Team Cook - Basics

[SheilaAnn]

Ok! Team Cook has a new home!

Basic Information

• The idea of Team Cook is to prepare a recipe as written. It is meant to get us out of our comfort zone, challenge us to a new cuisine or flavor profile, learn new ingredients, try a new technique.
• Around the first of each month, I will announce the dish, provide a recipe both in the Paprika App and posted in the thread.
• We will have roughly two weeks to complete it and then do a reveal near the end of the month.

My big ask is that we stick to the original recipe as much as we can. Don't have a half onion, use a shallot. Don't have fresh ginger, use the frozen pods. These kind of subs are ok. But I would ask that if a recipe calls for ground beef, use ground beef. Because if you sub ground turkey, you are going to have to adjust a lot of seasoning because turkey is such a blank canvas.

And finally, suggestions of dishes are always welcome and this is for us to have fun!

[DavidNorcross]

You might want to add that if you commit you need to do it. I am busting on myself. Last two cooks I said I was in and ended up out….!!

[Panhead John]

Gentle suggestion, no more recipes that call for broccoli……or brussel sprouts for that matter…while we’re at it, no kale either…. 😂 A possible suggestion for the future…Paul Prudhomme’s “shrimp or crawfish” etouffe recipe….I’ve made it before and it’s killer!

[JCBBQ]

God damn, yakima 🤮🤮🤮

[Thunder77]

I like the etouffe idea. But we MUST keep the veggies! Brussels sprouts are awesome! We are not suggesting leaving out the meat. Not at all!

[rodkeary]

Lima beans s/b added to the “banned” list.

[hoovarmin]

Sounds like great fun!

[Donw]

I’d appreciate if the majority of the cooks are not out of the Andrew Zimmerman cooking genre. I have the option of shopping in just 3 grocery stores: The Food Lion in Ocean City, the Food Lion in Berlin, and a little further away a Walmart. No access to a: Mexican market nor an Asian market. Our best wine shop is a local gas station whose owner is into wines.
Not against any dish that has exotic ingredients, but some should be just good dishes with readily available ingredients.

[JCBBQ]

I have almost every type of ethnic groceries near(ish) to me and I will still buy stuff from amazon bc I’m lazy or don’t have time. You can buy most “exotic ingredients” there.

[JCBBQ]

Looking forward to this. Couldn’t do this month’s challenge bc of travel but I did have fun w the shrimp Cajun pasta one.

[Thunder77]

I am in. Almost anything from The Wok by Kenji. And since someone mentioned ribs, there are 19 rib recipes on this site! 😎

[captainlee]

We also don't have the ability to purchase anything but the basics so certain substitutions would be necessary to complete the recipe. Also food allergies would require elimination or substitute. As long as you state your variations I don't see any issues. Not looking to change a recipe but sometimes it will be necessary for the above reasons. If you can't make changes maybe just sit it out until the next one.

[yakima]

The issue of ingredient availability is legitimate. We are fortunate here in that regard. With respect to Amazon, I do not participate. Do not do Amazon Prime, can't remember ever ordering from Amazon. Often, can find the item elsewhere, or forego it. Will waste time to source stuff locally. Just me.

[Thunder77]

We are lucky to have a local grocery store here. And a local butcher as well!

[yakima]

Techniques, like velveting meat with baking soda, are things we can all fool with.
Cooking methods, likewise, altho I am not getting a tandoor. But shawarma and shawarma like substitutes are of interest, as are rotisseries.
Open fire cooking, as over a fire pit, is fun. I have smoked salmon tacked to cedar boards leaned over a pit, like NW Native Americans.
Have not done much dutch oven baking on a grill or open fire.
Tagines are good, but dutch ovens easily substitute.
Pizza, in an actual oven, or cooked high in a green egg type rig.

Anyway, these are just thoughts..

[Finster]

Wait. what?
frozen ginger is a thing?
Holy hell. where has this info been all of my life?

[Alan Brice]

This type of info is precisely why I am here.

[Sid P]

Before I saw the comments I was going to say “living under a rock?”, but I’ll change it to “frozen ginger is freakin awesome!”.

[Finster]

Sid P
It's a really nice rock though 🤷♂️

[TripleB]

Posters - If the ingredients are not readily available, allergy issues or personal dislike...then just don't do the recipe and move on to the next. There will be a recipe posted each month. You'll find one that meets your palate. Give this a try for awhile and follow the recommended format.

OR do it the way you want to and post it under "Show Us What You're Cooking" and tell us what you did.

Let's support Sheila Ann and see where it goes

[SheilaAnn]

Regarding frozen ginger…..the fact that I just enlightened y’all to this is worth the price of admission! One cube equals about a teaspoon. Yes…. Fresh is best. But I don’t use enough fresh ginger to justify it. should I? Yes… but that’s not our menu rotation, nor am I a juicer.

traders, wild fork, online…..

[Alan Brice]

Ty! SA.

[SheilaAnn]

Regarding all the remaining comments. Don’t overthink it, y’all. It’s not a test. Just have fun. And for what it’s worth, I’m allergic to vegan, so you got that going for ya! And I’m not a franken-food person. Walking away from the soap box and going to research the next Team Cook!

hint: it has pork!

[mrteddyprincess]

Recipes are flavor suggestions. I read a recipe and then go make the thing I just read about. It's a suggestion. Baking on the other hand, now that's different, and I measure out to the nearest gram on that stuff. Looking forward to your suggestions!

B

[SheilaAnn]

mrteddyprincess to clarify, this is about following a recipe, not a suggestion or interpretation. If the proposed recipe is not your jams, that’s cool!