5 ms·

To be fair, the way most immigrants cook isn't really replicable by people who are working. It may be cheap in terms of ingredients but in traditional immigran

To be fair, the way most immigrants cook isn't really replicable by people who are working. It may be cheap in terms of ingredients but in traditional immigrant households the mother and often grandmother don't have jobs and stay at home all day cooking. They use cheap ingredients but it's a TON of work. When my wife's mom (who's not from the US) comes to visit, she starts cooking early in the morning and doesn't finish until dinner. It probably takes longer than it would if she had her flow setup since she has to prepare basics that we don't have ready, but still a lot of traditional dishes take a lot of time. Things are often slow cooked for example because cheap cuts of meat are used and you need to do that to make them edible. Most office workers won't have time to do that.

brandonmenc 11y ago
> Things are often slow cooked Buy a slow cooker (aka crock pot) and leave it running while you're at work. > They use cheap ingredients but it's a TON of work. Do this type of cooking for your meal bases in a single day. In my house, mom worked 40 hours but would get a giant pot of red sauce and a giant pot of pasta e fagioli going on Saturday morning - maybe 30-60 minutes of prep, then all day to cook - unattended except for the occasional stir. This would yield enough soup and sauce for a week of dinners for a family of four - just add pasta. Friends from other backgrounds describe similar techniques with things like refried beans, etc.