What's for Dinner, Wed., Sept. 24, 2014

[NJCher]

I'm making soup with fall vegetables in it, like rutabaga. I also have some spinach-feta cheese sausage to go with.

I'm also planning a salad but not sure what kind yet.



Cher

[Galileo126]

1. Rainbow trout

with veggies, in foil, on the grill. Roma tomatoes, onions, zucchini. All topped with lemon slices and butter. For a side, I'm going with mushroom risotto. (Just came back from Winco, where I buy arborio rice in bulk. So, risotto it is.)

[geardaddy]

2. I love rutabaga.

It reminds me of my grandma's vegetable soup.

[Auggie]

3. Pizza

with whatever veggie toppings we can find in the fridge and garden.

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. Hamburger on a pretzel bun.

Salad.

[pinto]

5. I'm sort of picking my way through the day.

Quick odds and ends. My brother gets in from TX tomorrow. Kitchen is spotless want to keep it that way for at least his first day here...

[cbayer]

15. So glad your brother is coming.

Hope you have a great time!

[SheilaT]

6. curried chicken,

made by me. It's simmering on the stove right now. In about ten minutes I'll start the rice.

I must say, I don't understand what the big deal is about rice. I've never had a problem with it, and no, I don't use Minute Rice and I see no need for a rice cooker. Besides, I have a pretty small kitchen and nowhere to store an appliance like that.

[NJCher]

7. ostensibly

the rice cooker turns off when the rice is done, however, my rice cooker has a warming function that it goes to and it sometimes makes the rice brown and crispy on the bottom. I actually like that, but I think it's unintended by the mfr.

I think that simple convenience, though, is a high price to pay for the extra space it takes up. Oh, one other thing--they often have a Teflon coating, which keeps the rice from sticking.



Cher

[pinto]

8. LOL. My electric steamer did the same thing. I gave it away and went back to a pot and a lid.

On a gas stove.

[SheilaT]

10. I would probably like the brown and crispy rice.

I can tell you I've never had it come out that way when I cook it.

And I've never had a problem with rice sticking to the pot. Really, what are people doing when they cook rice to have all these problems with it?

A timer (or two) is one of the very best kitchen utensils out there. Mine just went off after I finished the above paragraph. It was reminding me that the leftover curry and rice were cooled enough to put in the refrigerator. If I didn't bother with the timer, I'd run the risk of totally forgetting they were still on the counter top and not noticing until tomorrow morning when I get up.

And you're right about convenience being expensive I don't understand the need to buy a popcorn popper when it's easy to pop the popcorn in a good pot. And it's actually quicker on top of the stove than in a microwave. I know, because I once did a head to head contest. And buying a bag of already popped? Why? At a movie theater, of course. But at the supermarket?

[fizzgig]

11. i can't make white rice to save my life

i even eff it up in the rice cooker

brown rice, no problem. white rice, i turn into a culinary moron.

[cbayer]

14. I had the same problem until I discovered Lucinda's perfect rice

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11578437

Do it exactly as she says and you will be amazed.

[fizzgig]

16. i've tried it and still failed

i'll keep on trying, though. husband loves white rice and doesn't care if it's a bit crunchy or a bit mushy.

[cbayer]

17. What kind of rice are you buying?

[fizzgig]

18. cheapo store brand long grain

i am ashamed at how it confounds me.

[cbayer]

19. Try buying some better rice.

I like jasmine the best, but arborio is great as well. Rice is cheap, so you can experiment with different kinds.

Your problem may be completely in the product you are using.

[fizzgig]

20. it probably is

we're almost out anyway, i'll get something better when i go shopping next.

[SheilaT]

21. That's not enough water.

It's usually 2 cups water, 1 cup rice. Combine in a pot, add salt, bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and set your timer for 20 minutes. It's almost always done by that time.

The biggest problem I have is I'll try to make rice in too small a pot, as I did last night and it boils over. So I just threw in another quarter cup of water and turned down the heat a little more.

I'm curious. Do all of you who have trouble making rice also have trouble with pasta? Because both are very much the same: boiling something in water.

[cbayer]

22. All I can tell you is that this comes out perfectly for me every single time

and I had serious problems with rice before I started using this recipe.

I have no problem with pasta at all, but there is a big difference imo. Rice is really not about boiling but about steaming.

[SheilaT]

23. Rice is not about boiling but about steaming

is absolutely right. Plus, you have to leave it alone for fifteen or twenty minutes or so, and maybe the people who are failing at rice are checking it too often.

[cbayer]

24. That was one of my problems - taking off the lid and letting the steam escape.

[SheilaT]

25. In that way rice is totally different from potatoes,

even though they are both starches.

Once the potatoes are boiled, you must leave the top off and let the steam escape or you'll ruin them. They sort of turn into glue. Rice, OTOH, needs to remain covered.

[japple]

26. For plain, long-grain white rice, the ratio is 2 c. water to 1 c. rice. For Basmati and/or

Jasmine, it is as written in the recipe. I had to learn that the hard way.

[grasswire]

9. chicken and stuffing skillet with lots of gravy...

...and pearl onions and peas and parsley etc.

I recently started grating a carrot into this kind of chicken dish. The color of the dish is enhanced tremendously, making it taste even more chicken-y.

Red cabbage and sliced plum salad on the side.

[fizzgig]

12. had a couple slices of pizza at work

i was thinking about having a grilled cheese later, but it turns out we are out of bread. i think plan b will be roasted taters and carrots.

[cbayer]

13. Good old back in the USA BBQ!

We had BBQ chicken, roasted veggies and corn on the cob.