|
Source: (consider it)
|
Thread: Can't Cook, Won't Cook
|
Yangtze
Shipmate
# 4965
|
Posted
I can cook. I started when I was very young, helping my mother, and thoroughly enjoy it.
However recently I've had two friends say that they can't. In one instance, said friend is trying to learn but finds the whole thing very stressful. She said even something as simple as scrambling an egg is beyond her if she's not feeling on top of her game and she wouldn't even contemplate anything beyond toast a large part of the time.
The other just looked horrified at the idea that she might even contemplate cooking. "Why?" she said "Making soup would just be horrific."
So, my question is, if you're someone who can't cook / won't cook, why not? What is it about cooking that's anathema to you? Help me understand.
No judgement. I'm totally not saying that is great to cook and terrible not to. I'm just trying to understand.
(PS Hope this is the right board - I dithered between here and Purg. And I guess there's also a case for it in All Saints.)
--------------------
Arthur & Henry Ethical Shirts for Men
organic cotton, fair trade cotton, linen
Sometimes I wonder What's for Afters?
Posts: 2022 | From: the smallest town in England | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Pine Marten
Shipmate
# 11068
|
Posted
I can cook, when I have to, but it's very simple stuff. I am not creative when cooking, so I can manage roasts and the like but not anything very complicated. Some people say they find it relaxing to bake cakes, or soothing to mess about with recipes, but (like your friend, Yangtze) I find it stressful. My mother wasn't much of a cook, and certainly never taught me how to do it, and the only thing I remember her showing me was how to shell fresh peas.
Mr Marten and I had a medieval party recently, in honour of Richard III, and to be honest that was different - we concocted a medieval menu and although a bit stressed I found it interesting. Not half as soothing though as sitting handsewing two Ricardian banners while watching my boxset of Dexter ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) .
[ 02. March 2013, 15:20: Message edited by: Pine Marten ]
--------------------
Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. - Oscar Wilde
Posts: 1731 | From: Isle of Albion | Registered: Feb 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
Porridge
Shipmate
# 15405
|
Posted
Hmmm. Not sure if I fit your category, but here goes: I tell people I "can't" cook, though in fact I do -- I have to, since I now live alone, and fear health consequences if I depend solely on canned goods plus economic consequences if I eat out all the time.
WHat "I can't cook" means in my case is that my results, while serviceable enough (I hope) are nothing I'd be happy to offer guests (or take to potlucks at church when I was a member). Meals take the form of "glop" -- mixtures of veggies in something sauce-like and possibly fish served over noodles or rice or bread or maybe a baked potato.
Aside from the color in the veggies, these don't look particularly nice in presentation. They smell and taste OK, since I do add spices and herbs, but it's otherwise pretty plain and unprepossessing fare done fast for the sake of time and convenience, and nothing I'd foist on a guest.
"Real" cooking, in my book, involves a lot of expense -- going beyond parsley flakes and basil and garlic, etc., and prepping several dishes at once, which (in my experience or more accurately inexperience) will never manage to be ready all at the same time.
Certainly nothing to undertake during weeks when I'm "on call" at work.
--------------------
Spiggott: Everything I've ever told you is a lie, including that.
Moon: Including what?
Spiggott: That everything I've ever told you is a lie.
Moon: That's not true!
Posts: 3925 | From: Upper right corner | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged
|
|
Desert Daughter
Shipmate
# 13635
|
Posted
Just like Porridge I prefer to cook myself than to rely on canned or other prepared food. In fact I don't even own a microwave.
So yes, I think I can cook. But I will never admit it to anyone who is likely to call at my place.
Because I am very, very shy about my cooking.
The problem is that I've been cooking just for myself for the past 26 years. And over those years, having lived in a variety of countries ranging from Argentina to Finland and from the US to India, my cooking became somewhat eclectic. I use strong spices and exotic vegetables. I love, and often prepare, Tibetan butter tea. And I have my own secret recipe for hot curry noodles with seaweed.
So I am painfully aware of the fact that while my repertoire may be rather wide and exotic, I am no good at cooking the "standard" things one would be expected to dish up when hosting friends. I am quite good at grilling meat, a skill I learned in Argentina, but in today's squeamish veggie-society that only gets you so far.
My impression is that at least in the urban, western middle-class world there's quite a "codex" on what to cook, and how to be a gracious host. I cannot keep up with that. Besides, my place is so crammed with books that there are no free chairs on which guests could sit. But that is another story. I simply can't keep up with the unwritten rules of being a gracious host in an urban European 21st century environment.
So no, I officially cannot, and will not, cook.
--------------------
"Prayer is the rejection of concepts." (Evagrius Ponticus)
Posts: 733 | Registered: Apr 2008
| IP: Logged
|
|
Yangtze
Shipmate
# 4965
|
Posted
A lot of my cooking is some kind of highly spiced "glop" as well, for what it's worth ![[Biased]](wink.gif)
--------------------
Arthur & Henry Ethical Shirts for Men
organic cotton, fair trade cotton, linen
Sometimes I wonder What's for Afters?
Posts: 2022 | From: the smallest town in England | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Porridge:
"Real" cooking, in my book, involves a lot of expense -- going beyond parsley flakes and basil and garlic, etc., and prepping several dishes at once, which (in my experience or more accurately inexperience) will never manage to be ready all at the same time.
It saddens me that you - and DD - feel disqualified from cooking food to share. Eating (and drinking) with friends is to me one of the principle joys of existence.
And it need not be difficult to provide 3 or 4 courses with minimal skill, and no need to co-ordinate timings.
- Cold starter, prepared in advance. Smoked salmon trimmings with a lemon wedge and brown bread and butter. Slices of tomato and mozzarella with a few torn basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil. Pâté and crusty bread. Crudités and dip.
- Classic casserole. Boeuf en daube. Coq au vin. Lamb hotpot. Whatever your favourite cuisine, it will have somewhere a thrifty concoction of meat and veg which just needs to be left to itself for a few hours in an oven. There's a reason these recipes endure.
- Cheese course. Cheeses. Bunch of grapes. Oatcakes, crackers whatever.
- Dessert. As for starter. Fresh fruit salad. Baked fruit salad. Fruit in jelly. Bought ice cream or sorbet. Ready rolled puff pastry topped with sliced apple or tinned apricots.
Unless your friends are the sort of miserable, life-denying faddists that you wouldn't want to sit down with in any case, any of the above - and a free hand with the wine - will be all you need.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
chive
Ship's nude
# 208
|
Posted
I can't cook and I rarely attempt to try. I live on takeaways, microwave meals and toast. I can go a week to ten days without eating a hot meal fairly regularly.
There are a few reasons for this. Firstly my mother is a very good cook and also had a very bad temper. She used to try and get us to help her and then explode at us if we got anything wrong. I can remember trying to make toast when I was about 5, burning it and being so scared of the consequences that I buried it in the garden.
Secondly I have a panic disorder. I often decide I'm going to cook and buy the ingredients. By the time I've laid them out I begin to catastrophise - 'I won't be able to do it, it'll go wrong, I'll set the house on fire and then I'll be homeless and then I won't be able to have anywhere to live so I'll have to kill myself.' Yes, I know it's utterly irrational but if boiling an egg leads in your head to imminent suicide you don't boil many eggs. This is one of the reasons I am entitled to Disability Living Allowance.
Thirdly, I work shifts. If I leave for work at quarter to five in the morning and don't get in til the back of six at night, phoning the take away seems like all the effort I can cope with.
Fourthly, I don't know how to cook. I've never learned and I've never tried to learn. It's all too stressful.
So laziness, madness and lack of knowledge are my excuses.
--------------------
'Edward was the kind of man who thought there was no such thing as a lesbian, just a woman who hadn't done one-to-one Bible study with him.' Catherine Fox, Love to the Lost
Posts: 3542 | From: the cupboard under the stairs | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
|
Posted
I can cook. I just usually don't much these days.
After a day at work and a long commute home that doesn't always go to plan, I simply don't have the energy or motivation to do anything much in the kitchen other than something on toast, re-heating leftovers from the weekend, snack food, or (and strictly only once a week) a takeaway.
One thing that puts me off cooking is that your hands are constantly in and out of water. Rinsing surfaces, scrubbing veg, washing off once you've handled raw meat, cleaning pots and utensils as you go, your hands are rarely dry for long, and that's all before the official washing-up stage. (I really hate scrubbing encrusted oven dishes.) By the end of it my fingers are really dried out and cream doesn't help.
I don't bother much at weekends either, though now and again I might make a batch of something so that there's some over for the week.
One of the side-effects of commuting is that you don't get to know anybody locally, as you're really only there evenings and weekends and it takes a while to replenish energy levels. So it's rare that I cook for anyone but myself. When I do have guests I like to make an occasion of it, and will take some trouble over it, but cooking for me is more of a leisure activity than a way of life.
Posts: 25445 | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Amorya
Ship's tame galoot
# 2652
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
I can cook. I just usually don't much these days.
This. It's no fun if it's just for me.
I love hosting dinner parties, or cooking for friends… but I seldom get much chance to do that these days either, with a full time job and loads of stuff that needs to get done…
Posts: 2383 | From: Coventry | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
Yangtze
Shipmate
# 4965
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Porridge:
[qb]
And it need not be difficult to provide 3 or 4 courses with minimal skill.....
Firenze, I suspect that whilst you or I would look at your list and think, "oh easy, 10 mins prepping then bung in the oven" for some of the 'can't cook, won't cook' folk wouldn't know where to start with it.
(Obviously cooking is one of those things that the more you do the easier it gets, but it does seem for some people even the starting to learn or rather the desire to learn is not there.)
I do get the whole 'I'm knackered and on my own so can't be bothered' thing so I'll just have toast or a takeaway sometimes. And I live on my own so am pretty much always cooking for one and it's definitely not as much fun as cooking for others. But for my friends above even the simple things I do on a regular basis like the aforementioned scrambled eggs or omelette seem to be not possible.
--------------------
Arthur & Henry Ethical Shirts for Men
organic cotton, fair trade cotton, linen
Sometimes I wonder What's for Afters?
Posts: 2022 | From: the smallest town in England | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Yangtze
Shipmate
# 4965
|
Posted
Sorry, I messed up the code and didn't notice till it was too late to edit (yes, I know preview post is my friend). It was Firenze who I was quoting not Porridge.
--------------------
Arthur & Henry Ethical Shirts for Men
organic cotton, fair trade cotton, linen
Sometimes I wonder What's for Afters?
Posts: 2022 | From: the smallest town in England | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Abigail
Shipmate
# 1672
|
Posted
I live on my own and I do try to cook for myself but I would be horrified if I had to cook for anyone else – my cooking is totally unreliable. I might cook a meal one day and think, "mm, not bad", but the next time I do it it’s a total disaster. My mum was an excellent cook and she enjoyed cooking. Unfortunately I never managed to pick up any of her skills. I try to cook the meals she prepared – and they just taste wrong . I’ve bought cookery books (including one totally useless one called "Can’t cook – Want to Learn" ) but when I try to follow recipes they don't work and I never have any idea why. As other people have said, I find cooking incredibly stressful.
I have a few things that I can do that usually turn out all right but most cooking, even really basic things, is beyond me.
--------------------
The older I get the less I know.
Posts: 505 | From: London | Registered: Nov 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
One thing that puts me off cooking is that your hands are constantly in and out of water. Rinsing surfaces, scrubbing veg, washing off once you've handled raw meat, cleaning pots and utensils as you go, your hands are rarely dry for long, and that's all before the official washing-up stage. (I really hate scrubbing encrusted oven dishes.) By the end of it my fingers are really dried out and cream doesn't help.
Two words: vinyl gloves. I buy mine at Costco, but you can get them
online.
The other magic word is tinfoil. Anytime I am grilling or roasting anything, I line the tin with it.
(The third magic word is Soaking, but you probably knew that.)
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Yangtze
Shipmate
# 4965
|
Posted
I didn't start this thread with any intention of trying to convert anyone to the glories of cooking, but it has just struck me that if anyone reading would like to do more but is stressed by trying to understand techniques and what directions in recipes really mean then they might like to look at the brilliant Cooking for Engineers.
(I've linked to a particular recipe so you can see how they lay it out with photos clearly showing the stages.)
--------------------
Arthur & Henry Ethical Shirts for Men
organic cotton, fair trade cotton, linen
Sometimes I wonder What's for Afters?
Posts: 2022 | From: the smallest town in England | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Piglet
Islander
# 11803
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Yangtze:
... "Why?" she said. "Making soup would just be horrific." ...
I feel very sorry for your friend, Yangtze: I make chicken stock and veggie soup about every other week and find making it wonderfully therapeutic, perhaps not least because my Beloved really likes it (and says so).
My mum was a very good cook (much better than she thought she was) and encouraged me to enjoy cooking, which I do, though I wouldn't claim to be in her league. I have a half-decent repertoire of things I make, and because I love cook-books and TV cookery shows, I'm usually game for trying something new, or adapting a recipe to our tastes.
I think the point is not to be scared of cooking; if I make something and it works out well, it gets written into my recipe notebook and used again. If it doesn't, it'll be put down to experience.
--------------------
I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
Uncle Pete
Loyaute me lie
# 10422
|
Posted
Cooking for myself (the standard of the last 26 years) - I often find stressful.
What I do is spend once a week, or so, cooking. I make standard recipe sizes, so what I don't have for a meal I freeze or store in the frigo.
I am fond of making soups and often do out of vegetables that I have got tired of.
Breakfast is often porridge or toast and tea. Lunch is either soup or salad.
Weekends is often a brunch type meal- usually involving eggs, or puttu.
I guess I am not a bad cook; I think I have tossed some things in the bin a handful of times in my cooking years. But my mistakes aren't all bad; just different, and I usually eat them.
I have a repertoire of a metric dozen recipes which I trot out for company, and no one who I invite have seriously objected.
--------------------
Even more so than I was before
Posts: 20466 | From: No longer where I was | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
|
Posted
My mother was a plain cook. But my elder brother and I obviously had some innate instinct for exotica; I can remember us turning the family saucepans ochre as we tried to make Indian food with such spices as you could find in 1960s Belfast.
As far as I can make out, the driver for cooking has to be 'I want to eat something that is not otherwise available to me' (given that I learnt before there was much in the way of ready meals, and I didn't have the money for restaurants and takeaways).
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
ecumaniac
Ship's whipping girl
# 376
|
Posted
I'm currently obsessed with salads, not least because it involves very little real cooking and rather more take-things-out-of-fridge-and-put-in-bowl.
I couldn't do any cooking until I moved to a house with an electric oven. I was petrified of lighting the gas oven and refused to touch it. The gas stove is ok, provided the auto clicker works and I don't have to use (shudder) matches.
I can understand the thing about not wanting to cook for guests though. I have certain "alone" meals that I can make, but I feel very awkward if I have to feed them to my friends. Until I discovered that a fair few of my friends felt exactly the same way. Now we will happily get together and eat "pasta & pesto" or whatever we can dredge up from the bottom of the fridge.
--------------------
it's a secret club for people with a knitting addiction, hiding under the cloak of BDSM - Catrine
Posts: 2901 | From: Cambridge | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Kitten
Shipmate
# 1179
|
Posted
I can cook quite well, and I used to cook a lot when my children were young and money was tight, but I've never enjoyed cooking and now that I don't have to, I do it as little as possible.
I have a very demanding job and the last thing I want to do when I return from work or have a day off is to faff about in the kitchen.
--------------------
Maius intra qua extra
Never accept a ride from a stranger, unless they are in a big blue box
Posts: 2330 | From: Carmarthenshire | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
|
Posted
I rarely make soup from homemade stock. I have done, but it is hassle. You buy all the veg for it, get the right herbs and seasoning, then chuck in the bones and bits and simmer for a long time. Then strain all the liquid, and there's your soup base, now you have to embark on actually making the soup and going through all the preparation of what you want in your soup all over again then simmering for a while, and at the end, probably putting the whole thing in a blender. It's not the work of a moment.
Having said that, homemade tomato soup is superior to anything you find in a shop, and I do have a microwave recipe for it that works well, but some other things do need that long slow simmer.
Depression can be a factor. If you're depressed cooking can often seem like too much hassle.
Posts: 25445 | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
M.
Ship's Spare Part
# 3291
|
Posted
Goodness, if you approach making soup from stock like that, yes it does sound a palaver. I do it in bits, each bit is really simple.
Stage 1 - Bung vegetable trimmings or bones from chicken in a pot with onion/carrot/celery/whatever you happen to have, add water and let simmer for a couple of hours. Leave overnight to cool.
Stage 2 - Next morning, strain and put in pots to freeze.
Stage 3 - Take out when needed to make soup. If you forget to take it out, you can melt it in the saucepan.
I would never season stock, only the soup when made.
I find it really useful to have a supply of stock in the freezer - lentil soup in particular is a real standby that hardly takes any time and I love it.
M.
Posts: 2303 | From: Lurking in Surrey | Registered: Sep 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
|
Posted
Ah. You see that big glass jar beside the cooker? With all the pretty-coloured foil-wrapped cubes?
Beef, chicken, vegetable, pork, lamb, fish and spicy - which I can't get anymore since the Thai deli closed.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Roseofsharon
Shipmate
# 9657
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Ah. You see that big glass jar beside the cooker? With all the pretty-coloured foil-wrapped cubes?
Beef, chicken, vegetable, pork, lamb, fish and spicy - which I can't get anymore since the Thai deli closed.
And Yangtze invented a delicious Tomato Lentil Soup which, as she didn't have any stock to hand, was fine without it.
And quick.
[ 03. March 2013, 16:46: Message edited by: Roseofsharon ]
--------------------
Talk about books -any books- on our rejuvenatedforum http://www.bookgrouponline.com/index.php?
Posts: 3060 | From: Sussex By The Sea | Registered: Jun 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
|
Posted
As someone who grew up with a mother who liked to get a large frying pan/skillet, filled with 1½" of water and stand open tin cans of green beans, peas, and various main course imposters in it to heat up (anyone remember Chef-Boy-R-Dee ravioli and Puritan Beef Stew?), I can say I have definitely learned to cook, make all of our breads, and my children also resist packaged foods.
I forgot to mention powdered things, like potatoes, eggs, and mushroom gravy. The latter is a gluey substance, grey in colour, with lumps in it, some which are mushrooms, the rest undissolved powder landmines.
I now believe that civilised people discuss at breakfast what they having for supper, smack their lips, kiss each other, and go off into the world hunting for income without a sense that work is the centre of life.
--------------------
Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
| IP: Logged
|
|
Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet:
I now believe that civilised people discuss at breakfast what they having for supper, smack their lips, kiss each other, and go off into the world hunting for income without a sense that work is the centre of life.
I don't know that one wants to be too precious about it or create the impression that if it's not Lobster Thermidor with a Puligny Montrachet, then it's not up to scratch. Quite one of the most fun dinners I can remember, the food was some sort of Somalian stew and the wine Asda Chateau Plonque, but we were a room full of people shouting cheerfully at each other about politics.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Keren-Happuch
Ship's Eyeshadow
# 9818
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Ah. You see that big glass jar beside the cooker? With all the pretty-coloured foil-wrapped cubes?
Beef, chicken, vegetable, pork, lamb, fish and spicy - which I can't get anymore since the Thai deli closed.
Quite. I used to think soup was a hassle and took hours. Now I know I can make a fake minestrone in 10 minutes with a stock cube, spaghetti, frozen mixed veg, tomato puree and herbs.
--------------------
Travesty, treachery, betrayal!
EXCESS - The Art of Treason
Nea Fox
Posts: 2407 | From: A Fine City | Registered: Jul 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
|
Posted
I do like to cook. Some things have been a touch complicated, like spanakopita. Or homemade key lime pie with hand beaten meringue.
Since the kids have flown the nest, however, most of my meals are very simple. The favorite is plain grilled salmon and sweet potatoes cooked in the grill, usually served with a salad or steamed whatever veggie is in season. I make this at least once a week. A bishop visited my home last week. This was our menu. He was blown away!
So, simple is many times the best way to go!
--------------------
Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet:
I now believe that civilised people discuss at breakfast what they having for supper, smack their lips, kiss each other, and go off into the world hunting for income without a sense that work is the centre of life.
I don't know that one wants to be too precious about it or create the impression that if it's not Lobster Thermidor with a Puligny Montrachet, then it's not up to scratch. Quite one of the most fun dinners I can remember, the food was some sort of Somalian stew and the wine Asda Chateau Plonque, but we were a room full of people shouting cheerfully at each other about politics.
Macaroni and cheese qualifies in our house, as does curried lentils and rice. Sunday supper was fish tacos. It doesn't have to be fancy.
You're ahead of me on the wine. Our's was red.
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
| IP: Logged
|
|
Piglet
Islander
# 11803
|
Posted
I did the chicken stock - veggie soup thing this evening (it's still simmering as I type this) and I really didn't find it as hasslesome as Ariel makes out. Chuck stuff in pot with water, bring to boil, skim the surface. Then leave it simmering for an hour or so and go and do something else. Come back and strain it, peel and chop a few more veggies, chuck in pot, add the stock and some pulses, leave to simmer until everything's cooked.
Kitchen therapy. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
--------------------
I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
Huia
Shipmate
# 3473
|
Posted
If I'm feeling energetic I enjoy cooking, especially soups and stews that aren't terribly fussy, then I freeze portions for later. If I'm depressed I run out of energy and eat very boring food.
Babybear once posted a lentil soup recipe which uses stuff that I usually have in my cupboard - it's one of the most useful recipes I have, along with a chickpea one I found on the internet.
I find that I eat better if I have a good range of long lasting ingredients as they keep without spoiling whereas things like bacon hocks add pressure because they go off if not used within a rather narrow window of opportunity.
[ 04. March 2013, 04:13: Message edited by: Huia ]
--------------------
Charity gives food from the table, Justice gives a place at the table.
Posts: 10382 | From: Te Wai Pounamu | Registered: Oct 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
|
Posted
I never use stock cubes because of the salt content. If I make stock, soy sauce is the base note. It does contain salt, but less so and once cooked the flavour is altogether mellower. It's great in casseroles too.
Posts: 25445 | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Meerkat
Suricata suricatta
# 16117
|
Posted
I like to cook and have done so since I was about 16 (ahem...40 years) and Mrs. Kat does not like to cook. Well, she makes the odd soup from scratch, but I cook apart from that!
I like to experiment and rarely follow a recipe to the letter - just use it as a guide. It is kept in a folder if we like it (the recipe, not the food!).
I love risotto; curry; roasts; fish pie... in fact, as long as it doesn't rely on having peppers, nuts or sesame (the last two will kill me), we'll try just about everything.
Mrs. Kat started 'Slimming World' a few months ago and I have been using their recipes for 5 days out of 7. They are really tasty and have a 'twist' on 'traditional' recipes which makes them interesting. They are mostly easy to do. The bonus is that you lose weight into the bargain!
--------------------
Simples!
Posts: 160 | From: Herts, UK | Registered: Jan 2011
| IP: Logged
|
|
Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
|
Posted
We're wandering a bit from the topic.
On the one hand cooking is -
- Easy
- Therapeutic
- A social hub
- A core art of civilisation
On the other it's - - Difficult
- Too much bother
- Scary
- Something to hide from your friends
Is there any way of moving between these positions?
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Keren-Happuch:
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
Ah. You see that big glass jar beside the cooker? With all the pretty-coloured foil-wrapped cubes?
Beef, chicken, vegetable, pork, lamb, fish and spicy - which I can't get anymore since the Thai deli closed.
Quite. I used to think soup was a hassle and took hours. Now I know I can make a fake minestrone in 10 minutes with a stock cube, spaghetti, frozen mixed veg, tomato puree and herbs.
With one small alteration, you have just solved the first course dilemma for when we take the kids on an overnight bike expedition, self catering.
(mentally notes: 1 tin mixed veg, 2 chicken stock cubes, tube tomato purée, tub mixed herbs, small bag spaghetti + bread, lots of bread = minestrone soup.)
--------------------
Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
|
Posted
Mental note to self - unlike a few minutes ago, remember the tinned mixed veg.
--------------------
Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Porridge
Shipmate
# 15405
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
We're wandering a bit from the topic.
On the one hand cooking is -
- Easy
- Therapeutic
- A social hub
- A core art of civilisation
On the other it's - - Difficult
- Too much bother
- Scary
- Something to hide from your friends
Is there any way of moving between these positions?
You forgot "expensive." When I actually want to fix something nice for friends, it nearly always involves the purchase of several ingredients I don't normally have on hand, must go out and shop for, and then stick on the shelf to go unused and stale by the time I'm able to invite someone again.
--------------------
Spiggott: Everything I've ever told you is a lie, including that.
Moon: Including what?
Spiggott: That everything I've ever told you is a lie.
Moon: That's not true!
Posts: 3925 | From: Upper right corner | Registered: Jan 2010
| IP: Logged
|
|
Boogie
Boogie on down!
# 13538
|
Posted
I'm poor at cooking - mostly through lack of practice. My husband loves to cook and hates to clear up, so I rarely do any.
I do have two dishes that I cook well - so if I have to cook I do one of those. (Chilli is one and a past, salmon thingie is the other)
Baking s another story - I love o bake bread and cakes.
--------------------
Garden. Room. Walk
Posts: 13030 | From: Boogie Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2008
| IP: Logged
|
|
Sparrow
Shipmate
# 2458
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Pine Marten:
Mr Marten and I had a medieval party recently, in honour of Richard III, and to be honest that was different - we concocted a medieval menu ....
With roast (white) boar?
--------------------
For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life,nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Posts: 3149 | From: Bottom right hand corner of the UK | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
Sparrow
Shipmate
# 2458
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Yangtze:
A lot of my cooking is some kind of highly spiced "glop" as well, for what it's worth
I call it "splodge".
--------------------
For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life,nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Posts: 3149 | From: Bottom right hand corner of the UK | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
|
Posted
When I was student age, it was 'myeh' - and based on the one attainable exotic dish we knew - Chinese fried rice.
There's possibly a larval stage of becoming a cook in which you toss things into a pan, mix them together and see what comes out. Maybe it's missing out on that stage of reckless experimentation that leaves some people daunted by the thought of cooking?
I remember at about age 12 or 13 inventing a sort of rostioidal concoction of grated spud, onion and egg, which was, broadly speaking, edible. Sufficiently so to convince me that there was nothing to this cooking lark.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
kingsfold
Shipmate
# 1726
|
Posted
I guess I oscillate between the two ends of the spectrum most of the time.
I can cook, and folk usually make all the right noises if they eat at my place. I positively enjoy baking, and fortunately folk in the church/choir/work are only too happy to be the guinea pigs if I feel the urge to try things out. Or if I fel the need to bake, which I sometimes find therapeutic.
On the other hand, I live alone and generally find cooking a faff and a bother. I love my slow cooker, and generally cook up a large batch of some splodge or another which is either eaten during the week or portioned out & frozen. This results in the other great staple: freezer delight, as I generally don't know what I'm getting until I've defrosted & reheated it!
I do quite enjoy cooking if I've got friends round, but do sometimes find it stressful, especially if I do dessert. Mind you, it's still stews and casseroles etc as it minimises the amount of stuff I have to do once people have arrived. Having guests and having to fiddle about in the kitchen is definitely stressy!
[ 04. March 2013, 21:38: Message edited by: kingsfold ]
Posts: 4473 | From: land of the wee midgie | Registered: Nov 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
doubtingthomas
Shipmate
# 14498
|
Posted
I'd say I can't cook, even though I am capable of preparing edible food for my own consumption if necessary.
I used to cook as a student (4-portion sauce mix, pile of veg, microwave - to last several days), but I've enver enjoyed the process.
Nowadays I have access to an excellent canteen and get through the weekend with ready meals from one of the posher British retailers - both of which are better than anything I'd produce. (plus, I can now afford it...). So why waste time on something that will be gone in much less time than it took to make?
Communal cooking is very different - there the process itself is a social activity, and I can happily chop the veg, so the proper cooks can do the difficult stuff.
As for vistors to my humble ablode - they get taken to one of this towns many decent eateries.
Posts: 266 | From: A Small Island | Registered: Jan 2009
| IP: Logged
|
|
Kelly Alves
Bunny with an axe
# 2522
|
Posted
I'm kind of on the same page as kingsfold-- either I really don't want to cook or I really want to cook. I will get these wild urges to make something specific, like the time I made my own dulce de leche from scratch, just because I had the right ingredients lying around. Or the time I got a wild urge to make quiche for a family gathering. (Thanks for the recipe, Amazing Grace.)And sometimes I will buy a pint of whipping cream and pour it into a washed- out peanut butter jar and churn my own butter. Nothing like it.
But the cafeteria at school is excellent and very healthy, so that's where I have been eating the bulk of my meals lately. quote:
Originally posted by doubtingthomas:
Communal cooking is very different - there the process itself is a social activity, and I can happily chop the veg, so the proper cooks can do the difficult stuff.
Communal cooking is so much fun.
--------------------
I cannot expect people to believe “
Jesus loves me, this I know” of they don’t believe “Kelly loves me, this I know.”
Kelly Alves, somewhere around 2003.
Posts: 35076 | From: Pura Californiana | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
Piglet
Islander
# 11803
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by doubtingthomas:
... ready meals from one of the posher British retailers ...
No shame in that, DT.
When D. took up his present job, he moved to Newfoundland and I stayed on for six months in Belfast to wait for permits and sell the house. Living on my own and working 9 to 5 I found that when I got home I couldn't be bothered to cook and would go up to Marks & Sparks for microwaveable fettuccine whatever or tagliatelle thingummy-bob.
It wasn't that I didn't like cooking - I just didn't have the energy.
--------------------
I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
Jason in NYC
Apprentice
# 2689
|
Posted
For my friends who would like to cook, but are reticent to - might I suggest checking out Jacques Pepin's 'Fast Food, My Way'. A book that uses many easily available supermarket items to prepare some lovely dishes.
Posts: 12 | From: Ann Arbor, MI | Registered: Apr 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
Sparrow
Shipmate
# 2458
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
And sometimes I will buy a pint of whipping cream and pour it into a washed- out peanut butter jar and churn my own butter. Nothing like it.
Wow, how do you do that?
--------------------
For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life,nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Posts: 3149 | From: Bottom right hand corner of the UK | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
Kelly Alves
Bunny with an axe
# 2522
|
Posted
Start with a half pint or so of heavy whipping cream, pour it into the jar (The peanut butter jar I use is about a pint), make sure lid is TIGHT.You shake it and shake it until the cream has fluffed up so thick it won't shake anymore. Then you keep shaking it. If you keep it up long enough, you have a round, smooth little ball of butter, and about a half cup of very tasty fresh buttermilk. But it's important not to be fooled when it stops moving.
[ 05. March 2013, 06:12: Message edited by: Kelly Alves ]
--------------------
I cannot expect people to believe “
Jesus loves me, this I know” of they don’t believe “Kelly loves me, this I know.”
Kelly Alves, somewhere around 2003.
Posts: 35076 | From: Pura Californiana | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged
|
|
QLib
Bad Example
# 43
|
Posted
I think of cooking like alcohol - enjoyable in small doses, but important not to let it take control of my life. I need to stay aware that it can make me flustered and bad-tempered and thereby spoil the point of the party it was intended to serve. However, unlike alcohol, it is safe to practice by indulging in it when you're alone.
--------------------
Tradition is the handing down of the flame, not the worship of the ashes Gustav Mahler.
Posts: 8913 | From: Page 28 | Registered: May 2001
| IP: Logged
|
|
Kittyville
Shipmate
# 16106
|
Posted
Does anyone on the Ship have a Thermomix? I've just hosted a demo and ordered one, and the woman who did the demo said a lot of sales are to non-cooks, who think the machine will basically do everything for them and thus open up a world of home cooking that they would never have attempted alone. Conversely, another lot of sales are to advanced cooks and trained chefs. It's an interesting machine!
(I hope this doesn't read like an ad, it's not intended to. But I am a kitchen gadget nerd and I was very impressed).
[ 05. March 2013, 09:30: Message edited by: Kittyville ]
Posts: 291 | From: Sydney | Registered: Dec 2010
| IP: Logged
|
|
Yangtze
Shipmate
# 4965
|
Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Firenze:
There's possibly a larval stage of becoming a cook in which you toss things into a pan, mix them together and see what comes out. Maybe it's missing out on that stage of reckless experimentation that leaves some people daunted by the thought of cooking?
I wonder if you're on to something here. Certainly I used to cook a lot of "risotto" as a teenager, which mainly involved rice, tinned toms and a lot of brown sauce together with whatever veg and or meat/fish we had a around.
Could anyone who is in the "can't cook" category comment on this?
--------------------
Arthur & Henry Ethical Shirts for Men
organic cotton, fair trade cotton, linen
Sometimes I wonder What's for Afters?
Posts: 2022 | From: the smallest town in England | Registered: Sep 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
Printer-friendly view
