PrintWhat do you love to make?
What do you make that you really enjoy the process of making , not necessarily because the end result is wonderful, but just because you love to do it? I love to make homemade pasta, starting with a shaggy clump of flour and eggs and after 15 min of kneading having a wonderfully smooth and soft ball of pasta dough is great! Sounds kind of corny but something that simple is kind of therapeutic. It's nice that the end result is delicious, but I don't think it really matters so much. I have told this to friends who don't cook much and they just look at me like I am a little nuts, "Isn't it easier to buy a box of pasta?"
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
31 Comments:
Jambalaya! The aroma of the "trinity" cooking in bacon grease, the chicken, andouille, and ham simmering in a cast iron pot.....Ahhhhhhh! Cajun nirvana!
1stmakearoux at 10:33AM on 12/12/07
Dog biscuits!
I always have to smile while I make them.
And I never have any complaints from the consumers.
srhcb at 10:40AM on 12/12/07
Cookies and Risotto. I love just sitting stirring a pot of risotto watching it change from liquid and rice to this creamy dish. But like mrs.moosie, people who don't cook tend to think I'm a little nuts also.
evilchefmom at 11:11AM on 12/12/07
I Loooove to make shrimp creole. I think it was my first full meal recipe. I remember being in middle school and listening to the soundtrack from "The Big Easy" while preparing it. It's easy and fun to make. Lots of prep and hard to mess up. Always delicious, and a tiny bit impressive. I've made it for almost every guy I've ever dated!
Kerosena at 11:25AM on 12/12/07
stuffed shells, and tomato sauce. i love stuffing those shells with seasoned ricotta, and i love that i can make a lovely tomato sauce without loads of sugar (a la prego, ragu...).
protest at 11:28AM on 12/12/07
Gnocchi. It's a favorite dish of mine from childhood and I love to make them with ragu (which I also love to make).
Roasted Chicken with Potatoes - so simple but some of the best comfort food ever.
chiff0nade at 11:40AM on 12/12/07
Ravioli. Because it takes so long, I've only done it four times or so since I got my ravioli mold. But it's relaxing mixing the fresh pasta dough, preparing the filling, rolling out the sheets of pasta, and forming the little raviolis. The last version was a ham, kale, garlic, onion, and potato. It was delicious, but not necessarily in proportion to the amount of time it took.
Nicholas H at 11:45AM on 12/12/07
I like making breakfast whether it's eggs and hash browns, pancakes, french toast, waffles or an attempt at crepes. I think it's because the result is always satisfying, and breakfast turns out pretty well for me. Plus I can be creative and saute apples with butter and brown sugar to put on waffles, etc.
misseditor at 12:49PM on 12/12/07
I love to make bread.
schnitzel at 12:52PM on 12/12/07
I like to make my grandma's chicken & noodles(chicken stock from scratch &noodles hand rolled) on lazy sunday's when I have time. Besides being DEE-licious! I feel it's a link to my past. Generally- I only make it for those folks I truly hold close so making it reminds me of them too.
bisbee at 12:57PM on 12/12/07
My favorite act as a cook is making Mexican breakfast -- the favorite of the hungry hoards of teen sleep-over guests at our place. Three main parts: Refritos, Spanish/red rice and Mexican eggs -- that is scrambled eggs, made with crumbled tortilla chips and salsa mixed in. Add on the table some guacamole & sour cream on the side; be sure the salsa has fresh ingredients (with a little medium Pace as a base); warm both corn & flour tortillas; and get fresh orange juice. Everybody goes away happy and fueled for a good day.
John Chicago at 1:33PM on 12/12/07
I'm with misseditor on this one: Breakfast.I've taught classes on making omelets, hosted egg & omelet buffets at the senior center ... I've gone so far as to get three butane stoves and all the right pans so these events can be as portable as possible. Because of my feelings about cooking breakfast, my wife and I have decided that one of these years we'll have our own B&B, where she'll do the hosting and I'll cook the meals.
LunaPierCook at 1:36PM on 12/12/07
I really like to experiment while making soup. I love the methodical chopping of all the vegetables, the sounds of things browning, deciding what flavours to go with, stirring, simmering, etc. I too think cooking can be therapeutic. I do a job that forces me to be "inside my head" a lot of the time, and having something concrete to show for my labours (i.e., a lovely big pot of tasty soup) is incredibly satisfying.
psychsarah at 1:37PM on 12/12/07
I enjoy anything that allows me to spice it heavily - chili, curries, etc. Just the act of lining up all the spice jars makes me happy because I know I can just keep adding and adding and adding until it tastes just like I imagined it in my head when I decided to cook whatever it is. My latest favorite spice is ancho powder. Nom nom.
wellred at 4:24PM on 12/12/07
reservations!
Livetotravel at 4:39PM on 12/12/07
No doubt about it, I always enjoy making soup!
Curlz at 5:21PM on 12/12/07
Homemade marinara sauce. Sure, the whole house smells like it for days, but it's a great smell and totally worth the effort. Plus, nothing makes my hubby happier, and that's what makes me happy. :)
sheeats at 5:31PM on 12/12/07
Italian comfort food.
heartnibbler at 5:54PM on 12/12/07
Creme brulee! I'm not sure what got me started but I love making creme brulee...it makes me feel like I have some sort of expertise!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 6:22PM on 12/12/07
desserts that require baking: cheesecakes, alfajores, cookies, hello dollies, pound cakes. AND risotto. I find baking therapeutic and risotto dishes very satisfying.
cristi at 6:30PM on 12/12/07
Count me in with the bakers...cookies, pies, cheesecakes, quick breads. Fresh baked goods make even crabby people smile :)
JEP at 6:49PM on 12/12/07
Homemade vanilla extract! Super easy, more fun to use, and a GREAT gift item. All of my clients are getting their own little bottles this year. :)
erelmartin at 7:51PM on 12/12/07
Chili con carne! And chicken gumbo!
Unfortunately, my roomie doesn't like spicy food (and HATES Andouille sausage, alas), so I wind up eating all this stuff myself, usually.
Hence the waistline that I'm not proud of.
minstrel at 8:48PM on 12/12/07
Cookies . . .Even though I can never eat anything I bake (food allergies) I love the feel of the dough coming together and I love to watch the transformation that happens in the oven.
In addition, there are an endless variety of cookies out there and lots of ways to experiment. Unlike in high school and college, this is a chemistry that I actually excel at!
Most importantly, there is something wonderful about watching people take a big bite of cookie (or cake, or bread, or brownie) and smile!
trabo at 8:53PM on 12/12/07
i love to knead bread, i enjoy making my own granola, and i really love making my grandmother's chicken liver knishes. funny, my grandmother was a super difficult woman and we didn't ever get along, but whenever i feel blue or in need of nurturing, that's all i want to do.
in general baking makes me very happy. especially in the summer, when i make lots of fruit tarts.
chiff, i've been thinking of tackling gnocchi. would you mind sharing your recipe and any hints?
cybercita at 9:23PM on 12/12/07
I love making elaborate cakes. Some of my favorites are this strawberry white chocolate mousse cake http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/strawberry-mousse-cake?autonomy_kw=white%20chocolate%20mousse%20cake&rsc=header_1
and this dark chocolate caramel cake (with gold dusted chestnuts) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/233419
And while I really enjoy creating my own recipes, I LOVE taking a lot of time to plan a really complicated recipe with great ingredients and lots of steps. The reward is always so fantastic!!
ChristineB at 10:12PM on 12/12/07
Risotto is certainly on top of my list! I also love making soups and stuffed foods, and I'll stuff anything, peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, aubergines, onions, apricots, grape leaves, meatloaf, potato kugel...you name it, I'll stuff it:-). It might be labour-intensive, but very therapeutic!
brooke29 at 3:59AM on 12/13/07
Marcella Hazan's chickpea and pasta soup (I don't know the actual name, but it's from The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and is awesome.) I actually peel the chickpeas, one by one. It takes forever, but I love doing it. There's something so soothing about the process. Plus, the peeling totally enhances the texture of the soup. I've tried making it without doing so and it's not nearly as good.
chisai at 8:13AM on 12/13/07
Pizza
Eroca at 10:35AM on 12/13/07
Pizza, Bread and Brownies. Enchilada sauce. Roast Beef.
eatorama at 7:52PM on 12/13/07
Livetotravel, would you mind if I borrow your response? I love eating out. I think it makes me appreciate cooking more, and provides a lot of incentive.
But, okay. If we're talking about making food, it has to be soups. I can talk myself out of all kinds of other things, but soup never seems like too much trouble to me. It's one of the few things I make for my own pleasure first and foremost.
That said, I always enjoy making anything that's being done especially for somebody else. It's really my primary motivation in the kitchen. If it's something that I know some particular person will REALLY love and appreciate, I'll enjoy making it. Oftentimes it's something that I don't really like to make (process-wise), but I'm always happy when I'm feeding things to others that make them smile.
LoCo at 9:53PM on 12/13/07