Cooking tips/tricks/shortcuts for the non-foody.

[sojourner]

Thought I would start a thread where we can leave ideas and common techniques we use in our cooking. This is meant more for those that aren't culinary experts that know when not to use truffle oil but more for the every day shmoe like me.

Don't get me wrong, I love cooking shows. I just personally don't like a lot of foods. So, I do what I can with the foods I do like.

Here's a simple one to start off:

I take one of those boxes of Hamburger Helper Lasagna. I double the amount of liquid in the instructions, add a 12 oz. can of tomato paste, a ton of powdered garlic and Italian seasoning. In place of the ground beef, I use two boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been cooked with a little olive oil and lots of garlic powder and Italian seasoning, shredded. I also add about a six to 8 lasagna noodles to the pot, broken up. let it cook for the usual amount of time listed on the box and serve.

If I have any left over italian sausage from something else, that gets ground/sliced and thrown in as well.

It's basic, but turns out a pretty decent meal with enough leftovers for a couple more lunches/dinners.

The hamburger helper basically ends up just being a "starter".

I used to do something similar using a Parmesan pasta kit when I wanted alfredo. But it got to the point where it was easier to just make the alfredo sauce completely from scratch.

So those box meals are a great way to build confidence at working in the kitchen until you reach the point of feeling comfortable enough to tackle something from scratch.

Anyone got any quick meals/tips/tricks/shortcuts they use? Don't be afraid if it's off the wall, after all, I just admitted to using Hamburger Helper.

 

[Timby]

Take the time to set up your mise before you start cooking. You'll save so much frustration that way.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Get a rice cooker, cook rice. Take balls of nicely sticky rice and wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them for using under any future leftovers. Just microwave and dump on leftovers. I now have lots of balls of varying rice in my freezer ready to go. Besides leftovers you might see a piece of fish on sale and think you can't be bothered making stuff to go with it, but you just cook it, dump it on rice and squirt on some lemon.

Yes I know you don't need a rice cooker to cook rice but it tends to make it the nice sticky quality that means it doesn't dry out much if you freeze or save it. Also it is fool proof and forgetful proof.

 

[sojourner]

Alton Brown hates rice cookers and other "uni-tasker" appliances.-

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I have the cheapest one I can buy, 19 dollars, and I use it all the time. I know how to cook rice well in a pot by the absorption method but I'd rather not have to remember the stupid thing and possibly burn it or over dry it. I've cooked black, red, brown and white rice in the cooker, you just add some more water for the non-whites.

I'm very low tech too, I have a stick blender and the rice cooker. That is it, I'm not an appliance person at all.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

You can also take your ball of frozen rice out of the freezer, nuke it slightly until no longer hard, mix it with grated cheese and a small tin of tuna and any veg you have and then nuke it till the cheese melts. Boom, tuna meal.

I always have peas in the freezer too, they are such a quick thing to add to any instant meals like the rice ones or ramen. You feel like you are eating real vegetables with zero effort.

 

[sojourner]

Yep. Peas are one of the few vegetables I like. I use them in every thing from chicken and yellow rice to the aforementioned alfredo. for color.

 

[HIjol]

One cold weather fave of mine is to get a packet of chicken soup (Knoor, Mrs. Grasses, etc) buy one of those roasted chickens already cooked at the grocery store deli area, pull the chicken off the bones (so easy) cut up and add whatever veggies I have, potatoes too, sometimes...add the chicken and boil, then simmer for a couple of minutes...not bad and so easy and quick!

 

[thestrangequark]

I'm a lazybutt but I also love fresh and healthy food, so I cook my own variation of succotash (varied to the point that it's not really even succotash anymore) most nights. I can have dinner ready with 5 minutes prep time, 15-20 minutes cooking time, and use whatever's in the house. Plus, such a wide variety of vegetables, beans, and spices can be used in different combinations that the same quick and easy routine can produce plenty of different meals -- on a budget to boot!

Succotash is homey, it's one of the good traditional Ojibwe foods my mom made when I was little.

Basically I throw whatever veggies I've got in a pan with a tablespoon of canola oil and cook them up, add some beans and you've got a well-balanced meal. Frozen and fresh veggies work. A great trick to add flavor with minimal effort is to put in a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon and some water and let it cook down. The veggies really soak it up, especially things like brussels sprouts and eggplant. In the winter especially I don't let it cook down all the way and keep some of the broth so it's more like a light stew. On the rare occasion I desperately desire a starch it's yummy over a potato, grits, or rice. Cheese is great on top.

Last night I did:
vindala onion
eggplant
carrot
red kale
chickpeas
tarragon, pepper, salt
Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken flavor
topped with goat cheese

 

[ManOnTheWave]

Alton Brown hates rice cookers and other "uni-tasker" appliances.-

A rice cooker is also useful as a steamer. If you get one with a brown rice setting, it can also cook steel cut oatmeal. A rice cooker is a good "fire and forget device." When I'm been in super lazy mode, I just put rice, water or broth, raw veg, and raw chicken or fish and walk away. It beeps when it's all done. It's great for the lazy bachelor.

 

[J.T.B.]

We just cook rice in a saucepan. That way, sometimes you get a little treat of "crunchy rice" from the bottom.

Instead of boiling eggs, steam them. If you have a steamer basket or anything that keeps the eggs off the bottom of the pan, use that, if not just set the eggs in about half an inch of water and use medium heat. After it's boiling, cover and let steam for 12-13 minutes for hard boiled. If you have time, let the eggs cool at room temp for a half hour or so rather than "shocking" with ice water. I have had much less difficulty peeling boiled eggs since I switched to steaming and slow cooling.

If you often wash small amounts of dishes, get a small spray bottle, put in a squirt of dish soap and fill with water. Then you can soap up the dishes, scrub and rinse in running water without filling a sink full of suds.

Here is a tip that very few will find useful, but just in case:

If you're grinding meat with a KitchenAid stand mixer attachment, take a Zip-loc sandwich baggie and slit it up one side, but not all the way, so it's still connected at the zip end. Put the bag over the grinder output, turn the slit side down and cinch it up tight. Put your bowl directly under the bag. The bag will catch all the meat juice etc. that pops out while grinding.

 

[Spot's Meow]

The advice I have found most useful is to chop a whole bunch of veggies at once and then freeze them for later use. If I see onions or bell peppers on sale I will buy in bulk and then take an afternoon to dice and chop them all up, and separate them out into cup sized portions, which go into separate baggies and then into the freezer. This way, I always have them on hand when a recipe calls for it or if I just want to do something easy and lazy like a cheese quesadilla with some onions and peppers.

This works well for shredded chicken too. I shred a whole bunch of chicken at once, since it is kind of a pain, and then have it on hand for enchiladas, quesadillas, or whatever else I might want to make.

I don't mind your using Hamburger Helper as a base, I do this sometimes as well. I also use Velveeta shells as a base. Velveeta is so very processed but tastes so wonderfully good. I wrote down a recipe I found on the back of a Velveeta box many years ago and it's still one of my favorite dishes. I cook some ground beef, add some water, ketchup, and milk, then add the noodles and let them boil until they're cooked. Then you add in the cheese sauce, as well as fresh diced tomatoes and green onions. Yum!

The other thing I've recently discovered...a dutch oven can do everything. It's like a saucepan, frying pan, wok, slow cooker, etc. all in one. And it can go directly from stove to oven. I love it! I've cooked some awesome roasts as well as desserts in that thing (for an incredibly unhealthy treat, try making some apple dumplings in your dutch oven...). I got mine as a wedding gift, but I would gladly pay the $70 to buy my own - and I'm a total cheapskate.

 

[Kor]

Here's a tip: when preparing steaks for grilling, use a dry rub with a little oil, instead of a marinade. The flavor of the beef comes through better.

Kor

 

[Timby]

Here's a tip: when preparing steaks for grilling, use a dry rub with a little oil, instead of a marinade.

More specifically, pat down the steaks with a paper towel. Salt and pepper one side, then take a tablespoon, fill it with olive oil, pour it on the steak and spread it with the bottom of the spoon. Flip the steak and repeat.

Put it on a cast iron skillet that's been heated hotter than the surface of the sun on the stove and sear it for about 90 seconds per side. Put the skillet in a 450-degree oven and cook each side for two minutes. Remove the skillet, put the steaks on a plate and cover with aluminum foil and let rest for seven to eight minutes.

Perfect medium-rare steak.

 

[Oerdin]

If you want delicious food that is easy buy a slow cooker. Also cheap and easy is a rice cooker and rice can easily be worked into most meals. I like to do veggies and some sort of meat in one skillet with a bit of extra liquid in it so there is some sauce to soak into the rice. Most Indian or Thai curries also go great on rice.

Tacos are about as easy as it gets as it is just some filling placed on a toasted tortilla. The same stuff can be made into a burrito. Grilled fish is quick and easy just boil some frozen veggies in a pot to serve as a side dish and make some mashed potatoes to go with them.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I thought I might as well post my recipe for shortbread once again, I cook dozens of these for Christmas

Recipe for shortbread

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup plain flour
3 tablespoons of cornflour
3 tablespoons of icing sugar

Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Mix all the ingredients together. I do this by hand as I usually cannot be bothered to get my blender out, use it and then wash it.

I then roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to cut and place them on tray lined with baking paper.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Edited to add - other names for icing sugar are powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar.

 

[Kor]

Easy Brussels sprouts:

Rinse a half pound of Brussels sprouts, cut them in half the long way, then put them in a bowl in about a half-inch of water. Cover with wax paper and microwave for a minute or so, so they get lightly steamed.

Take out the Brussels sprouts, drain them and pat them dry, then saute in a pan over medium-high heat with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and French or Italian herbs. Try to get a bit of a crispy, caramelized edge.

Serve with the steak from a few posts back.

Kor

 

[Naira]

1) Get a pressure cooker. I've never looked back...

2) Have lots of fresh vegetables around (get a few each week so that they stay fresh or get larger quantities and freeze them as mentioned above). You can put them in all foods for taste. Or you can cook nice soups.

3) Get some quick (<30min), easy recipes you like. Example:
- Get around 1.2kg of beef cut in relatively small pieces. Season with salt and pepper and cook in oil (depending on the size of the pieces, it will take around 30min or less in a regular pot).
- When ready, add a cup of balsamic vinegar and a cup of raisins.
- Add some cream (or milk with corn flour) until the juices get thicker and nice-looking.
- Put on a plate, add some rice or salad
- Impress people

 

[Amaraen]

There are 2 major staples for the kitchen that are often under used: coconut oil and honey.

For most things that need oil, coconut oil is superior. Once you use it a few times you will not want to go back. It is also an excellent hand moisturizer.

For many recipes that ask for sugar, you can replace it with some honey. It may take a few tries to get the volumes right, but once you figure it out you will love it. Honey goes well in just about anything. Particularly any kind of bread recipe. I use honey for my home made pizza dough and bread bowls for stew.

The best flour at the grocery store is King Arthur. I started using this years ago after trying a number of different brands, and later saw on the internet that this is a pretty widely accepted truth.

When working with ground beef, mix in an egg (1 per pound).

Do not cook meat to the "recommended temperature". In most cases this will ruin it. Also remember that once removed from the heat source, meat will continue to rise in temperature about 10 degrees.

Yukon Gold potatoes taste much better than Russets for every purpose I have ever used them for.

Homemade pancakes are the best and are also very easy. You need eggs (the more the better), buttermilk (far superior than regular milk), vanilla extract, honey, flour, baking powder, and salt. You do not need any special tools, the batter does not need to be perfectly smooth. A hot grilling surface is needed, flip the pancakes when they are bubbling all the way through.

Like with all cooking, everything is entirely subjective.

 

[Kor]

Bintje potatoes are the best for fries cooked in the Belgian manner. Look for them at your local farmer's market (Yukons somehow taste more sweet to me as fries).

Kor