# Something you've been meaning to try?



## spoiledbroth (Jan 19, 2017)

What's some ingredient you've been meaning to buy or try out, but haven't... 

hominy grits
facing heaven pepper (just because the name is pretty cool)
prickly pear
durian 
natto
shio koji
tempeh
seal


or maybe a particular dish or preparation?

funazushi even though it will probably destroy my poor gaikokujin stomach
birds nest soup


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 19, 2017)

Dagad Phool/Kalpasi - never found it available around here....

Trehalose sugar - that just might mean take-to-work Gimbap/Maki if it does what I think it does... need to squeeze some in SOME amazon order...

Gosari - seems to be utterly unavailable here... well, the west considers it somewhat dangerous... fiddleheads, same matter ...

Blue tea (the butterfly pea based stuff)

Yuzu (juice is available but expensive)

Chinese dried watercress (have a package but never used)

All the molecular cuisine stuff....

Lye (to make ramen or pretzels)

.....



Odd stuff that I did try: Cha Om (like), bitter melon (ermmmm... depends), various sufu/furu types (liked most), old school synthetic banana flavour (isoamyl acetate - never be worried about not finding that bottle no matter how well sealed  )


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## Evilsports (Jan 19, 2017)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> Dagad Phool/Kalpasi - never found it available around here....
> 
> Trehalose sugar - that just might mean take-to-work Gimbap/Maki if it does what I think it does... need to squeeze some in SOME amazon order...
> 
> ...




I bought my first container of food grade lye last week. I've found a german lady who locally bakes pretzels fresh daily, so I contacted her and she's been supplying me with laugenbroetchen. Only trouble is, it costs me $1 per bun.  It's totally worth it, unless I can get them dialed in myself. I know one thing, I can't live without REAL German pretzel buns in my life. Neither can my Serbian neighbors, ever since I brought a bag over to them to try.


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## Evilsports (Jan 19, 2017)

As dumb and simple as it sounds, my winter project that I haven't even tried to tackle yet, is legit crispy fried chicken. Southern USA style.

I'm big on smoking and I've got my brisket, pork, and chicken down pat on the smoker. 

I need a rock solid, finger lickin' fried chicken recipe to visit once or twice a winter, when it gets real cold out and the family needs a pick-me-up.


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## malexthekid (Jan 19, 2017)

Evilsports said:


> As dumb and simple as it sounds, my winter project that I haven't even tried to tackle yet, is legit crispy fried chicken. Southern USA style.
> 
> I'm big on smoking and I've got my brisket, pork, and chicken down pat on the smoker.
> 
> I need a rock solid, finger lickin' fried chicken recipe to visit once or twice a winter, when it gets real cold out and the family needs a pick-me-up.



This... i have done a couple of batches (can't do it too often) and mucked up the brine and still playing around.


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## woyuskinny (Jan 19, 2017)

Black tri tip (making, not eating, as I've done that before....

Mu shu pork (making)

Tea soaked buttermilk fried chicken (making)

Grand cru red burgundy (drinking)

Italian and or Spanish style ham (making)


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## GorillaGrunt (Jan 19, 2017)

Things I've procrastinated on trying to make: definitely charcuterie - something with a whole muscle first, like bresaola or "Jewish ham" (salt cured duck or goose breast).

Authentic Oaxacan mole - I know where to get the peppers, just haven't gotten around to it.


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## DamageInc (Jan 20, 2017)

For all the expensive food I've eaten over the years, it just came to me that I've never had real sturgeon caviar. Gotta do that next time I'm at Kokkeriet I think.

I've also never had a real gumbo.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 20, 2017)

Mole, or smoking anything... now you mention two pie in the sky projects more...


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## Mucho Bocho (Jan 20, 2017)

Xiaolongbao (make)
Pig ears (make)
Soba noodle (make)
Roast goose (make)
Whole hog (make)
Prosciutto (make)


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## Ucmd (Jan 20, 2017)

Soba +1 going to try to make it
Miso , it is done fermenting
Ramen in NY...going to Ivan ramen next moth


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## boomchakabowwow (Jan 20, 2017)

no one ingredient..

but want to explore Persian food.


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## Lars (Jan 20, 2017)

Carlsens kapers. Bought some, after Damage plugged them. Still in the fridge..

Lars


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## spoiledbroth (Jan 20, 2017)

Whoa whoa someone's doing homemade miso? How are there no pics of this!


DamageInc said:


> For all the expensive food I've eaten over the years, it just came to me that I've never had real sturgeon caviar. Gotta do that next time I'm at Kokkeriet I think.
> 
> I've also never had a real gumbo.



That makes me feel a little better about my life 


I forgot to add, soon I will make cured egg yolk, maybe soy cured egg yolk. Bottarga rulez


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## DamageInc (Jan 20, 2017)

Lars said:


> Carlsens kapers. Bought some, after Damage plugged them. Still in the fridge..
> 
> Lars



Those are the only ones I buy. Don't wanna hype them too much in case they disappoint, but they are indeed absolutely the best capers in the world bar none. I put them in everything. I even put them on a pizza I made this evening, along with deer sausage and sauteed onions.

For me, they are the perfect capers after trying dozens of brands. They aren't mushy, they aren't too bitter, they aren't too salty, they aren't too sour, they are just perfectly balanced and have a nicely firm bite to them. They also have a much "fresher" taste to them than the usual jarred capers.

I'm starting to sound like some caper-autist or something, but damn.


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## DamageInc (Jan 20, 2017)

spoiledbroth said:


> Whoa whoa someone's doing homemade miso? How are there no pics of this!
> 
> 
> That makes me feel a little better about my life
> ...



The never having caviar thing or the never having gumbo thing? Caviar never interested me that much. Salty fish eggs, so what? Still, gotta try it sometime just to have it added to my food reference list. Foie Gras on the other hand.... I'll eat that all day every day, as long as someone else pays for it.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 20, 2017)

@DamageInc I guess you already found your source of briny umami


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## spoiledbroth (Jan 20, 2017)

I have had sturgeon caviar. Have some very well to do family members. Have also played with perigord truffles which is probably no biggie to Europeans but it's a big deal across the pond.

Foie to me is so weird. Especially not a big fan of torchon. But I guess it's an acquired taste or something. Lol we used to have... Sushi no foie gras off menu.


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## DamageInc (Jan 20, 2017)

I've never really cared for truffles, even the very best kind. The flavor is too dominant. Too aromatic for me, and I often find it overpowering the dish. It works fine for really simple stuff like a plain risotto, or a cauliflower soup, but for anything else, it just gets in the way. Just my opinion anyway.

My favorite way to eat foie gras is not torchon, but as a seared crusty little steak-like piece cut from the whole liver. My mother won't eat foie gras if it hasn't been seared, so if I've made foie gras terrine, I have to sear her piece or she'll throw a fit. Always hurts my brain to sear terrine. Just feels wrong.


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## guari (Jan 20, 2017)

DamageInc said:


> I've never really cared for truffles, even the very best kind. The flavor is too dominant. Too aromatic for me, and I often find it overpowering the dish. It works fine for really simple stuff like a plain risotto, or a cauliflower soup, but for anything else, it just gets in the way. Just my opinion anyway.
> 
> My favorite way to eat foie gras is not torchon, but as a seared crusty little steak-like piece cut from the whole liver. My mother won't eat foie gras if it hasn't been seared, so if I've made foie gras terrine, I have to sear her piece or she'll throw a fit.



What do you pan fry it with? Butter?


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## DamageInc (Jan 20, 2017)

Nothing, I put it on a blazing hot carbon steel pan with no fat in it at all. Surface fat on the foie gras renders instantly and forms a nice crust. Marco Pierre White cooked foie gras directly on his french top in much the same manner.

[video=youtube;jzDJA3xkAEM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzDJA3xkAEM[/video]


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## guari (Jan 20, 2017)

DamageInc said:


> Nothing, I put it on a blazing hot carbon steel pan with no fat in it at all. Surface fat on the foie gras renders instantly and forms a nice crust. Marco Pierre White cooked foie gras directly on his french top in much the same manner.
> 
> [video=youtube;jzDJA3xkAEM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzDJA3xkAEM[/video]



Great, will try that sometime, thanks


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## spoiledbroth (Jan 20, 2017)

DamageInc said:


> I've never really cared for truffles, even the very best kind. The flavor is too dominant. Too aromatic for me, and I often find it overpowering the dish. It works fine for really simple stuff like a plain risotto, or a cauliflower soup, but for anything else, it just gets in the way. Just my opinion anyway.
> 
> My favorite way to eat foie gras is not torchon, but as a seared crusty little steak-like piece cut from the whole liver. My mother won't eat foie gras if it hasn't been seared, so if I've made foie gras terrine, I have to sear her piece or she'll throw a fit. Always hurts my brain to sear terrine. Just feels wrong.



Yeah that's how we served it. The smell when you search it though. I really love the truffle flavour though. It is really forest-y.


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## DDPslice (Jan 24, 2017)

some very expensive pu'er tea
foams/ISI alcohol infusions
All wines


I just smoked a steak (ribeye) today, with apple wood. I also did 1" thick slices of onions and made a weird honey mustard sauce that came out amazing. diced smoked onions, roux, red wine (cotes du rhone), water, Worcestershire, grey poupon, honey


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## mille162 (Jan 25, 2017)

DamageInc said:


> For all the expensive food I've eaten over the years, it just came to me that I've never had real sturgeon caviar. Gotta do that next time I'm at Kokkeriet .




Sturgeon is available for order from California Caviar (http://www.californiacaviar.com/our-caviar/imported/index.php)

iirc, Caviar House & Prunier Seafood carries it on their counters, there are counters in some of the finer airports, I always walk by and drool at the one in Doha, which is the largest and best stocked Ive seen (also in JFK in US, Japan, Denmark, France, Switzerland, UK, Spain, UAE, Turkey, Germany)


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## DamageInc (Jan 25, 2017)

I know where to get the really good stuff here in Denmark, I've just always walked past it because of the price. Would rather spend that kind of money on aged steak and foie gras. But I gotta do it sometime.


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## mise_en_place (Jan 25, 2017)

GorillaGrunt said:


> Things I've procrastinated on trying to make: definitely charcuterie - something with a whole muscle first, like bresaola or "Jewish ham" (salt cured duck or goose breast).
> 
> *Authentic Oaxacan mole* - I know where to get the peppers, just haven't gotten around to it.



There are seven different kinds of Oaxacan mole. Are you planning on making them all or are you thinking of mole poblano?


EDIT: Wanted to add definition of mole: From Nahuatl word _m&#333;lli_, meaning sauce. A chile based sauce that is pureed and thickened with nuts or seeds.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jan 25, 2017)

Actually USE fresh naga jolokia or similar "killer" peppers, given they are sold commonly here in recent months ... I take plenty of heat but making culinary sense of these is another matter (coconut-based or oily dishes tend to work better with dried, and putting even run of the mill fresh thai pepper into any lean dish tends to give you something that is spicy as hell but in a harsh, not truly enjoyable way....)


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## thirstyman (Jan 25, 2017)

I have had a tagine for over a year and have only used it once. I want to play around with it a little this year.

I make a mean roast chicken, but I feel like I am only 97% there, so I plan to play around with it a bit and nail down that last 3% to make it perfect.

I also want to do a little more with pasta this year. In the past, I make a short rib ragu that is awesome, but this is generally the only pasta I make. I want to add to that... maybe a seafood pasta - like a squid ink and maybe a solid bolognese. 


for the guy that said whole hog - I've probably made 30 in the last few years. Mostly for tailgates and the occasional party. Feel free to drop a line if you want any pointers. One year I stuffed a large sow with chickens, apples and kielbasa. It was incredible.


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## GorillaGrunt (Jan 26, 2017)

Well, I'd like to make them all, but the one that got me started thinking about it was the black mole Rick Bayless made for the state dinner in 2010, for which I need to source some chilhuacle peppers. I found a place to get them dried, but if I need them fresh I might have to get seeds and grow them.

Ah, so guacamole = ahuacatl + molli = avocado sauce


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## Nemo (Jan 26, 2017)

I'm going to have a go at making a nukadoko. Anyone have any experience, advice or tips?


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## valgard (Jan 30, 2017)

I've been meaning to make bulgogi for a while but for some reason I never get myself to source everything.


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## spoiledbroth (Feb 10, 2017)

22 bucks apiece


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## Jovidah (Feb 10, 2017)

A few things I still want to try at some point come to mind:
-Mess around with transglutaminase... 
-Make a dish with only chicken oysters and see if it actually makes any difference
-Make a chicken galantine
-Eat more fish. I'm pretty good with meat but a total newbie when it comes to fish. Because we rarely ate it at home it's just not in my system.


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## Jovidah (Feb 10, 2017)

spoiledbroth said:


> 22 bucks apiece


22 bucks FOR A STRAWBERRY!?! That's absolutely nuts. The first 2 don't even look ripe.

And to be frank... usually the smaller ones taste best. The bigger they are the more watery they get.


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## valgard (Feb 10, 2017)

Jovidah said:


> 22 bucks FOR A STRAWBERRY!?! That's absolutely nuts. The first 2 don't even look ripe.
> 
> And to be frank... usually the smaller ones taste best. The bigger they are the more watery they get.



Take a more careful look at the boxes...


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## YLQDave (Feb 10, 2017)

Home smoked bacon

So easy to do and I always have the ingredients but actually making homemade pasta

Duck / goose


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## Jovidah (Feb 10, 2017)

valgard said:


> Take a more careful look at the boxes...



So on the off chance they actually are sweet... it's still.. 22 bucks. For 1 strawberry. For 20 euros I can buy at least 10 kilos of the very best top quality strawberries when they're in season. It's one of the few things grown in the Netherlands that's actually pretty decent.


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## valgard (Feb 10, 2017)

Not saying I would pay 22 bucks for a single strawberry at all. Heck I even try to pull my wife away from strawberries every time we go to the grocery store together, just wanted to bring to your attention to the fact that the colours seemed to stem from special varieties or something like that, not from being unripe.



Jovidah said:


> So on the off chance they actually are sweet... it's still.. 22 bucks. For 1 strawberry. For 20 euros I can buy at least 10 kilos of the very best top quality strawberries when they're in season. It's one of the few things grown in the Netherlands that's actually pretty decent.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Feb 11, 2017)

Normally, if you get a strawberry that is as white in the left one in ANY spot you're getting a strawberry shaped cucumber lol


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## Jovidah (Feb 11, 2017)

valgard said:


> Not saying I would pay 22 bucks for a single strawberry at all. Heck I even try to pull my wife away from strawberries every time we go to the grocery store together, just wanted to bring to your attention to the fact that the colours seemed to stem from special varieties or something like that, not from being unripe.



Yeah sorry it's was a fair point. I just couldn't get over the ridiculousness of the price. I guess I'm just a bit snobbish when it comes to strawberries - and their prices. Can't wait until the season starts again... I usually eat a pound a day for the entire season. They're close to my heart!


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## DDPslice (Feb 11, 2017)

Jovidah said:


> Yeah sorry it's was a fair point. I just couldn't get over the ridiculousness of the price. I guess I'm just a bit snobbish when it comes to strawberries - and their prices. Can't wait until the season starts again... I usually eat a pound a day for the entire season. They're close to my heart!



no this, I would guess, stemmed from when Rene Redzepi went to Japan and served up a white strawberry. Which to his credit is very intuitive, and interesting...that being said it's also ridiculous and possibly very unhealthy. I think the power of persuasion has captured the fascination of people willing to throw money at something just because of the price tag. Obscurity does not mean better, there's a reason Darwinism is a thing.

https://www.quora.com/Are-white-strawberries-in-Japan-genetically-engineered-to-have-that-color

Does anyone know a site where I can get cacao, but where they really specify about the variety and location. And yes this other request is obviously stupid, but can it be a place that doesn't rob my future children of a college fund?


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## Oh_Toro (Feb 12, 2017)

Brewing beer


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## Jovidah (Feb 12, 2017)

DDPslice said:


> Obscurity does not mean better, there's a reason Darwinism is a thing.


Reminds me how a few years ago there was this trend to reintroduce 'forgotten vegetables'. While some of them were indeed very nice.... some of them indeed deserved to be forgotten.


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## benito (Feb 23, 2017)

i have been meaning to play around with fermenting some chile's;

specifically some summertime habanero's that have been left on the vine a but to sweeten up.


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## TheCaptain (Feb 23, 2017)

Make Kimchi. Can't get enough of it and 10 bucks for a .75 gallon is kinda pricey for mostly cabbage.


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## valgard (Feb 23, 2017)

TheCaptain said:


> Make Kimchi. Can't get enough of it and 10 bucks for a .75 gallon is kinda pricey for mostly cabbage.


Here is the best recipe I've tried so far http://seonkyounglongest.com/korean-napa-cabbage-kimchi 
And she is fun to watch too. She has other nice traditional Korean recipes.

We go through a lot of Kimchi at home so I've got a whole section of the fridge dedicated to the big Kimchi container (which is empty now and the wife is giving me a lot of grief).


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## GorillaGrunt (Feb 23, 2017)

I'll have to have a go at that. My first batch of sauerkraut will be (hopefully) done on Monday.


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## valgard (Feb 23, 2017)

Go for it, it can't be compared to anything I have bought . Even though our local Korean grocery store sells Kimchi made there and it's better than most mass produced it's still a far cry and we have started twerking the recipe with pretty good results (except the time we forgot to wash the cabbage after softening, that was bad).


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## panda (Feb 24, 2017)

kimcheeeeeee..

this is coming from a korean.

cut cabbage into squares, soak overnight in warm salted water leave room temp, then rinse the hell out of it with cold water the next day.
put in a food processor: garlic, ginger, red fresno peppers, korean chili flakes and rice pouridge, mix in salted shrimp, julienned onion/daikon/asian pear/carrots/scallion and corn syrup
toss that together, put in an open container, weigh it down, cover with cheesecloth leave in fridge. will start to taste good after 4-5 days.


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## DDPslice (Feb 27, 2017)

Maybe I can get some help, I have wanted to make some sauerkraut but really haven't done any research into it (I've done no research). I took about a qt. container, filled it with shredded green cabbage, then filled the container 1/2 vinegar + 1/2 water, added some salt and sugar, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black peppercorns. It's been in the fridge for about 6 months and I tasted a little bit of of the "soup" which pretty much tastes like coriander seeds. But the cabbage is not plump, should I take it out of the fridge? Does anybody think it'll still ferment? Should I keep it anerobic (without oxygen)?


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## Jovidah (Feb 27, 2017)

I can't for the life of me imagine why someone would go through all the trouble of making their own sauerkraut. I wouldn't even eat that stuff if there was a famine. Let alone make it, especially when you can buy it for a euro per kilo. But for the record, that's not how you make it. At all.


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## Godslayer (Feb 27, 2017)

DDPslice said:


> Maybe I can get some help, I have wanted to make some sauerkraut but really haven't done any research into it (I've done no research). I took about a qt. container, filled it with shredded green cabbage, then filled the container 1/2 vinegar + 1/2 water, added some salt and sugar, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black peppercorns. It's been in the fridge for about 6 months and I tasted a little bit of of the "soup" which pretty much tastes like coriander seeds. But the cabbage is not plump, should I take it out of the fridge? Does anybody think it'll still ferment? Should I keep it anerobic (without oxygen)?



Message aboynamedsuita https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ_sN5ogDht/?taken-by=aboynamedsuita He seems to know whats up


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Feb 27, 2017)

@DDPslice that sounds like Krautsalat not Sauerkraut 

@panda so you suggest against letting the kimchee ferment at room temperature for a day or two?


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## Mucho Bocho (Feb 27, 2017)

J, sliced cabbage + salt = living food

Add sliced cabbage (or even whole) to an appropriate Cambro container, put another same sized Cambro on top and add enough water press cabbage. Leave under the bathroom counter for a month.

You can make it fancier as DPP suggested (im sure its wonderful), I'm kinda a purist with my ferments though.

I might add some Shio Koji next time though


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## GorillaGrunt (Feb 27, 2017)

I want to make my own sauerkraut because it tastes better. I've had homemade lacto-fermented sauerkraut once and I wouldn't even consider it the same foodstuff as commercially packaged kraut. The flavor profile is vastly different, the texture is different, the mouthfeel is different; I would never use commercial kraut again if I had sufficient supplies of homemade kraut, but of course I like sauerkraut and so "better sauerkraut" is worth some time and effort to me.

@DDP, your recipe sounds more like brined cabbage. Again, not a bad thing, but a different foodstuff. Between the vinegar and the refrigeration it doesn't seem like the bacterial action of fermentation will be able to occur. The traditional method uses an open crock filled with salted cabbage (and too much salt will also prevent fermentation) at the high end of room temperature. The liquid exuded from the cabbage should be enough to cover it and weights keep it submerged, maintaining an anaerobic environment. It has to be skimmed of mold and yeast frequently. It looks and smells gross and frankly requires more faith than I have at this point, so I am using a crock with a cover and a "moat" of water that works like the valves used in beer and wine making. Supposedly it facilitates fermentation without needing as much attention to prevent spoilage.

Note, however, that I have not gotten this to work yet, so take it with a grain (or about 3 tablespoons per 5 pounds of cabbage) of salt. I am pretty sure, though, that under 60-65 degrees it will not work at all, and I'm not sure about the vinegar; the sourness comes from lactic acid produced by the desirable bacteria, and in the same way that alcohol-producing yeast has a maximum concentration I would imagine that there is a maximum acidity that stops fermentation.


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## Nemo (Feb 27, 2017)

GorillaGrunt said:


> I'll have to have a go at that. My first batch of sauerkraut will be (hopefully) done on Monday.



Just put my first batch in the fermentation crock yesterday. Wanna make some kinchi too.


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## Jovidah (Mar 11, 2017)

A proper chicken galantine. Will settle for duck or guineafowl.

Actually did try a test run last night.... with a soup chicken I'd been meaning to stew. Figured 'what the hell, it's going to get cut up anyway so might as well get some practise in'. Actually the deboning worked out far better than expected. Lessons learned

-When trying galantine, have stuffing on hand; it looks daunting but is actually quite doable
-Soup chickens are not great for this (still tough after 3 hrs of poaching)
-Cheese does not a good stuffing make (it runs, leaving cheese gunk all over the thing)
-Tying with rope is absolutely necessary for when you fry the crust at the end (otherwise it'll uncoil itself)


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## GorillaGrunt (Mar 16, 2017)

Sauerkraut success! It took 8 weeks, a bit longer than expected, but it's definitely sauerkraut.

Galantine is on my list too.


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## Jovidah (Mar 16, 2017)

Definitly try it; it's actually not as difficult as I expected.. Watch Pepin's movie on youtube; I think he has the easiest and for the quickest way of doing it. For the legs I found it easier to just switch to the Japanese style of deboning them, but that's probably because I've been doing that more often. YMMV.


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## LenB (Mar 21, 2017)

I've never made German-style sour Kraut, but Kimchi is both easy and good. Use a good quality fish sauce, gochugaru (the Korean-style red pepper), and of course, fresh napa cabbage.

(I have experience with the cabbage. I had one lying around for a while, and figured, "Well if it's starting to get old, why not ferment it?" That was a bad call.)


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## TheCaptain (Mar 23, 2017)

Did homemade pastrami last sunday in the smoker for the first time. Omfg! There is no going back to store bought.

Last of it will ne dinner tonight :drool:


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## GorillaGrunt (Mar 23, 2017)

Haven't made corned beef yet; it's been on my list for something like 2 years, but when I do I'm doing two so that one can become pastrami.


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## TheCaptain (Mar 24, 2017)

Actually what I did was get a large 5.5# flat, corned it, cut it in half and one half became st. paddy's dinner the other half became pastrami.

I smoke brisket several times a year but will be doing pastrami more. The pastrami reheated beautifully, steamed on a bed of sauerkraut with a fried egg on top. Fork tender, no knife needed.


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