In this video we will explore the topic of pickled onions. We will experiment using different ingredients to see which will give a better pickled onion. The experiments include testing different types of vinegars, sugars and onions. These experiments were very insightful in learning how each ingredient effects the taste of the pickled onion. Keep in mind with these tests; There are more variables to test and explore but I only have so many ingredients and containers so these test are not thorough and systematic. I like doing these test to learn about the impact different ingredients have on the final recipe and improve my knowledge. I hope these test help you guys feel more comfortable doing the same test with the foods you like to eat. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 intro 0:37 Simple pickled onions 1 purple/red onion 1 part Red Wine Vinegar [1 cup] 1 part Water [1 cup] 1/4 part white Sugar [1/4 cup] 3:34 complex pickled onion 1 purple/red onion 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds 1 top whole Black Pepper 1/2 Cup Water 1/4 Cup Red Vinegar 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar 1 tsp Fine Salt 1 tbsp Sugar 5:19 Taste test - Simple v.s Complex pickled onions 6:25 purple v.s yellow v.s white onion Brine: 1 part white Wine Vinegar [1 cup] 1 part Water [1 cup] 1/4 part white Sugar [1/4 cup] 6:42 Taste test - purple v.s yellow v.s white onion 7:27 White v.s brown sugar 1 White onion Brine: 1 part white Wine Vinegar [1 cup] 1 part Water [1 cup] 1/4 part brown Sugar [1/4 cup] 7:36 Taste test - White v.s brown sugar 7:56 vertical vs horizontally cut onions 1 horizontally cut red/purple onion Brine: 1 part white Wine Vinegar [1 cup] 1 part Water [1 cup] 1/4 part white Sugar [1/4 cup] 8:34 Distilled white vinegar test 1 White onion Brine: 1 part distilled white Vinegar 1 part Water 1/4 part white sugar 9:13 Pickled onion ranking. Best to worse. 10:52 lessons learned 11.24 conclusion 11:57 end FOLLOW ME: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatscookingray/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/whatscookingray/ EQUIPMENT Canning jars Pot for boiling brine Silicone spatula for stirring

Learn how to roast radishes like potatoes. Radishes are a good alternative to potatoes since they don’t have any starch. They are also easy to grow in the garden and ready to harvest within 30 days. This is an easy recipe that can be made as a quick friday night dinner. These roasted radishes are loved by everyone; including those that don’t like eating healthy foods. Please leave a comment if you have any questions. FOLLOW ME: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatscookingray/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/whatscookingray/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/whatscookingray INGREDIENTS 2 lb Radishes 3 tablespoons Olive oil 1 teaspoon Salt 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon Onion powder 1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Intro 0:31 prepare the radishes 0:50 Cut the radishes 0:58 Season the radishes 1:11 mix the seasoning into the radishes 1:19 place radishes on baking sheet 1:19 bake in oven 1:37 test doneness and season to taste 1:49 optional add-ins to switch it up 2:11 End

Eggnog? Make coquito instead. It’s a Puerto Rican coconut based holiday drink. It can be made with or without alcohol added. it's delicious either way. I will show you two ways make Coquito. The first is the stove top method, and the second is the sous vide method. Both will give you great results so choose the one that is the easiest for you. Also I will be doing some experiments with different rums to see how they taste in the coquito. So stick around at the end to see the results of that test. The most common alcohol to add is Bacardi. Everyone knows what it is. It's in every liquor store so it's easy to find. If you are not sure what to add then stick with this. My recommendation is to experiment and try as many different rums as you can. Usually if you like the taste of it then it will also do well in the coquito. White rum is the go-to that always work, but I've tried a few dark rums and they work in their own way also. I personally find the rums that are sweeter or very smooth will do the best in coquito. The sweet rums match the flavor of the coconut and the smooth rums don’t leave a bitter taste. After adding your alcohol you will need to let your coquito rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Preferably overnight for the alcohol to really blend into the coquito and mellow out. It will taste much better after you let it sit overnight. Results of the coquito tests: The take away is; Rum really is the best alcohol to use for coquito. Stick to Bacardi if you don’t have any experience with picking rums. [but] If you are a regular rum drinker then definitely take one of your favorite rums and add it to your coquito. It seems like both white and dark rums can work so try that out. The better the rum is the better it'll work in the coquito. FOLLOW ME: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatscookingray/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/whatscookingray/ INGREDIENTS 6 Egg Yolks 402g 1 Can Evaporated Milk 354g 1 Can Condensed Milk 396g Cinnamon Infusion 1/2 Cup of Water for cinnamon infusion 111g [for stovetop method use 2 cups of water to start the cinnamon infusion. Then you can pour 1/2 cup from the infused mixture.] 2 Cinnamon Sticks 1 Can Cream of Coconut (Coco Lopez) 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder [optional] Your favorite rum to taste. Standard is Bacardi but use any you like. General amounts to add when using 40% alcohol. ~8% abv: Add 1/4 cup per 1 cup of coquito base ~10% abv: Add 1/3 cup per 1 cup of coquito base ~13.3% abv: Add 1/2 cup per 1 cup of coquito base ~17% abv: Add 3/4 cup per 1 cup of coquito base TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 intro 0:39 Start of stove top Coquito 0:43 separate egg yolks 1:20 add evaporated and condensed milk 1:28 mix then add to sauce pan and cook to 160F[or for 5-10min] 2:23 make cinnamon infusion 2:23 add egg mixture and cinnamon infusion to blender 3:01 add Coco Lopez, vanilla extract and optional dash of cinnamon powder 3:28 blend to finish coquito base 3:48 add alcohol to taste 4:32 Chart for adding alcohol 4:55 let coquito rest overnight for best flavor 5:09 Start Sous Vide Method 5:21 Add evaporated milk and condensed milk to egg yolks [optional cinnamon powder] 5:30 Seal egg mixture 5:34 add water and cinnamon to bag and seal that up 5:39 add bags to sous vide and cook at 180F for 1:30 hour. 5:48 add egg and cinnamon mixture to blender 5:54 add Coco Lopez, vanilla extract and optional dash of cinnamon powder 6:21 add alcohol to taste and rest over night 6:42 alcohol test results 7:56 conclusion 8:42 end

Learn how to cold smoke cheese on any grill. Cold smoking is the process of infusing flavor from smoke into your cheese without using heat. The great thing about this process is that with some prep you can do this with any grill or smoker. If you don’t have a grill then you can use two heavy duty aluminum pans to form a shell and contain the smoke. The process is easy so anyone can do it. You can use any cheese from your local supermarket and turn them into really good smoked cheese for really cheap. All you need to have is a grill, wood pellets and a container for the wood pellets. I'm using cherry wood pellets which gives a great flavor but you can use any kind of pellets you like. It is recommended that you use mild wood varieties like apple, cherry, maple and pecan. The wood pellets are great because they are small and don’t give off too much heat. They also give off a lower but steady flow of smoke that burns clean which is preferred so that your cheese doesn’t take on harsh flavors from the smoke. The container I'm using to hold the pellets is a smoke tube. It is inexpensive and will work well for most people. You can also use a smoke basket/box which has an open top so it's more versatile and easy to use. You can smoke any cheese that does not have a low melting point. If the temperature gets too high, those cheeses might melt when they are smoked. The best cheeses to smoke are cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack and gouda. But don’t let that stop you. Feel free to experiment and try to smoke as many different cheeses as you can. I will be adding two kinds of mozzarella so that I can have some smoked cheese for my pizzas. Also I'll throw in a chunk of gouda which is really good for snacking. I just made some Colby cheese also so I'll throw that in too. Tips on lighting the pellets: Place your filled smoke tube on the grill or heat resistant surface like concrete. Use a torch to light the pellets. The goal is to torch them until the pellets can hold a flame on their own. You will then let the pellets burn for a minute or two to build up a nice bed of embers. Once there is enough embers to sustain the smoking, blow out the flame so that the pellets smolder instead of flame. Its best to use a good propane torch to do this. Using a smaller torch will take longer so keep that in mind. Smoke the cheese: For soft cheeses like mozzarella; smoke for 2 hours, for harder cheeses; smoke for 4 hours. Come back every hour and check your cheese to make sure the smoke is still going good. I like to flip the cheese over half way so that both sides can get even smoke. Make sure to monitor your temperature and add ice if needed to keep the cheese cool. Age Cheese: Age in the fridge at least one week and as much as 3 weeks. The longer you let it age the better it will taste. FOLLOW ME: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatscookingray/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/whatscookingray/ INGREDIENTS Cheese of your choice EQUIPMENT Smoke generator Smoke Tube [The one I use] https://www.amazon.com/LIZZQ-Premium-Pellet-Smoker-Tube/dp/B06ZZRR7XD/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-drs1_0?cv_ct_cx=smoke+tube&dchild=1&keywords=smoke+tube&pd_rd_i=B06ZZRR7XD&pd_rd_r=10d5f3a3-0e62-4291-a7d6-6e80fbd8151a&pd_rd_w=f1e6q&pd_rd_wg=IvSUB&pf_rd_p=c33e4373-edb9-47f9-a7e6-5d3d6a7a4ad0&pf_rd_r=2YJN56S18K9FEDYRXPB8&psc=1&qid=1607479409&sr=1-1-5e875a02-02b1-4426-9916-8a5c26cd5a14 If using aluminum pan. Use a smoke generator that does not sit directly on the pan like this one. Open top smoke basket/box [Recommended] https://www.amazon.com/Buzzlett-Pellet-Smoker-Perfect-Smoking/dp/B08G4G4SXD/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Buzzlett+12+Hours+Pellet+Maze+Smoker+Tray&qid=1609571986&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-1 Wood Pellets https://www.amazon.com/Traeger-PEL309-32116-Cherry-Pellets/dp/B000VZOQXG/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=cherry+wood+pellets&qid=1607479384&sr=8-3 Propane Torch This is the one I use but there are cheaper options from other brands. You will need to get a tank of propane to use with this. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019CQL60/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Grill/Smoker or Heavy duty aluminum pans TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 intro 0:04 What is cold smoking cheese 0:30 what grill to use 1:07 what wood pellets to use 1:40 what container to use for the pellets 2:11 what cheese to smoke 2:49 the importance of temperature 3:50 light the wood pellets 4:15 add the cheese to the grill 4:51 smoke the cheese 5:34 Take finished cheese out and bring them inside 5:59 cool then seal the cheese 6:18 age the cheese 6:45 conclusion 7:17 end