You might say I’m watching too much Hell’s Kitchen nowadays, but ever since I started cooking again, I realized how preparation for cooking or prepping is one important factor in the whole cooking process. The faster you prepare your ingredients, the faster and fresher the result would be. So, I decided to share these videos.

I actually discovered these videos years ago when they weren’t revealed yet as part of Sprint’s viral marketing campaign, when they were still on Waitless.org (the URL will redirect you to Sprint’s website).

We’ve posted before about how you can make homemade ice cream using a plastic bag and these:  salt, ice, and the ingredients for your chosen ice cream flavor. Now, fancy these:

I haven’t tried this one yet, but it looks easy. Some may argue that the potato would be cold. But, I don’t think 5 seconds in that pool of ice would affect the inside of the potato. Only the potato skin’s affected, that’s why it’s easier to peel or remove it. I’m going to try this next time I see potatoes in our ref.

Michelle and I love comfort food. Ever since I found out about Shepherd’s Pie while watching our favorite foodie TV shows, I’ve been dying to make it myself.

I’ve watched Chef Gordon Ramsay‘s version of making Shepherd’s Pie on Youtube and he actually made it very easy (the video after the jump).

Shepherd’s Pie is actually made of minced lamb. And since lamb is rarely available and usually expensive here in the Philippines, I tried using beef mince for this recipe I’ll be sharing today. So, technically I made a Cottage Pie.

Both Cottage and Shepherd’s Pies don’t have bottom pastry crusts unlike standard pies. They are actually traditionally made with leftover roast meat, but, are now often made with ground meat, mostly beef or lamb, and topped with mashed potato.

Have you ever tried Takoyaki?

I’ve had Takoyaki from different food stands in malls, grocery shops, and food courts. I enjoy it so much and I never really researched on what it’s made of or how it’s prepared. All I knew back then was that it’s made out of batter and vegetables, and that I love it, especially with the special sauce they come with.

These are "FAKE" Takoyaki balls we bought from Greenhills.

However, the last time we were at SM Mall of Asia, we came upon this food stall just outside SM Hypermarket – Musashi Takoyaki.

Who doesn’t love ice cream? Eating ice cream takes me to a place that makes me feel like a child again. It’s like the perfect way to beat the heat or end each meal with.

A few days ago, I was craving for something really cold and sweet. I thankfully came upon this video. I thought it was really easy to do, so, I’m sharing this so you can make your own French Vanilla ice cream at home.

Note: If you don’t have an ice cream maker, please scroll down to the next part where I share with you how you can make homemade ice cream using plastic bags.

Homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 large egg yolks
• 3/4 sugar
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
• pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2 tsp quality vanilla extract

PROCEDURE:

Custard

1. Combine eggyolks and about half of the 3/4 sugar, then whisk tog ether.
2. In a saucepan, combine whole milk, heavy cream, and the rest of the sugar.
3. Add vanilla bean, by cutting it vertically in half, then extracting the seeds.
   (I actually skipped this step since we don’t have this available at home.)
4. Heat the cream over medium heat flame.
   When it starts to boil, add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
5. Temper the eggs by adding the heated cream to eggs while whisking it to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
6. Place the pot back on the stove for 10 minutes, whisking the mixture continuously.
7. Strain out the vanilla seeds unto a bowl sitting in a bath of ice water until totally chilled. Then, put in your ice cream maker, follow manufacturer instruction.

How to Make Homemade Ice Cream using Plastic Bags

For those without an ice cream maker like me, I found this very helpful technique through the internet.

Who would’ve thought that you don’t really need an ice cream maker or any high-tech machine to make ice cream?!

Do you know that you can make ice cream using plastic bags?! Here’s the video instruction on how to do it:

Have you heard of Cooking with Dog?

It’s a popular cooking show on Youtube. The host is, well, a dog named Francis. No, he’s not the one who’s actually cooking, silly. He’s just hosting (for viral purposes). Chef San is the lady who does all the preparations and cooking.

Their videos are guides on how you prepare popular Japanese dishes like Futomaki Sushi, Chicken Curry Udon, etc. Chef San is a highly skilled Japanese cook so you’d definitely love their cooking videos.

Here’s one of them, preparing a Bento or Japanese Boxed Lunch:

I love the sausage octopus! Can you imagine opening up your lunch box and finding this?

Isn’t it just appetizing?!
(Pardon the photo as it was only taken from the video)

Cooking with Dog‘s guide on making Bento is so easy to follow. I’m planning on making one since I still have leftover Nori from the last time I made Sushi. I’ll share the photos here when I’ve done it.

How about you? Have you made your own Bento already?
Care to share a link or photo of it here?! We’d love to see it!

Here are a couple more videos from Cooking with Dog that are most viewed on Youtube.

How to Make Onigiri

How to Make Yakibuta Ramen

You can join Cooking with Dog’s Facebook page or subscribe to their Youtube channel.

‘Til next time!

I know that like us, if you’re a certified foodie, you genuinely enjoy watching chefs and other foodies’ videos on Youtube or your favorite video-sharing site while they show you how a popular dish is prepared and/or how they make their own signature dishes. It’s a great and fun way to learn how to cook, wouldn’t you agree?!

With the Foodie Video Hunt section of our blog, we’ll share with you some of the foodie videos we’ve found that you MUST see. If you’ve got a foodie video you would like us to feature, contact us or leave a comment here.