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@ehBeth,

Kylie's poached chicken.

http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/329/whitecooked-chicken

@ehBeth,

Thanks for the recipe, ehBeth. I'll give this one a go next time. The recipe I used was from a cookbook about Vietnamese food, called New Flavours of the Vietnamese Table.

Yes, I think Kylie's terrific, too. So enthusiastic & a great source of good food ideas. And what a talker! Smile

But I'm wondering how you got to know about her in Canada. Has her Heart & Soul (or was it called My China?)TV series (about her visit to China, including lots of energetic cooking demonstrations, of course!) been shown on Canadian TV? If not, catch it when/if it is broadcast. Wonderful stuff. She's a very big deal in Oz. No mean feat, reviving the interest in Chinese cooking in Oz, given years of bad press via many, many truly awful local "Chinese" eateries in just about every Oz suburb & town! She's a breath of fresh air.

http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/chefs/kyliekwong/

1 Reply

@msolga,

I watched the entire My China series twice - a couple of episodes an extra time or two. It was on our Food Network last year. I adore Kylie. Her enthusiasm for ... just ... everything is amazing.

I've seen another one or two of her series as well. Her appreciation of food is spectacular.

and, well, she makes women who wear glasses and giant jewelry feel good about themselves Wink

1 Reply

Onto my next question: rice cookers, yes or no? I'm trying to decide whether to buy one or not. (Remember, mine is a one person household - meal preparation-wise, most of the time.) Some people swear by them. Others say they're quite unnecessary & swear by the "steaming in the pot" on the stove top method) What's been your experience?
Oh & I eat a fair bit of rice, as I cook quite a bit of Asian, SE Asian & Indian food. I love it!

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

Gosh, twice, ehBeth! You must be a fan! Smile

Me, I love her emphasis on simplicity & healthy ingredients. Cooking with integrity. And it doesn't have to be difficult at all! So Chinese food was actually meant to taste like this?

Quote:

I adore Kylie. Her enthusiasm for ... just ... everything is amazing.

Yes! She's so enthusiastic, it's incredible!!!! Wink

The first few times I watched her on the teev, her very Australian accent came as a bit of a surprise. She's a very contemporary Chinese/Australian woman who just loves to cook & eat! No airs & graces. It's about love of food. Very Happy

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@msolga,

Will check out Kylie and also the Vietnamese cookbook. I gave mine away on moving, what was I thinking..

On rice cookers, I'm of the steam in a pot group, having eventually tossed my rice cooker after a lot of use as one more damned thing on the small counter for no good reason. A lot of people really like them, and I've seen recipes for biryani made in a rice cooker. But I'm odd, I don't even have a crock pot. It depends on one's life - I can see crock pots for busy lived people. I used to be crazy busy too, but did our long cooked dishes on weekends back then.. On the other hand, crock pots weren't invented yet, or just barely. Eh. I just like regular pots.

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@ossobuco,

Quote:

On rice cookers, I'm of the steam in a pot group, having eventually tossed my rice cooker after a lot of use as one more damned thing on the small counter for no good reason. A lot of people really like them, and I've seen recipes for biryani made in a rice cooker. But I'm odd, I don't even have a crock pot. It depends on one's life - I can see crock pots for busy lived people. I used to be crazy busy too, but did our long cooked dishes on weekends back then.. On the other hand, crock pots weren't invented yet, or just barely. Eh. I just like regular pots.

Thanks, osso. I always like your no nonsense approach to these things! I must confess to having had a wee tendency to be taken in by gadgets & appliances in the past, some of which I've hardly used & have gathered dust in a back cupboard. Wink

But on the rice cooker question, I have come across so many glowing endorsements for them from serious cooks ("celebrity" & other) that I got to wondering ..... are they actually some sort of "superior" way to cook rice? Or is it more about convenience & not having too many pots fighting for space on the stove top at one time?

Me, I have been known to cook rice on the stove top & in the microwave, even!

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@ehBeth,

Quote:

(I'd probably boil for 15 - 20 minutes, before turning the heat off, but I'm Nervous Nellie who doesn't do meat thermometers)

Just re-read your earlier post, EhBeth. This sounds like a good compromise. Thanks for putting the idea in my head.
I'm going to do the same, from now on (whatever the recipe says)!

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@ossobuco,

I don't see why either would be superior (may be wrong) - but timing does matter, and the gadget pot does that worrying bit for you.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

Which might be a bit of a boon, osso, if the cook is feeling a wee bit vague at meal preparation time! (...which I confess I have!)
I'll check out prices & sizes before I do any impulse buying, though! Wink

A lot of Asian groceries in my neck of the woods, I'll see what's on offer.

1 Reply

@msolga,

It is a boon, but I had enough trouble with counter space as it was. I ended up preferring my faux pear timer..

2 Replies

@ossobuco,

Hmmm, something else to consider, osso. My kitchen is not exactly gigantic!

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@msolga,

It's a slow way to go, but you can make rice in the crockpot.

I wouldn't really bother with the rice cooker if you can effectively make rice on the stovetop or in the microwave.

1 Reply

@msolga,

and back to Kylie. There are a number of her recipes that use so few ingredients that it is just a marvel. She's got gusto - I always enjoyed her sampling some of the base ingredients as the cooking prep was going on. I'm looking forward to her next series arriving here.

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@ehBeth,

http://www.recipesource.com/main-dishes/crockpot/07/rec0700.html

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@ehBeth,

Dammit, common sense has just overruled on my next kitchen impulse buy! I'll have to think of something else now. Laughing

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@ehBeth,

Quote:

and back to Kylie. There are a number of her recipes that use so few ingredients that it is just a marvel..

Yes. And the emphasis is always on very fresh, healthy ingredients, cooked quickly, as a rule.

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@msolga,

oh, I can definitely help you with impulse buys for the kitchen

have you got a nice microplane (or two) yet?

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

More thought - I really learned to make rice from Harvey, older friend of my husband and I. He was a maven of what were then - he learned in perhaps the later 40's, the 50's, 60's, and we showed up in his life in the 70's - classic cooking techniques re stockmaking and certainly re rices, and much else, and he had an eye toward simplicity while doing this classic cooking. Mebbe I'm sentimental, besides being gadget wary.

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

<ears pricked up>

Yes?

What, pray tell, is a microplane, ehBeth? Please enlighten me. It might just make all the difference in my humble culinary efforts! It might be essential & I don't even know it yet! Very Happy

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