The Minimalist Kitchen: What You Need (and Don’t Need) to Set Up Your First Workable Home Kitchen. After Mark Bittman mentioned my post about minimalist food selections in his popular New York Times food blog, I was inundated with questions about minimalist cooking. Thoughts about kitchen setups, basic equipment, and other such questions were shared and requested, and eventually I came to realize that it’d be useful to write a follow-up article outlining what goes in a basic kitchen setup for those getting into cooking at home. While I’ve addressed this in the past, I felt a more complete and detailed list was in order. Cooking at home is the most effective way to minimize your food budget. Almost every meal you cook at home will be less expensive (and often quicker) than a similar meal out on the town. Doing it consistently will not only save you money consistently, but it’ll build up your skills in the kitchen.
The only problem? An oven and stove top and a refrigerator These are the basic appliances you’ll need to even attempt cooking at home. NO microwave “Blasphemy!” Insanewiches.com. Best sandwich I ever invented. Making the Most of Your Grocery Dollar. Food prices are on the rise again. After the relative stability of the last ten years, this past November (latest finalized data analysis I could find) packaged food makers began increasing prices last year to cover the rising cost of raw ingredients.
Specific examples include: Oscar Mayer lunch meatsCapri Sun juice pouchesWheat Thin crackersFig NewtonsJolly RanchersTwislersNatures Own breadsSunbeam breadsmany others. Here are a few proactive steps you can take to increase the shelf-life of your foods and thereby stretch your grocery store dollar (as well as increasing food safety). 1. 2. make the refrigerated and frozen food section one of your last stops in the grocery store. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 0 F and below is recommended for your freezer.
Placement Tips. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Much of this information may be obtained from the USDA Food Safety page. What are your tactics for increasing the range of your food dollar? Gapers Block : Airbags : Better Sandwiches. For several years (yes, in college) I was a professional sandwich maker. As such, I feel I'm qualified to comment on the state of sandwich affairs in most kitchens. You're all just doing it wrong. I know, I know, you're only doing it the way your mom taught you. Well, I'm not blaming you or your mom, but we need to straighten you out.
First off, you need to choose the right foundation: the bread. You're probably using some lousy "whole wheat" bread that's so soft it practically rips when you spread the condiments across it. The Ingredients Other acceptable options are rolls and bagels. Now, the condiments. For beginners, I recommend just two condiments: mayonaise and mustard. Next, fillings. Think about this: you had, what, a cup of coffee and a breakfast bar this morning. No, three slices of meat just ain't enough.
There are, of course, classic combinations of meats and cheeses -- the aforementioned ham and swiss, for instance. The Construction Why that order? The top ten home cooking mistakes. I did promise this post in my Thursday chat, so here you go. I apologize if some of the formatting doesn’t work, but I’m posting this between flights from O’Hare and I’ll clean it up later on. 1. Salt. The food police have everyone running scared of good old sodium chloride, but it’s incredibly important from a culinary perspective as a flavor in and of itself and as a flavor enhancer. Salt intensifies other flavors in every dish by hitting the fifth taste known as umami; without salt, most foods will taste bland, flat, or even stale.
Salting foods early in the process allows you to use less salt in total because you can often infuse your foods with salt by dissolving salt in the cooking liquid. Someone asked in chat what I would recommend for someone with high blood pressure who has to limit his salt intake. EDIT: A few commenters have said that salt and umami hit different receptors on the tongue. 2. (or its 10″ version , about a buck cheaper!) 3. With an electronic alarm. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Start Cooking. You may have seen these in the produce section of the grocery store and thought “NO WAY”! Well guess what? They’re delicious! These fiddlehead ferns are also very nutritious. What ever you do, don’t just pop one in your mouth raw. They need to get cooked first! Once cooked, you can then eat them hot or cold, alone, or in soups, salads, or stews. Step 1. Fill a bowl with cold water and submerge the fiddleheads. (I stuck them in a colander first and then put the whole colander in the bowl of water.) Lift the fiddleheads out of the sink and let them drain. With a paring knife trim off the end. Step 2. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Put the fiddleheads in a pot and cover them completely with cold water. As they come to a boil they will float to the surface. Boil them for 6-8 minutes. Step 3. Drain the fiddleheads in a colander. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium- high and add one clove of crushed garlic… …. and the fiddleheads.
Sauté for approximately 1 minute. …a sprinkle of salt…