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Ask HN: Hackers who cook

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Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#61

Post by munificent »

cantankerous wrote: post #37
munificent wrote: post #28

1. I've always like the idea of cooking, but rarely got around to it. Then I had kids. Now that I need to provide a good healthy meal every night and it's harder to eat out, I had enough incentive to get over the hump of novice cook. Once I got a bit more skill, it got easier and a lot more enjoyable. I find the physical, analog, informal nature of cooking helps balance my otherwise too-logical, too-digital life. I l…

Random question: Do you have any suggestions for learning better knifework/technique? I feel like I'm SO SLOW at chopping anything and there has to be a more efficient way for me to work.

1. Make sure it's sharp.

2. Watch videos. I watched a lot of Jacques Pépin. He's my hero.

3. Practice. Focus on good technique, not speed. Speed will come naturally.

4. Seriously, make sure it's sharp. Hone frequently.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#62

Post by zaphar »

1. I cook recreationally and to save money both.

2. Not usualy. Most of my cooking is pretty spur of the moment.

3. I like to experiment so it's a wide variety. Italian, Tex/Mex, American comfort food... Whatever.

4. The only diet I follow is Eat when I'm hungry, stop eating when I'm full.

5. Keep a cooking diary. Note what worked/didn't work and what you want to try with a recipe next.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#63

Post by Cherian »

CocaKoala wrote: post #10

I liked to cook with my girlfriend as a fun and easy date activity, and we've continued to do it now that we're married. Also, cooking our own food is cheaper than going out every night, and tastes better than getting takeout. We try to plan meals for the week and then do a big grocery run on the weekend, and I'll stop by the store after work if we run low on something. We have a few meals that we run through on a ro…

Slow cookers are something I discovered recently. They pretty much give you’re a killer food on the table without much effort.

Do you have recommended recipes?

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#65

Post by Cherian »

grimtrigger wrote: post #22

1. I cook most days. I mostly make baked chicken and a vegetable dish. The main reason is because its hard to eat cheap + healthy in my area (NYC). 2. I usually shop for 3 days in advance. 3. Baked chicken, veggies 4. Low carb, high protein

“The main reason is because its hard to eat cheap + healthy in my area (NYC)” this is something that worries me. Frozen meals/junk food is much cheaper when you add “time” as a cost. Impairs impulsive decision making.

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#66

Post by Cherian »

tptacek wrote: post #3

We cook recreationally and to avoid feeding our family processed food. We try to keep a 1-week meal plan, but it's very hit or miss. We're happier when we have the meal plan. We start from a protein and work from there; we hit our butcher once a week and grab a couple whole chickens, some braising pork, and some beef. We have some staple meals built out of those things. Unless fasting is a diet, nope; we try to cook…

“bulk-packaged deli cups” – do you use this for freezing? Or take outs?

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#67

Post by batbomb »

Cherian wrote: post #29
Argorak wrote: post #26

1. Recreational. I enjoy cooking for others more then for myself. I also enjoy that cooking is a task that cannot run over: either the food is done or overcooked. You have to know what you do next. 2. No. Just run past the store on the way home. 3. Flavor of the week. My standard is Quiche Lorraine, but I obviously don't do that all the time. 4. No. 5. Get a cookbook that is very restrained when it comes to ingredien…

Do you have a suggestion on the cookbook?

The Joy of Cooking

Re: Ask HN: Hackers who cook

#70

Post by nylonpsycho »

1. Recreation, it's fun! Also because it's often a better combination of healthy/tasty/unique than what I could buy pre-made.

2. No, but sometimes I wish I did.

3. There's too much variety here, but maybe I come back to minestrone, tomato/canellini casserole, and pan fried proteins (fish/pork/beef) a lot. I bake a lot of bread.

4. No.

5. Learn to tell whether or not something is cooking the way you want based on the sound it makes as it sizzles in the pan. That simple tip has changed the quality of my cooking forever. Develop recipes around a common set of staples with minor swap outs. Kind of "modular". You get variety without a ton of anxiety. I learned to think this way from Bittman's how to cook everything, though I don't use that book very often anymore, it was a brilliant set of training wheels to break free of recipes.

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