Great advice. :) Van life has meant that basically all of our recipes are riffed, one or two pot wonders. It feels good to "use the larder" and mitigate waste. Leftovers are usually used for lunch the next day, combined with rice or some other whole grain. And I'm proud that we haven't embraced too many "convenience foods" as a result (exceptions being the garlic and herb flatbread from the co-op which has become a major guilty pleasure, and a reasonably good substitute for a homemade pizza base!).
Great advice, Fiona. One famous US TV cook let slip during the worst of COVID that you really don't need to angst over buying the pricier ingredients in her recipes, especially if it's not the center of the dish: Sour cream instead of creme fraiche, ordinary salt instead of fine sea salt, etc. For a long time, it's been really striking to me when I return to the UK how many Brits claim they "can't" cook, and live on horrific "ready meals". Good grief, people, it's not calculus! YouTube is at your service! Alas, I suspect that as British food has grown more sophisticated, it's also become more daunting to the home cook. Thanks for helping address that!
Too right! Not sure it’s as much a question of ‘can’t cook’ but ‘can’t find time to cook’. Truth is it doesn’t need that much time. You just need to do it regularly and flex that cooking muscle!
Glad you raised that, Fiona, because,, over the decades, I've almost never heard Americans say they cannot cook. If they try to explain why they don't cook, they almost always point to time. In Britain, I've met many more people who talk about an alleged inability to cook. I spend far too much time wondering about this! And you're absolutely right that it's so about practice.
Love this! I used to cook recipes exactly as they were written and often went to great lengths to find some of the more obscure ingredients. As I became a more confident cook over the years, I use the books more as inspiration and a rough guide and use whatever I’ve got in the cupboard/fridge. I think you become a better cook that way, rather than following recipes to the letter.
Sage advice! We’ve been needing to save money recently and have had to wean ourselves off the pick a recipe and buy everything listed. Instead we’re using our book collection as a guide for whatever comes in the veg box or appears in the garden (figs right now). Leftovers are also a common feature and I think I often love them more than the original dish.
Great advice. :) Van life has meant that basically all of our recipes are riffed, one or two pot wonders. It feels good to "use the larder" and mitigate waste. Leftovers are usually used for lunch the next day, combined with rice or some other whole grain. And I'm proud that we haven't embraced too many "convenience foods" as a result (exceptions being the garlic and herb flatbread from the co-op which has become a major guilty pleasure, and a reasonably good substitute for a homemade pizza base!).
Oh, will have to give that a try 😂 Seriously, maximum respect cooking from a van!
Great advice, Fiona. One famous US TV cook let slip during the worst of COVID that you really don't need to angst over buying the pricier ingredients in her recipes, especially if it's not the center of the dish: Sour cream instead of creme fraiche, ordinary salt instead of fine sea salt, etc. For a long time, it's been really striking to me when I return to the UK how many Brits claim they "can't" cook, and live on horrific "ready meals". Good grief, people, it's not calculus! YouTube is at your service! Alas, I suspect that as British food has grown more sophisticated, it's also become more daunting to the home cook. Thanks for helping address that!
Too right! Not sure it’s as much a question of ‘can’t cook’ but ‘can’t find time to cook’. Truth is it doesn’t need that much time. You just need to do it regularly and flex that cooking muscle!
Glad you raised that, Fiona, because,, over the decades, I've almost never heard Americans say they cannot cook. If they try to explain why they don't cook, they almost always point to time. In Britain, I've met many more people who talk about an alleged inability to cook. I spend far too much time wondering about this! And you're absolutely right that it's so about practice.
Love this! I used to cook recipes exactly as they were written and often went to great lengths to find some of the more obscure ingredients. As I became a more confident cook over the years, I use the books more as inspiration and a rough guide and use whatever I’ve got in the cupboard/fridge. I think you become a better cook that way, rather than following recipes to the letter.
Completely agree with this, I do very much the same.And have even shaken off the guilt I used to feel about doing this which is a plus😁
Absolutely. As a less experienced cook you feel you need every ingredient in a recipe for a successful outcome. Fact is you don’t!
Here's to not rushing out for a pinch of Aleppo pepper when chilli-flakes will do!
Yep! Spot on!
Barny made me throw away my Parmesan rind 😔
Mind you it was a bit fossilised...
Grill it next time! So so good
Oh, me too! And once you stop buying every ingredient a writer lists you wonder why you ever did!
Sage advice! We’ve been needing to save money recently and have had to wean ourselves off the pick a recipe and buy everything listed. Instead we’re using our book collection as a guide for whatever comes in the veg box or appears in the garden (figs right now). Leftovers are also a common feature and I think I often love them more than the original dish.