This is carrot and shallot salad with a sesame-lime vinaigrette. Its being served as a side to soy-basted grilled chicken. Thoughts?
Anyone? I need opinions.
>>7873237
I think that you're actually trying to cook and being enthusiastic about the subject. This board is only for restaurant chain shilling, snack food discussion, blog threads for alcoholics, and /pol/ or /int/-lite posting by mouthbreathers who get all their information on places outside their place of birth from dank facebook memes and TV stereotypes. Please consider another board for this.
>>7873237
>that portion size
Do you want to starve to death? If so, that's how you go about it.
>>7873237
i think it looks good. dainty if you may. will it beused for dipping? or poured on top of the chicken? just seems a bit thin
and the other poster is correct. /ck/ people dont even cook you can tell, its like best ramen topping or burger king hack shit..
>>7873276
Don't forget 300+ post freakout fests about the PETA vegan conspiracy any time someone says they don't think vegetables are icky, and nice things are a trend-hopping kike placebo scam vs. my $400 consumer gadget makes me a wealthy patrician gentleman and it makes everything I say automatically more correct threads
Oh it's shit thread where we'll all complain about how /ck/ doesn't cook because we can't comment on somebody's food pic. I mean, we can't taste it so what's the point other than "looks good", and "huge bowl"?
>>7873288
its a side salad. Its meant to compliment the dish it is accompanying, while still being a seperate dish in itself. Not op, but not everything is meant to be dipped in something else.
>>7873237
Are the carrots meant to have a crunch and texture? Personally, I would run them on a mandolin to get them paper thin and add a green or maybe squash done in the same way. A little less dressing too, looks wet and overdressed.
Sounds good with the chicken though.
>>7873288
i was gonna make it a stand alone side of it on the plate. The chicken is on skewers. Ive got rectangle plates and I was gonna put the chicken on the skewers on the top left diagonally, then the opposite corner I was gonna build the carrot salad and just leave all the negative space between the carrots and the chicken.
>>7873376
Thats what I was debating honestly. As is it tastes pretty good. The carrots being thinner was a thought though. The dressing is super bright though so it works with the big carrot texture/flavor.
>>7873237
Flavors sound good. I agree with the comment of over-dressed. The portion seems too small for a side salad and the bowl overwhelms it. I'd plate a bit more on a smaller dish.
>>7873376
Also, that dressing was spooned over top. The shallots are macerated in the dressing and then the shallots and the dressing theyve been macerating.
Also if you really want the sesame flavour noticeable instead of mostly using it as a garnish you should use more, grind it (or whatever you call mortal and pestle movement), and add it in the dressing. I'd also considering adding something like daikon. But really, it's up to you.
>>7873401
That bowl was just for funzies, Its actually gonna be in the bottom right corner of a rectangular plate.
>>7873405
The oil component in the dressing is toasted sesame oil. And yeah I thought about adding daikon. Ill probably do that.
>>7873408
maybe sprouts and a few enoki mushrooms for texture.
sounds good reminds me ive been wanting some rectangular plates.
>>7873424
hmmm, pea shoots?
>>7873407
> Its actually gonna be in the bottom right corner of a rectangular plate.
That sounds better. Put it on the same plate.
>>7873237
It looks fucking tiny m8.
>>7873435
Yeah thats what the plan was. I was just doing a demo to make sure it actually tasted good. Chicken will be on skewers. Im thinking theyll be on the opposite corner balanced on the edges diagonally so theres all that diagonal negative space in the center.
>>7873276
and you're truly contributing to this fantastic board with your post
Seems like a big bowl for a vegetable side dish.
>>7873445
And I guess one last suggestion. Someone else suggested paper thin. Either that, or match-stick julienne. Your "carrot sticks" as pictured will be unpleasant. They won't soften in a reasonable time. The thin or skinnier ones will still have a nice crunch, but they will be soft enough to go into your mouth.
I think you'll be fine.
>>7873237
seems like that would be very... acidic?
>>7873475
yeah my knife work was shit. Im gonna match-stick that shit. thanks for the input m8
>>7873484
oh its brightly acidic
>>7873403
> and then the shallots and the dressing theyve been macerating
what?
>>7873498
yeah sorry. The dressing that the shallots have been macerating in is what gets spooned over the carrots.
>>7873444
>It looks fucking tiny m8.
we all know you've heard that one before you cheeky little cunt..
>>7873490
id have to try it because just looking at it and reading your description is making my mouth pucker.
>>7873519
>making my mouth pucker
Making me wish I was there
>>7873519
Well I and the person Im serving this to really enjoy acidic stuff. Also its not that bad. Finely diced shallot macerated in a cup of lime juice. A cup of toasted sesame oil, quarter cup soy sauce and 3 T of honey. SP TT. Its pretty good
>>7873453
It's accurate, if nothing else.
>>7873523
hmm what do you want to do anon? wanna lick some whipped cream off my nipples?
>>7873453
more entertaining than your post and it contains at least a bit of the truth
>>7873237
carrots aren't uniform... how can you regulate the taste when the carrots aren't uniform?
Overdressed imo. Not a bad idea if the carrots are fresh but go easy on the dressing. Those carrots are swimming in that shit.
I also think the addition of something green would do well for plating.
>>7873453
Found the polcat on defense mode
>>7873507
i don't think you really understand what "maceration" means.. it means to coat a fruit or vegetable in sugar/salt or a combination of both of those things to draw out and release the natural liquid contained within whatever is being macerated.
as far as i know, shallot/onion doesn't really macerate and carrots definitely don't.
the salad looks good, though. might wanna add some thai basil or mint leaves as garnish though and use a little less dressing.
otherwise, would eat/10.
It looks good but I don't understand this trend of making gourmet food at home. I eat not just for the taste but also for the nutrients so I would make the portion easily three times as big as yours.
>>7873649
seconded, maybe throw some radish or tomato on there for color?
>>7873237
loose the chives replace with cilantro/koriander
Less dressing and a smaller bowl and it looks perfect, OP.
>>7873276
This.
If you come here for any actual discussion about food then you should prepare to be disappointed. Joey threads, review brah and neckbearded gurning are all this place has to offer.
>>7874399
>actually read thread
>salad will go on the same plate as main
welp.
Only thing I'd suggest is maybe some starch on the plate too?
>>7873237
Chef-bro here. Looks nice, flavours will complement each other. Make sure to give the onion good dressing coverage.
Constructive criticism: the carrots are too thick. Don't make sticks. Make julienne or alumettes depending on how much dressing you want them to soak up.
If you want to make crunchy sticks, make the dressing into an emulsion to dip the sticks into instead.
>>7874130
>carrots aka sugarsticks
>vinaigrette aka flavoured oil
Yeah, sure gonna be lacking in fat and sugar you damn burger.
>>7874435
yeah they were way too thick. Im probably gonna julienne and then coat them in the dressing before plating. Looking for a mild crunch but for it not to be the main sensation.
>>7874125
That is not what maceration means at all. maceration is essentially marinating dude.
>>7874130
I was gonna go with a decent white wine as a pairing. Or part of me thought about serving gin and tonic with it but I dunno if that will just add to the acidity.
The desert is going to be little individual strawberry short cakes.
>>7874569
>>7874125
"In food preparation, maceration is softening or breaking into pieces using a liquid.
Raw, dried or preserved fruit or vegetables are soaked in a liquid to soften the food and/or absorb the flavor of the liquid into the food.[1]
In the case of fresh fruit, particularly soft fruit such as strawberries and raspberries, they are often just sprinkled with sugar (and sometimes a small amount of salt) then left to sit and release their own juices. This process makes the food more flavorful and easier to chew and digest.
Maceration is often confused with marination, which is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking.
Some herbal preparations call for maceration, as it is one way to extract delicate or highly volatile herbal essences "cold" and thus preserve their signature more accurately.[1]
Sometimes a cooking oil is used as the liquid for maceration – especially olive or some other vegetable oil.
Maceration is the chief means of producing a flavored alcoholic beverage, such as cordials and liqueurs.[2]
Maceration of byproducts from food processing plants sometimes involves the use of a chopper pump to create a "blended" slurry[weasel words] of food waste and other organic byproducts. The macerated substance, which can be described as a protein-rich slurry, is often used for animal feed, fertilizer, and for co-digestion feedstock in biogas plants."
sounds pretty fucking cancer tbqh
>>7874575
lol what
>>7874596
You said that my soaking of the shallots in the vinaigrette before serving wasnt maceration, which it is lol
>>7874596
>Compared to the amount of acid/salt in the dish
You haven't tasted it and haven't seen a listing of what proportions they're in. You're pulling your "critique" out of your arse.
>>7874596
What about adding daikon?
>>7874602
You dont macerate with acid, friend..
>>7874617
you havent tasted it either. Im just going off of experience and tasting what hes saying in my head.. It would also appear that hes using waaayy too much sesame oil since thats his oil base for his dressing. Should be like 1-2 tbsp max for something like this, using olive or peanut or grapeseed oil for the main fat in the vin
>>7874634
What about it? To the carrots? Fuck yeah you should, but its not gonna change the flavor profile dramatically. Radish is another sugar filled, hearty and crunchy root vegetable.
If it were me, id pickle the carrots, toss them in a sweet maple or honey vin with shallots and peanut oil and fresh daikon, then melt some lardo or cured fat over the chicken
>>7873526
Your dressing is fucked and you should feel bad.. Citrus and soy sauce plus a CUP of sesame oil? Dude.. Youd need a quart of olive oil and like two cups of honey to balance that mess out
>>7874661
Yeah you don't know about any of those flavors apparently.
>>7874655
Man at my restaurant we macerate with all kinds of vinegars and acids but whatever.
Also im liftng this dressing recipe from an asian cookbook. It calls for half cup sesame oil and a half cup of vegetable oil.
>>7874673
i use sesame oil regularly, friend.. the thought of using an entire cup of the stuff as a base for a vinaigrette is just so profoundly terrible and i'm not sure why we can't agree on this.
is it the full flavor sesame oil? most of the sesame oil i've worked with is really potent and you don't need more than a couple tbsp to get the full effect.
>>7874689
that would be considered "pickling", i think.. maceration draws liquid out from the whatever. for example, sprinkle sugar on some berries and leave them in a 6 pan overnight; you're gonna have strawberries sitting in their own juices the next day.
>recipe calls for a 1:1 sesame to veg oil ratio
>decide to just use 1 cup sesame
anon pls
>>7875447
>the thought of using an entire cup of the stuff as a base for a vinaigrette is just so profoundly terrible and i'm not sure why we can't agree on this.
My guess is that you guys are talking about two different kinds of sesame oil.
Roasted sesame oil is dark in color and very strong in flavor. I agree with you that using a half cup of it would be nuts for a salad dressing.
OTOH, un-toasted sesame oil is a thing, and it's very mild in flavor. It would be appropriate for a dressing.
My guess is that you're assuming the toasted sesame oil whereas he is using the un-toasted kind.
>>7873237
fucking carrot sticks slathered in oil. you think slathering things in sesame oil and soy sauce make them asian? fucking white people
>>7875465
Where in OP do you see the word "Asian"?
>>7875455
the voice of reason..
i figured that had to have been the case
>>7875465
>muh precious culture
>muh nobody better use any of our ingredients unless they're cooking AUTHENTIC chink food
>muh victim mentality with a side of superiority complex
asia pls go.. i use hoisin, oyster/fish/squid sauce, baller ass barrel aged shoyu (soy sauce), mirin, tamari, fermented this that and the other thing from asian markets, all sorts of your weird chink citruses, and all sorts of miso. i'm white as fuck.
what will you do about it, friend?
>>7875465
And lime juice. Eat a dick. It it gets sesame oil and soy sauce. Close enough.
>>7875472
i did totally pull this from a contemporary asian cookbook
>>7875447
Pickling IS maceration. What youre saying is also maceration yes.
Again
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maceration_(food)
>"In food preparation, maceration is softening or breaking into pieces using a liquid.
>Raw, dried or preserved fruit or vegetables are soaked in a liquid to soften the food and/or absorb the flavor of the liquid into the food.[1]
In the case of fresh fruit, particularly soft fruit such as strawberries and raspberries, they are often just sprinkled with sugar (and sometimes a small amount of salt) then left to sit and release their own juices. This process makes the food more flavorful and easier to chew and digest.
Maceration is often confused with marination, which is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking.
Some herbal preparations call for maceration, as it is one way to extract delicate or highly volatile herbal essences "cold" and thus preserve their signature more accurately.[1]
Sometimes a cooking oil is used as the liquid for maceration – especially olive or some other vegetable oil.
Maceration is the chief means of producing a flavored alcoholic beverage, such as cordials and liqueurs.[2]
Maceration of byproducts from food processing plants sometimes involves the use of a chopper pump to create a "blended" slurry[weasel words] of food waste and other organic byproducts. The macerated substance, which can be described as a protein-rich slurry, is often used for animal feed, fertilizer, and for co-digestion feedstock in biogas plants."
>>7875447
http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2010/09/how-to-macerate-fruit.html
>>7875932
pickling/fermentation is definitely not the same as maceration.
i can pickle/ferment strawberries and then leave them out at room temperature for weeks without them spoiling. try the same thing with strawberries and sugar and it will be inedible after two days.
>>7875943
If you can find any article or proof that Im wrong Ill totally accept it. But what ive been explained to by my chefs and in my experience the word maceration is what the base process is called and that pickling is a product of maceration. The type of liquid i dont think matters and the amount of time of maceration is what determines if youve "pickled" it or not. My restaurant we pickle just a metric fuck ton of things. lol I mean this is totally semantics but youre wrong goddammit.
>>7875943
http://culinarymasterclass.com/maceration-and-infusion/
>>7873237
Looks pretty good. Whats the recipe for soy basted chicken?
>>7875984
brown sugar, mirin, soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar for the glaze/marinate. Marinate is then reduced to make a glaze when the chicken is on the grill.
Chicken thighs cut long ways and accordioned on to a skewer and then gotten up to temp over direct flame and then finished with indirect heat. All the while being basted by that glaze.
Theres a garnish that consists of sesame seeds, chives, aleppo pepper flakes and lemon zest.
>>7875993
oh and salt tt for the marinate, obviously. Oh and lime zest, not lemon zest.
>>7875967
pickling/fermentation is a preservation technique.
i'd argue that maceration is the complete opposite of a preservation technique; it draws all the fluid out of a piece of organic matter and then it stews in its own excrement until it rots.
pickling is a form of fermentation but neither are a form of maceration. look at a macerated strawberry vs a hot vinegar pickled strawberry and you'll see the difference; pickling doesn't remove all the moisture out of something without replacing it. maceration does.
>>7876000
Again youre thinking of just applying sugar or salt and liquid being taken out. Maceration is primarily adding a fruit or vegetable to any kind of liquid in any form with either intent of taking on the flavor whatever liquid it is in, or in the form of adding flavor to said liquid, such as adding raspberries to a vodka. Please click on the links im providing you lol.
>>7876007
whelp, looks like i'm wrong.
you are *TECHNICALLY* correct, but you're still a fuckin fag
>>7876016
lolololol eat shit.
>>7876016
I tried to tell you dude lol. Im a cook at a super legit restaurant and theres like 15 different things we apply this technique to. I make 100lbs of pickled shit weekly. When I was shown how they explained it to me as a process of maceration because I specifically asked.
>>7876000
also preservation is a result, not a technique.
>>7874125
working at a french bistro right now and every vinaigrette we make starts with shallots tossed in a pinch of salt, to release some lemon and vinegar. It takes away the oniony taste and blends the flavors together nicely. The salt at the beginning of the process is what you described, but the whole process is for the same effect.
>>7876030
>>7876020
lacto-fermented or pickled? i work at one of the nicer establishments in the major city where i live.. we pickle everything.
my confusion comes from the difference between throwing sugar or salt on something to draw the moisture OUT of said thing, and either hot pickling where moisture is drawn out and quickly replaced with acid or lacto fermented via a biological process.
in my mind, maceration doesn't involve the back and forth exchange of fluids via whatever medium; it just draws moisture out and results in a soupy/syrupy ending.
>>7876067
dude, that sounds so completely pointless. just brunoise your shallots and throw them in the dressing it's g2g
>>7876098
Yeah but whoever told you that drawing moisture out was the only thing that maceration did was all kinds of wrong. Maceration is at its most basic a fruit or vegetable being placed in liquid. Everything else along that line is born of that basic technique.
>>7873237
Sounds like a decent south east Asian thing, although I'd prefer my carrots pickled.
OP here. Not gonna lie /ck/, I normally post on /sp/ and this is my first thread on here. It was mostly positive and you guys actually kind of knew your shit. Impressed.
