Cookstrut
RAJ
tenacious local 7,779 Posts
I know we got some mad chefs and foodies all up in hurr.
A little background:
Aside from your morning omelet and Annie's Mac N Cheese, I don't cook. We usually order out 5 nights a week! This is expensive and very boring.
It's a resolution of mine as I turn 40 to start cooking, socializing, having the normal family get downs after school. I'd like to make a menu each week of 5 easy meals I can serve to the fam.
We are NOT veggie people. We like Mexican, Italian, Seafood, Comfort Food (yes we LOVE CHEESE), and your American fare (burgers, dogs, etc.)
Any recipe recommendations? Cooking bootcamps? Tips. tricks?
Thank you.
:the_mack:
A little background:
Aside from your morning omelet and Annie's Mac N Cheese, I don't cook. We usually order out 5 nights a week! This is expensive and very boring.
It's a resolution of mine as I turn 40 to start cooking, socializing, having the normal family get downs after school. I'd like to make a menu each week of 5 easy meals I can serve to the fam.
We are NOT veggie people. We like Mexican, Italian, Seafood, Comfort Food (yes we LOVE CHEESE), and your American fare (burgers, dogs, etc.)
Any recipe recommendations? Cooking bootcamps? Tips. tricks?
Thank you.
:the_mack:
Comments
Beginners can cop the jarred stuff and then you start to make your own homeade sauce.
U can cheese it up too. And add whatever meats you want.
Getting the pasta AL Dente will take some trials.
YouTube is your friend.
Roast a Chicken...Rub yo chicken will some spices and throw it the oven.
Cop some knives utensil, and some mid-leve pots and pans.
Control your food intake/diet and you wont get all fat and shit.
Cop a Rice Cooker asap. Shit is the the shit.
http://paleopot.com/2013/10/savory-slow-cooker-chuck-roast-butternut-squash-combo-meal/
(I stuff a lot more garlic in the roast than in the recipe)
These I haven't tried yet but bookmarked them a week ago to gather some meal plan ideas:
https://newleafwellness.biz/2015/08/06/31-crockpot-freezer-meals-for-back-to-school
http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/crockpot-freezer-cooking/
Dad's Cheese Burger helper is quick, easy, and cheesy. My kids love it.
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/easyrecipe-print/3224-0/
Use that BBQ while the good weather is there! One recipe to accompany whatever meat you do is to par-boil cobs of corn and then finish them off on the BBQ. Don't be afraid to char the kernels a bit. Then take half a lime, dip the juicy end into a mixture of chaat masala and chili powder (or not, if your kids are tenderberries) and squeeze/rub onto the corn.
I'm looking for easy and maybe make my way up the ranks. I'm home about 4:30-5 everyday. With the kids in school, sometimes I'm home at 3:30 if there is no sitter available. So, I can put in about an hour a night. Maybe have something cook while I hit the elliptical.
You are getting good advice.
Slow cookers are very nice. Start doing slow cooker chilies.
"Roast a chicken"
I know for beginners measurements are helpful but I don't have any.
You will be saving some money doing your own cooking.
So don't worry about buying pricey ingredients.
Get a whole free range minimally processed chicken. Organic (which has a definition) or natural (which does not, but usually denotes [in meats] no antibiotics or growth hormones).
Rub with lots of:
Kosher salt (1/4 cup?)
fennel (2 Ts?)
red pepper flakes (1 Ts?)
Let it sit in the fridge for 6-12 hrs.
Oven at 425o
Cook until thigh is 170o (buy a thermometer).
With roasted potatoes:
Cube up some potatoes (skip the russets and get some Yukon golds or purple or red potatoes)
Put them in a bowl
Coat with olive oil
Sprinkle with salt, garlic, dried oregano.
Spread potatoes in one level on cookie sheet or big low pan
Roast with chicken stirring once or twice to get even browning
Get some lettuce, wash them, tear them into bite sized pieces, add some other veggies, make or buy salad dressing.
^That is a perfect, fancy, delicious not hard meal.
Take all the chicken you don't eat, inners, bones, skin, back...
Put in big pot
Cover with water
add:
Bay leaf or 2
Salt
Pepper
Whole garlic cloves
Simmer for an hour or 2
Strain out everything and save the liquid.
You now have stock. Put it in the freezer and save until you have a recipe that calls for stock. This will be 1000x better than store bought.
Canned sauces add meats and cheeses like Batmon said.
Always do a salad.
Dressings are easy to make.
If you want to do say a Caesar just go to the google in read 3 or 4 recipes and decide with sounds best and easiest.
It's summer start hitting the farmers market and get the fresh fruit and veggies.
http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015987-classic-marinara-sauce
I used to look at the NY Times and The Guardian's recipes sections all the time, you can take a look and figure out what you think you can make pretty easily. Sometimes the recipes are ridiculously complicated or have hard to find ingredients, but guys like Mark Bittman try to make a point of offering recipes that are simple and quick to make.
I also like this website a lot:
http://seriouseats.com/
they can get kinda deep into the science talk at times, but they also teach a lot of useful techniques and then provide a few recipes to make that way. Their recipes can run the gamut from stupidly complicated to stupidly simple, it's worth browsing around or looking up specific ingredients you want to use.
it takes time to get good at doing things in the kitchen, especially the chopping up of things and prepping whatever else for recipes. 1 hour is long enough to get most dishes going though, but if you don't really know what you're doing you may want to start on weekends when you have more time to figure things out. And make sure to make recipes you like over and over rather than always trying new things, with time you'll build up a repertoire of dishes you can make from memory.
also, 99% of cookbooks are bullshit, especially the ones that promise meals in x amount of time.
Night before:
- Cut a block of firm tofu into half-inch thick triangles and coat in a combination of tandoori power and yogurt (proportions will be on the bottle of tandoori powder).
- Boil soba noodles and store in the fridge (they will be eaten cold, but before you serve, you should shake them around in a bowl of tepid water to loosen them up).
- Make a miso sesame dressing (look on the web for a recipe - usually a simple combo of miso paste, sesame oil, vinegar, fresh ginger, s&p and water).
Day of:
- Cut carrots and cucumbers into matchsticks, and chop up some cilantro and green onion.
- Pan fry the tandoori tofu until there's a bit of charring on both sides.
- Combine everything and eat.
And when your past the college kid/single person quick food underwhelming for families steez, try this shit....
Crackin the Speghetti Code
You dont need cookbooks really unless your want some backstory, history, or science.
There are gangs of you tube on how to do shit from regular folks at home to chefs.
But I would recommend a big as reference book like the Essentials of Cooking from Barnes and Nobles just to give you food porn images of various foods, tools, techniques, recipes, and other fundamentals.
And I would encourage you to get the kids involved. Simple tasks for them to grow w/ u as yall establish the family diet and learn.
They can tear the basil leaves into a bowl. Theyre probably too young right now. But get em used to the kitchen.
Burgers should be Eazy-E to make. Thats fun fundamental shit to make. Start adding shit to the meat to amp the flavor up.
Fun toppings and thats that.
It's versatile too -- get some italian sausage going first (remove from the casings) after you get the onions sweating but before you add the tomatoes...generous salt and pepper and red chili flakes, throw in a handful of greens (spinach, arugula, whatever) at the very end.
You can also get some onions going with olive oil, diced carrot and celery, chili flakes, garlic, a rosemary sprig, salt and pepper. Then add a large 28oz can of whole tomatoes and some stock (seafood if you can find it or chicken). Once it gets boiling add some small potatoes. When they are cooked through, check the seasoning and add then add whatever seafood you want - shrimp, clams, pieces of fish, squid, etc (clams can take some time to open, but everything else cooks super quickly). Take it off the heat and add a big splash of olive oil. Serve with pearled couscous or bread or pasta. Really easy and delicious weeknight meal. If you are feeling ambitious add some diced bacon with the veggies at the beginning.
Catfish tacos are super quick and good (and cheap). Cut into 1-2 inch pieces, coat with cornmeal, salt, pepper, some ground chili and pan-fry until golden brown.
Serve with tortillas (corn or flour), shredded cabbage, pico (diced tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, lime, cilantro, salt), guac, cholula, sliced radishes, cucumber, whatever. Super fast.
Or do tacos gringos and brown some ground beef or turkey or whatever with some cumin, onion, garlic, chili powder.
or carne asada -- marinate a sirloin the night before with a mixture of lime juice, soy sauce, a little sugar, cumin and maybe a little orange juice. Grill it or cook on the stovetop, slice thin and serve with tortillas and all the above accouterments .
Anyhow, none of the above is gonna get you on Top Chef, but all tasty enough, simple, and quick.
just plop it in the oven and it bastes automatically in its own juices..make couscous on the side boil water/chickenstock then add same parts coucscous close the fire and let it evaporate slightly covered..
break it down with a fork and a bit of oil and voila
another cool things is to vary meals using the same base meat
put a pork butt in some bear..bbq sauce and favorite spices with onions in the sloow cooker for 8hr on low...then you have automatic pulled pork
do sandwhichs with cole slaw...than use the meat with avocado/tomato/mexican tomatillo sauce and you have some great pork tortillas...than you can use the rest to make bad ass nachos or pasta
rice cooker is KEY
fry up any vegetable you have with shrimp in a good amount of oil add the cooked rice and some dabs of soy sauce..boom shrimp fried rice
basically get a few spices, oils, sauces in stock from the asian & latino stores and now you are ready to add flavor to anything
and think of composing your meals in 3 parts...starch (rice,potato,pasta,couscous)..vegetable(carrots,bokchow,asparagus) and meat or fish
it will be simple and endless possibilitie
my favorite is always start the rice cooker with some spices in the water..cook some salmon in a pan
then add vegetable in the same pan..serve
but it could be pork chops or steak..etc
you can make sauces to bring it to next level
if you have a starch and vegetable in the fridge already you just cook the meat when you get home
good luck
hello
my parents made my brother and I help out making a salad and washing dishes when we were little. As your kids grow up the kitchen won't be alien to them and they'll already have an idea of how to cook when they get older, even if they're not doing anything super hands-on right now. Take them to the farmers market too.
A clean fresh tom sauce is nice.
I have a garden full of tomatoes and I am making roasted tomato sauce which is also easy. Check the internets for recipes.
But jarred stuff is no sin. Well maybe it is, but a forgivable one.
Trader Joes is full of forgivable sins.
No one does convenient better.
All their stuff is loaded with fat, sugar, salt. So it tastes good.
Tacos, as stated above, are a great way to go.
You can put any combination of things; meat, cheese, veggies, fruit (mangos, melons, avocados), herbs on a tortilla and call it a taco.
Dice up some of everything, warm some tortillas, let the kids build their own.
Cookbooks.
I learned to cook with Mollie Katzen's books and The Joy, but that was the olden days.
I get Cooks Illustrated (America's Test Kitchen) magazine and it is inspirational.
They are into fast, easy, tasty and science.
Pizzas are a quick and easy beginner meal, if you can buy doughballs locally. Then you just need passata, mozzarella & whatever you like toppings wise. Kids can make their own. Turn the oven up full blast, 10 mins and you're done. (you will need a rolling pin, some flour and trays to cook the pizzas on though)
Lots of Mexican food is quick and easy, as long as you're not making the flour based stuff yourself. Start with some store bought sauces, follow the recipe on the side of the jar, then progress to making it from scratch once you're confident enough. (edit: try to stick with basic sauces, rubs or seasoning and keep as much of the actual food as fresh as possible.)
Bolognese is as simple as you want it to be. Spaghetti is done when it sticks to wall you just threw it against.
A favourite go-to of mine is Jerk chicken. You can make a batch of marinade whenever you're free and keep it in the fridge.
Chuck ALL this stuff in a blender and store in a jar.
1 tablespoon Ground allspice
1 tablespoon Dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sage
3/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons Garlic (powder or fresh)
1 tablespoon Sugar
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Soy sauce
3/4 cup White Vinegar
1 Lime juiced
1 Scotch bonnet pepper (or more if you like spicy)
3 Green onions
1 cup Onion
Pour the marinade over some chicken (breast, thighs, legs whatever you like, though thighs are probably best). Marinade for a few hours at least, you can leave it in the fridge over night. Then grill. Easy. Only thing you need to be aware of is not putting it too close to the heat cause you want it to cook through before it turns black.
To go with the chicken, boil some rice in water and coconut milk, with a sprig of thyme (if you have it). With about 5 mins to go pour in a can of kidney beans. Done.
Less is more, most food has simple and traditional couplings (oyster/lemon), there is little need to go beyond imo, let the produce speak for itself as much as possible. And build relationships with quality providores who have good principles, they will let you know what's good and in season.
Most wild caught seafood fisheries are unsustainable, only buy from fisheries with endorsed management practices or buy farmed.
Beef is fucking up our planet, fowl are your friend.
If your makin' from scratch look for canned San Marzano tomatoes. Im sure you can find some grandma shit in your area. Be careful of the domestically canned shit. Its a different animal.
Pasta Penne. Preheat an oven (about 350/400). Cook some penne pasta according to instructions on packet. Chuck the cooked pasta, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, a little garlic and some olive oil in a roasting dish. Top with parmesan. Bake in oven until golden brown.
Preheat an oven (about 350/400). Boil some new potatoes until cooked (stick'em with a knife if they feel soft going in and slide off from their own weight, they're cooked). Brown some chicken thighs in a frying pan (a few mins each side). Put potatoes & chicken thighs in a roasting dish with some cherry tomatoes, whole garlic cloves & fresh oregano. Squash the potatoes a little and pour a little red wine vinegar over the lot. Put in oven for 40 mins. Serve with rocket (arugula) salad.
Fry seasoned chicken breasts and a few unpeeled cloves of garlic in olive oil until the chicken seals and browns a little. Pour in a cup of white wine and a few bay leaves, shake the pan when you add the wine to emulsify with the oil, simmer for 2 minutes until the alcohol has evaporated. Add half a cup of water, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for a further 20 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Season and add more water if required (you want there to still be liquid at the end to serve it with). Serve with rice and a salad, or couscous.
Always make sure chicken is completely cooked. The meat should be entirely white (breast) or light brown (dark meat) with no pink, but not dry. If you have a meat thermometer it's cooked when it reads 165°. Always wash your hands after handling raw chicken.
Beef is easy and can be eaten raw.
Lamb is similar and can be eaten pink, or even raw if that's your thing.
Pork needs to be cooked thoroughly. And again be careful to practice good hygiene when handling.
It's best to chop raw meat on a separate board to everything else. Maybe buy a RED board and use it only for raw meat, not cooked or anything else.
Frozen vegetables like peas, beans, corn, are very handy to always have on hand. They are as healthy as fresh as well.
You can also buy frozen herbs as an alternative to dried. Fresh is best, but if you want something like cilantro occasionally for salsa or whatever, it's often helpful to have some frozen stuff at hand.
You'll probably build up a collection of small packets & jars of herbs and spices as you go. If you're cooking regularly, most of that shit keeps forever or as long as you'll it need anyway.
BBQ is your friend with good meat, gettr done in the summer while you can. Just remember to take the chicken skin off...
Also, a staple in our house is wraps, the kids love it because they have control (to an extent) over what goes into there wrap.
1. Get some soft corn tortilla's
2. couple of cans of black beans. These will be drained then washed in strainer, put on low heat with some water, garlic, maybe some cumin. Though it can be straight up beans if the troops are mutinous.
3. Rice, remember 2 to 1 H20/Rice...
4. Grate some cheese or let them do their own
5. Then whatever else you want in there...
-Salsa verde
- fried onions (mmm), and or fried peppers
- pickled red pepper
- hot sauce
- sour cream or yogourt
- avocado
- lettuce
we do this up once a week probably. It's cheap, healthy and filling. Oh yeah, if you want to up your game fry up some chicken breast and turn them into Fajitas.
I'm going to argue with you there for a sec:
- Take a pile of chicken thighs and chop them in half, skin-on (I get the butcher to do it when I buy the meat).
- Trim off hunks of really fatty skin, if you see them. Coat chicken in any tasty dry rub (try berbere & salt sometime) and let marinate overnight (preferably).
- Heat up the BBQ to high and sear on high heat with the lid down for a few minutes each side to get a touch of burn on the skin.
- Shut off half the BBQ, turn down the other half to medium-high. Move all the chicken to the "off" side and leave it there with the lid on for about 45 minutes. Come check on it every 10-15 minutes and turn it. It's basically baking like in the oven now.
- Turn on both sides of the BBQ again and start cooking the pieces on high (turning them frequently) to really crisp up the skin. While it's crisping up, baste with something like a garlic/herb salad dressing (as healthy as you can). This'll make it crispy and a bit sticky.
Mmmmm.
Everybody assumes gourmet right from jump nowadays. It's hard for me to comprehend not coming up from Spaghetti-O's to Ragu in the microwave to Prego with ground beef to canned tomatoes and olive oil to everything picked fresh from my yard. School of Hard Knocks.
Don't be afraid of cookbooks. Most good cooks get ideas from them. Bittman is a very good general resource, but it doesn't necessarily differentiate between easy and hard recipes. If you really just branching out from Box Mac 'n Cheese, I recommend The America's Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook. The recipes are kid friendly and don't have ingredient lists a mile long.