P.S. This, too, shall pass. I soon will take my hammer named Margo and go down to the river. There I will meditate on the 15 years that have passed since the flood of 1997.
this woman
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:32 (twelve years ago) link
when i lived alone i made a lot of little pizzas. i would buy nan bread and just put whatever i wanted on top (cheese, broccoli, olives, sauce, pesto, whatever) and throw them in the oven. ten minutes and done. yummy. even a lex could do that. and then no leftovers. you know, the small round ones.
― scott seward, Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:39 (twelve years ago) link
premade pizza bases too. can of artichoke hearts, some pesto, some cheese, jar of olives...if you don't want to chop anything homemade pizza is the way to go. sorta cooking without cooking.
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:43 (twelve years ago) link
but even better if you are feeling frisky and chop a tomato, a zucch, some shrooms...love a pizza piled high with veg. And I'm not even a veggo!
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:44 (twelve years ago) link
mmm, onion nan too. i should buy some. i really like nan for pizza. but i haven't done that in years. for awhile maria was rolling dough on saturday mornings at our friend's brick-oven pizza place and our house was lousy with pizza dough. kinda got doughed out.
― scott seward, Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:48 (twelve years ago) link
dough fatigue, lol
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:53 (twelve years ago) link
I've never tried nan for pizza. We always used to use pita bread. Much thinner crust obv. But tasty.
pita + ketchup + "italian seasoning" powder + cheese singles + toaster oven = 3rd grade heaven
― the late great, Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:54 (twelve years ago) link
YES
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:55 (twelve years ago) link
Oh yeah, naan or pita pizza is cool and very easy.
I sympathise with lex a fair amount - unless you've got a big freezer or a family to make economies of scale then cooking from scratch really doesn't cost any less, and it's a major major hassle. I don't enjoy it when I do it. The best thing I've done with cooking is to learn how to make a nice tomato and veg soup in a massive saucepan, eat that for a couple of days, and then on the third day get some mince to cook, add in soup leftovers and then eat with any good carbs - bread or potatoes or pasta, whatever. But the first day of that process takes aaaaaaages, I get so bored.
― emil.y, Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:55 (twelve years ago) link
the slightly burny parts of tomato paste at the edges of the crusty pita = yum
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:56 (twelve years ago) link
Crumpets are great for pizza.
― Une semaine de Bunty (ShariVari), Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:56 (twelve years ago) link
xpost
no it definitely does cost less (unless you're eating fast food) but you have to be willing to eat your dinner for lunch the next day, every day
― the late great, Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:57 (twelve years ago) link
I found one of the most important things I learned in cooking is this: when measurements matter, and when they dont.
When they do: baking. Anything that involves cakes, bread, other scientific miracles, you gotta measure it accurately.
When they dont? Things like the size of a single onion. Wether its 1 or 3 garlic cloves. "about a cup" of stock in a stew. The amount/weight of cubed steak for a casserole (recipe says 700g and I only have 500? Ok, i'll add an extra potato then). You learn when its ok to wing it. It'll still be edible!
This possibly only falls over when you're dealing with things like chillies, and similar very strong flavours. Oh and salt I suppose.
― Medical Dance Crab With Lesson (Trayce), Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:57 (twelve years ago) link
late great: I guess I don't really eat lunch much, so I'm not spending money on that anyway. Hence my 'if you don't have a big freezer' caveat. 'Big' to me is 'bigger than a single bag of frozen peas'.
― emil.y, Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:59 (twelve years ago) link
I cook a lot after work, becuase the process of cooking is usually pretty relaxing for me. I enjoy prepping veggies, chilling out to some music or a podcast and just chopping away, and I enjoy the cooking part too.
The only time I get kind of stressed is when I'm baking. That's when I have to have a drink before or during, and deliberately choose happy/favorite music to put me in a good frame of mind. Especially with pastry. For some reason we don't get along very well, but I am DETERMINED to make it my bitch.
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 15 March 2012 23:59 (twelve years ago) link
trayce otm with measurements.
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 16 March 2012 00:00 (twelve years ago) link
damn that's a small freezer
― the late great, Friday, 16 March 2012 00:04 (twelve years ago) link
god frozen leftovers are depressing to me tho, who would want to look at last months spaghetti sauce
― the late great, Friday, 16 March 2012 00:06 (twelve years ago) link
which is why I use OKCupid.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 16 March 2012 00:12 (twelve years ago) link
lex: "lol I'm so helpless!!!"everyone else: oh don't worry I'm a good cook, let me tell you some stufflex: "lol I'm so helpless!!!" I hate cooking and gave up long agoeveryone else: oh don't worry I'm a good cook, let me tell you some stuff okay whateverlex: no seriously guys, here is how helpless I am!!!!!! I ACTUALLY FORGET THAT HEAT CAN BE APPLIED TO FOOD WHAT IS HEAT WHAT IS FOOD
- all because someone mentioned food in a thread lex happened to read.
― free societies must let drunken gay Texans have sex (Je55e), Friday, 16 March 2012 00:35 (twelve years ago) link
so who did you used to be? are you old too? i don't know the name. or the late great either. so confusing.
― scott seward, Friday, 16 March 2012 00:38 (twelve years ago) link
and everyone is all like oh plaxico is this guy now and i'm thinking wait plaxico? i know i know that one. but not really. i should just give up. i know enough people probably.
― scott seward, Friday, 16 March 2012 00:40 (twelve years ago) link
Scott - the late great is Vah1d! I had to ask a couple days ago but I was happy to find out he's back. :)
― wolf kabob (ENBB), Friday, 16 March 2012 00:40 (twelve years ago) link
― free societies must let drunken gay Texans have sex (Je55e), Thursday, March 15, 2012 5:35 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this matters to you
― Fozzy Osbourne (contenderizer), Friday, 16 March 2012 00:42 (twelve years ago) link
i know who carne asada is! i think...
― scott seward, Friday, 16 March 2012 00:51 (twelve years ago) link
who is scott seward
― Θ ̨Θƪ (sic), Friday, 16 March 2012 01:19 (twelve years ago) link
Assume you were addressing me, since you probably know who Alfred is - I have been around since 2005. I was Jesse until last year when I killed off my old Yahoo email account. I was some form of "Jesse" in the sandboxes, too.
― free societies must let drunken gay Texans have sex (Je55e), Friday, 16 March 2012 01:23 (twelve years ago) link
whooooooooooooooooooo are you
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 16 March 2012 01:49 (twelve years ago) link
I'm just Jesse in the 'box.
― free societies must let drunken gay Texans have sex (Je55e), Friday, 16 March 2012 02:08 (twelve years ago) link
i also recommend this book:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Peel-Peach-Other-Things/dp/0471221236
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Friday, 16 March 2012 02:18 (twelve years ago) link
One of the best cookbooks I have had is an Australian cookbook/encyclopedia, by Stephanie Alexander called "A Cooks Companion".
It's a big fat book, organized alphabetically, with an entry for common vegetables and meats, fruits and seafood. For each entry there's a section on varieties, storage, preparation, and then a selection of recipes for that ingredient. I still use it to this day, if I come across a veggie at the market that I'm not familiar with, or I try a new cut of meat at a restaurant, I can refer to it and figure out how to go about cooking it or preparing it, it's so useful. Her recipes can be a bit bossy/complicated, but I've had it for like, 15 years and I love it to death. I carted it with me in my carryon luggage when I moved.
I don't know if there's something equivalent to that here, but that seems like it would be less intimidating, and a little more instructional than a regular cookbook. I dunno.
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 16 March 2012 02:28 (twelve years ago) link
i see that in every kitchen
― some crap (electricsound), Friday, 16 March 2012 02:28 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah it's kind of a mong cliche, but it's pretty great. Taught me a lot.
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 16 March 2012 02:32 (twelve years ago) link
yeah that's a pretty universal book, although I do not own it.
How to Cook Everything is a popular cookbook that has a bit of that to it. It's not quite as encyclopedic but it's fairly expansive and very good as a beginner's cookbook. One thing I like about it is that he'll give you a simple recipe and then like five variations (basic broiled fish and then broiled fish with various kinds of sauces, e.g.)
― the prurient pinterest (Hurting 2), Friday, 16 March 2012 02:34 (twelve years ago) link
Ya I find I consult bittman a lot for basic ideas and simple recipe bases
― A Little Princess btw (s1ocki), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:23 (twelve years ago) link
alinea requires too much specialized equipment, get him the french laundry one instead
my chef instructor was telling the class how thomas keller pushes his soups/sauces through a tamis seventeen times to get the ideal smoothness. that's fairly specialized and very labor-intensive.
― the kids of boris midney high (get bent), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:24 (twelve years ago) link
I have to admit Ive never used my copy of Cooks Companion for a THING :/
― Medical Dance Crab With Lesson (Trayce), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:27 (twelve years ago) link
But u kno, its kind of like owning a dictionary or shakespeare, you dont really read it, its there for reference.
― Medical Dance Crab With Lesson (Trayce), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:28 (twelve years ago) link
This is a thread I mentioned yesterday and the first post is hilariously befuddling.
The super-basic questions thread for non-cooks
is there anything technically wrong with this? any way i could make it better?
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/415409461_68654b7a14.jpg?v=0
It could be made better by not doing whatever is going on there, also by getting a stove w/ burners. What's w/ that stove?
― free societies must let drunken gay Texans have sex (Je55e), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:29 (twelve years ago) link
Lol
― A Little Princess btw (s1ocki), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:30 (twelve years ago) link
yeah something really weird is going on there
― call all destroyer, Friday, 16 March 2012 03:30 (twelve years ago) link
also to cut to the chase: plastic colander over heat = fire hazard so
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:32 (twelve years ago) link
That initial post and image have been stuck in my head for 5 years now and I'm glad I finally tracked it to ground! Jergins was a little defensive in that thread, but I think things were learned and lives were saved. (literally. he was doing dangerous shit w/ chicken)
― free societies must let drunken gay Texans have sex (Je55e), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:33 (twelve years ago) link
Joyriding?
― A Little Princess btw (s1ocki), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:34 (twelve years ago) link
i was kidding, i know that the french laundry is probably the hardest cookbook out there that's not molecular gastronomy or pastry
― the late great, Friday, 16 March 2012 03:34 (twelve years ago) link
chicken sounding?
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:36 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss8LDBNcsWc
― free societies must let drunken gay Texans have sex (Je55e), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:37 (twelve years ago) link
sweet lord, that female co-anchor's reaction face is one of my favorite things in the world
― free societies must let drunken gay Texans have sex (Je55e), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:38 (twelve years ago) link
hahahha
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 16 March 2012 03:38 (twelve years ago) link