Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with food and cuisine

Help Me Make My Salads Less Lame

jason's_planet — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:34:17 -0800

How do I make my salads less lame? Hello. My name is Jason and my salads are painfully dull. Every day, usually with dinner, I throw together some spinach, a tomato and half of an avocado.

Ho-fucking-hum.

I attribute my utter lack of salad inspiration to my utilitarian view of the dish -- that they're just vitamin pills that you eat with a fork. But I know that there's more to making salads than that, that they can be bona fide examples of culinary artistry as well.

So what are some good salad recipes -- or salad-making principles -- that would help me get out of this rut? Bonus points for salads that draw upon a wide range of vegetables, as I've heard that such variety is not only pleasing to the palate but also great for one's health.

Many thanks in advance.

When did people stop being ok with soup just being itself?

Lutoslawski — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:27:42 -0800

When, why and where did people start putting crackers in their soup? Oyster crackers, saltines, and more exotic varieties of crackers are now ubiquitous and 'traditional' companions to a bowl of soup at diners everywhere. Why did this start? Where? When? Was there some sort of culinary evolution - like people used to put bread crumbs in their stew and now we have this oyster cracker skeuomorph? Answers or directions to good resources regarding the history of crackers and soup are very welcome.

breakfast, lunch, and dinner in Chile?

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:37:03 -0800

You are a resident of Chile. What do you eat? I want to spend a month eating like a Chilean. I ordered this book , but want to do some research before it arrives. Some specific questions are below, but any related info would be of interest!

1. What are the eating schedule and rituals (early dinner vs late dinner; small meals vs large meals; utensil use vs eating by hand)?
2. What would typical days of food (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) look like (including, for instance, when you don't necessarily want to cook, but just throw something together)?
3. Do you drink water, tea, wine, beer?
4. What's in your pantry?

I love you, fresh egg

chalbe — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:34:01 -0800

What cooking secrets take your food to the almost-pro level? I love food; making it, reading about it, eating it. I already do a few basics, like shopping the NYC Union Square farmers' market, using fresh leafy herbs and garlic, squeezing lemon juice, cooking meat the right temperature, adding enough salt + pepper, grating Parmigiano-Reggiano, etc. Even so, my cooking still tastes a little flat and two-dimensional.

What practices or ingredients do you use to elevate your cooking? Spice mixes? Marinades? I prefer answers that skew towards the complex-but-tasty and avoid processed goods. Bonus points if you are a professional cook or culinary school student.

To get us started, here are some ideas I've been wanting to try:
- Making brown veal stock and remoullage, for braising and sauces
- Making yogurt from scratch milk + starter
- Making herbed butter and herb-infused oils

Why should I throw out the floating beans?

evhan — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 09:54:44 -0800

Quite a few times in recipes I've seen directions to put beans in water and discard any that float after a period of soaking (I've even heard this from you, AskMeFi). Now, I like beans. My question is: why can't I eat those?

I'm sick of scrambled eggs, but can't deny their cooking appeal

typography — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:46:08 -0800

I'm lazy, impatient, and space constrained. But I really like food. Which cuisine should I master? I'd like to get into cooking but all my attempts so far have been defeated by one of three things:

Too much cleanup. I can't stand washing dishes, so meals that call for 5 pans are eternally depressing.

Too much time. Instructions like "now wait 2 hours" don't work for me. I like to be eating in under 30 minutes from the onset of hunger.

Too much equipment or too many special ingredients. My kitchen is small and I'm probably not going to have a crockpot just for that one dish. I also prefer having a simple pantry with a dozen or so staples. Since each cuisine needs it's own set of spices and sometimes equipment, I'd like to focus mainly on one.

Is there a cuisine I can learn that alleviates some or all of these concerns? I like virtually all food (except italian for some reason), so go wild.

Previously: lazy cuisine and tight budget cuisine

Good food in Boston

felix betachat — Sun, 24 May 2009 23:25:29 -0800

So, Boston, where do you go for your good food? I'm moving to Boston from Chicago in a couple of months, and I'm a little ambivalent about it. Chicago is a wonderful city for food. I love her farmers' markets. I have a great little produce market right around the corner from my place. And there are so many wonderful restaurants doing interesting things with local ingredients. I love lula cafe and am in awe of Blackbird.

So tell me...where do you shop and eat? I'd like to know where Boston's gems are, and how its local agriculture is influencing its cuisine. I'm particularly interested in recommendations for Allston/Brighton, Jamaica Plain, Brookline, Newton and Metro West, but I'd love recommendations for anything you know of that's interesting and worth a trip.

How to master ________ cooking on a tight budget?

Picklegnome — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:52:52 -0800

I need to eat cheaply. Can I do so while extending my cooking ability in a specific direction? What cuisines, categories, or focuses can my home cooking pinpoint while living on a budget? Just in case this isn't clear: are there types of foods, foods from specific regions, etc., that are generally low-cost while having a fair amount of breadth? Or is this a dumb question - do all cuisines have consistent scales that more or less overlap of low to high cost food?

Foods that originated in the United States?

wastelands — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:23:38 -0800

Where can I find a list of foods that originated in the United States? Wikipedia has this list, but it's more of a list of "commonly consumed" foods in the US, rather than strictly ones that originated here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_dishes

Is Chef School Cool?

bodywithoutorgans — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:31:52 -0800

I want to become a better cook, is chef school the nuclear option? As a child, my mother insisted that I do the eating and not the cooking. Despite her best intentions, I ended up quite clueless on how to cook. In college, I improved by cooking for myself and quite enjoyed it. I just graduated from college and I'd like to pick up a tangible skill on the side and attend chef school. The reason is because I've only been cooking for 2-3 years and would like to improve faster than the oh-just-keep-at-it-and-it-comes-with-age-and-experience rate. SO, collective mind:
1) Is cooking school going to improve my skill? I am not "gifted" at cooking nor do I cook all the time. Am I going to have the rude awakening that unless I enjoy cooking all the time or have some innate skill, I'm doomed?
2) Is it possible to do cooking school in the evenings while holding down a fulltime job?
3) Does anyone know the prices/good chef schools in Austin? I've looked at Texas Culinary Academy and the Cordon Bleu Program. I don't know anything about them or their prices.
4) Can anyone who has gone to chef school give advice to the casual cook who doesn't plan on being a chef at a restaurant the cost/benefit analysis of going to chef school?

service à la française

plexi — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:38:31 -0800

What is the best recipe (and wine) for Beef Bourguignon?

Hate to be a Maine in the...

littleredwagon — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:04:25 -0800

My family and I will be taking our 3rd annual trip to Waldoboro Maine in a few weeks. We'd like to get some strong recommendations on the following items within 30 miles of Waldoboro: - Place for breakfast that doesn't include Moody's. - Out of the way lobster spot (send via mail link in profile). - Unique things to do for a 3 year old? Any and all information is greatly appreciated! Oh..one more question...is it normal for lobster in a lobster roll (at Red's Eats) to be cold? That threw me last year.... Thanks mefites!

Have you heard of sandulla?

sluglicker — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:24:22 -0800

I'm trying to find the recipe for something called sandulla (spelling is probably wrong, san pronounced as in bonbon and dulla as in hoola). I had this when I was a kid at a friends house. It was like a ravioli stuffed with I think beef that had been slow-cooked for a long time. The meat was either shredded or ground and mixed with maybe chives and parsley. The sandulla was then simmered for a long time in the original meat broth. It might be a Polish meal, though the grandmother who cooked them was French/English. This could possibly be Irish or Scot. They called the meal "Sandulla Sunday" so it might be a special holiday meal or for religious observance. The recipe is a closely-guarded secret. I've offered to pay hundreds of dollars to the granddaughters and my offer has been refused. I've search the web and got nothing. Over the years, I've asked countless people if they know this dish and have never found one person who has.

Me And Bobby Eat Ghee (freedom's just another word for 'nothing left to eat')

spoobnooble — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:25:33 -0800

Would anyone in their right mind eat vegetable ghee, or any kind of ghee, straight from the can? Good day. A while back I posted a question looking for info regarding a minor point in a novel I'm writing. I thank everyone for their input.

So here's another (weirder) question:

In the second half of the novel the narrator (the punk rocker), now in his twenties, has married a Canadian woman of Indian descent -- her family moved to Toronto when she was three. While she is pretty westernised, her diet includes a lot of Indian staples like rice and curry. She tries to introduce her husband to some of the foods her family eats, and he ends up snacking on a certain traditional food that seems natural to him (a white guy who tends to eat mostly fast foods), but in a manner that ends up mortifying his wife and amusing his Indian in-laws.

I had it in my head several years ago that he would develop a taste for eating vegetable ghee straight from the can. The only basing I have for this idea is a commercial I saw several years ago on one of the local multi-ethnic channels in Toronto which included some shots of happy Indian men and women eating what looked like white chunks of vegetable. Upon further inspection, it seems that ghee is a kind of butter made either from dairy or vegetable products.

Not knowing the taste of ghee, I am hesitant to claim that the narrator would start eating ghee 'out of the can' (or jar, as the case seems to be). Then again, when I was a kid I loved eating peanut butter by the spoonful, and some people have told me in no uncertain terms that eating straight peanut butter was disgusting, at least to them.

So is it possible that a westerner who doesn't know better would eat ghee in this manner? Or is there another Indian foodstuff I can substitute? Either way the wife has to be dismayed and/or horrified by her husband's actions, even if he's not doing himself any real harm in eating the food in a non-normal way.

(P.S. As of this writing I still do not have a publisher for this novel. It is possible that I may end up going to Lulu.com to print out copies once it's done. I'm still hoping to publish this thing properly -- four chapters to go! -- but otherwise don't go overboard thinking that you're helping out the next Norman Mailer or Margaret Atwood or whatever. But thanks in advance nonetheless!)

How to make egg noodles?

macsigler — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:35:52 -0800

How do I make decent egg noodles? I've been trying to make Chinese egg noodles but they come out weird. Ideally they should be the skinny, long, round noodles. Instead, the dough clumps together, smushes when I try to roll it up, breaks when I try to unroll it, and I basically just lose at life. :P
What is the secret to making these? Is there a step-by-step recipe or method that you've used that is tried and true? Thanks in advance!

But there are many, many Moles, including Green Mole with Tomatillos, Green Mole with Pumpkinseeds, Orange-Red Mole, Red Mole, Yellow Mole and the famous peasant Soup, Mole de Olla.

mek — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:14:27 -0800

How do I make a great mole (poblano)? I've found this website, and I have a great deal of general cooking experience, but I'm not particularly adept at mexican food. I am reasonably confident I can execute a recipe, but I live in the frigid north of Canada (Vancouver), so real mole is impossible to find, thus I am determined to make my own. Ingredient sourcing is not a problem, nor is time or effort required.

What I really want to know are specific tips and tricks, general recommendations for ingredients, serving recommendations, etc. What is best done ahead of time, what is best left to the last minute? Where can I substitute and what is completely non-negotiable? If you have experience making mole, please share your l33t infoz.

Looking for examples of Namibian cuisine

une_heure_pleine — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 02:16:25 -0800

We're having a Rugby World Cup celebration/commiseration at work this week, and we each have to bring an edible contribution that relates to one of the competing countries. All good fun so far, except that I've been given Namibia. What to do? I confess that my knowledge of Namibian cuisine is somewhat limited, and my research so far has only told me that it's pretty much the same as South African (which someone else is doing). The best I can come up with is to go off on a tangent and bring cupcakes decorated with the colours of the Namibian flag. Any better ideas for something distinctively Namibian? It can be sweet or savoury, food or drink, as long as I can prepare it the night before and transport it to work on public transport.

Oh how refreshing. A question about travelling to France.

Deathalicious — Wed, 02 May 2007 13:20:33 -0800

TravelinginFranceFilter: I know there have been loads of questions about France. We're looking for beautiful places in the countryside, great cheap food and reasonable accommodations. I'd love to have the perfect trip that matches my favorite things: We're spending 18 days in France during June. We're planning around a week in Paris which leaves another 10 days or so for just traveling the countryside.

We're both really into food. I love open air markets. I'm crazy for fruits and vegetables, so places where those are particularly fresh or delicious would be great (I'm sure that's all over France, but there must be some markets that knock you flat).

Also I love cheese. What are some places famous for their cheeses, especially cheeses which, for legal or logistical reasons, are difficult to get anywhere else?

I love cooking, so if anyone has a suggestion of a good place you can stay that has a kitchen -- or even, dare I say it, cooking lessons? -- that would be fantastic.

Speaking of food, I've heard that a lot of dishes are cooked with bacon or lard in France. As a non-pork eater, is there any way for me to make sure that there isn't pig in my food?

My friend is a music lover, both punk/indie and world music, so if there are any towns that are small but known for their music scene, that would be great too.

I'm quite into stuff that is underground, so suggestions of catacombs and caves and other underground areas would be great. We also like hiking so that would be very cool too.

Neither of us is that into wine. Don't worry, I will be drinking it with meals, it's just visiting a vineyard for its own sake does not appeal to me.

Also, we are not planning on renting a car so ideally the place would be accessible by train or other forms of public transportation.

Outside of Paris, we'd like to stick to a budget of $50-60 per person, per day (that is, $100-120 total). Is that at all possible? We care a lot more about the quality of our food than the quality of our room.

Sorry this post is so long, and I realize this is really a bunch of questions (although all of them are really the same question: What should we see and do in France? just made a little more specific). Thanks all!

A girl needs more than just a knife

jadepearl — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 04:16:53 -0800

Londonfilter: Just landed with a chef's knife and need to locate goods. Have perused the many threads on shopping in London but need to track down a restaurant supply store open to the public and baking supplies/ingredients of high quality. Robert Dylas, Argos nor Tesco Direct are not giving me the equipment nor the ingredients I need. Extra points for places near Putney but am willing to travel using tube and bus. Have already tried the Spice Shop on Portabello Road (hate to say, but the goods were not up to par especially in extracts). Thanks for any suggestions and help.

Sweet and Savoury foods

selton — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:25:33 -0800

I live in the UK, the stereotypical lunchtime/evening meal is savoury thing(s) then sweet thing. From my limited travelling, and eating, I've seen the same. It's always savoury(s) first, with the sweet being a kinda optional extra at the end if you're lucky. #1 Is that order of eating important for our digestion/well being? #2 Are there any cuisines where the sweet part is normally the major element of the meal? #3 And is there any good reason why sweet foods are not the bulk/all of our meals?

How bad is Lean Cuisine, really?

Amizu — Wed, 03 May 2006 05:35:25 -0800

Is Lean Cuisine the type of overly processed food I should be trying to avoid, and if so, why? They hype their "no preservatives in 80%" of meals. No artificial flavors in a large portion too. I always hear how bad processed food is, and microwaved dinners in a box seem quite processed, but then the no preservatives thing makes me think Lean Cuisines might not be so bad. Please explain what is so bad about processed food, and whether this applies to something like Lean Cuisine?

It's so damn convenient! And cheap. (And some meals actually taste pretty good.)

Desert winds, the call to prayer and a mysterious red soup

MasonDixon — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:38:17 -0800

When I was in Tunisia a few years ago I had this delicious red soup. What was it? I remember it as being a thin, red soup, that had lots of finely minced herbs floating in it and usually a lamb/goat or chicken bone with only a little meat on it at the bottom of the bowl for flavor.

The soup was not tomato-ey tasting, nor do I remember it having any chickpeas. Usually I just ate the soup with bread, or maybe a little couscous. It was during Ramadan if that makes any difference at all.

Just a name would be great and a recipe would be fantastic!

Vegetarian cookbooks?

Succa — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 12:30:44 -0800

Vegetarian cookbook recommendations? I'm looking to buy one as a gift for an aspiring meat-spurner who doesn't have much cooking experience. If possible, I'd like a more pragmatic book that focuses on easing the entry into a vegetarian lifestyle, rather than an emphasis on high-end cuisine.

Canadian restaurants or bars in the United States?

stst399 — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 19:35:22 -0800

I'm looking for bars or restaurants in the United States that serve Canadian food. Can anyone recommend any American bars or restaurants that serve Canadian cuisine like poutine, beaver tail, moose stroganoff, Molson beer, donuts, etc.? It'd be nice if it was decorated with Canadian stuff too, but, really, the food's the important thing. [And, yes, I'm familiar already with the book So You Want to be Canadian, but it didn't have any help in this department, unfortunately. Are there other resources that I should consider?]

If these places are anywhere near Los Angeles or San Francisco, all the better, but my girlfriend (the Canadian) and I (the American) go on frequent roadtrips, so anywhere is okay. Any suggestions, eh? Thank you.

Seoul Food- Cooking Korean at Home

oflinkey — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 16:27:15 -0800

Korean Food—Help me get started making it at home. I am interested in learning to cook Korean food, but have no real idea how to get started. I have had both homemade Korean, as well as the restaurant fare. Additionally, we have a “fast food” Korean place on campus here, and most of my Korean colleagues cannot answer questions I have about some of the yummy things I get there. I know what they serve is the junk food of Korea, but I am interested in learning the equivalent of Hamburger Helper right along side the home-style and finer cuisine. I love it all.

I can’t really ask the people at the restaurant for help, and my Korean officemate admits to not being such a good cook. With her child, her husband and her dissertation, she has little time to help me around the Korean kitchen. Trying to orchestrate a translation session with my officemate and the cooks at the restaurant is rather out of the question, as well.

I am looking for any and all resources that can help me out, as well as help me answer some very practical questions (Can a fishcake roll be thawed and refrozen? Which red pepper paste is the best one? Can I get that seaweed-nut candy here?). I cannot read Korean, so any visual help is especially appreciated.