11 KiB
11 KiB
| title | author | publishDate | lastMod | toc | draft | categories | tags | |||||
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| Culinary - Misc |
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2023-04-06 | 2023-04-06 | true | false |
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Changelog
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What Is Here
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This page is dedicated to small culinary life hacks, tips, tricks and more.
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Uncategorized
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- 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
nminutes 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
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