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CzarChasm posted:There's a great technique for peeling garlic in a flash: Ya, I do that, but it is still a bunch of fiddly work to get the paper off. I learned a different trick a few months ago that is awesome for when you need a bunch of garlic: 1. Find a pair of bowls that are the same size or a big tupperware container 2. Put head of galic inside and invert 2nd bowl to use as a lid (or put on the tupperware lid) 3. Shake like crazy for 30 seconds 4. Open to find all garlic peeled Seems to work best when there is some room in the container to let the garlic get some momentum. e: I found a video: http://www.saveur.com/article/Video/video-How-to-Peel-a-Head-of-Garlic-in-Less-Than-10-Seconds I don't even smash the head of garlic like the guy in the video, I just toss it in. taqueso fucked around with this message at 22:49 on Mar 19, 2012 |
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Mar 19, 2012 22:46
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taqueso posted:Ya, I do that, but it is still a bunch of fiddly work to get the paper off. I learned a different trick a few months ago that is awesome for when you need a bunch of garlic:
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Mar 19, 2012 22:58
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Iron Chef Ricola posted:Hey sweet you found the video I posted on the last page good job. Guess I missed that somehow 
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Mar 19, 2012 23:03
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If I peel a whole head of garlic like that, will the cloves keep just as well as if I hadn't peeled them? Right now I just peel each individually but if that skin isn't keeping them fresh or whatever then I might as well do the bowl thing.
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Mar 19, 2012 23:20
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I am currently enthralled with freeze-dryed garlic, because I am a lazy and because spacemen.
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Mar 19, 2012 23:36
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Horrible Smutbeast posted:Throw them in a pot with some sugar and you get some homemade syrup you can use as a topping on pretty much anything. I don't feel like making actual jam except one day of the year, remember I don't actually have any canning supplies and make that again instead. Goes really well on waffles, icecream, toast, desserts, whatever. I don't make a whole lot of desserty type dishes, but this sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll make crepes tonight if I can stand that long. My back is not happy with me right now. 
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Mar 20, 2012 03:20
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What's the general opinion on garlic presses? I grew up with one and every time I cook with garlic, I fervently wish I had one now.
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Mar 20, 2012 09:27
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I really don't like them. My roommates have one, and I feel like it produces a harsh, unpleasant garlic flavor. Remember, the garlic taste is the product of two compounds reacting when you break cell walls. The more cell walls you break, the more intense the flavor, which is the difference between cracking a clove of garlic, slicing it, mincing it, and using a press. I think the press really goes overboard.
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Mar 20, 2012 09:53
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LadySage posted:What's the general opinion on garlic presses? I grew up with one and every time I cook with garlic, I fervently wish I had one now. They're a waste. +1 to what kenning said. Also, you can get the same effect by smashing with the side of a board scraper or Chinese cleaver and then passing a blade across the flattened clove for 5 secs. These two can also be used elsewhere in the kitchen for other uses whereas the garlic press is just a garlic press. Not to mention the holes and crevices can be hard to keep clean. Or mortar and pestle works great. Bobby Flay demonstrated this thing where he sprinkled coarse salt on the touch chopped clove and then rubbed it with the side of his knife.
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Mar 20, 2012 10:09
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I like them because mincing garlic can be a pain and I'm lazy, but otherwise they're not that great. You always get stuff stuck inside and they're hard to clean. I have a chopper, similar to one of these stupid things and it works alright. Not the first product I'd recommend, but it's okay for small batches of garlic and things like that. I used it for dicing peppers tonight because the oils always irritate my hands. You'd probably be better off with a little food processor, though. We only bought the garlic wheel because it was on clearance and we were feeling frivolous. I like it better than a garlic press because you can fit more than one clove in at once, but if you overload it, the stupid plastic gears grind a bit. In other news, crepes didn't happen tonight because I wore myself out making dinner, but it was delicious so it's okay. Instead of going to a big supermarket (which we usually do because it's 24 hours and we're night owls), we went to a smaller store called Fresh and Easy. They just opened a shop that's about a 5-10 minute walk from our place, and have a few others in California, Arizona and Nevada. Since it's a smaller store we feel compelled to buy less, and we have a lot less frivolous spending. It was actually hard to spend more than $30 so we could use the coupons they're always sending us. The money we saved by buying only what we needed meant we could afford to have a nice piece of salmon for dinner tonight. The only real problem I have with shopping there is that their produce selection is limited, and some of it is only available in one package size. They were a lot cheaper than the same amount at the supermarket, but I still have no idea what to do with 1+ lbs of serrano peppers before they go bad. 
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Mar 20, 2012 11:08
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I cook with an awful lot of garlic so I use this single clove variety most of the time - so much less time spent peeling. 
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Mar 20, 2012 11:44
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Pookah posted:I cook with an awful lot of garlic so I use this single clove variety most of the time - so much less time spent peeling. Wait, this is a thing? That exists?
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Mar 20, 2012 12:57
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I use a garlic press mostly for hot pepper. Roughly chop them and then pass through the press to pulp and juice a little. I like this for fresh salsas and other things where the pepper bits will not have a chance to meld.
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Mar 20, 2012 13:41
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Pookah posted:I cook with an awful lot of garlic so I use this single clove variety most of the time - so much less time spent peeling. Please tell me where to find such a woundrous thing. I do most of my grocery shopping at the local asian market for prices because holy hell is it cheap, with supplimental things filled in by acme, and it works really well. (IE I buy 2-3lb onions at the asian market, but occasionally need more than that and pick up a 3# bag at acme) and use acme for staples when staples are on sale. (Like, I have a thing for Hunts tomato sauce. It's pretty much the only tomato sauce I eat for things like pasta/gnocchis. So I stock up when it's .50/can.) the only thing that sucks is that 75% of cheap cooking involves ovens and my lovely studio doesn't have an oven. however, there are stovetop alteternatives to nearly everything. Like Pizza Quesadillas instead of pizza, The only thing I havent come up with a decent stovetop alternative for is roast pork shoulder.
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Mar 20, 2012 13:58
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Doh004 posted:Wait, this is a thing? That exists? AA is for Quitters posted:Please tell me where to find such a woundrous thing. I buy mine in Lidl here (Ireland) It's one of the standard things they stock. But I just discovered something about this glorious garlic - it isn't actually garlic! It's a variety of Elephant garlic which despite the name is more closely related to leeks.
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Mar 20, 2012 14:34
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AA is for Quitters posted:the only thing that sucks is that 75% of cheap cooking involves ovens and my lovely studio doesn't have an oven. however, there are stovetop alteternatives to nearly everything. Like Pizza Quesadillas instead of pizza, The only thing I havent come up with a decent stovetop alternative for is roast pork shoulder. Stovetop Carnitas Is something like that what you're looking for? [edit] to say I already posted that recipe once, my bad, I just love it so hard for how simple it is. And delicious. vonnegutt fucked around with this message at 14:42 on Mar 20, 2012 |
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Mar 20, 2012 14:35
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LadySage posted:What's the general opinion on garlic presses? I grew up with one and every time I cook with garlic, I fervently wish I had one now. I got this one on August of 2011: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004OCJX It's served me very well ever since the first day I've used it, and I use mine frequently. Nobody's ever complained about how the garlic in my food tastes.
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Mar 20, 2012 17:21
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I have a generic SlapChop that I use for garlic. It's fast, cleans up easily, and is more versatile than a garlic press. Plus you can act like that guy in the commercial if that's your schtick.
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Mar 20, 2012 17:37
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Pookah posted:I cook with an awful lot of garlic so I use this single clove variety most of the time - so much less time spent peeling. that is not a garlic at all 
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Mar 20, 2012 18:45
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What is that? It doesn't even look like the elephant garlic I've seen (which isn't garlic either).
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Mar 20, 2012 18:58
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vonnegutt posted:Stovetop Carnitas I should try my standard road pork recipe stovetop like that. Generally it's a roast pork shoulder/butt stuffed with a head of garlic and surrounded by potatoes and onions roasted til done, but it seems like I could do it stovetop like that recipe.
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Mar 20, 2012 19:26
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Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:What is that? It doesn't even look like the elephant garlic I've seen (which isn't garlic either). It's called chinese garlic in Norway. It's a bit garlicky but milder. I wouldn't substitute one for the other.
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Mar 20, 2012 20:05
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Yeah, there's just no comparison when you get a truly good bulb of garlic and you can use a quarter the amount you'd have to with the grown-in-China stuff at the grocery store. Even if the cost is a bit higher per bulb it makes up the difference in the strength of flavour.
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Mar 20, 2012 20:49
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Mizufusion posted:I don't make a whole lot of desserty type dishes, but this sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll make crepes tonight if I can stand that long. My back is not happy with me right now. If you keep the heat low you shouldn't burn the fruit or sugar after the first few minutes so you can sit down and relax a little more. Sometimes I just stir it for about 2-5 minutes until everything is getting mushy and turn off the burner - it's usually hot enough to cook the fruit all the way through without burning everything. You could chop the fruit into small pieces before throwing it on the stove to reduce the cooking time. Hope you feel better soon. TychoCelchuuu posted:If I peel a whole head of garlic like that, will the cloves keep just as well as if I hadn't peeled them? Right now I just peel each individually but if that skin isn't keeping them fresh or whatever then I might as well do the bowl thing. Only one way to find out 
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Mar 21, 2012 08:53
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TychoCelchuuu posted:If I peel a whole head of garlic like that, will the cloves keep just as well as if I hadn't peeled them? Right now I just peel each individually but if that skin isn't keeping them fresh or whatever then I might as well do the bowl thing.
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Mar 21, 2012 14:59
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Horrible Smutbeast posted:If you keep the heat low you shouldn't burn the fruit or sugar after the first few minutes so you can sit down and relax a little more. Sometimes I just stir it for about 2-5 minutes until everything is getting mushy and turn off the burner - it's usually hot enough to cook the fruit all the way through without burning everything. You could chop the fruit into small pieces before throwing it on the stove to reduce the cooking time. Hope you feel better soon. Thanks! Whoever said sleeping on your stomach is bad for your back was a liar, because it's the only thing that's eased the pain significantly. I ended up making the crepes yesterday afternoon, and they were delicious. For the filling I just grabbed one of the bags of mixed berries that was open and dumped it all in a pot with a bit of sugar. It cooked up pretty quickly once everything thawed out, and it was greatly appreciated by my boyfriend and our roommate. Could have used some whipped cream or custard, but maybe next time..
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Mar 21, 2012 17:52
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Lots of good ideas on finding cheap food and cooking on the cheap. Another thing that should be considered is the tools you use. Cooking at home can be a joy if you have sturdy tools you're not fighting against, or a nightmare if you're using garbage. Get a good kitchen knife. Cutting meat and the like is a nightmare with a garbage knife. You don't even need a set, just a good full-tang chef's knife and a steel to keep it honed. use a nice wooden cutting board when breaking down whole cuts of meat; plastic harbors bacteria and glass is murder on your knife. Dutch ovens and slow cookers have come up a lot in here, and for good reason. They're a chef's best friend. Also look into a pressure cooker. A pressure cooker is wonderful for cooking a meal quickly, plus it's double use; a pressure cooker without a lid makes a great stock pot for making stock, soups and the like. Of course tools are a fairly large investment, but they're just that; an investment. Good tools you pay for once and never again. And nothing can burn a home cook out like the feeling that cooking is a chore or just plain not fun. Bulk dry goods, as have been said, can be kept in glass or plastic containers. if you have an extra closet or cupboard space, consider turning it into a pantry; a cool, dry place to keep bulk nonperishable goods is a godsend. It's also a benefit in keeping bulky clutter off the counter space you're working on. With stock, consider freezing some of it in ice cube trays. If you're making a soup or stew, add a few stock cubes to it; You'll have a richer flavor and MUCH less sodium than boullion cubes. As for meat, I can understand you fully. Us Americans are used to meat with every meal. But if you look out around the world where food isn't as cheap as it is in the US, you find meat is more of a 'sometimes' food. Cutting down on the meat, making it a twice a week food for instance, will not only make it a more pleasurable dish to eat, you'll probably feel better to boot. Another thing on meat; Butchers. If you have a butcher shop in town, or even if you have a neighborhood supermarket with a butcher on staff, get to know them. Make friends with them. You'll probably find that a cut of meat from a butcher is much better than the shrinkwrapped bulk stuff at the supermarket. And if you like ground meats, getting a cut from a butcher and grinding yourself not only can be cheaper than pregound meats, you can avoid the 'pink slime' the media has been whipping up paranoia about. Probably repeated a bunch of stuff that's already been said, but this is a great thread. The funny thing about cooking is that cheaper is usually better; it's usually richer, fresher, and without so many fillers, preservatives and sodium that you see in food that is marketed as "cheap".
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Apr 11, 2012 07:29
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So, I move to a different state on Saturday and have an EBT card with $150 on it. It'll obviously be useless to me after the move so I want to splurge it on a bunch of food that'll stock up our pantry/fridge and last a while. I'm not asking for anyone to write a grocery list, just an idea of what kind of foods to stock up on that we can stretch out for several weeks(we will be super broke for at least a month, so the longer we can ration the food I get, the better) I am vegetarian and lactose intolerant, while the boyfriend is allergic to chocolate, peanut butter, cinnamon and is also lactose intolerant. He doesn't mind also dropping meat for a while if it saves money, but it'd be nice for him if we could grab some lunchmeat or hotdogs or whatever would be cheapest. Considering how much he can't eat, I can't blame him for wanting to at least have that much.  If it helps, wewon't have a microwave for a while(unless we find a functional one at goodwill) but I am bringing a slow cooker and a blender, while he has saucepans, a pot and a skillet. IDK what else we'll have to cook with off the top of my head, but I think what we have is plenty. On that note what kitchens supplies should we absolutely make sure we have? Or is this not the right thread to ask that
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Apr 12, 2012 12:05
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Beans. For the love of all that's holy, beans. Get masses of chickpeas, some black beans, lentils, white beans, pinto beans, and any other kind of bean you can think of. They'll last a good long while, and they're filling. Throw down for a 20 lb bag of brown rice. Combine with beans, and you're talking about a fairly filling, inexpensive, delicious meal. A few tinned foods will help round out the corners when things are tough, and you can't afford fresh: 1) Tinned tomatoes. Find the ones without calcium chloride, as the stuff forces the tomato to stay together no matter how long you cook it. I used to hate tinned tomato until someone explained to me what to look for. 2) Tomato paste. Get the smaller ones. They're good for enriching pretty close to anything you can find, especially beans. 3) Coconut milk. It's endlessly useful in all sorts of foods, including gravies, soups, desserts, etc. 4) Corn. It's one of the few veg that I've found that tastes decent when it's been tinned. Peas taste like awful, green beans have a definite off taste, and beets taste horrific. 5) Pineapple. It's handy to have around to make chutneys, pineapple upside down cake, cocktails. Look for one that's packed in its own juice. There's a couple of frozen foods to splurge on too, to keep you going. 1) Berries. Excellent for smoothies. Toss some juice, berries, and ice into your blender, along with bananas, and you've got a fairly nice breakfast smoothie in very little time. You just need like 1/4 cup or so of the berries to really get the taste and colour to go all the way through. 2) Peas. I find that adding frozen peas to food kind of brightens up the taste. They really add a bit of a fresh texture to the whole thing. This likely won't be all your buying, but hopefully it gets you started.
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Apr 12, 2012 13:03
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dino. posted:Beans. For the love of all that's holy, beans. Get masses of chickpeas, some black beans, lentils, white beans, pinto beans, and any other kind of bean you can think of. They'll last a good long while, and they're filling. Throw down for a 20 lb bag of brown rice. Combine with beans, and you're talking about a fairly filling, inexpensive, delicious meal. A few tinned foods will help round out the corners when things are tough, and you can't afford fresh: The best tinned tomatoes to get are the ones with no ingredients besides tomatoes. Those made in Italy are the best. If you aren't going to buy fresh vegetables, at least get frozen ones, not tinned. all tinned vegetables have a distinct 'vingegary' taste to them. Of course some vegetables like peas you should pretty much always be getting frozen unless you have direct access to the grower. buy some whole spices cheap from an indian grocer, that way you can flavour your big bags of rice and beans. Indian cuisine is great for cheap vegetarian eating.
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Apr 12, 2012 14:49
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You can use your EBT in another state, Dabbo . I've done it, I just called the social service office and let them know.
razz fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Apr 12, 2012 |
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Apr 12, 2012 18:40
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Adding to the above, Lord Bude mentioned buying Indian spices specifically, I'd recommend a handful of basic starters: Oregano* Garlic Powder/Granulated Garlic Basil* Thyme* Black Peppercorns (And a pepper mill if you don't have one) Paprika Rosemary* Use (some of) these with your canned tomatoes/paste to make simple pasta and pizza sauces. So get some pasta too. Fresh Garlic will be much better, but I like having powder on hand for small applications where fresh would burn (spice rubs) In addition to that, get a decent sized bottle of plain white vinegar, useful in a lot of recipes and doubles as an effective 'green' cleaner. If the boyfriend is cool eating veggie for 90% of his meals you can probably swing cheap lunch meat for occasional lunches. If he really needs a meat fix you could go with the little packs of Buddig Meat, cheap, but not very tasty. Otherwise, buy whole chickens, break them down yourself and make any number of tasty chicken dishes (Soup, stew, fried, and stock are all good ideas, though your tools are a bit limited) Frozen veggies are usually good for saving a couple of bucks, and the taste and texture are very good as well. I prefer frozen to canned in any case. Finally, if you have any sort of baking inclination, pick up some flour, sugar and yeast and bake your own bread/cakes. Baking a small cake is a nice treat that you can make on occasion and it won't totally kill your budget if you don't do it all the time. There is a lot to be said for having a little something sweet to come home to after a rough day. And baking your own bread is a gift unto itself. *Yes, fresh is better. No question, but unless you are growing your own, you are paying too much for fresh herbs. You can get by on dried until things improve. Use about half as much as fresh and add at the beginning of cooking. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ EDIT: You asked about cooking supplies as well You said that you had a blender, slow cooker, a few saucepots and a frying pan, yes? That's a pretty good start. I'd say get one good general chef's knife if you don't have one already. Something that's comfortable enough for you to use, not too heavy, but sturdy enough to break down a chicken. Also, kitchen shears. Keep them both good and sharp. Beyond that, a handful of rubber spatulas, plastic and wooden spoons and a pancake turner or two is good. Maybe a whisk. CzarChasm fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Apr 12, 2012 |
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Apr 12, 2012 19:11
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There is so much great info here. I was so inspired that I had to try this. Here is my grocery list. Trying this out to see if I can save some cash. Anyone have any advice on if these are good deals? I'm trying very hard to shop smarter. 2 - 6 lbs 99 cents - Roma Tomatoes 2 - 5 for 99 cents - Manila Mangos 2 - 8 for 99 cents - Cucumbers 3 - 89 cents pound - Peruvian Beans 1 - 60 count 3.99 - Medium Eggs 1 - 10 lb for 1.49 - Potatoes 1 - 4 lbs for 99 cents - Pineapple 1 - 99 cent - Mushrooms 2 heads - 4 for 99 cents - Iceberg Lettuce 2 - 6 for 99 cents - Bread rolls 1 - 4 lbs for 99 cents - Carrots 1 - 4 lbs for 99 cents - Tomatillo 1 - 3 lbs for 99 cents - Mexican Squash 2 - 2 lbs for 99 cents - Jalapenos 2 - 2 lbs 99 cents - White onions 1 - 3 lbs 99 cents - Pasilla Peppers 4 - 3 lbs for 99 cents - Rice 1 - 1.27 - Salsa Picante 1 - 1.87 - Sugar 1 - 6 for 99 cents - Avocados Pounds of food - 73 (roughly) Total Price - 34.56
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Apr 13, 2012 05:46
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MuffinShark posted:There is so much great info here. I was so inspired that I had to try this. Here is my grocery list. Trying this out to see if I can save some cash. Anyone have any advice on if these are good deals? I'm trying very hard to shop smarter. Holy crap food is cheap where you live. Roma tomatoes are about $4.50/kg here, mushrooms are about $12/kg. Any type of chilli is around $19/kg. Most of the items on your list would cost at least twice what you paid
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Apr 13, 2012 13:28
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6 avocados for a dollar?! I'm lucky if I can find them 6 for $5.
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Apr 13, 2012 14:03
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Seriously who do I have to blow to get cucumbers 8 for a buck? Goddamn.
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Apr 13, 2012 17:14
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I have to assume MuffinShark is posting from 1998, because that's the last time I saw prices like that. Seriously, where the poo poo do you live? Question for the thread: is there a secret to freezing veggies at home? Because my chop->plastic bag->freezer method resulted in mush when I thawed them, no matter the method of thawing.
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Apr 13, 2012 18:27
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TheNothingNew posted:I have to assume MuffinShark is posting from 1998, because that's the last time I saw prices like that. Seriously, where the poo poo do you live? Depends on the veggies, but in general chop > put in single layer on cookie sheet > Freeze until solid > Baggie > Freezer Why are you thawing them though? Depending on the veggie, I wouldn't thaw them, but toss them straight into what ever I was cooking right out of the freezer (Boiling water or steamer tray, too). If you are adding frozen peas or corn to a soup or stew you'd probably just add them near the end anyway to warm up. If you were using onions as the base for a sauce or something, they'd just cook down into whatever you're making anyway. I can't think of any veg that I would store frozen, and then let come up to room temp and consume "plain" (ie, I wouldn't freeze salad ingredients), and anything else I'd just cook straight from frozen.
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Apr 13, 2012 18:37
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Freezing completely ruins the texture of most veggies and fruit. And they really don't taste good when they're raw AND soggy.
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Apr 13, 2012 18:46
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MuffinShark posted:
WHAT. You can get 2-5 manila mangoes for $1?! Please tell use where you live.
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Apr 13, 2012 18:56
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