Renzatic on 14/1/2010 at 00:06
2009. The year I went from rather well off to dirty dirt poor. The economy is bad, and things generally suck all around on the money front. For this reason, I've had to cut back on alot of my luxuries, like games, going out to play pool every other day, and my main form of sustenance: eating out. Now this last wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for one thing...
I can't cook. And I can't cook in a "I've managed to fuck up basic chili and spaghetti" sorta way. Hell, I've even managed to burn water once of twice. Needless to say, the only reason I'm alive is because of takeout Chinese, Subway, Panera Bread, and Campbells Chunky Soups.
But alas, the days of me eating out twice a day are over. I can still treat myself a couple times a week, but for now, I want to save money. And I want to start by making my own food. For my first question, I'll start out simple: how do I make a good sandwich? I mean can slap some lettuce, tomato, and a few slices of ham on a piece of bread, but that's so damn bland. I want to make good sandwiches. With tasty bread that isn't as dry as the Sahara, alternate condiments besides mustard, tasty cheeses, some sprigs of various spices. Basically, I want a sandwich as good as what I can get in a restaurant, but don't want to spend $12.75 to get it.
I want to eat, people! And I need your help to do it! Suggest me some recipes. What good breads to get, what to look for, and what goes well together. If things go well, I'll move up to heartier plates, such as chicken and beef dishes.
And try to be prompt with the replies. I'm hungry.
AR Master on 14/1/2010 at 00:21
I mix whatever I have laying around. One of my easiest recipies is such:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon montreal steak seasoning
1 tablespoon paprika
3/4 cup cheese
some pepper
mix dat shit
mix da fuck out of it
grill in an electric skillet until dark brown
throw that bitch on some whole wheat pitas with some steak sauce, aw jeaaaaaah
if you like sandwiches, just pick whatever's laying around and put it together. or make my roast beef and blue: dip the bread in egg and fry it and add roast beef, horseradish and blue cheese, plus whatever else you like to add
20 bucks and you're eatinf for a week
SubJeff on 14/1/2010 at 00:23
hey guys how do i use the bus
:p
AR Master on 14/1/2010 at 00:28
seriously bro, if you cant cook, go to the army surplus and get yourslef a crate of MREs or something. for real brosephine all men can cook because it's how one survives outside the womb of mommy's basement. dont whine about how haaaaard it is to boil water or i cant souffle so therefore i cant feed myseeeeeeeelf, figure this shit out sherlock bromes. harden the fuck up or get out of the kitchen and starve like a bitch
Scots Taffer on 14/1/2010 at 00:40
Cue link to RBJ's opus on sandwiches in 5, 4, 3...
Well, I would think getting selections of bread would be relatively easy at bakeries or grocery stores, over here we have a selection from loafs to rolls to baguettes of almost every variety (wholewheat, multigrain, plain, seeded, exotic shit like parmesan and onion) that forms the baseline for a very decent sandwich. After that all you need is some decent quality deli meat (not the prepackaged stuff, though you can go for that in a pinch) plus cheese and condiments. I'm also a big fan of tuna mayo with a lot of sea salt and fresh pepper. I'm also not a huge fan of sandwiches that try to be salad bars at the same time though I find a small amount of mixed leaves and a little salad (red) onion can go a long way.
I'm typically not a cheese snob so I really enjoy a basic cheddar on my sandwich and unless I feel it pairs up really well, generally eschew edam, gouda, brie, etc. For the condiments, mayo with a twist usually goes well - do one side of your bread with mayo and the other side with a thin layer of sundried tomato paste or pesto or olive tapenade.
The key to having a good sandwich as well, is eating it as soon as its freshly made. This is especially true if you're making a sandwich with wet parts (tuna mayo, sliced tomato etc) and if you're making it on the go, I've known people to bring in the requisite parts of their sandwich and knock it up when it's time to eat. I've never been that organised personally, but it's a good idea.
For more general food tips: learn Italian. Seriously. Learn a decent base sauce (I can give you a recipe) and start varying it - add chili and bacon; add meatballs; add balsamic vinegar, cherry tomatoes and some rosemary pan-fried lamb. Italian is so easy, tasty and relatively quick compared to most other foods.
Edit: (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1232656#post1232656) Oh, okay then.
SubJeff on 14/1/2010 at 00:40
Seriously though Renz, look at what is in the restaurant sandwiches and just copy them. They usually have (here anyway) hella butter/margarzine/salt though. You sandwich sounds fine.
Why not get yourself a recipe book for simple stuff and go from there? At the moment I'm only grilling meat and its so easy. Just choose the right stuff to marinate it in and you're good. Nice bread and a fine salad will go down a treat with some good grills and it doesn't cost much. I tend to buy fairly expensive salad additives like capers, olives, sundried tomatoes, nice cheese, a good selection of vinegars and different oils, anchovies and so on and then bulk buy other things for salad. You only need a small amount of the special stuff to make it all special.
And seconding Scots sea salt and fresh pepper. Never use ground pepper (unless its white), get your own grinder and try different corn types. Ferking almost a repeato post in many respects though I beg to differ on Italian being quick. Lots of it is but lots isn't and if you be making quick risotto I'm not coming round yours that night.
Oh, and if cooking rice, see if you can get some black or green rice for a change. Trust me.
Scots Taffer on 14/1/2010 at 00:50
Risotto is one of the few areas of Italian food which rewards patience, so I beg to differ.
You can't get quicker, simpler or easier than pasta with olive oil, garlic and chili.
Starrfall on 14/1/2010 at 00:57
Soups are reasonably hard to fuck up, reasonably cost effective, and reasonably easy to adapt to all tastes because there are so many different kinds.
To conclude its a reasonable place to start.
Thief13x on 14/1/2010 at 01:16
1 slice of turkey, 1 slice of cheese, all on wheat bread with two tablespoons of Louisianan hot sauce as the condiment.
seriously, if all you're doing is eating out then alot of simple food that is really actually pretty good (oatmeal, tuna on bread with mustard, chicken breast, cheeze and bread, etc) will start to taste bland. Try eating the simple foods for about a week and you'll start to enjoy em
Tonamel on 14/1/2010 at 02:06
Learn the art of the (
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Slow-Cooker/Main.aspx) slow cooker. Chili, pot roast, soup, sloppy joe, pulled pork bbq... You will be in heaven. Especially considering most recipes amount to "dump everything in, set it to low, forget about it for the next eight hours, eat."
I made a kickass stew earlier this week with venison, (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirepoix_%28cuisine%29) mirepoix, anaheim peppers, miso paste+water (beef stock works just as well), and some basic spices. And just now I had a big bowl of steel-cut oatmeal that cost under thirty cents in ingredients.
If you're dead set on sandwiches, I'll say two things: 1) The bread might be the most important thing. Try different kinds until you find what you like. And 2) If you're worried about it being bland, find more flavorful ingredients/condiments. I like things tart, so I usually go for pickled banana peppers or an oil/vinegar mix.
