What you actually NEED for doing a lot of repeated heating of water in this scenario is something that used to be in pretty much every kitchen, but, again ironically, something that is disappearing from kitchens in the age of the microwave.
Bread
Bread is transformative. That’s the word that keeps recurring in the literature, “transformative”. It’s true. There is, on the face of it, no way it could not be. Bread does not occur in nature. It is artificial. It is an artifact. It is ancient, and therefore in a sense an ancient artifact, one from which we still have a huge amount to learn about the past. About our past as humans.
David West – Primitive Fire
I have no idea how many videos he’s posted, they seem to go on forever, but they are a rich mine of information that is vital to those who put a high value on being able to create fire in as many circumstances as possible, and spending leisure time browsing his videos is both enjoyable and time well spent.
Easy Lemon Tarragon Chicken with Broccoli and Cauliflower “en suite”
This is one of those dishes that didn’t evolve from another recipe, it was just improvised from what was on-hand one evening. The light presence of lemon on the chicken and more pronounced presence on the veggies gives it sort of a light, summer-dish feel.
Not much art or skill required, but the results have been very pleasing.
Men Cooking – Recipe – Side dish – Roasted potatoes and broccoli in mild horseradish sauce (for two)
Recipe – Side dish – Roasted potatoes and broccoli in mild horseradish sauce (for two).
Men Cooking- Recipe – Basic Brats and Beer
Basic Brats and Beer I served this with roasted cauliflower and broccoli on the side. That’s the usual thing, clean, chop, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, 475 degree F oven for about 12-14 minutes, up to 20 minutes if
Possibly the beginnings of a lead, a clue- fire, smoke, evolution, cooking
Possibly the beginnings of a lead, a clue- fire, smoke, evolution, cooking
Verjus… Verjuice
Basically it’s the bottled juice of unripe grapes, used in place of vinegar or citrus juice in recipes. One of the supposed advantages is that it doesn’t clash with wine. That typically applies for me only every few weeks (fewer if I’m cooking for myself, I’m likely to order wine with meals in restaurants) but I like it better than vinegar or citrus in general, it just seems to add a less jarring, or even harsh flavor note. I’m impressed.
The Essential Great-Start Zero-Status Zero-Snob-Appeal Cooking Tool List
A word about the status and snob appeal: it’s tempting, when starting out, to equate expensive tools with great results and assume that they’ll improve your cooking. It’s tempting to “celebrate” gains in proficiency by buying gadgets (and people tend to give you gifts) that you/they hope will make things a lot easier in the kitchen.
By and large they don’t, much.
Blue Apron
Far later in life than I should have I decided to try to LIBERATE myself from having to have other people feed me, prepare my food for me, whether personally or through the pay-as-you-go food infrastructure of our society, which tends to be expensive and/or notoriously not healthy.
The move was prompted by some changes in my life corresponding to the debut of Blue Apron, and it became the keystone of my strategy in learning how to cook decently. I figured it would reduce the barriers-to-entry, make cooking entire meals with good ingredients more accessible, and hopefully, eventually, be a stepping stone away from dependence on their service as well.
It’s worked… I’ve gone from not being able to cook much at all to being pretty decent at it, and I don’t plan to stop there.
Purple Potato Hash
From the “Proven Recipes” folder; When I was young I read (and re-read) a book called Last of the Mountain Men, which since seems to have been revealed as a bunch of romantic nonsense, but it certainly made an impression
Arepas – recipe for the most basic form
The hardest part by far is getting the correct flour, and that’s not that hard, it’s just hard to find the information you need. Hopefully this will take care of that.
Arepas – overview of a potential long-term survival food
“Array-pass” I could write a book on this alone… I have pages of notes, and it’s fast becoming an obsession. What that means to me, of course, is that the information flow is still accelerating.
Friggin’ Frittata
From the “Proven Recipes” folder. I tweak these a little almost every time I make them; I’ll try to keep the copies here in sync, if there’s any interest – RtW Friggin’ Frittata Halfway between an omelet and a quiche,
Cooking: One Man’s Journey
I was never much of a cook.
Prometheus unsung
Most people in the US are vaguely aware of the myth of Prometheus, that he gave fire to mankind. Fewer are aware that he is said to have stolen it from the Olympian gods, and that is probably a later
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human by Richard Wrangham
We are cyborgs. More than a metaphor in this case, I think. Objectively, any species that has evolved a dependency on its own artifacts to the degree where it cannot thrive in the very environment in which it evolved without