Life's too short for chopping & mixing

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I am definitely going to try shallots the next time. Probably not whole, as they are a little on the expensive side here, but cut horizontally into thirds I bet would be just right. If I can get the juicy flavor, without it being too overpowering for Mike, that would be just perfect!! I know I could do both, but the package of pearls is pretty big, and then I would have more of them to use up in something else.

I use shallots because they are rather mild onions. I use the majority of my shallots finely chopped, usually for Asian recipes. I also use them thin sliced for salads.

Shallots are widely available in bulk in So. Cal., availability of all kinds of ingredients being one of the benefits of living in the big bad city, particularly with our large Latino and Asian communities, both of which apparently cook at home more often than the general population, if looking at their stores is any indication.

Has anyone tried the new "freeze dried" minced garlic? Do you think it would be any better than the regular dried?

I'd like to hear about that too.
 
Skittle68 said:
We usually use slices of red onion on the kabobs. He usually leaves about half the onion on his plate, which I gladly finish off lol. Vidalia onions would be great, as they are even sweeter than reds, but they are very seasonal. I keep an eye out for them, because I could use more onion without bf complaining, but I hardly ever see them. I love the little flavor bursts of red pearl onions, but it's just too much for Mike. I am definitely going to try shallots the next time. Probably not whole, as they are a little on the expensive side here, but cut horizontally into thirds I bet would be just right. If I can get the juicy flavor, without it being too overpowering for Mike, that would be just perfect!! I know I could do both, but the package of pearls is pretty big, and then I would have more of them to use up in something else. I suppose I could plan to make soup with them or something, but I would much rather just have a happy medium we both like. I come from an onion loving family- my sister's DH calls her meat loaf onion loaf :)

Oh, and I use crushed garlic in a tube. It comes out like a thin paste, and has the flavor of fresh garlic. Not sure why, but I don't like chopping garlic... Has anyone tried the new "freeze dried" minced garlic? Do you think it would be any better than the regular dried?

Skittle, have you tried pickling the pearl onions?

I like the tube'o garlic too. I also keep a jar of preminced garlic (not dehydrated) in the fridge that you can find at the grocer's. Haven't tried the freeze dried. The jarred tastes just like fresh.
 
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Greg Who Cooks said:
I use shallots because they are rather mild onions. I use the majority of my shallots finely chopped, usually for Asian recipes. I also use them thin sliced for salads.

Shallots are widely available in bulk in So. Cal., availability of all kinds of ingredients being one of the benefits of living in the big bad city, particularly with our large Latino and Asian communities, both of which apparently cook at home more often than the general population, if looking at their stores is any indication.

I'd like to hear about that too.

Shallots here come in packages of 2, in red netting, like packages of yellow onions. When I lived in LA, I remember the first time I went to the grocery store and walked through the produce section- I had never seen half the stuff, and I couldn't believe how HUGE it was!! At least twice the size of the produce section in northern MN. The thing I miss the most is the young Thai coconut. OMG those things are amazing. I saw them here at cub once, but they all had mold on them. Most people here probably don't know what they are. I suppose I could ask what day they come in and go specifically for a coconut. I miss the bulk mushrooms too. I hardly ever need a full package of mushrooms. I have half a package in the fridge now from when I made ravioli. Thinking I'm going to make a garlic butter pasta with mushrooms, tomatoes, and asparagus with the fresh thin spaghetti noodles I made with the extra pasta dough.
 
that's why i would swap you two indian restaurants,some dishes are stunning,but not top of my list....thai,japanese,vietnamese and some chinese(not cantonese)are.
One good thing is that these cuisines are not all that difficult to cook, if you can get the ingredients. Mainstream supermarkets carry coconut milk and I've even seen lemongrass occasionally, but I have only one store (Vietnamese) that carries Kaffir lime leaves, extremely desirable for Thai curry dishes. Another thing I've never seen in a supermarket, fresh tumeric root! I like using coconut cream, available canned 100% cream. It's the thick part you sometimes see floating on the top in a can of coconut milk. I've never seen coconut cream sold in mainstream supermarkets. Almost all of them have coconut milk, usually at 2x-3x the price of nearby Asian markets. I see mostly Asians in Asian markets, Latinos in Latino markets, and very few average people like me (no particularly ethnic group). I'm sure that most people don't know what great prices and variety of foods Asian and Latino markets carry.

We have Indian markets and Indian restaurants too. The Indian market I go to, I mostly buy incense (Indians make better incense than anybody) and also buy spices and sometimes unique Indian vegetables not seen in any other markets.

You can cook Asian (my field is particularly Thai) and leave out or substitute some of the ingredients, but it's just amazing how easy it is to create curries and other dishes as good as restaurants, sometimes even better. (Some of our Thai, Chinese and Japanese restaurants are pretty mediocre.) Using the real ingredients makes a significant difference!
 
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Oh, and I use crushed garlic in a tube. It comes out like a thin paste, and has the flavor of fresh garlic. Not sure why, but I don't like chopping garlic... Has anyone tried the new "freeze dried" minced garlic? Do you think it would be any better than the regular dried?
i have skittle & the lemongrass & the galangal too,shoulda given up after the garlic,non of them tasted of much imo.i use these a lot,just pure 100% frozen garlic/ginger,nothing added,always have a pack in the freezer...brilliant stuff
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f17/lifes-too-short-for-chopping-and-mixing-80683.html
 
Harry Cobean said:
i have skittle & the lemongrass & the galangal too,shoulda given up after the garlic,non of them tasted of much imo.i use these a lot,just pure 100% frozen garlic/ginger,nothing added,always have a pack in the freezer...brilliant stuff
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f17/lifes-too-short-for-chopping-and-mixing-80683.html

I've heard garlic loses a lot of flavor if you freeze it, which is why I've been reluctant to make my own frozen garlic cubes. What do you think? Does the flavor change much?
 
I chop garlic and put it in a jar with some EVOO and keep that in the fridge. It keeps well. I often freeze onions. I haven't noticed a change in flavor.
 
i... the lemongrass & the galangal too,shoulda given up after the garlic,non of them tasted of much imo.i use these a lot,just pure 100% frozen garlic/ginger,nothing added,always have a pack in the freezer...brilliant stuff
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f17/lifes-too-short-for-chopping-and-mixing-80683.html

Too bad on the lemongrass and galangal. I assumed you had access to that. Although I see lemongrass in supermarkets I see galangal only in Asian markets.

I really wish there was some way to keep Kaffir lime leaves longer. They keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. I've tried freezing them and that doesn't work either. I've decided if I ever live anywhere where I can't get them I would plant my own Kaffir lime. Gotta have a mild climate for that though. Would work well here in So. Cal. In fact if I end up buying a house here I probably will plant one, and then I can just go out and pick them whenever I need them. I'd like to have a garden of plants that are both edible and decorative. Or in other words, why grow something you can't eat when there are so many plants that are both edible and decorative.

I've heard garlic loses a lot of flavor if you freeze it, which is why I've been reluctant to make my own frozen garlic cubes. What do you think? Does the flavor change much?

I've had decent results freezing my minced garlic mixed with EVOO. When I want it I move it to the refrigerator section, where it keeps 1-2 weeks.
 
Too bad on the lemongrass and galangal. I assumed you had access to that. Although I see lemongrass in supermarkets I see galangal only in Asian markets.

I really wish there was some way to keep Kaffir lime leaves longer. They keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. I've tried freezing them and that doesn't work either. I've decided if I ever live anywhere where I can't get them I would plant my own Kaffir lime. Gotta have a mild climate for that though. Would work well here in So. Cal. In fact if I end up buying a house here I probably will plant one, and then I can just go out and pick them whenever I need them. I'd like to have a garden of plants that are both edible and decorative. Or in other words, why grow something you can't eat when there are so many plants that are both edible and decorative.



I've had decent results freezing my minced garlic mixed with EVOO. When I want it I move it to the refrigerator section, where it keeps 1-2 weeks.
Have you tried dehydrating them? This is what is done with curry leaves...since one can use dried bay leaves, I would assume one could use dried Kaffir lime leaves. I have a small Kaffir lime tree that I put outside in the summer and bring in in its pot in the winter.
 
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Have you tried dehydrating them? This is what is done with curry leaves...since one can use dried bay leaves, I would assume one could use dried Kaffir lime leaves. I have a small Kaffir lime tree that I put outside in the summer and bring in in its pot in the winter.

As far as I understand it the Kaffir lime leaves are there more for aroma than for taste, and I would expect dehydrating them would allow volatile parts to evaporate. Plus I've never seen them sold dried and I've been to a lot of Asian markets searching for the best ones.

I'm jealous you have your own Kaffir lime. Do you cook Thai curries or what do you use the leaves in? Are the fruit useful for anything. I've heard they're inedible but I'm not sure. And is the zest of the fruits usable?

Well I'll probably get my own Kaffir lime once I get my house hunting concluded and moved in. I'm pretty sure they do just fine in the ground in my climate.
 
We get Walla Walla Sweets onions, they are as good as Vidalias and they seem to be more plentiful. I can usually get them most of the year...without the price.
 
Maybe it was freezer burn. It's been 3-4 years since I did it and mostly I remember they just weren't the same thing as fresh leaves. Not close enough to suit me. Maybe I'm too much of a perfectionist.
 
Have you tried the red onions with BF? He may like them. They are milder than most, and sweet. There is also a sweet (white or yellow??? I don't remember) that he may like. Lots of options. My favorite is red onions, and they look pretty!
+1
 
... I hardly ever need a full package of mushrooms. I have half a package in the fridge now from when I made ravioli. Thinking I'm going to make a garlic butter pasta with mushrooms, tomatoes, and asparagus with the fresh thin spaghetti noodles I made with the extra pasta dough.
I'm with you on the mushrooms. If I am energetic, I slice and fry them in butter. Then, I spread them on a cookie sheet and freeze them. Butter is almost never a problem when you want to use the mushrooms later. BTW, fried mushrooms on toast is very tasty.
 
I've got my own tip about keeping mushrooms:

As soon as you get them home transfer them to a brown paper bag and keep them in one of your refrigerator drawers. They can last up to a month that way. After a couple weeks they start shriveling a bit but still perfectly usable except in salads. Keep them long enough and the turn into dried mushrooms, but they don't spoil. (Don't get moldy or anything.)
 
I've got my own tip about keeping mushrooms:

As soon as you get them home transfer them to a brown paper bag and keep them in one of your refrigerator drawers. They can last up to a month that way. After a couple weeks they start shriveling a bit but still perfectly usable except in salads. Keep them long enough and the turn into dried mushrooms, but they don't spoil. (Don't get moldy or anything.)
+1, but I seldom have a brown paper bag.
 
You guys are scaring me with the chopped garlic in EVOO. Garlic can have botulism and the EVOO makes it an anaerobic environment. Be sure to keep them in the fridge for a week or less or freeze them.
 
There was a produce sale yesterday and the sliced mushrooms were .99 cents for 8 ounce package. I bought 4 packages, brought them home and put them in bags out on the counter, fully intending to dry them for later use. I did three of the pkgs this way.
 
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