I made fried rice two nights ago, but it didn’t come out quite right.  I’ve used this recipe a few times before and each time the texture of the rice is a little off – usually being to mushy.
The recipe is pretty simple – stir fry your onion, meat, and vegetable, add garlic and then [...]

Posted in Failures 8 Comments »

I’m planning on making a batch of veal stock tomorrow (first attempt), but my veal bones are humongous.  Look at them.

They’re like the size of my fist.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to break them into smaller pieces?  I don’t have a cleaver.  Or do I need to alter my stock recipe if I [...]

Posted in Other 4 Comments »

I’ve always made pancakes from a box.  It just seemed easy – add water and you have pancakes.  On Saturday, however, I finally tried making my own buttermilk pancakes from scratch.  They were much easier than I expected, though perhaps not a huge improvement over box pancakes on my first attempt.
Making Pancakes
You’ll need 2 cups [...]

Posted in Recipes 3 Comments »

This post is part of a series called Cooking 101, which introduces the basics of cooking. The series follows the book Culinary Fundamentals, with supplements from The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of America. Check out the previous posts here.
Unit 15: Sauces
Part 2: Hollandaise Sauce
Note that there is no part 1 [...]

Posted in Cooking 101, Recipes 2 Comments »

One of my goals for the upcoming Spring, Summer, and Fall is to go to the local farmers markets more frequently.  I want to see how much better fresh fruits and vegetables are, compared to those shipped in from thousands of miles away (like tomatoes that are reddened artificially).
I found this great website for Ohio [...]

Posted in Other, Stocking the Kitchen 3 Comments »