CHEF SAMBRANO: August 2014

Saturday, August 30, 2014

KITCHEN TRICKS

Tricks are for kids silly rabbit. Remember that commercial for…for… that cereal when I was a kid… I think it was, hey I'm 50 so my mind isn't as sharp.

Here are some tricks for you to do when you are prepping some ginger. Now if you look at a piece of ginger root, it looks kind of F d up… I mean it isn't smooth, it has a lot of freaking irregularities, and some of you may have tried to peel that sucker with a paring knife or vegetable peeler with less than perfect success, but have no fear, use a spoon. "What?" Yeah you heard me junior, go get a teaspoon from your drawer, and use it to scoop off the skin from the ginger.

Also, for garlic, have you ever tried to peel the stupid skin off of those cloves? Here's what you do, take that whole bulb and toss it in a bowl of cold water, the water will wilt the skin somewhat and you can just peel that off exposing a naked bulb of garlic and you can just pull apart the cloves that you'll need.

If you really want to get simple.. just buy the ginger or garlic minced, or chopped, they sell it at the markets, and I'm sure if you go to Costco you can get a full jar of it already prepped saving you time, and zero knife work. That's the beauty of ready made ingredients, I love it. Who cares what chefs or other foodies would say, to me it's all about simplicity. We used to do that all the time on our cooking videos on cable access, haha, we were just having fun, we'd have the camera on the cutting board, and I would start out by using a cleaver mincing, then all of a sudden we'd cut the tape, and put some ready made minced garlic and ginger and it was the cleverest of camera tricks. Hahaha, they do that in cooking shows that's taped, it's all Hollywood. But who cares if your knife skills aren't up to par,it's all about putting your meal together fast!

Until next time Ron.

Friday, August 29, 2014

MJ's TOP 18 TEQUILAS Continued

Here it is the next few tequila's from MJ Men's Journal©, and again I am not making money off of this blog post, all content is from Men's Journal's website, re-written for this writer.

Qui is a tequila that is called a platinum extra anejo. It is an extra anejo that is redistilled and filtered nine times, and that process accentuates smoothness while still retaining the character provided by the oak. Hints of vanilla, butterscotch, and honey. According to the MJ Staff Taster Testers, it works well sipped or added to a light mixed drink.
$55.00

Pueblo Viejo according to the MJ Staff Taster Testers, it has a fruity, clean, citrusy, and floral flavor. It is an extra anejo, under the name San Matias Gran Reserve, is aged three years in French oak, and, at veritable well-spirit prices, is among the best bargain tequilas.
$20.00

Kah tequila is a reposado, with sweet caramel flavors, it is distilled to a whopping 110 proof-maximum allowed by U.S. law-yet somehow goes down as smoothly as Kah's ultra-sexy, coffee-and-cigarettes-evoking anejo, along with an 80 proof blanco. What separates this tequila from the rest is the bottle, Day of the Dead skull bottles are collectibles in their own right.
$60.00

I'll blog the next few later on, but look at that Kah tequila bottle, that's great for a Halloween party. Especially at 110 proof, do you think it could flame up? Just have fun with tequila, sample as many as you can, and be responsible like, don't beat up anyone if you're all jacked up on it… don't go molesting girls…or boys..shit, just chill out, if you are a rowdy mother f…r! maybe you shouldn't be drinking. Until next time.

Ron Sambrano

MJs 18 BEST TEQUILAS (THE LAST FEW)

MJ's 18 Best Tequilas are being blogged here, and it's the last few on their list. Not an expert on tequilas I'm always looking on what's happening. So, as I explore via my friends that love tequila to Men's Journal Magazine, learning about food and drink is fun, and since we all got to eat and drink, learning about the top stuff is always good to have in your mind. If you're socializing with tequila aficionados you'll have some info to inject. Like, "Hey guys..seriously I'm not an expert like you guys, so I'm learning, by the way I read in MJ that 123 Organic Tequila's all organic…I mean, what do you guys think…I mean like I said guys, I'm not an expert, so just saying…" You see, when you join in on a conversation like this, your expert friends will love to share with you their knowledge, especially if it's the guys, it's all about pride, and (I'm a guy, hey you're cool rookie, let me take you under my wing). So without any further delays, I'm gonna write.
MJ (Men's Journal) is a ©, this writer is merely rewording some of their content for this blog. www.mensjournal.com and not making any profits from this blog post, merely sharing information.

Siembra Azul''s is the next tequila on the MJ's list, and listed at $34.00 a bottle, it looks to be not too bad as far as the price. According to MJ, the tequila comes from the highlands of Jalisco, and Founder David Suro-Pinera produces this tequila only in the winter when fermentation is slower, and according to their website produces more complex flavors. During fermentation, Suro Pinera plays music from the classical composers such as Mozart and Vivaldi "to reduce environmental stress" while the yeast works their magic on the open vats of bubbling juice.
$34.00

Don Julio 1942 in this pic, is a two-and-a-half-year-old near extra anejo. The 1942 is like a fine cognac, with fiery spice balanced by notes of salted caramel and creamy tropical fruit. The price is less than the Casa Dragones.
$125.00

Milagro has this ultra smooth, triple distilled tequilas. It spends a month in French oak, the results walk the sweeter side of blanco-the spice is clove, not jalapeño-but with a sharp, tangy edge.
$56.00

These are the latest tree from MJ's staff tester tasters, again all of the content is MJ Men's Journal ©, rewritten for this blog.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

SERVING BEER IN THE RIGHT KIND OF GLASSES AND TEMPERATURE

Foodies…let's do some learning about beer, the temperature it should be served and the different glasses that are out there. Now I'm talking to you dudes out there that want to give your new lady friend some good impresario if you gets my drift! Listen to me Junior, you want to be cool, and not just some doofus that drinks beer and is filled with an F this F that vocabulary.
It's time you guys become civilized, and just because you started taking mixed martial arts training, doesn't mean you can kick everyone's ass, so chill out and learn to be a Gentleman okay?

Let's talk beer and the temperatures it should be served, and in this blog I won't get into styles and brew masters and all that, or brands, that's for another time altogether. So look at the list below.

Very cold (0-4C/32-39F): Any beer you don’t actually want to taste. Pale Lager, Malt Liquor, Canadian-style Golden Ale and Cream Ale, Low Alcohol, Canadian, American or Scandinavian-style Cider.
Cold (4-7C/39-45F): Hefeweizen, Kristalweizen, Kölsch, Premium Lager, Pilsner, Classic German Pilsner, Fruit Beer, brewpub-style Golden Ale, European Strong Lager, Berliner Weisse, Belgian White, American Dark Lager, sweetened Fruit Lambics and Gueuzes, Duvel-types
Cool (8-12C/45-54F): American Pale Ale, Amber Ale, California Common, Dunkelweizen, Sweet Stout, Stout, Dry Stout, Porter, English-style Golden Ale, unsweetened Fruit Lambics and Gueuzes, Faro, Belgian Ale, Bohemian Pilsner, Dunkel, Dortmunder/Helles, Vienna, Schwarzbier, Smoked, Altbier, Tripel, Irish Ale, French or Spanish-style Cider
Cellar (12-14C/54-57F): Bitter, Premium Bitter, Brown Ale, India Pale Ale, English Pale Ale, English Strong Ale, Old Ale, Saison, Unblended Lambic, Flemish Sour Ale, Bière de Garde, Baltic Porter, Abbey Dubbel, Belgian Strong Ale, Weizen Bock, Bock, Foreign Stout, Zwickel/Keller/Landbier, Scottish Ale, Scotch Ale, American Strong Ale, Mild, English-style Cider
Warm (14-16C/57-61F): Barley Wine, Abt/Quadrupel, Imperial Stout, Imperial/Double IPA, Doppelbock, Eisbock, Hot (70C/158F): Quelque Chose, Liefmans Glühkriek, dark, spiced winter ales like Daleside Morocco Ale.

All of us have been into the super cold beers right? Of course man, it's the American way bro. "Hey Jimmy Yo! It's been a f….g hot day lifting heavy shit, say we get some cold brews at the strip joint!" Yes, we are the ice cold culture. However did you know that there are a lot of good beers out in the world that don't need to be near frozen to be enjoyed? I mean there's some beers I was turned on to that was served at room temperature and it was okay. Well, study the list, and Google some brands. Try something new, and if your date loves beer, why don't you and her go out and try and find a six pack together, try something new. Maybe a dark beer if you haven't tried it. Go to some beer sampling events and get in the know, yours truly I'm still learning myself, it'll be a long time before I get my master foodie badge.

Okay let's look at some different glasses for beers.

Beer Flute Glass this gives your beer a nice presentation, flutes aren't just for Champagne, it can be for beer as well. Make sure you chill the glasses before using. According to Beer Advocate, it also releases volatiles quickly for a more intense upfront aroma. Use this flute glass with these styles of beers listed below, courtesy of Beer Advocate.

Beer Goblet (Chalice) a goblet or chalice is an eye candy, and designed to maintain head. It has a wide mouth for deep sips. Use this glass for the beers listed below, courtesy of Beer Advocate.

Beer Mug (or Seidal, Stein) a mug is sturdy, and it's easy to handle, a mug is a fun piece of glass, especially for watching sports, as many mugs are large enough to put a teams' logo on it. Use with the list of beers below courtesy of Beer Advocate.

Pint Glass (or Becker, Nonic, Tumbler) these are nice glasses it comes in 16 fl oz. and 20 fl oz it accommodates beers with large heads. Good for taps too. Use with the beers listed below courtesy of Beer Advocate.

Okay there's a few more glass styles for beers, but this should keep your interests in beer and its glasses piqued for the time being. I got to go to sleep soon, take it easy, and we'll cover the rest of the MJ top tequilas later on.

Ron Sambrano