OT: any cooks in the house?

[Houndog]

I'm still trying to get my cast iron pan not to stick to the food

The only I could do it was start with pan cold .

 

[Pat A Flafla]

I prepare 98% of the family meals, and outside of BBQ, I try to spend as little as possible on food and food prep items unless it's a special occasion. I'm cheap about a lot of things, but I'm extra cheap when it comes to food related expenditures. I'll sometimes get the good cheese for sauces or salads, but for example I've been eating 10 cent ramen for lunch since summer because I ran across a no limit coupon. (I do punch it up with green onions, sriracha, and stuff from the spice rack... and sometimes heavy cream).

 

[ppfd]

I live by myself and split some time with my gf. Now she’s a helluva cook.
I eat simple when I'm alone. Fish, ground turkey, eggs, etc.

I always try and prepare meals to take to work. My female co workers carry in fast food breakfast and then eat out for lunch. And they can’t figure out why they are fat and broke.

 

[Pat A Flafla]

I live by myself and split some time with my gf. Now she’s a helluva cook.
I eat simple when I'm alone. Fish, ground turkey, eggs, etc.

I always try and prepare meals to take to work. My female co workers carry in fast food breakfast and then eat out for lunch. And they can’t figure out why they are fat and broke.

The Associate/Full profs always complain of money woes, but they eat fancy lunch out every day, and have divorces and grand pianos to pay for. They make literally 2-4x my pitiful income, but I pack a lunch every day, and have zero divorces or grand pianos, and my bottom line is just fine. People don't realize what a difference food expenditures make in the long run.

 

[mattmalloy66]

I worked as a cook at restaurants for 4-5 years in and after high school.
Not a chef, but I can follow a recipe.
I'm single these days , so nobody is cooking for me on a regular basis, have to do it myself.
My slow cooker gets a lot of use.

 

[microkit]

Palak paneer or aloo palak would probably please your palate also in the spinach department, as would baingan bharta for eggplant dishes. But, to go off the beaten path, a Brazilian dish I love and prepare well (and a popular dinner item among my friends) is moqueca. It's simple, fast and delicious. It's not vegetarian, but I am sure you can creatively change the recipe to replace with fish (even with tofu). Here is a quick video recipe that inspired me over a decade ago. And if you are willing to compromise you can leave out the red palm oil (although I always use it when I prepare it):

You're 100% right, palak paneer is recently a favorite. South Indian has been a revelation, dosa et al. I miss samosa, of all things, and the breads, neither of which were ever favorites.

I don't eat fish, but have cooked it for family. It appeals to my sense of sanctity and plainness; oil, garlic, lemon, heat.

 

[microkit]

I made a nice venison stroganoff tonight. Hunting season is here and although Im not a hunter I get great packages of excellent meat for stews and chilis which I enjoy. I actually roasted a duck two weekends ago which was very nice. I would say pizza is a specialty of mine.

I love doing pizzas too, lately vodka sauce and Alfredo variations. My number one life-changer in the past few years is red onion...ordered a pie with a friend and ate it all, after planning to take back leftovers.

 

[Pat A Flafla]

You're 100% right, palak paneer is recently a favorite. South Indian has been a revelation, dosa et al. I miss samosa, of all things, and the breads, neither of which were ever favorites.

I don't eat fish, but have cooked it for family. It appeals to my sense of sanctity and plainness; oil, garlic, lemon, heat.

Fish isn't remotely my favorite so the only kind I know how to prepare is whole gamefish or panfish (sunfish, bluegill, cichlid, etc.) when they swallow hooks and won't survive release. Can't stand to waste a critter.

 

[microkit]

Fish isn't remotely my favorite so the only kind I know how to prepare is whole gamefish or panfish (sunfish, bluegill, cichlid, etc.) when they swallow hooks and won't survive release. Can't stand to waste a critter.

Only way I know to make it, short of stewed or pan frying, is on the oven, oil, garlic, lemon. Works for any fish and saves me having to think or learn

 

[Pat A Flafla]

Only way I know to make it, short of stewed or pan frying, is on the oven, oil, garlic, lemon. Works for any fish and saves me having to think or learn

Do you filet them? That's the part I'm kind of a hack at.

 

[mtarrani]

Only way I know to make it, short of stewed or pan frying, is on the oven, oil, garlic, lemon. Works for any fish and saves me having to think or learn

My wife and I do love fish, and our favorite is raw (sashimi grade, of course) with the obligatory wasabe and soy sauce. I personally love grilled octopus, while my wife is also very fond of raw oysters (as am I, but my tolerance for shell fish has diminished with age.) Lest I forget, shad roe (when I am lucky enough to find it) and caviar are also at the tops of our lists.

 

[Browny]

I probably do 2/3 of the cooking at home. I enjoy it.

BBQ/grilling/smoking is my favourite. Out in the backyard I’ve got an under cover bbq area, so rain isn’t an issue. There’s an old 57cm wood-handled Weber kettle, a little Weber Go Anywhere and a drum smoker I built with a 44 gallon (that’s 55gal in the states) drum.

Kettle is typically set up with two baskets either side for beer can or spatchcock chicken, or with a kettle kone/vortex in the middle for wings. Don’t mind doing a whole fish on it too.

GA is great for steaks, preferably a thick cut so can reverse seat them. Also sausages, lamp chops, skewers, or anything small. It’ll often come with me when travelling in the car, nice and small, fuel efficient, and if you’re clever with some strategically folded aluminium foil you can indirect roast or smoke bigger items. I’ve done a spatchcock chicken and smoked lamb roast recently.

The drum is for smoking. Pork ribs, beef short ribs, brisket, pulled beef/pork/lamb. During the week I smoked another batch of bacon I cured… 1.6kg of pork belly… that stuff is bloody amazing.

It’s got a big fuel engine I made out of a 20L stainless stock pot and at a guess would probably get well over 16hrs burning on lump charcoal if required, probably more. Has the highest food capacity too; currently just got the one 57cm grate on it but planning on installing a second, also maybe some brackets for bars to hang ribs/chickens/etc. Not even sure how many people I could cook for on it alone… guessing 50 would be easy…

 

[Skeet6]

Yep, I love to cook. Of Italian and Sicilian descent, and love Indian food. Lotsa flavor and oomph in my dishes.
Mike B

 

[jptrickster]

I have a few good recipes, enjoy it if I have the time.
Once in awhile I still enjoy downing a box of Lucky Charms! The wife makes a darn good reservation. Chow chow!

 

[dingaling]

I follow this chef on YouTube.
I just made this last week, it’s a New York staple I get at corner deli’s but first time I made it at home. And was it satisfying.
Chopped cheese-

 

[dingaling]

If you don’t eat meat, here’s his black bean burger, which I also make and love. This makes about 6 and I freeze them and will make for lunch during the week. If it’s frozen you can defrost by 45 sec in the microwave on defrost and then pan fry it.

 

[Rotarded]

I cook. Having spent a majoroty of my career in hotel/restsursnt/country club management, I had decades of working with some pretty highly acclaimed chefs, including one who has a 3 Michelin star restaurant. You tend to learn a few things after a while.

I consider myself an above average home cook, with a stable of killer recipes.

 

[microkit]

Do you filet them? That's the part I'm kind of a hack at.

I never have, the most processing I have done is bones/chicken feet for broth. That was not fun.

Why not cook it whole then peel the skin or fillet into pieces for serving or a tossed with pasta situation? I've only cooked fillets, I think.

 

[microkit]

If you don’t eat meat, here’s his black bean burger, which I also make and love. This makes about 6 and I freeze them and will make for lunch during the week. If it’s frozen you can defrost by 45 sec in the microwave on defrost and then pan fry it.

I love funny alternative burgers, thanks!

I lived in Harlem at one time, the chopped cheese is such a funny thing to yell about, both because it's hood food that was co-opted for the Whole Foods crowd, and because I had never, ever heard of it before it became a studied thing. I'm from NJ and also never recall hearing the term 'disco fries', but maybe this says more about my attention span than the popularity of the dishes. FYI they're gravy cheese fries, American poutine.

 

[SteveParadis]

Just to change the narrative. I like round things. Beat, eat and repeat.