Category Archives: Cooking Skills and Tools

Cooking Skills and Tools

A Trick to Caramelize Onions “Fast”

Photo credits: little blue hen

Caramelized onions are soooo good, but I think a lot of us are put off by how long it takes to make them. If you ever see a recipe saying it’ll take you less than an 20 minutes, they’re lying. But fear not, I have a little trick when I need caramelized onions that doesn’t make me feel like I’m wasting an hour at the stove.

Heat up some olive oil over medium heat, then put your sliced onion in the pan and coat with the oil. Turn your stove down to a very low heat. Now go and put on an hour-long TV show on Hulu or your DVR. At every commercial break, go back to the stove and stir your onions for a bit, and return to your show when you’re done. By the time your show is over, you can turn off your stove and your onions will be caramelized. You can’t cheat and make fast caramelized onions, but I promise the TV show method will feel quick and easy!

Standard
Cooking Skills and Tools

How to Love Leftovers

I’ve never had trouble eating leftovers. I don’t just tolerate it, I kind of love it! I know an alarming amount of people who don’t dig leftover food, so I’m here to convince you to get into it.

Why You Should Love Leftovers

  • You get to eat a delicious meal all over again the next day.
  • While your coworkers are paying $7 for a crappy sandwich, you brought in last night’s fancy dinner for lunch.
  • You stretch your dollar and save money in the long run.
  • Some things taste even better the next day.
  • You’re not pressured to eat the whole thing if you’re full.
  • You can feel good about not wasting food.
  • When you have a meal waiting for you in the fridge or freezer, you have no excuse to buy fast food because you don’t feel like cooking.
  • You can have fun turning your leftovers into something else! (see next list)

What To Do With Leftovers

  • Eat it as is. Bring it back to life with a microwave, oven, or toaster.
  • Put it in an omelette or frittata. Or just top with a fried egg.
  • Put it in a taco or a burrito.
  • Make a sandwich.
  • Make soup with it.
  • Serve it over pasta.
  • Put it in the freezer (if it freezes well) so you have a back up plan when there’s no food in the house.

Do you like leftovers? What do you do with them?

 

Standard
Cooking Skills and Tools

Rebelling Against the Cookbook Extinction

Ever since I discovered food blogs, I’ve pretty much neglected my cookbooks. With so many exciting and creative recipes that are on the internet for free, I’d never run out of things to make. While cookbooks remain static, food blogs keep with the times with trendy recipes. Some people think cookbooks will go extinct, and when you think about our technology, it sounds very likely.

There’s still something alluring about a physical cookbook, though. I’ve decided to start making better use of my small, haphazard collection. Some I bought very intentionally, some I randomly bought on a whim, and some were gifts. I’d say my current favorites are the Joy the Baker Cookbook and In the Small Kitchen (my Amazon affiliate program links)–two books very well suited for the 20 or 30-something cook. I also have two Barefoot Contessa books that I go back to time and time again. Ina Garten doesn’t play games. Either way, I’m going to try pick a recipe from my tangible recipe collection each week and fight the cookbook extinction!

Do you use cookbooks, or do you think they’re a thing of the past? What are your go-to cookbooks? (p.s. I’m in search of the perfect clean eating omnivore cookbook! Know one?)

Standard