Idle Food - Cooking!

[dibs]

Because i had one called Idle Tongues, and the search function and impossibility of guessing exactly what a cooking thread would be called here combined to create this new one. With a laaaaaaaame name.

[Bjorn]

You could always go with Idle Yums: A Food thread about Bespoke Cooking.

[Blambo]

It's cool, I'm just projecting how bummed I am about some missed opportunities.

 

Like why isn't the Intoxicated thread Idle Rum.

[tegan]

For some reason I want to cook something with bok choy. Anyone got any recipes?

[Badfinger]

I took myself up on my suggestion and made some beef stew. It's tasty.

[Blambo]

For some reason I want to cook something with bok choy. Anyone got any recipes?

I don't have a strict recipe but I love making nian gao with bok choy. It's chopped up rice cakes, carrots, bok choy, oyster mushrooms, some fen shi (transparent rice noodles), sliced pork and chicken broth, with elements stir fried and all boiled in the same wok. My parents made this at home and I'm assuming its americanized as hell but dang its good.

[dibs]

I usually have it as a side dish. I'll briefly stirfry some chlli, ginger and garlic. Then i'll add the white part of the bak choi along with some dark soy, chinese cooking wine and some chinese black vinegar. I'll let that braise for a few mins on a high simmer, then add the greens. Stir them in and give it around 30s max just to wilt them, and then you are done.

[JonCole]

In the vein of what dibs does, this is my usual application for bok choy - http://www.budgetbytes.com/2010/04/basic-bok-choy/

 

Really simple, nice with some scrambled eggs over rice or something like that.

[Bolegium]

I don't have a strict recipe but I love making nian gao with bok choy. It's chopped up rice cakes, carrots, bok choy, oyster mushrooms, some fen shi (transparent rice noodles), sliced pork and chicken broth, with elements stir fried and all boiled in the same wok. My parents made this at home and I'm assuming its americanized as hell but dang its good.

 

Oh wow, just realised I haven't had nian gao in what feels like years. Giong to see if I can convince my mum next time I visit her to make some. She makes a thick soupy version of it with Sichuan spices that's great.

Oh man I'm so hungry now.

[tegan]

I bought a wok. Everything's better when you cook it in a wok, as I've found.

 

[dibs]

I made slow cooker dhal using Green Saffron spice mix. Nomnomnomnom.





Lots for the freezer too!

Today there is chicken stock in the cooker. I'm expecting quite a chickeny pong when i get home!
 

[Dewar]

I bought a wok. Everything's better when you cook it in a wok, as I've found.

 

 

Do you have a gas stove? I miss my last rental because we actually had gas and it made wok cooking so nice.

[tabacco]

I don't have a photo because I'm at work and also I already ate it all, but I made this last night, cobbled together out of stuff on hand and stuff that could be had from the trader joes I was already standing in. It's not an especially accurate recipe and I don't know what to call it. I served it over some polenta.

 

- 1 onion, diced

- lots of cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed a bit to break them open (I used a whole head because you only live once)

- 5-6 hot italian sausage links, cases removed

- 1 can of diced tomatoes (I used the roasted ones)

- half a cup of chicken stock

- 1 lb of braising-friendly greens (Trader joes' southern greens mix in this case, which is mustard greens, collards, turnip greens, and spinach)

 

Sautee the onion in olive oil until it's nice and soft. Add the garlic cloves and the sausage. Break up the sausage into chunks (big chunks are fine). Let the sausage brown a bit. Add everything else, bring to a boil, and then let it simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Then uncover and keep simmering 'til most of the water is gone and it's kind of saucy. Hit it with some pepper and mayyyybe salt (I didn't need to add any, given the other salty ingredients).

[tegan]

Do you have a gas stove? I miss my last rental because we actually had gas and it made wok cooking so nice.

 

Nope! Just electric.

[Patrick R]

I don't mean to be a whistle blower or industry disrupter but pico de gallo is just tomatoes and red onions and cilantro and jalapenos and lime juice and salt and green onions and cracked pepper. Anyone can make it.

[SecretAsianMan]

I could use some advice.  My father is retired and lives with me now.  He wants to feel more useful around the house and has volunteered to cook dinner while I'm at work, except he's a terrible cook and we both know it.  Anyone have any good recipes for someone who doesn't have much experience or sense of cooking?  Simpler would be better.

[JonCole]

I use this site practically exclusively for my cooking - http://www.budgetbytes.com/

 

As it turns out, when you're cooking on a budget you don't use wildly complicated recipes or ingredients and it's all relatively straightforward.

[Badfinger]

I could use some advice.  My father is retired and lives with me now.  He wants to feel more useful around the house and has volunteered to cook dinner while I'm at work, except he's a terrible cook and we both know it.  Anyone have any good recipes for someone who doesn't have much experience or sense of cooking?  Simpler would be better.

 

You could try things in a slow cooker? It essentially comes down to 1) making sure you have all the ingredients (inside the pot), 2) making sure the pieces are the right size for the thing you're doing, 3) making sure the pot is turned on for the appropriate amount of time.

 

If you're looking for something closer along the lines of "I actively participated in cooking this!", start with things like pasta and a salad?

 

 

e: it looks like JonCole's link has quite a few things done in a slow cooker/over time, or are not things that have heat applied to them. So maybe we're on to something?

[SecretAsianMan]

I use this site practically exclusively for my cooking - http://www.budgetbytes.com/

 

As it turns out, when you're cooking on a budget you don't use wildly complicated recipes or ingredients and it's all relatively straightforward.

 

That's almost exactly what I'm looking for.  I have a rather tight budget at the moment too so that helps a ton.  Thanks!

 

You could try things in a slow cooker? It essentially comes down to 1) making sure you have all the ingredients (inside the pot), 2) making sure the pieces are the right size for the thing you're doing, 3) making sure the pot is turned on for the appropriate amount of time.

 

If you're looking for something closer along the lines of "I actively participated in cooking this!", start with things like pasta and a salad?

 

 

e: it looks like JonCole's link has quite a few things done in a slow cooker/over time, or are not things that have heat applied to them. So maybe we're on to something?

 

I found a pot roast recipe that seemed to work for him and we've made that a few times.  I'm looking into more stuff but suggestions are always welcome.

[dibs]

Just looking over that site it seems really nice! I shall have to get to browsing.

[Badfinger]

That's almost exactly what I'm looking for.  I have a rather tight budget at the moment too so that helps a ton.  Thanks!

 

 

I found a pot roast recipe that seemed to work for him and we've made that a few times.  I'm looking into more stuff but suggestions are always welcome.

 

Is there stuff you guys could cook together to learn the process of making, when you aren't at work? Casseroles in the oven are all building and no messing around when they're cooking

 

Do you have any concern over raw fowl? This is one of my favorite looks-complicated and fancy-is-braindead-easy recipes for chicken (this is turkey but the method is precisely the same). I probably already have this in the thread somewhere, frankly.

 

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/11/how-to-spatchcock-cook-turkey-thanksgiving-fast-easy-way-spatchcocked.html

 

Has an article, slideshow, and video. I'll also recommend Alton Brown's cookbook as a good method-oriented way to learn to cook filled with sciencyness.

[supasheep]

That site looks really good. My only issue is the use of cups as a measurement, being a European, but I'm sure that can be solved.

[JonCole]

Ah yeah, I didn't even consider that volumetric measures might be a problem. Luckily, cups for liquids are easy, cups for dry ingredients like flour can be easily converted to weight based on common conversion factors, and cups for anything in between can probably be eyeballed. Upon a cursory glance I saw a recipe calling for a 1/3 cup of grated parmesan, which could easily just be a small handful or something like that.

 

As I've become more comfortable with cooking, I've found that a ton of things in recipes can be fudged when you're familiar enough with what you're working with. Once you "get" what certain components are supposed to be doing in a recipe, it's easy to bend the rules.

[supasheep]

It isn't really a problem, I could easily get something that could measure cups for very cheap if I wanted. I'm just lazy, basically.

[Dewar]

I could use some advice.  My father is retired and lives with me now.  He wants to feel more useful around the house and has volunteered to cook dinner while I'm at work, except he's a terrible cook and we both know it.  Anyone have any good recipes for someone who doesn't have much experience or sense of cooking?  Simpler would be better.

 

One of the podcasts I listen too has been advertsing this: http://www.blueapron.com/

 

I've heard good things, though no personal experience. I'm also not sure about the cost.