Can you cook?

Two issues I have are synchronisation - getting everything ready at the same time - and presentation - I'm only cooknig for myself so I just load everything onto the plate and the plate is generally quite full.
 
cheesefest said:
Want to cook more Thai and other SE Asian food. Though combination of living alone, difficulty of obtaining some ingredients etc are annoying me.
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I went through a phase of Thai inspired cooking.

What I found is you need to cook it every day, buy the ingredients in bulk and freeze what you can.

Galangal for example, I found an Asian supermarket so just bought loads, chopped it up and froze it.

But if you are cooking it every day you'll tend to use similar fresh ingredients so much less waste, use the fresh stuff regularly and freeze what can be frozen so you can buy in bulk.

When I worked in Cambridge, there used to be (might still be there) a Thai food van, like a burger van thing in the market Square but they did Thai food, I think the guy who owned it was call "Bird".

Anyway, they did the standard pad Thai and whatever, but also had the "special" menu that they didn't openly advertise. After going a few times I seen a lot of Asian people eating bolws of soup and other various things, so I asked and they said only if you are sure. I think they were worried that the food isnt suited to Western taste, because in my opinion it was sone of the most authentic Thai food I'd ever had.

Thry did all sorts (just one different thing each day) for £5, but some of the things were either really hot, or had offal (which in bad English was explained to me lol) but I used to go nearly every day.

Thete used to be a few of them working in there and remember going and the person serving wasn't the usual, I asked for the special, and the other lady turned around and recognised me and said to the lady serving that I was ok lol.

It's not tht would get funny about you having it, I think they were just sgenuinely worried that (Non Asian) people not used to it would complain or whatever.

EDIT: Yea it's still there by the looks of it

https://m.facebook.com/Bird-Thai-Noodle-Bar-659425487454338/

Will have been maybe 6 years ago when I last went there.
 
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Rotty said:
@Muban @Raymond Lin

I haven't tried loads of Ramen places but do like the ones these folks do

Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen Shops | 豚骨火山らーめん Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen

do they look any good? or do I have better to come?
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I heard good things about this place, not tried them myself. They look very good though. I can't say you might not get better or not as there are many varieties of ramen even within Tonkotsu, some add chicken into it, some don't. But for pure Tonkotsu there is a Japanese Ramen database on the japanese side of Google.

If it's done right though, it will be down to your preference and taste, the way i would judge is if i finish the bowl, like down to the last drop of the soup. The best ones i drink it all.
 
9

I cook all the time and adore it, would consider it a hobby and am blessed with a great memory so can store a lot of recipes up top without needing to refer to anything again. I could quite easily prep a different set of meals every day for at least 3 or 4 weeks without having to repeat any of them.

Doesn't make me a great cook though. I'm ignorant of a great deal and only really bother with East Asian cuisine as that's what suits my palate. I can make good Tonkatsu broth but wouldn't really know where to start when it comes to a trifle...

It takes years and years to be a 'good' cook and even longer to be a great one. I would consider myself neither.
 
DrToffnar said:
9

I cook all the time and adore it, would consider it a hobby and am blessed with a great memory so can store a lot of recipes up top without needing to refer to anything again. I could quite easily prep a different set of meals every day for at least 3 or 4 weeks without having to repeat any of them.

Doesn't make me a great cook though. I'm ignorant of a great deal and only really bother with East Asian cuisine as that's what suits my palate. I can make good Tonkatsu broth but wouldn't really know where to start when it comes to a trifle...

It takes years and years to be a 'good' cook and even longer to be a great one. I would consider myself neither.
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Are you Joshua Weissman? :D

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DrToffnar said:
Aha you cruel, cruel man! You make one mistake and you're culinary world comes crashing down around you :D
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:D

I am just pulling your leg, it's a common mistake, one which I used to make! Now the way i remember it is that I know what Chicken Katsu Curry is, and Katsu is that panko breadcrumbs fried outer exterior. So Tonkatsu would be Fried Pork. Ton is pork (Gyu is Beef, Gyukatsu is fried beef for example).

So the other Kotsu is the broth.
 
Aha good tip! The worst thing is that I know it's a damn 'o' and have caught myself out making the same mistake a thousand times when I jot down notes from a video. I do the same with Oyakodon and Gyudon all the time which is even more unforgiveable considering how I often I cook both!
 
DrToffnar said:
Aha good tip! The worst thing is that I know it's a damn 'o' and have caught myself out making the same mistake a thousand times when I jot down notes from a video. I do the same with Oyakodon and Gyudon all the time which is even more unforgiveable considering how I often I cook both!
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Don is rice bowl, so looking at that it is a rice bowl dish you are making, Gyudon is beef rice bowl. Oyakodon, it actually translate as parent and child, as it is chicken and egg rice bowl! Chicken as the parent, egg as the child.

The Japanese word for Egg is Tamago, hence Tamagochi the toy, it is shaped like an egg.

The egg used in Ramen is called Ajitama. Short from Ajitsuke Tamago, which is Ramen Egg.
 
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AgentCyclone said:
I can Cook Pasta,Heat up stuff in the Microwave and make a Sandwich but in fact I did actually Cooked and Prepped a Roast when I was in Year 11
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Many people dont think they cant cook but if you can read a recipe book and can turn knobs and use a timer then with practice you should be able to do all kinds of dishes.
 
You know it's a blessing and a curse at the same time.

Obviously it's a good thing to be able to create nice meals from scratch at home but........


1. Makes it more difficult not to get fat.
2. Ruins a lot of meals out.
 
BUDFORCE said:
You know it's a blessing and a curse at the same time.

Obviously it's a good thing to be able to create nice meals from scratch at home but........


1. Makes it more difficult not to get fat.
2. Ruins a lot of meals out.
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The 2nd point is so true. Don't eat things like chilli con carne, hunters chicken and pasta (unless its at one of the family owned Italian restaurants I go to) in restaurants as I can make them at home.

This is why I prefer Thai. Though wish there were some Thai places in Leicester.
 
I cook a lot, but i don't think i have intuition. As an engineer , i follow recipe to the mark & might struggle to improvise. Constantly looking to cook new things. Lately , i signed up for some dumpling classes and fair to say they are quite easy to make , just a lot of effort to make them hah.

Solid 6.
 
nine_tails said:
I cook a lot, but i don't think i have intuition. As an engineer , i follow recipe to the mark & might struggle to improvise. Constantly looking to cook new things. Lately , i signed up for some dumpling classes and fair to say they are quite easy to make , just a lot of effort to make them hah.

Solid 6.
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I think this is the turning point once you can start improvising.

Cooking is different to baking (I can't bake) I would not usually follow a recipe, I might look for inspiration or ideas, or even the ingredients, but I wouldn't start measuring out quantities.

You get used to most ingredients, and most you can't go too far wrong. Say you got a recipe that says add a clove of garlic, and you add 2? It's not going to ruin anything, it'll just taste a bit more of garlic, and maybe you like garlic?

This kind of thing not to be scared about. As soon as you start improvising through trail and error and experience you'll get to know, you'd have to go pretty far wrong to make something inedible.

There exceptions what I call "danger ingredients" where you have to be a bit careful and I'm terrible and thinking of examples, but anything you add lemon juice to far example, I would class lemon juice as a danger ingredient, so go easy with that.
 
Solid 10.

I also have all the things required to get proper authentic finishes and taste too like a wood burning pizza oven, sous vide, etc. Only thing I'm missing is a blow torch. I use an air fryer though which isn't the same but close enough for a bit of crisp.

Ran a restaurant for several years.
 
nine_tails said:
I cook a lot, but i don't think i have intuition. As an engineer , i follow recipe to the mark & might struggle to improvise. Constantly looking to cook new things. Lately , i signed up for some dumpling classes and fair to say they are quite easy to make , just a lot of effort to make them hah.

Solid 6.
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:cry: I totally get this - get so mad when the other half makes a chilli con carne and it has all sorts thrown into it. Even if it tasted great, you can never make it again lol.
 
I have made about 20 loaves of bread from my breadmaker now, I think i followed the instructions for the recipe once lol

Even the first try I went off script and adjust to my own liking. Once I know the ratios I just go by feel. There are certain things that you have to be exact, because of science, but some things you can go off script. Knowing which you can and you can't comes from experience or simply knowledge knowing about the reaction taking place during cooking.
 
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