I make good pizza at home, but it’s nothing like the slices you get at a NYC pizzeria. So I don’t try to compete.
I’ve managed to make tasty takeout style Chinese thanks to some Martin Yan recipes, but for real Chinatown roast meats (pork, duck etc.), I will make the trip.
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Lasagna is strictly a home dish for me, but I’m with you on the deep frying. It can be messy and uses up a lot of oil. Fortunately there is no lack of restaurants that do it well.
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Deep-fried stuff, for the same reason as everyone else. And dishes that require a small amount of a lot of things, like bouillabaisse. I can make it, but I don’t feel like buying 4 mussels and 4 clams and 3 shrimp and…you get the picture.
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They are many. I just had a peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwich for lunch and it was very comforting. Others I find very comforting include French toast (sourdough with caramelized cinnamon sugar and maple syrup), braised short ribs, BB, CAV, steak frites, Cubanos, cacio e pepe or macaroni and cheese, burgers, chili dogs, SOS…basically anything with a good load of carbs and fat!
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Special case: I prepare a whole series of home steamed vegetable concoctions that include French green beans w/rutabaga chips in a large Le Creuset or Staub Dutch Oven expressly to be served outside the home for 15-20.
Never enjoy them at home.
In my house occassionally it is supper on a Hot Summer Day.
I don’t view your comment as being arrogant but rather honest.
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Sushi.
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I can cook pretty much anything I would want but damn it’s nice having someone else do it and clean up!
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That’s a very long time commitment for risotto. I don’t spend more than 1/2 hour, including prep, on most risotti (excluding those that include a specific sauce in the base). I use Giorgio Locatelli’s method and it turns out perfectly every time. Here, it’s a quick, what’s in the fridge that needs using up dish (unless, again, it’s a very specific recipe) that often gets made when things are busy or when the craving hits. It’s also a dish that doesn’t get ordered in a restaurant because it’s so good at home.
Btw, give carnaroli rice a try. The mouthfeel and creaminess are lovely. For a looser and less creamy kind, vialone nano is also quite nice.
1-2 hours is including prep.
I probably spend circa 1 hour making the risotto.
I’ve tried a variety of rice for risotto and Arborio rice suits my preferences the best.
I personally think what makes my risotto taste better to me is the infusion time with the chicken stock spend at low heat.
I can’t infuse the rice enough in half an hour.
Simply not possible.
Risotto takes time. Great risotto takes at least an hour to make
Restaurant risotto made in half an hour is a rushed risotto. Just my personal opinion.
Great food takes time.
Restaurants don’t have time.
Yes! This!
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My Aunt was an amazing Home Cook and refused to eat out.
She felt that the quality of food suffered because Restaurants have to cut corners to make money which she would never allow herself to do.
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I’d love to sample Claus’ risotto. Once I start ladling hot broth over the rice and stirring, a quart of broth had disappeared into a cup of rice and/or evaporated.
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Sorry, I should have been more specific those are some of my favourites too.
You did mention that some of your favourite comfort foods were from India?
Olunia, you and your aunt are so right.
You point out the exact reason why I don’t respect restaurants as much as others do and as much as I used to do.
Denmark have never ever had the level of restaurants we have these years.
We have never had more Michelin stars - but Michelin stars is not all about great slow cooked quality food.
It’s more about presentation, putting on a show and fancy cold dips and dots poked around on a plate to impress the guest.
Michelin star food sometimes makes me laugh inside. They seem to care more about cold dressings droplets and eatable tiny flowers than they care about the richness of the food itself.
A La carte restaurants can of course prepare many things in advance, but when they take an order they have 30 minutes to deliver the final product.
You can’t for instance - in my view - make a great deep tasting risotto in that time.
You can’t indulge the guest in deep tasting dishes full of rich flavour the same way you can at home, where you eat when you’re ready at the stovetop and not when the guest needs you to be ready.
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I like my risotto just a tad softer than all dente, but not mushy.
I’ve found that incorporating the stock at low temperature the rice gets infused with flavour from the stock and the wine to a much higher degree than if you make it at medium or higher heat.
I always make my risotto in a sauter pan or a saucier.
I don’t get the same result when I use a casserole.
One thing I also like about making my own risotto is to control the amount of cheese and butter.
You can’t control what a chef does to the risotto you’re served.
For us going regularly to restaurants is about to experience new dishes, cuisines or new variations on dishes we are doing ourselves. It’s also about more elaborated dishes, e.g. fine(r) dining and creative cooking.
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We have done this also to find out if we want to make a particular dish and how it is suppose to taste.
This excercise is very helpful if we’ve never had the dish before because it lets us know if we need to work on technique or whether the recipe is a dud.
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I do try to go out to a new restaurant once a month to get inspired and motivated.
I also know a bunch of professional chefs, so I often get invited to try new stuff and this helps me stay motivated.
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