The super-basic questions thread for non-cooks

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i love books still lols at my "danielle steele, where to start?" thread.

― jergincito, Saturday, 10 March 2007 19:28 (nineteen years ago)

how about i go get a döner kebab and some beer and forget i ever started this thread.

― jergincito, Saturday, 10 March 2007 19:28 (nineteen years ago)

― Rock Hardy, Saturday, 10 March 2007 21:31 (nineteen years ago)

That's okay, jergins, at least you didn't ask how to "make" a bagel, like one of my favorite posters did. No one took him seriously, either, until he pointed out that he was raised by wolves.

― Laurel, Saturday, 10 March 2007 21:58 (nineteen years ago)

lol

With the steamer, you're gonna have a lot more success if the 'steamer' is covered somehow, thereby trapping in the steam that cooks yr food. I do this one of these guys http://www.kitchenfantasy.com/shopping_cart/thumnails/4050Lthumb.jpg fitted in a pot with a couple of inches of water, and the lid on.

That said, if your green beans cook the way your currently doing it, then it works! (I'm guessing, having never tried that, that they do cook, they just take longer than they would with a lid on.

― G00blar, Saturday, 10 March 2007 22:47 (nineteen years ago)

A cantankerous old islander once told me, referring to a bad batch of soup, "Just pour it in a wheel-rut in the road." Since then, that's what I been do with cooking grease—pour it onto the gravel of the driveway. It won't hurt any plants, or clog up the septic or the drain.

― Beth Parker, Sunday, 11 March 2007 00:21 (nineteen years ago)

Aren't bagels really difficult to bake?

― .stet., Sunday, 11 March 2007 02:28 (nineteen years ago)

Boiled innit.

To follow from Stet's pasta recipe, the way we do it at the restaurant is to half-cook and store, then finish off in the sauce. You're talking about fully cooked stuff already, I know. So simply heat it up in the pan, making sure there's enough liquid (if there's no sauce then a splash of white wine) to stop it sticking. It'll reheat in no time.

As regards steamers, if you're anywhere near an oriental supermarket just buy one of the cheap wicker ones rather than risk melting plastic.

As to bacon fat, I generally store it for cooking spuds in, myself.

― Matt, Sunday, 11 March 2007 11:53 (nineteen years ago)

Huh, I just realised I'm basically rehashing a lot of what has been said upthread. Apologies.

― Matt, Sunday, 11 March 2007 11:54 (nineteen years ago)

it's a bake/boil combo, for the maximum amount of pain-in-the-tuchis.

― lauren, Sunday, 11 March 2007 22:23 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, sadly he was asking about finished bagels. Like from the bakery. Bless him.

― Laurel, Sunday, 11 March 2007 22:53 (nineteen years ago)

i love books still lols at my "danielle steele, where to start?" thread.

why I've never shared my story about meeting bestselling author Judith Krantz

― m coleman, Sunday, 11 March 2007 23:04 (nineteen years ago)

Was that bagel thread as great as I half-remember?

― Casuistry, Monday, 12 March 2007 04:33 (nineteen years ago)

Fuck yeah, it got really good when he admitted to putting the milk in the bowl before the cereal. I love that guy.

― Laurel, Monday, 12 March 2007 14:27 (nineteen years ago)

Yesterday's leftover pasta (minus sauce) is really good chucked in a pan with a couple of beaten eggs to make frittata. It's especially pretty if you use spaghetti.

I once chucked the leftover oil from onion bhajis down the sink at a friend's house. It came back up through her drains into the washing machine and made all her clothes stink. I was not popular for a few days after that. If only I'd asked ILC, I might not have made that mistake!

― Madchen, Monday, 12 March 2007 14:48 (nineteen years ago)

We're tough, but fair.

― Rock Hardy, Monday, 12 March 2007 16:27 (nineteen years ago)

four weeks pass...

Jergins, I'm sorry I couldn't answer this. I poured grease down the sink until I was in my mid-twenties. I figured enough hot water and Drano and things would be fine. Then, I started doing work in waste water treatment plants.

Hot water may chase the grease further down the pipes, but eventually it cools off and the grease sticks to the top of a horizontal section and clogs that pipe like an old man's artery. Drano (or lye or any of those horribly caustic things) causes hair (protein) to soften and dissolve and saponifies grease (turns it into soap). The thing is, Drano can't get to all the grease at once, just the initial layer of it. The pipe will open up a bit, but stuff will continue to get trapped in the grease-restricted section. Then, one day in the future, an expensive plumber and his pipe angioplasty machine has to be called. It physically scrapes the (now rancid) grease from the pipe walls and pushes it downstream to a sewer connector, which is a wider pipe. With luck, it ends up at the end of the line.

A better thing to do with grease is to harden it in either the fridge or the freezer, then roll it in birdseed and use it to feed the birds/squirrels in the winter. Or, use some of it to pop popcorn or season your beans. Older people where I'm from spread it on bread instead of butter or mayo.

― Jaq, Monday, 9 April 2007 03:14 (nineteen years ago)

Also, you don't have to complete thaw the chicken to cook it. Cover it with a sauce (spaghetti sauce - use a whole jar) or some water/wine mixture or beer and simmer it on top of the stove in a covered pan for 20 - 30 minutes. After that, drain it (I'm assuming you've got chicken parts like legs or thighs or breasts) and heat up a skillet. Toss the poached parts in for a 7 - 10 minutes until the skin browns up a bit.

Like everyone said, your steamer would work best if it were covered to trap the steam in. And plastic on the stove is a bad idea in general unless it is some kind of high temp silicone. Use some aluminum foil (or a pie pan) fitted over the top of the pan with some small holes punched in it with a fork. Put your veggies on that, then cover with some more foil if you don't have an actual lid.

― Jaq, Monday, 9 April 2007 03:23 (nineteen years ago)

thx jaq

― jergïns, Monday, 9 April 2007 08:30 (nineteen years ago)

How about poaching eggs? I have tried it (successfully) but I freak out just thinking about doing it again. Any tips?

― nathalie, Thursday, 12 April 2007 08:34 (nineteen years ago)

Use the freshest eggs you can get - the whites are less liquid in a fresh egg. Crack the egg into a saucer first, then slip it into the simmering liquid from there. Supposedly, some acid in the liquid (vinegar, lemon juice, white wine) helps the white set up more quickly - I don't know if that's a fact or myth. You can poach eggs in advance and store covered in the fridge. They reheat quickly - just slip back into some simmering/boiling liquid for a minute or two.

― Jaq, Thursday, 12 April 2007 15:19 (nineteen years ago)

Break the egg onto some clingfilm then tie it up so the egg is in a wee clingfilm bag in then stick the wee clingfilm bag into the pan of boiling water.

No, really, do! It's easy and it works!

― ailsa, Thursday, 12 April 2007 16:46 (nineteen years ago)

I need to try that! I'm always leery of putting clingfilm in microwaves and pots of simmering water, but I do love a poached egg.

― Rock Hardy, Friday, 13 April 2007 16:56 (nineteen years ago)

we've been spraying rocks glasses with cooking spray, then cracking an egg into them and placing in gently simmering water.

― lauren, Friday, 13 April 2007 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

'gently simmering' :)

― jergïns, Friday, 13 April 2007 17:12 (nineteen years ago)

I dispose of grease one of two ways--

1. I mix it with a healthy dose of Dawn and wash it down the sink.

2. If it's a small amount, I hollow out a little spot in the trash and pour it in there.

― Jesse, Sunday, 15 April 2007 18:36 (nineteen years ago)

I wonder if the Dawn breaks up the grease enough to make it harmless? DAWN GETS GREASE OUT OF YOUR WAY, you know.

― Jesse, Sunday, 15 April 2007 18:41 (nineteen years ago)

I keep a waste-grease bowl on the stove and when it fills up, I go dump it out in the back alley for the neighborhood dogs to lap up. If it makes them sick, it's good enough for 'em, since their owners let them run around loose against city regs.

― Rock Hardy, Sunday, 15 April 2007 19:14 (nineteen years ago)

that's not the fault of the dogs!

― lauren, Sunday, 15 April 2007 20:49 (nineteen years ago)

This is true. :-(
But they seem to enjoy it! (/big juicy rationalization)

― Rock Hardy, Monday, 16 April 2007 04:34 (nineteen years ago)

I really love fried pasta

Spoken like a true Scotsman!

― Keith, Monday, 23 April 2007 23:13 (nineteen years ago)

Jergins, if you don't have a proper steamer, you can steam in any covered pot or pan - just put a relatively thin layer of water on the bottom of the pan (enough to cover the bottom and not boil off immediately but not enough to submerge the veggies), cover, and turn up the heat.

― Hurting 2, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 05:22 (nineteen years ago)

I love cold pasta sprinkled with sugar. And for that matter yorkshire pudding. It's just like pancakes amirite?

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:37 (nineteen years ago)

a tiny bit of olive oil is also good for storage of cooked, non-sauced pasta

― Hurting 2, Wednesday, 25 April 2007 06:42 (nineteen years ago)

I've heard/read that adding olive oil to pasta before saucing it can lead to the sauce running off and not sticking the way you'd like, but that's referring to it served hot. No idea what effect storing it cold and then reheating would have.

― Laurel, Friday, 27 April 2007 23:17 (nineteen years ago)

Doesn't it bother anyone that yr eating this shit that you worry might be bad for the health of yr drains?

― libcrypt, Saturday, 28 April 2007 02:03 (nineteen years ago)

Of course not. Your body is set up to digest fats and needs them to function properly. The same isn't true for drains.

― Jaq, Saturday, 28 April 2007 02:17 (nineteen years ago)

Only to certain extent.

http://www.biovita.fi/arteriosclerosis.jpg

― libcrypt, Saturday, 28 April 2007 03:20 (nineteen years ago)

Well, mix it with lye and scrub it on your exterior then. Don't eat it if you don't want to. It still doesn't bother me.

― Jaq, Saturday, 28 April 2007 04:09 (nineteen years ago)

I lived with a guy who refused to allow soap to touch his skin. Interestingly enough, he was a grad student in chemistry, whatever that might tell ya.

― libcrypt, Saturday, 28 April 2007 04:20 (nineteen years ago)

Well, as I've read, skin on its own maintains a slightly acidic pH as a first-level defense against bacteria on its surface, but most of our soaps and cleaners are slightly basic and neutralize that defense. So it makes some sense. You can restore the skin-friendly acidity with a vinegar rinse, it's excellent for getting hair clean of any product build-up or mineral solids from yr water supply. It'll also take off dye, though, so beware.

― Laurel, Saturday, 28 April 2007 07:55 (nineteen years ago)

Vinegar is also bad for metal pipes. But it will clean up glassware and crystal nicely.

― Jaq, Saturday, 28 April 2007 14:29 (nineteen years ago)

I'd also like to point out that there's grease left to pour down the pipes because it wasn't eaten.

The idea of a vinegar or acidic rinse is intriguing. The acidity could strip a large amount of the normal skin oils, where the alkalinity of a mild soap will saponify only a small amount and leave the rest, assuming it's a soap and not a detergent (which contains surfactants that strip even more oils) being used. I started using a form of virgin olive oil on my face as a cleanser, which left it feeling very clean but began to be quite drying. Possibly because olive oil is acidic. Now it works best for me to generally just use water and occasionally to use the oil.

― Jaq, Saturday, 28 April 2007 14:41 (nineteen years ago)

I started using a form of virgin olive oil on my face

WHAT

― jergïns, Saturday, 28 April 2007 16:08 (nineteen years ago)

okay, i just read "Kitchen Cupboard Beauty Tips" and i get it

― jergïns, Saturday, 28 April 2007 16:08 (nineteen years ago)

great site admin cool boy

(i know as much about skincare as i do about cooking)

― jergïns, Saturday, 28 April 2007 16:09 (nineteen years ago)

Jaq, I only use that rinse on my hair a couple of times a year -- I'm sure you could do more often but I forget about it! The results have always been remarkable, though -- hair much softer and free-feeling.

― Laurel, Saturday, 28 April 2007 22:04 (nineteen years ago)

I was just reading up on this "no-poo" method - basically you stop using shampoo and wash your hair every so often with a dilute baking soda mixture followed occasionally with a cider vinegar rinse. Interesting, especially for people who want to limit their exposure to/decrease their use of petroleum derivatives.

― Jaq, Saturday, 28 April 2007 22:59 (nineteen years ago)

a tiny bit of olive oil is also good for storage of cooked, non-sauced pasta

-- Hurting 2, Wednesday, April 25, 2007 1:42 AM (5 days ago)
I've heard/read that adding olive oil to pasta before saucing it can lead to the sauce running off and not sticking the way you'd like, but that's referring to it served hot. No idea what effect storing it cold and then reheating would have.

-- Laurel, Friday, April 27, 2007 6:17 PM (3 days ago)

I worked in a pizzeria that had a pizza that they topped with spaghetti and meatballs and fresh basil (it was actually very delicious, and a carb bonanza). We would cook the noodles and douse them with olive oil. We sauced it, but it didn't so much matter if the sauce stuck to the spaghetti. Still, I'm thinking that using the oil and having slightly less sauce adherance is a far better thing than having a solid mass of congealed noodle that holds sauce.

Therefore, I vote YES on Proposition Oily Noodle.

― Jesse, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 05:29 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, Jaq, I should really find something like that that works for me...I only wash hair 2x a week anyway & if I found a good dry shampoo, I might go to 1 or 1.5x/week. Already use baking soda as an exfoliant.

Jesse, if you serve pasta hot out of the water, you don't have to do anything to keep it from sticking together...I feel like adding oil is a convention of food services that have to keep the stuff servable over time, ie not an ideal home situation. Not an ideal restaurant situation, either, I mean, why not coil it into 1-portion-sized parboiled nests and drop them back in the hot water to finish & be fresh? Etc etc other solutions.

― Laurel, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 18:50 (nineteen years ago)

Skipping 112 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I often use old mustard jars to make and keep dressings.

I've said this before on ilx, but I will again. Sometimes instead of oil, I use greek yogurt in salad dressings. You might give that a try, jacob, since it emulsifies every bit as well as oil and it's great for coating the salad. The flavors of whatever you add (pepper, herbs, mustard, etc...) also infuse pretty handily with yogurt but you might want to taste before adding somethings since greek yogurt is pretty tangy.

― L'ennui, cette maladie de tous les (Michael White), Monday, 19 March 2012 18:04 (fourteen years ago)

Roast chicken juices, esp if the chicken has been cooked with a lemon in it, are an exceptional leaf salad dressing.

― Fizzles, Monday, 19 March 2012 18:19 (fourteen years ago)

Oh wow, Greek yogurt. Great idea.

I'm not sure I'm quite on board w/ the chicken juices, but it sounds interesting.

― free societies must let drunken gay Texans have sex (Je55e), Tuesday, 20 March 2012 01:30 (fourteen years ago)

chicken juices great for combo bread/leaf salad, if you're into that kind of thing. You don't need much, but it's kind of a cool flavorsome touch for a special occasion dinner.

― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 20 March 2012 01:39 (fourteen years ago)

scrambled eggs. why do mine taste of nothing? what can i add to increase flavour?

― Summer Slam! (Ste), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:10 (fourteen years ago)

Salt & pepper are an absolute must-have.

Good options:
A bit of sharp cheddar.

Minced chives.

Fresh thyme and scrambled eggs play together very well.

If you're not vegetarian and have it on hand, mince up a bit of smoked salmon or gravlax into the egg before scrambling.

― any major prude will tell you (WmC), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:14 (fourteen years ago)

My choice - lots of butter, cook slowly, don't overcook - my preference is for these soft, barely set curds rather than the polystyrene blocks. Salt and pepper. Also, fresh eggs.

― Fizzles, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:14 (fourteen years ago)

Here is how I make basic "weekend" scrambled eggs (because they are really rich):

Add to a bowl: two eggs, salt, pepper, grated sharp cheddar cheese, and maybe a tablespoon one of the following dairy products: cream, milk, sour cream, plain yogurt.
Whip them up real good.
Meanwhile, melt some butter in a pan over low heat.
When the butter is melted, add the eggs. Let them sit a minute before you start messing with them, and then stir them gently over low heat. Right about the time you think they are almost done but could use another minute, turn the pan off.

― carl agatha, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:16 (fourteen years ago)

barely-cooked >>> undercooked >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> overcooked

― any major prude will tell you (WmC), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:17 (fourteen years ago)

^yes, good point - they carry on cooking after you turn the heat off. xpost.

― Fizzles, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:17 (fourteen years ago)

xp Those are basic. I also like to add onions, mushrooms, and diced ham or Canadian bacon. I dice all that stuff small, and saute thoroughly before adding more butter and the eggs. Otherwise the mushrooms will be too wet, plus I hate hate hate underdone vegetables in scrambled eggs.

― carl agatha, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:17 (fourteen years ago)

Ste, what is your scrambled eggs method?

― any major prude will tell you (WmC), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:21 (fourteen years ago)

great. although i despise cheese to the point of wretching even at the smell, but i'll try the other suggestions.

I knew about the turning the heat off before they are cooked thing.

I put salt and pepper in, maybe i'm not putting enough in. also never tried butter instead of olive oil so i'll give that a go.

― Summer Slam! (Ste), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:23 (fourteen years ago)

xp. yeah i use olive oil. a pinch of salt and pepper, a few eggs, some milk.

― Summer Slam! (Ste), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:24 (fourteen years ago)

(straight from the "how to cook everything" book btw)

― Summer Slam! (Ste), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:24 (fourteen years ago)

Personally I don't use milk.

― Fizzles, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:25 (fourteen years ago)

I really think butter is key. Dairy and eggs are such a nice combo.

The milk/dairy mixed in is supposed to help with something... molecular... and make them more tender? I can't remember but I read or saw it somewhere and have accepted it as gospel every since. Also my mom always added milk to scrambled eggs.

I really want some scrambled eggs now.

― carl agatha, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:27 (fourteen years ago)

I usually don't use milk; the fat is either butter or bacon fat, if I've fried some bacon to go with the meal the eggs are part of.

― any major prude will tell you (WmC), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:28 (fourteen years ago)

Julia Child taught me to ALWAYS paper-towel dry mushrooms before cooking - better sear or something (xpost to j's "...so they aren't wet" comment.

My method is similar to what I'm seeing here but I use water - heard it makes the eggs fluffier, so to speak.

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:31 (fourteen years ago)

This random website says to use water, not milk: http://www.i-hate-cooking-recipes.com/why-put-milk-in-eggs-for-omelets.html

xp!

Even if you towel dry mushrooms, they still release a ton of water when you cook them.

― carl agatha, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:32 (fourteen years ago)

Frying mushrooms is so much fun...it's like a whole cooking class in microcosm.

― any major prude will tell you (WmC), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:38 (fourteen years ago)

a pinch of salt and pepper

^^this is your problem right here^^

a pinch of salt is right but you need a really good dose of freshly ground black pepper

― just1n3, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:40 (fourteen years ago)

I've heard the same thing about dairy doing...something...but I never bother, mostly cause I never have any dairy in the house other than yogurt, which just seems kind of odd in scrambled eggs but might actually be good.

Butter is essential, and they don't seem quite right without it. Also I love the eggs at the hippies with chickens in their yard and 4H kids sell through the co-op. And tons of fresh ground black pepper at the end.

― joygoat, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:45 (fourteen years ago)

my gf has taught me that the main mistake people make in their cooking is not adding way more spice than you think you need. especially a shitload of granulated garlic powder.

― 40oz of tears (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:47 (fourteen years ago)

I never use butter in my scrambled eggs -- I prefer to add flavor with spinach, onions, hot sauce, avocado (and s/p obvs)

― Laura Lucy Lynn (La Lechera), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:51 (fourteen years ago)

you can make really yummy fried eggs with sesame oil btw

― thuggish ruggish Brahms (DJP), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:52 (fourteen years ago)

this is how i do it up usually
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3440/4562680849_9662bd4ea4_o.jpg

― Laura Lucy Lynn (La Lechera), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:54 (fourteen years ago)

RIP that fern

― Laura Lucy Lynn (La Lechera), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 15:55 (fourteen years ago)

Even if you towel dry mushrooms, they still release a ton of water when you cook them.

this is true. Mushroom lovers should look up Julia Child's recipe in which they sweat out then re-gain all waters/oils and result in divine deliciousness.

― she started dancing to that (Finefinemusic), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 16:30 (fourteen years ago)

ste i would say also you could probably do w/ a lil bit more than just a pinch of salt (but then i always say that abt salt)

― just sayin, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 16:45 (fourteen years ago)

salt, pepper, butter. a dash of milk if you want.

and if you can find farm-fresh eggs, they're worth it.

― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 17:22 (fourteen years ago)

ste i would say also you could probably do w/ a lil bit more than just a pinch of salt

^^^ I agree w/this. The 3 foods whose flavors really bloom with generous salting are eggs, potatoes and corn, imo.

― any major prude will tell you (WmC), Wednesday, 21 March 2012 17:27 (fourteen years ago)

otm

― dayo, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 17:29 (fourteen years ago)

i find that it's really easy to over-salt eggs. hard to over-pepper, though.

― just1n3, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 17:32 (fourteen years ago)

when my parents scramble eggs for used in fried rice they oversalt the eggs but don't really salt the rice, I find it's a great balance

― dayo, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 17:32 (fourteen years ago)

(and i love salty food)

― just1n3, Wednesday, 21 March 2012 17:35 (fourteen years ago)

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