Results of a healthy diet experiment and cost

[Trompe le Monde]

Ouch.



While the best steaks are on done over charcoal, this just isn't practical in 99% of commercial kitchens. The 2nd best option then (rather than on a pan, or flat top) is a high-temp broiler e.g. Salamander grill. This is what places like Ruth's Chris use

Originally Posted by SField

the fact that you just invoked those restaurants showed that we are in fact discussing incredibly different levels of standards and expectations.
Cant compare merits of 2 items from bad samples. At least in the south and west, Costco stores are supplied with meats from Excel/Cargill. My local stores, at all times, stock USDA-graded Choice and Prime meats at <10$/lb for ribeyes, ny strips, and tenderloin.... in thick thick cuts or whole roasts. Vacuum sealer machine at home means half my freezer is occupied by this stuff.

If you have a store nearby it's worth your time to set up a fun taste test dinner.

 

[NorCal]

All of you **** shut the **** up. Food dick measuring is ******* lame and epitomizes everything wrong with the world of the "foodie."

As per OP, I say bravo. Pretty much the same philosophy I have towards food but I could never do without salt and bread.
As to cost, *******. It maybe expensive but considering that you have to eat three or more times a day everyday of your life you might as well spend what it takes to enjoy it. Even spending like you do it is not that great an annual cost when compared to a lot of other hobbies or expenses.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by NorCal

All of you **** shut the **** up. Food dick measuring is ******* lame and epitomizes everything wrong with the world of the "foodie."
+1. Also Chef's Tables, but there is no need to go into that.

 

[kwilkinson]

Yeah, **** foodies!

 

[username79]

Tonight I made what was supposed to be delicious risotto.

I roasted some heirloom tomatoes, made stock, sauteed some bacon, happily stirred the rice for close to twenty minutes.

Then I got a phone call. It was pretty serious.

When I got back to it, I added the tomatoes, some freshly grated parmigiano, and uh, chopped up some cloves and threw them in. I meant to chop up some chives, but uh.. after that phone call, just wasn't thinking, but as soon as I added them, I asked myself, WTF did I just do??

And here I am, eating some pretty ****** tasting risotto. Tastes a lot like cloves.

 

[Alter]

Originally Posted by username79

Tonight I made what was supposed to be delicious risotto.

I roasted some heirloom tomatoes, made stock, sauteed some bacon, happily stirred the rice for close to twenty minutes.

Then I got a phone call. It was pretty serious.

When I got back to it, I added the tomatoes, some freshly grated parmigiano, and uh, chopped up some cloves and threw them in. I meant to chop up some chives, but uh.. after that phone call, just wasn't thinking, but as soon as I added them, I asked myself, WTF did I just do??

And here I am, eating some pretty ****** tasting risotto. Tastes a lot like cloves.

Is that you new weight loss plan?

Last year I had some root canal work and someone gave me some Clove Oil to help reduce the pain. It worked great but now the taste of cloves makes me feel sick.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by username79

Tonight I made what was supposed to be delicious risotto.

I roasted some heirloom tomatoes, made stock, sauteed some bacon, happily stirred the rice for close to twenty minutes.

Then I got a phone call. It was pretty serious.

When I got back to it, I added the tomatoes, some freshly grated parmigiano, and uh, chopped up some cloves and threw them in. I meant to chop up some chives, but uh.. after that phone call, just wasn't thinking, but as soon as I added them, I asked myself, WTF did I just do??

And here I am, eating some pretty ****** tasting risotto. Tastes a lot like cloves.

My very first day at Cyrus, I had to cook family meal. I was told to make a dry rub and marinade our duck tender scraps in it for the protein. So I made a dry rub, with chili, cumin, clove, a touch of cinnamon, a lot of salt, and some lime zest.
Then we got majorly in the ***** right before family meal. I was all stressed out b/c I had like 10 minutes to get the food out and had everything done but the duck tenders. So I got this large rondeau blazing hot and threw the duck tenders in........... Only in my haste, I forgot that in my rub I had used whole cloves instead of ground, and I had used a LOT of them... like, literally 25 or so for about 5 pounds of meat.
So the entire family meal everybody was talking about how great the duck smelled and how awesome it was for a new guy to come in and cook a good meal on his first day..... then, slowly, one by one, they all bit into a whole clove in their mouths...
The attitude turned from "awesome new guy" to something very far removed from that very quickly.

 

[SField]

$900 is quite a bit for a single person, but cooking for yourself is very important and it's money well spent. Eating is something you have to do, so I wouldn't look at it as a major expense.

 

[Mr Herbert]

well done to OP. i follow a similar diet altho not religiously and i dont count calories. a few points:

i use salt in my cooking but justify it by the amount i sweat. i did however cut down on the amount of salt i used in cooking (and from not eating processed foods) and was amazed at how sensitive i became to the taste of salt. celery started to taste really salty.

i use absoloutely no added sugar which means no desert. all of a sudden fruit started tasting insanely sweet and delicious.

as for ***** cuts of meat, if you are trying to get a lot of protein in (i eat ~250g/d) its hard not to blow out your calories completley if you eat cuts like rib eye etc. i enjoy fillet (very rare) but find it wastefull to eat it too often. game meat is a good alternative. i can get wild kangaroo fillets insanely cheap - delicious cooked with blueberries.

$900 a month isnt that expensive if you are getting healthy fresh and delicious food. quality of food is one thing im not willing to sacrafice to save money on. the general public seems to have this misguided notion that food should be cheap which is why we have such so much unhealthy factory farmed grain-fed crap on the shelves.

 

[Asch]

Yup, people have grown to expect food (and clothing) to be ridiculously cheap. The modern figure for food below would be far smaller still if it weren't for people's frequent dining out. By necessity I'm thrifty with my groceries, but I think that if someone has a good income, it makes sense to spend some money on foods and drinks (at home and out) that really enhance quality of life, whatever that might mean for the individual.

 

[aizan]

go easy on the beef. the argentine side of my family is plagued with colon cancer from all the beef.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Beef and Colon said in one sentence sends up the bat signal for EdMorel.

 

[bBoy JEe]

Damn son

That's expensive. USDA Prime is 29.99 a pound? I buy all my meat from a local farmer and it's dirt cheap. Same goes for veggies. If you're seriously concerned about what you eat and where your food comes from, try and hook yourself up with local farmers, either at markets or CSAs. I eat very well, and cheap, and if you're looking to do the same, as evidinced by your posts, I'd suggest going that route.

 

[username79]

Originally Posted by bBoy JEe

If you're seriously concerned about what you eat and where your food comes from, try and hook yourself up with local farmers, either at markets or CSAs. I eat very well, and cheap, and if you're looking to do the same, as evidinced by your posts, I'd suggest going that route.
That's a lot of what I do, and they are damn expensive. All the other people who go to the markets or CSA are the yuppie types (hell, like myself) driving BMWs. Farmers can see (hear?) us coming from a mile away. Probably have double faced price cards. I have no problem with this. These guys are a dying breed and the ones that remain are specialists at what they do. I get lamb from the same purveyor as T. Keller, dude is really, really serious about lamb. To give you an idea, my neighbor goes to the same farm to get milk that I do. They make delicious tasting organic milk in these incredible thick glass jars that themselves are worth the asking price (I use them to store stock). My neighbor drives his F430 there to pick up milk. "Nice drive out there, you know?" I'm sure that has some affect on the pricing structure.

 

[bBoy JEe]

Apparently the yuppie types where I live and the yuppie types where you live are in two way different snack baskets.

For example (all priced Canadian),

Rib steak, $9.50 a pound (cheaper if you buy a box of meat as opposed to individual cuts)
Ground beef, $4.00 a pound
Chicken (true free range, organic), $12 dollars
Heritage pork, $15 dollars for a full rack
Broccoli $0.50 a head

Is this crazy cheap? Or are you getting totally ripped off?