This is a recipe review, which means this is a recipe that I did not personally come up with, but that I tried out and am giving my opinion on how the recipe turned out. For legal reasons I cannot post these recipes, but I can tell you where you can get them yourself.

I watched Alton Brown’s episode of Good Eats entitled “Don’t Be Chicken Of Dumplings” when it first aired a couple months ago. But since it was entering summer time I wasn’t quite ready to drink down some chicken broth. But with the sore throat I have been dealing with lately, I thought the time is now. So I ran off to the supermarket to get what I needed. Here are my notes from this recipe:

Click here to open up the recipe.

1. I only have a 4 qt pressure cooker. Thus a 5 to 5 1/2 pound stewing hen isn’t going to fit. I could barely squeeze in a 4 pound roasting chicken. But it worked just fine. It still produced a flavorful meal.

2. Alton strained his broth with a colander and cheesecloth because he likes his broth clean. He said his mother would say this step isn’t necessary. I agree with his mother. I left my broth as is. I just transferred to another a wide pot for the cooking of my dumplings.

3. The dumplings were easy to make. I had no problems whatsoever. Using a gallon size bag with a corner cut out is the perfect way to dispense the dumplings into the hot broth. Also the dumplings tasted great!

4. My wife originally wanted to add carrots and celery thinking the broth would not be flavorful enough with just salt added. But with one taste of the broth, the vegetables remained in the fridge! The broth is very flavorful.

This was an excellent dish, that I look forward to using on cold winter evenings and for guests. It’s easy to make and delicious.

Recipe Grade: A

Whenever one is feeling sick, usually some intense TV viewing is a part of the experience. So myself being sick today, thought it make for a good time to review a Good Eats episode I had on my DVR involving one of my favorite subject: steak. Alton has done shows on several different cuts of beef. This show he is focusing on one of the more expensive cuts – the Porterhouse. There is a lot to learn from this episode and I will share some of what I learned below:

The Porterhouse comes from the short loin of area of the cow and contains a piece of strip steak and tenderloin. But it all depends on how those muscles are cut up. Alton explained that the government has determined what is considered a porterhouse and what isn’t. If the amount of tenderloin is less than 1/2 inch across than it is a bone-in strip steak. If you have at least 1/2 inch, then you have a T-bone. If you have 1 1/4 inches, now you got your porterhouse. The reason for the difference in size is that the tenderloin isn’t the same size, it tapers at one end. So at one end you have the bone-in strip and at the other larger end you have the porterhouse. So you would think you would want the steak at the largest end, right? Well the problem with that is that there is a vein of connective tissue in the strip steak portion at that end. This would make that part of the steak hard to chew. So you are best off with finding something in the middle. So when shopping for a porterhouse, make sure you don’t see a white line shaped like a “L”. Or you could pick one that has a tenderloin piece closest to 1 1/4 inches.

Alton also spoke of the dry age process. Meat is made up of a good deal of water and if we can get rid of some of that water, the meat flavor will be stronger. He was able to dry age this steak in the fridge by using a disposable pie tin, some wood skewers, and a paper towel. We changed the paper towel after 24 hours, then let the steak sit in his fridge for 3 more days. This is a technique I would like to try out. In typical Alton style he cooked the steak using a cinder block, chimney starter, charcoal, metal mixing bowl and a grill grate. Of course you can grill, pan-sear, or broil your porterhouse any you want.

Lastly, Alton explains the reason for the name – porterhouse. The steak was first thought to be served at a place that served porter, a dark strong beef. Those places were called porterhouse, hence where the name came from.

Overall, this is one of the best episodes in a while. I learned how to shop for a good porterhouse. As well as how to dry age a steak. I would recommend looking this one up on YouTube or checking Food Network’s website to see when it will air again.

The other day I got the Niman Ranch Cookbook from my local library. I was looking at the recipes, when I spotted one for cider-glazed pork chops and thought that would be a great fall meal. I then was looking for something to make for dinner on this summer night, I remembered I had pork chops in the fridge. So I thought, why not try out a different glaze on some pork chops. So after reading a few recipes, I created this recipe for honey-mustard glazed pork chops.

Whenever I cook pork with a dry heat method I always brine it first. This makes the interior of the meat both juicy and flavorful. The brine is basically the same one that Alton Brown used on an episode of Good Eats to make a slow cooked pork dish. It is also the same brine I use when making a pork loin roast.

Ingredients for the Brine

4 bone-in pork chops

2 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns

Combine all the ingredients into a saucepan over high heat. Cook until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Then remove from the heat and add about 1 pound of ice to cool the brine down. Give it a good stir and set it aside. Now take your chops and place them in a gallon sized plastic bag and dump the brine into the bag. Seal the bag well, place it in a container just in case the bag leaks, and place it into the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Even just an hour will make a difference.

Ingredients for the Glaze
olive oil or canola oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup chicken broth or stock

Start by placing about an inch or so of canola or olive oil (not extra virgin) in the bottom of an electric skillet (or you can use a skillet on the stovetop). I turn my electric skillet to 300 degrees (about medium high on the stovetop). In the mean time, remove the chops from the brine and pat them dry. Season them with black pepper and kosher salt. When your skillet is ready, place them in, so that they do not touch each other. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the chops are golden brown, then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the other side is brown. Remove the chops from the skillet.

Now add your chicken broth and scrap anything that stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then add the honey, mustard, and cider vinegar. Stir constantly until your glaze is nice and thick, should only take a minute or two. Return the chops to the pan and coat them in the glaze. Then enjoy! If you have leftovers eat them within 1 days as pork does not last long in the fridge after being cooked.

Bacon is one of America’s favorite breakfast foods. It’s amazing that we have been able to take what seemed like a useless piece of the pig and turn it into something delicious. When purchasing bacon there are some things that you need to consider, some of which can have a impact on your health. I learned a lot about bacon from watching Alton Brown. On an episode of Good Eats entitled “Another Man Food Show – Breakfast”. Alton gives some great tips on shopping for bacon. Here is what he recommends (with my comments below each recommendation)

1. Buy bacon from the meat/deli counter
The best bacon in your supermarket is not going to be where you typically buy it, next to the sausage in a refrigerator section. The best bacon will be at the meat or deli counter. Some places have whole slabs of bacon that are uncut. This gives you the advantage of having the bacon cut to your preference. Even the bacon at these counters that is cut is better than the packaged stuff. Packaged bacon needs to have a longer shelf life, so you are more likely to see more preservatives.

2. Never Buy the Cheap Stuff
Alton says you get what you pay for, and that is so true with bacon. Creating a truly great bacon takes time. And in the food industry time is money. So some factories making cheap bacon will inject chemicals like sodium nitrate into their bacon. You can buy bacon that is uncured, or not treated with nitrates (Niman Ranch makes a bacon like this). These chemicals are certainly not good for you and there are concerns about them contributing to causing cancer. The factories also add liquid smoke to their bacon instead of actually smoking the bacon.

3. Look for Center Cut Bacon
When you do purchase bacon from the refrigerated section of the store, look for bacon that is labeled center cut. This bacon comes from the leaner and more meaty section of the pork belly. More meat and less fat is a good thing. Most major bacon producers will have a center cut version. Oscar Meyer does (which is actually the brand Alton shows during the show, but the name is blocked out on the package).

My Own Tip
Earlier I mentioned some bacon by Niman Ranch. This is very good bacon that is treated only using nature nitrates from celery. It’s more expensive bacon. The only time I have used it, was for dinner, not breakfast. I made some homemade waffles to go along with the bacon. Making your own waffles is super cheap, so you can afford to go with some top quality bacon and still make your dinner budget.

With these tips you can make your bacon buying decisions be more informed decisions. Don’t just look for what’s on sale and buy that. Really check out the packaging. And if you can find it, buy bacon from the meat counter.

Do you own an Amazon Kindle Are you looking for some good cookbooks or food related books to purchase for your Amazon Kindle? If you have one it is a great way to rid your kitchen of the clutter of piles and piles of cookbooks. Some people think it can become a must have “kitchen appliance” like a toaster or a food processor. Below is list of some of the best books that I recommend that you can currently buy the Kindle version. Clicking on the title of book will bring you to it’s Amazon Kindle page.

1. How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table

This is a wonderful guide on how to choose fruits and vegetables to get the best quality. Find the history of each item, from apples to peaches to green beans. Also find out where these things are grown. The best part of the book is that you learn why certain types of produce are found in today’s supermarket.

2. I’m Just Here for the Food: Version 2.0

This is THE book for learning how to cook written by Alton Brown of Good Eats fame. It goes through every type of cooking from grilling to roasting. It also include many great recipes and tips.

3. BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes

This is THE book for learning how to bake. It containing many fabulous recipes, and each one the author explains why she is using certain ingredients. The science behind each recipe is explained, so that you know what is really happening in your oven.

4. Home Cheese Making

Want to learn to make your own cheese? This is the source for all things cheese making related. Tons of recipes are included from easy ricotta to more difficult cheddar.

5. The Ultimate Brownie Book: Thousands of Ways to Make America’s Favorite Treat, including Blondies, Frostings, and Doctored Brownie Mixes

Are you a brownie lover? Then this is the book for you. This book will keep you busy turning our different variations on this chocolate treat. It’s good for both those who love cakey brownies and those who love fudgy brownies.

6. The Ultimate Ice Cream Book: Over 500 Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas,

This book contains a ton of ice cream, sorbet, and granita recipes. It’s not my favorite for explanation, but it’s great just for the wide range of recipes.

7. Making Artisan Gelato: 45 Recipes and Techniques for Crafting Flavor-Infused Gelato and Sorbet at Home

Want to make your own gelato? Then this is the book you need. The author provides tips and tricks to help turn whatever fruit, nut, or other flavoring into a sweet, cold delight.

8. Bob’s Red Mill Baking Book

Bob’s Red Mill is known for making some of the highest quality whole grain products on the market. I regularly use their corn meal. This book contains recipes to make some of the best and healthy baked goods and breads you have ever turned out.

If you don’t know what a tip sizzler steak is, check out my post on that topic. Before you cook this steak, it’s best to marinade it first.

Ingredients
2 tip sizzler steaks
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic (minced)
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
canola oil

Start by combining the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce into a plastic bag containing the two steaks. Add the minced garlic and place into the fridge for 2 hours. Make sure you put the bag into another container just in case the bag leaks. Remove your steak a half hour before cooking. A room temperature steak will cook better and quicker.

Preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Place a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Rub a little bit of canola oil on both sides of the steak, then sprinkle some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Once the skillet is ready. Place the steak on it. Cook until a nice brown sear has formed and then flip the steak over. This can take about 45-90 seconds per side. When both sides are brown, place the entire thing in the oven. In about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes, flip the steaks over and cook another 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. The reason we are finishing it in the oven is that by the time the inside was done, the outside would be black. The oven will gently finish the steak without burning the outside. I learn this tip from watching Alton Brown’s first episode of Good Eats on how to cook a ribeye.

The best way to know if the steak is done is to do 2 things: use an instant read thermometer and learn what the meat feels like when it’s done. When you push the meat it will have some give depending on the temperature you want it. If you do this enough along with a thermometer you will be able to figure out how much give the steak should have when you push it in with a pair of tongs or a fork. If the steak has no give, then you have overcooked it.

It is a skill to learn how to properly cook a steak and a steak like a tip sizzler, is one that can quickly go from tender to tough. Be patient with yourself and learn through trial and error.

This is a recipe review, which means this is a recipe that I did not personally come up with, but that I tried out and am giving my opinion on how the recipe turned out. For legal reasons I cannot post these recipes, but I can tell you where you can get them yourself.

If there is one thing I recommend people keep out of their cart at the grocery store is it instant mixes. Whether it be pancake mixes like Bisquick, muffin, bread or whatever, a lot of the instant mixes can be simply made at home for a fraction of the cost. Why should I pay someone else to combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder together when I can do it at home myself. Bisquick also contains things like dextrose, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, and thiamine mono nitrate. Partially hydrogenated oils are oils that have had hydrogen inserted into them to thicken them to be more like butter, but a lot cheaper (to learn more about these oils visit this website). I say no thanks, I will stick with the real deal. I tend to think whenever someone substitutes something like butter or sugar with some other type of fat or sweetener, those fats and sweeteners tend to be worse for you.

So now let’s make some pancakes ourselves. I like Alton Brown’s recipe for buttermilk pancakes. It starts with a recipe to make your own pancake mix, that you will be able to use more than once. So next time you want to make a batch, your mix is already made. Here are my notes from this recipe.

Click here to get the recipe for Alton’s pancakes.

1. Use the buttermilk. It add flavor that regular milk won’t.
2. It’s best to have a nice wide surface to cook these on, so they you aren’t taking all morning cooking one pancake at a time.
3. It’s important not to over-mix your batter. You are making pancakes, not rolls, so gluten is not your friend in this recipe.

Forget the Bisquick, and try the Alton Brown method. Your family will thank you.
Recipe Grade: A-

Click here to get the recipe for Alton’s pancakes.

This is a recipe review, which means this is a recipe that I did not personally come up with, but that I tried out and am giving my opinion on how the recipe turned out. For legal reasons I cannot post these recipes, but I can tell you where you can get them yourself.

If you are looking for a good pork recipe, then give this one from Alton Brown a try. Alton shows how pork and pepper go oh so well together. This dish can be cooked in a slow cooker or even an electric skillet that is set to a low setting. The pork comes out so tender, it will be falling off the bone. Here are my notes for this recipe.

Click here to get the recipe for Alton’s Pepper Pork.

1. The recipe calls for dried apple slices, and I have never included them. I usually serve a fried apple dish along with my pork chops.
2. For the brine, I recommend cutting back the salt to 1/4 cup and not doing a brine past 6 hours. I have read other people say it was too salty when they followed the recipe exactly. I would rather under salt then over salt.
3. I also don’t always use the onion. If you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that I am not really huge on onions.
4. Make sure to use at least 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper when starting your slow cooking. If you are not a big pepper fan I would look for another recipe. The whole point of this recipe is to showcase the power of the peppercorn.

This is another winner from Alton Brown. I have made it for multiple guests and they all loved it.

Recipe Grade: A-

Click here to get the recipe for Alton’s Pepper Pork.

This is a recipe review, which means this is a recipe that I did not personally come up with, but that I tried out and am giving my opinion on how the recipe turned out. For legal reasons I cannot post these recipes, but I can tell you where you can get them yourself.

I have never been a fan of creamed corn. As a child I remember seeing the stuff coming out of a can, and wanting to run in the opposite direction. But Alton Brown’s recipe for creamed corn totally changes the game and the direction of my feet. Here are my notes on this recipe.

Click here to get the recipe for Alton’s Creamed Corn.

1. I love to use fresh corn, but when it is not in season I get by with the frozen baby gold and white corn made by Bird’s Eye. It is the best frozen corn out there. About 1 bag of corn should do it for the recipe. Each time I have used fresh I have used 2 bags for a double recipe.

2. I skip the rosemary. My wife didn’t really want to try with it in it, so I just left it out. It’s great anyway.

3. I also skip the onion. I am not really a big onion fan. I do use onion when I am doing some soups or roasts.

4. Get the good corn meal! There is definitely a difference between the more expensive good corn meal and the cheap stuff. Besides this recipe doesn’t call for much of it, so you might as well use the good stuff. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill stone ground fine grind yellow corn meal. If you can’t find the fine grind the medium grind will work too. I have found the medium grind to be more widely available.

5. This is a great dish to cook in an electric skillet. I cook it over a low setting so that I don’t burn anything. Sometimes I will cook it ahead of time in the skillet and bring it to a party or Thanksgiving, where I can simply plug the skillet back in, set to warm, and the corn is perfectly reheated.

6. The turmeric isn’t necessary but I like to add it for the color. It makes it look like the corn is glowing, which I think makes it more appealing.

Give this recipe a try, you will never think of grabbing the can stuff ever again.

Recipe Grade: A

Click here to get the recipe for Alton’s Creamed Corn.

This is a recipe review, which means this is a recipe that I did not personally come up with, but that I tried out and am giving my opinion on how the recipe turned out. For legal reasons I cannot post these recipes, but I can tell you where you can get them yourself.

Yesterday for my Easter dinner I gave Alton Brown’s recipe for city ham a try. In case you don’t know what a city ham is, check out my post on the different types of ham. This recipe has you applying a crust to that ham that is made up of dark brown sugar, brown mustard, and ginger snap cookies. Yes I said ginger snap cookies. You turn them into dust in your food processor and apply them to the ham in the final hour of cooking. Here are my notes from making this recipe.

Click here for the recipe.

1. I used a shank end city ham, like Alton picked out in the show.
2. The only ingredient I left out was the bourbon spray. I found that my ginger snap cookies stuck to the ham really well without the need for any additional liquid.
3. The basting brush worked well to get the mustard layer on the ham.
4. I used my probe thermometer to tell when the ham had reached 130 degrees, so I knew when it was time to put on the crust.
5. We carved the ham up using an electric knife, which made the job really easy.

This ham was delicious. My wife wanted to try this recipe because she isn’t really into ham, but like the idea of the crust. The crust came out perfect and she did indeed love it! I didn’t really have any problems with this recipe. It was rather simple and good.

Recipe Grade: A

Click here for the recipe.