everything you wanted to know about cooking but were afraid to ask (volume 2)

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everything you wanted to know about cooking but were afraid to ask (volume 2) (Page 4)

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Author	Topic: everything you wanted to know about cooking but were afraid to ask (volume 2)
yam Housemate	posted 10-09-2004 05:49 PM Hah, my dad INSISTS on putting bones in it. The manual says it eats chicken bones, so by god, he's going to feed it chicken bones. Whenever we have a turkey he stands there for like 45 minutes feeding the bones in. It hasn't broken yet, but we all wonder why he doesn't just chuck them in the regular garbage. IP: Logged
pollyhyper Housesitter	posted 10-11-2004 09:23 AM Actually, you want to stay away from putting too many starches (pasta, rice, potatoes) down the drain, the reason being that they expand and stick. A little bit's okay, like the remnants on your plate, but not a lot. And obviously, you don't want to put anything too greasy down the drain, either. IP: Logged
noraneither Housemate	posted 10-11-2004 10:32 AM It's also not a good idea to put coffee grounds in there. I tend to produce an astonishing amount of damp coffee grounds (I have a one-cup coffeemaker with a reusable filter, and I drink a lot of coffee), so when I have a garbage disposal I always have to be careful not to break it with my coffee grounds. IP: Logged
Isabelle Housemate	posted 10-11-2004 10:39 AM Thanks for all the tips, y'all. Seems like the "common sense" rules I was already applying were along the right lines, though I'd have never guessed about the coffee ground thing. IP: Logged
pollyhyper Housesitter	posted 10-11-2004 11:04 AM It's also good to occasionally throw some ice cubes and citrus down the disposal, keeps it clean, sharp, and smelling good. IP: Logged
noraneither Housemate	posted 10-11-2004 11:14 AM To be fair, I've heard conflicting things about the coffee grounds. My mom told me not to do it, and when I have gotten them in there by accident, I found that they got stuck -- but I think some people do put them in there. IP: Logged
Princessjeanne Housemate	posted 10-11-2004 11:52 AM Yeah, I used to put a LOT of coffee grounds in our garbage disposal, and as long as you follow with some baking soda to kill the smell of stale coffee (yick) I never had a problem. I was making french press though, which means the grind is bigger. Maybe that has something to do with it? IP: Logged
Henna73 Housemate	posted 10-11-2004 02:04 PM Just a tip, compost your coffee grounds or place them under plants that need acidic soil like hydrangeas. IP: Logged
Lulue Housemate	posted 10-11-2004 06:34 PM On the garbage disposal thing, is there any reason that it's better to send your solid waste into the water sewerage system than to landfill? IP: Logged
pollyhyper Housesitter	posted 10-12-2004 08:33 AM I usually compost (or throw out, depending) the large amounts of waste, but it's nice to just run the disposal when I'm done with the dishes and wash the funk right down the drain. IP: Logged
meggo Housemate	posted 10-12-2004 08:38 AM My husband asked if it was okay to put chip bags down the garbage disposal. I said "Baby - it's not meant to replace the garbage can. It's just a handy place to get rid of small bits of organic ickiness. Things that get washed off your plate when I do dishes, large amounts of soup you want to get rid of & can't just throw out - etc." I can already see this will be a problem and we don't have said disposal yet! IP: Logged
crowjoy Housemate	posted 10-12-2004 11:08 AM HAHA! Auklet and I once jammed a whole bunch of brown paper bags down her disposal after we'd used them to drain fried zuchini. OMG. Her husband was SO mad when we got back from camping a week later and the 2 bottles of draino hadn't done squat. Only the plumber was happy that day. Gah, what were we thinking! IP: Logged
RockStarAngel Housemate	posted 10-13-2004 12:57 PM What is a dutch oven? IP: Logged
fowlerjenn Housemate	posted 10-13-2004 01:19 PM I can't remember who it was in the begining of this thread that said they usually only used 1/2 a jar of spaghetti sauce at a time. Just wanted to say you can freeze the other half and then you don't have to worry about how long it is good. You can use a qt size freezer bag, pour it in, squeeze out any excess air and then freeze it laying flat. That way it doesn't even take up much room if you have one of those little tiny freezers. Also on the plain yogurt issue (although I'm sure the container of yogurt in question is LONG gone, or at least I hope so!) you can substitute plain yogurt in any recipe that calls for sour cream. Jenn IP: Logged
pollyhyper Housesitter	posted 10-13-2004 01:30 PM quote: Originally posted by RockStarAngel: What is a dutch oven? Heeheehee, I KNOW we went into this before in this thread, because I remember gigglish just as immaturely then too. IP: Logged
yam Housemate	posted 10-13-2004 01:36 PM a dutch oven is a huge pot. IP: Logged
RockStarAngel Housemate	posted 10-13-2004 02:18 PM Sorry it was mentioned before.........thanks, I'll look through for more info. IP: Logged
Jinxie Housemate	posted 10-13-2004 04:18 PM Yeah...just be careful you don't wind up experiencing a "hands on" demonstration of a "dutch oven". Heh heh. [Yes, I have the sense of humor of an 8 year old. What of it?] IP: Logged
pollyhyper Housesitter	posted 10-14-2004 07:30 AM heehee, Jinxie, we can be totally immature together. dutch oven (snicker, snicker) IP: Logged
Drea D Housemate	posted 10-24-2004 09:58 AM When peas are in dried form, a la split pea soup, are they considered a vegetable or a protein, like a dried bean? IP: Logged
yam Housemate	posted 10-24-2004 11:13 AM They're legumes, just like beans, so whatever you'd classify beans as. Personally I'd call them a vegetable that happens to be rich in protein and pat myself on the back for eatin' em. (hehe, and then avoid people I wanted to impress until the farting stopped..) IP: Logged
Princessjeanne Housemate	posted 10-24-2004 06:20 PM Can I use regular green beans as a substitute for haricot verts? I live in nebraska and apparently you can't BUY haricot verts here. Sheesh. Stupid store. IP: Logged
squirrel Housemate	posted 10-25-2004 12:30 AM Okay, I looked through before deciding to post here. This is going to sound like a really dumb question, but how do you use a rice cooker? My bf moved in with one, and I don't know how to use it, and he is away right now so I can't ask? Specifically, how much water do you put in for how much rice? And then do you just turn it on? How do you know when it's done? I've always just used a pot. IP: Logged
geogirl Housemate	posted 10-25-2004 05:57 AM quote: Originally posted by Princessjeanne: Can I use regular green beans as a substitute for haricot verts? I live in nebraska and apparently you can't BUY haricot verts here. Sheesh. Stupid store. I could be way off, perhaps Kena could verify but I think haricots verts is green beans in french. IP: Logged
yam Housemate	posted 10-25-2004 07:36 AM Yeah, haricots verts are green beans. The only difference is that when the recipe calls for haricots verts, it's either written by a francophone or trying to sound poncy. IP: Logged
Princessjeanne Housemate	posted 10-25-2004 08:40 AM quote: Originally posted by yam: Yeah, haricots verts are green beans. The only difference is that when the recipe calls for haricots verts, it's either written by a francophone or trying to sound poncy. That's kinda what I thought, but I wasn't sure if they were different in any way. Silly recipe book. IP: Logged
jstrizzy Housemate	posted 10-25-2004 09:27 AM quote: Originally posted by squirrel: Okay, I looked through before deciding to post here. This is going to sound like a really dumb question, but how do you use a rice cooker? My bf moved in with one, and I don't know how to use it, and he is away right now so I can't ask? Specifically, how much water do you put in for how much rice? And then do you just turn it on? How do you know when it's done? I've always just used a pot. For the one I used to have, I'd put in 1 part rice to 2 parts water, and turn it on. It would shut off automatically when it was done, so I just had to watch for the little light to go off. IP: Logged
jstrizzy Housemate	posted 10-25-2004 09:37 AM quote: Originally posted by Princessjeanne: Can I use regular green beans as a substitute for haricot verts? I live in nebraska and apparently you can't BUY haricot verts here. Sheesh. Stupid store. Though they should be the same thing, some stores/food packaging companies use the terms differently. I've seen a thinner variety of green beans labeled as "haricots verts" at one of the grocery stores I shop at, and sometimes in the frozen aisle there are both green beans and haricots verts (though I couldn't tell you how they're different). IP: Logged
pollyhyper Housesitter	posted 10-25-2004 10:25 AM You might also see them (frozen) labeled "french cut" green beans, which means they are halved the long way. IP: Logged
jstrizzy Housemate	posted 10-25-2004 11:46 AM I think that's what I was thinking of -- the halved kind. in any event, the answer is yes, you should be able to use regular green beans. IP: Logged
squirrel Housemate	posted 10-25-2004 11:44 PM Thanks jstrizzy! I'll have to try it soon. IP: Logged
crowjoy Housemate	posted 10-27-2004 07:08 AM I probably didn't invent this but it was such an epiphany I must share. I jammed an unpeeled slice of ginger into my garlic pressed and BAM! Minced ginger! IP: Logged
muppet_girl Housemate	posted 10-27-2004 07:18 AM Think it's ok to substitute lentils for other beans in a chili? What kind of changes might I have to make for cooking time? Such as in a vegetable stew that calls for chickpeas (with original cooking time of 15-20 min simmering) but I'd prefer lentils... IP: Logged
becca11 Housesitter	posted 11-04-2004 05:29 AM totally ok. i make bean soups with whatever bean is around, taste test is the only real way to find out how long they all take to cook though. and my question, how long to soak rice paper before its ok for fesh spring rolls. mine keep breaking. and I REALLY want some. IP: Logged
Henna73 Housemate	posted 11-04-2004 06:16 AM Becca, I use really hot water and only soak them for about a minute or so. If soaked too long, they do become fragile and break. If they seem a little stiff when you roll them, cover them with a damp paper towel and they will soften up just right. Mmmm, I love spring/summer roles. IP: Logged
LazyGoddess Housemate	posted 11-04-2004 07:22 AM So I purchased some frozen pre-cooked shrimp for supper last night (I live in South Dakota there's no such thing as fresh seafood), thawed it out, and then decided not to use it...how long is the shelf on these things? IP: Logged
bali Housemate	posted 11-04-2004 08:01 AM Quince - I was given about 10 pounds of them, and although they smell great, none of my cookbooks have a recipe for them and I tried to cut into one and nearly took off my hand. Does anyone have any suggestions about cutting, cooking, storing or preserving these suckers? IP: Logged
natalie Housemate	posted 11-04-2004 09:00 AM quote: Originally posted by LazyGoddess: So I purchased some frozen pre-cooked shrimp for supper last night (I live in South Dakota there's no such thing as fresh seafood), thawed it out, and then decided not to use it...how long is the shelf on these things? I would use them tonight or tomorrow night, maybe could stretch it to Saturday night at a push... but that's just me... IP: Logged
natalie Housemate	posted 11-04-2004 09:02 AM quote: Originally posted by bali: Quince - I was given about 10 pounds of them, and although they smell great, none of my cookbooks have a recipe for them and I tried to cut into one and nearly took off my hand. Does anyone have any suggestions about cutting, cooking, storing or preserving these suckers? Martha has a few recipes for quince. I've never tried it before - what does it look like? IP: Logged
LazyGoddess Housemate	posted 11-04-2004 09:23 AM Thanks natalie, that's kind of what I thought, but it never hurts to ask. Looks like shrimp catalina tonight. IP: Logged

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