--- title: Culinary - Misc author: - KemoNine publishDate: 2023-04-06 lastMod: 2023-04-06 toc: true draft: false categories: - tips - culinary tags: - misc - uncategorized changelog: - date: 2023-04-06 text: "Initial creation" --- ## What Is Here {{< back_to_top >}} This page is dedicated to small culinary life hacks, tips, tricks and more. {{< end_section >}} ## Uncategorized {{< back_to_top >}} - Time how long to boil 1 and 2 cups *cold* water from tap - Put in pot - Set on high heat - Run tests for both covered and uncovered - Time how long to boil - Check boiling things at 1/2, 2/3 and 3/4 time marks - Focus on "simmer" for `n` minutes starches - Once simmering, pretty hands off - "ancient" and "whole" grains are all 15 - 45 minute simmer times - Yogurt that's "fancy" but cheap and not heavy on processed ingredients - Plain, unsweetened yogurt (2 big spoon fulls) - Honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup (1 tablespoon ish) - Preserves or jam (1 tablespoon ish) - Fruit if desired - Nuts if desired - Frozen fruit will defrost in 8 - 12 hours in the fridge - Put paper towel in container to prevent water logging and mushy texture - Mason jars are a good container for this use case - Wild rice + long grain rice blends take 40+ minutes to simmer hands off - Good low effort nutrition - Bullion, broth, and spices can add significant flavor and savoriness - You can cook rice and chicken together in a rice cooker - Search the internet for techniques - Ensure the chicken gets to the appropriate temperature prior to eating - Vegetables like spinach, kale and frozen corn can be cooked *in* rice directly. Just add it to the pot with the rice and cook per standard methods. - Spinach and Rice - Add spinach to your rice and cook normally - Saute onion then add rice + spinach + water for additional flavor - Add lemon juice and olive oil when serving for a savory but bright meal - Quinoa has a good, mild "nutty" flavor that skews neutral - Good filler for adding carbs and texture - Is a good addition to tuna salad and similar dishes - Toasting grains / nuts / etc - Can be skipped in all but the rarest circumstances - Best toasted in non stick pan - If the food being toasted has a richer smell and / or darker color, the toasting is done - Low brain, low spoons, flavorful rice - Rinse rice (optional) - Add 1 tbsp to pot - Medium heat until frothy (optional, melt minimum ; sub olive/canola/sunflower oil for vegan) - Add rice - Stir/mix until rice turns translucent - Add water - Bring to boil uncovered - Reduce to simmer - Cover - Wait recommended amount of cook time (usually 20 or 40 minutes and 5 minute rest) - Sunflower oil... - Has a mild flavor that goes well with sauteed vegetables, can be better for cooking than canola or olive oil - Is considered a healthy oil - Works as a butter substitute for popcorn - Olive oil works as a dressing in many context. Can be a good addition for dry foods. - Vinegar comes in many varieties, each having its own flavor profile. This can be a good dressing option. - Honey + Sumac makes a sweet yet savory dip for proteins like chicken or pork - Simple baked protein with seasoning - Coat meat in olive oil (less is more) - Dust with preferred spices on both sides - Bake at 350 Fahrenheit until meat reaches safe temperature - Eggs can be microwaved safely - Search the internet for more details - Results in fluffy eggs - May be good alternative to adding dairy to scrambled eggs - Non steel cut oats (quick, rolled, 1 minute, 5 minute) are great carb treats from the microwave - Add honey, agave nectar or maple syrup to make it properly sweet - Add fruit, jam, preserves or similar for flavor - Steel cut oats can be a good "hands off" base - The simmer for at least half an hour - One the risk of froth forming is past they simmer untouched (after the first ~10 minutes) - They can be refrigerated for 5 - 7 days per the internet - There are a variety of forms of lentil and it can be a good addition for nutritional needs - Frozen fish fillets - Bake easily when thawed - Coat in olive oil and dust with spices - Cook 15 - 30 minutes until the center reaches safe temperature - Steamed Vegetables - 1 inch (ish) water at bottom of pot - Add vegetables (can be frozen) - Bring to boil - Cover - Simmer until complete (check at 5 minute intervals) - Cous Cous - fast, thoughtless (gluten / wheat warning) - 2:1 water ratio - Boil water - Remove from head - Stir in cous cous - Let sit ~5 minutes until water absorbed - Eat - Can use broth, stock instead of water - Can add sauteed vegetable and spices to finished mix - Seeds and nuts for bulk - Great for adding calories to meals - Great in yogurt, salad and other cold meals - Easy Teriyaki sauce - Soy sauce (low sodium) - Honey - Ginger (fresh or powdered) - Fresh ground pepper - Mustard powder (small amount ; optional) - Up ginger for bite - Up honey for sweet - Up soy sauce for savory and salty - Mustard for after bite - You do *not* need much as it's a thin sauce that is absorbed into a stir fry, rice and other ingredients - This works as a salad dressing too - Granola recipes tend to be oats, honey and fruit mixed then baked on a parchment lined sheet - This may be a good, low brain option - The recipes ask you to mix the ingredients which can get "heavy" enough to be an issue for some - Jerky - Is surprisingly low thought - Can be made with ground meat - Can be made with fish - Needs a low temp oven or dehydrator - Will smell up kitchen or whole floor depending - Use marinades overnight for flavor - Can roll out ground meats and slice into strips like cookie dough - Takes 4 - 12 hours untouched - Dehydration, canning and fermentation can be helpful for some food prep and storage though the up front learning curves may be high - You can add spices directly to the water grains simmer in. If toasting, add spices when toasting for added flavor - You do *not* have to use "official" water ratios for grains like rice, quinoa, barley and others that hold shape like pasta - You can just cook them in an excess of water until tender - Drain like pasta when cooked to desired tenderness - This does *not* apply to - Amaranth - Oats (any style) - Cous Cous - Use an electric kettle to heat water ahead of need - Best for gas stoves that take a long time to boil water - Use if you "bring to a boil" in a recipe - Some large pots come with baskets for steaming or boiling - May be able to get generic one for helping with lifts and getting ingredients transferred to a strainer - Peeling - Some folks prefer peelers - Some folks prefer paring knives - Both are valid and use different motions -- one may be more valid than the other depending on your individual biology - Rice cookers and pressure cookers *are* valid options for cooking meat - Boiling meat is valid - Look for "chicken and rice one pot" online for easy chicken and rice meals. This also works for other proteins. - Slow cooker recipes can usually be simplified - Can sometimes be turned into "one pot" styled meals - Instant Pot - Can saute, boil, steam and pressure cook - It's a whole kitchen as a single pot - This is akin to having a hot plate but more flexible - Can be a huge help for not having to fight standing at a stove top - Put on floor and sit to cook is valid - Do not use on carpet or similar - No flammable flooring is valid for use - Box meal recipes... - Tend to be simple and straight forward overall - Flavorful - Healthier than processed foods - Worth reviewing for ideas - Sour cream sauces tend to be straight forward and fast to make - Wine sauces are tasty with a bite - Jam sauces are usually savory sweet - Stuffed peppers, cabage, grape leaves and similar... - Are usually just ground beef (can be subbed), onion, spice and maybe rice as a filling - Can be adjusted if needed or desired - Are cooked for long periods in a hands off manner after assembly - Can be frozen - Reheat well - Brown rice is... - Far more nutritious than brown rice - Can be substituted for white rice except in rare circumstances - Reheats better than white rice - Fresh baked bread freezes safely - Fruit juices freeze reasonably well - Use ice cube trays for portion control - Baby red and fingerling potatoes can be added to soup and stew whole usually - Frozen vegetables can be added -- frozen -- to soup, stew, slow cooker, baked and other recipes except in rare situations - Wild rice... - Is a *separate* plant species from rice - Is more nutritious than brown rice - Is very filling - Has a 3:1 water ratio (ish) - Ethnic foods skew "one pot" and can be surprisingly straight forward to cook - Most one pot meals and carbs can be judged for "doneness" by smell, using more than a timer in cooking is very valid - Broiled vegetables - Zucchini, squash, potato, asparagus, carrot, etc - Cut into larger / thick slices or chunks - Toss in olive oil and spices - Under broiler or bake until tender - This cooks quickly, rarely more than 5 minutes in a broiler and 10 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit - High end steak houses generally use broilers and salamanders to cook their overpriced slabs of meat they sell - You can do this at home - Coat in olive oil + Dust with spices - Bake / broil until safe to eat at desired "doneness" - Ghee (if obtainable) is a great fat to use for toasting rice, it adds a richness that you can't get from other fats - Spice blend packets and "rubs" tend to list the main spices used (and other crap). You can usually recreate these using component spices - The internet has good starting points - Requires a lot of trial and error - Can be helpful for avoiding filler like "corn meal" (yes... that's in a common brand's taco seasoning mix) - There are "no soak beans" pressure cooker recipes that simplify the process of making beans - Any ground cooking can be a danger to yourself, children, pets, etc - Related to cooking on the ground sitting being valid - Adding variety, not complexity - Meal prep only base ingredients, not full meals (if able) - Keep things unseasoned, add when reheating - Low Brain Tricks - Stick to 5 - 6 "staple recipes" that can be made on auto pilot and provide foundational nutrition - Find 12 staples that can be varied over time and swap one staple for another over time so food doesn't feel highly rigid or templated - Recipe development - Find 6 existing recipes that are "close" - Look for the minimum of common ingredients - protein - carb base - vegetables - spices - Make the minimum version - Add spices from recipes to fill flavor profile to your preferences {{< end_section >}}