Cooking's Easier When You're Well Stocked
Nov. 16th, 2022 11:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerI've written a few times recently about how cooking delicious meals requires time + planning. Sometimes the planning people do is very focused on one meal. Like, "To make X and Y with a side of Z, I'm going to need these 23 ingredients" — and many of those ingredients are in small quantities. Think of all the ways tasty cooking involves adding a pinch of this, a teaspoon of that, and sprinkling the other thing to taste.
Frankly it's not practical to plan shopping around getting everything for a specific meals. I know, because I've seen people try it, and they almost invariably get overwhelmed by the sheer number of things needed if starting from nil. Instead it helps to build up a well stocked kitchen over time. Once you do that you can extemporaneously create great meals— or at least class up otherwise simplistic ones.
I did that recently when my plan for dinner was "roast beef sandwich". Don't get me wrong; I enjoy roast beef sandwiches. The ones at delis taste great. But the ones at home are usually poor cousins. Instead of making just-another sandwich of cold cuts and cheese and mustard I decided to make a hot prime rib sandwich.
I started with the cold, sliced roast beef. "How does one make this hot again?" I asked. I made 2oz. of savory broth in a dish (I used water plus a "Better than Bouillon" paste we have a small jar of in the 'fridge), soaked the roast beef slices in it, and microwaved them for 45 seconds or so. Meanwhile I sliced open a sandwich-sized roll and spread some tasty sauce on both sides (a yuzu sauce we have a bottle of in the 'fridge). I layered on the hot, moist roast beef slices— now very much like hot, sliced prime rib, because, well, they are prime rib— covered it with a mixture of two kids of cheese (we have 4-5 different kinds in the 'fridge), and broiled it to melt the cheese.
How good was the result? Well, it wasn't quite as good as a prime rib sandwich I pay $20 for at a restaurant... but it wasn't far off, either! And it cost a lot less than $20 and didn't require going out to eat. And I could pull it together in 5 minutes on the spur of the moment thanks to having any number of things ready to go in my kitchen.
Frankly it's not practical to plan shopping around getting everything for a specific meals. I know, because I've seen people try it, and they almost invariably get overwhelmed by the sheer number of things needed if starting from nil. Instead it helps to build up a well stocked kitchen over time. Once you do that you can extemporaneously create great meals— or at least class up otherwise simplistic ones.
I did that recently when my plan for dinner was "roast beef sandwich". Don't get me wrong; I enjoy roast beef sandwiches. The ones at delis taste great. But the ones at home are usually poor cousins. Instead of making just-another sandwich of cold cuts and cheese and mustard I decided to make a hot prime rib sandwich.
I started with the cold, sliced roast beef. "How does one make this hot again?" I asked. I made 2oz. of savory broth in a dish (I used water plus a "Better than Bouillon" paste we have a small jar of in the 'fridge), soaked the roast beef slices in it, and microwaved them for 45 seconds or so. Meanwhile I sliced open a sandwich-sized roll and spread some tasty sauce on both sides (a yuzu sauce we have a bottle of in the 'fridge). I layered on the hot, moist roast beef slices— now very much like hot, sliced prime rib, because, well, they are prime rib— covered it with a mixture of two kids of cheese (we have 4-5 different kinds in the 'fridge), and broiled it to melt the cheese.
How good was the result? Well, it wasn't quite as good as a prime rib sandwich I pay $20 for at a restaurant... but it wasn't far off, either! And it cost a lot less than $20 and didn't require going out to eat. And I could pull it together in 5 minutes on the spur of the moment thanks to having any number of things ready to go in my kitchen.
Hot prime rib sandwich - yum!
Date: 2022-11-17 05:48 am (UTC)I think making the exact sandwich you describe here and cutting them into bite-size pieces with a toothpick through each would make a great party food. Maybe pour a little of the broth over each piece, as an au jus.
I've been wavering on whether to try yuzu sauce. I generally avoid added sweeteners. I may try it as a mixer for cocktails. Once I've made the decision to make a drink, healthy eating is over for the day.
Re: Hot prime rib sandwich - yum!
Date: 2022-11-17 06:14 am (UTC)The yuzu sauce is sweet. It's not strongly sweet but it is more sweet than I like for this kind of sandwich. I had to use it sparingly. I wish it were balanced more toward the savory side. Next time I make this sandwich I'll taste a dab of yuzu back-to-back with Worcestershire to figure out which or in what combination to use.
Re: Hot prime rib sandwich - yum!
Date: 2022-11-18 07:25 am (UTC)I've never tried BTB's roasted garlic flavor. How would you rate its umami impact on a scale of 1 to 5? I'm not even halfway through my BTB vegetarian chicken jar, which uses famously umami mushrooms, but I am trying to consume more garlic for health reasons.
Boy, I envy those lucky folks you guys cook for!
Re: Hot prime rib sandwich - yum!
Date: 2022-11-18 05:42 pm (UTC)I'm not sure how to rate the umami level of BTB. The broth I made tasted like broth. Garlic was the dominant flavor. And by the time I soaked the sliced prime rib in it, it tasted pretty umami. 😉
no subject
Date: 2022-11-17 01:38 pm (UTC)