and a running dessert bucket list (crepe cake, crème brûlée) still untouched.\nUndated. About April to June; the original notes grouped these as Spring.\nJune food ideas Rouladen lasagne (rolled, cheese filled) Ginger pork (inspiration, SE recipe) Birthday pizza Prepping some pizza for one of our kids’ birthdays, as they requested it. Some notes:\nDough Tests:\nTest 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5 Score 3/5 4/5 4.5/5 5/5 5/5 Pan Aluminium + parchment Carbon steel + parchment Carbon steel + parchment Carbon steel + parchment Carbon steel + parchment Heat 233C + fan 233C + fan 233C + fan 233C + fan 233C + fan Time 12 minutes 13 minutes 16 minutes 14 minutes 12 minutes Yeast .5% .5% + long ferment 1.5% + ferment 1.5% + long ferment 1.5% + long ferment Hydration 70% 70% 70% 70% 70% Gluten 14.5% 14.5% 12.5% 12.5% 12.5% Dough temp 20C 18C 15C 18C 18c Dough weight 200g 215g 280g 200g 200g Notes Bottom crust not cooked enough, slightly stodgy Perfect bottom crust, but crust a bit chewy Nice bottom crust, not as chewy, small crumb. Perfect crust Perfect crust Cooking on aluminium and parchment. High hydration dough, low yeast, and high gluten. Cooking on aluminium + carbon steel and parchment. High hydration dough, low yeast, and high gluten. New food ideas Scrambled egg grilled cheese Salad rolls Jerk or tika chicken Soufflé Thai beef noodles Or Hot and Sour soup Pizza smalls Tomato sandy Desserts Platz → [[German platz]] Spumoni Horchata Spanish style Affogato Alternative quick soups Chewy flour noodles Baking soda: 2 tsp / L (up to 2 tbsp / L) Washing soda: 1 tsp / L (up to 1 tbsp / L) ← untested Prep list (May 14) Ramen stock (chicken) → [[Basic chicken ramen stock]] ✔️Chicken/veg roasted ✔️Pressure ✔️Umami ++ ✔️Reduce Pork (for slicing → ramen) → [[Chashu pork]] ✔️Trim: bones and fat → stock ✔️Braise Not enough flavour, needs to be more intense or more time? Need to be careful reheating Tare Green goddess dressing → [[Simple green goddess dressing]] Toasted nuts/seeds → bacon (or tempeh?) Quick clean/process herbs Wings → dry brine Chicken (for week) ← tomorrow? Mother’s day week foods Salad / dressing Protein (roasted) Post vacation foods to make/build recipes for Vinaigrettes Goddess dressing (SE, NYT, Alt) One I had was not super emulsified Common herbs: tarragon, chives \u0026amp; parsley Raspberry vinaigrette (NYT, Vitamix) General (SE) ✔️Stew → [[Beef stew]] ✔️Cottage pie → [[Cottage pie]] ✔️Meat sauce → [[Meat sauce (AKA American bolognese)]] ✔️Steak/mushrooms ✔️Tested new mushroom method, worked well Vacation food thoughts Pressure cooker prep Pork shoulder vindaloo (find method/ratios) (and other similar curries) Curry base (to freeze) Beef stock (where to source beef bones?) Beef stew (base) French onion soup base Ramen Ramen graphic (ratios, kcals, micros) #MAKEME Protein options Veg options Variants Accoutrement The Ramen Diaries Methods Tare (to freeze, and general ratios) Portioned noodles (~300kcal) Stock (need bonito) Seafood Shoyu Salads and Dressings Raspberry vinaigrette Green goddess dressing (link) Tahini goddess? Chart with ratios Dessert bucket list I don’t really want to have more desserts in the house, but there are a few desserts I’d really love to learn to make well:\nCrepe cake Banana crisp Various creme bruleés Fish taco salad Halibut ~10 minutes at 220C Baked to 62C Mayo/spices Lemon Salt/Pepper Remove skin White sauce Quick pickle onion ","date":"1 June 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2023-spring/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A methodical pizza dough test (five iterations, landing on 1.5% yeast with a long ferment for a perfect crust), plus a ramen stock and chashu pork build-out, a big pre-vacation prep push that checked off beef stew, cottage pie, and meat sauce, and a running dessert bucket list (crepe cake, crème brûlée) still untouched.\n","title":"Spring 2023","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"I love chicken sandwiches. The ground chicken patties bread nicely, but are also great on their own.\nMechanic Two separate formulas. The brine is for whole breast fillets pounded thin: the vinegar tenderizes and the salt firms the texture. The ground chicken follows a percentage formula per kilogram, which scales cleanly for larger batches. Added water and a little baking soda raise the pH, so the meat holds more moisture and turns springy and substantial, like Vietnamese or Chinese beef balls.\nBrined breast fillets 500 ml cold water 500 ml white vinegar 100 g kosher salt 20 g MSG 50 g sugar Chicken breast fillets, pounded to an even thickness Stir the water, vinegar, salt, MSG, and sugar until dissolved. Submerge the fillets and brine for 30 minutes in the fridge. Pat dry.\nPan-fry in a lightly oiled pan over medium-high until golden on both sides and the centre reads 68°C (155°F), about 4 minutes per side depending on thickness.\nGround chicken patties Per 1 kg ground chicken (half breast and half thigh, or store-bought):\n60 g cold water (6%) 15 g kosher salt (1.5%) 1.25 g baking soda (0.125%) 5 g MSG (0.5%) 6 g sugar (0.625%) 1.25 g white pepper (0.125%) 1.25 g black pepper (0.125%) 1.25 g garlic powder (0.125%) 2 teaspoons dried sage (optional) 1 teaspoon onion powder (optional) 1 small shallot or ¼ onion, finely grated (optional) Stir the baking soda, salt, MSG, and sugar into the cold water until dissolved. Add it to the ground chicken with the rest of the seasoning, and mix with your hands until the meat turns tacky and sticks together. Form into patties of about 110 g (9 per kg) and flatten slightly.\nCook in a non-stick pan over medium until browned and the centre reads 70°C (158°F), about 5 minutes per side. Rest 5 minutes before serving.\nTo serve In toasted brioche buns with burger sauce and pickles (toast the cut sides in a dry non-stick pan over medium heat until golden), or alongside roasted veg as a simple weeknight main.\nNotes The brine makes a noticeable difference in juiciness. Don\u0026rsquo;t skip it. Grated shallot adds moisture and flavour to ground patties; grated onion works in a pinch. ","date":"1 January 2023","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/chicken-patties/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"I love chicken sandwiches. The ground chicken patties bread nicely, but are also great on their own.\nMechanic Two separate formulas. The brine is for whole breast fillets pounded thin: the vinegar tenderizes and the salt firms the texture. The ground chicken follows a percentage formula per kilogram, which scales cleanly for larger batches. Added water and a little baking soda raise the pH, so the meat holds more moisture and turns springy and substantial, like Vietnamese or Chinese beef balls.\n","title":"Chicken patties","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A long stretch of systematic testing: baking soda ratios dialed in across ground beef, chicken velveting, and patties, plus a running ratio-research doc (roux, fake ramen noodles, iced coffee). A mushroom-lentil freezer base and a beef ragu built from leftover gravy both turned out well enough to keep, mushroom aglio e olio and forester gravy joined the regular rotation, and Friendsgiving\u0026rsquo;s detailed hour-by-hour timeline worked as planned.\nUndated. About October 2022 to March 2023; the original notes grouped these as Fall/Winter.\nPizza day Dough made Par bake worked okay for one, but the other not as well Broiling + flipping was cool Lunch meats on the cheap Some research for another week, homemade lunch meats:\nChef John’s turkey Beef stew → [[Beef stew]]\nPrep day Sunday, late Winter edition Today’s prep will replace some freezer items and set up the week:\nChicken stock (use up the onions/celery/chicken bits) Ramen noodles (for lunches this week) → [[Ramen noodles]] Hacked chicken parm I used one of the chicken patties I made earlier this week and breaded it using cereal crumbs and parm, shallow frying it, and then baking it with cheese on top. I added it to a plate of spaghetti as the protein. The entire meal took about 20 minutes to prepare, including dishes. When I can nail the recipe, this will go into our rotation.\nThoughts:\nCereal was crunchy, but flavour didn’t add much (and needed some salt) For a salty patty, the chicken was flat (breading unbalanced) Sauce was fine, but bicarb experiment pushed the flavour to less great I enjoyed this meal, but it fell short in brightness and balance. Breast meat and better breading would make a huge difference, and a brighter sauce would compliment it better. Experimentation is learning!\nSodium bicarb results Ground beef: I tested a recipe floating around the interwebs that pairs baking soda and ground beef to enhance browning and reduce moisture loss. What I found:\nIt does what it claims to do (at 0.5%-1.5%) The flavour is more alkaline than I like at 1% Will try 0.5% next time The texture and browning properties are good enough that I’m going to try a more subtle amount, and see if the flavour is more easily hidden.\nChicken stir fry: I tested velveting meat with baking soda at 0.5%-1.0% and found the flavour was not as unpleasant, likely due to the different size and surface of strips of chicken. I will continue with 1.0% for velveting.\nGround chicken: I tested a bicarb/brined patty from ground chicken. The baking soda added springiness, but the alkalinity shifted the saltiness of it towards mildly tinny.\nRed Thai curry → [[Red Thai curry]]\nA quick Thai style red curry, about 10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes active cook time.\nRoast red-hued veg in the oven Heat the cream of some coconut milk until reduced and starting to split Add curry Paste Add tomato paste (combine, stirring) Add onion/shallot (not authentic, but adds some body and depth) Cook until sticking “Deglaze” stuck stuff Add remaining coconut milk and stir, lifting bottom bits up Add stock Bring to simmer Add veg Add a tin of drained: water chestnuts, Mini corns Bamboo shoots Roasted veg Heat Add protein (near the end, assuming it’s cooked) Tofu is a great default Balance Fish sauce, Sugar/maple syrup/honey Soy sauce/salt/msg Lime juice We cooked some shrimp separately with S\u0026amp;P and lime Chicken patty tests → [[Chicken patties]]\nPlanning for Sunday:\nPatty recipe 450gx2 → 128g per patty ($2 per patty) Scaling sheet (making 900g worth) Very sticky, may not come off the parchment well (try a warm plate + refreeze?) (they came off fine, before 100% frozen) (still weirdly sticky) Simple breading → good taste overall, but not what I was aiming for Too springy, slightly salty (skip the NaHCO₃, reduce the NaCl) Skip the garlic Focus on S\u0026amp;P, MSG, and poultry seasoning (consider onion powder?) Ramen tests I used up some frozen ramen noodles this week. Observations:\nFresh ramen noodles freeze really well (texture was better?) Shoyu style broth is nice Need to get a rule/ratio for salinity of ramen broth More Feb ideas TODO: Mushroom pizza/pasta/pan sauce/etc. base Homemade tea blends Chicken patties Fam chili SE Feb ideas CHICKEN COCONUT CURRY STEW This must order creamy chicken coconut curry stew will surely satisfy any palate. Comes with yams, potatoes, carrots, peas, cilantro, mint, spring green onions, and topped with a sprinkle of crushed roasted peanuts. Accompanied with a side of jasmine rice. Prep, new approach Browned beef for meat sauce 1% baking soda Ramen for lunches Store bought ramen was sad face Baked baking powder - 100g / 66g Total - 862g Target - 830g 1 batch of noodles ¼ after 24 hours (good) ¾ after 48 (just as good, slightly better?) Froze 2 portions Veg dinner Green potatoes (baked to heat up) Frittata 1:1 veg:egg ¼ Savoury things ¾ Healthy things CHEESE MOTHER FUCKING CHEz More winter ideas and dishes Hasselback veg (beets, carrots, potatoes, radish, etc.) Compound butter (garlic, shallot, herbs like rosemary, parsley) Top round/outside roast 230C for 15 minutes 140C for ~30 minutes Remove at 58C (~4C under) for medium Rest 15 minutes Late winter prep Taco beef 2x chipotles (not too much, it turns out, just a bit spicy) 3x small onion/head garlic/shallot 1:1 mushroom beef (before cooking) 1 large bag mushrooms 1 large pack lean beef 1 small pack not lean beef A better mac and cheese and beans Bolognese Ricotta mix Black Noodles End of January ideas Raviolis Ramen noodles Chickpea flour things Weekly research Old HAL bread pudding Pasta tests Ravioli With Spinach-Pecan Filling → [[Spinach pecan pasta filling]] Filling was fantab, though might whip the cheese next time Pasta was a bit too wet, but I adapted Also learned how to clean the pasta maker Test Recipe dev: chicken patties → [[Chicken patties]]\nResearch suggests minced, some fat, and brined Water instead of milk, either a batter or just the dippy method with cornstarch instead of egg Draft recipe (guessing batter) These may be good without breading, but assuming pan-fried will work Pasta, pork, and other things this week Made a pot of Boerenkool Met Worst → [[Boerenkool stamppot]] Kale/bok choy (left over), and cauliflower Ukrainian sausage Onion Butter, salt, pepper Vinegar to taste (great as always) Baked some pork tenderloin with Al Pastor sauce Added seasoning + oil + sugar Planning pasta for Thursday Wednesday make dough Make more Thursday Filling? Ravioli With Spinach-Pecan Filling Fam ramen day This worked very well.\nNoodles Dough Noodling Broth Base Dashi Cream Toppings Chili oil Mushrooms Shallots Corn Bamboo Green onion Eggs Inspiration Vegan dashi/tonkotsu/tare NYD prep 2 x Chilis (1 x veg, 1 x beef) Brown beef or lentil mince Add onions/garlic Chilpoltes Chili sauce? Tomatoes NYE/Fam day prep For NYE:\nStuffed mushrooms → [[Stuffed mushroom caps]] Shallot Al pastor marinade (for pork) → [[Al pastor marinade (pantry hack)]] For fam day:\nPulled pork or al pastor (carnitas?) Beef chili Lentil chili Coleslaw Chicken stock Mushroom raviolis SE’s recipe and supporting pasta Use setting 6 (or 7) for the best shapes Tortellini are easy to make Use egg ring (size) ~6-10g of filling Fold, seal starting from middle outward both ways, hugging the filling Fork pattern on edge Flat end down, pull edges together and pinch (pleated edge will fold towards you + innards will dimple a bit Watch a video if you forget or if not working Mushroom/lentil base → [[Mushroom and lentil freezer base]]\nI’m working on a vegetarian version of my beef/mushroom/sofrito base. The goal is a savoury base for weeknight meals, for pasta sauces, soups, tacos, casseroles, etc.\n(This is an approximate recipe, needs some testing)\nIngredients:\n3-4 cups finely diced criminis 4-5 cups sofrito 3 cups lentils 2 cups veg stock ½ cup dry sherry 3 tablespoons olive oil Neutral backgrounds spices 2 bay leaves 2 large sprigs rosemary 1 tablespoons thyme 2 tablespoons paprika 2 teaspoons MSG 3 teaspoons granulated garlic Salt/Ground black pepper to taste Method:\nFry mushrooms in olive oil on medium. This takes a bit (dry → wet → dry + browned). Add some salt.\nAdd sofrito and continue frying. As things start sticking, add tomato paste, stirring like a MF. Add a bit more salt.\nAdd lentils, and fry those a bit. Before the sticking stuff burns, deglaze with sherry, then stock. Add remaining seasoning, stir, and taste.\nSimmer until thickened and lentils are just starting to soften.\nToo liquidy → add cornstarch Too dry → add water + cornstarch Some sort of thickener will keep this together when used in a sauce.\nThis turned out well enough that I ate some for a snack. We’ll test this in a week or two once everyone is back home.\nPrep ✅beef/mushroom ✅mushroom/onion (with lentils?) Brown mushrooms Add onions + sweat Add lentils (etc.) and liquid (veg broth or similar) Lightly season ✅Beef patties (120g) Potential new recipes Date squares Nanaimo bars Spicy chilis Chili oil Pizza tests Based on ratio research (1-2% salinity), I’m making pizzas. Weird, but I’ll explain after my notes.\nAdded notes for the simple pizza sauce I make with weights Used the Lazy pizza dough recipe, 100g mini pizza → [[Lazy pizza dough (2022)]] 247C, convection Thin crust (15-16cm or so) Copicola/ham/hot peppers/cheese ~10 minutes one rotation, on the back of an aluminium pan Notes: Testing small pizzas for snacks and lunches Nice brown top/crust Bottom mostly cooked (but not crisp) Try lower rack with pan next Left in cooling oven for a few Cooling after for ~5 Rise was minimal, may need to pull out of fridge earlier Only 12 hours fridge time so far Ratio research Need a one pager of important ratios and terms\nRoux/gravy → sauce 2 tbsp : 2 tbsp : 1 cup (fat:flour:liquid) 30g : 15g : 250g (fat : flour : liquid) 125g:63g:1041g Fake ramen noodles 2 teaspoons per quart of water. But when you have a full-flavoured broth, go ahead and use 1 full tablespoon of baking soda per quart of water. 950ml : (4g → 14g) 1L : 10g : 10g (water : baking soda : salt) (1) will not work with the evaporation method, and will end up tasting very bad (2) still season with salt Reference SE Japanese iced coffee 32.5g coffee/500ml liquid 200g ice 300g hot water Step 1: 97g bloom (45sec) stir bloom Step 2: pour remain water in 2:30 to 3 minutes Step 3: stir once circular motion once in opposite motion Step 4: after drawdown, swirl canister to melt ice Step 5: serve on fresh ice Test: 380g ice 65g coffee 3:00 minute draw (was slow, too fine?) Measured g: 1512g - 656g == 856g-380g == 476g Total 476g Weekend prep for December Chicken stew (example) Beurre Manié → keep some in fridge Bases Mushroom/onion/garlic/herb mix (for pastas, etc.) Oven or pan? Beef/mushroom/onion mix Taco mix Pulled pork mix Beef stew base Stocks Beef Mushroom/veg Chili Banana crisp Menu design: Christmas eve (sandies, charcuterie) Christmas day (breakfast wraps, burritos) Christmas week Family week Family Christmas day (Jan 2) December ideas Vindaloo Pizza dough practice Noodle practice Fall ideas From NY: Cider donuts (baked), seems like apples would be tasty From Brian L: Enchiladas Idea is to use mushrooms and jackfruit instead for texture (and rice?) Weekend prep and fridge winning I have a few recipes planned this weekend:\n✅Quick cottage pie (use up mash and stock) → [[Cottage pie]] ✅Chicken stock (for above and the freezer) ✅Chicken sandwiches ✅Turkey soup or pie filling (use up freezer turkey) Turkey was freezer burnt, threw it into the stock ✅Iced tea (it’s been a bit) → [[Bruce’s iced tea]] 2L tea (black + flavoured) 3-4 scoops of white sugar ¼–½ cup of lime or lemon juice (added to recipes as I only had my old ) Salad sandos John’s Japanese style egg sandos Kenji’s Adam’s salad sando supercut John’s Korean street toast Ann the mixologist This is a play on the Wild Orchid drink (normally uses Strawberry liqueur). You can use limoncello instead of lemonade, and you can use soda/wine is you’re too fucking lazy to buy prosecco.\nGin lemonade ¾ oz strawberry gin ½ oz vanilla vodka 1 ½ ounce lemonade ½ oz sweet prosecco Strawberry soju ½ oz vanilla vodka 1 ½ ounce lemonade ½ oz sweet prosecco Red Alizé cranberry vodka ½ oz vanilla vodka 1 ½ ounce lemonade ½ oz sweet prosecco White zinfandel strawberry ½ oz vanilla vodka 1 ½ ounce lemonade ½ oz sweet prosecco Second pizza practice Made two medium pizzas, each with 175g of dough:\nAll dressed, v2 Greek style Quick egg McMuffins, v205895 The principles of an egg McMuffin are:\nOvercooked egg Savoury/salty past what you would expect Toasted english muffin, crunchy on outside and soft on the inside (microwaving first can revive a stale one) A bit of fat (cheese is a start, butter or olive oil can help) Let it rest and melt together Top with something salty, smokey, and savour (maybe a bit of crunch) I like Swiss cheese slices as my fat/cheese, skip the butter (it’s messy), and use frozen, store bought English muffins. While the are easy to make, I don’t eat these enough for it to be worth it.\nWeekend pizza Craving pizza, too cheap to order out, kinda want to practice.\nDough went together quickly, portioned into 175g balls in the fridge, after a 1.5 hour rise (coolish kitchen). This should be enough for a 15-20cm pizza (small → medium), depending on how thin you want it.\nThe dough baked well too; I par-baked it, and then dressed and finished it. It was slightly underdone, but I think stretching it more and covering it with foil might help next time.\nLast night’s pizza was the all-dressed sort:\nSauce, mozza, parm Ham, salami, sausage Pickled peppers, fresh pears, olives, onions It was good, and close enough to perfectly cooked to be enjoyed.\nBeef ragu, a way out of leftover gravy We were going away this weekend and I wanted to use up some leftovers in the fridge. There was about 500ml of mushroom gravy, a bunch of flat leaf parsley, ¾ of a large purple onion, and a mild anaheim pepper from Ann’s Mom’s garden. I decided to make beef ragu:\n1 tin of san marzanos (mashed) 500ml mushroom gravy (diced the mushrooms a bit better) 500ml beef/mushroom/onion/garlic mince (from the freezer) 50ml (or so) tomato paste ½ cup white wine to deglaze 2 preserved and roasted red peppers (diced) 1 anaheim pepper (diced) 1 large purple onion, 1 small white onion (diced) 2 stalks of celery (diced) 5 cloves of garlic (minced) 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems removed (diced), reserving some for service Lemon juice (to balance) Balsamic vinegar (to balance) Olive oil Salt, black pepper Thyme, garlic powder (to reinforce the garlic flavour) This is a ragu hack, but you assemble it like most French or Italian dishes:\nSweat onions in olive oil, add other veg, sweat some more Add tomato paste and cook until it starts to stick Let the sticky stuff brown a bit, then deglaze with wine (scraping up brown bits) Add tomatoes and mushroom gravy, and mash tomatoes until desired lumpiness is achieved Add mince and break apart if still frozen Simmer for a bit Add salt, pepper, herbs as needed Balance with balsamic, lemon, and olive oil Reduce the ragu if needed. I like the veg to be soft, but with some texture remaining (freeze better, highlights the vegness).\nI had this over fettuccine using the pan-method, and combining the sauce with the starchy water pasta for a smooth sauce. I plated it with black pepper, the remaining flat leaf parsley, and a bit of parmesan (optional).\nMushroom pasta, and forester gravy I made a few pantry meals this week using dried mushrooms:\nMushroom aglio e olio (on spaghetti) Forester gravy (without the cream) For both, I soaked the mushrooms in hot water for ~15 minutes, gave them a rough chop, and fried them in a pan. I used the mushroom tea as the stock, fortifying it with some grocery store vegetable stock, and some basic spices.\nI thickened the gravy with some cornstarch, and added some butter near the end. This topped off some plates of potatoes and pork tenderloin.\nFor the aglio e olio, I added dry noodles to the pan of fried mushrooms and garlic with enough water to cover the noodles with ~.5cm of water. I used the mushroom tea for some of that water, and topped it off a few times with water from the kettle, until the pasta was about 80% cooked. As the water boiled off, I added salt, pepper, and chilli flakes to taste, and drizzled some olive oil in as I stirred to emulsify the oil and starch water.\nBoth of these dishes are now in our regular rotation, though I need to practice the gravy a bit more (my cornstarch game needs some repetition).\nQuick curry Video 15 minute Blitzing the chunkies speeds things up Pre-ground spices FTW 5 minute breakfast sandies bun 1 egg Cheese (cubed/diced) Mayo Roughly stir the egg, salt, pepper, and cheese in a bowl.\nToast the bun in the pan while it warms up, aim for some good crunchy crusty crust.\nRemove the bun and add the egg (I use a square Tamagoyaki pan) with some oil and spread it thin. Use a spatula to contain the egg to about half the pan, and let cook. Flip over itself until it’s roughly the size of your bun. Overcook slightly (as that’s what most restaurants do).\nAdd egg, mayo, and some pepper to your bun.\nMushroom gravy thoughts We made mushroom stock for Friendsgiving, and the same weekend I had a “forester” schnitzel. The mushrooms on that schnitzel are some of the best I’ve ever had. Here are some thoughts on recreating that dish:\nCombine fresh and dried mushrooms (inspiration) Try using chicken stock or a vegan gelatin Sweet wine or cherry ← Friendsgiving 2022 Prep day Stunt turkey prep Stuffing prep Turkey stock Prep veg Prep turkey 2x 500ml for Lor 1x 500ml for stuffing 1x 1l for gravy (freeze extras) Turkey gravy Veg gravy (for J) Veg stock Prep veg Prep mushrooms 500ml for gravy Rest for freezer (J) Pie prep Game day Baked jalapeno mac \u0026amp; 3 cheese with smoked tempeh bits (40 minutes) Stuffing (40 minutes) Stunt turkey roast (2-3 hours) Turkey roast (2-3 hours) Mashed potatoes (40 minutes) Corn! (15 minutes) Roast veg (40 minutes) brussels, beets, yam, cauli, squash Olive oil and seasoning (light), maybe some balsamic Reheat Mac \u0026amp; Cheese (30) Sweet potato pie (30) → [[Sweet potato pie]] Veg gravy (20) Turkey gravy (20) Buns/rolls (20) Timeline\n\u0026lt; 12:00PM Roux Season Lor’s stocks Prep mac → [[Baked mac \u0026amp; cheese]] Prep stuffing Charcuterie 1:00 PM SKYLER 2:00PM - 5:00PM Turkeys → 70C light / 80C dark 4:00PM Prep potatoes Prep corn Prep veg for roasting (2 pans?) 4:30PM Cook stuffing 5:00PM Oven Mac Roast veg Dressing Stove Potatoes 5:30PM Oven Buns Stove Gravies (2 tablespoons or 30ml / 500ml) Corn 6:30PM Reheat pie Timeline worked well this year.\n","date":"1 December 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2022-winter/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A long stretch of systematic testing: baking soda ratios dialed in across ground beef, chicken velveting, and patties, plus a running ratio-research doc (roux, fake ramen noodles, iced coffee). A mushroom-lentil freezer base and a beef ragu built from leftover gravy both turned out well enough to keep, mushroom aglio e olio and forester gravy joined the regular rotation, and Friendsgiving’s detailed hour-by-hour timeline worked as planned.\n","title":"Fall and winter 2022–23","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"A savoury and tasty vegetarian base for stews, chilies, and soups.\nMechanic This is a vegetarian analogue to [[Beef base]]. The mushrooms must go through three stages (dry → wet → dry + browned) before adding anything else: rushing this step produces a flat, steamed flavour instead of a deep savoury one.\nIngredients 300–400 g cremini mushrooms, finely diced (3–4 cups) 400–500 g sofrito (1¾–2 cups) 300 g green or brown lentils (1½ cups) 500 ml vegetable stock (2 cups) 125 ml dry sherry (½ cup) 2 tbsp tomato paste 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 bay leaves 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary 1 tablespoon dried thyme 2 tablespoons sweet paprika 2 teaspoons MSG 3 teaspoons granulated garlic salt and black pepper Method Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook without stirring until the liquid releases and evaporates, then stir occasionally until dry and well-browned, 12–15 minutes.\nAdd sofrito and continue cooking, stirring regularly. When the mixture begins sticking, add the tomato paste and stir until the paste darkens, about 3 minutes.\nAdd lentils and stir to coat. Before the bottom burns, deglaze with sherry, scraping up the browned bits. Add stock.\nAdd bay, rosemary, thyme, paprika, MSG, and granulated garlic. Stir and taste. Simmer until thickened and the lentils are just beginning to soften, about 20 minutes. They finish cooking in whatever dish you use the base in. Season with salt and pepper.\nIf too liquid, add a cornstarch slurry. If too dry, add water and adjust.\nTo serve Freeze in 300–500 g portions. Use as a base for pasta sauces, soups, taco filling, or casseroles.\nNotes Good enough to eat as a snack straight out of the pot. When using it in a sauce, add a thickener (a cornstarch slurry works) to hold it together. ","date":"1 December 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/mushroom-and-lentil-freezer-base/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A savoury and tasty vegetarian base for stews, chilies, and soups.\nMechanic This is a vegetarian analogue to [[Beef base]]. The mushrooms must go through three stages (dry → wet → dry + browned) before adding anything else: rushing this step produces a flat, steamed flavour instead of a deep savoury one.\n","title":"Mushroom and lentil freezer base","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Late-summer batch of weekly staples: a quick pho tested three times (skip the celery, add more sugar than you\u0026rsquo;d think), a pizza dough that doubled well as focaccia, a bean-and-beef taco salad that became an instant favourite, and a sirloin tip roast method aimed at medium-rare.\nUndated. The original notes called this “Where did summer go?”\nQuick pho Broth Stock (I used a box of beef, homemade chicken, and some pork drippings) Leftover green onions (good parts, but needing to be used up) Minced ginger 3 star anise, 2 cloves, ½ stick cinnamon (roughly based on this recipe) Notes Celery doesn’t taste right in it Sugar helps a bit Almost forgot the lime Made this 3 times; it was far better without celery, and it needed to be sweeter than I expected.\nWeekly cooks Pizza and focaccia Dough (rise ~2 hours, folded every 30 minutes) This dough was close to perfect for focaccia (219C with the fan on, 25 minutes, ~3-4cm thick) Pizza: Mushrooms, leftover beef crumble, sauce, cheese Bean and beef taco salad (fav in a long time) Taco/mushroom/onion/chipotle slow cooked beef Any salad Dressing: fresh salsa and sour cream Sirloin tip roast (is part of the round roast closest to the sirloin) Garlic slices every 2-3 inches Rub, with thyme, and standard 10-spice rub Olive oil On a bed of onion, shallot, garlic, bay, olive oil, and sherry (and some water) Aiming for 55C/135F (pull at 50C?) May rub with mustard near the end if it browns too much No knead dough (link) ","date":"1 October 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2022-fall/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Late-summer batch of weekly staples: a quick pho tested three times (skip the celery, add more sugar than you’d think), a pizza dough that doubled well as focaccia, a bean-and-beef taco salad that became an instant favourite, and a sirloin tip roast method aimed at medium-rare.\n","title":"Late summer 2022","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"A great bowl of soup, and our replacement for classic canned mushroom soup.\nMechanic Two methods for different results. Velouté: a roux-thickened cream soup, rich and smooth. Potage: a blended potato-thickened version finished with cashew cream, dairy-free and lighter but equally silky. The mushroom base is the same for both.\nMushroom base 500 g mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, or whatever\u0026rsquo;s available), sliced 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp butter or olive oil (olive oil for the dairy-free potage) 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves 1 tbsp soy sauce 250 ml dry white wine or dry sherry 750 ml vegetable broth (or chicken broth, if it doesn\u0026rsquo;t need to be vegetarian) salt and black pepper Melt the butter or heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer; don\u0026rsquo;t crowd them. Cook without stirring until deeply browned, about 5 minutes. Stir and brown the other side.\nAdd the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute.\nAdd the soy sauce and wine. Scrape up the brown bits and cook until the wine reduces by half.\nAdd the broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Finish as a velouté or a potage.\nVelouté 30 g (2 tbsp) butter 30 g (¼ cup) flour 120 ml (½ cup) cream In a separate small pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Whisk this roux into the simmering soup and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream. Blend partially (leaving some texture) or fully. Season and serve.\nPotage (dairy-free) 1 medium potato, diced 80 ml (⅓ cup) cashew cream Add the diced potato to the broth with the mushrooms. Simmer until the potato is fully soft, about 20 minutes total. Blend fully. Stir in the cashew cream. Season and serve.\nTo serve Topped with a drizzle of cream or cashew cream, sautéed mushrooms, fresh thyme, and cracked black pepper. With crusty bread.\nNotes Dried porcini (soaked in hot water, liquid strained and added to the broth) deepens the mushroom flavour significantly. The velouté version reheats better; potage can thin out slightly on reheating. ","date":"1 October 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/mushroom-soup/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A great bowl of soup, and our replacement for classic canned mushroom soup.\nMechanic Two methods for different results. Velouté: a roux-thickened cream soup, rich and smooth. Potage: a blended potato-thickened version finished with cashew cream, dairy-free and lighter but equally silky. The mushroom base is the same for both.\n","title":"Mushroom soup","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is our classic Thai curry, based on a restaurant that closed many years ago.\nMechanic The key step is heating the coconut cream alone until it splits (the fat separates from the liquid). Frying the curry paste in this split cream is what develops deep flavour; adding all the coconut milk at once and simmering is a shortcut that produces a flatter result.\nIngredients 400 ml tin coconut milk (use the cream + about ⅓ of the liquid in the first step; reserve the rest) 2–3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 onion or 2 shallots, diced 250 ml chicken or vegetable stock 2 tins mixed additions: water chestnuts, mini corn, bamboo shoots (drained) roasted veg (sweet potato, carrot, cauliflower, whatever you have) protein: tofu, cooked chicken, or shrimp added at the end fish sauce, sugar or maple syrup, soy sauce or MSG, lime juice (for balancing) Method Roast veg in advance at 200°C (400°F) until caramelized. Set aside.\nScoop the thick cream from the top of the coconut tin into a wide pan. Heat over medium until reduced and starting to separate (sizzling, oily at the edges), about 5 minutes.\nAdd curry paste and stir into the cream. Add tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until the paste darkens and sticks to the pan, about 3 minutes.\nAdd onion or shallot; cook until softening. Let the mixture stick slightly, then deglaze with a splash of water or stock, scraping up all the brown bits.\nPour in remaining coconut milk and stock. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.\nAdd canned additions and roasted veg. Heat through, 5 minutes.\nAdd protein near the end; it only needs warming if already cooked.\nBalance: taste and add fish sauce for salt/umami, sugar for sweetness, lime juice for brightness. Adjust gradually.\nTo serve Over jasmine rice, topped with sliced chilies, fresh basil or cilantro, and a drizzle of coconut cream.\nNotes Shrimp cooked separately with salt, pepper, and lime, then added, works very well. The split coconut cream step is the technique. Don\u0026rsquo;t rush it or skip it. ","date":"1 September 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/red-thai-curry/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is our classic Thai curry, based on a restaurant that closed many years ago.\nMechanic The key step is heating the coconut cream alone until it splits (the fat separates from the liquid). Frying the curry paste in this split cream is what develops deep flavour; adding all the coconut milk at once and simmering is a shortcut that produces a flatter result.\n","title":"Red Thai curry","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A summer built around Indian flavours: butter paneer masala worked well with cashews instead of cream, and a vindaloo wing sauce got drafted from memory. Veggie burger research turned up a black bean smash burger that needed more binding, and this year\u0026rsquo;s cold-brew iced tea recipe (evolving in the house for two decades) got locked in.\nUndated. The original notes called this “IT’S FUCKING SUMMER AGAIN.”\nNew ideas Biryani Pangrattato (breadcrumbs and shit) and cauli pasta Recipe Mushrooms + some whole cauli Some browning Cauliflower miso mac and cheese (from The Savvy Cook) Clam pasta - canned Quick curry Somewhere between butter chicken and chana masala Ended up making BB chana masala (a bit tomato-y, needed more time on the onions) Butter paneer masala (no cream, cashews only, worked well) Too much ginger in both, but that was fine Vindaloo wings → [[Vindaloo wing sauce]]\nSauce (from memory, needs testing):\n3 tablespoons lime juice 3 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoon soy sauce 1 ½ tablespoons vindaloo spice blend 1-2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons mild chilis (korean worked well) 2 teaspoons garlic minced or grated 2 teaspoons onion minced or grated 2 teaspoons ginger minced or grated 1 teaspoon corn starch ½ teaspoon granulated garlic ½ teaspoon MSG Salt Water (for consistency) Combine ingredients with a whisk. Cook over medium heat until thickened, the oil will bubble along the edges. Add water to thin to a good consistency. Adjust with salt (and other ingredients) until balanced.\nSalad time California roll salad (Chef John, cut down the carbs) Chicken Pho Cooking challenges Vindaloo Pizza replacements Pastas Spinach/garlic/parm sauce Add mushrooms, maybe bean patty chunks Salads Mains Sauces Chimichurri New veggie sides Meats Chicken parm Steak Roast chicken Veggie burgers 2022 A few things I would like to try: Research Black bean smash burgers Planta burgers (and here, and here) Nutrition/costing Tomato paste (try) Worked well, but not enough structure (needed egg, mixing, and possibly more structure ingredients) Gluten burger My recipe of it Yeung Man’s Kenji’s Cow cafe burger Oven roasted vegetables, black bean, toasted walnut, baby arugula, tomato, roasted garlic aioli, feta, brioche bun. Sweet cold brew tea → [[Bruce’s cold-brewed iced tea]]\nThis recipe has evolved over the past 20+ years in our house. This is the one I’m using in 2022:\n1L of strong cold brew black tea 6 bags of Ceylon tea 1L H2O 6-12 hours in a cool place (or in the fridge) 90g white sugar 65ml lime juice (fresh is best, but I usually have preserved stuff on hand) Combine, shake, shake some more Serve over ice ","date":"1 August 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2022-summer/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A summer built around Indian flavours: butter paneer masala worked well with cashews instead of cream, and a vindaloo wing sauce got drafted from memory. Veggie burger research turned up a black bean smash burger that needed more binding, and this year’s cold-brew iced tea recipe (evolving in the house for two decades) got locked in.\n","title":"Summer 2022","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"This is a mildly spicy, warm, and tangy wing sauce.\nIngredients 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 3 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1½ tablespoons [[Vindaloo paste]] 1–2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons mild chili flakes (Korean gochugaru worked well) 2 teaspoons garlic, minced or grated 2 teaspoons onion, minced or grated 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced or grated 1 teaspoon cornstarch ½ teaspoon granulated garlic ½ teaspoon MSG salt, to taste water, to thin Method Whisk all ingredients together. Transfer to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until thickened and the oil begins to bubble at the edges, about 3–5 minutes. Add water a tablespoon at a time until the consistency coats a spoon but drizzles off.\nTaste and adjust: more lime for acid, more maple for balance, more salt as needed.\nTo serve Toss over freshly baked wings while still hot. Also good on chicken thighs.\n","date":"1 July 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/vindaloo-wing-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is a mildly spicy, warm, and tangy wing sauce.\nIngredients 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 3 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1½ tablespoons [[Vindaloo paste]] 1–2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons mild chili flakes (Korean gochugaru worked well) 2 teaspoons garlic, minced or grated 2 teaspoons onion, minced or grated 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced or grated 1 teaspoon cornstarch ½ teaspoon granulated garlic ½ teaspoon MSG salt, to taste water, to thin Method Whisk all ingredients together. Transfer to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until thickened and the oil begins to bubble at the edges, about 3–5 minutes. Add water a tablespoon at a time until the consistency coats a spoon but drizzles off.\n","title":"Vindaloo wing sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A long curry stretch (chana masala, butter paneer masala, a Thai red curry that \u0026ldquo;worked especially well\u0026rdquo;) alongside a big-batch beef stew and a ravioli filling that held together on the first try. A burger-and-chicken-sandwich cookery week produced real lessons — frozen pre-smashed patties work fine, the buttermilk chicken marinade needed more seasoning — and a char siu marinade and lentil tacos both got written up for the book.\nUndated. About January to June 2022; the original notes grouped these as Winter/Spring.\nTest dishes Chana masala (also: simpler steps) Butter paneer masala (also: chetna’s) Masala paste 2 tbsp oil/ghee 2 bay leaves 3 cardamom ½ stick cinnamon (other half for rice) 2 tablespoon of whole garam masala 4 onions 2 cloves garlic/1 inch ginger paste 15 cashews soaked Cook down, starting with spices, adding onions, developing, adding ginger/garlic paste, tomatoes. 20 minutes + 20 minutes Cool, remove whole spices, and blend. Curry Oil, real butter Bag, chili 1 onion (finely chopped) 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp chilli powder (kashmiri) ¾ teaspoon coriander ¼ teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon masala (powder) Salt Water Cream Panneer (soasked) Kasuri methi (tiny amount of fennel/celery salt/leaves instead) Fresh coriander Add oil and butter to pan, carefully cook new spices. Add onions, spices, salt, paste, and cream. Stir and season. Add paneer. End of Spring food prep Mushroom mix (for soups, salads, and omelets) Need to figure out packaging (250ml + parchment dividers?) End of Spring fridge cleanup Leftover mapo tofu → ramen! Cabbage Mapo tofu Carrot Spices Leftover beef/pork → meatballs → [[Meatballs]] I will update my recipe Use kitchen scraps for meatballs Protein 390g leftover frozen chicken (90% lean) 160g pork fat (5% lean) 560g leftover frozen chuck beef (80% lean) Panade 200g overcooked brown rice 50g panko 400g buttermilk Other 3 eggs ½ cup celery leaves finely chopped 100g onions grated 10g grated garlic 250ml seasonings (from recipe for the most part) Method Paddled panade and other ingredients together (after heating panade, mixing, and cooling) Ground 1x fine mesh the mostly frozen chicken, beef, and pork fat, alternating Paddled everything after removing grinder attachment until just barely combined Tested 2 tbsp in a pan Fell apart, surface browning was mostly on rice Flavour fantastic Will try cooling/sit for 1 hour and see if they hold together better If this doesn’t work, will add breadcrumbs and salt and retaste There may be too much liquid from extra egg or buttermilk as I was using up the last bits Soup stock Desserts Sour cake Leftover rice → pudding → [[Rice pudding]] 2 cups rice 2 cups milk / substitute (⅛ cream, ⅞ oat milk) 1 beaten egg 3 ¼ tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla Pinch of salt 1 stick of cinnamon Heat for ~20 minutes on low/med until thickened and heated. Adding beaten egg early lets it temper slowly. Aim for 60-70C More curry adventures Develop a base gravy → [[Base curry gravy]] Research started (there are a lot of processes), need to find some core good technique here Example (decent) Another example (potatoes seem weird, less tomato) Garlic ginger paste → [[Ginger/garlic paste]] Curried adventures Vindaloo Veg thai curry, more authentic and simpler → [[Red Thai curry]] Paste fried in coconut cream Mushrooms and tofu fried simply in oil and garlic/ginger/chilis Roast veg Canned additions Combine with stock, remaining coconut milk, and all other components Top with chopped chilis, drizzle of coconut cream Serve with jasmine rice FYI: This recipe worked especially well Skyler break menu Foods ✔️Beef stew → [[Beef stew]] This turned out very well, huge batch too 2 large leeks, 2 onions, 1kg (or so) mushrooms 4kg beef, tomato paste, stock, wine, herbs Cottage pie Tacos/burritos Bolognese ✔️Ravioli (for me) Filled with parm, mushroom/beef mix, mozza, egg white Held together well 3 or 4 is best sheet thickness Ann liked it too Teriyaki wings Garbage plate ✔️Chilli Prep Hamburger ✔️Mushroom/onion/garlic/beef ✔️Taco beef Chicken stock Pre summer projects Fish tacos:\n✔️Pan fried cod Rubbed with lime Salt/ancho Rubbed in oil This turned out well, but cod was a bit tough (freezer burn?) Salad dressings\n✔️Ratio is 3:1:.25 (oil: vinegar: mustard) 2:1 wasn’t as good, mistakenly added too much to container Cookery week rollup Hamburgers are easier than I remember, and they make less mess if you thaw the beef a bit. Flavours this week were good, but I need to find better pickles and better buns. Costs were reasonable, though surprisingly the cheese and bun were ⅔ of the cost. Need to learn to make buns as $.60/bun for a mediocre product is bad. Pre-smash and frozen works fine, just use high heat and bacon press. Works slightly better unfrozen, though texture tightens up after freezing (in a good way). Toasted buns are important. Mimicking famous burgers is a good way to learn flavour and texture balances. It’s all about practice. Chicken burgers are easier than I remember, though the cleanup is a bit more involved. A wok could help out a lot here (taller sides). Marinade with buttermilk is good, but needed a bit more seasoning. To the taste, the marinade was tasty, but on the chicken some of it was lost. Swiss cheese on chicken is fantastic. Needed more onion though. Ideal chicken sandwich: Crunchy chicken Onions, pickles, mustard, mayo Lettuce, tomato Soft bun Red sauce is something I should make more of. Good tomatoes help. Soffritto cooks down nicely (smaller dice or grate) Food prep/practice TODO Marinate chicken (freeze some in marinade) Package up red sauce + meatballs Prep apples Make hamburger patties (half or all?) Make chicken patties Breaded and par-fried Bare (freeze in some liquid) Food practice: March Noodle and sauce practice Mushroom lasagne Mushroom linguini Meatballs simple w/ricotta Bolognese (w/wider pasta) Burgers Beef (90g) Costing (buns/cheese, surprisingly, are at the top of the list) In\u0026amp;out Simple Double Chicken sandwiches (thighs) Breaded/fried Non-breaded Prep and ingredients Mushroom bechamel Red sauce Meat base (onion, mushroom, etc.) Ricotta (a, b) Spring food goals Cauli-alioli sauce Fresh pierogi → [[Perogies]] Salads German foods Platz → [[German platz]] Rouladen More ideas Casseroles, but better Cream-oh-mushroom Veg foods Walnut, lentil and chestnut mushroom ragu Sunday food, prep, and cleanup Pre-cooked apple (freeze in 2 portions for crisp or porridge) Bread dough Equipment shopping list Taco press Large sieve Bun rings Potato ricer (food mill?) Wok! Tongs (oxo, with silicone ends) Beef tacos My new favourite way to spice beef tacos is with chipotles that are finely diced (or blended), with onions and garlic. Add cumin, lime juice, and salt/MSG to taste. Half a can usually is enough (for ~1kg of beef), but a whole can will bring a enjoyable amount of heat.\nLentil tacos → [[Lentil tacos]]\nThis is based on some youtube videos I’ve seen and some classic lentil bolognese recipes I’ve had in the past.\n1 cup green or yellow lentils ½ cup chopped nuts, lightly roasted 1 small diced onion (or 2 shallots) 2-4 garlic cloves, finely diced ½ cup finely diced peppers (jalapeno, anaheim, etc.) ½ tin (100ml) diced chipotle peppers 1-2 tablespoons of dried chilli mix (ancho, cayenne, cumin, smoked paprika) 1 tablespoon oregano flakes 1 teaspoon tomato paste 2 cups vegetable broth (or water) 1 lime (juiced) Salt and pepper to taste I’ve seen this made a few ways, but I’d like to try to preserve the textures a bit and am going to try:\nPrep proteins: Chop and lightly roast nuts in a hot oven (200C-ish) Boil lentils and nuts in water (salted if you want), until al dente Strain and set aside Soften onions and garlic: Add onions/garlic to a hot pan with neutral oil (coconut?) Add peppers ) Add tomato paste once translucent, and stir until paste starts to stick Deglaze with ½ of the stock and reduce to a simmer Make a thick stew: Add drained lentils and nuts Add spices and chipotle Add stock to get desired consistency For salads you may want it thinner For soft or hard tacos you may want it thicker Finish: Check seasoning Add lime juice and check seasoning again Also making some fresh corn salsa: → [[Corn salsa]]\n2 cups of fried corn (sweet) ½ cup Red peppers 1 tablespoon minced shallots 1 teaspoon garlic Lime juice Seasoning (cumin, ancho, salt, pepper) Lightly fry, season, add lime, and let cool.\nRandom dinners this week Tested out a battered chicken, which was a bit wonky (baking did not work well) Quick cottage pie (30 minutes, using pre-cooked beef mix) Mushroom soup take 2, made without cream and w/some dry sherry (was excellent) → [[Mushroom soup]] 2nd pass of battered chicken, converted to a stir-fry Roast cashews Weird chicken from yesterday Onion and broccoli Garlic/ginger soy/sesame/gochujang/rice wine slurry → second pass turned out much better Thinking about rice puddin’ (John’s) Burger buns Based on Josh’s burger buns (and Ethan’s)\ncream instead of whole milk Take out butter (tonight) Perfect bite nachos Char siew roast chicken → [[Char siu marinade]]\nMarinade:\n1 soy sauce 1 oyster sauce 1 sweet soy (hoisin in a pinch) 1 honey (or maple syrup) 2 brown sugar ⅓ 5-spice ⅙ White pepper 1 Ginger/garlic paste ⅓ red colour (optional) (I also added ½ rice wine) Scale as needed (using 1 == ¼ cup makes ~1.5 cups worth, enough for a 8 pack of small boneless thighs)\nMarinate chicken pieces for 2-24 hours. Roast until 65C (white meat) or 85C (dark meat). Turn over if browning too quickly.\nSimmer remaining marinade and reduce until thick and sticky.\nGrandparents potluck Veg chili Add crushed tomato and heat up Pulled pork Reheat, cubed, in liquid Mac \u0026amp; Cheese Tempeh “Breadcrumbs” Slaw Crab dip → [[Hot crab artichoke dip]] Veg platter Yucky salad Cake thing ","date":"1 June 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2022-spring/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A long curry stretch (chana masala, butter paneer masala, a Thai red curry that “worked especially well”) alongside a big-batch beef stew and a ravioli filling that held together on the first try. A burger-and-chicken-sandwich cookery week produced real lessons — frozen pre-smashed patties work fine, the buttermilk chicken marinade needed more seasoning — and a char siu marinade and lentil tacos both got written up for the book.\n","title":"Winter and spring 2022","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"A sweet and warming marinade for chicken and pork.\nMechanic A ratio-based marinade where \u0026ldquo;1\u0026rdquo; equals ¼ cup (60 ml). Doubling or tripling scales cleanly. The marinade finishes as a reduction glaze: boil the remainder down until thick and sticky while the meat roasts.\nIngredients Ratio: 1 = 60 ml / ¼ cup\n1 part soy sauce 1 part oyster sauce 1 part sweet soy sauce (or hoisin in a pinch) 1 part honey (or maple syrup) 2 parts brown sugar ⅓ part five-spice powder ⅙ part white pepper 1 part [[Ginger/garlic paste]] ½ part Shaoxing rice wine 2–4 ml red food colouring, not scaled by the ratio (optional) Method Whisk all ingredients together. Coat meat thoroughly.\nMarinate in the fridge for 2–24 hours. Longer is better for bone-in pieces.\nRoast at 200°C (400°F) until the centre reads 65°C for white meat or 85°C for dark meat. Turn the pieces if they brown too quickly.\nWhile the meat roasts, pour the leftover marinade into a small saucepan. It has held raw meat, so bring it to a full boil, then simmer until thick, glossy, and reduced by about half. Brush it over the meat in the last few minutes of cooking, or serve it as a dipping sauce.\nRest the meat 5 minutes before slicing; for white meat at 65°C, the rest is the safety hold.\nTo serve Over jasmine rice with stir-fried greens. Also good sliced over noodles.\nNotes Tested on small boneless chicken thighs. Good result. Without food colouring, the meat is brown rather than the classic red; no flavour difference. ","date":"1 March 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/char-siu-marinade/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A sweet and warming marinade for chicken and pork.\nMechanic A ratio-based marinade where “1” equals ¼ cup (60 ml). Doubling or tripling scales cleanly. The marinade finishes as a reduction glaze: boil the remainder down until thick and sticky while the meat roasts.\n","title":"Char siu marinade","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A hearty, frugal filling for tacos. Delicious, too.\nMechanic Lightly roasting the nuts before adding them preserves texture inside the filling. Cook lentils to just al dente: they will continue softening in the sauce and mushy lentils lose all structure.\nIngredients 200 g green or brown lentils (1 cup) 70 g mixed nuts, roughly chopped (½ cup) 1 tbsp neutral oil 1 small onion, diced (or 2 shallots) 2–4 cloves garlic, finely diced 100 g peppers (jalapeño, Anaheim, or bell), finely diced (½ cup) 100 ml diced chipotle peppers in adobo (½ tin) 1–2 tablespoons dried chili mix (ancho, cayenne, cumin, smoked paprika) 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon tomato paste 500 ml vegetable broth or water (2 cups) juice of 1 lime salt and black pepper Method Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Spread the nuts on a tray and roast until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Set aside.\nBoil the lentils in salted water until just al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.\nHeat the oil in a wide pan over medium. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers and cook 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and stir until it sticks and darkens.\nDeglaze with half the stock. Add the lentils, nuts, dried chili mix, oregano, and chipotle. Add the rest of the stock to get the consistency you want: thicker for tacos, looser for salad.\nSimmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and lime juice.\nTo serve In corn or flour tortillas with corn salsa, shredded cabbage, and lime crema. Also works as a grain bowl topping.\n","date":"1 March 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/lentil-tacos/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A hearty, frugal filling for tacos. Delicious, too.\nMechanic Lightly roasting the nuts before adding them preserves texture inside the filling. Cook lentils to just al dente: they will continue softening in the sauce and mushy lentils lose all structure.\n","title":"Lentil tacos","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","date":"1 March 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/tex-mex/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Tex-Mex","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"A comforting, lovely lentil stew. Or is it curry?\nMechanic 1 part lentils to 3 parts liquid (coconut milk + broth combined) produces a thick, spoonable consistency. Red lentils break down fully; green or brown lentils hold their shape for a chunkier result, but need 35–45 minutes and a splash more broth. Freezes well and reheats without losing texture.\n1Lentils : 3Liquid Coconut milk and broth together Ingredients 200 g red lentils (1 cup), rinsed 400 ml tin coconut milk 350 ml vegetable broth 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon ginger, grated 2 tablespoons coconut oil or neutral oil 1 tablespoon curry powder or garam masala 1 teaspoon turmeric 1 teaspoon cumin seeds Salt To finish Lime juice Fresh cilantro Chili flakes or sliced chili Method Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until they pop, about 30 seconds.\nAdd onion and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute.\nAdd curry powder and turmeric; stir to coat the onion, about 30 seconds.\nAdd lentils, coconut milk, and broth. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.\nCook, partially covered, until lentils are completely soft and the soup has thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking at the bottom.\nBlend, mash, or leave it as is, to taste. Season with salt and a squeeze of lime. Taste and adjust.\nTo serve Over rice or with naan. Topped with cilantro and fresh chili.\nNotes On monthly rotation. Scales easily for freezing. For a thinner consistency, add more broth. A spoonful of tomato paste added with the spices adds depth. ","date":"1 January 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/coconut-lentils/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"A comforting, lovely lentil stew. Or is it curry?\nMechanic 1 part lentils to 3 parts liquid (coconut milk + broth combined) produces a thick, spoonable consistency. Red lentils break down fully; green or brown lentils hold their shape for a chunkier result, but need 35–45 minutes and a splash more broth. Freezes well and reheats without losing texture.\n","title":"Coconut lentils","type":"recipes"},{"content":"This is my original pizza dough recipe, based on my memory of doughs I made in restaurants.\nMechanic The vital wheat gluten supplements bread flour to push gluten content higher, producing a chewier crumb and stronger structure than all-purpose flour alone. A cold ferment of 24–48 hours develops flavour. The autolyse (30-minute rest before adding salt) speeds gluten development.\nIngredients 990 g white bread flour 10 g vital wheat gluten 700 g water (70% hydration) 25 g kosher salt 25 g sugar 15 g instant yeast (1.5%) Method Combine the flour, vital wheat gluten, and yeast. Add the water and mix until just combined. Cover and rest 30 minutes (autolyse).\nAdd salt and sugar. Mix on medium speed for 7 minutes, or knead by hand until a smooth, slightly tacky ball forms.\nDivide into 200 g portions. Shape into tight balls. Place in the fridge for 24–48 hours (minimum 12 hours).\nRemove from fridge 30 minutes before shaping. Stretch on a lightly floured surface to 15–20 cm.\nBake at 233°C (450°F) with the convection fan on, on a hot carbon steel pan or baking stone (parchment underneath makes the transfer easier), until the bottom is browned and the cheese is bubbling, 12–16 minutes depending on thickness and toppings. About 14 minutes is typical.\nNotes The yeast, ball size, and bake time come from testing for a birthday pizza in 2023: 1.5% yeast with a long ferment, 200 g balls, 14 minutes at 233°C with the fan, on carbon steel with parchment. The earlier version used 0.1% yeast and 175 g balls. Reducing gluten slightly (toward 12.5% total protein) gives a less chewy crumb. Autolyse can run 5 minutes shorter without significant difference. See also [[The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza]], our family\u0026rsquo;s 12-pizza Christmas marathon. ","date":"1 January 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pizza-dough/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"This is my original pizza dough recipe, based on my memory of doughs I made in restaurants.\nMechanic The vital wheat gluten supplements bread flour to push gluten content higher, producing a chewier crumb and stronger structure than all-purpose flour alone. A cold ferment of 24–48 hours develops flavour. The autolyse (30-minute rest before adding salt) speeds gluten development.\n","title":"Pizza dough","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Sweet, soft, and comfort in a bowl. Great with fruit or ice cream.\nMechanic Adding the beaten egg early lets it temper gradually as the mixture heats, producing a smooth, custardy texture rather than scrambled flecks. Target about 70°C; the egg starts to curdle above about 80°C.\nIngredients 400 g cooked rice (2 cups) 500 ml milk (or substitute: ⅛ cream + ⅞ oat milk) 1 egg, beaten 3 tablespoons (40 g) sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pinch of salt 1 cinnamon stick Method Combine rice, milk, beaten egg, sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.\nStir occasionally and heat until thickened and creamy, about 20 minutes. Watch the temperature: pull it off the heat at about 70°C.\nRemove the cinnamon stick. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.\nTo serve As-is, or topped with jam, stewed fruit, or a pinch of cinnamon.\nNotes Works with any leftover cooked rice; slightly firmer rice produces a better texture than very soft. The oat milk + cream substitute works well and adds a faint nuttiness. ","date":"1 January 2022","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/rice-pudding/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Sweet, soft, and comfort in a bowl. Great with fruit or ice cream.\nMechanic Adding the beaten egg early lets it temper gradually as the mixture heats, producing a smooth, custardy texture rather than scrambled flecks. Target about 70°C; the egg starts to curdle above about 80°C.\n","title":"Rice pudding","type":"recipes"},{"content":"A season built around \u0026ldquo;Soupmas\u0026rdquo; — French onion nearly perfect, butternut squash and potato-leek-mushroom both landing well — and a pizza dough overhaul (a Flour Water Salt Yeast-based recipe called \u0026ldquo;a big win\u0026rdquo;). Coconut lentils became a genuine monthly rotation dish, an Indian takeaway-style base-gravy system got researched in depth, and a big Thanksgiving retrospective concluded: more prep ahead of time, skip the formal carving, think buffet.\nUndated. About late September to December 2021; the original notes grouped these as Fall/Winter.\nWintery food goals Soupmas Breads Burritos / bowls Onion bhajis results → [[Onion bhaji]]\nRecipe made about 2x what we needed, but was overall quite good.\nThe good:\nCook time was about right Tasted pretty close (even without the cilantro) Waxy potatoes fried nicely The bad:\nToo watery I think Oil foamed up (too old?) Next time, I’ll size down the recipe a bit and review some more examples of how they’re made.\nOnion bhajis This is a recipe we’ve wanted to try for a while:\n4 white onions halved and sliced 1 potato julienned 2 green chillies, finely sliced (or hot chilli powder) 2 teaspoons of salt 1 tablespoon curry powder (or masala) 1 teaspoon turmeric ½ teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon coriander powder 1 teaspoon panch phoron (or some ground fennel and fenugreek) Dried fenugreek leaves Handful of fresh cilantro 3 eggs ~1 ½ cups of gram or garbanzo flour Slice and dice the veggies and add to a large bowl. Mix in eggs and spices, and combine thoroughly. Add flour, combining by hand (add up to ½ cup more if you have trouble balling up the fritters).\nForm golf ball sized fritters and drop in ~180C oil. Flip a few times, and remove once golden brown.\nSoupmas update We decided to make soups this year, as they’re easy to make vegetarian, and they’re fancy (but not overly rich). We have made these soups so far:\nButternut squash → [[Butternut squash soup]] Slightly sweet, due (I think) to the soup stock I used from the freezer Browned butter worked very well Sage would have been better than thyme/rosemary French onion → [[French onion soup]] This was nearly perfect Need way more onions next time, maybe cut them a bit thicker (I used the mandoline on the 2nd setting) Potato leek and mushroom → [[Potato, leek, and mushroom soup]] This soup was lovely Pizza party update Pizza night was a success:\nBottom crusts were cooked, though not as crispy as I’d like; I think I’ll need a stone or steel to make this work better, as 288C just wasn’t enough except for perhaps the first pie. I may try a carbon steel pan and a longer preheat next time.\nI did notice better performance based on the number and type of toppings, especially noticeable with the home oven. Also trying to bake 6+ pies showed how poorly the electric stove recharged between bakes. Large pies might be a solution here.\nJazz/Conner/Kids pizza day prep ✔️Shopping for final ingredients ✔️ Pizza sauce ✔️ Spiced tofu ✔️Tempeh? ✔️Cheese grated (4:1:1 mozza, parm, gruyere) ✔️ Ranchero dip ✔️ Italian sausage Dice ✔️ Onions ✔️ Peppers ✔️Mushrooms (saute?) ✔️ Peperoni ✔️Olives ✔️Sun Dried tomatoes ✔️Artichoke hearts Pizzeria style pizza sauce: → [[Pizzeria pizza sauce]]\n645g strained tomatoes 25g tomato paste 10g olive oil (1 glug) 5g med quality balsamic (a few glugs) 6g granulated garlic (1 tsp) 1g dried oregano (2 tbsp) 1g ground black pepper (1 tsp) 1g msg (optional) 15g sugar (to taste) 15g kosher salt (to taste) Pizza practice week I’m making pizza a few times this week to test out the new dough, and to tweak the oven temperature and time for the new pans.\nStarted the pizza on the top rack, too much top heat. Recommend not using rapid preheat with pizza on the deck, and use a lower shelf. Fixed underdone bottom with some stove top magic. Middle rack, oven didn’t get about 260C. Good edge crust, bottom slightly underdone. Recommend not starting on a second pan, and to preheat longer. This one was very close to good+++. Pizza dough, 2022 recipe → [[Pizza dough 2022 edition]]\nI reviewed a number of methods:\nEthan’s pan pizza dough Brian’s quick pizza dough Adam’s home pizza dough NY style I decided to try a recipe from Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast, with some adjustments based on what other cooks have suggested. This turned out to be a big win, and it’s much easier to make overall than my previous methods.\nFlour, Water, Salt, Yeast version My adaptation 1000g white flour (consider adding gluten) 900g white flour, 100g vital wheat gluten 700g water 700g water 20g salt 25g salt 25g sugar .8g dried yeast 1g dried yeast Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast version: this recipe uses an autolyse method (30 minutes) for some enzymatic magic, then a fairly standard by-hand mix:\nHydrate the yeast Autolyse Mix (adding salt here) Fold/kneed Divide/store overnight My adaptation:\nBumped up the gluten level (by about 1 tablespoon per cup), to promote gluten development. Adjusted salt + added sugar (to adjust for home oven temperatures) Autolyse ended up ~5 minutes shorter, and ratios may be slightly off as I was interrupted by a call. I mixed it on medium for ~7 minutes, until a ball started to form, then dumped in a proofing bucket destined for the refrigerator (24-48 hours). Resulting dough has a nice smooth texture. We will see how the first rise goes, after a stint in the fridge.\nVeg stock, reviewing example recipes → [[Rich veg/mushroom stock]]\nRevisiting veg soup stock, based on Glen and Friends Cooking’s take on it. The guts of the recipe focuses on a specific ratio before roasting of 2 parts vegetables to 3 parts water.\nGlen’s approach maximizes browning by using a long roast and very thin slices, in addition to flavour bombs like dried mushrooms, kombu, and miso. He calls out the importance of the leek to the overall mouthfeel, and based on that I’m tempted to include some vegetable oil in some way (frying the fresh mushrooms?).\nExample veg:\n1- 2 medium carrots 1- 2 celery stalks 2 medium onions 1 red pepper Fronds from fennel bulb 1 leek 1 beet 1 head of garlic 8 dried porcini mushrooms 1 6x4” piece dried seaweed 60g shiitake mushrooms 200g mixed mushrooms Thinly slice veg, use any clean skins (onion, garlic). Avoid brassicas (cauli, broc, cabbage, brussels, etc.) which can result in a bitter stock.\nSpices and flavour enhancers:\n5 mL (1 tsp) black peppercorns 45 mL (3 Tbsp) white miso 30 mL (2 Tbsp) vegetable oil 30 mL (2 Tbsp) tomato paste And, of course, water:\n4L water Method:\n~2ish hours: roast off veg at 150C, with flavour enhancers whisked together and drizzled on top. Toss occasionally. Add veg to a large pot with water and roast in the already heated oven (or stovetop, on low) for an hour. Optionally, use a pressure cooker on low for 30-40 minutes, decompressing slowly to avoid boiling the liquid. Strain out solids and reduce (optionally). Depending on the miso, you may want to strain through a cheesecloth. Christmas menu ideas (soupmas?!) Over coffee this morning we decided that Christmas would both be meat free and based on our favourite soups. Easy to prepare ahead of time, and awesome food too.\nThe menu so far:\nFrench onion Thai coconut mushroom Potato leak Corn chowder Broc/chez Squash soup And sides/add-ins:\nBaked and seasoned chickpeas Croutons (from homemade bread) And if you have soups, then you must have breads. We’ll work on some short sourdoughs, focaccias, and maybe even some snacks pizza.\nFall food goals Planning ahead for the Fall so I can get some research done beforehand. Things I want to learn / make / try:\nSpinach lasagne (Serious eats) BA’s pineapple pizza, making it BA’s poppin pineapple pizza Get back on the 🍕🍕train Stewed greens Better home curries Dumpling like things made with pasta maker Dumplings Perogies Ravioli-like-things Fake’n’bake attempt 1 I’m baking a whole chicken tonight, but prepping it during lunch.\n1 whole chicken 2-3 tablespoons of chicken rub Corn starch, flour, and baking powder (dusted on) Fridge for 3-4 hours (on a wire rack) Fried rice I had a bag of peppers that needed using, as well as some pork shoulder.\n2 cups of short grained rice (refrigerated overnight) 4 bell peppers, diced 2 cups of diced pork shoulder (fried) 3 stalks of celery, diced 1 onion, thinly sliced (long, polar strips) 2 cups of classic frozen veg Garlic and minced ginger (3-4 cloves, 2-ish tablespoons) Sauce and thickener Soy, vinegar/sake, sesame oil, fish oil MSG, white pepper Chilis (whole, diced, sauce, or paste) Corn starch Fry in a wok, or large frying pan (in stages) in order, adding sauce last. Heat until thickened, without getting everything else mushy.\nGarlic ginger wing sauce → [[Garlic ginger wing sauce]]\n⅓ cup soy sauce ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup ⅓ cup hoisin sauce ¼ cup sake or wine vinegar (more to balance) 1 tablespoon sesame oil Grate: 1 small knob of ginger (2-3 tablespoons) 2 garlic cloves 1 small shallot Spice with: 1 tablespoon Togarashi Top with 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted if you have time) 2-3 sprigs of spring onion (finely diced) Cilantro or parsley (green looks nice) Combine and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Toss freshly baked wings in enough to coat. Freeze what remains (or use as a dip).\nOnion bhajis This is just a note to self that I want to learn to make these, both for the resulting flavoured oil, and so we have a nice snacky food that serves more of the peeps we know.\nWe had bhajis last week at Shandahar Hut for science. The onion taste is very mild, even milder than most onion rings (suggesting they’re soaked). They had a nice crisp, and the chutney (or whatever it was served with) was a bit sweet and savoury.\nIndian gravy These are some notes from a set of ebooks on takeaway curry. The books are tough to follow, so I’m summarizing the important bits here.\nThe gist of the first book is that takeaway restaurants make curries with a base gravy, and a number of sauces and pastes pre-prepared. This makes sense, and explains why homemade curries often have less depth, as breaking something into components that are each seasoned results in more seasoning overall, managed in a number of different ways. Layering is a great technique.\nBook 1: Garlic/ginger paste → [[Ginger/garlic paste]] Tomato pure → [[Indian takeout tomato purée]] Tin of tomato puree 2 tin-fulls of water 1 teaspoon of tandoori masalas powder (or fresh made masala) Whisk together Notes Puree is cooked in the frying stage before adding other ingredients to lighten the acidic taste Lasts ~1 week refrigerated Seasoned oil Use spent sunflower or other neutral oil (recipe calls for prepping 3L, do what makes sense for you) Filter Notes Use a neutral oil Spent → used for cooking bhajis, filtered Lasts for weeks in the fridge Spices Bassar mix Garam Masala Methi/dried fennu-greek (kasuri, Kasoori, Quasuri methi) ½ - 1 teaspoon per dish Fresh coriander (cilantro) Gravies and sauces Onion sauce (for chunky curries) → [[Onion base for curries]] Bangladeshi style gravy → [[Base curry gravy]] Sauces Bhajis Notes Onion bhajis are essentially Indian-style onion fritters: thinly sliced onions that have been coated in a simple, spiced batter then fried until golden and crisp. Gravies:\nBangladeshi style Possible veg meal plan Update: we made this, it was delicious. It’s on our monthly rotation now, about 30 minutes from start to finish (and it freezes well).\nPlanning a meal in case Jay drops in today:\nCoconut lentils (use up some lentils in the cupboard, with some Thai seasoning?) → [[Coconut lentils]] Basic method: ← fam fav now Onion/celery/oil/spices in a pot, stir and cook until translucent Add tomato paste, cook until sticking to pan Add stock and some coconut milk, combine Add lentils (lentil:liquid ratio roughly 1:3) ← this worked well Roasted potato slices or wedges Roasted veg Logging this as I want to do some research on the lentils, as it’s been a few months and I’m looking for ideas and technique.\nThanksgiving retro thoughts Meal prep was super smooth this time around. Dinner hour was hectic, partly as a few people were late and the final cook was more involved than it should be. We talked about this a bit, and we think that more prep and less classic styles of serving would make for a much better experience. Mostly, people don’t care about the carving of the turkey, so WTF bother?\nWhat did we learn? Make dinner easier, do more prep earlier, and skip the 1950s idyllic table layout. Think: buffets. And ideally, most dishes are done before dinner starts. This makes post dinner less of a shit show, especially with open kitchens.\nIdeas for next time:\nBreak down and dry brine both turkeys ~1-2 days before Make stocks and cook dark meats the day before Cook dark meats together (to ~74C) Cook lighter meats together (to ~60C) If you want to serve them hot, cook them in 1-2 large sheet pans and arrange nicely on a serving tray once cooked Consider making everything ahead of time as a casserole and parts for sandwiches Heating casseroles is super lowkey and chill “Shepards $x” works for pretty much any holiday Roast veg on the side (also easy) Making your own sandies is cool Salads are great, especially chunky ones people don’t see often (like that broc one) Pre-make gravies and reheat (especially if making vegetarian + omni gravies) Have containers ready for take-home portions for people! Also: send meals to anyone who needs/wants them Thanksgiving day prep Turkey breast: 60C, under 65 ideally\nTurkey thigh: 74C (max tender)\nAM ✔️ Make dressing Noon-ish ✔️ Show turkey in oven (~4.5 hours) Afternoon ✔️ Prep platters and dishes ✔️ Veg platter ✔️ Make salad ✔️ Wash potatoes ✔️ Roast garlic! Set out chips Set out veg platter Prep buns! Cut up roastin’ veg (yam, beets) Plate desserts for later Make gravies (gluten free) Prep veg base ~45 minutes before dinner Turkey out + tented Serve on Roast veg in oven Stuffing Mac \u0026amp; cheese Potatoes on stove (~15-20 minutes from boil) Garlic, salted water Cream Season to taste (pepper, salt) Corn on stove Day before Thanksgiving prep ✔️ Spice rub ✔️ Break down stunt turkey Breasts/legs thighs dry bring until evening Neck/backbone/wings roast for stock ✔️ Roast stunt parts as extras after bones are done ✔️ Break down show turkey Neck/wing tips for stock Dry bring otherwise intact carcass for tomorrow ✔️ Stock Turkey parts, roasted Aromatics Simple spices Reduce by ½ ✔️ Stuffing prep / par bake Slightly overdone, ate the darker bits (yum!) ✔️ Mac \u0026amp; Cheese → [[Baked mac \u0026amp; cheese]] Hasselback potatoes I had a leftover potato that I wanted to test out a hassleback bake on. Basics:\nPotato Oil, salt Herb butter (to finish) Hassel up the potato by:\nCutting slices a few mm apart with a sharp knife. You can use a few wooden spoons to stop your knife if you’re not super sure of your knifery. Oil up with any good oil. Salt generously. Try to get some in between the layers. Bake at 220C for ~35-45 minutes. Start basting every 5 minutes from this point until the potato is nicely browned (another 15-20 minutes) and the internal temperature is 97-99C. Backing time changes depending on the potato size (medium russets assumed).\nThanksgiving plan Focus: comfort food and memories. This year I wrote an actual plan, what a nerd!\nIdeas:\nVegetarian Vegetarian (mushroom, veg, kombu) gravy Mashed (and rebaked) potatoes Mixed roasted veg (carrots, cauli, sweet potato) Brussel slaw, cranberry, nuts, and tempeh Cranberry sauce Classics Turkey Turkey/chicken gravy Stuffing Thanksgiving ideas A few ideas for side dishes and other eats for Thanksgiving:\nTwice baked butternut squash (filled with cheese, crunchy, sour cream, chives) Winter slaw Brussels chips (bacony) Pumpkin seeds Mandolined beets Brussel cores Baked mashed potatoes (make ahead) Baked/thin sliced sweet taters and other tubers Olive oil, garlic Rosemary Maple glaze Some late September cookery Some of the things we’ve cooked in the last week or so of September:\nPork sandwiches au jus; similar to beef dip, but with pork Thin sliced pork shoulder roast (roasted to 75C or so) Soft kaiser, with mayo, mustard, and a bit of BBQ sauce Onion, lettuce, tomato (but no pickles!) Jus from the pork drippings, chicken stock, and some BTB Pork ramen (soy style) Lazy pork and rice (pork, rice, sauce, veg, single pan) Miso glazed wings Miso glazed salmon (and veg) Coffee cereal (needed more cream, but super efficient early morning food) ","date":"1 December 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2021-winter/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A season built around “Soupmas” — French onion nearly perfect, butternut squash and potato-leek-mushroom both landing well — and a pizza dough overhaul (a Flour Water Salt Yeast-based recipe called “a big win”). Coconut lentils became a genuine monthly rotation dish, an Indian takeaway-style base-gravy system got researched in depth, and a big Thanksgiving retrospective concluded: more prep ahead of time, skip the formal carving, think buffet.\n","title":"Fall and winter 2021","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"Our pizza sauce continues to evolve. This version uses passata and is uncooked.\nMechanic Built on strained tomatoes rather than crushed, so the sauce is smooth without blending. All quantities by weight: this scales cleanly. The balsamic adds body and a mild acidity that a straight tomato sauce lacks.\nIngredients 645 g strained tomatoes (passata) 25 g tomato paste 10 g extra-virgin olive oil 5 g balsamic vinegar (medium quality) 6 g granulated garlic (2 teaspoons) 1 g dried oregano 1 g ground black pepper 1 g MSG (optional) 10 g sugar, or to taste 10 g kosher salt, or to taste Method Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt, sugar, and acid.\nNo cooking required. The sauce finishes on the pizza in the oven.\nTo serve Spread thin on pizza dough (about 100 ml per medium pizza). Keeps refrigerated for a week and freezes well.\nNotes Garlic potency varies, even granulated. Start with the listed amounts and adjust the garlic, salt, and sugar up to taste. See also [[Quick pizza sauce]] for a smaller-batch, paste-only version. See also [[The Aldersons’ epic 12 days of pizza]], our family\u0026rsquo;s 12-pizza Christmas marathon. ","date":"1 December 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/pizzeria-pizza-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Our pizza sauce continues to evolve. This version uses passata and is uncooked.\nMechanic Built on strained tomatoes rather than crushed, so the sauce is smooth without blending. All quantities by weight: this scales cleanly. The balsamic adds body and a mild acidity that a straight tomato sauce lacks.\n","title":"Pizzeria pizza sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"These are delicious fritters, best served with coriander-mint and tangy tamarind date chutney.\nMechanic Bhajis are a spiced onion fritter bound with egg and gram flour. The potato adds body and absorbs some oil. Keep the batter loose rather than thick: tight batter produces stodgy centres. The salted onions release liquid that wets the batter; if the batter ends up too loose, add the extra flour before anything else. The frying oil does double duty: spent oil is fragrant and makes a good base for curries like [[Base curry gravy]].\nIngredients 4 white onions, halved and thinly sliced 1 medium potato, julienned 2 green chilies, finely sliced (or ½ teaspoon hot chili powder) 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon curry powder or garam masala 1 teaspoon turmeric ½ teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon panch phoron (or ½ teaspoon ground fennel + ½ teaspoon ground fenugreek) 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) handful fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons [[Ginger/garlic paste]] 3 eggs 185 g gram (garbanzo bean) flour (~1½ cups), plus up to ½ cup more if needed Neutral oil for frying.\nMethod Combine onion, potato, and chilies in a large bowl. Add spices and salt; mix thoroughly by hand. The salt will draw some moisture from the onion.\nAdd the ginger/garlic paste and eggs, and mix until the onions are evenly coated. Add gram flour and mix until a rough batter forms: it should hold together when you squeeze a handful, but not be stiff. Add up to 50 g more flour if it feels too loose.\nHeat neutral oil to 180°C (350°F) in a wide, heavy pot. Use enough oil to deep-fry.\nForm golf-ball-sized fritters with damp hands. Drop in batches without crowding. Fry, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown all over, 4–5 minutes per batch.\nDrain on a rack or paper towels.\nTo serve With green chutney or tamarind sauce while hot. Also good alongside a simple dal.\nVariations Two-stage fry The family method. It cooks the centres through without over-browning the outside. Heat the oil to 160°C (320°F). Fry for 4 minutes, lift the fritters out, and poke a hole in the centre of each with a chopstick. Return them to the oil for 2 more minutes, until deep golden, then drain.\nNotes If the batter is still loose after the extra flour, squeeze a little liquid from the onions before adding the eggs next time. Fresh oil is important; old oil can foam aggressively. ","date":"1 November 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/onion-bhaji/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"These are delicious fritters, best served with coriander-mint and tangy tamarind date chutney.\nMechanic Bhajis are a spiced onion fritter bound with egg and gram flour. The potato adds body and absorbs some oil. Keep the batter loose rather than thick: tight batter produces stodgy centres. The salted onions release liquid that wets the batter; if the batter ends up too loose, add the extra flour before anything else. The frying oil does double duty: spent oil is fragrant and makes a good base for curries like [[Base curry gravy]].\n","title":"Onion bhaji","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Who doesn\u0026rsquo;t love a warm bowl of tomato soup? Pair with simple grilled cheese!\nIngredients 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, sliced 800 ml tinned whole tomatoes (2 × 400 ml tins) 250 ml chicken or vegetable broth (1 cup) 60 ml cream (¼ cup) salt and black pepper Method Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes.\nAdd the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.\nAdd the tomatoes (crush them by hand as they go in) and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes.\nBlend until smooth with an immersion blender or in batches in a stand blender.\nReturn to the pot over low heat. Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust.\nTo serve With crusty bread or a grilled cheese. A drizzle of olive oil and cracked pepper on top.\nNotes Tinned fire-roasted tomatoes add smokiness. For a vegan version, omit cream or use coconut cream. ","date":"1 November 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/tomato-soup/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Who doesn’t love a warm bowl of tomato soup? Pair with simple grilled cheese!\nIngredients 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, sliced 800 ml tinned whole tomatoes (2 × 400 ml tins) 250 ml chicken or vegetable broth (1 cup) 60 ml cream (¼ cup) salt and black pepper Method Warm the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes.\n","title":"Tomato soup","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Garlic and wings are a great combination. These lean sweet and savoury.\nMechanic Equal parts soy, honey, and hoisin form the base; sake or rice vinegar cuts the sweetness. Fresh-grated aromatics (not jarred paste) give this its character: the shallot in particular rounds out the garlic and ginger.\n1Soy : 1Honey : 1Hoisin Ingredients 80 ml soy sauce (⅓ cup) 80 ml honey or maple syrup (⅓ cup) 80 ml hoisin sauce (⅓ cup) 60 ml sake or rice wine vinegar (¼ cup) 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 small knob ginger, grated (about 2 tablespoons) 2 cloves garlic, grated 1 small shallot, grated 1 tablespoon togarashi To finish sesame seeds sliced green onion cilantro or parsley Method Combine soy, honey, hoisin, sake, and sesame oil. Stir until the honey is fully dissolved.\nGrate in the ginger, garlic, and shallot directly into the sauce. Add togarashi and stir.\nToss cooked wings in the sauce while hot, or brush onto wings in the last few minutes of roasting. Simmer any remaining sauce briefly to thicken if using as a glaze.\nTo serve Garnish with sesame seeds, green onion, and cilantro. Good alongside rice or as a standalone platter.\nNotes Works equally well on chicken thighs or drumsticks. The vinegar version is sharper; sake is rounder. Both work. ","date":"1 October 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/garlic-ginger-wing-sauce/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Garlic and wings are a great combination. These lean sweet and savoury.\nMechanic Equal parts soy, honey, and hoisin form the base; sake or rice vinegar cuts the sweetness. Fresh-grated aromatics (not jarred paste) give this its character: the shallot in particular rounds out the garlic and ginger.\n","title":"Garlic ginger wing sauce","type":"recipes"},{"content":"The gyro loaf earned a permanent spot in the rotation after testing it in ramen, salad, and on its own; a big cooking weekend also produced the best gochujang wings yet, a 99%-match copycat salsa, and breakfast sausage patties, while a farmers-market lentil stew got reverse-engineered from its ingredient list.\nUndated. The original notes called this “Post summer, pre fall.”\nThere is this place between Summer and Fall that deserves its own food. Late summer produce is waning and fall gourds and other goodness are starting to appear. Days are sometimes colder, sometimes not, and we usually celebrate the last days of summer.\nFood Goals Ranch water?! Chicken gyros from DDD (hand made, non-cased) → [[Gyro base]] Chef John (spices: rosemary, oregano, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika ) My take worked out pretty well, except I used a steam pan (though I intended to use a ¼ sheet pan) BC style salad rolls We had some leftover miso glazed salmon and sticky rice from dinner yesterday and I wanted sushi. I was out of nori, so I used rice paper to make salmon salad rolls:\nMiso/sesame glazed salmon (cooked) Salmon skin, cooked + fried and sliced (with more glaze) Sticky rice Julienned carrots Thin sliced green onion (white parts) Some lettuce or bean sprouts would have made these better, but they were already pretty great.\nBoerenkool stamppot → [[Boerenkool stamppot]]\nWe made our classic green potatoes this week for just the two of us. It’s about $1 per portion, and includes a strong balance of veg and tubers, and sticks to your ribs. And even though the recipe is pretty simple, I added it to our book for future generations to remember one of our favourite foods.\nI especially love this recipe as you can make it in a single pot in under an hour, and it heats up nicely (and provides lunches/dinner for most meals in a week).\nStir fry sauces, lazy take We made stir fry again the next night, and tonight’s sauce was improvised:\n1 tbsp soy 1 ½ tbsp hoisin 2 tbsp gochujang 1 ½ tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp cider vinegar (as I was out of seasoned rice wine vinegar) 2-3 tbsp rice wine (to deglaze) 1 tsp MSG 1-2 tsp garlic powder 1-2 tsp white pepper 2 tsp chili flakes (as it wasn’t spicy enough, korean chili powder would have been better) This sauce worked really well, and was somewhere in between a sweet and sour and yesterday’s cheap Tso’s style sauce.\nStir fry sauces We’re thinking of making stir fry tonight. Two simple sauces:\nGeneral Tso’s (lazy version)\n1 tbsp soy 2 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp rice wine 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar Pinch of white pepper 2 tbsp sugar 1-2 cloves of garlic finely dized 3-4 chilies dried Cornstarch slurry Water or stock S\u0026amp;S sauce:\nsalt, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or rice wine) 3 tbsp ketchup 3 tbsp sugar ½ cup chicken stock 1 tbsp cornstarch slurry Gyros and gyro salad We tested the gyro loaf a few times this week:\nGyros (needed something to balance) Ramen (worked pretty well) No-noodle miso ramen (also worked pretty well) 💩 Gyro salad (added feta) It worked pretty well in all applications. Definitely something for the rotation.\nWeekend success After a week with a cold I had an itch to do some food research and cookery. This weekend I made:\nGina’s copycat fresh salsa (99% match, no roasting) → [[Gina’s tomato salsa]] Gochujang garlic chicken wings → [[Gochujang wing sauce]] Gyros Breakfast sausage patties (a touch salty, as the package was smaller than the recipe) → [[Breakfast sausage]] Overall some great success. Wings were the best we’ve had in a bit.\nThe salsa is getting good enough that we’ll stop buying the Fresh Is Best stuff, which is about $\nChef John’s Gyros Chef John\u0026rsquo;s gyros made me think about pan sausage. Casing sausage is a bit of work (and I don’t have the equipment. Sometimes I make rolled sausage, but that takes up a bit of space and effort. Making a pan of sausage feels like something I could do up a batch once a month and have tasty add-ins for soups, pastas, and sandwiches any time I wanted!\nHere’s a working recipe that I’ll test this weekend.\nAdjusting to a smaller household It’s a bit weird to be back to just the two of us here. I suspect most of the changes to the kitchen will have to do with what I eat for lunch, and less dairy.\nLentil stew → [[Lentil stew]]\nWe made a lentil stew we bought at a farmers market a while back (Jamaican Me Hungry). As it uses a mix of lentils, the colours and flavours are improved.\nThe ingredients from the packaging:\nLentils (green, black and red), Veggie flakes (sulphites), Onion flakes, Jamaican spice mix (likely poultry mix, allspice, chillies) plant based stock, brown sugar I added:\n1 whole onion diced, ½ cup wine 3 cloves of garlic, minced, 2 sticks of celery, diced, 1 can of coconut milk (solids and liquids) 1 cup of rice (after pressure cooking) Additional spices (and salt/sugar) Top with cilantro I’m going to try to recreate this style of recipe from scratch, to get the flavours (and these notes should help me remember what I did).\nI cooked the mix in my pressure cooker:\nSaute the extra (real) veg as you would for any stew or soup (until translucent). Deglaze, add water, add mix, bring to boil. Add pressure lid, pressurize, and cool for 15-20 minutes on the low (2) setting. Depressurize naturally (10-15 minutes), and add coconut milk and rice. Spice to taste (the base mix was pretty bland and lacked depth). Cook until rice softens. This will also thicken it up a bit (which was perfect for our uses). ","date":"1 October 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2021-fall/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"The gyro loaf earned a permanent spot in the rotation after testing it in ramen, salad, and on its own; a big cooking weekend also produced the best gochujang wings yet, a 99%-match copycat salsa, and breakfast sausage patties, while a farmers-market lentil stew got reverse-engineered from its ingredient list.\n","title":"Late summer 2021","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"A whole summer of stated cooking goals, most of them checked off: salsas, pickled peppers (salinity dialed in against four different reference recipes), roasted peppers, pastas and pizzas. A bread post-mortem diagnosed a too-hot oven behind some gummy loaves, a mushroom soup potage method with cashew cream \u0026ldquo;worked well,\u0026rdquo; and a pizza dough reset (Detroit style, a few failed attempts along the way) kept the pizza streak alive.\nUndated.\nFood goals! This is a list of things I want to get better at cooking during Summer 2021.\nSalsas (make every few weeks) ✅ Verde → [[Salsa verde]] Red enchilada ✅ Tomato/Gina’s → [[Gina’s tomato salsa]] Corn bread ✅ Pastas and pizzas ✅ Roasted peppers Quick dressings Vinaigrettes Pickles~ ✅Jalapenos (inspiration) Chowders/creamy soups ✅ mushroom/roasted cauli and corn Salads → Chopped salad (from Wooden Spoon) ← Romaine, kale, brown rice, carrot, broccoli stems, pumpkin seeds, roasted corn, gem tomatoes, cucumber, feta, craisins, yeshi dressing ✅ Broc Write about food: Mushroom soup Cashew cream How I find and select recipes (or: why the internet is a pile of turds) Forcing functions (ways to build better food thinking habits) Rework cheat sheet into web page / doc Al pastor nachos We’re going to make al-pastor style nachos this weekend (some notes so I don’t forget what we talked about):\nRefried beans (dip) Fresh salsa (dip) Al pastor fried Cheese Tortilla chips Pickled jalapenos Olives Red/yellow pepper chunks (Update: these were delicious!)\nGoogle cookoff! I was part of a Google API seminar that included a 2 hour cooking interactive demo. The challenge included 2 chicken dishes:\nChicken Lemon Piccata Chicken (pounded flat, seasoned, lightly floured) Butter, olive oil Garlic Capers White wine, chicken stock, lemon (juice and zest, and/or lemon slices) Salt and pepper to taste Top with herbs (parsley, basil, etc.) Chicken Marsala with Mushrooms Chicken (pounded flat, seasoned, lightly floured) ~2-3 cups of mushrooms (chopped, criminis or similar) Butter, olive oil Garlic 2 cups marsala wine, 2 cups heavy cream Salt/pepper to taste Top with herbs (parsley, basil, etc.) Brutus salad More of the Chef John inspiration with a Brutus salad:\nDressing ¼ cup real French Dijon mustard ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar ¼ cup vegetable oil ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce freshly ground black pepper Salad Toasted pecans (salt, tiny bit of sugar) Apple thinly sliced Romaine hearts cut Dill, tarragon (fresh) Cheddar sharp (white) Al Pastor I want to try John’s Al Pastor recipe (for salad and chilli rather than on a bun).\nOn second thought, I want to try a reverse-pastor like they worked on for Serious Eats. I was thinking that breaking it into 2 steps would make it easier to nail at home.\nI made a home-pantry version of the al pastor style marinade, and have ~2kgs of pork marinating. Tomorrow I’ll bake it! → [[Al pastor marinade (pantry hack)]]\nPickled peppers success I ended up making a 500ml brine using the Pickled banana peppers recipe (from Serious Eats), and bumping up the salt to 3.2% (from 1.6%). The peppers were spiced with fresh thyme, crushed garlic, carrots, and onions (and 1 tablespoon of pickling spice).\n250ml : 250ml : 200g : 16g (vinegar, water, sugar, salt) 3.2% salinity per 500g veg I boiled the brine and spices until combined and poured over a sieve into 2 x 250ml canning jars. I let these cool and popped them in the fridge. I tasted a few peppers 12 hours later, and the spice level is good, and they’re at about the right level of saltiness.\nOverall cost was about $2.50 / 500ml (commercial pickled jalapenos are $4-5/500ml), so not a huge savings, but a much better product overall. Next time I’ll use more carrots and onions, and treat it like a sandwich mix.\nPost mortem: bread bake problems I suspect that my oven runs a bit hot. In today’s bake, the loaves took much longer than expected (~2x longer), and even then they were still gummy in the middle. The dough going into it had a great bounce and feel, so it seems like temperature is the culprit. I also have a tendency to aim at a crustier bread and I had the oven set to 190C, which is already on the high side.\nOne interesting note is that measuring the temperature of the bread seems to produce wildly inconsistent results, at least while a bread is gummy. I need to test this out a bit more, but I think testing temperature can only work if the bake temp/time is closer to ideal (i.e., somewhere after gummy). So perhaps measuring temp works best to prevent a loaf from drying out versus figuring out when it’s minimally done?\nWhat I learned: I baked 3 styles of loaves today. The dough going into it was pliable and wasn’t overly sticky. It was a ~60% hydration dough with a small amount of malted barley for flavouring.\nLoaf What worked What didn\u0026rsquo;t Hot dog buns (125g) Shaping worked well; final rise was so-so; crumb was nice and tight (great for a bun) Too crusty (temp issue?); gummy/stodgy, but corrected with additional bake time Traditional free loaf (600g) Shaping worked really well; final rise was so-so Too crusty (temp issue?); gummy/stodgy Loaf pan loaf (400g) Shaping worked really well; final rise was so-so Too crusty (temp issue?); gummy/stodgy If it weren’t for the buns, you might assume a dough issue. A few improvements I’ll aim for in my next build:\nLonger final rise Larger dough portions across the board (need to get a log of what works, maybe some research) Lower temperature (176 c, possibly lower) Bring the dough up to temperature (measure this and log it) Pickled peppers 2 crushed garlic cloves 1 sliced carrot about 5 jalapeños sliced 1 ½ tablespoon of sea salt (27g) ← 4.3% salt ¾ cup of white vinegar (375ml) ½ cup of filtered water (250ml) 1 tablespoon of whole black pepper 1 tablespoon of oregano 1 ½ spoon of dried onion flakes Examples: Pickled peppers (Serious Eats): 500ml : 500ml : 36g (vinegar, water, salt) per 500g of veg 3.6% salt Pickled jalapenos (Serious Eats): 750ml : 18g (vinegar to salt) per 500g of veg 2.4% salt Pickled banana peppers (Serious Eats) 250ml : 250ml : 200g : 8g (vinegar, water, sugar, salt) per 500g veg 1.6% salt 40% sugar Pickled jalapenos (internet rando): 1500ml : 500ml: 136g (vinegar, water, salt) ← this one seems salty 6.8% salt Goal ratio will be 2 - 4% salinity, and up to 40% sugar.\nIf using kosher salt, add ~20% - 50% more salt (as pickling salt is finer). Pickling salt is 74g/125ml (or .58g/ml volume), making 1 tablespoon (14.78ml) 8.6g.\nBoil, combine brine ingredients, add veg until it resumes boiling (blanching), remove from heat.\nFrom Fine Cooking:\nThe brine’s salinity level depends on what you’re pickling and the results you’re going for. Crisp leafy vegetables, such as cabbage, are fermented into sauerkraut or kimchi at 1% to 2% salinity, which allows different bacteria and a variety of flavors to develop as acidity increases. The most typical brine strength for home pickling is between 5% and 6% salinity, which is slightly less than the 7% to 8% full-strength brine used to preserve lemons and olives. Half-sours, a popular Jewish-deli-style cucumber pickle, are brined at around 3.5%.\nSalt mass ratios suggest a pretty wide difference in mass per volume.\nNut crusted fishy fish fish → [[Nut-crusted salmon]]\nGlue:\n¼ cup mayo 2 ½ tablespoons whole grain mustard 3 cloves of garlic Salt/pepper Crust:\n½ cup toasted walnuts ½ cup toasted pecans ½ cup parmesan Chopped parsley Salt/pepper Spread glue on top of salmon fillets, top with crusty crust. Bake at 220C/420F\nMirin substitute This is really a teriyaki sort of sauce, but also can sub in for mirin. Is great on salmon, on veg, etc.\n2 parts saké 2 parts sugar 1 part soy sauce Cook down until syrupy. Can add ginger or garlic\nMiso salmon → [[Miso salmon]]\n¼ - ½ cup miso (any works, white can be sweeter) ⅓ cup sake 2 tablespoons soy sauce ¼ cup brown sugar 1-2 tablespoons olive oil Whisk into a peanut buttery consistency. Marinate for 30 minutes or up to a few days, but is more of a glaze and brine (so will start to firm up the meat a bit). Bake/broil to 50-53C (medium)\nRamen noodles → [[Ramen noodles]]\nFrom Serious Eats:\n6g baked baking soda 4g Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt or other kinds of salt, use the same weight 160mL water 396g King Arthur bread flour (see note) 4g vital wheat gluten (see note) Either make this by washing flour, or buy Bob’s Red Mill version Also see: Homemade ramen noodles\nOr even better, check out how to make low hydration noodles at SE.\nOn bread doneness and baking temps Internal temp of 88C/190F or 94C/200F (enriched) Minimum water temp: 41C (and rise in 43C-54C) Pizza dough test 6:\n2-3 minutes to shaggy dough (on 1) 48C water Scrape down 2x (probably shouldn’t make a well) (on 4) /; Reading:\nTemp is key Butternut squash ravioli prep Filling: Roast up squash and garlic (keep half of garlic for sauce) Ricotta + parm Cook half of mushrooms (slice other half for sauce) Parsley Sauce: Butter/mushroom/garlic/herb Black pepper, salt to taste Make pasta dough Focaccia → [[Focaccia]]\nUse pizza dough recipe Stretch and fold 4 times, repeating 4 times in 30 minute intervals 20g water + 20g oil on top Rosemary Salt! 232C/450F for ~ 25 minutes Oysters Should smell no more sweet and seafoody and def not strong Closed and washed, they should have very little smell Scrub and rinse first Cut from the hinge which is at the tip, rounded side down Keep on ice Consider: Oyster pasta\nPizza reset, pizza day I fucked up the pizza dough the other day, but let it ferment an extra day to see if it recovered. Somehow I added the ingredients out of order, not thinking about it when following a new recipe so that the yeast didn’t hydrate properly. I also added the malted barley a bit late, and I’m not sure if it was still good (funky smell, but I was having a weird smell day).\nToday’s plan:\nTake dough out of fridge 2-3 hours early Second rise after it comes to temp Freeze extras for this week Prep chicken (dry brine, cook off in oven) Prep cheeses and deli meats Pan style pizza, try reverse toppings (cheese, meats, sauce!) Oil and cornmeal Oven at 280C, middle rack Finish on stove top (if needed) Pasta research From SE’s best all purpose pasta post: one whole egg (1.4 ounces white and 0.6 ounce yolk) and two yolks (1.2 ounces yolk) for every five ounces of flour (plus alt) Ratio 2: 285g (10 ounces) of flour, a teaspoon (5g) of salt, and two whole eggs (100g), plus four additional yolks (75g) (175/290→60% hydration) Revisiting pizza After a few years of decent pizza success, I started to lose interest as my pie quality started to drop. I’m not sure if it was a lack of consistency, the new kitchen, or the 10 different types of pizza everyone likes here. I needed a reset.\nToday I’m going to work through Ethan’s Detroit style pizza and cook it in a grill pan with angled sides (if it fits in the oven).\nDough (doubled): 400 grams water (warmish) Added (and adjusted for): 20 grams olive oil 10 grams diastolic malt powder 6 grams yeast 600 grams AP flour 12 grams salt This is around 67% hydration.\nI added the ingredients out of order today (duh!), so remember to add liquids and yeast and let it sit a few minutes (to dissolve the rapid yeast starch shells).\nSauce: (makes about 1 large mason jar’s worth)\n28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes 3 tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic finely minced ¼ onion Oregano Red pepper Salt to taste Added: Black pepper (1-2 teaspoons) Olive oil (2 tablespoons), instead of butter Red wine (to taste) Lemon juice (small amount to adjust for acid) Sugar (small amount to adjust for tomato sweetness) Missing here were some acid and sugar (I used some lemon syrup I had made a few weeks back, and some additional red wine). Acid/sweet balance is fairly variable in canned tomatoes, so taste + adjust!\nSweat down onions in olive oil with some salt in a family pan until they are translucent. Add garlic and gently fry until softened. Deglaze pan with wine, and add tomatoes. Crush with a potato masher or with the spatula and cook until combined. Balance with salt/sugar/acid until a bright sauce emerges. Add oregano (and any other spices).\nLasts up to a week in the fridge (and freezes pretty well). Great for pizza, pizza dogs, parm, or simple pastas.\nFood research Misc: Italian grandmother Bolognese Simple vinaigrette red onions (or shallots), garlic, lime, vinegar, olive oil (or avocado), seasoned like oregano and thyme, and salt (optional) 6 tbsp olive oil - 2 tbsp wine vinegar - 1/4 of a medium red onion finely chopped - 1 garlic clove finely chopped - juice from 1 lime or lemon - 2 tsp thyme - 1 tsp oregano Optional: 1/2 tsp sea salt - 1/4 tsp black pepper Crazy syrup method from SE 200g sugar + 425g lemon or any citrus rinds Pad Thai: Unverified, but recommended: One pan (from She Simmers) Hot Thai pad Thai Another Pad Thai Weissman’s method Fish sauce replacements: Soy sauce Mushroom soy sauce Mushroom soup/chowder ideas → [[Mushroom soup]]\nPlanning for a cookery day in early July.\nUpdate: made this with Jay, following the veloté style method (using homemade cashew cream).\nBasic ingredients: Onions/garlic (optionally leek, shallot) Mushrooms (crimini at minimum, mix if possible) Seasoning (salt, pepper, sage or thyme, rosemary) Veg stock (unsalted, preferably homemade) Flour, or Corn starch, or Potatoes Cream, or Coconut cream, or Cashews + water blended There are 2 fairly standard methods for a simple cream of mushroom soup:\nWith a velouté (stock roux): Saute aromatics and mushrooms Add flour, make a roux Deglaze with stock (and/or wine) Finish with cream and herbs Potage style (blended veg): Saute aromatics, potatoes, and some of the mushrooms. Cook until potatoes soften. Deglaze with stock (and optionally wine). Blend cashews and water, adding back to base. Blend base and set aside. Saute remaining mushrooms until browned, add creamy base, and finish with herbs. The potage method uses natural vegetable starches and fibre to thicken, and cashews for creaminess. The colour is a bit less stark than cream (or coconut cream), but flavours should be solid.\nThe classic French method for velouté has separate steps for the roux, the cream base, and the aromatics, which we tend to abbreviate in North America into a one-pot version of the same.\nAdd-ins: Parsley Additional black pepper Bay leaves Lemon Olive oil Roasted cauli Corn Cashew milk: Hot water + cashews (untoasted or toasted) - 20 minutes - 1 hour Drain, rinse 1:1 water/cashews, blend the living crap out of Salt (optional lemon) Research: Kenji’s standard chef process ← this one (with cashews) worked well Cashew cream style Vegan stock Mushroom velouté Cream of coconut syrup Great for summer rum drinks, especially when the commercial product isn’t available. This version tastes a lot cleaner than the commercial brands, but isn’t stabilized (and you’ll have to shake it before use)\n1 can of coconut cream, solids + ⅓ cup of liquids ½ cup of granulated sugar Pinch of salt Whisk to combine.\nCamping prep Home prep:\nChilli → [[Canadian chili]] Veg stock - made a quicker version of this Consider add-ins More chili powder (other chilis) Masa (thickener) Refried beans (texture, binding) Charred poblano peppers Salsa Verde (healthier snacks!) → [[Salsa verde]] Made a red salsa instead (no tomatillos), subbing in canned diced tomatos Ribs These ribs smelled strongly of sulphur. Apparently this happens with cryovac things (possibly worse when bone-in).\nProcess\n1 batch of basic rib rub Wash, dry, rub, and double foil Let rest for 2+ hours (in fridge) Bake on low on sheet pans (in foil still) 145C (300F-ish) Goal is ~86-90C to get fall-off-the-bone Should be 2-4 hours Note that temp can level off Unwrap, slather with the sauce, bump heat 190C Repeat until you get some awesome crispers These ribs were good, but a bit gamey. The best parts had browned sugars, and a bit more sauce (or sugar) would have probably improved these slightly.\nLasagne Day 1:\nMarinara Veg prep Day 2:\nNoodles Grated cheese Cheese mixture (2 eggs, ricotta, parm, mozza, salt, pepper, parsley) Savouries (mixed veg) 30 minutes covered, 30-ish minutes uncovered to brown. LET SIT FOR 20 MINUTES\n","date":"1 August 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2021-summer/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A whole summer of stated cooking goals, most of them checked off: salsas, pickled peppers (salinity dialed in against four different reference recipes), roasted peppers, pastas and pizzas. A bread post-mortem diagnosed a too-hot oven behind some gummy loaves, a mushroom soup potage method with cashew cream “worked well,” and a pizza dough reset (Detroit style, a few failed attempts along the way) kept the pizza streak alive.\n","title":"Summer 2021","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"Savoury and sweet, a subtle glaze for a clean and simple meal.\nMechanic The miso paste acts as both marinade and glaze. White miso is sweeter and milder; red miso is deeper and saltier. The marinade will start to firm up the fish as the salt draws out moisture. This is not a problem and actually helps the glaze adhere. Pull at 50–53°C for medium.\nIngredients 60–120 ml white or red miso (¼–½ cup) 80 ml sake (⅓ cup) 2 tablespoons soy sauce 60 ml brown sugar (¼ cup, packed) 1–2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 salmon fillets (~150 g each) Method Whisk miso, sake, soy sauce, sugar, and oil together until smooth. The consistency should be like thick peanut butter.\nCoat salmon fillets completely. Marinate for at least 30 minutes; up to 2 days in the fridge for deeper flavour and firmer texture.\nScrape off excess marinade (it burns). Bake at 220°C (425°F) until 50–53°C in the thickest part (medium), about 8–10 minutes. Or broil, about 3–4 minutes per side for standard fillets.\nTo serve Over steamed rice or alongside simple roasted veg. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds.\nNotes The sake can be reduced to 2 tablespoons if you prefer a stronger miso flavour. Works equally well on black cod or halibut. ","date":"1 July 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/miso-salmon/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"Savoury and sweet, a subtle glaze for a clean and simple meal.\nMechanic The miso paste acts as both marinade and glaze. White miso is sweeter and milder; red miso is deeper and saltier. The marinade will start to firm up the fish as the salt draws out moisture. This is not a problem and actually helps the glaze adhere. Pull at 50–53°C for medium.\n","title":"Miso salmon","type":"recipes"},{"content":"The nuts add a nice crunch to this savoury salmon main.\nMechanic The mayo-mustard glue does two things: it binds the crust to the fish and keeps the surface moist during baking. Toast the nuts first: this is what makes the crust taste like a crust rather than raw nut meal.\nIngredients Glue 60 ml mayonnaise (¼ cup) 40 g whole grain mustard (2½ tablespoons) 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated salt and black pepper Crust 60 g toasted walnuts, finely chopped (½ cup) 60 g toasted pecans, finely chopped (½ cup) 50 g Parmesan, finely grated (½ cup) small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped salt and black pepper Fish 4 salmon fillets (~150 g each), skin on or off Method Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F).\nCombine the glue ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the crust ingredients.\nPlace the salmon on a lined baking tray. Spread the glue generously over the top and sides of each fillet. Press the crust firmly onto the glue.\nBake until the crust is deep golden brown and the fish is just opaque in the thickest part, about 12–15 minutes.\nTo serve With a simple green salad or steamed veg. The crust provides enough richness that the sides can be very light.\n","date":"1 July 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/nut-crusted-salmon/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"The nuts add a nice crunch to this savoury salmon main.\nMechanic The mayo-mustard glue does two things: it binds the crust to the fish and keeps the surface moist during baking. Toast the nuts first: this is what makes the crust taste like a crust rather than raw nut meal.\n","title":"Nut-crusted salmon","type":"recipes"},{"content":"Rice bowl theory got serious — sauces, proteins, and a basic method all written down — alongside a quick crispy wings recipe (Frank\u0026rsquo;s-and-butter sauce) and a freezer staple tomato meat sauce that turns a 10-minute pasta night reliable. A big prep weekend stocked pulled pork, stew meat, and taco beef for weeks of dinners, and a Mexican lava rock bowl eaten out ranked among the best meals of the year.\nUndated.\nFocused learning Rice bowls and sauces Tofu Teriyaki style sauce (soy sauce, mirin, sake, brown/cane sugar) → [[Teriyaki sauce]] Very veggie burger patties Carnitas tacos This week we pulled out some frozen pulled pork and made tacos:\nToasted wheat taco shells Slaw Pickled cabbage Cubed and reheated pork Carnita rice bowls Pulled pork, sauce, re-fried Rice Black beans (and garlic) Fried corn (and chiles?) Lettuce Sauce (yogurt, sour cream, herb/garlic) Cheese (grated) Cilantro Tomato Avocado (optional) Food prep weekend This prep should result in 2-3 weeks of dinners (and leftovers).\nPulled pork (for salads, etc.) Oven (45m+45m+1h+1hr) Stew meat and gravy (for cottage pie or stew) Dutch oven Hamburger for taco salad / bolognese Pressure cooker General burgers Prep 2 onions (2 bowls) Celery chopped (1 bowl) Garlic (1 head, 2 bowls) Shallot (with 1 garlic) Leeks (1 bowl) Mushrooms (1 bowl) Thai food Ann’s birthday meal: Thai food (from Ruby Siam). More on this later.\nRice bowls, v1 Tonight’s bowls used the yoghurt sauce (below), SE’s teriyaki, and a quick shrimp marinade (lemon, garlic, shallot, spices). Worked well over multigrain rice, though the shrimp seasoning was just slightly stronger than intended.\nQuick tomato meat sauce → [[Meat sauce (AKA American bolognese)]]\nI still buy ground beef when it goes on sale. When I do, I’ll combine it with a few onions, garlic, mushrooms, and cook it down slowly (or in a pressure cooker) until the connective tissues melt into gelatin and emulsify with the fats. I freeze it in 300-500g (10-20oz) containers.\nMaking lunch with a freezer filled with previous laziness is great. To make a quick pasta sauce with prepared beef mix takes 10 minutes. Ingredients:\n300-500g of slow braised seasoned ground beef, onions, garlic, mushrooms 1 large (700ml) jar of high quality tomato sauce Fresh or freeze dried oregano Salt/pepper to taste Serves 4, and pairs with pretty much any pasta. We eat it with spaghetti out of nostalgia., though a rich sauce like this really works better with homemade broad noodles of some sort. Nostalgia is a funny thing that makes things taste better.\nQuick crispy wings → [[Quick crispy wings]]\nI’ve been saving whole chicken wings over the past few weeks of Greek style quartered roasted chicken. I pull the wings off when quartering and freeze them separately for a wing day. Today I had 5 chickens worth of wings, or about 20 wings.\nIngredients:\nChicken rub, adding 1 tablespoon of sugar Crushed red pepper flakes Smoked and dried habanero 1 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of msg Hot sauce ¼ cup vinegar-based hot sauce (Franks), ¼ cup melted butter 1 tbsp hot chicken rub Some sort of greenery (today was celery leaves) 10 whole wings (for 2-3 people) If you have whole wings, break down each one along the joint with a sharp knife, separating the tips (I added these to my weekly stock). If your wings are frozen (like mine were), add some cold water to the freezer bag or container until the wings pull apart. It’s pretty easy to break down the wings mostly frozen and the joints pop out a bit easier (though it’s cold on the hands).\nSeason the wings liberally with the spicy chicken rub and let sit in the fridge for 1-8 hours (today was more like 45 minutes). Place on a rack in a lined baking sheet and preheat and oven to 219C (425F) with the convection on if you have it.\nPlace wings in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, turning the pan once. Flip wings carefully, and return to the oven for another 20-30 minutes, or until brown and register ~85C (~185F) on an instant read thermometer. Note that frozen wings from younger birds may ooze a bit of red, this is harmless and does not indicate the wings are underdone (it’s from the bones).\nWhile the wings cook, melt butter and combine with hot sauce and seasoning. Prepare plates (with veg, dip, etc.).\nWhen the wings are done, remove, let sit 5-10 minutes. Toss wings in a large bowl with the butter hot sauce and combine, then plate.\nWeekly meal prep: This week we’re making rice bowls with a variety of proteins, veg, sauces, and (of course) rice. Today I’m clearing out the fridge and freezer to make space for groceries tomorrow, including some monthly prep before tomorrow’s weekly prep:\nChicken stock (leftover celery, carrot, onion, garlic, and shallot, plus bones and wing tips from 2 ish chickens) Spice rub (for wings and other things) Burgers (cleaning up remaining lettuce, buns, may try for mozza style burgers) Links Butternut squash farfalle Donburi at wikipedia Some rice bowl extras Spicy yogurt sauce: 1 cup yogurt ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon dill ½ teaspoon cayenne ½ teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon MSG Salt and pepper to taste Mix ingredients thoroughly and let rest in the refrigerator for 1+ hours.\nBraised cabbage Thinly sliced cabbage (~¼ head per person) Stock Remaining pickling liquid (if using pickled cabbage) Add cabbage to some oil in a hot pan\nDon: theory of a rice bowl → [[Simple rice bowls]]\nI’m hoping to make rice bowls this week heavy on the veg\nBasic ingredients: Green onion (garnish) Ginger 1 egg per person (lightly stirred) ¼ onion per person (stir fry style) Fried egg Simple Sauce: ½ teaspoon Sugar 1 tablespoon Soy 1 tablespoon Mirin 3 tablespoon water and dashi (or seasoned chicken stock) Fancy sauce: 1 tablespoon chicken stock 1 teaspoon oyster sauce 5 teaspoon water 1 tablespoon starch / water to thicken Proteins: Tofu (pressed, seasoned) Thin cut pork or beef Shrimp (sliced in half) Extras: Pickled ginger Pickled veg Kimchi Gochujang (~1 teaspoon per person) Mushrooms Peppers Bowls are commonly topped with\nBasic method:\nFry protein and onions in a pan roughly the width of your bowl. Add sauce and onions to a pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes on high Add eggs to the top, and stop stirring. Let the egg cook most of the way and pull off the heat. Add entire mixture over rice, covering the rice You can\nWeekend eats This weekend we hit up our local burger bar Friday night, and a local high end Mexican cafe on Saturday. We’re lucky to live so close to great food.\nAt the burger bar I had a chicken burger. I like their approach: they use ground chicken (thighs I assume), bread it, and deep fry it. The result reminds me of fast food, but with depth. The fries were great too, waxy potatoes, double fried, topped with malt vinegar.\nAt the Mexican place we shared a lava rock bowl, filled with various meats and sea foods, pickled onions, and seared avocado. It’s served with small corn tortillas, and a side of refritos and queso. This was one of the best food things we’ve had in a long time.\nTonight I’m going to make classic baked potatoes, steak and rosemary, mushrooms, and oven roasted asparagus. Tomorrow the boy and I will have burgers from patties I made earlier in the week (as Ann is off with friends).\n","date":"1 May 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2021-may/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"Rice bowl theory got serious — sauces, proteins, and a basic method all written down — alongside a quick crispy wings recipe (Frank’s-and-butter sauce) and a freezer staple tomato meat sauce that turns a 10-minute pasta night reliable. A big prep weekend stocked pulled pork, stew meat, and taco beef for weeks of dinners, and a Mexican lava rock bowl eaten out ranked among the best meals of the year.\n","title":"May 2021","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"A dense month: a reverse-engineered White Spot burger, an upgraded turkey burger recipe, and a go-to salmon salad sandwich all written down, alongside a steak dinner routine (a nonstick pan works fine, contrary to convention) and a two-way wing/rib rub (smoky herb and Caribbean). Also locked in: a 5-day turkey prep timeline and a quick egg-and-sausage method for lunch ramen.\nUndated.\nRandom links I want to make: Nihari Takeout: Jamaican smorg Food was good, but service was extra slow (we waited well over an hour). Will report back next time we order, if we do.\nTurkey burgers → [[Turkey burgers]]\nThis weekend we’re making some turkey burgers for salads and proper burgers. They’re based on a recipe we used to make a while back, zhuzhed up a bit with some learnings from Serious Eats’ research on the matter.\nTurkey burgers can end up dry and fairly flat without some extra lovin, so our updated recipe includes some additional depth and texture. The trick is to make sure you have both enough savoury and enough starches for browning (adding more savoury, crunch, and additional yum). Breast meat tends to get dry quickly, so at least some thigh meat is ideal and grinding your own will usually be better than buying it pre-ground.\nTakeout: Classic BC comfort food We ordered some White Spot for dinner tonight. White Spot is one of the few OG west coast Canadian burger joints, founded in the 1920s. They have a classic flat top burger with their own special sauces; a red sauce (red relish and chili sauce) and a sweetened mayonnaise, combined with a thin pan or flat top grilled all-beef patty (lightly seasoned on the grill). It’s commonly dressed with lettuce and tomato, with a pickle draped over the bun.\nTonight we ordered a variety of burgers, including an all-veg patty, an impossible patty, and two beef patties. Food was good, though the green salad was disappointing. The fries, despite travelling for takeout, were quite good (waxy potato, double fried, nice and browned).\nI have a fairly accurate White Spot burger recipe that gets you close to their basic diner burger. → [[White Spot burger]]\nQuick proteins for #lunchramen I try to keep some sort of portion sized sausages in the freezer for quick meals, including adding protein and flavour to quick ramen. And if I have eggs on hand, a boiled egg adds a lot of flavour and texture to a good bowl. This week I tried cooking the two together.\nMy method:\n1 egg 1 link of sausage Add a cup or two of water to a small pan with the egg (in shell) and sausage. Add a lid, set heat to medium-high, and once boiling drop temp to hit a strong simmer. Set a timer for 5-6 minutes and let frozen sausage and egg heat. The egg should be somewhere around soft at 5 minutes, and the sausage should split at the ends (depending on the casing).\nRemove from heat, add egg to a bowl of ice water, and slice sausage. After removing water, add back sausage, and any aromatics and thick veg to pan. Brown sausage and stir veg. Add fresh water and turn to low. Once remainder of ramen dish is ready (broth, noodles, tare), add proteins and veg to the bowl.\nCooking links of the week Wikipedia’s list of cooking techniques A Reddit comment with a tested kimchi recipe USDA nutrition data sets Steak, mushrooms, potatoes, and green beans Once every few months we do up a good old steak dinner. I prefer a strip loin and my partner a tenderloin, paired with whatever greenery is in season. Today it was green beans.\nPotatoes (~1 hour):\n1-2 kg small yellow (waxy) potatoes 1-2 tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper to taste (i.e., a lot) Wash and slice potatoes into halves or quarters into a large bowl. Toss in oil and add salt and pepper. Bake at 210C (410F) for 45-60 minutes with the fan on, or until soft and fluffy inside and nicely browned on the outside.\nMushrooms (~25 minutes):\n1 bag of mushrooms (crimini or button) 3-4 sprigs of thyme or rosemary 1 tablespoon diced garlic Salt and pepper to taste Butter and olive oil Wash the mushrooms and let drip dry.\nSalt and sauté mushrooms in olive oil until wet. Cook off the liquid, and add butter, herbs, and garlic, and brown, stirring regularly.\nBeans (less than 10 minutes):\n1 bag (½ kilo or so) of green beans, washed and trimmed 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced Salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon lemon juice Olive oil (and optionally butter) Steaks (10-15 minutes):\nSteaks Herbs (thyme or rosemary work well) Salt and pepper to taste MSG (to add some depth) Garlic (I didn’t like the aftertaste of garlic on the steaks) Season the steaks and let sit for 30-60 minutes. Add some oil to a medium-hot pan and cook flipping regularly. Once browned, add butter and herbs, spooning butter over until the desired temperature is reached.\nNote that, despite common convention, a nonstick pan works quite well for both getting a good crust and not setting off condo fire alarms. You’ll have to move the steaks around the pan and flip more than normal, but the effect is surprisingly good. If you’re using a stainless pan, flip the steaks less, and add some wine at the end to make a quick pan sauce (finishing with some butter).\nMy best salmon salad sandwich I make salmon sandies regularly. My fav mix looks something like:\n2 tins good ocean salmon (packed in water) 2 cups greenery (celery leaves, parts, and/or parsley) 2 tablespoon dill (freeze dried is good) ¼ - ½ cup of mayo ¼ cup of yellow mustard (or pickle juice) 1 cup of diced pickles (good ones if ya got ‘em) Black pepper (to taste) Salt (only if needed) The mix shouldn’t be super goupy, so add the mayo a big spoon or two at a time. Mustard or pickle juice round out the flavour with acid and salt. And, I don’t usually use onions in my mix, but occasionally I’ll dice up scallions or green onions. Don’t go too far with onion, or you’ll taste it all day.\nAdd to some nicely toasted bread (nutty whole wheat), with some more mustard and pickles if you want, and a cup or two of sprouts. Don’t have sprouts? (You should grow them!)\nOven Wings, ribs, and slaw We don’t normally double down on animal products, but I had a bunch of leftover poultry rub, which is an easy start to a good dry rib and wing rub. Today I took the flavours in two directions:\nSmokey herb (smoked paprika, thyme, and fresh rosemary from Ann’s mom) Caribbean (adding allspice, 5spice, onion powder, and habanero) For the wings, you lightly coat them and reserve them on a lined pan in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Today it will be about 6 hours, then in the oven for 30 minutes at 230C, flip, and another 15-30 minutes flipping every 5-10.\nFor the ribs, coat them thoroughly and rest in the refrigerator for about an hour. I use this time to clean up, then they go in the oven at 110C or so for 3-4 hours. The ribs get finished at 230C with the wings, possibly getting some homemade BBQ sauce if I have time.\nThe slaw uses our standard mayo/cider vinegar/salt/sugar dressing (cut with some extra sour cream this week). The BBQ sauce will be a lazy one, using the remaining rub, ketchup, and anything else that makes it taste good.\nMac \u0026amp; cheese w/mushrooms and rosemary We’re stretching out some turkey casserole and wanted to make some baked mac. This could equally apply to a gooey stove top mac, but it’s fun to casserole the shit out of it too. And oops, my parsley was bad.\nPrep cheese Cook mushrooms until golden Add herbs near the end Mostly olive oil, salt/paprika Cook noodles (1 bag) Make sauce → [[Baked mac \u0026amp; cheese]] Combine + bake The mushrooms work well in this recipe in place of a protein; they add a bunch of umami and a\nTurkey prep week The best turkey dinners are easy. With a bit of planning, you can prep a few things ahead of time to both level up the perfect holiday meal, and save you some time the day of. My general plan is similar to AB’s:\n5 days ahead: Buy your 1-2 frozen turkeys and start the process of defrosting 2 days ahead Buy extra turkey parts as needed (like necks, which are often on sale) 1 day ahead Break down at least one of your turkeys and dry brine both Don’t brine the stock parts Pre-roast extra turkey parts in hotel pans (to save liquids) Make soup stock, reduce by 50% Dry brine turkey Note: don’t dry brine for much more than 24 hours, unless you want your turkey to start to taste like ham. This isn’t a bad state for turkey sandwiches, but is less great for the classic dinner!\n","date":"1 April 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2021-april/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A dense month: a reverse-engineered White Spot burger, an upgraded turkey burger recipe, and a go-to salmon salad sandwich all written down, alongside a steak dinner routine (a nonstick pan works fine, contrary to convention) and a two-way wing/rib rub (smoky herb and Caribbean). Also locked in: a 5-day turkey prep timeline and a quick egg-and-sausage method for lunch ramen.\n","title":"April 2021","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"The ongoing burger quest turned up a hand-pressed frozen-patty method as a fallback for smash burgers, alongside a first attempt at a plant-based veggie patty and an updated jerk chicken marinade. This month also has an early write-up of the \u0026ldquo;win the fridge\u0026rdquo; philosophy that would later become its own essay.\nUndated.\nThe quest for a perfect burger Still searching.\nThat said:\nsmash burgers maximize flavour and minimize mass a simple bun is better than a large or dense bun lots of finely shredded lettuce ripe tomatoes lots of pickles mayo, mustard, and (if you have to), a tiny bit of ketchup raw onions (white or yellow) cheese is optional, bacon (only if it’s not chewy) If you don’t have the equipment for a smash burger, a close second is a hand-pressed patty:\nCut 10cm squares of parchment paper (I keep a baggie of these cut) Portion lean minced beef (85/15) into 100-150g balls Place ball between two piece of paper and press with a pot or cutting board Stack and freeze patties in a sealed container The frozen patties cook well enough, especially if you flip them more than usual (to promote browning). Season the patties after cooking with salt, pepper, and (optionally) MSG.\nQuick relish I like to work the fridge down until it’s almost empty, to both win the fridge, and to make it easier to clean. Today I wanted some relish, but don’t normally stock it in the winter as I use it so rarely. So instead I made some:\n½ cup of chopped, sweet pickles ½ cup of chopped, pickled peppers (mild - medium) ½ cup frozen corn, diced, and fried (until edges are brown and crispy) ¼ cup diced onions (purple is what I had on hand) ½ cup of mustard 2 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon freeze dried dill (if it’s out of seasons) Salt, pepper to taste Combine, adjust seasoning, and rest in the refrigerator for a few hours.\nLocal sub shops I have an idealized version of a sub sandwich in my nostalgia library. It’s on a light, airy roll that can take some sauce, but isn’t too chewy. It has a tonne of shredded iceberg, thin tomatoes, purple onion, pickle, mayo, and mustard. The rest of the sandwich matter a lot less, but cheeses with some chew are nice (like swiss), or with flavour (like cheddar). Meats if you want, but the real gold is that crispy, sharp, crunch.\nA no cookery Saturday Some days I’m too tired to cook. This weekend I recharge!\nPlant patties planning I’m working on a method for making plant based patties that will grill, fry, or bake up nicely. The ideal patty will hold together, not be too dense or mushy, and have some texture and depth of flavour. I’m not aiming to replicate meat in any way, just to make tasty burgers and salad toppings.\nVeggie burgers can go a few ways:\nPrimary bases Bean-y TVP Rice/mushroom (like risotto) Egg/bready Textures Smooth -\u0026gt; chunky Dense -\u0026gt; light Crispy bits Dry -\u0026gt; mushy First attempt Cook (per package instructions)\n~1 cup Lentils ~1 cup brown rice Dice, season and bake on sheet pans until browned and fragrant:\nMushrooms Onions and garlic Other veg parts (beet, sweet potato) Let cool while prepping a bowl with:\nMiso Seasonings Binders (egg, oat flour, finely diced nuts) Fat (mayo, shredded coconut, and/or cheese) Goal will be a patty that holds together and has visible chunks. Initially I’ll side with very simple seasoning and aim for natural flavours.\nChunky salad dressing → [[Simple chunky salad dressing]]\nThis is a hacky fridge-magnet recipe to use up some old herbs and sour cream. We had it this week over a chunky combination of sliced cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and celery.\n2 tablespoon Hellman\u0026rsquo;s mayo 2 tablespoon sour cream ~2 tablespoon (to taste) cider vinegar (Braggs is good) 2 tablespoon white sugar 1-2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon MSG (Accent in this case) Salt/pepper to taste Combine ingredients in a small bowl and stir or whisk together. Season to taste, but should balance sweet/acid/salt in a pleasing way.\nWin the fridge pasta Mushrooms Parm Thyme (left over from chicken) Small tomatoes (left over from salads) Lemon Thinking a 2 pan build:\ncook / season veg and single pan shallow pasta (saving all of the water) What a Jerk (Chicken) → [[Jerk chicken]]\nI updated my Jerk marinade recipe after some research and a test run today. New changes are clearer method and more balancing of flavours.\nWinning the fridge; less wasteful, better eats We can always approach the things we do in a number of ways. We make conscious and unconscious tradeoffs, we’re more actively or passively invested. Food is like that, you can combine things in many different ways, with differing qualities on all axes.\nOne thing that drives my cookery more than most is the concept of winning the fridge. It’s an approach to being both frugal and respecting the resources and effort that goes into growing and producing our ingredients. More on this to come.\nSunday comfort food—Thai inspired soup A recipe based on a photo I saw this morning:\nShiitake mushrooms roughly sliced Pork thinly sliced and halved, marinated in garlic, shallot, lemongrass, and soy/sugar/lime Broccoli roughly chopped Chinese carrots sliced (and halved) Green onion sliced (on the bias), largish chunks Chicken stock Thai red curry paste (and coconut milk if we have any) Noodles! Saturday cravings—stir fry Basic meat/tofu method: Salt, spices, baking soda, corn starch (single coating for a lighter deal), let marinate ~30 Slice thinly, cubed, or whatever feels best Remove tough bits Veg Slice on bias, keep it small Flavours Chilis/rice vinegar/soy/sugar 1:.5:1:.5 soy, sugar, mirin, sake Garlic Ginger Lemongrass (finely) ","date":"1 March 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2021-march/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"The ongoing burger quest turned up a hand-pressed frozen-patty method as a fallback for smash burgers, alongside a first attempt at a plant-based veggie patty and an updated jerk chicken marinade. This month also has an early write-up of the “win the fridge” philosophy that would later become its own essay.\n","title":"March 2021","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"A grab bag of undated notes: blog post ideas (recipe organization, winning the fridge) alongside weekend meal planning — a lasagna craving redirected toward something more traditional, a new butcher shop, homegrown sprouts and French bread, and some flexitarian musing.\nUndated.\nPost ideas Using Google docs for recipes The round-the-bend method, or why Winning the fucking fridge Weekend meal planning Craving for lasagna, but we wanted to try something more traditional Trying a new butcher shop, as our local one closed Growing sprouts and making French bread for sandwiches Pickle, cheese, veg, and sprouts Salmon salad and sprouts Why finely shredded lettuce is great (using a knife or On being a flexitarian ","date":"1 February 2021","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/2021-february/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"A grab bag of undated notes: blog post ideas (recipe organization, winning the fridge) alongside weekend meal planning — a lasagna craving redirected toward something more traditional, a new butcher shop, homegrown sprouts and French bread, and some flexitarian musing.\n","title":"February 2021","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/american/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"American","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"A burger is a stack of parts: a patty, how it\u0026rsquo;s seasoned and cooked, and a build of cold crunch, something sharp, and a sauce, all on a bun. Each part has its own method. A build picks one option for each part and lands on a profile: a drive-in deluxe burger is all cold crunch and sharpness, a fast-food double is salty, sweet, and rich. Every burger recipe here is one build with quantities. For a full encyclopedic view of burgers, see George Motz\u0026rsquo;s Hamburger America.\nFurther reading [[The quest for the perfect burger]], [[The impossible quest for the perfect chicken burger]], [[Burger night costing (2022)]].\n","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/burgers/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"A burger is a stack of parts: a patty, how it’s seasoned and cooked, and a build of cold crunch, something sharp, and a sauce, all on a bun. Each part has its own method. A build picks one option for each part and lands on a profile: a drive-in deluxe burger is all cold crunch and sharpness, a fast-food double is salty, sweet, and rich. Every burger recipe here is one build with quantities. For a full encyclopedic view of burgers, see George Motz’s Hamburger America.\n","title":"Burgers","type":"methods"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/costing/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Costing","type":"tags"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/essays/","pinned":false,"section":"Essays","summary":"","title":"Essays","type":"essays"},{"content":"A method is the pattern behind many dishes. A recipe is one specific dish; a method explains how that kind of food works, which variables matter, why each step is there, and how it fails, so you can cook something that isn\u0026rsquo;t written down anywhere on this site. A blueprint breaks one kind of food into its parts, each with its own method, and the builds that combine them.\n","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"A method is the pattern behind many dishes. A recipe is one specific dish; a method explains how that kind of food works, which variables matter, why each step is there, and how it fails, so you can cook something that isn’t written down anywhere on this site. A blueprint breaks one kind of food into its parts, each with its own method, and the builds that combine them.\n","title":"Methods","type":"methods"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/method/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Methods","type":"tags"},{"content":"One-pan pasta is how a restaurant finishes a pasta dish, done in a single pan at home. On the line, pasta comes out of a pot that\u0026rsquo;s been boiling pasta all day and goes into a pan of sauce with a splash of that water. The water is cloudy with starch, and it tightens the sauce until it clings to the pasta.\nAt home the pot water is clean, so the pasta cooks in the sauce pan itself, in just enough water to cover it, and that little bit of water gets as starchy as the restaurant\u0026rsquo;s. It saves a pot, and the sauce is better for it. Every one-pan pasta here is a build: the same four parts, with different picks.\nI learned this technique from J. Kenji López-Alt, and I\u0026rsquo;ve adapted it to a 33 cm (13 in) pan that happens to fit spaghetti and linguine.\nFurther reading The Food Lab: how to cook pasta (Serious Eats).\n","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/methods/one-pan-pasta/","pinned":false,"section":"Methods","summary":"One-pan pasta is how a restaurant finishes a pasta dish, done in a single pan at home. On the line, pasta comes out of a pot that’s been boiling pasta all day and goes into a pan of sauce with a splash of that water. The water is cloudy with starch, and it tightens the sauce until it clings to the pasta.\n","title":"One-pan pasta","type":"methods"},{"content":"Plant-based is a way of building a meal: start with vegetables, legumes, and grains, and let them carry the dish. The lentils, the squash, or the mushrooms are the point of the plate, not the side you push around while you eat the meat.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a value, not a diet rule. Some of these recipes have butter, an egg, or a little meat for seasoning, and that\u0026rsquo;s fine. A spoon of bacon fat in the cabbage still leaves the cabbage in charge. The vegan and vegetarian tags are the strict ones; this tag is about where the weight of the meal sits.\nThe practical payoff is that plants are nutritionally dense, cheap, they keep, and they take seasoning well. Cooking this way most nights makes the grocery bill smaller and the fridge easier to win.\n","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/plant-based/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"Plant-based is a way of building a meal: start with vegetables, legumes, and grains, and let them carry the dish. The lentils, the squash, or the mushrooms are the point of the plate, not the side you push around while you eat the meat.\n","title":"Plant-based","type":"tags"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/recipes/","pinned":false,"section":"Recipes","summary":"","title":"Recipes","type":"recipes"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/reference/","pinned":false,"section":"Reference","summary":"","title":"Reference","type":"reference"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/cuisine/southern/","pinned":false,"section":"Cuisine","summary":"","title":"Southern","type":"cuisine"},{"content":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-food-log/","pinned":false,"section":"The Food Log","summary":"","title":"The Food Log","type":"the-food-log"},{"content":"Win the fridge is the practice of using every scrap of food before it goes to waste — working through the fridge, freezer, and pantry regularly instead of letting things quietly expire. It\u0026rsquo;s a frugal habit and an ethical one: food waste is avoidable, and being well-fed is a privilege worth not squandering.\nIt extends nose-to-tail and root-to-stem thinking to everyday cooking — every cut from a butchered animal, every part of a vegetable (stalks, leaves, peels), and anything else that would otherwise be thrown out but is still delicious and nourishing.\n","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/win-the-fridge/","pinned":false,"section":"Tags","summary":"Win the fridge is the practice of using every scrap of food before it goes to waste — working through the fridge, freezer, and pantry regularly instead of letting things quietly expire. It’s a frugal habit and an ethical one: food waste is avoidable, and being well-fed is a privilege worth not squandering.\n","title":"Win the fridge","type":"tags"}]