How would you like a little help from a Chef?

[lstbred]

Its a common assumption that just because we eat "heathier" that most of our food tastes like cardboard or dirt, well some of that is true lol but it does'nt have to be that way! Theres tons of little things that people just dont know about or how to do, nor should everyone!! we have a very diverse crowd, mechanics, nurses, and computer people, so knowing these things are'nt really needed but they still want to make thier food taste good, just not sure how. I think that I can help people who want to put a little flavor back into there diet!! I'm willing to help out, improve on existing recipes, give recipes, put up some tips and easy steps that will help to do this if you guy's want. I'm by far no nutritionist but know the basics of it.....and I know food! So its really up to you guy's if thats something you would like. A little about me:
Been in the food service business for 26ish yrs, I started and spent 5.5 yrs in fine dining, the next 5.5 were spent in a nice steak house, 3.5 yrs in corporate dining and have been in the college system since 99' were Ive traveled a lot and helped open/train at a lot of colleges around the states. During that time had a little cafe but that didnt work (when we started the economic collapse was starting to hit big) I'm currently a Food Service Director but my love is the FOOD! So theres much more but I think you get the jist.

[Times Roman]

Start posting your fav recipes!!

[JohnnyVegas]

This sounds fun.

I don't know enough about cooking to even ask questions. I don't want me food to taste TOO good or I will want to eat more of it (former fat guy) but I would like to do something. I have eaten hundreds of pounds of plain chicken breast over the past 18 months.

Wait, I guess I do have a question: is there something I can do to make my chicken more juicy? I bake ten pounds at a time. By the time it is reheated later in the week it is pretty rubbery.

[jasc]

Definitely interested.. I'm subscribed


JohnnyV, you ever try a slow cooker? I used to bake my 10lbs of chicken a week with fairly dry results as well.. Once I tried the slow cooker it was like heaven... Trim up the chicken n put it in there for 6-7 hrs on high and you're gtg. The chicken comes out moist n very tender. It falls apart with a fork! Hope it helps.. it renewed my taste for chicken.

[Times Roman]

^^and if you want juicy chicken ffrom the grill, marinade the chicken in a ziplock, throw a little seasoning in, and then add half a cup of olive oil (but no other liquid). the olive oil will coat the chicken, and when you grill it, somehow lock in alot of the moisture.

[lstbred]

To put it bluntly,I agree, plain chix breast blows! answer a few questions for me and I can help you better:
What flavor would you like to try first? Mexican, Spicy Mexican, Citrus, Italian, fresh herb....
Why are you cooking 10# at a time?
Fact is that most ppl overcook most of thier foods! they think that, that "kills" the bugs but the "recommended" temperatures are way high and are there to absolutely without a doubt kill things.....including your high dollar meat!!, When this happens the moisture in the meats are the first thing that goes. When you use "lean" cuts of anything like chix breast, pork loin, etc, they have very very little fat in them which makes them very dry! its very hard to keep them moist BUT can be done. When you reheat your heating up something that is already dry so it actually makes it worse. Chix breast and pork loin dont take in marinades well either because of the denseness (sp?) This is prob more than you wanted to know but..............once I get your answer I'll be able to help you put something together. ouichef

[lstbred]

Yes, as jasc said crockpot cooking (slow) is a good way to go, I personally do brined whole chix. I will do up a article and how to about brining later.

[Brohim]

yes we could alway's use new way's to cook chicken!

[texasmk4]

Subscribed

[sgt2jay]

This sounds fun.

I don't know enough about cooking to even ask questions. I don't want me food to taste TOO good or I will want to eat more of it (former fat guy) but I would like to do something. I have eaten hundreds of pounds of plain chicken breast over the past 18 months.

Wait, I guess I do have a question: is there something I can do to make my chicken more juicy? I bake ten pounds at a time. By the time it is reheated later in the week it is pretty rubbery.

JV.

I cook around 6 - 7 lbs a week as well. I use small continers to pack my daily meals in. i ahve found that if i put it in the freezed still warm the condinsation seems to freeze into the chicken, then when i re heat it i pur a wet paper towel over it while i micor wave it. is seems to take the dryness out.

sgt

[lstbred]

New chix recipe added, Dijon Honey Chicken, low calorie.
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...ce-low-calorie

[lstbred]

New chix recipe added, Sesame grilled Chicken, low calorie.
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...en-low-calorie

[SexySweetheart]

were is the "LIKE" button for this thread?
lol

~always on the look out for tasty / fast / low carb / low sugar / idea


thanks for taking the time to add input in the recipe forum lstbred!

[lstbred]

Added: Asian Chicken (any protien) Lettuce Wraps.
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...-Lettuce-Wraps

[JohnnyVegas]

To put it bluntly,I agree, plain chix breast blows! answer a few questions for me and I can help you better:
What flavor would you like to try first? Mexican, Spicy Mexican, Citrus, Italian, fresh herb....
Why are you cooking 10# at a time?
Fact is that most ppl overcook most of thier foods! they think that, that "kills" the bugs but the "recommended" temperatures are way high and are there to absolutely without a doubt kill things.....including your high dollar meat!!, When this happens the moisture in the meats are the first thing that goes. When you use "lean" cuts of anything like chix breast, pork loin, etc, they have very very little fat in them which makes them very dry! its very hard to keep them moist BUT can be done. When you reheat your heating up something that is already dry so it actually makes it worse. Chix breast and pork loin dont take in marinades well either because of the denseness (sp?) This is prob more than you wanted to know but..............once I get your answer I'll be able to help you put something together. ouichef

My attendance has been spotty, just getting back to this thread.

I cook ten pounds at a time because I want to get as much cooking done at once as possible. No way I can cook each day's food independently. Even if I had the time, I don't enjoy it. I think cooking is boring (but have a huge respect for people that love it) and I hate to spend 45 minutes cooking something that only takes me four minutes to eat. I do not eat for pleasure - I eat because it is in my schedule and I need to do it to grow.

Honestly, I can eat plain chicken, rice oatmeal and eggs every day and it isn't torture. Having said that, I would try out some simple things (I don't like grocery shopping any more than I like cooking) to see if I can move away from the dark side and actually enjoy my food a little more.

Here is the other issue - I was a fat guy, so I don't like to eat or cook for enjoyment as I will eat too much...a habit I need to stay away from. So, I might be hopeless.

[lstbred]

Thats very cool, you worked hard to get where youre at!! BUT in doing so you took all the flavor, fun, enjoyment out of it, I do understand that it was necessary at the time but as you said "I WAS a fat guy" now with the will power you have learned you can put it in to food. I will keep it small and simple for you. I encourage you to try, if it works for you great, if it doesnt, dont. Not trying to sell ya bro, its just part of who I am.

10# Chicken Breast, 2 bottles "30 minute marinade" Herb & Garlic, mix together. Done!
Simple, easy, quick and no work but adds a lot.

10#Chicken, 2 boxes (3 packs in each) of onion soup mix (dry), mix together, 1 hr to 1 day. Done
Simple, easy, quick and no work but adds a lot.

[lstbred]

New recipe added; Rosemary Chix/Turkey or Pork Chop, low cal
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...k-Chop-low-cal

[lstbred]

How about some BEEF!! added a Mex style shredded beef recipe.
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...-Shredded-Beef

[kalspic]

if you guys want to cook up a nice meal for the family or date thats still healthy and awesome look into trussing a chicken. im sure lstbred can explain a little better. if done correctly it will produce the juciest chicken you have ever had.

[jasc]

if you guys want to cook up a nice meal for the family or date thats still healthy and awesome look into trussing a chicken. im sure lstbred can explain a little better. if done correctly it will produce the juciest chicken you have ever had.

Never heard of this.. an explanation/recipe from the chef would be great.

My go-to method for prepping a juicy chicken meal for a date is the slow cooker.. Invite her over, pop that bad boy in, look over to your date n casually mention, "Well baby the dinner's on, we have 6 hours to kill *wink wink*.

[kalspic]

it involves using a whole bird. essentially you use butchers twin to tie the legs in so the breast and thigh cook at the same rate. what your left with is the juciest breast you have ever had. you can also stuff the cavity with herbs and lemon slices.

[lstbred]

Heres a short vid on how to truss. I like to brine my chickens/turkey/pork shoulders to make it more juicy. I will add a recipe & how to this weekend.

http://ruhlman.com/2010/07/how-to-truss-a-chicken/

[kalspic]

i like to stuff mine with fresh herbs. not a fan of lemon slices, i think they make it bitter. and roast it on a bed of vegtables(carrots celery onions) in a preheated 350 degree oven till a thermometer registers 160 in the thickest part of the thigh. takes around 1 1/2 hours. ill also bast it with the pan juices. not to take away from lstbreds thunder but for brining ill use 1c salt and 1/2c sugar plus whatever herbs i want to every gallon of water

[lstbred]

Great way to do bird! I wont do a turkey now if I cant brine it, I have tried all kindas of stuff as a brine.

[kalspic]

agreed and if i can get a hold of a brine injector ill also use that

[Brohim]

a link to all your work you added?

[JohnnyVegas]

Thats very cool, you worked hard to get where youre at!! BUT in doing so you took all the flavor, fun, enjoyment out of it, I do understand that it was necessary at the time but as you said "I WAS a fat guy" now with the will power you have learned you can put it in to food. I will keep it small and simple for you. I encourage you to try, if it works for you great, if it doesnt, dont. Not trying to sell ya bro, its just part of who I am.

10# Chicken Breast, 2 bottles "30 minute marinade" Herb & Garlic, mix together. Done!
Simple, easy, quick and no work but adds a lot.

10#Chicken, 2 boxes (3 packs in each) of onion soup mix (dry), mix together, 1 hr to 1 day. Done
Simple, easy, quick and no work but adds a lot.

I will give these a try. Thanks!

[kronik420]

Never heard of this.. an explanation/recipe from the chef would be great.

My go-to method for prepping a juicy chicken meal for a date is the slow cooker.. Invite her over, pop that bad boy in, look over to your date n casually mention, "Well baby the dinner's on, we have 6 hours to kill *wink wink*.

slow cooker, got it, ill write that 1 down.

[dep30]

I cut breast into strips and soak it in milk for an hour. Then i season them with chili powder. And dip the strips in minced almonds, or ritz crackers or whatever you want. Bake them for 30 minutes at 400. They are very juicy and have good flavor. Thats my favorite way to do chicken.

[eightythree]

An alternative to a slow cooker is a pressure cooker, incredible for cooking roasts, soups, etc. lightning fast. A simple recipe for beans would be

1 lb. Navy Beans
4 cups Chicken Stock
Celery
1 Onion
Olive Oil
Salt

Saute the chopped Onion and Celery with the oil in the pressure cooker. After Onion is translucent add your beans and chicken stock. Bring cooker up to pressure for 25 minutes. After its done, take it off the flame and let the cooker cool down tot he point you can remove the lid. Stir and salt to taste. Super good and healthy.

[eightythree]

I do Eye of Round in the pressure cooker too. It's really really simple.

1 2-4lbs Eye of Round roast
2 cups of Beef Stock
Garlic Salt
Salt
Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Olive Oil

Get a good coat of spices on the outside of the roast. Pour some olive oil in the bottom of the cooker and saute the roast on each side. Add stock, bring cooker up to temperature and cook for 12 minutes per 1 lb. of roast. Let the steam naturally release when done. You can keep the broth watery as it is, kinda like an au jous or you can use a little corn starch and water to thicken it up into a gravy.

[deathdodger]

Its all about how its prepared you can make anything taste good and still be healthy.

[lstbred]

Added a new one. Southwestern pork stew.
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...tern-Pork-Stew

[SantasNotReal]

How do I view these recipes? Where are they?

[lstbred]

Grilled veggies, how-to, plus recipe.
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...es-Plus-Recipe

Roasted Peppers, how-to, uses
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...rs-How-to-uses

[lstbred]

Ive added links to all the recipes I've added. Thier all in the recipe section but for ease I will post links from now on.

[SantasNotReal]

awesome, thanks!

[DRdee]

I am subscribed. Going to try these out. All I do is eat chicken and it gets pretty plain.

[lstbred]

Cool! any questions you have please feel free to ask away, I dont know everything" but if I dont know, I'll find out!!

[lstbred]

Ive been slacking lately so heres two new ones for you!
Herb Grilled Chicken Breast
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...34#post6164334

Cobb Club Sandwich
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...-Club-Sandwich