pandemic pantry - food, getting it, storing it, baking during lockdown

[Boogiepop]

i'm dying to hear more about the wondermill. i've had my eye on the wondermill or the nutrigrain classic. is your new mill easy to use and clean? not too loud considering it's a mill? anything else worthy of note? my husband is more interested in the wonder junior deluxe, which is a manual mill. Invalid Link Removed

i make a quick, easy pizza dough and press it flat rather than rolling. but i'm considering personal size pizzas since i just got a tortilla press.



if you're expecting power outages, it doesn't make any sense at all. powdered milk and bread making ingredients might work better.

The WonderMill is electric, and a full hopper can produce 12 cups of flour. You can set the grind from cake to bread to coarse and anything in between.

It's a bit loud, about vacuum cleaner dB level, though a different timbre. If you're grinding a whole bunch, some ear protection might be nice (but isn't absolutely necessary).

The separate bin for the flour is plastic, and is quite easy to clean. If you want to save the flour for later, there's a snap-on lid.

B.

 

[Tom Bomb]

If you're grinding a whole bunch, some ear protection might be nice …

'ear 'ear.

 

[LBS-bass]

Our housemate made a big vat of soup a few days ago and I've not needed to cook anything at all for a few days. He loves to cook and he's good at it. He's making popcorn in the kitchen now. We're getting a little spoiled and I'm trying to figure out if I can convince him to live here forever, but I doubt that's going to fly. It's good having him here during this situation, though.

 

[KohanMike]

I like this thread Patty. I'm single so I don't need a lot. I've cooked for a long time and I'm always stocked, when I go shopping now, I buy only the few things that I've run out of. Not into baking, but do cook a variety of dishes.

I recently bought a sous vide (suvee) device and an air fryer, which is nothing more than a countertop convection oven. Both are serving me very well during this time. The sous vide heats and circulates water in which you insert a vacuum sealed bag of food and cooks it evenly. I recently made a porterhouse steak and pork chop, finishing them in the air fryer, they came out so much better than I've ever done before. The air fryer has a rotisserie, so I buy small game hens, which fit it perfectly.

Having gained too much weight, my blood pressure is up, so I've been cooking with not much salt. I make faro with black beans, use low sodium salsa verde to which I add avocado, did stock up on a couple packages of pasta. I also bought a small extruder/stuffer to make my own low sodium hot dog/sausages.

Between the cooking, doing twice a week Zoom sessions with 45 of my seniors uke group, practicing, watching lots of DVR saved shows and movies, I'm keeping well occupied,

 

[pcake]

Our housemate made a big vat of soup a few days ago and I've not needed to cook anything at all for a few days. He loves to cook and he's good at it. He's making popcorn in the kitchen now. We're getting a little spoiled and I'm trying to figure out if I can convince him to live here forever, but I doubt that's going to fly. It's good having him here during this situation, though.

mmmmm.... soup....

i think i'll make an instant pot garbanzo bean soup tomorrow. i have canned tomatoes, fresh onions and celery that need to be used, spices and garbanzos.

I like this thread Patty. I'm single so I don't need a lot. I've cooked for a long time and I'm always stocked, when I go shopping now, I buy only the few things that I've run out of. Not into baking, but do cook a variety of dishes.

I recently bought a sous vide (suvee) device and an air fryer, which is nothing more than a countertop convection oven. Both are serving me very well during this time. The sous vide heats and circulates water in which you insert a vacuum sealed bag of food and cooks it evenly. I recently made a porterhouse steak and pork chop, finishing them in the air fryer, they came out so much better than I've ever done before. The air fryer has a rotisserie, so I buy small game hens, which fit it perfectly.

Having gained too much weight, my blood pressure is up, so I've been cooking with not much salt. I make faro with black beans, use low sodium salsa verde to which I add avocado, did stock up on a couple packages of pasta. I also bought a small extruder/stuffer to make my own low sodium hot dog/sausages.

Between the cooking, doing twice a week Zoom sessions with 45 of my seniors uke group, practicing, watching lots of DVR saved shows and movies, I'm keeping well occupied,

thank you

i've been doing a lot of no sodium or low sodium cooking lately. being a vegetarian, i've never gotten into sous vide, but i've been very curious about air fryers. do you mostly use yours for finishing your extra tender (or so i've heard) sous vide steaks and chicken?

glad to hear that you're keeping occupied and that your uke group is practicing. that''s awesome! not as much fresh air as the park, but at least you're still playing together.

i'm getting a vacuum sealer this week to store our foods and extend their shelf lives - well, food doesn't have a life, but you know what i mean.

 

[MynameisMe]

We use the air fryer for many vegetables. Last night I cooked Brussels sprouts on it but wasn’t happy with them. Makes them too tough. I like them softer.
However cauliflower, squash, sweet potatoes or any kind of potato is great in the air fryer.
Most potatoes I cook diced.
Most veggies with a little oil and some salt and pepper you’re good to go.
Bacon is magical in the air fryer!
Nearly any kind of meat is good in the air fryer.
Many recipes online.

 

[two fingers]

What I find puzzling is the absence of perishables like milk and bread which only last a couple of weeks. Hording those types of items makes no sense, yet the shelves are bare.

I mentioned this in another thread a couple of weeks ago. I simply didn't realize how much/often people eat out these days. I probably should have. You can't get a table in any good restaurant around here after 5:30 p.m. without waiting (pre C19). But I really think that's a big part of this. A lot of our food supplies chain was restaurants before. Now it's mostly grocery stores. In my area, meat is SCARCE. I know you can freeze it. But how many freezers could we possibly have? I think it's because people are cooking at home most meals for the first time in years. Plus, many are bored so they're sitting around eating. So more food is going into faces per week per person.

We've been fortunate enough so far to be able to keep a supply of fresh greens. Mrs.Fingers and I go through a ton of them. I put spinach in pretty much anything it won't ruin. She eats a salad for dinner probably 4+ times a week.

Dialing in leftovers (how much to make so everyone doesn't get tired of a meal before it's gone) is a way of life with kids. So we were ready for that.

One day a week I'm staying home with my girls. We sleep late. We have a full breakfast of bacon and eggs and such (of course, with spinach in my case). And by the time we're done with that it's 11:00 a.m. So we eat an afternoon snack rather than lunch.

Tonight it wing nigh though! We'll get takeout from a local joint.

Edit: Oh, and, for some reason people think you have to leave avocados out in room temp simply because the grocery store does. You don't. If they get ripe, and you're not ready to eat them or make guac, throw them in the fridge and that buys you a few days.

 

[Chad Michael]

All of this sounds much better than my dinner last night... I had peanut butter on saltines....

 

[Nedmundo]

Our food shopping and cooking have changed in a couple of major ways. For example, the hassle factor for shopping has increased, which I'm sure is true for just about everyone. At least we're lucky to have lots of options.

But our dining experience has otherwise improved thanks to the arrival of our wonderful South African niece (my brother's daughter), who had to move out of her college dorm in Upstate New York. Turns out she loves cooking, and is extremely good at it. She's made some delicious stuff, like crepes filled with a little honey, cinnamon, and lemon juice, which were delicious. Later, she made some naan-like bread on the stove out of Greek yogurt, flour, and a little baking powder (maybe a pinch of salt too). I'm not sure of the ratio of these ingredients, but it's surprisingly tasty bread that doesn't take long.

 

[KohanMike]

...but i've been very curious about air fryers. do you mostly use yours for finishing your extra tender (or so i've heard) sous vide steaks and chicken?

I cook the game hen fully in the air fryer, but first let the skin dry in the refrigerator over night to help make it crispy. The steak and pork chop was a first time trial this week from sous vide to air fryer. I've roasted vegetables and frozen no sodium french fries from Whole Foods in the air fryer, which cooks much faster than a regular oven, things will over cook quickly. I'm very careful with the time.

 

[pcake]

Our food shopping and cooking have changed in a couple of major ways. For example, the hassle factor for shopping has increased, which I'm sure is true for just about everyone. At least we're lucky to have lots of options.

But our dining experience has otherwise improved thanks to the arrival of our wonderful South African niece (my brother's daughter), who had to move out of her college dorm in Upstate New York. Turns out she loves cooking, and is extremely good at it. She's made some delicious stuff, like crepes filled with a little honey, cinnamon, and lemon juice, which were delicious. Later, she made some naan-like bread on the stove out of Greek yogurt, flour, and a little baking powder (maybe a pinch of salt too). I'm not sure of the ratio of these ingredients, but it's surprisingly tasty bread that doesn't take long.

sounds like your niece is very handy

my son made naan and he says it came out great. i'm trying it later today for the first time *crosses fingers*

 

[LBS-bass]

We are picking up our weekly curbside grocery order today. I don't recall everything we ordered but I will be happy to have flour, sugar, butter and cheese again. Eggs have not been a problem for us so far, we have been lucky. But once we take inventory of what we receive, we'll make some meal plans for the next few days. I think we ordered pork spare ribs and I will make spare ribs and sauerkraut soon if we did.

One of the biggest challenges for me is coming up with interesting dishes. I am inclined to just use what's around and make things like soups and stews to use things up, and in our pre-COVID days I would just as soon buy us dinner out when it was my turn to cook. We are mostly avoiding takeout so that's not really a possibility anymore.

Our housemate used to work as a cook and he's got a skillset that's way more versatile than mine, but I feel bad relying on him to feed us all the time. Yesterday he made us all homemade burritos and sometimes I think he would rather just make a snack for himself but feels obligated to ask us if we'd like something. So I am trying to take some of that pressure off of him to do all the cooking, but I run out of things I am good at making. I guess this would be a good time to start looking for interesting recipes.

 

[LBS-bass]

Just a follow-up. Is cheese the new TP? We did not receive the cheese we ordered in our curbside pickup. Other items were substituted, but cheese just didn't happen. We even got flour and butter and eggs. Hmm... I do not think I can function without cheese for a week, so I will be off in search of some tomorrow.

 

[pcake]

since we're not going out, i ran out of tofu, and for me, it's a staple i make into lots of things.

today i made tofu with a lazier method i found online - and it worked! i halved their recipe so it's

3 cups water
1 cup soy flour
1 1/2 Tbs vinegar

boil the water

gradually whisk in the soy flour

keep whisking and bring back to boil

add the vinegar and the soy flour magically forms curds.

they said to put it in a cheese cloth lined colander but i put it in a strainer and let it drain. since i don't have a tofu press, i pressed out the water till it formed a block. and voila!

i'm going to try it with regular tofu coagulant, but i had vinegar in the house. i used a large coffee grinder to make the flour, and i think a mill will be better because the finer the flour, the smoother the tofu. but this definitely did work, although i had to run the soy flour through the grinder several times to get the flour fine enough, and i sifted it so chunkier pieces wouldn't make it in.

now i have some cream of wheat textured soy grits - groats? - and i'm going to try and make them like cream of wheat later and see how it goes. if it tastes okay, it'll be the highest protein grain cereal.

 

[LBS-bass]

since we're not going out, i ran out of tofu, and for me, it's a staple i make into lots of things.

today i made tofu with a lazier method i found online - and it worked! i halved their recipe so it's

3 cups water
1 cup soy flour
1 1/2 Tbs vinegar

boil the water

gradually whisk in the soy flour

keep whisking and bring back to boil

add the vinegar and the soy flour magically forms curds.

they said to put it in a cheese cloth lined colander but i put it in a strainer and let it drain. since i don't have a tofu press, i pressed out the water till it formed a block. and voila!

i'm going to try it with regular tofu coagulant, but i had vinegar in the house. i used a large coffee grinder to make the flour, and i think a mill will be better because the finer the flour, the smoother the tofu. but this definitely did work, although i had to run the soy flour through the grinder several times to get the flour fine enough, and i sifted it so chunkier pieces wouldn't make it in.

now i have some cream of wheat textured soy grits - groats? - and i'm going to try and make them like cream of wheat later and see how it goes. if it tastes okay, it'll be the highest protein grain cereal.

That sounds good! A long time ago, in another lifetime, I used to make seitan from scratch, but I'll be darned if I can remember anything about the process.

 

[lowplaces]

I'm learning how to cook some stuff.

I don't have a stove right now. My landlord came over and borrowed it lol. He needed it for another rental property and it was too late to go buy one. I told him I was in no hurry for him to bring another one over. I reckon he took my word on that because it's been a year-and-a-half !

I'm good though. I just bought a large toaster/ convection oven and I love that thing. Pre-heats fast.

Anyhow since the pandemic hit, I've learned how to bake juicy/tender chicken breast and I think I've figured out how to cook Southern cornbread.

I'm also gaining weight

 

[MJ5150]

Snip.......One of the biggest challenges for me is coming up with interesting dishes......snip

We faced the same issue in our house. Then we found this website, The Spice House.
We like how it lets you search spices by region of the world, and search recipes that way too. You can even search by ingredient.
It's been fun choosing a part of the world we may be less familiar with, then finding recipes we both would like.
I also use an app on my Android phone called Cooklist. It takes some time to set up, but once you inventory in the app the food you have in your house, it suggests recipes based on what you told it you have in the pantry. It also creates shopping lists for you, and depending on what stores are available in your area, will put those items in the shopping cart of the grocery store you are going to/ordering from.
We have a menu board and plan our meals weekly. Both of those have been a huge help to diversify what we're eating and add some creativity.
Me though? I could eat pizza everyday and not complain once.

-Mike

 

[Playbyear]

Asparagus is plentiful and inexpensive at this time.


I like to prepare it this way:

1/4 cup olive oil, crush a couple good size cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 black pepper. Mix and coat the asparagus (trim off the bottom 1/4 of the stalks first) lay on a baking sheet, sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake in a 400* F oven until they are just tender. (10 to 15 min depending how thick a stalk)

(This works just as well with Brussels sprouts and many other vegetables. Add some crushed rosemary and it makes great potato wedges)

 

[MJ5150]

I don't care for asparagus, but I do like it diced up in a tamal. That's good eatin.

-Mike

 

[blastoff99]

Couldn't get wheat or yeast for my bread recipe (not that I actually eat much wheat, mind you, so I really don't know why this is suddenly a thing) so I made a sourdough starter. It has been a disaster!

The first person to get some discard followed my feeding instructions to a T. The instructions had an omission. The starter died.

The second person to get some discard got the starter home, left it on top of the fridge overnight, and it crawled out and made a bit of a mess. She then forgot to feed the rest of it. It died.

The third person to get discard used ALL of it in one bread recipe. She now wants more. This is a problem, because...

I made bread with some of my starter, and it was awful because of a really stupid thing I did. I have admitted some pretty personal stuff on this forum, but it will cut me far too deeply to fess up to this terrible culinary error. Since I'm sick (still) and cranky and exhausted, this has hit me far harder emotionally than it should. Meanwhile, I fed what's left of my starter wrong and am pretty sure I've killed it.

So that's how it's going here.