Do you cook?

I love cooking, just wish I had more time to do it. In fact besides Top Gear, the next best show on TV is Top Chef.

Food = Win!

I enjoy cooking, and do most of the cooking in my house. My siblings and I started out young by helping, and moved up to cooking and planning over time.

My grandfather told us that, sooner or later, a man would have to eat his own cooking, so he might as well learn to cook well.

Following a recipe is one thing, and I have had many a good meal doing just that. Better yet is being able to read one and adapt it to your own tastes. Best is being able to come up with something on your own and have it come out as you imagined - or better.

I also enjoy the science of cooking, and the subtle things that personalize a dish.

Cooking is awesome. When I was married, I did most of the cooking for a picky eater. After divorcing her, I discovered that knowing my way around the kitchen is a good skill for a single man to have.

I think that one of the reasons my girlfriend likes us living together is me making dinner.

I can cook, and I even do it several nights a week, plus usually a big Sunday breakfast. I'm not bad but I have a moderately limited repertoire and I'm not terribly adventurous. I make my hollandaise from scratch and I bake pretty well.

My wife is a better cook and has more imagination, plus she's the one who usually scouts new recipes for us. But if she died or went on strike we wouldn't starve and we'd go a couple of weeks before we repeated a menu.

Yes, I do. When i was a kid my mother did most of the cooking because sh didn't work until we were a little older, but my father woud cook if she was away or on weekends. He is actually the more creative of the two. When I was in high school he was laid off and it was like we had our own chef. He went to school in the morning and then spent the rest of the day workng on dinner. He would dress up cheap meat with maranades and rubs and make some really good food on a tight budget. We were all a bit sad when he went back to work.

DrBoost wrote: Candied Chicken Boobs (Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and pineapple)

That sounds really good, share with the group.

Margie, We made your biscuits a few months ago to go with some meat I smoked. My friends who used to live in S. Carolina said they were the best they'd had up here, and finished them before anyone else had made it to the table.

i cook - better than anyone except rick bayless

i usually get comments like "this is how i'd expect to get x y z at a good restaurant" - like the turkey meatloaf with carrots and garlic cheddar mashed redskin potatoes with gravy from the drippings i made the other day

914Driver said: there are no "boy jobs" and "girl jobs".

This guy begs to differ!

If he was a man he wouldn't need his nuggets chemically treated

I believe I may have mentioned this here before, but I have gone pretty GRM with my cooking, I actually built a smoker using a terra cotta flowerpot and an electric hotplate this summer, based on a design in an episode of Good Eats on food network. It works great, they are said to mimic the results of $300+ units for about $60 (more like $35 if you already have a hot plate and a grill grate). I need to smoke something else in it soon to justify its existence :).

I also like to try things I see online once in a while (big fan of Alton Brown), they oddly seem to usually involve beer :). A chocolate stout cake, beer braised hoisin short ribs, and a brown ale chili have been among the highlights.

Yes, I cook, and it's awesome. No, that doesn't make me a girl. I can make a mean burger on the grill.

I too work from home and do most of the cooking. Mostly because Pittsburgh is not the most diverse cuisine town on the map. If I want Ropa Vieja with yucca con mojo...I have to cook it. If I want etouffe' with red beans and rice...I have to cook it. Chicken and Potato Roti? You guessed it.

pinchvalve wrote: Chicken and Potato Roti?

Mmm... Roti.

Having had Roti in the islands, I have been terribly disappointed every time I've ordered it at a restaurant.

New goal: find a good recipe for Roti.

When I was single, I could cook for myself, but it was a set variety of easy to prepare meals. I always bought the same things at the grocery store, because I only cooked 5 different meals.

The preparation of meals is an inconvenience to my otherwise productive day.

Thankfully, my sweetie loves cooking.

Yes, I very much enjoy cooking. I can put on a show with flashy ingredients and presentation, but my heart is in simple, homey food. One of my favorite meals to make for myself is split pea soup. It's dense, easy, smoky, it makes a lot for really cheap, and it reheats well at work. I haven't used a recipe in quite some time; I mostly go by intuition and what I have on hand. That latter part is really important; otherwise, cooking becomes an expensive endeavor that results in a lot of thrown away food.

I don't have a garage at my apartment, so the kitchen is my equivalent. I can easily go in there and just get lost for a few hours putting something together.

Heck, the other day, I put together a panorama of my kitchen just for the heck of it. You can see it here if you're so inclined.

Margie, I would also like the biscuit recipe. I tried a lot of different recipes a few years back, but only found one good enough to "settle" on.

I've lived alone for years... Never had roommates in university, never had a girlfriend move in with me, and never had enough money to go out regularly. So, ya, I cook for myself 7 nights a week. And enjoy it. I used to make a huge meal and freeze leftovers for later, but I'm kind of off that now - I tend to cook my meals one day at a time. It's not really that much more work anyway considering you're still doing dishes, etc.

Also I'm vegetarian which means I can't take the easy way out and make a slab of meat for half the meal. Makes you get creative...

i am a firm believer you can mix: chicken/beef, corn, cornbread or its mix, cheese, bacon, potatoes, ranch dressing, red peppers, pasta, jalapeno Tabasco (the green Tabasco, not the red), basil/parsley/cilantro/oregano/garlic, breadcrumbs, tomatoes, eggs and buttermilk in any combination, in any ratio, and prepare it any way you want, and the end result will be as satisfying as holding your first drivers license still warm out of the laminating machine.

Some of my favorite recipes are made in the crock pot (I know, its kind of like cheating)...turkey chili, beef stew, cheddar potato and chicken tortilla soup are at the top of my list

I recently made pasta in a homemade pesto with mexican meatballs (think regular italian meatballs with tobasco and red peper added in)...my wife enjoyed it so much, she decided I get to cook from now on As glad as I was that she enjoyed it, that wasnt the "prize" I wanted to win

In reply to Wally: Now you've gone and made me want those evil biscuits, and I'm trying to be good! Mitchell, although I have my mom's biscuit recipe and it's pretty darn good, what Wally's talking about is a mix that I discovered at Tractor Supply. Sad, but true. Best damn biscuits I ever ate. It comes in a big cardboard can with a picture of some stereotypically southern crap on the front. I knew they'd be good because the directions tell you to cut the dough and put it on sheet with the edges barely touching as "biscuits rise as a team," and since that's verbatim how my mom taught me, I figured wth.

Really, with biscuits as in pie crust, the key is technique, not the recipe. Cold liquid, don't cut your shortening too fine and don't overwork the dough (you want the shortening to stay in little globs, not melt into the dry ingredients--that's where the lightness comes from), use a cutter with sharp edges (you don't want them pinched, in other words), and put them on the sheet just barely touching. Gravy is optional, but I never met a dish that wasn't better with gravy.

Pat, I need that turkey meatloaf recipe. I had a good one, but it was in my head, and has since I'm always messing around when I cook, it's evolved to a less-good version and I can't get back to what I had. (Anyone else ever have that happen?)

Margie

maroon92 wrote:

914Driver said: there are no "boy jobs" and "girl jobs".

This guy begs to differ!

Sex by yourself isn't half as much fun, Caveman.

Wally wrote:

DrBoost wrote: Candied Chicken Boobs (Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and pineapple)

That sounds really good, share with the group.

This is for 5 servings: 5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves cut into 3/4" slices)
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/4 cup ketchup
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons grated onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
pineapple chunks, I use 1 can. Put some on the chicken when it's cooking, and the others on the side for the kids (and me)

Preheat oven to 350. Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, flour, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in bread crumb mixture. Layer chicken in 2 lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dishes.

In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the brown sugar, mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and water. Bring to a boil, and pour over chicken. Cover baking dishes with aluminum foil.

Bake in the oven untill the chicken is done (in my oven it's usually 30 mins but that depends on the thickness of the chicken strips and your oven.)

Let me know how they turn out.

I cook, plan, and buy about 85% of the meals in our house. I have to, my wife can't reall cook all that well. She keeps saying that she wants to learn how, I keep telling her that the best way to learn is practice but the only thing she practices on is stuff in a box or microwavable veggies.

Not to mention that she actually did start a fire one time trying to boil water :( I never knew you could get the teflon coating on a pan to burn...

i cook? hahaha!!!

i burn hot pockets! Thought that was impossible, but has been done! Thank god i have a girlfriend who knows how to cook!!

My stay at home mother started teaching me how to cook when I was about 10 years old. She was one of the the old pinch of this and a handfull of that type of cooks. So I learned what things went together and what didn't and how to cook by taste. My cooking skills came in handy several times when she was in the hospital since the only thing my father knew about the kitchen was how to pour a cup of coffee.

When I got married my wife cooked for the first two weeks and then I took over. My wife is a good cook, but she got home from work 2 hours after I did so it made sense for me to do the cooking. So for 36 years I cooked during the week and she cooked on weekends. Since we both retired she has been doing most of the cooking.

The wife is a "recipe cook" and I am the creative one. So when she comes up with a new recipe she makes it according to "the book" . If we think it is good I get to apply my creativity to it to see if we can make it better.

Marjorie Suddard wrote: Really, with biscuits as in pie crust, the key is technique, not the recipe. Cold liquid, don't cut your shortening too fine and don't overwork the dough (you want the shortening to stay in little globs, not melt into the dry ingredients--that's where the lightness comes from), use a cutter with sharp edges (you don't want them pinched, in other words), and put them on the sheet just barely touching. Gravy is optional, but I never met a dish that wasn't better with gravy.

Good to know. I always put my shortening/butter in the freezer ahead of time; I'll make sure to use really cold milk in the future as well. I found that White Lily flour produces a more delicate texture than regular AP flour. I'll be using your advice for an apple pie I'm making tonight.

You're right, if you're eating biscuits, you're not on a diet. Do yourself a favor and make the gravy as well (I'm more of a white gravy guy).

Here's how I make it:
A few tablespoons meat juices fat (preferably) or butter After cooking any cut of meat, be it poultry, pork, or beef, pour off the drippings into a shallow saucepan. If there aren't a lot, but you cooked the meat in a pan, just add a few tablespoons of butter and it will pull up the goodies. To the fat add about half its amount of flour; whisk it constantly for a minute or two over medium heat. You add the flour at this stage to make sure the floury flavor is cooked out and so it won't form lumps when the liquid is added. Heat up a cup and a half of milk in the microwave. Not to a boil or anything; maybe three minutes for this amount. You may need more, may need less, but you want to start with hot liquid, otherwise it will take the gravy a lot longer to thicken and you don't want to keep the meat and biscuits waiting. Once the gravy is adequately thickened, add salt and pepper to taste.

If it's Thanksgiving, giblet gravy must be made. You'll probably at least be tripling the recipe above. About an hour before the bird is done, start simmering the lovely innards that come packed inside the cavity that you usually throw away in about a quart of water. When the turkey is done and resting, mince up the meat into tiny bits so no one knows that they're eating neck, heart, and liver. Instead of using milk, use that broth that you made from the giblets and such, and just as it's done and thickened, add in all of the meat. This is some of the best gravy you'll ever eat; you can thank me later.

I can cook, and would say I could cook well. However, cooking for one isn't the most practical. And to be honest, I grew up with my Mother's cooking (keep in mind, my Mother was not a girly girl by any means, Newport News ship building grunt worker of over 10 years) her hobbies were wood working, gardening, but her biggest hobby was cooking. I helped out more often than not, and that's where I get my abilities. But good lord did she cook some amazing stuff. Growing up my Father always said we didn't have much, but we ate like kings. I never really believed him, but now that I'm on my own and I have more friends than I did growing up, I see what he meant. Absolutely none of the people I know have 1/10th the culinary experience I got from my Mother. All the places I've gone out to eat at and nothing I've ever had at a restraint has been better than she made (and I've eaten at some extremely nice places). She made a cook book with recipes of all the things she's made. It was well over 1000 pages long!!! Everything she made was always so full of flavor, and cooked to perfection.....Aww now I done drooled all over the place.......

I just don't cook because I know it's always going to be a let down. It'll never be as good as my Mother's cooking was.