Corn Sugar: As tasty as it is healthy!

[brellium]

Terry Pratchett expressed this in one of his Discworld novels as the "Economy of good boots."  A good pair of boots (in the real world) costs $150-200.  If cared for and worn regularly, they can last 10 years or more.  A cheap pair of boots costs $50 and will last a year (while not being nearly as comfortable or effective).  A wealthy person buys the expensive boots, maybe gets them resoled a couple of times at $25-40, and has good, comfortable, good looking boots for a decade at a cost of $250 or less.  A poor person can't come up with that much money, buys the cheap boots, replaces them every year, spending $500 over the same decade for sore, wet feet in crappy boots.  I have *just* such a pair of boots I wore through most of my 20's, and they're still in good shape (had them resoled right before I got into game development and cargo short + sandals qualified as "business casual").

I can save more money on a grocery trip to Sam's than a poor person can afford to pay in one shot, even if they had the large vehicle to transport the results, and the extra large freezer and shelves in a garage to store a month's worth of basic provisions.  I can buy better food, more of it, and never have to even *consider* going hungry, while actually spending less.  The difference between me and most of those suburban Sam's Club shoppers is that I spent the 70's as a child of a single mother who was trying to reboot her career, and know what it's like to be on the bad side of that expense curve.  I don't think I'm morally superior because I escaped it, I know how hard it was and how much my mother gave up to make it happen, and how *lucky* we were that it worked.  A bad break here or there, and we wouldn't have.

A poor person can't afford a new, fuel-efficient car, that it is new enough to not need much maintenance.  Or to live so far from work every driver needs their own car, but their kids go to good schools.  Poor people often don't lack ambition, or willingness to put in the effort, what they lack is the capital to invest to make their lives better.  "Welfare Queens" and "Horatio Alger" are both *fiction*.

--Dave

You are out of your godamn mind.

ooooh, that's right I need to buy new shoes today

[Numtini]

I actually think my rice made in a regular pot is better than made in my rice cooker. Though mine is a 10 year old $20 target special. But I can't just toss it in a pan and walk away, get caught up in something in a game and lose an extra hour, and come back to nearly perfect rice. I can do that with a rice cooker. We are interested in replacing it with a fuzzy logic model if people have recommendations. (Edit: I checked Cooks Illustrated and for non-fuzzy they recommend the same Sanyo ECJ-N55W one referenced above.)

And fuck farmer's markets. Sorry, but we're having our second year with a rotten CSA that leaves me wishing their vegetables were as fresh as the ones at Stop and Shop. Slimy greens; corn that's sat so long the husks are harvest brown, the kernels sunken, and there's no flavor left; squishy rotten potatos--half of our CSA goes directly into the bin. And all the farmers markets but one are during the work week because everyone here is retired. (I suspect our CSA is whatever they can't sell at the farmer's market and is about to or has already gone bad.)

You can get plenty of real food right at the supermarket. Frozen veg preparation amounts to put in water, bring to a boil, drain and server and for frozen veg, one advantage is that usually the "generic store brand" are the ones that don't have added sauce, butter, and all that crap and end up cheaper. Trader Joe's frozen green beans and petite peas are out of this world wonderful.

[Mrbloodworth]

Anyway, the discussion about eating healthier is great and all and we should try.

However I think the main point of this thread, and the OP is, they will stop at nothing until HFCS is in everything you buy, this name change moves that forward. I still find it highly amusing that the only reason HFCS is even used is because of the subsidies making it cheaper to produce (even if its really really not).

Talk about fucked from start to finish. Now its "Corn Sugar"   The FDC has it under the "Generally recognized as safe" category. That instills confidence.

[Bunk]

Zero effort? There is no cooking implement in the world that sucks to clean more than a rice cooker.

Ok, this I don't get. I have a $25 rice cooker from WalMart. You put in 1.5 cups rice and 1.5 cups water. Plug it in, hit the button. It turns itself off 15 minutes later.

Now I honestly don't know what the inside of those huge $200 rice machines is made of, but the little aluminum pot in my cheapo is a breeze to clean.
When you are done, scoop most of the rice out and leave the lid off. Next morning, the rice has dried up and comes out in one big hardened chunk. Usually just leaves a little bit stuck on the bottom. I put it in the sink, fill it with hot water and a splash of soap. Five minutes later it takes three seconds to clean with a scrubbing pad. If I'm really lazy, I throw the pot in the dishwasher.

I'm gonna get a bit long winded hear, as this is a topic that bugs me. It took me till my mid thirties to finally convince myself to start learning to cook properly, and I've never looked back. I still cheat from time to time, and usually have a few "instant" meals around for really lazy nights, but I make a serious point of cooking at least three or four times a week, and treating myself to takeout sushi at least once. If I am going to go lazy, one of my staples is a pack of Mister Noodles with a cup of frozen peas (or brocolli if I have it), using a little no msg chicken stock and a dose of curry powder. Five minute meal, that isn't that bad for you, and costs under $1.

The first thing I had to learn was that its ok not to have four different foods on the plate for dinner like mom always made. Especially if you are cooking for yourself. Then learn what is and isn't affordable. Cooking for yourself is not cheap if you try buying steak every night. Some samples of things I get at my local Price Mart:

Staples - I buy this stuff when I need it
- biggest f'ing bag of Jasmine Rice you can carry - cheap, works as filler to almost any meal
- dried pasta - whatever kind you want, cheap as hell, keeps forever, works as filler
- big bottle of no-name olive oil - not cheap, but can be used sparingly
- bulk spices, because most of us don't have the patience for an herb garden - invest in your spices once, then just replace the ones you use regularly
- box of Panko breadcrumbs - yes, there may be some shit added to them , but they work so well with different meats
- canned tuna or salmon, when on sale - even the good pacific sockeye is only $2 per can
- couple onions and cloves of garlic
- small chunk of Parmesan - expensive, but lasts forever - only grate what you need
- beans of some sort - kidney, chickpeas, whatever you like. Works as a meat sub in most meals
- carton of eggs
- block of no-name cheddar - it's only expensive if you snack on the stuff. Force yourself to leave it for cooking.
- chicken stock

Meat - some I buy bulk and freeze the extras, some I buy on the way home based on what I feel like that night
- pack of two pork roasts, about $9 - enough meat for at least four meals, second one goes in the freezer
- bulk pack of pork chops, even cheaper than chicken, waaay cheaper than beef
- bulk pack of 12 bone-in skinless chicken thighs, under $8 - was shocked to discover that chicken is half the price with the bone in. Takes less than 30 seconds to remove the bone with a decent knife
- Italian sausage - four links for about three bucks. Two links squeezed out are enough meat for me to make dinner and lunch the next day with pasta
- decent sized snapper fillet - about $3

Add in the occasional fresh veggies - usually bell peppers to accent something, mushrooms, a head of broccoli when I'm in the mood. Yes, I shood eat more veggies - I drink low-sodium, high fibre V8 every morning to get my fix.

That list there covers pretty much everything I need to make more than a dozen different meals, most of which take less than 30 minutes to prepare, start to finish. Items I make myself on a regular basis include:

Breaded pork schnitzel, breaded snapper, salmon cakes, Italian sausage/chicken and linguine, pulled pork, chicken vindaloo, an everything omlette, chickpea curry, pasta salad, etc. I learned to make all of those by looking up recipes online, watching Iron Chef, or just plain experimenting. I can make every one of them with under twenty minutes prep time (some of them have to simmer). Half of them use under $5 worth of ingredients and there's often enough to take leftovers for lunch to work the next day.

As winter comes, things will shift - I'll start buying potatoes, yams, occasional squash, stewing beef, that sort of thing, and progress to heartier meals like stews and chili.

I am by no means an expert cook. I know many of you here could cook circles around me, but I am able to make decent tasting meals that I enjoy. The whole secret was just learning the basics - browning meat, simmering onions and garlic, running a rice cooker, how to thicken a sauce. Then it was just a matter of being willing to experiment (and being willing to eat what I made when the experiments failed).

[dusematic]

bulk pack of 12 bone-in skinless chicken thighs, under $8 - was shocked to discover that chicken is half the price with the bone in. Takes less than 30 seconds to remove the bone with a decent knife

At my grocery store they regularly have boneless chicken breast on sale for $1.99 lb.  I've seen chicken thighs on sale (rarely) for as cheap as $.99 lb. but usually for $1.49 lb.  However, you've got to realize the bones aren't weightless.  Not to mention the ease and efficiency of dealing with boneless breasts versus little bone-in thighs.  Food for thought.

[voodoolily]

I actually think my rice made in a regular pot is better than made in my rice cooker. Though mine is a 10 year old $20 target special. But I can't just toss it in a pan and walk away, get caught up in something in a game and lose an extra hour, and come back to nearly perfect rice. I can do that with a rice cooker. We are interested in replacing it with a fuzzy logic model if people have recommendations. (Edit: I checked Cooks Illustrated and for non-fuzzy they recommend the same Sanyo ECJ-N55W one referenced above.)

And fuck farmer's markets. Sorry, but we're having our second year with a rotten CSA that leaves me wishing their vegetables were as fresh as the ones at Stop and Shop. Slimy greens; corn that's sat so long the husks are harvest brown, the kernels sunken, and there's no flavor left; squishy rotten potatos--half of our CSA goes directly into the bin. And all the farmers markets but one are during the work week because everyone here is retired. (I suspect our CSA is whatever they can't sell at the farmer's market and is about to or has already gone bad.)

You can get plenty of real food right at the supermarket. Frozen veg preparation amounts to put in water, bring to a boil, drain and server and for frozen veg, one advantage is that usually the "generic store brand" are the ones that don't have added sauce, butter, and all that crap and end up cheaper. Trader Joe's frozen green beans and petite peas are out of this world wonderful.

You need a different CSA.

[Hoax]

There have been so many times I wish we kept a record of the actually useful life threads somewhere so I could refer back with ease. This thread, the shaving thread, the poker thread, the beer thread etc.

[voodoolily]

At my grocery store they regularly have boneless chicken breast on sale for $1.99 lb.  I've seen chicken thighs on sale (rarely) for as cheap as $.99 lb. but usually for $1.49 lb.  However, you've got to realize the bones aren't weightless.  Not to mention the ease and efficiency of dealing with boneless breasts versus little bone-in thighs.  Food for thought.

Food shouldn't be that cheap! Not unless it was produced in the cheapest possible way. THAT'S food for thought.

[dusematic]

Well, I suppose if there is one benefit of CAFO's it's the price.

[Soln]

I'm going to start investigating/hoarding dried goods.  It's apparent that having containers of dried beans, rice, pasta, oats, flour, spices is the way to go.  Having to soak some bean soup mix overnight in order to have a multiple meals is a good cost.

[Samwise]

And fuck farmer's markets. Sorry, but we're having our second year with a rotten CSA

Getting a CSA box is not the same as going to a farmers' market where you can see what you're buying (and buy what you want without having it bundled with a dozen cantaloupes).  CSA boxes are just a way for farms to get rid of vegetables that they wouldn't be able to sell any other way.  

[Numtini]

You need a different CSA.

Yeah, I know. This is actually the second one and is definitely better than last years which we dubbed The Soviet CSA. It was almost nothing but endless bitter bitter (I think it was dandelion) mixed salad greens. Like two or three gallons a week. At least with this years, there's a regular supply of zucchini--last year's couldn't even manage that. I think these are the only two available on Cape.

Anyway part vent and part sometimes the earthy crunchy food stuff isn't all that and you don't need to do it in order to get real food.

[Samwise]

It was almost nothing but endless bitter bitter (I think it was dandelion) mixed salad greens. Like two or three gallons a week.

This was also my experience while I was getting a CSA box.  That and the endless supply of melons, which I hate.  And sometimes vegetables that I did like, but couldn't use up thirty pounds of each week (leeks).  The box SOUNDS like a good deal until you end up pitching two thirds of it as compost.

[voodoolily]

Mine has been pitching me 5lbs of carrots and 2 bunches of some type of crucifer every week. It's summer, people! But they're not stingy with avocados, so that's a plus.

[Mrbloodworth]

Rename to cooking thread.

[voodoolily]

There's already a cooking thread.

[Sky]

Yeah, but that chick doesn't post here any more 

[dusematic]

I think I got harried out of that thread for being a dick anyway.  I'll be making grilled pork loin marinaded in a mojo criollo and wrapped in spinach tonight.  Side vegetable TBD.

[voodoolily]

I have no idea wtf to make for dinner tonight. I've spent all afternoon making and canning (seedless!) blackberry-elderflower jam and Moroccan eggplant jam.

[LK]

You know what's better than a cooking thread? A cooking class thread. Someone experienced puts out a recipe, maybe something for the weekend, instructions, and we all talk about it, repeat. I mean, that's how adults learn shit nowadays don't they?

[dusematic]

Kind of like one of those gaming threads on Something Awful, but for food?  Brilliant.

[Malakili]

I mean, when people say that they "aren't cooks." I don't know what that means.  I'm "not a cook" in that I've never had any training whatsoever, but it's just a life skill, like tying your shoelaces, that you tend to pickup.  Especially with the internet now, I don't see what the big deal is.  Simple cooking isn't an art or a science.  Everything doesn't have to be Alton Fucking Brown.  If you can read, and you aren't a completely incompetent fuck, you can cook.

This is basically true.  I just started cooking a lot in college and never looked back.  My roommate and I started just trying to make something different every sunday?  Did we have a cookbook, no!  did we fail sometimes and make crap, yes!   In the end though, you just ....cook...  I consider myself pretty decent at it now, but its not like I have a single second of formal training, just...cook stuff.

Oh also re: bread, I suggest making your own, you can do it for very cheap and don't need anything special with certain recipes.  I make my own bagels weekly and my own loafs of bread when I'm in the mood for it. 

[CmdrSlack]

Let's Cook. I like it.

I just ordered some heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo so I can try this soup recipe that calls for yellow-eyed beans. I'm lucky because my wife still works at Whole Foods and we get a 27% discount. (At WFM, not Rancho Gordo.)

I generally cook from fresh ingredients every night. I buy the meat-based proteins I need the day I need 'em, and because I know the guys at the meat and seafood counters, I generally get a better deal than your average asshole. I was trying a salmon recipe the other day that required butterflying the fish. This is in addition to de-boning and removing the skin. My friend did that for me while I grabbed some turnips and wine. I got out the door for under 30 bucks, with enough food to provide killer leftovers for several days of work lunches.

My grandfather taught me how to cook when I was very small. He cooked by taste and feel, not by measuring. The only exception was, obviously, baked goods and pastries and whatnot. Given my wife's job, I can buy my milk, meat, fish, and eggs at WFM for less than the cost of a normal supermarket. I don't have to worry about hormone or antibiotic treated foods.

We use lots of rice and beans in our cooking, as well as fresh greens and whatnot. My mom lets me plant some stuff in her garden every year (our northern exposure won't let me container garden), and I reap the benefits in the late summer and fall. My next mission is growing grains and hops in her yard next year. I brew my own beer, and I'd like my own hop and grain supply once in a while.

Cooking ain't hard. Everyone makes it seem like a big chore. I find sharpening knives on steel, chopping stuff, and making a tasty damn meal that I can also eat as lunch for a few days to be soothing, awesome, and largely kickass. My co-workers have been lobbying for a stove in our new office space (our office lost its roof to a tornado in June), simply because I've agreed to cook our Friday meeting lunch each week.

Even without my line on cheap yuppie food, I can convert this to "buy the basic shit at Aldi and buy the good meat at WFM" and probably spend less money than I do now.

Cooking on the cheap is all about tasting as you go and knowing how to not murder shitty cuts of meat. The rest is wankery and plating.

[Sky]

I filleted my first trout last night. Been wanting to get back into fishing. Kid who sang in my band was basically a caveman, the most amazing hunter I've ever met (and I've known a lot). So I spent a lot of time in the woods with him, but he always did the processing.

I made a bit of a mess of it, but got all but three rib bones out, didn't pierce the skin and the fillets were completely intact. Pan fried in butter with s&p and a twist of lime. Awesome.

Slack, you hone on steel, sharpen on stone :P Also, skin has flavor and fat (omega 3s in there?), I leave it on. Some like to eat it, some don't. I find it has a lot of flavor. I'd love to get some hops growing, this region was a major supplier of hops in the past (madison county, anyway, same climate/conditions), so they'll do well here. Now I just need to finally get my homebrew kit started, I've been dropping hints that it would make a great xmas gift...

[Nebu]

Kid who sang in my band was basically a caveman, the most amazing hunter I've ever met (and I've known a lot). So I spent a lot of time in the woods with him, but he always did the processing.

You played in a band with Nugent?   

You can learn a LOT about food, cooking, and eating by doing a little survival training.  I'm a very picky eater by nature but will quickly change my song when I'm forced to live off of the land.  After three or four days without food, you become a lot less picky.  I recommend the experience to anyone.

[dusematic]

Cooking ain't hard. Everyone makes it seem like a big chore. I find sharpening knives on steel, chopping stuff, and making a tasty damn meal that I can also eat as lunch for a few days to be soothing, awesome, and largely kickass.

Exac.  Taking discrete and disparate ingredients and integrating them into one cohesive meal is, in a word, satisfying.

[Furiously]

Plus you find that blue cheese actually does go with everything.

[Bunk]

I filleted my first trout last night. Been wanting to get back into fishing. Kid who sang in my band was basically a caveman, the most amazing hunter I've ever met (and I've known a lot). So I spent a lot of time in the woods with him, but he always did the processing.

I made a bit of a mess of it, but got all but three rib bones out, didn't pierce the skin and the fillets were completely intact. Pan fried in butter with s&p and a twist of lime. Awesome.

Slack, you hone on steel, sharpen on stone :P Also, skin has flavor and fat (omega 3s in there?), I leave it on. Some like to eat it, some don't. I find it has a lot of flavor. I'd love to get some hops growing, this region was a major supplier of hops in the past (madison county, anyway, same climate/conditions), so they'll do well here. Now I just need to finally get my homebrew kit started, I've been dropping hints that it would make a great xmas gift...

Panfried trout (with the skin) is just amazing. I've never had the nerve to try filleting one, so I just fry it whole. Lite dusting of flour, a little seasoned salt, fried in butter.

[voodoolily]

Plus you find that blue cheese actually does go with everything.

Especially grits.

I just got in on a cheese CSA this month. Got a 1 lb wedge of Parm Redge (the real stuff!) for only $10, plus a nice hunk of Rogue Creamery cave-aged blue. This shit is amazing.

[Nebu]

You guys are broken.  Given a choice between eating crickets and blue cheese, crickets wins in a landslide.  Blue cheese and Feta are just too powerful of a flavor.  They overwhelm my palate with the tiniest amounts. 

[voodoolily]

You guys are broken.  Given a choice between eating crickets and blue cheese, crickets wins in a landslide.  Blue cheese and Feta are just too powerful of a flavor.  They overwhelm my palate with the tiniest amounts. 

If you add them to a starchy food like mashed potatoes (or grits!), this isn't as much an issue - starch molecules are huge and clog up the olfactory receptors fairly quickly, and you'll only taste the other thing for the first few bites. That's why starches tend to take so much fat and salt to be good.

[Nebu]

If you add them to a starchy food like mashed potatoes (or grits!), this isn't as much an issue - starch molecules are huge and clog up the olfactory receptors fairly quickly, and you'll only taste the other thing for the first few bites. That's why starches tend to take so much fat and salt to be good.

She says to the biochemist.   

It is good info though. 

[Cyrrex]

You guys are broken.  Given a choice between eating crickets and blue cheese, crickets wins in a landslide.  Blue cheese and Feta are just too powerful of a flavor.  They overwhelm my palate with the tiniest amounts. 

Have you ever tried blue cheese on top of your crickets?  Fucking yum!

This thread is supposed to be about HFCS Corn Sugar, I just remembered.

[Mrbloodworth]

This thread is supposed to be about HFCS Corn Sugar, I just remembered.

I gave up a bit ago :)

[CmdrSlack]

I filleted my first trout last night. Been wanting to get back into fishing. Kid who sang in my band was basically a caveman, the most amazing hunter I've ever met (and I've known a lot). So I spent a lot of time in the woods with him, but he always did the processing.

I made a bit of a mess of it, but got all but three rib bones out, didn't pierce the skin and the fillets were completely intact. Pan fried in butter with s&p and a twist of lime. Awesome.

Slack, you hone on steel, sharpen on stone :P Also, skin has flavor and fat (omega 3s in there?), I leave it on. Some like to eat it, some don't. I find it has a lot of flavor. I'd love to get some hops growing, this region was a major supplier of hops in the past (madison county, anyway, same climate/conditions), so they'll do well here. Now I just need to finally get my homebrew kit started, I've been dropping hints that it would make a great xmas gift...

I generally leave the skin on fish. I have this one recipe I want to try that says to remove it. I figure I'll defer to the dudes at the fish counter.