"Cook's Treat:" What's Yours?

[mamachef]

Admit it: we all have that thing we do, whether it's peeling off a big strip of perfectly roasted chicken skin or saving the crunchy bottom of a gorgeous pilaf. No need to tell the family, but you can spill it here: what's your personal "cook's privilege?" Mine is the end piece of the meatloaf, with all the extra crunch and umami.....

[PotatoHouse]

The yummy brown goodness in the bottom of the skillet after you brown a piece of beef or pork. You know, the stuff you go after when you deglaze.

[Violatp]

Seems like crunchy bits are a running theme! I like the very edges of a pan of baked pasta - like the four corners of baked ziti...

It's funny; there's a commercial for some product or other that promises "no more burnt lasagna!" I'm always like, what? That's the best part!

[Sal Vanilla]

Me too! I sometimes let the cheese run over the brim so I can jackhammer it off into my mouth. Lasagna fricos!

[Puffin3]

The 'cheeks' from a fresh caught then steamed ling cod/rock cod/halibut. I'm talking about these fish caught off the BC coast. Bring them on board steam dip in 'brown butter'.

[Sal Vanilla]

Are rock cods also called rockfish? If so and they have cheeks I am going to have a nervous breakdown thinking of all the cheeks that have been tossed in the Vanilla household!

[Gio]

Sorry to say, Sal... but here ya go:
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/an...

[Sal Vanilla]

Oh...

I have to go have a lie down.

[chefathome]

Once you've revived yourself, FYI sea bass cheeks are brilliant as well.

[sunshine842]

All fish have cheeks -- it's just deciding if the fish have cheeks big enough to bother extracting.

I'm old enough to remember when grouper cheeks were poor folks' food.

[Sal Vanilla]

I love grouper cheeks. I have not noticed them on smaller fish. But I am gonna scrounge around looking on those rock fishies.

[greygarious]

I like to score the stalk after I have removed all the fresh Brussels sprouts, then break it into 2-3 pieces so it fits a steamer basket. Once steamed until a knife meets little resistance, you can split the stalk lengthwise with your fingers, then scrape out the "marrow" with a spoon. The texture is like a fluffy baked potato and the flavor is similar to broccoli stalks, but nuttier. It's only enough for one portion, though it could probably be used in a nice sauce for fish.

I like the cores of cauliflower and cabbage too, either cooked or shredded raw in salad.

[DarthEater]

The crispy edges that stick out of the fried chicken skin.

That "extra" piece of bacon missing wont go noticed.

[chefathome]

I call those chicken skin pieces "scritchings". When I cook bacon I always cook a couple of extra pieces for some reason. ;)

[sunshine842]

damned stuff -- it evaporates.

[chefathome]

Indeed it does. It is the strangest thing...

[letsindulge]

A shaving of ice cold butter whenever I pull it from the fridge to get it to the spreadable stage.

[mamachef]

Oh, are you talking my language now....

[Novelli]

Shrimp heads...."Trust me, you don't want these!"

[alkonost]

I love it when I run into a Japanese restaurant serves the fried shrimp head along with the amaebi :)

[letsindulge]

Yumm...love even more then the shrimp itself!

[Rodzilla]

agreed! I make sure to ask for them

[eireland]

The outer portion of a good ribeye.Not even sure what you call it but its the small piece of meet between the outside layers of fat. Always the most tender and flavorful to me.
Sometimes when my kids get their steak its gone missing. slurp.

[alkonost]

Prime rib has that succulent strip of meat too. Whenever I go out for prime rib I try and get dibs on it.

[Jerseygirl111]

Deckle?

Jerseygirl111

[biondanonima]

Yes, the deckle. LOVE it. I usually buy extra thick ribeyes so that one is enough for me and DH, and I slice to serve. He gets the slices from the eye and I get the deckle!

[suzigirl]

You are lucky. That reminds me of the Jack Sprat nursery rhyme. Aren't ya glad you both get what you love?

[Sal Vanilla]

Oh that is so funny. I should pass that on to friends with kids looking for some perks to having them when they are feeling low. That is my fave part too - as well as any wonky cripitie pieces shooting up on the roast.

When we had a restaurant we cut out own steaks - on a NY strip there was what I called a tail on them. Always crispy and delicious. Sometimes when I was feeling evil or the table was rude or I was starving - aka 60% of my time - I snagged it. It was long ago. So sue me. Hahar! I now wonder if someone has snagged a shrimp from my dish when we go out.

[WYRN1]

Don't ANY of you taste as you go along, to "make sure the seasoning is correct"? I have all of you beat, ANYTHING in MY kitchen is fair game for the cook. LOL

[mamachef]

I can consume the equivalent of an entire meal while I correct the seasonings. )

[suzigirl]

So can I. The best part is everyone at the table thinks you eat like a bird and the truth is you're stuffed.

[jmcarthur8]

Why, yes, I certainly taste as I go along, plus if it's a particularly wonderful taste (or something new), I take a spoonful over to DH as he's sitting in his easy chair and feed him a dollop, too.

It's so nice to walk away and hear him say, "Oh, Wow!!" after the flavor settles into his tastebuds.

[mamachef]

Awwww, sweet. I do that too, but only when I'm pretty sure that "it needs something," and he invariably knows what it is.

[blue room]

I'm so lucky -- there are just the two 2 of us, and we have generally mutually exclusive favorites.

[jmcarthur8]

The sweet fluffy foam I skim off the top when I'm canning strawberry jam. I scoop all the foam into a cereal bowl,fill my jars, then wander around the kitchen eating spoonfuls of foam while the jars are processing.

[chefathome]

Me, too! That fluffy foam makes me happy. :)

[mamachef]

Pancake and waffle schniblets.

[Jay F]

Yes...especially waffle.

[Sal Vanilla]

Shniblets is a perfect word.

[jester99]

the oysters on any poultry, crispy corners and sides of anything baked. The bowl scraping of a ice cream machine, the cusinart has a bit of a gap between the paddle and bowl and the ice cream gets really thick and frozen, that for you

[wandajune6]

I love this thread!

The rice "paper" that develops on the side of the rice cooker when making a big pot of white rice.
Overly crispy ends that get stuck behind when roasting any piece of meat (or vegetable for that matter)
The seeded section of cucumbers (when I decide to seed them for a salad)
A few olives to be "tested" before putting them into, well, anything!

[alkonost]

I love this thread too! When I read through it I realized I nibble on the same tasty morsels as everyone else :)

[mamachef]

R7ght? I mean, we CH-ers know what's good. All the yums.

[Sal Vanilla]

I always snag the little divots of succulent meat on the underside of a roasted chicken. Not sure what they are called, but I am greedy with them. I also taste the mashed potatoes excessively.

[alkonost]

Those are the "oysters", and they're damn good eatin'.

[Sal Vanilla]

Right! I totally forgot that was their name! THANK YOU!

[Jerseygirl111]

The hard chewy lasagne noodles, stuck to the side of the pan. The chicken liver when I roast a chicken. And the cheese/fat that inevitably oozes out on to the pan when I make Pepperoni Bread. Orphan pieces of pancakes.

Jerseygirl111

[alkonost]

Roasted bone marrow after roasting bones in the oven for making stock. If I'm lucky there's still marrow in the bones to pluck out after they've boiled. All I need with it is a bit of salt.

I also have dibs on the pope's nose on any winged creature I cook.

[Sal Vanilla]

I always give marrow bones to my husband. He gets so gleeful and acts like I am giving him something equivalent to the crown jewels that it outweighs the joy of eating it myself.

[alkonost]

And it's addictive, too. High quality fat shouldn't go to waste anyway, so it all works out in the end. I'd save any melted and liquified marrow for cooking.

[Jay F]

Mine are all carbohydratic in nature:

extra cake batter (I'll actually do computations so I end up with "extra")

sliced off cake ends and cake tops (I'm all about the cake--frosting, meh)

making "too much" Bolognese and besciamella when I make lasagne so I can have it with other pasta earlier in the day

"extra" creme patissiere to go with "extra" fruit when I make a tart

[mamachef]

I like the sauce and besciamella gambit, Jay. I'd do that one and have a few good pieces of seedy bread around for a dunking vehicle...

[Jay F]

Oh, that sounds good.

But you know, Marci, I can't keep bread around. Because I'll eat it. All of it. Won't need any pasta.

I don't own a toaster. I could live on toast. And I would look like I live on toast.

[mamachef]

It breaks my crooked little heart that you don't get to enjoy bread anymore, Jay. But at the very least you still have your pasta. Yes you do. And that's all you need.... :).
In your next life, I'm sure you'll get to eat bread, and in my next life I'll have perfected my copycat recipe for the sharp Cheddar/artichoke sourdough rolls. OMG. 20 seconds in the radar box, topped off w/ pats of unsalted best-quality butter and a shprinkle of Diamond salt, just for happy....
I don't mean to torture you, dear man. I got carried away. Shame on me. )

[biondanonima]

I need to hear more about cheddar-artichoke rolls. I'm about 2 weeks away from my annual Christmas carbohydrate binge and I think those deserve serious contemplation.

[buttertart]

Nuts when I'm baking or putting them in anything, really. Nuts for the brownies, nuts for me...

[youngnsassy]

The burnt bits of anything roasted that's stuck to the pan! Meat, vegetables and potatoes included!

[CanadaGirl]

The juice from resting steak or the pan bits from chicken when there is no sauce to be made.

[TheHuntress]

Licking the bowl after making a cake. The young lad gets the spoon, but I get the BIG BOWL.

[pine time]

Granny used to leave a good 1/4 cup of batter in the bowl she'd hand to us kids. Loved that granny.

[Sal Vanilla]

I let my dog lick the beaters (non chocolate of course). Sometimes even the bowl.

[TheHuntress]

I let my dogs lick the beaters, too. I like the looks on their faces as they try to get their tongues into the tricky spaces :D

[TheHuntress]

Aw, that's so nice. My mother used to scrape the bowl until there was absolutely nothing left and would never let us lick the bowl (she had a fat phobia). So now I get the bowl and so my boy doesn't miss out he gets the spatula, which I do leave a healthy amount of mix on :)

[shaebones]

The raw batter of whatever I am baking. And meatloaf ends for sure!

[jujuthomas]

my favorite batter was for my gramma's rhubarb bread - before i put the rhubarb in! sweet and cinnamon-y... mmmm.

[ipsedixit]

Any and all of my cooking mistakes and disasters ...

[pippimac]

About once or twice a year I do a traditional well-done mutton leg roast.
The shank meat gets caramelised, chewy and delicious.
Grrrr, grrrrrrrrrrr...

[plasticanimal]

Yes! Hide the evidence!

[Cherylptw]

Crispy leftovers of roasted potatoes stuck to a baking dish or sheet pan...I normally snack on these when I'm doing the dishes

[suzigirl]

I got quite the shock one night getting ready to do the dishes. I normally am the kitchen queen but one night my SIL was over and we were having baked ribs and I was getting ready to do the dishes. The sauce was so good I stuck my finger in the pan and got a huge blob of what I thought was sauce. Well I was wrong! My SIL had squeezed dish soap in the pan and i was unaware. Big mouthful of soap. I am extra careful now

[Cherylptw]

ooh; I only do it when I'm doing the dishes at my house so I know what's going on....that had to be a shocker!

[jbsiegel]

Back in the days before we knew all we knew about raw food "nasties", I ALWAYS had a few bites of the raw ground beef while making hamburgers. That all ended, though, the day that we actually DID have a bad batch of meat. The rest of the family was mildly uncomfortable. I was MISERABLE!

[suzigirl]

I also used to snack on raw hamburger. My mom got me started on this. I just love the cold fattiness of the meat. Although I stopped doing that years ago I still love the memory of the taste. I have a friend that still eats raw cannibal sandwiches. That is not an option for me anymore.

[mamachef]

I snack on it, and I like fondue-sized cubes of raw tenderloin.

[suzigirl]

I still want to snack on it but with my luck I would get sick. I would however trust a piece of meat I ground myself or a nice chunk off a steak. Hmmm, we're having steak tonight.... guess what I am having?

[mamachef]

Did you slice it thinly or cube it? Did you like it? Did you LOVE it?

[suzigirl]

I just sliced off a few bits and it was divine. I liked it, I loved it I want some more of it. Oops, I got carried away

[mamachef]

Once again you've cracked me up, lady. That's exactly what I was thinking when I wrote that - "do you want some more of it?" But I didn't know if I could get away with it here. Evidently I could have. But you beat me to the punch. :)

[suzigirl]

Trying to keep you on your toes. :-)

[wonderwoman]

growing up, there was a small butcher/convience store at the end of our street. for hamburgers or meat loaf, my mother would have harry grind up a piece of beef. i don't recall if he had a separate grinder for pork (back in the day, trichinosis was a concern), but we all indulged in a few bites of raw ground beef, and were nore the worse for it.

[Sal Vanilla]

I did that too. Mini patty with a lot of salt. I am told (but I am still shocked) that that is taboo. Pfft.

[suzigirl]

I have to admit that I save the best tidbits for my sweetie. Once in a while I snarf the crispy skin, or ferret out the chicken oysters or look for the cheesiest enchillada in the pan but mostly I save it for my love. Not that I am trying to imply that I am just that sweet, hardly. If i give him the best bits he thinks I am a better cook than I really am. Its purely selfish. (Grinning sheepishly)

[mamachef]

<Falls out of chair laughing
Don't worrrry, honey, I would never think you'd be all selfless like that for no reason...
<Still laughing

[suzigirl]

I knew you would understand

[plasticanimal]

I'm exactly the same way. I like being worshipped. :T

[mamachef]

Y'all are people after my own Heart (gizzards, liver, oysters.....)
That apple-goo over ice cream sounds like a reason to fill it overfull purposely!

[kengk]

Any "suspect' bits from a smoked pork shoulder get popped right in my mouth when I'm pulling/chopping it up. Particularly any bark that looks like it may have gotten a little too crispy.

I'm usually stuffed by the time I'm done.

[Sal Vanilla]

Bark. LOL. I find much of the crispy edges are too suspect to feed to my loved ones. Ditto that for the heel of freshly baked bread

[buzzardbreath]

The bread heel is MINE, I say, slathered with butter! (just kidding...I'll share) LOL

[Sal Vanilla]

I am enjoying thinking of a buzzardbreath commenting while slathered with butter. That would be dangerous in these parts.

[mamachef]

Oh, that shreddy pig bark, eaten out of hand, perhaps dipped in bbq sauce; perhaps not. Munchy crunchy umami goodness and teriffic texture.

[HillJ]

Not exactly what you're looking for but I bake with PB alot...the first scoop of a new peanut butter jar.

[mamachef]

Mr. Mama does that. His peanut spoon-lolly.

[Jpan99]

When I make an apple pie I bake it on a cookie sheet lined with foil. I like my apples really soft so I bake it long enough so that the bubbling juices spill over the top and run onto the cookie sheet. Once the pie comes out of the oven I grab a little scoop of vanilla ice cream and place it on a saucer. Then take a spoon and scoop up the sweet, hot bubbling juices off the cookie sheet and drizzle over the ice cream and eat it up!

[mamachef]

I mentioned it below, but I gots to tell you that this is absolutely decadently eeeeeeeevil. Now I must bake pie. I have a wondrous supply of local apples, and I might just gild the lily and top it off w/ some toasted pecans or walnuts.

[KaimukiMan]

and don't forget you have to take the leftover piecrust, sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar and bake it as a chef's treat. Just don't let anyone else know about it or you won't get any.

[lcool]

wonderful stuff

and if you use Reynolds "Release" or a silpat you get it ALL

[Sal Vanilla]

Huh. How smart. I usually scoop it directly into my mouth making a giant blister on the roof of my mouth. Ice cream. Yet another good excuse to have it chilling in the icebox.

[alliegator]

I am a seafood freak. Whenever I make a shrimp dish, the plumpest and most pretty one is for me to gobble before plating begins.

[chefathome]

Fish cheeks. Heck - cheeks of most animals!

ETA: Crisp poultry skin. Bark on pork ribs.

[mamachef]

Fish cheeks; oh, what a memory. My mommy saves them for herself, and mashes them w/ some best-quality mayonnaise, s&p, maybe a little dill or some minced green onion, and uses Ry-Krisp as a shovel for it.

[chefathome]

Sounds divine! At home my husband and I practically race to pounce on the fish to pop out the cheeks. In restaurants we show a touch more restraint. :)

[INDIANRIVERFL]

Darn! Burned the rice again. I'll deal with the teflon pot in the morning. Thankfully, it peels right out into a bowl with chopped habanero pepper and maple syrup. Another great breakfast.

Hope I never master fool (Dale) proof rice cooking.

This explains my never having bought a rice cooker.

[KrumTx]

I live alone, so everything is a cook's treat. I do everything I can to make a whole meatloaf the end piece. Ha!

[mamachef]

Do you use a loaf pan? If you do, consider shaping a loaf, and bake it free-range, in a shallow baking pan. It's allllll crusty edges.

[lcool]

2 short and 2 long and maybe an end for best presentation on a platter.No one need ever know.

[foodieX2]

Licking the spoon! No matter what I am making. I have even been known to lick the extra sour cream off the spoon I used to transfer it to a serving dish.

(and yes the spoon goes into the sink afterwards!)

[buttertart]

Me too. I could eat sour cream off a brick.

[GraceW]

Cookie Dough. Enough said.

[juliejulez]

Ditto.

[mamachef]

I'm loving every last one of these. And Gio, how right you are about the pan sauce. Fortunately, I'm in the habit of roasting two birds @ once, so even if my spoon should somehow wander, I have the goods anyhoo. Not always, but sometimes.

[sunshine842]

oh, yes -- and angel food cake stickies -- the moist, sticky wonderfulness where the outer crust of an angel food cake sticks just a little to the tube pan. My sister and my dad and I used to fight over it.

[jbsiegel]

Thought of this one too before I scrolled down to your post. I would say the "stickies" from ANY cake!

[tacosandbeer]

The overdone edges of the brownies after I trim the rest of the pan so they're all nice and square.

[California Sunshine]

Amazing. I never thought of doing that. Yum!

[tacosandbeer]

I squirrel the trimmings away in a ziploc in the freezer for topping a bowl of ice cream. Assuming there are any left.

[fldhkybnva]

Brilliant! I'm tempted to bake a batch just to do this

[mamachef]

Me too! And I'd mix the edges into the ice cream and let it absorb all the creamy goodness. Something caramelly, or vanilla bean ice cream.

[jmcarthur8]

Mine are the overdone edges of my oatmeal jam bars after I trim them.
So good!

[lcool]

Known as the "GRINSLEYS" by my BIL's wife and "the bad parts",somebody has the duty to eat by a very dear friend.
Shared reluctantly,I would take everything unless someone is in the kitchen,almost always is.The hubby came from a fat phobic house and it was years before he caught on and joined in.
All of the little pan edge and bottom bits,mac& cheese,any roast,a little trim around the bottom edge of meat loaf,stray,crunchy bits of fat,crispy poultry skin,brownie and cookies crumbs,just to name a few.

Thanksgiving,we do 3 spit roasted geese,the last round of drippings into scooped russet potato skins,then wrapped around a slice of crispy skin.All but maybe two get in line.None in line EVER miss a chance to comment "so and so got a bigger or better piece".This is shared equally with extreme reluctance.

[MGZ]

"[W]e do 3 spit roasted geese,the last round of drippings into scooped russet potato skins,then wrapped around a slice of crispy skin."

I want that. Hell, I'd be cool if you just saved me some of the drippings . . . and, the skin - lots of skin!

* * * * *

No, actually, I want the whole combination. Or, maybe just whatever you can spare?

[lcool]

SPARE,,,, you're joking right,never heard of spare goose or duck or ass of the pig,ever

The only thing left of the geese when all is done is fumes.The drippings caught and cooked in four rounds.Pan #1 has little gold or cranberry potatoes from the garden,#2 has the riced innards from the russets,#3 pretty salty and time for the spray bottle of wine drips onto peeled,half dry Japanese eggplant,Shitake mushrooms and rosemary that is not served.All into the freezer for another menu.#4 is time for skins and skin

This weekend we do another goose and all 4 livers,only shared with 4 more people.This time there will be a SATISFYING amount/ratio of skin and liver.

[MGZ]

"This weekend we do another goose and all 4 livers,only shared with 4 more people."

I'm available. I'll even help out, if you like. I kinda want to try my fried livers prep on those goose livers.

[lcool]

Your eating ethic would fit right in here.

The livers from my geese aren't what most are used to.They lose pasture privileges about a week before butchering and go on a high calorie and carb diet.The liver is very blonde,on the way to fatty.Not foie by any means but not firm and red either.

So what's your liver prep?

[MGZ]

I've never had a goose liver like that, My foie prep has only even been seared with some type of sweet contrast.

My liver prep for turkey and chicken livers, on the other had, is really a fried chicken approach (though I do like a good crostini made from a saute). I like it best with seasoned flour (ground chile, salt, pepper, maybe oregano), egg dip, and then, more seasoned flour. Fry in peanut oil at around 350 to 375 (I usually do it in the turkey fryer while the bird rests so the temp can vary). Crispy crust, creamy gushiness inside - "THAT'S what I'm talkin' about."

I just have to say I love the idea of chicken fried goose liver. I'm sure someone has done it, but it still fascinates me.

[lcool]

I'll get back to you about the "chicken fried" goose liver.These just may be firm enough to pull it off.
In for a penny,tempura onion rings and a fig ketsup/gastrique

[MGZ]

You can always partially freeze them first. Cut, coat, fry, savor . . .

[MGZ]

There is a Polish deli about 30 minutes away from me that makes a Goose liverwurst. This thread has me thinking that I may go up there, get some, partially freeze it, and chicken fry the slices. I mean, they deep fry butter in the Midwest, right?

[mamachef]

Mmmmmmm to this. If I were you, I'd be happily scarfing a sandwich of that, made w. grainy mustard, and maybe a few cornichons on the side. On some gorgeous crusty bread. Hell yes.

[MGZ]

Yeah, I've got myself convinced to try this idea. The deli that makes the liverwurst is far enough away to make getting there kind of a special treat, and will have to wait until after Christmas. Which is probably smart from an overindulgence point of view.

In the interim, I am going to try and figure out what spices I should use to season the flour and whether there is an appropriate bread (toasted corn rye maybe) or roll for an sandwich. Otherwise, I'm thinking that maybe I should do "Chicken Fried Goose Liverwurst Fingers" with a honey- mustard-fresh horseradish dipping sauce (I'll stick with your grainy mustard idea if I do).

Another thought was to fry a big chunk, with a sufficient coating, and while the inside was still soft and hot, smear it on toasted bread rounds with thinly sliced sweet onions. Sort of like a really over the top version of baked brie.

[mamachef]

The "big chunk" idea is a beauiful one. What about making a fast sweet/sour onion&balsamic jam?
For spicing, I'd go easy. Salt and pepper, a'course. If you do the sandwich, you could use a tot of caraway, or maybe some snipped dill to spark it up because that would be beautiful w/ the corn rye. A crusty roll would also be a nice vehicle. I had an amazing foie-burger w/....hold onto your seats...horseradish mustard. Adding honey's a super idea - I adore a tinge of swee w/ all that umami.
Drooling again. I totally want to know what you decide to do.

[lcool]

MGZ

Sorry for the delay.This minute type is just sucky.

I did the goose liver three ways with success,all be it tricky.These were more fat than tissue and blood and SWEAT even after a 40 to 60 second hot salt water blanch and plunge into ice salt water,dry on parchment and trip to freezer for ? 15 minutes.Even then minute,direct salt is a very narrow time line before ANY cooking.

Something I always do with the tiny scraps is a spring roll.Seasoned this time with a pasty combo of green peppercorns,shallots and country ham with radish sprouts,for 6.
"Country Fried" a bit tricky,would have been more successful with conventional poultry liver,duck,chicken or turkey.Room temp,flour dust,frig for minor sweat then to seasoned flour,heavily hit with flaked salt and tiny amount of cayenne,frig again for minor sweat,seasoned flour again and trip to freezer for 10 minutes then fry.Do not get all 12 pieces out at the same time like I did,the second six were too soft and tender.
The 6 "Country Fried" were excellent,fragile idea well worth it.The other 6,soft, I dipped in tempura batter and were also excellent.

I think your wurst idea is fabulous.As a spreadable it would a dubious choice for just flour.BUT as a take on a spring roll using sliced,rolled flat and thin bread,dipped in egg instead of wrappers would be to die for.My bread choices would run tight crumb list from brioche to a sweetish pumpernickle

[mamachef]

I would very much like you to adopt me. Please to consider. I'll leave directly after you give me the biggest and best piece. :)
Have a marvelous holiday.

[lcool]

mamachef ,thank you
and a HAPPY HANUKKAH to you and yours

I don't think adoption is in the cards.However an eating ethic like yours would always guarantee you a place at our table.

[mamachef]

Oh, thank you so much for the Holiday wish. So sweet of you!
Ok, no adoption. It was the food I wanted anyhoo; so there. But I will come, and bring my savory spinach mushroom kugel to share. How's that?

[lcool]

Hell,you can cook here.For you,traveling from the opposite coast I would make an exception about the kitchen door.

[KaimukiMan]

mamachef is gonna cook for you? where do i sign up for that program?

[lcool]

KaimukiMan
Oh no,you misunderstand.mamachef was going to "bring" her dish,a "savory spinach mushroom kugel".Across the continent to DC or the Atlantic to Italy would bring extreme suffering upon her dish.BAD THING....would hurt her trade goods in an awful way.

I am notorious for the "my kitchen" position and no pot lucks.For safety as much as I don't ever need help,I am fast.My knives are all kept shaving sharp,several with 12" blades and as a trained brigade style chef,PLEASE don't walk behind or crowd me without proper wording etc.So for mamachef,I would include her on my "kitchen and cooking privileges" short but excellent list.She would also go on the list of "carvers maybe not to be trusted" regarding the "bad bits",crusty fat cap and skin etc.

I have room and equipment for three chefs in the kitchen without the outside kitchen where a retired 60" Vulcan,w/spit & salamandre resides.I am just pissy about what is to me work space and with doors,sometimes the only true quiet for me on a 42 acre farm and business.

PS,would welcome you also

[mamachef]

What a nice welcome! I feel so privileged!
I would cook with/for every single person here, and I would do it with a heart filled w/ happy. :)

[Gio]

My treat is always the heart, liver, gizzard, neck (if one is included) of any poultry, roasted under the bird so they get covered in all the juicy tasty salty drippings...

[mamachef]

Oh, yes indeedy to both of these. I am personally very hoarderish with the chicken molasses almost-burnt to the bottom of the roasting pan....

[Gio]

Hah... yes but... Oops. That's supposed to be scrapped up with wine or stock to make the pan sauce. My father used to take a chunk of fresh Italian bread and mop up the pan until mother realized what he was doing and he had to stop, poor fella.

[Jeri L]

But if you're not making a pan sauce, the meat candy is the cook's reward! Beef crispies too.

[MGZ]

Yep - I'm totally with you about the Cook's reward being what's in those bags in the cavity. I especially love to roast the neck (when I don't need it for gravy). Once when I was deep frying a turkey, I secretly fried the neck and gnawed at it standing outside by the pot while the rest of the bird continued to cook. No one ever knew a thing.

As for the livers, as I've recently posted elsewhere, I either saute them for crostini for myself or "chicken fry" 'em. I have, when discovered, had to share the turkey livers. For a roast chicken at home, however, my wife leaves me alone with my indulgence.

Also, when I barbecue a large piece of pork (shoulder or ham), I get first crack at as much of the fatty bark as my stomach can handle. Sometimes (ok, every time), I pick a piece or two (or three, or four . . . ) off during the cook - "just to see how it's comin' along".

Then there are those bits of crusty melted cheese stuck on the tray when I melt something under the broiler. Totally mine!

[Gio]

I suspect I get the giblets because no one else wants them. LOL When the bird is carved I get the "part that goes over the fence last" too. Yes also to your "crusty melted cheese" bits. I do worry, though, about too many pork cracklings. Mustn't over do it, you know... But they're so tasty!

[pine time]

Mr. Pine used to have to share the turkey liver (his Thanksgiving breakfast while I'm readying all the other stuff) with our 2 cats. Now, they're gone, and sigh, he can't eat the whole liver, thinking of them. (They'd begin growling the second I took the raw, still wrapped bird out of the fridge. And they say dogs have good noses!)

[linguafood]

Wegmans was abundant with turkey livers after Txgiving, at a ludicrously cheap price - close to a pound for $0.60. This was brunch for me for 4 days in a row. Fabulous sautéed and deglazed with some maple balsamic....

[mamachef]

It's 2:50 in The Night of Insomnia, and I'm sitting here drooling. Damn you! :)
Want the crispy, fatty skin from a piggy, or a nice chicken.

[jujuthomas]

I need to stop putting the liver inside the bird and put it under! YUM. the liver and the oysters are my chef's bits... made the mistake tho of introducing DH to the oyster and now I have to be QUICK! lol.

[sunshine842]

the oysters of any roasted bird. Mine, mine, they're all mine! Bwaaahaahaaahaa.

[harryharry]

Just what I was thinking.... love those little pieces - also remembered the popes nose - or chicken tail/butt/a$$.... yum!

[jbsiegel]

What I immediately thought of too!