Two meals, four dishes and a haircut

[touchyourbrain]

For some unknown reason I have been the victim of emotional hallucinations for the past few weeks, rendering me unable and unwilling to believe that posting about cooking is worth it and that anyone cares to read about my kitchen exploits. So, this is a big old post with lots of stuff.

Comments

[kat0ninetales]

I salivate while reading your posts.

Which would be a really creepy thing to say in any other context.

chicken skin

[moondanz7]

Regarding: Riddle me this: If I spend a whole bunch of time browning chicken with the skin on so that it's nice and crisp, and then the recipe calls for putting a lid on the pan of chicken to finish cooking it through (effectively turning my pan into a steamer), why in gods great ass did I take the time to crisp the skin? Is is just for color? Because if so I'm just gonna rub that shit down with paprika and call it a day.

Browning the chicken develops tons of flavor -- even if you don't keep that caramelized texture, the flavor remains. Many recipes will have you sear meat/poultry, then deglaze the brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan (the fond) to impart that flavor in pan sauces. Yum. Please don't omit this step. Thank you.