I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken breast in water for sandwiches. Persons with my degree of inaptitude don't want to know from moist, savory, tasteful, sauces, and thermometers — I just want to know enough to avoid E. coli and salmonella.

Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom, I buy skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts that have skin on and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this stuff to eat with rice or for sandwiches.

Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do I put in the pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I bring the water to a boil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a simmer, right? How long do I simmer? How do I save the leftovers? How long can I keep them before they get hairy?

After I get this down pat, I'll go for the Alton Brown treatment.

bonappettit wrote on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:35:59 +0000:

> Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom,
> I buyskinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts
> that have skinon and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this
> stuff to eat with riceor for sandwiches.

> Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do I
> put inthe pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I bring
> the water to aboil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a simmer,
> right? How long do Isimmer? How do I save the leftovers? How
> long can I keep them beforethey get hairy?


When I want cold chicken from chicken breasts, I usually simmer them in
chicken stock until the meat is white all the way thro. I've no real
idea of time and do it by inspection without washing the packaged meat.
Dehydrated chicken stock is pretty cheap. The cooked chicken can frozen
before or after slicing.
--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

bonappettit wrote:
>
> Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom, I buy
> skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts that have skin
> on and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this stuff to eat with rice
> or for sandwiches.

Skin-on and bone-in are cheaper and fresher than
boneless/skinless, even if they are the same age.
Freshness is lost faster after the meat is separated.

> Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do I put in
> the pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I bring the water to a
> boil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a simmer, right? How long do I
> simmer? How do I save the leftovers? How long can I keep them before
> they get hairy?

If you're really concerned about germs, a pressure
cooker is the way to go. You can put a whole chicken
in there, pressure cook for a little while, and it
will be fully cooked in hardly any time. The meat
is easily pulled off from all the body parts, and
you can keep it for a few days in the fridge.
Whole chickens are much cheaper than any other
form of chicken. Note that there's a plastic bag
of giblets (heart, liver, gizzard) in the body cavity.

Mark Thorson wrote:
>
> Skin-on and bone-in are cheaper and fresher than
> boneless/skinless, even if they are the same age.
> Freshness is lost faster after the meat is separated.

I forgot to mention that when bought in packages,
usually 3 bone-in half-breasts per package, always
look for the cheapest package. That saves you money
without costing any meat. When the breast is cut
in half, one side gets the sternum and the other side
doesn't. The heaviest packages are those in which
all three half-breasts have the sternum. The lightest
packages are the ones in which all three lack the
sternum, at least on average. There is some size
variation among birds, but if you always go for the
lightest packages, you won't get many sternums.

Mark Thorson said...

> Skin-on and bone-in are cheaper and fresher than
> boneless/skinless, even if they are the same age.
> Freshness is lost faster after the meat is separated.


Is that so? I've found the bone-in chicken parts to be equally frozen at the
supermarket.

Andy

bonappettit wrote:
> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
> to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
> with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
> breast in water for sandwiches. Persons with my degree of inaptitude
> don't want to know from moist, savory, tasteful, sauces, and
> thermometers — I just want to know enough to avoid E. coli and
> salmonella.
>
> Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom, I buy
> skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts that have skin
> on and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this stuff to eat with rice
> or for sandwiches.
>
> Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do I put in
> the pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I bring the water to a
> boil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a simmer, right? How long do I
> simmer? How do I save the leftovers? How long can I keep them before
> they get hairy?
>
> After I get this down pat, I'll go for the Alton Brown treatment.
>
>
>
>
Alton Brown is actually someone good to learn from because you are
actually learning the science behind the process not just watching
someone assembling something.

The simplest approach is to poach them like this:

Bring water* (4 cups) to boil, rinse the chicken and drop into the pot
and reduce the heat so it simmers. Let it simmer for ~ 70 minutes, cover
the pot (don't peek), turn off the heat and let it sit until cool to
the touch.

*You can poach in anything you like such as plain water, or add some
white wine, or lemon, or use stock. You can also quarter an onion and
add that or a couple cloves of smashed garlic or whatever seasoning you
like.

Wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

George wrote:
> bonappettit wrote:
>> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
>> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
>> to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
>> with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
>> breast in water for sandwiches. Persons with my degree of inaptitude
>> don't want to know from moist, savory, tasteful, sauces, and
>> thermometers — I just want to know enough to avoid E. coli and
>> salmonella.
>> Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom, I buy
>> skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts that have skin
>> on and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this stuff to eat with rice
>> or for sandwiches.
>> Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do I put in
>> the pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I bring the water to a
>> boil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a simmer, right? How long do I
>> simmer? How do I save the leftovers? How long can I keep them before
>> they get hairy?
>> After I get this down pat, I'll go for the Alton Brown treatment.
>>
>>
>>
>>
> Alton Brown is actually someone good to learn from because you are
> actually learning the science behind the process not just watching
> someone assembling something.
>
> The simplest approach is to poach them like this:
>
> Bring water* (4 cups) to boil, rinse the chicken and drop into the pot
> and reduce the heat so it simmers. Let it simmer for ~ 70 minutes, cover
> the pot (don't peek), turn off the heat and let it sit until cool to
> the touch.

Above time should be *7* minutes.

>
> *You can poach in anything you like such as plain water, or add some
> white wine, or lemon, or use stock. You can also quarter an onion and
> add that or a couple cloves of smashed garlic or whatever seasoning you
> like.
>
> Wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

bonappettit said...

> I just want to know enough to avoid E. coli and
> salmonella.


There are temperatures to cook to, to ensure meat is safe to eat. Get a two-
bit quick read thermometer for starters.

There. Ya got homework!

TROLL!!!

OR, just stick to Tyson breaded chicken parts and nuke as directed and save
yourself from your "dread."

Andy

Andy wrote:
>
> Mark Thorson said...
>
> > Skin-on and bone-in are cheaper and fresher than
> > boneless/skinless, even if they are the same age.
> > Freshness is lost faster after the meat is separated.
>
> Is that so? I've found the bone-in chicken parts to be equally frozen at the
> supermarket.

Most supermarkets sell packaged chicken parts in thawed
form, which I think was implied. For you, I'll say that
thawed was presumed. Thawed boneless/skinless loses
freshness faster than leaving it on the bone with the
skin on until shortly before cooking.

George > wrote:

> Bring water* (4 cups) to boil, rinse the chicken and drop into the pot
> and reduce the heat so it simmers. Let it simmer for ~ 70 minutes, cover
> the pot (don't peek), turn off the heat and let it sit until cool to
> the touch.

Simmer chicken pieces for 70 minutes? Maybe if you're making stock,
but the chicken would be cooked in less than half that time.

-sw

George > wrote:

> Above time should be *7* minutes.

OK. I'll forgive you.

-sw

In article >,
bonappettit > wrote:

> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
> to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
> with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
> breast in water for sandwiches.

Just buy it from the deli. No fuss, no muss and it comes already sliced.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:35:59 +0000, bonappettit
> wrote:

>
>I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
>Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
>to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
>with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
>breast in water for sandwiches. Persons with my degree of inaptitude
>don't want to know from moist, savory, tasteful, sauces, and
>thermometers — I just want to know enough to avoid E. coli and
>salmonella.
>
>Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom, I buy
>skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts that have skin
>on and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this stuff to eat with rice
>or for sandwiches.
>
>Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do I put in
>the pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I bring the water to a
>boil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a simmer, right? How long do I
>simmer? How do I save the leftovers? How long can I keep them before
>they get hairy?
>
>After I get this down pat, I'll go for the Alton Brown treatment.

Don't boil it - that ruins it! Put your chicken into a frypan and
sprinkle seasoning over it (use Mrs Dash or another pre-prepared
chicken spice if you really want to keep it simple) and then add some
water. Cook the chicken for 10-15 minutes or until the water has all
gone. Turn the chicken over and add more water and do it again. At the
end you should have deliciously moist chicken ready to use for
whatever you want.

bonappettit wrote:
> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
> to cook for me, I have to be a ****ing asshole.

"bonappettit"
>
> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton>
> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
> to cook for me,

I wonder why? Almost every woman I know wants to be thought os as a cheap,
short order cook.

I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book> with 487 chicken
recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
> breast in water for sandwiches.

Go buy any of the basic cookbooks and inside there are recipes for poaching,
stewing, baking, roasting, braising, frying, etc. There are even a few
recipes for what to do with the resulting cooked stuff.

Persons with my degree of inaptitude> don't want to know from moist, savory,
tasteful, sauces, and> thermometers - I just want to know enough to avoid E.
coli and
> salmonella.

Just eat from a deli where they are paid to cook safe food and inspected
regularly.

> bonappettit

I'm afraid your post did nothing for my appetite.

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:12:38 GMT, James Silverton wrote:

> bonappettit wrote on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:35:59 +0000:
>
>> Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom,
>> I buyskinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts
>> that have skinon and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this
>> stuff to eat with riceor for sandwiches.
>
>> Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do I
>> put inthe pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I bring
>> the water to aboil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a simmer,
>> right? How long do Isimmer? How do I save the leftovers? How
>> long can I keep them beforethey get hairy?
>
>
> When I want cold chicken from chicken breasts, I usually simmer them in
> chicken stock until the meat is white all the way thro. I've no real
> idea of time and do it by inspection without washing the packaged meat.
> Dehydrated chicken stock is pretty cheap. The cooked chicken can frozen
> before or after slicing.

does the texture suffer at all, james?

your pal,
blake

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:12:15 -0800, Dan Abel wrote:

> In article >,
> bonappettit > wrote:
>
>> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
>> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
>> to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
>> with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
>> breast in water for sandwiches.
>
> Just buy it from the deli. No fuss, no muss and it comes already sliced.

but isn't it the nasty turkey roll-type stuff?

your pal,
blake

blake wrote on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:24:07 GMT:

>> bonappettit wrote on Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:35:59 +0000:
>>
>>> Depending on which package has the least juice on the
>>> bottom, I buyskinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken
>>> breasts that have skinon and/or bone in. All I want to do is
>>> cook this stuff to eat with riceor for sandwiches.
>>
>>> Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do
>>> I put inthe pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I
>>> bring the water to aboil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a
>>> simmer, right? How long do Isimmer? How do I save the
>>> leftovers? How long can I keep them beforethey get hairy?
>>
>> When I want cold chicken from chicken breasts, I usually
>> simmer them in chicken stock until the meat is white all the
>> way thro. I've no real idea of time and do it by inspection
>> without washing the packaged meat. Dehydrated chicken stock
>> is pretty cheap. The cooked chicken can frozen before or
>> after slicing.

> does the texture suffer at all, james?

Not in my opinion. Defrosted cooked chicken seems fine in salads,
sandwiches and even Chinese food.
--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

> On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:12:15 -0800, Dan Abel wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > bonappettit > wrote:
> >
> >> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
> >> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
> >> to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
> >> with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
> >> breast in water for sandwiches.
> >
> > Just buy it from the deli. No fuss, no muss and it comes already sliced.
>
> but isn't it the nasty turkey roll-type stuff?

Depends what you buy and where you buy it. Besides, it's better to work
yourself up, than work yourself down.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Oh you poor guy! Honey...just because you dont know how to cook
fancy-schmantzy meals doesnt mean you have to eat boiled chicken!

It's JUST as simple and a whole LOT tastier to use a skillet or buy one
of those George Foreman type electric grills. Just smear some olive oil
and salt and pepper on your chicken and cook it on med-high heat until
it's nice and brown.

Boiling it actually mnakes it dry---go figure!

ANY non-cooking person can still make a tasy, healthy meal. Grill your
chicken in the electric grill OR in a fry pan, put it on a bed of some
chopped romaine and top with some nice, bottled blue cheese dressing.
How fabulous is that?

Four minutes for each side of a boneess breast is fine. As long as
the meat is white, not pink, it's "done".

Also, you can vary the flavor tremendously by marinating the breasts in
any kind of salad dressing, citrus juice, any combo of say, orange
juice, a little garlic, a spoon of mustard....just about anything you
have in the fridge. There is NO reason for a bachelor to suffer thru bad
food!

Or, get a whole chicken, rub it with olive oil, salrt and pepper and
toss it in the oven in a pan to catch the drippings. 350 for 45
minutes, to an hour. Slice the breast for sandwiches, take a leg or two
to work....

Bless your heart!

Lass

In article
>,
Dan Abel > wrote:

> In article >,
> blake murphy > wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:12:15 -0800, Dan Abel wrote:
> >
> > > In article >,
> > > bonappettit > wrote:
> > >
> > >> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
> > >> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
> > >> to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
> > >> with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
> > >> breast in water for sandwiches.
> > >
> > > Just buy it from the deli. No fuss, no muss and it comes already sliced.
> >
> > but isn't it the nasty turkey roll-type stuff?
>
> Depends what you buy and where you buy it. Besides, it's better to work
> yourself up, than work yourself down.

Very true. Boars Head brand deli meat is actual roasted meat, not pieces
parts. I've not seen it in chicken tho'. Just turkey.
--
Peace! Om

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." -- Dalai Lama

In article >,
bonappettit > wrote:

> Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom, I buy
> skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts that have skin
> on and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this stuff to eat with rice
> or for sandwiches.

You want down and dirty?

Buy boneless skinless chicken breasts.

Put them in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil
over high heat, then cover and **remove from the heat** and let stand,
covered, for 20 minutes. That ought to do it. They'll be moist
awaiting your pleasure for further use.

If that's all you want (as stated), you're good to go.

If you want something *resembling* soup, you could add a couple chicken
bouillon cubes or some chicken base (appropriate to the amount of water
you've used) to the poaching water. If it's salty enough for you, call
it soup. You can also use the liquid for cooking your rice.

Note that I said 'resembling' soup. If I were making chicken soup, I'd
involve other ingredients, but it doesn't appear that that's what you
want.

It's a nice way to poach boneless skinless breasts for uses that call
for cooked chicken, so don't blow it off.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini
(Send her a note!)

In article >,
bonappettit > wrote:

> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
> to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself.

Sonofabitch, I'm having the same problem finding a man to cook for me!!
Actually, I've got one who's occasionally willing but he can't make
toast without burning it. I've come to decide he does it deliberately
so as to remove himself from consideration with I want someone else to
cook for me.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini
(Send her a note!)

Lass wrote on Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:48:03 -0500:

> It's JUST as simple and a whole LOT tastier to use a skillet
> or buy one of those George Foreman type electric grills. Just
> smear some olive oil and salt and pepper on your chicken and
> cook it on med-high heat until it's nice and brown.

> Boiling it actually mnakes it dry---go figure!

I'm not sure that I completely believe that but I *poach* in chicken
stock to avoid extracting flavor.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:35:59 +0000, bonappettit
> wrote:

>I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
>Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
>to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
>with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
>breast in water for sandwiches. Persons with my degree of inaptitude
>don't want to know from moist, savory, tasteful, sauces, and
>thermometers — I just want to know enough to avoid E. coli and
>salmonella.

E. coli and salmonella are best avoided by being clean (avoid cross
contamination) and thoroughly cooking your food. Done. Now, let's
talk recipes.

There are entire cookbooks devoted to recipes using 5, 3 ingredients.
Sounds like you should begin there. The simpler the better AFAIC.

There are also recipe collection sites galore on the web with how to
videos and recipes with accompanying photographs. The latest site I
found was due to a conversation here in rfc.
http://www.james-barber.com/

I rarely use my bookmark folders. It's easier to Google a recipe.
Here are a few helpful food sites - a couple were posted here and I
found the rest by blundering into them.

http://www.lidiasitaly.com/first-courses
http://www.saveur.com/food.jsp
http://recipes.cookingfor2.com/eRMS/Browse.aspx
http://www.tastespotting.com/
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recip...cm%5Ftype=lnav
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/FoodFam...veLanding.aspx
http://www.elise.com/recipes/subject-index.php
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes
http://www.justvegetablerecipes.com/index.html
http://www.everydayhealth.com/public...pes/index.aspx
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/food-recipes
http://www.georgehirschliving.com/li...5/recipes.html
http://www.bhg.com/recipes/
http://www.cooking.com/Recipes-and-More/default.aspx
http://whatscookingamerica.net/RecipeIndex.htm
http://www.aarpmagazine.org/food/recipeguide/
http://www.dianaskitchen.com/page/poultidx.htm

About.com has lots of recipes and accompanying videos if you need to
watch someone make a recipe and explain what they're doing.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that
interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

On 2008-11-16, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> Put them in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil

*GASP*!!

I'm truly shattered. Really..... :\

nb

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article >,
> bonappettit > wrote:
>
>> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
>> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
>> to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself.
>
> Sonofabitch, I'm having the same problem finding a man to cook for me!!
> Actually, I've got one who's occasionally willing but he can't make
> toast without burning it. I've come to decide he does it deliberately
> so as to remove himself from consideration with I want someone else to
> cook for me.

Some men have other attributes...
You should have a stable of men at your disposal for their
individual..strengths. Perhaps cooking will be one of them?

In article >,
notbob > wrote:

> On 2008-11-16, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>
> > Put them in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil
>
> *GASP*!!
>
> I'm truly shattered. Really..... :\
>
> nb


Why? Bring it to a boil and take it off the heat. Wha's wrong with
that?
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini
(Send her a note!)

On 2008-11-16, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:

> Why? Bring it to a boil and take it off the heat. Wha's wrong with
> that?

You *boil* meat! [shudder]

Little did I suspect. (sniff)

nb

bonappettit wrote:
> I am essentially a not too bright male who regards persons like Alton
> Brown with profound suspicion. Unable to find a self-sacrificing woman
> to cook for me, I have to do this dreary stuff myself. I read a book
> with 487 chicken recipes, and I still don't know how to cook a chicken
> breast in water for sandwiches. Persons with my degree of inaptitude
> don't want to know from moist, savory, tasteful, sauces, and
> thermometers — I just want to know enough to avoid E. coli and
> salmonella.
>
> Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom, I buy
> skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts that have skin
> on and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this stuff to eat with rice
> or for sandwiches.
>
> Do I have to rinse the raw chicken first? How much water do I put in
> the pot with it? Do I put salt in the water? Do I bring the water to a
> boil? If so, I imagine I reduce it to a simmer, right? How long do I
> simmer? How do I save the leftovers? How long can I keep them before
> they get hairy?
>
> After I get this down pat, I'll go for the Alton Brown treatment.


I have to admit that Alton is a little anal in his approach, and I am
not convinced that his methods may be impractical for most people. It
takes a lot of the fun out of cooking. However, there is more to cooking
a good meal than just cooking the shit out of every thing to kill germs.
Taste and texture are still important to most of us.

When cooking meat in liquid it should not be boiled. A stew boiled is a
stew spoiled. Boiling makes meat tough. It should be simmered.

Yes. Chicken should be rinsed off. There are a number of bacteria that
thrive on the surface of meats, and some of them can be rinsed off, or
at least enough bacteria can be rinsed odd to reduce the chances of
catching something nasty.

Leftovers should be eaten within a few days. If you are not going to use
them up quickly they should be frozen as as soon as possible after cooking.

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:24:10 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>On 2008-11-16, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>
>> Why? Bring it to a boil and take it off the heat. Wha's wrong with
>> that?
>
>You *boil* meat! [shudder]
>
>Little did I suspect. (sniff)
>
>nb

Boiled beef is a classic Viennese dish. Ask Michael Kuettner and
Victor....

Laurie Colwin also wrote about it...boiled beef, that is....

Christine

On 2008-11-16, Christine Dabney > wrote:

> Boiled beef is a classic Viennese dish. Ask Michael Kuettner and
> Victor....
>
> Laurie Colwin also wrote about it...boiled beef, that is....

Boiling meat in water has been flogged in this group forever. It's how
stock/broth is made. Where does the flavor in the stock/broth come from?
Out of the meat. If you and barb and the Viennese and Brits and New
Englanders and any other don't-wanna-eat-meat-flavored-meat cooks wanna boil
your meats till they are waterlogged and tast like old dishrags, knock
yourself out. Never gonna happen in my kitchen! ....unless I'm purposely
making stock/broth. Not even hotdogs. I'll not discuss it further.

nb

Lass Chance_2 wrote:
> Oh you poor guy! Honey...just because you dont know how to cook
> fancy-schmantzy meals doesnt mean you have to eat boiled chicken!
>
> It's JUST as simple and a whole LOT tastier to use a skillet or buy one
> of those George Foreman type electric grills. Just smear some olive oil
> and salt and pepper on your chicken and cook it on med-high heat until
> it's nice and brown.
>
> Boiling it actually mnakes it dry---go figure!oo.

And tough too. Thats why you never let it boil when poaching and if you
turn it off and let the residual heat finish it you also get moist
chicken. Thats the way they prepare it in Chinese and
Mexican places where cooked chicken is used in dishes.

>
> ANY non-cooking person can still make a tasy, healthy meal. Grill your
> chicken in the electric grill OR in a fry pan, put it on a bed of some
> chopped romaine and top with some nice, bottled blue cheese dressing.
> How fabulous is that?
>
> Four minutes for each side of a boneess breast is fine. As long as
> the meat is white, not pink, it's "done".
>
> Also, you can vary the flavor tremendously by marinating the breasts in
> any kind of salad dressing, citrus juice, any combo of say, orange
> juice, a little garlic, a spoon of mustard....just about anything you
> have in the fridge. There is NO reason for a bachelor to suffer thru bad
> food!
>
> Or, get a whole chicken, rub it with olive oil, salrt and pepper and
> toss it in the oven in a pan to catch the drippings. 350 for 45
> minutes, to an hour. Slice the breast for sandwiches, take a leg or two
> to work....
>
> Bless your heart!
>
> Lass
>

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article >,
> bonappettit > wrote:
>
>> Depending on which package has the least juice on the bottom, I buy
>> skinless, boneless, chicken breasts or chicken breasts that have skin
>> on and/or bone in. All I want to do is cook this stuff to eat with rice
>> or for sandwiches.
>
> You want down and dirty?
>
> Buy boneless skinless chicken breasts.
>
> Put them in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil
> over high heat, then cover and **remove from the heat** and let stand,
> covered, for 20 minutes. That ought to do it. They'll be moist
> awaiting your pleasure for further use.

Boiling gives a poor result. Much better to drop the chicken into
boiling water and never let it get back beyond a soft simmer for a short
time then turn off and let the residual heat finish the cooking.


>
> If that's all you want (as stated), you're good to go.
>
> If you want something *resembling* soup, you could add a couple chicken
> bouillon cubes or some chicken base (appropriate to the amount of water
> you've used) to the poaching water. If it's salty enough for you, call
> it soup. You can also use the liquid for cooking your rice.
>
> Note that I said 'resembling' soup. If I were making chicken soup, I'd
> involve other ingredients, but it doesn't appear that that's what you
> want.
>
> It's a nice way to poach boneless skinless breasts for uses that call
> for cooked chicken, so don't blow it off.

jmcquown:

Indeed you are sir, and by your own reckoning!

I marvel that an unreconstructed degenerate of your persuasion, finds amusement in such illiterate neanderthallian self-expression.

In article >,
notbob > wrote:

> On 2008-11-16, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
>
> > Why? Bring it to a boil and take it off the heat. Wha's wrong with
> > that?
>
> You *boil* meat! [shudder]
>
> Little did I suspect. (sniff)
>
> nb

No, you dufus, I bring it *to* the boiling point and remove it from the
heat source. Not the same thing. Get over here, I need to slap you!
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini
(Send her a note!)

In article >,
Christine Dabney > wrote:

> On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:24:10 GMT, notbob > wrote:
>
> >On 2008-11-16, Melba's Jammin' > wrote:
> >
> >> Why? Bring it to a boil and take it off the heat. Wha's wrong with
> >> that?
> >
> >You *boil* meat! [shudder]
> >
> >Little did I suspect. (sniff)
> >
> >nb
>
> Boiled beef is a classic Viennese dish. Ask Michael Kuettner and
> Victor....
>
> Laurie Colwin also wrote about it...boiled beef, that is....
>
> Christine

Don't go off on a tangent, Toots. We're talking about shicken I don't
boil, not beef that Bubba Vic does.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini
(Send her a note!)

In article >,
George > wrote:

> Melba's Jammin' wrote:

> > Put them in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring to a boil
> > over high heat, then cover and **remove from the heat** and let stand,
> > covered, for 20 minutes. That ought to do it. They'll be moist
> > awaiting your pleasure for further use.
>
> Boiling gives a poor result. Much better to drop the chicken into
> boiling water and never let it get back beyond a soft simmer for a short
> time then turn off and let the residual heat finish the cooking.

What is it with you and notbob? Can't you guys read? I don't advocate
boiling it. Did you miss the part about removing it from the heat when
it *reaches* the boiling point? Go sit with notbob so I can smack both
of you at the same time. mumblemumblefercripesakemumblemumble

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kilikini
(Send her a note!)

In article >,
George > wrote:

> > Boiling it actually mnakes it dry---go figure!oo.
>
> And tough too. Thats why you never let it boil when poaching and if you
> turn it off and let the residual heat finish it you also get moist
> chicken. Thats the way they prepare it in Chinese and
> Mexican places where cooked chicken is used in dishes.

There are always bamboo steamers...
--
Peace! Om

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." -- Dalai Lama

"Christine Dabney"
notbob wrote:
>
>>On 2008-11-16, Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>>
>>> Why? Bring it to a boil and take it off the heat. Wha's wrong with
>>> that?
>>
>>You *boil* meat! [shudder]
>>
>>Little did I suspect. (sniff)
>>
>>nb
>
> Boiled beef is a classic Viennese dish. Ask Michael Kuettner and
> Victor....
>
> Laurie Colwin also wrote about it...boiled beef, that is....
>
> Christine

Bollito misto is an Italian dish people just line up for.