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IronGAF Cookoff (hosted by OnkelC) Vol. 2

Tonight I'm cooking steak on the stove/oven tonight. It's about a 3/4 inch tbone steak and I want to know what is the perfect time to sear it on the pan and then the perfect time to put it in the oven. I like my steaks medium(tried medium rare and it was just...no) but I do like medium because I still want some pink in it. So what are you guys optimal time to achieve a medium steak?
 

maxcriden

Member
Congratulations on the purchase!
As for safety concerns, I'd recommend buying a small fire extinguisher and storing it in a place not too close from the grill.
Re: propane bottle, stick to what the manufacturer of the grill recommends.

Thank you sir! We've got a small fire extinguisher. (So I take it then there's no concern grilling on a wood porch.)

img_20170401_21191696p2kgb.jpg

Not the prettiest (and sorry about the poor image quality all, taken on my phone) but the first grilling attempt, last night, turned out quite well taste-wise. The asparagus and apple-gouda sausage were a solid success and very flavorful.

We had some serious potato problems though. We sliced baby reds in half, pressed some garlic and mixed with fresh rosemary and olive oil in a foil pouch. I thought I put in too much EVOO so I removed about half. The potatoes were well-coated but not soaked in oil I don't think. Anyway, we did them on one burner on medium and they ended up really charred on one side. Then we did them kind of between the two burners on the grate and they ended up more okay but only like 5 total potatoes were salvageable and they weren't awesome. Maybe no oil is the way to go? Or very very little? I thought the foil packet was the way to go. Very eager for tips, I want to try the potatoes again today.

On a separate note, lamb shoulder chops were on sale at Publix today, so I picked one up.


This is our first time cooking lamb. For years we never ate it but we'v been watching a lot of cooking TV shows where it looks good, so, we tried some at a Lebanese restaurant and it was quite tasty. Any tips on grilling this? It's on the bone as you can see and it's decently fatty so... I was going to grill it on direct low heat to render the fat and cook it to medium rare. If this is way off please let me know. I don't have a good idea of how long it will take. I was going to marinate it with rosemary, garlic and a little EVOO, salt and pepper.
 

Impotaku

Member
Final dish of today, been craving Japanese food recently. Decided this weekend to pig out making all the stuff i love. Now i can't move, so stuffed. Tried a new recipe for okonomiyaki, there was so much batter ended up scoffing not one, not 2, but 3 of the things. Totally delicious but now i need to lay down lol.

Glamour shot lol
4IrWVZM.jpg
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Final dish of today, been craving Japanese food recently. Decided this weekend to pig out making all the stuff i love. Now i can't move, so stuffed. Tried a new recipe for okonomiyaki, there was so much batter ended up scoffing not one, not 2, but 3 of the things. Totally delicious but now i need to lay down lol.

recipe?
 

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
Had a cooking/baking weekend so far. Made some apple roses & some takoyaki as i can never get enough of those little things.
...

yXsNXHs.jpg
I really need to make takoyaki. There's this crazy dude over Tokyo blending Spanish omelette with classic takoyaki and it's the shit from what I've heard.

Re: Recipes. This past weekend I made pressure cooker onion soup:


Came out incredible, but it's deceptively filling due to the large amount of cheese in it and the fact that bread soaks up the stock. Next time I'll reduce the cheese content.

And then I tried to make some chicken-fried chicken with cream gravy.

It was a mess. I mean, it tasted fine, but the batter was way too thick and the gravy was too chunky on account of my sad onion dicing skills. The spice mix was also way too potent since the only kind of paprika around is of the Spanish variety (duh), which is smoky and much more flavourful than the one used in America, so it bare little resemblance to the original recipe. I think I'll again with some adjustments.

As a side note, I visited Ikea for a free coffee at the bar and came out with a large Sensuell pan because that's the kind of thing that happens when you visit Ikea.


This thing is hefty. I'll probably use it this Sunday to make some Swedish meatballs.
 
So I got bored and tried something a bit different. Was making mass quantities of bacon, and I decided to sprinkle some of my favorite BBQ rub on a few of the slices.

Holy crap, something so simple made the bacon taste 100x better. Perfect blend of sweet, smoky, and salty.
 

Sesuadra

Unconfirmed Member
it was time for a change. I/we have used our super cheap ikea Stoneware dinnerware long enough
yesterday & today we ordered new stuff from Tokyo Design Studio and our first order of bowls and pasta plates arrived


I also made a quick and dirty eggplant+minced meat+miso lunch.

 
it was time for a change. I/we have used our super cheap ikea Stoneware dinnerware long enough
yesterday & today we ordered new stuff from Tokyo Design Studio and our first order of bowls and pasta plates arrived.

Those look cool. I have a white set from William Sonoma, and I learned that they're discontinuing the set. So I'm finally buying the last pieces to complete the set, even though I probably don't need them as I've gotten by just fine without them.
 
it was time for a change. I/we have used our super cheap ikea Stoneware dinnerware long enough
yesterday & today we ordered new stuff from Tokyo Design Studio and our first order of bowls and pasta plates arrived



I also made a quick and dirty eggplant+minced meat+miso lunch.

I was intrigued at the design of those bowls, did some digging and they make a blue version of that orange bowl which is a carbon copy of the geodesic sphere of Epcot.

I might have to order a set of those just to satisfy the Disney nerd in me.
 

Impotaku

Member
Got a new kitchen addition today, can now finally try nabe cooking. Apparently they come with a whole set of rules about how they need to be treated, just read up on them all and started the medome seasoning process.
cnavLda.jpg
 

Sesuadra

Unconfirmed Member
Got a new kitchen addition today, can now finally try nabe cooking. Apparently they come with a whole set of rules about how they need to be treated, just read up on them all and started the medome seasoning process.
cnavLda.jpg

I wanted to ask you where you bought your portable stove. did you import one from japan/buy it there? b/c the one you have on your picture looks like this one: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B008R7OOJ6/
if so...do european gas cans fit?

b/c I've dreamed if buying one of those: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01J75X7J4/ since I visited a cooking class in japan.
would be great to finally know that :D!
 

sleepnaught

Member
what are some simple, cheap, and healthy slow cooker recipes? Would like a few different ones I can make for lunch during work.
 

Brhoom

Banned
Hello IronGAF. I didn't know we had thread for chefs here!

I'll try to post whenever I do something, college isn't giving much free time.
 

jelly

Member
Is there a easy and fool proof pizza base recipe that doesn't need a bread maker and cooks fine in a normal oven?
 

gimmmick

Member
What I cooked for my wife Friday afternoon for lunch.

Halibut with lobster and a play of red pepper sofrito with mix veggies.

hozTkVr.jpg
 

Impotaku

Member
I wanted to ask you where you bought your portable stove. did you import one from japan/buy it there? b/c the one you have on your picture looks like this one: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B008R7OOJ6/
if so...do european gas cans fit?

b/c I've dreamed if buying one of those: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01J75X7J4/ since I visited a cooking class in japan.
would be great to finally know that :D!

Yes that's the exact cooker i bought, i didn't have to import it from Japan as there was a seller on Amazon.co.uk that was selling them & they were fulfilled by amazon so there was no import duty to pay as it was within Europe. It cost me £44 a very nice little cooker that gives out a lot of heat. Not sure what the gas cannisters look like where yu are in Germany but here in the UK the ones that work with the iwatani cassette fu cooker are the push in kind of cannister that has a notch at the end that lines up. You should be able to find them on Amazon Germany just make sure they have a top that looks like this
JVwVjIB.jpg


Here's the lisings for the cooker on Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008R7OOJ6/

As for the second cooker that does Yakitori i actually want that exact one as well hehe, i looked into importing it from Amazon Japan using my midlleman service, sadly it would end up costing cost a fortune in shipping as the middleman service i use goes on weight for the charges. They sell them on Amazon UK for quite a lot more though though. From the pictures the Yakitori grill seems to use the same type of gas cannisters that have the notch in the top. Here's the UK listing for that other grill
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0028A8GTC/
 

Sesuadra

Unconfirmed Member
Yes that's the exact cooker i bought, i didn't have to import it from Japan as there was a seller on Amazon.co.uk that was selling them & they were fulfilled by amazon so there was no import duty to pay as it was within Europe. It cost me £44 a very nice little cooker that gives out a lot of heat. Not sure what the gas cannisters look like where yu are in Germany but here in the UK the ones that work with the iwatani cassette fu cooker are the push in kind of cannister that has a notch at the end that lines

Thanks! I looked into buying one for yakitori from amazon.co.jp and amazon.co.jp ships this one to europe or at least germany:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B001VEJ3MU/

including shipping and import taxes I'd have to pay 78€. Not possible for me at the moment, but maybe it helps you :D! it should be cheaper than any seller in europe or a forwarding service

and thanks for the links!
 

GiJoccin

Member
Thanks. I guess it's not a simple thing to do. I'll have to give it a go and maybe it's more straightforward than it reads.

it's very rewarding, i'll say that

once you do it a few times it actually becomes quite simple to do, and kneading can be therapeutic!

plus dough can be individually bagged and frozen even

that's the first bread recipe i attempted, and the dough came out GREAT. bread baking really requires precision, though, so you really should have a scale to measure out the flour and water
 

Skinpop

Member
Made 3 litres of demi glace using veal bones over the last two days. Any recommendations for sauces using demi glace as base? I'm doing bordelais sauce tomorrow.
 
Thank you sir! We've got a small fire extinguisher. (So I take it then there's no concern grilling on a wood porch.)
Ohh, I remembered you could always buy a grilling mat/pad. They're fire resistant and can stand the heat if you have any hot drippings. I always cooked in the yard, so when I cooked in the driveway the last time, I made a small grease spot from the chicken drippings. Oops.
 

Impotaku

Member
it was time for a change. I/we have used our super cheap ikea Stoneware dinnerware long enough
yesterday & today we ordered new stuff from Tokyo Design Studio and our first order of bowls and pasta plates arrived



I also made a quick and dirty eggplant+minced meat+miso lunch.

Missed this post, those bowls are fantastic, love the designs. Looked them up expecting them to be really expensive, was suprised to see how reasonable the prices were. Very tempted.
 

Impotaku

Member
on wednesday our plates arrived

I really love them. and of course it's a plus that they're made in japan.

also, yesterday we got:


:D so awesome.

Hehe nice, liking the plates the hard part is deciding which colour combination i like most. That stove i love using it's so compact, once you try yours you'll see just how good they are. The accessories for the stove are pretty good too as they don't slide about thanks to the feet having notches which match on the stove so it locks in. Currently have the takoyaki plate like you have there, found it really easy to use it's very non stick i had no problems at all it make cooking a pleasure. Also have the okonomiyaki plate but i haven't used that one yet. Need to find some form of cover for it as it helps with the cooking when making okonomiyaki. The only other accessory i want now is the round grill plate with the wire mesh, it's not as fancy as the yakitori grill but good for having an indoor grill plate.

Looks awesome, thank you for sharing! Could you share the preparation, please?

I just followed this video, using the ingredients i could find at the large Asian supermarket we have here in Leeds. Once you have the dashi stock made you can add literally any vegetable or meat as long as it's cut small enough to cook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvR


On another note...

Found these Otafuku okonomiyaki kits last week at the chinese supermarket, bought a couple as they are really REALLY handy to have in the cupboard. Contains everything you need to make okonomiyaki, well the dry ingredients.

Okonomiyaki flour mix
Tenkasu (tempura bits)
Yamaimo powder (a very hard to find ingredient if you don't live in Japan, makes the batter have an elastic texture)
Aonori (powdered seaweed)

Just need to add water, a couple of eggs & some spring onions & cabbage along with a couple of pieces of sliced pork. They get bonus points for having the most wonderfully illustrated instructions, on the back it gives the method for both a frying pan or a hotplate. Years of playing Japanese cooking games have given me quite a vocabulary for cooking based stuff but bless them for including furigana in those instructions.
jagBFqr.jpg

qsvRpvE.jpg


They also recommend using their brand okonomiyaki sauce which is handy as that's exactly what i have in the cupboard hehe.
 

Impotaku

Member
If anyone ever comes across one of the kits and wants to know how to use it.

Add the pink yamaimo powder packet to 160ml cold water and stir till fully dissolved then add the flour okonomiyaki mix. Stir till it's all mixed in & no lumps, then add 300g of finely shredded white cabbage and 2 finely shredded spring onions and the yellow pack of tempura batter bits & add in 2 eggs. Mix throroughly till everything is fully mixed and coated in the batter.

Should look like this...I added beni shoga to my batter but that's optional.
JUfV6yZ.jpg


Add half of the batter to a pan and flatten it out till it's about 2cm thick and then add some slices of thin bacon on top and fry slowly on medium heat for 3 mins with a lid to cover the frying pan as you need steam to help it cook.

Flip over and the pancake so the bacon is on the bottom and fry for 4 minutes on that side with the cover still on the pan, after 4 minutes you need to flip it once more.

fxjngc8.jpg


With the cooked bacon side facing up cook it for another 2 minutes, if you are not sure if the middle is done just turn the heat down to low and give it another few mins with the lid on. If your cabbage was shredded super thin it should be cooked by now but if it's more chunky then you may get crunchy bits.

Then just whack on the toppings, the kit comes with the seaweed powder to sprinkle on. I also added okonomiyaki sauce, japanese mayo & then the seaweed powder. Finished off with katsuobushi which are finely shaved bonito flakes.

And you're done, the kit makes pretty awesome okonomiyaki.
8MVMkg9.jpg
 

Skinpop

Member
made Bordelaise sauce with the demi glace for a lamb steak earlier this evening. the sauce was sublime, it's extremely satisfying knowing I made it all the way from boiling the bones.

For japanese cooking here is a quick tonkatsu sauce(also great on schnitzel) that I think works really well:

2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp worchester sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp water
a few drops of lemon juice.

mix the ingredients together and put in the fridge for half an hour.
 
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