Lazy Food Prep

[ronjohn55]

Spryte, what do you mean by "you're not licking toads"? Explain your reply, please.

i stick my nose in too, if that's ok. honeybee, it's a quote from a simpson's episode. homer was licking toads to try to hallucinate, and when he was asked if he was doing it, he replied, "i'm not not licking toads"...

That's one of my all time favorite episodes!

Now to call in a pledge to public television...

John

 

[choclatechef]

The Simpsons are wonderful and all, but does anybody have any lazy food prep hints?

Please?

 

[buckytom]

sorry choc. to get back on topic, about the only prep that i do ahead of time is make a few spice and herb combinations or rubs that i use fairly often and store them in old spice jars in the rack for quick access. like a pork chop rub made from crushed black peppercorns and allspice berries, blended with garlic powder and sea salt. or my roasted chicken rub, which is sweet paprika/garlic powder/onion powder/salt and pepper. or an italian dried herb blend - oregano/basil/thyme/savory/bay leaves.

 

[jennyema]

Anyways, if you want to skin out your garlic while watching TV, you can douse it in olive oil and this "preserve it", while getting "flavoured olive oil" in the process...and of course the garlic is "usable" at any given place, time or opportunity, and if a bit "mushy", can still be minced or grated...adding the miniscule amount of EVOO that this carries to a "recipe" is pretty much ignorable to the bigger picture...

Like Andy said...

This is potentially very dangerous. Oil is not a storage medium for any fresh herb or other ingredient, including garlic. It is an excellent medium for botulism, which can be fatal.

If you infuse oil with a fresh ingredient, make sure it is kept refrigerated and use w/in 2 weeks or toss it. The only safe way to infuse oil for longer term use is to boil it for a period dependent on your altitude, which is not at all easy to do at home, or to properly acidify it (which involves an exact measurement and some research).

Some folks in FL recently contracted botulism (supposedly) from a botched botox job. It's pretty horrifying thing to be poisoned by. Not worth the risk, IMO.

There is a wealth of info on this -- here is a start: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=oil+garlic+botulism&btnG=Google+Search

 

[jennyema]

I keep a ziplock of veggie peels and scraps, mushrooms, herbs, etc. and use it to make stock.

Freeze wine in cup portions or in ice cube tray.

Freeze leftover tomato paste in T portions.

Freeze chicken breasts or pork chops in brine.

 

[choclatechef]

Good ones guys!

I am taking notes [cutting and pasting]!

 

[PA Baker]

Chocolate Chef, if you have extra down time you can come do some advance prep in my kitchen!

Great ideas, and I will use some--thanks!

 

[kitchenelf]

Just a quick word about garlic/oil combinations. Yes, they can be potentially dangerous. If I know a day ahead that I will want a flavored oil - say rosemary and garlic to sauté chicken, or basil garlic or whatever - I will inundate a small container with garlic and the herb/s of choice for a day or two - I especially like to do this to make vinaigrettes or sautéing oils. I only make enough for the purpose.

Now - about food prep - - I need to do this more often. I love prep work though - it's the relaxing part to me - but sometimes I just don't want to - like you said chocolatechef!!!!

I will be using your techniques in the future!!! The only "real" prep work I do is when I buy large quantities of chicken, hamburger, or pork roasts, etc., is I freeze 1# bags of hamburger, freeze 6 thighs in a bag or 4 breasts in a bag, cut the pork roast into portions for 1 meal, etc., etc.

On a more weekly basis when I go to the grocery store I will wash and keep celery in a covered container in water, same with green pepper slices, radishes, carrots (I know I'm forgetting some) - I change the water every couple days - they last MUCH longer than just in the crisper - where they can sometimes go limp.

I cut up the fruits I buy (except bananas and apples) if they are ripe and keep those in the fridge in see-through containers - ready to eat. My son likes his fruit cold and this saves me from cleaniing up his mess!!!!

I need to get rid of some stuff in my freezer and stock up on onions, mushrooms, peppers, garlic, etc. Thanks chocolatechef!!!!

 

[marmalady]

Since I'm the only meat eater in the house, and I love a little 'demi' sauce on my steak now and then, I make up a batch of it, then pour it into ice cube trays and freeze; when frozen, i pop the cubes into a ziplock and keep them frozen. When my steak is cooked, I just pop one of the cubes into the pan for my 'instant' sauce!

 

[mudbug]

Ya know, I don't think I even have any ice cube trays anymore. The last few refrigerators I've lived with had icemakers, so I bet I gave the trays to Goodwill or Amvets or someone.

 

[PA Baker]

I do what kitchenelf does with chicken breasts and hamburger. If I need an egg yolk and not the white, you can save the whites by freezing them one per compartment in an ice cube try. Once they're frozen you can pop them out and store them in a freezer bag. It's a great way to portion them out for using them later.

 

[kitchenelf]

two words - Dollar Store! 8)

 

[mudbug]

two words - Dollar Store! 8)

good idear, elfie. And there's one just down the street......

 

[choclatechef]

Oh Boy! More great ideas! Keep them coming please.

Pretty soon, when I am tired, I will have my mise en place without having to do it at all!

 

[kitchenelf]

When I cooked for a living I was nicknamed Mrs. Mise en place :roll: I'm still adamant about it!! lol

 

[buckytom]

Ya know, I don't think I even have any ice cube trays anymore. The last few refrigerators I've lived with had icemakers, so I bet I gave the trays to Goodwill or Amvets or someone.

hmmm, just pour the demi-glace in the ice-maker... that would be pretty neat.

 

[kitchenelf]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

[marmalady]

Demi sorbet, anyone?

 

[kitchenelf]

lol

savory iced tea

 

[keen kook]

two words - Dollar Store! 8)

Two more words, "Family Dollar"!

I freeze surplus wine in ice cube trays to use in cooking. This does not happen very often(having surplus wine I mean)!