posted
Okay I'm moving out on the 27th and I'm wondering if the Hatrack food savvy people and of course the people whose mothering instincts are just too darn powerful to bear the fault of a 21 year old go by without eating properly. (glances at Rivka & Tante)
My only cook book I have is a Jewish kosher cookbook. Beyond turning on the stove to warm up pizza and calling out assume I lack any knowledge to cook decent meals.
Thanks in advance I greatly appreciate it.
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Also, there are various good sites that have lots of good stuff (such as www.food.com) from there I'd suggest Rachel Ray's stuff as generally quick and not too complicated, but all the recipes have difficulty listings.
Posts: 1038 | Registered: Feb 2006
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If you can afford it, buy frozen meat and learn to cook it correctly. Try buying, to start off with, packaged meals that call for meat and add to it. it gives you the illusion of home cooking and it gets you started on the path to actual cooking.
Try making sandwich melts, like a roast beef sandwich with onions, bell peppers and cheese, but butter the outside of each slice of bread, throw on a skillet, cook until its crispy (but not burnt) and there you go. Hot roast beef sandwich.
Posts: 368 | Registered: Aug 2007
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Learning to cook is an excellent skill to have. It's not hard, but it can be intimidating. Rachel Ray isn't a bad place to start.
If you like eggs, start with a variety of omlettes or scrambled eggs with good stuff in them. It's a good way to learn how to achieve repeatability in your cooking technique and practice knife skills. Plus it's almost always edible once you stop burning things.
Possible things to add to eggs:
onions bell peppers tobasco sauce capers mushrooms pistachios cheese broccoli cauliflower spinach (fresh or thoroughly wrung-out defrosted frozen) diced tomatoes
Plus seasonings and herbs.
You can experiment with combinations of things, and how (or if) you cook the vegetables before adding to the eggs.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I have a very good, relatively simple recipe for minestrone soup that got some good use in college (and probably contributed to my wife marrying me.) I'd be happy to e-mail it to you if you like.
ADD: And (pardon my ill manners) congratulations on the big move, Blayne!
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Mazel tov on the move. The Joy of Cooking is a pretty good basic cookbook that will tell you how to make even simple things, like boiled eggs and rice.
If you are on a budget, you should learn how to cook spaghetti and eggs. They are about the cheapest things that are easy to make. For spaghetti, really just follow the directions on the box -- boil the water in a big pot, dump in the spaghetti, boil for as many minutes as it says to, then pour it into a colander. To start, you can use the sauce from the jar, and later, when you get used to cooking, you can make other, interesting pasta sauces.
There is nothing wrong with scrambled eggs for supper. It is super-quick, cheap, easy and satisfying.
You should learn how to roast a chicken. Chicken is the least expensive meat, delicious and healthy, too. And roasting a chicken takes minimal kitchen skills to produce something that really seems like you cooked something. It's good enough to feed a date, if you want to impress your date with your cooking skills. You can roast a whole or cut-up chicken and have the tasty chicken leftovers all week. If you put potatoes in the oven at the same time as the chicken, then, when the chicken is done, so are the potatoes, and you can eat chicken and potatoes. Add a salad, or a cooked vegetable, and you have yourself a meal.
Homemade soup is another good thing to have in your kitchen repertoire. It is tastier and healthier than the canned kind, and the leftovers are good all week, so you can have food ready for you when you come home and don't feel like cooking. Again, Joy of Cooking can probably start you out with some basic recipes.
Your local public library will have Joy in it's collection, I'm sure. You can check it out to get started with minimal investment.
Good luck and Bon Appetite!
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Rather than frozen meat, buy whatever's on sale for less than $0.80/lb. and freeze it yourself.
Invest in a crockpot. It makes cooking cheap meat and dried beans a cinch, and lets you produce delicious meals with very little effort. They're not expensive, a small model might only run you about $20 to $30.
Learn to cook oatmeal, besides what others have mentioned. Buying the pre-packaged stuff is more expensive, learn to cook rolled oats from a big canister (it's pretty cheap if you buy the store brand on sale.) Even with the addition of some brown sugar and raisins and a splash of milk, not that expensive, and will give you a healthy, filling start to the day that means you may snack less and therefore spend less money on food.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Captain Crunch in the morning, raman for lunch and frozen burritoes in the evening. Got me through university!
Posts: 571 | Registered: Mar 2001
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Blayne, what do you like to have others cook for you? I tend to think the best approach for new cooks is often to take one or two dishes that they already like and learn to cook them well and as healthfully as possible. If you start out with something complex or that isn't already comfort food, you're too likely to give up and go back to snack food instead.
[eta] Oh, and ketchupqueen, mind if I ask what you're able to find for $0.80 or less and where you're looking for it? I'm struggling to think of any meat I've ever seen on sale for that price around here, and about the only thing I can think of is chicken necks for soup stock.
Posts: 650 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Eggs are something like the cheapest source of good nutrition available. They're necessary for just about any kind of baking (you might not want to plunge in on breadbaking, but pancakes and waffles are tasty simple things), and on their own they're very versatille -- omlettes, scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos, french toast, etc.
once you're comfortable doing basic stuff, try casseroles. They're good on the cheap because you can use cheap things like hamburger and tomato sauce. Plus you get a week's worth of leftovers out of it.
Though it's a bit time-consuming, I always liked making my own potstickers because they stay good for a long time in the freezer:
1 pound ground pork small amount of ketchup and mustard garlic, onions, cabbage, whatever else you might like in potstickers 1 egg
I use the premade wonton/gyoza wrappers that are like two dollars, and get to wrapping (I use the circle ones because it's simply a matter of wetting the edges and folding it in half). Make sure to get all the air out, or else they'll explode. Once they're done I lay them on a flat sheet pan and stick them in the freezer for at least a day. After they become frozen solid, I take the number of potstickers I can fit onto my favorite pan, and make a bunch of sandwich bags full of 'em. That way I can just take a bag out of the freezer whenever I want potstickers.
To cook them:
Take the thawed potstickers and lay them on a pan that ISN'T non-stick with just the barest hint of oil in it, on the upper level of medium heat. After about two minutes they should be stuck to the pan (because they're potstickers, get it?), then add about maybe 1/2 cup of chicken broth (I don't measure this, but it's just enough to cover the pan and loosen everything up) (be careful -- if your pan was hot enough this should jump all over the pan) and cover the whole thing up for another two minutes. Uncover and let the broth steam away until it's almost gone, then remove your unsticking potstickers.
This is Alton Brown's recipe, but I've done it so much I've developed my own system to it. It's soooo yummy.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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ambyr: it depends on where you live, and what's on sale.
Here I sometimes find whole chicken for 69 cents/lb.; cut that up and take the skin off, or freeze it whole, I do both. I occasionally will find chicken pieces for 79 cents/lb. I buy the maximum, at that price (especially if it's the "good" brand.) In TX I used to find ground beef on sale for 79 cents/lb. And very occasionally chicken thighs and legs. Also, you can sometimes find even better discounts on "manager's special" meat-- meat that needs to be sold in the next 12 hours or thrown out, so they mark it way down. I buy that and chuck it straight in the freezer. I've sometimes gotten ground pork, sausage, etc. at that price.
I usually will go up to $1/lb. in what I buy now (I buy corned beef for the whole year when it's 90 cents/lb., and ground beef at 99-- it's more expensive here), but when we were first married, 80 cents was my limit. I suppose I know nothing about food prices where he is so he should set his own limit, but the point is to buy real bargains and freeze them. (Also, food prices are on the rise, so I may soon have to up my limit.) That's how I do all my shopping, except for milk and bread and fresh produce-- buy when it's cheap (including matching sales with double coupons) whether you need it or not and store it for when you can use it. (And even bread and milk, if it's a great price and I have room I'll freeze for later use. Like when I found the good brand of bread for 69 cents a loaf, or the pints of milk on clearance for 19 cents each.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Cool, kechupqueen. I know prices vary regionally, but sometimes it's easy to forget how much. (Of course the principle of "buy at the cheapest available price" is still useful, even if the price has to be set at a higher level.)
I also didn't know you could freeze milk. Any special instructions? How long does it keep? It'd be nice to be able to take advantage of the "buy one and get a second half off" specials on milk gallons that I keep seeing--there's just no way, as one person, that I can drink two gallons of milk before it goes bad.
Posts: 650 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Nothing special, though if you are buying whole gallons you may want to break them into smaller portions (to freeze quicker and more evenly.) Stick it in the freezer, pull it out to defrost in the fridge when you're running low. Then just shake it before you use it as it tends to separate (but that doesn't affect the taste.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Oh, and I should mention that when our budget was for 80 cents a lb. or less we ate very, very little meat most of the time-- 1/2 lb. for the two of us (all there was) two or three times a week. We eat a lot more meat now that my budget for it is higher, even though there are more of us... We still eat a lot of beans, though. That's just how I grew up eating and what I like, not to mention what's cheap. Canned refried beans and tortillas for "make your own burritos" with a jar of salsa, some lettuce, and some shredded cheese (sour cream or avocado if we've got them but we don't always) is a mainstay at our house, we eat it at least once a week, sometimes up to 3 times in a week.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Clean up is easy, it tastes good (if you like Chinese) and best of all, you can make a LOT of it and freeze it.
I'm gonna write this as if you have no clue what's going on at all. If it's too simple, forgive me. But better I over do it than miss a step and you get salmonella or something that tastes terrible.
Read this all the way through before you start. Make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils you need.
Ingredients: 1 - 1.5lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 medium broccoli stalk 3-5 celery stalks (optional) 1 small bag baby carrots (optional) 1 small can sliced water chestnuts 1 small can sliced bamboo shoots 2 8oz cans of chicken broth 1 large egg (whites only) Cornstarch Salt to taste Pepper to taste (optional)
Utensils: Rice pan (any medium pan) Wok (these are inexpensive) Wok lid (any lid large enough to cover the wok) Medium Mixing bowl. Large mixing bowl. 2 Knives (I use a steak knife because I can throw it in the dishwasher) 2 Cutting boards (You can use a plate if you're cheap.) Wooden spoon. Plate. Glass of cold water.
First, Wash your hands. With soap. (always with soap.)
Empty your dishwasher (if you have one).
Start cooking the rice. You want 1/4 cup of uncooked rice per serving. There are a TON of calories in rice. More than you would think. So if weight is a concern, go light on the rice. You cook rice at a ratio of 2 parts water per 1 part rice. Add salt. Wash the rice before hand if you like. Use medium heat and turn it down when it starts to boil over. Rice should be fluffy, not crunchy. If you over cook it it will burn to the bottom of the pan. If you under-cook it it will be watery. If you don't use enough water, it will be crunchy. Be prepared to try a few times before you get it down pat. (heck, I've been doing it for years and I still have to add water sometimes.)
Separate the egg white from the yoke over a medium mixing bowl. You do this by pouring the yoke from one half of the egg shell to the other and letting the whites spill into the bowl.
Wash your hands.
Cut the chicken into strips or cubes (your choice). Add it to the bowl.
Wash your hands. THOROUGHLY.
Mix in a table spoon of cornstarch and salt vigorously. Add pepper. Mix it with your hands until the cornstarch as dissolved and you have a consistent eggy-salty-starchy mixture over the chicken.
Pour the mixture into your wok. If you have a quality wok, you won't even need oil. If you have a crummy wok.. with scratches or whatever.. add some vegetable oil. Not too much, just enough to cover the bottom. This will add calories to your meal.
Rinse the mixing bowl and put it in your dishwasher (your sink if you don't have a dishwasher.) Put the knife and the cutting board where you chopped the chicken into the dishwasher too.
Wash your hands. THOROUGHLY. Under the nails too. Raw chicken is dangerous.
Wash off all areas where you worked with the raw chicken. Windex with a few paper towels work well. Be sure to dry off the windex.
Cover your chicken with your wok's lid. Stir it now and then. Make sure it's cooked all the way through.
While the chicken is cooking, Chop your veggies. I usually store them in a large mixing bowl till they're all chopped. Drain the liquid out of the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.
When the chicken is done (and it might be done before you finish chopping) move it onto a plate outside the wok. Chicken is done when it's white all the way through. If it's brown on one side, it's not burned, but if it's pink on one side (or in the middle) it's still Raw and dangerous. Over cooking it is bad. It makes it dry and tasteless. Under-cooking it can be disastrous, so at first it's better to err on the side of over cooked. You'll get the hang of it eventually.
Turn the heat off the wok if you're not done chopping, but DON'T CLEAN IT. You'll want that chicken-eggy-salty-starchy goodness for the next step.
Put your veggies, chicken broth bamboo and water chestnuts in the wok. Cook until the broccoli is tender. Bring to a boil. Stir frequently to make sure everything is in the boiling broth long enough to get tender. Salt to taste.
Re-add the chicken. Bring back to a boil. Put plate in dishwasher.
Take an 8 oz glass of cold water and add a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch. Pour this into the wok and stir. This is to give your broth a little thickness. But don't fret if it doesn't thicken noticeably.
Now you're done. Turn off the heat.
Serve over your rice. Enjoy your meal.
When your done, and when the wok is cool enough, separate it into freezer safe containers. Estimate how much you'd like to eat at any one meal and freeze that in each container. I use old "I can't believe it's not butter" tubs because they're plentiful and I'm cheap, but you can get ziplock tubs from the store cheaply too.
To re-heat, just put it in a pan, cover and stir occasionally. You'll need to make more rice though.
Posts: 7085 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
There is a great book out there called "Where's Mom Now That I Need Her?" Pick it up it is a great book that is a cookbook but more a every little thing you need to know when first getting out on your own type of book. From replacing a button and stains, to illnesses and car maintenance. Definately worth the purchase! After 15 years, I still refer to mine!
Posts: 176 | Registered: Jun 2008
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If you don't have a colander, use a saucepan lid or plate to hold the spaghetti inside the saucepan while you pour the water down the sink. It works just as well and saves washing the colander, should you have one.
Don't forget to salt the pasta. A pinch of salt in the water makes it tastes worlds better.
You can make a homemade cheese sauce for spaghetteroni-and-cheese (or whatever shape pasta you have) with milk, flour and cheese. Put in as much milk as you need sauce, add say a quarter of the amount of flour and cheese to taste (+ dash of salt), then heat, while stirring. As it heats, the bit of flour will thicken the sauce as the cheese melts. Add the sauce to the pasta and stir and tadaa, home made "macaroni" and cheese.
This is how I cook Basmati rice:
Put the dry rice in a saucepan. Wash it by adding water and then using your (clean) fingers to stir it around, then drain the water away, making sure not to pour the rice away as well! You'll see that the water goes white and murky. Do this a couple of times until it's slightly clearer.
Now add water so you have the same amount of water again as the rice. So the depth of water above the rice is equal to that of the depth of the rice itself. Or; twice as much water as rice. Add a pinch of salt.
Put the sauce pan on the ring on full power and bring it to the boil. Once boiling, turn the pan down to a setting that's about half way between low and medium. Not the lowest ring setting, but a bit higher than that. Wait until the bubbling water has settled a bit and put a lid on the saucepan. (If you do it immediately or forget to turn the ring down you'll discover the water comes exploding out).
Once the lid is on you can let the rice simmer for 10 minutes or so, or until the water is gone. Don't abandon the pan! If it gets too dry, the rice will burn!
Once you figure out how to cook rice, you can make my favourite quick meal, which is strips of fried beef and slices of wet juicy tomato, lightly cooked in the meat juice until it's hot, poured over cooked rice. It's yummy.
General Help:
If you're just figuring out how to cook things, don't leave the kitchen to check something on the internet or a similarly engrossing thing. 99% of burning happens when you forget a pan. This goes TRIPLY for heating oil for frying. Do not leave it. If it's smoking (looks blue, as opposed to grey/white steam) it's TOO HOT. Take it off the ring.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Salting the water also helps it boil faster.
Oh, and check out my favorite recipe site: recipezaar.
(You can get a paid membership but you don't need to, you can access recipes and forums for free.) You can search for a recipe for just about anything you want to make, and you can check out the forums there for helpful cooking advice. They have a kitchen dictionary that defines terms such as "broil", "baste", and "roux" that you may encounter; the forums have step-by-step guides on how to do basic tasks like make stock, roast poultry, etc. with pictures. Very helpful for the beginning cook. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Salting raises the boiling point (slightly) - therefore, it takes longer to bring to a boil
However, it's very important for pasta texture and taste. Pasta water should be seasoned as if it were a soup - quite a bit more than a pinch.
It makes the biggest difference with whole wheat pasta in my experience.
Alton Brown tested the "oil in the water keeps the pasta from sticking" myth, and found it not to be true.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
Blayne, I keep thinking of what I can add that would be easy, and what comes to mind is this: learn to fry up ground beef. Basically, put it in a large enough pan and turn on the heat to medium high or high and stir and break it up as it sizzles. You want it to disintegrate into small crumbles, and it should turn brown with no trace of pink remaining. You need to keep scraping it off the bottom of the pan so it doesn't stick or burn; any ground beef not labeled "extra lean" will have enough fat in it to keep it from sticking if you stir it. When it's cooked through, use a strainer or a lid on the top of the pan to pour off the excess grease (preferably into an empty can which you will later discard rather than down the drain).
Ground beef can serve as the basis of many a meal--tacos, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes, etc. Add tomato sauce or canned or packaged seasonings. If you're just cooking for yourself, refrigerate the leftovers.
Learn to eat raw veggies like carrots and celery for healthy, fast, easy to prepare nutrition. Celery with peanut butter on it is a quick tasty way to get some good food on the go.
Posts: 3149 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Launchywiggin: Salt makes it longer to boil, but boils hotter, right?
Technically yes, but the effect is nearly negligible in cooking.
It takes 29 g (~5 1/4 tsp) of salt (NaCl) to raise the boiling temperature of water 0.513 °C. That means that to raise the boiling point of a gallon of water by one degree F, you'd need to add 7 Tbsp or nearly half a cup of salt.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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Thanks in advance I greatly appreciate it.
