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 On 02/07/2017 at 07:28 PM by Ranger1 See More From This User » |
No, this really doesn't have anything to do with gaming, but ask me if I care.
I like to cook, but I would by no means consider myself a foodie. My general outlook is that if it can't be made in one pot/pan/skillet/crock-pot, it's too complicated. So I make a lot of soups, stews, and casseroles. I don't cook as much as I'd like, mostly because it's just me in the house, but I need to start eating less processed foods. I've actually cut back quite a bit while working at the market, but that's because I have access to the hot food bar and I can get a really healthy meal including a vegetable for under five bucks, which is probably less than what it would cost me to cook from scratch at home.
That said, when my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas this past November, I told her I wanted some good knives. I have had crappy knives for far too long, and the most recent set is seriously bad - won't hold an edge for long, no matter how well they've been sharpened, and using them to cut veggies was kinda useless, the veggies ended up more juiced than sliced/chopped. So imagine my delight when Christmas rolled around and I opened these little beauties:
My mom loves me. These are Shun knives. They cut veggies like paper. I have been prepping a lot more veggie dishes and salads lately, because it's so much fun to use them. And they're so very, very pretty.
Working at the market also has a huge amount of temptation. We have an incredible in-house pastry chef. Every time I walk by the bakery case, I can hear the contents calling my name. Chocolate ganache cheesecake, salted caramel tarts, strawberry mousse tarts in a choice of chocolate or vanilla crust, and the most intricately decorated cupcakes, all baked from scratch and decorated by the talented Sophia.
Anyway, in the last week, I've made a huge pot of chili and frozen half of it, prepped a bunch of veggies for a delicious tossed salad (spring mix, locally-grown organic carrots, red bell pepper, cucumbers, diced chunks of cheddar cheese, and dried cranberries), and made one of the best corn chowders I've ever made today. Tonight, I cheated a little and tossed a frozen pizza in, but I'll have salad with it. In the next few days, I may make baked macaroni and cheese, and possibly a chicken noodle soup. Yum.
Anybody else out there like to cook? What do you make?
I really want to cook more, but i so often lack the patience when I'm hungry. Plus, processed food is more likely to have nutrition labels so i can keep track, ironically.
Those are some mighty fine knives though. Were i on a computer, I'd put a relevant moe sizlack meme here. Too bad my phone is barely letting me type this sentence.
You can find nutrition info online, I'm sure. I know that by cooking from scratch, I'm avoiding a lot of preservatives and salt in my food. Some preservatives will actually block your body's ability to absorb vitamins and other nutrients if eaten over an extended period of time.
Actually, I know that there are websites that will give you the nutional info that goes along with the recipes, the website I got my chicken noodle soup recipe from does that.
True, and myfitnesspal does that, but i don't always trust my internet, so i guess ill have to forfeit kidney for the sake of convenience. #imamillennial
I really need to cook more and learn more recipes. Im pretty okay in the kitchen but I certainly am no chef.
I love to cook, and I have a ton of easy, tasty recipes. Hit me up any time you want. You don't need to be a chef, you just need to be a decent cook. You're cooking for yourself, not for paying customers or Gordon Ramsey. And the important thing is to have fun doing it. You should hear me giggling every time I use those new knives, lol.
I can cook a steak. Its not as swanky as steakhouse steak but I do enjoy it. I try a handful of other things but usually its hit and miss. I did try and cook scallops once because they were on sale and I just watched Hells Kitchen because how hard can it be if it takes a minute on each side?
A good set of knives will take you far. Right now I have some basic ones, but as I get deep into meal prepping I plan on upgrading.
I love making big batches of dense vegetable soup that have as much stuff in each bite as possible and will last a few days. I've always loved vegetable soup since I was a kid but I got tired of the processed soups that are just canned water and the amount of vegetables in the entire can seems like it can be counted on two hands. I wanted to make my own and pack as much nutrition into each batch as I could so that when you poured yourself a bowl you were certain it wouldn't waste your time. It started out mostly for the utilitarian purposes of getting as much nutrition in with as little time-investment as possible, and have the soup last a while. I went online and looked up botanical resources to learn what vegetables tended to have higher concentrations of which nutrients. But once I started cooking it and getting familiar with the tastes and colors of the different vegetables in the market I started to see the art in it, so it's fun now too.
I sautee some onions, leeks, or shallots a little bit and toss in the rest of the hard vegetables so they have some time to cook and get softer, usually celery and carrots. Then I add either vegetable broth or miso stock as a base and bring it to a boil (miso if I'm craving more salt), and I add bay leaf to it. Then I reduce it to a simmer and add my greens nearer to the end so they don't get too cooked or wilted. The greens are the coolest part because I can change up the recipe all the time depending on what looks good in the market and there are lots of options. It'll be chard, kale, spinach, cabbage, or something. When I pick out greens I try to go for the things with the most potassium and fiber. Sometimes I throw in shredded chicken near the end if I have some laying around, that's always good.
Do you care?
I wish I could cook. My mom cooks now, so I don't really have the need to. But maybe someday I'll be a cook.
I've got breakfast and lunch down on a regular basis, but the big one is dinner. I want to conquer it. Soups, stews, and casseroles sound perfect. Maybe I'll start with those.
Pretty knives indeed.
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