HOW MANY MEN HERE CAN...........

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Originally Posted by Irving

Cooking as a skill is something on the to-do list. I can follow a recipe. I don't have the natural skill/talent/intuition/whatever to make something out of nothing (my little brother does though). My wife can do that and is a good cook. She has never been successful at baking (according to her) until more recently. I can make a good omelette though.

I am confident that I can become a decent cook with practice. It is just a matter of taking the time to do so. I figure I will start when I start canning, as you have to make whatever first. At some point, I'd like to pick up The Flavor Bible (http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-Bib...e+flavor+bible) or The Flavor Thesaurus (http://www.amazon.com/The-Flavor-The...e+flavor+bible), as I do not know what flavors go with what.

Also, I've been watching the Fresh Princess Channel (Wranglerstar's Sister!) and would like to try some of her recipes. I've made cheese from scratch about 4-5 times, and bread once.

Fresh P: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG5i_eutkYLe3pysegadfMg

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Spices that are always on the shelf.

Garlic (jar of minced and powdered)
Peppercorns
Cayenne powder
Oregano
Rosemary
Sage
Salts (sea and kosher)
Bay leaves
Cumin
Spanish paprika

Sauces always on the shelf.

Soy
Worcestershire
Liquid smoke
Fish

Secondary spices

Thyme
Dill
Tarragon
Celery seed

I can do just about anything with these. Experiment with them and figure out what works.

Looked at the two books. Not sure there is a point other than to get $20.

Another Alton Brown fan. Highly recommend the Good Eats series. The Food Network website is also helpful.

Yep. I can cook, clean, sew, iron, minor auto repairs, work on guns, reload, hunt, fish, and have a minor medical background too. Too bad I'm ugly or women would probably be tripping over themselves. [ROFL2]

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Originally Posted by Squeeze

Yep. I can cook, clean, sew, iron, minor auto repairs, work on guns, reload, hunt, fish, and have a minor medical background too. Too bad I'm ugly or women would probably be tripping over themselves. [ROFL2]

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If women don't find you handsome, they can sure find you handy.
_Red Green_

I can cook.

...and so can you!

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Originally Posted by Ah Pook

Spices that are always on the shelf.

Garlic (jar of minced and powdered)
Peppercorns
Cayenne powder
Oregano
Rosemary
Sage
Salts (sea and kosher)
Bay leaves
Cumin
Spanish paprika

Sauces always on the shelf.

Soy
Worcestershire
Liquid smoke
Fish

Secondary spices

Thyme
Dill
Tarragon
Celery seed

I can do just about anything with these. Experiment with them and figure out what works.

Looked at the two books. Not sure there is a point other than to get $20.

Another Alton Brown fan. Highly recommend the Good Eats series. The Food Network website is also helpful.

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Point of the books is to show what flavors go with what. As an example, I have highlighted the spices that I have no idea what they taste like or what to put them in. You could give me a million dollars to shop for raw materials with and I would be incapable of putting a meal together if it wasn't something I have already cooked in the past.

Red Green... lmao

Good stuff.

I cook and bake a variety, anything from fresh bread to cheesecake to chili to Chinese to cobblers to Italian to standing rib roast to stews and so on. Cooking Sunday dinner for friends used to be my stress relief in college. I like to see what I can improvise and usually the results are pretty good.

The wife and I split up the cooking duties. Often times, I am the one who is coming up with new things to cook.

I've threatened to drop cheesecakes off at Jim's door a bunch of times. Of course, I always seem to get called out for work whenever it comes time to carry through.
He's like a work curse.

http://www.johnnyego.com/dump/cake/cheesecake011.JPG

I've also learned how to make a hell of a turkey over the years. I use the Alton Brown brine method. It turns out so good that I have displaced both my mother and my wife's mother as the turkey-maker in chief. They view brine as some sort of evil meat alchemy, and therefore produce horribly dry, tasteless birds. Rather than learn new things, they have both just opted to defer turkey responsibilities when I am in town. The other secret to a great turkey is, of course, bacon.

http://johnnyego.com/dump/thanksgiving/turkey01.JPG
http://johnnyego.com/dump/thanksgiving/turkey02.JPG
http://johnnyego.com/dump/thanksgiving/turkey04.JPG
http://johnnyego.com/dump/thanksgiving/turkey08.JPG
http://johnnyego.com/dump/thanksgiving/turkey09.JPG
http://johnnyego.com/dump/thanksgiving/turkey10.JPG
http://johnnyego.com/dump/thanksgiving/turkey11.JPG
http://johnnyego.com/dump/thanksgiving/turkey19.JPG

Full disclosure: I have no f'ing clue how to barbecue. I can make a hell of a cake in a Dutch Oven over a campfire, but I don't own a grill.

That is one damn fine bacon weave you have there. Next level baking maneuver.