Do you cook?

[shrugs]

Do you cook?

[Captain Hate]

shrugs I don't fit any of those categories

[kenny weir]

I have my almost-five son 2-3 nights a week, so those are my cooking nights/days.

Otherwise, I tend to slum it in Melbourne's cool Chinatown and similar dives. When I'm the only pale face in a crowd of Asian students, I know I've found somewhere cheap, tasty and (relatively) healthy.

I've been through a lot of tastes in terms of cooking. New Orleans/South Louisiana for a long time, but these days mostly Asian (esp Indian) and Italian, which is a joy as the produce/spices/oils/accesories for both in melbourne are of a very high order, especially Italian.

My latest plaything is the new first-ever English translation of the famous Italian Cookbook The Silver Spoon. It's gorgeous and inspirational. I cooked a chicken and olive/tomato stew, and strawberry soup, from it last weekend, and will be hooking back into it tomorrow with Bennie. Maybe mussels, if I can find some good fresh ones at our local Saigon market.

And remember, no matter what the question or the problem, there is always a one-size-fits-all answer: PHO!

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by Captain Hate

shrugs I don't fit any of those categories

Nor I. I cook only occasionally. I used to cook regularly. I never watch cooking shows.

[Pete C]

Is a smart Vietnamese chef a pho intellectual?

[kenny weir]

Originally Posted by Pete C

Is a smart Vietnamese chef a pho intellectual?

Of course!

I can easily get lost watching cooking shows on the telly, which bores Bennie witless - even more than football!

But last night he had his second experience of teppanyaki, and he loves the show-time aspects of that. Expensive for a dad and son. But I thought about it afterwards - if he hadn't been with me, I woulda spent at least that much on more on Fridays beers with colleagues, cab fare etc etc.

[Ron Thorne]

Originally Posted by Captain Hate

shrugs I don't fit any of those categories

Neither do I, shrugs. More categories are needed, I think.

I cook, and am a pretty damned good cook, too. Both of my parents were professional cooks at some point in their lives, so I had a wonderful training ground at home. At one point, we owned and operated a very successful barbeque restaurant in Florida.

I don't cook three days a week anymore. I cooked all meals (7 days per week) at one point, as did Patti. We alternate and eat out more these days. Some things change. Our love for good food remains, however.

Had a wonderful Shrimp Po'-Boy and Seafood Gumbo on Wednesday at Little New Orleans and thought of you, Dave.

[Jazzzoline]

Damn, I have to cook every day.
Who cooks only 3 times a week?

[Monte Smith]

I cook seven days and nights a week for three people. I love it. I learned something about food working in cookbooks in New York City--lotta really good cooks, some celebrity chefs, lotta fun. But mostly cooking is about getting into your own kitchen and putting heat to stuff. The best ingredient is curiosity.

[jazzgregg]

I'm a fair cook. I enjoy it and gravitate towards French and Italian usually. My next door nieghboor on the other hand is a master chef! I am nothing in comparison. Though we both watch quite a bit of the Food Network, he must just get better reception....

G

[kenny weir]

Originally Posted by Jazzzoline

Damn, I have to cook every day.
Who cooks only 3 times a week?

I sympathise, but I mean 3 meals a day for 2-3 days a week.

[Monte Smith]

Anyone getting their turkey on? I bought a 15 pounder today. I'll be cooking for eight. High temp. roast with juice gravy, exterior stuffing and delicious butter mash potatos. The relations will have to bring accompaniments.

[Jazzzoline]

Originally Posted by kenny weir

I sympathise, but I mean 3 meals a day for 2-3 days a week.

Oh, well, my husband doesn't have breakfast with us and my son fix his own breakfast now. Then for lunch, my son is at school, I work so I have lunch in restaurant or sometimes at home.
The only meal I have to fix is dinner.

[Jazzzoline]

Originally Posted by shrugs

Do you cook?

Do you need a cook?

[kenny weir]

Other interesting questions:

*Do you make your own stock? (Recipes please).

*Do have dedicated kitchen sound system?

*Does your signifcant other do all the cooking, or are they a klutz?

[Jazzzoline]

Originally Posted by kenny weir

Other interesting questions:

*Do you make your own stock? (Recipes please).

no, I'm a follower. It usually tastes better.

Originally Posted by kenny weir

*Do have dedicated kitchen sound system?

yes

Originally Posted by kenny weir

*Does your signifcant other do all the cooking, or are they a klutz?

I don't call him significant and all he can do for a meal is putting in the oven some frozen food. Absolutly horrible too.

[jazzgregg]

*Do you make your own stock? (Recipes please).

I make my own stock the usual way, you know- boil chicken (or whatever, fish bones, etc.), use veggie sraps, take them out, etc. Nothing radical with how I do it, though I do reduce it a lot for a stronger, tastier stock.
I do however put it into ice cube trays so I always have some on hand and it's easy and convienient (my grandfather taought me this trick)

*Do have dedicated kitchen sound system?

I have a sound system of some sort in every room in my house except one of the 2 bathrooms and a pretty large storage closet. Mostly though, if it's not 3am, I just blast the hell out of my monster stereo in the living room and save the smaller, room specific things for when I'm talking on the phone, or people are over- that sort of thing

*Does your signifcant other do all the cooking, or are they a klutz?

My wife makes the best brownies I've ever had. She can bake desserts, but the stuff she cooks is in the Kraft Dinner or pasta with butter style=)

G

[shrugs]

Originally Posted by kenny weir

Other interesting questions:

*Do you make your own stock? (Recipes please).

I am cooking a chicken stock right now. Bought a whole cut up chicken earlier and used a breast and a thigh to make some chicken/sausage jambalaya.
I used the rest for the stock.

1 chicken
1 cup dry white wine
Water
1 large onion, chopped
Parsley with stems
cayenne pepper
salt
Put chicken in the stockpot. Cover with water and wine. Put lid on and bring to a boil. Scim scum off top. Lower the heat and add vegetables, pepper and salt. Simmer covered for one hour.
Remove chicken and place meat on side. Return bones/skin to pot and simmer for 2 hours.
Scim scum/strain and then cook with it or refridgerate.

[jazzgregg]

Shrugs,
I find the wine to be a very important addition in a stock. No cayenne for me though.

G

[kenny weir]

KENNY'S CHICKEN STOCK

3 x chicken carcases
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 large brown onion, unskinned
1 leek, chopped
parsley, stems/whatever
6 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Put chicken bones on baking tray and blast in hot oven until browned. Place in stock pot with all the rest and cover with cold water. Boil. For hours on end. At the end of night, just before beddy-byes, strain the stock into a large bowl and place in fridge. Next day, scrape chilled/congealed fat off, place in plastic containers, freeze.

[shrugs]

I used to believe in cooking stocks/soups/gumbos for a long time.
Until I made a andouille/smoked turkey gumbo in less than 4 hours that had people trying to break into my house to steal the leftovers.
No more all night boils for me.
I've been adding the seasoning to almost every dish right off the bat too. FOr instance, when I cooked the jambalya tonight, I added the seasoning in with the olive oil and onions/green onion/parsley. Paul Prudhomme considers a spice a raw ingredient that must be properly cooked in order to get its full flavor.

[shrugs]

Originally Posted by jazzgregg

Shrugs,
I find the wine to be a very important addition in a stock. No cayenne for me though.

G

Me too. I use red wine when I make meat stock. A good meat stock is a key ingredient to REAL red beans and rice.

[kenny weir]

Originally Posted by shrugs

I used to believe in cooking stocks/soups/gumbos for a long time.

I do find the time factor helps with stock, although I would never do a soup/gumbo as long. Nowhere near it.

[jazzgregg]

Same with me, I'm still a long stock cooker, but not so for soups. My poor students that have that great smell wafting into my studio from upstairs while they're trying to listen to me teach them something!


G

[shrugs]

I guess to me a stock is something that is a lot better than just cooking with water. My chicken stock is used with jamabalaya and chicken noodle soup or chicken and sausage gumbo. Those dishes have such distinct flavors to them that I don't find the stock to impart a flavor that justifies burning the natural gas all night. I cook a lot and the gas bill gets high quick if I don't watch it.
Stocks beat the hell out of using water though. Especially in jambalaya or red beans and rice.

[shrugs]

Now I did forget that I cook a vegetable or meat stock a bit longer usually. I looked at my nlotebook and the chicken stock is the shortest to cook. I use it the most though.

[jazzgregg]

Originally Posted by shrugs

I guess to me a stock is something that is a lot better than just cooking with water.

That's EXACTLY what it is, man! It's a depth that you don't get with just water. Like what shallots do in place of onions (for certain things). I learn alot from talking with my chef neighboor too. Mostly I learned the time around which he eats dinner=)

G

[kenny weir]

Originally Posted by jazzgregg

My poor students that have that great smell wafting into my studio from upstairs while they're trying to listen to me teach them something!

Hell, yeah. I sometimes feel like making stock just for hell of it and the smell of it - even when the freezer's stuffed with the stuff.

[Dr Dave]

In the way long ago I cooked all the time. Now I'm married to somebody who trained at Cordon Bleu. I'm way out of her league, and not feeling too bad about it.

[bruce massey]

Gotta ask..how do you make a stock with a bay leaf?

It has to be pretty old in order for it now to over power the stock.