I usually describe my cooking style as “minimal effort.” Throw things in a pot, apply heat, read Lemmy posts, stir occasionally, watch videos, and eat it when it looks sufficiently edible. Nothing fancy.
This time, though, I somehow ended up cooking three things at once. If you had seen me, I probably looked like someone who thinks they know what they’re doing but is actually just winging it extra hard.
Here’s how it happened:
I was hungry, so I opened the freezer. Five fish fingers and some frozen veggies. Tossed them in the air fryer. Done. But then I realized that wouldn’t be enough for everyone.
Checked the pantry. Canned tuna, beans, crushed tomatoes. Good enough. Threw those in a wok pan with some oat cream. Technically a meal, I guess. Eh, close enough. Should be fit for human consumption.
Then I realized one family membrer always wants pasta. Fine! Boiled some pasta in a small pot.
And that’s when it hit me: I was cooking three things at once. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. Still not a chef, but for a moment, I felt almost competent. Is that normal? Anything like this ever happened to you?
Not really. Don’t overcook it is probably the most important. Don’t overcrowd a pot and don’t use too little water. Some people have fairly dogmatic answers (you must add this much salt, you must add oil to the water, etc.) but I’ve never really found them to bare out.
Big pot, enough water, follow the box instructions at least the first time (buy timers if you don’t have them), and adjust in small increments if you feel the pasta is over-/under-done. If you live at any significant elevation difference from sea level, package directions for boiling anything aren’t going to be accurate so bare that in mind.
Thanks! I’ve violated all of the rules already, so I guess it’s time to try something that actually works.