Ask a foreigner

[Charbella]

Take frozen roll dough dip it in mayo then Parmesan cheese then put garlic butter over the top, rise and bake for the yummiest rolls ever.

Mix mayo, seasoned salt and ketchup for a terrific dip for fries or spread for a burger.

 

[Rose White]

Am reading a book about the food of France and the author differentiates the regions based on the fat used in cooking: butter, olive oil, and lard. Today everything seems so global and manufactured but I’m wondering if you have a preferred fat and a preferred starch and whether it matches up with what your country would have traditionally used.

I don’t have a preference for fat, I like to rotate through all of them: butter, lard, and vegetable. For starch I tend to go with wheat and rice, potatoes taking third place. In my region (desert southwest) the traditional fat would have been lard and the traditional starch would have been corn then wheat.

 

[Teasel]

Traditional here would have been Lard and wheat and potatoes.
Also butter and Oats / barley I suppose.

Lard featured quite a bit when I was young and being taught cooking by my Nana. I don't remember the last time I bought any lard though now, many years ago.

I use olive oil quite a lot now, used to use rapeseed oil more. Still use butter, but maybe a tad less.

Sandwiches in the uk are traditional spread with butter. I remember being quite surprised to find out that wasn't so in USA- rather mayonnaise. I have sometimes used Mayo instead of butter. It goes better with some things.

 

[Freddyt]

I’m wondering if you have a preferred fat and a preferred starch

Like you the fat changes based on what is being cooked. Butter for some, Canola oil for some, etc. I prefer either Canola or Peanut oil because I do some oriental style cooking and both have a high smoke temp which works well for that style of cooking.

Starch? Potatoes.......we grow lots around here......

 

[Teasel]

Can anyone describe to an English person what Bolillo bread and Oaxacan cheese taste like? Ta

 

[Friday]

Am reading a book about the food of France and the author differentiates the regions based on the fat used in cooking: butter, olive oil, and lard. Today everything seems so global and manufactured but I’m wondering if you have a preferred fat and a preferred starch and whether it matches up with what your country would have traditionally used.

I don’t have a preference for fat, I like to rotate through all of them: butter, lard, and vegetable. For starch I tend to go with wheat and rice, potatoes taking third place. In my region (desert southwest) the traditional fat would have been lard and the traditional starch would have been corn then wheat.

I cannot use butter (allergy) so I choose my fats based on their use.

- Duck fat? Makes ammmaaaaazing French fries. But crap most other things. Unless chicken is somehow involved. Duck fat turns anything-chicken into unicorn.
- Sunflower oil? Makes AWESOME everything not Italian or Spanish.
- Italian or Spanish? Needs olive oil.
- Pastry? Needs complex fats. Lard is PERFECT.
- Tamales? Lard. Always. Or it’s wrong. (Could probably veganize it the way I do curry, though. Not gonna.)
- Dairy based curries? Need complex fats (I use something like 9, just to get butter chicken to taste “right”. Otherwise? There’s just something missing. Sad. So sad. Worth the freaking 9 fats, for knee melting, OMFG curry).
- Most Japanese dishes need rice bran oil (it is STUPID expensive at the grocery store. But you can buy 25 liters for pennies. It’s vexing. As it does go rancid).
- I use good sesame oil in Asian dishes, so that means about 3 drops per half cup of sunflower (Chinese, Thai, mainland Far East) or rice bran oil (Japan) I was always a bit alarmed when I see my hippy friends just SOAK something in sesame oil… until I tried their oil. It’s already diluted to f*ck. GOOD sesame oil? Is wicked strong, and needs a carrier oil. Or? You could spend 25x what you would buying good sesame & a ground nut oil to carry it.

to use up extra ingredients (can’t imagine another reason for the beets),

if you’re low on sugar (beet sugar used to be THE source of sweet, before sugar cane), or are attempting to make “red velvet” cake, now that we no longer have red chocolate (that process has been abandoned, so chocolate is no longer red “naturally”, and enhanced even further with beet sugar.

^^^ AKA ^^^ You don’t even wanna know the amount of research I did to find dairy-free chocolate. Learned a lot of reeeeeally random shit.

 

[Friday]

Oaxacan cheese taste like? Ta

GOOD Oaxaca has the texture of feta wih the taste of luscious (instead of earthy, or stank) Brie.

DECENT Oaxaca has the taste of Monterey Jack, with the texture of mozzarella.

VERY MUCH LIKE the difference between good cheddar (crumbly but shreddable, with crystals, & bite) -vs- cheap “cheddar”, that is creamier and blander.

If I was subbing Oaxaca? I’d do a luscious brie with a pinch of sea salt. No rind. Or? Monterey Jack, knowing it will be boring, instead of “wow”. OR OR OR … just realized you’re a hop skip and a jump from Spain… Manchego. ALMOST identical in flavor, Oaxaca is creamier, like if mozzarella and manchego had a baby) but not texture (and probably what the Spanish & Portuguese colonists were trying to recreate). 99% Mesoamerican & southern US food is an attempt to recreate Spanish & Portuguese food, using local ingredients. Unless it’s “French”. IE Cajun/Creole/Acadian. Also attempting to recreate French food, using local ingredients. AKA carrots don’t grow in swamps. But? Peppers do. So the Mirepoix? (Onions, celery, carrots). Became the “Holy Trinity” (onions, celery, peppers).

 

[Teasel]

Thanks @Friday believe it or not I've never tried, nor even seen monterrey Jack. Manchego I know well enough

 

[Rose White]

GOOD Oaxaca has the texture of feta wih the taste of luscious (instead of earthy, or stank) Brie.

DECENT Oaxaca has the taste of Monterey Jack, with the texture of mozzarella.

I never heard of Oaxaca cheese with texture of feta. It’s a lot like mozzarella and is melted into strings. It’s used to make a dish called Frijoles Maneados, which means “beans tied up”.

Casero has a texture like feta and is moist like feta but without the tangy flavor. Cotija is crumbly like feta but very dry and very salty, also without a tangy flavor.

@Friday that curry dish sounds epic—knee melting, I must try! Will you share in the dinner recipes thread and tag me (if willing to share this secret treasure)? Never heard of rice bran oil—curious about it, and I have only heard of the legendary duck fat—will try it some day! There’s a Jewish dish I make with chicken fat and chicken skin called gribenes—it’s pretty good!

@Teasel bolillos taste to me like what we in America call French bread or Italian bread.

 

[Friday]

Thanks @Friday believe it or not I've never tried, nor even seen monterrey Jack. Manchego I know well enough

Pepper-Jack is better. (Monterey Jack with either spicy or mild peppers chopped up in it.)

 

[Teasel]

Thanks both. I really want to try these cheeses. I expect it's possible to buy em online somewhere for a price. And thanks - ended up googling the bread, Wikipedia says bolillo came from the French yes.

 

[Freida]

Am reading a book about the food of France a

10 days in france - hubby and I are going to starve to death because the food is awful!!!
oysters, snails, duck in everything, white sausage, raw steak and raw salmon (they say "tartare to try to class it up but it's still raw meat!) and pate (translation -fat duck liver)

Luckily there were a ton of restaurants so we ate really well but still..........................