Your fridge's secret ingredient made by you
February 13, 2011 4:57 PM Subscribe
Do you have food preparation tricks for transforming simple ingredients? Do you take foods to a new level before they sit in the fridge, waiting to be used in a dish? Please share your special alterations to grocery store fare, and also how you use them after!
For instance, I just sliced up a cucumber and marinated it in vinegar and spices to use on an extra special sandwich tomorrow. It occurred to me that this type of marinated cucumber is not sold in grocery stores, so if I didn't already know about it I wouldn't think to do it. If I craved this sort of thing all the time, and was an especially clever person, I would do this with my cucumber when I brought it home from the grocery store, transforming the food into a new type of ingredient. Another example would be to make hard boiled eggs for later consumption, something my mom does all the time. Do you have any food preparation techniques that are simple, and yet change the way that you look at what is in your fridge? I'm not looking for time-saving ideas so much as altered versions of what you can buy at the grocery store. Thanks so much!
For instance, I just sliced up a cucumber and marinated it in vinegar and spices to use on an extra special sandwich tomorrow. It occurred to me that this type of marinated cucumber is not sold in grocery stores, so if I didn't already know about it I wouldn't think to do it. If I craved this sort of thing all the time, and was an especially clever person, I would do this with my cucumber when I brought it home from the grocery store, transforming the food into a new type of ingredient. Another example would be to make hard boiled eggs for later consumption, something my mom does all the time. Do you have any food preparation techniques that are simple, and yet change the way that you look at what is in your fridge? I'm not looking for time-saving ideas so much as altered versions of what you can buy at the grocery store. Thanks so much!
Well, I mean, you can combine two or more ingredients. You can add heat or cold.
Is it possible to narrow this question at all? Because otherwise, it seems like you're asking us to reinvent cooking.
posted by box at 5:02 PM on February 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
Is it possible to narrow this question at all? Because otherwise, it seems like you're asking us to reinvent cooking.
posted by box at 5:02 PM on February 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
White mushrooms can be cooked into duxelles, and frozen.
Lemon slices can be frozen for use in teas or other instances where you need only a bit of lemon juice. It's easy to freeze them by laying them on a plastic cutting board, wrapping in plastic (to prevent drying), then prying off the slices and putting them in a plastic bag.
Individual bacon slices can be frozen similarly.
posted by mnemonic at 5:07 PM on February 13, 2011 [6 favorites]
Lemon slices can be frozen for use in teas or other instances where you need only a bit of lemon juice. It's easy to freeze them by laying them on a plastic cutting board, wrapping in plastic (to prevent drying), then prying off the slices and putting them in a plastic bag.
Individual bacon slices can be frozen similarly.
posted by mnemonic at 5:07 PM on February 13, 2011 [6 favorites]
Your cucumber example reminded me of something I did this summer. I was refrigerator-pickling my own cukes and realized I didn't have quite enough to fill the last jar. So I cut up celery and used that to fill the rest of the jar. Pickled celery is great in tuna salad! (and certainly other things).
posted by kirst27 at 5:12 PM on February 13, 2011
posted by kirst27 at 5:12 PM on February 13, 2011
Cook bacon in the microwave or oven and keep in ziplock bags for when the urge for a crispy slice strikes. Reheating it works well.
Juice lemons or limes and freeze the juice.
Puree garlic and ginger together for ginger-garlic paste, all ready to be used in your favorite dishes.
Make chicken stock, reduce down until it gels, pour into a freezer safe box and store in the freezer.
posted by peacheater at 5:13 PM on February 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
Juice lemons or limes and freeze the juice.
Puree garlic and ginger together for ginger-garlic paste, all ready to be used in your favorite dishes.
Make chicken stock, reduce down until it gels, pour into a freezer safe box and store in the freezer.
posted by peacheater at 5:13 PM on February 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'll chop vegetables down to veggie tray proportions and store them in the fridge for later eating. I'll also buy a big tub of plain yogurt and frozen fruit and make single serving portions for later consumption.
posted by backwards guitar at 5:15 PM on February 13, 2011
posted by backwards guitar at 5:15 PM on February 13, 2011
Box, I think to recite so charmingly means to ask for ways of signficantly modifying raw ingredients so that they are better, stronger, faster than their original form. The most basic example would be marinating meat before you grill it. With that definition in mind, I propose the following:
~ Quick pickles: Pickled carrot and daikon can be made quickly, but need to sit for a couple of hours overnight. Then you can use them in bahn mi! Or pickled carrots to put on tacos.
~ Marinades: When making tacos, I like to marinate the meat for an hour or so in the spices and lemon juice/ lime juice. The addition of the acid makes the meat much more tender.
~ Cooking with acid: marinate fish in lemon and/ or lime juice to make ceviche or ota ika.
posted by Alice Russel-Wallace at 5:17 PM on February 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
~ Quick pickles: Pickled carrot and daikon can be made quickly, but need to sit for a couple of hours overnight. Then you can use them in bahn mi! Or pickled carrots to put on tacos.
~ Marinades: When making tacos, I like to marinate the meat for an hour or so in the spices and lemon juice/ lime juice. The addition of the acid makes the meat much more tender.
~ Cooking with acid: marinate fish in lemon and/ or lime juice to make ceviche or ota ika.
posted by Alice Russel-Wallace at 5:17 PM on February 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Is it possible to narrow this question at all? Because otherwise, it seems like you're asking us to reinvent cooking.
Well, I meant food preparation in the sense of improving upon the set of ingredients that you keep on hand, not necessarily creating a final product. It's kind of a tricky question, because I don't really mean the kind of food preparation that makes things easier in the kitchen but keeps ingredients relatively the same (such as freezing stuff without altering), but, as I said, "taking ingredients to a new level" first. Sorry, hope that makes sense!
posted by to recite so charmingly at 5:24 PM on February 13, 2011
Well, I meant food preparation in the sense of improving upon the set of ingredients that you keep on hand, not necessarily creating a final product. It's kind of a tricky question, because I don't really mean the kind of food preparation that makes things easier in the kitchen but keeps ingredients relatively the same (such as freezing stuff without altering), but, as I said, "taking ingredients to a new level" first. Sorry, hope that makes sense!
posted by to recite so charmingly at 5:24 PM on February 13, 2011
I love high heat roasted chicken, so a day or two before I know I want roasted chicken, I do the following (works for a whole chicken, chicken legs, chicken wings... probably breasts if the skin is on, but WHY BOTHER):
1. Rinse in cold water.
2. Dry extremely well with paper towels
3. Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper on either side. Slip a sprig of fresh herbs under the skin if available.
4. Put back in the fridge, anticipate the deliciousness in 24-48 hours when I roast this chicken.
posted by telegraph at 5:32 PM on February 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
1. Rinse in cold water.
2. Dry extremely well with paper towels
3. Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper on either side. Slip a sprig of fresh herbs under the skin if available.
4. Put back in the fridge, anticipate the deliciousness in 24-48 hours when I roast this chicken.
posted by telegraph at 5:32 PM on February 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
I can see where you're coming from, but this is a bit of a strange question, because what you describe with the cucumber is basically what's known as a recipe. So, you're effectively asking "what are some recipes?"
And the cucumber example is a recipe for pickled cucumbers, sometimes known as gherkins, dill pickles or polskie ogorki. Only, normally they use teensy little gherkin cucumbers instead of the big ones.
Having said that, these kinds of things might be what you're thinking of:
Bananas: peel, break into chunks & freeze, then use in delicious frosty smoothies. Especially good for using up bananas that are near spoiling.
Chillies: if you have a chilli bush or you buy some, either way you'll invariably end up with way too many. Mush them up & freeze in a small icecube tray. Add garlic if you like. Voila - the perfect chilli hit to add to a dish.
Chillies again: every restaurant in thailand, there'll be a little jar of sliced up chillies in vinegar, which you can use as a condiment. These will store for ages in your fridge.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:37 PM on February 13, 2011
And the cucumber example is a recipe for pickled cucumbers, sometimes known as gherkins, dill pickles or polskie ogorki. Only, normally they use teensy little gherkin cucumbers instead of the big ones.
Having said that, these kinds of things might be what you're thinking of:
Bananas: peel, break into chunks & freeze, then use in delicious frosty smoothies. Especially good for using up bananas that are near spoiling.
Chillies: if you have a chilli bush or you buy some, either way you'll invariably end up with way too many. Mush them up & freeze in a small icecube tray. Add garlic if you like. Voila - the perfect chilli hit to add to a dish.
Chillies again: every restaurant in thailand, there'll be a little jar of sliced up chillies in vinegar, which you can use as a condiment. These will store for ages in your fridge.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:37 PM on February 13, 2011
Sorry, should've previewed. The final suggestion I think is the only one that fits the clarified question.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:38 PM on February 13, 2011
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:38 PM on February 13, 2011
It sounds to me like you want some sort of condiment. I went through an onion jam phase a while back when I accidentally made too much of it and basically had to put it on everything for a couple weeks to get rid of it. It was awesome. I think I will go buy some more onions now and make it again.
Also: cranberry sauce. (The real stuff, made from actual cranberries, not the stuff in a can. There should be a recipe on any bag of cranberries. Basically you cook them in sugar water until they taste good.)
posted by madcaptenor at 5:50 PM on February 13, 2011
Also: cranberry sauce. (The real stuff, made from actual cranberries, not the stuff in a can. There should be a recipe on any bag of cranberries. Basically you cook them in sugar water until they taste good.)
posted by madcaptenor at 5:50 PM on February 13, 2011
I get a CSA box every week and it's way more food than I can actually eat while it's fresh, so I set aside the morning it arrives to prep/preserve as much of it as I can. (I find a fridge full of unadulterated ingredients to be a bit intimidating so I get where you're coming from.)
First, I turn the oven on about 200c. I put in the potatoes, the red peppers, and garlic (the whole bulb). I roast all that for an hour. The potatoes get peeled, grated, mixed with enough flour to make a dough and then formed into gnocchi and frozen. The roast pepper and garlic each get peeled, mashed and refrigerated or frozen. I like the red pepper on toast with some fetta and olive oil and onion.
I always get celery. I'm not a fan. I might chop some of it into sticks and keep them in water in the fridge for a snack or to make rice paper rolls, but otherwise I chop it small and stash in the freezer for the next time I'm motivated to make stock.
I get way too much cauliflower. I cook it in stock (I might add fennel and/or leek), blend, and voila! Soup to stash in the freezer in single serves. Good with yoghurt. Better with cream.
Bananas get peeled, wrapped in cling film and frozen for smoothies. Apples get left in the bottom of the crisper, forgotten until they're all mushy and unappealing, and then juiced.
Watermelon goes in the blender with a few shots of vodka. Pour into shallow container. Freeze. Take out half an hour or so before you want it, let it thaw a bit, mix it up with a fork and it's granita time!
Pumpkin, I chop into quite small chunks and freeze for pizza (with garlic and fetta and rosemary oh my). Really, I should start making a pre-chopped-and-frozen pumpkin/spanish onion/roast garlic mix for pizzas.
I don't find herbs like dill and parsley freeze too well unless I chop them finely, mix them with softened butter and freeze in a log shape. Good on steak, potatoes, green beans.
My surplus of zucchini gets grated into everything. Pasta sauce? Zucchini! Pizza cheese? Zucchini! Chocolate cake? Zucchini! Bless that bland little vegetable.
I'm in the habit of ordering a kilo or so of pork shoulder every week or two. It goes in the slow cooker with tomatoes, celery, onion, carrot, paprika, chilli, peppers (whatever's in the fridge really). Your life will be improved by having a steady supply of pulled pork available for all your burrito/rice paper roll/BBQ pork sandwich needs.
If you make a double or triple quantity of that Mark Bittman recipe for no-knead bread, you can freeze the dough. It make good pizzas and pides.
Everything is better when you keep single-serve portions of bacon and chorizo in the freezer.
posted by jaynewould at 5:52 PM on February 13, 2011 [46 favorites]
First, I turn the oven on about 200c. I put in the potatoes, the red peppers, and garlic (the whole bulb). I roast all that for an hour. The potatoes get peeled, grated, mixed with enough flour to make a dough and then formed into gnocchi and frozen. The roast pepper and garlic each get peeled, mashed and refrigerated or frozen. I like the red pepper on toast with some fetta and olive oil and onion.
I always get celery. I'm not a fan. I might chop some of it into sticks and keep them in water in the fridge for a snack or to make rice paper rolls, but otherwise I chop it small and stash in the freezer for the next time I'm motivated to make stock.
I get way too much cauliflower. I cook it in stock (I might add fennel and/or leek), blend, and voila! Soup to stash in the freezer in single serves. Good with yoghurt. Better with cream.
Bananas get peeled, wrapped in cling film and frozen for smoothies. Apples get left in the bottom of the crisper, forgotten until they're all mushy and unappealing, and then juiced.
Watermelon goes in the blender with a few shots of vodka. Pour into shallow container. Freeze. Take out half an hour or so before you want it, let it thaw a bit, mix it up with a fork and it's granita time!
Pumpkin, I chop into quite small chunks and freeze for pizza (with garlic and fetta and rosemary oh my). Really, I should start making a pre-chopped-and-frozen pumpkin/spanish onion/roast garlic mix for pizzas.
I don't find herbs like dill and parsley freeze too well unless I chop them finely, mix them with softened butter and freeze in a log shape. Good on steak, potatoes, green beans.
My surplus of zucchini gets grated into everything. Pasta sauce? Zucchini! Pizza cheese? Zucchini! Chocolate cake? Zucchini! Bless that bland little vegetable.
I'm in the habit of ordering a kilo or so of pork shoulder every week or two. It goes in the slow cooker with tomatoes, celery, onion, carrot, paprika, chilli, peppers (whatever's in the fridge really). Your life will be improved by having a steady supply of pulled pork available for all your burrito/rice paper roll/BBQ pork sandwich needs.
If you make a double or triple quantity of that Mark Bittman recipe for no-knead bread, you can freeze the dough. It make good pizzas and pides.
Everything is better when you keep single-serve portions of bacon and chorizo in the freezer.
posted by jaynewould at 5:52 PM on February 13, 2011 [46 favorites]
Hmmm, like UbuRoivas, I may be missing your point. I still maintain that pre-made herb butter is an excellent thing.
posted by jaynewould at 5:55 PM on February 13, 2011
posted by jaynewould at 5:55 PM on February 13, 2011
A couple more for you:
~ More quick pickles/ refrigerator pickles
~ Oven roasted things: garlic is good, as are tomatoes. Not much effort needed for a huge development of flavour and texture. Just roast slowly (say at 180 degrees celcius) with oil, salt, pepper and herbs.
~ Warmed things: Warm olives in some oil with rosemary.
~ Cheeses: when I get a wheel of brie I unwrap it, then put large quantities of a herb like rosemary or thyme into the packaging. Wrap it back up and leave in the fridge overnight, then let it sit out of the fridge for an hour before serving. The flavour of the herbs goes right into the cheese, but it is very delicate.
posted by Alice Russel-Wallace at 6:00 PM on February 13, 2011
~ More quick pickles/ refrigerator pickles
~ Oven roasted things: garlic is good, as are tomatoes. Not much effort needed for a huge development of flavour and texture. Just roast slowly (say at 180 degrees celcius) with oil, salt, pepper and herbs.
~ Warmed things: Warm olives in some oil with rosemary.
~ Cheeses: when I get a wheel of brie I unwrap it, then put large quantities of a herb like rosemary or thyme into the packaging. Wrap it back up and leave in the fridge overnight, then let it sit out of the fridge for an hour before serving. The flavour of the herbs goes right into the cheese, but it is very delicate.
posted by Alice Russel-Wallace at 6:00 PM on February 13, 2011
Preserved lemons make everything better and are super-easy to make yourself.
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Sidhedevil at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
My mother-in-law always pours out the pickling marinade on any sort of pickle she buys at the supermarket, and replaces it with her own recipe. Not only for pickled gherkins, but also pickled onions, and pickled herring. Mostly this is because she likes hers with less sugar than the shop-bought ones, but hers always taste way more "layered" to me too.
posted by lollusc at 6:25 PM on February 13, 2011
posted by lollusc at 6:25 PM on February 13, 2011
I carmelize onions in batches in my slowcooker (slice into rings, toss in on low for a few hours with oil and salt) and then use them throughout the week on protein, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, even blend them into greek yogurt to create delicious dips for veggies or chips.
posted by egeanin at 6:32 PM on February 13, 2011 [9 favorites]
posted by egeanin at 6:32 PM on February 13, 2011 [9 favorites]
What telegraph said. Results in a tasty, tender roast chicken/turkey. I've read that you can also do this with cheaper cuts of steak -- that is, salt both sides a few hours prior to use, while it's sitting in the fridge.
I also like to rub whole chickens with a tandoori sauce (store bought) and yogurt (1/2 each) mixture, both over and under the skin. That way, when I'm home from work, I can pop the whole thing in the oven for a no-fuss meal, and the yogurt marinade seems to keep things moist and tender.
I haven't tried this myself, but I've heard of soaking raw onion slices in water or milk. This is supposed to remove a lot of the strong onion-y bite. Keeping milder onions on hand may make for a kinder office-lunch salad. :)
Oh, tarragon vinegar! I'm not a fan of vinegar in general, but an awesome recipe for chicken salad calls for tarragon vinegar, and I always think "Gee, wouldn't it have been nice if I thought to keep some tarragon (dried or fresh) steeped vinegar in the fridge for this." I use rice vinegar b/c it's milder/sweeter.
You could also make your own extracts/flavoured vodkas using whatever fruit / spices / herbs you like. Keeping sliced/whole button mushrooms in a Marsala/broth mixture is something I keep meaning to try... kind of like an instant mushroom marsala sauce that just needs a bit of sauteeing.
[Tangentially, I like to use a splash of white vermouth (diluted if necessary) where white wine is called for. I don't drink a lot of white and live on my own, so the vermouth gets the job done without me having to keep bottles of white wine around. It lasts a lot longer too! (Obv this will depend on the flavour of the dish you're making.)]
And finally, frozen grapes are one of my favourite things in the summer. Like tiny sorbet bites!
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 6:40 PM on February 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I also like to rub whole chickens with a tandoori sauce (store bought) and yogurt (1/2 each) mixture, both over and under the skin. That way, when I'm home from work, I can pop the whole thing in the oven for a no-fuss meal, and the yogurt marinade seems to keep things moist and tender.
I haven't tried this myself, but I've heard of soaking raw onion slices in water or milk. This is supposed to remove a lot of the strong onion-y bite. Keeping milder onions on hand may make for a kinder office-lunch salad. :)
Oh, tarragon vinegar! I'm not a fan of vinegar in general, but an awesome recipe for chicken salad calls for tarragon vinegar, and I always think "Gee, wouldn't it have been nice if I thought to keep some tarragon (dried or fresh) steeped vinegar in the fridge for this." I use rice vinegar b/c it's milder/sweeter.
You could also make your own extracts/flavoured vodkas using whatever fruit / spices / herbs you like. Keeping sliced/whole button mushrooms in a Marsala/broth mixture is something I keep meaning to try... kind of like an instant mushroom marsala sauce that just needs a bit of sauteeing.
[Tangentially, I like to use a splash of white vermouth (diluted if necessary) where white wine is called for. I don't drink a lot of white and live on my own, so the vermouth gets the job done without me having to keep bottles of white wine around. It lasts a lot longer too! (Obv this will depend on the flavour of the dish you're making.)]
And finally, frozen grapes are one of my favourite things in the summer. Like tiny sorbet bites!
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 6:40 PM on February 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I haven't tried this myself, but I've heard of soaking raw onion slices in water or milk. This is supposed to remove a lot of the strong onion-y bite.
Absolutely, we do this, per Marcella Hazan's instructions. Slice the onion, soak in water, squeeze the onion slices and replace the water--do this several times for sweet onion flavor without the raw onion aftertaste.
This is a weird and interesting thread!
posted by torticat at 6:59 PM on February 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
I don't believe in hard boiling eggs ahead of time, but I do believe in getting as yellow a yolk and paying as little attention to them as possible. For a while we ate 9 eggs every morning. That meant whoever was up started the eggs in cold water. We wait for it to reach a rolling boil, turn it off, lid it, and wait 10 minutes. Our morning routine requires we only pay attention to turning off the burner and setting a timer.
We keep about 4 small containers of premixed egg spice mixes, dependent on mood and specialization. These improve hard boiled eggs, but also work great with home fries, hash and scrambled eggs.
1. S&P, cayenne, Chipotle chili powder
2. S&P, madras curry, Garam Marsala, tamarind
3. S&P, cumin, coriander
4. S&P, cumin, sage
posted by Nanukthedog at 7:02 PM on February 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
We keep about 4 small containers of premixed egg spice mixes, dependent on mood and specialization. These improve hard boiled eggs, but also work great with home fries, hash and scrambled eggs.
1. S&P, cayenne, Chipotle chili powder
2. S&P, madras curry, Garam Marsala, tamarind
3. S&P, cumin, coriander
4. S&P, cumin, sage
posted by Nanukthedog at 7:02 PM on February 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
This is a wobbly question as boiling an egg is kind of in the same category as freezing something, and, yeah, I second the idea that you want better condiments. Still I kinda think I grok your desires. You want to be able to open up the fridge, grab a few things and throw them onto bread, and presto! Wonderful edible! Here's the secret to my stir-fry; I make it in big batches every third Thursday! That sort of thing. I think?
If you are willing to bypass the DIY aspect, it is nice to go to an Italian deli or Costco (etc) and load up on big jars of things sitting in brine/marinade/vinegar. Marinated or pickled artichoke hearts, mushrooms, various peppers, eggplant, olives, and so on for sandwiches, salads, pizzas.
Dicing your fruit fairly small and mixing it together and dusting just a bit of sugar on it will let the fruit macerate, and it will preserve the fruit somewhat, and you will spend the week with something really nice to spoon on granolas and yoghurt and so on instead of some unexciting plain fruit.
There aren't a lot of vegetables that aren't useful to have on hand sauteed in butter and frozen. Little bags of shallots, mushrooms, etc at the ready in the freezer for soups, again pizzas and sandwiches... You can make special omelette baggies with your preferred blend of omelette veg plus the cheese, all ready to go.
Scrubbing, oiling, and slow-baking a lot of potatoes fits in with the hard-boiling-of-eggs genre I think? Nice to have a fridge with pre-baked potatoes.
Sofrito. I cook onions in olive oil, with garlic, tomatoes, peppers, until it all starts falling apart, then add cilantro. Just-right base for rice and beans, but it has lots of uses.
When you have a lot of fresh garden veg: slice a ripe tomato, cover with oil and vinegar and basil leaves -- cover with plastic wrap -- put it all in a sunny spot for a few hours so the flavours blend just so.
(I tried to caramelize onions in a slow cooker; result: onions boiled in butter. It was not appealing and, like slow cooker "lasagna," made it clear that the method of cooking was a critical part of the dish. If there is a crock-pot-caramelizing hack I missed, I'd love to know.)
posted by kmennie at 7:02 PM on February 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you are willing to bypass the DIY aspect, it is nice to go to an Italian deli or Costco (etc) and load up on big jars of things sitting in brine/marinade/vinegar. Marinated or pickled artichoke hearts, mushrooms, various peppers, eggplant, olives, and so on for sandwiches, salads, pizzas.
Dicing your fruit fairly small and mixing it together and dusting just a bit of sugar on it will let the fruit macerate, and it will preserve the fruit somewhat, and you will spend the week with something really nice to spoon on granolas and yoghurt and so on instead of some unexciting plain fruit.
There aren't a lot of vegetables that aren't useful to have on hand sauteed in butter and frozen. Little bags of shallots, mushrooms, etc at the ready in the freezer for soups, again pizzas and sandwiches... You can make special omelette baggies with your preferred blend of omelette veg plus the cheese, all ready to go.
Scrubbing, oiling, and slow-baking a lot of potatoes fits in with the hard-boiling-of-eggs genre I think? Nice to have a fridge with pre-baked potatoes.
Sofrito. I cook onions in olive oil, with garlic, tomatoes, peppers, until it all starts falling apart, then add cilantro. Just-right base for rice and beans, but it has lots of uses.
When you have a lot of fresh garden veg: slice a ripe tomato, cover with oil and vinegar and basil leaves -- cover with plastic wrap -- put it all in a sunny spot for a few hours so the flavours blend just so.
(I tried to caramelize onions in a slow cooker; result: onions boiled in butter. It was not appealing and, like slow cooker "lasagna," made it clear that the method of cooking was a critical part of the dish. If there is a crock-pot-caramelizing hack I missed, I'd love to know.)
posted by kmennie at 7:02 PM on February 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I kinda think I grok your desires. You want to be able to open up the fridge, grab a few things and throw them onto bread, and presto! Wonderful edible!
Yep, that's about it! The egg was definitely not the best example, I'll admit. I'm looking for special tweaks that give you your own personalized ingredients, which I must say, there are some fantastic answers that are precisely that! It just hadn't occurred to me until recently that there could be a step in between storing groceries and preparing a meal that could give me more out of my food (and more delicious options). Thanks so much for your input everyone!
posted by to recite so charmingly at 7:26 PM on February 13, 2011
Yep, that's about it! The egg was definitely not the best example, I'll admit. I'm looking for special tweaks that give you your own personalized ingredients, which I must say, there are some fantastic answers that are precisely that! It just hadn't occurred to me until recently that there could be a step in between storing groceries and preparing a meal that could give me more out of my food (and more delicious options). Thanks so much for your input everyone!
posted by to recite so charmingly at 7:26 PM on February 13, 2011
Homemade veggie bouillon; I use a modified version with less salt and freeze it into cubes.
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:31 PM on February 13, 2011
posted by LobsterMitten at 7:31 PM on February 13, 2011
Read How to Cook Everything, Mark Bitman. Cookbooks can be inspiring, and this one has tone of ideas.
posted by theora55 at 7:45 PM on February 13, 2011
posted by theora55 at 7:45 PM on February 13, 2011
Cilantro diced fine and frozen into ice cubes will last much longer than fresh. Then you can throw a cilantro-cube or two into something you're preparing for a special flavor punch.
posted by leticia at 7:50 PM on February 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by leticia at 7:50 PM on February 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Are you trying to make the combination of foods greater than just the sum of the ingredients? If so, maybe something like the Flavor Bible is what you're looking for.
posted by SillyShepherd at 7:56 PM on February 13, 2011
posted by SillyShepherd at 7:56 PM on February 13, 2011
The main things I like to do are:
1) Use everything as soon as possible, so it's as fresh and flavorful and full-textured as possible;
2) If I don't want to shop twice a week, I'll freeze some of the bread I bring home; it's preserved very well when frozen and tastes less than day-old when thawed, or when a single slice or two is put into the toaster oven for a short time;
3) Clean carrots, lettuce, celery, and other greens as soon as I get home, so that they're ready to be cooked or eaten fresh. This ensures that the barriers to consumption are as low as they can be, and I'm more likely to eat some lettuce on a sandwich or some kale if I don't have to put in the time to prepare it right at mealtime.
posted by amtho at 8:02 PM on February 13, 2011
1) Use everything as soon as possible, so it's as fresh and flavorful and full-textured as possible;
2) If I don't want to shop twice a week, I'll freeze some of the bread I bring home; it's preserved very well when frozen and tastes less than day-old when thawed, or when a single slice or two is put into the toaster oven for a short time;
3) Clean carrots, lettuce, celery, and other greens as soon as I get home, so that they're ready to be cooked or eaten fresh. This ensures that the barriers to consumption are as low as they can be, and I'm more likely to eat some lettuce on a sandwich or some kale if I don't have to put in the time to prepare it right at mealtime.
posted by amtho at 8:02 PM on February 13, 2011
My mother-in-law always pours out the pickling marinade on any sort of pickle she buys at the supermarket, and replaces it with her own recipe.
Conversely, what I started doing for a while was to keep the liquid in a recently-finished jar of polskie ogorki, and experiment by adding other vegies. Carrots and turnips work pretty well, but the celery suggestion upthread is just dying to be done.
Then there's persian feta: cut up your block of feta into cubes & drown them in a jar of olive oil, with garlic, salt, pepper, and whatever herbs you like - thyme is particularly nice.
And sauerkraut is always improved by not just warming it straight out of the jar - instead, fry up some onions in butter first, then toss the sauerkraut in. Bonus points if you also include bacon. A pinch of nutmeg can be nice, too.
For "a step in between storing groceries and preparing a meal" I've only just learned the tweak of freezing tofu & then thawing it, in order to give it a firmer, more "meaty" texture & to prevent it from falling apart. Squeeze water out of it beforehand by letting it rest for an hour or two under something heavy, like a phone book on a plate. I bet there's something clever to be done with a marinade in this process...
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:04 PM on February 13, 2011
Conversely, what I started doing for a while was to keep the liquid in a recently-finished jar of polskie ogorki, and experiment by adding other vegies. Carrots and turnips work pretty well, but the celery suggestion upthread is just dying to be done.
Then there's persian feta: cut up your block of feta into cubes & drown them in a jar of olive oil, with garlic, salt, pepper, and whatever herbs you like - thyme is particularly nice.
And sauerkraut is always improved by not just warming it straight out of the jar - instead, fry up some onions in butter first, then toss the sauerkraut in. Bonus points if you also include bacon. A pinch of nutmeg can be nice, too.
For "a step in between storing groceries and preparing a meal" I've only just learned the tweak of freezing tofu & then thawing it, in order to give it a firmer, more "meaty" texture & to prevent it from falling apart. Squeeze water out of it beforehand by letting it rest for an hour or two under something heavy, like a phone book on a plate. I bet there's something clever to be done with a marinade in this process...
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:04 PM on February 13, 2011
Delicious things I would recommend always having around:
za'atar, a Middle Eastern condiment-type-thing of ground herbs (lots of combinations are possible), sesame seeds and salt. You can prep it and keep it in your cupboard for a long time, as the sesame seeds are whole. I like to eat it on warmed-up pita with a little olive oil on top
Pesto doesn't have to be basil + garlic + pine nuts, there are lots of different variations. Any pesto is excellent to have on hand if you make a lot of sandwiches. Also keeps well frozen.
Fresh gomasio is a surprisingly delicious alternative to plain salt. It's great if you are trying to cut down your sodium, but also is just tastier than salt. Makes rice fancy and delicious. Keep it in your cupboard, but for no more than 1 month.
Compound butter!!! Someone mentioned something similar above, it is basically butter + some extra flavours. But it is serious magic. I highly recommend honey butter or maple butter on toast. And keep an herby lemony butter around for easy appetizers when you have guests.
posted by 100kb at 10:21 PM on February 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
za'atar, a Middle Eastern condiment-type-thing of ground herbs (lots of combinations are possible), sesame seeds and salt. You can prep it and keep it in your cupboard for a long time, as the sesame seeds are whole. I like to eat it on warmed-up pita with a little olive oil on top
Pesto doesn't have to be basil + garlic + pine nuts, there are lots of different variations. Any pesto is excellent to have on hand if you make a lot of sandwiches. Also keeps well frozen.
Fresh gomasio is a surprisingly delicious alternative to plain salt. It's great if you are trying to cut down your sodium, but also is just tastier than salt. Makes rice fancy and delicious. Keep it in your cupboard, but for no more than 1 month.
Compound butter!!! Someone mentioned something similar above, it is basically butter + some extra flavours. But it is serious magic. I highly recommend honey butter or maple butter on toast. And keep an herby lemony butter around for easy appetizers when you have guests.
posted by 100kb at 10:21 PM on February 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I lacto-ferment cabbage, carrot, and onion, using a recipe called Cortido, that seems to be adapted from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, which I found on many blogs (example). It's delicious, definitely more than the sum of its ingredients. I have big jars of it in the fridge and add it to sandwiches or rice or just eat it as is. In the winter, I don't even need to keep it in the fridge.
Once I learned the technique, I started fermenting other vegetables, like corn, beets, and marrow, and changing the herbs and spices. There is a Yahoo group called Microbial_Nutrition and a book called Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz (and a website)which are also useful.
posted by Pigpen at 1:03 AM on February 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
Once I learned the technique, I started fermenting other vegetables, like corn, beets, and marrow, and changing the herbs and spices. There is a Yahoo group called Microbial_Nutrition and a book called Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz (and a website)which are also useful.
posted by Pigpen at 1:03 AM on February 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
I know people who put coriander leaves in ice-cubes, for handy single servings, especially when you've bought a huge bunch!
Garlic butter?
Thousand layer tofu - I freeze soft tofu as soon as I get it. Once frozen, ice crystals give it the distinct appearance and texture of a sponge. When you want to use it - defrost, squeeze out the water, and dip it in any kind of marinade (chilli sauce, garlic & soya sauce - easy mmmm!), for delicious, delicious flavour sponge, which works very well diced and thrown into a stirfry.
posted by Elysum at 1:10 AM on February 14, 2011
Garlic butter?
Thousand layer tofu - I freeze soft tofu as soon as I get it. Once frozen, ice crystals give it the distinct appearance and texture of a sponge. When you want to use it - defrost, squeeze out the water, and dip it in any kind of marinade (chilli sauce, garlic & soya sauce - easy mmmm!), for delicious, delicious flavour sponge, which works very well diced and thrown into a stirfry.
posted by Elysum at 1:10 AM on February 14, 2011
Feta marinated in olive oil with garlic and herbs > delicious.
Chicken liver pate served with caramelized onions > awesome.
posted by leigh1 at 4:30 AM on February 14, 2011
Chicken liver pate served with caramelized onions > awesome.
posted by leigh1 at 4:30 AM on February 14, 2011
I've recently taken up baking, and found that the best deals for baking supplies are at WalMart. So after Christmas, I found myself with a plethora of chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped nuts, craisins/raisins, and the lot. I mix them all up and store in tupperware to use as a snack. Often, I'll throw in cocktail peanuts to supplement when the mix gets low.
Being unemployed, and having a live in SO who hates cooking and is not a picky eater helps with my not-so high culinary skills. And I'm lovin' the pulled pork suggestion someone made upthread. Definitely going to try that one!
posted by sundrop at 5:05 AM on February 14, 2011
Being unemployed, and having a live in SO who hates cooking and is not a picky eater helps with my not-so high culinary skills. And I'm lovin' the pulled pork suggestion someone made upthread. Definitely going to try that one!
posted by sundrop at 5:05 AM on February 14, 2011
Oh yeah, its possible to build sandwich veggie presets. Precut tomato, cucumber, wash and dry lettuce. Now put a piece of Satan wrap on a plate. Put your lettuce down, the atomato slice, then a few pieces of cucumber. Put down another piece of Saran wrap. Repeat.
Now your sandwhich can have some swell veggies added to it in a pinch - just unwrap one layer at a time.
Note: tips like this make plating go by fast, but may take longer overall to prep your food (as a perce.rod your day). Also it means more dishes.
posted by Nanukthedog at 8:15 AM on February 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
Now your sandwhich can have some swell veggies added to it in a pinch - just unwrap one layer at a time.
Note: tips like this make plating go by fast, but may take longer overall to prep your food (as a perce.rod your day). Also it means more dishes.
posted by Nanukthedog at 8:15 AM on February 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
Here's a few little things we do at home:
Garlic: Rather than roast, I confit my garlic. I put a big whack of peeled garlic cloves (which you can buy in bags at the grocery store - check in the salads section) in a saucepan with 1/2 cup white wine, olive oil to cover, salt, pepper and thyme sprigs. Put on low and allow to cook until the cloves are brownish. Store in a clean jar in the fridge in the oil, or if you make a big batch like I do, store in plastic containers in the freezer. If frozen, it keeps for a long time, and it's a lot like roast garlic. The added bonus is you now have garlic-infused olive oil to cook with, too!
Ginger: buy a good big knob of ginger at the store, come home and peel the entire thing, chop it into 1-2 inch chunks, and store in a lidded jar covered in vodka. The ginger will keep forever, be ready-peeled for when you need it, and I find the vodka takes only a little bit of the sting of the ginger away as it soaks. And then you have ginger-infused vodka for cocktail experimentation!
posted by LN at 8:33 AM on February 14, 2011 [11 favorites]
Garlic: Rather than roast, I confit my garlic. I put a big whack of peeled garlic cloves (which you can buy in bags at the grocery store - check in the salads section) in a saucepan with 1/2 cup white wine, olive oil to cover, salt, pepper and thyme sprigs. Put on low and allow to cook until the cloves are brownish. Store in a clean jar in the fridge in the oil, or if you make a big batch like I do, store in plastic containers in the freezer. If frozen, it keeps for a long time, and it's a lot like roast garlic. The added bonus is you now have garlic-infused olive oil to cook with, too!
Ginger: buy a good big knob of ginger at the store, come home and peel the entire thing, chop it into 1-2 inch chunks, and store in a lidded jar covered in vodka. The ginger will keep forever, be ready-peeled for when you need it, and I find the vodka takes only a little bit of the sting of the ginger away as it soaks. And then you have ginger-infused vodka for cocktail experimentation!
posted by LN at 8:33 AM on February 14, 2011 [11 favorites]
Others have mentioned most of my staples - roasted galic "spread," slow cooked onions (don't forget the balsamic vinegar!), compound butters, fresh herbs frozen into ice cubes - but I'll offer up roasted sweet peppers. Halve them, lay them cut side down on a sheet tray, olive oil and season, and roast at 450° until they're blackened. Dump them in a paper bag for fifteen minutes and the charred skin will flake right off. Store them in some olive oil (the oil makes a terrific vinaigrette too!).
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 9:31 AM on February 14, 2011
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 9:31 AM on February 14, 2011
When I know I'm going to have a busy week, I roast up a bunch of vegetables - this time of year it's mostly root veggies and squash, but I'll do whatever's in season. I like just about all veggies roasted. I cut them up, stick them in the oven with olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe an herb or two or a spice rub, and cook them until they're nice and done and brown (How To Cook Everything Vegetarian has great tips for roasting veggies - not sure about the regular HTCE).
Later in the week I can eat them plain (reheated or at room temp), or put them on a sandwich or in soup or in a frittata or bread pudding or something. They're just nice to have on hand, and the roasting gives them a nice depth of flavor
posted by mskyle at 11:26 AM on February 14, 2011
Later in the week I can eat them plain (reheated or at room temp), or put them on a sandwich or in soup or in a frittata or bread pudding or something. They're just nice to have on hand, and the roasting gives them a nice depth of flavor
posted by mskyle at 11:26 AM on February 14, 2011
Preserved lemons are a biggie. Stock is a given every few weeks in our household, along with the ensuing schmaltz.
I like fancy cocktails with garnishes so whenever I'm about to use citrus for juice when cooking something or making dressing, I always automatically get the peeler out first and scrape off twists. Toss 'em in a zipoc or other container in the freezer and then when I'm making an evening cocktail I don't need to do the added zest step, I just grab a frosty strip. They don't last too long--two weeks tops, I think--but it prevents waste (the oils in citrus skins are THE BEST PART) and enables the lazy mood I tend to be in by the time it's late enough to be making a cocktail.
You can freeze or candy berries, cranberries, etc. if they're about to go bad.
Lots of folks I know make dressing in a jar for the work week and then just give it a shake before adding to salad with fresh herbs or garlic or whatever.
If fruit like berries looks about to go bad or are just too soft to enjoy straight up, you can stew/macerate and use as a dessert topping. Should make it last another couple days in my experience.
It's easy to make compound butter with bits and bobs of savory herbs or fruit zest or whatever that look about to go south. Then just freeze in pats in bags/wrapped up and grab individually as needed.
posted by ifjuly at 1:15 PM on February 14, 2011
I like fancy cocktails with garnishes so whenever I'm about to use citrus for juice when cooking something or making dressing, I always automatically get the peeler out first and scrape off twists. Toss 'em in a zipoc or other container in the freezer and then when I'm making an evening cocktail I don't need to do the added zest step, I just grab a frosty strip. They don't last too long--two weeks tops, I think--but it prevents waste (the oils in citrus skins are THE BEST PART) and enables the lazy mood I tend to be in by the time it's late enough to be making a cocktail.
You can freeze or candy berries, cranberries, etc. if they're about to go bad.
Lots of folks I know make dressing in a jar for the work week and then just give it a shake before adding to salad with fresh herbs or garlic or whatever.
If fruit like berries looks about to go bad or are just too soft to enjoy straight up, you can stew/macerate and use as a dessert topping. Should make it last another couple days in my experience.
It's easy to make compound butter with bits and bobs of savory herbs or fruit zest or whatever that look about to go south. Then just freeze in pats in bags/wrapped up and grab individually as needed.
posted by ifjuly at 1:15 PM on February 14, 2011
Oh yeah, and I press (drain, pat dry, and put between two plates lined with paper towel, weight the top plate with something like a heavy can for at least 30 minutes) and marinate tofu per Mollie Katzen (standard Chinese stuff--soy sauce, sesame oil or chile oil, rice vinegar, a touch of sugar, scallions, matchsticked carrots and bell pepper, roasted sesame seeds, etc.) at least twice a month and then just let it sit in the fridge for a little under a week as an instant snack, salad, pita/burrito filler, or rice topping. Yummy.
posted by ifjuly at 1:20 PM on February 14, 2011
posted by ifjuly at 1:20 PM on February 14, 2011
In the just-about-to-go-bad / oven's-already-turned-on vein, last night I:
- made a few mini-pizzas with naan bread, tomato sauce, chopped up veggies and cheese, one for dinner and two for freezing individually
- took some remaining peppers that were on their last legs and roasted them (cut into flat-ish chunks, place skin-up on foil, broil until top getting black-ish, let cool, peel off skin) for sure in a delicious sandwich today
- cut up the last few pitas in my fridge into triangles and toasted'em for chips
posted by nicoleincanada at 6:43 PM on February 17, 2011
- made a few mini-pizzas with naan bread, tomato sauce, chopped up veggies and cheese, one for dinner and two for freezing individually
- took some remaining peppers that were on their last legs and roasted them (cut into flat-ish chunks, place skin-up on foil, broil until top getting black-ish, let cool, peel off skin) for sure in a delicious sandwich today
- cut up the last few pitas in my fridge into triangles and toasted'em for chips
posted by nicoleincanada at 6:43 PM on February 17, 2011
Jaynewould and others who write about roasting garlic have the right idea! I love to roast lots of it, put it in the freezer, and then just use little cloves of it in things. It's smoky and sweet and garlicky all at once, and goes a long way.
posted by MidSouthern Mouth at 9:46 PM on February 18, 2011
posted by MidSouthern Mouth at 9:46 PM on February 18, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by decathecting at 5:01 PM on February 13, 2011 [7 favorites]