LauraB Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 I realized today that I spend an enormous amount of time in my kitchen. And I'm glad of that because good food is one of the most important things in my life. But a lot of the work that's done in the kitchen is not celebrated, it's just background noise. Like, for instance, right now I'm shelling and deveining shrimp, one of my least favorite kitchen tasks. So, I choose my shrimp recipes very carefully -- I do not want to waste my efforts on a bad recipe.I know we have threads on what we're simmering, what we're baking, what we made for dinner, lunch and breakfast. I don't think we have a thread on 'what completely mundane task are you performing in your kitchen right now. And yet, those very boring tasks often form the foundation for a fabulous meal. And, I would appreciate hearing tips for making those tasks easier, faster, more efficient, etc.So, what are you doing in your kitchen right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Opening the fridge to get a beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyjoan Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Washing dishes - between canning/jamming and making dinner, I went through every pot and pan in the cupboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jparrott Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Washing dishes - between canning/jamming and making dinner, I went through every pot and pan in the cupboard! Invision needs a "Like" button. Simmering broth for noodle soup and drinking equal parts Plymouth gin and Byrrh (full disclosure blah blah blah--go buy it at Ace!) on the rocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMango Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Making lemon meringue cookies, a modified version of America's Test Kitchen Classic Meringue. 10 min start-to-oven. Gawds bless you, stand-up mixer. (and to port city) (afternoon tasting) (as inspiration) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraB Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 Screaming. Dinner is over and every square inch of the counter tops is covered with pots, pans and dirty dishes. I've put the leftovers in the fridge. I'm going out to the deck with a glass of wine. When I come back I'm sure that all of this will have magically disappeared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Alright, not right now, but end of school parties-this morning, I fixed tatertot casserole, jerked beef & chicken, leftover BBQ pork,w/potato rolls, & coleslaw- most of it was eaten, but this year, they had an abundance of food- chicken enchiladas, beans, rice, & lots of other good stuff... Lizzy's party is Wednesday, & she's planning on bringing poundcake & bean dip... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertyy Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Hulling strawberries You know, those little ones are SO good, but a serious pain in the butt to prep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Watching Mr. MV scrape every last bit of chocolate icing out of a bowl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Deb Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I work a lot. I seem to only use my kitchen to eat cereal over the sink now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choirgirl21 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Not quite yet, but tonight I have a list of tasks: -Pit 2 lbs of sour cherries (some are going into cherry almond ice cream and some are getting pickled for cocktails) -Pickle beets -Hard boil eggs (these will be pickled in the leftover liquid once the beets are eaten) -Make the ice cream with the cherries I will be consuming a lot of alcohol to stay motivated. I'll report back when drunk on how little much I got done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choirgirl21 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Cherries pitted and a portion pickled, beets pickled, and dinner made, the ice cream components will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm calling that a success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMango Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Smiling at the adorable gift my husband made for me last night. I woke up to a house that smells like a cinnamon-scented honey farm, and individually vacuum-packed sweet peanut bundles in the kitchen. *grin* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 ^^ awww! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Busy, busy after farmers market morning visit. Herb brine for chicken. Simmering golden beets, destined to become cold borscht. Boiling eggs and potatoes for potato salad. Packing a jar with little Kirby cukes, kosher salt, garlic, fresh dill, chili peppers and water. In two days they'll be kosher dill half-sours. Baking a loaf of NK bread. I need more refrigerator space for all of my kitchen projects! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 I need more refrigerator space for all of my kitchen projects! You're welcome to borrow mine - it's empty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwertyy Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Simmering wheatberries that I'll toss with the succotash and chicken sausage leftover from Mintwood Place to make lunch for the next couple of days Macerating blueberries from the Adams Morgan farmers' market in honey for stirring into the week's breakfast yogurt Throwing away cherries from the Adams Morgan farmers' market because less than one in ten was edible (I'd say that's a bit beyond "last of the season," friends ) Cooling a big pot of coffee in prep for a week of iced coffees that will beat the heck out of anything I could buy on the way to work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraB Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 Scrubbing the under tray of my outdoor grill. I am not good at keeping up with this task and it had accumulated so much debris that when I put some strip steaks on the grill, their fat dripping onto the already thick coat started a fire. No humans were injured but the steaks were DOA. Expensive lesson learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 today: Costco had sockeye filets for $9.99 a pound, so I mixed up some cure (raw sugar, kosher salt, white pepper, coriander and a touch of allspice) and wrapped and weighted the two cure-sprinkled filets with fresh dill in between them. tomorrow or Thursday: gravlax I may hot smoke one of the cured filets, but when I hot smoke I don't usually include fresh dill in the cure. Anyone have experience with hot smoking cured gravlax? How does it taste with dill and smoke? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMango Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 today: Costco had sockeye filets for $9.99 a pound, so I mixed up some cure (raw sugar, kosher salt, white pepper, coriander and a touch of allspice) and wrapped and weighted the two cure-sprinkled filets with fresh dill in between them. tomorrow or Thursday: gravlax I may hot smoke one of the cured filets, but when I hot smoke I don't usually include fresh dill in the cure. Anyone have experience with hot smoking cured gravlax? How does it taste with dill and smoke? Not exactly the same thing, but I keep intending to try the lox protocols described on this site; their tip is to incorporate the fresh dill at the end of the processing as part of vacuum sealing. Maybe take out the dill for smoking, but put more fresh dill back in at the end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I'm taking a break from pitting sour cherries for a crisp. I wanted to have it in the oven by now so as not to heat the house too much as the day got warmer. Baked beans are cooking in the crockpot. No way was I putting the oven on for 4 hours to bake them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Not exactly the same thing, but I keep intending to try the lox protocols described on this site; their tip is to incorporate the fresh dill at the end of the processing as part of vacuum sealing. Maybe take out the dill for smoking, but put more fresh dill back in at the end?When I do hot smoking, the salmon gets lightly cooked/smoked after it has been cured. There is no vacuum sealing involved here, I just eat it up when it is ready. So the dill is part of the curing process, and the dill will get rinsed off, along with the curing mixture (salt, sugar, spices, fresh dill weed) when the cure is complete. The dill flavor will have suffused the meat while it was curing. Gravlax is just eaten raw/cured, like regular lox. "Smoked salmon" is cured and cold smoked, not cooked--it still has the consistency of lox or gravlax but is flavored with smoke. I wish I had the capability of cold smoking, but I don't. I have a stove-top smoker which cooks the food while it smokes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 I am still chucking stuff that may have been compromised during the power outage, great opportunity to clear out & start fresh.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squidsdc Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Just got back from a quick trip to the store to restock basics like milk, onions, carrots, and few other things. Currently helping prep a lamb roast that was in the freezer and defrosted during the power outage. Roasting on the Big Green Egg with a lemon/rosemary marinade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Rinsing cure and dill off gravlax filets. Cutting up a pineapple and a watermelon. Getting ready to juice a zillion limes for a big batch of bbq sauce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choirgirl21 Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I'm taking a break from pitting sour cherries for a crisp. I wanted to have it in the oven by now so as not to heat the house too much as the day got warmer. Baked beans are cooking in the crockpot. No way was I putting the oven on for 4 hours to bake them. How do you still have sour cherries?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 How do you still have sour cherries?! An outside vendor had them at Eastern Market last Sunday. I was so surprised to see them that I didn't even notice which farm it was.* They had both sour cherries and sweet. I should have used them right away. I had to toss a few because they didn't hold up for the three days. I have no idea when they were picked. The funny thing was that even though I bought them just because I saw them and had no idea what I was going to use them for, I had exactly the right amount for the recipe I decided to make. They were a little worse for age but tasted fine. *They were distributing the flyer for the new Tuesday farmers' line at the cash register, so I assume it was one of those farms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I'm listening for the *clink* of Ball jars sealing. It's a crazy hot day to be waterbath canning (bbq sauce), but I started at 7:30 with a run to the store for ingredients I was low on, and by 11:30 I'm done and the kitchen is cleaned up. The rest of the day will be spent chillaxing under the ceiling fan, with the AC cranked to the max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I'm listening for the *clink* of Ball jars sealing. It's a crazy hot day to be waterbath canning (bbq sauce), but I started at 7:30 with a run to the store for ingredients I was low on, and by 11:30 I'm done and the kitchen is cleaned up. The rest of the day will be spent chillaxing under the ceiling fan, with the AC cranked to the max. I made a small batch of your BBQ sauce on Tuesday, but it will take months for me to use it up. Can it be frozen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Mainlining ice cold watermelon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I made a small batch of your BBQ sauce on Tuesday, but it will take months for me to use it up. Can it be frozen? I haven't done it, but I don't know why not. That said, I had some in the refrig for almost a year and it was fine. There's lots of vinegar in it, and nothing that will spoil or get moldy easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMango Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 Canning 8-ounce jars of apple butter. Yes, I know it's Spring, not Fall, but with six pounds of lackluster fruit and zero desire for smoothies, whatelseyagonnado? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 A year later, & I'm still fixing kids' stuff- Lizzy brought in bean dip today (not sure why), & we're doing it again tomorrow, for a tailgate, Tom's cookie dough order came in (& apparently, he told one customer that he would cook all the cookie dough he bought, so he press-ganged his sister into helping him last night)...taking Lizzy out for a bday dinner tonight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcandohio Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 i am making turkey stock. I smoked a whole breast Saturday, and had wrapped and frozen the carcass of the whole breast I smoked for Thanksgiving. It's rainy and kind of cool here, so good weather for simmering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Preparing to make chili and chicken stock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Watched Pati Jinich and Rick Bayless while I was on the recumbent bike earlier. Could that be why I have a pot of pinto beans simmering alongside a saucepot of roasted tomato-guajillo chile salsa? Plan for this evening's dinner is smoked chicken enchiladas with red salsa, refried beans, rice, pico de gallo and guacamole with chips. And beer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundae in the Park Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Unclogging the sink Damn you, potato peels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbogrrl Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 trying to figure out where to put everything I got at the farmers market this morning: tomatoes, basil, burrata, mozzarella, milk, apple tarts, strawberries, duck eggs, beets, rhubarb also, slowly finishing making rillettes while the dishes finish. Then rhubarb compote. And I thought about making bread, but I think it might be a cocktail instead. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I just finished salvaging two lamb loin chops I found in the freezer. They had been vacuum-sealed in February 2011, and looked okay. Opened the package up and they smelled okay. Defrosted in the microwave (which never works exactly right for me--it cooks things) until they hit 90F. Then I threw them on a hot grill pan for 3 minutes per side, until they hit 120F. They're browned and have grill marks and are resting in the refrigerator. Later I'll reheat them quickly in the microwave to go with leftovers for dinner. If the scraggly remainder of fresh mint I have in the produce drawer is adequate, I may make some mint sauce to go with them too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Staring at it, in horror-it's a little grubby, ALL the drawers are breaking (what's that saying about 'for want of a nail'), & next week, I'm throwing a graduation picnic for my son & all the incoming family-hordes of them...& my outside canopy, which I had jerry rigged, committed seppuku in yesterday's rains, collapsing on top of the smoker-now, I really need to break it down & throw it away...I'm feeling rather stressed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Staring at it, in horror-it's a little grubby, ALL the drawers are breaking (what's that saying about 'for want of a nail'), & next week, I'm throwing a graduation picnic for my son & all the incoming family-hordes of them...& my outside canopy, which I had jerry rigged, committed seppuku in yesterday's rains, collapsing on top of the smoker-now, I really need to break it down & throw it away...I'm feeling rather stressed... I have an 8' canopy you can borrow if you'd like to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Thank you for your offer, but any canopy/gazebo that gets erected at this house is immediately marked for death-I did get another replacement on Mother's Day, but decided to try & salvage the last broken one-I can't figure out how I've destroyed 5 of these things in as many years- it's like a mini-tornado vortex at my house, or something (I've had 2 killed within a week of purchase)...it would be humorous, if it wasn't so frustrating (one time, it blew up on top of the garage roof)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choirgirl21 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I just finished salvaging two lamb loin chops I found in the freezer. They had been vacuum-sealed in February 2011, and looked okay. Opened the package up and they smelled okay. Defrosted in the microwave (which never works exactly right for me--it cooks things) until they hit 90F. Then I threw them on a hot grill pan for 3 minutes per side, until they hit 120F. They're browned and have grill marks and are resting in the refrigerator. Later I'll reheat them quickly in the microwave to go with leftovers for dinner. If the scraggly remainder of fresh mint I have in the produce drawer is adequate, I may make some mint sauce to go with them too. Have you tried putting them in a bowl of cold water to defrost? I can't imagine using the microwave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Reducing strained mulberries with some sugar and a small sac of lavender flowers. Smells divine. Those suckers have a TON of seeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Have you tried putting them in a bowl of cold water to defrost? I can't imagine using the microwave. I started with cold water but then got frustrated and just went with the defrost setting on the microwave. It works but I always end up having to do immediate further cooking because the item gets somewhat cooked on defrost. I didn't want to wait until right at dinner to determine if these were in decent shape. They ended up coming out perfectly cooked somehow. The internal color was just exactly right. I probably shouldn't have explained the process to my husband (and date of origin) while he was eating them for dinner, though . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xochitl10 Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 Multitasking: bringing a pork loin roast up to room temperature to go on the grill while trying to coax my dog to eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 Listening to the "ping" of canning jars sealing. I made a big batch of my bbq sauce today: 2 gallons for Bev Egg for his new line of porchetta and pulled pork sandwiches, and a gallon for me, which I put up in pint jars and water bath canned so they will be shelf stable. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choirgirl21 Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 Macerating cucumbers and onion to make the cold cucumber and yogurt soup that Rogue 24 served at Zoofari. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMango Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Rendering chicken fat. This is after breaking down a half dozen Jehovah Jireh birds, Food Saver-sealing them for the freezer, and cordoning off the bones for stock. "Not bad for a Monday." -Robot Chicken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishinnards Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Making the masala for Kerala ka bhuna gosht (Kerala style meat dish). Roasting cumin, coriander, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, and whole red chillies. It smells so good in here. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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