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Difficulty: Lil' Bit / Prompted by: a family friend / Time Donation: Total 3 hours and 25 minutes, 25 min prep, 3 hour 3 hours intermittently stirring, cleanup in between stirring Yield: about 3 liters (about 3 quarts) Choose Your Own Adventure... Savory. Rich. Warming. ESSENTIAL GEAR: 5.7L (6qt) stainless steel stock pot w/heavy bottom a very sharp knife wooden cutting board large stainless steel bowl (2) medium bowls wooden spatula stainless steel ladle (for stirring) vegetable peeler 500ml measuring cup (about 2.5 cups) Not pictured (sorry 'bout that) digital kitchen scale digital gram scale (0.1 resolution) SUFFICIENT GEAR 4L (4.2qt) stock pot a knife cutting surface large bowl (2) medium bowls bowls for soaking vegetables wooden spatula something for stirring vegetable peeler 500ml measuring cup (about 2.5 cups) Not pictured (sorry 'bout that) digital kitchen scale all sorts of measuring spoons and cups MISE EN PLACE INGREDIENTS Roast 30g flour 2.5g salt (1/2 tsp) 500g chuck roast steak, trimmed of fat, and cut into 2.5 cm cubes (1 in) 27g Wagyu tallow (3 blocks or 2 Tbsp) OR 27g oil (2 Tbsp) Stew 115g red wine (1/2 cup) 115g water (1/2 cup) 236g apple juice (1 cup) 400g crushed tomatoes (14 oz can) 100g maitake or other mushrooms, finely chopped (1/2 cup) 20g garlic cloves, finely chopped (4 cloves) celery trimmings 2g ground black pepper (1 tsp) 2.5g mustard powder (1 tsp) 0.5g dried oregano (1/2 tsp) 0.25g dried thyme (1/4 tsp) 6g paprika (1 Tbsp) 2 bay leaves Vegetables NOTE: It is recommended to prep the vegetables after starting the simmer. 250g carrots, peeled, diced into 1.25 cm pieces (1/2 in) (about two medium carrots) 100g celery, sliced thin (one large stalk of celery) 450g potatoes, peeled, diced into 1.25 cm cubes (1/2 in) , and soaked in just enough water to cover (about 3 medium potatoes) 150g onion, sliced lengthwise into arches 230g potato water (1 cup) 7.5g salt (1 1/2 tsp) PROCESS Add the salt and flour to a large bowl. Add the beef cubes and toss to coat. NOTE: To enhance the richness of the dish, you can add the large pieces of trimmed fat at this point. You will remove them at the end, along with the celery trimmings and bay leaves. Add the tallow or oil to the stock pot. Heat the pot over medium heat until it sheens (about 30-60 seconds). Add all of the beef cubes to the pot, little by little, while keeping them moving. Allow them to brown, turning so they do not burn. Some flour will stick to the bottom of the pot. Brown the beef on all sides (if you can, but don't try too hard). Once browned, add the red wine and water to deglaze the pan. Ensure to scrape the bottom of the pan to remove all of the fond (burnt bits). If using a non-stick pan, ensure to use a wooden spatula to remove the fond, not a metal utensil. Add the remaining stew ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. During the simmering, ensure to stir occasionally to prevent burning, as the ingredients will sink to the bottom. Add the carrots and celery to the pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remember to stir occasionally. To the pot, add the onions and potatoes (reserving the starchy potato water). Stir the potato water and collect 230g (1 cup) of the water. Add the 230g (1 cup) of the potato water to the pot. Stir to combine. Simmer for 50 minutes, uncovered. You will really need to stir occasionally at this point. Add more potato water if necessary to keep everything covered. Remove the celery trimmings and bay leaves. If you added the beef fat chunks, remove that too. Salt to taste with the 7.5g of salt. Stir to combine. NOTE: You'll probably need it all, maybe a little more depending on your preference. Check the beef for tenderness and the vegetables for consistency. If necessary, continue to simmer until everything is to your liking. Serve with bread and/or rice and top with asiago cheese, a splash of heavy cream, and or crackers. Enjoy. *NOTE: You can probably make this in a slow cooker or pressure cooker. If I ever get a hold of either of those appliances, I'll post the procedure. FEATURED INGREDIENTS (optional) JDM Wagyu tallow STORYTIME A family friend had told me that he wanted to make beef stew, but because we live in Japan, beef stock and bullion are hard to find, so he hasn't been able to make any. I had the same obstacle. I then set out to solve our shared problem and make a beef stew without stock or bullion. I started with my uncle's slow cooker beef stew recipe. I then came up with a stock-as-you-stew method and decided to use rich, beefy tasting ingredients that would lend the flavors of a beef stock; chuck roast, beef trimmings, Wagyu tallow, red wine, and mushrooms, along with celery trimmings. After a few tries, it worked. I feel like the result is just as good or maybe even better than a beef stew with beef stock. Hence, We Don't Need No Stinking Stock (WDNNSS) Beef Stew was born! SHOUTOUT (optional) A special thanks goes out to my uncle for the original slow cooker recipe. Playlist: Coming Soon...

Difficulty: Super Mario Bros. (NES) World 1-1 / Requested by: me / Time Donation: 25 minutes, 5 min prep, 15 min process, 5 min cleanup Yield: 500 ml (about 16 oz) Choose Your Own Adventure... Zesty. Semi-sweet. Refreshing. ESSENTIAL GEAR: stainless steel pot sharp knife digital kitchen scale hand colander glass container with lid peeler (optional) grater (optional) funnel (optional) SUFFICIENT GEAR any pot decent knife measuring spoons and cups straining device ceramic bowl w/plastic wrap MISE EN PLACE INGREDIENTS 20g lemon juice, fresh squeezed (4 tsp) 4g lemon peel (4 strips) 50g honey (2 Tbsp) 24g ginger root, rinsed, thin sliced and rough chopped (2 knobs?) 65g sugar (5 Tbsp) 500 ml water (2.11 cups) *NOTE: Peel the ginger if you really want to, but especially if it looks nasty. PROCESS Add everything to a pot. Stir until the sugar and honey are dissolved. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Strain into a container of your choice. Share and Enjoy! The OCDC Ginger Beer Syrup Recipes: Ginger Beer: 1 part The OCDC Ginger Beer Syrup 2 parts soda water desired amount of ice Moscow Mule: 60g good vodka (2 oz) 14g fresh lime juice (about ½ medium lime) 118g ginger beer (4 oz) Lime wedge, for garnish desired amount of ice Kentucky Mule: same as above, but replace good vodka with good bourbon Share and Enjoy! FEATURED INGREDIENTS very fresh ginger very fresh lemon acacia honey from Hungary organic cane sugar STORYTIME After brewing beer for many years, we wanted to offer a non-alcoholic beverage to our guests, so we made a ginger beer recipe to serve on tap from kegs. We realized that we needed to adapt the recipe for home use, so we developed this recipe. SHOUTOUT A special thanks goes out to Arcana Brewing Company for inspiring us to dig up this recipe. You can find a version of this at their taproom in Carlsbad, CA. If you're in town, pay them a visit! Playlist:

Difficulty: Pre-school / Wagyu Series: no. 2 / Time Donation: Total 27 min, 5 min prep, 20 min process (15 min inactive time), 2 min cleanup Yield: almost a pound Choose Your Own Adventure... Roasted. Salty. Tasty. EVERYTHING YOU NEED: well-seasoned, cast iron pan stainless steel spatula INGREDIENTS 450g unsalted, roasted or unroasted nuts 5g Wagyu tallow, bacon fat, or other oil (1 tsp) 5g sea salt (1 tsp) more salt, to taste (if you must) fresh cracked pepper (optional) PROCESS Over medium heat, melt the fat in the cast iron pan. Add the salt and mix to combine. Add the nuts and mix to combine. Saute for about 5 minutes, moving near constantly. (You can roast for less time if your nuts are already roasted) You will hear sizzling from the oil outside and inside the nuts. Let cool for about 15 minutes. Internal roasting will occur during this time. Share and Enjoy! *NOTE: If you taste the nuts while they're hot, you will burn your mouth. Also, they won't be crunchy. STORYTIME I once bought unsalted nuts in Japan by accident and got very upset. Then I got sad. Then I made bacon. Then I had the idea to roast the unsalted nuts in the bacon fat and add salt. Then I got happy. Playlist: Coming soon...

Difficulty: Pretty Easy / Requested by: SuperPanda / Time Donation: Total 1 hour and 5 minutes, 15 min prep, 40 min process, 10 min cleanup Yield: 3 liters Choose Your Own Adventure... Rich. Balanced. Savory ESSENTIAL GEAR: 3.3L stainless steel pot silicon spatula a very sharp knife digital kitchen scale bowls for soaking vegetables SUFFICIENT GEAR a pot big enough to fit the ingredients (larger than 3L) something to mix the ingredients whilst sauteing a sharp knife your eyeballs to guess measurements bowls MISE EN PLACE INGREDIENTS 600g filtered water, room temp or colder (2.5 cups) 400-500g potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1/2 in cubes (about 3 medium potatoes) 15g salt (3 tsp) 15ml oil (1.5 Tbsp) 250-350g carrots, chopped into 1/2 in pieces (2-3 medium carrots) 300-400g onions, sliced into arches (about 2 medium onions) 300-400g thin sliced pork thigh (about 3/4 to 1 lb) OR 300-400g other cuts of pork, beef, or chicken (about 3/4 to 1 lb) 395g Japanese homemade curry roux (14 oz, 7/8 lb) ( Click Here for The OCDC Recipe ) OR 225g Japanese store-bought curry roux (8 oz, 1/2 lb) 2 bay leaves PROCESS *VARIETY NOTE: If using other cuts of pork, beef, or chicken, cook separately, and add at the end of the recipe to avoid over cooking them. Add the potatoes to a bowl and cover with the 600ml of filtered water. Jostle and stir them a bit to wash off some of the exterior starch. This will help them cook more evenly and the starch will help thicken the curry. Add the oil to the pot and then layer the pot from the bottom with carrots, 1/3 of the salt, onions, 1/3 of the salt, then the thin sliced pork thigh. Saute on medium heat for 10 minutes or until the onions are slightly translucent, mixing about halfway through. When mixing, you should notice water that has been drawn out from the vegetables from the addition of salt. Add the potatoes and potato water to the pot and bring to a medium boil. Boil for 10 minutes, turn off heat. Add the curry roux and stir to completely combine. Bring to a simmer and hold for 5 minutes. Serve with Japanese rice, fukujinzuke, and shichimi togarashi (as pictured below). Share and Enjoy! FEATURED INGREDIENTS Homemade Japanese Curry Roux ( Click Here for The OCDC Recipe ) STORYTIME This recipe is the homemade version of the recipe that my wife has made for many years. My daughter loves Japanese curry, and I wanted to make one from scratch, because the store bought roux blocks seemed too processed. I did quite a bit of research and made a bunch of trial batches, until I adjusted the spice blend to our liking and landed on this one. It reminds us of a gourmet version of House Vermont curry. Everyone joins "The Clean Plate Club" when this is served. We love it and hope you will too! SHOUTOUT A special thanks goes out to a bunch of Japanese food bloggers (there are too many to name). I also forgot which ones I looked up. Playlist: Maybe one day...

Difficulty: High School Culinary Class / Requested by: SuperPanda / Time Donation: Total 45 minutes, 10 min prep, 30 min process, 5 min cleanup Yield: enough roux for 3 liters of Japanese curry Choose Your Own Adventure... Rich. Savory. Complex. ESSENTIAL GEAR: *NOTE: It's important that your whisk can reach the corners of your pot, or your roux will burn. Ensure that you have a proper whisk/pot match. You can also use a skillet, but I prefer to use my roux pot to make Japanese curry immediately after making this recipe. 3.3L stainless steel pot silicon spatula stainless steel whisk digital kitchen scale ceramic or glass bowl for storage (lid optional) SUFFICIENT GEAR a pot big enough to fit the ingredients spatula whisk digital kitchen scale bowl for storage (lid optional) MISE EN PLACE INGREDIENTS 50g unsalted butter or oil 50g flour 20g Japanese curry powder ( Click Here for The OCDC Recipe ) 200g cold apple juice (make sure that it's good) 30g good soy sauce (full sodium) 15g excellent Worcestershire sauce 30g tasty honey PROCESS *WARNING: The word whisk and whisking will be used a lot in this recipe. Also, you will be doing a lot of whisking in this recipe. If you are squeamish about whisking, find a whisk stand-in to assist with all of the whisking that will need to be performed with the proper whisk. *NOTE (about the whisk) : It's important that your whisk can reach the corners of your pot, or your roux will burn. Ensure that you have a proper whisk/pot match. You can also use a skillet, but I prefer to use my roux pot to make Japanese curry immediately after making this recipe. Melt the butter in the pot. Over medium-low to medium heat, add the flower, little by little, while whisking it into the butter, until fully combined. This is now roux. Continue to whisk at a medium pace, ensuring that all of the roux is constantly moving and does not burn. Lower the heat if necessary. Keep whisking for about 5 minutes until the roux is smooth and golden. You can stop here or whisk for about another 5-10 minutes until the roux is a nice golden brown. The choice is yours, depending on whether you want a toastier roux or not. While still whisking, add the curry powder, little by little until fully incorporated. Keep whisking for about 2 minutes and allow the spices to toast a bit. Again, whisk longer for a more toasted flavor. Turn off the heat. Combine the cold apple juice, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. This is now SWapple juice. While whisking, slowly add the mixture of cold SWapple juice to the roux. The roux will thicken as you add the juice. Continue to whisk until smooth. Warm the honey, so that it's easy to pour. add the honey to the roux, and whisk it in. This is the final whisking. Use the spatula to move all of the roux to a bowl for storage. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 1 month. I use my roux and roux pot to make Japanese curry immediately after making this recipe *NOTE: You can take whisking breaks between the steps. If you do, ensure to turn off the heat, so that the roux does not burn. FEATURED INGREDIENTS homemade Japanese curry powder ( Click Here for The OCDC Recipe ) Torii barrel-aged Worcestershire Sauce Fueki Kinbue Koikuchi barrel-aged dark soy sauce (since 1789) STORYTIME My daughter loves Japanese curry. I wanted to make one from scratch, because the store bought roux blocks seemed too processed. I did quite a bit of research and made a bunch of trial batches, until I adjusted the spice blend to our liking and landed on this one. SHOUTOUT (optional) A special thanks goes out to a bunch of Japanese food bloggers (there are too many to name). I also forgot which ones I looked up. Playlist: Coming one day...

Difficulty: The Konami Code / Requested by: me and anyone in Japan who thinks that they can't make pizza in their tiny kitchen / Time Donation: Total 30 min, 5 min prep, 20 min process, 5 min cleanup Yield: (1) delicious 20cm (8ish inch) pizza Choose Your Own Adventure... Simple. Delicious. Pizza. ESSENTIAL GEAR: Japanese Konro (fish broiler) Japanese gas stove well seasoned 10.25 inch cast iron skillet large stainless steel spatula two baking sheets pizza cutter cooling rack infared temperature gun (optional) toothpick (not pictured) SUFFICIENT GEAR any old broiler any stovetop 10.25 inch non-stick skillet (it might work) large spatula two baking sheets pizza cutter cooling rack any pointy object to poke holes with MISE EN PLACE INGREDIENTS (1) 110g doughball ( Click Here for The OCDC Recipe ) pizza sauce 4-6 leaves of fresh basil 50g fresh mozzarella flour for dusting PROCESS STEP 1 Generously flour a baking sheet. Preheat the cast iron skillet on medium-low heat and the konro on medium heat. Place the dough ball on the flour. Using the side of your hand, press the dough ball from the center, rolling outward, to flatten the middle, rotating it, and pressing it, until a crust has formed and the dough ball resembles a small, uncooked pizza crust with no toppings. Pick up the dough ball, and stretch it with your thumbs and pointer fingers, further forming the edge of the crust. When the dough is about 20cm (8 inches), stop stretching. If the dough tears, just pinch it closed. It will be okay, but try not to tear it. Be gentle, it's your little dough baby. Place the dough back down on the floured baking sheet. If you have an infrared thermometer, check the pan to ensure that the temp in the center is between 200 and 230 C (400 and 450F). If you don't have one, preheating it for 5 minutes should be sufficient. Just make sure that it's hot, but the oil from the seasoning is not smoking. Gently lay the pizza crust in the skillet like you're perfectly placing a blanket on a bed in reverse, starting with the edge closest to you. If you mess it up, you have about 5 seconds to adjust it, so adjust it quickly, so that there are no wrinkles. 10. Immediately take the toothpick and poke holes in the dough, near the inside edge of the crust, and work your way in a spiral motion, to the center of the pizza. This will ensure that the center of the crust does not rise as much. Bake the dough for 2 minutes, then use the spatula to flip it. Bake it for 2 more minutes. It should be slightly browned and spotted on both sides. If it's not, keep baking it, and flipping it until it's done. At this point, turn off the konro and burner. Let the dough cool on the other baking sheet and get the toppings prepared. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the par-baked crust for up to 5 days and start step 2 at your leisure. STEP 2: Preheat the cast iron skillet on medium-low heat and the konro on medium heat. Assemble the pizza, minimal sauce, basil, then top the basil with the fresh cheese. You want to use minimal sauce and cheese due to the high moisture content of fresh mozzarella. If you use too much of either, you'll make a soup pizza. Placing the basil in between the sauce and cheese will prevent burning the basil. Place the assembled pizza in the back portion of the konro tray and close it. Bake for 2 minutes, rotate, and bake for 2 more minutes. If the top of the pizza doesn't look done, keep baking and rotating it. Remove the pizza from the konro with the spatula and place it in the skillet. Turn off the konro. Bake the bottom of the pizza for between 2 and 4 minutes, until the desired crisp has been achieved. Use the spatula to remove the pizza and place it on the cooling rack. This will ensure a crispy bottom. Let the pizza cool for 5 minutes. Place it on a backing sheet and slice it using the pizza cutter. Share and enjoy! *VARIETY NOTE: You can literally put anything on a pizza, so be creative! Here are some ideas, cheese, pepperoni, and sausage. Go crazy! (but not too crazy) STORYTIME While living in Japan I found that I couldn't make pizza in my tiny kitchen due to not having an oven. We had a microwave / IH burner oven, but it would completely burn the top of pizza and not cook the bottom. Trust, I tried all kinds of wacky methods to solve the problem, but to no avail. I came up with the idea to par-bake pizza crusts and use a skillet / konro combo to perfectly bake them. The idea came to me in a movement of high clarity while making a pan-baked naan recipe at my daughter's house; Wal-Mart was out of naan bread, so I decided to make my own. While making the naan, I remembered that Prager Bros. bakery in Carlsbad, California used to par-bake their crusts. At the same time, I also realized that I could make par-baked crusts. Then I could use them like Mama Mary's premade crusts to make pizzas, just like in 6th grade. However, in my tiny kitchen, I still didn't have an oven. I instinctively knew that I could cook the top and bottom of the pizza separately. Boom! Now I make 8 par-baked crusts at a time and we all have our personal pan pizzas. BOOK IT! SHOUTOUT A special thanks goes out to Wal-Mart for not having naan that one time; not to Prager Brothers though, cause the manager banned me from our pizza relationship. That's another story. Playlist: Somebody already made a pizza making playlist and it gets The OCD seal of approval.

Difficulty: toddler / Requested by: SuperPanda / Time Donation: Total 15 minutes, 5 min prep, 10 min, no real cleanup Yield: 5 servings for Japanese curry (107g) Choose Your Own Adventure... One serving of spice (21g). ESSENTIAL/SUFFICIENT GEAR: digital gram scale (0.1 resolution) any container that will hold 107g of ground spices MISE EN PLACE INGREDIENTS *All Ground Spices 15g tumeric 20g coriander 10g cumin 5g cardamon 2g clove 3.5g fennel 8g fenugreek 5g cinnamon 5g nutmeg 10g garlic 10g ginger 5g black pepper 4g white pepper 1.5g cayenne pepper 1g all spice 1g thyme 1g sage PROCESS 1. Put all of the ingredients into a container 2. Enjoy in curry recipes, such as Japanese Curry. *VARIETY NOTE: Feel free to elevate this recipe by using whole spices, toasting them in a frypan over medium heat until fragrant, then grind them with a ceramic or stainless steel grinder. STORYTIME My daughter loves Japanese curry. I wanted to make one from scratch, because the store bought roux blocks seemed too processed. I did quite a bit of research and made a bunch of trial batches, until I adjusted the spice blend to our liking and landed on this one. SHOUTOUT (optional) A special thanks goes out to a bunch of Japanese food bloggers (there are too many to name). I also forgot which ones I looked up. Playlist: Coming soon...

Difficulty: Youchien / Requested by: The OCDC Pizza Dough / Time Donation: About 20 mins Yield: 850g...almost 1 quart Choose Your Only Adventure... Easy. Simple. Tasty. ESSENTIAL GEAR: 2L stainless steel pot stainless steel spoon SUFFICIENT GEAR 2L pot any stirring utensil MISE EN PLACE INGREDIENTS 800g crushed tomatoes (whole or chopped will work as well) 17g good olive oil (1 1/2 Tbsp) 5-10g sugar (1 - 2 tsp) (use more if the tomatoes are too acidic) 0.015g cayenne pepper (1/8 tsp) 7.5g sea salt (3/4 tsp) 0.5g black pepper (1/2 tsp) 2g garlic powder (1/2 tsp) 0.5g dried Italian seasoning or oregano or basil (1 tsp) (double amount for fresh herbs) PROCESS 1. Combine all ingredients in a pot. 2. Bring to a simmer. 3. Let cool then chill. 4. Enjoy on your pizza! Playlist: Coming one day...

Difficulty: Japanese 5th Grade / Requested by: pizza loving friends / Time Donation: Total 4 hours and 50 minutes, 5 min prep, 35 min process (4 hours inactive time), 10 min cleanup Yield: (8) 110g dough balls good for (8) 20cm (7.8 in) pizzas OR (2) 440g dough balls good for (2) 36cm (14 in) pizzas OR Divide the dough however you want Choose Your Own Adventure... Flour. Salt. Yeast. Filtered Water. ESSENTIAL GEAR: wooden cutting board flat baking sheet or other work surface 2-gallon plastic, wide container with lid plastic dough scraper precision digital scale (0.1g resolution) digital scale (2000g max capacity) sturdy silicon spatula plastic whisk your hands bowl for water (not pictured, sorry 'bout that) SUFFICIENT GEAR any working surface any container with lid or plastic wrap digital scale or a ton of measuring spoons and cups a spatula and a spoon your hands bowl for water MISE EN PLACE INGREDIENTS 500g all-purpose flour (around 11% protein content) (3 1/4 cups) 365g filtered water (1 1/2 cups) 4g active dry yeast (1.5 tsp) 11.2g salt (2 tsp) olive oil for greasing filtered water for wetting your hands *NOTE: Use the chart below to adjust yeast amounts, and thus rise times. 2g (3/4 tsp) - 6 hours 1.1 g (0.38 tsp) - 12 hours 0.7g (1/4 tsp) - 18 hours 0.54 (1/8 tsp) - 24 hours PROCESS STEP1: Measure the flour in the large plastic container. Measure the water in the bowl. Measure the yeast and salt in small containers that are easy to pour from. Using the spatula, make a well in the flour. Pour the water into the well and use the whisk to combine the flour on the edge of the well until enough flour is incorporated to make a cake batter-like consistency. Some small clumping is okay. Use the spatula to combine the dough by cutting it and mixing it. Then press it, fold it on top of itself, press it out, and then folding it again, similar to kneading. You can alternatively use your hands. Make sure to wet your hands if you attempt this to prevent the dough from sticking as you knead the dough. Rewet your hands as needed to prevent sticking. Stop when the flour has been incorporated with the water and an ugly dough ball has been formed. If a small amount of flour is left behind, it's okay. It doesn't need to be perfect. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. This helps enhance the dough by promoting gluten development for texture and sugar for fermentability. It is known as autolyse, pronounced "auto-lease". Wet your hands. Press out the dough to cover the entire bottom of the plastic container. Evenly sprinkle the yeast over the top of the dough. Evenly sprinkle the salt over the top of the dough. Gently press the yeast and salt into the dough. Wet your hands again, and as many times as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Take each corner of the dough, stretching it to the max (without tearing it) one by one, and fold the dough on top of itself to create layers. Use the pincher method to pinch the dough in three or four places, without breaking the dough, rotate the dough a quarter turn, pinch again, rotate, and pinch again. Form the dough into a dough ball and place on the seam, in the plastic container. It can still be ugly. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Wet your hands, flatten the dough, fold the dough over itself a few times, and then form into a nicer looking dough ball. Let sit at room temperature for 3 hours, unless you adjusted the amount of yeast. In that case, let the dough sit for the appropriate amount of time based on the yeast measurement. STEP 2: The dough should have risen to fill the bottom of the plastic container. Generously flour your working surface. Preferably a flat baking sheet or a large cutting board (to make clean up easier). Remove the lid from the plastic container and take a moment to enjoy the aroma of fermentation. Liberally flour the edges of the dough. This makes it easier to remove from the container. Using the pinky-finger side of your hand, work around the edges of the dough, working it completely loose from the container, then turn it out onto the floured surface. Using the dough scraper or your hand, clean the dough from the bottom of the plastic container. Oil the bottom of the container or cover it with flour. Using the dough scraper divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (110g each) OR into 2 equal pieces (440g each). Form the pieces into medium-tight dough balls using your hands or by using the pull method on a wooden cutting board. For both methods, start with a piece of dough on the floured surface. Pull the corners of the dough, stretching them to the max (without tearing it) one by one, and place them in the center of the dough, attempting to create an even distribution of dough throughout the ball. For the hand method, turn the dough over, and use your palms to press the bottom seam of the dough closed, rotate the dough a quarter turn, and use your palms to press the bottom closed. Repeat this until the seam on the bottom is closed and the doughball is tight. For the pull method, turn the dough over onto a wooden cutting board, ensuring that there is minimal flour on the bottom of the doughball and no flour on the board. Cup your hands around the back of the dough ball as you face it. Pull the entire dough ball toward you about 2 inches leading with your ring or pinky fingers. Ensure to apply enough downward pressure, so that the front of the dough ball grips the surface and turns under itself. If it slides, try applying more pressure. Give the ball a quarter turn and pull again. Repeat this until a sealed seam has been created underneath the dough ball and the dough ball is medium-tight. As you form the dough balls, place them back in the plastic container, evenly spaced. You can also place them into individually oiled containers or onto an oiled sheet pan. I prefer individual containers if I'm not going to bake all of the pizzas at once. Dust the tops of the dough balls with flour. Cover and place in the fridge. Wait one hour for the dough balls to reincorporate. Now it's pizza time! *NOTE: You can keep the dough balls in the fridge for up to 24 hours. After that they loose their freshness, but I've used them up to 3 days later. RECIPES COMING SOON! Japanese Konro Pizza Pizza Oven Pizza Home Oven Pizza Naan FEATURED INGREDIENTS (optional) Nippn Strong Flour OR King Arthur All-Purpose Flour STORYTIME I've had a serious relationship with pizza my entire life. In 2014 I took it to the next level and asked pizza to be my life-partner. I've been making homemade pizza ever since. In 2024, we finally settled on a pizza oven, the original Roccbox. We're not sure if it will be our forever pizza oven, but we love it, and it's ours. SHOUTOUT (optional) A special thanks goes out to Ken Forkish for writing the amazing book, Flour Water Salt Yeast. Playlist: Coming Soon...

Difficulty: Guns N Roses, Patience / Requested by: Rilakkumaisnumber1 / Time Donation: Total 1 day 10 hours, 15 min prep, 1 day 9 hours 30 min process (1 day 8 hours inactive), 15 min cleanup Yield: as much as you want Choose Your Own Adventure... Funky. Spicy. Garlicy. ESSENTIAL GEAR: large plastic container w/ lid glass jar w/ sealing lid wooden cutting board sharp knife grater digital kitchen scale plastic gloves colander large bowl SUFFICIENT GEAR large container w/ plastic wrap plastic container w/ sealing lid cutting board knife digital kitchen scale plastic gloves colander large bowl MISE EN PLACE *NOTE: This recipe includes a spreadsheet calculator, in order to accurately adjust ingredient amounts based on the weight of the chopped cabbage. If you're not using the spreadsheet, follow the amounts below. Download the spreadsheet here: STEP1: INGREDIENTS 1500g napa cabbage, chopped 300g carrots (and/or daikon), cut into matchsticks 42g sea salt 114g filtered water PROCESS: Rinse any dirt from the outside of the cabbage. Chop the cabbage into bite size pieces and the carrots into matchsticks. Using a very sharp knife will prevent bruising and keep the cabbage and carrots fresher. Discard the bottom of the cabbage and any brown or wilted parts. Weigh the cabbage and the carrots. If using the spreadsheet, record the amounts. Rinse the cabbage thoroughly with filtered water in a colander. Add cabbage and carrots to the plastic tub (brining container) with the salt, layering the veggies and the salt. Gently mix and massage to fully combine. Add the water to the brining container and mix to combine. After about 2 hours, the salt will pull out enough moisture from the veggies to cover the cabbage. If this did not naturally occur, press the cabbage down until it is covered with water. Refrigerate overnight, about 8 hours. The veggies can sit for a few days like this if you're feeling lazy. I've let it sit for a week before; not that you should do that. STEP 2: INGREDIENTS 1560g napa cabbage and carrots (pickled, rinsed, and squeeze-drained) *NOTE: the salt will have pulled out so much water from the cabbage that you'd accuse it of being on a fad diet. That's why that amount is different from the original 1500g of cabbage. 46g garlic, grated 19g ginger, grated 33g green onions, chopped 28g sugar 28g fish sauce 7g sea salt 92g Korean red pepper 7g togarashi (optional) *NOTE: if using the spreadsheet, disregard the amounts above and follow the amounts in the spreadsheet. PROCESS Remove the cabbage and carrots from the brining container and place in a colander, in a sink. Rinse the vegetables thoroughly with filtered water. Glove up or wash your hands like George Clooney before entering the ER. Take a small amount of vegetable mixture in your hand. Rinse it with water, and squeeze the water out over the sink; repeat the rinse and squeeze two more times. Place the rinsed and squeezed cabbage mixture back in the brining container. Using that method, rinse and squeeze the water from the remaining cabbage mixture and place it in the brining container. This step is important or the kimchi will be too salty. Prepare the kimchi containers. I prepare the kimchi containers by spraying the inside and the inside of the tops with rubbing alcohol, letting that sit for a minute then wiping it clean with a small piece of paper towel. As long as they're clean, you should be good. Glove up! Seriously. Place the remaining ingredients on top of the cabbage in the brining container. Then mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Now place the kimchi in the containers using your gloved hands, and gently press down with each addition, to ensure that there are nearly zero air pockets. Leave about an inch of headspace in each container. When the kimchi ferments, it may expand. If there isn't enough empty space at the top of each container, when the container is opened, it will foam and overflow. Trust, leave the space. Wipe the rim of each container to remove kimchi residue. Again, I use rubbing alcohol and small swatches of paper towels to do this. You can clean them however you want. Place the lids on the kimchi containers and tighten. Put the containers in a dark place, not mentally, but physically. STEP 3: INGREDIENTS patience or not PROCESS You can totally place the kimchi in the refrigerator and be fine, or you can follow the fermentation process below. The natural occurring yeast and bacteria on the vegetables will start to consume sugars in the kimchi and produce CO2, flavor compounds, and acid (think sourness, not movies from the '80s). The yeast and bacteria will be more active at higher temperatures and less active at lower temperatures. Check the kimchi containers every 8 hours and open the lids to release pressure. VERY IMPORTANT: if you don't do this, the containers may explode! Taste the kimchi every 8 hours until the desired sourness and funk are achieved. I usually wait 1 to 2 days. I don't like sour kimchi or kimchi bombs. Once the desired taste has been achieved, chill the kimchi. It will keep for a long while, but I'm going to say that you should only keep it for 2 to 3 weeks. Share and Enjoy! It is great by itself, on top of rice, in fried rice, in nabe, with Japanese curry, and stir fried with shaved pork belly! FEATURED INGREDIENTS Korean crushed red pepper (VERY IMPORTANT) Japanese crushed red pepper spice blend craft fish sauce roasted sea salt natural sugar STORYTIME My wife wanted me to make homemade kimchi, so after a lot of failed attempts, I figured it out. Playlist: Coming soon...

Difficulty: Easy Peasy / Requested by: everyone who has ever tried it / Time Donation: Total 1 hour and 20 min, 15 min prep, 1 hour process, 5 min cleanup Yield: 1400ml (96 Tbsp) Twangy. Savory. Spicy. ESSENTIAL GEAR: glass bottles with screw tops wooden cutting board sharp knife 1.9L stainless steel pot (2 qt) digital kitchen scale spoon ladle funnel SUFFICIENT GEAR ceramic bowls with plastic wrap cutting board decently sharp knife 1.9L pot (2 qt) lots of measuring cups and spoons spoon ladle funnel MISE EN PLACE INGREDIENTS 210g onion, finely chopped (1 medium onion) 30g good olive oil, or neutral oil (1/8 cup) 40g garlic, minced (6 cloves garlic) 4 grams sea salt (1 tsp) 355g dark beer or hard cider (one 12oz bottle or can) 20g chili powder (4 tsp) 2g smoked paprika (1 tsp) 4g fresh ground black pepper (1tsp) 2g cayenne pepper, ground (1/4 tsp) (optional) 600g ketchup (2 cups) 200g brown sugar (1 cup) 250ml cider vinegar (1 cup) 60ml Worcestershire sauce (1/4 cup) 30ml lemon juice (1/8 cup) 5g liquid smoke (1 tsp) (optional) PROCESS Saute the onion, oil, and salt for about 10 mins on medium heat until the onion is translucent. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic and sauté until the onion caramelizes a bit, about 5-15 more minutes. This will also allow time for the water to evaporate from the onion and garlic. Add the dry ingredients and sauté until fragrant and toasty, while stirring frequently, about 2-3 minutes. De-glaze the pan with the beer or cider. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to reduce the volume by about 10 percent. Reduce the heat to low. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and simmer for 10 mins, stirring often to avoid scorching. Let cool for 5 minutes. Use a funnel and ladle to fill the bottles with your delicious creation. Put it on everything, share, and enjoy! FEATURED INGREDIENTS (optional) natural brown sugar Asahi Fortune Phoenix dark Munich lager Kagome ketchup wood-aged Worcestershire sauce organic garlic from Iwate sweet onions from Tsujishima SHOUTOUT A special thanks goes out to Kyle Hildebrant from Our Daily Brine for an amazing recipe. https://ourdailybrine.com/ Playlist: Coming soon...

Difficulty: 7th grade / Requested by: me / Time Donation: Total 1 hour and 25 min, 10 min prep, 1 hour 10 min process (30 min inactive time), 5 min cleanup Yield: almost a 2 liter of soda amount Choose Your Own Adventure... Smoky. Complex. Umami. ESSENTIAL GEAR: 2L stainless steel pot digital kitchen scale tongs stainless steel hand colander sharp knife wooden cutting board digital thermometer SUFFICIENT GEAR 2L pot measuring spoons and cups (all of them) tongs colander and extra bowl a good knife cutting board analog thermometer MISE EN PLACE INGREDIENTS 1500g filtered water (1.6 qts) 1 piece (7g) kombu (4 in × 4 in) 15g katsuobushi (1/2 cup) 60g miso (4 Tbsp) 25g green onions, sliced (1/3 cup) 200g tofu, cubed (1/2 pack, about 1 cup) PROCESS In a pot, soak the kombu in the filtered water for 30 minutes. Bring the water to 65-68C (150-155F). Remove the kombu from the water. Reserve for other uses if desired. Ask Google because I don't know any other use for it. Bring the water to a medium boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the katsuobushi to the hand colander, and place in the boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove the katsuobushi. You now have what is known as dashi. It can be used in other recipes, such as tsuyu sauce. Here's the recipe: 1 cup dashi, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup mirin. That is the traditional dipping sauce for soba noodles. Okay back to the miso soup. Add the green onions, and continue to boil for 3 minutes. Cut the heat. Add the miso to the hand colander, place it in the soup, and use a spoon to distribute the miso, leaving the soybean pieces in the colander. Remove the hand colander, and discard of the soybean pieces. Add the tofu. Taste for salinity. If the soup is too salty, add more filtered water, to taste. If it needs more salt, add more miso to taste. Share and Enjoy! FEATURED INGREDIENTS (optional) high quality kombu high quality katsuobushi local green onions good silken tofu STORYTIME This is a slight variation of an Alton Brown recipe from his show Good Eats. SHOUTOUT (optional) A special thanks goes out to Alton Brown for being awesome! Playlist: Coming soon...