When you cook...Are you a "One Trick Pony"??

[coltle6920]

Lot of great threads here that make one's mouth water but does anybody change it up once in a while? Do you ever look in your fridge or pantry and think "I'll bet that would taste good"?

Had a ribeye last night.Sprayed it with some vegetable oil and seasoned with garlic salt and dried oregano.Put a couple lines of sriracha sauce on it and let it sit for a couple hours.Cooked just a little above rare.

Like my chicken salad in the Summer.Spray it with oil then season with garlic salt and dried thyme.Cook on the grill and then put in fridge for next day.Along with the usual mayo and onions I'll add fresh chopped cilantro,cumin,minced serrano and a sprinkle of oregano.

Sometimes you just have to throw those tastebuds a curveball when all your food starts tasting the same.

 

[zzzippper]

Cooking means cleaning out the cupboard, fridge, and spice rack. Adult swim, everyone in the pool.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

I like to prepare Italian, Thai and Chinese food in addition to grilling.

 

[42chevy]

I cook several decent dishes and all the bbq but my wife cooks most of the time

 

[Rustyt1953]

Like zip, I look at the kitchen as a blank canvas. I'll scrounge around and say "ooh, what can I make with this stuff".

After decades of cooking and baking, you pretty much know how much of what goes where and how it will taste.

Besides, I look good in an apron.

 

[shouldazagged]

I never prepare anything exactly the same way twice because I don't work from recipes. A recipe is a place to start, if that, and I usually just improvise stuff.

I learned some principles many years ago:

(a) If it smells good it almost certainly tastes good.

(b) Sometimes it smells awful (sauerkraut, kimchi, Limburger) but tastes wonderful, so test it.

(c) All the world's great cuisines originally spring from poor folks finding ways to make cheap, readily available food taste wonderful, so you can do amazing things with beans and grains.

(d) Your spice rack is your third best friend. Garlic is your best (just ask Ditrina), followed by onions. Chilis couldn't hurt either.

(e) Cooking can be fun, and anybody can learn to do it. If you have three or more taste buds you can become a decent cook.

Once I found out it's fun, fifty years ago, I never looked back.

 

[carpriver]

I can order anything I want from JimmyJohns. And clean up is quick.

 

[P&R Fan]

I am an expert griller but I can only "cook" two things: Meatloaf and chili. Both would kill me dead if I ate 'em every day buy boy are they good.
My chili has Ground Chuck, steak, Italian sausage, beans, diced tomatoes, cayenne pepper, garlic salt, LOTS of garlic and Carrol Shelby chili preparation in it.
My meatloaf has Ground Chuck, ham, bacon, tomato sauce, oatmeal and sliced mushrooms. Oh yeah, and LOTS of garlic.
I have no recipe. My Mom, who is a gourmet chef shudders when I tell her about it. I just throw stuff in.
Never had either turn out bad.
Jim

 

[Rastoff]

I am an expert cook. I make a mean bowl of Corn Flakes. I can heat up Campbell's, any type. I've even been known to boil some Ramen from time to time.

Um, there's a reason I'm not allowed in the kitchen.

 

[LVSteve]

I am an expert cook. I make a mean bowl of Corn Flakes. I can heat up Campbell's, any type. I've even been known to boil some Ramen from time to time.

Um, there's a reason I'm not allowed in the kitchen.

Seems disturbingly familiar.....

 

[Big Stick]

I must have a dozen different steak seasonings in my rotation, but as of late, I have gone back to simple salt and pepper for my beef. I'm up in Calgary this trip, and picked up a AAA strip steak tonight from a farm market booth that sells their own beef.(Alberta beef is second to none, btw) Had it with a 3 oz slab of triple cream, unpasturized Quebec blue cheese, in leau of mushrooms or compound butter. If you have never had beef with blue cheese(good blue cheese), you are missing out. It is high in natural glutamates, like mushrooms, and brings the flavor up.

 

[rolomac]

my specialty is refrigerator omelets. Open up the frige and there is bound to be something in there that will make a fantastic omelet. Left over vegetables, chili, diced ham, bacon, roast beast - anything! Whip up four eggs - six if also making one for my bride - add salt and fresh ground pepper and a splash of milk to make it fluffy. Dice some onions and some celery and nuke them a bit in the microwave to pre cook them and then pour the eggs into my special egg pan. Cook them on high heat at first then back down to low heat until they become a fluffy semi-solid. Add the onions and celery along with whatever you pulled from the frige. fold it over gently and continue to cook it until it seems right. Slide it onto a plate - lay some slices of sharp cheddar cheese on top to melt - put a spoonful of salsa on the side to add a little bite and you're ready to go. I love a sliced and toasted bagel along with it.

rolomac

 

[Skootertrash]

Cooking? My idea of cooking is the drive through. I will, however, fire up the grill from time to time

 

[coltle6920]

I must have a dozen different steak seasonings in my rotation, but as of late, I have gone back to simple salt and pepper for my beef. I'm up in Calgary this trip, and picked up a AAA strip steak tonight from a farm market booth that sells their own beef.(Alberta beef is second to none, btw) Had it with a 3 oz slab of triple cream, unpasturized Quebec blue cheese, in leau of mushrooms or compound butter. If you have never had beef with blue cheese(good blue cheese), you are missing out. It is high in natural glutamates, like mushrooms, and brings the flavor up.

I like the way you think...Gonna have to try the bleu cheese.I always layered parmesan cheese on my steaks after putting on bbq sauce only because that's what I had.

 

[coltle6920]

Not trying to be sacrilege but I'll put garlic salt and sriracha sauce on maple bacon as it cooks and make a meal of just that.

Somebody here must have fixed something to eat (while sober) that had questionable ingredients but tasted good.

 

[timn8er]

I really love to cook. The experimentation with different ingredients can lead to some memorable meals, and yes, not always a good memory. But, you never know until you try. On a whim I threw some cilantro in my "kitchen sink" marinara sauce, & it worked out so well it's become a staple ingredient.

 

[Rangerpat]

I live alone so I only have to please myself. I'm a 20 minutes or less cook, if it takes longer than that, I ain't cooking it.
Most of my supper meals consist of easy recipes for wild game and seafood, that don't take long to cook.

 

[BearBio]

I try to vary and experiment. Yesterday: I made lasagna, enchiladas, and Chile Colorado. The Chile is for tonight. The enchiladas were frozen for later this week and the Lasagna is for a future party.

By way of explanation:
Last Month, I had some friends over for dinner. I made up a complete menu from appetizers to desert (and printed it). Cuisine was Mexican. A couple of items were something I'd never made before. Regular restaurant fare. One of the friends has a website (Her and her husband have a "hobby organic farm" and post recipes.). She posted rave reviews about the "new restaurant" in town and posted the menu. Three people contacted her wanting the address of the "new" restaurant!

So I have established the Phantom Restaurant: Every couple of months we'll have people over for a "typical" cuisine style. I have done Oriental (before the idea took root but as a birthday dinner for a friend). The next one will be Italian just as soon as I grow some tomatoes (they're coming along, as are the Italian peppers).

 

[M E Morrison]

Lot of great threads here that make one's mouth water but does anybody change it up once in a while? Do you ever look in your fridge or pantry and think "I'll bet that would taste good"?

Had a ribeye last night.Sprayed it with some vegetable oil and seasoned with garlic salt and dried oregano.Put a couple lines of sriracha sauce on it and let it sit for a couple hours.Cooked just a little above rare.

Like my chicken salad in the Summer.Spray it with oil then season with garlic salt and dried thyme.Cook on the grill and then put in fridge for next day.Along with the usual mayo and onions I'll add fresh chopped cilantro,cumin,minced serrano and a sprinkle of oregano.

Sometimes you just have to throw those tastebuds a curveball when all your food starts tasting the same.

A man can't live on chili alone - you need spaghetti once in a while!

 

[sqhead]

I have never used my oven,sad but true,............long story short,I was living in my new house and a buddy brought over some munchies to throw in the oven.( his wife made )..went on to the great Ping-Pong match and later wondered about the food......been in the house 6 months and never flipped the power breaker to the kitchen ....got a good laff out of that one.