Bachelor Cooking Ideas!

This is hellsa off topic, so what! So apparently, there's a big salmonlia scare going on with my precious TV dinners. So I need some cooking ideas for uno (1)! Anybody got any ideas?

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Permalink Reply by Bob on October 8, 2008 at 11:32am

I can relate to the boxed meal situation. However, I started cooking and baking after my gall bladder surgery 18 months ago..
First off - do you have decent cookware? Quality pots and pans make for better control (and clean-up).
Second, plan your next day's meals the day before. I have some friends who plan an entire week, but I'm more spontaneous when it comes to food.
Third, nothing wrong with frozen veggies - they're easy to cook.
Fourth, get a good cookbook or cookbooks. Just use fractions of ingredients....
Fifth, if you make too much, most stuff can be frozen or put in the fridge. If you have a microwave, it heats up quickly and you have a quick meal. Just make sure it doesn't get lost in the fridge. If leftovers look or smell questionable, toss them. Food poisoning is not fun.
Lastly, on a related note, make sure your cooking surfaces and utensils are clean.
Cooking and baking can be fun and relaxing. Good luck and good health.

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Permalink Reply by Nick Vicious on October 8, 2008 at 12:11pm

great! i knew i could get some real feedback, thanks bob! i dont own too many pots and pans, cuz i do most of my "cooking" on the grill or in the oven. is there like a preferable material? i heard non-stick stuff is bogus.

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Permalink Reply by Bob on October 8, 2008 at 4:36pm

Go for the heavy stuff. The light pots and pans don't heat evenly, and they heat way too fast. They're more expensive, but pots and pans are things you really only need to buy once if you take care of them.
My pots and pans have the better non-stick material (there are cheap ones, but they are no good).
I grill as well (have a gas grill on my deck), and even though I live in Michigan, I grill almost all year round. I have a gas grill so I can control the heat better. Note the theme - it's about heat control.
Nothing wrong with using the oven, either. Great for casseroles, which are easy.
My local community center offers cooking classes about every four months. You might want to check those out, too.

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Permalink Reply by Kobalos on October 8, 2008 at 12:09pm

I gave up ready-meals about a year ago - got bored with them. Google for any recipe or ingredient you might like to use, depending on what sort of taste you have. :) That's what I use and I usually cook 4 servings or so at a time and deep freeze them. A food processor is good for making short-crust pastry - but ready-made flaky pastry is great.

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Permalink Reply by CorpseQueen on October 8, 2008 at 6:37pm

personal pizzas! get a bag of pita pockets, cut the entire circle in half..but some sauce and whatever toppings you like and then bake them till they get crispy. its what i make for lunch some days when im craving pizza but still wanna keep it fairly healthy :P its easy fast and, depending on what you put on it, fairly low in calories ;)