(no subject)
crystalpyramid posted about cooking and food security. I thought it was great and I didn't want to dominate the comments with a million self-centered things, so I have made my own post. Even if it's mostly a response post.
Food security is starting to get the attention it deserves. But food security isn't just having food around (ie not living in a food desert)--it's also having the resources (time, knowledge, money, clean water, cooking supplies) to be able to access, prepare, and consume healthy food.
I'm very privileged in that I generally do have the time, money, water, etc to cook. I'm also privileged in that I have some friends who are really into cooking and have taught me things, and I read cooking blogs. In general, I consider myself a learner, not a teacher, but here are some things that I've found come in handy. (Format totally stolen from crystalpyramid
Foods that I totally couldn't do without:
1. Frozen Vegetables -- I discovered these for real in 2011. They're cheaper, and probably fresher in many ways than unfrozen veg. Mixes are generally more expensive than single-type vegetables, so I buy a couple different kinds (including mixes) and make my own mix in a big freezer bag. Big bags here are good because they make you cook and eat more vegetables (no kidding, look up behavioral ecology research), and they make your freezer more efficient by providing thermal mass.
2. Greek Yogurt -- It's relatively new and it's awesome. I use it in everything. It's no-fat, high-protein, no cholesterol. You can use it as a substitute for sour cream, or cream cheese, or (sometimes) cream (but put it in at the very end if it's a soup). It's expensive, though, and the cheaper brands are generally not good (except Trader Joe's)--they use gelatin or carageenan and different cultures too, which generally means they're more sour and don't pack the same protein punch.
3. Dried beans -- these things are awesomely cheap and they can count either as vegetables or proteins (or, you know, both). I find that it's easiest to cook big batches of beans (especially chick peas) and freeze them (in their cooking liquid, in old yogurt containers) so I can use them in recipes later. Doing this with chickpeas makes it easier to do Emergency Hummus :) (I don't buy canned beans because I am too lazy to lug them the mile+ from the store when dried beans are so much lighter.) I've also recently learned that you can cook beans in the oven. But I haven't tried that yet.
4. Peanut oil -- I use this all the time, because most of my pan-cooking is a bit too hot for extra-virgin olive oil (it has a low smoke point) and I'm not buying two types of olive oil. I actually prefer sesame oil, but right now I live with someone who's allergic to that.
5. Onions -- I never thought I'd say this, but onions are usually the first thing in my pan. I still hate them raw.
6. Spices! Spices make me able to eat things I could not otherwise eat. Like lentils. I kind of hate lentils after fixing them badly for several years, but they are good if made with coconut milk and lemongrass! And spices are very cheap, especially if there is a place (usually a coop) that sells them in bulk. I don't think I paid more than $2 for any spice I have.
Cooking implements I discovered as an adult that I wish I'd known about as a kid...well, that would be all of them :) Here are the useful ones:
1. Pressure Cookers: they make things much faster. Especially beans.
2. Rice cookers! They keep me from burning things, also they make things like sushi and quinoa easy (ie not scary).
3. Dutch ovens! I am still learning to use any oven, but the idea of putting a pot into the oven to cook and not have to stir it so much is great, especially in the winter when it heats the kitchen.
4. Electric kettles! I got one for Christmas and I use it every day to make tea. It may be cheaper to electric-kettle boil water than to stove-boil water.
Maybe everyone else knew the following things already, but they slowly dawned on me after months or years of observation. No kidding.
1. Cooking doesn't necessarily require a lot of time, it requires *control* over your time, which means planning and/or serious resources.
2. Spontaneous cooking requires a stocked pantry.
3. Vegetarian cooking overdoes the carbs and fat (and makes you feel awful) unless you actively plan for protein and nutrient balance.
4. Cheese is (essentially) a fat, not a protein.
5. You can change finished food! I did not realize this until a couple years ago. Even if it is a pizza and it has been delivered, you can add spices! And make it taste good! Even if it comes out of a can or a frozen box as "ready to eat", you can still alter it! (I still find this amazing, since I went more than 25 years without realizing it.)
6. Hot water is the best way to warm up, so soup and tea may be better in winter than a heavy meal. Cold or iced drinks in the summer may cool you faster than A/C.
7. Adding bouillon to anything cooked in water really perks up the flavor.
8. Textured Vegetable Protein is awesome. It comes dried, either in bulk specialty areas (think WF) or in specialty flour-ish areas. It's the one kind of vegetarian protein that meat-eaters are less likely to catch, and it add protein without adding much in the way of carbs or fat.
9. A little strongly-flavored cheese can go a long way, especially if you add yogurt to the recipe for creaminess.
I can share recipes with people if they want, but generally people share recipes with me, not the other way 'round :)
Food security is starting to get the attention it deserves. But food security isn't just having food around (ie not living in a food desert)--it's also having the resources (time, knowledge, money, clean water, cooking supplies) to be able to access, prepare, and consume healthy food.
I'm very privileged in that I generally do have the time, money, water, etc to cook. I'm also privileged in that I have some friends who are really into cooking and have taught me things, and I read cooking blogs. In general, I consider myself a learner, not a teacher, but here are some things that I've found come in handy. (Format totally stolen from crystalpyramid
Foods that I totally couldn't do without:
1. Frozen Vegetables -- I discovered these for real in 2011. They're cheaper, and probably fresher in many ways than unfrozen veg. Mixes are generally more expensive than single-type vegetables, so I buy a couple different kinds (including mixes) and make my own mix in a big freezer bag. Big bags here are good because they make you cook and eat more vegetables (no kidding, look up behavioral ecology research), and they make your freezer more efficient by providing thermal mass.
2. Greek Yogurt -- It's relatively new and it's awesome. I use it in everything. It's no-fat, high-protein, no cholesterol. You can use it as a substitute for sour cream, or cream cheese, or (sometimes) cream (but put it in at the very end if it's a soup). It's expensive, though, and the cheaper brands are generally not good (except Trader Joe's)--they use gelatin or carageenan and different cultures too, which generally means they're more sour and don't pack the same protein punch.
3. Dried beans -- these things are awesomely cheap and they can count either as vegetables or proteins (or, you know, both). I find that it's easiest to cook big batches of beans (especially chick peas) and freeze them (in their cooking liquid, in old yogurt containers) so I can use them in recipes later. Doing this with chickpeas makes it easier to do Emergency Hummus :) (I don't buy canned beans because I am too lazy to lug them the mile+ from the store when dried beans are so much lighter.) I've also recently learned that you can cook beans in the oven. But I haven't tried that yet.
4. Peanut oil -- I use this all the time, because most of my pan-cooking is a bit too hot for extra-virgin olive oil (it has a low smoke point) and I'm not buying two types of olive oil. I actually prefer sesame oil, but right now I live with someone who's allergic to that.
5. Onions -- I never thought I'd say this, but onions are usually the first thing in my pan. I still hate them raw.
6. Spices! Spices make me able to eat things I could not otherwise eat. Like lentils. I kind of hate lentils after fixing them badly for several years, but they are good if made with coconut milk and lemongrass! And spices are very cheap, especially if there is a place (usually a coop) that sells them in bulk. I don't think I paid more than $2 for any spice I have.
Cooking implements I discovered as an adult that I wish I'd known about as a kid...well, that would be all of them :) Here are the useful ones:
1. Pressure Cookers: they make things much faster. Especially beans.
2. Rice cookers! They keep me from burning things, also they make things like sushi and quinoa easy (ie not scary).
3. Dutch ovens! I am still learning to use any oven, but the idea of putting a pot into the oven to cook and not have to stir it so much is great, especially in the winter when it heats the kitchen.
4. Electric kettles! I got one for Christmas and I use it every day to make tea. It may be cheaper to electric-kettle boil water than to stove-boil water.
Maybe everyone else knew the following things already, but they slowly dawned on me after months or years of observation. No kidding.
1. Cooking doesn't necessarily require a lot of time, it requires *control* over your time, which means planning and/or serious resources.
2. Spontaneous cooking requires a stocked pantry.
3. Vegetarian cooking overdoes the carbs and fat (and makes you feel awful) unless you actively plan for protein and nutrient balance.
4. Cheese is (essentially) a fat, not a protein.
5. You can change finished food! I did not realize this until a couple years ago. Even if it is a pizza and it has been delivered, you can add spices! And make it taste good! Even if it comes out of a can or a frozen box as "ready to eat", you can still alter it! (I still find this amazing, since I went more than 25 years without realizing it.)
6. Hot water is the best way to warm up, so soup and tea may be better in winter than a heavy meal. Cold or iced drinks in the summer may cool you faster than A/C.
7. Adding bouillon to anything cooked in water really perks up the flavor.
8. Textured Vegetable Protein is awesome. It comes dried, either in bulk specialty areas (think WF) or in specialty flour-ish areas. It's the one kind of vegetarian protein that meat-eaters are less likely to catch, and it add protein without adding much in the way of carbs or fat.
9. A little strongly-flavored cheese can go a long way, especially if you add yogurt to the recipe for creaminess.
I can share recipes with people if they want, but generally people share recipes with me, not the other way 'round :)