Who Wants to be Discuss Cooking's Virtual Golden Chef?

[ChefJune]

hmmmm you can only choose one to vote for... I don't have time now to participate, altho I might very well like to do so in the future, but there's no slot for that, and... I might want at different times to be both contestant and judge.... but you can only check one.

so I checked none...

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

hmmmm you can only choose one to vote for... I don't have time now to participate, altho I might very well like to do so in the future, but there's no slot for that, and... I might want at different times to be both contestant and judge.... but you can only check one.

so I checked none...

I don't know how to set up the poll as well as others. but we'll get it down. And it's ok. There will be more of these contests.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed fo the North

 

[skilletlicker]

Two more questions

Would you be allowed to presoak groats or steel cut oats before the beginning of the two hour limit? I assume the answer to that would also apply to beans. What about marinades?
Under Judges in the first post of this thread, what does "organization of ingredients list" mean?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Would you be allowed to presoak groats or steel cut oats before the beginning of the two hour limit? I assume the answer to that would also apply to beans. What about marinades?
Under Judges in the first post of this thread, what does "organization of ingredients list" mean?

Since beans, steel-cut oats, and such would require an absurd amount of cooking time, I would say that pre-soaking would be ok.

Organization of ingredients is just that. When I'm working on an phone installation, I create a document of required parts, methods, vendors, supplies, and any documentation that I might need to put the sytem together and make it work. Escpecially important is a list of users, their location, phone type, and the features they expect to use. This allows me to work in an organized manner.

Proper organization of ingredients will facilitate ease of navigation between the various courses, and allow the cook to access needed information pertaining to the coarse being prepared. What I think the judges would look for is an intelligent layout of ingredients, technique, etc.

Oh, and beans will cook from dry to soft in about 80 minutes, leaving an additional 40 minutes for any flavorings to infuse the beans.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North.

 

[amber]

I don't know how to set up the poll as well as others. but we'll get it down. And it's ok. There will be more of these contests.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed fo the North

I made a suggestion previously in this thread

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I made a suggestion previously in this thread

Yep, ya did, a a good suggestion it was. But I don't know how to go in after the poll is already in place and remove the extra baggage, as it were. If you know how, then by all means, remove the "I won't do it" choices.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[skilletlicker]

Oh, and beans will cook from dry to soft in about 80 minutes, leaving an additional 40 minutes for any flavorings to infuse the beans.

Reading my original question I see that it might seem I was asking about marinating beans and your reply above would be a very polite and diplomatic answer to that question. Actually thinking about overnight soaks for grains and legumes made me wonder if overnight marinades for meats would be allowed. Sorry for the extremely poor wording.

 

[Silver]

Proper organization of ingredients will facilitate ease of navigation between the various courses, and allow the cook to access needed information pertaining to the coarse being prepared. What I think the judges would look for is an intelligent layout of ingredients, technique, etc.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North.

When explained like that, I'm not a big fan of this particular judging category as it assumes that the cook is a "method" cook (is that a term?) as opposed to a "feel" cook, unless of course you're speaking of the way a kitchen is laid out.

It just seems like something that can skew the judging in what I consider to be an irrelevant way. On that note, however, I'm willing to accede to your methods as...well...it's your contest and therefore your ideas.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

SkilletLicker & Silver; It's my contest this time. I'm just trying to set up some ground rules based on my own ideas, and ideas from others who have commented. It seemed that we needed a moderator and no one else took the job. I hope that in the future, other people will step up with possible theme ingredients and help fine tune the rules for both judges and cooks.

I too tend to cook by "feel", rather than by using a recipe. But if I put down that I made baked beans and poured in maple syrup until it looked right, or made bread dough by putting just enough yeast in to make the bread dough rise, then the judges would have no quantitative references.
I learned while writing my cookbooks that a cook has to be able to list, and quantify ingredients in order to pass along knowledge in the written word.

It's true that one can show another person how to make bread dough by letting them watch and participate in the process, without ever using a recipe. That's how I taught my daughter to make soups, cookies, bread, etc. But with the written word, it's very difficult to describe the perfect feel of raw pie dough, or the smell of oregano. So, technique and quantities are what you teach. Then you invite the reader to experiment and to smell the oregano before adding it to a sauce.

Again, I'm all ears (actually all eyes) and would love to see comments on how to improve this contest. And when this first one is over, I hope others step up to the plate with me.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[BigDog]

I see GW is our "chairman" . . . lol . . . . are you as nimble?

I said I'm game as a judge for future events, but I'd also be game to (co)being the "chairman" as well. They have the chairman; we have the Big Dog. LOL!

Is there any consideration for those that aren't quite as skilled/well versed as others in the kitchen? What I mean is a chef like IC and others here versus "the commoners" is like a pro sports team competing against a youth/church sports team.

I'll 'fess up now that I haven't read this entire topic, so sorry iuf I am rehashing covered territory.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I see GW is our "chairman" . . . lol . . . . are you as nimble?

I said I'm game as a judge for future events, but I'd also be game to (co)being the "chairman" as well. They have the chairman; we have the Big Dog. LOL!

Is there any consideration for those that aren't quite as skilled/well versed as others in the kitchen? What I mean is a chef like IC and others here versus "the commoners" is like a pro sports team competing against a youth/church sports team.

I'll 'fess up now that I haven't read this entire topic, so sorry iuf I am rehashing covered territory.

I'd love to have you along in any capacity. And don't worry about not being as skilled a IC. It's obvious that most of us don't have his level of experience or training. But that's Ok. The judges will understand as they are in the same boat. But I caution the judges here as well. Just because IC is obviously better trained, that doesn't mean that he should be handicapped in any way. All entre's should be judged on there own merit. And I think that one of the reasons we are doing this is to learn from each other, and from our own experiences. And I think that IC can inspire me to become better with my presentations. In fact, he already has. I looked at some of his pictures just last night to teach me some presentation skills. And I used the information to create last night's dinner. It still wasn't as pretty as his, but it was definitely a step in the right direction, and tasted wonderful.

Maybe we should have multiple categories for differing levels of expertise. But remember, a good bowl of chili can look every bit as good as duck confit with fresh rosemay piled into a perfect little circle with sauce drizzled onto the plate. My adivise, cook what you know and learn to present it artfully. But try to challenge yourself to go beyond what you usually do.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[skilletlicker]

SkilletLicker & Silver; It's my contest this time. I'm just trying to set up some ground rules based on my own ideas, and ideas from others who have commented. It seemed that we needed a moderator and no one else took the job. I hope that in the future, other people will step up with possible theme ingredients and help fine tune the rules for both judges and cooks.

Goodweed, I appreciate your original idea and your sacrifice in taking on the moderation of the contest. If you sensed any suggestion of criticism or sarcasm toward anything you've said, I assure you that none was intended. Thank you for clarifying that overnight soaks of grains or legumes are allowed. The follow-up question regarding allowing meats to soak overnight in a marinade or covered with a dry rub was not answered clearly enough for my modest mind to grasp. Would you mind clarifying the point? Of course, for my part at least, your decision will be acceded to without argument.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Goodweed, I appreciate your original idea and your sacrifice in taking on the moderation of the contest. If you sensed any suggestion of criticism or sarcasm toward anything you've said, I assure you that none was intended. Thank you for clarifying that overnight soaks of grains or legumes are allowed. The follow-up question regarding allowing meats to soak overnight in a marinade or covered with a dry rub was not answered clearly enough for my modest mind to grasp. Would you mind clarifying the point? Of course, for my part at least, your decision will be acceded to without argument.

Acidic marinades really don't do anything after about 30 minutes anyway. If you search back far enough, there was quite a thread about marinades and how they create a barrier to liquid penetration by the outer protien layer tightening up in reaction to the acids in marinades. So I don't believe that marinades should be done overnight. On the other hand, brines will continually enter the meat or veggie until an equalibrium is reached between the brine solution and the meat. So I think brines should be allowed. Although, the same thing can be accomplished by pressure cooking and it takes a much shorter time.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[jkath]

My adivice, cook what you know and learn to present it artfully. But try to challenge yourself to go beyond what you usually do.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

So well said!
I agree with you, GW - having IC around here will probably get folks to really push themselves further than they thought possible. Thanks, IC wherever you are!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Allright boys and girls. I'm trying out new recipes and techniques in preperation for the Golden Chef Competition. I'll be working with one of my sons. Be ready. Oh, and it's truly amazing what you can make with oats, when you think about it just a bit.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Clutch]

Well I AM interested in competing, more to challeneg myself than anything else, but I guarantee that if I participate in Battle: Rolled Oats, you'll just be getting 4 variations of oatmeal, and I don't anyone really wants that. I'd definitely like to participate in the future though, and I am pretty curious to see what comes out of Battle: Rolled Oats.

+1

We got another main ingrediant somewhere? Should I read the rest of the pages of this thread? I'm sure if the budget was upped to 50 beans and the rolled oats was changed to something else, I could come up with something nice.

Key word, nice. Like many others I am not a pro. If I was, I'd have either my own resturant, TV show or combination of the two. LOL!!

Oh, also, can we have a freebie rule added as well? "Fold" in some Monster Garage to this chef challenge.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

+1

We got another main ingrediant somewhere? Should I read the rest of the pages of this thread? I'm sure if the budget was upped to 50 beans and the rolled oats was changed to something else, I could come up with something nice.

Key word, nice. Like many others I am not a pro. If I was, I'd have either my own resturant, TV show or combination of the two. LOL!!

Oh, also, can we have a freebie rule added as well? "Fold" in some Monster Garage to this chef challenge.

Explain "freebie rule" young man. And you would absolutely be amazed at what you can make with oatmeal. Why, if you make it thick enough, you could sculpt it into a Porsche Turbo Carrera GT, or a suprisingly grainy elephant. Plant the feet of the guy who didn't pay you back last week into a bucket of the stuff and threaten to make him swim in "oatmeal shoes", gasp! Make it into a sculpture of Marylin Monroe and paint it with food coloring. Or, pour a baot-load of the rolled oats into a tub, lay yourself face down in it to create an imprint, then carefully remove yourself so as not to disturn the imprint, let it dry and pour jello in it. Voila! You have a perfect semblance of yourself, made entirely out of jello. You can even make oatmeal cookies with the stuff. Boy do I wish I could laugh like Daffy Duck right now.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Silver]

Can I just be a spectator? As you all can see, I'm not a really great cook LOL!
Hugs,
Pook

Neither am I, but what have I got to lose?

Also, Clutch, the key is the challenge...both budget and ingredient. That's part of the fun!

 

[Clutch]

Freebie rule - anything you would NORMALLY have on hand in the fridge, freezer, pantry or cabinets. I would say the main ingrediant would be a must buy (25 starting - rolled oats = what you can spend on the rest) than things like, say, an apple or up to (weight can be limited) a pound of ground beef or milk (which could be a large drain on the budget is some cases).

I have a few ideas, but seeing as I just spent about $325 on groceries in the last 4 days, 55 on a sushi/sashimi knife set and am about to spend another 150-250 this coming up weekend on a Valentines Day weekend with my GF, I think buying rolled oats (even if I wanted them) would be out of the question. LOL!

Maybe next time if the circumstances are right. *coughbettermainingrediantcough*

BTW, My Porsche is the 911 Turbo. I'd rather build a real one than get paid to eat rolled oats.

 

[Silver]

Keep in mind that, even in Canada, we can buy rolled oats in the bulk section of the grocery store for something like $1/lb. Trust me, 1 pound of oats goes a long way.

I believe the the freebie rule IS in play. Normal pantry/on hand ingredients are available. For example, I always have oats on hand (oatmeal + chocolate protein powder + natural peanut butter with some ground flax seed is a hella awesome breakfast). I also always have some fruit on hand, such as bananas, apples/pears, frozen fruit at all times (post-workout smoothies!), yogurt, frozen chicken breasts and salmon fillets, etc etc. Things that I don't always have on hand are things like heavy cream...just not found in my fridge, so the $1.50 I'd have to spend on heavy cream were I making a dish with it goes into the budget.

At least that's my understanding from the reading of the rules. GW, correct me if I'm wrong.