Ask HN: Hackers who cook

No doors or windows in the house to let the smell escape :)

On a serious note -- kitchens need to have a door (and not be connected to dining rooms or living rooms without doors). That way smell stays in the kitchen and escape through a separate kitchen-to-street ventilation system.

1) Cheaper and way more fun! 2) I try to plan weekly. I purchase legumes and rice and non-perishables weekly or even bi-weekly, and proteins (meat, fish, chicken) on a 2-3 day cycle. 3) Protein + rice or pasta + veggies. Sometimes adding more protein and veg and cutting out the rice/pasta, depends on the dish.

A deeper dive than that? Chinese, Middle Eastern, Indian, Mexican... turns out a lot of cultures like to eat variations of chicken and rice.

4) I'd guess I go for the mediterranean diet? Though all that means is that I use olive oil and eat lots of nuts...

5) Soak your dry beans in the morning. You can store tons more if you buy them dry and soaking them is a lot less hassle if you do it before work - you'll have beans ready for dinner when you get home. (Chili, beans and rice, daal, three bean salad, vegetarian tacos, lentil soup are all suddenly much easier to make....)

I discovered low & slow smoking / barbecue a year or so ago (it's not much of a "thing" where I'm from in Oregon), and I'm quite hooked on it. My wife is a bit less enamored of me spending most of the day tending the hacked together 'pit' I made, though.

1. To save money and to eat more healthily. Also, my girlfriend realy appreciates home/cooked meals.

2. We plan out 4 dinners per week. I'm responsible for two of them. I get her two preferences, make a shopping list, and go grocery shopping every Sunday or Monday. We now have a fairly well established list of recipes, and I use Anylist to construct my shopping list easily.

3. I prefer to cook meals where I can easily make big portions for leftovers. My favorites are: pad thai, tempeh + veggie stir fry over rice, black beans + veggies + guac over rice, african vegetable curry.

4. Vegetarian.

5. Buy pre-peeled garliC. You only beed one actually good chef's knife: buy a Dexter. Buy a rice cooker. Wok's are awesome - you can cook more food than in a standard pan, and you can cook it better. An actual cooking tip: when cooking with veggies, sear them to make them crunchy and not soggy. Too often people stir fry them in oil, and they get gross.

I do all of the cooking in my household, which on average is 5 dinners, 2 breakfasts, even most packed lunches -- desserts, pot-luck obligations, etc.

1. Why do you cook? Is it to save cash or is it recreation? Or something else?

I love it. Also, we do have a frugal lifestyle, so I would probably force myself if I didn't. I have been doing this since my wife and I moved in together -- so about 15 years.

2. Do you plan ahead? Like a weekly meal plan?

I used to -- with so much experience, I can wing it. I make sure to have a lot of choices, a stocked pantry, and I just make stuff up usually. If I find a recipe I want to try, I plan better that week. For baking, I have to plan a little more.

3. What kind of things do you cook usually?

Normal stuff -- basically "Healthy American" -- so two vegetable sides and a little meat, light on starches. I have a lot of Latino and Italian dishes in my repertoire (from my Grandmothers). I will try anything though -- cook out of a classic Indian cookbook sometimes. I use "How to Cook Everything" as a mash-up source -- see how something is basically made (ratios, technique) and take it from there.

Breakfasts are diner-fare usually (omelets, eggs any way, fruited pancakes, etc.).

4. Do you follow any diet? Atkins, Slow Carb etc.

I used to follow Paleo and it influenced my style. I do a lot of slow cooking from that time -- also jerky.

5. Do you have any life hacks, tips to be more productive as a cook?

Cook in bulk. Get a slow cooker. Realize that you will get better at it if you do it a lot. Prep weekly lunches all at once (I do it during the time Sunday dinner is cooking). Use good ingredients. Herbs and spices matter, especially just salt and pepper.