Chris Pirillo » cooking

How to Cook Rice

Chris — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:50:40 +0000

How to Cook Rice is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I’m gonna be on this video like white on rice, because we are learning to make rice! I told me friend Imei that I don’t know how to make rice, even though I love to eat it. She decided to teach me, since she is the rice master. She’s been making it since she was nine years old, so I’m guessing it’s safe to say she knows what she’s doing.

Imei says that you have to rinse the packaged rice, since it is covered with a white film. It’s a polish of sorts, which makes it look nicer, and it’s not something you want to eat. So, I rinsed it a few times, and ran my hands through to make sure that it’s cleansed. I decided to make three cups, since it’s pretty pointless to make only a single cup. I’ll just refrigerate it, and heat it up for lunch tomorrow!

If you don’t have a proper rice cooker, then you can use any normal pot. I happen to have a Cuisinart rice cooker, and I’m told that is a good one! I was told to measure in one cup of water for each cup of rice. How easy is that? Yeesh. What took me so long to cook this stuff? Since I’m steaming the rice, I was told to give it a tiny bit of extra water, in order to replace what will be lost during steaming. An easy way to guess is if you eyeball it, and use your finger. Stick your finger straight down in the center of the rice and water. You want to make sure that the water and the rice is half and half.

Once it was ready, I put the pot into the Cuisinart, and turned it on the cook setting. When it’s ready, then it’ll let me know! How cool is that? It’s not rocket science! I placed a dish towel over the top of the cooker, to help catch the condensation from the steam.

I had to let it steam for about 25 minutes. Since I have no patience to speak of, this seemed to be an interminable mount of time!

Sadly, I embarrassed myself by pronouncing the word Shiitake wrong. I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have offended with that!!

For the record… the rice turned out perfectly!

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What are you Having for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner?

Chris — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:52:30 +0000

What are you Having for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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My wife is the person who prepares most of our meals. I can’t really cook at all. What happens if you have all these different ingredients lying around, but you’re not sure what you can use them to create? There’s a new website that I found where you can easily figure this dilemma out. Head over to SuperCook. Simply enter in some ingredients, and the website will search through the databases of recipes that have been uploaded. You’ll receive results telling you what you could whip up in the kitchen.

Supercook returns recipes you can actually make right now with the ingredients you have. It even tells you exactly how many recipes you can make, broken down into ‘Starters’, ‘Entrees’ and ‘Dessert’ categories. With Supercook, finding a great recipe is no longer a hassle, simply put in all the ingredients you have at home and Supercook will instantly provide you with hundreds of recipes that are all within your reach. If a recipe requires ingredients you do not have, Supercook takes the guesswork out by clearly listing the additional ingredients you will need. This eliminates wasted time spent browsing through recipes to determine whether or not a recipe is right for you.

You can be a Super Cook, too. Check out the “my kitchen” area. You can sign up for free, and store the ingredients that you normally have on hand. This is such an easy and excellent way to come up with something new… without having to go to the store.

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What are Five Foods that Make you Gag?

Chris — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:01:40 +0000

What are Five Foods that Make you Gag? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Did you know there’s someone from our live community who hates pizza?! That’s just insane!! Ponzi, Kat and I got to talking about foods that we can’t stand, and make us just want to hurl. What foods do that to you? Make sure to write our your list of five, and leave them as a follow-up to this video!

My List of Hated Foods

Chitlins – Yes, I tried them once.
Brussels’ Sprouts – I’ve tried ‘em in everything, and still don’t like ‘em.
Beets – Not even shaved thin.
Peas – Unless their dried, “wasabi” peas.
Corn – Ick, no. But I do like popcorn and Corn Nuts (different flavor and texture!)

So, what’s your list?

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Can you Eat like an Egyptian?

Chris — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 05:41:27 +0000

Can you Eat like an Egyptian? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Pauleece is a regular in our chat room, and hails from Egypt! He wanted to share with us the top ten foods that you MUST eat if you ever get the chance to visit his homeland.

AWANES This is made of chicken gizzards. When a whole chicken is boiled to make soup, people cut off the Awanes to eat with then number five food I have listed.
ADS This is an orange legume that is boiled in water, and then drank like a soup. It can also be poured over rice. This is something that is often eaten when someone has to fast.
MOMBAR There is just no good or easy way to put this. Mombar is the lining of a sheep’s intestine that is stuffed with rice. It really IS delicious, I promise.
MOLOKHIA I know this was on the Jordanian list but it’s ours. This is a plant with large green leaves, and the leaves are cooked with taalya. People drink this as a soup, or pour it over rice.
HAWAWSHEE This is named after its creator El Sheikh El Hawawshee. It’s a meat sandwich, but the bread and the meat are cooked together.
KEBDA This is another name for liver. It’s cow’s liver cooked in a special oily sauce that is very spicy. At least 99% of Egyptians love this dish.
SOGO ESKANDARANI This is Alexandrian sausage, which is a special kind of sausage that is cut into slices. It is then usually cooked with the same sauce as the Kebda.
KOSHARY Koshary is a mixture of rice, macaroni, fried onions, hummus, tomato sauce and chili.
TAAMYA This has the same origin as Falafel, but its made from fava beans. Some countries use chickpeas instead.
FOOL Pretty much all North African and Middle Eastern countries make fun of Egyptians for eating this. Fool is basically just ground Java beans. You can use difference spices. There are probably ten million different Fool recipies floating around Egypt!

The Art Of Creole Cookery!

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What do Bachelors Eat?

Chris — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 03:06:01 +0000

What do Bachelors Eat? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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UncleJohn is a long-time community member, as well as a halfop in our live chat room. He is a bachelor, and sent in some tips on how to cook for just one.

Cook large meals that make good leftovers. For instance, cook the spaghetti sauce separate from the noodles. The sauce can be reheated, and added to in order to make other unique meals throughout the week. One example is my famous Hoagie and spaghetti sauce sandwich topped with chedder cheese.
Top Ramen Ramen noodles are your friend. Ramen by itself isn’t very good. You can use the plain Ramen noodles in meals, instead of buying actual spaghetti noodles. This can save a few bucks. These are cheap and easy to fix. The noodles tend to cook a lot faster then actual spaghetti.
Slow cookers Get yourself a slow cooker. You can cook stews, chili, and other large meals in these. Slow cookers will keep your food warm for a long period of time. The best part is the whole “dump it in and forget it” part. Once everything is in the pot, the slow cooker will do the rest.
Make “TV dinner” style meals You can freeze these, and heat them up whenever you need or want to. When you’re not in the mood to cook anything, zap one of these instead of an actual unhealthy TV dinner, or grabbing fast food.
Get yourself a vacuum sealing system These really work, and will keep your leftovers fresh for least a week. I wouldn’t trust them for any longer then that though.

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Saudi Cuisine

Chris — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 02:30:55 +0000

Saudi Cuisine is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Yaqob is a community member from Saudi Arabia. He saw all of the videos we’ve put up lately about favorite foods from other countries, and decided to send us his own list!

Tammer & Kha’ howa This is dates (fruit). You eat these and drink Arabic coffee (kha’how) with it. These traditionally go together because the dates are very sweet, while the coffee is sour.
Foool This is pronounced the same as the American word ‘fool’. This is milled beans, that are cooked. These are mainly eaten for breakfast, but can be cooked at any meal, really.
Mandi Mandi is white rice with meat or chicken, cooked in a pot. You dig a hole and start a fire inside, and then you put your pot inside this hole. Cover your meat with Aluminum Foil, and hang it above the pot. Cover this hole, and let it cook for a couple of hours.
Shwoermah This is a Turkish food, but it is also common in my country since we have a lot of Turkish restaurants here. This is a grilled beef or chicken sandwich, and it is my favorite food.
Al-Kabssa Al-Kabssa is a rice dish that is cooked with meat, fish or chicken. Add tomato & onion and special spices. This dish is the most famous food in my country, and in the Gulf in general.

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What Do the British Eat?

Chris — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:13:31 +0000

What Do the British Eat? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I am definitely ready to head over to the UK and eat. All of the food tips being sent in are making us want to travel! Puddings and breads and pies… oh my!

Jams and Marmalades This is a sweet preserve made from fruit, often Strawberries or Oranges. There are lots of unusual types, such as my favorite Strawberry and Chili. It is often served on plain white bread with thick crusts, and is thickly spread onto the bread. Making Jams and Marmalades is also a common part of the British summer, as many people grow their own fruits and make there own preserves. I have found Jams and Marmalades to be like a fine wine… the longer you leave it, the better it becomes. You will hit that magic year where it is just right, though this does not work with store bought Jams.
Bangers And Mash Bangers and Mash is a nice and simple English meal. It’s just a good plate of mashed potatoes with a few sausages chucked in. It is then all just covered in gravy.
Bubble And Squeak This is typically made from cold vegetables that have been left over from a previous meal, often the Sunday roast. The chief ingredients are potato and cabbage… but carrots, peas, Brussels sprouts, and other vegetables can be added. The cold chopped vegetables (and cold chopped meat, if used) are fried in a pan together with mashed potato until the mixture is well-cooked and brown on the sides. The name is a description of the action and sound made during the cooking process.
Fish And Chips Fish (cod, haddock, huss, plaice) is deep fried in flour batter with chips (fried potatoes), and then dressed in malt vinegar. This is England’s traditional take-away food (or as US would say “to go”). Fish and chips are not normally home-cooked. They are usually bought at a fish and chip shop (”chippie” ) to eat on-premises, or as a “take away”. The fish can also be changed for a saveloy (a type of red sausage heavily seasoned) and is often served with large amounts of tomato sauce.
The Yorkshire Pudding This dish is not usually eaten as a dessert like other puddings, but instead as part of the main course or as a starter. Yorkshire pudding, made from flour, eggs and milk, is a sort of batter baked in the oven and usually moistened with gravy. The traditional way to eat a Yorkshire pudding is to have a large, flat one filled with gravy and vegetables as a starter of the meal. Then when the meal is over, any unused puddings should be served with jam or ice-cream as a dessert.
The Sunday Roast This is the cornerstone of the British empire! Often eaten as a whole family (including aunts, uncles and other close relatives), it’s also know as a “Carvery”. The general foods with in it are some sort of roasted meat, roasted potatoes, peas, carrots, the Yorkshire pudding, and other vegetables.

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Food From India!

Chris — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:46:00 +0000

Food From India! is a post from Chris Pirillo

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With all the food videos we’ve done lately… are you hungry yet? I know I am. Some of the dishes from other countries sound absolutely delicious. I admit, a few of them have made me shudder… but I still like to keep an open mind. Heck, I’ll try anything once! Here are some of the top foods in India, sent in by a reader.

Dosa This is a like a very large pancake that has been rolled up. It’s also a little crispier than a pancake and there is potato in it. I don’t really know a better way of describing this.
Idli This looks like a ball that somebody has stepped on to make it flat. Idli is made primarily with rice. Idli is almost always served with “Sambar”. Sambar is almost like a dip. This is a dish people eat in the south of India, usually for special events.
Tikka Masala This is a very popular dish throughout the world, so you may have heard of it. It’s basically chunks of chicken marinated in spices and yogurt and baked in a tandoor oven… in a masala. Masala a very spicy sauce! If you are someone who can’t stand food that is spicy, I recommend you do NOT eat this. Sometimes this dish is served on top of rice, other times it’s not. But either way it taste’s very good!
Tandoori chicken This is chicken marinated in yogurt, seasoned with Tandoori Masala. The chicken is pretty red… but it tastes amazing. In India it is pretty hot, but in other countries they tone down the spiciness so others can eat it as well. Tandoori chicken is also served with rice. You may find this at weddings or other events.

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Food From Peru

Chris — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:56:26 +0000

Food From Peru is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Lately, I’ve been asking for all of you in countries outside the US to send me emails with a list of the foods popular to your culture. I love food… and I love to learn about other places and people. The response has been excellent! Keep them coming. This video is all about Peruvian food.

Ceviche. (I think its called Marinated fish in the USA) Can you eat fish with potatoes, sweet potatoes, lettuce, lots of realllly hot chili and onions? Well if you can, you should try this. Remember… its very hot and you may feel a bit dizzy after eating it. Definitely don´t eat it before doing any physically demanding activity.
Seco a la Norteña This is a really strong dish. It has either lamb meat or chicken, with rice (btw most south-american contries use rice as their primary dish), tomatoes, onions, and beans. This dish is particularly famous beacuse once you eat it, you will start to feel sleepy.
Arroz Chaufa. Most people will actually consider this is a chinese dish, but its not. A talented chef came to Peru in the early 1930s, and he invented his delicious dish. It happens to be the favorite of mine. As I said before, rice is used to make most dishes and this one is no exception. Along with the rice, it has chicken, chinese onions, traditional onions and Sillao. I don´t know if there is even an equivalent to this in the USA. I think this is the dish I’m going to miss most when I leave peru.
Aji de Gallina. This has rice, potatoes, chicken and (i dont know how to describe this but jus look at the picture and i hope u can undertand what i mean). It has a kind of a mash. It’s delicious, although it feels a bit strange when you eat it.
Chicha Morada. This is the Peruvian drink of excellence along with Pisco, made of a special purple corn. It’s delicious… just add some lemon juice, piña juice and sugar and you will be good to go.

Ceviche This is a mix of fish, lemon, corn, sweet potatoes and seasonings. This is an excellent dish Chris, if you ever come to Peru you MUST eat Ceviche.
Arroz con pollo This dish is basically boiled chicken with green rice, corn, carrots and a good complement to it is onions.
Lomo Saltado This is meat with french fries, fried onions and tomatoes. This is nothing like the “meat and fries” you get at your local McDonald’s. It is very tasty. The onions and tomatoes give it more of a spicy “kick”.
Causa Rellena This dish is basically one layer of potatoe at the top. Then in the middle either chicken, avocados, or onions. Then you have another potatoe layer at the bottom.
Anticuchos This may sound gross to some people, but it’s made of the cow’s HEART Cooked on the grill with a spicy sauce, it is awesome.

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Garlic Recipes

Chris — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 22:45:02 +0000

Garlic Recipes is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I love garlic. Face it, garlic is one of the cheapest and easiest ways (not to mention yummiest!) to season foods of all kinds. Here are several different uses for garlic.

Within pasta dishes, when no sauce is readily available and you’re limited on the food thats in the house, try adding minced garlic to pasta. Use with salt and pepper and a knob of butter, and although a little dry, the pasta will be far more edible than if eaten unflavored.
On foods using cheese, it might sound stupid and ridiculous, but when garlic and cheese are combined the outcome is generally well received, toast or crackers that have been rubbed with garlic before hand and then had cheese applied are a nice change.
On pizza, when a person thinks of ordering a takeaway, a pizza is usually thought of (at least in this household). The majority of peoplethink of margarita, either with or without pepperoni, when garlic is added it brings a whole new outlook on the pizza itself, and is always very well enjoyed by most who eat it.
In bread, (when I say in bread I in no way mean the typically thought of garlic bread which is must like thick toast with garlic butter on the top), I mean freshly baked bread which has had minced or lazy garlic mixed right into the dough. this kind of bread makes for very interesting sandwiches, toast, and even croutons.
In mashed potatoes, I always get a mixed response to this, some people say ‘well what the hell are you doing that for’ and some people say ‘ohh thats a great idea’. I live in Sheffield England, and every Sunday we have the typical British sunday dinner. I always prepare my Yorkshire puddings, mashed potatoes and stuffing with garlic. of course, I have no meat or gravy so I am forced to produce some interesting flavors on the dish, and garlic certainly is one of the better ones. I know I for one can’t have mashed potatoes without garlic puree any more. I am a self confessed garlic addict.

Here are some additional tips, when cooking with Garlic:

Pasta w/garlic and butter and add white wine
Don’t burn your garlic, it’ll make it taste awful.
Only cook garlic long enough until you can smell it.
Fresh Garlic ftw: don’t use powdered.
Roasted Garlic Mashed potatoes for the win!
Margarita style Pizza – chesse pizza in the USA.

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How to Cook at Home

Chris — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 02:45:53 +0000

How to Cook at Home is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Here are some tips sent in by Michael, who works as a Culinary Chef. They are designed to help make cooking at home easier for you, and more enjoyable!

Read the recipe. Use it as guideline… not merely as a set of instructions. Most recipe books will give you only general instructions about the exact method they used to create the item pictured or described. I have come across many instances where certain measurements have been left out or a complete step altogether. While this may be frustrating please remember that trying new recopies is an adventure into new tastes and new cooking techniques. Though I wouldn’t suggest this with time-tested family recipes handed down though out the years.
“mise en place”, A French cooking term for “to put in place”. This is a basic cooking term that means be prepared. Have a clean working area, have the correct utensils ready, have the correct ingredients, etc. Set yourself up for success. There is nothing worse than finding out you don’t have a crucial part of your recipe while in the midst of cooking and having to run to the local vendor to get it. Think ahead before you begin.
Know your knife. This is fundamental for safety. Have a sharp knife! While it is a potentially dangerous tool it is not as dangerous as a dull knife. A well kept blade will easily slice, while a dull one will force you to put more pressure on the blade and may result a cut or even a trip to the hospital. In general if you want to buy a good kitchen knife that is relatively safe and wont dull I would suggest one with a serrated edge, or a high end forged blade.
Get to know your appliances. What type of stove top range do you have? Gas or Electric? Convection oven or standard? Hopefully you have had the opportunity to know that not every stove top and oven distribute heat the same way. While a gas burning device is the best for conductivity an electric or ceramic range top can work just as well, just differently. Microwaves if you use them, look for one with a variety of settings and high wattage. Any other kitchen gadgets you may wish to own (mixers, food processors, i.e.) try buy the best that you can afford and go with a reputable brand. Quality is King. And If in doubt: always read the manual.
Teflon(non stick)-vs-Metal pots and Pans. If you aren’t aware of this already please, and I mean please for the love of all that is holy do not use a metal utensils on a non stick pan! This is akin to scratching your fingernails on chalkboard only that you would rip off part of the chalkboard itself. Use either a heat tempered plastic or rubber utensil with non-stick pans. I may also add that if you get a non-stick pan too hot it will degrade the coating. Culinary professionals use metal pots and pans for 90% of their use and only use non stick pans for delicate items like eggs or crepes.

BONUS TIP!!!!
Experiment a little. Say you try a new recipe and you didn’t like a certain ingredient. Can you think of something that you would like to replace it with. Maybe you didn’t like the texture or didn’t like the method that it was cooked under. Well be free to take the liberty to create your own version of that particular dish. This is what cooking is all about. Practice, and you will find out you can satisfy your own taste buds.

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How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

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You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

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VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

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