Intro to Freezer Savings
November 12th, 2007
On the heels of Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food comes Wise Bread’s Intro to Freezer Savings.
One of the most interesting and useful techniques outlined is the use of ice cube trays to freeze easily portioned amounts of just about anything — stock, sauces, purees:
I’ve been freezing lots of pumpkin puree in cubes to use for homemade pumpkin vinaigrette and pumpkin lattes.
More freezing wizardry to come.
Cork’d for beer? Not quite.
November 9th, 2007
Having been a huge fan of wine mega-site Cork’d for some time, I’ve always hoped and prayed for — and on several occasions considered making — an equivalent service for the beer lovers among us.
So imagine my excitement when Dan Cederholm, one of the original creators of Cork’d and web designer supreme, announced his new beer-themed service today: Foamee.
And imagine my disappointment when the service turns out to be not equivalent to Cork’d on any front, but just a Twitter log of who owes who a beer on the Internet. I got out of bed for this?
Bacon Salt?
November 8th, 2007
I’m as big a fan of salty pork as anyone. But a seasoning salt that tastes like bacon?
Now, I’m not saying I’m against the idea; I’m not immune to the siren call of bacon-flavored popcorn or French fries. But Bacon Salt, which comes in Original, Hickory Smoked, and Peppered flavors, contains such appetizing ingredients as MSG, Disodium Guanylate, and Yellow 6. I’m also not sure what to make of the Hickory flavor, which is apparently vegan. Vegans, is there an unmet demand for delicious bacon-y products amongst your ranks?
Bacon Salt sells for $4.49 a pop. I remain skeptical, but does anyone have any real experience with this?
Ultimate Guide to Freezing Food
November 7th, 2007
Freezing food is a great way to save money. It allows you to buy fresh items in bulk and at the peak of freshness and enjoy them for months to come. The appropriately-named Former Fat Guy Blog has just published a comprehensive guide to freezing just about everything. Take a look.
Potato Bacon Soup
November 1st, 2007
The problem with most potato soups, really, is one of texture. Some are watery. Some are gloppy. Most are gritty or grainy. After some experimenting, I’ve developed a potato soup technique that produces a silky, sumptuous soup that’s still plenty hearty. The key is adding your potatoes in two installments. The first gets blended to form the base of the soup and give it body, while the second is added later and cooked until perfectly tender — no more overcooked potatoes. The result is a pleasant contrast in textures — the smooth soup, firm chunks of potato, crisps bacon bits.
Potato Bacon Soup
- 1 lb bacon, diced
- 2 pounds potatoes, mixed Russet and Yukon Gold, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled and cubed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 quart Vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
- Heat a skillet and fry the bacon until crispy; fish out the bacon and pour the delicious, delicious bacon fat into your finest soup pot
- Sweat the onion and garlic over medium heat until they just start to pick up some color. At this point your kitchen will smell like bacon and garlic and onions, and you’ll be tempted to stick your head into the pot and begin gorging; resist this temptation.
- Add the peeled potatoes and veggie stock and simmer for 30 minutes
- Using your favorite stick-blender (or food processor, counter-top blender, potato masher, or sharp stick), blend the soup until it’s smooth and creamy. The soup should be smooth and rich but not gloppy or pasty; adjust thickness with more vegetable stock as necessary.
- Add in the unpeeled potatoes and bay leaves and simmer on low until potatoes are fork-tender, about a half hour
- Fish out the bay leaves, check your seasoning (you did remember salt and pepper, didn’t you?), and add the dairy product of your choice
- Serve with aforementioned bacon and chives