I like to cook

[JohnDB]

I (in a former life 30 years ago) used to be a four star/ five diamond chef. I still like to cook.

Today I like making cookies and gingerbread houses and candies.

Sometimes I like to make a nice dinner.

I usually do something for breakfast on the weekends.

And when I make breakfast I would like to receive a simple "Thank you"...

Not all that screaming and yelling about "Who are you?" And "What are you doing in my house" type business.

 

[Roro1972]

Im no chef but I like to cook also. Mostly main dish type stuff. with the sides.

 

[Boaz308]

Lol, that's funny!

 

[Corn Pop]

Lets cook some food.

 

[GodsGrace]

I (in a former life 30 years ago) used to be a four star/ five diamond chef. I still like to cook.

Today I like making cookies and gingerbread houses and candies.

Sometimes I like to make a nice dinner.

I usually do something for breakfast on the weekends.

And when I make breakfast I would like to receive a simple "Thank you"...

Not all that screaming and yelling about "Who are you?" And "What are you doing in my house" type business.

Sounds like you miss cooking.
Here's my address. I hate for you to be sad...!

And what is your favorite kitchen? (do we say kitchen in English?)
The top three that I know about are:
French
Italian
Chinese

(not in order of importance)

 

[JohnDB]

Sounds like you miss cooking.
Here's my address. I hate for you to be sad...!

And what is your favorite kitchen? (do we say kitchen in English?)
The top three that I know about are:
French
Italian
Chinese

(not in order of importance)

The French kitchens are HOT. The cook tops actually glow.

Italian are more normal to me...

Chinese...wok your pork. 4 hours of preparation and 3 minutes of cooking.

I like all the different types of foods though and do a lot of fusion cuisine... elements from all of the disciplines fused together.

But if one day you wake up in the morning to find a stranger is in your kitchen...relax...it's just me.

 

[GodsGrace]

The French kitchens are HOT. The cook tops actually glow.

Italian are more normal to me...

Chinese...wok your pork. 4 hours of preparation and 3 minutes of cooking.

I like all the different types of foods though and do a lot of fusion cuisine... elements from all of the disciplines fused together.

But if one day you wake up in the morning to find a stranger is in your kitchen...relax...it's just me.

Believe me, I wouldn't mind.
Can't get french around here.
Can't get good chinese around here.
The big thing now is sushi - and it's not even good.
They have those little surveyor belts that go around and you pick food off.
All you want for 10.95...how good could it be?

Are you fussy about what wine goes with what food?

 

[Michael74]

I prefer to bombard my food with photons in the quantum energy range of about 1 x 10-5 eV.

 

[JohnDB]

Believe me, I wouldn't mind.
Can't get french around here.
Can't get good chinese around here.
The big thing now is sushi - and it's not even good.
They have those little surveyor belts that go around and you pick food off.
All you want for 10.95...how good could it be?

Are you fussy about what wine goes with what food?

Sushi has one purpose...to make you drink more.

So long as the wine goes well with the food I'm eating...I'm good.

And the price of the wine can be all over the board. I picked up a couple of bottles at the grocery store to cook with the other day and it was less than 3 Euros per bottle...but it tasted like it should have been over $20 each. I drank a glass just to confirm it was drinkable...and was pleasantly surprised.

Usually if it's that cheap it barely passes as wine. I can't buy beer that cheap. But here was a great bottle I was cooking with that was "good stuff"

Another story...
When I was cooking in Manhattan at a place that I could never afford to eat at, I used to grab a $200+ bottle of wine to keep myself warm with while cleaning up the fridge.

 

[Apousía]

Reminds me of the quote:

" When I die, I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather did, not screaming like the passengers in his car "

Retired chef here too, 30 years in the business, 2nd generation chef in my family ( I love to feed people )

 

[GodsGrace]

Sushi has one purpose...to make you drink more.

So long as the wine goes well with the food I'm eating...I'm good.

And the price of the wine can be all over the board. I picked up a couple of bottles at the grocery store to cook with the other day and it was less than 3 Euros per bottle...but it tasted like it should have been over $20 each. I drank a glass just to confirm it was drinkable...and was pleasantly surprised.

Usually if it's that cheap it barely passes as wine. I can't buy beer that cheap. But here was a great bottle I was cooking with that was "good stuff"

Another story...
When I was cooking in Manhattan at a place that I could never afford to eat at, I used to grab a $200+ bottle of wine to keep myself warm with while cleaning up the fridge.

My husband was a Matre' D (?).
He sold wine that cost thousands to Wall Street types.
I've never had a 200$ wine. It would be interesting to try one.
I currently like a wine called Vernazzo. It's frizzy and cheap and drunk cold and I really like it. I usually don't like white wine. I drink red with as much as I could if it goes well.

I used to think persons that matched wine to food were snooty, but it really is important.
I miss good Chinese and French.
If my husband were well, I could cross the border into France and have some REAL French food, but no can do.

Do YOU cook for Christmas?

 

[GodsGrace]

Reminds me of the quote:

" When I die, I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather did, not screaming like the passengers in his car "

Retired chef here too, 30 years in the business, 2nd generation chef in my family ( I love to feed people )

I'm not a chef.
I love to feed people too - but I have to slow down a bit.
Would you agree that coming up with the menu is 50% of the work?
I mean, JOY!
LOL

 

[Apousía]

For sure

When I was actively managing a kitchen, even waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I would find myself thinking of the next day's specials, etc

Sometimes when I got in a real mood, I would sit and write specials menus out and stick them in a folder just to have some ideas on the back burner

The tricky part with that was maintaining the FIFO ( first in first out ) guidelines for rotating your stock, and building your specials around what you have to get rid of next

 

[JohnDB]

Do YOU cook for Christmas?

You could say that... LOL

I usually give out cookies as Christmas presents every year. I make several hundred dozen cookies. This year I added home made candy. I just got through bringing 20 dozen cookies and some assorted candies to work to share with the crew I work with. (Crew of 50)

It's the look in their faces when they get really good home made treats. They know what it took for me to bring these treats in labor and the financial cost of ingredients. Most were awestruck. It's something different than anything they expect.

Then when I get to my in-laws house I will cook several batches of cookies with my sister-in-law and niece.

I have made two different gingerbread houses already and had dinner parties with some children's parents so the kids could cover the houses with candy. (I have one more to go with my in-laws)

Then there will be some homemade breads and other things to go along the way.

Cook for the holidays?
Yeah....just a little.

 

[GodsGrace]

For sure

When I was actively managing a kitchen, even waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I would find myself thinking of the next day's specials, etc

Sometimes when I got in a real mood, I would sit and write specials menus out and stick them in a folder just to have some ideas on the back burner

The tricky part with that was maintaining the FIFO ( first in first out ) guidelines for rotating your stock, and building your specials around what you have to get rid of next

Great idea about the folder.
Will remember that.
I used to enjoy cooking more in my younger days.
I'd mash up carrots and make carrots with them by putting the mashed ones in that thingy and making the shape of a carrot in the dish. Then I'd put something green at the top. It looked like a real carrot. Cleaned out watermelon and filled it with fruit, etc.
The passion is waning...

 

[GodsGrace]

You could say that... LOL

I usually give out cookies as Christmas presents every year. I make several hundred dozen cookies. This year I added home made candy. I just got through bringing 20 dozen cookies and some assorted candies to work to share with the crew I work with. (Crew of 50)

It's the look in their faces when they get really good home made treats. They know what it took for me to bring these treats in labor and the financial cost of ingredients. Most were awestruck. It's something different than anything they expect.

Then when I get to my in-laws house I will cook several batches of cookies with my sister-in-law and niece.

I have made two different gingerbread houses already and had dinner parties with some children's parents so the kids could cover the houses with candy. (I have one more to go with my in-laws)

Then there will be some homemade breads and other things to go along the way.

Cook for the holidays?
Yeah....just a little.

LOL
Good for you!
Things made personally are always more appreciated.
Gingerbread houses are a mystery to me...but sooooo nice and pretty.
I used to buy them at a bakery already made with the kids were small.

I used to make black ravioli filled with fish.
Butter, cream, salt and pepper sauce -- reduced, of course.
Plate the ravioli, put some red caviar on top, about one teaspoon.
Yummy!

P.S. With champagne or dry spumante. Or white wine (which I don't like)

 

[Apousía]

Great idea about the folder.
Will remember that.
I used to enjoy cooking more in my younger days.
I'd mash up carrots and make carrots with them by putting the mashed ones in that thingy and making the shape of a carrot in the dish. Then I'd put something green at the top. It looked like a real carrot. Cleaned out watermelon and filled it with fruit, etc.
The passion is waning...

I still have my passion, in fact I operate a candy-making business from home and have semi-commercial kitchen

For me, it's that my body can't do the long hours and hard work anymore ( perhaps I'm a bit out of shape from my chef days ), numerous injuries from years of cooking have started to catch up with me

I cooked and wrapped a 1,000 caramels yesterday and my arms feel like somebody beat them with a hammer, a workload like that would have been no problem for me just 5 years ago, lol

 

[GodsGrace]

I still have my passion, in fact I operate a candy-making business from home and have semi-commercial kitchen

For me, it's that my body can't do the long hours and hard work anymore ( perhaps I'm a bit out of shape from my chef days ), numerous injuries from years of cooking have started to catch up with me

I cooked and wrapped a 1,000 caramels yesterday and my arms feel like somebody beat them with a hammer, a workload like that would have been no problem for me just 5 years ago, lol

I just checked your age.
You're a young whippersnapper!
Keep going for as long as you can.
But, yeah, age does catch up with us.
This also gives you a passion in life, which we all need.

 

[JohnDB]

For sure

When I was actively managing a kitchen, even waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I would find myself thinking of the next day's specials, etc

Sometimes when I got in a real mood, I would sit and write specials menus out and stick them in a folder just to have some ideas on the back burner

The tricky part with that was maintaining the FIFO ( first in first out ) guidelines for rotating your stock, and building your specials around what you have to get rid of next

I used to use a trip through the local farmer's market for inspiration. And that would give me ideas for sides and soups...the meats/proteins that sell don't change much.
Also specials. I still have a penchant for specials. Like when recently saffron threads became affordable again. I had to make paella.

And just as a thought for you.
I made a few batches of caramels this year too. But instead of wrapping them I used some small melanine paper cups like the candy makers use in gift boxes. Sure, I had to change the shape I cut the caramels but it's much easier and faster.
I even got to dip some in tempered chocolate.

There really isn't that many people out there who make this stuff from scratch anymore. Nobody has our vision of how to make the simple basics look and taste good.

I do all of mine out of a standard apartment. If you got a semi-commercial kitchen set up...I'm jealous. My wife and I have tossed around the idea of building a house around a kitchen for me. But right now it's just a pipe dream. But I think about it a lot. Between speed racks and convection ovens and proof boxes and huge prep tables....

But in the meantime. I find it amazing how much joy a batch of basic 1-2-3 cookies (chocolate and vanilla) can bring people. Some people are clueless while someone else standing next to them explains how that they just found a treasure.

wondering the European gingerbread houses aren't the same as American ones.
The Americans are gingersnap cookies baked off into sheets that will form a house. Then the children, using icing and candy, get to decorate it into prettiness. It's a decorative thing that the children do (although some take it very serious and make works of art). We don't eat ours like you would one from Europe.
It's children's favorite activity here.
I hear from them that it's the only thing that they want to bring me them for Christmas.
Toys? No!
Gingerbread house? YES!
It tells me that I have warped their very minds. They no longer want commercial Christmas...they want the long memory and hearth fun for Christmas.

 

[GodsGrace]

I used to use a trip through the local farmer's market for inspiration. And that would give me ideas for sides and soups...the meats/proteins that sell don't change much.
Also specials. I still have a penchant for specials. Like when recently saffron threads became affordable again. I had to make paella.

And just as a thought for you.
I made a few batches of caramels this year too. But instead of wrapping them I used some small melanine paper cups like the candy makers use in gift boxes. Sure, I had to change the shape I cut the caramels but it's much easier and faster.
I even got to dip some in tempered chocolate.

There really isn't that many people out there who make this stuff from scratch anymore. Nobody has our vision of how to make the simple basics look and taste good.

I do all of mine out of a standard apartment. If you got a semi-commercial kitchen set up...I'm jealous. My wife and I have tossed around the idea of building a house around a kitchen for me. But right now it's just a pipe dream. But I think about it a lot. Between speed racks and convection ovens and proof boxes and huge prep tables....

But in the meantime. I find it amazing how much joy a batch of basic 1-2-3 cookies (chocolate and vanilla) can bring people. Some people are clueless while someone else standing next to them explains how that they just found a treasure.

wondering the European gingerbread houses aren't the same as American ones.
The Americans are gingersnap cookies baked off into sheets that will form a house. Then the children, using icing and candy, get to decorate it into prettiness. It's a decorative thing that the children do (although some take it very serious and make works of art). We don't eat ours like you would one from Europe.
It's children's favorite activity here.
I hear from them that it's the only thing that they want to bring me them for Christmas.
Toys? No!
Gingerbread house? YES!
It tells me that I have warped their very minds. They no longer want commercial Christmas...they want the long memory and hearth fun for Christmas.

John, I lived in NY till 2,000. I know what the American gingerbread houses are like and for.
I'm afraid I don't know what these are like... I thought they were the same!

Will look into it.
And I LOVE the idea of a non-commercialized Christmas.
I dream of those old-fashioned ones...