Since we get a lot of newbies looking for cooking advice on this list,
it might be a cool idea to start a thread that we can simply point them
to on the google archives. :-)

If everyone adds a bit of advice for nutrition and cooking hints, it
could make a good useful thread for them.

Whatcha think?

I'll start:

Fresh veggies and steaming.

Steaming is one of the more nutritious ways to cook fresh produce, as
well as being a very easy way to cook!

A simple iris style steamer insert can be used in any pan, and I
personally recommend stainless steel pans.

A pasta pot is what I use most of the time for steaming as it's deep,
easy to clean, convenient and serves a double purpose so takes up less
kitchen space than purchasing a separate steamer.

Steaming veggies can be done in layers, but some veggies take longer to
steam than others. Carrots come to mind, as well as celery and onions.
Carrots take a good 15 minutes to soften which is way too long of a time
for, say, brocolli or cauliflower.

I'll cut up my veggies in separate bowls, then add them at different
times.

Tonight, I steamed carrots, celery and brocolli together, but I put the
carrots and celery into the pasta pot first and let them steam a full 15
minutes first, then put the brocolli on top and timed that for an
additional 10 minutes.

I then dumped them into a bowl and topped them with a little grapeseed
oil and some ranch dressing, mixed together and added some grilled cubed
chicken breast for protein.

This is simple and a good balanced meal, moderate carb and high protien,
simple and quick to make.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

Great idea Om!
Your first entry is both nutrious and delicious.

--Bronwyn

In article . com>,
"Bronwyn" > wrote:

> Great idea Om!
> Your first entry is both nutrious and delicious.
>
> --Bronwyn
>

Thanks! :-)
I'm hoping others will hop in here and contribute!

Microwave cooking hints would probably be good for newbies,
and we see questions from time to time on stocking pantries.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote

> "Bronwyn" > wrote:
>
>> Great idea Om!
>> Your first entry is both nutrious and delicious.

> Thanks! :-)
> I'm hoping others will hop in here and contribute!
>
> Microwave cooking hints would probably be good for newbies,
> and we see questions from time to time on stocking pantries.

Maybe that could be rfc's next cookbook.

nancy

OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

> Since we get a lot of newbies looking for cooking advice on this list,
> it might be a cool idea to start a thread that we can simply point them
> to on the google archives. :-)
> If everyone adds a bit of advice for nutrition and cooking hints, it
> could make a good useful thread for them.
> Whatcha think?
>
> I'll start:
> Fresh veggies and steaming.
> -Steaming is one of the more nutritious ways to cook fresh produce, as
> well as being a very easy way to cook!
> -A simple iris style steamer insert can be used in any pan, and I
> personally recommend stainless steel pans.
> -A pasta pot is what I use most of the time for steaming as it's deep,
> easy to clean, convenient and serves a double purpose so takes up less
> kitchen space than purchasing a separate steamer.
> -Steaming veggies can be done in layers, but some veggies take longer to
> steam than others. Carrots come to mind, as well as celery and onions.
> Carrots take a good 15 minutes to soften which is way too long of a time
> for, say, brocolli or cauliflower.
> -I'll cut up my veggies in separate bowls, then add them at different
> times.
> (clipped recipe)

Good idea! My hint is that
-Frozen veggies are better than canned if you have the space. And you don't have to
thaw them out, but increase the steaming or mw time a bit. Also you can just pull
out what you need instead of a whole gob. Scientific term, that.
-Some basic dry seasonings to start with: basil, bay leaf, chili powder, cinnamon,
cumin, curry powder, dill weed, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper,
tarragon, thyme. Alphabetical, even. I need to get out more.

Edrena

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> "OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote
>
> > "Bronwyn" > wrote:
> >
> >> Great idea Om!
> >> Your first entry is both nutrious and delicious.
>
> > Thanks! :-)
> > I'm hoping others will hop in here and contribute!
> >
> > Microwave cooking hints would probably be good for newbies,
> > and we see questions from time to time on stocking pantries.
>
> Maybe that could be rfc's next cookbook.
>
> nancy
>
>

Ok, so where is that site?
I don't have it bookmarked.

I get the hint. ;-)
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

"OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote

> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>> "OmManiPadmeOmelet" > wrote

>> > Microwave cooking hints would probably be good for newbies,
>> > and we see questions from time to time on stocking pantries.
>>
>> Maybe that could be rfc's next cookbook.

> Ok, so where is that site?
> I don't have it bookmarked.
>
> I get the hint. ;-)

(laugh) I wasn't hinting anything. I swear.

nancy

"The Joneses" > wrote in message
...
> -Frozen veggies are better than canned if you have the space. And you
don't have to
> thaw them out, but increase the steaming or mw time a bit. Also you can
just pull
> out what you need instead of a whole gob. Scientific term, that.

Did you mean an English or metric gob? :-)


> -Some basic dry seasonings to start with: basil, bay leaf, chili powder,
cinnamon,
> cumin, curry powder, dill weed, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano,
salt, pepper,
> tarragon, thyme. Alphabetical, even. I need to get out more.

LOL...OK, but to add my own $0.02 to THAT list:

Fresh herbs and other seasonings are always better than the dried stuff
you get in cans at the store. There's nothing wrong with using
those when you have to, but also realize that a lot of basic herbs
are easy to grow and use - you can also dry or otherwise preserve
your own home-grown herbs.

Garlic, whether grown at home or purchased, is also ALWAYS
way better fresh than in powdered form. If you just can't bring
yourself to keep fresh heads of garlic around, the next best thing
before settling for powder is to get the peeled, bottled cloves of
garlic, generally still found in the produce section of the supermarket.

Also, be aware that seasonings vary a LOT in terms of how long
you can expect to keep them on the shelf. Basically, those which
are dried plant material (such as oregano, thyme, etc.) aren't going
to be very good after a relatively short period (say, perhaps six
months, maybe a year tops), as the oils that contribute the flavor from
these continue to dry up and fade away. So don't buy the huge "economy
sized" cans or jars of these - by the time you get through them, at the
average rate, you might as well be seasoning with sawdust. There
are some exceptions, of course. Salt is a mineral, (well, DUH :-)),
and keeps forever as long as it remains dry (and is still "salt," of course,
even after it's soaked up moisture - it just clumps and gets more
difficult to work with). Whole peppercorns and nutmeg also
last considerably longer than the "ground up leaves" sort of
seasonings. By the way, you generally ARE NOT able to
extend the lives of ground herbs by refrigerating them, since the
refrigerator is generally a very dry environment. (Fresh whole
herbs, though, often can be refrigerated, since they're still
plenty moist, but be aware that some simply don't like cold-
temperature storage; basil, f'rinstance, will turn black in the
fridge.)

Bob M.

Om wrote:
1. OmManiPadmeOmelet Sep 18, 7:43 pm show options

Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: OmManiPadmeOmelet > - Find messages by this
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Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2005 21:43:22 -0500
Local: Sun, Sep 18 2005 7:43 pm
Subject: Cooking lessons for newbies, hints etc.
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Since we get a lot of newbies looking for cooking advice on this list,
it might be a cool idea to start a thread that we can simply point them

to on the google archives. :-)


If everyone adds a bit of advice for nutrition and cooking hints, it
could make a good useful thread for them.

Whatcha think?
================


http://www.faqs.org/faqs/cooking/faq/

The above site is posted here regularly by Victor Sack. It has an
enormous amount of helpful information. Do read it.