I just toss my enameled cast iron in my dishwasher every day, and deal with it being poorly seasoned by seasoning on the fly every time I cook on it. Scrubbing by hand isn’t that much work, but it’s still more than ten times the effort of just throwing it in the machine…
I’ve done this. We used a big cookie jar on the counter and fermented for about a month (cold kitchen). It came out well, but we were kinda scared of it and the jar was always in our way so we never bothered again. We have local places that sell ‘raw’ sauerkraut and that is a better work/life balance for us.
Side note: there are 3 stages to fermentation with different bacteria taking the main stage in each. Check out this article and its links for even more details: makesauerkraut.com/how-long-to-ferment-sauerkraut…
I’m always surprised that nobody worries about the random long-chain polymers created in the seasoning process which are then released into your food as you cook.
Yes, many long chain polymers are carcinogens. That makes them bad. Long chain polymers are what make commercial non-stick pans non-stick. Note: they are different long chain polymers, but still just a bunch of polymer hydrocarbons because…that’s what makes both of them non-stick.
Oh, I’ve also made this with 4-5 dried bay leaves and a dozen juniper berries. I liked the bay leaves in there, but the juniper berries weren’t noticeable except as an unwelcome texture.
A few years ago Cook’s Illustrated published a recipe for turkey thigh confit. We figured, what the hell, let’s try it, if we aren’t going to do a ridiculous project like this at Thanksgiving, when will we?
It was incredible. Absolutely worth the work - the turkey comes out almost ham-like. We have done it every year since. It doesn’t scale to larger parties very well, but if you eat meat and have a small group (with 6 you won’t have leftovers), give it a try.
Sorry for the huge offtopic but as an expat living in north america I always wanted to ask: Isn’t Thanksgiving kind of problematic due to first nations genocide and such? I’d love some insights from my fellow beeples
Its origin story is problematic, but in reality most people only think of it as a food holiday… and maybe people go around the table and say what they’re thankful for. It’s pretty divorced from its roots, and the name itself isn’t an issue (unlike Columbus Day, for example). But I’m curious to hear other perspectives!
These sound wonderful! Acid is always welcome for me. I like to squirt some lemon on the veggies that show up on the table. Lots of wine in the gravy helps too.
I have been, up until very recently, a “Thanksgiving Traditionalist”, in that I loudly proclaimed that one should muck around with the traditional basics.
But last year, I changed my tune. We had a dinner based around Stanley Tucci’s timpano instead of turkey (yes, the famous timpano from the movie BIG NIGHT). That was a big success.
This year, because I have some very dear friends who are vegetarians and who kind of slink away when anyone discusses Thanksgiving traditional dishes, I wanted to make dinner with their needs/desires squarely in mind, so I am doing a completely vegetarian menu. I generally despise “meat analogues”, so no, we’re not having tofurkey. So, here’s the menu:
velouté de châitagnes (chestnut soup)
Spanish tortilla (the potato dish, not the Mexican flatbread)
my grandmother’s green bean casserole (very unique, not-what-you-expect, nod to tradition)
For the past few years I’ve been perfecting a sort of weird pumpkin pie.
I take a pie pumpkin, core out the inside, then rub it with pumpkin pie species and sugar, then roast the whole thing till tender but not falling apart. Then I make a simple Vanilla egg custard on the stove and poor it in to the pumpkin and put it all to the side to set.
The first year i broke the custard, the second the custard came out perfectly, but I found the flesh to of the pumpkin to be a bit bland, so I’m working on ways to flavor the roasted pumpkin a bit more.
Finding a tasty pumpkin is usually the hardest part. The few I’ve tried from this list (with pictures!) were better than the average pie pumpkin I’ve had, but note that the list includes lots that are better for roasting than for pies. Here’s the ones I notice they like most for pies: Blue Hubbard, Butternut Squash (I’ve heard canned pumpkin are actually butternut because the flavor is better), Jarrahdale, Kabocha, Long Island Cheese, and Neck (these are the ones I usually get – we call them Crooknecks in my family).
The last few years I have done sous vide turkey breast instead of a traditional roast bird. So much easier, so much tastier, and takes way less prep. Put the turkey in the bag, add some olive oil (or butter, but I get better results with olive oil), some salt, pepper, and herbs (I use sage, rosemary, and thyme), vacuum seal and put in a 140°F bath for at least 2.5 hours. I usually prep the day before and sous vide overnight, though. Never noticed any weird textures. Once you are ready to serve, get a cast iron skillet hot, and sear both sides of the breast in some butter. This is just for some good skin and nice maillard action. I also make a grave from the juice left in the bag, but that is entirely optional.
Haven’t had a turkey sous vide yet, would love to try it. Your method sounds delicious! Thankfully, I’m not in charge of the bird this year. The person who is will be smoking ours, so that will be tasty and different. Happy cooking!
Ooh, smoking is also delicious. I am usually in charge of the protein because nobody else wants to deal with it, and everyone has loved the sous vide. Makes me the defacto turkey person.
Good on you! We have a defacto meat person too. My sister-in-law’s dad (so I guess married in father-in-law?) likes to take on the meat, though in our case he insists lol.
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