3721

@CraigM and @ArmandoPenblade thanks for the recommendations from you both, I may do a little of all mentioned, because, why the fuck not?

My girlfriend hates avocado or I’d be on board with guac, garlic or not. Yes, I know, she has a list of food she hates that are also items on my future break up list should we ever break up. “YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID YES TO GUACAMOLE!!”

@Misguided dude, that Pastrami looks AMAZING. Seriously. Not a great thread to click on before lunch. That stuff is nearly Katz worthy if not there already.

3722

My man, I feel you so hard. Literally 50 minutes ago on Hangouts:

(Things on the AP’s GF Hates List: Whole pieces of onion, whole pieces of tomato, any bell peppers, any beef, any lamb/goat, mayonnaise, sausage not cooked until it’s completely black, eggs not cooked until they are bone dry)

3723

Funny you should say that. The cookbook I’ve been using is Meathead Goldwyn’s “Meathead” and the recipe is literally named “Close to Katz’s Pastrami”

3724

And how have you two stayed together? For such a food lover as yourself, you’d think this would be crippling.

3725

It helps that she’s really stupendously attractive when she says things like “Five Guys is gross.”

Also that I’m fat enough to just eat whole preparations of stuff she doesn’t like.

3726

Also, his antipathy for dark meat evens things out.

-xtien

3727

Fair point xtien.

3728

Got ya beat I think. On my GF’s hate list:
All seafood. All. Even shellfish. Then she hit me up with, “tuna salad is okay.” WTF. She’s not allergic to any fish or shellfish.
Avocado - despite loving all Mexican food. A lot of people are like this though so I guess it’s okay.
Broccoli - okay well some Presidents didn’t like it either, she gets a pass.
Asparagus - Still letting it slide, for now.
Mushrooms - used up the passes so this one counts.
Mayo - unless in sub atomic thickness on only one slice of bread on a sandwich.
Non-dry scrambled eggs - similar to your gal. “I don’t like the consistency of eggs that are wet.”
Oatmeal - unless it’s in a cookie.
Milk based gravy of any kind - god damnit we live in the fucking south, woman.

But then there is the deal breaker:
Thick cut bacon - She will only eat thin cut that has been cooked so long it crumbles when you look at it.

For what it’s worth, besides the above she is also a damned great cook and loves craft beer. She puts up with me as well. It’s a good match.

3729

This isn’t really a recipe, but more of a cooking question. I was making a gumbo last night and got a little ahead of myself. I had a hot pan with oil and flour and I added some red pepper. I ended up letting it sizzle and crack for a few seconds before I got the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Holy crap, the hot pepper made a bad smell and then the air in the kitchen got hard to breathe, like acidic or something. You could taste it at the back of your throat, and even worse, it hung in the air for a good few hours. I use red pepper all the time, but never had that happen before. Wtf happened there?

3730

Laughing way too hard at this.

3731

Gotta disagree with you here. But different strokes and all that.

3732

Flakes or hot peppers? To be honest NEVER have the pan hot with oil and flour. You’ll scorch the flour/roux and the whole dish will taste like garbage. VERY low heat on the roux until where you want it, and then add liquids in so that you prevent cooking it further.

EDIT: If it was just the peppers that burned, I’m clueless on why the combo would do it though, Tim.

3733

But pretend he’s shouting “Christien!” and also maybe holding a drumstick. :)

@Skipper Yeah, forgot them, but avocado, broccoli, and mushrooms are out for Ms. AP, as well. She can handle milk gravy and thick cut bacon, though, so at least breakfast isn’t 100% terrible all the time forever.

Sounds like the capsaicin aerosolized, which is never very pleasant for those standing nearby. Splattered oil containing bits of red pepper may also have stuck to various things nearby, letting the scent linger.

Frying powdered (or whole!) spices in hot oil can really wake up their flavors and transform them into something extra good. . . but particularly with any kind of powdered chili, you really gotta watch heat with it.

3734

Flakes.

I didn’t know that about the flour/roux. To be honest, I have no idea what the goal is with that flour and I have been making this for a long time. It usually just turns into little balls of flour and then I dump all the veggies in, then the diced tomatoes and protein. It’s not too bad, but it’s not clear to me what the flour stuff is doing to make it work or not work.

3735

Haha, clearly! I’ll have to be more careful in the future.

3736

Ideally, frying the flour in oil/butter will produce a roux, which is a combination flavorer/thickener. The more you fry it, the more flavorful it becomes (going from somewhat acrid raw flour to deep, nutty, roasty flavors in time), but the less it works as a thickener (a pale “blond” roux thickens a couple-few times more than a deep chocolate roux).

You should generally heat the oil/butter over low-medium heat, then whisk the flour in slowly and deliberately to avoid lumps. For something like gumbo, where you’re going for at least a medium-dark roux, you’ll want to keep the heat low and stir frequently to avoid burning, which more or less ruins the whole batch.

If it’s getting extremely clumpy, it sounds like you may have too much flour or not enough oil/butter, just to note. I know a lot of recipes recommend equal quantities, but I usually do a little more oil/butter than flour, myself. Say, 4tbsp to 3.

3737

You weaponized your red pepper flakes. I do it from time to time (on accident).

3738

@TimElhajj what Armondo said about roux is everything you need to know. It’s some flavor and some thickener for recipes, be they gumbos, gravies, pan sauces, etc. For a gumbo especially, it’s mostly flavor/color. You’d know if you burned it though, the taste is pretty much burned like and bitter. You’d know it if that was the culprit.

If you ever want to really waste half a day, ask a cajun about roux and gumbo. Pro tip: bring a beer or six to the conversation.

3739

As a half-Cajun, I find your suggestion to be insulting and alarming, @Skipper!

Also completely true, but that’s entirely beside the point ;)

3740

Haha! I have several good friends that are cajun, one of them still in Louisiana and an amazing cook. He gave me a gumbo recipe once but I had to listen to a dissertation on it first, and most of that was on the roux.