For french toast, I find that it's important to let the bread sit for a couple of minutes before it goes in the pan. This allows the egg wash to really soak into the bread, otherwise you can get the fried egg things on the surface of the french toast which can be kind of gross. I just use eggs, cream and vanilla.
just got into "cooking", heres a noob question:
whenever i follow advice like "put the spaghetti for 8 minutes into the boiling water" its always way too short.
is it because:
a) i like it more cooked than the average
b)my oven is inaccurate with temperature (i do see some differences between my 2 ovens, but the newer (and thus better one) shows even bigger disagreements with the receipt.
What is your elevation? High elevation will require longer cook times for pasta. Make sure your water comes to a vigorous boil. You're probably putting the pasta in the water when it's like 195 degrees. Use a lot of water. Like six quarts per pound of pasta. This is so the pasta doesn't cool off the the water so much when you add it to the water.
The time listed for pasta usually states 8 minutes after the water returns to a boil. So if you're timing it as soon as you add it, that might be your problem. Also, the times on pasta packages are for al dente, which is a little stiff. I prefer mine a little more cooked, so I don't really follow the package. I just test a noodle to see if their done.
The thing with pasta,rice, spaghetti, potatoes, couscous etc is that when you get experience you sort of develop your own techniques naturally. I dont time anything anymore, but I never burn, undercook or overcook. It just comes with practice.
guess the biggest thing I'll cook in there is a roasting chicken or ~3-4lb pork shoulder
should just some random $30 one from Walmart work just fine, or do I need to do something more baller
aside from everything else, large slow cookers are great for making homemade stock. I often simmer my bone broth/stock for up to 72 hours, and the slow cooker makes the process very simple and worry free...
I prefer a heavy enameled cast iron french oven over a crock pot. It's great because you can brown what you're braising in the same pot and then just put it in a low oven for 3 or six hours. I have both and I basically never use the crock pot.
I prefer a heavy enameled cast iron french oven over a crock pot. It's great because you can brown what you're braising in the same pot and then just put it in a low oven for 3 or six hours. I have both and I basically never use the crock pot.
Use your crock pot for sous-vide cooking? I'm not sure what the difference between a french oven and a dutch oven are, but I agree a good one like you mention is pretty sweet.
Use your crock pot for sous-vide cooking? I'm not sure what the difference between a french oven and a dutch oven are, but I agree a good one like you mention is pretty sweet.
Yes for sure a crock pot can be converted into a sous-vide setup, and it's great for that. A french oven is an enameled dutch oven. A cast iron pan is great because the increasingly excellent nonstick is useful for so many applications. An enameled cast-iron surface is a good nonstick surface, but not as good as well-treated cast iron. But for braising and stewing, the great cast iron surface really isn't necessary. You get a really great heavy cast iron pot without having to care for the cast iron. You can wash it with soap.