Thread: cuisine with Chef Zambini

zambinis quick brine technique:

(I use this to brine my turkey breast)
2/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of table salt
one newcastle bottle of beer
12 OZ. water ( i refill the bottle after I pour out the beer)
one tablespoon of garlic POWDER ( not salt).

I use my WOK for this technique.
add alll ingredients to the wok,
bring to a boil.
remove from heat and place washed, dried, room temp turkey breast in liquid.
(if bone in, meat side down)
if boneless, skin side up.
emmediatly cover with ice, enough to totaly emerse breast in icewater with ice on top.
let stand at room temperature for 90 minutes.
remove from brine, season and roast.
pull from heat when temperature reaches 140 degrees, (farenheit, all you canadians) !


This method is very effective because the initial plunge in hot brine opens up the the 'pores'
of the turkey meat. when the ice is added, the meat contracts, pulling in the brine, deep into the meat. the ice will then keep the breast at a proper temp to avoid the growth of bacteria while it continues to brine.
give it a try, we love it so much I make a turkey breast every week !

Originally Posted by Chef Zambini

never put your cast iron pans in the dishwasher. cleaning is always easiest emmediately after cooking while the pan is still HOT !
a good brush,(nylon, not metal ) mild soap and water

Sweet, i will need to try that. I just add light oil prior to my cooking but I usually cook potatoes/veggies and stuff that does not get messed up if it sticks a little.

Zam, now that I am on the topic of potatoes. Give me your best breakfast potatoes.

Mine are:

cube as 4-5 potatoes or depending on how much you want to eat.
Cut 1/2 onion (approx changes depending on amount of potatoes), if in hurry onion power can be used
2 Table spoons of garlic POWDER
2 table spoons seasoning salt
2 table spoons of cayenne (adjust according to taste) I go for a light red coloring on potatoes and little spicy

Peel and cube potatoes.
Boil water and add potatoes, they are finished when fork can easily penetrate and drain
Heat oil in skillet so its pretty hot, good amount of oil to coat bottom of pan
Add onion to oil, allow onion to brown sightly and soft
Add potatoes and add 1/2 seasonings
Flip potatoes and add rest of seaonings
Potatoes are done when they are golden brown

If you add to much oil it tends to burn off and will cook potatoes faster but will tend to burn onion which does not ruin potatoes. But if you potatoes are swimming then you have WAY to much oil. I have been cooking these for years and I never measure anything out and oil is based on eye test. Normally potatoes sit in little bit of oil so more then a coating over pan.

Originally Posted by Chef Zambini

never put your cast iron pans in the dishwasher
cleaning is always easiest emmediately after cooking while the pan is still HOT !
a good brush,(nylon, not metal ) mild soap and water
a light application of oil rubbed on after cleaning will also help to keep your cast iron pan seasoned.

Thanks, Zam. I've had trouble seasoning my pan, so I'll follow your instructions.

if it is an old pan, to season it now you must get it hot, and then try to scrub it with the salt poured on while it is hot.
this is difficult to do without igniting whatever you are using to help scour the pan with the salt, the salt scrubs away any impurities left on the pan, it will be a smokey hot mess, be careful not to burn yourself.
If you have a self cleaning oven, you can try putting your cast iron pan in there during the self clean cycle, and again apply the oil to seal the pan.
good luck.

Just a quick question Zam, do you have a specialty or are you a chef of all trades?

Originally Posted by NightTerror218

Sweet, i will need to try that. I just add light oil prior to my cooking but I usually cook potatoes/veggies and stuff that does not get messed up if it sticks a little.

Zam, now that I am on the topic of potatoes. Give me your best breakfast potatoes.

Mine are:

cube as 4-5 potatoes or depending on how much you want to eat.
Cut 1/2 onion (approx changes depending on amount of potatoes), if in hurry onion power can be used
2 Table spoons of garlic POWDER
2 table spoons seasoning salt
2 table spoons of cayenne (adjust according to taste) I go for a light red coloring on potatoes and little spicy

Peel and cube potatoes.
Boil water and add potatoes, they are finished when fork can easily penetrate and drain
Heat oil in skillet so its pretty hot, good amount of oil to coat bottom of pan
Add onion to oil, allow onion to brown sightly and soft
Add potatoes and add 1/2 seasonings
Flip potatoes and add rest of seaonings
Potatoes are done when they are golden brown

If you add to much oil it tends to burn off and will cook potatoes faster but will tend to burn onion which does not ruin potatoes. But if you potatoes are swimming then you have WAY to much oil. I have been cooking these for years and I never measure anything out and oil is based on eye test. Normally potatoes sit in little bit of oil so more then a coating over pan.

Gently scrub clean 5-6 potatoes.

Place in pot and cover with water. (about 2 inches over potatoes)

Boil for about 20-30 minutes covered loosely.

Drain and let cool for a few minutes.

(boiling with skin on keeps taters together)

Peel by hand, the skin will come off easily. This is hot work but gets easier when you develop 'chefs hands'.

Slice taters.

Place on griddle at medium heat, or if don't have griddle use large skillet.

Toss on griddle with about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Olive oil or butter are fine also.

Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Gives a nice color and touch of flavor.

Turn occasionally until evenly cooked.

If using onions add chopped onions when taters are put on griddle. You want them soft and translucent not caramelized.

* add chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley or your favorite fresh herb to fancy them up.

You can prep these a day in advance. Just store in Tupperware after boiling and slicing. (put in fridge hot with no lid, after they cool for an hour or so cover with lid.)

I'm not a chef like Zam but I used to own a luncheonette and sold about 15 lbs of these a day. Everyone seemed to like them.

theres more than one way to skin a potato.
this message brought to you by PITA, the folks who dont want you skinning cats!
well zam asks, why you wanna skin your potatos?
so many nutrients, almost all of the minerals from a potato are found in the skin!
try yukon golds or reds and leave the skin on!
I add bell peppers, (red, yellow and gold) as well as jalepenos and onions to my breakfast potatos.
if sliced thin like silver dollars, no need to boil in advance.
if cubed or quartered, a short par boil, 5-10 minutes length of time depending on the size can help to soften the spuds.

If i have royalty over for breakfast here is how I go about making breakfast potatos that will earn me a trip to the palace.
I get a mix of gemsone baby fingerling potatos, a variety of reds, russian bananas, creamers, etc.
i quarter these so they each are of similar size, i leave the skins on !
I dice my variety of peppers, red, gold, and yellow, along with jalepenos. I thinly slice a sweet onion, bermuda or vidallia, whatever is available.
in my WOK, I sautees my onions unti they carmelize, i de-glaze with stock then add my spuds and simmer for about five minutes, until spuds are tender.

I drain them off,I then add my peppers and spread out over a well greased baking sheet and hold in the oven around 275 degrees while I cook the rest of the breakfast.

when the eggs or waffles or pancakes or fritatas are done, I pull the spuds from the oven and set them on the plate and wait for the applause, prasie and sounds of approval from my fortunate guests.
I season with fresh cracked assorted peppercorns, tobasco and garlic salt.
If I am making a spanish breakfast i will usually add chili powder, cummin and corriander.


somebody very smart once said,
"last nights dinner potatos make the best breakfast potatos ,"
and they were right !

left over baked potatos were probably the origin of breakfast potatos, and so it is in many commercial kitchens.
POTATO SKINS?
these were invented by a restaurant with too many left over baked potatos from the night before !
My point/
utilize what you have, season with what you like, and always have some nice stock on hand, the foundation of any good cooking.

a quick breakfast potato?
hash browns!
grate fresh russet potatos on a cheese grater slice some thin onin, add peppers or mushrooms if you like, toss with oil, season and cook in a hot pan or lay out on a hot cast iron skillet and set in the hot425 oven or on the stove top!
5-8 minutes, start to finish.
You can make these faster than you can pull some frozen commercial crap out of the freezer, read the instructions and wait for thenm to thaw
and cook!

BTW all of your methods and ingredients sound greatI would suggest carmelized onins over the alternatives,
stock over water, and finishing in the oven so you can ignore them while you fix the rest of the breakfast.
and dont be afraid to experiment! a local restaurant, daily dose, uses MANGO for their hashbrown..
yeh, I know, mango hashbrowns WTF?
but they are awesome !
apples could worktoo.
so have fun, be creative, its breakfast after all, you have the rest of the day to redeem yourself if something does not work out !

" I'm not a chef like Zam but I used to own a luncheonette and sold about 15 lbs of these a day. Everyone seemed to like them. "

my dear freind, this is far greater testimony and attribute than some guy calling himsef "chef"
I applaude you, not only for taking on the task of being a foodservice owner, but also having the sense to get out !

success in the restaurant buisness is like a human trying to find the G-spot on an angry female gorilla,
alot of hard work and you often get your ass kicked when all along you are just trying to make someone happy.

Originally Posted by Softskull

Just a quick question Zam, do you have a specialty or are you a chef of all trades?

I started in the restaurant buisness when I was 15, I became a waiter as soon as I was old enough to serve liquor. I always thought the restaurant buisness was a dirty, filthy, unorganized, unprofessinal buisness.
But whil attending college to become a shrink, like my dad, I found work at a place called Bobby Mcgees, and I was hooked for life !
I attended and graduated the CIA ,hyde park NY in 1984.
But I spent the next 15 years as a manager and GM opening and operating restaurants in california, colorado, AZ,Vegas, alaska, texas and sydney australia.
My last GM job was at the DENVER ruth's Chris!
it was the year the broncos won their first superbowl ! my return to denver was destiny !
in 1999 before the change of the millenium, I took a look at my life and all the times the restaurant buisness had kicked me in the teeth and asked myself,
"why am I still in this F'd up buisness? "
answer:

I love the people!

so I returned to being a WAITER, the thing I do best and enjoy the most, and honestly, was far more lucrative than being a manager with a third of the hours and a third of the head-aches !
I hope this answers your questions.
the moniker "chef zambini", comes from the many personnas I developed as a costumed waiter at Bobby Mc Gees!
the great zambini
and chef luigi sarducci

cheese, parmesian, asiago or good ol cheddar also nice additions to breakfast potatos
if you are vice presedent, you can add an "E" to your potatoes !

Originally Posted by Chef Zambini

cheese, parmesian, asiago or good ol cheddar also nice additions to breakfast potatos
if you are vice presedent, you can add an "E" to your potatoes !

Delicious!

But all potatoes have an "E" Zam. The VP misspelled the singular version.

brines, rubs, and marinades:
here's the food science to all these methods.

an acid based brine or marinade will actually initiate its own 'cooking' process.
citrus acid especially.
alcohol infused marinades, (wine and beer) will do the same but with less efficiency.
an oil based marinade will combine all the flavors that steep in the oil and infuse them into your protein (meat)
and unlike the acids, will actually help to tenderize your protein without actually "cooking' it.
so....
for any overnight marinating, minimize your acid content, cook your alcohol first to burn off some of the actual alcohol but retain the flavor profile.
and use an OIL based merinade that will help to combine your flavors as well as tenderize your protein.
example :
ad your herbs and spices to a mild vegetable oil best if done a day in advance.
put your lamb chops or pork chops in the oli mixture and refrigerate overnight.
NO acid in the marinade, because that will cook this small piece of meat.
if you want to marinade chicken breasts with pinapple and soy, an hour or two is sufficent, an overnight marinade with strong pinapple juice will toughen your breast if left in too long.
salt aLWAYS INTENSIFIES OVER TIME, IT ALSO DRAWS THE JUICES FROM THE PROTEIN when applied.
it should be minimal, and if used as part of a "crust "applied only on the fat side or skin side of your protein to minimize the CURING process.
cracked black pepper, mustard and mustard seed make for a nice crust on large cuts of meat,

GO EASY ON THE SALT and almost never for any overnight marination.

as for temperatures,
all proteins are well done at 165 degrees farenheit, all of them !

cooking beyond 165 degrees will dry out ANY protein!
if you have a large peice of meat, a standing prime rib for example, when you wait until your thermometer reaches 165, after you remove the rib and just let it stand at room temperature, that large piece of meat will hold the heat and continue to cook and that same thermometer in 10 minutes will read 180 !
this phenomenon is called 'carry over cooking"
there is less of an effect for like a side of salmon, but something like a whole turkey or turkey breast or a brisket, you have to pull the meat out early. earlier than your intended final temperature to avoid overcooking.
for any fowl, I never cook the breast meat beyond 145
the thigh takes longer, if a chicken is left whole and stuffed with aromatics,

NEVER eat or prepare your final stuffing in the bird,

I check the thigh and pull at 150 to 155 depending on the size of the bird.
lower for bigger, because the mass increases the carry over cooking.
pork 140 for a nice hint of pink and 125 for a whole rib that i want to be medium rare.
hope this helps.

BRATS;
one of my tailgate favorites.
I fork pierce them, quick grill over open flames then hold in a pan of beer and sliced onions.
when the line forms, i snatch one out of the pan, give it another quick roast over the hot coals and top with some of those onions on request.
picled jalepeno discs my favorite condiment!
I save my jar of clausen pickle juice and just throw the fresh sliced japenos in there.
I never pay for pickling spices, I just re-purpose my clausen pickle jars brine.

FAVORITE TAILGATE 'SAUSAGE"

EARL CAMPBELLS HOT LINKS

Originally Posted by Chef Zambini

BRATS;
one of my tailgate favorites.
I fork pierce them, quick grill over open flames then hold in a pan of beer and sliced onions.
when the line forms, i snatch one out of the pan, give it another quick roast over the hot coals and top with some of those onions on request.
picled jalepeno discs my favorite condiment!
I save my jar of clausen pickle juice and just throw the fresh sliced japenos in there.
I never pay for pickling spices, I just re-purpose my clausen pickle jars brine.

FAVORITE TAILGATE 'SAUSAGE"

EARL CAMPBELLS HOT LINKS

I have reindeer polish dogs. Some of the best I have ever had. Amazing when BBQed, kabobs, seared in pan to mix into spaghetti sauce or eggs. Only in Alaska and luckily at COSTCO here. I think the other brand I like is Thompson.......at safeway normally.