Cooking Starter's Guide....

[Lenardo]

So you want to have meals more interesting in Macaroni & Cheese?

it's not hard, fairly easy and not too hard on the wallet to get started.

Needed Cookware:

pans, Knives, Measuring utensils, Spatula, etc... Lets go thru and select the Essentials.

Knives

A good Set of Knives is Essential to the Aspiring person who wants to eat better, good knives cut, slice , dice better than the Cheap versions, so get a Good Set of Knives...

Personally you NEED 3 knives...yes i said it 3 knives
Select High Quality knives but spend what you want, the Emerilware 2 piece set with a 7" santoku and 3" paring knife is 40 bucks and are decent quality.
3" paring knife
5" paring knife
7" Santoku Knife

additional knives you can get
bread knife,
cleaver
chef's knife

however from ~20years of making dinners, i find that i use the 3 knives i listed the most. the 7" santoku is used for most of my cutting with the 5" paring 2nd most used. ( prior to me discovering the santoku knife i used an 8" chef's knife for what i use the santoku for.

(this is my santoku http://www.kitchenetc.com/p-198043-%202679%204294966953-_Gourmet-Santoku-Knife-7-in.aspx)


Pots & pans

do not Get one of those big pan Sets.. you need only a few pans and pots to do 90% of your cooking, however buy quality like all-clad, cephalon, etc slightly more expensive individually, but you get what you pay for it, if you CHOOSE you can get one of the sets, but you'll use maybe 5 pans total from the set.


8" frying pan & 12" frying pan,
1 qt & a 2 or 3 qt sauce pan
and finally
and 8 to 12 quart stock pot.

this set works:

http://www.kitchenetc.com/p-515262-%202677%204294967282-_Hard-Anodized-Non-Stick-Cookware-Set-7-pc.aspx

its by allclad. ya its emeril, but it works, you can look around and just get the best set you can afford.



More to come soon

[Lenardo]

Tools- again buy quality and pay a tad extra but here are the essential tools for a kitchen

Can Opener (don't laugh)
Measuring Spoons
Measuring cups -either one of the glass/plastic 2.5cup ones or a set of individual cups (1/4, 1/2/ 1/3/ 1cup)
spatula for flipping burgers...
mixing bowl or two
pair of tongs
whisk
pasta strainer/collander
mixing spoon/flexible spatula
meat thermometer

[Lenardo]

additional pans you will use for other things

9x13 pan for things like brownies, baking

8x8 pan for tings like brownies and baking

ACCESSORIES for when you start to really expand the kitchen experience

Hand Mixer- get a decent hand held- any type will work- kitchen aid, whatever- this actually should be an essential.

Stand Mixer - Kitchen Aid

Blender- any type, i like my kitchen aid


there you go, pretty much all the hardware you need for cooking most meals


having 3 kids, i find a melon baller comes in handy for coring apples that are sliced in half.

[Azith Evertoon]

So far It seems to be a diet very high in Iron and plastic....

:twisted:

Get to the food!!!

[Soygen]

Slickdeals has some good deals right on some cooking sets from Linens and Things:

http://slickdeals.net/?permadeal=9940#direct_deal_9940

Lots are backordered but a lot can be picked up in-store.

[Lenardo]

Food FOOD? give me a few i was laying the basics...


foodnetwork.com & epicurious.com for recipe's

you mean things like


Blueberry Onion Sauced Pork Tenderloin

for this recipe the only "weird" ingredient is the balsamic vinegar... but buy a good sized bottle- it lasts..

3/4 to 1 pound pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons butter, divided
2 medium onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup port wine or sweet sherry
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

Preheat broiler. Broil pork, turning occasionally until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove to a platter; cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add onions, salt and pepper; cook until onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Add sugar; cook until onions are caramelized, 3 minutes longer. Add port, balsamic, blueberries and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Thinly slice pork and serve with sauce.

wife loves it, i should make this again next week...

pricing, first 2 ingredients will last well beyond this meal.

port wine (good) ~$12
balsamic vinegar $8
pork tenderloin ~10 dollars
onions ~2 bucks
blueberries- always buy fresh- $3
cherry tomatoes- $3

you CAN get away with a good sirloin pork chop, but won't be as tender

[Azith Evertoon]

Blueberry Onion Sauced Pork Tenderloin

for this recipe the only "weird" ingredient is the balsamic vinegar... but buy a good sized bottle- it lasts..


Okay..... Now i admit i am picky.

But I'm sorry. there isnt a single non "wierd" word (taken in context with all the other words)in that dish title.

*shudder* blueberry onion pork......

[Lenardo]

I didn't name it. it IS delicious, make it and see. unless you won't eat pork....

[Souljahha]

another use for balsamic vinegar is wilted lettuce:

Ingredients:

Bacon
Leaf lettuce (red, green, or both)
Balsamic Vinegar

fry up some small cut pieces of bacon , drain grease (not down a drain...use a can) add a portion of balsamic vinegar to taste, add the lettuce in a fry pan or wok. It wilts fast, so keep a close eye. Nice, quick side dish.

Think I'll make both sounds like they might compliment each other.

I'll dig up another recipe from my mom that uses vinegar. It's a soup-like chicken & rice bbq. Very tasty and filling, great for crock pot.
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Another fast, easy recipe:

wok or fry pan
frozen stir fry veggies (various types)
shrimp, pork, chicken, or beef (i like shrimp and keep the bags of various sizes in freezer)
soy sauce
rice (optional, but a good filler)

rinse, cook, drain meat/seafood as needed, cut into small pieces, toss into wok with stir fry veggies & soy sauce to taste/flavor. Cook your rice on side if you like. prep time is like 10-20 min. + depending on your meat choice.

Bag of shrimp lasts me like 4-5 meals easy and generally a frozen bag of veggies lasts 2 meals. Fresh veggies work just as well, but add to prep time.

[Souljahha]

Caribbean Shrimp From:

Low Fat Recipes Furnished by LowFatLifestyle.com© - Copyright 2006

Servings: 8

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 pounds large cooked cleaned shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large bowl combine oil, ginger, lime juice, garlic, soy sauce, sugar and red pepper; mix well. Stir in shrimp and cilantro. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours before serving. Stir occasionally while chilling.

Per Serving: 137 Calories; 3g Fat (19.9% calories from fat); 1g Saturated Fat; 24g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 221mg Cholesterol; 330mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

this came from a guy in my speech class... bit different taste, but not too bad

[Yaeamwen]

Found a GREAT alternative to the All-Clad brand of pans. While All-Clad is THE top brand of pans, the expense to go along with them is crippling to the family on a budget.

T-Fal makes some great pans that are stove and oven save (some models up to 500 degrees F). Instead of $100+ (for the All-Clad) you will see prices closer to $30+. The pans I have are the Stainless Steel and non-stick with riveted stainless handles. There is nothing better than a pan that you can use on the stove as well as in the oven. It makes some cooking easier.