Smogon Cooking Thread

[Stathakis]

hey all I noticed that there isn't a cooking thread on this site and I figure it could be nice to have for users to share cooking methods and experiments, akin to the physical fitness thread many users on smogon have found to be helpful.

I personally started cooking because I found myself really satisfied by the steaks at some restaurants and not so much at others, so I wanted to learn how to make my own exactly the way I liked them. gradually I realized that if I could eat a 1 lb ribeye that would cost me $25+ at a restaurant for $10 and enjoy it more when I made it, I should extend that lifestyle to everyday eating. So I cook most of my meals now, save money, and enjoy eating a lot more.

Most weekdays I am busy at work all day and I'm usually too tired/lazy to cook when I get home, so generally I'll throw something very simple (2-3 ingredients) into a slow-cooker and have it ready by the time I get back. I generally spend 5-10 minutes every morning preparing a dish that I'll eat for dinner, which is usually my only meal of the day (+ snacks which are usually cut up vegetables and fruits). That's the most time-efficient, I've found. On weekends or weekdays where I feel like investing an afternoon, I'll try some more adventurous recipes that I find on the internet or even experiment with my own. I'm working on my own balsamic vinaigrette and honey mustard recipes right now, and once I get them to my liking I'll post em.


Today I was a bit short on time, so I took about 2 lbs of chicken breasts, chopped some carrots and mushrooms, and mixed them in my slow cooker with a can of Campbell's cream of chicken soup. I like that recipe because it costs me about $7 and 5 minutes for the entire 1000 calorie meal, and it tastes good without too much effort. Really time and money efficient.

macros on that are: 79g carbs, 21g fat, 112g protein (I used 2.3 lbs today)

pictures

ingredients (not pictured: salt, pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes, chili powder, onion powder aka the spice cocktail that i put on just about everything if i'm in a hurry)

throw it all in the pot and go to work/school

serve over 1 cup of white rice 5 hours later

So, if you cooked something or if you enjoy cooking, please share your experiences and your favorite dishes! All levels of technical mastery are welcome; I my self am the greenest of amateurs so I'm sure I could learn a lot from you guys.

 

[PDC]

i too like to cook

 

[WhiteDMist]

Spent (wouldn't say wasted) 1 1/2 years of my life majoring in restaurant management (fancy way of saying culinary arts tbh) and found that I enjoyed the creative aspect more than the working aspect of it. So I am happy to see a thread about cooking, which is a great passion. Cheap family meals are fun to make, and just playing around with new ingredients is an adventure onto itself.

I don't have a slow cooker, but I do enjoy using a pressure cooker to make quick meals that can feed a crowd of people (usually unnecessary, though leftovers aren't that bad). There are so many cheap cuts of meats that are simple to make, like pork shoulder, that a pressure cooker can handle in half the time that oven roasting does. I like experimenting as well, so I once used about a can-sized amount of ginger ale as the liquid base, and it turned out pretty well. I usually use what I have on hand, so I rarely focus on a particular cuisine (though naturally I lean towards Asian-influences, being in a Chinese household).

I used to watch a lot of PBS cooking shows as a kid, and when I was old enough to use the stove, I started cooking things randomly. I loved chefs such as Lidia Bastianich and Julia Child. I also watched a lot of Alton Brown's Good Eats (hell, that was sometimes my entire main lecture before the cooking labs in college). Combining different cuisines and cooking styles is always an interesting thing for me to try. I've had many failures, and many surprising successes. My first (hilarious) failure was making a "French Onion Soup" when I didn't know what the recipe was or what the dish even looked like (I was 13 or so, I don't think I even HAD a computer at that time). In short, I threw some stuff together in a pot, and my sister threw up... she's never let me live it down, even though I know how to make a good French Onion Soup now.

I can't live without a having a variety of herbs and spices, but soy sauce is my lifeline.

What inspired you guys to get into cooking? Or what inspires you to cook? Does anyone have a particular cuisine that they like? I assume most people on this site tend to use whatever they have lying around to supplement whatever ingredients they buy, so what are your must have ingredients to keep at all times? Any funny stories, successes and failures alike?

 

[Bughouse]

I don't cook as much as I'd like to, but I really love to bake. I much prefer doing prep and measuring etc and throwing in the oven to bake to actively trying to cook things and adjust seasoning as you go and so on. For me baking is a great stress reliever and I love to eat the desserts of my labor.

most recent thing

So this was a "blackout cake" made with both regular cocoa powder and black cocoa powder, which is a rare ingredient I'd never seen before. The difference is how long it is oxidized and as a result how acidic it is. It also had espresso in it. Both the buttercream and the ganache have beer in them, specifically this beer. This was also my first time making a ganache (as I rarely make a layer cake) and I didn't have the instinct to recognize that the proportions in the family recipe were hilariously off, which is why it failed to be super spreadable, broke apart, and doesn't look pretty. The buttercream in the middle however was absolutely amazing. And yes the cake really is that black. The lighting is as bright as I could get.

probably my favorite thing to bake

These are called rugelach and they are delicious. My family recipe is roughly the same as any one you would find online (of the ones that are cream cheese based) A few things I do different I guess is that I roll the pin in cinnamon sugar instead of flour and also that I have a really bad habit of overstuffing them which makes for gooey fillings but messy cleanup.

 

[Lemonade]

my mom taught me how to make this really good fried rice, way better than any of our panda / dragon gate / other delivery stuff. You start with mini shrimp, cook them until they're almost done. Then crack 2 eggs into the wok (we have a couple hens in our backyard so our eggs are super good). Once the egg is almost done there's that frozen mix thing of corn / pepper / oval shaped pea things I don't know the actual name of. Then you put in rice (already steamed and ready to eat, putting in 'raw' rice doesn't taste very good) with some rice cooking wine, salt, and saffron. It's done before the rice starts turning brown and it's the greatest fired rice ever, like I can eat at least 2x of this than a normal meal at home.

Edit oh yeha juts finished working at panera for a month and a half so I know how to make their sandwiches, they're pretty good and simple

 

[Cresselia~~]

Just shove stuff into the oven or steamer, and let them do the job.
http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/article/one-tray-oven-meals.html

No, actually, I like to use pans. I stir fry many things. Sausages, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, add eggs to make scramble eggs.
Scrambled eggs is my favorite dish to cook. My fav ingredient is sausages, because they just taste good with nearly everything.

 

[SanjivG]

I really enjoy cooking, and like WhiteDMist, grew up watching Good Eats along with 30 Minute Meals. Rachel Ray taught me how to make a delicious tomato sauce from scratch, and I've taught myself how to make really good stirfry (usually peanut, but sometimes teriyaki or some other flavor) and fried rice. I've also made tons of variants of the green beans in that sweet, sticky sauce that you'll find in Chinese buffets.

My mother's a vegetarian, so I never really learned how to cook meat. However, we just got an outdoor grill and I cooked my first grilled chicken breasts on it (with a fajita marinade - it ended up tasting like our favorite restaurant's fajitas). Also learning how to grill sausages, and hopefully steak soon.

 

[Machineae]

Alton Brown was/is my biggest "idol" when it came to cooking. Somehow watching Good Eats got me into a hobby and engaged me like no other show, I just found everything interesting and no doubt it was because of Alton's approach to a cooking show.

I'm the one in the house who cooks, SO doesn't really do it too often (but when she does its wonderful.) A lot of my cooking is pretty simple because of how much I work and lack of time to put forwards towards dinner. A lot of stir fries with tons of fresh veg, minimal rice and a decent serving of meat (usually pork or chicken.) Tonight is pizza night however! The dough isn't from scratch. Not my choice of toppings tonight but happy with them nonetheless, ham, pepperoni, steak, a few different herbs from the garden and a blend of different cheeses. I'll see if I can get around to posting pictures tonight.

edit: small instagram picture but here we go. subbed out steak for roma tomatos/fresh spinach

 

[Kushalos]

A year ago during summer break my parents got really busy at work and told me to get off my lazy ass and start cooking for them and my little brother and sister. I didn't really know how to cook yet but as I learned more and more about it i became more interested and started experimenting on my own with recipes. After a few months I became so good at it that i took it completely out of my mothers hands and now I cook every day. After dropping out of my Game Development studies I decided cooking was my true passion, and applied for culinary school. I'll be starting there after this summer break :]].

About a week ago while i was on vacation i wanted to try making a dish I saw on Shokugeki no Soma, Apple Risotto. Their version looked kinda simple, so I tried making a variation of my own. It worked out perfectly :), here's how I made it:

1. Poured a bit of olive oil with lemon-aroma in a wok (can also usestirfrying pan or a pan with high sides)

2. Added spices to the olive oil: sea-salt, grated ginger-root, soy-sauce.

3. Put on a mid-high fire, if you see the oil starts to move/boil add chopped up bacon, onion and garlic.

4. When the juices came out of the bacon, added chopped up yellow bell pepper(can also add green and/or red if like me you have a VIVID COLOR boner.

5. Stirfried it slowly for a minute or twenty, then added risotto rice. Stirfried again for 5 minutes, then poured a glass of white whine/sherry into it and allowed it to evaporate.

6. Slowly started adding chicken broth and let the rice absorb the liquid. Added finely chopped fresh thyme.

7. Added apple juice and finely chopped green apple, let it boil for a while till most of the liquid had been absorbed.

8. Added a knife-slice of creambutter and stir till it melts in. Round off by adding black pepper, extra salt(we all know how much smogoners love salt haha) and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over it.

Picture i found that closely resembles the one I made

Great thread Stathakis ! I'll try to post a recipe for a Dutch dish next time!(Maybe with accurate quantities lmao)

 

[WhiteDMist]

Congrats on your new career path Kushalos :). I would suggest spending as much time during your break testing out new ingredients and recipes. In the beginning, you really focus more on the techniques in school, before getting to the really fun stuff.

Played around with jicama a bit (never really had it before), and made a vegatable medley (I guess its a ratatouille variant) with what I had on hand and in the fridge. Sadly my rosemary plant is dead, but my sage and thyme plants are still thriving well, so added those in too.

My knife cuts have gone soft :(

 

[Kushalos]

Congrats on your new career path Kushalos :). I would suggest spending as much time during your break testing out new ingredients and recipes. In the beginning, you really focus more on the techniques in school, before getting to the really fun stuff.

Played around with jicama a bit (never really had it before), and made a vegatable medley (I guess its a ratatouille variant) with what I had on hand and in the fridge. Sadly my rosemary plant is dead, but my sage and thyme plants are still thriving well, so added those in too.

My knife cuts have gone soft :(

It looks more like a filled vegetable soup than ratatouille xd. The Jicama looks interesting, but I'd imagine it's pretty hard to get for an european like me. I'll look more into it though cause something with Pachyrhizus erosus as its latin name must be sex ;o.

 

[Bughouse]

I love that everyone here loves Good Eats (I'm actually watching it right now).

Fun fact: I grew up in a northern suburb of Atlanta. My family would sometimes do grocery shopping at a store called Harry's (now a Whole Foods). This was a filming location for the show, and, yes, I was there on a filming day once :)

 

[MikeDawg]

My boyfriend and I are trying to learn how to cook, because neither of us has cooked before, and we will be living together outside of a dorm, etc. It's problematic, because he is super busy with work this summer. I'm not busy, but I don't have any monies to buy ingredients and the like for practice.

We did manage to make one thing:

http://www.food.com/recipe/creamy-cajun-chicken-pasta-39087

It took 2 hours instead of 25 minutes, but oh my god was it good. It was easy too! We 1.5x it, because we were cooking for 3. Very highly recommended recipe :) It's probably just because we made so much more, but dont be afraid to add a bit more cajun spice to the chicken than they suggest. The cream really absorbs it.

 

[Clefairy]

http://myfridgefood.com/ Extremely useful website if you're going to cook something but you don't know what

anyways do any of you have recommendations of something nice to cook for someone that isn't that experienced at cooking things?

 

[WhiteDMist]

It looks more like a filled vegetable soup than ratatouille xd. The Jicama looks interesting, but I'd imagine it's pretty hard to get for an european like me. I'll look more into it though cause something with Pachyrhizus erosus as its latin name must be sex ;o.

Jicama was mostly crunchy, and had a slight sweet flavor (tasted like a potato with hints of apple and texture of a pear). Ratatouille IS a vegetable stew btw, but I do prefer it with more sauce since it goes with rice, so I chose not to reduce the liquid own. Look in the fresh produce aisle and pick a random veggie that you've never had and play with it :P

http://myfridgefood.com/ Extremely useful website if you're going to cook something but you don't know what

anyways do any of you have recommendations of something nice to cook for someone that isn't that experienced at cooking things?

Pasta and noodles are pretty easy in general to prepare. You can add most things to it that you have in stock, and can even eat it as is with only a few extras (oil, cheese, and lemon zest). Vermicelli noodles are also really easy to make, as you simply soak the noodles in boiling water and then flavor it however you like. Tbh, a lot of starch items make a simply base to start from. Most everyone loves potatoes, which are a blank canvas that are easy to handle, and really absorb flavor well. Potatoes can be cooked in a mildly short time, and if you overcook them, you can just mash them. IMO sauces are crucial to make most dishes flourish, and even basic ones (oil, lemon, salt, and pepper for example) can improve a dish significantly.

 

[Bughouse]

http://myfridgefood.com/ Extremely useful website if you're going to cook something but you don't know what

anyways do any of you have recommendations of something nice to cook for someone that isn't that experienced at cooking things?

this is very easy and tasty

Hide

1 extra large sweet potato (or 2 med/large ones)
1 onion
1 lime
1 15 oz can black beans
Small corn or wheat tortillas
avocado (if the store has a ripe one)
1 medium jar (think like a bit bigger than what jelly comes in) of GOOD ie fancy looking salsa - this is a total cheater ingredient when it comes to fast flavor
cilantro if you like it (some hate the taste... Genetics man!)
Cumin

Cube the sweet potato(es), which is pretty easy knife wise
Halve onion and slice down through to get strips
Place onions and sweet potato on sheet pan and add oil, salt, pepper, and cumin
Roast til done at 350... I think (sorry lol I forget the time, but just check when sweet potato is soft, not mush)
Strain black beans (the juices in the can are pretty bitter)
Place beans and whole jar of salsa in pot on stove medium heat
Stir occasionally
Cook til most all liquid is gone, if you cook liquid down too fast (ie oven stuff isn't done yet), add water
Add cilantro into beans at very end and stir if you like it
Slice avocado and squeeze lime juice on it and sprinkle a touch of salt
Shove all the stuff in tacos (best if warmed beforehand, do it in microwave separated by paper towels)
Gorge, 3 or 4 per person should be plenty

 

[Force Majeure]

I was a terrible cook until i met my boyfriend, and I still find myself making silly mistakes, especially with spices. I still don't trust myself with cinnamon. But I do know a couple of easy meals. Here's one.

We had tuna steak, rice, and steamed asparagus last night. It's a really good meal bc it takes about 30 minutes if you have three burners. The bf made this a lot when we first started dating and it's really great regardless of skill level because it's easy and isn't overly spice/seasoning reliant.

Rice
I like it with basmati rice bc it's so light and fluffy and asparagus is a pretty dense veg. Rinse the rice several times and give it plenty of time to fluff up off the heat. Follow the instructions on the bag, use a small pot with a lid. You can kind of do the same thing with more glutinous rice but regardless throw in a couple of cardamom pods; you'll thank me later.

Asparagus
If you don't have a steamer pot, get one. I do steamed asparagus a little oddly but i think it's pretty good. A lot of people serve asparagus with a béchamel or mornay sauce but it's pretty heavy in the summer.

Put the asparagus in a big bowl and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil; some of it will fall off but i find that it keeps the asparagus somewhat stiffer so that you don't have overly-limp asparagus. Salt the asparagus pretty lightly; i also do a little tiny bit of pepper once it's close to being done. You only need to fill the bottom part of the pot about 1/4 full thanks to gas laws. Highish heat. It takes about 25 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus. I like thin asparagus, the bf likes thick asparagus. :(

Tuna Steaks
The fish is the best part; start it ten minutes after the asparagus. I can find them on sale for $5.99/lb occasionally which is pretty nice. I like mine pretty, pretty, pretty rare so you might want to add on a minute or two/three tops. Overcooking is much more tragic so keep an eye on it or you'll have fish-flavored leather. Here are the steps:

1) heat a couple of tablespoons of oil (i prefer grapeseed but olive oil is nice) in a pan. Make sure the steak's dry. Salt it with half a teaspoon of salt or more if you want; it lived in the ocean so it's already p salty.
2) cook it for 5 minutes on one side, medium-high heat. You get one flip and one flip only. Resist the urge to flip early. Don't even peek. Have faith. This is the side that will face down/not be pretty but if you move it around it'll get ragged and might break apart while it's cooking.
3) flip the steaks quickly and assertively. You might lose a little bit off of the bottom; such is life. 2 minutes on the other side. After they're done get them out of the oil ASAP.
4) let it sit for a few. Little bit of lemon juice.i garnishedwith purslane bc it's growing all over the spaces between the tomato/pepper cages. Cilantro or Italian parsley is really great.

Drinks
I'd do a white wine (Riesling) or some type of rosé (even though I think rosé is a bit passé) but alcohol is the wicked opponent of gainz so it's usually lemon juice + water or cucumber + water. It was lemon last night.

I put quite a bit more effort into this post than I anticipated.

 

[Nosferalto]

Protein cookie/pancake:

Ingredients:

4 egg whites
2 whole eggs
Vanilla extract
Almond Milk
Banana
Cinnamon
Oats
Stevia or sweetener of your choice

This is the dough. You mix these together and blend them until you get a smooth texture. Should be a bit thick.

Then add some chocolate chips. I like dark chocolate ones half sweetened and mix them in the dough. Throw them in a pan covered in cooking spray and cook it until it's golden brown on both sides.

I then put some natural peanut butter on top.

 

[Bughouse]

Plum tart for my dad's birthday

Crust was pretty thin on the bottom. Hoping it stays together.

 

[gvmgvm40]

http://myfridgefood.com/ Extremely useful website if you're going to cook something but you don't know what

anyways do any of you have recommendations of something nice to cook for someone that isn't that experienced at cooking things?

I like vegetable soups personally. It's quick and easy to make, customizable, healthy and filling. Basically take whatever vegetables you have in the fridge (potatoes, carrots, aubergines, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, squash, celery, peas, beans... whatever) and chop them up. Fill a pot 1/3 with water and add the vegetables. Sprinkle some olive oil over it. Add salt and whatever spices you have laying around. If you have sauces, broth or store bought soups add it, otherwise even plain tomato paste does fine. Boil for about 20-30 mins, stirring the pot every 5 mins. If you have chicken, chopped/ground meat, pasta or rice left you can also add those. Experiment with different stuff, you can't really go wrong.

 

[Fluke]

Improvised yesterday, which resulted into these insanely awesome pancakes. Thought of sharing the -basic but golden- recipe.

standard pancake ingredients:
250 grams of flour
2 eggs
500 milliliters of milk
some butter to bake with

with:
a handful of bacon dices
one or two sips of your favorite beer
a small handful of grated cheese
a small handful of crumbled pecans/walnuts

Just add those last four to your mixture and stir and bake like you normally would. De-li-cious.

 

[Hogg]

I love cooking - I do all the cooking for my family, which means making dinner at least five nights a week. My wife is vegetarian, so most of what I cook is as well (I mostly eat vegetarian myself, with occasional fish or poultry).

Last night I made a simple soup with rice, peppers and poached duck eggs in a miso-butter broth. Pretty easy, and made mostly of pantry ingredients and what I scraped together from the fridge (my wife brought home a bunch of duck eggs from a co-worker recently, so they've been featured heavily in our meals). I sautéed onion, garlic and green pepper in olive oil with a little bit of cumin, coriander seed and chili. Then I added half a cup of rice, a quart of stock, a star anise and a bay leaf. Simmered until rice was cooked, then I whisked a tablespoon of red miso paste and a knob of butter with a ladleful of the broth, whisked the mixture back into the broth, and popped in a couple of duck eggs to poach before serving. It all came together in half an hour, including prep, which isn't too bad for a weekday meal.

I took a couple of culinary classes in high school, and a couple of years ago I won a recipe contest put on by Pacific Foods and got to spend a week at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa as the prize. That said, I'm not really interested in restaurant work - I don't think I'd like cooking in a restaurant environment. I've definitely thought about doing personal chef work or running classes, though.

 

[Milhau5]

It's not technically cooking, but these hors'douvres (fuck did I spell it right?) are a hit with everyone that's had them so far, and I promise you will nab that first-date kiss.

1. Get "Fire Roasted Tomato and Olive Oil" triscuits. Cannot be any other flavor. It tastes weird with any other flavor of cracker.
2. Top with slices of mozzarella cheese (buy and slice up a mozzarella ball, don't use the kind of moz that goes on pizza).
3. Then top crackers with a slice of fresh avocado.
4. Add a dash of sriracha to each cracker..
Very yummy, and you can appear to be fancy on a budget

 

[Reisen]

I'm not a great cooker BUT cooking desserts is my passion.

What I can share is some cupcakes I've made recently for my friends:

Hide

This is basic cupcake with strawberry flavor. I always make mine with yogurt.

Also more older, I've made some with pistachios instead of strawberry:

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I love making cupcakes because as I said I'm not a great cooker but I have imagination. With desserts most of the time you can create your own stuff that's what I really enjoy in making cupcakes.
Also the preparation is really easy, you just need cupcake molds.

I can also make cakes and other desserts I should take pictures of them now !

 

[His Eminence Lord Poppington II]

some pasta sauces / recipes

- raw beaten eggs + cheese = carbonara. just make sure you take the pasta off the heat before you add the mixture in. this is so the eggs don't scramble.
- fried capers + smoked salmon. this one's really easy, just drain and wash some capers off, deep fry them and pat dry with paper towel, set aside. cut salmon into bite sized pieces. boil pasta, and fry off garlic then mix in pan. toss in capers and salmon and garnish with olive oil.
- onion + garlic in a hot pan with a bit of olive oil, once they start browning add some butter, then some white whine and reduce to about 1/2 and that's a sick sauce. goes best with seafood.
- pesto + milk is another simple one that goes well with almost any kind of pasta.