I don’t chop like those pro chefs. Both hands are not coordinating good enough, knife ended on nails often (luckily).
I agree with you. Cleaning an artichoke feels very wrong because you throw away something like 60% of it. But alas, that’s how it’s supposed to be.
Making pasta is fun, a good activity with kids. But the first time I did it, the dough did not feel right. And I really could not figure out if it was too wet or too dry. You would think this would be easy to figure out, right? So I kept alternating adding more water and more flour, which just increased the size of the batch. The pasta didn’t turn out too badly though. I think it’s pretty forgiving!
We go berry picking every summer (not this summer probably) and then spend the day making and canning jam.
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Sunshine, it sounds like you’ve about done it all. I think we ought to dub you the graduate student, if not the professor!
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Me too. And that is how I cut a big hunk off of my left index finger!
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I’ll play.
I’ve never poached an egg.
Made homemade Chili. (DW’s specialty–learned not to mess with pefection)
Made Meatloaf. (As above…)
Pan-fried fish. (Noticing a trend?)
Shucked an Oyster.
Made a pie crust.
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It’s funny how many of us have never poached eggs. It doesnt seem like it should be too hard, although I guess the fail rate might be high. But we’ve all cooked eggs so many other ways. Something about the poach says do not approach! Sorry - my little little is in a bad joke and pun phase at the moment.
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I’ve got the chopping motion down with my right hand, for the most part. It’s the left hand holding whatever I’m chopping that has had 3 partial fingernails sliced off…twice on my left forefinger, once on the edge of my middle finger. My left forefinger nail is still slightly numb from the Great Thanksgiving Knife Incident of 2011. :::Sigh:::
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When you pick up a knife, remember THE CLAW! Until it becomes habit, literally remind yourself every time. Can save a digit.
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I have just recently poached eggs. IT IS SO DAMN EASY.
Things I haven’t done is a long list but I’ll add a few ones that I would like to try. May not be totally ordinary but whatever:
- sous vide
- any candy (fudge! hard candies!)
- yogurt
- cheese (MMM CHEESE)
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Yup. I know all about it, @pilgrim! I just can’t seem to get my fingers to STAY in that position! Perhaps because it does feel unnatural, as noted in the article. I try, and “mostly” get it. Just depends on what I’m chopping. The Great Thanksgiving Knife Incident of 2011 was when I was chopping a very large handful of herbs - so not compact like an onion. And I was definitely rushing. Thankfully, the knife was very sharp, and didn’t mangle my forefinger. I just had to wear a finger guard on that finger for about 6 weeks or so until the nail had became less painful.
BTW - Neosporin is a gift to those of us who slice off nails. Helped heal the raw nail bed much more quickly than if I just let it go. Oh - and non-stick bandages are a requirement. LOL
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I’ll go out on a limb and say that sous vide is not really “ordinary.” I doubt very much if you’d find a sous vide machine in more than 10% of home kitchens. I’m pulling that one out of thin air though… Truffles are an easy start for candy. I think if you get the right proportion of melted chocolate and cream so that you can roll balls when it cools, then you can cover them in nut dust, cocoa, coconut. It wouldn’t be too much harder, I wouldn’t think, to also enclose in the middle some nuts or dried fruit. I’ve never tried to make hard candy, other than melting some jolly ranchers into some gingerbread cutouts to make windows.
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Ok, good point. But this is a whole board of foodies and I bet plenty of them have tried sous viding (can I make that a verb??) something even if they don’t have the set up. I have seen some ways to hack it which I may try as we continue to stay home.
And now that you mention truffles, I suppose I need to retract that. I used to help my dad make rum balls as a kid for our Christmas cookie trays and that sounds exactly like what you describe!
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I’m guessing your toddler will be delighted to help you refresh your truffle skills 
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LOL, she is a chocoholic, just like me. I probably should leave the rum out for her! 
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Obligatory.
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I have never sous vided. Won’t in this lifetime.
I bought a large Calphalon saucepan, probably 3 quarts to use as a dedicated deep fry pot. I use about 2" oil at most. Strain and save oil from veg and chicken for several uses, prawns maybe twice. Save in refrigerator in pint oil bottle. Really easy. Just remember to LAY the food in, not drop it in which causes splashes. Pot gets a fast wash with detergent/sponge and left as is. After all, it’s a deep fry pot!
My mother forced me to gut a few chickens when I was about 10 - 12. A woman brought plucked but not drawn chickens to the house. My mother said I needed to learn in case I married a hunter. i told her i would ask any guy first. Once drawn, cutting up a chicken is simple, as is taking apart most small creatures. And any large cut of meat can be broken down American style (across muscle) or French style (along muscles). Just follow the bone or the muscle.
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My right pinky is still numb on one side from chopping chocolate for ganache! (I’m left handed). I don’t remember the year but my my adult daughter does. Apparently it was quite traumatic for her. But I still do it.
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You’ve shown me a gateway to deep frying at home. It’s tempting. Maybe too tempting.
Seriously though, what you’ve outlined looks do-able for someone like me who wonders what I would possibly do with all that oil. Thank you!
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I have an old-fashioned aluminum deep frier basket with a handle that fits down into my 3 quart calphalon pot. It works greatt! No more grease spots on the ceiling…
We fry chicken livers, oysters, clam cakes, vegetable tempura, eggrolls and Chinese dumplings, chicken wings, cod for fish tacos, catfish,home made French fries and swet potato fries not to mention onion rings!! Peanut oil the whole way. Aways filtered and refrigerated.
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