Tonight, I was cooking filet mignon for SWMBO and I. It was a pretty simple
recipie - pan fry the filets in a little oil, set 'em aside, deglaze the pan
with red wine, add a little beef stock and shallots and cook down, and
finish with cognac. The recipie (believe it or not) was from SWMBO's weight
watchers cookbook - suprisingly yummy stuff.
While I was watching this stuff cook, it occured to me that it was going to
be somewhat thin, and I prefer a sauce with a little more body than what I
was seeing. Given that the final result was intended to be relatively
low-fat, cream was clearly out. I didn't have time to make a roux. Then,
inspiration struck - cornstarch! It works great for chinese cooking, right?
So, I reached into the pantry, grabbed the box, mixed it with a little
water, and waited for the right moment to dump it in. When I thought it was
time, I poured. Rather than thickening, the entire mixture foamed a little,
then turned the color of india ink. More precisely, india ink with shallots
floating in it. I thought, "well, dammit, that's ugly. Maybe it'll still
taste ok..." If "ok" means "looks like ink, but tastes like paint" then it
was ok.
I thought about cornstarch, chemistry classes in college, homebrewing,
mixing custom finishes and everything else in the mental rolodex. I
couldn't figure out why, exactly, this had happened. What had reacted with
the cornstarch? What the hell reacts with cornstarch, anyway? Was it the
wine? The sugars in the cognac? I knew it wasn't the beef stock, at any
rate.
We dumped the stuff, and had the steaks plain, all the while staring at the
black goo in the bowl on the table. I chalked up the whole thing as an
experience. I'd have chalked it up as a learning experience, but I didn't
really learn anything since I couldn't figure it out. So, still confused, I
set to cleaning up the kitchen, and I found the little box I'd grabbed
earlier sitting on the counter.
An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
Baking soda.
On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 04:07:47 GMT, "Tim and Stephanie" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Tonight, I was cooking filet mignon for SWMBO and I. It was a pretty simple
>recipie - pan fry the filets in a little oil, set 'em aside, deglaze the pan
>with red wine, add a little beef stock and shallots and cook down, and
>finish with cognac.
If you'd applied a seal coat of shellac to the filets, you could
experiment more easily with sauces. If they fail, just wipe them clean
and try again.
In article <nchjd.1131$6I1.768@trndny05>,
Tim and Stephanie <[email protected]> wrote:
>
[[.. snip ..]]
>
>An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
>
>Baking soda.
Been there, done _exactly_ that. circa 30 years ago. When Armand's product
was in a much _less_ reddish-tinged box than it is today.
Was making "shaved beef and white sauce" -- it's a quick meal, and actually
quite good over rice. Brown the beef shreds first, drain, reduce heat, add
some water, then add the 'cornstarch'.
Spit! *sizzle* POP WhatintheHELL is going on here? Texture isn't
right either.
*THEN* I notice I've got the _short_ yellow box (with the hammer in a circle),
instead of the taller one with the ear-of-maize.
Off to the sink, and rinse _thoroughly_. Sample a couple of pieces of the
beef -- no damage, So, back to the stove, making *SURE* I've got the right
box, this time. Couple of comments at the table, that dinner was especially
good that night. I did _not_ explain the 'variance' in preparation. :)
Note: I've _never_ made that error again. Might have something to do with the
fact that I started keeping the cornstarch and the baking-soda at *opposite*
ends of the shelf. <grin>
On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 04:07:47 GMT, "Tim and Stephanie" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>Tonight, I was cooking filet mignon for SWMBO and Me.
[snip]
>An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
>
>Baking soda.
I have a friend who would refer to this as "an intensely educational
experience".
Tim Douglass
http://www.DouglassClan.com
On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 10:33:11 -0800, Larry Jaques
<novalidaddress@di\/ersify.com> wrote:
>On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 10:35:30 GMT, "Lawrence L'Hote" <[email protected]>
>calmly ranted:
>>
>>I know the feeling! FWIW I found that arrowroot starch makes a better
>>thickening agent although more expensive. Also, I have a part of a case of
>>Thickenup(Novartis) that comes in handy when my stir-fry gets too runny.
>>The Thickenup is modified starch and similiar to that stuff in instant
>>pudding mix.
>
>Try buying the arrowroot powder at the local health food section in
>the larger grocery stores. It's a fifth the price of the can or jar
>from the spice "dealers". I think I picked it up for 18¢ an ounce.
Don't know how it compares to arrowroot in price or effect, but IME potato
starch is the most powerful -- i.e., least amount needed to thicken.
Started using it when in Europe -- it's what my friends there use. In the
US can sometimes be found in the "Jewish foods" section at the grocery
store. Powerful stuff. I use it for stews and the like, but corn starch
for Chinese food. -- Igor
"Tim and Stephanie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:nchjd.1131$6I1.768@trndny05...
>
> Tonight, I was cooking filet mignon for SWMBO and I. It was a pretty
> simple
> recipie -
> I thought about cornstarch,
> An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
I know the feeling! FWIW I found that arrowroot starch makes a better
thickening agent although more expensive. Also, I have a part of a case of
Thickenup(Novartis) that comes in handy when my stir-fry gets too runny.
The Thickenup is modified starch and similiar to that stuff in instant
pudding mix.
> >Tonight, I was cooking filet mignon for SWMBO and I.
>
> You cooked a steak for "I"? (S/B "SWMBO and me." as in "for SWMBO"
> and "for me", ya follow?)
Yah, yah...
It's uh, um... A Jamaican affectation? You know, "I and I be cookin, mon."
> >An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
>
> Oops! That must have tasted quite, erm...interesting.
"Interesting" would be an admirable understatement. "Unbearable" would be
closer but probably still too gentle.
> >Baking soda.
>
> Silly man. Everyone knows that the cornstarch box is _yellow_.
Yup. I know this. I knew it before I did this.
On the plus side, as one of my old teachers used to say, "maximum learning
has been achieved".
Tim and Stephanie wrote:
>> >Tonight, I was cooking filet mignon for SWMBO and I.
>>
>> You cooked a steak for "I"? (S/B "SWMBO and me." as in "for SWMBO"
>> and "for me", ya follow?)
>
> Yah, yah...
> It's uh, um... A Jamaican affectation? You know, "I and I be cookin,
> mon."
>
>> >An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
>>
>> Oops! That must have tasted quite, erm...interesting.
>
> "Interesting" would be an admirable understatement. "Unbearable" would be
> closer but probably still too gentle.
>
>> >Baking soda.
>>
>> Silly man. Everyone knows that the cornstarch box is _yellow_.
>
> Yup. I know this. I knew it before I did this.
> On the plus side, as one of my old teachers used to say, "maximum learning
> has been achieved".
Was it Mark Twain who said "A man who sets out to carry a cat by the tail
learns a lesson that will always be useful and never be forgotten"?
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 00:26:24 -0600, Joe Wells <[email protected]>
wrote:
>On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 04:07:47 +0000, Tim and Stephanie wrote:
>
>> An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
>>
>> Baking soda.
>
>Ouch.
>
>FWIW, if you *do* want to use cornstarch, don't just add it to the
>sauce.
He didn't.
>Mix it with a bit of cool liquid first,
He did:
>> So, I reached into the pantry, grabbed the box, mixed it with a little
>> water,
>Once the cs slurry is added, bring to a boil, this is what kicks the
>thickening into high gear.
Alton Brown is always reminding us of that. I think Emeril does, too.
- -
LRod
Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite
Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999
http://www.woodbutcher.net
In article <nchjd.1131$6I1.768@trndny05>,
"Tim and Stephanie" <[email protected]> wrote:
> An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
<grin> Oooops. Thanks for the chuckle.
--
Owen Lowe and his Fly-by-Night Copper Company
____
"Sure we'll have fascism in America, but it'll come disguised
as 100% Americanism." -- Huey P. Long
On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 04:07:47 +0000, Tim and Stephanie wrote:
> An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
>
> Baking soda.
Ouch.
FWIW, if you *do* want to use cornstarch, don't just add it to the
sauce. Mix it with a bit of cool liquid first, preferably something close
to what's in the sauce, but water will work in a pinch. This will create a
slurry and will readily mix with the sauce. If you add the cornstarch in
straight, you'll probably just end up with lumpy bits of cornstarch
floating in a thin sauce. Once the cs slurry is added, bring to a boil,
this is what kicks the thickening into high gear.
--
Joe Wells
On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 04:07:47 GMT, "Tim and Stephanie" <[email protected]>
calmly ranted:
>
>Tonight, I was cooking filet mignon for SWMBO and I.
You cooked a steak for "I"? (S/B "SWMBO and me." as in "for SWMBO"
and "for me", ya follow?)
>So, still confused, I
>set to cleaning up the kitchen, and I found the little box I'd grabbed
>earlier sitting on the counter.
>
>An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
Oops! That must have tasted quite, erm...interesting.
>Baking soda.
Silly man. Everyone knows that the cornstarch box is _yellow_.
--
The State always moves slowly and grudgingly towards any purpose that
accrues to society's advantage, but moves rapidly and with alacrity
towards one that accrues to its own advantage; nor does it ever move
towards social purposes on its own initiative, but only under heavy
pressure, while its motion towards anti-social purposes is self-sprung.
- Albert Jay Nock
- http://diversify.com Web Programming for curmudgeons and others. -
On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 10:35:30 GMT, "Lawrence L'Hote" <[email protected]>
calmly ranted:
>
>"Tim and Stephanie" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:nchjd.1131$6I1.768@trndny05...
>>
>> Tonight, I was cooking filet mignon for SWMBO and I. It was a pretty
>> simple
>> recipie -
>> I thought about cornstarch,
>> An orange box. With an arm. And a hammer.
>
>I know the feeling! FWIW I found that arrowroot starch makes a better
>thickening agent although more expensive. Also, I have a part of a case of
>Thickenup(Novartis) that comes in handy when my stir-fry gets too runny.
>The Thickenup is modified starch and similiar to that stuff in instant
>pudding mix.
Try buying the arrowroot powder at the local health food section in
the larger grocery stores. It's a fifth the price of the can or jar
from the spice "dealers". I think I picked it up for 18¢ an ounce.
--
The State always moves slowly and grudgingly towards any purpose that
accrues to society's advantage, but moves rapidly and with alacrity
towards one that accrues to its own advantage; nor does it ever move
towards social purposes on its own initiative, but only under heavy
pressure, while its motion towards anti-social purposes is self-sprung.
- Albert Jay Nock
- http://diversify.com Web Programming for curmudgeons and others. -
Twitch.
That said, I am reminded of one of my first solo cooking forays. On one
of my first Boy Scout overnighters, I was appointed to cook oatmeal for
breakfast. Fire going, large saucepan at the ready, box of Quaker's
with instructions... No sweat, eh?
OKaaayy. Cup of this, two of that, and some teaspoons of salt.
Teaspoon? Don't ask. This can be the object of a bit of scientific
reasoning. What's that little spoon that sits on the dinner table next
to your knife? That must be the tablespoon 'cause it's on the table!
The bigger one must, ergo, be the teaspoon. The stuff was inedible.
Not sure whether I learned anything that day except that I should
increase the volume of words and definitions in my vocabulary. Lest I
go hungry again.
mahalo,
jo4hn (aka chubbo)