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I'm having some trouble transitioning from eating out all the time to eating healthy. The cooking is the easy part, since I stick to simple recipes. I'm having more trouble with maintaining the kitchen. Things like keeping the pantry stocked, keeping the vegetables from wilting (it seems like any time I buy leafy greens they go bad before I use them), making a meal plan (and grocery list), organizing the kitchen cabinet efficiently, things like that. Is there a good book or web-site for learning how to maintain the kitchen?
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Sep 18, 2012 18:10
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So, a co-worker has got an entire chicken sitting in the over. Sounds great, but that poo poo has been in the fridge for at least a week, maybe longer. Am I being weird for not trusting it? There are plenty of things that can't just be cooked/baked away, I'm guessing week old chicken has some of that going on. Feel stupid for asking really, but I don't want to offend... unless I have to hahah.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:10
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Bioshuffle posted:I'm having some trouble transitioning from eating out all the time to eating healthy. The cooking is the easy part, since I stick to simple recipes. I'm having more trouble with maintaining the kitchen. Things like keeping the pantry stocked, keeping the vegetables from wilting (it seems like any time I buy leafy greens they go bad before I use them), making a meal plan (and grocery list), organizing the kitchen cabinet efficiently, things like that. Is there a good book or web-site for learning how to maintain the kitchen? Keeping vegetables from wilting is a fairly common problem. Usually leafy greens will go bad for me before I get through all of them. What I like to do with them (that also helps with organization) is to plan out my meals for the week. If I am going to have a small salad with every dinner for that week, then I know I'll probably go through a whole head of lettuce and buy one for that week. As far as other pantry staples (Flour, sugar, rice) store them in clear glass containers so you can see when you are running low. For organization I like to keep all my spices on a lazy susan and if i'm feeling OCD, organize them alphabetically. I also keep all my baking supplies in one area, all my bake ware in one area, etc. If you get in the habit of looking in one spot for something each time, it will help train yourself to keep those common items together. I find meal planning to be kind of difficult, but it goes along with my weekly shopping trip. I figure that I have to feed myself, three times a day, for the next six days on what I have on hand and what I can make ahead of schedule. Think of things that you like to eat for lunches and dinners. Something that you won't get too sick of eating maybe a few days in a row. Figure out how many portions a batch will get you. If you make a meatloaf that serves 6-8, there's 6-8 meals there. Make it up, maybe eat one serving after it's done and freeze or chill the rest. If you really get tired of food quickly, make two meals ahead of time and alternate days. Trying for more variety than that and you would either need a lot of freezer room, or you'll probably wast money and time. moflika posted:So, a co-worker has got an entire chicken sitting in the over. Sounds great, but that poo poo has been in the fridge for at least a week, maybe longer. Am I being weird for not trusting it? There are plenty of things that can't just be cooked/baked away, I'm guessing week old chicken has some of that going on. Was the chicken frozen and she put it in the fridge to defrost for a week, or was this a "fresh" whole chicken from the grocery store, and that's been sitting in her fridge all this time? Either way, I'd be a little leery. I think over 24 hours and you're certainly looking at a drop in quality/texture. I wouldn't eat any chicken sitting in a fridge for more than 48 hours myself. It probably wouldn't kill you, but it certainly could make you sick. Proceed with caution.
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Sep 18, 2012 18:50
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It was fresh, not frozen. It had been weeks since I last had actual meat, so I took the plunge! Tasted great. I've had food poisoning 3 times, so I'll be ready when it comes... hahaha
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Sep 18, 2012 20:26
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Bioshuffle posted:I'm having some trouble transitioning from eating out all the time to eating healthy. The cooking is the easy part, since I stick to simple recipes. I'm having more trouble with maintaining the kitchen. Things like keeping the pantry stocked, keeping the vegetables from wilting (it seems like any time I buy leafy greens they go bad before I use them), making a meal plan (and grocery list), organizing the kitchen cabinet efficiently, things like that. Is there a good book or web-site for learning how to maintain the kitchen? It helps to have a balance of food that keeps, and doesn't keep. Now that's its Semptember and squash is looking really good, I generally have a few of those handy. They last roughly forever (~1mo) and I like them fairly simple. (Roasted with some Garam Masala, devour) I only buy leavy greens (or anything that goes bad in less than <4 days) sparingly, and try and prepare them so they don't go bad. I often puree strawberries, and/or make a lazy sobetto out of them when they're going to turn soon. http://www.stilltasty.com/ is a great site, too. There's several different apps/websites that you can use for keeping on top of your pantry. I find that it overcomplicates things for me (I'm the kind of person that forgets my shopping list 95% of the time). I found out about pepperplate from here. There might be something that you'd like there.
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Sep 18, 2012 23:27
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Someone throw me an easy Johnny cake recipe that I can use when camping. Something with just dry ingredients and water would be great so I don't need a cooler. Other options welcome too.
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Sep 19, 2012 04:57
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Bioshuffle posted:I'm having some trouble transitioning from eating out all the time to eating healthy. The cooking is the easy part, since I stick to simple recipes. I'm having more trouble with maintaining the kitchen. Things like keeping the pantry stocked, keeping the vegetables from wilting (it seems like any time I buy leafy greens they go bad before I use them), making a meal plan (and grocery list), organizing the kitchen cabinet efficiently, things like that. Is there a good book or web-site for learning how to maintain the kitchen? The best way I've found to handle greens is to pull the leaves apart, wash and dry them, wrap them in a towel, and put in in a plastic bag in the fridge. The cloth in plastic system keeps it moist to prevent wilting but also absorbs extra water to prevent it from rotting, plus since it is now washed and separated it's easy to just grab a couple leaves for a sandwich or small salad.
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Sep 19, 2012 10:15
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GrAviTy84 posted:If you vacuum seal it and low temp sousvide it will pasteurize the avos and make them keep their green. It is then freezable but you'll lose the texture of the cashews. Maybe make the spread without the cashews and add them as needed? Never tried sousviding anything, but I guess there's a first for everything. And yeah, I don't think it's any harm to add the cashews as needed. Mach420 posted:In a bowl covered with plastic wrap, you should figure that it'll last a day, maybe two. Mashed avocado turns brown quickly. I do think that the lemon juice is a good idea, though I've never tried that. I tried with a lime I had laying around, and that worked well enough, but I think lemon mixes best with the other ingredients. I also found out that garnishing with crisp fried onion is loving excellent. Black Griffon fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Sep 19, 2012 |
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Sep 19, 2012 14:23
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I got this brisket sitting in the fridge and I kind of want to do it with horseradish/ potato pancakes and a cucumber salad, because cucumbers are finally a quarter at the farmer's market. I'm kind of meated out though, these days, any ideas on something interesting?
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Sep 19, 2012 14:34
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Atticus_1354 posted:Someone throw me an easy Johnny cake recipe that I can use when camping. Something with just dry ingredients and water would be great so I don't need a cooler. Other options welcome too. 1 cup fine cornmeal 1 heaping TB ground flax seed 3 pinches salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1 cup boiling water 1/4 cup boiling water, reserved Combine the dry ingredients together into a ziploc bag. When you're ready to cook, pour the boiling water over the mix in a bowl. Beat together well. If the batter is too thick for your liking, add a bit more boiling water. Let it set up for a couple of minutes to rehydrate and such. Fry up with canola oil on the skillet. They're really tasty with maple syrup, jam, marmalade, or peanut butter. I'd go for peanut butter, because you don't need to refrigerate it. If you want them more savoury, cut back on the sugar to a couple of pinches, and bump up the salt to like 1/2 tsp. Then, serve with hummus, or salsa, or whatever else you like in the mornings. 
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Sep 19, 2012 16:17
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I work four 10 hour days a week on top of a 45 minute commute, so I'm looking to get better about using things like a crock pot to have something ready or almost ready for me when I get home. Otherwise I pretty much have to decide whether I'd like to cook or have free time. I picked up a crock on sale a few days ago and tossed together a mostly vegetable stew (I added a handful of trimmed chicken thighs to give it some more flavor). The problem that I was afraid of was that it would end up bland, which it did. When I've made soups and stews before, I would sautee, brown, or roast most of the ingredients before tossing them all in a pot. But since I'm dealing with 8 hours on low plus around 4 hours on warm, I'm afraid that any pre-cooking I do on things like carrots/potatoes/onions will leave me with a mushy mess. I had a decent amount of spices in there (bay leaves/thyme/rosemary/celery seed/pepper), which helped, but I'm still going to go back tonight and try to reduce the stock, then kick a bunch more spices in. Any good tips on flavorful slow-cooking?
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Sep 19, 2012 18:31
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I am not trying to be snide but did you put in any salt?
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Sep 19, 2012 18:44
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TychoCelchuuu posted:Or maybe hotter. Apropos of nothing I can recommend, weirdly enough, this video by film director Robert Rodriguez because it's the only YouTube video about tortillas I've ever seen: Last page, but I'm always weirded out by this video despite its awesomeness. He narrates it like an autopsy or something.
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Sep 19, 2012 21:02
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Zenzirouj posted:I work four 10 hour days a week on top of a 45 minute commute, so I'm looking to get better about using things like a crock pot to have something ready or almost ready for me when I get home. Otherwise I pretty much have to decide whether I'd like to cook or have free time. I picked up a crock on sale a few days ago and tossed together a mostly vegetable stew (I added a handful of trimmed chicken thighs to give it some more flavor). The problem that I was afraid of was that it would end up bland, which it did. I would certainly brown some of the chicken before tossing it in, but what about par cooking a small amount of you vegetables for flavor first. Sautee up half the onion, carrot and maybe a little celery and put that together in the pot as a starter, and then have the remaining veg be fresh and just chopped large. That way the whole pieces should still be tender, while the pre-cooked items can blend into the rest.
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Sep 19, 2012 21:03
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I picked up a gammon joint today, anyone got any tips for cooking method/meal ideas? The back of the packet just says 'boil for an hour' basically but that doesn't sound too tasty to me.
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Sep 19, 2012 21:05
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What is the first thing I should do with my new mortar and pestle? I already have (I'll admit it) dry powder versions of most of the spices I use regularly. Is there something cool with herbs or something I can do? It seemed like a cool purchase at the time that I could use for everything, and now I'm at a loss.
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Sep 19, 2012 21:43
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Knockknees posted:What is the first thing I should do with my new mortar and pestle? I already have (I'll admit it) dry powder versions of most of the spices I use regularly. Is there something cool with herbs or something I can do? It seemed like a cool purchase at the time that I could use for everything, and now I'm at a loss. You could hand grind a pesto, maybe. It's the traditional prep style.
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Sep 19, 2012 21:49
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How that didn't occur to me, I have no idea. Excited to do it!
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Sep 19, 2012 21:50
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Fraction posted:I picked up a gammon joint today, anyone got any tips for cooking method/meal ideas? The back of the packet just says 'boil for an hour' basically but that doesn't sound too tasty to me. Gammon and bacon joints were the original Irish boiled dinner that everyone in the U.S. makes with corned beef now -usually at St. Patrick's Day. I'd make something very similar (but don't corn it or anything). You might want to rinse it first -or even cook it alone in boiling water for a few minutes and then refresh the water. Basically throw some barely crushed peppercorns, a few bay leaves, the joint, and enough liquid (water, some white wine, some stock) to cover it into a big pot. Cover it, bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer it. After a couple hours [edit: I have no idea how big your joint is; just estimating here.] throw in some root vegetables. Carrots, onions, potatoes. Very large chunks. When the potatoes are almost tender throw in some cabbage and it will hopefully all finish at the same time. I like to take some of the liquid and mount butter and cream in it as a sauce to go on top when it's plated. You can adjust the flavor of that however you want. I throw some horseradish and dill in it sometimes. Very Strange Things fucked around with this message at 22:19 on Sep 19, 2012 |
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Sep 19, 2012 22:02
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I braised it.
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Sep 20, 2012 01:00
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Oh god, I just bullshitted a recipe for stuffed poblanos and they're in the oven. Probably completely gringo'd it, but I imagine it'll taste good 
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Sep 20, 2012 01:12
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Can anyone recommend a good, authentic Thai cookbook? I have The Everything Thai Cookbook, but I'm not overly impressed with it.
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Sep 20, 2012 01:51
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xcdude24 posted:Can anyone recommend a good, authentic Thai cookbook? I have The Everything Thai Cookbook, but I'm not overly impressed with it. David Thompson's Thai Food is pretty good.
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Sep 20, 2012 01:53
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The Midniter posted:Jeez, if it's basically a confit with a bunch of salt added, I'd guess...until the heat death of the universe maybe?
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Sep 20, 2012 03:05
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I was thinking of picking up some chicken feet for stock, it seems like they'd give it a lot of nice gelatin. Should I roast them first? Do they need to be cleaned because they're feet? I've eaten them but never gotten any for home use.
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Sep 20, 2012 03:26
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^^^^^^^ Yes clean, no roast. xarg posted:Thanks for the hilarious reply. How about if I don't add the salt? Why would you do that, though? Salt makes things taste good.
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Sep 20, 2012 06:36
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Not even that. Salt makes things taste
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Sep 20, 2012 06:38
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I've got a medical condition where I'm not supposed to eat any salt. edit: vvv not hypertension vvv xarg fucked around with this message at 13:14 on Sep 20, 2012 |
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Sep 20, 2012 07:40
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Mr. Wiggles posted:^^^^^^^ Okay. Do I need to go crazy with soap or just scrub them like a potato I'm planning to eat the skin of?
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Sep 20, 2012 07:57
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xarg posted:I've got a medical condition where I'm not supposed to eat any salt. Hypertension?
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Sep 20, 2012 08:04
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Very Strange Things posted:Gammon and bacon joints were the original Irish boiled dinner that everyone in the U.S. makes with corned beef now -usually at St. Patrick's Day. I'd make something very similar (but don't corn it or anything). This sounds awesome and I'm going to try it! I'll see exactly how big my joint is when I get home tonight. Would chicken stock work for the stock? I have a bunch of frozen homemade stock cubes.
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Sep 20, 2012 08:38
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Trying to make turkey burgers, and am finding that ground turkey has the consistency of pudding. Having a hard time getting it to stick into a solid patty. Keeping in mind that I don't want to throw in a ton of eggs since the whole point of turkey burgers is eating healthier does anyone have any good suggestions?
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Sep 20, 2012 15:13
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Grand Fromage posted:Okay. Do I need to go crazy with soap or just scrub them like a potato I'm planning to eat the skin of? Like a potato is fine. Wash until the nails and skin folds don't have any dirt on them, because you don't want a gritty soup. Then, cook as you wish.
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Sep 20, 2012 15:16
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Liar posted:Trying to make turkey burgers, and am finding that ground turkey has the consistency of pudding. Having a hard time getting it to stick into a solid patty. Keeping in mind that I don't want to throw in a ton of eggs since the whole point of turkey burgers is eating healthier does anyone have any good suggestions? http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/11/the-burger-lab-turkey-burgers-that-dont-suck.html That is what you are looking for. I've tried these and they're phenomenal, just don't grill them (consistency is a little too meatloaf for the grill).
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Sep 20, 2012 15:26
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Fraction posted:This sounds awesome and I'm going to try it! I'll see exactly how big my joint is when I get home tonight. Would chicken stock work for the stock? I have a bunch of frozen homemade stock cubes. Absolutely, but don't feel like you need to go overboard with your precious stock though; most people just use water. If you prep your vegetables before you start cooking your meat, you can flavor your water with all the veggie scraps too. I put all my onion peels, carrot ends, and some celery ends and leaves in it and make quick veggie stock, then strain the roughage out at some point. You could also just throw all that stuff and some herbs in a jelly bag or something if you don't want to have to strain it. Really not that necessary; I just do it because gently caress it, might as well. Some people also dump a can of cola into their briskets and corned beef; I don't.
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Sep 20, 2012 15:32
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xarg posted:I've got a medical condition where I'm not supposed to eat any salt. I'm not a doctor, but I'm sort of suspicious of that. Salt being necessary for our proper chemical functioning and all. Anyway without salt food just doesn't taste good and there's not really a lot of ways around that aside from using lots of acid in some preparations, but that won't really work here. What do you eat every day if you can't have salt? Everything has salt.
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Sep 20, 2012 15:50
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Mr. Wiggles posted:I'm not a doctor, but I'm sort of suspicious of that. Salt being necessary for our proper chemical functioning and all. Most of the time when people are on "no salt" diets, they mean they're on a restricted sodium diet and shouldn't be adding salt to anything. Liver and kidney disease patients are sometimes put on restricted sodium diets. Yes, you do need a small amount of salt for your body to function. It's less than a teaspoon a day, and it's very easy to get that amount from foods that contain sodium naturally. My grandfather was on a low salt diet for the last ten years of his life, and I believe his daily allowance was something like 1000 mg.
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Sep 20, 2012 16:22
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RazorBunny posted:Most of the time when people are on "no salt" diets, they mean they're on a restricted sodium diet and shouldn't be adding salt to anything. Liver and kidney disease patients are sometimes put on restricted sodium diets. There's lots of crazy doctors and "medical professionals" who recommend no salt diets for people who don't need them, too, which can do lots of harm. Obviously, we need more information if we are to offer proper culinary advice, and I respect the poster if they don't want to give details about their personal medical condition. But holy crap are there a lot of fuckjobs out there who tell people to do all sorts of stupid things with their diets on the basis of pseudoscience, half understood mythology, and trendy ideas from alternative health journals. Chiropractors, holistic nutritionists, and personal trainers come to mind first of all.
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Sep 20, 2012 17:07
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Charmmi posted:I am not trying to be snide but did you put in any salt? A few shakes, yeah. I was winging it with all the portions and decided to just count on adding more salt later, to taste. I did a decent job of rehabbing the stew by straining out the stock and tossing in some red wine and more of all the spices, then boiling it down (I had meant to put wine in from the get-go, but forgot). Then I tossed everything back in along with a bunch more celery and cooked it for a bit. It's much better now, but I feel like there must be something to be done about the flavor of the veggies. Next time I'll try pre-cooking half of them like Czar recommended, but I'm gonna work on a solution that gets everything tasting good, not just the stock. On the subject of stock, can you use a crock pot to make it? Normally I babysit anything like that, but if I can get similar results over a longer time period it would be great.
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Sep 20, 2012 17:22
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Zenzirouj posted:On the subject of stock, can you use a crock pot to make it? Normally I babysit anything like that, but if I can get similar results over a longer time period it would be great. You can do it in a pressure cooker in significantly less time. If you care about clarity you can make an egg raft, but I usually give no shits unless I'm serving it in some fancy way. Just straining is fine for everyday applications.
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Sep 20, 2012 19:28
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