Anyone do much of it?

I can do simple stuff, putting pies in the oven, vegetables ready, cooking chops, saussies etc etc, I can do a full sunday lunch, but don't do much "proper" cooking, ie: preparing stuff from a recipe.

Last night I did a moussaka. By the time I finished, I had dirtied 4 pans, a tray, used the chip fryer, and cooked the moussaka in a casserole dish. It took best part of 45 minutes to prepare.

Admittedly, it was nice, and there's enough left for me and the wife to eat tonight too, but was it worth the effort? The jury is out.

So...........how many on here prepare "proper" meals? And how often? Any tips for what's worth doing and not easy to **** up?

 

I like to when I have the time - generally only fri night or over the weekend. I find it quite theraputic to have a nice glass of wine whilst cooking something from scratch and do it together with the mrs. If its just me by myself I cant be bothered.

Easy things to try are soups. Cheap to make, dont require much attention and warming during the colder months we are soon approaching. One of my faves is french onion soup made with white wine and large garlic croutons with melted gruyere cheese on top. Loverly.

I must admit I do like a good lasagne but tbh the Dolmio sauces with a few additions make a lovely lasagne in no time at all. Best tip is to top with a mix of grated cheddar and chunky breadcrumbs which give a nice crunch when baked.

Another fave is potato dauphonoise as a side - although the mrs loves it so much shed eat it on its own. Plenty of garlic, fresh salt n pepper, gruyere cheese (again), lashings of double cream. Layered with very fine (otherwise takes ages to cook unless you part/pre cook spuds) slices of potato. Oh yes!

Simon

 

Nope

I let Nat do anything like that as I eat very poorly (imagine one of those freeky eater type syndromes off BBC3), so wouldn't eat anything I prepared. Haven't the foggiest how to cook a sunday lunch, usually rely on processed crap in the oven and chips

I eat sandwiches sometimes too, if that counts as healthy eating Jeff

 

OK..... I admit I can cook , bake cakes and make pies lol....... I make a mean chicken curry from scratch too :P

 

I cook most nights for us, strange but I find cooking in the kitchen relaxing after a day at work. I'm certainly not masterchef but the sorts of things that I cook are typically hearty bloke food like casseroles and stews with big flavours. I can't do puddings and I'm not too good with fish which although I love, I find hard to cook as it's so delicate.

The wife & kids seem to like what I cook and you know how fickle little ones can be!

Best advice I would give is to go with simple recipies and follow them. Books like Ken Hom's hot wok and the first couple of Jamie Oliver books are fairly easy to follow. Hot and Spicy by Linda Fraser is another of my favourites although a little more complicated to follow.

As to what's easy to do and hard to mess up... Try one of the Jamie Oliver risottos but make sure you stir it

 

I can do a pretty good casserole...it started off veggie but since being single I've added chicken, am tempted to try beef too. If I'm honest, it's waaaay too much hassle and I can't be arsed! It's the prep and the aftermath I can't do with, and there's no satisfaction in cooking for one...and I keep forgetting to go shopping

[heads out to forage for lesser spotted pizza]

 

I'm a crap cook, and as I live by myself, I'm never going to improve as I don't have to. Haven't poisoned my self yet though.

 

I love cooking, love cooking beef cassarole, sausage cassarole,cottage pie, chicken tikka and sunday roasts

 

As in a lesbian

 

I bet you do

 

processed crap Blimey something simple to cook and only takes a few mins is pasta on ya plate mix it in with the sauce,then i usually like to grate some fresh cheese on top and let the cheese melt into the pasta.MMMMMMMMM Lovely....

 

Me and the Mrs buy them Lloyd Grosman pasta sauces from Asda (when they're on offer anyways) and that combined with a bit of her own spice rack make a lovely pasta! Naturally with some processed chicken crap.

Actually, tonight we puched the boat out. We went to Morrisons (yes I know - oober expensive but good meat) and bought some diced pork and diced turkey booby. That as a curry with one of the Asda brand (not smart price, the one above) madras sauces was really good too. No veg = win for Andy

 

I usually cook loads once every few weeks and freeze it so we've always got something ready. Don't fancy coming home from work to start cooking!!

 

I love to cook, always have done from a little lad watching my mum in the kitchen and the love of cooking has developed from there. There isnt anything I wouldnt try or have tried..okay scratch that...I think I attempted a wierd mousakka thing years ago and it was a friggin disaster.

That aside, after a long day working, battling the traffic home, the only thing I want to do is chuck a ready made pie in the oven, some veg on and plonk myself on the sofa. It isnt made easy by the fact my other half is a veggie so sometimes we end up making two meals

But when I have the time and the inclination, then the favourites come out. Sausages with horseradish fluffy mash and onion gravy..yum, I make a mean chilli con carni, the type that would make chuck norris weap , curries are my special and I can rustle up a fab apple and cinnamon pie complete with decorated leaves and berries on the top

If you want to see or listen to a true chef on SN, then ask the guys in the photography section esp sti-frenchie

Saying that, I think Dave or Sky are doing a quick and easy series from some mad aussie woman who only use 4 ingredients with every dish..might be worth a punt

 

1/2 my problem is my kitchen aint big enough to swing a cat in!!

Hopefully I'll get up to a mates place this year for the deer cull. In which case I will enjoy the whole cooking thing, but every meal for the next 6 months will be venison everything!!

 

Never bothered cooking before I was married, but now that there's five of us it makes a lot more sense. Over the last few years I've got quite a lot better, cook everything from scratch now as it tastes so much better. Never buy ready made sauces.

 

I really enjoy cooking although I mostly cook Asian food - Thai, Indian, Chinese - from the basic ingredients so I will make all the spices and sauces from scratch. Use fresh vegetables (OK I don't make my own coconut milk or cream).

It is worth it as the flavours are yummy.

I also love dishes with rice - so risottos and my favourite chilli made with a secret ingredient (it is not that secret it is a couple of lumps of very dark chocolate - or even now I have 100% pure chocolate which is very bitter but very smooth - it adds a whole new and authentic flavour to South American and Mexican cooking).

 

I always thought that cooking was the act of applying heat to food to make it nicer to eat! Takes a bit of practice to get it right though.

Les

 

I like cooking and do it when I can. As above I will use pre-made ingredients for things like lasagne as the effort and time to create a white sauce is disproportionately high.

My wife is Polish so I do the 'English' things (Sunday Roast etc..) and she will cook lots of soups, perogi and other nice things.

Steve

 

I love eating all the time... I can eat fatpeoplefood and not get fat enit but I generally try to cook healthy when I can.

My speciality is getting a big oven tray, drizzle of olive oil on bottom, sliced potatoes, whatever veg I can get hold of, then any meat I have layed on top, some more veg, soy sauce and a bit of seasoning. Cover the tray with foil and make a small pocket on top with a few holes then slow cook for 1.5 hours at gas mark 160ish then put food on plate and enjoy.

 

You need to change your preparation technique..... kill the cat first, stir fry anyone ?

dunx

P.S. I'm joking, honest....

 

That is disgusting!!

I suggest you try...

BEER ROASTED CAT
1 cat cut into roast
1 can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cube of beef bouillon
1 clove of garlic
1 Fine Irish Stout, a lot like a popular dark Irish Beer






Steve

 

PMSL!!!



PS, I have eaten cat before. Needless to say, Evironmental heath closed them down a few weeks later and the papers had a field day.

 

Did it taste like chicken?

 

Xmas dinner for 14. I can cook me. just a matter of timing.

 

Strangely yes..

 

You must have a big oven if you can cook yourself