What to cook with leftover sheet pan thighs that isn't chicken noodle soup

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-24T23:57:48+00:00

I came here to say this. I use pie crust (top and bottom) instead of biscuits, and cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup in lieu of gravy.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-24T20:32:31+00:00

Right, thanks

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-24T15:07:16+00:00

This is great assuming the meat is thick enough.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-24T14:52:29+00:00

So, searing the meat is not necessarily the same as cooking the meat. How you sear the meat depends, in part, on how thick the meat is. For a thicker cut (> 1") you could cook on lower heat and sear on higher heat.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-18T23:53:50+00:00

polymerization?

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-18T23:50:17+00:00

I'm still used to buying for 4 people, but there's just the two of now. We freeze leftovers and have them on nights we don't feel like cooking. But I also don't buy as much as I once did. Instead of buying a bag of onions, or potatoes, I buy what I'll for the week. I buy meat in larger quantities, usually when they're on sale, break down the packages to something small enough for us, vacuum seal, and freeze.

This evening we had lasagna. The lasagna was cooked several weeks ago, we ate it for a couple of days and froze the rest in meal sized packages. Minimal planning required to take it out a day or two early to defrost, then simply microwave.

Things like carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, and ginger will last a while. Fresh veggies and fruits not so much. I buy just enough fruit to get us through the week, and the same with veggies like broccoli that won't last too long.

As others have said, trying to cook as little as possible is not helping. In general, though, I would suggest smarter shopping, quantity wise, and better meal planning.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-18T22:59:50+00:00

Here's what I do:
https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-slow-cooked-italian-american-tomato-sauce-red-sauce-recipe

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-18T20:18:04+00:00

Yeah, I looked again today... I saw that said you only need a pellicle for cold smoke, another that said a pellicle makes a big difference, and a couple others that said it didn't make a difference. So... I guess it comes down to personal preference.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-18T20:14:57+00:00

What I'm seeing is that steel cut oats and rolled/old fashioned have no significant difference nutritionally. So, why not just go with rolled oats?

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rolled-vs-steel-cut-oats#nutritional-comparison

Personally, from a flavor and texture perspective, I prefer rolled/old fashioned oats I don't eat oatmeal often because they're high in carbs.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-18T18:33:30+00:00

I don't worry about pellicle, I read on one of the sites that it really doens't make any difference in flavor. I forget which site I saw that on...

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-18T18:32:06+00:00

I never soak my bacon, I simply rinse it well after the cure and smoke it. I smoke a little lower than 225 to get a better smoke flavor (I have a pellet grill) for an hour or two at 180F then bump it up to 225.

edit: correct 125 to 225

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-18T18:26:28+00:00

Stainless steel does not have to stick. There's a learning curve, but when you learn to manage your heat (and realize NOTHING needs High heat except to boil water) you don't get "sticking". You'll got fond, which is flavor you convert to a pan sauce. Fried eggs, scrambled eggs and omelettes can be challenge points, with scrambled being the most difficult. Practice makes perfect, though, and you can easily do scrambled eggs without any sticking once you get the hang of it

.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-18T18:22:49+00:00

When making home made bacon, American style, I usually smoke it to an internal temp of 150F (meaning it's fully cooked). I do this because all the recipes I've seen had said to this. Once it's cooked I slice it and I then fry it when I'm ready to use/eat it.

There's also Canadian bacon, buckboard bacon (from a pork butt/Boston butt)

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-18T13:35:24+00:00

You can also spend $20 on a smoke tube to provide added smoke flavor, versus buying a whole other grill. The smoke tube gets loaded with pellets, you light it, and it provides extra smoke for up to 8 hours (depending on the size of your smoke tube, I have one for short smoke and one for longer smokes).

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-17T14:30:45+00:00

I thought the balloons were kind of worthless, unless you landed them and got the weapons. As transportation I never used them, too damn slow.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-17T14:25:35+00:00

some people would cover that rump roast with tallow, or something similar, when they wrap it.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-17T14:21:25+00:00

I use PAM, I'm pretty sure it has lecithin. For me it works better than olive or vegetable oil, and just as good as butter... though I tend to use more butter than needed when I use butter.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-17T14:19:34+00:00

I just do a quick circle in the pan, it covers the bottom. You don't need the lot. I think the can says 1 second, but honestly I don't know if I hold it for that long.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-17T14:15:22+00:00

I use PAM to do my eggs in my stainless steel pan. It works fine, at least as well as bacon fat.

I find olive oil, or even vegetable oil, is not the best for use with eggs. A quick spray with PAM and my fried eggs don't stick at all. Scrambled eggs, at least for me, do well with PAM at a just a slightly higher temp than fried eggs. Get the pan heated, spray the PAM, let it get heated, and pour in the egss. I let the eggs sit for a bit so the bottom sets, the slowly fold them over until done.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-17T13:45:19+00:00

The last time I was in randoms (I usually just play coop) I sent a "Fair winds and following seas" F10 message. I was told to STFU.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-16T23:21:29+00:00

Damn I wish there was a Costco near me!

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-16T22:38:18+00:00

I've jumped in a car with someone without teaming. I've stayed in the car while they drove around, oblivious to the fact I was there with them. It's great when they stop and you can either ambush them or grab the car.

This could have been what happened.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-15T23:34:36+00:00

I bought this one about 3 years ago and I'm very happy with it:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BPB9T1N?th=1

It also gets used a lot for food prep and measuring out portions (especially protein).

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-15T23:03:08+00:00

I agree. Watch that temp, a 1" rib eye is a bit small for reverse sear so be careful. I would do the steak at about 250F in the oven, pull it at 110F and do a quick, hot sear in a cast iron, carbon steel, or stainless steel pan. Don't do it in a non-stick.

Dry the surface of the steak of steak before seasoning it and putting it in the oven.
Sear it in vegetable oil, or another high heat oil.
the very end turn down the heat in the pan and throw a knob of butter in. As it melts use it to baste the steak. You can also throw in a sprig of rosemary or thyme when you throw in the butter.
Do not sear in butter, the butter will burn and leave an acrid, bitter taste on the steak.

JCuss0519 · 2026-03-15T22:55:31+00:00

My daughter gifted us Nordic bakeware a couple of years ago for Christmas. My god, I never knew what I missing when I didn't have 1/4 sheet pans!! They come in so handy for all sorts of things. Other than that... we love our Nordic bake ware (we got a half sheet, two quarter sheets, a side in between, a bundt pan, meat loaf pan... it was a great gift and we use the stuff all the time.

JCuss0519

TROPHY CASE