Learning to Cook

[amazingswayze]

Being able to cook well is a valuable skill for any self-reliant man. Seeing as how this can be a major means of self-improvement, I want to learn how to cook. I'm just going to start with the basics.

I can already make an omelette. I dice peppers, onions, throw some shredded cheese in there and it makes for a nice breakfast. I can make a cold cut sandwich for lunch. I can grill hot dogs and hamburgers.

My question I guess would be, what are the absolute most basic meals you can prepare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I want to learn how to make rice and beans, and I want to learn how to cook chicken and fish.

What do you guys cook for yourselves, and what are your go-to, healthy meals?

 

[Bible_Belt]

Boil-in-bag rice is an easy shortcut. I like the brown.

Crock-pots are very easy. They are slow-cookers, 8-12 hours. Even tough meat will turn tender through slow-cooking.

Every man should be able to grill over a fire. I like my Weber grill. Manage the heat by taking the lid off and on as necessary. An ex I lived with left behind her Pampered Chef grill baskets, and I use those for vegetables. It's a metal basket that sits on the grill, just toss in whatever cut up vegetables you have. It's a lot faster than sticking everything on kabob sticks. For some things, I line the basket with foil.

If you stir-fry on a stove, learn to use the right oil, one with a high smoke point, like peanut or coconut. Olive oil is not really meant for frying.

Good food comes from good ingredients. Visit your nearest farmer's market and purchase the local produce that is in season. Second to growing it yourself, it will be the best you have ever had.

 

[amazingswayze]

Stir fry is gonna be the first staple dish that I tackle. I forgot how tastyit can be while at the same time simple and low calorie. And as for fresh vegetables, I totally feel you. My dad grew tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, and green beans this summer.

 

[bigneil]

Being able to cook well is a valuable skill for any self-reliant man. Seeing as how this can be a major means of self-improvement, I want to learn how to cook. I'm just going to start with the basics.

I can already make an omelette. I dice peppers, onions, throw some shredded cheese in there and it makes for a nice breakfast. I can make a cold cut sandwich for lunch. I can grill hot dogs and hamburgers.

My question I guess would be, what are the absolute most basic meals you can prepare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I want to learn how to make rice and beans, and I want to learn how to cook chicken and fish.

What do you guys cook for yourselves, and what are your go-to, healthy meals?

Staples:

1) Homemade Salsa (Tomatoes, Onions, Peppers, Garlic, Cilantro, Lime, Cayenne, Cumin, Coriander, Olive Oil, Cider Vinegar, Sea Salt, Black Pepper).
2) Homemade Guacamole (Avocado, Homemade Salsa, Lime juice, sea salt). (Avoid chips with GMO corn, soybean or canola oil).
3) Homemade Chicken Soup (Whole free range chicken, Cider Vinegar, Distilled Water).

More advanced:

4) Linguini and Clam Sauce (tip: boil clam shells in water and strain, then cook pasta in clam stock).
5) Chicken Piccata (pasta in garlic butter with artichoke, bone-in organic chicken, capers, lemon, parsley, and fresh raw milk parmesan cheese).
6) Rack of Lamb (Slow cook with red wine, carrots and Yukon potatoes).

Chef level:

7) Red Snapper Stew (whole red snapper, cider vinegar, distilled water).
8) Homemade yeast-free sourdough bread (Flour (White spelt 80%, Whole spelt 20%),Warm Distilled water, Starter( 40% Baking Powder, 40% cane Sugar 20% Sea salt), Olive oil, Whey (Yogurt broth)). Mix, cover, and let sit in dark at room temperature 48 hours to naturally rise sans yeast.
9) Homemade pizza and pretzels using homemade dough.
10) Crab cakes with Cajun remoulade.

Try to grow what you can, buy local, and organic. Shop at farmers markets and small organic grocers.

 

[Billtx49]

If grilling, baking, or broiling meat, always err on the side of being under done if in doubt. A microwave can always be used to finish off to perfection. Nothing can undo overdone.

 

[bigneil]

Boil-in-bag rice is an easy shortcut.

Beware cooking with or using any food with plastic residue. Scrape shine off cheese, etc.

 

[ubercat]

There u go - plenty of ideas. Note there s another thread included in this post with more ideas

http://www.sosuave.net/forum/index.php?threads/the-dj-cook.229590/

 

[Tenacity]

Being able to cook well is a valuable skill for any self-reliant man. Seeing as how this can be a major means of self-improvement, I want to learn how to cook. I'm just going to start with the basics.

I can already make an omelette. I dice peppers, onions, throw some shredded cheese in there and it makes for a nice breakfast. I can make a cold cut sandwich for lunch. I can grill hot dogs and hamburgers.

My question I guess would be, what are the absolute most basic meals you can prepare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I want to learn how to make rice and beans, and I want to learn how to cook chicken and fish.

What do you guys cook for yourselves, and what are your go-to, healthy meals?

Shyt all I do is take a pan, slap some aluminum foil in it, and slap the meat on there with some water added. I also add some Ms. Dash seasoning. I throw that shyt in the oven at 400, set the timer (1 hour for pork, 2 hours for chicken, 30 minutes for most seafood) and call it a day.

My veggies are put in the microwave.

 

[amazingswayze]

Shyt all I do is take a pan, slap some aluminum foil in it, and slap the meat on there with some water added. I also add some Ms. Dash seasoning. I throw that shyt in the oven at 400, set the timer (1 hour for pork, 2 hours for chicken, 30 minutes for most seafood) and call it a day.

My veggies are put in the microwave.

Mrs. Dash works, but have you ever tried Adobo? Its a hispanic seasoning that will make anything taste more flavorful.

 

[Bible_Belt]

Mrs Dash is low in salt. Most seasoning mixes are primarily salt. It just depends what you want. I like Adobo. I also like Tony Cachere's cajun seasoning. Montreal Steak seasoning is really good on beef.

I've been cooking a lot lately with super-hot peppers I grow myself. Habanero is excellent minced and mixed with burger meat. I also have a African pepper called Fatalii. Just throw one in a pot of food and it takes the flavor to another level of complexity.

A tip on cooking steak - most of the cuts of beef at the grocery store are low quality. But if you slow-cook the steak, the gristle will cook away and even tough meat will be tender. I have two recipes at the moment for the grill. One uses a green sauce called salsa verde. For the other, I just lay a bed of sliced red tomatoes and garlic, and let the steak boil in the juices. It comes out like a tender pot roast. For most grocery store beef, if you just slap it on the grill, you're going to end up spitting out a lot of gristle you can't chew.

 

[Billtx49]

I prefer John Henry's rubs ( many flavored to try) for grill seasoning and Costco for quality meats.
Ford's Bone Suckin Sauce and Lamberts Sweet Rub O Mine also have good taste.