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Shopping, shopping, shopping to turn up an ex-pat kitchen


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On 19/07/2020 at 01:26, ChiFlyer said:

Ree Drummond

That woman makes my blood boil. Well, not her exactly, just that program.

Once she starts cooking, she is good and easy to understand, generally keeps it simple.

But its her retarded family that drive me mad. And that whole ranchers wife crap. And learn to fix fences properly, that way wont have to redo it every second day.

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On 04/08/2020 at 03:56, ChiFlyer said:

A substitute for Swordfish.

I make several Sicilian recipes that call for swordfish. I have never seen any swordfish here in Thailand. Yeah I know, I am a jerk as it is a severely endangered species, but I forgive myself for my a couple of times a year purchases.

Any suggestions on a locally available substitute? It is a firm fish. Grouper would be too light and Tuna is just wrong. Mahi Mahi is getting close, but still not firm enough. 

Parrot fish perhaps?

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On 15/08/2020 at 00:33, ChiFlyer said:

I used to make the following recipe in the US in order to give myself an easy night in the kitchen, but still with a tasty meal. It relied on a decent tasting Italian sausage.

https://www.popsugar.com/food/Roasted-Italian-Sausage-Onions-Peppers-707230

Converting this to a Thai expat kitchen had several problems. The most significant of these was the Chicago Style Italian Sausage. I tried the earlier provided recipe and it did indeed provide the taste, but it was a little tough.

https://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-bulk-italian-sausage-chicago-style-329000

I added 2/3 TSBP of brown sugar. Next time I will increase the fennel and add some red wine vinegar.

Also, when cooked the bulk sausage, which I rolled into meatballs was a little too tough. I will address this next time by adding a panade (bread, cream, garlic) mixture, just before cooking.

Good sausage shouldn't need a panade *if the things I've learned are correct.*

The key to good sausage (with no filler) is the fat. Not just how much fat, but the form of the fat. You want about 30% fat content, with the fat in little chunks so it doesn't all render out during cooking. If you look at say the Johnsonville sausages or a good breakfast sausage from the US you'll actually see the white mottling which is those chunks of fat.

So how do you achieve this? The recommendations I've seen are to grind your own meat using a very cold grinder and chilled meat. I'm wondering if there's a way to get a butcher to do it here in Thailand. I know for instance that Friendship supermarket will grind meat for you. Sorry for weighing in on this subject, but it's been a long quest for me to get some decent sausage here.

Now of course the alternative is just to buy Thai sausages. Not same same but if you're in Thailand why not learn to appreciate Thai products. You often see them for sale from street vendors. I'll attach a picture. There are two types, sour and not. The sour ones are made sour not with the addition of any vinegar or other sour ingredient, but simply by 'aging' the sausages for a few days before cooking! I've loved these sausages for a long time, especially the sour ones. Perhaps dangerous, but I've never been sick from them. They are eaten with cabbage, whole chili peppers, and pickled or regular ginger. Quite a treat. If you find a good vendor they are very juicy and super tasty.

While not completely relevant to the Italian sausage subject, it's related. I just happened to find a little old lady who sells these sausages in bulk. I got a pack of the sour ones a few days ago--90 baht for 30 sausages, looks like almost a kilo. What a deal if they turn out good! The verdict--they are very tasty indeed. Each little sausage is hand tied. I think they may have some rice in them, not sure. I put them in a pan on super super low heat to simulate roasting them, and they came out terrific. I still have some in the fridge and they reheat well in the microwave.

I can't help but wonder if we could get this old lady to make some Italian sausages for us, as she's got the fat/meat ratio and fat chunk issue down pat. :D:D:D In Thailand, you have to be creative to get stuff you want done.

SaiGrog.jpg

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4 hours ago, expatdude said:

 

Good sausage shouldn't need a panade *if the things I've learned are correct.*

The key to good sausage (with no filler) is the fat. Not just how much fat, but the form of the fat. You want about 30% fat content, with the fat in little chunks so it doesn't all render out during cooking. If you look at say the Johnsonville sausages or a good breakfast sausage from the US you'll actually see the white mottling which is those chunks of fat.

So how do you achieve this? The recommendations I've seen are to grind your own meat using a very cold grinder and chilled meat. I'm wondering if there's a way to get a butcher to do it here in Thailand. I know for instance that Friendship supermarket will grind meat for you. Sorry for weighing in on this subject, but it's been a long quest for me to get some decent sausage here.
 

Based on what I have read as well, grinding your own meat as you described is the best way to go. On the other hand, it sounds like a bloody mess and I am beginning to run low on space for additional kitchen gear.

I have tried the little Thai sour sausages and did not care for them. Just me.

I think the heavy cream in the panade will achieve some of the fat content issues that you address.

I am learning as I go on this one. I was encouraged by the taste that I got using the "simple" approach that I tried.

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On 17/08/2020 at 13:04, ChiFlyer said:

Based on what I have read as well, grinding your own meat as you described is the best way to go. On the other hand, it sounds like a bloody mess and I am beginning to run low on space for additional kitchen gear.

......

I think the heavy cream in the panade will achieve some of the fat content issues that you address.

......

@expatdude - a couple of other things that occurred to me.

The panade that I have in mind uses a couple of pieces of white bread (ends removed), heavy cream, and a little garlic with just a couple of pulses in a food processor. This should yield the fat heavy chunks to work into the seasoned pork. I do have a food processor.

Alton Brown, a food luminary if there ever was one IMO, has been writing/filming some about a change of heart in using a food processor instead of a grinder to grind meat, just because of the utilitarian value. Trick is do not make a meat paste. :) I started doing this some to make my own hamburger back in the US and the results were really good.

I will try this again in a few weeks and report back.

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I did well with the kickoff to the weekend cooking. Both the GF and her sister gave me a large thumbs up.

I made a dish that I would make on the outside grill back in the US. I do not have an outside grill here so I used a cast iron grill on the stove top. It worked out well, but I learned a few things as well.

Anyway, tonight's main course is called Garlic, Lime Grilled Pork Tenderloin.

First a word about the side dish, which I will call Cheesy, Spicy, Roast Potatoes. As far as I know this is a CF original. It's pretty basic. Cut up some smaller potatoes. In the US I prefer Yukons, but those are not available here, so I went with a cocktail potato that they sell at Villa Market. It is a little starchier than I prefer, but worked out well. I place the cut up potatoes in a large aluminum foil packet, dust with salt, pepper, celery salt, and crushed red pepper (go easy with the last one). After that I dab with butter, seal the aluminum foil packet and place in the oven at 375F for about an hour. When done, open the packet, sprinkle with some browned Pancetta lardons and shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Reseal the packet to give the cheese some time to melt.

A pic

377238232_Home-GarlicLimePTC.thumb.jpg.a61638f6ca498418f3cfb80380c2deaf.jpg

The main dish is a Grilled Pork Tenderloin in a Garlic Lime marinade and sauce.

The recipe

Garlic Lime Pork Tenderloin.pdf

Some pics

On The Grill

480995477_Home-GarlicLimePTA.thumb.jpg.5cc5845f581d581bde5505a2f469bd0a.jpg

I finished cooking on The Grill with the steaks on their sides. This was because I did not get as even a char as I would on an outside grill.

1624549566_Home-GarlicLimePTB.thumb.jpg.f352983be384a872f3595770cb5a7b12.jpg

Plated with the sauce

1869649073_Home-GarlicLimePTD.thumb.jpg.8a88da550b7c7d114ff5f2ce70052569.jpg

Edited by ChiFlyer
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Those potatoes look really good, will try soon.

Yesterday, I made some chicken nuggets, follow recipe, they tasted great but were so dry. The recipe just said place in oven for 30 min, but never gave a setting, so I just went 220 C, maybe should have went lower???

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13 minutes ago, jimboh said:

Those potatoes look really good, will try soon.

Yesterday, I made some chicken nuggets, follow recipe, they tasted great but were so dry. The recipe just said place in oven for 30 min, but never gave a setting, so I just went 220 C, maybe should have went lower???

I use an air fryer for chicken nuggets. I set it at 180 C and go for 5 minutes, then take the basket out and shake things up a little, then back in for another 4 minutes. They turn out pretty good.

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1 hour ago, ChiFlyer said:

I use an air fryer for chicken nuggets. I set it at 180 C and go for 5 minutes, then take the basket out and shake things up a little, then back in for another 4 minutes. They turn out pretty good.

I’ve been trying to think if I’d use an air fryer much or not. The handle came off my slow cooker (I’ve superglued it back on for now, but..) so was contemplating getting a Ninja slow cooker/pressure cooker/steamer/air fryer all in one instead of a straight replacement. It would be £20 for the slow cooker and £200 for the Ninja so that’s also a consideration.

I don’t deep fry anything but use the main oven a lot so I guess it might cut down on that???

 

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

So remember to “Enjoy every sandwich”

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3 hours ago, petemoss said:

Every kitchen should have one. Basket of avacados. 50 baht/kilo!

 

 

1034564217_WhatsAppImage2020-08-19at05_36_40.thumb.jpeg.a1c7a2f66c621fa3cffde9f5e2242070.jpeg

Nice. Where did you purchase? Thank you 

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19 minutes ago, Cheetos said:

Nice. Where did you purchase? Thank you 

Next door neighbour brought them back from Phetchabun. Grown at altitude in Khao Koh national park.

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7 hours ago, davidge said:

I’ve been trying to think if I’d use an air fryer much or not. The handle came off my slow cooker (I’ve superglued it back on for now, but..) so was contemplating getting a Ninja slow cooker/pressure cooker/steamer/air fryer all in one instead of a straight replacement. It would be £20 for the slow cooker and £200 for the Ninja so that’s also a consideration.

I don’t deep fry anything but use the main oven a lot so I guess it might cut down on that???

 

There is a pretty decent recent air fryer review thread, if you guys have not see it.

I just purchased a smaller one about a month ago. I do not use it often, but it comes in handy. My initial motivation was to cut back on the amount of cooking oil in out diet. Cooking times are less than the corresponding oven times. I bought a Phillips and it came with a manual that had suggested temperatures and cooking times for many items.

After having read the thread on the topic, I wish I had bought a larger one.

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One of the things that I liked using as a main entree in the US was Cornish Hens. I am not seeing them available here in Thailand. Anybody else noticed them anywhere. I would prefer fresh, but would settle for frozen.

Another item that I am getting zero hits on with internet searches is Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce. I have been told by knowledgeable expats, that I need to get a few cans into my next carry on. Looks like that is going to be a while from now.

Edited by ChiFlyer
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I’ve been trying to think if I’d use an air fryer much or not. The handle came off my slow cooker (I’ve superglued it back on for now, but..) so was contemplating getting a Ninja slow cooker/pressure cooker/steamer/air fryer all in one instead of a straight replacement. It would be £20 for the slow cooker and £200 for the Ninja so that’s also a consideration.
I don’t deep fry anything but use the main oven a lot so I guess it might cut down on that???
 

I bought 2 air fryers a couple of years ago...one for me and one for my daughter. They were about $60 each. She cooks way more than I do and she quickly fell in love with air frying. Eliminating grease and oil reduces the calorie counts substantially. But the ones I bought were relatively small, and you had to rearrange the food quite often while you were cooking or else some parts would burn.

So she bought a Cuisinart air fryer toaster oven, and it's fantastic. It's about the size of a conventional toaster oven, but it is actually a mini convection oven that has a fan to blow the hot air around. And the tray is large enough and exposed enough that you really don’t have to rearrange the food every few minutes.

It can also broil and bake. It's fast and it doesn’t heat up the whole kitchen like a regular oven. Highly recommended.


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One of the things that I liked using as a main entree in the US was Cornish Hens. I am not seeing them available here in Thailand. Anybody else noticed them anywhere. I would prefer fresh, but would settle for frozen.
Another item that I am getting zero hits on with internet searches is Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce. I have been told by knowledgeable expats, that I need to get a few cans into my next carry on. Looks like that is going to be a while from now.

I just looked at Amazon, and they carry many different brands...

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=chipotle+peppers+in+adobo&i=grocery&crid=1X1FABOO4LGHQ&sprefix=Chipotle+peppers%2Cgrocery%2C277&ref=nb_sb_ss_ac-a-p_2_16

I didn’t think that Amazon shipped to Thailand, but I found this article that says I'm wrong. I bet it's really expensive to ship, but if you want them badly enough they seem to be available.

https://tech.thaivisa.com/people-thailand-can-now-easily-order-stuff-amazon-com/28331/
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On 13/07/2020 at 00:53, ChiFlyer said:

Steak au Poirve requires that you flambe the pan with Cognac after the steaks are cooked. Getting the pan to a safe area before you ignite it is a good idea.

I do hope your landlord isn’t a PA member :D

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5 hours ago, vivid2 said:


I just looked at Amazon, and they carry many different brands...

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=chipotle+peppers+in+adobo&i=grocery&crid=1X1FABOO4LGHQ&sprefix=Chipotle+peppers%2Cgrocery%2C277&ref=nb_sb_ss_ac-a-p_2_16

I didn’t think that Amazon shipped to Thailand, but I found this article that says I'm wrong. I bet it's really expensive to ship, but if you want them badly enough they seem to be available.

https://tech.thaivisa.com/people-thailand-can-now-easily-order-stuff-amazon-com/28331/

I have used Amazon to ship to my Mail Forwarding address in the US. I then select which items that arrive at my US address to be forwarded to Thailand. Lots of problems with this approach:

  • The Amazon domestic shipping prices are not cheap.
  • The international shipping costs are also not cheap.
  • Thai customs grabs a lot of items and can sit on them for over a month.
  • When/if the item is finally delivered you are also charged an import fee by Thailand.
  • Given the customs wait time factor alone, I would not even consider this approach for any perishable food.

 

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6 hours ago, vivid2 said:


I bought 2 air fryers a couple of years ago...one for me and one for my daughter. They were about $60 each. She cooks way more than I do and she quickly fell in love with air frying. Eliminating grease and oil reduces the calorie counts substantially. But the ones I bought were relatively small, and you had to rearrange the food quite often while you were cooking or else some parts would burn.

So she bought a Cuisinart air fryer toaster oven, and it's fantastic. It's about the size of a conventional toaster oven, but it is actually a mini convection oven that has a fan to blow the hot air around. And the tray is large enough and exposed enough that you really don’t have to rearrange the food every few minutes.

It can also broil and bake. It's fast and it doesn’t heat up the whole kitchen like a regular oven. Highly recommended.

 

 

 

 

 

Nice, the Shiwa shop sells this one for 12,180b.  I like too

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7 hours ago, Czmate said:

I do hope your landlord isn’t a PA member :D

I had done flambes perhaps 20 times previously in the US and this was by far the most intense reaction that I have ever observed. I suspect that I inadvertently splashed a little more cognac than I realized into the pan. I should probably get a couple of demerits for that.

I was glad that I had gotten the pan to a safe open area. The flames although a little too intense in this case, subsided in about 15 seconds.

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9 hours ago, vivid2 said:


I bought 2 air fryers a couple of years ago...one for me and one for my daughter. They were about $60 each. She cooks way more than I do and she quickly fell in love with air frying. Eliminating grease and oil reduces the calorie counts substantially. But the ones I bought were relatively small, and you had to rearrange the food quite often while you were cooking or else some parts would burn.

So she bought a Cuisinart air fryer toaster oven, and it's fantastic. It's about the size of a conventional toaster oven, but it is actually a mini convection oven that has a fan to blow the hot air around. And the tray is large enough and exposed enough that you really don’t have to rearrange the food every few minutes.

It can also broil and bake. It's fast and it doesn’t heat up the whole kitchen like a regular oven. Highly recommended.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks. I’ve not got the biggest kitchen so don’t want too many different gadgets - a few have come and gone over the years as I didn’t use them enough to justify taking up the space (bread maker, steamer, sandwich maker, deep fryer etc!). 

As my trusty slow cooker has a problem I was just wondering whether to splash out on the all-in-one Ninja - though it’s expensive. It says it has a 7.5l capacity which seems decent from what I read in the air fryer thread that @ChiFlyer linked. I’d certainly use it as a slow cooker and occasionally as a pressure cooker and steamer, it sounds like I would use the air fryer rather than my main oven from what people are saying - I’d just have to get used to it.

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

So remember to “Enjoy every sandwich”

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44 minutes ago, davidge said:

As my trusty slow cooker has a problem I was just wondering whether to splash out on the all-in-one Ninja - though it’s expensive. It says it has a 7.5l capacity which seems decent from what I read in the air fryer thread that @ChiFlyer linked. I’d certainly use it as a slow cooker and occasionally as a pressure cooker and steamer, it sounds like I would use the air fryer rather than my main oven from what people are saying - I’d just have to get used to it.

My Slow Cooker and my 10 Litre Air Fryer are my most used cooking appliances.

Slow Cooker for Stews, casseroles, Soups etc and Air Fryer for Steak, Sausages, Chicken, Potato Chips etc etc etc.

Air Fryer is not really an accurate name IMO they are really compact fan forced oven heated by a halogen element. 

My Air Fryer came from Aldi AUD $150 which I now regard as a bargain given the constant use I get from it

This is my 10 Litre -

1785538606_Aldi10.jpg.e35d95bbd4f843d617

Aldi also have a 23 Litre one coming soon, also AUD $150 - so may well appear in the UK -

1954374527_Aldi23.jpg.b9f84c5263ac3844e6

I hummed and harred before buying one but now regard it as an excellent buy.

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Life must be lived forward, but can only be understood backwards.

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Thanks.

Oh well, taken the plunge. Got the Ninja for £188.88 on Amazon. Reviews seem good. Delivering (free) tomorrow. 
Helps with space having one machine that will do several things. I use the slow cooker a lot and having the air fryer option will stop me having to use the oven for other things - chicken, lamb, beef etc. I’ll have to go back to steaming fish & veg as well which will be a nice option to have.


FCFEA1D8-C0BF-40D5-BDCD-E4C905425456.jpeg

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"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

So remember to “Enjoy every sandwich”

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Finished off the weekend cooking with Coconut Fried Shrimp with a Spicy Mango Sauce.

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/coconut-shrimp-with-fiery-mango-sauce

The end result looks like it is something simple, but it takes some effort over about 2 hours. Bought the shrimp at Makro and they were of a decent quality. I buy the full body in the shell shrimp as the GF likes using the heads etc for other purposes. 

Villa Market did not have sweetened coconut flakes, only unsweetened ones. I added 1 TBSP of refined sugar to the food processor with the coconut flakes and it came together well. They also did not have mango nectar, but they had a mango and passion fruit juice. I upped the amount by 1/3 and increased the cooking time for the sauce by a few minutes. They did not have a scotch bonnet pepper, so I bought a package of jalapenos and used two in the sauce. Appropriate heat I thought.

All in all, both the GF and I thought it was enjoyable eats and we gave it a level 2 rating. I had strung together 4 or 5 level 1s, so it was a bit of a come down, but I am getting through it ok.

A few pics.

The mango sauce - the green color is from the jalapenos.

1164346842_Home-CoconutShrimpA.thumb.jpg.01f63fee253fd0f966b5fb03e990e951.jpg

The coconut shrimp -

tip1 - when you add a shrimp to the pan, you should hear a quick sizzle, otherwise the oil is not as hot as it needs to be and you are heading toward mushy shrimp.

tip2 - when you add or flip a shrimp, do not touch it for 2 minutes, or you will crumble off your tasty breading that you worked hard on.

tip3 - after the shrimp has been cooking for 2 minutes on a side, start checking them. They can go from crispy goodness to scorched terribleness quickly. I wonder how I learned these things. :rolleyes:

1386790938_Home-CoconutShrimpB.thumb.jpg.c34745e9dae60b8722a5cbd9c1c35c33.jpg

Plated - with a few french fries done in the air fryer. I did a dab the sauce on the shrimp to start, but quickly switched over to drown em in the dipping sauce bowl. The sauce was very good.

619348617_Home-CoconutShrimpC.thumb.jpg.104a5f5f10e12d8ff0c0f63d5e177457.jpg

 

Edited by ChiFlyer
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8 hours ago, davidge said:

Thanks.

Oh well, taken the plunge. Got the Ninja for £188.88 on Amazon. Reviews seem good. Delivering (free) tomorrow. 
....

Nice buy I think.

I am having a little buyer remorse over a couple of my very recent purchases. I have the following items now for sale that are both about one month old and have only been used a few times. If anyone is interested, please send me a PM and we can discuss price. I would offer a 50% mark down from what I paid.

  • A smaller Phillips Air Fryer. Probably about a 1L basket capacity. Nice for nuggets, fries, a few pieces of chicken, or a couple of baked potatoes. That's what I had in mind when I bought it.
  • An instant pot with about a 2L capacity. Does steaming and pressure cooking. Works well, but I would prefer a bigger capacity and expanded functionality as described in some of the other options above.

If there is interest, I will check the specs and purchase prices.

On the other hand I am very happy with the induction hob, food processor, and blender that I purchased while turning up my kitchen.

Edited by ChiFlyer
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