Ramen = Replacement For Cooking Skill

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by howtobrew

I think we need to start with the basic questions:
HOW are you trying to cook the meat ZZ? Gas Grill, Charcoal Grill, pan on an electric stove?

Frying pan on electric stove. Occasionally in the oven.

WHAT kind of meat are you (usually) trying to cook? Chicken? Beef? Pork? Fish? Reindeer? Walrus?

Tender esquire...

No, just joking. I do fish and chicken with no greater problem. (I usually do these in the oven.) Pork is sometimes ok too, but the main trouble I'm having is when cooking beef.

I prefer beef over pork, but sometimes have to settle with pork because of my cooking inabilities.

Marinating might be a good idea, but sometimes you don't want your meat to taste of marinade, just meat and spices. I do have a mallet, I may start to use it more often.

[howtobrew]

Originally Posted by Zilverzmurfen

What meat are you trying to cook?
Tender esquire...

That's your problem right there. That should be served "al dente"

Beef in a frying pan is the trickiest. Fencergrl is right, you need to sear and then reduce the heat.
1. rinse and dry the steak, and then rub with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper.
2. Pour a bit of olive oil into a heavy non-stick skillet (eg. Calphalon), and get it hot. I often saute mushrooms and onions first to season the pan. If you do, remove them before doing the steak but don't wash it.
3. The steaks should sizzle when you put them in the pan. Give them about 1 minute on each side, moving them around the pan a bit while they sear.
4. Reduce the heat to medium (or lower if necessary) and let them cook for a couple minutes per side. The liquid in the pan should be bubbling, but neither rapidly boiling off, nor just simmering. Turn the steak every minute or two so that it turns a nice caramel color. If it stays gray then you are too cool and you will simply heat all of the water out of the meat without rendering the fat and softening the connective tissue. If it turns dark brown, then you are too hot and you will cook the fat And the water out of the meat and it will be tough again.
5. It is done when you poke it with a fork and you get pinkish juice out. If it is clear then you have cooked too long. Red and you haven't cooked long enough.

Can't tell I'm an engineer, can you?
HtB

[umbrella]

Originally Posted by Black Jeebus

I realized if it weren't for Ramen noodles I would have starved to death years ago (that or there would be far fewer stray cats in the neighborhood).

Should I learn to cook?

What basic skill set are you completely inept at?

Making Money:
Receipe for: World Peas. Whenever I prepare Ramen, I try to add veggies to it to make it more "stretchable" - you can use one package of Raman, add stir fry veggies, drop an egg into it to poach, and VIOLA!!!! you have a meal for two people. Then you have room for dessert: recently I made sliced papaya and peachs with heavy cream and tea. The only downfall with raman, is that if your electric is turned off you can't cook it, so then you turn to Udon, which can be found in a 'semi' cooked state, and you can add hot water to it to heat it up, add veggies raw and hope it works. I went 6 weeks without electric and almost the same without water, so I know how to live without it all.