Posts Tagged With: Mason jars

Deep Fryer French Fries

Posted on February 15, 2025 by pauldelancey

American Entree

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DEEP FRYER FRENCH FRIES

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INGREDIENTS
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1¼ pound russet potato
13 cups vegetable oil*
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* = My deep fryer uses this amount. Amounts vary with each deep fryer. See instructions that come with deep fryer. Duck fat or beef tallow gives a better taste, but it should be completely melted before being put into the fryer.
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SPECIAL UTENSILS
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french-fry cutter
deep fryer
4 4-cup Mason jars
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Serves 2. Takes 1 hour 20 minutes.
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PREPARATION
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If desired, remove potato skins with potato peeler. Use French-fry cutter to cut potato into strips. Place these French fries in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 40 minutes or until ready to fry.
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Add oil to deep fryer. It should be between the MIN and MAX level on the bowl. Set temperature to 325 degrees. While temperature rises to 325 degrees, drain water from fries. Pat fries dry with paper towels.
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Once the oil’s temperature reaches 325 degrees add French fries to frying basket. Carefully lower basket into oil. Put lid on fryer. Deep fry for 10 minutes or until fries just start to show color. Raise temperature to 360 degrees. Deep fry for another 3 minutes or until fries become crispy and turn golden brown. Drain oil. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Serve with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise. Serve hot.
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Strain and drain oil into Mason jars. Reuse the oil until it has a foamy surface,  dirty, dark appearance, or a fishy aroma.
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TIDBITS
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1) How does NASA know if teeny, tiny objects exist in apparently empty stretches of outer space? It flings billions of potato strips into the apparently voids out there. NASA ensures uniform shapes and weights of these tater strips by employing French-fry cutters. The space agency flings these spud bits into space and tracks their orbits. If the orbit wobbles, another object exists close to the erratic fry. By such means NASA hopes to find every teeny, weeny, itsy, bitsy, speck in outer space.
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– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

 

Categories: cuisine, international, science | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Refrigerator Pickles

Posted on September 18, 2024 by pauldelancey

American Appetizer

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REFRIGERATOR PICKLES

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INGREDIENTS
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1½ tablespoons salt
1½ tablespoons sugar
2 cups white vinegar
2¾ cups cold water
2 pounds Kirby cucumbers of pickling cucumbers
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
10 sprigs fresh dill
6 garlic cloves
½ tablespoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
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SPECIAL UTENSIL
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2-to-3 4-Cup Mason jars.
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Serves 6-to-8. Takes 25 minutes plus 30 hours for marinating.
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PREPARATION
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Make sure Mason jars have been sterilized. Add salt, sugar, and vinegar to pot. Cook at high heat until salt and sugar dissolve. Transfer contents to mixing bowl. Add cold water. Mix with spatula or fork. This is the brine.
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Divide cucumbers equally betweens Mason jars. Smash garlic cloves. Divide brine, coriander seeds, dill sprigs,  garlic, mustard seeds, and red pepper flakes evenly between Mason jars. Discard excess brine. Seal lids on Mason jars. Chill in refrigerator for 30 hours.
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TIDBITS
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1) Number One Son said, “It tastes nice. It tastes like a pickle.”
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2) *Beams*
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3) Lots of things taste like chicken. This is because lots of animals share a common flying-dinosaur ancestor.
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4) Chickens can fly. I believe the record for chicken flight is 243.
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5) I cannot fly at all. I am not as good as chicken.
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6) Can you imagine what football would be like if we could fly? I don’t know why the NFL doesn’t sign chickens. A chicken could fly up and swat down a field-goal attempt. I’d pay to see that.
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– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What I Did Today

Posted on August 28, 2024 by pauldelancey

Destined to be pickles

Woke up, got up, showed, and dressed. Go me, you little bundle of energy.

Went to my office. I divided my time between making a recipe for Refrigerator Pickles, looking at my finances, and looking at bunnies outside my window.

Then I went to a doctor’s office for my second post-surgery visit. The doctor was early. I know! I was doing fine. I finished my visit early as well. I tried to leave by elevator, but accidentally went to the third floor instead of the first. But it was all to the good as I was able to hold the elevator doors open at both floors for a woman and her quite elderly mom. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy keeping those doors open. But it all ended well.

Then I headed to a nearby gourmet supermarket. They didn’t have Kirby cucumbers or pickling cucumbers as they weren’t yet in season. I drove to a Middle Eastern supermarket near my home where pickling cucumbers were in season. I also purchased some Middle Eastern food items that are hard to get elsewhere.

I had some free time on my hands, so I organized a flash olympics at Poway’s main park. Such fun!

I made a humble dinner. Then I started making Refrigerator pickles. They’re marinating in the fridge. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

I do hope you behaved yourselves while I was preoccupied.

 

– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

 

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Grape Freezer Jam

Posted on August 3, 2024 by pauldelancey

American Breakfast

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GRAPE FREEZER JAM

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INGREDIENTS
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2 cups fresh, crushed grapes (about 1 pound whole)*
3½ tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups sugar
¾ cup water
6 tablespoons or 1.75-ounce box fruit pectin powder)
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SPECIAL UTENSILS
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potato masher or food processor
5 * 1-cup hot, sterilized Mason jars (They really must be hot and newly sterilized.)
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Makes 5-cups. Takes 1 hour plus 1-to-2 hours to set.
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PREPARATION* – (Assuming, as is likely, you can’t find crushed grapes to buy)
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Cut grapes in half. Remove stems and seeds from grapes. Smash grape halves with potato masher until thoroughly crushed. (Or add bits to food processor. Pulse processor until thoroughly crushed, but not yet pureed. Some grape bits should remain.)
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Add grape and lemon juice to large mixing bowl. Mix with fork until well blended. Add sugar. Mix with whisk until sugar dissolves completely. (Undissolved sugar makes the jam grainy.)
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Add water and pectin to small pan. Bring to boil using heat. Stir constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour boiling water over grape/sugar mix. Stir constantly for 3 minutes. The mixture should start to jell and thicken.
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Pour grape mixture into Mason jars. Leave ½” gap at the top. Stir until grape bits and juice gel and blend. Cover and let stand for 1-to-2 hours or until set. (Not longer than 12 hours.) If desired, serve some immediately. Store the rest in the refrigerator for 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 year.
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TIDBITS
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1) Sorry, this tidbit isn’t funny. But I am quite proud that I wrote this recipe and then made it. This is my first recipe since getting Covid, a severe ear infection, and surgery back to back to back.
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2) Okay, I have space for a joke. Q: How many 1-cup Mason jars filled with grape jam does it take to change a light bulb? A: 122, but it’s far safer to use a step ladder. Ha, ha, ha!
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– Paul De Lancey, The Comic Chef, Ph.D.

My cookbook, Following Good Food Around the World, with its 180 wonderful recipes, my newest novel, Do Lutheran Hunks Eat Mushrooms, a hilarious apocalyptic thriller, and all my other books, are available on amazon.com.

Categories: cuisine, recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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