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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by alexandra_k on September 13, 2013, at 19:29:48
Who likes to cook? Sometimes, I mean, I know it becomes tedious when you have to do it a lot.
I'm trying to figure out what to do about food in my current living situation. Everyone else is fairly communal about food so I've ended up getting into bad habits with buying food that doesn't need to be refrigerated / cooked (processed junk, in other words) and hiding out with it in my room.
My flatmates will get used to my cooking big pots of food to last me a couple days eventually... Who knows... It might even inspire them to cook similarly. I don't have any more money than they do so I don't need to feel bad about that.
I'm thinking I might buy a slow cooker (so I don't use up the big pot / space on the stove). I'm keen for ideas of stuff to cook... I can't afford expensive cuts of meat, but I can get a chicken sometimes. Or a kg (2.2 pounds, I think) of chuck or blade steak. Keen to get a bacon hock if I can... My dad used to make this wonderful soup with veges and split peas and barley or something... And bacon. Keen to try and figure that out... I want to try and figure some Indian type of vegetarian dishes with lentals etc too. Chick peas. Tasty, but I don't entirely know how...
Any ideas or recipes to share? Hints etc?
Also... I sort of have this idea of cooking up a big pot (to last me 2 days, say) and keeping it at a low heat for those 2 days. Is this something I can do with a slow cooker - or do I have to let it cool, refrigerate it, then heat it up?
So, for instance, last night I made chicken soup (sort of).
- 3 Caremalized onions in sesame oil (because I like the taste of them that way)
- 1 chicken
- 1 litre low salt chicken stock
- salt (ahahahhahaha)
- enough water to cover
- gently simmer for an hour
- pick bones and skin out without burning self too much
- add 3 choped kumara / sweet potato and 250g of corn kernels
- simmer for 30 minutessimple. i don't know what to do with herbs and stuff... i know some people reckon to dump the chicken meat since most of the flavor is out - but i like the texture. and... the protein is in there - right?
anyway... i turned it off when it was done and a few hours later had some more and it was still hot. then this morning heated it to simmer again... so in a couple hours it will still be good... then i... heat is once more today maybe? and make sure i eat it by the end of the day or freeze it.
is that safe?
i guess we find out. heh.
i do feel bad for my flatmates, though... this is the way i like to do food (it is cheap to eat this way and healthy, too, and delicious once you get used to it). but it doesn't seem fair to do it without offering it to other people since it makes the whole house smell like whatever it is you are cooking (especially when they always eat communally). i guess this is why... they do thinks like cook up a pot of pumpkins and offer it round (then watch it rot in the fridge). sigh. i can use a slow cooker in my room - right?
it just... feels rude to eat in front of other people. i don't go into the kitchen when they are in their cooking... they have this curious habit of rocking up just as i'm about to eat...
i need to grow a thicker skin.
why should i?
oh yeah, because i'm the one who suffers.
Posted by alexandra_k on September 13, 2013, at 19:46:56
In reply to Cooking, posted by alexandra_k on September 13, 2013, at 19:29:48
I need to get more containers.
Sunday evening used to be cooking day! in the hall of residence I was in in Australia. People would try and cook up a weeks worth of lunches / dinners (so around 7 meals - or maybe do 2 lots). Divide it up into portions and freeze. Then take it to work and microwave. If you have a bit of a blitz to start with then you can end up with different meal options all stored in the freezer. Or you could play swapsies with your mates. The idea was basically meat (or protein sub) and veges and... Rice. To bulk. Gluten free. A lot of people have problems with gut inflammation with gluten (know I do - I can see outline of abs and yet STILL i mostly have a gut from freaking bread... and perhaps minor lordosis...).
Posted by alexandra_k on September 13, 2013, at 21:43:20
In reply to Re: Cooking, posted by alexandra_k on September 13, 2013, at 19:46:56
I'm on a budget.
I'm thinking:
Size - Bigger is better. Not looking under 5.5l
Shape - Oval for chickens
Settings - Some switch to 'warm' after cooking... Is this important. Lets see... If I have classes at 8am I'll want to turn it on before I leave at, say 7am. Then if classes finish around 5pm I won't be back until around 6pm. So... 11 hours. Anyone have experience cooking around 6l (a bit over 6 quarts) for that amount of time on a slow cook setting? Feasible?I'm thinking this one:
But it is possible I have merely been dazzled by its beautiful blackness and a bit of brand recognition because there is also this:
http://www.briscoes.co.nz/shop-by-brand/zip/zip-elegance-65l-oval-slow-cooker-1012731
which is slightly larger. the latter doesn't have the 'fast cook' option (apparently it uses the extra watts to crank out more heat then comes back to low after heating up). but... i don't think i want that feature anyhow.
i think the ones with timers are a lot more expensive (like, starting from 2x the price). thoughts?
Posted by Partlycloudy on September 14, 2013, at 7:51:13
In reply to slow cooker, posted by alexandra_k on September 13, 2013, at 21:43:20
I have managed on my free! small slow cooker. It's amazing what people decide they no longer need, but make delicious food. Cheap cuts of meat do very well in these, especially on a low setting for 8 hours or more.
You could try a tagine recipe that calls for whatever meat you like, chick peas, and couscous.
Beef bourguignonne with noodles, (or potatoes) and onions
Any kind of stew
The longer you cook anything with bones, the more flavour will develop, and the easier it will be to part the meat from the bone.I look for inexpensive cuts of meat that are on sale. Also, used book stores are good for slow cooker cook books. It will make your room and the surroundings smell great, so expect some company.
pc
Posted by Phillipa on September 14, 2013, at 10:02:02
In reply to Re: slow cooker » alexandra_k, posted by Partlycloudy on September 14, 2013, at 7:51:13
When I cooked stews, pot roast, baked chicken easy stuff was what I did. So the slow cooker is a great idea. Throw It all in and walk away. Phillipa
Posted by Poet on September 14, 2013, at 16:56:40
In reply to Cooking, posted by alexandra_k on September 13, 2013, at 19:29:48
Hi Alex,
My husband uses our (perhaps I should say his) slow cooker to make soup. He throws everything in and hours later it's done. It smells so good. He makes veggie or chicken soups.
I just taught myself how to make pizza from scratch (okay I use all ready made crusts) and I put on fresh basil. If you can find a recipe for tomato basil soup it would probably work well in your slow cooker.
I'm getting hungry...
Poet
Posted by alexandra_k on September 14, 2013, at 22:30:35
In reply to Re: Cooking » alexandra_k, posted by Poet on September 14, 2013, at 16:56:40
yum, i absolutely love basil and it does indeed go great with tomato. i will wait until tomatoes are in season and do that.
Posted by alexandra_k on September 14, 2013, at 22:34:18
In reply to Re: slow cooker, posted by Phillipa on September 14, 2013, at 10:02:02
yep. it is a way i cook without hogging space in the kitchen, too. if i set it up in the kitchen i won't need to go out to check on it all the time... if other people persist in disturbing it then i can always move it to my room and let it cook there. then i don't need to feel rude in serving up in front of others.
(yes, this feels a bit ridiculous)
Posted by alexandra_k on September 14, 2013, at 22:42:31
In reply to Re: slow cooker » alexandra_k, posted by Partlycloudy on September 14, 2013, at 7:51:13
do you know if i can cook without filling it to a certain level? i'm thinking of getting a 6 litre or 6.5 litre one so i can potentially make a lot (e.g., soup) but it would be good if i could do half of that while i'm learning at least.
tagine recipes sound like a great idea. i'll look up beef bourquignonne. never heard of it. thanks :-)
> It will make your room and the surroundings smell great, so expect some company.
groan. that is kind of the problem... the basic idea is that... i'm sick of eating the way that other people round here have been eating. which is to say mostly eating junk in my room, eating cheap takeaways, and eating cheap / free communally cooked stuff like cookies and bread.
i need to get back to more of how i was eating before... except before people weren't communal about food, i worked less than 5 minutes away (so could go home for lunch etc), and i reliably had the kitchen to myself at predictable times.
the best answer i can think of involves a slow cooker. i simply *cannot* get trapped in the kitchen making idle chatter for hours at a time / every time i need to check on something...
but the smell...
other people may think i'm selfish. but that is okay. i have a thick skin, i swear.
(i refuse to feed everyone all the time or get caught in 'reciprocity' of the form i give you meat and you give me cookies and chips)
if i'm selfish... too bad. i will get a thick skin, i swear.
they have as much money as me (they have more mostly) so i REFUSE to feel bad about this
Posted by Dinah on September 14, 2013, at 23:00:58
In reply to Cooking, posted by alexandra_k on September 13, 2013, at 19:29:48
I love to cook. My doctor has challenged me to lose some weight, and what I like to cook is not necessarily the lowest calorie food in the world. But I do love to cook. I made chicken cacciatore the other day - one of my favorites. It didn't come out perfectly, so I have reason to try again. But it was pretty good.
I did like our slow cooker when we had one. When it finally died, I've been trying to make due with just our dutch oven. But it was nice being able to set the food on cooking and leave. I used to love to make chicken soup. And I'm still trying to come up with the perfect machaca recipe.
Posted by alexandra_k on September 15, 2013, at 1:22:45
In reply to Re: Cooking » alexandra_k, posted by Dinah on September 14, 2013, at 23:00:58
> I made chicken cacciatore the other day - one of my favorites. It didn't come out perfectly, so I have reason to try again. But it was pretty good.
I've never heard of that. What does that involve? I see how a dutch oven would do similar... I'm just trying for a 'self-contained' appliance such that other people know it is mine and thus aren't tempted to muck about with it when it is in use...
Posted by Dinah on September 15, 2013, at 17:32:21
In reply to Re: Cooking, posted by alexandra_k on September 15, 2013, at 1:22:45
I think a slow cooker would be far better. Even I doubt my attempt to do without one.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/10/chicken-cacciatore/
It's almost right, but I think I need to cut the acidity a bit. Maybe a smidge of sugar, or maybe just cooking longer.
Posted by alexandra_k on September 16, 2013, at 1:18:56
In reply to Re: Cooking, posted by Dinah on September 15, 2013, at 17:32:21
That does look good. I am very tempted to try that.
I can't wait till I have my very own apartment one day and I can turn on the stereo, break open a bottle of wine, and enjoy cooking whatever I want at my own leisure... With a nice knife for chopping. And a nice big heavy wooden chopping board.
This is the end of the thread.
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