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Post by yanmacca on Jun 20, 2020 11:44:21 GMT
Okay, Beth has done the honors by creating this thread, so I start the ball rolling with my story.
It was around the backend of the 1970s, when I first had what I thought was a proper American meal. It was in Liverpool probably in either 1978 or 79. Now we had cafes and stuff in Widnes, but it was really just general stuff. But one day I decided to go to Liverpool on my own, by train, in an effort to seek out some new records and look at the guitar shops. Liverpool was the place to buy rare stuff and be able to test play all the best guitars.
After a good afternoon shopping, I decided to have something to eat and moving up London road, I found a café called ‘The American Bar’, which is sadly not there now. Well I went in and looked at the menu and ordered a cheese burger with fries, strawberry cheese cake and a strawberry milk shake, well I felt like I was an extra in ‘happy days’ when the food arrived. It was great with the burgers being char grilled. I was so impressed that I forced my good friend Tom to along with me on my return visit. He also enjoyed the same order of food as I did.
Well, now 40+ years later, we can get all that type of food right here in Widnes, but then it was going to another country as visits to Liverpool were only for special occasions like concerts and shows plus Christmas shopping.
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Post by deadwoodgultch on Jun 20, 2020 15:07:02 GMT
Oh boy, a thread that I know something about. There is much that I don't know "Jack" about, but Jack's Corned Beef I know{mentioned elsewhere}. I started in the Foodservice business at the Dutch Mill Pancake House on US Route 50, in Annapolis, MD in 1966. I started a busboy/dishwasher, I ended up cooking for 100's of Midshipmen and their families for June Week/Graduation week. Funny how fate takes a hand. Our regular night cook came in drunk and burned his arm badly on the grill. And, I heard myself telling the boss that a 10 year old could prep and cook breakfast. He did the fried eggs and I did the rest. The wait staff had to bud their own tables and I went from $1.25 per Hr. to $3.75.
I wont bore you all here with the next over 50 years, maybe some later. I do, however do most of the household cooking, this morning was back to basics, Scrambled eggs, bacon, and grits. The grits were Millet Grits, If you have never tried millet grits, you should.
Regards, Tom
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Post by quincannon on Jun 20, 2020 16:30:37 GMT
Tom: I would not eat grits with your mouth. No one, including Joan, meets my standards for bacon either.
Ian: A good hamburger is a work of art. Many try to be Rembrandt, but very few succeed.
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Post by yanmacca on Jun 20, 2020 19:05:32 GMT
Grits may taste good, but they sure sound revolting. British and American Bacon, is very different, to me it is streaky, fatty and cooked to a crisp. The bacon with eggs we have has far more meat and is cooked less.
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Post by yanmacca on Jun 20, 2020 19:18:58 GMT
Americans would have the luxury of having all the different types of sausages which Europe are famous for. Immigrants from all the European nations would take their own brand across the Atlantic. Our sausages are usually fried, but you can grill them and even bake them. What I do with my ‘bangers’ or Snags to Mac, is to quickly brown the outside in a frying pan and then cook them through in the oven. A lot of northern European countries like to poach theirs in a similar way to how you have your hot dogs, the Germans would have brought this style to the states with their Frankfurters. The southern Europeans eat a lot of cured sausages. Beth mention about Yorkshire puddings and there is a winter favourite we eat over here called ‘Toad in the Hole’. You just get an oven dish and line it with pork sausages, then just pour over the same batter mix you use for Yorkshires, then bang the whole lot into a screaming hot oven till dark brown. Serve it with good onion gravy and any steamed vegetables of your choice.
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Post by yanmacca on Jun 20, 2020 19:49:47 GMT
Chuck, I like my cheese burgers stright, with no frills, just a brioche bun, slightly toasted, a good quarter pound burger, strong cheddar cheese, fried onions and ketchup.
I don't go for all the salad on top, I would rather have a salad and chips on the side.
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Post by deadwoodgultch on Jun 20, 2020 21:01:16 GMT
You two are a mess. I still cook my bacon in the oven on a sheet pan, fat by lean, use only thick sliced bacon. No need to clean stove top for spit grease. I never cooked bacon in the oven prior to the military. That eggs any style to include omelets, pancakes, French toast, sausage, and biscuits or toast. Often did that for 600 plus. Nobody bitched about the bacon, not even Lt, Colonels.
Ian, you need to try a Bacon Bleu Cheeseburger, a Mushroom Swiss Burger, a Jalapeno Cheddar Burger, add lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, onion ig desired. Obviously flame cooked on an outdoor grill is the best prep.
I mentioned last post a wee bit of my foodservice history might be slipped in. In the Military, I trained with the Army, many of the Air Force foodies that followed trained at a school in Colorado(Air Force training). In all of my time in the service I heard from Army troops and Marines that Air force food was always better. I will tell you this that nobody that was trained at Colorado Springs could carry a candle to those trained at Ft Lee VA. The air Force woke up after and began sending their foodservice personnel. The only thing I can tell you is we did for the most part have better facilities. I won't look this up but the Army Culinary team has an outstanding in competition record, and in later years with Chefs with the top ACF certifications and consultant Chefs that could not hold a candle to the Army team members. Chuck, if you ever venture to the local post, I would wager you will find some very fine culinary certified there, Many will cater outside parties. This ain't sucking up to the Army, I spent 24 years teaching field foodservice operations USAF types that I learned in 1969.
Regards, Tom
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Post by deadwoodgultch on Jun 20, 2020 21:10:55 GMT
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Post by quincannon on Jun 20, 2020 21:43:58 GMT
I should have said no one meets my bacon standards presently. I remember bacon in the oven from the old days.Best fried eggs ever are on one of the built in griddles in an old World War II era mess halls too.
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Post by deadwoodgultch on Jun 21, 2020 10:24:59 GMT
A soldier could watch their eggs from hitting the grill and tell me when to turn and/or when to take them off.
Regards, Tom
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Post by quincannon on Jun 21, 2020 11:06:52 GMT
That's the only way to do it for my money. You just can't get the same effect at home. Joan wants to know what oven temperature for the bacon? 350 Degrees ??
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Post by deadwoodgultch on Jun 21, 2020 16:25:30 GMT
350-400, keep an eye on the bacon until you know how the oven cools. Use parchment paper if you wish, be sure to have a place/can to dispose of the grease/fat. The parchment paper saves scrubbing on the sheet pans. Later I will get to Mise( pronounced mees) en place(pronounced plaas), for meal prep.
Regards, Tom
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Post by yanmacca on Jun 21, 2020 18:32:55 GMT
Don't you think that oven cooking bacon can dry it out and make it a bit like cardboard?
You have to be careful when buying bacon, dry cured smoked bacon is the best but is expensive. If you just get a standard pack of bacon and stick it in the fry pan, then the amount of liquid crap that come out of it is awful.
I passed Tom my next door neighbour, some Rocket [or as you call it cilantro] plants over the fence this morning, I grew the Rocket from seed and he will have to thin them out before planting, as I split the pack between four plant pots and each one has a couple of dozen little seedlings.
We exchange stuff all the while and so far, he has given me six tomato plants, eight lettuces and two cucumber plants, I gave him a batch of strawberry plants I took from cuttings last year.
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Post by yanmacca on Jun 21, 2020 18:34:38 GMT
Here is one for everybody on this site as we have all done this;
How do you cook your rump steak. Do you prep it first or do you just take the pack out of the fridge and slap it in a hot pan.
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Post by deadwoodgultch on Jun 21, 2020 20:37:26 GMT
Oven does not dry out bacon. The only rump I have interest is attached to two shapely, shaved legs, Ask me about a filet, Porterhouse, T-Bone, Strip(bone in or out) skirt, flank, or ribeye and we can talk. I will also go down the roast or brisket path. But if you must discuss such a thing consider marinating then maybe then encrusting with seasoning. Not my favorite cut, maybe a standing rump roast slowly cooked. I'd pin the hell out of one of those steaks!
Regards, Tom
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