NationStates Jolt Archive

So, I just moved into my first apartment (in b4 "Not a blog"). Although I have a roommate (a UM grad :mad: ), I have a personal bathroom and bedroom. The only thing we really share is the kitchen. Which brings me to the purpase of this thread (yay pointfulness).

I have never cooked. Ever. And now I have to cook. Or starve (not an ideal state of afairs). So, I ask you, the collective intellegence (erm) that is NSG. What are good things to cook that have little to no chance of burning the kitchen down?

Pasta and lazanha.

you can cook any kind of pre-prepared or "out of a box" food.

i dont recommend it but if thats how you have been eating its not going to be worse eh?

pasta is easy. use plenty of water, bring it to a full rolling boil and cook it as long as the box recommends. use jarred sauce and you have food. add a prechopped salad from the store and french/italian bread and you have a meal.

What? Not a thread about religion or politics? Or sex?!?! :mad:

Well, here's what I like to make: omelettes or scrambled eggs. Basically, you chop up random meat and saute some vegetables that you like and abort some chickens over it.

Then there's burritos. Again, you can hit up some meat, and beans and cheeze. (OMG cheeeze)

You can always get a cookbook or have friends come over if you're uncomfortable.

Pasta is simple enough, assuming you have a pot to boil water. Get some sauce in a jar and you have dinner. Meat, fish, and cheese can be diced or shredded into the pasta for some variety. This works well with rice too, if that's your taste.

I made a box of pasta earlier today, and had some for dinner. It was very delicious. But man cannot live on pasta and porn alone.

I made a box of pasta earlier today, and had some for dinner. It was very delicious. But man cannot live on pasta and porn alone.

True. Sometimes you need some meat and beans.

You can always experiment with your boxed meals. Try adding ranch dressing and garlic salt to some macaroni!

Tacos. Brown ground beef, add taco seasoning, serve on a tortilla with sour cream and cheese (and veggies if you want)

I made a box of pasta earlier today, and had some for dinner. It was very delicious. But man cannot live on pasta and porn alone.

If you can use spoilables, then trying your hand at sandwiches or salads might add some variety. I can't keep fresh vegetables or fresh bread in the apartment because they usually mold or worse before I use them more than once. Meat and seafood keeps a bit longer, especially frozen, but you run into a fire hazard preparing it.

Soups, of course, always keep well, and frozen vegetables are good sides. The most you need to do for those is boil them or nuke them in a microwave. Now that I think about it, what kind of equipment are you working with here?

I've got a fridge/freezer, micro, a four burner electric stove, and an oven.

Keep the ideas comming, I'm taking notes.

what kind of food do you like to eat?

you should experiment with cooking meats on the broiler or roasting them. if you eat meat. you should fry your own hamburgers in a frying pan.

So, I just moved into my first apartment (in b4 "Not a blog"). Although I have a roommate (a UM grad :mad: ), I have a personal bathroom and bedroom. The only thing we really share is the kitchen. Which brings me to the purpase of this thread (yay pointfulness).

I have never cooked. Ever. And now I have to cook. Or starve (not an ideal state of afairs). So, I ask you, the collective intellegence (erm) that is NSG. What are good things to cook that have little to no chance of burning the kitchen down?

I obviously have to come and cook for you ;)

Easy meals:
-Pasta (as all you have to do is boil water really...)
-Grilled cheese
-Frozen dinners
-Smoothies
-Ramen Noodles/Cup O' Noodles
-Tacos/Burritos
-Soup
-Stir-fry (which you can just buy pre-mixed! Minimal work!)
-Salad w/ grilled chicken/shrimp/salmon

You're probably good with anything that can be made in the microwave :)

or don't cook at all, just live on peanut butter and <whatever you like on PB sandwiches> sandwiches...or really just any sandwiches in general.

So, I just moved into my first apartment (in b4 "Not a blog"). Although I have a roommate (a UM grad :mad: ), I have a personal bathroom and bedroom. The only thing we really share is the kitchen. Which brings me to the purpase of this thread (yay pointfulness).

I have never cooked. Ever. And now I have to cook. Or starve (not an ideal state of afairs). So, I ask you, the collective intellegence (erm) that is NSG. What are good things to cook that have little to no chance of burning the kitchen down?

Water

just make cereal everyday.

I've got a fridge/freezer, micro, a four burner electric stove, and an oven.

Keep the ideas comming, I'm taking notes.

You're all set then.

http://www.cooks.com/

You can cook nearly all the recipes there.

If you are truely interested in cooking and not just eating I would suggest getting familiar with the Big Red (http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crockers-Cookbook-Everything-Today/dp/0764560794). It has everything you ever need to know about cooking.

If you are only interested in surviving, then, the grocery store has a large frozen section, most of that can go in the microwave.

If you are truely interested in cooking and not just eating I would suggest getting familiar with the Big Red (http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Crockers-Cookbook-Everything-Today/dp/0764560794). It has everything you ever need to know about cooking.
I'd personally recommend Better Homes and Gardens' New Cook Book for the basic get-a-meal-on-the-table cookbook, but it's all up to your taste I suppose.

This website might help too:

http://www.cookingbynumbers.com/

I'd personally recommend Better Homes and Gardens' New Cook Book for the basic get-a-meal-on-the-table cookbook, but it's all up to your taste I suppose.

They are both good, but my BHG is from the 70's so I don't know how good the new one is, my Big Red is most recent and it has wonderful picture instructions on everything. I also *used to like the big red because it used mainstream shortcuts, like using Bisquick for a crust on a casserole (I can't use most mainstream things now, but it's still useful for the reference materials in it alone)

Instant Oatmeal, no real cooking involved at all

I'll see if the library has it in stock.

Specific question for you culinary folks. How can you tell if a chicken breast (frozen, if it matters) is done? I have a few in the freezer, but no thermometer.

Oh, and the New Betty Crocker's Cookbook is really good when you need elementary instructions, as well as recipes.

I'll see if the library has it in stock.

Specific question for you culinary folks. How can you tell if a chicken breast (frozen, if it matters) is done? I have a few in the freezer, but no thermometer.

The "juices" from the chicken should run clear and it should be firm to the touch.

You can also use the grilling/cooking calculator found here: http://www.charcoalbob.com/

Betty Crocker in "Timetable for Microwaving Poultry" says "cook until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut." That's 14-16 minutes (let stand 5 minutes) on Medium (60%) for 2 Breast Halves (1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds), 18 to 22 minutes (let stand 5 minutes) on Medium High (70%) for 4 Breast Halves (2 to 2 and 1/2 pounds). Those times are both with the bone in. For 4 boneless Breast Halves (1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds), cook on Medium (60%) for 14 to 16 minutes (let stand 5 minutes). Does that help at all? I don't even know if you have a microwave.

is some ideas you can experiment on your own.

Get some steaks. ziplock bags ETc....

mix a marinade
Here are a list if you need help to get started. put steaks in ziplock bag with marinade. What I like to do is change the marinade after each steak add some lemon juice there, next steak throw in some minced garlic ETc.

Here is a list of marinades if you need an Idea. I just sort of play it by what ever I have got left in the kitchen myself.
http://bbq.about.com/od/marinaderecipes/Marinade_Recipes_Marinades_make_meat_better.htm
Put in the fridge to marinade until you need them.
changing the recipe makes it so you have a different tasting steak every day.


Vegetables you have a room mate so it sounds like you need to not go all out.
I recommend canned vegetables. in a hurry use the microwave. have some more time boil them they will taste better. The trick here is the seasoning. best way to vary the taste of vegetables is use different combos of butter with something. melt some butter in the microwave, add garlic to said butter and mix and bam you got garlic butter also great for breads.
You can also try this with black pepper, or a little seasoning salt.

Given my poverty at university, I used to eat rice and stock soup. Basically this entailed boiling water, chucking rice in, draining though leaving a reasonable amount of water in and then a couple of stock cubes for flavour.

I could choose between chicken stock or beef stock. Two packets of cubes and a bag of rice could last me nigh on two weeks for the cost of GBP5.

I now take great pleasure in cooking, buy a cook book if you can and learn, there's real joy in producing a great meal.

So, I just moved into my first apartment (in b4 "Not a blog"). Although I have a roommate (a UM grad :mad: ), I have a personal bathroom and bedroom. The only thing we really share is the kitchen. Which brings me to the purpase of this thread (yay pointfulness).

I have never cooked. Ever. And now I have to cook. Or starve (not an ideal state of afairs). So, I ask you, the collective intellegence (erm) that is NSG. What are good things to cook that have little to no chance of burning the kitchen down?

And this is why I'm glad I was a boy scout.

I been cooking for 13 years since I was 11.

Good things to start with are pastas since they are really easy to cook, brown some meat, add some canned tomato sauce (I would suggest adding about 1/4 cup of brown sugar to most canned sauces to cut the acidity) and a pasta of your choice.

Grilled cheese is easy, turn your stove on to just over medium heat, butter bread (white or wheat work best) on one side, put a slice on, add the cheese, stack the other slice on top and press it down with a spatula then flip it until both sides are toasted and the cheese is melted.

Hamburger helper is good.. use turkey burger for less fatty things.

They are both good, but my BHG is from the 70's so I don't know how good the new one is, my Big Red is most recent and it has wonderful picture instructions on everything. I also *used to like the big red because it used mainstream shortcuts, like using Bisquick for a crust on a casserole (I can't use most mainstream things now, but it's still useful for the reference materials in it alone)
I just bought the latest one (Since I'm having to cook for my wife on the weekends and I wanted something to browse though) and they updated things quite a bit from the one I remember (Also from the 70's) with the basic techniques, 30 minute meals, and so on.

I actually like the BHG because it DOESN'T do the shortcuts (Though it does talk about them) because Japan is just getting started on the idea of mixes, but for the most part, if you want to cook, you're doing it from scratch.

Oh! TSI, try here for a good Chicken Fried Rice: http://www.visualrecipes.com/recipe-details/recipe_id/148/Chicken-Fried-Rice/ It's quick, it's easy, and yes, you won't catch the kitchen on fire. Make enough of the stuff and you have a delicious lunch the next day.

Good things to start with are pastas since they are really easy to cook, brown some meat, add some canned tomato sauce (I would suggest adding about 1/4 cup of brown sugar to most canned sauces to cut the acidity) and a pasta of your choice.

Premade sauces... blech. Terrible shit. I have to herb and spice the shit out of em to make em decent enough for my palate. I prefer to make a sauce from scratch(it's really not as hard as most think, just time consuming). However, for simplicity sake, yeah, I suppose it's alright.

Any type of pasta is good. If you enjoy minimal work, try Pasta-Roni or something similar. Cheap, and surprisingly tasty for being pre-made(mostly), and very easy to make(If you screw it up, you suck. :P).

Ramen is easy. So are hot-dogs. Unfortunately, I had to live off of JUST THOSE TWO BLOODY FOODS for three months after I first moved up here(All my money went to bills, and I just started my job. Took a few months before I had a comfortable income to spend on actual food). The only thing that kept me going was the occasional visit to my uncle's Italian restaurant here. Free italian food=godly.

Canned soups are easy enough. Actually, home-made soups are pretty simple, to. Use chicken broth, a bit of water, whatever vegies you want in there(Boil some noodles, add broth, some Carrots and celery are a must, obviously, in many soups, green beans and corn adds a bit of hardiness to it, as well as some other vegies. Boil the chicken seperately first, and cook thoroughly. Add the chicken to the broth/vegie mixture, add some Basil, Oregano, and Thyme, and you have yourself some pretty damn good soup! Easy, takes about 45 minutes or so to make though...)

If you have a crockpot, chili is easy enough to make, and lasts for ages(My dad's chili is amazing, and he usually makes enough to last a week or two).

Really, there is plenty that is "easy" to make, so long as you are willing to put the time into it.

If you are feeling adventureous, I have a damn good stuffed chicken breast recipe that you may want to try...

And this is why I'm glad I was a boy scout.

I fail to see how walking an old woman across the street will help you make a meal. :p

Given my poverty at university, I used to eat rice and stock soup. Basically this entailed boiling water, chucking rice in, draining though leaving a reasonable amount of water in and then a couple of stock cubes for flavour.

I could choose between chicken stock or beef stock. Two packets of cubes and a bag of rice could last me nigh on two weeks for the cost of GBP5.

I now take great pleasure in cooking, buy a cook book if you can and learn, there's real joy in producing a great meal.

Surely you could add some cheap vegetables to the mix... hell, a pound of green beans is only $2 here, and you don't need nearly that much for a soup... carrots would work to, as a pound of those are only 99 cents now(At least here). Add a carrot or two to your soup... and the bag should last you a week. Unless it costs absorbantly high over on your way.

Ramen is easy.
Sir, I protest! Ramen is NOT easy!

The "juices" from the chicken should run clear and it should be firm to the touch.

You can also use the grilling/cooking calculator found here: http://www.charcoalbob.com/

Hehe... my paranoia makes me cook my meat... very thoroughly. I have a pallate for charred meats. Chicken cooked for 60 minutes at 350 F, steaks VERY WELL DONE, etc. Actually, I don't like steaks cooked anywhere below "medium well". Blood=blech. Then again, I grew up on venison steaks(Very cheap, really. A 30 dollar license will net you about 20-30 pounds of meat, easy. More if you know how to properly clean the deer).

So yeah, I just cook food until I feel they are very well done. :P

Sir, I protest! Ramen is NOT easy!

Er... am I missing some sort of pun here(Do you know someone named "Ramen" :p)? Or are you serious?

Boil noodles, add packet of seasoning. That it...

Premade sauces... blech. Terrible shit. I have to herb and spice the shit out of em to make em decent enough for my palate. I prefer to make a sauce from scratch(it's really not as hard as most think, just time consuming). However, for simplicity sake, yeah, I suppose it's alright.

I make my own sauce when I can.. and I always spice up my canned sauces. I was just giving some basic tips...


*NOTE* A guy that can cook will find it very easy to make friends in college, especially with the ladies...

Easy, cheap, and relatively tasty and healthy foods I have discovered:
Chicken legs: They are cheap. You would be better off eating them than ramen noodles. I can get away with a nice meal of Chicken, Sauce, and rice for <$3
Spaghetti & Tacos/nachos: For $10-15 AU I can get 3 nights meals
Home made hamburgers: Not quite as cheap, but a nice change
Baked Beans on toast: My 2nd cheapest meal: 4 slices if bread, can of baked beans. Easy.
Rice w/ stuff: Rice + Handful of frozen vegies + bit of soy sauce = edible & very Cheap. However I do need protein in my diet. Try chucking a bit of chicken in with it.
Roasts: They may take a while to cook, but for a kilo of meat and vegies, you can easily get 2 dinners and 2 lunches.

I have to suggest avoid eating a hotdog/ramen only diet: It is incredibly unhealthy.

Er... am I missing some sort of pun here(Do you know someone named "Ramen" :p)? Or are you serious?
Quite serious. *nods*

Boil noodles, add packet of seasoning. That it...
Does this :
http://www.enjoytokyo.jp/img_bl/sator32/89807_PC_M.jpg
look like just boiling noodles and adding a packet of seasoning? :D

I make my own sauce when I can.. and I always spice up my canned sauces. I was just giving some basic tips...

True. That's just my knee-jerk reaction to most premades. A few are damn good though... just gotta pay out the ass for them, usually. So yeah, you are correct, sir!

Oh! And always keep some Oregano/Basil on hand. Adds a nice bit of flavor to pastas. Just makes sure not to go over board. A little bit of either can go a long way. :D


*NOTE* A guy that can cook will find it very easy to make friends in college, especially with the ladies...

Indeed. However, I need to *know* ladies before I can cook for them. Also, my tendency to use garlic(Insane amounts, sometimes, as I love the stuff) doesn't go well with most people. I tend to experiment a bit, to, with foods(My stuffed Red Bell Peppers are currently my biggest miss. I just had to many different flavors and textures to be enjoyable). However, my current "best" creation is my Lemon Oregano Chicken Breasts stuffed with Peppers and Tomato. Dear god, that was amazing. Really, I hate following recipes, though. I wing it. And the ladies thus far have loved it(Although that is no help to me, as said ladies have boyfriends, who also loved my food. I don't know that many single girls. :P)

Quite serious. *nods*


Does this :
http://www.enjoytokyo.jp/img_bl/sator32/89807_PC_M.jpg
look like just boiling noodles and adding a packet of seasoning? :D

I do believe we are in a bit of confusion.

I'm talking about this:

http://twobites.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/ramen.jpg

No where near as interesting as yours. By the way, the Ramen I am talking about is to be only eaten out of pure desperation. I do not suggest anyone, who has a choice, to eat it. However, at 10 cents a pack, at most, it's the cheapest meal you'll find. :D

I have to suggest avoid eating a hotdog/ramen only diet: It is incredibly unhealthy.

Yes. It is. However, for $5 I was able to eat for at least two weeks(Due to the fact that the Ramen was found in the basement of the house I moved into...).

I do believe we are in a bit of confusion.

I'm talking about this:

http://twobites.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/ramen.jpg

No where near as interesting as yours. By the way, the Ramen I am talking about is to be only eaten out of pure desperation. I do not suggest anyone, who has a choice, to eat it. However, at 10 cents a pack, at most, it's the cheapest meal you'll find. :D
Oh I know. When I was a college student I lived off of the cheap, instant ramen me-self (That and frozen Mac and Cheese dishes).

It's just that when I came to Japan, I learned what REAL ramen is all about and now fully understand why my Japanese friends back in university laughed and grinned when I mentioned ramen to them. They knew what the real stuff was supposed to be like and why, once you've tasted it, you can never go back to the 20 cent packages. ;)

T
Indeed. However, I need to *know* ladies before I can cook for them. Also, my tendency to use garlic(Insane amounts, sometimes, as I love the stuff) doesn't go well with most people. I tend to experiment a bit, to, with foods(My stuffed Red Bell Peppers are currently my biggest miss. I just had to many different flavors and textures to be enjoyable). However, my current "best" creation is my Lemon Oregano Chicken Breasts stuffed with Peppers and Tomato. Dear god, that was amazing. Really, I hate following recipes, though. I wing it. And the ladies thus far have loved it(Although that is no help to me, as said ladies have boyfriends, who also loved my food. I don't know that many single girls. :P)

I usually just cooked and left my door open it was a great way to meet people. I'm a gentleman for the most part so I never took advantage of those meetings unless they did :D. It became common to have 5 guests on Wednesday (cooking day)

Oh I know. When I was a college student I lived off of the cheap, instant ramen me-self (That and frozen Mac and Cheese dishes).

It's just that when I came to Japan, I learned what REAL ramen is all about and now fully understand why my Japanese friends back in university laughed and grinned when I mentioned ramen to them. They knew what the real stuff was supposed to be like and why, once you've tasted it, you can never go back to the 20 cent packages. ;)

It does look damn tasty. If I'm over in Japan(Unlikely), or find a japanese restaurant(More likely) that serves this, I'll probably have to try it. It looks damn good.

I have never cooked. Ever. And now I have to cook. Or starve (not an ideal state of afairs). So, I ask you, the collective intellegence (erm) that is NSG. What are good things to cook that have little to no chance of burning the kitchen down?Sandwiches. Unless you're toasting the bread, in which case there still is a risk of burning the kitchen down.

I usually just cooked and left my door open it was a great way to meet people. I'm a gentleman for the most part so I never took advantage of those meetings unless they did :D. It became common to have 5 guests on Wednesday (cooking day)

Unfortunately, with classes, work, and a lack of necessary cooking material(No big pots, one small skillet, one sauce pan, and one cookie sheet), I am rather limited in what I can cook these days. I should change that, and buy some decent cooking supplies. That, and I don't particularly like my neighbors in my building.

Unfortunately, with classes, work, and a lack of necessary cooking material(No big pots, one small skillet, one sauce pan, and one cookie sheet), I am rather limited in what I can cook these days. I should change that, and buy some decent cooking supplies. That, and I don't particularly like my neighbors in my building.

Me and my roommates moved 3 times before we liked our neighbors.

cooking rocks :)

the peeps saying pasta and jars of sauce are right. but there's always toast ;)

first thing i learned to cook was bolognese - just chop and fry some onions, add minced beef, throw some seasoning on, some oregeno and basil, tinned tomatoes, and that's it. it easy and you'll feel good for making something from scratch :)

I fail to see how walking an old woman across the street will help you make a meal. :p

Don't be dumb. You have to eat when you camp, and if you don't learn how to cook some things, that's a little difficult.

Don't be dumb. You have to eat when you camp, and if you don't learn how to cook some things, that's a little difficult.

There is grubs, worms, roots, berries... who needs to cook.

I have never cooked. Ever. And now I have to cook. Or starve (not an ideal state of afairs). So, I ask you, the collective intellegence (erm) that is NSG. What are good things to cook that have little to no chance of burning the kitchen down?
Toast. Just not French toast, mmk?

Also, burgers are really, really easy to make. Just get about 500g (err a pound I guess) of beef mince, some onion and some salt and pepper, as well as one egg. This recipe serves 4, but then you can cut it back to serve two, or scale it up a bit to serve 6 or 8. It's pretty damned good.

- Get a bowl and mix up the egg with a fork until it's all pretty yellow.
- Cut up about half of your onion (cut the top and bottom off first, then peel it by cutting about a quarter inch in and pulling away the layers that are cut) into little bits.
- Put beef mince in a big bowl, pour egg on top and then pour the cut up bits of union on top too. Also chuck in salt and pepper.
- Mix up with your hands
- Take out in ball form, then flatten a bit.
- Put in oven for a little while (ooh, 20 minutes-ish at about 200 degrees celcius, which I guess is something like 360 Fahrenheit)
- Take out of oven
- Stick in bun, add salad as desired.
- Add condiments de choix (your food tastes better if you say something French before you eat it)
- Eat

When you get a bit more proficient at cooking, you'll learn that you can cook burgers better with hot oil, but that's a bit risky for someone at risk of burning the house down.

I'll see if the library has it in stock.

Specific question for you culinary folks. How can you tell if a chicken breast (frozen, if it matters) is done? I have a few in the freezer, but no thermometer.

defrost the chicken breast before you cook it.

you dont need (or want) a thermometer. when you have cooked it as much as you have been told it takes cut into the thickest part and LOOK. if it looks like the done inside of a chicken breast like those you have eaten all your life, its DONE.

cooking is a trial and error process. you will burn things. you will take some things to the table and find that they arent actually done. you will cook some to perfection and wonder what it was that you did right this time.

ive been cooking for ... 40 years anyway.... and i still burn things now and then. its no big deal.

keep your meals simple to start with. avoid pre-made foods. that chicken breast cooked and sliced into a green salad would be an excellent meal, for example.

So, I just moved into my first apartment (in b4 "Not a blog").

awesome, where about in town?

awesome, where about in town?

It's in that mass student housing complex north of campus, on Abbot. Cookie cutter, but nice.


And thank you all for your suggestions. Keep them comming, please.

Surely you could add some cheap vegetables to the mix... hell, a pound of green beans is only $2 here, and you don't need nearly that much for a soup... carrots would work to, as a pound of those are only 99 cents now(At least here). Add a carrot or two to your soup... and the bag should last you a week. Unless it costs absorbantly high over on your way.

Vegetables go off and I didn't always make it to the supermarket every day, which was way up a hill and a pain to get to.

Anyway, all that education means I now feast on caviar and foie gras for breakfast washed down with champagne, my maid makes it, on time as well or I'll report her to immigration.

I made a box of pasta earlier today, and had some for dinner. It was very delicious. But man cannot live on pasta and porn alone.

I highly recommend you purchase a Betty Crocker Cookbook. Easy to follow instructions for everything from salad to desert. Outstanding book for people who have never cooked before.

It's in that mass student housing complex north of campus, on Abbot. Cookie cutter, but nice.

i think i know the one. shit, you live fairly close to my place. weird.

So, I just moved into my first apartment (in b4 "Not a blog"). Although I have a roommate (a UM grad :mad: ), I have a personal bathroom and bedroom. The only thing we really share is the kitchen. Which brings me to the purpase of this thread (yay pointfulness).

I have never cooked. Ever. And now I have to cook. Or starve (not an ideal state of afairs). So, I ask you, the collective intellegence (erm) that is NSG. What are good things to cook that have little to no chance of burning the kitchen down?
well, anything that requires the use of the stove will have a chance of burning the kitchen down. :p

but as long as you remember to check the stove often and to turn it off after use...

Meatloaf (especially good to pack into small/individual tins/foil and freeze, to be baked when hungry.)

chicken (frozen in individual portions, it can be easily thawed and flavored)

boxed meals (dunno if you have hamburger/tuna helper where you are... add meat, cook, serve)

soups can make excellent sauces, stews, and condiments.

I would suggest looking at recipies (cooks.com is pretty extensive) and following them first. then when you feel comfortable, then you can experiment.

By the way :

http://www.be-ro.com/f_basics.htm

This might help :)

Steak? Omelets? Meatloaf? Stir fry? Cheesesteaks?

hamburgers
hot dogs
sausage and peppers (saute the peppers and onions in some olive oil with salt, pepper, garlic powder for 5 or 10 minutes, then add sausage)
pizza (you can get the pillsbury premade dough or Boboli crusts and make your own)
steaks (you can tell how well done they are by touch or by cutting in to see if it is as done as you want)
chicken (marinade can make tons of different tasting steak or chicken. to bread chicken, dip in milk, then into flour, tap off excess flour, dip back into milk, then into seasoned bread crumbs...this can then be baked, broiled, or fried. To tell if it is cooked, you can always cut into the thickest part. If it is no longer pink in the middle, it is good)
Steak tips
cube steak
fish (cook untill it flakes)
pasta (things like ravioli and tortellini can have meat in them and make it a real meal)
fajitas (seasoning packets available)
tacos (seasoning packets available)
manwiches
tuna burgers (take two cans of tuna, throw in an egg, some French's fried onions (http://www.frenchsfoodservice.com/recipe/foodservice/images/pic_frenchs_onion.jpg) [can also use bread crumbs] and cheese of your choice. Mix untill it comes to a burger consistancy..not too wet or dry. If it needs to be wetter, add some oil or another egg. Too wet, add more fried onions. Form into pattys. Place on a VERY well greased baking sheet or, if you have it, parchment paper [these have almost no fat, so they will stick like nothing else]. Cook at 350 for about an hour)

sides
rice, bread, rolls, cous cous, potatos, instant stuffing, french fries...you can find pre-seasoned versions of the rice and cous cous, and they have the powdered flakes for mashed potatos, as well as things like scalloped potatos available. Rolls, you can get the pillsbury ones. French fries, get from the freezer aisle.

take some time to just wander around your supermarket. In the spice aisle, they will have tons of choices and premade mixes that are generally really good. Foodtv.com has great recipes for quick and easy, as well as meals for one.

Some other tips...don't buy things like a full head of lettuce. Go to the salad bar, and grab what you need. It costs about the same, but you won't end up wasting tons of food. I've figured out that about half pound of meat each is good for my roommates and I, plus side dish. Remember that carbs are what will make you feel full...potatos, cous cous, pasta, bread. Most salad dressings make a good marinade if you need.

If you cook chicken in the oven (I try not to cook it from frozen because it throws off my timing), figure about 20 minutes at 350-375 for a full breast. You can cook it in half the time by cutting the breasts in half. If you are broiling (that is, high temperature from above), it will be about 4-5 minutes per side. Don't use a full breast for this, and keep an eye on it as it cooks quickly.

If you need to defrost something, try to leave it out first thing in the morning. If you forget to do this, place it in a bowl and run cool water into it. This will defrost it quickly without partly cooking it as hot water would.

Edit: Grilled cheese is also great. Two easy variations that sound like they should be gross but are actually amazing are as follows:
spread jam or jelly on the bread, and use a good cheese (read: not american)
Spread mayo on one side, cream cheese on the other, and use two slices of american.

Foods that should never be undercooked: pork and chicken. Chicken carries salmonella, and many chickens have it. Pork carries parasites that can be quite nasty.

basic cooking really isn't difficult, unless you wander of in the middle of it and forget.

i think i know the one. shit, you live fairly close to my place. weird.

Obviously, I'm stalking you.

cooking rocks :)

Stone soup?

I guess this is one of the areas where home schooling really helped me out. Since I didn't have all of the distractions of public schooling, I had more than enough free time to learn how to cook.

That said, I can make some truly exceptional pizzas, pastas, soups, stews, stir frys, sandwiches, and all manner of experimental things. I'm also really handy with anything grilled, as well as barbeque. Mexican food is fun to make, as well.

But my favorite thing to make? Pizza, always. Making the dough, forming the crust, creating the perfect sauce, blending your own cheese, and cutting your own toppings is an experience that everyone should have. And I can't stress enough the importance of adding herbs and spices to the dough.

I guess this is one of the areas where home schooling really helped me out. Since I didn't have all of the distractions of public schooling, I had more than enough free time to learn how to cook.

That said, I can make some truly exceptional pizzas, pastas, soups, stews, stir frys, sandwiches, and all manner of experimental things. I'm also really handy with anything grilled, as well as barbeque. Mexican food is fun to make, as well.

But my favorite thing to make? Pizza, always. Making the dough, forming the crust, creating the perfect sauce, blending your own cheese, and cutting your own toppings is an experience that everyone should have. And I can't stress enough the importance of adding herbs and spices to the dough.


you must be verrry popular!

you must be verrry popular!

I make good friends quickly, even though none have tasted any of my cooking.

I'm quite positive that I'd be even more popular if I cooked for everyone... I mean, I want to, but there's a bit of a hold on my funding, so cooking my stuff en masse really isn't an option. I wish it wasn't like this, but it is. :p

I make good friends quickly, even though none have tasted any of my cooking.

I'm quite positive that I'd be even more popular if I cooked for everyone... I mean, I want to, but there's a bit of a hold on my funding, so cooking my stuff en masse really isn't an option. I wish it wasn't like this, but it is. :p

hmmmm seems to me that you could do a kind of tradeoff with some friends. they bring the ingredients, you make them a pizza. or 2.

So, I ask you, the collective intellegence (erm) that is NSG. What are good things to cook that have little to no chance of burning the kitchen down?

Living alone in Spain, in my place (where, admittedly, I have much more freedom to do what I want, since it's my own place), I've actually learned to cook a lot. Normally, I try to eat cheap, but sometimes I cook expensive foods like paella and what not (unfortunately, no images). I have a topic on my forum on food and so I'll copy and paste.

____________________________________

Welcome to Catalán's 'I cook easy stuff' ...

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/Macabees/Personal/100_1209.jpg

This was last night’s dinner; I wanted to make something to post up here, but I didn’t really feel like making anything complicated. In fact, this is actually more than I usually eat for dinner (I try to eat as little as possible at night), but it doesn’t matter – I was originally only going to fry three chicken wings, but I wanted to fill the plate to make it look better! As you can tell, this is extremely complicated to make. The hardest part was probably the chips and dip plate. Write this shit down, or you’ll forget! You go to the store, you buy chips, salsa and guacamole and then you bring it home, and arrange it on your plate. The fried chicken is … fried chicken. I normally ‘deep fry’, although I always use olive oil (extra virgin is the best, and since it’s free for me I use it always – but, for most other people it’s more expensive than either virgin olive oil or corn oil; but, IMO, it’s worth the cost – it’s also healthier due to the fat being mostly made up of saturated fats). The big thing is the sauce applied to the chicken after it’s been fried – I forget what it’s called in English, but you basically get that bowl that’s made out of wood or stone where you crush things. You get garlic (cutting your own garlic is better than buying it already crushed from the store) and you cut it in little tiny pieces (the smaller the better) and then you do the same with parsley – the amount doesn’t really matter; just experiment, but the taste will probably be overwhelmed by the vinegar anyways. You put the garlic and the parsley inside that bowl and then pour vinegar to make up the substance of the sauce and you start pounding and crushing away, mixing the tastes. Then, with a spoon you just distribute the sauce – btw, the vinegar should be white wine vinegar (not dark wine or apple or whatever else there is available).

I love fried chicken, so I tend to eat it a lot. Normally, what I buy at the store lasts me two or three meals, but last night I made it all. I mean, obviously it’s nothing complicated but it tastes good, and that’s what is important! I’ll make something more complicated another day, although really no food is really complicated no matter how complicated it looks – at least, this is true in the Spanish cuisine (not that this is Spanish – well, apart from the sauce). On Thursday, chances are that some friends and I are going to go out clubbing and generally we drink a shitload before going out (last Thursday, my French friend and I finished half a bottle of Vodka and drunk half a bottle of DYC 8 Year Reserve whiskey by mixing it with apple juice or Coke and then about a third of a bottle of Malibu by means of straight shots) – so, I’m going to see if they want me to cook them some tapas to eat while we drink, and I’ll post pictures of that too. I mean, some of them will be lame – there’s not much to pouring a bunch of olives into a bowl, for example, or chips and dip either. Others will be more ‘complicated’, although like I said … cooking is not really complicated anyway you look at it – I’m not making some hardcore French plate that ends up tasting like shit because it has too many spices.


http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/Macabees/Personal/100_1210.jpg

And, of course, my American breakfast the next morning. A good American host has to teach his French flat mates what a good American breakfast looks like – given that in Spain there are no Dennys, I have to make up by cooking it myself (there should be Dennys, though – Dennys is awesome). Unfortunately, one of the girls can’t eat bacon (she’s French Algerian and Muslim – yes, a Catholic, Muslim and quarter-Jew living under the same roof; Franco is probably rolling in his grave right now), but I can … so fuck it. Scrambled eggs, hash browns, French toast and bacon – awesome. The glass of orange juice is mandatory, too – if you don’t have orange juice you’re not eating breakfast American style. If I had a carafe I would use that instead – but I don’t and I wouldn’t drink that much orange juice by myself anyways. Does anybody have a better way of making the hash browns? Anyway I try, they always come out the same – their not like how they come out at Dennys. I even started mixing onion with the potato, which is something I normally didn’t do before (although, admittedly it tastes better with small pieces of onion mixed with the potato). The scrambled eggs don’t look like they were made at a restaurant, either, but that doesn’t matter – they taste the same, really. At least in Spain I actually use the entire egg (in the United States my dad only bought egg starts), although the milk is ‘different’ (tastes different) – but, whatever; the eggs are a lost cause. Maybe I should start to use corn oil for American foods – well, in Spain it’s normally sunflower oil.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/Macabees/Personal/100_1211.jpg

And, lunch - since I have an electric kitchen it's hard for me to roast anything, given that I have to be careful with the fat of the meat. So, alternatively I have to fry the meat, but it really isn't that bad - I made a carne not-so-asada burrito. The idea of mixing onion with the olive oil is from paella, and it makes the olive oil taste better; the onion should be fried from the beginning and normally since you don't eat it it doesn't matter how long it's fried for or what surface is being fried. At the same time, you cut a tooth of garlic into really small pieces and add these to the olive oil as well (the idea is from gambas al ajillo - which is part of the burrito). When the garlic is golden brown you add whatever you're going to fry - in this case, the meat and the four or five shrimp which will be added to the burrito (normally, you cut off the tail and the head as well as take off the shell - I didn't do the latter since I don't care).

In any case, mixing as much as possible in the oil will only make it taste better and it will transfer the taste to the meat.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/Macabees/Personal/100_1212.jpg

Since I like onion, I normally add a lot of onion to everything - and of course, the salsa and guacamole (which is fucking expensive in Spain).

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/Macabees/Personal/100_1213.jpg

Any good burrito must have the tortilla filled past its realistic capacity to hold meat, salsa, shrimp and sauce.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/Macabees/Personal/100_1215.jpg

And none of the gay Mexican beer, like Corona ... only Mahou is legal in my house - Mahou is easily the best beer made in Spain and English people that live in Madrid, that I've spoken to, say it's better than theirs (I find it hard to choose between Mahou and Newcastle, but they don't sell the latter in Spain).

Yes, I normally do cook for all three meals ...

_____________________________

More easy food!

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/Macabees/spaghettiswithtunaandshrimp.jpg

Last night's dinner - spaghetti with tuna and shrimp. Apparently, the girls in my flat never thought about mixing spaghetting with shrimp! In any case, I need to figure out a good recipe for tomato sauce and I need to buy a blender; my grandmother had a really good recipe, but she passed away in 1994 (it included some type of alcohol for taste).

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i291/Macabees/100_1217.jpg

This was today's lunch. I experimented with pouring the used olive oil from frying the chicken as a sorts of gravy for the mashed potato - it actually tasted pretty good.

Oh

My

Deity

You are my hero. Seriously. Write a book or something.

Oh, and my Grandmother is sending me a Toster Oven, so now I can have other good stuff. Yay!

snip....


Will be in your area in just a couple months. Looking forward to Spain. Always a good time.

Anyway a hint toward the Muslim bacon. The simple answer is to get the "beef" bacon cuts. That is what we use. Everyone eats it up.

This gives you everything you need and tastes decent, too.

Chop a small red onion, a small bell pepper, a small ripe tomatoe, a cucumber (peeled if you like), an avocado, a rib of celery, crumble 2-3 slices of (American style) bacon fried crisp. Give it a couple of dashes of lemon juice and crumble a couple of tablespoons of blue cheese on it. Toss, eat.

Simple, easy, tasty and requires no more cooking skill than is required to fry bacon.

Will be in your area in just a couple months. Looking forward to Spain. Always a good time.


Specifically Madrid? I used to always suggest Madrid over Barcelona, but I was in Barcelona for three days last week and my opinion has changed ... nationalism be damned, Barcelona > Madrid.

Goulash has to one of the most tastiest and easiest thing to cook in the world.

Buy cheap beef (shin or neck usually -- mostly its just all sold under the term braising steak which covers a lot of different cuts).

Cut meat into bite sized pieces and fry at a medium/high temperature until sealed and browned a bit (try not to use olive oil as it doesn't cope well at high temperatures). Then cut an onion into large pieces and fry in the same oil.

Add to a pot you can but in the oven. Then chop up some veg and add to the pot. Add ~3 bay leaves, at least 1 heaped teaspoon of paprika, and maybe some thyme. Oh, and salt and pepper of course.

Then cover the mix in boiling water or hot stock, but only just (you can also add some white wine if you wish). Then put the lid on the pot and cook in the oven for at least 3 hours (the more the better) at gas mark 2 (150C). You can get away with only 1.5 hours for tenderer cuts of meat.

Then serve up with rice and dress with sour cream.

If you think your goulash isn't thick enough then you can reduce it on the hob. For next time you could try adding a one or two teaspoons of plain flour (I would never do this, but it does work) or alternatively make sure to include starchy potatoes in your veg mix -- Maris Pipers or King Edwards are a good choice.

Another variant is to add tomatoes to the recipe. A 500g tin of chopped tomatoes is perfect. Another variant of mine is to pour a little boiling water into the used frying pan, stir it around a bit (getting all the burnt bits from the pan) and then add to the pot. I love this because it adds more flavour and fat. But try and experiment any way you wish.

Casserole dishes are just amazingly brilliant in every conceivable way.

Invest in a crockpot. Spend the money to get a programmable one. You take a few minutes in the morning before you leave and load the pot with potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, meat of choice, other seasonings, cover with stock/water, put the lid on it, plug it in, set for 10 hours. When you come home, dinner's ready.

Specifically Madrid? I used to always suggest Madrid over Barcelona, but I was in Barcelona for three days last week and my opinion has changed ... nationalism be damned, Barcelona > Madrid.

Yes will be in Madrid for a day or so. We are also going to Barcelona to see an uncle of the wife. He lives there. Claims it is the best place in the world.

Invest in a crockpot. Spend the money to get a programmable one. You take a few minutes in the morning before you leave and load the pot with potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, meat of choice, other seasonings, cover with stock/water, put the lid on it, plug it in, set for 10 hours. When you come home, dinner's ready.

You can use a rice cooker to do this too, I think.