Cooking Express: January 2011

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Burger and Fries Time!

Here's one of my lazy days. I decided to cook some of my patties and make some home made fries. These fries were made minus the Deep Fat Frier mind you. I just used olive oil in my Green Pan. Honestly for fries, any pan would do, but not true for the patties! And aren't they lovely!

For good fries, use Russet Potatoes. These can be found at Tesco. Typically, Tesco labels these potatoes as US Potatoes. For fries similar to McD's, the fries must be boiled first, then deep fried. I am trying to cut my calories a bit, so I went for pan fried with just enough olive oil to cook the fries.

When cooking the fries, keep turning the fries until all the sides are browned. The fries would be soft and break a bit.In home cooking, good looks are secondary! Nutrition and time are primary! Get the fries out of the pan, season with salt and coarsely ground black pepper and voila! These are not crispy fries but soft fries, but equally good, minus the extra grease too.

Preparation time for fries = 5 minutes (or 10 if you are slower)

Cooking time for fries = 20 - 30 minutes

Cooking time for patties = 10 - 15 minutes

My Green Pan

Although I have never been someone who goes for brands, especially in kitchen utensil, I was deeply impressed by the results of this particular item that I bought into it!

I am talking about my trusty Stockholm 28cm Green Pan. Lovely piece of equipment this. It's mighty heavy, but that also aids it in its primary function: pan frying!

You might think I am writing a review on this pan to get some money in. Don't get me wrong, I could use the money, but having the right equipment is crucial for cooking! Previously I was using an unbranded non-stick pan. It did its job fine, but I could never get good results on fish. The skins would fall off all the time. With a modern kitchen and built in hobs, there is no way to achieve the high temperatures used in traditional Chinese cooking to fry fish.

But guess what... I can achieve the same results as my Grandma (RIP) in the traditional black Wok, charcoal fireplace with an industrial grade fan blowing into it. All thanks to this remarkable piece of equipment. The fish's skin remains on the fish, and the flavouring permeates into the flesh. The moisture in the fish is maintained, despite the slight charring on the skin. Wonderful! I got so excited over the results that I forgot my camera and tucked in immediately! I shan't forget the next time I post my fish recipes here! Promise!

Even cooking steak and burgers turned out wonderfully well. I could now do the American version of juicy steak! My burger patties turned out well done yet juicy on the inside! I highly recommend this item on anyone's kitchen! Can't wait to change into the Stockholm 30cm Green Pan Wok! Shame that my current wok works too well. No excuses to get a new one...

Christmas & New Year Dinner

My hubby's Brother dropped in for a nice New Year's Dinner. We cooked Roast Chicken with home made gravy, Lite Mash, home made country bread and a Salad!

More on the recipes soon!

New Year, New Resolutions!!

After a year of absence, we am making it a point to continue this blog! A lot has happened in the past year: We had a baby boy! We moved to a place with a much bigger kitchen too! This means more room for more equipment! More recipes to follow! Stay tuned!