[ConeyIsBabe]

My style of cooking is healthy, natural and FAST! I eat fish about 4 times a week and chicken breast maybe two or three times. The problem is..... often my chicken breast comes out like RUBBER, can't hardly even chew it. Maybe it was previously frozen in the store? Maybe I overcooked it? I hate to throw out food, but sometimes I just can't eat it.

And fish..... I usually poach it in a little flavored water or chicken broth and have learned how to NOT overcook it. My problem with fish is that occasionally it smells fishy . Is that a bad thing? And are there any tips for getting rid of the odor, other than taking the fish back to the store (I've done that lots of times).

COOKING TIPS......... please......

[renielarson]

We swear by a meat thermometer.

Chicken needs to be cooked to 180 degrees and a thermometer takes the guess work out of it. It's amazing how juicy and moist chicken is when cooked to the right temperature and NOT overcooked.

Same holds true for all other meats. Buy and use a meat thermometer.

[Rokinronda]

Never used a thermometor. I agree with GG, we will invite the non cooks over and give lessons! Then we will EAT!! Then the non cooks can clean! I could cook all day if there was someone behind me cleaning up! kidding LOL :joke:

[nONIE]

Ronda, what A GREAT pair we would make. I hate to cook but I love to clean! will you be my personal chef? If I had 3 wishes that would be the first one!! LOL :

I could clean all day if someone was in front of me cooking!

[Retired2]

Hello CIB,

Try this for the fishy fish problem, soak the fish fillets in milk in the refrigerator for an hour or two, then rinse and season and use your favorite cooking method.

For the chicken, I start with skinned, boned chicken breasts that have been pounded with a meat mallet. Next, I marinate the chicken breasts over night in plain yogurt. (This is a restaurant secret.) Then rinse and season and either grill or bake. I prefer to use stone bakeware because it provides an even cooking temperature. Be sure to not over cook the chicken. I usually cook 4 or 5 breasts and then save 3 to make chicken salad. The grocery stores also have several great flavored liquid marinades that work just like the yogurt.

Happy eating,
Sharyne

[Rokinronda]

fOR MY CHICKEN SALAD i BOIL THE BREASTS, UNTIL THOROUGHLY COOKED. OOPS, didn't mean to yell. Cooked when it breaks with fork. hand shred, mayo, diced small celery, S&P, enough grated onion to taste and voila! yum add apples and walnuts for a nice change. mmmmm

[ConeyIsBabe]

GG..... thanks for the invite! I'm not exactly a non-cook but more of a LAZY COOK. If it takes more than 5 minutes of prep - I d'ruther open up a can of baked beans!

bright..... if I use GG's method of slicing the ck breast, I can't use the meat thermometer. I dunno, this might be too complicated for me :

ronda..... great idea! and I LOVE YOUR RECIPE for the chicken salad.... that's how I make mine, but I use sliced scallions and grated carrots, also ;D

Retired1...... sounds good, but I'm lactose intolerant so the milk & yogurt is out, but perhaps I can marinate in something else?

nonie..... I'm also a better cleaner than a cooker; even better at eating out ;D

[renielarson]

Coney

Sticking a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat sounds complicated? Hmmm... Just one poke and it's ready to measure temperature!

For all of you who have never used a meat thermometer give it a try. I was surprised to learn that I was overcooking most meats. But when cooked to the right temperature (using a thermometer) it is moist and juicy every time. Trust me.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

You are overcooking your chicken breast. Chicken breast has less fat in it than other parts of the chicken so it needs to be first cut into smaller, thinner peices and sauteed quickly. (It doesn't take long!) Use Pam to spray the pan. Some fish smell fishier than others. Talapia never does. Spray Pam on pan and bake at 350 until opaque with a dollop of low fat mayonnaise and finely minced green onion on top. YUM

When you get to TV consider yourself invited to dinner. You sound like a non cook.

[graciegirl]

Now I have confused everyone. I was reading this thread and realized my reply was inside the quotes box so I redid it and messed with it and got two. So I deleted the first one so nothing makes sense.

Further if your fish smells "fishy" when raw it should be discarded. Fresh fish doesn't smell fishy.

I am a very fast cook. I also kind of clean up as I go along. I consider the best things I cook are old favorites. Roast beef and vegetables. Cherry Pie. Chicken and Noodles. I was taught by my grandmother who raised me to have a small portion of meat or fish, (Not because it was healthy but my grandmother had gone through the depression when meat and fish was hard to come by) Anyway a small portion of meat or fish and at least three vegetables or fruit. One cold and mix the colors. So a typical meal might be a hamburger pattie, stewed sweetened tomatoes with bread in it, cole slaw, green beans and homemade biscuits. Every cake or pie consumed by me as a child was homemade.

[Boomer]

This is a great discussion. I am going to try that yogurt thing with the chicken breasts. Chicken, with me, is either perfect or rubber it seems. I usually poach or grill it and mostly do OK, but I am going to get out the meat thermometer for the chicken, too. That will definitely increase my odds of success.

You should see me with pork. I have a good friend who is an absolutely outstanding cook. Every time I do a pork roast, I have to call her to talk me through it. I think that is from growing up in the era when we all thought undercooked pork would give us trichinosis. My meat thermometer is my best friend when I am cooking a pork roast. But I still have to be talked into that low temperature (it seems like) when you pull it out of the oven.

And CIB, heed GG's words, if the raw fish stinks, get rid of it. If I am buying fresh fish, I always sniff it first.

(Now, please forgive me while I talk a little Cincinnati with GG. Nobody else needs to bother to read it. . . .Hey GG, I have not been to Jungle Jim's in ages, but my daughter Boomette told me awhile back that there is a really hot guy who works the fish counter there. Lots of women standing around waiting their turn, having been overcome with the sudden desire to pursue a healthy lifestyle and to learn all about fish and how to cook it. And knowing how it works at The Jungle, I bet he can suggest the perfect wine to go with each choice of fish.)

Boomer

[ConeyIsBabe]

THANKs y'all for the great tips. You'd think that living out in the PNW, and practically on the Rogue River - there would be an abundance of fresh fish, especially salmon, or whatever :dontknow: ......... but..... NOoooooooooo ! We have shrimp from Thailand, China, fish from Canada, etc. etc. etc. probably frozen & thawed out!

My local supermarket has individual portions already packaged, so it's impossible to do the sniff test in the store. I only live about one mile from town, so it's no hardship to jump back in the car and return the fish if it's odoriferous And, they are alway so apologetic and refund my $$. Next time, I'm gonna open the package in the parking lot and SMELL the fish before returning home !

[The Gray Hog]

Try placing the chicken pieces (raw) into a plastic bag with cold water and a bit of salt in it. Keep refrig. overnight or several hours, drain, rinse, add seasonings and cook. It will hold moisture due to the salt.
Pork roast: Remove from oven when the temp is 10 degrees lower than needed by meat therm. The roast, if tented with foil will cont. to cook and reach the higher temp. in about 15 min or so and be perfectly tender and moist.

[F16 1UB]

Fishy Fish

Any fish that isn't firm to touch or crisp in color should be questionable. Fish that has darkened or has dark strips throughout may have your fishy taste. I fish often for sport and always in freshwater. However I do cook fish 3-4 times a year. If your diet is salt restrictive stop reading now. I fillet all fish, no matter how small, removing the skin and also cutting out the belly portion. This eliminates the majority of the NASTY taste especially the belly area. I rinse the fillets thoroughly and then soak them in salt water overnight. The next day they're rinsed again and placed in a zip lock bag filled with water and frozen until ready for consumption.

There were 12 of us that ate all the fish we could consume Saturday night. Albeit deep fried. None of the fish tasted fishy. It's all in the preparation. Poaching or baking I always season with a healthy dosage of lemon pepper. Some even marinade with dijon mustard on the fillets. Just be skeptical of the color and texture. And the end result will taste just like chicken. C'mon CIB you knew that was coming.

F16

[CJ]

This brings up an important question. Where can you get "fresh" fish? We don't fish for sport and up north we can get some decent store bought fish. If it smells when you go near the fish section, it tells you fish is questionable. Fish shouldn't smell fowl! We too eat fish 2-3 times a week and are moving to tv shortly.
Any help on stores?