Meatloaf with a Twist

 

I grew up hating meatloaf. Whenever my mother would proudly announce she had made a meatloaf, I cringed. What she really meant was she put some ground beef and seasoning in a casserole and baked it. When it was done, she set it on the table, and my brother and I got to watch all the fat from the beef floating in the casserole. Had I known more about cooking then, I would have recommended that she transfer the cooked meatloaf to a clean serving plate, leaving the fat behind.

Don’t Cook for 10 When You Are Feeding 2

I’m a big fan of roast pork, but I don’t like it enough to eat it 5 days running.  I have gone that route several times, and each time I decide No More.

Mom Cooking Tip 160

                Semi-frozen raw meat is much easier to cut thinly than meat at room temperature.

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How Much Meat Is Too Much?

Eating meat can be a sensitive conversation topic.  Here in California many people pride themselves on following special diets.  If you’re having a dinner party, it’s important to survey everyone to find out what they can/can’t eat.  Often they say they don’t eat meat. This may be one reason so few people I know actually cook.

I persist in inviting people over because I like cooking, but

My Adventure with Baby Back Ribs

Ribs have never been part of my culinary life.  I’d eaten them several times but never cooked them.  Never considered cooking them.  But with several one avid meat eaters in the family, surrounded by vegetarians, partial vegetarians and a few fish lovers, I figured it was time to branch out.

My inspiration was a sale on pork baby back ribs: $1.99 per pound versus $6.99 per pound, saving $16.  I dashed home with my bargain and began opening cookbooks and checking internet recipes.  Because my grill is in the shop, I needed a recipe for oven-baked ribs, and I didn’t find many.  One involved slathering the ribs with mustard and liquid smoke, while another called for a dry spice rub.  One said bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours, another said 300 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours while a third said 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Who to believe?

Mom Money-Saving Tip 89

Roast Pork Loin

Roasts provide lots of meals.  Buy them when they’re on sale, cook them and then freeze half the leftovers.  Use the rest for sandwiches, cut up in tortillas or soup or a simple repeat of your original dinner.  I just bought a 4-pound pork loin roast for $10 and used some of the leftovers for Cuban Sandwiches.  

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Question for Mom

Do oven temperatures really matter? –Jesse R.

It depends on what you’re cooking, but usually the answer is yes—especially if you’re baking.  When making a cake, pie, cookies or bread, it’s smart to give your full attention to the recipe and do exactly what it says, including oven time and temperature.  This is an especially good idea if you’re trying out a new recipe.

Mom Cooking Tip 124

To remove fat from gravy, soup or meat stews, refrigerate the cooked food overnight.  The fat will solidify and rise to the top of the container.  Use a fork or large soup spoon to lift the fat off and discard.  This technique is easier and more effective than trying to spoon away fat while the dish is still cooking.

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Question for Mom

Will a candy thermometer also work as a meat thermometer?  -- Ginger B.

No.  A candy thermometer can clip to the side of a pot or a deep-fat fryer and measure the temperature of hot oil or melted sugar used in making candy such as fudge.  A candy thermometer may go as high as 400 degrees. A meat thermometer, which registers the internal temperature of roasting meat, generally goes only as high as 180 degrees.  Some candy thermometers have a spike at one end, making you think maybe they would work on meat, but they aren’t meant to determine whether the chicken is fully cooked.

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Question for Mom

Why do recipes say that roasted meat and poultry should rest for at least 15 minutes when they come out of the oven? - Angie P.

Resting time allows the juices to settle back into the cooked meat or poultry and also makes carving easier.
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Meat and Salad in One Bowl = Strange Bedfellows

I don’t usually have meat in my salad – or salad on my meat.  In fact, when I was growing up, my mother set out “salad plates” so that her salad wouldn’t mingle with other dinner items.  No gravy ever touched a lettuce leaf in our house.

In college I discovered Chef’s Salad: hard-boiled eggs, strips of ham and/or turkey or roast beef, tomatoes, cucumber and grated cheese, mixed into chopped iceberg lettuce and covered with Thousand Island Dressing.  It made a great dinner on the run.

Remember Recipe Cards?

Back when I first started cooking, some grocery stores offered free recipe cards.  They were made of heavy-duty paper, cut into a 3” x 5” shape so they would fit into a wooden or metal recipe box.  On one side would be a detailed recipe and on the other a picture of the end result.  The cards were marketing tools.  If the picture looked attractive and the recipe called for a pound of stewing beef, why not buy some right now?

Ramen Noodles Not Just for College Students

If you toss out the flavor packet (too much salt), packaged ramen noodles can be the basis of a reasonable emergency meal.  I proved it last night when I was scrambling to get dinner on the table and discovered two lonely packages of ramen noodles at the back of a pantry shelf.  They were just what I needed for the leftover pork stir-fry I wanted to make.

Mom Cooking Tip 104

Frying Chicken Tikka

Use tongs rather than a fork to turn meat as it cooks.  That way the juices won’t drip out through the holes made by the fork. 

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Cooking Can Be Great Self-Entertainment

“It’s not fun to be in the kitchen,” an old friend told me recently.  He was explaining why he was eating frozen TV dinners every night.  His wife was out of town, and he wasn’t willing to employ cooking skills he learned in college to feed himself.

Turning Leftovers into New Dishes

Chinese Fried Rice

I feel guilty if I throw away leftovers—unless they have a suspicious green tinge.  Luckily I don’t mind eating the same thing a few nights in a row.  I feel like I’m on kitchen vacation.

Unfortunately, Bart doesn’t share this view.  If he liked what I made originally, he will drum up some enthusiasm when he sees it on his plate on Day #2.  But there’s no way he will eagerly lap it up on Day #3.

Mom Cooking Tip 75

Undercooked Pork

If meat is undercooked, slice it and put it under the broiler and broil for 45-60 seconds per side, continuing to keep an eye on it, until it is done enough for your taste.

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What Makes a Sandwich?

Cuban Sandwich

Did you ever hear of a Spaghetti Sandwich?  How about a Chip Sandwich (aka Chip Butty or French Fry Sandwich)?  These used to be food staples on British film sets—served to starving actors and crew members, often during shoots in the middle of the night. 

Mom Cooking Tip 65

Boneless Chicken Thighs Shredded with a Useful Gadget

If you have horribly overcooked some meat or chicken, shred it and serve it in tortillas or soup or add it to a pasta sauce.  Pictured above is the Schneidroller in action (see my post about useful gadgets).  It’s a handy device, although for thorough cleaning it needs to go in the dishwasher.

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Pancetta: What Is It and How Do I Cook It?

Pancetta falls somewhere between ham and bacon.  Also known as Italian bacon, it’s made from pork belly that has been salt-cured.  It’s available in thin slices, like prosciutto, and also in tiny cubes.  I use it to flavor soups and pasta in the same way I would use bacon, although bacon is saltier and smokier—more in your face in terms of taste.  It is pronounced pan-CHET-ah.