The Counters Blog

Wrap bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand overnight (or for 8 hours) on the countertop; do not refrigerate. While the waffle maker is heating, stir the eggs, vanilla extract and baking soda into the batter. Adjust the browning control if you prefer lighter or darker waffles. Beat in the flour until smooth (this may be done using a hand mixer on low speed). Use a heat-proof spatula to spread the batter evenly over the grids.For best results, do not open waffle maker during cooking process.

Perfect Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe • Food Folks and Fun by foodfolksandfun.net

So, what sets this pizza dough recipe apart from the others? This is my yeast of choice when making any type of yeast dough. Also, a quick tip about the yeast: keep it in the freezer! Hands down, bread flour makes this pizza dough have the best texture.
Cuisinart Griddler Gr 4n 5 In 1 Review And Weeknight Meal Recipe | Duration 6 Minutes 47 Seconds I cannot say it enough, weigh your flour on a food scale for this pizza dough recipe! All the toppings in the world can’t add flavor to the dough, so don’t miss this step. The dough will also be less prone to tearing when you give it the rest that it needs. It will also have your family guessing if the pizza is homemade or if it’s from your favorite pizzeria! Brushing a little bit of olive oil around the edges of the pressed out pizza dough allows the exposed crust to become gorgeously golden brown while baking in the oven. This is normal as the dough continues to rise slightly until it freezes completely. On the day you plan on using the dough, in the morning keep the dough in all of its wrappings and transfer it to the refrigerator. Once the dough has been at room temperature for 30 minutes, proceed to step 8 below in the pizza dough recipe directions. If you place the dough in the refrigerator until the next day, the dough will continue to rise (albeit slowly) and you will have over-risen dough on your hands. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in yeast mixture and mix until cohesive dough forms. Continue to process until dough is smooth and elastic, about 30 seconds longer. Add the rest of the flour and mix until a cohesive dough forms. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes, using a minimal amount of flour while kneading. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or place the container’s lid on and let the dough rise until double in size, about 1 ½ – 2 hours. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured countertop, and divide the dough into two equal pieces. Place parchment paper on top of the pizza peel and sprinkle cornmeal over the top. If the dough is really snapping back while you’re trying to press and stretch it, then cover it with a damp paper towel and let the dough relax for 5-10 minutes before starting again to get the dough to 14 inches. My blog is dedicated to providing restaurant-quality recipes for the home cook. I have never used bread flour in a pizza crust recipe and that made all the difference. I make this pizza dough almost weekly and my family loves it, too! The warm water helps activate the yeast so there’s less rise time. It rises quicker and who doesn’t love quicker pizza production? It makes it a little breadier (in a good way with a deliciously chewy, not spongey, texture). We want those gas bubbles as they prevent the dough from cooking up flat. A pizza stone also helps make the bottom of the pizza crust perfectly crisp and the interior soft and chewy. So start preheating the oven at least 1 hour before you plan on cooking the pizza (30 minutes for the oven to reach 500 degrees with the pizza stone in it, and another 30 minutes of preheating to evenly heat the pizza stone so it’s good and ready to cook your pizza!). If the dough is snapping back while you’re pressing it out, then let it rest! This short rest helps the gluten in the dough to relax and it makes it easier to work with. I love the bit of added flavor that the cornmeal adds to the pizza crust. Don’t be surprised that when you recover the dough from the freezer that it has popped through the plastic wrap. Cover the dough with a damp paper towel and let it stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This will produce an unruly and puffy pizza crust with the wrong texture. It’s a more accurate way to measure and it will take the guesswork out of mixing the pizza dough. Let the mixture sit until yeast is dissolved and a bit frothy, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour in liquid ingredients and pulse together until a cohesive dough ball forms.

---

Grill With Oven And Countertop | Grill Philosophy | Duration 47 Seconds Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for a few seconds to form a smooth, round ball and proceed to step 5. Add the yeast mixture and mix until combined using a sturdy wooden spoon. Lightly flour a countertop and move the dough on top of the floured surface. Move dough to prepared bowl or container and roll the dough around in the oil to lightly coat. While the dough is rising, move oven rack to the second highest position. Move 1 dough ball to the pizza peel and press dough out into a 14-inch circle by gently stretching and pressing the dough. Brush ½ tablespoon of olive oil around the outer edge of the dough. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and the cheese is bubbly.

Rusty Chicken Thighs Recipe by allrecipes.com

Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 3 hours; if preferred, let stand about 30 minutes at room temperature. Continue to cook, moving them occasionally and turning over every 2 minutes, until meat is no longer pink inside and the thighs are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. There’s honey for sweet, soy for salty, and chili sauce for hot, plus plenty of garlic. Transfer chicken thighs to a large flat container (such as a baking dish) and pour marinade over chicken; stir until chicken is coated. Place chicken thighs onto the hot grill with smooth sides down. Turn chicken over and cook until other side shows grill marks, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter, let rest for 5 minutes, and serve garnished with lime wedges.

Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe by eatingwell.com

Remove the chicken and pineapple from the marinade and pat dry; reserve the marinade. Grill the chicken and pineapple until the chicken is cooked through and the pineapple is marked, 4 to 5 minutes per side.Bring to a boil and cook, whisking, until reduced and thickened, 2 to 4 minutes. Don’t use the “cooking sherry” sold in many supermarkets—it can be surprisingly high in sodium. When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray. She made the recipe as is and then expanded the recipe to serve 12. Marinade for a few hours or overnight for very juicy and tasty chicken. I served it with snowpeas and brown rice like in the photos.I use the marinade from chicken dishes all the time, so long as you marinade them in the refrigerator. Although it’s delicious when made with canned pineapple, fresh pineapple and its juice can easily be used in its place. Whisk the reserved marinade and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Instead, purchase dry sherry that’s sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store. For recipes that call for one large thigh per person, buy them at the butcher counter; prepackaged thighs vary dramatically in size. To trim them well, we like to use kitchen shears to snip the fat away from the meat. The sauce tasted wonderful over the chicken, rice and veggies. We especially liked how the pineapples tastes when it came out of the oven. I wouldn’t use any marinade that has been left out on a countertop.

Pan Seared Filet Mignon With Garlic and Herb Butter Recipe by kitchenswagger.com

That’s the beauty of cast iron, you can easily transfer from stove top to oven. They are very versatile and can be used for so many different recipes. Carefully timing your cook time for steak always yields consistent results.Just like when you cut into your steak and it’s colorless and grey? Spoon the butter onto tin foil doing your best to reshape it to resemble a stick of butter. This recipe is ideal for a 8-10 ounce portion, roughly 2-3 inches thick. This is important to bring your steak to its final serving temperature. I try to make a steak on a cast iron skillet it looks like my house is on fire. Turn on your stove or microwave vent before you start cooking and open a window. If it’s still too much, try using canola oil in place of butter for searing. You could bake for the entire cooking time but you lose that seared finish. I did 8 min and put them in another 4 and they still were med-rare. Make sure your cast iron is really hot before adding steaks. Also, make sure your steaks sit out 30 minutes before cooking. Although the steak was very juicy and tender, it was definitely over cooked. I sent him of my results, he’s going to try it out this weekend! Seared the steaks 2min per side and then just slid the griddle over while leaving the left hand burner on high baking for another five minutes with the lid closed. This gives you a slightly crusted outside with a juicy tender inside. The oven is better at providing indirect heat while searing gives you the much desired, grilled and slightly charred edge. Which for me was always incredibly disappointing after all my hard work. Remove steak from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, this is to bring the steak to room temperature and ensure your cooking times are more accurate. Remember, depending on the size of the steak, the more or less time it will take.

---

Crunchy Microwave Grilled Cheese Sandwich | Duration 6 Minutes 7 Seconds You can try to turn down the heat a little, but unfortunately some smoke is inevitable. As long as you can sear on the grill or stove top first and then transfer to the oven. Sear 2 minutes per side on the stove top and then immediately transfer to preheated oven and start timer. I place on a plate and lightly cover with tin foil (not a tight seal). You’d also be surprised how much direct heat is lost when transferring to an oven. I also can’t guarantee the same results if you switch up pans. I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out perfect! I will need to get a good thermometer and practice temperatures to reach perfection. I liked the sound of your technique so just put my long griddle (smooth side up) on the grill over flame and mixed the butter while that was heating. Probably could have let them go for another couple minutes as the heat takes a while to build up once the lid is shut. What would be your recommendation for this many steaks as far as skillet size and how to cook that many?

How To Make Lefse Lefse Making Instructions In 8 Easy Steps. – by lefsetime.com

Place potatoes into a large pot of salted water and boil until fork tender. To help keep your potatoes warm, rice them into the empty pot you used for boiling. If you have refrigerated overnight, break up the potatoes into small crumbles before adding the remaining ingredients. Then shape each patty much like you would a hamburger patty – gently knead between your hands, roll into ball and press flat. Those small cracks will develop into bigger cracks as you roll. Gently roll forward and back using mostly the weight of the pin, only a very slight downward pressure so that your patty becomes a small oval. Continue rotating or switching your angles so that you keep your lefse round and of even thickness. They have size guides to indicate how large your sheets are and can be a great guide to round sheets. This can be sped up by rolling your pin directly into flour. Be sure to rub flour in on any missing spots and to rub in more flour between each lefse sheet. Lift gently from the board and move quickly to the lefse grill. If you miss the grill and part of your lefse is hanging off, let it cook for 10-15 seconds, then using a hot pad, lay it on top of the cooking portion of lefse and gently pull the lefse that is hanging off onto the grill. The surest way to know if your lefse is ready to flip is to watch for cues. Then run your lefse stick down the middle, lift and turn over using the same method mentioned in step 7.The second side will cook considerably faster than the first side as the sheet has been heated through. Let about 10 to 12 sheets stack, cover with a cozy or towel, then set them aside to cool. When your lefse is completely cooled, fold in half, then half again and store in zip-top freezer bags. I love to eat it just plain as can be when it’s still a little warm. It’s important that your potato pieces are of similar size so they are all cooked through at the same time. Don’t waste a lot of time here, your potatoes need to be warm to melt the butter in the next step. Rice all your potatoes and then measure out 4 cups (lightly packed) into another large bowl. And take it slow, a lot of pressure all at once and the potatoes will come out too fast and all over. If you would like to cook the same day you can cover the potatoes with a towel and set aside on your countertop until they are completely cooled. If they are still steaming hot, all that steam will condense on the lid and give you extra water. Once added, stir until most of the flour is worked in (loose crumbles). You should feel your dough come together into a smooth dough. It is very important that the edges of your patties are smooth with no cracks. If you like the thinness but prefer a smaller sheet a 1/4 cup patty rolls into a 12 inch round. Then either rotate your board slightly or change your angle and roll forward and back. Keep rolling until you have achieved the size of lefse you’d like. Prep your pastry board by spreading out about 1/4 cup of flour into a circle just a bit bigger than the sheet of lefse you intend to roll. You will need to lightly rub in a bit of flour onto your pastry board between each sheet, paying special attention to the center as it tends to build up the most moisture and could cause sticking. Prep your rolling pin by working flour into every groove of your pin. For example, place a cup of flour onto a tray and roll your pin back and forth through the flour. You can also use a rolling pin cover; it functions the same as a pastry cloth when prepped with enough flour. Matching the edge of your lefse to the edge of the lefse grill, lay the lefse down and “unroll”. Another method to transfer is to flip the edge of a sheet over the stick and roll in a couple turns and then lift up, again match your lefse to the grill, lay down and unroll. Your sheet should bubble up and when you peek under the edge there should be light golden brown spots. From there simply transfer your lefse to lefse cozies or towel (do not use towels laundered with scents). If you see that your sheets have a bit too much flour, wait until cooled and dust off. Of course once you’ve cooked all your patties all that’s left is clean up and enjoying your very fresh, very yummy lefse.