Speed Cooking

[Cyclone]

Hi all - I was wondering, how many of you out there like to cook? Now when I say cook, I don't mean slap a frozen food item in the microwave and hit the "2 minutes" button!!! What I mean is good old fashion "make it and bake it" cooking! The reason why I started this thread is because one of the things I'm doing right now at my work is setting up a focus group of people and finding out from them how they feel about "Speed Cooking" and whether it is a necessity in their household. I have a group of people here at my work that I'm bouncing ideas off and I'd also like to gather some feedback from all of you. I don't know if any of you watch QVC, but have you seen the "Half Time Oven" on there? Where it basically cooks in Half the Time using Microwave and Heat - G.E. also have one coming out in September. Anyway guys...thanks allot for taking the time.


Oh and MARY!! Mention anything about what happened to me in the kitchen last year and we're through!!!!! LOL!!

[Rainband]

I think cooking shouldn't be rushed. We already live in a society where everything is hurry up. I think the old way of cooking is the best!!! Like grandma used to make..The whole house smelled of the dish all day and it was homey...JMHO

[ColdFront77]

I never really had to cook and probably won't have to. My parents have always made the "main meals." I prepare my own breakfast (if I eat breakfast) and lunch.

[mf_dolphin]

The microwave is great! Hot dogs in 15 secs...got to love it

We don't use the microwave for regular meals but for quick snacks and leftovers it's hard to beat!

[Pro-Storm]

Ever try to speed cook with a crock pot??

[bfez1]

I love to cook but working full time just doesn't leave me much time to cook real meals as much as I would like.

[Miss Mary]

Good topic Cy!!! Something totally different....

Well, I'm 47 and I learned to cook the old fashioned way, in Home Ec and at home. My Home Ec teacher was a very strict nun, in fact we used to say she would have made the perfect housewife.....we thought it was a waste she was a nun too, so pretty. But I'm getting off track. I learned to cook from scratch, or as much as you can prepare foods from scratch. When I got married the first time, age 20, I made almost everything from scratch. This was 1975. We didn't even own a microwave. I can remember melting butter in a saucepan for recipes.....LOL My Home Ec teacher taught us to always present a colorful meal too. I know, I sound ancient, huh? A throwback to the previous Donna Reed generation. I really loved cooking. Then I got divorced, age 28, and really lived it up for a few years. That's when I do think I lost my cooking touch.....I am slowly finding it again, but now I use a microwave. Have had one for over 15 years now. Woohoo, a modern convenience, . Happily remarried and 2 kids later, and I probably cook from scratch about half the time. We're on the go a lot. But first time around, I worked 50 hours a week, no kids though. That must have been the difference....hard to cook slowly and well when you're chauffering your kids around.

So in a very wordy way Cy - home cooking and cooking from scratch is best, IMO. Is it always practical? No, sadly not in today's hurry up world. There used to be a time I would never, ever buy a boxed cake.....that meant failure, at one time in my life.

And oh, those half time cooker type pots? Well, I'm pretty sceptical when it comes to things like that. Jim was so set on Visions pots and pans (all glass) when we registered. Well, slowly one by one, they either chipped or scorched foods. I kept asking for Farberware, please buy me a set of the old standby - Farberware. And he did. Not many wives would be thrilled with a set of pots and pans for xmas but that year I was. And I'm proud to say they've held up for at least 5 years now.

[azsnowman]

Great thread Cy Me.....I have a passion for cookin' and I love to eat too I do 99.9% of the cooking, not that Michelle is a bad cook, on the contrary, she's a GREAT cook, it's just that I have always loved cooking. 99% of my meals I cook are from scratch, everything from chicken fried steak, fried chicken, I never use instant mashed taters YUCK I do a lot of southwestern cooking, Polo asada, carne adovado, carnitas, real enchiladas (not the rolled kind, the flat kind with blue corn tortillas)

We use the *nuker* for popcorn (not all time, I use a hot air popper) melting butter and warming left overs, but as far as frozen food goes, YUCK, YUCK AND DOUBLE YUCK!!!!!!! I couldn't GAG a frozen dinner down to save my life!

Now Michelle does all the baking, I couldn't bake a *frozen pie* heck, I've even been known to goof up a *thaw and serve pie* "LOL!" My fahter was a baker in the Navy back in WWII, he tried his best to teach me how to bake His pie crusts (from scratch) are the BEST crusts you've EVER had!

Dennis

[Amanzi]

Well the only time our microwave gets used is to reheat left overs!

I do not like cooking, but I come from a country where instant dinners were totally unheard of. So I learned from my mother and grandmother how to cook, and yes dinner in my house hold has to include a bit from each food group If I had to offer my husband hot dogs for supper or mash from a box all heck would break loose! Not to mention the shame it would bring to my Mom

[Miss Mary]

Amanzi - same here, I was taught to cook from several food groups. First you choose the meat, then your starch, then a vegetable, salad, bread and you're done. For example, Ham goes with Yams, then Green Beans are a nice side, etc. Trouble is now I'd like to eat less meat and I need to learn how to cook all over again!!!! Well, at least that's what I like to say......some nights we have a loaded baked potato night. Salad, green vegetable and rolls, and we're stuffed. Got that idea from my kid's school picnic one year. They had a baked potato lunch day, and I thought well, let's try that at home! If anyone has a quick and easy way to get started with vegetarian but tasty meals, let me know. Sometimes it's easier to cook the way you were taught to....

[CajunMama]

I love to cook. Unfortunately with work, my cooking is limited. I try to cook several meals on the weekend so all we have to do is reheat during the week.

I don't know how I learned to cook. My mother was a "Birdseye" cook and not a very good one at that! She was a young mother when the "Birdseye" frozen vegetables & food came out. I was raised on them and never was too crazy about them.

I'm going to have to change my way of cooking and eating. I had a doctors appt. yesterday and my blood pressure was very high. I'm going to have to learn to eat morevegetables, less starchy/salty foods.

[ColdFront77]

I mentioned this before when Dennis brought up TV dinners.... the best thing for me to eat for lunch aside from a frozen pizza, tuna sandwich [without lettuce] or a American cheese and turkey or American cheese and chicken sandwich with only a little mayonnaise is a TV dinner.

What else is there to eat?

[M2]

Cooking is fun - alot like chemistry class if you're whipping up some special delight or a new version of Eggs a la Saturday. But one needs alot of space to really do it well - big fridge, lots of STORAGE space for pots & pans, dishes, crystal, flatware, china, utensils...'equipment'. And that's only the tools - then there's the space for all the needed food: cabinets, pantry, freezer (if lucky), etc. and prep areas: counter space, island, sinks, tables..... I cook and bake all sorts of goodies especially when I have time...and the space

[coriolis]

I enjoy cooking and I do on weekends. You should have tasted the stir fry I made this past weekend. I used instant rice thought, so that's points off.
On weeknights, the quicker the better.

[M2]

I hear ya Ed - especially on the weekends for sure. IT's a great way to unwind,lol. Some good tunes, a nice ambience - way to go. Stirfry sounds yummy; off the pasta nowadays though since the bike is 'up'. Protein instead.

[Cyclone]

Wow!! You guys have gone to town with these eh?! Thanks a bunch! Sorry I havn't replied sooner, I'm not on my computer at nights this whole week.

Mary, I hear ya, I love to cook (oh..go on then, tell everybody what happened to me!!! )

Every weekend I cook a good old fashion English dinner for my wife, it could be "toad in the hole" - "Bangers 'n mash" - "Cornish pasty with chips (fries ) and baked beans!! All I can say is yyuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
In fact if anyone's down in this area, you have a special invitation for good old English grub!! lol! Yeah I love it!

Wow Dennis...then after my place it's off to yours mate, that sounds terrific!!!

You know.. we live in a time where speed and convenience is of the essence, you can't go anywhere now where that isn't a factor and now we're introducing it into our own lives, like cooking, exercising, technology! (Geez.. I feel like a salesman lol) Almost everything we do has it's own bit of automation. So when I started this thread about cooking, would I want it to be sped up? Sure....but only if I want it to be. It's so interesting, the focus group I have here say exactly the same thing as what you've said. "Skeptical" is a big word around here...and "Time".

Thanks guys!

[Miss Mary]

Cyclone >>Mary, I hear ya, I love to cook (oh..go on then, tell everybody what happened to me!!!<<

Wow, I have your permission Cyclone? Ya know, it was downright difficult for me yesterday not to comment on your "near cooking disaster" but I didn't. I was a nice poster yesterday. Today? Look out!!!! he he

Here's the story folks......way back when in TWC Chat Room, TLC and I were chatting with Cyclone. And a handful of others. All of sudden cy posts a quick - "oh no, gotta run. Kitchen might be on fire!" Or "something's burning" Something like that wasn't it cy? You signed off right quick. And left TLC and I in the dust, wondering for days if your kitchen did indeed catch on fire. And if you were now homeless. The crazy thoughts we had going there for a while.......soon you popped back in and explained all was well again. And no it didn't catch on fire, but could have. Guess you were paying more attention to the pc that night and not the stove? he he And so TLC and I have never, ever let Cyclone live that one down. If he ever just mentions - I'm cooking this or that for dinner tonight - we are quick to point out he'd better keep that fire extinguisher handy. LOL

And now you know the rest of the story.....

Did I tell it right Cyclone? It's been a few years.....

[Cyclone]

:o :o

ROTF!!!

I've still got the burn marks!!!!
That's exactly what happened!!! You're so funny!!

[Miss Mary]

Oh that's right cy - you did injure your hand. How could I forget that part. Here T and I were worried about your kitchen.....and you get hurt in the process. You somehow managed to chat in the chat room though!!! Priorities, huh? LOL I hate when I burn myself. Worst is when you're baking and using pot holders/oven mitts. One gets wet but you don't know it, until you grab that hot casserole. Which you can't drop.....wow, those burns hurt. Now I check pot holders to make sure they're good and dry......live and learn.

[azsnowman]

You're right M2, you DO need a lot of space, that's why when we ordered this new house we're living in, we special ordered the kitchen with TONS of counter space and TONS of cabinets!!!

Sure, come on over Cy, I was use to cooking for 3, my 19 (soon to be 20) year old son was living with us, cooking for him was like cooking for a small platoon "LOL!" Now that he's moved out on his own, I have a hard time *down sizing* my meals!

Dennis