Hobbies Smogon Food & Cooking Thread 2

I cook most everything because it's most always cheaper and generally tastes better. Usually only make simple things, though. I really don't like cleaning dishes.

Don't do much baking. Generally make something once a week or so, like frosted brownies or crumb cake. However, I really like making dinners, since I don't have much for breakfast/lunch and dinner is easily the most reasonably varied meal. Favorites are pizza, mac & cheese with some meat (any kind of chicken usually or more rarely some kind of steak) and a roasted vegetable (spinach being my favorite), and hamburgers. Would like to make mozzarella for the pizza from scratch, but not sure the cost/benefit of doing so...

To aid with cost (and calories, to a smaller extent--though I doubt it's by any means accurate, more than a general estimate I guess), I made a spreadsheet some time ago that lets me enter a recipe and get a price, per ingredient and per recipe. It's pretty neat.

Since I don't have any pictures of the food, here's the spreadsheet:

 

Exeggutor

twist
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been cooking a lot more lately since I'm about to move and all. I'm liking it.
made this today, meat-base pizza w/ mushrooms and ham

 
I rarely cook as I'm young, although I feel the urge to a lot. But when I do I enjoy it. I made my mom's birthday cake! :D I haven't really tried cooking actual meals yet though as I get nervous about say, burning the house down. I like to help make desserts though.


A recipe I really love is super simple and delicious. It's saltines, chocolate, caramel, and nuts. So good!

Here is the recipe from All Recipes.
 

internet

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Currently eating red kidney beans+bacon+onions which I fried together, I like just doing my own thing rather than looking up recipes online (though I do that too sometimes). The beans turned out really soft and with some salt, paprika powder, cayenne pepper and cumin it's really good.
 

AM

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I am puerto rican and live in a household where the stereotype that the grandmother owns the kitchen remains true. I dont cook but Ive wanted to learn so when I have the house to myself and feel a bit adventurous sometimes I cook.

Ive baked crusted chicken to form a sandwich. It was made with non salted saltine crackers to make the crust. I put the crackers into a plastic bag and would crush them by hand. I then put them aside and would prep egg mixed with seasoning to coat the chicken with the crust. I baked it at around 375 degrees iirc. We had baguette style bread so I used that, slightly toastedd coated slightly with olive oil. For the spread I used a blender and made a strawberry and pineapple jam to go with the sandwich. Thats probably as exotic as my cooking abilites have gone.

Pasta cooked in a pan with cheese, diced potatoes and vegetables is another although nothing particularly elaborate.

Biscuits mixed with grated cheddar cheese and cinnamon is another.
 

Martin

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I don't cook on my own initiative that much, and my family has a pretty big reliance on ready-meals due to both of my parents working in high-stress jobs, but I'm not a complete non-cook. I've made homemade pies, stews, pasta sauce and stir-fried noodles before and enjoy baking bread, cakes and cookies. I'm not that keen on curries but I've made them once or twice. Also pancakes. Probably my most consistent dish is spaghetti bolognese with little chunks of bacon in it, although that's in part because bolognese sauce is easy as f*ck to make, and I am able to get my spaghetti cooked aldente every time through a process of regular testing as it cooks

As there is a little Japanese food store that I discovered was a 5-minutes walk away recently (idk how I didn't know about it until about a month ago considering that I live in one of the main hubs for Japanese families in North London) so I've considered going down there, buying some sticky rice and attempting to make onigiri and/or sushi 'cause I like onigiri and sushi. However, I've not got around to doing it yet for various reasons.

Aside from this, I'm usually enlisted by my parents to help out when they cook meals that aren't ready meals. They usually get me to do things like chopping onions etc. so my eyes have gotten immune to it for the most part, and they've said that they trust me with a frying pan more than they trust themselves with one--meaning that the frying of things like minced beef and bacon is usually left to me. Unlike my sister I have a bit of a talent for cooking, as despite her having done substantially more cooking than me her meals are incredibly inconsistent in terms of quality (when she does it well, she far exceeds me unless its pasta (hers always comes out horrible and sticky), but when she fails she fails big time) whereas you know what to expect with mine.
 
I only know how to cook pasta >:[

but its a good dish :D
Pasta is the best dish, actually.

Alfredo sauce with artichoke, tomato, pancetta, and basically any leftover meat or fish :v Keeps reasonably well if you have leftovers: this was enough to serve four with a few servings left, I think.


Starting to get into baking. Made focaccia for a a class potluck thing, and within 10 minutes it was all but gone :v
 

Myzozoa

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Biscuits mixed with grated cheddar cheese and cinnamon is another.

do you have a recipe? or is it just like make cheddar biscuits, but add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon? either way, this sounds amazing and i will be trying to cook w/ the cheese+cinnamon flavor profile in the future.

i am usually too hungry by the time I am done cooking to take pictures.

my approach is always tailored to the complexity of the dish. I just look up a recipe online if Im unsure, but I can usually figure out how to cook things just by eating them. or just thinking about how I could make it. If it's something really difficult or new to me, I'll call my sister and ask her about what to do. Back when she lived near me I sometimes learned by cooking with her, especially for complex things, where unless you see it happen it's hard to know or even keep track of all the things if youre knew at it. Most restaurants don't do it at all like how it might be done at home.

And from a young age, my older brother, despite my reluctance and initial shittiness in the kitchen, always made me help him in the kitchen so I started by chopping vegetables and learned from there tbh. Cooking has always been a big part of my life, a source of joy, love, and good memories. as a vegetarian, it makes little sense not to home cook all the meals that you can, as the markup on veg dishes is scandalous.

I guess the stupidest/hardest thing i ever made was italian meringue as a stage of the process of making cakes from scratch. first time italian meringue is a fucking bitch and I rarely cooked sober and that didnt help. cakes turned out awesome tho.

Best thing I make? hmm, probably salad based on others' comments and just what my own favorite thing that I make is. I'm from california, that explains it. I can give you a bit of advice on how to make a good salad : A method to make any pile of lettuce/greens better: chop up some garlic and some orange slices, add them. Add some chopped bellpepper, or avocado, or rinsed canned chickpeas. w.e you have on hand tbh, the oranges and chopped garlic will dress most ingredients perfectly. The oranges become a dressing for every bite as the juice is released in your mouth. Fresh garlic is fresh garlic, you know? I need no excuse to eat it fresh when I live like 45 minutes from the 'garlic capital of the world'. If you can get cilantro thats also a great addition to the oranges and garlic. Finish with a dash flavorless/olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional). Make sure to toss the salad thoroughly so that the salt, pepper and garlic distribute.

Recently my cooking 'challenges' have come at work where I've been learning to cook meat on the fly. I've now done steak, pan-fried chicken, pork chops, boiled chicken, chorizo, ground beef, ground turkey. I don't ever fuck up, or at least not yet, I'm pretty experienced so it wasn't that difficult to pick it up. It has just been hella gross, mainly because the oven at my facility is a bitch to use, so I have to make meat without an oven and it's just bs from my perspective as a vegetarian, like I should just get to stick it in the oven, and I def shouldnt have to see it or mind it while i cook the other things, you know? it gets in the way. ps: I just try not to think about what happens when meat dethaws in cold water. the grossness is real. ima get over it tho.

if you see anywhere in this post where you can advise, especially with regards to meat, im very open.
 

AM

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do you have a recipe? or is it just like make cheddar biscuits, but add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon? either way, this sounds amazing and i will be trying to cook w/ the cheese+cinnamon flavor profile in the future.

i am usually too hungry by the time I am done cooking to take pictures.

my approach is always tailored to the complexity of the dish. I just look up a recipe online if Im unsure, but I can usually figure out how to cook things just by eating them. or just thinking about how I could make it. If it's something really difficult or new to me, I'll call my sister and ask her about what to do. Back when she lived near me I sometimes learned by cooking with her, especially for complex things, where unless you see it happen it's hard to know or even keep track of all the things if youre knew at it. Most restaurants don't do it at all like how it might be done at home.

And from a young age, my older brother, despite my reluctance and initial shittiness in the kitchen, always made me help him in the kitchen so I started by chopping vegetables and learned from there tbh. Cooking has always been a big part of my life, a source of joy, love, and good memories. as a vegetarian, it makes little sense not to home cook all the meals that you can, as the markup on veg dishes is scandalous.

I guess the stupidest/hardest thing i ever made was italian meringue as a stage of the process of making cakes from scratch. first time italian meringue is a fucking bitch and I rarely cooked sober and that didnt help. cakes turned out awesome tho.

Best thing I make? hmm, probably salad based on others' comments and just what my own favorite thing that I make is. I'm from california, that explains it. I can give you a bit of advice on how to make a good salad : A method to make any pile of lettuce/greens better: chop up some garlic and some orange slices, add them. Add some chopped bellpepper, or avocado, or rinsed canned chickpeas. w.e you have on hand tbh, the oranges and chopped garlic will dress most ingredients perfectly. The oranges become a dressing for every bite as the juice is released in your mouth. Fresh garlic is fresh garlic, you know? I need no excuse to eat it fresh when I live like 45 minutes from the 'garlic capital of the world'. If you can get cilantro thats also a great addition to the oranges and garlic. Finish with a dash flavorless/olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional). Make sure to toss the salad thoroughly so that the salt, pepper and garlic distribute.

Recently my cooking 'challenges' have come at work where I've been learning to cook meat on the fly. I've now done steak, pan-fried chicken, pork chops, boiled chicken, chorizo, ground beef, ground turkey. I don't ever fuck up, or at least not yet, I'm pretty experienced so it wasn't that difficult to pick it up. It has just been hella gross, mainly because the oven at my facility is a bitch to use, so I have to make meat without an oven and it's just bs from my perspective as a vegetarian, like I should just get to stick it in the oven, and I def shouldnt have to see it or mind it while i cook the other things, you know? it gets in the way. ps: I just try not to think about what happens when meat dethaws in cold water. the grossness is real. ima get over it tho.

if you see anywhere in this post where you can advise, especially with regards to meat, im very open.
Yeah it's really just the first line you mentioned lol. I'm sure someone who knows how to make home-made biscuits can expand on this but a portion of shredded cheddar where the biscuits are not drowning in cheese and then cinnamon, as you mentioned, should do.
 

Stallion

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Man, I thought this thread was going to be full of photos of people who are cooked, what a let down

although I guess I'll stay for the incredible sponge cake in the above post!
 

Bass

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So you know how many breakfast restaurants have something called a "Dutch Baby" or "German Pancake" that typically costs around $10? Well it turns out they are even cheaper and easier to make than traditional griddle pancakes, assuming you own a cast iron skillet:
 

WhiteDMist

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Recently my cooking 'challenges' have come at work where I've been learning to cook meat on the fly. I've now done steak, pan-fried chicken, pork chops, boiled chicken, chorizo, ground beef, ground turkey. I don't ever fuck up, or at least not yet, I'm pretty experienced so it wasn't that difficult to pick it up. It has just been hella gross, mainly because the oven at my facility is a bitch to use, so I have to make meat without an oven and it's just bs from my perspective as a vegetarian, like I should just get to stick it in the oven, and I def shouldnt have to see it or mind it while i cook the other things, you know? it gets in the way. ps: I just try not to think about what happens when meat dethaws in cold water. the grossness is real. ima get over it tho.

if you see anywhere in this post where you can advise, especially with regards to meat, im very open.
I mean, you can always slice the meat more easily if it's partially thawed, so you can dethaw it safely in the fridge instead of cold running water. Ofc, this is coming from a Asian style of cooking, where meat dishes are meant to be eaten family style, so has to be bite sized. That said, have you experimented with making tougher cuts of meat, like shoulder or chuck? Slow braising is a pretty simple thing to test out if you haven't!
 

ant

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chocolate Sauce, Cream and almond praline on top
i edited your post cause pic was broken. that looks amazing man

anyway, I've recently become a pescetarian (basically a vegetarian but I still consume sea food because I consider it to be very important for the organism and it's delicious...), and I live in a country where beef is basically the main ingredient to EVERYTHING, and basically what AM said

I am puerto rican and live in a household where the stereotype that the grandmother owns the kitchen remains true.
remains true for almost every latino (though it's my aunt, not grandma). just when i learned how to -decently- cook, I decided to make this change, so I had to learn everything from 0. it's very hard to get different recipes that don't include meat... especially getting recipes that have affordable or easy to get ingredients :(

shitty pics because my phone camera is broken

making brown rice risotto: http://i.imgur.com/wSif8tR.jpg
how it looked at the end: http://i.imgur.com/2562Y9q.jpg
lentils soup by aunt: http://i.imgur.com/JSJGxsO.jpg
corn empanadas cause i love latin food: http://i.imgur.com/YHbdq0M.jpg
stereotypical flan made by mom: http://i.imgur.com/U4iMCm8.jpg


i also love baking but no pics of that atm
 

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