How is Edible Foodstuff formed?
September 23, 2015 1:03 PM Subscribe
My sheer level of "doesn't know how to cook" is possibly outside the realm of most people's imaginations. So in front of me I have: a bag of dried green lentils, a can of diced tomatoes, a box of frozen spinach, a bag of Russet potatoes, a bulb of garlic, nutritional yeast, liquid aminos, and a sea salt grinder. I also have a gas stovetop and pots/pans. Assuming NO other ingredients, please tell me very specifically how to turn this into a...dal? soup? something else?
Specifically, I need to know:
1) exactly how much of each ingredient to use
2) do I need to soak the beans? if yes, how much water? how long? covered or un?
3) should I drain the can of tomatoes?
4) do I need to thaw the spinach or remove any of the moisture?
5) in the cooking steps, how long and how high heat to use?
6) how do I store the leftovers? how long are they good for?
BONUS: How the hell do I chop garlic? Most of it ends up all over the counter, floor, and me, and not on the cutting board. It just...sticks to things.
I do have one of those box graters with different-sized holes. Is that a good thing for garlic? Rachel Ray makes it look so easy. I don't understand how to chop like she chops. How do I learn this stuff?
Specifically, I need to know:
1) exactly how much of each ingredient to use
2) do I need to soak the beans? if yes, how much water? how long? covered or un?
3) should I drain the can of tomatoes?
4) do I need to thaw the spinach or remove any of the moisture?
5) in the cooking steps, how long and how high heat to use?
6) how do I store the leftovers? how long are they good for?
BONUS: How the hell do I chop garlic? Most of it ends up all over the counter, floor, and me, and not on the cutting board. It just...sticks to things.
I do have one of those box graters with different-sized holes. Is that a good thing for garlic? Rachel Ray makes it look so easy. I don't understand how to chop like she chops. How do I learn this stuff?
Do you have fat/oil of some sort?
posted by felix grundy at 1:10 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by felix grundy at 1:10 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Here is a recipe that is remarkably similar to what you want to make. I would substitute some water and 2 tsp salt for the broth since you don't have that. Thaw your frozen spinach first and try to get as much water as possible out of it. Then chop it and add it to the soup at the same point in the recipe where they add the spinach.
Also, if you have a question about how to do a thing like chop garlic, I recommend highly googling for video tutorials. It's how I learn to do everything.
posted by Nimmie Amee at 1:11 PM on September 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
Also, if you have a question about how to do a thing like chop garlic, I recommend highly googling for video tutorials. It's how I learn to do everything.
posted by Nimmie Amee at 1:11 PM on September 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Can we assume water?
You do not need to soak lentils, although you can if you want.
I personally would start with the lentils, about 2 C of water per C of lentils and about 1/4 tsp of salt per C lentils. Heat the water to boiling, add the lentils and salt, cover and turn down to a simmer. Check on it every twenty minutes or so while you get a feel for the process - it should continue to simmer but not boil, so adjust heat as necessary. If the lentils are not cooked when almost all the water is absorbed, add more. Use your judgement - you can add enough water so that you have a thin soupy lentil broth or so little water that you have almost a lentil paste. Just keep an eye on it so that you keep adding water until the lentils are cooked - taste them as they cook so that you can tell.
Meanwhile, dice the potatoes. Add them and the tomatoes (draining is up to you) to the lentils when the lentils are done or almost done, and continue to simmer. When the potatoes are basically done, add the spinach and stir. Continue to cook until your desired texture is reached. Correct the seasoning - meaning, add salt until you like the taste.
To cut the garlic - break it up into cloves. Put the flat part of your chef's knife on one clove and - carefully! - use the heel of your hand to "break" the clove. You will be able to peel the skin off. Repeat until all your cloves are done. Using your chef's knife, chop the garlic thinly one clove at a time. As it sticks to the cutting board, scrape the cutting board with the chef's knife to lump all the garlic into one heap. When you have all the cloves chopped thinly and scraped into one heap, chop the heap, re-scraping as necessary. You need not mince the garlic perfectly.
If you add garlic very early in the process, it will provide a background flavor. If you add it toward the end, its flavor will be very strong and garlicky. Some people add some at the beginning and the end for variety.
With all legumes, you cook "until done". Some legumes on some stoves cook very quickly - red lentils on my stove are done inside twenty minutes. Some legumes cook way slower than they are "supposed to" - especially if they are old or extremely dry. Just keep tasting them as you go.
Allow three hours of being around the stove for most legumes if you don't know what you're doing - but bear in mind that red lentils and some other very small dal will cook quickly.
posted by Frowner at 1:13 PM on September 23, 2015 [10 favorites]
You do not need to soak lentils, although you can if you want.
I personally would start with the lentils, about 2 C of water per C of lentils and about 1/4 tsp of salt per C lentils. Heat the water to boiling, add the lentils and salt, cover and turn down to a simmer. Check on it every twenty minutes or so while you get a feel for the process - it should continue to simmer but not boil, so adjust heat as necessary. If the lentils are not cooked when almost all the water is absorbed, add more. Use your judgement - you can add enough water so that you have a thin soupy lentil broth or so little water that you have almost a lentil paste. Just keep an eye on it so that you keep adding water until the lentils are cooked - taste them as they cook so that you can tell.
Meanwhile, dice the potatoes. Add them and the tomatoes (draining is up to you) to the lentils when the lentils are done or almost done, and continue to simmer. When the potatoes are basically done, add the spinach and stir. Continue to cook until your desired texture is reached. Correct the seasoning - meaning, add salt until you like the taste.
To cut the garlic - break it up into cloves. Put the flat part of your chef's knife on one clove and - carefully! - use the heel of your hand to "break" the clove. You will be able to peel the skin off. Repeat until all your cloves are done. Using your chef's knife, chop the garlic thinly one clove at a time. As it sticks to the cutting board, scrape the cutting board with the chef's knife to lump all the garlic into one heap. When you have all the cloves chopped thinly and scraped into one heap, chop the heap, re-scraping as necessary. You need not mince the garlic perfectly.
If you add garlic very early in the process, it will provide a background flavor. If you add it toward the end, its flavor will be very strong and garlicky. Some people add some at the beginning and the end for variety.
With all legumes, you cook "until done". Some legumes on some stoves cook very quickly - red lentils on my stove are done inside twenty minutes. Some legumes cook way slower than they are "supposed to" - especially if they are old or extremely dry. Just keep tasting them as you go.
Allow three hours of being around the stove for most legumes if you don't know what you're doing - but bear in mind that red lentils and some other very small dal will cook quickly.
posted by Frowner at 1:13 PM on September 23, 2015 [10 favorites]
Check out a lentil soup recipe?
You are probably going to need a few more ingredients unless you want this soup to come out watery and flavorless. The first thing to know about cooking, for the clueless, is that you can't just go to the store and buy some things and hope it's the right amount of stuff to cook something. You need to look up how to cook the thing and make sure you have everything the recipe calls for. Some flexibility is possible (you should be able to just add the spinach to any recipe without worry, for example), but at the end of the day you are going to need more aromatics than just garlic and probably some stock. You could try a dal recipe instead of soup, but that is going to require even MORE ingredients you don't have to hand.
Either of these dishes should last a week or so in the fridge, when it comes to leftovers.
If you choose to add spinach, you can probably just add the frozen spinach in as is, at the end of cooking. Just give it plenty of time to thaw and incorporate with the rest of the dish. You may be able to improvise a vegetable stock with the spinach liquor (the water that thaws out of the frozen spinach), but with zero cooking skills I would start with just getting the ingredients these recipes actually call for, rather than trying to mess around with stuff you don't know how to do.
You don't generally need to soak lentils.
Bonus cooking protip: always have a few onions around. Anything is better if you start by sauteeing some diced onion.
posted by Sara C. at 1:15 PM on September 23, 2015
You are probably going to need a few more ingredients unless you want this soup to come out watery and flavorless. The first thing to know about cooking, for the clueless, is that you can't just go to the store and buy some things and hope it's the right amount of stuff to cook something. You need to look up how to cook the thing and make sure you have everything the recipe calls for. Some flexibility is possible (you should be able to just add the spinach to any recipe without worry, for example), but at the end of the day you are going to need more aromatics than just garlic and probably some stock. You could try a dal recipe instead of soup, but that is going to require even MORE ingredients you don't have to hand.
Either of these dishes should last a week or so in the fridge, when it comes to leftovers.
If you choose to add spinach, you can probably just add the frozen spinach in as is, at the end of cooking. Just give it plenty of time to thaw and incorporate with the rest of the dish. You may be able to improvise a vegetable stock with the spinach liquor (the water that thaws out of the frozen spinach), but with zero cooking skills I would start with just getting the ingredients these recipes actually call for, rather than trying to mess around with stuff you don't know how to do.
You don't generally need to soak lentils.
Bonus cooking protip: always have a few onions around. Anything is better if you start by sauteeing some diced onion.
posted by Sara C. at 1:15 PM on September 23, 2015
Also, about frozen leaf vegetables - if you defrost and wring them out, they will loose a lot of water and a lot of nutrients. If you want to control the amount of water in your finished dish, you can defrost it and squeeze it out, either by hand (messy; make sure spinach is cool) or by wrapping it in cheesecloth or in several layers of sturdy paper towels. For me, if I am making a more watery dish, I usually don't wring anything out.
If you're making a dish like a tomato sauce or a stew with root vegetables (not with delicate vegetables, which will overcook) and it is watery, you can just keep right on cooking it uncovered until the excess water cooks off. I usually don't worry about overcooking frozen spinach in this kind of dish, as most of the Indian stews I've had with greens tend to cook the greens for a long time.
If you drain the tomatoes, your dish will be less liquidy and have less salt. Canned vegetables and beans will always add salt to your dish, but the canning liquid can be drained off. Rinsing the canned vegetables after draining reduces the salt by up to 1/3.
You can quick-drain and badly rinse things by opening the can while leaving the lid still slightly attached, folding the lid down over the can top, inverting the can and letting the liquid drain out, then filling the can with water, shaking and redraining. This is useful if you want to drain things but don't have a strainer.
posted by Frowner at 1:20 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you're making a dish like a tomato sauce or a stew with root vegetables (not with delicate vegetables, which will overcook) and it is watery, you can just keep right on cooking it uncovered until the excess water cooks off. I usually don't worry about overcooking frozen spinach in this kind of dish, as most of the Indian stews I've had with greens tend to cook the greens for a long time.
If you drain the tomatoes, your dish will be less liquidy and have less salt. Canned vegetables and beans will always add salt to your dish, but the canning liquid can be drained off. Rinsing the canned vegetables after draining reduces the salt by up to 1/3.
You can quick-drain and badly rinse things by opening the can while leaving the lid still slightly attached, folding the lid down over the can top, inverting the can and letting the liquid drain out, then filling the can with water, shaking and redraining. This is useful if you want to drain things but don't have a strainer.
posted by Frowner at 1:20 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
BONUS: How the hell do I chop garlic? Most of it ends up all over the counter, floor, and me, and not on the cutting board. It just...sticks to things.
Garlic is tricky, it took me a while to learn. two methods follow.
1) Get chef's knife (or any knife about 6 or more inches long with a wide blade) and cutting board
2) Separate garlic bulb into however many cloves you want to use
3) place cloves flattest side down on cutting board
4) crush garlic by placing the flat of the knife on top, and pressing down with the heel of your hand
5) remove peel with fingers
6) trim ends with knife
a) Carefully, and with fingers curled, slice the garlic cloves the longest way into thin sticks
b) Rotate garlic sticks (or cutting board) 90 deg. and with fingers curled, cut them crossways.
c) SUCCESS
i) Pile garlic cloves together
ii) Using the knife in a rocking motion, chop downwards. As you lift the knife, rotate it around the tip a little, so as to chop through a previously uncut section. Do this for a few passes
c) SUCCESS
I do have one of those box graters with different-sized holes. Is that a good thing for garlic?
No.
How do I learn this stuff?
Practice, youtube, and patience.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 1:24 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Garlic is tricky, it took me a while to learn. two methods follow.
1) Get chef's knife (or any knife about 6 or more inches long with a wide blade) and cutting board
2) Separate garlic bulb into however many cloves you want to use
3) place cloves flattest side down on cutting board
4) crush garlic by placing the flat of the knife on top, and pressing down with the heel of your hand
5) remove peel with fingers
6) trim ends with knife
two methods diverged in a yellow kitchena) Carefully, and with fingers curled, slice the garlic cloves the longest way into thin sticks
b) Rotate garlic sticks (or cutting board) 90 deg. and with fingers curled, cut them crossways.
c) SUCCESS
and that's made all the difference?i) Pile garlic cloves together
ii) Using the knife in a rocking motion, chop downwards. As you lift the knife, rotate it around the tip a little, so as to chop through a previously uncut section. Do this for a few passes
c) SUCCESS
I do have one of those box graters with different-sized holes. Is that a good thing for garlic?
No.
How do I learn this stuff?
Practice, youtube, and patience.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 1:24 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, re garlic, if you hate chopping it, feel free to grab the pre-minced jarred variety. It's good to learn to peel and mince your own, but shortcuts are also fine.
posted by Sara C. at 1:32 PM on September 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Sara C. at 1:32 PM on September 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: frowner nails it. really, all you care about is that it's not too runny, everything is cooked, and it tastes ok. if you look at that recipe from a distance it's basically "stick it all in a pan". the only complication is that you start with lentils first because they take longer to cook. ignore crap like wetting your board before cutting garlic - it's basically tiny tweaks on what is, without the bullshit, a very simple process. (basic) cooking is way, way less hard than most people make it out to be (i think this is because it has shifted, in places like the usa, from something everyone does every day, to some kind of hobby, where people obsess over details).
posted by andrewcooke at 1:47 PM on September 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by andrewcooke at 1:47 PM on September 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: 1) 1.5 cups lentils, 1 can tomatoes, 1 box spinach, 3 cloves garlic**, 2 potatoes (cubed), 2 tbsp nooch, 1 tbsp aminos, salt to taste
2) no, you never need to soak lentils
3) yes, so you can reserve the liquid
4) you don't need to, but you should so you can reserve the liquid
5) see below
6) in a Tupperware or mason jar, 3-4 days
5), expanded:
- (optional) drain the tomatoes and thaw the spinach, reserve the liquid
- put the lentils, half the tomatoes, and half the garlic in a big pot
- add all the tomato liquid, all the spinach liquid, and another 4 cups of water, or add the vegetable liquids and then cover the ingredients with about an inch of water (either way, be prepared to add more water while it cooks)
- bring to a boil over high heat
- reduce heat to medium
- simmer for 10 minutes
- add the potatoes
- simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until lentils are fairly soft (how long they take to cook will depend entirely on how old they are)
- add the thawed spinach, the rest of the tomatoes and garlic, the nooch, and the aminos, cook for another 10 minutes or until the flavors are melded
- add salt and/or more aminos to taste
I make no guarantees as to the tastiness of this recipe, but that's how I'd put it together. Good luck!
** smashed flat with a big knife to remove the skin, then minced like so, and wet the cutting surface first so the peels stick to it instead of you
PS If this Ask is because you're down to your last and can't afford to add anything else, MeMail me and I'll send you a spice kit you can lean on for pantry cooking.
posted by divined by radio at 1:48 PM on September 23, 2015 [11 favorites]
2) no, you never need to soak lentils
3) yes, so you can reserve the liquid
4) you don't need to, but you should so you can reserve the liquid
5) see below
6) in a Tupperware or mason jar, 3-4 days
5), expanded:
- (optional) drain the tomatoes and thaw the spinach, reserve the liquid
- put the lentils, half the tomatoes, and half the garlic in a big pot
- add all the tomato liquid, all the spinach liquid, and another 4 cups of water, or add the vegetable liquids and then cover the ingredients with about an inch of water (either way, be prepared to add more water while it cooks)
- bring to a boil over high heat
- reduce heat to medium
- simmer for 10 minutes
- add the potatoes
- simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until lentils are fairly soft (how long they take to cook will depend entirely on how old they are)
- add the thawed spinach, the rest of the tomatoes and garlic, the nooch, and the aminos, cook for another 10 minutes or until the flavors are melded
- add salt and/or more aminos to taste
I make no guarantees as to the tastiness of this recipe, but that's how I'd put it together. Good luck!
** smashed flat with a big knife to remove the skin, then minced like so, and wet the cutting surface first so the peels stick to it instead of you
PS If this Ask is because you're down to your last and can't afford to add anything else, MeMail me and I'll send you a spice kit you can lean on for pantry cooking.
posted by divined by radio at 1:48 PM on September 23, 2015 [11 favorites]
Try this recipe too - Budget Bytes always lays stuff out pretty comprehensively.
posted by capricorn at 2:00 PM on September 23, 2015
posted by capricorn at 2:00 PM on September 23, 2015
And yes, you can use the teeniest tiny hole setting on your box grater for garlic.
posted by capricorn at 2:00 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by capricorn at 2:00 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: 1. Peel and chop the whole head of garlic as fine as you can (I like lots of garlic). This video might help.
2. Saute the garlic in some type of fat -- butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, rendered blubber, anything. If you really don't have any other ingredients, use about a tablespoon of water and saute it in that until soft.
3. Add the bag of lentils (I'm assuming a pound) and enough water to cover by a couple of inches.
4. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium and simmer the lentils until they start to soften.
5. In the meantime, medium dice the potatoes.
6. When the lentils are starting to soften, add the diced potato and can of tomatoes. Add more water if needed.
7. When the potatoes start to soften and the tomatoes break down, add the frozen spinach. Return the pot to a simmer.
8. Once the spinach is fully thawed in your soup/stew, I would add about two or three tablespoons of the aminos, depending on the volume of soup you have. If it's not salty enough, use the salt grinder to adjust the seasoning. I would skip the nutritional yeast all together with this dish.
9. Add water to get the consistency you want, whether a soup or a stew.
posted by slogger at 2:03 PM on September 23, 2015
2. Saute the garlic in some type of fat -- butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, rendered blubber, anything. If you really don't have any other ingredients, use about a tablespoon of water and saute it in that until soft.
3. Add the bag of lentils (I'm assuming a pound) and enough water to cover by a couple of inches.
4. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium and simmer the lentils until they start to soften.
5. In the meantime, medium dice the potatoes.
6. When the lentils are starting to soften, add the diced potato and can of tomatoes. Add more water if needed.
7. When the potatoes start to soften and the tomatoes break down, add the frozen spinach. Return the pot to a simmer.
8. Once the spinach is fully thawed in your soup/stew, I would add about two or three tablespoons of the aminos, depending on the volume of soup you have. If it's not salty enough, use the salt grinder to adjust the seasoning. I would skip the nutritional yeast all together with this dish.
9. Add water to get the consistency you want, whether a soup or a stew.
posted by slogger at 2:03 PM on September 23, 2015
Storage after you get your awesome soup done-- let it cool down and freeze it in individual portions (ziplocs / tupperware things). It'll keep forever (like 6 months).
I basically cook like you but add a small handful of cumin to basically any soup. It's a magic bullet imo.
posted by travertina at 2:48 PM on September 23, 2015
I basically cook like you but add a small handful of cumin to basically any soup. It's a magic bullet imo.
posted by travertina at 2:48 PM on September 23, 2015
Your garlic chopping problems might be caused by a dull knife, btw. There is nothing in the world that is the equivalent of fresh garlic but I'm not gonna lie, I'm a busy woman and I frequently use pre-chopped garlic or even garlic paste. Also I keep frozen chopped onions in my freezer, you can buy them in the vegetables section of the frozen food aisle, and then I don't have to chop an onion.
posted by KathrynT at 3:02 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by KathrynT at 3:02 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
And yes, you can use the teeniest tiny hole setting on your box grater for garlic.
Yeah, I do this quite a lot. The only problem with a box grater is getting it out. It's not insurmountable though. If am grating I usually grate first and then run over with the knife, but as long as you've made the garlic go from fairly big bits to fairly small bits it really doesn't matter.
posted by howfar at 3:10 PM on September 23, 2015
Yeah, I do this quite a lot. The only problem with a box grater is getting it out. It's not insurmountable though. If am grating I usually grate first and then run over with the knife, but as long as you've made the garlic go from fairly big bits to fairly small bits it really doesn't matter.
posted by howfar at 3:10 PM on September 23, 2015
Another way to deal with garlic is to take a sturdy fork to it and "mash" it (on a cutting board). You can make small pieces or a paste like this with very little effort or mess.
posted by delezzo at 8:27 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by delezzo at 8:27 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: It's easy to get intimidated by cooking, and while all the advice given here is good and well meaning, I can easily see it going over my head when I was a total novice. (I mean I'm still a learner - I only started eating vegetables a couple of years ago!)
The key is to not be afraid to mess it up. Getting textures and consistencies right is one thing - getting favour right is completely different. And both take practice. You won't get it right the first time, and that's OK, because you'll try it again slightly differently and improve every time.
Technique is separate again, and the most important thing you will need in the kitchen are knife skills, which also take practice. And you can't have those without a sharp knife. Rachael Ray and the like make it look so easy because they've put in the hours, but even a beginner will see a massive improvement with a proper sharp knife (you don't need anything fancy or expensive, just a knife sharpener - we got ours from IKEA). That works for everything: chopping garlic, onions, meat, whatever.
This guide to chopping an onion is applicable to so many other things in the kitchen - even garlic - that it will change your life.
posted by macdara at 7:31 AM on September 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
The key is to not be afraid to mess it up. Getting textures and consistencies right is one thing - getting favour right is completely different. And both take practice. You won't get it right the first time, and that's OK, because you'll try it again slightly differently and improve every time.
Technique is separate again, and the most important thing you will need in the kitchen are knife skills, which also take practice. And you can't have those without a sharp knife. Rachael Ray and the like make it look so easy because they've put in the hours, but even a beginner will see a massive improvement with a proper sharp knife (you don't need anything fancy or expensive, just a knife sharpener - we got ours from IKEA). That works for everything: chopping garlic, onions, meat, whatever.
This guide to chopping an onion is applicable to so many other things in the kitchen - even garlic - that it will change your life.
posted by macdara at 7:31 AM on September 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by howfar at 1:06 PM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]