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Ask HN: Hackers who cook

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Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#101

Post by weavie »

bequanna wrote: post #47

My wife and I cook ~95% of our meals. We eat out maybe once/twice per month. Neither of us are too picky or on any specific diet, but generally we make meals that are high in protein (meat), some carbs, and a generous amount of vegetables. Typically, we make rather large amounts so each of us has another meal for lunch the following day. We try to avoid pre-packaged/prepared foods whenever possible. No pasta bag meal…

I hear it takes 1-2 months to become fully fat adapted when cutting out carbs.. Some decline in energy level initially is to be expected.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#102

Post by bcbrown »

macNchz wrote: post #48

I love to cook, I think because at my core I love to make things and my biggest motivation comes from creating and sharing, which is why I got into programming, and also why I'm drawn to DIY home improvement/car repair/etc. Cooking is an escape from the screen, a great way to get hands on and create something physical, and very rewarding, especially when shared with friends. Over time I've found myself making more am…

The Flavor Bible, as well as What To Drink With What You Eat, and Science And Lore Of The Kitchen, are all invaluable. It's lots of fun to pick an ingredient, and brainstorm a full meal out of the Flavor Bible's combinations.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#103

Post by Duhck »

1) I cook because A) It's something I am terribly passionate about B) It's a creative outlet for me, where I allow myself to try new things, and encourage myself to fail. C) It's a form of meditation for me. When I cook, I sometimes lose hours of time and get away from the rest of the world.

2) Yes I will generally plan 1-2 meals a week, the rest I try to cobble together from what's in the fridge (hence #1B)

3) It varies greatly. Recently I've been BBQ'ing (duh)

4) No

5) I felt I became a good cook when I started to try new techniques and ingredients and was willing to fail / overcook / make flavorless crap. Once I figured out some techniques, I was able to make up recipes on the spot.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#104

Post by ferrari8608 »

1. Cooking is fun, and I like to eat delicious, debatably healthy food. Also, my wife hates cooking. She bakes sometimes, but the stove top is mine exclusively.

2. I plan meals out in the grocery store. Who knows what will catch your eye for a fun meal until you're right there looking at it. Grocery shopping is a weekly thing.

3. There are about a dozen meals in my arsenal that my wife loves, half of which my daughter will eat too. They're mostly typical American meals like chili, casseroles, burgers, and various pastas. So I cook those most often. Asian foods, particularly stir fry, are something I like to play with when I'm just cooking for me. Asian cultures have some amazing dishes from the simplest ingredients and procedures.

4. Diet? I don't understand why people without serious health issues diet. Eat what is delicious, in moderation.

5. I don't have any life hacks. Just prepare your ingredients before starting, try to time the steps for potential parallelization, and don't wander off without setting a timer. Those I hope are common sense, but many people don't seem to get it. Oh, and freeze just about everything for later. Freezers are underrated.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#106

Post by tamasss »

1. for recreation, to improve my cooking skills, and to not eat sandwiches/pizza all the time 2. I used to contract a basket of seasonal vegetables that would come weekly. I had to cook what I got. While this may sound suboptimal, it was a great experience for various reasons: I got to learn about new veggies I had never eaten before, I had to find and try new recipes to do away with the leftovers, and last but not least I always had some main ingredients to start with so I didn't stress on coming up with ideas for lunch 3. anything mediterranean/asian/not greasy 4. nope

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#107

Post by darkarmani »

peterevans wrote: post #79

Cooking is a form of engineering. I like that there's a science behind it, and I like that if you become any good, your standard-of-living (of eating?) will be vastly improved. Tip #1: get a good knife. If you can, go to a store that'll let you actually hold a knife prior to purchase, to test its heft and balance. Find one that fits you comfortably. (I like Shun knives, but this is a pretty personal topic; don't let…

> Eventually it may get dull to the point where you might want a whetstone to sharpen it again, but you'd probably need to use your knife a decent amount before it gets to that point.

I completely disagree. It gets dull slow enough that you don't notice it, but there is a difference after 1 month and big difference after 4 months. Although it probably takes a year to get as dull as most people's knives. Although you did mention Shun knives which are much harder than the German steels.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#108

Post by weavie »

1. I find the more natural (less processed) the food is, the better it is for you. I cook to ensure I know as much as possible what is in my food. Where possible I get my food from the butchers and green grocers and only go to the supermarket where necessary.

2. I don't plan ahead more than a day.

3. I cook meat and veg in some combination. If it was just me it would be a simple mix of meat with some veg and spices, probably with little variety. But I need to keep everyone happy, the wife is pretty picky and there are the kids. So I have to cook a variety of shapes and flavours. Our youngest kid is a good eater, probably because we have always fed her whole foods and little junk. Although she always prefers pizza and icecream she will eat most things we put down for her.

4. I try for paleo and succeed 80% of the time.

5. It is worth having a few dishes that you can consistently cook well. Once these are mastered then it is possible to start creating variations in those dishes to suit any situation. You can become quite versatile with just a few basic dishes.

Should also add, if you really want good food, grow your own. The difference in taste between a freshly picked tomato and a supermarket bought one is a world apart. This is what I am going to be focusing on next year.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#109

Post by anigbrowl »

1. Some of both. I've always liked cooking, and my wife and I both like good food and used to eat out a lot. When we got our own place instead of having to share with roommates/family members we just ended up cooking a lot more.

2. Only in a casual way. We have a few stapels that we rotate through on an ad-hoc basis depending on how we feel and what food might be on sale or in season, and plan 1 or 2 more complex meals a week. Planning is the least enjoyable part of it for me.

3. Pasta dishes, curries, roasts, occasional barbecue. I grew up in Ireland eating meta & two veg, my wife is vietnamese/Chineseso maybe 30-40% homestyle cooking (which we both do, eg I can make Pho) and 60-70% what we might have if we went out. We have good farmers markets near us as well so every so often we'll just buy ingredients that look interesting and learn how to cook with them.

4. LOL no. the nearest we come to health food is using olive oil by default. I don't like a lot of grease/salt/sugar in my food so I don't cook tht way. I could accomodate a special diet if I had to, two of my family have coeliac disease so I grew up dealing with limited diets.

5. Cooking is mostly about control of heat. So if you have a choice, use a gas stove. Spend money on pots and pans, you'll get better results. If in doubt, heavier is generally better. It's better to start hot and turn down than vice versa, I've lost a lot more meals to undercooking than burning things. Ceramic or anodized non-stick is totally worth it, but it's not appropriate for everything. 'Barkeeper's friend' will get the shine back on your metal cookware. You can cut your cooking time in half by doing things in the right order.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#110

Post by tomsaffell »

ferrari8608 wrote: post #104

1. Cooking is fun, and I like to eat delicious, debatably healthy food. Also, my wife hates cooking. She bakes sometimes, but the stove top is mine exclusively. 2. I plan meals out in the grocery store. Who knows what will catch your eye for a fun meal until you're right there looking at it. Grocery shopping is a weekly thing. 3. There are about a dozen meals in my arsenal that my wife loves, half of which my daughte…

this is almost exactly the same as me - uncannily so. the asker should 2x all these data points in their tally.
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