Home Made French Fries

Last night I was faced with a quandary about what to have as a side with the Gorgonzola cheese topped burgers I was preparing.  I had some red potatoes about to go bad and realized how easy it would be to just make homemade french fries.  They were amazing and easy.  What is lovely for me about this is that I am the worlds worst at cooking frozen french fries in the oven.  Who needs those anyway?

Now, based on what all I have stated in my last post as my food goals, these certainly miss on the healthy part.  But if I am going to eat fries, why not made out of local potatoes?

So, to make them.  Wash a mess of potatoes.  Cut them into slits as long as the potato allows.  I also cut some into wedges.  Put about an inch of oil  (canola, olive, etc) into a pot.  Turn heat up to 3/4's of the way hot.  When the oil is moving and popping place one piece of potato in the oil.  If it bubbles a lot the oil is ready.  If not wait for a couple of minutes and then try again.  When the oil is ready put an amount of fries in the oil that would almost fill up the pot.  The key here is to make sure all the fries are touching oil on most sides.  When they have browned to the color you like put them in a bowl with a paper towel or napkin.  IN a bowl place the drained fries.  Top with kosher salt, paprika, (optional garlic powder, onion powder, pepper)  Shake them around good.  Delicious!

Food Goals

My last post began, "One of my goals in eating is to try and eat as many unprocessed foods as reasonable."  It was suggested to me that I talk about those goals.  I think the thought of viewing food as something to have a goal about is an interesting topic in and of itself.  It is of course one of the base needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.  In that sense we all have the goal of to eat.  But for me eating is a much more dense subject.  So, here are my goals in eating.

1.) Enjoy what I eat - food is one of life's greatest pleasures, I eat fresh, tasty, beautiful meals as much as possible
2.) Eat with little waste - I compost what I can, pay attention to how my food is package, buy as local as possible, plan my meals out so as not to buy something I do not end up eating
3.) Eat food that is healthy for me - I try and eat food that is unprocessed, will go bad if I dont eat it soon, uses as little fat as possible, and eat balanced meals
4.) Eat food that is part of a better social, moral, and economic system by my judgment (each food purchase is a vote for the system you want), I garden as much as I can, buy local milk (Wright Dairy - the best milk I have ever tasted), buy from farmer's markets, buy organically produced food that is in season as much as possible.  Much more on this subject to come.
5.) Do all of the above on as frugal of a budget as is realistic. I spend about $250 a month of food including eating out occasionally.  I eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and usually a snack or two out of my kitchen for that.  If nothing, else you will at least be able to that from reading this blog after a while.

Earlier in my life I was strongly moved by the movement for preventing climate change specifically by focusing on renewable energy.  A good friend pointed out how much what we eat collectively play into that calculation.  Agriculture, the shipping of food products, and the waste produced from uneaten food has a substantial impact on the environment and the quality of life of us all.  Here is a good article from world watch and a study from the EPA if you want to read further.  Anybody with much familiarity on the trend of food issues is familiar with Michael Pollen's book The Omnivore's Dilemma.  I think this a great start for someone that does not have a good appreciation of the subject.

For me the social, economic, and moral implications of what and how I eat are important.
I am most certainly not perfect in my pursuit to be a better human being and I do not strive to be.  I just want to have a more honest appreciation of what I am eating and, as a result, generally make better decisions.

Of equal importance for me are the health effects of the food I eat.  It is easy to find articles telling you that any food is good, bad, or doesn't really matter. I read a lot about health through eating and follow what makes sense to me or seems to be best supported. An example of one I follow is Dr Li's Ted talk entitled, "Can we eat to starve cancer?"  This is one of the things I am doing to counter act the carcinogens I am exposing myself to by grilling a lot.

Eating like this takes time, learning, and habit. That is one of them main purposes of this blog.  When I have friends over to eat, I find that most think it is a special meal.  For me I try and make each meal special.  I want everyone to at least know how to make great food for themselves every day.  It is one of the nicest things you can do for yourself and it is cheaper in terms of actual money spent to buy the food(usually) and in terms of the money you spend at the doctor.

Vegetables done easy

One of my goals in eating is to try and eat as many unprocessed foods as reasonable.  In my readings on vegetables, it turns out that cooking aids humans in the uptake of nutrition in many vegetables.  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=raw-veggies-are-healthier

I do think that eating raw vegetables can be a positive decision and can possibly influence some to make healthier choices.  Some of the best tasting food I ever had in my life is that which is eaten right out of the garden.  I trusted these gardens though as I knew no pesticides were used.  Make sure your raw veggies are clean before you eat them.

All of that being said, you get in your CSA or you buy a lot at the farmers market or grocery store.  What do you do with all of those veggies?

An easy option is to steam them.  You do not have to have a steamer to do this.  If you have a pot and a strainer or colander you can use that. Just put an inch of water in the bottom, put the veggies in the strainer/colander, heat, and cover.  Check the veggies every so often and when they are the texture you like enjoy.  One of my personal favorites are beets.  I used to hate these but when I got a ton of them one CSA I discovered that steamed they become delightful.  A lesser but effective method is to put veggies in a bowl, put a little water in the bottom of the bowl.  Soak a paper towel and put on top of the bowl and microwave for 3-5 minutes.  It works but I'd rather not unless I am in a huge hurry.

A more tasty option is simple and works for almost any combination of vegetables.  A list of some that I have done this with (okra, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, peas, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, artichoke, asparagus, carrots, corn, parsnip, salsify, peaches, beans, etc)

Recipe:
Take whatever vegetables you have in virtually any combination.  Cut them up.  Slice them and quarter them.  For okra, I like to cut off the stem part and slice down the middle.  Dice onions.  Put all the vegetables in a skillet with the diced onions.  Fill about an inch of water in the pan.  Put about 2 soup spoonfuls of olive oil or 1 of butter per every 4 cups of vegetables (Again, I eyeball this but that should about be the ratio).  Add a soup spoonful each of course ground pepper and  course kosher salt.  Cook on high heat until everything gets bubbling and steaming. It will take a while for everything to get going so this is when I usually start my grilling.  Make sure not to burn anything by stirring every so often.  When most of the water has evaporated out everything should have a nice browner hue.  Turn the heat down to low or simmer and stir every so often.  When you are ready to eat it is ready.

The great thing about this method is its simplicity.  It makes a great stand alone side or is even better when put on top of rice, potatoes, or quinoa.

If you live too busy to cook everyday, I suggest cooking a large portion on a day early in the week.  This will keep well in a ziplock container or bag in the fridge all week.  I find that if I use tomatoes in mine I will never tire of it but that is me.

A note on canned tomatoes:  I have come across some online writings that suggest not eating canned tomatoes as the liner of the cans contain BPA and the acidity of the tomatoes degrade this liner.  These suggest using tomatoes canned in glass.  Later on in the year, I will talk about canning. More importantly I will talk about how to find amazingly cheap places to buy high quality vegetables, especially tomatoes, for canning.

The Grill

Grilling is at the heart of my meat cooking.  It seems only appropriate that I follow up the marinade with words on grilling.  I prefer to cook on my propane grill because it is fast, leaves little mess, requires less fat, and tastes better to me.  I grill 4-6 times per week.  I grill all meats pretty much the same.  When grilling, first preheat the grill by turning the flames up to as high as they go.  You want to make sure that the grates are completely clean. Once the grill is above 300 degrees (if your grill lid has a thermometer - if not just eyeball it) and is not smoking, put on the meat.  Put all the meat directly on the flame for about 1 minute. Once that is done, flip it and do it again on the other side.  Then move the meat to the back of the grill.  Then turn the heat to the lowest setting.  Make sure no flame is touching any of the meat.  Close the lid to the grill.  Turn it about every 10 minutes.  I will go inside and work on the rest of my meal while it is slow cooking. Check it with a meat thermometer.  Once it is done, enjoy.  I promise it will be moist and tender.  Here is an article on the science: http://www.science20.com/science_20/science_grilling

Their are some concerns for some people on the health effects caused by carcinogens that are formed in the grilling process.  Wikipedia says, "Studies have shown that cooking beef, pork, poultry, and fish at high temperatures can lead to the formation of heterocyclic amines, benzopyrenes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are carcinogens.^[4][5][6] However, proper marination may reduce the formation of these compounds."  http://www.beinghealthy.tv/archives/grill/ gives some more info on the pros and cons.  Later I will blog about what I do to try and counter act any increased carcinogenic risk I may be taking by grilling often.  Man has been cooking over fire for quite some time.  I do not know how long we have been  dropping meat into rendered animal and vegetable fats but I feel better about the fire personally.

Tips on using a meat thermometer
Make sure if the meat has bone in it that you take temps from the meat touching the bone.  If this meat is below temp you could have issues.  Also, take the temps for at least 20 seconds from muliple spots in the meat.

A note on meat quality.
The point of cooking to the USDA recommended temps is that the meat may be contaminated.  The marinade could kill many pathogens.  I make sure that I buy quality meat, and treat it right. I "undercook" meat often.  That is a choice you have to make.  I can promise you I will never microwave something off the grill because it is pink around the bone.  In my opinion there is nothing wrong with this meat.  But you have to make that call.

Grill cleaning - you will produce a lot of fat.  I have literally seen a river of fat moving like a glacier of the course of a few weeks coming out the back of my grill.  I will spray out my grill every few weeks with a water hose on high pressure.  That works good enough for me.

Here are the USDA temps

Beef, Lamb, Goat, Buffalo
Rare	120 to 125 degrees
Med Rare	130-135 degrees
Medium	140-145 degrees
Medium Well	150-155 degrees
Well done	160 degrees plus
Poultry	165 degrees
Pork
Medium	140-145 degrees
Well done	160 degrees
Fish	140 degrees

Lets get started - Classic Marinade

 Alabama is a land of great bounty and diversity.  It is also a land that has witnessed much unsavoriness.  Being a son of Alabama, I hope this blog can bring some bounty and diversity to your plate.  My food travels have certainly witnessed their share of unsavoriness.  I believe it is possible to eat amazing, healthy, and socially responsible food every day.  I refuse to accept otherwise.  I think it just takes understanding, a little practice, and habit.  When I was a child, my family had a total of 3 freezers.  We also had a well used Sam's Club membership.  I was raised on pancake sausage corndogs and microwavable pork rinds .  Our food went from one box to another to be eaten in front of the other.  It was done in a lonesome fashion.  It s not that we didn't cook as a family on holidays or weekends - usually "salad" (read iceberg, tomato, cheese, ranch), sour cream baked potato, and well-done grilled steak.  It is that the majority of the time we missed each other while our food became a chore.  I learned to cook in that void.  The chores of preparing food have become a joy. I have always enjoyed friends, family, and entertaining.  I never understood how one could have a party without food.  This passion has evolved over time as I have tried to learn how to be a better cook and eater.  I am by no means a chef. I can't name the 5 mother sauces on command.  I have yet to master a hollandaise that has not broken.  But I eat great food and want to share how and why that happens with you.


To start - daily marinade
Marinade improves the flavor and tenderness of meat.  Basically protein-digesting enzymes break down connective tissue turning it into gelatin.  I use a marinade that is simple to make and can be used over and over for weeks. I buy meat in bulk, cut into portions, and freeze it in ziploc bags.  Each day I defrost some meat over night.  In the morning I put it into the marinade.  When I come home it is ready for the grill.  I use a small propane grill that I paid $80 for 2 years ago.  I have probably grilled more on that $80 grill than most people ever grill in their lives.  As with any foods I prepare, my recipes are not mine and they are not carved in any stone.  Use what you have and you will probably be fine.  I don't measure it out but I do about half olive oil and half the other liquids combined.  I put in the amount of spices that looks right. Here is that in a recipe but don't worry about measuring everything out precisely.  Some things, baking for one, require precision.  Many things in the kitchen do not and, I think, are improved by imprecision.

Ingredients:
1 coffee cup Olive Oil 
1 coffee cup filled with equal amouts (1/4 cup) each of Apple Cider Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar (the cheaper stuff, its not really balsamic but more on that later), Red Wine Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce
1 soup spoon each of Kosher salt, coarsely ground pepper (every kitchen needs kosher salt and coarsely ground pepper), paprika, onion, powder, garlic powder, oregano, rosemary, etc (any herbs you want to add should work)

I have a rubbermaid lockable container that put it all into.  I close it, shake it, and its ready to go.

If you put the meat in there for a minimum of 30 minutes it will be fine.  Do not let it stay in there for longer than 8 hours.
If you are making this for a specific occasion - here are some herb pairings that I have found to be a hit.

Beef - rosemary      Chicken - basil     Pork- Sage or Thyme