Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.
Hi all, please see this major site announcement: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058427594/boards-ie-2026

The General Chat Thread

1…146147149151152…331

Comments

  • #4442
    Photo-Sniper
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,217 ✭✭✭Photo-Sniper


    Stheno wrote: »
    I was in Mongolian Barbeque this evening and the beef they use for the stir fry was gorgeous, very very thinly sliced, and very tender.

    Am trying to figure out the cut of beef, would it be something like flank steak?
    More than likely Flank, cut across the marbling. Nice and tender


  • #4443
    Stheno
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,685 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    Photo-Sniper wrote: »
    More than likely Flank, cut across the marbling. Nice and tender

    Thanks you've described it perfectly :)

    Would a butcher be willing to slice a flank up using their slicer? Can't imagine how I'd cut it that thinly otherwise

    And secondly is there another name for flank steak? An awful lot of the time when I ask for flank steak I get looked at blankly, think they've referred to it by another name that starts with b?


  • #4444
    Photo-Sniper
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,217 ✭✭✭Photo-Sniper


    Stheno wrote: »
    Thanks you've described it perfectly :)

    Would a butcher be willing to slice a flank up using their slicer? Can't imagine how I'd cut it that thinly otherwise

    And secondly is there another name for flank steak? An awful lot of the time when I ask for flank steak I get looked at blankly, think they've referred to it by another name that starts with b?
    Sharp knife would cut it paper thin for you.

    Its called a London Broil in England, but mostly known as a flank so thats a bit strange they look blankly.


  • #4445
    Stheno
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 51,685 Mod ✭✭✭✭Stheno


    Photo-Sniper wrote: »
    Sharp knife would cut it paper thin for you.

    Its called a London Broil in England, but mostly known as a flank so thats a bit strange they look blankly.

    I remembered!

    Bavette is what they keep referring to in my local butchers :)


  • #4446
    confusticated
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,682 ✭✭✭confusticated


    Loire, only thing I can think of for kitchens is avoid a corner cupboard, or if you have one, put in one of the spinny things so you can rotate it easily to get at all of the contents. We've a corner press in the kitchen at home and it gets really underused because it's hard to reach the back of it - Mam keeps saying she wants one of the rotating things put in so she can actually use the cupboard.

    Raised dishwasher sounds excellent, I once lived in a flat with a DIY version of this, in that the dishwasher was on top of the washing machine. Bizzare, and awkward to reach the top rack for anyone less than six feet tall!


  • Advertisement
  • #4447
    Cedrus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,429 ✭✭✭Cedrus


    Loire wrote: »
    Hi all,

    Planning on getting a new kitchen in the coming months. Really happy, as our current kitchen is at least 30 years old!

    Any tips?

    Loire.

    Gas Hob, bottled if necessary. Induction hob is a slack second if gas is not possible.
    Electric Oven, under counter if just for the odd roast, counter level if you're mad into baking.
    Pull out larders, if only so you can see the dates on the exotic cans.
    Depending on household size, a split dishwasher can be a massive bonus.
    Avoid the corner unit Black Hole.
    Proper storage for Bread, if it's in the fridge, it's not proper bread or you don't care anyway.
    Get the biggest butch-est extractor fan that your outside wall will hold, retail level cooker hoods are useless unless you only want to gently poach your food.
    Space for the Dog/Cat.
    We're big into Fisher & Paykel these days but there are many other manufacturers who have excellent gear


  • #4448
    Tarzana2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,553 ✭✭✭Tarzana2


    Made a beef stew last night - the broth was flavoursome, the veggies were tasty, but the meat was disappointing. It was tender but dry at the same time. Not sure if I'm describing that too well. The chunks broke up easily but chewing the meat wasn't a pleasant experience. You know when you're chewing meat and it gets that stringy, almost furry texture in your mouth? Would this just be down to it being crappy enough quality meat? I got it in a supermarket.


  • #4449
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,661 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    It sounds like you used a very lean cut of beef? In a stew, you typically use tough meat with a lot of fat and connective tissue that breaks down over the cooking process to give a velvety feel to the meat. If you had dry but tender meat, it suggests overcooked lean meat.


  • #4450
    corblimey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,475 ✭✭✭corblimey


    Two questions occurred to me during the cooking of this dish (which turned out very well, my misgivings about quinoa notwithstanding) and hopefully this is the right place to put them rather than adding a new thread?

    1. The directions say to fry up the onions, then remove them and start with the chicken. The only other dish where I have to employ this 'start again' approach is with my jambalaya, but even then the first step is to cook up the chorizo, remove it and start with the veg in the resulting chorizo'd oil, so that makes sense. Here, I don't see why I remove the onions, adding them back when I'm adding the balti paste and quinoa?

    2. A lot of my recipes appear to include a 400g tin of tomatoes. It's always that much and it's not always what I would consider "tomato-based recipes", this one for example. So why tinned tomatoes, and why that amount (apart from the fact that it seems that's the amount they're sold in)? Do they add bulk or something?


  • #4451
    clappyhappy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,781 ✭✭✭clappyhappy


    corblimey wrote: »
    Two questions occurred to me during the cooking of this dish (which turned out very well, my misgivings about quinoa notwithstanding) and hopefully this is the right place to put them rather than adding a new thread?

    1. The directions say to fry up the onions, then remove them and start with the chicken. The only other dish where I have to employ this 'start again' approach is with my jambalaya, but even then the first step is to cook up the chorizo, remove it and start with the veg in the resulting chorizo'd oil, so that makes sense. Here, I don't see why I remove the onions, adding them back when I'm adding the balti paste and quinoa?

    2. A lot of my recipes appear to include a 400g tin of tomatoes. It's always that much and it's not always what I would consider "tomato-based recipes", this one for example. So why tinned tomatoes, and why that amount (apart from the fact that it seems that's the amount they're sold in)? Do they add bulk or something?


    The reason the onions are cooked and removed is probably so that the onions which are large sliced are cooked fully to get the full flavour out of them. They are removed so that they won't get burnt (or soggy) when cooking the chicken.

    Adding a tin of tomatoes adds flavour, colour, nutrients and reduces the amount of stock you use. I always put a tin of tomatoes into my curry dishes and stews.


  • Advertisement
  • #4452
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    Any recipe I use where you remove the onions and then cook the meat before putting the onions back in, it's because the heat goes way up to brown the meat, and that would burn the onions. It would also interfere with the browning process too.


  • #4453
    the beer revolu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,041 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    Tarzana2 wrote: »
    Made a beef stew last night - the broth was flavoursome, the veggies were tasty, but the meat was disappointing. It was tender but dry at the same time. Not sure if I'm describing that too well. The chunks broke up easily but chewing the meat wasn't a pleasant experience. You know when you're chewing meat and it gets that stringy, almost furry texture in your mouth? Would this just be down to it being crappy enough quality meat? I got it in a supermarket.

    Would "cardboardy" describe the texture?

    Sounds like you used round steak - a common mistake.


  • #4454
    the beer revolu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,041 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    corblimey wrote: »
    Two questions occurred to me during the cooking of this dish (which turned out very well, my misgivings about quinoa notwithstanding) and hopefully this is the right place to put them rather than adding a new thread?

    1. The directions say to fry up the onions, then remove them and start with the chicken. The only other dish where I have to employ this 'start again' approach is with my jambalaya, but even then the first step is to cook up the chorizo, remove it and start with the veg in the resulting chorizo'd oil, so that makes sense. Here, I don't see why I remove the onions, adding them back when I'm adding the balti paste and quinoa?
    ?

    A way around this removing stuff from the pot is to use a casserole pot and a frying pan.
    Brown stuff in the frying pan and transfer to pot one at a time.

    Or, for example, when making a stew, I'll brown the veg in the pot, then use the pan to brown meat in batches and add to pot. Then I deglaze the pan with whatever liquids I'm using.


  • #4455
    MissFlitworth
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,057 ✭✭✭MissFlitworth


    We are having slow cooker brisket & onions for dinner tonight and I dunno what to do with it as a side dish. We had mash last night so bit mashed out. Was thinking twice cooked baked potatoes with cheese and bacon bits but, would that be the kind of dinner that KOs us through sheer over indulgence in richness?


  • #4456
    the beer revolu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,041 ✭✭✭✭the beer revolu


    MissFlitworth wrote: »
    We are having slow cooker brisket & onions for dinner tonight and I dunno what to do with it as a side dish. We had mash last night so bit mashed out. Was thinking twice cooked baked potatoes with cheese and bacon bits but, would that be the kind of dinner that KOs us through sheer over indulgence in richness?

    Pearl barley or wet polenta would both be good.


  • #4457
    beertons
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 23,397 ✭✭✭✭beertons


    Steamed a few of them fish balls I bought last week. Yuck. Into the bin with them. Don't think I'd like them in anything. Scratch that one of the try list anyway.


  • #4458
    Tarzana2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,553 ✭✭✭Tarzana2


    Faith wrote: »
    It sounds like you used a very lean cut of beef? In a stew, you typically use tough meat with a lot of fat and connective tissue that breaks down over the cooking process to give a velvety feel to the meat. If you had dry but tender meat, it suggests overcooked lean meat.

    Yeah, actually, going by the nutritional info, it must have been lean, only 135 kcals per 100g, which is pretty low for beef. Other stewing beefs would be 200+ kcals per 100g, probably reflecting the extra fat. Damn, got a few days portions of this to eat. :( Hate food waste but really don't want to eat this. Maybe the neighbourhood foxes will get a little treat!


  • #4459
    Tarzana2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,553 ✭✭✭Tarzana2


    the beer revolu wrote: »
    Would "cardboardy" describe the texture?

    Sounds like you used round steak - a common mistake.

    Yes, cardboardy is exactly what it was!

    So in the butchers, if they have pre-cubed stewing steak, don't buy if it turns out to be round steak?

    What are the best beef stew cuts? Cos a good beef stew is a damn fine thing.


  • #4460
    IvyTheTerrible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,949 ✭✭✭✭IvyTheTerrible


    Tarzana2 wrote: »
    Yes, cardboardy is exactly what it was!

    So in the butchers, if they have pre-cubed stewing steak, don't buy if it turns out to be round steak?

    What are the best beef stew cuts? Cos a good beef stew is a damn fine thing.
    I use a mix of "collier and poitrine" it needs a long cooking but it's so tender. I'll find the names of the cuts in English.


  • #4461
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    IvyTheTerrible wrote: »
    I use a mix of "collier and poitrine" it needs a long cooking but it's so tender. I'll find the names of the cuts in English.

    Collar and breast it appears.

    I also learned to not google image search poitrine. :o:pac:


  • Advertisement
  • #4462
    Minder
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,774 ✭✭✭Minder


    Tarzana2 wrote: »
    What are the best beef stew cuts? Cos a good beef stew is a damn fine thing.

    Oxtail, beef shin and short rib are all excellent for long slow cooks. But be prepared to double the cooking time for many recipes. 90 minutes won't do a short rib or shin any justice. Whereas 3 hours will give you beef heaven. Also, don't mess around with pre cut pieces. Much better to cut larger pieces yourself from a whole piece of shin or a slab of short rib.


  • #4463
    Tarzana2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,553 ✭✭✭Tarzana2


    Minder wrote: »
    Oxtail, beef shin and short rib are all excellent for long slow cooks. But be prepared to double the cooking time for many recipes. 90 minutes won't do a short rib or shin any justice. Whereas 3 hours will give you beef heaven. Also, don't mess around with pre cut pieces. Much better to cut larger pieces yourself from a whole piece of shin or a slab of short rib.

    Oh yeah, I always do beef stew for 3-3.5 hours.


  • #4464
    Loire
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,036 ✭✭✭Loire


    Beef cheek is also great low & slow


  • #4465
    Cedrus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,429 ✭✭✭Cedrus


    the beer revolu wrote: »
    Sounds like you used round steak - a common mistake.

    Round steak is fine for stew, but it's a one hour stew not a three hour one and it will never be as good as shin or oxtail, it is however a lot easier to get if you're limited to shopping in supermarkets.


  • #4466
    Tarzana2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,553 ✭✭✭Tarzana2


    Cedrus wrote: »
    Round steak is fine for stew, but it's a one hour stew not a three hour one and it will never be as good as shin or oxtail, it is however a lot easier to get if you're limited to shopping in supermarkets.

    So for this particularly cut, I probably just cooked it for way too long? Gonna force myself to eat it anyway. The other elements are tasty, and I hate wasting food!


  • #4467
    Cedrus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,429 ✭✭✭Cedrus


    Tarzana2 wrote: »
    So for this particularly cut, I probably just cooked it for way too long? Gonna force myself to eat it anyway. The other elements are tasty, and I hate wasting food!

    It would seem so, I'd cook round steak for about an an hour to hour and a half on the hob, 20 minutes in the pressure cooker and that's pushing it.

    If the meat is really unpalatable but
    Tarzana2 wrote: »
    the broth was flavoursome, the veggies were tasty
    I'd scoop the meat out and give it to my dogs and just go with the sauce on some lovely waxy spuds (I hate the balls of flour that are adored by so many).


  • #4468
    Tarzana2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,553 ✭✭✭Tarzana2


    I love waxy spuds too but I have to say I like to use floury ones in stew because I like that they disintegrate into the stew and thicken it nicely.

    I like both waxy and floury shpuds, I think they both have their uses. :)


  • #4469
    Tarzana2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,553 ✭✭✭Tarzana2


    Cedrus wrote: »
    I'd scoop the meat out and give it to my dogs and just go with the sauce on some lovely waxy spuds (I hate the balls of flour that are adored by so many).

    You've given me an idea, I have some sausages in the freezer which I could defrost overnight and fry up tomorrow. Scoop out the meat, replace with the chopped up sausages, feed the meat to the foxes and we'll all have happy bellies. :pac:


  • #4470
    BaZmO*
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    ^^^ LOL

    Mrs Fox liked that post! :)


  • Advertisement
  • #4471
    Mrs Fox
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,292 ✭✭✭Mrs Fox


    *Sending my clan to Tarzana's:D


This discussion has been closed.
Advertisement