Pls go easy on me, was bored and took pics n stuff xoxoxo
We start with 1/2 an onion, a bell pepper, and whatever else is in the pic. Meat was chuck and a 50% off ribeye.
I made some webms, I thought they'd be cool. But it just makes me realize how shit i placed my fingers and how I didn't sharpen my knife.
Anyway, I cut up the meat to fit into the grinder.
Here's the money shot.
I portioned out some meat and pork and added salt n peppa
>>7149093
oops this one came out too short.
>hairless child or girl
>dull knife
>terrible guide hand
>can make webms but can't turn the video
wut
I wanted sound on this one zzzzz
Blasted this to brown it quickly, then took it out.
>>7149105
He's doing fine. Also you're seriously upset at the lack of knuckle hair? Go suck a fat one.
you should ask your parents before taking the big knife out of the drawer
>>7149105
I'm actually really hairy, but the inside of my arm isn't. And yea, I goofed on turning the webms fuk.
I sweat the onions and then added the pepper and mushrooms. Then the can of diced tomato. I wanted to get rid of the excess water.
>>7149112
How do you not see his arm fuzz?
There's room for improvement and that's probably gonna get you a lot of shit here in a moment from our MASTER CHEFS but it's still pretty good looking, OP. Now I really want some spaghetti.
The images display as the correct way in the image viewer...
Added the meat back in, Just gonna cook it as I do the pasta.
>>7149112
I'm 22 :(
This picture I admit is a little ghetto with the foil but I have no shame sry.
Carbs on carbs, gonna bake for a bit then broil.
guys pls believe me, what am i doing wrong.
Yo dog, watching you cut makes me nervous as hell. Tuck them fingers.
Whole wheat pasta cuz I'm a fag.
>>7149135
ya I feel stupid now that I see it third person
Adding some ~fresh~ parm
I googled the problem. "the computer knows the orientation it was taken, and displays in that orientation, but the photo really is landscape. Use a different program and rotate them."
zzzz
Here I used the snipping tool for the wa-la shot.
It was pretty good except for the bell peppers, to undercooked. I only simmered it for 20 mins but I shouldved cooked the peppers longer or something.
looks like straight garbage.
>>7149151
looks meh
4/10
try harder senpai
>>7149151
No pubic hair on plate. +1
>>7149093
curl your fingers so your first knuckles comes in contact with the side of the knife and acts as a guide while protecting your fingertips. also depending on how the fuck you are cooking that throwin meat in the freezer for a bit helps to make them easier to cut.
looks good OP, would eat
extra points for the cook-along
>>7149176
shit you need to do:
use fresh basil, optionally use fresh garlic
use a decent brand of canned tomatoes since they're out of season (cento is good), and always use fresh tomatoes when in season.
cook your meat slowly, you can add the sauce on top of it and it will continue to cook, the meat will flavor the sauce and vice-versa
how did you season the sauce? wine, vinegar, sugar, anything? come on.
>guyz i used whole wheat pasta but then i for no reason also had bread
come on son, just use real pasta. make sure it has starch on it, then you can add some of the pasta water to the sauce, which adds consistency.
>adding parmesan to sauce
it's not an alfredo. the only cheese that should be hitting the plate is for your serving, not for the whole sauce.
All that aside, cook it how you like to eat, that's the ultimate truth. But for posting on an Himalayan mountain climbing forum, you gotta step it up.
>>7149186
to add to this,
shit you did right:
fresh ground meat even if you bought bad cuts that didn't make sense
you tried to make something not from a jar
That looks pretty shitty but I enjoyed the pictures for some reason. I like critiquing.
>>7149186
adding to this
>optional fresh garlic
this shit is not optional, fresh minced garlic is a lot more flavorful
>tomato sauce seasoning
sun dried tomatoes chopped in are fucking delicious, add some of the olive oil they are soaked in if you want, if not add a high grade olive oil or balsamic vinegar, shit is tasty and much better than pasta water.
>pasta sperging
if you wanna bitch about the whole wheat pasta use then fucking go big or go home, make your own pasta noodles. it's not incredibly difficult honestly
now i'm going to sperg about your bread. you should have minced some fresh herbs and garlic and added it on top of the buttered bread before baking. grate some parmesan on top too, it's amazing.
>>7149151
>sauce places ontop of spaghetti instead of mixing them together
FUCKING AMERICANS REEEEEEEEEE
>>7149088
anon actually cooking?
better than most threads on the board
>>7149219
though to add to this, it wasn't a horrible recipe, but it could use some work. it was pretty awesome that you ground your own meat and i'm happy to see you not use shit out of the can like other anons said. you have potential, so don't get upset by people in this thread.
also tuscan herb seasoning is good in tomato sauce if you can get your hands on it, highly recommend it! otherwise i really enjoy your thread, i'd love to see more someday.
>>7149219
don't add to my posts.
first of all either it's fresh garlic or no garlic. garlic isn't really an 'italian' spice, it's more american than italian. using anything but fresh is for morons, so you 'adding' that fresh is mandatory is stupid.
>sun dried tomatoes
please stop
>make le pasta
yeah again, please stop. it's not hard to make fresh pasta but this isn't someone being a tryhard you fucker.
your post is like reading some mom who watched the food network one time.
I think it looks good op
>>7149186
i used fresh garlic, two cloves. People eat breadsticks with their pastas cmon now. Not saying I should, but i didn't think it was that wild.
I would've used fresh basil if I had the budget. Or if my plant hadn't died after a heavy rain.
>>7149189
what cuts should i use? I just shoot for chuck plus some actual good meat usually.
>>7149219
I did put grated cheese on it, but not enough. plus i left them in oven too long so they didn't look nice.
>>7149226
ty :) yah I know i'm not great but the satisfaction of unjarred sauce and just cooking things in general is nice.
is it really that bad i really prefer whole wheat pasta? I think it tastes better, it's not like its really healthier... but it's just like most people like whole wheat bread. cmon y'all
>>7149228
>getting mad that someone added to your post on a public image board
kay
>garlic/tomato bullshit
okay i agree, that was personal opinion so if i came off as pretentious that's my fault. i have just tried it before and people liked it but if you don't it's fine.
>pasta
yeah i wouldn't reccomend making it home made if you're not doing anything to impress but i don't see the point of getting butthurt about whole wheat, it's all to taste for the person who is eating it.
>food network fag
i won't deny i used to watch it when i was younger so i probably came off that way, i'm a huge faggot i'm not even going to deny it, but i am active in the kitchen so i'm not incompetent.
>>7149219
also I used to add fresh garlic to the bread, but my SO picks it off (also picked out all the mushrooms), so i just don't put the extra effort in of making my bread different usually.
>>7149242
makes sense! cook for those who are going to eat it! i hope they appreciated your hard work anon!
OP, your spaghetti looks fine, not sure what the sperging in this thread is about, my mom makes really good spaghetti sauce and it looks just like that, I can't comment on the taste but do people expect spaghetti sauce to be completely smooth or something? it's supposed to be chunky. it's not a regular tomato sauce
>>7149255
I am guessing some ppl are those who like their red cause as more tomato-y, whereas i like mine to be more about the add--ins. Margherita pizza vs deep dish.
>>7149237
>what cuts should i use? I just shoot for chuck plus some actual good meat usually.
go to mr. butcher man and get something from the shoulder. chuck is a step in the right direction but it's way too expensive at grocery stores. you could also probably get denver cuts for cheapish.
>people eat breadsticks with their pastas
maybe in the U.S. but pasta is more commonly seen as an appetizer to a main, regardless, the point is that if you're going to use whole wheat pasta (which tastes worse than standard pasta) you ought to just skip the bread instead. make a salad.
>>7149151
that dry nudelzz. you have to mix the fuck out with the sauce!
>>7149151
6/10, definitely not hopeless. Keep trying and you could be really great at this, way better than I'll ever be.
Thanks for sharing
>>7149255
The overall final dish is fine for a domestic kitchen, but there's room for improvement.
A relatively basic meat ragu with proper technique would be the following:
- 500g ground beef
- 1.5litres tinned tomatoes (skins peeled; preferably san marzano variety)
- 4tbsps tomato paste
- 250ml dry red wine
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely diced)
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 sprigs of thyme
- 1 large bunch of fresh basil
- 1 star anise
Instructions:
1. In a large cast iron pan, heat on high for several minutes till piping hot. Than add few tbsps of canola oil and your ground beef. Cook for several minutes till the water is released and evaporated and the beef is evenly cooked and golden brown. When all your ground beef is cooked, deglaze the pan with plain water. Do not use wine or anything acidic (tomatoes) otherwise you'll ruin the pan.
2. In a large pot, sweat your onions in a little olive oil for several minutes over a medium low heat until translucent. Add your garlic and tomato paste. Cook for several more minutes until the tomato paste is well incorporated and the acidity is removed.
3. Add your red wine to your sweated onions and turn up your heat to medium high and reduce the red wine till mostly evaporated and syrupy.
4. Add your tinned tomatoes, star anise, thyme, bay leaves, pan drippings and ground beef to your onion mixture. Cook on high heat till it reaches a boil and than immediately reduce the heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer for 2-3hrs.
4. When finished, add your fresh basil and allow to gently steep under the residual heat of the meat ragu.
>>7149271
Thanks. I'm not familiar with italian cuisine so it sounds like I have some reading to do, any recommendations? I have a hard time sifting through blog posts, thank you!
>>7149267
Will the grocer butcher do it? Otherwise I only know of whole foods and this on campus butcher shop that's only open 3 hours a week. Guess it's worth it though,
>>7149274
again, SO doesn't like it pre-mixed, so I just mix mine up on my plate.
>>7149287
ty i am trying, sounds like i was a little in over my head with the italian. you can do it too anon-kun ~.^
>>7149306
I check my store for san marzano, but all say "San Marzano style" do you think it would still be worth it? I figure "style" means long tomatoes with no taste, so I don't bother. I will save this recipe thank you. I am hesitant about the wine though, I can barely get down an IPA, but I will try it!
>>7149151
Some phones store the orientation as exif data. 4chan stripes exif and has done for a long time. Before, people would use that data to locate people who didn't know how to remove it.
>>7149355
I'm gonna put on a tripcode so you can know whom you're responding to.
Going to do it piecemeal
>I check my store for san marzano, but all say "San Marzano style" do you think it would still be worth it?
First of all, the most important thing when you buy San Marzano tomatoes is looking for "D.O.P." on the label which means "Denominazione di Origine Protetta", or protected designation of origin, i.e. the real stuff is made in this one region. San Marzano tomatoes are a variety of plum tomatoes, so if you have trouble finding them, you can substitute them for plum tomatoes, although generally the San Marzanos are higher quality.
They come whole usually, so you either pull them out of the tin and slice them, or you can put it in a bag and crush them. Personally I don't mind a sauce being a little chunky so I let them reduce in a pan then then split them with a spatula if I'm being lazy.
They don't have a lot of flavor beyond tomato, so think of them as a canvas where you can start to paint on it with spices.
>Will the grocer butcher do it? Or Whole Foods?
Whole Foods is incredibly overpriced, there are some decent deals in the store, (such as their milk, orange juice, etc. which are generally the same price as the competition but higher quality, their bulk spices also aren't a bad deal) however their meat section is generally grossly more expensive than the quality you get. It's probably possible to get some custom cuts at the grocery store, but again, you will likely be getting lower quality meat and paying a premium. Compare the quality of your local butcher and their prices before you decide. The on campus butcher shop sounds like it's worth checking out.
>>7149355
>>>have some reading to do, any recommendations? I have a hard time sifting through blog posts
Cookbooks you mong. Blogs are silly to get cooking information from until you are skilled enough to be able to separate the bullshit from the good points.
>I'm not familiar with italian cuisine so it sounds like I have some reading to do, any recommendations?
First and foremost the two things I would say are
1. salt your pasta water, but don't salt it before the pasta goes in. let the water boil, then add the pasta and salt
2. don't drain the pasta completely, you can use a bit of the pasta water to add to your sauce which will thicken it b/c of the starch in the pasta. do that instead of adding tomato paste. tomato paste doesn't really have a place in any proper italian dish as far as I'm concerned, either contemporary or traditional. But ultimately the point of cooking is to make something you like so if you can't live without it, use it I suppose. But try going without it first, the results will make you pleased.
For the rest of this let me hand you a few tips.
Firstly, you took the meat out of the sauce. No need to do that, the sauce can greatly benefit from the flavors, keeping them together is fine. Secondly, you did the meat before the vegetables, especially the onion. A diced onion can take upwards of 35 minutes to fully cook down, and reaches a nice sautee in around 8-10. Adding this first in some oil would flavor the oil and create a good base to cook the meat in. In addition, it would also be possible to add garlic at this point if you so desire, although if you're interested in traditional ways, garlic is not part of them, as it's more of a regional inclusion rather than something that goes with everything.
In addition, the way the bell pepper and onion were prepared caused texture issues. If you want a crunch, cut them into small strips and add them later in the dish, if you want to incorporate the flavors, add them earlier and either dice or use larger strips, which will break down quickly. The chunks you used will take too long to break down in the sauce, causing you to run into parts of the dish which have a clashing texture. You have to think about how what you add will cook over time.
Also, when you're buying pasta, you want the kind which looks like the one on the bottom, not the type. That 'dusty' look comes from residual starches on the noodles which, when you cook them, will create the starched water that I was talking about earlier which you use to thicken your sauce. The kind of noodle at the top of the image doesn't do that nearly as well.
Also, make sure you don't add too much water to your noodles, you want to use less, as the smaller amounts of water will increase the concentration of the starch in the pasta.
In addition, once your pasta is ready to be drained, pour some of the water in your sauce, drain your pasta, and then suck it up and add your pasta in there to be tossed. This is very important. If you have the right kind of pasta and the right kind of preparation, the sauce will coat the noodles, and even if you remove them after, this will make the entire meal better.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
>>7150212
*which looks like the one on the bottom, not the type on the top
>>7149141
i haven't gotten the knuckle placement technique down yet either. But, seeing it in 3rd person motivates me to practice.
Everything else you've done looks dank though. I appreciate the webms, even if I have to turn my laptop
>>7150096
Ah thank you, I will look for that label.
I shop around a lot so I do know that their shit is overpriced, especially their meats. I do get their store brand stuff sometimes though because it's really high quality stuff for a good price.
>>7150123
I have a hard time trusting cookbooks cuz a lot of them are allrecipes tier, i like reading explanations for ingredients and such, not just a card. So usually I look for forums and multiple sources. But if you have a good pasta cookbook lemme know family.
>>7150130
I do salt the water. But thank you for those tips that is very useful info. I took the meat out because I was worried about the chunks being rubbery, but i guess I can just simmer it at a lower heat. Thank you about the onions, I am always confused on when to add onions. All I know is to sweat them. You're also right about the texture issue, I should've cut everything smaller. i honestly thought bell pepper wouldn't take so long to cook.Thank you very much for the tips
>>7150212
hello again, how can I know if the pasta is "dusty." Is it more common in durum ones? I guess I'll just check the boxes next time, I do like making carbonara (no cream senpai :^)) and I do save the water there. I didn't kow it would benefit tomato sauces. I really don't know much about italian food other than a few pastas, so any advice is great. How about a good light pasta coating? Like this one from the movie "Chef".
>>7150985
forgot image
>>7150985
>cookbooks
If a cookbook doesn't explain the how and why then it's shit.
Anyway, a few I can recommend:
The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Giuliano Hazan
Making Artisan Pasta by Aliza Green
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
>>7150985
>how can I know if the pasta is "dusty."
You can literally see it. Just like you can see it in the image you should be able to see it in the box. I know for a fact that Trader Joe's 'organic spaghetti' is one, and I also know that target sells pasta in that style under their 'simply balanced' brand, and also the brands 'de cecco' and 'montebello' appear to be in that style. But regardless it should be apparent to the naked eye just by looking through the packaging.
>good light pasta coating
carbonara, aglio e olio, cacio e pepe (which sometimes I will add a little oil to), ajo, ojo e peperoncino, spaghetti alla bottarga, tagliatelle ai carciofi, if you are looking for stuff to look up.
Otherwise the best way to make any good 'light pasta coating' is just to use good olive oil, heat it in your pan at medium and then add the spices you want to infuse into it. then you toss your pasta in it. There are a lot of ways to do this. For instance you could cook some chicken in oil, take it out, deglaze the pan with some wine or vinegar, add the pasta and a little pasta water and toss and it will have a good flavor that will match with the chicken or whatever other flavor you use. pasta is very adaptable and is great for cooking because it depends more on technique than the total cost of the ingredients, you can make amazing pastas very cheaply with just a few things.
I watched that scene. A bit of an over-dramatization, but I think if you cooked a dish I mentioned earlier 'funghi trifolati' that you would have the experience you're looking for. The only expensive aspect of it is using some good cheese to top it with, which is important. Don't skimp on the cheese! Don't use cheap stuff! You don't have to use very much either, just enough to lightly coat the dish if it requires it.
That's one of the reasons I mentioned earlier that putting the cheese into the sauce directly was a bad idea, because you want those flavors to be immediate and not hidden.
>>7151002
I get a lot of them as gifts, but it makes my bookshelf look nice. I'll check those out thank you.
>>7151057
Ok, yea as i think about it, should be very easy to see. ok, I wrote them all down in my steno pad, thank you. Yea the cheese is hard for me to get into since it's a bit out of my budget, but every so often I will pick up one that I know. Romano, aged parm, brie and port salute. I'm really no cheese aficionado so it's hard to pick up blue fog or something cuz it's really so bitter.
>>7150985
I'll type it up for you, a lot of the sites seem to be in italian or have ingredients that are hard to find.
Funghi Trifolai, in a comfy style:
Ingredients:
8 oz. crimini mushrooms (sometimes called baby portobello), thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, medium-large, diced
fresh parsley to taste, chopped
salt
pepper
parmesan cheese
thicker pasta like bucatini, but you could also use fettuccine or spaghetti, not a big deal
white wine that's on the sweet side
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic on the larger side, peeled
how to:
after you wash the mushrooms and parsley and slice/chop them, set them aside
add enough olive oil to coat the pan, put it on medium and then crush your garlic cloves with a fork until they open, and then let them cook in the pan until they become golden/golden-brown. take them out and toss them.
quickly add your diced onion which will reduce the temperature of the oil slightly, stir for around 10 minutes, being lazy. don't overstir it, only move it around the pan so nothing burns.
when your onion starts to look transparent, add your mushrooms, and begin to stir. the mushrooms need to move around. when the mushrooms start to cook a little, add your wine, around 3.5 oz., or a little less than half a cup, stir it in and then turn the heat up to high to evaporate. it should take maybe 2-5 minutes. add your parsley to taste, around a 1/4th of a cup maybe, and then a pinch or two of salt, stir, and then turn the heat down to low, cover, and begin cooking your pasta.
after around 10 minutes give it a stir and then re-cover it until the pasta is done. when the pasta finishes, add around 1/2 cup of the water from the pasta, and then drain the rest. bring it back up to medium heat and let the excess liquid cook off, while you stir, add pepper, and then after around 1-2 minutes add your pasta in and toss for maybe a minute, then plate, top with parmesan and serve.
it's a good dish.
>>7151106
>>7151116
You can skip the cheese at the end for that recipe, but it does taste very good. You can also use pecorino romano instead of parmesan if it's cheaper for you.
Costco in the U.S. sells parmesan for very cheaply as well, usually around $10.50 a pound which is fantastic. You need a grater for it though.
>>7149093
Tuck your thumb in, you lunatic.
>>7151116
saved thank you so much, wil ltry next week. You're right, this sounds great even though the ingredient list isnt long. also for >>7151131
I already have the Parmesan, so I need to use it up anyway. I do have a nice grater so it should be ok.
>>7151210
i really am horrified every time i look at it. Went to work this morning and practiced my grab/tuck while dicing some onions, it's hard to continually move my fingers
>>7151225
take pics if you end up making it
Fuck these pretentious cunt OP.
Looks good! Keep making it and you'll fine tune it to your own liking and not trying to please every sad faggot on an anonymous message board.
Cook what you want and want you like! Not what everyone says you should like!
>>7151602
There's nothing pretentious about properly serving food.
I only serve food at my table on fine China, with cloth napkins, white table clothes, and ALL the appropriate flat ware too!
Bully to you good sir!
>>7149088
Your spaget needs gravy!
>>7151671
>putting gravy on spaghetti
That's fucking nasty
>>7151106
Yo, check out Puerto Rican Cookery by Carmen Aboy Valldejuli. It's a great guide for Caribbean shit if you're into that
>>7151712
Welcome to Ameri/ck/a, where tastebuds go to die. :^)
>>7151602
what a dumb opinion. if everyone settles for the immediate and the easy nothing is achieved. it's not like anyone in the thread is just talking shit anyway, a lot of the posts have ways to do things better. don't be such a dope.
