OT: Does anyone else here enjoy cooking?

76 comments

• conan_mac_morna

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  2 years ago

  All my life. Did a turn as a pasta "chef" (not that I considered myself a chef, just the senior cook, but that was the title) in Colorado Springs for a few years, used to sell my own line of pasta sauce until a kitchen accident put an end to that project.
• shailynn

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  2 years ago

  COVID finally made me slow down and yes I started cooking a lot, and not the usual bullshit. I bought a sous vide and do a lot of meats with that. That thing will make a $13 chuck roast taste like prime rib. Rack of lamb, stuffed lobster dishes, scallops, brisket the right way. Things I never would have attempted if I didn’t have the time to try when all the restaurants were shut down. Most of the recipes aren’t that hard. I make my pizza from scratch (no more frozen dough or store bought sauce) too. PreCOVID I was usually making ground beef tacos or crock pot frozen meatballs and my wife was always rolling her eyes. Not anymore!!!! Best kitchen purchases: Sous vide A really good knife set Air fryer (hey, everyone likes French fries and IMO this thing is the best option if you don’t want to mess with lots of oil) Worst kitchen purchase: Instapot - never had much use for it
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  I'm pretty good in the kitchen. Most of what I make is better than what I've had in restaurants. Marinating meat for too long changes the texture. Plus marinades sauces and spices should enhance the natural flavors already there.
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  I make great Mexican food. Pasta sauces. Bbq.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  ===> "Marinating meat for too long changes the texture." Yup. Generally no more than 24-36 hours for chicken and other delicate meats. Beef can stand up to marinating for a longer timeframe, especially cheap cuts with a lot of connective tissue. I will never marinate a high end steak - salt and pepper should be plenty for a high quality steak.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  Of course when I decide to buy a cheap cut of beef, I tend to lean towards roasts. My yankee pot roast is a thing of beauty, soft as butter and accompanied with a gravy made from the leftover liquids. Generally I use a chuck roast for that, but every so often I'll be in the mood for rump roast.
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  That's too long. Id say half that time at most. Also don't add salt or anything acidic to marinades
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  We will have to agree to disagree. I've experimented a lot with timing and found 24 hours to be a very reliable benchmark for a lot of meats.
• Huntsman

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  2 years ago

  I like cooking but I it’s not a passion to me. So I go in spurts. Sometimes I’m really into it and trying new things. Then I kind of coast and just make basic stuff for a while. Winter seems to be the main time I get into it. I’ve caught quite a few fish lately and am having fun grilling salmon and lake trout, smoking lakers and making walleye dip. I’ve done a lot of experimenting with garden veggies I’ve grown as well as making jam from wild fruit I’ve gathered. And that got me baking homemade bread again.
• caseyx

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  2 years ago

  Like a lot of folks I started cooking more in 2020. Some people think cooking is really hard. But basic cooking is pretty much just following instructions. In this day and age you don't need to have a shelf full of cookbooks to get those instructions. Just the internet. Pretty much anything you want to make will have a dozen recipes readily available. And Youtube will show you how to make anything that takes skill to pull off. Not that watching equates to doing. I've watched vids on deboning a chicken a dozen times and it still ends up like I used an axe.
• Ulrik79

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  2 years ago

  Sous vide is awesome. Prefer brines for white meat and I'm not a huge fan of marinades. A good fryer with a drain spout for filtering is an amazing purchase. There are just some fried items that an air fryer can't replicate. Sharp knives are a must have. Chefs knife/santoku Filet knife/boning knife Paring knife Carving knife Scales are great for baking. Kitchen aid stand mixer with all of the attachments: Grinder Pasta sheeter Dough hook
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  I prefer pan frying. I also don't use a microwave. I like old skool techniques.
• Htxx

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  2 years ago

  I enjoy cooking and am very good at it. Anything Italian turns out really well, I’m also pretty solid on the grill too.
• shadowcat

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  2 years ago

  I've been cooking for 60 Years. I learned from my mother who learned it from her German born mother. I taught my wife and daughter. I'm a meat and potatoes cook. None of this fancy stuff you see on the TV cook shows. My signature dishes include potato salad, BBQ ribs and friend chicken. When I grill outside I use charcoal briquets. I believe that if you use a gas grill, you might as well just cook in the kitchen. I have cooked dove, wild duck and goose and crayfish. There isn't much that I haven't tried. At one time I was cooking for a family of 7 but now I'm mostly just cooking for myself. So I stay with the basics. I can only eat so much left overs. I each breakfast or lunch once or twice a week and dinner out a restaurants only on special occasions. . I don't very often eat at strip clubs.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  ===> "I can make them decent, but I just can't cook a good steak or fish." Heaving, the key to both is not to overwork them. Here's a simple fish approach if you like salmon: Fill a frying pan with 1/2 of an inch of olive oil and put the heat on higher medium. While the oil is heating, season the salmon fillet liberally with salt and pepper. When the oil is ready - usually after about 10 minutes or so (which you can figure out by flicking a drop of water in and hearing it crackle) - put the salmon in skin down for 4 minutes, then flip and cook for 3 more minutes. Voila.
• georgmicrodong

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  2 years ago

  Food network and a few YouTube channels, e.g. Bon Appétit, allthingsbbg, Gordon Ramsay, Mad Scientist BBQ have been a few I've kept. Agree with the InstaPot sentiment expressed earlier, but I use the hell out of my crockpot. While I prefer to sear most roasts before putting them in, I've found the easiest way to get a fork tender corned beef brisket is to in the night before straight from the freezer. Yes, I know that's a waste of electricity, but the results are amazing. I can no longer eat unseasoned vegetables, and almost all of them are better stir-fried in a little olive oil along with your favorite seasonings. Zucchini and Summer Squash with some toasted sesame oil and a pinch of cayenne. Learn how to roast garlic! A tiny bit of fresh habanaro or ghost pepper goes a long way. I make a double (4lbs of meat) batch of chili with <em>half</em> a ghost pepper, sans seeds, and it's bloody awesome. Jalapenos are too bitter for me unless they've been smoked dried into chipotles. My only gripe is that my house doesn't have gas, so I'm stuck with an electric range. But, cast iron mostly doesn't care.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  I agree with others about the Instapot. Mine is collecting dust now. I tried it a few times, but the food was never as good as stuff I cooked by other means. I also used to use my crock pot a fair amount, but nowadays about the only thing I still use it for is pulled pork, which I cook overnight. One of the best investments I made a few years back is to buy a large high quality dutch oven, which I now use to cook all my beef roasts and stews. I brown the meat in the dutch oven on the stove top, then deglaze it with some beef stock to keep all those brown bits in the same pot, add some seasonings, garlic and onions and then transfer it to the oven to cook at 250 for about to 12 hours (for a pot roast). When it has about 4 hours left I add the potatoes and carrots. The best part is, when the roast and veggies are done, I can move the pot back to the stovetop, remove everything but the liquid, and then convert it into a gravy. Aiyee!
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  When I say "all my beef roasts" I mean pot roasts. When I cook a standing rib roast, which is only a couple of times a year as it's a real indulgence, I roast it on a rack of course.
• Huntsman

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  2 years ago

  I second a Dutch oven as being a good investment. And I generally agree that my instapot purchase didn’t turn out to be all that worthwhile. The instapot does work well for hard boiled eggs, though.
• Huntsman

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  2 years ago

  The other thing that was a good investment was a vacuum sealer. I use extra garden veggies I’ve grown or fruit I’ve gathered and buy up all I can from farmers markets and stock my freezer this time of year. It’s great having that tasty produce available in Minnesota winters.
• georgmicrodong

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  2 years ago

  @rick: Stove top to oven or grill in one pot is just soooooo bloody handy. My dutch over broke from being dropped on concrete about 15 years ago, and for a variety of reasons, I didn't replace it. At a garage sale about 5 years later, I found a set of two cast iron ones. One is a large (8qt, I think?) camping version with the top able to hold coals, and the other is a smaller, more typically kitchen sized, 4 or 5 quart, ones. They were both rusted to hell, but I got them for a dollar. Took me a week of alternating vinegar baths, scrubbing (a wire brush on a drill is your friend here), and baking dry on my grill burner, followed by re-seasoning to get them back, but now, while not yet <em>quite</em> as good as my old one, they're both still awesome. I also have a skillet and a griddle that my grandmother gave me before she passed. (Boy, was my aunt pissed off when she found out they were gone after she died! 🤣🤣) That's where most of my bacon, eggs, pancakes, burgers, and steaks are cooked.
• twentyfive

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  2 years ago

  I don't cook that much, and when I do it's mostly on my Bar B Cue which is a high end setup, with the ability to sear meats at approx 1400 degrees, most often I will get take out or prepared stuff I can just heat up, but a few times a year when my kids come to visit I drag out my moms old griddle and cook breakfast on that old griddle, I make eggs, bacon, home fries, pancakes and even French toast, my kids love it and I am reminded of my mom making breakfast every morning, the taste is great and the aroma of breakfast frying makes me remember my childhood .
• Cashman1234

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  2 years ago

  I’ve gotten more into cooking as well - since working from home during the pandemic. The Sous-vide is excellent! I got one a few months before the pandemic hit, and it’s helped my cooking considerably. Over the fall and winter I use the crock pot to make stews and chilis - which are great - and surprisingly simple. It’s just a bit of prep and then it is good in several hours.
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  I focus on fresh and seasonal foods. I barely use my freezer. And I use as little oil as possible. And with seasoning. You want to enhance the flavor of your ingredients. Not mask it.
• skibum609

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  2 years ago

  I enjoy cooking and do it fairly well; however, my wife is a fabulous cook so she does 90% of household cooking. My best cannot come close to her best and she is far more creative.
• Dolfan

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  2 years ago

  Another +1 to the dutch oven, or in general cast iron cookware. And a +1 to the sous vide. Both are great. And I would agree that sauces/gravies and even brine/marinade stuff makes a world of difference. The big difference for me was when I learned to start deviating from recipes/instructions and subbing in/out ingredients I preferred to make things "my own" so to speak. I'm mostly cooking for myself, and maybe 1-3 guests though, which is quite a different animal than cooking for a family. I cooked more when things were locked down more, but lately I haven't had the time. It can be relaxing and while my talents haven't improved all that much, the quality of the food and service at mid-tier and quick-serve type restaurants at least in my area is still way, way down, so comparatively my food is better than what I can get by going out. Higher end restaurants still provide quality dining options, but I'd have to make other sacrifices financially if I wanted to eat at those places for the bulk of my meals.
• Mate27

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  2 years ago

  Thanks for the sous bide recommendation. Some say it’s not worth the time, and others say they can’t have a kitchen without it. I like the idea of prepping meals ahead of time, but the fish and veggies I will maintain my prior techniques used.
• BubbleYum

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  2 years ago

  I like to fry meat. 😏 But really, I'm lazy as fuck about cooking. I like to buy a lot of stuff pre-made or pre-prepared or already cut/diced up. I'm also a pro when it comes to using the microwave. I try to maintain a Paleo diet, but I hate food prep so much.
• MackTruck

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  2 years ago

  I cook up da tacos today for tacos Tuesday
• san_jose_guy

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  2 years ago

  Yes, pasta! SJG
• 48-Cowboy

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  2 years ago

  I enjoy roasting boomers
• docsavage

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  2 years ago

  I cooked a porcupine tonight for dinner. It was finger stickin' good.
• georgmicrodong

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  2 years ago

  Have yet to get an actual dedicated sous vide appliance. I've used a pot and a candy thermometer. It's probably not as "perfect" as a dedicated appliance, but it still produces some amazing results.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  Tbh I'm struggling to see what I would use a sous vide appliance for. A lot of the meat that I cook has high fat content and I've heard that it's not easy to render fat using that method. For example, I want the fat on my rib-eyes and bone-in pork chops to be crispy and delicious and I don't think that a couple of minutes of reverse searing at the end will accomplish that. That why I grill or cast iron the steaks on high heat for short bursts and broil the chops after coating in my own seasoned bread crumb mixture. Juicy and delicious WITH crispy fat. Even with boneless chicken breasts I want that crusty sear. After marinating them for 24+ hours I don't have to worry about them drying out in high heat, but it does take some work to get that crunchy sear on the outside. My grill is a very good tool for that. For tougher meats, like cheap cuts of beef, I stew or braise low and slow to render the connective tissue. Often I'm cooking those in liquids that will be used for a stew or gravy, so again no desire for sous vide. Cheaper cuts of pork are cooked low and slow in seasoned chicken broth. Many of my other dishes, like roaster chicken, meatloaf, a variety of baked pasts dishes, etc., require an oven. I'm glad that the appliances add value for some of you, but I don't see myself buying them. I'm also getting ready to give away my air fryer and Instapot to make room for a deep fryer and maybe a pasta maker.
• Muddy

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  2 years ago

  I like it if it’s not too crazy
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  I think sous vide is just an overrated trend.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  ===> "When I grill outside I use charcoal briquets. I believe that if you use a gas grill, you might as well just cook in the kitchen." Shadow I couldn't agree more with these sentiments. I have both charcoal and gas grills. I much prefer to cook on charcoal and often do on the weekends, but I don't always have the extra time on weekdays. Sometimes it's really nice to just fire up the girl and 15 minutes later (including warmup time) have a couple beautiful rib-eyes cooked and resting. Waiting 30 minutes for the charcoal to ash over and be ready isn't always an option for me. I can also control the heat a bit better with gas, which helps with things that I need to start cooking using indirect heat. Bone-in chicken and ribs come to mind.
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  You don't have time to cook but have time to hook up with hookers? 😂😂😂🤡🤡🤡 Charcoal all the way though. It's all I use. When I make tacos I always let my meat marinate overnight. Then always use a charcoal grill for everything. With steak I prefer a cast iron skillet. A tiny bit of oil.. and just season it with a bit of salt pepper and a pinch of paprika.
• twentyfive

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  2 years ago

  ^Completely uncalled for. This is why we can't have anything nice, there's always a shithead looking to spin someone up
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  Finalizing meal prep on a weekday has to be done during precious daytime hours, when I am also on duty for my work, and must be completed by prescribed times when one has kids. This is why I do as much as I can on the weekends to make weekday execution as simple as possible. A "hooker" can be seen later in the night at my own convenience and can be easily canceled, unlike dinner. Apples and bananas.
• Mate27

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  2 years ago

  Icee, how do you make your beans? Refried or whole?
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  Now back to a fun note, I just checked out the Publix sale circular for tomorrow and the Labor Day sales are fantastic, especially on rib-eye steaks. When they put the rib-eye steaks on sale, they also always sell standing rib roasts for the same price per lb. Man the food is going to be damned good here this weekend. I am going to grab some of those steaks for a quick dinner cook-up near the end of the week and I smell a Sunday roast coming, complete with pan gravy, homemade mashed potatoes and maybe some fresh green beans. Those rib roasts always give off a ton of good juices for gravy. They also have a lot of other sale meats that are going to give my grills a real workout this weekend. I am excited, lol.
• Hank Moody

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  2 years ago

  Sous vide is a great way to cook, but not really useful for thin cuts. It’s best for thick steaks like 2” plus or for bone in meats. You get an even cook all the way through, then sear the meat on cast iron or fry it. It works great for fried chicken, especially wings so you don’t have to worry about whether your wings came from the fridge or started at a warmer temp. It cooks to a perfect temp and doneness, then you just fry until the outside is gopxen brown to your taste. I do all my bbq on a smoker, but I have a buddy that does brisket, pork butt and ribs in the sous vide. In order to break down the fat, those meats are in the sous vide bath a long time, sometimes 48 hours or more. He likes it because it’s a consistent and good result. Brisket can be especially unpredictable but I’ve gotten comfortable enough with it that I’m not especially inclined to sous vide it. It’s another way to cook. That’s all.
• rickmacrodong

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  2 years ago

  Rick a lot of these meats and dairy products can contribute to shrinking the sex organs and causing other issues. The animals are treated with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, fed soy or corn or wheat. It’s worth paying the premium for 100% grass fed or 100% pastured organic beef or chicken or dairy. Same with non organic produce or veggies. I think the gras fed organic beef here was $5.49 a pound, so not too bad. Restaurants are so greedy I haven’t seen any restaurant using grass fed organic beef besides elevation burger. And their portions are small and they are a bit more pricy.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  BTE, you realize that grass fed beef is like any other beef, no? The only difference is that the cows are not sent to feed lots for the last few months to be fattened up on corn and grain before slaughter. They are all grass fed for most of their lives.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  Shit the term "grass fed" is one of the most profitable gimmicks around. It makes the cows sound special while actually also making them cheaper to bring to market because they don't have to pay for the feed lots. Nowadays in some markets "grass fed" beef is actually cheaper than the good stuff.
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  Bte is that what happened to you? Is that ehybyour sex organs shrunk? Why do you think portions are small but pricy? Is every single portion small and pricy? How can you say that?
• rickmacrodong

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  2 years ago

  Rick i think some of these cheaper beef/dairy cows might even be fed soy or heavily fed corn and grain. Yes the beef has to be labelled 100% grass fed. Legally if it just says grass fed it only has to be 30% grass fed. You are right usually grass fed is a gimmick cause tne label says grass fed when its only 30% or 50%. With 100% grass fed they csnt lie. Cows are meant to eat just grass. It creates higher quality milk and beef. When they’re fed corn and wheat its so they can fatten up quickly and so they output a higher liquid volume of milk which is of lower quality. It changes the fatty acid profile of the milk or beef fat when theyre fed corn or grain. Icee because their burger costs like $9 for a double burger and each patty is maybe 3oz or less. Yeah the size of the patty is standardized so every single portion is small and pricy. Same price, same size patties.
• rickmacrodong

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  2 years ago

  Which beef do you look for? What is the good stuff? I thought organic and 100% grass fed are the main things to look for, at least with ground beef.
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  But what about every patty in the world? Hoe can you say every patty when every patty isn't yhe same. That's how you wound on here
• rickmacrodong

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  2 years ago

  Icee... I said this: Restaurants are so greedy I haven’t seen any restaurant using grass fed organic beef besides elevation burger. And their portions are small and they are a bit more pricy. I was referring to elevation burger specifically. I never said all restaurant portions are small and pricy.
• 48-Cowboy

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  2 years ago

  Grass fed is better duh... Corn fed cows are not as good because of the GMOs in corn along with antibiotics cows don't need. Some Corn is round up ready so it can be sprayed directly with round up and not kill the Corn. This is done by genetic modification, and the Corn has round up in it. Round up is known to put holes in your intestines. Corn makes them fatter faster Grass is not GMO. Grass fed is much better. I guess Rick wants leaky gut with his shit going everywhere inside him. You do you bro
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  Bte do you realize how dumb your arguments sound and how lame your trolling is?
• skibum609

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  2 years ago

  Another example of Cowboy being afraid of life. Leaky gut make him piss himself. Young men are all as tough as an 8-year-old girl, although to be fair they do buy guns and then murder 8-year-old children with alarming frequency.
• 48-Cowboy

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  2 years ago

  ^ so you need to poison yourself with your food and die young to prove you are mucho? Lmfao Enjoy your early grave
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  Here in the U.S. our food supply is one of the safest in the world. Selling meat with antibiotic residue is already against the law and there is no evidence to suggest that cows that are treated with growth hormones produce meat that does anything to impact human hormone levels. There was some concern a while back about how growth hormones were used in milk cows and the potential impacts on the milk itself, but the major dairy manufacturers discontinued the practice 15+ years ago. But I suppose that it was inevitable that this thread, like most others, would eventually jump off the rails to Troll Town.
• Call.Me.Ishmael

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  2 years ago

  I prefer grass-fed if it is legitimately grass-fed. There is some controversy / questions about what qualifies to be labeled "grass fed" in the supermarket per the FDA versus truly grass-fed livestock. There is some difference in taste depending on the livestock type and cut, but often the taste isn't vastly different. I mostly go for legit grass-fed to avoid toxins, hormones, antibiotics, etc., that can find its way into a lot of supermarket meats and accumulates in the body over time. I buy all of my meat (and eggs) at a local small farm that has a good reputation and does 100% grass fed and pastured livestock. I don't fully trust things labeled "grass fed" at the supermarket, but that's just me. Yes, it's more expensive, but it's a choice I've made based on research and feedback from knowledgeable people I know. I also like supporting my local small farmers. Interestingly, though the price of meat has gone up by orders of magnitude at the supermarket, the price increases at my local farm have been much more modest. The price gap between supermarket and local farm has closed considerably.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  ===> " I mostly go for legit grass-fed to avoid toxins, hormones, antibiotics, etc., that can find its way into a lot of supermarket meats <strong>and accumulates in the body over time</strong>. If there was any compelling evidence out there to suggest that this was remotely true, I'd be on board with you. But thus far everything that I've read is anecdotal. Why I prefer finished beef over unfinished beef is the flavor. I have found "grass fed" beef to be leaner and a bit gamey.
• Call.Me.Ishmael

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  2 years ago

  It's a choice that I've made. I'm fine with people making other choices. I also like supporting my local family-run farm.
• rickmacrodong

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  2 years ago

  Ishmael the grass fed label doesnt have anything to do with antibiotics hormones or pesticides it has to be labelled organic or otherwise explicitly stated to be hormone antibiotic or pesticide free. Also grass fed in itself only means 30% grass fed or more. There’s an amish brand of milk that explicitly labels their milk as grass fed for half the year only. Theres some milk and beef products explicitly labelled 100% grass fed. Those are all legit. If they just say grass fed or pastured without a number mentioned, it’s likely just advertising and the minimum or a little more. The requirement for grass fed being only 30% of the year makes you wonder what these regular milk cows are being fed. It seems like they could be grain or corn fed year round otherwise why wouldn’t costco for example label their milk grass fed if it meets the 30% threshold. Cows being fed grain causes them to produce a lower quality, higher liquid volume milk which is exactly what many milk farmers want. Milk is just the liquid coming from the cows teat, so as long as there’s a higher volume of milk thats what the farmers want. The high volume sellers dont care about the composition of the milk. Grain fed cows die sooner than purely grass fed as well. Local farms, family run farms are also things that dont mean anything as far as quality. The local family run farms can still use toxic pesticides, hormones, antibiotics etc. the usda organic certification is more valuable than the other things.
• rickmacrodong

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  2 years ago

  A big problem with most supermarket non organic meats is they can be injected with liquid salt solutions. Not only are you over paying for the meat cause you’re paying for meat by the pound when 20% of the weight is just liquid salt solution, the salt solution in itself is toxic and has citric acid. I thimk even organic meats are injected with citric acid solutions during processing, the justification is it has anti microbial benefits. I think they require meat to be treated. You can see this at work if you cook certain cheap ground chicken or ground meats and they lose 50% of their weight after cooking. Whereas higher quality ones only lose 20% of their weight after cooking or less. Sometimes the animals themselves are injected with things to make them retain a ton of water so they have a higher body weight before being slaughtered.
• georgmicrodong

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  2 years ago

  @[view link].Ishmael: "Interestingly, though the price of meat has gone up by orders of magnitude at the supermarket, the price increases at my local farm have been much more modest. The price gap between supermarket and local farm has closed considerably." I've noticed this as well. Even Walmart and Kroger have skyrocketed, but the farmer's market stuff is still pretty much where it was two years ago. It's gone up some, of course, because of other things, but as one of the guys at one of the most diverse stands put it, "we pay more for fuel, and other stuff we can't self source, but almost everything else we make or grow ourselves."
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  Farmers markets are rip offs. I've seen people sell store bought eggs as from their farm. And average produce at exorbitant prices. Prepared dairy products that you consume at your own risk. I don't trust them. I frequent a co op thats good though
• rickmacrodong

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  2 years ago

  Icee you can buy direct from farmers like Amish farmers. The ones ive met are honest, hardworking, and far above the tricks/hoes or other moral standards you apply to businesses. I’m not sure it matters as much on the west coast I think raw milk can legally be sold there. And local, farm raised, etc doesnt mean anything cuz local farm raised can still be toxic. The things to look out for are organic, pesticide free, hormone free, antibiotic free, 100% grass fed or 100% pastured. Soy free, corn free, vaccine free. Etc.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  ^ Too much work desert. One I would have to type up from my old the Joy of Cooking book and the other two are recipes that I've heavily modified over time. Way too much typing.
• georgmicrodong

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  2 years ago

  @rickdugan: "from my old the Joy of Cooking book" Gods, I thought I was the only one who ever bought one of those. 🤣 One of my favorites.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  ===> "Gods, I thought I was the only one who ever bought one of those. 🤣 One of my favorites." LOL. My version is 20+ years old, all beat up after years of use and long distance moves. I bought it right after my first divorce, when I found myself in a new city pretty helpless from a cooking standpoint. I learned all of my beginning cooking techniques from that book, along with basic lessons about where different cuts of beef come from, how tough they would be and the best ways to cook them. It was one of the single best purchases I ever made.
• Jascoi

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  2 years ago

  i’m learning how to cook. I can make a pretty damn good bacon and egg sandwich now. but it sticks to the bottom of the pan dammit… should I buy one of those Teflon coated pans?
• Icee Loco (asshole)

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  2 years ago

  There are better non stick coatings...
• docsavage

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  2 years ago

  I worked at Pizza Hut 45 years ago. After I left, I kept the pizza recipe they used but the pizzas I made were not quite as good. I think there was some difference in the quality of ingredients that I could get at the grocery store or maybe the type of oven used. Pizza Hut quality has dropped in recent years. We made the dough in the store daily from scratch and cut up fresh vegetables in the store every day. It wasn't fun cutting up a whole bunch of onions. That made my eyes sting.
• Jascoi

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  2 years ago

  I can also make a nice decent bacon wrapped hot dog. split the dog open, put some cheer cheese in there and a line of mustard and some relish and either top it (or wrap it) with a strip of bacon… broiling it is best.
• Jascoi

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  2 years ago

  *cheddar* (dang seri…)
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  I just thought about this thread today. I'm cooking my ass off while I watch the Pats feeble ass offense play against the Jets. At least it smells good in here. I have a red sauce bubbling on the stove while a meatloaf cooks in the oven. Once the meatloaf is done, my homemade mac n cheese goes in. Some of the sauce will go in the freezer so I have it whenever I need something quick. I have chicken wings brining in the fridge for buffalo wings later today. I've decided that it's going to be a football and deep fried food night, including the buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks and tater tots. The red sauce and other food are for later in the week, except that I'll keep a little out for dipping the cheese sticks! And of course I have some pounded out chicken breast marinating in a modified Italian dressing mixture and some steak marinating in an Asian inspired homemade sauce. Two days for each. After today, the only things I want to do between now and Thanksgiving are boil some water, reheat leftovers and fire up the grill for stuff already prepped. This is the only way I can make sure that we have good healthy food during the week as I just don't have a lot of time to cook on business days. Anyway, anyone else cooking today? Anything good?
• georgmicrodong

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  2 years ago

  Corned beef and cabbage in the crock pot. Nice thick pork chops for the broiler tomorrow. Working from home as I do, I have time to cook during the week, especially during boring ass meetings, so I don't have to cram it all in on the weekend. Just have to make sure stuff is *ready* to cook. But I do have some tomatoes we canned earlier this year; making some sauce sounds like a good idea next weekend.
• rickdugan

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  2 years ago

  ^ GMD, if it was just me it would be much simpler. On any given night I could just bake a potato, slap a steak on the girl or broil some chops (after the tater is done), drop some Caesar salad mix in a bowl and call it done. Almost no real work. I have a few other quick go-to meals as well. Prep time is basically just quick seasoning and cook time is manageable. But my babies are the issue. They are fussy. They don't really like most simple grilled foods and sides that I default to. If I don't put stuff on their plates that they like, they won't eat enough at meal time and instead will supplement with crap when my attention is elsewhere. So I spend a fair amount of time on Saturdays and/or Sunday cooking and prepping for the week. Sides are a big challenge, hence the mac n cheese and pasta sauce. They'll eat grilled meat if it has enough "flavor" so the weekend is also when I do a lot of meat prep (marinades and brines). Usually all of that gives me 5 days of good eating, starting on Sat and rolling to Wed. On Thursday they either get something I saved in the freezer (like meat sauce) or something simple, like roasted smoked sausage and some tater tots. On Friday the kitchen is closed and Grubhub comes - my treat to myself. Rinse, repeat. The life of a parent with younger kids.
• georgmicrodong

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  2 years ago

  Yeah, when our kids were younger, we had many of the same issues. We mitigated the fussiness issue somewhat by having a weekly menu, with each of the kids getting input, so pretty much every day had at least one thing everything wanted. There were rules, of course, no chocolate cake for breakfast type things, and everyone had to like at least one of the vegetables of the two we had most days. We also had the luxury of at least one parent home at all times, so again, cooking wasn't usually a problem. They were still picky and fussy about eating, but it wasn't because we insisted on serving stuff they didn't like. A word of advice, Chicken Florentine is a good way to get kids who don't like spinach to eat spinach, and like it. 🤣