What's in your fridge?

[Lisa]

yeah me too
they always start plating when there's only 1 minute left

I know!!! What's up with that? And how do they get the stuff on the plate with a minute left? I think we need Thunderian to tell us if that's even possible and not just tv drama, lol!

 

[Thunderian]

I meant to reply to this and got sidetracked by making dinner, lol.

I have had a few friends that have competed on the cooking competition shows like MasterChef and Top Chef. A lot of it is staged, a lot of it is managed for extra drama. There are whole story lines throughout the season that are created through selective editing and whatnot -- like rivalries between cooks and things like that.

But as for getting it onto the plate with a minute left, yes you can do it if you're organised. A HUGE part of professional cooking is timing. If you're making a dish, say a burger, you start the patty first because it takes the longest, you drop the fries with about four minutes to go, toast the bun and do the set in the last minute, and if it comes with a salad you do that at the very last so it's fresh. Nothing worse than having a salad sit up for 10 minutes while the rest of the food is cooking, or having your fries go cold because the burger's not done yet. Everything should be done at exactly the same time, and all go on the plate at once. That seems doable for one plate, but try coordinating 150 plates an hour on a busy Friday night with a crew of ten cooks. That's what I did for most of my life.

I don't watch those shows much anymore because I can spot the editing and the staged stuff, and it drives my wife crazy because I keep up a running commentary about how fake it is.

Cooking in restaurants is very difficult to do consistently well, and if you go out and get a really good meal, send your compliments back to the kitchen. It means a lot, and the ones who take pride in what they do will appreciate it.

 

[rainerann]

I like to cook, but I only cook full meals a couple times a week because it is a lot of work to clean up the kitchen in between. I still cook the rest of the week, but simple things like scrambled eggs and toast or some basic chicken and steamed broccoli. Things that require only two pans and a couple plates to wash when I am done.

Otherwise, I like to cook and follow some of the foodie videos on Facebook like Delish to get ideas for new recipes.

These Chicken parm stuffed peppers were so delish!

I'm making 30-minute sriracha chicken and broccoli lo mein again today. It was so good, I had to make it twice. It was delicious and tasted so much fresher than if I ordered take out if I don't want to pay for expensive quality Chinese food.

http://bakerbynature.com/30-minute-sriracha-chicken-broccoli-lo-mein/

I like to cook because I am picky about my food and so if I were to eat out a lot, it would get real expensive. I also get a little bored with what is offered on a menu sometimes too. When I cook, there is no limit to what I can order.

 

[EddieG305]

I wish I had food in my fridge. I've never struggled this bad before.

 

[Camidria]

I wish I had food in my fridge. I've never struggled this bad before.

Don't have money to buy food or no time to cook?

 

[Tiny Leaf]

I meant to reply to this and got sidetracked by making dinner, lol. (lolll)

I have had a few friends that have competed on the cooking competition shows like MasterChef and Top Chef. A lot of it is staged, a lot of it is managed for extra drama. There are whole story lines throughout the season that are created through selective editing and whatnot -- like rivalries between cooks and things like that.

I find that quite interesting as someone who watches those kinds of shows more than anything else. Nice to hear some insider information because you do tend to forget that the whole purpose of these shows is to purely entertain the audience. And I suppose that would drive your wife insane if you were constantly pointing out all the fake shots lol.

I cook a few times each week, my refrigerator is always filled with greens, cheeses, fruits, and alot of the good stuff. But don't ask me what's in my cupboards lol (I have a massive snack problem haha). It is difficult for me to cook every single day though I would really love to, so I tend to make stuff that lasts me a couple days. I'm always up for trying new (mostly quick and easy) recipes, but that's only if money/time/health permits.

One if the biggest issues everyone faces is not being able to afford buying good quality healthy ingredients. And then we end up opting for cheap junk food out of necessity.
Many people that suffer from long term illnesses struggle to maintain a good quality of life due to poor diet. Many disorders/diseases are maintainable and even curable through specific diets but this is just not affordable for most cases. Nature provides us with many cures. However, in return they're constantly being pumped with more and more medication, which their bodies grow dependent on. Vicious cycle. Makes me so sad.

Either way, I try my best, and cooking is very enjoyable. Especially when it's done without the added pressure of being restricted to time, it's quite soothing! So I agree with Thunderian, you should show your appreciation to the chef and whoever cooks for you in my opinion. Alot goes into it and food is a blessing. Appreciation to the cook and above all appreciation to God that provided us with all we need ^__^

 

[mecca]

Many people that suffer from long term illnesses struggle to maintain a good quality of life due to poor diet. Many disorders/diseases are maintainable and even curable through specific diets but this is just not affordable for most cases. Nature provides us with many cures. However, in return they're constantly being pumped with more and more medication, which their bodies grow dependent on. Vicious cycle. Makes me so sad.

This is so true and so tragic. The natural stuff should be costing less than processed foods.

 

[Lisa]

I meant to reply to this and got sidetracked by making dinner, lol.

I have had a few friends that have competed on the cooking competition shows like MasterChef and Top Chef. A lot of it is staged, a lot of it is managed for extra drama. There are whole story lines throughout the season that are created through selective editing and whatnot -- like rivalries between cooks and things like that.

But as for getting it onto the plate with a minute left, yes you can do it if you're organised. A HUGE part of professional cooking is timing. If you're making a dish, say a burger, you start the patty first because it takes the longest, you drop the fries with about four minutes to go, toast the bun and do the set in the last minute, and if it comes with a salad you do that at the very last so it's fresh. Nothing worse than having a salad sit up for 10 minutes while the rest of the food is cooking, or having your fries go cold because the burger's not done yet. Everything should be done at exactly the same time, and all go on the plate at once. That seems doable for one plate, but try coordinating 150 plates an hour on a busy Friday night with a crew of ten cooks. That's what I did for most of my life.

I don't watch those shows much anymore because I can spot the editing and the staged stuff, and it drives my wife crazy because I keep up a running commentary about how fake it is.

Cooking in restaurants is very difficult to do consistently well, and if you go out and get a really good meal, send your compliments back to the kitchen. It means a lot, and the ones who take pride in what they do will appreciate it.

I can barely get thanksgiving dinner done at the same time...haha! But, ya, 150 plates an hour seems crazy!
Thanks for the insight
I'll remember to send my compliments to the chef..thanks for the tip.

 

[Thunderian]

I find that quite interesting as someone who watches those kinds of shows more than anything else. Nice to hear some insider information because you do tend to forget that the whole purpose of these shows is to purely entertain the audience. And I suppose that would drive your wife insane if you were constantly pointing out all the fake shots lol.

I also like to point out inconsistencies in movie plots. I'm a real joy to watch TV with, as you can imagine.

I wanted to add, one of the guys I know actually won the cooking show he was on, and then came home and had a nervous breakdown. He had been away from his family for months as they filmed, and the pressure was enormous. He's fine now, but he pretty much fell apart. He can't talk about the behind-the-scenes stuff too much -- none of them can -- because they sign some pretty serious non-disclosure agreements. He couldn't even tell anyone he had won, because the gap between filming and airing the show was several months.

 

[Lisa]

I also like to point out inconsistencies in movie plots. I'm a real joy to watch TV with, as you can imagine.

I wanted to add, one of the guys I know actually won the cooking show he was on, and then came home and had a nervous breakdown. He had been away from his family for months as they filmed, and the pressure was enormous. He's fine now, but he pretty much fell apart. He can't talk about the behind-the-scenes stuff too much -- none of them can -- because they sign some pretty serious non-disclosure agreements. He couldn't even tell anyone he had won, because the gap between filming and airing the show was several months.

That's unfortunate for the guy you knew...
What do you think about the food shows that include kids? I think its kinda cruel to treat them that way myself all in the name of competition....

 

[Tiny Leaf]

That's unfortunate for the guy you knew...
What do you think about the food shows that include kids? I think its kinda cruel to treat them that way myself all in the name of competition....

Yeah I've seen the ones which feature kids, so now knowing what Thunderian has mentioned, ...that's pretty messed up to think about the psychological effect it has on children taking part :/

 

[Camidria]

The natural stuff should be costing less than processed foods.

I guess I am really lucky as we have a farmers market where I can buy unprocessed, hormone, preservative and colourant free foods that are actually cheaper than in the shops. And with this chicken thing going on between us and America (we are getting all their chicken that are not selling and that are injected with nasties) I rather buy straight from the farmer that I KNOW uses no hormones etc.

 

[Camidria]

I also like to point out inconsistencies in movie plots. I'm a real joy to watch TV with, as you can imagine.

My husband is the same in that regard, and yes he is an 'absolute joy'

 

[Lisa]

My husband is the same in that regard, and yes he is an 'absolute joy'

I am the same way... however, I guess I only do that to movies that I don't like...haha! If I like them, I guess I have blinders on...

 

[Lurker]

This is so true and so tragic. The natural stuff should be costing less than processed foods.

I didn't do the math to confirm it myself, but I did read that if you remove the hoops/paperwork for organic and remove the corporate welfare for conventional, organic would be cheaper.

 

[Thunderian]

Non-organic fresh is still way better than processed anything. Get raw ingredients and make it yourself. Start with bread and then expand your repertoire.

 

[Lurker]

Non-organic fresh is still way better than processed anything. Get raw ingredients and make it yourself. Start with bread and then expand your repertoire.

While it's probably just semantics, I disagree. Monsanto = processed.

 

[Thunderian]

I know this is not going to be well-received, but GMO is not bad for you. This is not an endorsement of Monsanto, but the hysteria over GMO is about 99.9% genetically modified itself.

 

[Lurker]

I know this is not going to be well-received, but GMO is not bad for you. This is not an endorsement of Monsanto, but the hysteria over GMO is about 99.9% genetically modified itself.

Agree to disagree then? While we're at it you can have my flu shots too.

 

[Thunderian]

Flu shots? Not on your life. That's how they spread Morgellons.