Chief's Tip of the Day:
- Thread starter Chief Longwind Of The North
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
I've never noticed any bitterness in tomato pulp or seeds. In fact, I think they add good flavor and juiciness. Last year, I processed some of my tomatoes by cutting them in half, roasting them for 15 minutes, then grating them on a box grater to remove the skins. Much easier than blanching to skin them. And of course, most people don't have chickens to feed the pulp to.
Thanks Andy. I betcha doing it with a spoon leaves more "tomato meat".
I agree.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
I don't seed a lot of tomatoes, but when I do, I cut them in half horizontally and scoop out the seeds and gel with a finger. Works for me.
I have done it that way. Like you, I don't do it often.
Thanks for that cherry depitter technique (above). However, I was wondering how easy it is to get the stones out of the bottle. A small point I know but I like to recycle glass bottles.
I have found that bending a hairpain, so it forms a slight L shape (at the round end) does the trick too i.e. placing the bent hooped end fairly high up into the cherry and moving it downwards to extract the stone.
I have found that bending a hairpain, so it forms a slight L shape (at the round end) does the trick too i.e. placing the bent hooped end fairly high up into the cherry and moving it downwards to extract the stone.
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I imagine the cherry pits would rinse out if they didn't get left in the bottle long enough to dry on.
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
You can also cut cherries (and olives) in half and pop the pit out. I have a cherry pitter that I use for olives and cherries.
The reason I get rid of the tomato pulp is to get rid of the excess liquid. I don't always seed tomatoes, but if I'm adding them to tabouli, for example, I get rid of the seeds and pulp (I usually eat the pulp) so the finished dish isn't as watery. I also will dry the seeds to plant next year. I seed cucumbers for the same reason, to get rid of the excess liquid. When making anything with cooked tomatoes (salsa, tomato sauce), I get rid of the skins too because I don't like the ascetics of having tomato skins in my sauce or salsa.
The reason I get rid of the tomato pulp is to get rid of the excess liquid. I don't always seed tomatoes, but if I'm adding them to tabouli, for example, I get rid of the seeds and pulp (I usually eat the pulp) so the finished dish isn't as watery. I also will dry the seeds to plant next year. I seed cucumbers for the same reason, to get rid of the excess liquid. When making anything with cooked tomatoes (salsa, tomato sauce), I get rid of the skins too because I don't like the ascetics of having tomato skins in my sauce or salsa.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
Me too. Comes in real handy.
Nothing turns me off a cooked dish quicker than tomato skins in the dish. The only time I don't mind eating the skins is when I have a tomato sandwich.
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CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
I don't like the skins in chili, either. If I am doing a lot of sauce, I use my tomato strainer to remove the seeds and skins. I never skin the tomatoes for tomato sandwiches or if I'm eating them in a salad, but anything cooked involving tomatoes, off come the skins.Me too. Comes in real handy.
Nothing turns me off a cooked dish quicker than tomato skins in the dish. The only time I don't mind eating the skins is when I have a tomato sandwich.
OP
OP
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
When purchasing meat from a good butcher, ask for any bones that might be discarded. We have a slaughterhouse/butcher in the nearby town of Rudyard where I purchase beef and pork. I just bought a quarter cow, and asked for the bones that would normaly be given away for free as dog bones. These are a by-product of their meat processing operation and are perfectly acceptable as human food, as they are clean, and refrigerated. I ask for them, put them into my large canning pressure cooker and turn them into beef stock, which I then can and store. I obtain better stock than anything I can purchase from the store, and the main ingredients, water and beef bones (with meat still on them) are free. I just have to do a little work to obtain that liqued gold.
Seeeeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Seeeeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
I about shot the guys I was buying the Angus with, they wanted almost everything boned and didn't ask for them...All those wonderful soup bones that went bye, bye.
My M-I-L bought an entire cow and divvied it up in thirds. We got 1/3. I learned from that. There was no brisket, as it had been made into ground beef and there were no bones.
So, when CWS and I shared a half a baby bull, I mentioned both of those items and we got them, but they had to be asked for. We also asked to have the filet in one piece, rather than have it in T-bone and Porterhouse steaks.
I know that Steve Kroll has bought a half or whole critter. Maybe we should have a thread for tips on what to ask the farmer or butcher when making that kind of purchase.
OP
OP
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
If You Want
Today has been an emotional roller-coaster so far. DW has had an upset stomach from 7 a.m. until noon. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep lost due to foolishness from the past week (not enough sleep results in acid reflux for me) and hadn't gotten quite enough of it yet. Finally got a few more hours of sleep which did the trick for me. DW is now sleeping peacefully and i was just starting to work on a thank you project for one of my neighbors, who voluntarily plowed out what the county plow left in my driveway last winter. Making him a key-lime with lemon custard swirl pie, with whipped coconut cream on top. The crust has been put together, but not yet rolled out. Then we received a phone call from Sprout. She informed us that a friend, living here in the Soo, had passed from this life. I had promised his wife, another good friend and wonderful lady, that I was going to purchase some whitefish, and make it up right, to bring to my friend, who has been declining rapidly since last July.
This man loved fishing, and eating fish, but couldn't go out on the water anymore due to his failing health. Long story short, I din't get it done. This will be a regret for the rest of my life.
Twice before in my life, both many years back, I've had similar things happen to me, and I still think about them often.
My tip for the day, for life; if you have something you want to do for someone special to you, be it a family member, a friend, or even a stranger who needs help, don't put it off until next payday. Do it now, right now, as soon as it is possible for you to do, even if it requires a little sacrifice from you. Then you won't feel like I do right now. I could have given, through that cooked whitefish, a little more happiness to a man who was in his last days, and shown him the selfless friendship he'd shown me. Now, instead, I will feel that ugly feeling of regret, due to procrastination.
I don't know how many of you have felt that kind of regret, the regret because you didn't do everything you could have done. I hope none of you have, and that none of you do. Buy those flowers for you grandmother, or mow the lawn for the old guy in the neighborhood that taught you to make a figure eight knot when you were a child, just because it was a cool knot. Make a favorite neighbor a pan of you best cinnamon rolls, or pull weeds for that guy who used his snowplow to get you out of a jam.
There are people out there who make the world a little nicer by just being who they are. Let them know how you feel by your actions. Let them know they are loved, and appreciated, that the little things they do have made a big difference in your own life, before the time is past when it's possible to do so. And of course, if it's still possible, let grandparents and parents know that you love them, and respect them. Then you will feel the opposite of what I'm feeling this morning. You will feel joy. And that joy will lift not only yourself, but whoever yo do that something special for.
Seeeeeya, Chief Longwind of the North
Today has been an emotional roller-coaster so far. DW has had an upset stomach from 7 a.m. until noon. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep lost due to foolishness from the past week (not enough sleep results in acid reflux for me) and hadn't gotten quite enough of it yet. Finally got a few more hours of sleep which did the trick for me. DW is now sleeping peacefully and i was just starting to work on a thank you project for one of my neighbors, who voluntarily plowed out what the county plow left in my driveway last winter. Making him a key-lime with lemon custard swirl pie, with whipped coconut cream on top. The crust has been put together, but not yet rolled out. Then we received a phone call from Sprout. She informed us that a friend, living here in the Soo, had passed from this life. I had promised his wife, another good friend and wonderful lady, that I was going to purchase some whitefish, and make it up right, to bring to my friend, who has been declining rapidly since last July.
This man loved fishing, and eating fish, but couldn't go out on the water anymore due to his failing health. Long story short, I din't get it done. This will be a regret for the rest of my life.
Twice before in my life, both many years back, I've had similar things happen to me, and I still think about them often.
My tip for the day, for life; if you have something you want to do for someone special to you, be it a family member, a friend, or even a stranger who needs help, don't put it off until next payday. Do it now, right now, as soon as it is possible for you to do, even if it requires a little sacrifice from you. Then you won't feel like I do right now. I could have given, through that cooked whitefish, a little more happiness to a man who was in his last days, and shown him the selfless friendship he'd shown me. Now, instead, I will feel that ugly feeling of regret, due to procrastination.
I don't know how many of you have felt that kind of regret, the regret because you didn't do everything you could have done. I hope none of you have, and that none of you do. Buy those flowers for you grandmother, or mow the lawn for the old guy in the neighborhood that taught you to make a figure eight knot when you were a child, just because it was a cool knot. Make a favorite neighbor a pan of you best cinnamon rolls, or pull weeds for that guy who used his snowplow to get you out of a jam.
There are people out there who make the world a little nicer by just being who they are. Let them know how you feel by your actions. Let them know they are loved, and appreciated, that the little things they do have made a big difference in your own life, before the time is past when it's possible to do so. And of course, if it's still possible, let grandparents and parents know that you love them, and respect them. Then you will feel the opposite of what I'm feeling this morning. You will feel joy. And that joy will lift not only yourself, but whoever yo do that something special for.
Seeeeeya, Chief Longwind of the North
Dawgluver
Chef Extraordinaire
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2011
- Messages
- 25,033
So sorry for your loss, Chief. Please don't beat yourself up, you did the best you could with what you had. Your friend would have understood.
OP
OP
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
I'll not have bruises from this, simply will miss out on having done something good for someone else, and that I will not have another chance to do it.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
Condolences for your loss Chief.
Thank you for the reminder not to procrastinate about kindness. Wise words.
Thank you for the reminder not to procrastinate about kindness. Wise words.
