(For the previous post in this series, click here!)
I was seventeen. My mom and I sat in our living room, chatting over a cup of coffee, and I said, “Mom, will you teach me how to make Thanksgiving dinner all by myself?” She chuckled. There are eight of us in our immediate family, and we always entertained extra guests over holidays. She told me it would be a lot of work, and I assured her I was up for the challenge.
I didn’t realize I had signed up for days worth of preparation. It was eye-opening, because through my childhood eyes, beautiful, delicious Thanksgiving feasts seemed to magically appear on the table while I was distracted by play. I was never aware of what went on behind the scenes.
The agreement we made was that I would do all of the hands-on work, while my mom would direct and guide me. It was an awful lot like juggling. I’m very bad at juggling. My two weakest (physical) traits are depth perception and hand-eye coordination. Do not trust me to juggle. I had to make sure that the turkey was prepped and into the oven by this time, and precisely this many minutes later, I would put these four prepared sides in as well so that they were ready by this hour and could rest while I made space for these things. Meanwhile, every available kitchen surface was covered by dishes, serving platters, food… and waste. Or so I thought.
This was one of those adolescent moments where I realized my mom knows many things I don’t.
I boiled the potatoes and took the pot to the sink to drain them. My mom stopped me and said, “Don’t waste the potato water. We’re going to use that to make gravy.” It didn’t even occur to me that used potato water could actually be good for something. I chopped up vegetables for the salad and placed the peels and scraps into a bag to throw out. My mom stopped me and said, “Don’t toss those. We’re going to compost them to use in the garden for fertilizer.”
My dad hurried home from a last-minute grocery shop and tossed a loaf of day-old bread onto the counter. My mom said, “I asked for french bread for the stuffing. This is multigrain.” My flustered dad apologized and my mom said, “It’s okay. We can work with this.”
As I diced up the bread to make the stuffing, I pushed the crusts to the side. My mom said, “Don’t throw those away. We’re going to use them to make croutons.” Nothing was wasted.
Stop wasting food.
Prepping that Thanksgiving dinner was a crash course in how to use everything twice. Once you learn the myriad ways ingredients can be repurposed, you’ll spend less at the grocery store and have all kinds of amazing creations to show off. Here are some suggestions for how to use your discards:
- Simmer vegetable scraps in water for several hours for savory vegetable stock.
- Place your celery, green onion, or lettuce ends in a dish of water to regrow them.
- Use starchy pasta or potato water to help thicken a sauce or gravy.
- Chop stale bread into cubes, toss with oil and herbs, and bake until toasty for croutons.
- Pulse stale bread or crackers in a food processor to make your own breadcrumbs.
- Simmer meat bones with fat for bone broths and stocks.
- Blend fruits and vegetables past their prime in delicious smoothies.
- Use coffee grounds as nutrient-boosting compost for your plants or as a natural exfoliant for your skin.
- Re-imagine leftovers: made way too much rice? Toss with vegetables, oil, eggs, and spices for an egg fried rice. Tons of mashed potatoes? Mix in cheese, green onion, sour cream, and egg to make potato pancakes.
- Save easy-to-grab vegetable seeds (squash, cucumber, bell pepper) to start your own garden.
- Eat the whole vegetable! Chop broccoli stalks into stir fries or grate them into coleslaw. Mix beet and radish tops into salad for a major nutrient boost.
- After milk has started to sour, use it in baking, where you won’t be able to taste a difference.
- Toss cheese rinds into soups for rich flavor.
- Once your mustard or soy sauce gets down to the dregs, add a little water to the bottle, shake, and use as a base for salad dressing.
- Freeze citrus peels so you can use them for zest as needed.
There are countless ways you can make your food go further. I challenge you to come up with some new ideas of your own!
Learn some versatile basics you can always fall back on.
Grasping the theory of cooking is one of the kindest favors you can bestow upon yourself. Once you understand each ingredient’s function and how they work together, you aren’t subservient to a recipe. When you have room to experiment and substitute, there’s no reason to feel anxious in the kitchen. Cooking becomes therapy or artistic expression instead of a chore. Here are the top ten basics you should get down in order to feel self-assured and flexible in the kitchen:
- Bread. As long as you have flour and water, you’re well on your way. A typical bread product also contains salt, fat (milk, oil), and a leavening agent (yeast, baking soda). I suggest you pick an easy bread recipe and master it. After that, try out pizza dough, dumplings, pancakes, and pastry.
- Omelette. Pro tip: cook your omelette fillings ahead of time (better yet, use leftovers!) before your egg hits the pan. Whisk an egg with a splash or water or milk and a dash of salt. Pour into an evenly buttered pan over low heat and season with pepper and herbs. Once the egg is mostly set with no more liquid, add whatever fillings you’d like. Fold the omelette in half with your turner, then serve.
- Soup/Stew. There are endless variations – chicken noodle, tomato, beef bourguignon, chili… The only defining characteristic is it’s a liquid dish made by boiling something in water. That makes soup one of the most versatile meals. A flavorful soup will have aromatics (sautéed garlic, onion, celery, carrot), savory seasoning (rosemary and thyme for chicken noodle, oregano and basil for tomato, cayenne and cumin for chili), a rich liquid (meat stock, cream, tomato sauce and water), plus your ingredients of choice. If you want a thick soup, add flour or corn starch. Master two basic soups, then get creative.
- Meat. You should be comfortable roasting, grilling, and frying meat. To roast: heat butter or oil in a pan. Rub meat dry and season, then add to pan, searing on all sides until browned (about 2 minutes per side). Place in an oven-safe dish and roast (usually with vegetables) at 375 for 20-40 minutes (depending on type and size of meat). Invest in a good meat thermometer to help you track internal temperature. To grill: Heat grill and brush with oil. Rub meat dry and season. Transfer meat to grill. Cook for 5-10 minutes per side (depending on type and size of meat). If applicable, brush on sauce after turning. To fry: Heat half an inch to an inch of oil in a pan. Pat meat dry, season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour (coat it evenly in a shallow dish). If you’d like to bread the meat, follow flour up with whisked egg in a second dish, then breadcrumbs in a third dish. Add to hot pan and cook for 5-10 minutes per side (depending on type and size of meat). Use your meat thermometer to check internal temperature.
- Salad. An easy classic. Start with a bed of greens, like spinach, kale, or grated broccoli. Add something savory, like mushroom, tomato, bacon, or hard cheese. Add something sweet, like carrot, corn, snap peas, or strawberries. Top with a homemade vinaigrette or yogurt dressing. Once you have a favorite memorized, try your hand at Greek, potato, or three-bean salads. (Side note: making your own dressing is super easy. All you need is a 2:1 ratio of oil-to-vinegar of any type. You can add in other ingredients like salt, herbs, sweeteners like sugar or honey, emulsifiers like mustard, and alliums like garlic or shallots to build dimension and texture).
- Grain. With a heavy pot and some water, you can make anything from rice to barley to bulgur to quinoa. For most grains, you need a 2:1 water to dry grain ratio. Combine your grains and water, bring to a boil, then simmer with the lid on for 20-40 minutes depending on the grain (bulgur is fast, rice takes longer). An exception: with couscous, boil the water first, then stir in couscous. Take off heat immediately and let sit for five minutes.
- Casserole. Good ol’ hot dish. Chopped vegetables, a starchy binder, and a tasty protein cooked uncovered in the oven. Boom. You’ve got a casserole. Here’s an easy combo to get you started: cooked wild rice, shredded chicken, sauteed onion and chopped broccoli, a cup of chicken stock, a can of mushroom soup, and your fave spices. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 35-40 minutes at 375.
- A good side dish. My favorite easy side dishes are bacon-wrapped asparagus, roasted broccoli with Parmesan, and scalloped potatoes. Pick a favorite, and learn the recipe so well you don’t even have to think about it while you make it.
- Crowd-pleasing appetizer. We’re not in party mode right now, but once COVID is no longer a threat, I’m sure we’ll all be hightailing to friends’ houses for many a friendly gathering. Bake a brie cheese in the oven for fifteen minutes and top it with fresh jam or preserves. Tackle a spinach and artichoke dip and serve it in a bread bowl. Learn one appetizer that will be “your thing” on the party circuit. Or, you can pretend you’re having a party and eat it all yourself like the glutton you really are.
- Signature treat. Chocolate chip banana bread? Peanut butter cookies? Nanaimo bars? Find a sweet dessert recipe you love, and make it until it’s memorized. You’ll have no problem whipping it up on the spur of the moment, and you’ll become known for it!
What are your favorite fall-back recipes? Let me know in the comments!