Ask HN: Hackers who cook

1. For fun. For interaction and sharing with my lady. 2. I plan ahead only so far as when I'm actually buying groceries. Maybe sometimes I'll find a recipe or produce a list of stuff to try. May buy things for 2 or 3 days worth of meals. 3. All sorts of things. From bbq, vegetarian, thai, indian. We both enjoy all sorts of food. 4. No diet really. I prefer vegetarian but we eat most anything. 5. Prep everything before you actually cook. That way you can clean as you go and not be a total tornado train wreck in the kitchen.

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

I was a chef for 2-3 years before i went into Web Dev, i still love to cook and have much more knowledge in cooking than most people because of working in commercial kitchens. That said, i usually cant be bothered cooking if its just for me, i like cooking for others.

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

Nah, i like to just see whats in the kitchen and work with it. There are general dishes that i cook often because i like them and will specifically buy ingredients for them, but the benefit of being able to cook, is that it allows you to use what you have.

3. What kind of things do you cook usually?

I like to make the ingredients for things that allow me to pull a meal together quickly. EG, i'll make croutons, salad dressing and chicken so i can make a salad or a wrap in 5 mins if i want to. I make pesto, makes pasta really easy. Every time i have a poker night i'll make a massive pot of my BBQ chilli, it has many fans and is versatile, you can have it with tortilla chips, soft tortillas, pasta, rice, chimmichanga's, etc. Mushroom/beef stroganoff is tasty, roast chicken is easy. I could go on for days.

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

Hell no, i liberally use salt, butter, cream etc, but i'll make sure not to live of heavy foods like that, i'll make sure i eat a good lot of salads, wraps, stir fry's, etc to balance it out.

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

A good sharp knife, a large heavy chopping board with wet paper kitchen towel underneath it, stops it moving. Also, watch youtube videos for inspiration, food wishes, any celebrity chef, etc.

I cook ~80% of my meals. Generally speaking I try to eat out infrequently, and when I do I seek out items I would not typically cook for myself (or lack the expertise and equipment to attempt).

1. I love cooking, especially for other people. It's also far less expensive for me to cook delicious, healthful food than it is to eat out constantly, even with time spent taken into consideration. Throw in a partner with special dietary needs and there is further reinforcement.

2. I do if I have a special event on the horizon (holiday, dinner party, that kind of thing) or I am going to pack food for travel. Otherwise I just make a mental plan based on what I have and what is available/in season.

3. I grill a lot of spice-rubbed meats, bake muffins and scones using almond and coconut flours, bake fish, roast vegetables, make slow cooker soups, and the list goes on. My girlfriend and I also make homemade yogurt using one of these (http://www.amazon.com/Yogourmet-104-Electric-Yogurt-Maker/dp...), cooking the yogurt for ~36 hours until it has a custard-like consistency. Delicious.

4. My girlfriend has to follow the FODMAP diet (basically eliminating all fermentable substances...of which there are so many) due to a medical condition. She used to follow something slightly less restrictive called the specific carbohydrate diet, and with selective exceptions (I don't have any medical restrictions) I still do. Think little to no processed foods, no refined sugars, no grains of any kind, no starchy vegetables - lots of greens and meat and cheese and homemade yogurt. I throw in rice and some other non-SCD carbohydrates (rice, etc.) so that I can participate in endurance sports.

5. I plan to make leftovers. I try to think of meals in three stages: their original composition, how they'll taste as leftovers, and how they could become an ingredient in a quick third dish (like an omelette).

1. I cook mostly to save money, and because I really like doing it. I like to go to a restaurant, have a dish, and then try to recreate it myself. Also portions I can purchase are too small to make me full.

2. No, I eat what's in my fridge, starting with most volatile items like kale, spinach and tomatoes. I always have a lot of eggs and onions which don't seem to go bad for a while. In the freezer I have fish, bags of frozen veggies. In the cupboard I have canned beans and canned tuna.

3. All of my meals include meat, fish or eggs and vegetables or beans. I try to limit carbs, but once in a while I make spaghetti.

4. I try to avoid processed food and limit carbs in favor of proteins.

5. Get a magic bullet! I just made a glass of hummus for pitas, celery and carrots. It took me 5 minutes. When I'm rushing in the morning, I make a banana+milk+peanut butter+egg smoothie. Takes 2 minutes to make and serves as a breakfast. You can add in protein powder to your meals. A quick lunch at work: Microwave a sweet potato for 9 minutes (turn it halfway through) and eat with a can of tuna. My favorite is chipotle flavoured. It's a $3 lunch and it's huge! Another thing I do is make lunch and dinner (same food, divided into two portions) while I cook and eat breakfast.

1. recreation and I like the food I cook more than the alternatives

2. I usually plan for a few days but also adjust my plans ad-hoc

3. Curries, Stews/goulash, fried sausages, ribs, burgers, fish (salmon)

4. Low Carb, because it works for me

5. Get a sortiment of curry pastes and a few cans of coconut milk. Curries are really easy and delicious. Cut some meat and vegetables, stir fry them, add the curry paste and pour the coconut milk over everything.

Put ribs into an oven bag and they almost cook themselves.

Get a Thermapen.