Cooking

Moore Family
of Arizona

Cooking:

I love to cook - lots of different things with many influences: Italian, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, French, Mediterranean, Indoneasian and yes even British food...

I particularly like a program on PBS called "America's Test Kitchen" - its produced by the people at "Cooks Illustrated" magazine and hosted by Christopher Kimball. I think its a perfect balance of presentation that shows how to cook complicated recipes with the least fuss and in the least time, as well as basic techniques and expert tips, what equipment and ingredients to use - great idea.

I have 18 (!) cookbooks from the show and have cooked many of the recipes - and... they have pretty much all all been good. I think this show has over the years really taught me how to cook, how to build flavors and experiment with out too much risk of failure.

I have many other cookbooks too, a large set of recipe cards we also use for ideas. Marlene mostly cooks from recipes while I like to experiment and invent a bit more...(yes - it sometimes goes horribly wrong...!)

Over the last few years I have equipped myself to cook Chinese, Thai and Indian dishes. I've always cooked on the BBQ since we arrived in the US - but now much more elaborate BBQ food! BBQ as Tandoor replacement!

I also have developed a few recipes of my own including:

Alan's Special Skillet Potatoes (similar to Potatoes O'Brien)

Oven Baked Potatoes & Parsnips Au Gratin

BBQ Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloins

Maple Soy Glazed Salmon

Double Baked Potatoes with Bacon, Peppers, Onion & Cheese

Pad Thai (with Shimp)

Bacon wrapped Swordfish with Cilantro Lime marinade

Piquant Pork Tenderloin BBQ

Alan's BBQ Peanut Chicken Satay

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

We have 2 home food delivery services - Schwanns for regular mostly packaged food and the "Meat & Fish Fellas" who about monthly deliver excellent quality individually wrapped frozen Fish, Meat & Poultry. Now we have more freezer space this works out very well for us. Nice when the shopping comes to you!

Regular shopping is at the local grocery store - usually Safeway for us - but we are lucky to have many other choices and a Trader Joe's in the same plaza as Safeway and fairly nearby an exclusive (read expensive!) AJ's Fine Foods grocery store that stocks great wine/beer, produce and many imported food items as well as fresh meats, fish, deli, patisserie and other prepared foods.

In our Kitchen Remodel a few years ago we added significantly to the convenience of our kitchen with new organization, prep areas, sink, extra fridge & freezer and additional/updated cooking appliances.

So it's now a real pleasure to cook in the new kitchen, and its also great that we now have a nice informal eating area at the kitchen island where we have our daily family meals literally around the 'table'. Previously in the old kitchen we had to sit all lined up on the narrow strip - not at all conducive to family conversations.

Overall we cook seriously probably 3-4 nights of the week, we may eat fast food one night if we are hurried for time, maybe eat out at a restaurant once and then we will cook pre-prepared (frozen) food the rest of the time. We don't do any microwaved pre-prepared meals so really it's real food 6 days of the week...

At the weekends we often have Salads, Sandwiches/Panini or Wraps and fresh Bread and Cheese & herb dipping oil for lunch or dinner

And - We always eat dinner together! A very good family thing...

Cooking Gear:

Over the last few years I've been collecting good cookware - I have a growing collection of All Clad pots and pans - my favorites:

- 12" Traditional SS and non-stick SS Skillet
- 10" 3qt SS Saute Pan
- 10" traditional SS and non-stick SS Skillet
- 7" Traditional SS Skillet
- 2 Qt Saucier
- 1/2 Quart Sauce Pan
- Panini Pan with cast iron press
- 8qt Stock Pot

Regular Stainless steel pots & pans:

- 8 Quart Non-Stick Aluminum Stock Pot
- 5 Quart Stock Pot
- 1 Quart SS Saucepan
- 2 Quart SS Saucepan
- 3 Quart SS Saucepan
- 4 -Quart SS Saucepan

I also have a selection of lodge cast iron cookware:

- 10" Skillet
- 14" Skillet
- 10" Flat Griddle
- 11" Round "grill mark" griddle
- Large rectangular griddle flat/ridged

I recently bought a high output propane single burner (outdoor) stove and a cast steel traditional round bottom wok with burner ring ... I use this to cook real Chinese style sir fry - chicken, pork & beef dishes as well as lo-mein and chow-mein. I have even taken this set-up on the road on camping trips! recently I've made a cart for the wok burner and gas bottle - works excellently!

Knives:

We have a block set of Henckel's Professional S Knives, as well as an additional Henckel's Santoku knife which is my favorite prep knife. We also have a small Sabatier cooks knife and a few other assorted knives and carving fork.

Large Appliances:

- Jenn Air - split halogen/induction cook-top
- Jenn Air 30" built-in wall convection oven
- Kenmore built-in wall mount speedcooker (microwave/ceramic convection)
- Advantium 120 Speedcooker over cook top combo microwave/ceramic convection/halogen
- Wall mounted external motor extractor fan (with customized venting though the Advantium 120)

- GE Monogram side by side Fridge/Freezer
- U-LINE 2 drawer prep fridge
- GE monogram wine fridge
- Sears small under-counter freezer

- Sears heavy duty garbage disposer
- Instant Water Chiller
- Instant Hot Water Tank
- RO Water Filter System
- Max Burton single burner high power (1800W) Induction Cooktop

Small Appliances:

- Braun Filter Coffee Maker
- Braun Espresso Maker
- Coffee Bean Grinder
- Slow Cooker
- Sanyo Rice Cooker
- Black & Dekker Food Steamer
- Crepe Maker
- Kenwood Chef Mixer
- Cuisinart Blender
- Cuisinart Food Processor
- Cuisinart Mini Food Processor
- Dual Beater Hand Mixer
- Rechargeable Single Beater Mixer
- Drink Frother

I also have many gadgets that I am fond of including:

- oxo quick grips mandoline for slicing prep
- 4 tabletop (tea light type) plate warmers
- 2 large fondue pots and a small chocolate fondue pot
- Potato Ricer
- Avocado Skinners (set of 3)
- Microplanes 3 types (fine, coarse, ribbon)
- Nut crackers - 2 unusual types
- Pineapple corer
- Zyliss Garlic Press
- Cookie cutter sets...
- Ring molds
- Ring Stacker sets (cylinder, triangular prism, cube)