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To save money we’ve been buying roasts and grinding them into ground beef. Texture is a bit more crumbly than store bought stuff. So couple of questions.

1) what is a good roast to grind for ground beef or should we mix meats like add bacon for lean roast.

2) How can we get the texture to be more firm? Like I like clumps of ground beef in my chili or bolognese. Oh I just thought maybe we should grind with the grain instead of against it?

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Crumbly texture leads me to believe you need more fat. I would use fat back or if you have brisket trim. You want to use fat that is firm, not soft and slimy. This is why leaf lard is prized by butchers.

Chuck roast should give you a near match to ground beef at the store. You can add bacon for flavor if you like.

If you want to make the texture more firm, check the post on Italian sausage. Season the beef before you grind and let sit overnight. Then grind, mix and knead to develop the protein network and you'll get a more firm meatball mix.

Best of luck!

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Love this advice, feels like we are about to level up! I'm going to trim a brisket and save that fat, probably can use some of the fat I trim off other cuts of meat like Tri-Tip. I'll be sure to check the post on Italian sausage as well.

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What is the feasibility on starting a super-casual tiny takeout restaurant on a specific niche such as vegetarian food especially in this macro environment? Wonder how average costs tend to be

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Here are my red flags:

1. Vegetables are tough because they have quick perishability. COGS are higher than most people would think unless using bottom tier-feed trough vegetables.

2. I'd avoid any restaurants right now between inflation, middle class getting squeezed, labor shortages, entitled working class (in US/West), unreasonable guests (people are ATH stressed and will complain/want to get comps for any/everything)

Having said that... there are proprietors making resaturants work. Just a ton of stress, lots of hours... if that's what you want, go for it. (Passion will fizzle within months so any idealism on that front is best avoided)

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Thank you for that!, would the same apply even for packaged foods/ snacks?

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Retail shelving a totally different ballgame. If you get serious, expect grocery stores to want free shipments on first orders and specials; margins need to be really high... fridge/frozen is even more ruthless. Retail store is more a real estate play than a food play TBH.

You can start small and test concept. Start with self-distributing.

If going to copacker, realize a lot of brands connected to copackers steal IP and rollout their own product. Having a tight and aggressive legal team would be prudent.

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Unless a complete glutton for punishment, use your primary income (+side hustles) to fund your passion; or stay small scale within friends, family and FB marketplace locally (for example). That would never get stressful and you could pack up or take breaks whenever you wanted

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This spoke to me, saw how entitled people get even when you provide high quality prepared foods. It seems the majority want quantity/ cheap rather than value

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💯

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What equipment from the pros could be worth having if already covered in good quality kitchenwares? (I feel I need trays and resting pan)

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A rimmed sheet pan with a crosshatch resting rack will work fine, most restaurants use that setup. The sheet pan can be used for baking etc as well.

I'm much more a minimalist these days and focus on the quality cookware side of things. Sous vide, paco jets, rotovaps, etc just aren't useful at home, IMO.

Japanses fish scaler and pin-bone tweezers; benriner mandoline; and a few great quality knives really all you need. Also, highly rec getting a premium wood cutting board. You'll use it everytime you cook and should outlast your lifetime.

If you're realy into doughs (pizza, bread, etc) look into a spiral mixer. Also a small pizza oven can be a gamechanger but only if you make on a weejkly basis; otherwise not worth it.

Any specifics you were wondering about?

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My wedding present was a Malle Trousseau kitchen set, we’re well stocked with Beautiful and quality cooking wares. I love knives and chopping boards. I guess I’m wondering about specialist utensils or brands I’ve never heard about, like the tweezers but for meat prep 😜

And a pizza oven is definitely on the wish list, one day on my future outdoor kitchen..

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Meat prep you're looking at knives and your hands. Outside of a bandsaw nothing comes to mind.

For knives and brands, Murray Carter is my fave knifemaker. He's the only bladesmith outside of Japan to carry the Yoshimoto title; he carries as the 17th generation. Carrying on a tradition from a Japanese family who passed it to him after a 7 years apprenticeship.

Started buying his knives early in my cooking career. He's now become very in demand so expect $$$ for his knives, they are beauts and highest quality.

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Favorite pork chop recipe?

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I'm a traditionalist so basted with butter and fresh herbs. I do love gochujang rubbed pork chops, basted and served with stir fried pickled peach and rice cakes in the summer.

Biggest thing with pork chops: reverse sear is a must to maintain texture and moisture. Start in oven or low side of grill until ~130F... then finish (sear, baste/grill, baste) to 140-145F ish and rest

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Traditionalist my ass...that sounds wonderful! Thanks

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😂

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What do bay leafs do?

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Bay leaf imparts a subtle vegetal, minty/menthol flavor that adds a wonderful depth of flavor esp to stews etc. One thing to note, bay leaf is more water soluble than fat soluble than. This is why you get more flavor extraction in water based environments.

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What are the easiest recipes you’ve posted for a cooking dummy like myself to make?

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There's a lot. 🙌 If you have a pressure cooker look at the stews/braises... this makes a 4-5 hours project done in less than hour. Here's some I picked out for you to try. The recipe index helps a lot

In the Pinned Index check:

Salads Section

Kabocha Squash Soup (Great for Fall)

Tomato Soup (published last week)

Glazed Carrots

Minted Peas

Cauli & Cheese

Pimento Cheese

Tony's Rigatoni & Sausage

Thai Pork Skewers

Mediterranean Seafood Stew

Ahi Tuna Steaks

E-Z BAke Chicken

Lamb. Keema

Provencal Lamb Stew

Madeline's Meatballs (w/red sauce)

Laab Lettuce Wraps

Ma's Chili con Carne

Boliche Pot Roast

Also check the salsa's & sauces (esp the Romesco, Chimichurri and Pesto, you'll want to put them on anything).

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Sep 22, 2023
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1. Taste your food throughout the cooking process

2. Expose yourself to different flavors; this will expand your palate and internal "database" of flavor memories.

3. Good kitchenware and knife will drastically improve quality and ease of cooking

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Sep 22, 2023
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Can't think of anything off top of my head; normie food on TikTok/SM is a no go for me lol.

To your question; I love all sorts of textures and flavors as long as they are seasoned and cooked well. I still haven't tried balut... that's one that might be a tough sell 🤣

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Sep 22, 2023
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it's on the edge, for me lol

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