TOP ROUND OF BEEF

A little lesson on the different cuts of beef, today I'll talk about the Top Round, it is a dry cut of beef, and does not lend well to dry heat methods of cooking such as roasting, grilling, broiling. Though some butcher shops across the U.S. call this cut the London Broil. But in actuality, the cut used in London Broil generally was the flank. 

But the Top Round because it is a cut far from the ribs and the nice marbled regions, this cut is great for braising, or any moist heat types of cooking. Slow cooking methods are perfect, if you can toss a few cubes of Top Round in a Crock Pot with some herbs, stock, water, after a few hours you got a nice juicy beef dish. A lot of grillers including myself look for the rib eyes, strips, sirloins, and never consider stopping at the meat section for a Top Round. I mean just look at it, it looks unappealing. Period.

Okay let's use a Top Round, we'll use about 1 1/2 pounds, and we are going to cut it into 1 1/2 inch cubes or squares.

Season it with salt and pepper and set it aside.

Place all of the beef cubs into the bottom of a slow cooker, add a sprig of thyme, and some rosemary. 

Cut a large potato into 2 inch cubes and place it towards the edge of the pot.

Cut a large carrot into 1 1/2 inch slices and place it around the edges of the pot.

Pour in 1 cup of red wine into the pot.

Pour in 1 can of low sodium beef broth into the pot.

Turn on the slow cooker for about 3 hours, and you'll have a perfect stew. Simple feeds 2.

When I do this, my veggies get all mushy but I don't give a shit, but if you do give a shit, put the veggies in a little later like an 1 1/2 before it is done cooking.

RON'S CHICKEN HEKKA

Chicken Hekka (Heh Kah) is a popular local dish that is served up at parties, and generally it is cooked in a large wok, my brother Calvin loves to make this, however on the last dinner we had he added pork and I had to turn away from eating it, I don't do pork any more, I'll cook it if someone loves it, but at this juncture in my life I have to give it a quick "no,"

Here's all the ingredients for this wonderful Japanese inspired dish, everyone in Hawaii has their so called "best recipe" which is fucking bullshit! because if you got the base ingredients its all the fucking same shit!

This is a call for that large wok that's hanging in uncle's garage and the portable gas burner with the full blast BTU flame! Or you can trim it down for a 14 inch wok inside the house and just use 5 oz. of chicken instead of the whole chicken farm.

DA INGREDIENTS

3 lbs. of chicken thighs, bone off, skin off, cut into strips with a Chinese cleaver, I said Chinese cleaver asshole! Okay sorry maybe a regular kitchen knife.

3 tbsp. peanut oil

1/2 inch ginger minced

20 oz. of sliced bamboo shoots from a can

5 stalks of green onions sliced 1/2 inches

3 carrots sliced thin

4 oz. rehydrated shitake mushrooms sliced

2 long celery stalks sliced into 1 inch

4 oz. of chopped watercress

14 oz. firm tofu sliced into 1/2 inch cubes

4 small packages of fine rice noodles

MARINADE

1/2 cup Kikkoman soy sauce

1/2 cup peanut oil

2 tbsp. mirin and 1 tsp. honey

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 inch minced ginger

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. arrow root

1 tbsp. brown sugar

SAUCE

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup Kikkoman soy sauce
3/4 cup canned low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. tabasco

1. Combine all of the marinade ingredients, and soak the chicken for one hour, I said one hour ass hole! What? You got a problem? Nah.

2. Take all the sliced vegetables and set them aside.

3. Mix the sauce ingredients, and then toss It at your cousins face! No, set it aside.

4. Heat up that large ass wok over high eat, swirl some peanut oil in there with the ginger, now add the chicken pieces and brown it with some marinade got that muchacho? As soon as the fucking chicken is browned, keep that fucking heat up! And then add in the fucking vegetables, and cook for about a minute or two, and then add the fucking sauce and rice noodles and continue to cook until the rice noodles are just cooked, don't cook too long or else the shit will turn all mushy.

Note: Some guys will soak the rice noodles for a little while in some warm water, but why? When that shit cooks fast anyhow, no need to soak the noodles first, that's that culinary school bullshit! Do it my way and have a fucking great Christmas!!!!!!

WARNING! IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO PEANUT OIL, USE A VEGETABLE OIL INSTEAD, I DON'T WANT YOU DYING... SO SUBSTITUTE IT.

BULGOGI

Bulgogi is a marinade that is typical of all Korean BBQ houses, the primary star ingredients are the soy sauce and sesame oil and garlic. Very simple, it is similar to the Japanese teriyaki sauce, but with less emphasis on the sugar, depending on the region and chef of the Korean influence, I like Bulgogi with a less sweet flavor but more on the nutty side of the sesame oil and seeds.

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp. soy sauce (I prefer Kikkoman)

1 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

2 cloves of garlic minced

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. honey

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. ground red pepper flakes

1 lb. top sirloin beef, top grade well marbled thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper julliened

1/2 sweet round onion chopped

1 stalk green oninon chopped

Combine all of the ingredients in a glass or stainless steel bowl from the soy sauce to the red pepper flakes and mix it well in a bowl. Then add in the rest of the ingredients, and marinade it overnight for the best soak, or at least 4 hours before grilling.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat up a gas or charcoal grill to medium high heat. (The meat is sliced thin already, a nice hot grill will sear it and develop a nice char).

2. Cook the slices for about 3-4 minutes per side or until you decide its doneness, what the heck people eat beef raw.

3. Serve it hot with white rice and kim chi.

My favorite for the marinade is Kikkoman Soy Sauce

WOKS THAT ARE "YAY" FOR INDUCTION STOVES

Some of you are shopping for that foodie for Christmas, and if by chance you are looking for a wok that works well on an induction stove, most flat bottom woks will work if it is made of carbon steel or stainless steel. Woks such as carbon steel may rust, that is why you need to keep them oiled up when storing, but those are my favorite.

Pictured is a preseasoned carbon steel wok that is a flat bottom model, perfect for an induction stovetop. It is also perfect for gas stoves and flat top electric stoves. Preseasoned means you won't need to use any oils and spices to season the metal before use, all preseason means is to prime the metal or wok.

These woks are perfect for the home chef, over time, the coating will wear off like I stated, it will rust, have no fear, it will still work, wash the wok with warm water, using a wok brush to loosen off all of the ingredients, no need to scrub it. And lightly coat it with light vegetable oil on the insides, and cover it with a large towel and store it from dust. A wok works perfect for any kind of stir frying, or even deep frying or poaching, you can check www.mrslinskitchen.com for more information, prices are very reasonable, give these types of woks for an induction stove top a "Yay" rating.

KITCHEN GADGETS Yay or Nay?

This is Christmas time, and time to check out some kitchen gadgets, and for this particular gadget it was tested by some friends who either gave it a positive "Yay" or a negative "Nay."

Today's gadget is...(drum roll)....

OXO Mandoline from Macy's, listed at around 70.00, this model claims our assistants, isn't great, here is some of the remarks.

"It's just alright, it does the job, but it doesn't feel sturdy."

"I'm used professional models, this model actually sucks!"

"I'd rate this a 2 out of 5."

"I almost got my fingers sliced off, but it's an ok model, I'd rather use a kitchen knife."

"Don't like it period!"

So most of the testers are well established home cooks, some have done professional prep work, I myself have not used it, five others have, and these five testers have pulled more on the "Nay" vote on this model.

So if you are thinking of purchasing a mandoline slicer for that foodie for Christmas, think twice about this model, go and do some research on some others. Just some info for you guys.

THE STARBUCK'S OVEN

Ever wonder what kind of ovens Starbucks uses? Have you ever asked the barista "Can I get a Venti coffee, and a turkey sandwich?" And then she takes the turkey sandwich out of the chiller glass case, and sticks it into the oven sets a timer and in a couple of minutes there's a bing! And then she wraps it up in a paper sack and off you go, a sort of fresh hot sandwich with a crust? Well the brand of oven is called Turbo Chef, and the model is a Sota.

It is actually built for fast food eateries, like... Starbucks. It is called a Convection Microwave oven. So what is this? Because my house micro does not give a turkey sandwich a crust, it just heats it up and makes it mushy.

The cost of these babies run around the mid 7 grand to 8 grand. Rapid cooking at its finest. I'll cut and paste the specs.
Staâ„¢ Convection/Microwave Oven, Rapid Cook, electric, 16" wide, ventless, countertop, insulated cook chamber, stores up to 256 recipes, internal catalytic converter, LED timer, pull down door with ergonomic handle, multi-speed convection blower, removable rack and bottom jetplate, smart voltage sensor technology (US only), includes (2) solid aluminum pan, (1) oven cleaner, (1) oven guard, (1) aluminum paddle, (2) trigger sprayers, (1) standard rack, stainless steel interior, powder coated, corrosion-resistant steel outer wrap and door, 4" legs, cULus, CE, ANSI, TUV

• Independently-controlled dual motors for vertically-recirculated air
• impingement
• Top-launched microwave system
• Stirrer to help ensure even distribution of air and microwave
• Integral recirculating catalytic converter for UL 710B (KNLZ) listed ventless operation
• External air filtration
• Vent catalyst to further limit emissions and odors
• LED timer counts down last 30 seconds of cook time
• Smart menu system capable of storing up to 256 recipes
• Flash firmware updates via smart card
• Single or dual-temperature interface
• Field-configurable for single or multiphase operation (requires service call)
• Self-diagnostics for monitoring oven components and performance
• Smart Voltage Sensor Technology* (U.S. only)
• Stackable (requires stacking stand)

ExtErior ConstruCtion
n Powder coated, corrosion-resistant steel outer wrap and door n Die-cast aluminum front panels with matte-chrome accents
n Cool-to-touch exterior; all surfaces below 50°C
n ergonomic matte-chrome door handle
n 4-inch nickel-plated legs
intErior ConstruCtion
n 201/304 stainless steel
n Fully welded and insulated cook chamber n Removable rack and lower jetplate
standard FEaturEs
n Independently-controlled dual motors for vertically-recirculated air impingement
n Top-launched microwave system
n Stirrer to help ensure even distribution of air and microwave
n Integral recirculating catalytic converter for UL 710B (KNLZ) listed
ventless operation
n external air filtration
n Vent catalyst to further limit emissions and odors
n LeD timer counts down last 30 seconds of cook time
n Smart menu system capable of storing up to 256 recipes
n Flash firmware updates via smart card
n Single or dual-temperature interface
n Field-configurable for single or multiphase operation (requires
service call)
n Self-diagnostics for monitoring oven components and performance n Smart Voltage Sensor Technology* (U.S. only)
n Stackable (requires stacking stand)
n Warranty – 1 year parts and labor
ComEs with standard aCCEssoriEs
n 1 Bottle Oven Cleaner (103180) n 1 Bottle Oven Guard (103181)
n 2 Trigger Sprayers (103182)
n 1 Solid Aluminum Pan (i1-9496) n 1 Aluminum Paddle (NGC-1478)

 

CUISINART SMART STICK TEST "YAY" or "NAY"

Christmas 2012 is about 3 weeks away, so what the heck do you get that foodie in the family? Does he or she love to make silky smooth soups? Or semi large batches of pesto? Well I tested the Cuisinart Smart Stick hand blender, a.k.a. an immersion blender.

This tool is great for blending soups with beans in it, or veggies that you want pulverized into a smooth concoction, just place this into the pot and turn it on and start our hand blending. Or use it to make sauces, in small batches, this tool works fine.

It has 200 watts of power, it is cordless with a rechargeable battery you just plug into any socket.

With this tool it's easier to blend foods because you can easily take it to a bowl, or another container to mix whatever needs mixing. 

RON'S TESTING: 

Small batch of pesto in a glass, placed basil inside with some olive oil and pine nuts, a little lemon juice, and pulsed it into pesto. I like the handling of this machine very tough for the price.

Mixed some beans that was inside a soup with some veggies, I just took the blender and stuck it into the pot of soup and again pulsed it into a fine blended soup that looked nice.

Comes with a beaker to chop up other items like garlic, ginger, whatever it is convenient.

Then it was mayonnaise time, fresh eggs and the Smart Stick, easy. Placed a few whole eggs into a mixing bowl, added some lemon juice, some vinegar, and just slowly added in the vegetable oil with one hand and just pulsed with the other, slowly adding more oil to the mixing bowl, and viola! Homemade mayonnaise.

So what do I give this product that cost anywhere from 60.00 to 80.00 depending where you shop. I'll give it a big YAY! So for the price very good for that foodie that loves to blend everything in the kitchen.