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Ask HN: Hackers who cook

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Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#11
1. Recreation. I love chopping, stirring, mixing, tasting. I'm doing keto and it's easier to stay on track cooking at home.

2. No. Usually I start with "what sounds good?"

3. Primarily Mexican and Italian dishes and lots of salads.

4. Keto.

5. Learn to use a knife properly.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#12
post #9

1) I cook because it's valuable to me to be able to "provide" my own food, and know what I ingest. Additionally I cook because I believe it's generally more healthy, and with less "short cuts" than take-out or frozen food. 2) I have 5-6 different "recipes" or meals that I know how to cook and usually I cook these one or more times during the week. But generally I decide on my way back from work, with not much plannin…

I cook indian food too but my apartment always ends up smelling like a curry den. American kitchens are not particularly well designed for ethnic cooking.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#13
1. Enjoyment, health, cost, in that order.

2. I don't, but my partner does.

3. Slow-cooked meats, fresh veggies, broths, fermented foods (e.g. yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, buttermilk).

4. We attempt a gluten-free, grain free diet, with no processed foods (especially sugars), full fat oils (e.g. olive, coconut, lard, butter, ghee), no seed oils (e.g. canola, corn, safflower). If we do have grains or legumes, we always soak them in either whey, water, yogurt, or buttermilk.

5. We are members of three different cooperative food organizations: a grocer, a buying club, and a farm. We have a massive chest freezer filled with grass-fed cow parts (steaks, hearts, bones, livers, etc.), a Vitamix blender, a Hamilton Beach slow cooker, two Le Creuset dutch ovens, an Excalibur 9-tray food dehydrator, and three cast-iron skillets.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#14
1. Mostly it suits my tastes better. Last weekend I finished a winter supply of plum jam. You can't really buy one that isn't half sugar despite plums being pretty sweet on their own.

But yes, it's cheaper, better, and with a podcast on, downright enjoyable.

2. I buy some special ingredients with certain meals in mind but there's base stuff that doesn't spoil easily and I simply keep it around: condiments, eggs, bran, olive oil,

3. Last night I made inferno omelette[1]. Though I cut down on ingredients and used only jalapenos and didn't bother grinding the beef. There's also a great weekend breakfast I stole from Gordon Ramsey[2].

I try to do what's in season so greek salad in the summer, baked apples in the fall and so on.

4. I try to keep the meals low carb but not really when it gets in the way.

5. Put on a podcast when cooking and it's like going to a lecture. But you get to eat afterwards.

[1] http://chefinjeans.com/2012/05/31/cooking-for-single-men-inf...

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUP7U5vTMM0

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#15
1. I enjoy the break from screens and by the desire to make loved ones happy and full.

2. I have a good sense at the supermarket of what I have and what I need.

3. Stews and soups, seared meats, pastas, rice and stir frys, and salads and sandwiches, tacos and nachos, occasionally sushi. Oats and eggs for breakfast, fruit and cheese/crackers for snacks.

4. I prefer meats and veggies and fruits.

5. a) The basic mirepoix (celery, carrots, onions) adds a good base to many dishes. Prepping it takes ten minutes. Throw into a pot or pan, saute, and start adding other ingredients. Potatoes and rice and meats and it's an easy stew with water. Adding other veggies and meats without water is an easy stir fry. b) I try to grocery shop only every two weeks. It forces me to finish things in week 2 that need to be finished.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#16
Yes! I am a hacker that loves to cook. Here are my answers: 1. I do it because I find it to be relaxing and a welcome hands-on activity that is just creative enough to dig into fast after hours of staring at a screen. 2. This past summer I would plan ahead and cook quite a bit on Sundays to get meals together for the week. Eliminates a lot of spend and thinking as well as waiting around during lunch time when you want to just focus. 3. I cook things that scale well for myself and the team as well as have a good balance of protein/veggies. Roasts with roasted veggies. Whole chickens. Lasagna with spinach salad. Stir fry. Curries. Fried rice. Bean salads. 4. Not really. I generally eat not as many carbs, but by no means am I a no-carb or low-carb. I focus on getting veggies in the mix. 5. To be more productive in the kitchen is to have a well-stocked freezer plus fridge and have an organized shopping list every week at a certain time. Also a good amount of spices and high quality canned goods to round-out meals when you are out of something.

Happy cooking!

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#17
I cook for health, enjoyment and relaxation. I do strict paleo, which makes things pretty simple: omelette and bacon for breakfast, meat and vegetable for dinner, no lunch, but fruit and nuts as desired. If I'll be short on time to cook, I make a big batch of stew or curry and tupperware it.

Probably the biggest time burn is the "JIT food inventory", leading to a grocery run probably 4+ times per week. I've become too spoiled on fresh meat and fish. :)

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#18
post #9

1) I cook because it's valuable to me to be able to "provide" my own food, and know what I ingest. Additionally I cook because I believe it's generally more healthy, and with less "short cuts" than take-out or frozen food. 2) I have 5-6 different "recipes" or meals that I know how to cook and usually I cook these one or more times during the week. But generally I decide on my way back from work, with not much plannin…

I cook indian food too but my apartment always ends up smelling like a curry den. American kitchens are not particularly well designed for ethnic cooking.

Interesting! What should be changed about American kitchen design to fix this problem? Is it possible to fix this issue without rebuilding the entire house?

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#19

1. Mostly it suits my tastes better. Last weekend I finished a winter supply of plum jam. You can't really buy one that isn't half sugar despite plums being pretty sweet on their own. But yes, it's cheaper, better, and with a podcast on, downright enjoyable. 2. I buy some special ingredients with certain meals in mind but there's base stuff that doesn't spoil easily and I simply keep it around: condiments, eggs, bran…

Thumbs up on the jam. I just made jam for the first time and it was easily the messiest thing I've ever made. Making it from grapes I picked on our property was pretty satisfying. The splatter burns on my hands look like hives though.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#20
I am not a hacker. I'm more a designer and business person but I also started cooking while building our mobile app product.

1. I cook for several reasons: (a) I am sick of eating the same food every day. The smell of noodles (and other fast food) makes me sick; (b) I get to save money if I cook myself; (c) I can experiment and control my inputs

2. Yes, I usually open one of several cooking apps on my iPad and pick several meals that I will cook this week. Then, I make a list of what ingredients I will need and go to the market so buy everything cheaply.

3. I live in Uzbekistan, so I try to cook food that I wouldn't normally find here. This includes seafood, steaks, and soups.

4. I try to eat lean meat-- chicken and fish (plus salads). That lead to a better health and I can see my abs now. Once a week I treat myself with beef steak or Uzbek kabab (BBQ). Needless to say that I don't drink soda and I don't eat ice cream.

5. Just Do It. Get yourself an iPad app. I personally use Photo Recipe and Cookbook.

PS: I tried cooking for 5 days ahead but my food tends to spoil. So now I only cook for 2 or 3 days ahead, depending on ingredients.

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