How did you learn to cook? / LJWorld.com

Asked at Massachusetts Street on August 9, 2012

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“My aunt Gladys taught me — she was my favorite. And from observing my grandma.”

— Sue Suhler, retired, Lawrence

“I had to start after I moved out, so I just did.”

— Judy Graversen-Algaier, looking for work, Lawrence

“My mom and dad taught me, and then I did some experimenting.”

— Mihir Singh, student, Lawrence

“From watching my mom, and then from lessons from a girlfriend in college.”

— Cale Moore, student, Lawrence

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Ksgirl2000 9 months, 1 week ago

My mother

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 9 months, 1 week ago

I got a spurtle by sending in 4 Raisin Bran box tops, the rest is history.

ohjayhawk 9 months, 1 week ago

It didn't take long, pushing buttons on a microwave is pretty straightforward.

RoeDapple 9 months, 1 week ago

Andrew Zimmer

This is one of my favorite recipes from his show. Don't know if you have it yet or not. Nutria, Andouille and Oyster Gumbo
Ingredients
2 lbs. skinned and trimmed nutria meat
1 lb. jumbo lump blue crab meat
1 lb. andouille sausage, sliced thin
2 cups shucked oysters and reserved juices
8 tbs. flour
10 tbs. canola oil
1 cup each diced celery, onion, red bell pepper
2 cups sliced fresh okra
16 ounces tomato puree
3 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
3 tbs. gumbo file powder (ground sassafras)
1 habanero or scotch bonnet chili, minced. Dried chilies are also a fine substitute
5 cups chicken stock
3 cups fish stock or clam juice
2 tsp. dried thyme
3 cloves minced garlic
1 bay leaf

Directions

Cut the nutria into 1-inch cubes, brown the nutria in batches using 2 tbs. of the canola oil, reserve.
Place the flour and remaining oil in a large well-insulated soup pot over medium heat.
Stir every 45 seconds as the roux turns blond, then brown, then dark brown.
When very dark brown and aromatic, add the vegetables, andouille sausage, herbs, spices and garlic.
Saute until onions are glassy, add the tomatoes and nutria and stir.
Add the stock and Worcestershire.
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and simmer for 1 hour.
Add the seafood and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and serve, passing crusty bread at the table.

Andrew's Cooking Tip: "I think rear haunches work best here. Squirrel, possum, raccoon and other small animals also work well here."

snap_pop_no_crackle 9 months, 1 week ago

Pour cereal into bowl, add milk.

vertigo 9 months, 1 week ago

Basic cooking from my mom.

Then got into the cooking shows.

psycho_theclown 9 months, 1 week ago

What? Is the planet running out of women?

Simmer down...I'm just kidding ("Simmer"...ha)

misterlee 9 months, 1 week ago

My parents were both good cooks, so I learned the basics from them. In college I subscribed to Bon Apetit and Gourmet magazines and expanding my cooking horizons. Over the years I experimented and learned by trying things.

Paul R. Getto 9 months, 1 week ago

First my mom. Then reading cook books. Food Channel helps too.

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 9 months, 1 week ago

autie,
I bet you have never even have had a good spurtle in your hand.

CWGOKU 9 months, 1 week ago

By getting hungry. Neccessity is the mother of invention

CWGOKU 9 months, 1 week ago

Beach volleyball is a gritty sport. And it gives a whole new meaning to the term sand wedge

Eddie_Haskell 9 months, 1 week ago

Mostly by watching "Breaking Bad". I've always got plenty of Coleman lantern fuel but lately I've been stealing anhydrous ammonia fertilizer from the barn behind Ronaldo's house. That dude has everything!

vertigo 9 months, 1 week ago

From Walter White aka Heisenberg

otto 9 months, 1 week ago

Anyone (including LJW reporters) know anythng about a report of shots fired and a possible home invasion in the 3000 blk of Topeka Lane in Larryville last night?

otto 9 months, 1 week ago

operation 100 came through, a little slow but came through.

milkman_dan 9 months, 1 week ago

Osmosis. America's Test Kitchen is better than it's counterparts at explaining 'why.'

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 9 months, 1 week ago

"Actually I have a custom made muddler that doubles as a spurtle. And a weapon." - autie

There you go again with the revisionist history. While a custom made muddler is an item that every person should own and use, the spurtle was never intended to be solely a porridge stick. Just like the 2nd Amendment was designed to provide a way for "We the People" to prevent abuse from a governmental standing army in addition to providing for self-defense, the original spurtle was more of a flat flowing shape with curves and straight portions allowing it to get into crevices of a cooking pot, strain items, and yes, even flip those evil, vile, stinky, thin little commie cheese eating surrender monkey pancakes.

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 9 months, 1 week ago

Eddie,
I don't know, she does have a little of that "rode hard and put up wet" look to her, but she is an amazing volleyball player, and she has never been involved with Sean Penn.

So she has that going for her.

moralebooster 9 months, 1 week ago

I'd like to hear what women feel their significant cooking influences are. not just the (and I say this affectionately) the men's menopausal club. Whatever happened to women posters on LJW? That can be tomorrows question.

somedude20 9 months, 1 week ago

reading the directions on stuff and this chick, though I never really do remember much of what she said

by somedude20

RoeDapple 9 months, 1 week ago

My_Life . . . exposed! (You been outed there son . . . er, hun!)

The Naked Cook - How to Make English Rock Cakes by TriangleProductionTV

CWGOKU 9 months, 1 week ago

I watched countless hours of Rachael Ray

wmathews 9 months, 1 week ago

Googles.

chucklehead 9 months, 1 week ago

My Mom, reading Betty Crocker, and patient 4-H leaders.

rockchalker52 9 months, 1 week ago

Betty Crocker is my hero. She is real & if you cook stuff like she sez to cook it, you can amaze your friends & fill your belly. I love Betty.

CWGOKU 9 months, 1 week ago

If it don't involve flame, I ain't cooking

Eddie_Haskell 9 months, 1 week ago

Whatever. If I wanted to watch women's volleyball I'd just go to one of them Sporting KC games. They have a show on Sunday nights with some Britsh guy and a dude with male patern baldness and a goatee.

Eddie_Haskell 9 months, 1 week ago

Christ, people sure did get uptight on this page since I went to jail.

Frankie8 9 months, 1 week ago

So? What do you expect Christ to do about it? Uptight? Explain please? Glad to see you are out or are you typing this from jail? Good luck with your life anyway.

George_Braziller 9 months, 1 week ago

Learned from watching my mom and grandmothers as well as helping in the kitchen when I was a kid. Also learned a different way and type of cooking from two years watching my Chinese Malaysian college roommate cook.

RoeDapple 9 months, 1 week ago

Just not enough happy pills to go around Eddie . . .

by RoeDapple

riverdrifter 9 months, 1 week ago

Self taught but I've gotten pretty good, I think. The other day, though, I took a spinach/artichoke dip to a backyarder and everybody thought it was a casserole.

emily_litella 9 months, 1 week ago

I read that real good book, Cooking With Gas, by Sylvia Plath. Borrowed it from Lecter.

I'll tell you why people are cranky though. It's those circus acts being called Olympic sports. Those darn smiling robot mimes in the water, somebody needs to just how long they can hold their breath and just because you can catch a hula-hoop, a ball, or wave a streamer while tumbling doesn't make you a gymnast. You should be in Vegas, not London...freaks!

Frankie8 9 months, 1 week ago

Well, I, with a lot of others, throughly enjoy those sports and just because the Olympic committee voted to make them Olympic sports, guess what? That makes them Olympic sports. If you would have watched closely you would have noticed that they are not part of the gymnast program. Have an ice cream bar, its a cool, refreshing treat on a hot day.

Eddie_Haskell 9 months, 1 week ago

Randy Travis stole his 2012 from my 2011. I racked up 2 Dooeys last year. He's still got plenty of time. He trumped me with the nekked stuff, though. Much better mugshot, too.

Eddie_Haskell 9 months, 1 week ago

But then, Randy's always looked like he's been chasing parked cars. It's sort of an improvement.

CWGOKU 9 months, 1 week ago

Tomorrows OTS question: Who taught you to get dressed. With a special commentary from Randy Travis. Welcome back, um, "Eddie"

FlintlockRifle 9 months, 1 week ago

My mommy many years ago, then Griffs Burger Bar on 23rd street for about 10 days

ohjayhawk 9 months, 1 week ago

I'm surprised a good chunk of the day has gone by without a "To Serve Man" reference.

Damian666 9 months, 1 week ago

I discovered solar cooking when I received my first magnifying glass.

Ronda Miller 9 months, 1 week ago

Cooking is similar to poetry. What is a good mix for one is nix for another. Creativity is the key. Don't be afraid to go into the deepest recesses of your cupboard, reach past the brown recluse lurking nearby (unless you're a cuzin - then rip their bitty heads off with urine teeth), and throw any old combo in the pot. If you're hungry enough, you'll be surprised at your delicious combo.

River, may I get your dip/ casserole recipe from you? It was good enough to eat directly out of the bowl.

My fudge frosting recipe is one I watched my auntie - not second cousin uncle autie - do the slow ball method with cool water until it was just right for years. Apparently, from the texture this last time I shared it at a backyard event, I need a refresher course.

Keep eating! It's the American way.

riverdrifter 9 months, 1 week ago

I'll get that recipe to you, kid. Once, I added a half a pound of spiced cooked shrimp chunks to the same and it was mighty good. Your gooey goodie was a delight the other night.

Frankie8 9 months, 1 week ago

Heres a shout out to all the brothers who cook for their ladies.

Hank Williams - Hey Good Looking (1951) The Original by Banzeken

Frankie8 9 months, 1 week ago

Hank Williams - Hey Good Looking (1951) The Original by Banzeken

Ronda Miller 9 months, 1 week ago

My spurrle erupted and almost took out one of my eyes. Obviously, I was hovering too close to the spurrle and my tongue was extended. I hoped to catch the spurrle on my tongue instead of displacing my eye.

Frankie8 9 months, 1 week ago

Here is my favorite recipe. Go out into the woods, the deep, dark, furtive woods where lurks the very essence of nature. 1. find a clearing 2. find some dead wood and pile in up in a circle about six feet around and about three feet high. 3.pour some Jack Daniels on the wood 4.using a long handled lighter gadget light the file 5.put a marshmallow on a stick that is about four feet long. 6.reach out and place the marshmallow about three inches from the flame. You may have to try several times before you get this to the degree of brown/black that you prefer.

The Jack Daniels on the wood will give the marshmallow a special flavor or you can soak it the the liquid.

Andini 9 months, 1 week ago

Still learning.

RoeDapple 9 months, 1 week ago

Hell, I didn't even know what a spurtle was til I looked it up! Thought I might be missing out on sumpin kinky! Turns out I've had one for years. Use it to knock the sprue off the bullet castings!

Frankie8 9 months, 1 week ago

In casting, a sprue is the passage through which a molten material is introduced into a mold, and the term also refers to the excess material which solidifies in the sprue passage. In sand casting, the sprue is formed by a dowel which is removed from the sand to make the hole into which the metal is poured. Function

Sprues can serve as filters, heat sinks, and as feeders. Bronze in particular has a high shrinkage rate as it is cooling; a sprue can continue to provide molten metal to the casting, provided it is large enough to retain its heat and stay liquid, as metal in the main casting cools and shrinks. The design of the sprue and runner system can be also utilized to trap unwanted dross and sand from continuing into the main cavity; this may include adding porous material to the runners, or designing the sprue to eject the dross to the side of the sprue using cyclonic separation. Sprue design

The design of gating and runner is also essential for casting. The design can be done by using vertical and bottom gating.

For bottom gating

t_f = \frac {2 A_m(\sqrt {h_t}-\sqrt {h_t-h_m})} {A_g \sqrt {2g}}

where:

t_f = Time for filling

A_m = Area of mold

A_g = Area of gate

g = Acceleration due to gravity

h_t = Total height

h_m = Height of mold cavity

This equation may change if the height of gating is equal to height of casting material.

Then the equation will be:

t_f = \frac {2 A_m\sqrt {h_t-(h_t-h_m)}} {A_g \sqrt {2g}}

or, simplified,

t_f = \frac {2 A_m\sqrt {h_m}} {A_g \sqrt {2g}}

where:

t_f = Time for filling

A_m = Area of mold

A_g = Area of gate

g = Acceleration due to gravity

h_t = Total height (Height of gating + height of mold cavity)

h_m = Height of mold cavity

This is what you do? I am impressed, Sunny Jim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rockchalker52 9 months, 1 week ago

I have no idea what you are talking about so here is more proof that mizzou is still a clown factory.

http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/missouri_coach_asks_girls_running_on_stadium_stairs_to_leave_because_they_were_a_distraction_picture/11413432

Frankie8 9 months, 1 week ago

Love it! Thank you for the link!

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 9 months, 1 week ago

Frankie8 9 months, 1 week ago

You can get an 8" wood muddler for $3.35 http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/foodservice/beverage-centers/bar-supplies/muddler-8-wood?utm_source=google_pr&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bar-Supplies-google_pr&infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=CLbz6s7d27ECFUOQ7QodMmAAPg

Or get a spurtle here from a Scot which you should really consideering that it is the traditional Scottish porridge stick. Only $12.00

http://www.seafoamwoodturning.com/Shopping/spurtle.htm

RoeDapple 9 months, 1 week ago

R_I - I gots it from the kitchin, she has so much of that stuff she never missed it

riverdrifter 9 months, 1 week ago

I gots a muddler which I use to make caipirinhas but have no use for a spurtle.

RoeDapple 9 months, 1 week ago

Ain't that big of deal frankie8. Skip to about 6:45 to see the process . . .

Gun Works - Casting Bullets by downeastgunworks

Ronda Miller 9 months, 1 week ago

sure, rockchalker, go with ignorance. Hehe. It's never worked for you in the past.

Bluecharley, if your wife sees this, it isn't what wives are for. ....it's a I remember when.

River, shrimp would make it a complete meal...sounds divine.

Roe, someone in your household makes a mean potato salad and I'm not just wiping spurtle off my face

Ronda Miller 9 months, 1 week ago

Flim flam man Got tossed in the pan Fried right Salted light Turned out alright A bit up tight

Ronda Miller 9 months, 1 week ago

Bon appetite

cg22165 9 months, 1 week ago

Anyone familiar with the term 'biochar'?

gphawk89 9 months, 1 week ago

"Food for Fifty". Great book. Dinner cook, Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall, 1987-1989. You quickly learn to cook good food when you're serving 50 college kids. Do something wrong and you could end up on the losing side of a 49-against-1 food fight. It happened. More than once.

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