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How do you cook?
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Do you use a recipe book? Follow the instructions precisely? Or Do you use your sense of smell and taste and cook from scratch? Also, do you use raw ingredients or jars/packets, except when not possible to, ie dried porcini mushrooms?
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I'll often browse recipes for inspiration and sometimes for an idea of quantities but I don't need to to turn out a good meal.
When I'm cooking other things though, I tend to improvise, and I almost never weigh or measure. I always add more garlic and more onion than a recipe says, because I like it. I do like recipe books, but I tend to use them more as inspiration - I'll decide to do a particular one, and I may follow it more or less accurately, but usually being flexible about ingredients.
I used to live like that, and I can understand why people do it, but since I started cooking about three years ago, I feel like a different person. I am never ill, have tonnes of energy, sleep really well, have better skin, better teeth, better breath, and have lost weight and saved money. I'd never go back to how I used to be now...
Thereafter, its generally from memory.
I do make up my own recipes and I also improvise as I go along but I agree that for baking you really need to follow a recipe precisely.
I 99% of the time use raw ingredients or ingredients I have frozen.
I don't have any recipe books, I just think of things to cook together and make them up myself.
I do the cooking my girlfriend washes up, she can't cook and I hate washing up.
I've always enjoyed cooking.
Until three years ago I lived on ready meals and takeaway, and never cooked anything more demanding than a baked potato with melted cheese. My shopping was all tins and packets, with maybe some apples from the fresh section.
Then almost overnight, I started cooking, and it really has changed my life. I buy tinned tomatoes and kidney beans, and sometimes chick peas (I prefer dried chick peas and kidney beans, but sometimes I want the tinned ones there for when I'm in a hurry) and I do buy some frozen veg (peas and sprouts and broad beans are fine frozen, I find, and are nice and easy to add to casseroles and risotto etc) but nowadays I'd say that 80% of my shopping is fresh fruit and veg. Very occasionally, if I'm feeling tired and lacking energy, I'll buy a pizza base and some veg + tomato paste, and make a pizza, but I don't think I've had a ready meal in ages. I don't cook every night - I tend to do big batches of stuff and freeze portions - I might make a big batch of chilli or casserole one night, eat some that night, have some for leftovers tomorrow, and freeze some for two other nights another time. I cook an actual meal from scratch maybe every other night, or every three nights, but I eat my own cooked food every night.
That describes me perfectly!:eek:
Can't beat coming home from work and going straight to the kitchen and start preparing the evening meal. Oh, and opening a bottle of wine. I only ask for cookbooks and wine for Christmas, and that's what I get. At least everyone knows their gifts will be used and appreciated.:)
Except once, when someone gave me 3 bottles of Lambrusco...:(
Hi Kacey, I got Nigella Express, Tylers Ultimate by Tyler Florence, Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater and Angela Hartnett's Cucina. I've also just returned from the US so as usual I bought loads of regional cookbooks back from there. I can't resist cookbooks and my case is always twice as heavy as it should be!:)
You can add me to that list as well, I find cooking the evening meal very relaxing especially accompanied by wine. My wife is also very pleased with this arrangement.
Cooking has always been a very big part of my life.
And I've just received a new set of knives for my birthday....am resisting the temptation to go and chop something just to test them.
Global? Henckel? Wusthof? I found a Sabatier oulet in the wilds of South Carolina in December. As usual I couldn't resist and came home with a cleaver! I know Ken Hom uses one for everything, i'm still getting used to it though!:(
Forschner Victorinox after reading here : http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated
Needed something in a 'smaller' budget, that would last a while.
I'll be getting a MAC chefs knife to go with it some time though, I've tried loads out and whilst Global are very sharp, the MAC is much more comfortable for larger hands.
Would like a cleaver, might add that to my list.
Every now and again I'll look in a recipe book for inspiration but then having found a recipe I like the look of I'll normally go my own way with it.
If you see what I mean.
I love Nigel Slater too! My Christmas books were: Flatbreads & Flavours, Denis Cotter's Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and me, a book on Hummus, a book on vegetable soups, a vegetarian pressure cooker book by Lorna Sass, and finally Peter Gordon's Vegetables book. I've cooked from 4 out of 5 so far and all are highly recomended.
Alan
I always use fresh ingredients and now even down to dry frying spices and grinding them down with a mortar and pestle.
Hi Kacey, you and midiboy may be interested in a guy called Todd Wilbur. He's an American who clones recipes for a living. The good news is he also publishes them! I bought a couple and the recipes i've done so far are exactly right!:)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Restaurant-Recipes-Todd-Wilbur/dp/0452275873
Thanks for the link, indianwells...I may have to order that.
My favourite cook book is Mastering the art of French Cooking.
A classic.