26 Foods Everyone Should Learn to Cook

[uncertainfuture]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/foods-everyone-should-learn-to-cook?bffbfood

 

Some are silly (like grilled cheese) but others aren't so bad. I've been asked before about how to roast a chicken, how to saute greens, how to oven roast veggies. (Do it ala Tamar Adler. Roast all your veg in advance, place in Mason jars in the fridge and then you have them ready to eat all week long in various incarnations with zero excuses. Sandwich wraps, soups, slightly warmed as a side or tossed with rice or quinoa-perfection!) 

 

They mention baking fish in foil. I make mine ala papillote, meaning paper. Super easy: cut parchment paper into squares. Using whatever veggies on hand depends on the order of veg. If you have stalky or fiberous veg make a small, thin layer on the bottom, then add fish (salmon is beautiful here but if you have a fresh steak of something you've caught, go for it), then add the more liquidy veg (tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, etc). Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste. (Sea salt and coarse black pepper is always good. Sometimes I use herbes de provence but a friend uses Italian. I've also used a cajun seasoning in the past.) Wrap the paper like a present. You can either tie it off with string or wet the corners with water and firmly press down on the paper. The paper will steam the fish and veg beautifully while baking. Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes for most fish. White wine, lemon, champagne vinegar, etc also taste fantastic when dressed  before steaming.

[TobaccoFlower]

Roasting veggies properly will make the difference between a great meal and a crap meal, often times! Thanks for sharing :)

[uncertainfuture]

Roasting veggies properly will make the difference between a great meal and a crap meal, often times! Thanks for sharing :smile:

Roasted veggies are a thing of beauty! I serve them cold as a side, tossed into cold cooked couscous, with hot cooked rice or quinoa (love quinoa!), cold in wraps or pressed into paninis, as toppings on sandwiches, as a bed for protein, stirred into soups-just so many uses for them.

 

You can tell I spend lots of time in the kitchen. If I didn't work crazy hours our home would have absolutely no processed foods of any kind-everything from scratch.

[TobaccoFlower]

I would love to live like that! If I was super determined I could, but I'm not there.......yet! I would like to get back into canning, what a wonderful thing!

[uncertainfuture]

I would love to live like that! If I was super determined I could, but I'm not there.......yet! I would like to get back into canning, what a wonderful thing!

I never learned to can, though I have numerous books on the subject. I'd be glad to share some of the recipes.

 

I want to get back into everything natural and have wanted to for some time. I find my main barrier is that of having a teenager in my home who no longer wants to try things.

[Nikki]

Very nice collection of food.

 

Do you spell any of your cooking? 

 

If so, which ones... and how? 

[uncertainfuture]

I've never tried to formally spell my cooking. I have always concentrated on how much joy the food will bring the people who eat it and how much I love them. In a way, it could be the most simple spell of all-focus on the intent of what I am cooking and how I picture the reception.

 

Honestly, I've never thought of it that way before. I've always been told to cook "with love" and to picture the outcome by a few chefs I've worked for in the past. I've been told to pay close attention to each and every ingredient I choose, to think about the favors and how they'll marry, to think about what is being done to each as I prep them, to picture the final finished product by appearance, by smells, by taste and to picture the intended's reaction to the food. When you think about it that's similar to a spell:you have intent of what you will be doing, you focus carefully on product, you picture the goal in your head.

 

It wouldn't be that hard to spell food. Develop the recipe, using ingredients that would allign with your goals. (Herbs used would be a fantastic way to accomplish this goal.) Combine or "marry" your flavors while concentrating on the final outcome. Setting would be important as to where it is prepared and when. Picture the reaction of the recipient, if you actually choose to feed someone with the final product.

 

Now you have me wondering about things like marinades or soups as excellent basis for spellwork! This is something I need to look into!

[Nikki]

Food for thought !!! Pun intended :)

[RoseRed]

I've always been told to cook "with love" and to picture the outcome

 

 

 

There are times when I refuse to cook simply because of the mood I'm in.  I really don't want my loved ones ingesting that.  It's the same with crocheting (it's knot magic).  I don't want a gift to include those vibes either (unless it's on purpose).

[uncertainfuture]

There are times when I refuse to cook simply because of the mood I'm in.  I really don't want my loved ones ingesting that.  It's the same with crocheting (it's knot magic).  I don't want a gift to include those vibes either (unless it's on purpose).

That makes perfect sense to me. I don't cook at home when I'm in a bad mood. (I'm glad I got into the make-ahead freezer meals a few yeas ago!) I embroider gifts for loved ones and I won't do it if I'm in a bad mood. I've always been like that. I want my presents to be made with love and with no negative energy surrounding them.

[RoseRed]

I've also found over the years that when I do crochet something with that type of vibe - it either gets put away or used as a display piece - but not actually used.

 

One of my dearest friends sent me a crocheted shawl.  It's the ugliest thing I own.  Every time I get sick or down or sad - I wrap up in it and feel the love that went into making it.  It is one of my most prized possessions.

[ArcticWitch]

There are times when I refuse to cook simply because of the mood I'm in.  I really don't want my loved ones ingesting that. 

 

Reminds me of the film "Like Water for Chocolate". 

[Nikki]

For me, pouring myself into cooking can be magical, however, actually spelling food is something different.

[ArcticWitch]

For me, pouring myself into cooking can be magical, however, actually spelling food is something different.

 

I agree.  Imbuing my desires, emotions, and thoughts into a dish is totally different than "programming" the food to serve a specific function via a spell.

[RoseRed]

 Imbuing my desires, emotions, and thoughts into a dish is totally different than "programming" the food to serve a specific function via a spell.

 

Sounds like magic to me.

 

Is it technically a spell?  No.  For me - this way works better.

[uncertainfuture]

Reminds me of the film "Like Water for Chocolate". 

Off topic: ever read the book? Really good.

[ArcticWitch]

 Sounds like magic to me.

 

I re-read my original post and am rolling my eyes at being rather ambiguous.  

 

There are times when I want to put myself into my food: just me, my contentedness or melancholy or enthusiasm.  I don't consider this true spellcasting.  But then there are times when I want my food to heal a person's oncoming head cold.  Or put them the fuck to sleep because they're annoying me.  At this point in defining my Path, I consider the latter two examples to be true casting.

 

Off topic: ever read the book? Really good.

 

No, but it's on my already-too-long list of books to read.

[RoseRed]

There are times when I want to put myself into my food: just me, my contentedness or melancholy or enthusiasm.  I don't consider this true spellcasting.  But then there are times when I want my food to heal a person's oncoming head cold.  Or put them the fuck to sleep because they're annoying me.  At this point in defining my Path, I consider the latter two examples to be true casting.

 

 

 

But it's all the same thing. 

 

You're imbuing the food with an emotion and or/goal.  The act of eating the food ignites the 'spell' or 'imbuing' within a person.  (It's also really cool for instant verification.)

 

I do understand your point about imbuing not being 'true spellcasting' but that'll depend upon the definition used for spell casting.  If a spell is always ingredients plus rhyme then - no, it's not.

[ArcticWitch]

But it's all the same thing. 

 

You're imbuing the food with an emotion and or/goal.  The act of eating the food ignites the 'spell' or 'imbuing' within a person.  (It's also really cool for instant verification.)

 

I do understand your point about imbuing not being 'true spellcasting' but that'll depend upon the definition used for spell casting.  If a spell is always ingredients plus rhyme then - no, it's not.

 

Sorry, I know I haven't been making much sense.  Hopefully this will explain...

 

I see spellcasting as a distinct form/method of magic.  Like scrying is different from hexing, and healing is different than travelling.  To borrow an analogy I've used before: I'm playing the same sheet of music, I just happen to be using different instruments depending on what I want to accomplish.  I'm not saying I'm wrong or correct, it's just how I tend to compartmentalize things.  

 

Is imbuing myself into my food a form of magic?  Absolutely, and I never meant to imply otherwise.  But the method and function of linking the food to the emotions I want to share with diners while they consume the meal... is a bit different than spelling the food to perform a function that, once cast, is separate from myself and becomes its own unique energy that might take a while to do its work.  

[RoseRed]

But the method and function of linking the food to the emotions I want to share with diners while they consume the meal... is a bit different than spelling the food to perform a function that, once cast, is separate from myself and becomes its own unique energy that might take a while to do its work. 

 

 

 

Can  you give an example?   Please.  I'm trying to understand this but I could use a visual.

 

The ways that I imbue and cast are similar to each other  when I cook.  I think we're doing things differently (in the kitchen) than each other and I'd love to hear more if you're willing.

[Wexler]

And I'm over here thinking of the 10 Fast Food Places I Could Go For Lunch.

[ArcticWitch]

Can  you give an example?   Please.  I'm trying to understand this but I could use a visual.

 

The ways that I imbue and cast are similar to each other  when I cook.  I think we're doing things differently (in the kitchen) than each other and I'd love to hear more if you're willing.

 

There was mention, either on a thread or in the chat room, about the hierarchy of baneful workings: a jinx being the mildest, a hex being moderate, and a curse being the most powerful.  I'm unaware of a similar system established/accepted for quantifying non-baneful workings, but my intuition tells me that there is indeed a distinction between a simple imbuing and a semi-ritualistic spell-casting in the matters of food and cookery.

 

If I want to imbue the food with certain feelings meant to enhance the diners' experience in my home (positive or negative, depending on how I feel about them), I simply raise a teensy bit of energy and focus the simple intent/emotion through myself, through the spoon, and into the pot.  Usually when I feed a crowd, it's something like jambalaya or chowder, which is a bit easier to imbue than six individual packets of salmon en papillote...but more on that later.  The intent- if you can even call it that- is just meant to be a very fleeting influence (a way for me to communicate/convey my essence to them, I guess?), lasting as long as it takes the diner to eat.  [Tangent observation: although there are zero elements of a 'reveal spell' in my imbuing, this summer I've noticed that I can gauge diners' emotional and psychological well-being based on how much they eat and how they react to the food.  Humans are delightfully obvious in their reactions to when a void inside- whether they were aware of it or not- is being filled.  Yo-yo dieters with a horrible body image don't stand a chance at my place.]

 

However, if I want to actually cast a spell with the food, I go about things differently.  I probably don't have to use a different amethod than a simple imbuing, but it's become habit at this point.  I'll go out of my way to use spices and herbs (the latter of which may or may not be a proper culinary herb ;) ) that I associate with the intent of my working.  If the situation that I'm trying to remedy seems to call for it, I'll go so far as to write down a spell to be verbally delivered while spelling the pot.  Every time, however, I use my favorite wooden spoon to draw my personal sigil into the food if it's a gooey food, like soup or casserole, or will use the same spoon and draw the sigil in the air over the meal after it's cooked but before it's served (i.e.- a roasted chicken).  The reason I differentiate imbuing versus spelling is because casting a spell is intended to influence much more than the diner's mood only during the meal.  I may cast a spell of relaxation in the food for a visitor who moans about the need to rest and recharge for the weekend.  I've spelled my partner's food many times to relieve him of work-related aches and pains.  I spelled my alcoholic mother-in-law's first meal during her extended stay this summer so she wouldn't feel the need to drink whiskey while on my property; the spell worked perfectly.

 

When working a baneful spell with food, though, I serve the food restaurant-style (plating the food for my diners) and will do the baneful spell on the individual bowl/plate for my target (still using the sigil technique).  That technique hasn't failed in my limited experience.

 

I have no idea if my technique is "proper" or not- I haven't really studied kitchen witchery, instead favoring personal experimentation and observation of results.

[RoseRed]

I am seriously undereducated in kitchen witchery.

[Belwenda]

Me too- what good ideas!