Learning to Cook

Originally Posted by Teger

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my issue with cooking is time. it takes time to go to the store, to plan **** out and to cook it. time i'd rather spend dicking around online/watching tv

northing worthwhile is easy

for you guys who rarely cook, what do you eat every night?

do you eat out, take away or eat those god aweful microwave dinner type things?

Cooks Illustrated has a great book Meals for 2. Each one works out perfectly if you split it in half and save the other portion in the fridge.

There is a Food Network book called 'Making it Easy' that I picked up at that bookstore one day next to the Joyce outlet in Hong Kong... it's a good book if you don't know what you're doing in a kitchen but want to make nice food, I was like 20 when I got that book and it helped me along a bit. All the recipes in it are pretty trusty and cheap and easy to make, and it gives some pointers as well. I think you can pick it up for like a buck on Amazon nowadays.

Originally Posted by Mark from Plano

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I joined this about a year and a half ago. Of course the prices have gone up since I joined, but it's been well worth it. I've also gotten lots of good advice from some very accomplished cooks on this board that have been of great help.

Cool site, I watched the tutorial on how to pan fry, and I learned a lot.

How about starting with a simple dish that you personally like as a way for you get started with the entire cooking process? There are times I'll eat grilled chicken for a week straight, but one day I'll cook it with tomato paste and veggies, other times it would just be grilled onions and mushrooms, and just a **** load of herbs that I like, etc. Ill accompany it with a salad almost always and/or some rice.

I know that can get boring, but I think it helps develop a routine and prepare you for all aspects of cooking ( prep, cook, eat, clean-up) Once you're committed on the amount of time it will take, then get a book, as others have recommended, and give some recipes a try.

I want to pickup Bittman's book and also try some of the recipes he recommended as his 25 favorite in the last of the Minimalist columns in the NYT.

do you veggie prep on like monday night. this way you will have sliced veggies all ready to go for omellettes, snacks, pasta sauces, etc.

Originally Posted by Mr Herbert

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for you guys who rarely cook, what do you eat every night?

I don't often need a big dinner so I'll go out, have something, eat most for lunch the next day. DOn't go to super expensive places so it isn't that much to eat out per meal. Plus considering time spent cooking, cleaning up etc it may even be slightly cheaper. But yea I am also only paying for myself now so it isn't that bad.

Originally Posted by ErnestoG.

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do you veggie prep on like monday night. this way you will have sliced veggies all ready to go for omellettes, snacks, pasta sauces, etc.
This is probably a reason few people like vegetables.

a loaf of whole grain bread + peanut butter = food for a week

As to the what you do when you don't cook option...I often eat in the office. There is a client-paid dinner order every night if you are staying late. If you didn't like to cook, this would be a viable option.

Stay late, get free dinner, get paid OT, take free cab home (which takes 15 minutes max vs a 30-45 minute bus or train). You can get home at 7:30 completely fed and with leftovers for lunch. Compare this to leaving at 5:30, getting home at 6:15, cooking for 45 minutes and then eating...

Only problem with this tends to be that you are limited to food that travels well and depending on the company, you are stuck with whatever restaurant the secretary decided to order from (a single restaurant seems common in chicago...but I know people in new york that have a system with many options). Also, you can cook far healthier meals than most places produce, but you run into this same problem if you get takeout at home or go to actual restaurants.

^lawyer? A friend of mine does the same exact thing but watches Netflix while doing "OT"

Originally Posted by hboogz

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^lawyer? A friend of mine does the same exact thing but watches Netflix while doing "OT"

I would imagine most law, banking, consulting type firms have similar setups. Of course most companies expect you to be actually billing time to a client (slacking off if there is no client work during the regular office hours is one thing but had better be billing something to a client if you are taking in the after hours benefits)

Make pasta casserole. Easy, last for a long time, tastes good, can use any ingredients as long as the core ingredients are there (pasta, cheese some kind of wet things that bind stuff together).

Also, many big law firms have their own cafeteria and chefs that make food for you and even bring them to you, so you don't have to leave your office and can continue to bill $1000/hr. for your firm.

Looking forward to that when I finish Law school.

Originally Posted by ashpool

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Make pasta casserole. Easy, last for a long time, tastes good, can use any ingredients as long as the core ingredients are there (pasta, cheese some kind of wet things that bind stuff together).

Also, many big law firms have their own cafeteria and chefs that make food for you and even bring them to you, so you don't have to leave your office and can continue to bill $1000/hr. for your firm.

Looking forward to that when I finish Law school.

lol