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Cooking Questions 4: More questions about cookery


MisterOJ

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But it's so easy and really nice for the summer since it doesn't heat up the whole house. I cook whole chickens, pork loin, turkey, soup stock, bowls of brown, or just easy, juicy chicken breasts. For meat, just chop up some onion, put the meat on top of it, surround it with cut up potatoes, carrots, celery, etc... season with salt, pepper, and any other spices and in 4-8 hours you have an entire meal, ready to eat.

Well, right, that's the thing. I pretty much just cook vegetarian, so it's not like I'm making meat with lots of connective tissue and shit that's appropriate for a slow cooker. (That's what I think I read it was good for, anyway. Not chicken breasts. It doesn't take any time at all to cook a damn chicken breast as it is.)

Thank you Deedles! If I can pull this off I am going to be totally unbearable around the office. (Unofficial what-did-you-make-for-dinner-contest-winner)

ARGH! The beans man! The beans! Prep the night before, refridgerate right in the ceramic part of the crock pot. Pull out in the morning, put it back in the heating thingie and turn it on. Your lovely warm dinner will be ready for you when you get home.

I love mine. It's like having a husband without all the backtalk.

But I can just cook beans in a pot!

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Is THAT what a husband is supposed to provide? I've been doing it wrong.

:lol: Any husband of MINE would provide piles of it.

And cook dinner sometimes when I have to work until 10.

Well, right, that's the thing. I pretty much just cook vegetarian, so it's not like I'm making meat with lots of connective tissue and shit that's appropriate for a slow cooker. (That's what I think I read it was good for, anyway. Not chicken breasts. It doesn't take any time at all to cook a damn chicken breast as it is.)

But I can just cook beans in a pot!

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/slow-cooker/vegetarian-slow-cooker/

http://ohmyveggies.com/50-vegetarian-slow-cooker-recipes/

And they're so cheap. Like $20-$30 or free from people who don't use them.

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I'm getting butternut squash today from my CSA. What do I do with it? I've never cooked with it and don't even really know how to prep it.

Also, I'm not supposed to use a good knife on thick rinded squash like this, right? Can I use my old Victorinox?

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Well, right, that's the thing. I pretty much just cook vegetarian, so it's not like I'm making meat with lots of connective tissue and shit that's appropriate for a slow cooker. (That's what I think I read it was good for, anyway. Not chicken breasts. It doesn't take any time at all to cook a damn chicken breast as it is.)

What's nice for chicken breasts is that it's easy and you can cook veggies/potatoes at the same time. You can also use the water left over for gravy. Chop it up and prepare in the morning or night before, turn it on before work, come home, make gravy, and you have a complete chicken dinner. Whole chickens basically fall apart doing this, but like you said, there are other options if you have an hour in your evening free.

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Ini. some people split the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, then place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until tender, which is at least 1/2 an hour. I don't do that, so I'm not sure of the time. Scoop out the squash and mash with butter or margarine or whatever you use. I have an old knife that has been sharpened many times and cut off pieces of the squash and peel, seed and cube. Mashed butternut squash with a little brown sugar and nutmeg is lovely, but I usually buy butternut squash to make soup. Soften a chopped onion or two (depending on size), some minced garlic, in EVOI and/or butter (or whatever you use), add the chopped squash and a carton of vegetable broth or chicken broth (home made stuff if you have it) and cook until tender. I often add a diced apple as well. Once tender, blend in a blender or with an immersion blender.



For those who don't worry about calories, a cup or so of half and half added at the end makes the soup lovely. Actually, I just splash some in, probably not a cup. Some add milk instead, and some people do not add any dairy, it still tastes good. Salt and pepper to taste (the broth may be salty enough) and if you like curry, add curry powder to taste. Start with half a teaspoon and work up if desired.




ETA: A roasted squash recipe. Uses sage, other recipes use ginger. http://www.chow.com/recipes/30466-roasted-butternut-squash-soup


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I'm getting butternut squash today from my CSA. What do I do with it? I've never cooked with it and don't even really know how to prep it.

Also, I'm not supposed to use a good knife on thick rinded squash like this, right? Can I use my old Victorinox?

Make this. It's an awesome soup. I'm gonna warn you, cutting butternut is as much fun as cutting sweet potatoes and even more fun to peel.

Edit: Whoops, I used way more butternut squash and fewer potatoes.

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Butternut squash and sweet potato is a great base for a curry too. Sweat down an onion, add a load of minced garlic and ginger, add the veggies and fry for a few minutes. Add turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, some cloves and a cinnamon stick and fry for a minute or so. Add chopped tomatoes and stir for maybe 5 minutes til broken down a bit, add a desert spoon of natural yogurt and incorporate, and repeat three or four times to taste. Let simmer for maybe fifteen minutes. Add a bunch of chopped coriander and maybe some garam masala. Serve with rice or naan.

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These sound delicious.

Could someone break down a template, rather than a specific recipe, for making vegetable stock? I was going to make some the other day, and then I didn't, because I didn't have the leeks the recipe called for. I'm pretty sure it didn't matter at all that I didn't have leeks, but I don't really have a handle on the mechanics. If I had a guide like "take 1 pound of root vegetables and something something boiling water" that would help a lot. I also don't really know how to store/freeze/thaw it or how to use it from a frozen state.

I never cared that much before because I didn't have that much call for it, but lately almost everything I'm making needs it and I am tired of buying $3 cartons of it that you guys all say suck compared to the real thing.

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I also don't really know how to store/freeze/thaw it or how to use it from a frozen state.

It depends on how much room you have in your freezer but I generally store it stacked in plastic freezer containers like these:

http://www.amazon.com/Arrow-Plastic-1-Quart-Freezer-Containers/dp/B000BOBWVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408655621&sr=8-1&keywords=quart+freezer+containers

If you don't want to purchase too many freezer containers, you can also freeze it in a container to get a shape to it, pop it out like an ice cube, and then put it in a freezer bag.

If you plan in advance you can always take the frozen stock out in advance and let it defrost but I generally just put the frozen stock in a pot and defrost/heat it up as I'm making the dish its going in.

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OK... Go ahead and call me a heretic, but I will use cheese with seafood in a few dishes. Here are some good examples of how it can be delicious.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/02/fish-and-cheese_n_5417507.html

Thanks for that. Lobster Mac and cheese and lobster grilled cheese were two exceptions that came to mind. Plus I like some cotijas (just a little) on fish tacos. And then mushrooms.stuffed with crab and cream cheese.

I don't care for it but apparently lox and.schmear on a bagel is also very popular.

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Ini, what is the perfect answer? :)

Vegetable stock is something I never make, because if I am making vegetable soup I just take vegetables and add water.

That it's basically water (start with cold) with roughly chopped onions, celery, and carrots, plus herbs and spices like bay leaf, thyme, rosemary etc. Also that you could adapt it to particular cuisines by adding more stuff -- star anise and ginger for Asian cuisine, say, or red pepper and cumin for Mexican food. Also that I can sauté the veggies for a few minutes if I want for color and flavor.

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It depends on how much room you have in your freezer but I generally store it stacked in plastic freezer containers like these:

http://www.amazon.com/Arrow-Plastic-1-Quart-Freezer-Containers/dp/B000BOBWVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408655621&sr=8-1&keywords=quart+freezer+containers

If you don't want to purchase too many freezer containers, you can also freeze it in a container to get a shape to it, pop it out like an ice cube, and then put it in a freezer bag.

If you plan in advance you can always take the frozen stock out in advance and let it defrost but I generally just put the frozen stock in a pot and defrost/heat it up as I'm making the dish its going in.

We use leftover plastic containers from yogurt, sour cream, and other similarly sized objects for freezing squash, corn, beans, etc. Maybe we will get cancer or something from them but I like to be able to reuse stuff rather than use new resources.

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We use leftover plastic containers from yogurt, sour cream, and other similarly sized objects for freezing squash, corn, beans, etc. Maybe we will get cancer or something from them but I like to be able to reuse stuff rather than use new resources.

I reuse those too but in my refrigerator for leftovers I'm not freezing. (And my mom constantly sends me over leftovers in those containers.) But I like the square containers (or shape) for freezing long term because I can stack them and squeeze more in my freezer than round shapes.
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