Pantry and motivation

[nashman1975]

All--

I need some cooking help. I am someone who gets a tremendous amount of joy out of cooking and strive to learn and practice, I watch FoodTv religiously, I have an 8' high bookshelf full of cookbooks, and take pride in my interest/abilities in cooking.

However, I always seem to just settle for something quick (fast food-yikes) or only make food a few times a week. I love looking through gourmet and reading my cookbooks and making food, but sometimes I lose the motivation. I feel like my head is too cluttered with all of these books and ideas I see, but I can never settle on things. I don't even know how to really put meals together (the meat, veg, starch thing) in a continually innovative way. I also have trouble with just pulling together something simple with the ingredients I have on hand.

So my question is two-fold, how do all of these people on these chats seem to cook these elegant, yet simple dinners, different ones every nite (timing is an issue with me--work like everyone else) w/o having to go to the store and shop every nite? And, what types of things should I have in my pantry/fridge/freezer that enables me to make these different dishes every nite and keep the variety. Or even this mentality--people have told me it just takes time--when planning, I look at menus and then go to the store, which means I'm a disaster when it comes to farmer's markets or fresh (or on sale) items at a store b/c it's not on my list. "Wow--butternut squash is looking great--but what do I do with it?"

One of the things I've started to do is buy the more gourmet pasta (like stuffed toretellini) and making simple all-in-one dishes with asparagus and EVOO and garlic to make a simple, yet tasty dish. But that gets old.

Please advise, thanks

[fifi]

Welcome nashman1975.

Some people do put out a really great meal every night. Not many of us do, so don't get intimidated. I work so I do most of my cooking fun on the weekends. It is recreation for me. A lot of times I have my fun making some of my pantry items: stock, ancho paste, tomatillo sauce, whatever. Sometimes I try out new ideas and most of those are planned for leftover meals during the week.

I think that the first thing to do is to get comfortable with your cooking skills so that those are adaptable to what is at hand... that butternut squash for instance. It all takes time and a lot of trial and error. In my case, lots of error.

And, resources like eGullet are an excellent opportunity to learn. It is a fabulous resource. I have been cooking since I was a kid ( I am now 57) and learned at the stoves of some awesome cooks. But what I have learned in just a little over a year here is unbelievable.

It is a journey. You just have to start.

[lorea]

For me, if I don't plan out my meals, I end up scrounging around for food (cereal, eating out, etc.) - so I ALWAYS plan out my menus in advance.

What I'll do at the beginning of every week is write down a list of food I would like to eat that week - usually about 1/2 a week's worth. If I get some ideas along the way (ahem...eGullet), I'll jot those down too. I write down a shopping list about everything I need.

When I actually go shopping, I see what's on sale or see what is super-fresh and I buy those too, to fill up the rest of the week's meals. So...if butternut squash is on sale, I'll buy it and figure out what I'm going to do with it later.

I usually end up buying enough spur-of-the-moment to last me through the whole week.

Sometimes, things don't go according to plan (e.g. - using an ingredient you planned for something else), but I just try to be flexible!

[balmagowry]

Welcome to eG!

I just wanted to chime in with my sympathy re the mental clutter; I bet more of us share that problem than you might expect! As for putting together great dinners night after night, I think I have it less together now that I'm working from home than I did when I commuted full-time. I suppose it's really true that the busier you are, the more you find time for and get done. In my case it's also that having a flexible schedule is in some ways a dubious blessing - all too easy to get focused on something and just sort of... forget to look at the clock until... "hey, honey, I think it's kind of too late to get started on dinner, do you mind if we get take-out?"

When it does all come together wonderfully, though, usually at least one of these conditions obtains.

1) I have planned a specific menu for a specific occasion and done it far enough ahead to have done most of the shopping and organizing for it before panic time

2) on more day-to-day occasions, I have carefully refrained from planning until I got to the market

3) I've thought ahead enough to assess what's in the freezer and what I'm in the mood to do with it

Of course, these can be mixed and matched. For instance, #1 and #3 are always subject to sudden change inspired by #2. A good market rarely fails to produce some kind of inspiration - in fact, one of my local Stop & Shops, of all things, has such a consistently great reduced-price-produce shelf that I call it "the Inspiration Rack." Doesn't sound like haute cuisine, I know - but hey, one day I walked in there and they might as well have hung a neon sign above the thing saying "Here's everything you need for weeks of ratatouille." Instant change of menu. At the other end of the produce spectrum, one menu I thought I had cast in stone suddenly got derailed by the first young asparagus of the season.

Usually, though, I find my inspiration in the meat department. Walk in there with mind a complete blank, stroll along the case and spot a couple of lamb shanks. Poof! Right away, I know, in fact I can picture the whole plate. Grab some fresh stuff for salad, and everything else will come from staples or from the garden: white beans; maybe a tomato or two (I always have some in the freezer); rosemary; garlic; wine....

(I also have a great weakness for low-brow cuts of meat - dunno if that's empathy with the underdog or if I just have plebeian tastes... but I get a kick out of taking something unpopular, "despis-ed and reject-ed," like breast of lamb, and making something adorable out of it. Trimmed, braised with vinegar and lots of rosemary, served over rice. Something about that scenario just talks to me. Sow's ear - silk purse - squeeze a good dinner out of just about anything.)

Fifi is completely right, though: get to the point where you're comfortable with some basics that work well for you, certain habits you can always fall back on, a few dishes you can do without having to think about it; to some extent this will dictate what staples you stock. For instance, I am never without the components of a risotto or pseudo-pilaf - texture goes well with a lot of things, flavor can be adjusted to complement the inspiration of the evening. (OK, so on those impromptu occasions I may have to use canned chicken broth instead of my own stock. So? That's what College Inn is for, and it can mean the difference between a proper meal and a scrounge.)

Yeah, it's great to have lots of cookbooks and lots of ideas and to keep trying new things; but don't expect yourself to do that for every dish, every meal. Develop a standard everyday repertoire, adjust and evolve gradually. I always have a couple of favorite no-brainer preparations for any cut of meat I run across; every now and then one of them will get displaced by the latest epiphany; and so on.

Hmmmm - I just noticed that while I've been rambling on and on here (lamb, rice, lamb, rice...) Lorea has said much what I intended to and a lot more succinctly. Almost canceled this post altogether, but then reflected that as much as anything it reflects a mental process, and that may be what's important. Different people handle that different ways; if you really suffer from mental clutter there may be something here that will resonate with you. So, FWIW....

[beans]

balmagowry, please don't cancel any of your posts! I enjoy all of them. In fact you are my favourite newest eG'er.

Welcome to eG nashman1975.

You definitely have the interest. I found myself purchasing food magazines and cookbooks merely to read. Ideas! Fantastic sounding things I had to add on to that never ending list of things to try!

You caught the bug.

Then Food Network, PBS and/or other programs that could be found on Fine Living or wherever else on the dish.

Then I found eG!

Stick around you'll learn and gain more confidence and even experience with handling, preparing, forumulating, etc. Then just jump in and you'll do more than create a great meal -- you'll actually feel that zen like pleasure.

edit: needed clarity as a result of sipping a lovely glass of wine

Edited April 8, 2004 by beans (log)

[iriee]

ditto balm,,

not everyone is going crazy cooking elagant meals every night. go looking around through your favorite markets. look for unusual things sometimes. look for something easy another time. sometimes your just not going to have the drive or time to prepare something too elagant every time. enjoy whatever you do. sometimes the cookbooks help but i think its more of what you want to play with that day. enjoy!

[Radio7]

Hi Nash I'm new here too.

You mention EVOO in your post, and I've seen it mentionned also in others' posts. Could you enlighten me as to what it is? I'm embarassed at my ignorance

Maybe a way to revive your motivation during lulls would be to go back to the simplest preparations/meals. Concentrate on enjoying the preparation of a 'no-frills' type meal; revel in a non-extravagant process. I personally find chopping vegetables and making a simple fish entree very calming after a particularly frustrating or stressful day. Chopping veg is almost meditative for me at times. I suppose this is one of my main "fall back" meals, as Balmagowry put it, and I totally agree with Balmagowry re: the fun and challenge of using 'underdog' items.

[Dana]

EVOO=extra virgin olive oil

[Anna N]

Nashman1975 - I totally emphathize with you. I recently moved to a new neighbourhood and have had to re-adjust my whole menu-planning method. I no longer have a car nor a convenient food store. This means planning a whole week ahead and then trying to use the fresh produce and fruit early in the week while it is at its best. Sometimes I succeed but often I find myself totally derailed because hubby works late or company shows up.

Like you, I am trying to build a pantry that will allow me to put together a nice meal with what's on hand.

One help I've found (from reading these threads!) is a FoodSaver (a home vacuum packing system). This means I can freeze meat and other things in flat packages that I can quickly defrost when life throws me a curve ball.

Foodsaver Thread

Edited to add link to Foodsaver thread.

Edited April 8, 2004 by Anna N (log)

[lorea]

Oh yeah! I also forgot to add that some meals are easily frozen for future meals, like lasagne or stews. When I make meals that are easily frozen, I tend to make at least double what I'm planning to eat that night. That way, whenever I'm faced with feeling lazy, but still want good food, I pull something from the freezer.

Frozen home-cooked meals beats out Stouffer's anyday! :D

[helenjp]

Make a new dish three times over a short period. That way, it will be locked in your memory, you will be familiar enough with it to make variations or use the same techniques for some other dish, and the flavors will also be familiar to you.

Knowing the flavor/texture of a dish very well is essential to planning a menu. Start thinking about why your favorite dishes taste/look good. Start a diary, make notes in your cookbooks about the abstract things as well as the practical ones -- the texture you think would be best, the main flavor and what complemented it, etc. A diary is also handy for seeing what tasted great at the same season last year.

As for cooking every night - that means, ironically, putting away the cookbooks! Plan first (I plan about 3 menus for each week, though they may not get made on the day I originally intended to serve them) and then just do it. Most people have time to look at recipes and ponder, or time to cook, but not both.

Have fun though...it's only dinner!

[JPW]

Nashman,

Although everyone's brain works differently, I've found that what helps me is (as other people have noted) menu planning. Before I start my saturday shopping list, my wife and I discuss our plans for the week ahead and make a menu. Having a Tuesday night meal planned makes a HUGE difference in the ability to get a real meal done even if I stay late at work. The plan is flexible, but gives a basis for what veggies and dry goods you need to create 3-4 dishes during the week.

My weekday meals also tend to be quick (but still nice if i may say so myself ) stuff that can use the leftovers from the bigger weekend meals. For example, last Sunday was a roast chicken with smashed potatoes and a roasted pepper salad. Tuesday was a stir-fry with the leftover chicken meat. The chicken carcass goes into the freezer and makes stock the next weekend. Or a pork tenderloin on the weekend means pork quesadillas later in the week.

Thursday night is "clean out the fridge" night when I experiment with as many weird creations as I can come up with from what is left over. Friday night is take out or restaurant going.

Good luck, I hope eGullet and its members are as inspiring and educational for you as it has been for me.

[balmagowry]

balmagowry, please don't cancel any of your posts!  I enjoy all of them.  In fact you are my favourite newest eG'er. 

Ah, shucks.... Thanks, Beans!

[Toliver]

A well-stocked pantry happens over time. You try a new recipe and buy a new ingredient and after a period of time of trying new recipes, you have a well-stocked pantry.

Sarah Moulton from the FoodNetwork did a segment on her new show about recommendations on what to have on hand in your pantry. I am sure the list is incomplete but it's a good start.

Here is her list for a well-stocked pantry.

[robyn]

So my question is two-fold, how do all of these people on these chats seem to cook these elegant, yet simple dinners, different ones every nite...

My husband and I are reasonably disorganized about putting meals on the table. Especially when the weather is nice (which it is about 80% of the year). Our eat-in-meals fall into 1 of 3 categories. The really nice have-to-do-a-lot-of-prep meal. I will always have the ingredients on hand if it's a holiday/company meal. And I will almost always have the major ingredients on hand if it's a meal for us. If it's a meal for us - I'll make it when I have the time (e.g., sometimes I have the time because I was supposed to play golf and it's raining). Sometimes I have the time for other reasons.

We also have meals we decide to make in the morning. That means taking chicken breasts out of the freezer and marinating them - defrosting some burgers or steaks - making some egg salad. Buying the finishing ingredients we need - if any - while we're out. Or hot meals we decide to make when we're at the market - like a simple fish preparation.

Then there are the last minute meals. In the summer (we live in Florida and it's hot) - we eat a lot of salads you can make at the last minute. Fruit salad - salmon salad - tuna salad - etc. Or it might be scrambled eggs. Or a jazzed up frozen pizza. Or crab cakes benedict (using frozen crab cakes from Costco). Or pasta with sauce I made a few days before - or from a jar whose brand I like. Or bagels and lox.

Two things stand out here. First - you don't always need to cook the proverbial meat + two or three. In fact - we frequently have a lunch like that - with a much lighter dinner.

Second - you keep on hand the things you like to eat. You'll never find my freezer devoid of chicken breasts - or burgers - or crab cakes - or pizza - or sausage - or bacon - or fries to go with the burgers, etc. You'll always find eggs and peppers and celery and carrots in my refrigerator (and - in season - a lot of fruit). My pantry contains the things I normally use in preparing the meals I like to cook (like rice and beans to go with the marinated chicken breasts - the pasta - the sauce). Note that although we're only 2 people - we buy things like peppers and tomatoes at Costco. In reasonably large quantities. And we sometimes wind up throwing away some because we don't eat all of it. But it's better to have them around at 6 pm than to groan about running to the grocery store.

So what do you like to eat? And how many people are you cooking for? Both make a difference in terms of helping you think through establishing some kind of routine (even a disorganized one like we have). Robyn

[balmagowry]

You know, I was thinking about this improvisational culinary lifestyle several of us have talked about here, the combination of personal staples and inspiration-of-the-moment, if one can so express it - and it struck me that this would be a cool basis for doing a food-blog. Maybe even a group food-blog, where several people commit to several days of this approach and compare notes as they go. Don't know if it would lend itself to a lot of rules and structure, though I can think of a few that might be interesting (limits on budget or prep/cooking time, number of stores - or store runs - allowed, minimum nutritional criteria, that sort of thing). But I bet it could be fun, and it'd probably be good practice even for those who already do it comfortably (but not regularly enough).

And where was I thinking this? Why, at the market, of course, where inspiration struck twice - once in the form of a big chunk of fresh horseradish; once with a display of veal which led to an Underdog Grab: saw veal cutlets on sale and thought, nah, still too expensive for that quality of meat; then thought, but where there are cutlets there will be stew veal; then saw that not only was there stew veal but there was also (dirt cheap) so-called "bone-in veal stew," which to my eye seems to be sliced knuckle and neck debris. You can guess which I bought! In fact, it looked nice and fresh and very meaty, so I bought all they had and will probably end up freezing some. What I'm going to do with all this I don't quite know yet - hmmm, guess dinner's going to be late as usual - but I'm having vaguely braised-ish thoughts, or maybe something more like a highly informal mock-blanquette. With a few noodles, perhaps. Somewhere in the mix there will probably be dry vermouth. Wonder if I have any viable mushrooms? Oh - there's a little sour cream that needs to be used up. And to go with - I have an old endive or two, been kicking around too long for salad use, but will braise beautifully.

Don't know where or whether the horseradish thread fits in all this, but it was too good an opportunity and price to pass up; undoubtedly, in the course of the next couple of days, I will find a couple of dozen things to do with it and will end up wishing I'd bought more.

Anyway, there FWIW is another illustration of the thought process....

P.S. Speaking of Underdog - does anyone remember the cartoon by that name?

[Toliver]

You know, I was thinking about this improvisational culinary lifestyle several of us have talked about here, the combination of personal staples and inspiration-of-the-moment, if one can so express it - and it struck me that this would be a cool basis for doing a food-blog.

This sounds like the eGullet Backyard Iron Chef idea that Chris is trying to get off the ground. It would be very entertaining!

P.S. Speaking of Underdog - does anyone remember the cartoon by that name?

Yes, and the love of his life, Sweet Polly Purebread (?). I have a CD of cartoon theme songs and "Underdog" is on there and it rocks. Another very cool jazzy theme song was from "Jonny Quest".

[nashman1975]

Thank you one and all for your feedback. I really appreciate a couple of things-

1. The forum to discuss these issues

2. People so willing to give of their time to discuss these issues

3. Knowing there are people all over the world who appreciate good cooking (I find so few of my peers-late 20's-appreciate cooking and how creative one can be to produce quality food).

To all of the posters--I understand where everyone is coming from and am working to live up to the suggestions, particularly getting a staple of ideas and then branching out from there. I'm working on the freezing ideas (making ahead and freezing--I often do that with chili's and soups) and I still have some frozen pestos from my garden last year. The other tricky thing I saw you guys talk about was what to have in the fridge.

I did this last year...but lost track during the year...(apologies for the printout)...so I'm working on the journal piece

Week of Main Course Source Date Side Course Source Date Salad Source Bread Winery Type Year

1/12/2003 Porcini Mushroom Soup Food & Wine Dec-2002 French

1/26/2003 Ginger Salmon Cooking Light Dec-2002 Gruyere Mashed Potatoes Cooking Light Dec-2002 Corn Salsa Good Housekeeping Step by Step Turning Leaf Chardonnay

2/2/2003 Chicken Cacciatore Food & Wine Cookbook 1989??? Spinach salad Safeway

2/9/2003 Tuscan White Bean Soup The Figs Table Spinach salad Safeway Asiago Cheese Jacob's Creek Shiraz/Cabernet

2/16/2003 Asparagus Frittata The New Basics Cookbook Rosemary Potato Gallette The New Basics Cookbook Asparagus Safeway

2/23/2003 Stuffed Shells Cooking Light Mar-2003 Mesclun Safeway French Jacob's Creek Merlot 2002

3/2/2003 Chicken Mole Good Housekeeping Step by Step Lemon-Parmasean Rice Good Housekeeping Step by Step Spinach salad Safeway Schmitt Sohne Reisling 2001

3/9/2003 Turkey Vatapa Cooking Light Nov-2002 Asiago Cheese Carmen from Chile Cabernet 2001

3/16/2003 Lemon Chive Pepper Pasta Cooking Light Mar-2003 Mesclun Safeway

Finally--I'm confused by the food blog concept--can someone explain?

Thanks again,

Nashman

[balmagowry]

You know, I was thinking about this improvisational culinary lifestyle several of us have talked about here, the combination of personal staples and inspiration-of-the-moment, if one can so express it - and it struck me that this would be a cool basis for doing a food-blog.

This sounds like the eGullet Backyard Iron Chef idea that Chris is trying to get off the ground. It would be very entertaining!

And/or the International Synchronized Costco Cookoff that someone else was organizing. Only I'm thinking this would be a little more laid-back, more in keeping with what can be accomplished as part of people's normal daily life - that being after all the original intent of this thread. With the other two I imagine half the fun is in being over-the-top and original; here the object of the game (to the extent it has one) would be to get in some practice at throwing together regular meals, maybe honing skills and comfort levels a bit, with regular reality-checks from fellow-sufferers. Kind of like a writers' group meeting periodically to read and discuss the stuff they've been working on. Or...

Hi, my name is Lisa and I'm a dinner-improviser.

All: HELLO, LISA!

Well, OK, maybe not like that.

P.S. Speaking of Underdog - does anyone remember the cartoon by that name?

Yes, and the love of his life, Sweet Polly Purebread (?).

You must have been reading the Exploding Dinner Rolls thread. PLEASE! It's Polly Purebred.

I have a CD of cartoon theme songs and "Underdog" is on there and it rocks.  Another very cool jazzy theme song was from "Jonny Quest".

Cool! Does it have Spiderman too? (Oh damn, now that's going to be running through my head all evening. )

[Toliver]

Only I'm thinking this would be a little more laid-back, more in keeping with what can be accomplished as part of people's normal daily life - that being after all the original intent of this thread.

I see. Sort of like a cookalong? "Here are tonight's ingredients...report back on what you concoct." There was a cookalong thread here somewhere already. Unfortunately it wasn't titled "This is the Cookalong thread" so I can't find it.

You must have been reading the Exploding Dinner Rolls thread. PLEASE! It's Polly Purebred. 

Sorry but it's close to dinnertime and my hunger must have seeped into my writing.

Cool! Does it have Spiderman too? (Oh damn, now that's going to be running through my head all evening.   )

Yep. Spidey's theme song is on there. Better yet, it has theme to "Super Chicken" on it, too. Whoo-hoo! Life is good.

[balmagowry]

Only I'm thinking this would be a little more laid-back, more in keeping with what can be accomplished as part of people's normal daily life - that being after all the original intent of this thread.

I see. Sort of like a cookalong? "Here are tonight's ingredients...report back on what you concoct." There was a cookalong thread here somewhere already. Unfortunately it wasn't titled "This is the Cookalong thread" so I can't find it.

Um - no, nothing that structured or iron-chef-like. Basically, I go to my market without any (well, without many) preconceived notions, see something I like, think, "Hey, I could build a meal around that," and then do so. Meanwhile, you do much the same. Later on, while Someone Else is doing the dishes, we each post to the blog thread, reporting on what we got and what we did with it and how we felt about it and all the other things people generally say in food blogs anyway. And ask questions like why didn't this work or what would you have done with this or I want to make something with this tomorrow and I need suggestions, etc. etc. blah blah blah. And react to other people's entries with advice solicited or otherwise and exclamations of delight or horror. IOW, pretty much an ordinary food-blog except that it's based on the aleatory and that it's - optionally - done communally.

Not really very different from the way this thread has run already, except with a tiny bit more structure. For someone just learning, an opportunity to go at it hands-on and simultaneously soak up a series of ideas in real-time from a bunch of people; for someone who cooks by rote more than by instinct, a chance to learn something about relaxing and running with it; for a space-shot like me, an incentive to produce meals on a more or less regular basis instead of if/when I remember to get around to it! And as always and for everyone, yet another excuse for brainstorming about food.

Cool! Does it have Spiderman too? (Oh damn, now that's going to be running through my head all evening.   )

Yep. Spidey's theme song is on there. Better yet, it has theme to "Super Chicken" on it, too. Whoo-hoo! Life is good.

Oh oh oh must have it. Title, please, please, please!