mike777 Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 The trick to being able to whip up a good meal in an hour lies in knowing what you're doing and in having the stuff you need on hand. Well preparing a meal includes shopping time and driving time. Lets count all the time not just some. No doubt knowing what you are doing in the kitchen will save alot of time. Heck just preparing a nice table setting takes time. :) That is why going out to a nice meal is an event, it takes time.No doubt some posters can make a lovely meal in an under an hour, I just could not replicate a true 4 star meal in one hour, start to finish....or a week. Yes sauces take time..... btw 3 stars is a pretty high rating. Even a one star rating puts you near the top of the best. http://www.michelinguide.com/us/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fluffy Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 The trick to being able to whip up a good meal in an hour lies in knowing what you're doing and in having the stuff you need on hand. Still there are many dishes that you cannot cook in an hour. Like Spaghetti with tomato sauce, as Mike says. I eat a lot of spaghetti, and it takes around 20 minutes to prepare them, the tomato sacue is bought prepared though wich obviously makes the difference. (I enjoy the industrial sauce more than any other) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrothgar Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 btw 3 stars is a pretty high rating. Even a one star rating puts you near the top of the best. http://www.michelinguide.com/us/index.html It should be fairly obvious that any restaurant described as "4 Star" is using something other than the Michelin scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggwhiz Posted June 28, 2009 Report Share Posted June 28, 2009 Oysters Rockefeller are not that tough off a googled recipe. Time consuming? yup. Worth it? I wish I was 22 again. All you really need to do is define "occasion" and if you prefer a high scale restaurant, fine but I would pay attention to a lifelong skill that you are well on the way to. Practice will pay dividends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjbrr Posted June 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 I like delivery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobowolf Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 First choice, Indian. Second choice, Indian. Third choice, Indian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike777 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 First choice, Indian. Second choice, Indian. Third choice, Indian. 1) First I was hungry for some yuppie chinese...PF chang yearly run2) now I need to find a good India place......:rolleyes: Granted I am the last person who knows good India from bad India food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlall Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 This poll makes me miss NY so much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aberlour10 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 I find making sauces takes much more (active) time than just about anything else. (Especially Indian sauces, which always seem to require caramelizing massive amounts of onions and shallots) However, most sauces keep. And once you have a nice select of sauces in the freezer / fridge you can make something pretty good with minimal effort. Making my favourite spaghetti sauce "alla Bolognese" takes me between 2,5-3 hours, At the first look an easy and fast receipt, but all these small details done in the "right time" bring foremost the result I am full satisfy with. ( after years of trying :P Unfortunately in this case...after freezing and warming up, the taste is different, not so much but I dont like it this way. Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackshoe Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 If you're inviting your new girl friend over for spaghetti dinner, by all means make the sauce fresh on the day. If you're planning the next month's meals, make some sauce and freeze it to save time on the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjbrr Posted June 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Agree with buying sauce in a jar. Agree with buying frozen ravioli, boiling it for 5 minutes and draining. One package lasts for 4 very large meals. There is so little value in making my own sauce/pasta that I can't believe anyone would even suggest it. The opportunity cost associated makes the time required very prohibitive. Ie I have much more important things to do with my evenings. Don't understand how you possibly have so many extra hours to squander in the kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helene_t Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Don't understand how you possibly have so many extra hours to squander in the kitchen. Lol. Unless you work 16*7 hours you have some spare time. Which can be used for watching telly, playing bridge, cooking, whatever. I always bake my own bread. But I too lazy to cook for myself, beyond throwing some random veggies in the pan with some eggs and cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrothgar Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Don't understand how you possibly have so many extra hours to squander in the kitchen. Some people derive utility from cooking In my own case, if I am just cooking for myself I'll normally just grab something from the fridge and slam it on the stove. However, I genuinely enjoy those occasions where a group of friends will get togehter and we collaberate on a fancy meal hile bitching about who knows what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aberlour10 Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Don't understand how you possibly have so many extra hours to squander in the kitchen. Cooking makes sometimes fun, I spend mostly 2-3 Saturday afternoons in month preparing my favourite dishes which takes > 1h. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matmat Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Don't understand how you possibly have so many extra hours to squander in the kitchen. it's funny. in my experience there are very few dishes that require hours to prepare. There are certainly those that cook/roast/bake for a very long time, but then I can do other things, don't have to stand over the stove... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 This poll makes me miss NY so much... And LA County for me (for the food anyway). In Orange County: 1 good Indian place (for my money anyway): 0 Chinese0 Peruvian Lots of sushi and Mexican, but so what :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjbrr Posted June 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 This poll makes me miss NY so much... And LA County for me (for the food anyway). In Orange County: 1 good Indian place (for my money anyway): 0 Chinese0 Peruvian Lots of sushi and Mexican, but so what :( I'm sure you simply just aren't looking hard enough for a good Chinese or Peruvian recipe, Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobowolf Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 This poll makes me miss NY so much... And LA County for me (for the food anyway). In Orange County: 1 good Indian place (for my money anyway): 0 Chinese0 Peruvian Lots of sushi and Mexican, but so what :( What's your Indian place in the OC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherdanno Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Agree with buying sauce in a jar. Agree with buying frozen ravioli, boiling it for 5 minutes and draining. One package lasts for 4 very large meals. There is so little value in making my own sauce/pasta that I can't believe anyone would even suggest it. The opportunity cost associated makes the time required very prohibitive. Ie I have much more important things to do with my evenings. Don't understand how you possibly have so many extra hours to squander in the kitchen. Ok, so you dislike the Italian option because you can make the food at home. Then when someone points out that a good, simple Italian dish takes hours to prepare, you complain that it is a waste of time. And you complain about the rest of the posters not being productive.Let's play some bridge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjbrr Posted June 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Agree with buying sauce in a jar. Agree with buying frozen ravioli, boiling it for 5 minutes and draining. One package lasts for 4 very large meals. There is so little value in making my own sauce/pasta that I can't believe anyone would even suggest it. The opportunity cost associated makes the time required very prohibitive. Ie I have much more important things to do with my evenings. Don't understand how you possibly have so many extra hours to squander in the kitchen. Ok, so you dislike the Italian option because you can make the food at home. Then when someone points out that a good, simple Italian dish takes hours to prepare, you complain that it is a waste of time. And you complain about the rest of the posters not being productive.Let's play some bridge? huh? I went to the Italian place on father's day weekend and loved it. Nothing I ordered was anything I would have any clue how to make at home, nor would I want to try given how good this place made it. I ordered a great deal of seafood, which, as far as I've experienced, requires a great amount of skill to execute perfectly. My point was I wouldn't get spaghetti and meatballs, which I believe is exactly what I said earlier. How you took this to mean I don't like the Italian option is beyond me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted June 29, 2009 Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 What's your Indian place in the OC? Saagar Used to go there for lunch all the time since it was very close to my office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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