Category Archives: Tips

Beef burgundy

I broke out the pressure cooker and made beef stew.  I’ve always been somewhat afraid of pressure cookers.  My mother used one all the time, and it was a first-generation jiggle-top, to boot, but I don’t remember her standing around wondering if the thing was going to blow up.  I think I need to use this more often to feel confident.  It’s a second-generation cooker with a spring-valve and pop-up pressure indicator that has several safety features not found on first-generation jiggle-tops, like a secondary valve system to release pressure if it builds beyond a certain point.  Apparently this newer technology was invented by Kuhn-Rikon in Switzerland in 1949, but only introduced in the US in 1990.  Speaks volumes, nicht wahr?  If you are still using an old jiggle-top, by all means get one of these modern European jobs.  If you never had a pressure cooker at all, you are in for a real treat.  For example, if you toss in three pounds of beef stew meat with a little water and a goodly amount of red wine (you generally need a minimum of a cup of liquid, but make sure you check the requirement for your particular model) along with fresh thyme, sautéed onion and garlic plus salt and pepper, you’ll have fork-tender meat that’s a little like beef burgundy in about 20 minutes at 15 psi.  Add the time you need to build up to that pressure and the time to allow it to release naturally, and you are looking at something like an hour.  Thicken the sauce and serve over rice.  Words of warning:  you can fill these things to the 2/3 level only, so don’t get a small one or you’ll be sorry.  I think everyone in the house gets killed if you fill it up beyond 2/3.

Not crazy about chug half and half

chug bottle top

For some reason, chug dairy bottles have been ticking me off for the past few days.  When I first saw them, I thought, “Great!  If you drop it, nothing will spill.”  Is it just me, or do these things drip all over in the afterpour?  It also gets all gummy around the threads of the bottle where excess product hangs out. Then when you twist off the top the next time, all that dried gunk flakes off on your countertop.  The form is nice but the function leaves something to be desired.  I hate those kinds of “improvements!”

Thai Black Sticky Rice Pudding

Blacky sticky rice pudding

Last night I made some Thai black sticky rice pudding.  One of my fellow interns at the SF Chronicle was testing a recipe for this on a day I wasn’t scheduled to be in, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

When I was at 99 Ranch Market yesterday, bags of black glutinous rice were giving me the eye.  I grabbed one, headed home and threw a few cups in to soak.

You should check this dish out.

For a basic version you’ll generally need only black glutinous (AKA “sweet” or “sticky”) rice, coconut milk, sugar and salt.  Black sesame seeds for topping, if you like.  The result will be sweet, nutty, creamy and a whisper salty.

The steamed black rice will have a deep purple color. Don’t wear a white shirt while working with it.

Here’s a good basic recipe, and you can adjust the sugar, coconut milk and salt as desired after you try it as-is once.

Don’t leave out the salt, though, because it serves as a counterpoint to the sweet element. Its absence will be conspicuous.

Here’s the one from the SF Chronicle that I missed that day.

Don’t drink and drive

Coffee spill in the car

Matthew and I grabbed two iced lowfat decaf lattes from the drive-thru Starbucks on San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito this afternoon. They were pretty good. Pretty good up until Matthew’s defective plastic cup collapsed and sent drink and ice cubes south. We drove home wet with a lake of milk and coffee in the change cup between us. Since Matt couldn’t reach the whole spill during clean-up, I’m sure this will be a gift that will keep on giving. I’m thankful there was no sugar involved.