Toddless's Profile

pfff, everyone knows honey comes from a bear, not a jar.

I agree with the suggestion to get Ratio -- an amazing book. Although I'm not adventurous enough to cook without recipes, it really opened my eyes to recipe development and the simplicity of something like a cookie or a cake.

According to America's Test Kitchen (which is the last word, in my opinion) the Victorinox Chef's Knife is the best chef's knife out there. Bonus: it's inexpensive ($30?). So get that and a good paring knife. Those two knives will see you through 95% of all your cooking.
I think everyone agrees that one or two good knives are better than a bunch of low-end knives. Personal anecdote: I've got a knife set with a bunch of knives and I STILL only use the chef's knife and the paring knife.

I wonder if it might be easier to get a regular cookbook, say from Cook's Illustrated, or How to Cook Everything, and then give your friend some substitution options. Coconut/Nut/Soy milk can replace milk, cheese and sour cream are often toppers that can be left off... Come to think of it, most of the recipes I know are dairy free.

However!, I'd second the Paleo book "Well Fed." Great stuff in there.

This sounds like a good idea, and I may end up doing it, but I'm wondering why the butters in the background of the photo are labeled "caramel" and "english toffee." Please explain!

You know, I'd never really thought about it, but "taste as you go along" struck me. I'll always taste my cooking around the last step, to see if it needs salt, or a little more cooking time. But I just realized that I can and should taste as I go to get a better idea of how spices and ingredients alter the flavor of the final product. Thanks for the epiphany!

I'd say to look for things/recipes where you can throw everything into a blender or food processor and it comes out in seconds. That would include things like salad dressing, mayo, whipped cream, salsa/guac, tomato sauce (you can see it tends to be things that top main dishes). As for making your own bread or pasta, while I've done it before, it tends to be too messy and time-consuming to be worth it to me, despite the better flavor. I'll take the convenience on that stuff almost every time.

With Italian pasta, I'll twirl on a fork, though not with a spoon. You can do almost as well on the plate.
With udon, I'll use chopsticks to grab a thick noodle and lay it into the deep spoon they provide. Then a dip into the broth and it's good to go.
With ramen or pho, slurp city.

I can't help posting when the topic is weight-loss. So, a couple of things:

- Moderation is subjective; stop saying "everything in moderation" because it doesn't mean anything to anyone. I'd rather hear something more definitive, like, "1 serving of fruit/day instead of 3."

- Some people said that exercise doesn't help you lose weight. Burning calories and building muscle seem like two very effective ways of losing weight.

- Recognize that saying "eat whole foods" is essentially saying "eat low carb" or "eat low GI." Let's pick a term and stick with it.

- The government that told us all to eat low-fat helped get us where we are today.

Low-carb (paleo) dieting and CrossFit have worked for me, if anyone's curious.

I'm a primal eater, and, if you decide to go that route, I found a couple of things when I first started:
1 - It's a good excuse to really learn how to cook a good steak or piece of fish. So any books that go in depth on that subject might be good.
2 - I didn't buy any new cookbooks when I switched over, I just modified the recipes I was already making. You'll find that most entree recipes actually don't include a lot of carbs, it's the sides you've got to watch out for (rice, bread, mashed potatoes).