I am a Chef who is into Nutrition and Fitness. Ask me anything...

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  • FunkyTobias
    FunkyTobias Posts: 1,776 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    Average total fluid intake =/= glasses of water. Hydration comes from food and any other beverages (soda, coffee, tea, etc.)

    The required fluid intake will vary by activity level, temperature, etc. Blanket recommendations are useless.

    Aware. Water comes in many forms, as I'm sure other people are aware, too.

    Unfortunately they aren't. Not a day goes by around here without a plethora of threads entitled "Does 'x' count as water?"


    Back on topic:

    Who, in your opinion, is the best chef alive today?






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  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    Average total fluid intake =/= glasses of water. Hydration comes from food and any other beverages (soda, coffee, tea, etc.)

    The required fluid intake will vary by activity level, temperature, etc. Blanket recommendations are useless.

    Aware. Water comes in many forms, as I'm sure other people are aware, too.

    Unfortunately they aren't. Not a day goes by around here without a plethora of threads entitled "Does 'x' count as water?"

    Back on topic:

    Who, in your opinion, is the best chef alive today?

    Noted. A simple, "This may require more clarity for the masses" would have sufficed.


    There are dozens of best chefs and just about anyone with a Michelin Star is pretty phenomenal. Some of my favorites are Thomas Keller, Massimo Bottura, Eric Ripert, and I will always love Jacques Pepin.
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    amy8bug wrote: »
    Do you have any good recipes incorporating 100% whey protein powder? Is it ok to heat it b/c I was led to believe it may change the protein's amount of time to get absorbed? For example, mixing with your morning latte or baking into a pancake?

    Heat may denature some of the protein, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. When you're cooking with protein powder, you don't want to use a lot of it. Using too much will result in something too hard, dry, and borderline inedible. Cooking with protein powder is best when it provides a subtle boost in the protein macro (vs. what you would originally have without it).


    WHOLE WHEAT PUMPKIN OATMEAL MUFFINS

    Makes 8 jumbo muffins

    • 1 cup reduced fat buttermilk
    • 1/2 heaping cup soaked rolled oats (not quick oats)
    • 1 large egg, at room temperature
    • 3/4 level cup dark brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
    • 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
    • 1-1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
    • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
    • 1-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground

    Combine buttermilk and oats in a large bowl and let soak for half hour. After a half hour, begin to preheat the oven to 375 F. Next, grease the entire surface of muffin tin with melted butter or a neutral oil.

    In a separate bowl, sift remaining ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, protein powder, and spices.

    Crack the egg into the oat and milk mixture; add brown sugar and whisk vigorously to combine. Stir in the melted butter or coconut oil. Fold in the pumpkin puree.

    Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, taking care not to over mix. Just before scooping into the muffin tins, the batter should appear to be only 85% mixed, with some dry lumps in there. The reason for this is to avoid excess gluten build-up and give you a more tender muffin.

    Scoop the batter 3/4 of the way into the muffin tins. Bake until light brown and tops spring back when gently touched - About 22-24 minutes for jumbo muffins.

    Remove from oven and let them cool in the muffin tin. When cool, run a sharp knife around the edges, turn upside down, and pop muffins out.

    These are approx. 350 calories each - 15 pro/15 fat/37 carb
  • alias1001
    alias1001 Posts: 634 Member
    Love this thread!

    I always mess up pasta--ends up sticking to my work surface. And the gnocchi I tried a few months ago were...inedible. Any basic tips?
  • Oldbitcollector
    Oldbitcollector Posts: 229 Member
    Best oils to cook with?
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    Here is the procedure to make a proper potato gnocchi. They require some patience, but they are amazing.

    Potato Gnocchi

    8-10 Idaho potatoes, salt-baked and covered with foil
    1 pint flour, sifted
    1 egg, lightly beaten
    1 yolk, lightly beaten
    1 tbsp. heavy cream
    1 tbsp. oil
    1, 3x3-inch piece Parmigianino Reggiano, microplaned

    1) Press potatoes through tamis (fine mesh drum sieve) over parchment paper.
    2) Let cool to room temperature on rack.
    3) Add salt and cheese to taste. Gently mix between palms to incorporate.
    4) Add flour. Gently mix between palms to incorporate. Place in large bowl.
    5) Add egg, egg yolk, cream, and oil to dry mix.
    6) Knead and roll into thin logs. Cut and shape gnocchi.
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    Best oils to cook with?

    See page 1.
  • EmilyRose13084
    EmilyRose13084 Posts: 18 Member
    Sweets are such a weakness! Please help
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited May 2015
    Sweets are such a weakness! Please help

    Do you want to avoid them or eat more of them?

    I overcame my love for sweets when I learned how appreciate bitter flavors through more exposure to them: broccoli rabe, kale, other veggies, and IPAs (bitter beer). When you acquire a taste for bitter, your sweet cravings are drastically lessened.
  • EmilyRose13084
    EmilyRose13084 Posts: 18 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    Sweets are such a weakness! Please help

    Do you want to avoid them or eat more of them?

    I overcame my love for sweets when I learned how appreciate bitter flavors through more exposure to them: broccoli rabe, kale, other veggies, and IPAs (bitter beer). When you acquire a taste for bitter, your sweet cravings are drastically lessened.

    I well over eat on the sweets. I tend to skip well balanced meals because I replace them with sweets
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    Sweets are such a weakness! Please help

    Do you want to avoid them or eat more of them?

    I overcame my love for sweets when I learned how appreciate bitter flavors through more exposure to them: broccoli rabe, kale, other veggies, and IPAs (bitter beer). When you acquire a taste for bitter, your sweet cravings are drastically lessened.

    I well over eat on the sweets. I tend to skip well balanced meals because I replace them with sweets

    You have to learn how to love veggies, and that requires an understanding of how to prepare/cook them perfectly. They are also very nutritious. If you still want sweets, fruit can be quite sweet.
  • EmilyRose13084
    EmilyRose13084 Posts: 18 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    Sweets are such a weakness! Please help

    Do you want to avoid them or eat more of them?

    I overcame my love for sweets when I learned how appreciate bitter flavors through more exposure to them: broccoli rabe, kale, other veggies, and IPAs (bitter beer). When you acquire a taste for bitter, your sweet cravings are drastically lessened.

    I well over eat on the sweets. I tend to skip well balanced meals because I replace them with sweets

    You have to learn how to love veggies, and that requires an understanding of how to prepare/cook them perfectly. They are also very nutritious. If you still want sweets, fruit can be quite sweet.

    Veggies are so hard to love lol I only want to lose 10 more pounds and it's been the hardest 10 to lose
  • miriamtob
    miriamtob Posts: 436 Member
    Organ meats? Are they really that great for you? Do you have a recipe that will make me love them?
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    miriamtob wrote: »
    Organ meats? Are they really that great for you? Do you have a recipe that will make me love them?

    They are not great or bad per se. However, a variety of whole foods in your diet is always the best option.

    Did you have an interest in a specific type of offal? They can be hard to find in a regular supermarket outside of liver and tripe.
  • miriamtob
    miriamtob Posts: 436 Member
    There are some butchers around here, I could get anything. I am up for trying any of it, if it will be delicious and benefit my health. I've heard calf's liver is a super-food, but I wouldn't know how to prepare it.
  • SophiaSerrao
    SophiaSerrao Posts: 234 Member
    miriamtob wrote: »
    There are some butchers around here, I could get anything. I am up for trying any of it, if it will be delicious and benefit my health. I've heard calf's liver is a super-food, but I wouldn't know how to prepare it.

    It's delicious! Although in general the people I know aren't fans. I like its uniqueness and enjoy it a lot. And it's a good iron source :+1:

    I coat it with olive oil and minced garlic, some spices and then throw it in the pan. Cook both sides ans serve with rice. But I'm sure sixxpoint will know more interesting ways of preparing it ^^
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited May 2015
    miriamtob wrote: »
    There are some butchers around here, I could get anything. I am up for trying any of it, if it will be delicious and benefit my health. I've heard calf's liver is a super-food, but I wouldn't know how to prepare it.

    It's delicious! Although in general the people I know aren't fans. I like its uniqueness and enjoy it a lot. And it's a good iron source :+1:

    I coat it with olive oil and minced garlic, some spices and then throw it in the pan. Cook both sides ans serve with rice. But I'm sure sixxpoint will know more interesting ways of preparing it ^^

    Yes, there are tons of recipes for it on youtube and google. The trick is properly cleaning it and not overcooking it. Overcooking brings out that gamey, metallic flavor. And it also alters the texture in an undesireable way. You could also make a pate.
  • SophiaSerrao
    SophiaSerrao Posts: 234 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    miriamtob wrote: »
    There are some butchers around here, I could get anything. I am up for trying any of it, if it will be delicious and benefit my health. I've heard calf's liver is a super-food, but I wouldn't know how to prepare it.

    It's delicious! Although in general the people I know aren't fans. I like its uniqueness and enjoy it a lot. And it's a good iron source :+1:

    I coat it with olive oil and minced garlic, some spices and then throw it in the pan. Cook both sides ans serve with rice. But I'm sure sixxpoint will know more interesting ways of preparing it ^^

    Yes, there are tons of recipes for it on youtube and google. The trick is properly cleaning it and not overcooking it. Overcooking brings out that gamey, metallic flavor. And it also alters the texture in an undesireable way. You could also make a pate.

    Word, yo. I overcooked it once and it was like chewing a tire. A shame, because the texture is part of the reason I enjoy it so much.

    And yes, it's definitely important to give it proper cleaning.
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    miriamtob wrote: »
    There are some butchers around here, I could get anything. I am up for trying any of it, if it will be delicious and benefit my health. I've heard calf's liver is a super-food, but I wouldn't know how to prepare it.

    It's delicious! Although in general the people I know aren't fans. I like its uniqueness and enjoy it a lot. And it's a good iron source :+1:

    I coat it with olive oil and minced garlic, some spices and then throw it in the pan. Cook both sides ans serve with rice. But I'm sure sixxpoint will know more interesting ways of preparing it ^^

    Yes, there are tons of recipes for it on youtube and google. The trick is properly cleaning it and not overcooking it. Overcooking brings out that gamey, metallic flavor. And it also alters the texture in an undesireable way. You could also make a pate.

    Word, yo. I overcooked it once and it was like chewing a tire. A shame, because the texture is part of the reason I enjoy it so much.

    And yes, it's definitely important to give it proper cleaning.

    Liver is so tricky. I love it, but aside from dear grandmother, I've never gone somewhere where they've made it work for me. This is one I'm gonna have to learn for myself. Same with cow tongue. One of my favorite things to eat is lengua (tongue) in taco or burrito form from one of my favorite taquerias.

    I've heard it's a lot of work and takes hours of braising to get it right, though.
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited May 2015
    ^Yes, you have to cook tongue in a flavorful broth, low and slow, and then peel off the tough outer layer. Lamb's tongue taste like bologna if anyone is interested :)
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    edited May 2015
    deleted
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    ^Yes, you have to cook tongue in a flavorful broth, low and slow, and then peel off the tough outer layer. Lamb's tongue taste like bologna if anyone is interested :)

    The cubans do it in like a milanesa style with a very garlicy tomato sauce and white rice. *drool*
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
    This thread is gonna ruin my life.
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited May 2015
    Haha why is that?
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
    sixxpoint wrote: »
    Haha why is that?

    Because I know how to cook.
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    edited May 2015
    This one might have a simple answer, but there are a million conflicting methods on Google: if I wanted to make a blue steak at home, without a cast-iron pan or a grill, would that be possible? And if so, how would I do it? And is it reasonably safe to eat supermarket steaks blue?

    I really love blue steak, is what I'm saying, and the only place in town that served it had to stop.
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    In restaurants, we always cook Pittsburgh style steak in a cast iron or black steel skillet. Get it screaming hot with the proper amount of oil and seasoning and achieve that crust without fully cooking it through.

    I'm not sure what piece of equipment you would use otherwise, or why you have an aversion to cast iron. Maybe because your apartment/home would smoke up and set off the fire alarm? Try using the cast iron pan on an outdoor grill if that's the case.
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    I don't have an aversion to cast-iron, I just don't own one and can't afford one. Alas. Thanks for the response!
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    avskk wrote: »
    I don't have an aversion to cast-iron, I just don't own one and can't afford one. Alas. Thanks for the response!

    Oh, the Lodge brand Cast iron pans are pretty cheap and you can get them anywhere. Just be sure to season them before use.