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toanoradian posted:The reason for that is because I really know nothing. The types of fish I consume back home in Indonesia (Short mackerel, white pomfret and goldfish, if Google Translate is correct) isn't available in Melbourne. Or at least not in the usual place for buying fish. I have no idea what to do with the available kinds of fish and I'm afraid of wasting a fish. Anyway, as someone else mentioned, most of those fish are really delicious when cooked simply in a pan with a bit of lemon. Barramundi is a great fish on its own but is also really tasty battered and fried. How did you eat your fish in Indonesia? We're lucky in Australia to have a great range of cheap, delicious fish. Just experiment a bit and ask the fishmonger the best way to cook things. If it helps, popular fish in Australia are barramundi, john dory, trout, mackeral, yellowfin tuna, bream, mullet, flathead and snapper, as well as calamari and scallops. I would suggest picking one/some of those to start with. Edit: Your post got me looking for a good seafood market in my area and I came across a link that may be helpful for you - http://www.morganseafood.com.au/. If you look under the "Fish Market and Takeaway" section under "Seafood Info", they have information about fish species including how they are generally sold and how they taste, as well as some recipes to get you started. Eden fucked around with this message at 13:23 on Jan 25, 2012 |
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Jan 25, 2012 13:16
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Rule .303 posted:you can add spice or salt or cheese or anything else. Tastes better than most canned stuff. It will last in the fridge for a couple of days and when you are tired of burritos, you can use it for soup thickener. The only time I've ever made refried beans, I cooked them with epazote until very soft, drained, then mashed them while they were frying in lard. No boiling in your frying pan or whatever. Didn't really need to add any additional water either. Best refried beans I've ever tasted (although it's not like there's much competition here  ). Cheap as gently caress too.
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Jan 25, 2012 13:37
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Everything tastes better fried in lard. I'll try the epazote and frying them dry. Another good bean is the garbanzo (Chick-pea). They soak like regular beans and go in soups or get mashed up for hummus like spreads.
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Jan 25, 2012 16:11
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Rule .303 posted:Everything tastes better fried in lard. I'll try the epazote and frying them dry. Yeah definitely. That was probably why they tasted so drat good, to be honest.
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Jan 25, 2012 22:57
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Eden posted:I admit I didn't browse the seafood section while there but from what I saw and understand, I would not be shopping at the Queen Victoria Market if I was shopping on a budget. Or just buy what you like and save money elsewhere, enjoying good food is the greatest pleasure in life.
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Jan 26, 2012 04:32
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Eden posted:If it helps, popular fish in Australia are barramundi, john dory, trout, mackeral, yellowfin tuna, bream, mullet, flathead and snapper, as well as calamari and scallops. I would suggest picking one/some of those to start with. Please bear in mind that yellowfin tuna and snapper are heavily overfished in this country. This site is a useful resource to use when considering what fish to buy; they also have a mini-guide you can print out and keep in your wallet as well. 
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Jan 29, 2012 07:07
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This year I've had to cut my food budget considerably as my rent shot up from moving out of University halls. I've found quick and easy meals are Stir Frys. You can buy a bag of Stir Fry vegetables for about £1. I normally stir fry in a wok with a very small amount of oil and Chinese five spice. Have with rice and it's pretty filling and cheap. Also tofu! It's best to get these from Asian supermarkets as it's pretty cheap. One of the big blocks will last me four nights for about £1.20. I normally cut it into cubes or slices and soak it in a home made sauce for an hour. Then lightly fry in a small amount of vegetable oil, (or oil of your choice) for a few minutes on each side for a minute or two. Serve with stir fry, veg, rice or whatever takes your fancy. For a nice tasty tofu marinade I take a little garlic and ginger, bash it gentle in a pestle and mortar to just get the juices going, then add to a little soy sauce, (reduced salt soy if you have to watch your salt intake.) and a little honey. Add the tofu, make sure it's coated and leave to soak it all in for an hour. Also I've saved a lot buy buying the value tins of chopped tomatoes in Sainsburies rather then buying sauces or the more expensive tinned tomatoes. If you're making a vegetarian chilli for example, you can do the following: Chop up as many cloves of garlic to taste and 1 medium onion. Fry in a small amount of oil for a few minutes. Add two tins of chopped tomatoes. Put onto a lower heat to simmer. Add paprika, chilli powder and pepper to taste, then add a little honey. For a medium sized pot of chilli I add one table spoon. It brings out the sweetness of the tomato and dulls any bitterness from the spices. Add pre-soaked beans, potato, sweetcorn and any other vegetables. Leave to simmer until all the beans and potato are nice and soft. The sauce will thicken up on it's own. Serve with cous cous or rice. It will freeze and defrosts pretty well. Makes very cheap and tasty lunches. For a meat version you can add your meat at the initial stage of frying the garlic and onion.
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Jan 29, 2012 15:14
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SonicDefiance posted:Please bear in mind that yellowfin tuna and snapper are heavily overfished in this country. This site is a useful resource to use when considering what fish to buy; they also have a mini-guide you can print out and keep in your wallet as well. I've noticed that socially/environmentally conscious food shopping is not economical, and I wonder why that is. Surely if a wild caught product becomes endangered it becomes, by definition, rare, hard to find and the supply goes down on the market, so it should become more expensive, not less. Weird. I wonder what the Mercantilist explanation is. Seasonal veggies! Always eat seasonal veggies. And don't be shy in taking bruised or marked down produce, you can chop off the brown spots, or don't if you just want to stew it all up together. Of. course you turn down stuff that smells or looks really bad
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Jan 29, 2012 15:51
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Rule .303 posted:I've noticed that socially/environmentally conscious food shopping is not economical, and I wonder why that is. Surely if a wild caught product becomes endangered it becomes, by definition, rare, hard to find and the supply goes down on the market, so it should become more expensive, not less. In the U.S. at least, three of the most sustainable things you can buy — squid, catfish, and tilapia — are the cheapest things in the seafood window.
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Jan 29, 2012 17:35
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I recently discovered the wondrous grocery store that is Aldi. This week's special is 26 cent avocados and 99 cent pineapples. If you've never been in an Aldi and you have one near, check it out - pretty interesting. They don't "stock" the shelves, rather they just set out the products in their original pallets/boxes, and they don't advertise so the prices are ridiculously low on some things (but not everything). Their pasta is ridiculously cheap too - I got a 2 lb box of spaghetti for like $1.26. They also apparently have really, really cheap meat/poultry sometimes, but since I don't buy meat I didn't look. But you can go online and look at the weekly specials for the store in your area. It's not a club, you don't have to sign up, it's just a regular store. That oddly does not take credit cards.
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Jan 29, 2012 18:40
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Just be prepared to bag your own groceries!
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Jan 29, 2012 19:36
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razz posted:Aldi Same parent company as Trader Joe's.
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Jan 29, 2012 19:43
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Moey posted:Same parent company as Trader Joe's. Actually, Aldi was a German family grocery store split between two brothers. They allotted different countries to each other as they expanded worldwide, so France gets Aldi North and Britain gets Aldi South. In the US, Aldi is run by Aldi South and Trader Joe's by Aldi North. While American Aldi's owner is the richest man in Germany, Trader Joe's is only the second.
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Jan 29, 2012 20:17
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Iron Chef Ricola posted:Chicken isn't the best thing to cook for 8+ hours, it'll fall apart too much and be kind of gross-mushy. If you're going to be cooking for the whole week anyhow, then you can make a braised chicken soup/stew on the weekend in 3-4 hours and then just eat that all week. It'll also freeze extremely well. I agree with this. The meat that I've found reheats best in my slow cooker is beef, which may not be the best recommendation for a broke chef. If you'll willing to spend a little more on some beef stew cubes though, adding a few carrots, some celery, potatoes, and garlic will make a hearty beef stew that usually lasts me the better part of a week.
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Jan 30, 2012 23:18
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Harminoff posted:Just be prepared to bag your own groceries! Been bagging my own groceries since I was three 
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Jan 30, 2012 23:23
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Harminoff posted:Just be prepared to bag your own groceries! More to the point, bring your own bags or else be prepared to pay a few cents extra for bags (some may have boxes for free). But yeah, Aldi's good poo poo. And don't forget to use the whole broccoli!
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Jan 31, 2012 02:20
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Oh that reminds me, Aldi's broccoli is awesome. At first, I picked up a package and was like "Holy poo poo, this is a tiny broccoli for $1.26!" and put it back down. But then I dug around a little bit and there were identical packages (just a foam tray with cling-wrap type packaging) with MEGA GIANT 2 HEADS OF BROCCOLI TOGETHER so huge they were sticking a couple inches over the side. Easily 3 times the amount of broccoli as the first one I picked up. And it was DEFINITELY a bargain at $1.26.
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Jan 31, 2012 03:29
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razz posted:Oh that reminds me, Aldi's broccoli is awesome. At first, I picked up a package and was like "Holy poo poo, this is a tiny broccoli for $1.26!" and put it back down. But then I dug around a little bit and there were identical packages (just a foam tray with cling-wrap type packaging) with MEGA GIANT 2 HEADS OF BROCCOLI TOGETHER so huge they were sticking a couple inches over the side. Easily 3 times the amount of broccoli as the first one I picked up. And it was DEFINITELY a bargain at $1.26. I went and bought a head of iceberg lettuce. I didn't pay attention, and when I got home, I saw that it was mostly hollow inside after the first few leaves. When buying things by item price instead of weight, look around for the best package.
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Jan 31, 2012 03:44
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Mach420 posted:I went and bought a head of iceberg lettuce. I didn't pay attention, and when I got home, I saw that it was mostly hollow inside after the first few leaves. What? Is this a joke? How is this possible? 
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Jan 31, 2012 06:47
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babies havin rabies posted:What? Is this a joke? How is this possible? Worms. (kidding... I hope)
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Jan 31, 2012 08:37
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Mach420 posted:I went and bought a head of iceberg lettuce. I didn't pay attention, and when I got home, I saw that it was mostly hollow inside after the first few leaves. What the gently caress, I'd have loved to see a picture of this
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Jan 31, 2012 22:54
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Darval posted:What the gently caress, I'd have loved to see a picture of this It's just the way the leaves grew. It was a nice looking head from the outside, but after the outside leaves, the inside leaves curved inwards leaving a somewhat hollow, very loosely packed inside. I probably got only 1/2 of the lettuce i'd have gotten from a heavy, tightly grown head of lettuce.
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Feb 2, 2012 01:35
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It was iceberg, you didn't lose out on much.
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Feb 2, 2012 06:14
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redmercer posted:And don't forget to use the whole broccoli! Yesssssss Broccoli stems are GREAT in stews or soups. I like to slice them to about 1/8 inch thickness and stick them in a quick pickle, too. (Cucumbers, carrots, radishes, green beans, whatever. Water, vinegar, salt, sugar, spicerack. Leave in fridge overnight, delicious.)
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Feb 2, 2012 17:28
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Rule .303 posted:Another good bean is the garbanzo (Chick-pea). They soak like regular beans and go in soups or get mashed up for hummus like spreads. Or you can make them into falafel, which is both delicious and nutricious. Soak them overnight, whizz them up in the food processor with spices, put in the fridge for a few hours. Then form them into little balls and deep fry them.
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Feb 2, 2012 17:44
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Broccoli is awesome. Buy all the broccoli. I buy giant gfs bags of broccoli and eat it plain as a snack during the day. Then steam it for a side at dinner. It's amazing and good for you!
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Feb 2, 2012 23:31
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My Little Puni posted:Broccoli is awesome. Buy all the broccoli. The fact that my fiancée does not care for broccoli keeps me up at night sometimes. I love it so much 
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Feb 3, 2012 03:21
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feedmegin posted:Or you can make them into falafel, which is both delicious and nutricious. Soak them overnight, whizz them up in the food processor with spices, put in the fridge for a few hours. Then form them into little balls and deep fry them. Can you make decent falafel from canned chickpeas? Also, do you have a recipe? I have no idea what spices would go in Falafel.
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Feb 3, 2012 17:27
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If time is something you worry about, I'd look at using a pressure cooker. I make chicken soup in mine. Just throw in a bunch of chicken thighs, carrots, onions, and celery. Add water. Bring to pressure for 35 min then release. I make enough in my 6qt to last for a week. Portion it out in plastic containers, freeze, and use whenever you don't have time to cook.
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Feb 3, 2012 17:36
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My Little Puni posted:Broccoli is awesome. Buy all the broccoli.
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Feb 3, 2012 19:07
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feedmegin posted:Or you can make them into falafel, which is both delicious and nutricious. Soak them overnight, whizz them up in the food processor with spices, put in the fridge for a few hours. Then form them into little balls and deep fry them. I always mostly cook them through by boiling, then strain and mash with the onions and garlic. No fridge or anything (but then they cook in a few minutes since all you're really doing is crisping them up). Is it me that's got the weird method or you? CzarChasm posted:Can you make decent falafel from canned chickpeas? Personally I can't really tell the difference between dry and canned in this application. I wouldn't bother with a recipe though, just wing it with some combination of onions, garlic, fresh parsley, cumin and coriander.
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Feb 3, 2012 20:18
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I also cook the peas first. Putting them in the fridge firms them up a bit though which is helpful.
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Feb 3, 2012 20:22
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CzarChasm posted:Can you make decent falafel from canned chickpeas?
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Feb 3, 2012 21:48
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Daealdric posted:If time is something you worry about, I'd look at using a pressure cooker. I make chicken soup in mine. Just throw in a bunch of chicken thighs, carrots, onions, and celery. Add water. Bring to pressure for 35 min then release. I make enough in my 6qt to last for a week. Portion it out in plastic containers, freeze, and use whenever you don't have time to cook. Pressure cooking is a wonderful way to save time and money. You can cook a cheap cut of meat like you had simmered it for 2 hours in about 45 minutes. Beans and rice in about the same time. Do the hard cooking on the meat first, and then toss in the veggies to cook at the end (after reducing the pressure) for about 15 minutes or less unless you want your carrots and parsnips to come out as mush. you can also do a bean, pea and ham-hock soup in around 30 minutes. If the beans are not tender enough you can cook them longer.
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Feb 4, 2012 04:21
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Okay guys, chicken breasts are on sale so I need some great meal ideas to feed a family of five. I have a wok if needed and none of my eaters are vegetarian and vegan.
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Feb 4, 2012 04:53
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Bake in an oven proof dish with soy sauce, covered with tinfoil. Baste every 15 minutes or so. Serve with rice. (that was mom's goto)
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Feb 4, 2012 05:04
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Eggie posted:Okay guys, chicken breasts are on sale so I need some great meal ideas to feed a family of five. I have a wok if needed and none of my eaters are vegetarian and vegan. My chicken is boring but juicy and tasty. Bone-in I always bake it, 400 degrees uncovered on a broiler pan for about 35-40 minutes (perfect in my oven). I apply a variety of rubs to the skin with a bit of olive oil. Boneless, I slice them to an even thickness and saute with salt & pepper, sometimes with a rub, sometimes blackened, sometimes with a bourbon/honey sauce. Occasionally I cut them into fingers, bread and fry. Like I said, boring. The key is not to overcook them. Also, chicken burritos, chicken Parmesan.
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Feb 4, 2012 07:46
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There is always Ajiaco, which is a cream of potato and chicken soup. It uses sauteed chicken, sauteed onions, garlic, yellow and russet potatoes and chicken broth and cream. In south america you use a particular yellow potato that breaks down and liquifies, but you can either precook and mash or use potato flakes. In some places they put in capers and boil corn on the cob in it too. I've also seen it served at restaurants with fried plantain
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Feb 4, 2012 14:50
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This thread is the best thread and I loved the Good Eats: Tuna Surprise! video. We always stock up on canned tuna because it's cheap protein, but then it sits around because the only things I've ever used it for are tuna noodle casserole (which my partner won't eat) and tuna sandwiches (sometimes hot with cheese just to mix things up). Now I have more tuna recipes, yay! Also roasted broccoli. I tend to steam/fry/boil my veggies, rather than roasting because I am boring, but no more! Delicious broccoli will be mine! We do the bulk foods thing at Sam's Club (actually we just spent a lot of money there on bulk meats - we had pork chops for dinner, grilled with a light coating of season salt and served with green beans and onions pan-fried in olive oil, holy poo poo I felt like I was eating at a five-star restaurant for like, $5). My favorite buy recently has been the giant-rear end 1lb tub of baby spinach leaves. I hate iceberg lettuce with a passion. It's boring, it's tasteless, and considering its nutritional value it's not worth the fridge space. Iceberg-based salads can gently caress right off. I go for the giant tub of baby spinach when I can't grow it, and use that for salads. Actually I've been using it in everything. Wilt it in olive oil and garlic, splash with lemon juice and S/P as a quick fresh side (it's easy to add other raw grated/diced veggies to this as well if you want more color/variety), scramble in eggs, toss on sandwiches, shred or chop and add to stir-fries and soups... spinach is both more interesting than lettuce and makes my coworkers think I'm some kind of amazing diet guru when I tell them all the ways I use it. $3.97/lb is slightly more expensive than iceberg but worth every penny and also a pound of spinach is bigger than a shoebox and is pretty densely packed so you get a LOT of meals out of it (unlike that head of wilty lettuce). Greens are also easy to grow so when it warms up a tiny bit more, I am going to plant my own spinach again, yay! Note to people who like salads: Grow your own greens if you have even a sunny windowsill. Fresh salad greens that you -just- picked are the most kickass thing and you can grow stuff like kale that is expensive or hard to find, for as cheap/cheaper than supermarket stuff (which was probably grown in Mexico and trucked in). Now I'm off to check out whether our Sam's Club carries the stuff for homemade laundry soap :3 Edit: I don't freeze any of the spinach we buy so I tend to pack it into at least one meal a day just to eat it before it goes bad, but in the plastic tub if it stays dry it will last for two weeks give or take a few days. That's long enough to eat it all especially if you're cooking for more than two people. I would guess if you -had- to freeze it, doing it in single-serve baggies would be the way to go but I wouldn't eat it raw after freezing (I think it'd go mushy). Faerunner fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Feb 6, 2012 |
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Feb 6, 2012 03:03
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Sort of a related question: I've taken the dive into trying not to eat out as much. I've been getting a weekly CSA food box with local veggies and fruits and I have realised my herb set we bought about 4 years ago kind of tastes like nothing due to age and disuse. Are the Penzeys gift boxes worth it? I was sort of thinking of buying http://www.penzeys.com/scstore/giftboxes/new/herbGift8jar.html - money isn't the biggest issue as trying to encourage myself to make it as easy as possible to cook at home.
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Feb 6, 2012 07:33
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