|
|
Post by ronin on Mar 2, 2016 18:18:56 GMT -7
I never learned how to cook, and being self-taught is not really useful. There are a lot of times when I'm cooking that I realize how big my knowledge gap really is. Sometimes, it's the recipes that stump me. For instance, right now I'm looking at a recipe for crispy buttermilk chicken. When I'm looking at a recipe for the first time, I always like to read through the directions to make sure I can visualize the steps from beginning to end before I try it (as an aside, I have the same mental process for driving to a strange place). Then I come across instructions like this:
I'm good with this until "Turn the chicken over." This seems incomplete to me. Turn the chicken over and saute for 4 more minutes? Is "turn the chicken over" implying that it's turned over at some point within that 4 minutes? Turn the chicken over and stick it in the oven?
I think my new life goal is to write recipes for dummies. (Admittedly, I'd have to learn to cook first.) I feel like there's a whole community of people just like me who have know fucking idea what number on my stove dial is represents medium-high. (Seriously. Is it 6 or 7? Hubby seems to think it's 8 1/2 or 9. I have no fucking clue.)
|
|
|
|
Post by smokinghorse on Mar 2, 2016 21:16:37 GMT -7
Turn it over, and put it directly in the oven. You browned the first side, the oven will brown the other.
Med. high is the halfway point. So if high is 10, and Medium is 5, 7.5.
In cooking, though? The correct answer is usually found via a combination of trial and error, eyeballing, your taste, and whatever works. Recipes are guidelines for me. It's like art. They provide the general framework and guidelines, but you will almost always adapt them to make them work for you.
Less thinking, more experimenting! My experiments have failed in major ways at times. Like, "this is inedible, order a pizza" failures. But you know where you went wrong, and what not to do next time.
Have fun!
|
|
kissy
OG
I want a new drug...
Posts: 855 
|
Post by kissy on Mar 3, 2016 3:50:41 GMT -7
All the things Abby said! Trial and error for sure.
|
|
|
|
Post by ronin on Mar 3, 2016 7:03:48 GMT -7
I'm getting there, but it's also nice to know where to start.  We've been doing better about cooking most of our meals (rather than living off of fast food and convenience food) and I feel like it's getting easier, but there's still so much I don't quite get. |
|
kissy
OG
I want a new drug...
Posts: 855
|
Post by kissy on Mar 3, 2016 7:14:30 GMT -7
It's not easy but you gotta start somewhere! Sounds like that's what's happening. My mom didn't, and still doesn't cook. When I met J he did a lot of the cooking. After Ryan was born, I decided I needed something to do with my time so I started looking up recipes on epicuruous and trying different things. A few fails but actually I did pretty well! And I actually enjoy cooking! My biggest fail, even now, is I won't read a recipe all the way through so I'll start a meal only to find out the shit needs to marinate for like 2 hours.  . But I have gotten pretty good at adding and subtracting and substituting. Speaking of all this I need to figure out what to do for dinner tonight--I have a spaghetti squash I need to cook... |
|
|
|
Post by ronin on Mar 3, 2016 8:21:27 GMT -7
We usually just (unimaginatively) use spaghetti squash as a substitute for spaghetti noodles. I haven't tried doing anything else with it. :/
|
|
|
|
Post by nomorewirehanger on Mar 3, 2016 11:13:46 GMT -7
I am not creative in the kitchen. Lol mom didn't cook. Mawmaw taught me basics.
Trial and error
|
|
kissy
OG
I want a new drug...
Posts: 855
|
Post by kissy on Mar 3, 2016 12:16:27 GMT -7
We usually just (unimaginatively) use spaghetti squash as a substitute for spaghetti noodles. I haven't tried doing anything else with it. :/ I've only done it once before. I diced up leftover meatloaf and mixed it in with the squash noodles then baked it in the squash half with some cheese and shit. It was decent! I've found some recipes on pinterest that look interesting. Tonight I'll probably brown some ground pork and add some diced tomatoes and parmesan then bake the whole thing again like before. |
|
|
|
Post by nomorewirehanger on Mar 3, 2016 13:24:25 GMT -7
I have no clue what we are eating. I'm throwing frozen corn dogs at my children before g's game to tide them over. I'm on liquid and cracker diet. I'm assuming there is leftover nachos from last night.
I'm not cooking.
|
|
|
|
Post by KyLady on Mar 3, 2016 14:58:43 GMT -7
Tonight we are having meatloaf and salad. I am far too lazy feeling to peel potatoes, so I'm just skipping them, we'll see well this goes over with the family haha. They do not accept change well.
I hate cooking. I have about a dozen meals that everyone can find something they will eat, and I almost never deviate. I don't follow recipes, exactly, more like procedures, but I never deviate, I don't change seasonings, vegetables etc I just make the same dozen meals over and over again
|
|
|
|
Post by ronin on Mar 3, 2016 16:51:36 GMT -7
Tonight we're having taco salad, because it's a no-brainer.  I'm still figuring out how to cook, so I have some good "staple" meals, but then try to challenge myself to find and cook a new recipe once or twice a month. This weekend I'm cooking a coconut chicken soup. It sounds interesting. (If I don't fuck it up.) |
|
kissy
OG
I want a new drug...
Posts: 855
|
Post by kissy on Mar 3, 2016 17:25:23 GMT -7
I made chicken picatta the other night (omg capers) and it was a lot easier than I expected. A lot of butter, yum.
I'll tell y'all, an easy staple here is meatballs with mushroom gravy and either mashed taters (box, yes box) or rice.
I usually have frozen pre cooked meatballs on hand and the much room gravy is two cans mushroom soup mixed with a can of milk. After I get the meatballs cooked through and browned I remove them and add the soup mix and heat through then add the meatballs back and let it simmer for a bit. Easy and quick. Need to add a veggie? Frozen peas or green beans in the microwave.
|
|
|
|
Post by ronin on Mar 3, 2016 19:17:47 GMT -7
Everything sounds so good -- except the box mashed potatoes. I'm going to fully admit I crinkled my nose in a judgy fashion when I read that. Sorry Kissy. Real mashed potatoes are my second favorite food on the planet, right behind french fries. I'm picky about that shit. Our staples have turned out to be chili (so adaptable for whatever meat we have, and also super easy to make), cobb salad, swai, and "unstuffed" bell peppers (basically stuffed peppers, but all the crap is just tossed in a casserole dish with the peppers on top. Since starting to cook for myself, though, I've discovered: the best green chili soup ( www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/2015/12/slow-cooker-chicken-and-green-chile-soup.html ) what to do with Ahi tuna that I picked up on a whim, because "why not, right?" ( www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/classics-made-clean/sesame-seared-tuna/ ) how to make cauliflower bread (good, but does not taste like real bread, I don't care who says what) ( www.jocooks.com/healthy-eating/cheesy-cauliflower-breadsticks/ ) how to make a tricky chicken roulade ( www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chicken-roulade ) These things haven't always turned out (particularly the roulades), but I'm trying them. |
|
kissy
OG
I want a new drug...
Posts: 855
|
Post by kissy on Mar 3, 2016 20:02:54 GMT -7
I grew up on boxed taters, I make amazing real mashed taters. Ryan loves the boxed, so at this point that's what I go with. . At some point the real ones with grow on him, I'm sure, haha! |
|
We've been doing better about cooking most of our meals (rather than living off of fast food and convenience food) and I feel like it's getting easier, but there's still so much I don't quite get.
. But I have gotten pretty good at adding and subtracting and substituting.
