Culinary - Misc

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

What Is Here

This page is dedicated to small culinary life hacks, tips, tricks and more.

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Time how long to boil 1 and 2 cups cold water from tap
- Put in pot
- Set on high heat
  - Run tests for both covered and uncovered
- Time how long to boil
Check boiling things at 1/2, 2/3 and 3/4 time marks
Focus on “simmer” for n minutes starches
- Once simmering, pretty hands off
- “ancient” and “whole” grains are all 15 - 45 minute simmer times
Yogurt that’s “fancy” but cheap and not heavy on processed ingredients
- Plain, unsweetened yogurt (2 big spoon fulls)
- Honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup (1 tablespoon ish)
- Preserves or jam (1 tablespoon ish)
- Fruit if desired
- Nuts if desired
Frozen fruit will defrost in 8 - 12 hours in the fridge
- Put paper towel in container to prevent water logging and mushy texture
- Mason jars are a good container for this use case
Wild rice + long grain rice blends take 40+ minutes to simmer hands off
- Good low effort nutrition
- Bullion, broth, and spices can add significant flavor and savoriness
You can cook rice and chicken together in a rice cooker
- Search the internet for techniques
- Ensure the chicken gets to the appropriate temperature prior to eating
Vegetables like spinach, kale and frozen corn can be cooked in rice directly. Just add it to the pot with the rice and cook per standard methods.
Spinach and Rice
- Add spinach to your rice and cook normally
- Saute onion then add rice + spinach + water for additional flavor
- Add lemon juice and olive oil when serving for a savory but bright meal
Quinoa has a good, mild “nutty” flavor that skews neutral
- Good filler for adding carbs and texture
- Is a good addition to tuna salad and similar dishes
Toasting grains / nuts / etc
- Can be skipped in all but the rarest circumstances
- Best toasted in non stick pan
- If the food being toasted has a richer smell and / or darker color, the toasting is done
Low brain, low spoons, flavorful rice
- Rinse rice (optional)
- Add 1 tbsp to pot
- Medium heat until frothy (optional, melt minimum ; sub olive/canola/sunflower oil for vegan)
- Add rice
- Stir/mix until rice turns translucent
- Add water
- Bring to boil uncovered
- Reduce to simmer
- Cover
- Wait recommended amount of cook time (usually 20 or 40 minutes and 5 minute rest)
Sunflower oil…
- Has a mild flavor that goes well with sauteed vegetables, can be better for cooking than canola or olive oil
- Is considered a healthy oil
- Works as a butter substitute for popcorn
Olive oil works as a dressing in many context. Can be a good addition for dry foods.
Vinegar comes in many varieties, each having its own flavor profile. This can be a good dressing option.
Honey + Sumac makes a sweet yet savory dip for proteins like chicken or pork
Simple baked protein with seasoning
- Coat meat in olive oil (less is more)
- Dust with preferred spices on both sides
- Bake at 350 Fahrenheit until meat reaches safe temperature
Eggs can be microwaved safely
- Search the internet for more details
- Results in fluffy eggs
- May be good alternative to adding dairy to scrambled eggs
Non steel cut oats (quick, rolled, 1 minute, 5 minute) are great carb treats from the microwave
- Add honey, agave nectar or maple syrup to make it properly sweet
- Add fruit, jam, preserves or similar for flavor
Steel cut oats can be a good “hands off” base
- The simmer for at least half an hour
- One the risk of froth forming is past they simmer untouched (after the first ~10 minutes)
- They can be refrigerated for 5 - 7 days per the internet
There are a variety of forms of lentil and it can be a good addition for nutritional needs
Frozen fish fillets
- Bake easily when thawed
- Coat in olive oil and dust with spices
- Cook 15 - 30 minutes until the center reaches safe temperature
Steamed Vegetables
- 1 inch (ish) water at bottom of pot
- Add vegetables (can be frozen)
- Bring to boil
- Cover
- Simmer until complete (check at 5 minute intervals)
Cous Cous - fast, thoughtless (gluten / wheat warning)
- 2:1 water ratio
- Boil water
- Remove from head
- Stir in cous cous
- Let sit ~5 minutes until water absorbed
- Eat
- Can use broth, stock instead of water
- Can add sauteed vegetable and spices to finished mix
Seeds and nuts for bulk
- Great for adding calories to meals
- Great in yogurt, salad and other cold meals
Easy Teriyaki sauce
- Soy sauce (low sodium)
- Honey
- Ginger (fresh or powdered)
- Fresh ground pepper
- Mustard powder (small amount ; optional)
- Up ginger for bite
- Up honey for sweet
- Up soy sauce for savory and salty
- Mustard for after bite
- You do not need much as it’s a thin sauce that is absorbed into a stir fry, rice and other ingredients
- This works as a salad dressing too
Granola recipes tend to be oats, honey and fruit mixed then baked on a parchment lined sheet
- This may be a good, low brain option
- The recipes ask you to mix the ingredients which can get “heavy” enough to be an issue for some
Jerky
- Is surprisingly low thought
- Can be made with ground meat
- Can be made with fish
- Needs a low temp oven or dehydrator
- Will smell up kitchen or whole floor depending
- Use marinades overnight for flavor
- Can roll out ground meats and slice into strips like cookie dough
- Takes 4 - 12 hours untouched
Dehydration, canning and fermentation can be helpful for some food prep and storage though the up front learning curves may be high
You can add spices directly to the water grains simmer in. If toasting, add spices when toasting for added flavor
You do not have to use “official” water ratios for grains like rice, quinoa, barley and others that hold shape like pasta
- You can just cook them in an excess of water until tender
- Drain like pasta when cooked to desired tenderness
- This does not apply to
  - Amaranth
  - Oats (any style)
  - Cous Cous
Use an electric kettle to heat water ahead of need
- Best for gas stoves that take a long time to boil water
- Use if you “bring to a boil” in a recipe
Some large pots come with baskets for steaming or boiling
- May be able to get generic one for helping with lifts and getting ingredients transferred to a strainer
Peeling
- Some folks prefer peelers
- Some folks prefer paring knives
- Both are valid and use different motions – one may be more valid than the other depending on your individual biology
Rice cookers and pressure cookers are valid options for cooking meat
Boiling meat is valid
Look for “chicken and rice one pot” online for easy chicken and rice meals. This also works for other proteins.
Slow cooker recipes can usually be simplified
- Can sometimes be turned into “one pot” styled meals
Instant Pot
- Can saute, boil, steam and pressure cook
- It’s a whole kitchen as a single pot
- This is akin to having a hot plate but more flexible
- Can be a huge help for not having to fight standing at a stove top
- Put on floor and sit to cook is valid
  - Do not use on carpet or similar
  - No flammable flooring is valid for use
Box meal recipes…
- Tend to be simple and straight forward overall
- Flavorful
- Healthier than processed foods
- Worth reviewing for ideas
- Sour cream sauces tend to be straight forward and fast to make
- Wine sauces are tasty with a bite
- Jam sauces are usually savory sweet
Stuffed peppers, cabage, grape leaves and similar…
- Are usually just ground beef (can be subbed), onion, spice and maybe rice as a filling
- Can be adjusted if needed or desired
- Are cooked for long periods in a hands off manner after assembly
- Can be frozen
- Reheat well
Brown rice is…
- Far more nutritious than brown rice
- Can be substituted for white rice except in rare circumstances
- Reheats better than white rice
Fresh baked bread freezes safely
Fruit juices freeze reasonably well
- Use ice cube trays for portion control
Baby red and fingerling potatoes can be added to soup and stew whole usually
Frozen vegetables can be added – frozen – to soup, stew, slow cooker, baked and other recipes except in rare situations
Wild rice…
- Is a separate plant species from rice
- Is more nutritious than brown rice
- Is very filling
- Has a 3:1 water ratio (ish)
Ethnic foods skew “one pot” and can be surprisingly straight forward to cook
Most one pot meals and carbs can be judged for “doneness” by smell, using more than a timer in cooking is very valid
Broiled vegetables
- Zucchini, squash, potato, asparagus, carrot, etc
- Cut into larger / thick slices or chunks
- Toss in olive oil and spices
- Under broiler or bake until tender
- This cooks quickly, rarely more than 5 minutes in a broiler and 10 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit
High end steak houses generally use broilers and salamanders to cook their overpriced slabs of meat they sell
- You can do this at home
- Coat in olive oil + Dust with spices
- Bake / broil until safe to eat at desired “doneness”
Ghee (if obtainable) is a great fat to use for toasting rice, it adds a richness that you can’t get from other fats
Spice blend packets and “rubs” tend to list the main spices used (and other crap). You can usually recreate these using component spices
- The internet has good starting points
- Requires a lot of trial and error
- Can be helpful for avoiding filler like “corn meal” (yes… that’s in a common brand’s taco seasoning mix)
There are “no soak beans” pressure cooker recipes that simplify the process of making beans
Any ground cooking can be a danger to yourself, children, pets, etc
- Related to cooking on the ground sitting being valid
Adding variety, not complexity
- Meal prep only base ingredients, not full meals (if able)
- Keep things unseasoned, add when reheating
Low Brain Tricks
- Stick to 5 - 6 “staple recipes” that can be made on auto pilot and provide foundational nutrition
- Find 12 staples that can be varied over time and swap one staple for another over time so food doesn’t feel highly rigid or templated
Recipe development
- Find 6 existing recipes that are “close”
- Look for the minimum of common ingredients
  - protein
  - carb base
  - vegetables
  - spices
- Make the minimum version
- Add spices from recipes to fill flavor profile to your preferences

Ways to cook grains

Sat, 25 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Techniques

There are a number of common ways to cook grains

Cooking them with extra water so they are more like porridge
Cooking them really runny like cream of wheat (maybe with coconut milk or something if you don’t have other milks in house)
Adding sugar and coconut milk (and eggs) a la rice pudding
Making congee - a savory rice porridge with chicken (or other) stock. A tonne of variations of flavors from here, once you start thinking savory
And also salads, like tabouli salad but swapping in other grains, quinoa is really nice I know for sure, haven’t tried amaranth

Culinary on accessible.tips

Culinary - Misc

What Is Here

Uncategorized

Ways to cook grains

The Techniques