To fuck or to cook?

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by evenodds

I am recently returning to coffee. I just bought a new french press because I like my coffee like I like my men . . . bold and strong with a great mouthfeel.

I am buying locally roasted organic beans, but I am curious as to whether there are better beans I could be buying or whether I am better sticking to locally roasted for freshness, etc.

Any recommendations?

I love Blue Bottle Coffee.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by notcasesensitive

The pork we made was overcooked and I first checked it about an hour before the minimum cooking time. The meatloaf was 180 degrees all the way through by the time I checked it about 90 minutes before the minimum cooking time, but still tasted great and was super tender. Both recipes were for 5-6 qt pots. I don't mind experimenting, but I'm really not a fan of overcooked meat. Answers. I just want answers. If the answer is that I need to continually test the meat basically at all times after starting the slow cooker, well that seems to do away with all the convenience factor of using one.

I have stayed away from this whole thread because I felt I had nothing to ass. At this pooint, I think it may be worhwhile to note that I hate slow cookers, find them to be terribly unreliable and incapable of preparing anything right except for french onion soup and steel-cut oatmeal.

I suggest you put it on ebay and buy a really nice saute pan.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

You can't overcook in a sous vide cooker (though you can turn food mushy). You definitely can in a slow cooker.

Sous vide? My goodness, you are a ponce these days.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by robustpuppy

True. But bear in mind that on Top Chef, whenever anyone says "I decided to cook it sous vide" it means he or she does not win the challenge.

Not that this is relevant to ncs's dilemma.

That's because sous vide is French for "to turn into a grey mushy plotz."

[barely_legal]

Originally Posted by taxwonk

I have stayed away from this whole thread because I felt I had nothing to ass. At this pooint, I think it may be worhwhile to note that I hate slow cookers, find them to be terribly unreliable and incapable of preparing anything right except for french onion soup and steel-cut oatmeal.

I suggest you put it on ebay and buy a really nice saute pan.

Can you or GWNC share your recipe for slow cooker oatmeal? This sounds like something I would like to try. I already have steel-cut oats, but I hardly ever make them bc the cooking time is so long and annoying.

[evenodds]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

I love Blue Bottle Coffee.

I was just scanning my rss feed and saw this review on Jaunted:

Each taste test yields the same verdict: best coffee ever. We have sampled lattes, espressos, and straight-up black coffees the world over—London, Paris, Manila, Barcelona among these destinations—and Blue Bottle is pure perfection. We're not ones for gushing, but we're willing to give credit where credit is due.

[Gattigap]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

I love Blue Bottle Coffee.

I walked by the one at the Ferry Building last week, and someone commented to me that it's great, but you have to have real dedication to wait for the 8 years it takes after you order for the barista to give you your goddamned cup of coffee.

[dtb]

Originally Posted by barely_legal

Can you or GWNC share your recipe for slow cooker oatmeal? This sounds like something I would like to try. I already have steel-cut oats, but I hardly ever make them bc the cooking time is so long and annoying.

If you soak the steel-cut oats overnight, the cooking time is vastly reduced in the morning. Yum.

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally Posted by barely_legal

Can you or GWNC share your recipe for slow cooker oatmeal? This sounds like something I would like to try. I already have steel-cut oats, but I hardly ever make them bc the cooking time is so long and annoying.

This is for a 2 quart cooker:

1 cup steel cut oats
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons butter (optional, but I like it)
1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, prunes, apricots, dates) (optional)
Sometimes I throw in some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Place all ingredients in a 2 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours. It might form a "crust" around the outside. Just scrape it down with a spoon and stir.

Serve with whatever you like to eat oatmeal with -- on its own, or with milk, maple syrup, cinnamon etc.

I make it at night and wake up to yummy oatmeal.

[taxwonk]

Originally Posted by greatwhitenorthchick

This is for a 2 quart cooker:

1 cup steel cut oats
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons butter (optional, but I like it)
1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, prunes, apricots, dates) (optional)
Sometimes I throw in some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Place all ingredients in a 2 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours. It might form a "crust" around the outside. Just scrape it down with a spoon and stir.

Serve with whatever you like to eat oatmeal with -- on its own, or with milk, maple syrup, cinnamon etc.

I make it at night and wake up to yummy oatmeal.

What she said.

[barely_legal]

Originally Posted by greatwhitenorthchick

This is for a 2 quart cooker:

1 cup steel cut oats
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons butter (optional, but I like it)
1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, prunes, apricots, dates) (optional)
Sometimes I throw in some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Place all ingredients in a 2 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours. It might form a "crust" around the outside. Just scrape it down with a spoon and stir.

Serve with whatever you like to eat oatmeal with -- on its own, or with milk, maple syrup, cinnamon etc.

I make it at night and wake up to yummy oatmeal.

Thank you, that sounds fabulous. Can I substitute low-fat milk for 1 or 2 cups of the water, or will that fuck it up? I also read some recipe reviews on line that strongly suggested cooking it on the "stay warm" setting instead of low to keep it from burning. Thoughts?

[ltl/fb]

Originally Posted by greatwhitenorthchick

This is for a 2 quart cooker:

1 cup steel cut oats
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons butter (optional, but I like it)
1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, prunes, apricots, dates) (optional)
Sometimes I throw in some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Place all ingredients in a 2 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours. It might form a "crust" around the outside. Just scrape it down with a spoon and stir.

Serve with whatever you like to eat oatmeal with -- on its own, or with milk, maple syrup, cinnamon etc.

I make it at night and wake up to yummy oatmeal.

How many servings is that?

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by barely_legal

Thank you, that sounds fabulous. Can I substitute low-fat milk for 1 or 2 cups of the water, or will that fuck it up? I also read some recipe reviews on line that strongly suggested cooking it on the "stay warm" setting instead of low to keep it from burning. Thoughts?

I'd think milk would curdle or do weird things cooking on low that long.

I would cook it with water and then put the low fat milk on the oatmeal in your bowl when you eat it.

[ltl/fb]

Originally Posted by dtb

If you soak the steel-cut oats overnight, the cooking time is vastly reduced in the morning. Yum.

I soak overnight and cook in steamer in the morning.

I put milk in for the cooking now but soak in water.

[Fugee]

Originally Posted by greatwhitenorthchick

This is for a 2 quart cooker:

1 cup steel cut oats
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons butter (optional, but I like it)
1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, prunes, apricots, dates) (optional)
Sometimes I throw in some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Place all ingredients in a 2 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6-8 hours. It might form a "crust" around the outside. Just scrape it down with a spoon and stir.

Serve with whatever you like to eat oatmeal with -- on its own, or with milk, maple syrup, cinnamon etc.

I make it at night and wake up to yummy oatmeal.

I've got a larger crockpot so I'd have to make a bigger batch. Does it keep well in the fridge and nuke it later to warm up?