An engineering log for the kitchen: research, testing, and the odd recipe-site rabbit hole, before any of it becomes a recipe.
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 …
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 …
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.
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.
Quiet month — just baked oatmeal noted as an idea to try, pulled from the recipe book but not yet tested.
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.
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 …
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 — …
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.
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 …
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 …
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.
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.
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 …
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.
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 …
