Cooking For Engineers

[Pete Mac]

I've enjoyed reading all this stuff and the many variations on...er...beef Stroganoff. I'm having friends for dinner tomorrow night and will cook my classic Strog with finely crossgrain-cut fillet steak, onion, thick sliced mushys, nutmeg, and creme fraiche. I might throw in a couple of shots of brandy but there the quirks end. Serve wqith Tilda basmati, which I reckon to be the best. It takes 10 minutes while we all slurp wine and moan about footy in my kitchen. Boringly basic but wonderful. Gets better as the wine flows. I like Michael Chu's recipe, but I'd get rid of the Dijon. Cheers!

[marty mcguinn]

your ingredient list does not include noodles (or rice) (which are referenced later in the instructions). this poses a major problem as one would go to the store and not have a major component on their shopping list.

i understand you reference it in the overall content but it must be indicated in the actual list... its common sense.

and for that reason, i hope you have errors and omissions insurance as an engineer. this kind of thing would get you sued or even worse someone could get hurt in the world on engineering.

if you were put before my quality assurance program, this project would be a disapproved -revise and resubmit.

also your confirmation code protocol is very weak. go back to the original pleae..

Marty McGuinn, PE
Principal McGuinn and Associates.
Mastermind of the Astoreiel Structural Benefactor Program.
25 Patents in 15 Countries and Inventor of the world famous SkyHook (tm).

[Dilbert]

Marty -

what ingredient list?

sentence one of the article digest:
/quote
Beef Stroganoff, in its simplest form, is simply tender beef with a mushroom and sour cream sauce served over rice or noodles.
/unquote

>>(which are referenced later in the instructions).
later is worse than the first sentence?

btw, real engineers read through all the specs before bidding.

[marty-SKYHOOK (TM)]

nice retort.. i can admit when i am wrong but. you have a paragraph that indicates the ingredients:

"Begin by assembling the ingredients: 1-1/2 lb. beef tenderloin (if using another cut, select a lean cut and remove any excess fat, gristle, or membranes), 1/2 medium onion, 1/2 lb. button mushrooms, 3/4 cup to 1 cup beef broth (preferably low sodium - salt can always be added but is difficult to take out), 2 tablespoons of cognac, 1 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon of dried dill weed. "

also, your graph does not indicate egg noodles..

as we are both engineers we can dispute the nuances till we are blue in the face.. i was just trying to poke a little fun at a comrade... take it lightly..

all said and done the recipe was AWESOME.. totally delicious.. would make again, with egg noodles of course..

keep up the great work fellow engineer.

GREAT SITE

marty-

skyhook (tm) us patent AE129030992

[Dilbert]

Marty -

nadda problem, I can do 'light' -

as you intended no serious barb - I would add.... over rice or noodles means the chart must incorporate either / or / both - the plot thickens. ps: it's Michael that does the charts, not me - but I think they're pretty neat.

the instructions also do not include "turn the knob to the right" to make heat on the cooktop.
bottom line: at some point one must assume the cook has a passing knowledge of what the heck is going on.

the recipe does not also explicity state "use a spoon to stir...."

where does it end? how big a pot to put how much water in to cook how many noodles?

is this the most appropriate set of directions for someone who has zip comma zero idea of how to cook or what "Beef Strongoff" is but thinks it sounds neat for dinner? perhaps not - they may not know how to cook rice or noodles. is that the point? no, methinks.

noodles, or rice, taste pretty much like noodles or rice for any other dish. the point is how to "make the beef" - as Clara might have said.

and actually, pretty much all the noodle crowd has eggs - it's part of the pasta routine,,,, some are more eggie than others - and in the pasta aisle you'll find narrow, wide, extra wide egg noodles, curly noodles as well - so so far as most reasonable cooks go, "served over rice or noodles" is about 99.99998% all they need to be clued in on. everyone has their favorite noodle type/shape/size/brand. I'll skip the part about serving it over spaetzle...

btw, I went to www.uspto.gov - was unable to come up with any reference to any part of AE129030992; nor does Google; might want to check into that.

[Michael Chu]

Sorry, for not chiming in earlier. I obviously agreed with Dilbert when I wrote this recipe over five years ago, but I also understand Marty's point about not showing the carb component in the final summary can lead to trouble. In light of the discussion, I was thinking about adding something, but beef stroganoff can be served over so many different "bases" like rice, noodles, dumplings, spaetzle (as Dilbert pointed out) that it seems like it would be difficult to add to the summary without seemingly limiting this recipe. Perhaps, I'll simply add to the serving size area - something like "(over rice or noodles, serves 4)".

As for the skyhook patent, I was also curious to read it and unable to find it. The number portion is too long for a US Patent, isn't it? My last patent, from 2005, was just shy of #7,000,000, and more recent patents are around 11-12,000,000. Anyway, I'm guessing the skyhook part of Marty's sig is a joke. Skyhook references used to be popular with some older engineers I worked with (as a way to send the younger engineers on a wild goose chase after something that doesn't exist), but these days there are a couple dozen different companies out there that make a product with the registered trademark Skyhook... I feel silly falling for that (again). Unless, there is a specific Skyhook that Marty invented, then I'd be more interested in hearing about it!

[turnbow1@aol.com]

Just made this stroganoff recipe and served for dinner. It is absolutely the best I have ever tasted and my guests are asking for the recipe. I used Flat Iron Steak and it was tender and delicious.
I love your website - I am a newcomer but will be back.
Thank you.

[CANDY LADY]

My family has a completely different recipe for the "classic" beef stroganoff. My family's recipe comes from a Russian restaurant, in Hong Kong, circa 1954. So I'll admit it probably isn't the most "authentic." It is a tasty variation.

Instead of dijon, we used dried mustard. No booze, either. Extra secret ingredient instead of dill is marjoram. Yes on browning meat, onions, & mushrooms. We add water (or I guess stock would be easy), and cook until reduced and meat is tender. Also the spices/herbs are added after browning. Just before serving, add in sour cream. When I make it, I do noodles. When my grandmother makes it, it is always short grain white rice. I don't know why, but this is the tastiest version that I know of. It is probably a little milder than Chu's recipe, relying more on the natural sweetness of the onions, earthy mushrooms, browned meat, etc., and only rounded out with the marjoram & dried mustard (less vinegar, flavors compete less with beefiness). I love this as leftovers.

[Sugar n Spice]

I just cooked this tonight. I used a left over standing rib roast which was original cooked on the rare side. I trimmed all the fat and used the outside pieces of fat with the onions to establish that so desired brown bits on the bottom of the pan. I didn't have any Cognac (but I will definately get some) - I used red wine, it made the sauce yummy still but turned it an awful purple. I also didn't have any dijon mustard - I substituted hot horseradish. I didn't have any noodles or rice but I had fresh Naan bread. I will stick to the recipe here next time and comment again. This was a very yummy meal.

[daniel]

I once did this dish an its awesome. I belive i kinda failed in the cutting of the meat and it affected the final product tough. Lets say I have the cilindrical part of the T.m then, should I cut transversal sections of it and then cut each one of those into "bars" of meat?? Or how else??

[Michael Chu]

[fa]

my mom used to add a bit of red wine to the sauce, adds flavor and color

[Judycarol]

Have prepared this four times and will be preparing again Monday Evening for the same guest that lived in Europe for 12 years.
He says it is the best!!!!!

[sham]

just followed the recipe - well, I followed the ingredients (left out the dill) and the process, but was not precise with measurements.

anyways, it turned out amazing! thank you!!

[shoppe]

Beef Stroganoff has always been my favourite dish. However, I lost my tried and true recipe for it over 30 years ago - just after university. Since then, I've made lots and lots and loooots of just so-so beef stroganoff.
I've made this recipe twice now. The first time was exactly as prescribed and the second was using stew beef. I can now say with confidence that this is even better than my lost recipe.
Thanks!