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Nah. I work long hours and still find time to cook. Dinner takes about 15 mins to prepare, on average. I think the issue has more to do with people not knowi

Nah. I work long hours and still find time to cook. Dinner takes about 15 mins to prepare, on average. I think the issue has more to do with people not knowing how to cook things that are both simple and nutritious. I really feel for people who are trying to learn; every beginner's cookbook is full of things that require specific ingredients, complicated prep work, or a shit-ton of chopping. I've toyed around with the idea of writing a cookbook of my own, but _that_ is something I truly do not have time for. Ah well :/

picture 4y ago
Have you come across any good (or, better,) cookbooks or resources for simple and nutritious food? I'm about to go to college so it would be a great help
- omginternets 4y ago
  I have heard good things about Tim Ferriss' The Four Hour Chef, though I have not read it myself. What I like about it is that it seems to focus on the process of cooking, rather than giving you a list of recipes. It's about turning you into "someone who cooks" rather than documenting such and such recipe. The rules of thumb, which I am paraphrasing from secondhand discussions about the book, are as follows: 1. Buy good ingredients. 2. Taste and smell as you go. 3. Herbs and spices are your friends. 4. Don't overcook. I agree with all of them. Here's the thing: cooking is a skill, like juggling or programming. Just knowing all the rules (techne) doesn't suffice to actually perform the act. You need to spend some time applying the principles to concrete situations (metis). The good news is that if you follow the above rules, you'll basically never make something inedible. Another tip I can give you is to get familiar with substitution ingredients. Don't have any sour cream? Yogurt is probably fine. Now, in direct contradiction with what I've been saying so far, let me share with you one of my favorite recipes that got me through my PhD. Cooking time: 10 mins. INGREDIENTS: 1. 1 or two whole leeks, depending on how hungry you are 2. Sour cream (or whatever) 3. Bacon (or lardons, if you can find them, but seriously... whatever) 4. White wine (optional, but _really_ makes a difference. Prefer dry wine, but whatever.) PREP: 1. Cut your leek in 1cm rings. Throw away the dark green part. COOKING: 1. Cook your bacon until crispy, then crumble it and set it aside. 2. While the bacon is cooking, put some butter in a pan and cook your leeks until they're soft and slightly translucid (kinda like you would cook an onion). Don't sweat it; it's hard to fuck up. 3. Add bacon and sour cream. Stir. 4. Add white wine. Stir until you're happy with the consistency Boom. Done. Keeps well in the fridge, to boot.
  - helmholtz 4y ago
    Flat leafed parsley, Parmesan, and mix this all into farfalle and its a Gordon Ramsay approved recipe.
    - omginternets 4y ago
      Agreed, but let's not overwhelm the guy/gal ;)
- justsomehnguy 4y ago
  > I'm about to go to college You don't even need a cookbook, just take your time to learn how to use a frying pan and basic boiling in a pot skill. Eg: Plain pasta - cheap, extreamly energy dense, soggy if you overcook or don't use enough water (1L/100g dry w.) Now chop the onion, saute until it's ready, drop the [the timed to cook, it's hard first three times] pasta in it for a 15-30 secs. BAM, a whole different meal. Now the same, but add a grated carrots. BAM, a whole different meal. The same but add tomatos OR tomate paste: BAM, whole two new meals. Now replace pasta with a boiled or fried potatoes: BAM, 8 more meals. Replace/add frozen vegetables - BAM... well, you know, more meals. Just learn how to time, not using American anounts of oil and when it is time to get the pan or pot of the heat. And no, no plastic anything IN the oven.
cortesoft 4y ago
> Dinner takes about 15 mins to prepare, on average. This doesn't include time to meal plan, grocery shop, and clean dishes. Also, 15 minutes isn't a ton of time, but it isn't nothing.
- mjburgess 4y ago
  It also doesn't include the opportunity cost of not doing all that. If getting a meal quick saves stress, time, planning, etc. etc. then it's providing a highly valuable service.
- omginternets 4y ago
  If you truly cannot find 15-30 mins for this, then I have no advice to offer. For the rest, having your groceries delivered is one solution. Life is about trade-offs.
  - giantg2 4y ago
    Maybe we could unionize the tech industry so we have the time to cook healthy meals.
    - omginternets 4y ago
      If you're working so many hours that you physically cannot cook for yourself, then you have my sincerest sympathy, but that is not the norm. Speak for yourself.
kayodelycaon 4y ago
I don’t know anything how to cook anything from fresh ingredients that takes just 15 minutes from entering the kitchen to going to the table to eat. It takes 7 minutes for my kettle to bring 1.5 L of water to boil. (Yay 120v…) Instant oatmeal I guess? Anything requiring dairy or eggs won’t work.
- omginternets 4y ago
  Ok, so you can add 5 mins to set the table. Are we really going to nit-pick? If you can't find 30 mins to make a meal, lowering that to 15 mins isn't going to make a difference. Just get up 30 mins earlier if it comes to that. If you can't do that, then yeah ... you might be part of the .005% of people who are really in a bind, and physically cannot cook for themselves. My advice does not apply to such cases, and I can only give you my sincerest best-wishes.
  - mjburgess 4y ago
    You're not pricing the stress and emotional labour required to do this at the end of the day, for people who also have to look after children; themselves, etc. This isnt an issue of whether people can physically move.
    - omginternets 4y ago
      If you're not in a place where you can find 15-30 mins to cook for yourself, you indeed have much bigger problems that cooking advice cannot solve. I sincerely wish you fair winds.
- nonameiguess 4y ago
  Non-instant oatmeal takes 5 minutes. Eggs 2 minutes (but fine if you won't eat them). Broiling a steak takes 6 minutes. Broiling a salmon filet takes 15 minutes. A single serving of rice in a saucepan takes about 15 minutes. Steaming or sauteeing vegetables takes about 10 minutes, plus a few more to chop them up at the start (though not the insane time to dice tomatoes or onions). Boiling and mashing potatoes takes about 10 minutes. These are the basic staples I use personally. Three meals a day, hand-cooked from scratch. Add to that something pre and post workout consisting of whey protein, fresh fruit, and possibly some maltodextrin or blended frozen berries, that don't need to be cooked, and that's my entire diet. I never had to take a home ec class and my mom did not teach me to cook. The basics are pretty simple. Apply heat until what you're heating is sufficiently palatable or above a safe temperature for meats that is indicated directly on the thermometer. Working from home is pretty key, though, since I don't have to eat super early in the morning, super late at night, or reheat a soggy lunch in the break room microwave. I guess a more powerful stove helps, as it doesn't take me anywhere near 7 minutes to bring a pot to boiling.

picture 4y ago

Have you come across any good (or, better,) cookbooks or resources for simple and nutritious food? I'm about to go to college so it would be a great help

omginternets 4y ago
I have heard good things about Tim Ferriss' The Four Hour Chef, though I have not read it myself. What I like about it is that it seems to focus on the process of cooking, rather than giving you a list of recipes. It's about turning you into "someone who cooks" rather than documenting such and such recipe. The rules of thumb, which I am paraphrasing from secondhand discussions about the book, are as follows: 1. Buy good ingredients. 2. Taste and smell as you go. 3. Herbs and spices are your friends. 4. Don't overcook. I agree with all of them. Here's the thing: cooking is a skill, like juggling or programming. Just knowing all the rules (techne) doesn't suffice to actually perform the act. You need to spend some time applying the principles to concrete situations (metis). The good news is that if you follow the above rules, you'll basically never make something inedible. Another tip I can give you is to get familiar with substitution ingredients. Don't have any sour cream? Yogurt is probably fine. Now, in direct contradiction with what I've been saying so far, let me share with you one of my favorite recipes that got me through my PhD. Cooking time: 10 mins. INGREDIENTS: 1. 1 or two whole leeks, depending on how hungry you are 2. Sour cream (or whatever) 3. Bacon (or lardons, if you can find them, but seriously... whatever) 4. White wine (optional, but _really_ makes a difference. Prefer dry wine, but whatever.) PREP: 1. Cut your leek in 1cm rings. Throw away the dark green part. COOKING: 1. Cook your bacon until crispy, then crumble it and set it aside. 2. While the bacon is cooking, put some butter in a pan and cook your leeks until they're soft and slightly translucid (kinda like you would cook an onion). Don't sweat it; it's hard to fuck up. 3. Add bacon and sour cream. Stir. 4. Add white wine. Stir until you're happy with the consistency Boom. Done. Keeps well in the fridge, to boot.
- helmholtz 4y ago
  Flat leafed parsley, Parmesan, and mix this all into farfalle and its a Gordon Ramsay approved recipe.
  - omginternets 4y ago
    Agreed, but let's not overwhelm the guy/gal ;)
justsomehnguy 4y ago
> I'm about to go to college You don't even need a cookbook, just take your time to learn how to use a frying pan and basic boiling in a pot skill. Eg: Plain pasta - cheap, extreamly energy dense, soggy if you overcook or don't use enough water (1L/100g dry w.) Now chop the onion, saute until it's ready, drop the [the timed to cook, it's hard first three times] pasta in it for a 15-30 secs. BAM, a whole different meal. Now the same, but add a grated carrots. BAM, a whole different meal. The same but add tomatos OR tomate paste: BAM, whole two new meals. Now replace pasta with a boiled or fried potatoes: BAM, 8 more meals. Replace/add frozen vegetables - BAM... well, you know, more meals. Just learn how to time, not using American anounts of oil and when it is time to get the pan or pot of the heat. And no, no plastic anything IN the oven.

cortesoft 4y ago

> Dinner takes about 15 mins to prepare, on average. This doesn't include time to meal plan, grocery shop, and clean dishes. Also, 15 minutes isn't a ton of time, but it isn't nothing.

mjburgess 4y ago
It also doesn't include the opportunity cost of not doing all that. If getting a meal quick saves stress, time, planning, etc. etc. then it's providing a highly valuable service.
omginternets 4y ago
If you truly cannot find 15-30 mins for this, then I have no advice to offer. For the rest, having your groceries delivered is one solution. Life is about trade-offs.
- giantg2 4y ago
  Maybe we could unionize the tech industry so we have the time to cook healthy meals.
  - omginternets 4y ago
    If you're working so many hours that you physically cannot cook for yourself, then you have my sincerest sympathy, but that is not the norm. Speak for yourself.

kayodelycaon 4y ago

I don’t know anything how to cook anything from fresh ingredients that takes just 15 minutes from entering the kitchen to going to the table to eat. It takes 7 minutes for my kettle to bring 1.5 L of water to boil. (Yay 120v…) Instant oatmeal I guess? Anything requiring dairy or eggs won’t work.

omginternets 4y ago
Ok, so you can add 5 mins to set the table. Are we really going to nit-pick? If you can't find 30 mins to make a meal, lowering that to 15 mins isn't going to make a difference. Just get up 30 mins earlier if it comes to that. If you can't do that, then yeah ... you might be part of the .005% of people who are really in a bind, and physically cannot cook for themselves. My advice does not apply to such cases, and I can only give you my sincerest best-wishes.
- mjburgess 4y ago
  You're not pricing the stress and emotional labour required to do this at the end of the day, for people who also have to look after children; themselves, etc. This isnt an issue of whether people can physically move.
  - omginternets 4y ago
    If you're not in a place where you can find 15-30 mins to cook for yourself, you indeed have much bigger problems that cooking advice cannot solve. I sincerely wish you fair winds.
nonameiguess 4y ago
Non-instant oatmeal takes 5 minutes. Eggs 2 minutes (but fine if you won't eat them). Broiling a steak takes 6 minutes. Broiling a salmon filet takes 15 minutes. A single serving of rice in a saucepan takes about 15 minutes. Steaming or sauteeing vegetables takes about 10 minutes, plus a few more to chop them up at the start (though not the insane time to dice tomatoes or onions). Boiling and mashing potatoes takes about 10 minutes. These are the basic staples I use personally. Three meals a day, hand-cooked from scratch. Add to that something pre and post workout consisting of whey protein, fresh fruit, and possibly some maltodextrin or blended frozen berries, that don't need to be cooked, and that's my entire diet. I never had to take a home ec class and my mom did not teach me to cook. The basics are pretty simple. Apply heat until what you're heating is sufficiently palatable or above a safe temperature for meats that is indicated directly on the thermometer. Working from home is pretty key, though, since I don't have to eat super early in the morning, super late at night, or reheat a soggy lunch in the break room microwave. I guess a more powerful stove helps, as it doesn't take me anywhere near 7 minutes to bring a pot to boiling.