/b/ - Random

I love to bake and I have my very first job interview for cake decorating coming up soon! I have to make a bunch of cakes, so I'll update with recipes/reviews/ and photos later!

>>623
Good luck anon!! I hope you do well!

I love to cook, it's a great way for me to plug-out of my thoughts and de-stress. I can cook a mix of everything but I think my favourite things to cook are soups and hot pots! I know hot pots don't require too much work but I love the concept of cooking while you eat!!

I always played with the idea of becoming a chef while growing up, but my palate isn't very good (my tastebuds are really crappy) so I don't think I'd get far if I wanted to do haute cuisine.

I love making stews in my rice cooker tbh. I love food but I'm lazy, so stew is almost zero work while making me feel accomplished for cooking a wholesome delicious meal that will last me half a week.

I want to cook more often but I'm rather poor so I feel really really bad when I buy groceries, do my best and it turns out like shit. :( It's literally wasting food and money.

I know it takes trial and error, especially with this stuff, but damn. I guess my biggest problem is that I get anxious when cooking. I never know if I cooked something long enough or not which always drives me to overthinking, even if I followed a recipe.

My bfs mother is such an excellent cook, she could work in a 5 star restaurant without problems. I really admire her and hope to be at least half as good as her.

>>623
GOOD LUCK!!

I love making asian cuisine. Lots of curries, rice dishes, stir fries etc.

>>630
>>665
Thank you for your good luck! It must have paid off, because I ended up getting the job! Bless you both c:
Going to post some pictures now~

>>796
Forgot to say, that was a lavender cake with mascarpone frosting and blueberry white chocolate ganache.
This one is dark chocolate studded white cake with raspberry syrup and white chocolate buttercream.

>>797
Ended up only having time for 3. This last one is an apple pecan cake with salted caramel buttercream!

>>796
>>797
>>798
Aaaa these are all so cute!! I love your flavour and colour choices!! It all looks so elegant and feminine :))))

Yesterday I made this really nice salad with bell peppers, lettuce, some fancy Spanish ham, small cubes of brie cheese and avocado slices. It was amazing. I wish I would've added a handful of nuts for crunchiness, but it wasn't really necessary. Add salt and pepper. Done! I've been dieting and decided to pamper myself with the cheese.

10/10 would recommend.

I love love love baking.
I've been baking since i was 4 years old and my mother and grandma taught me. We never bought sweet stuff for my home, we would make everything, and still do. I don't think i've seen a full week in this house where there was no baking lol.
We would always bake together (and still do) and i am glad she showed me this craft.
She is an amazing baker, but recently my whole family (including her) said that i surpassed her, which is a huge thing for me since i mostly learned from her.
I'd love to open up a bakery some day in the future when i have the funds. I could spend hours baking and not notice the time passing tbh. I also just tend to go into hours upon hours of recipies in youtube because i just enjoy it so much.
I don't think i have an "speciality" since i like doing/tasting everything, but i supposedly make killer roscos de azucar, dorayakis, brownies and magdalaines/muffins.

I also kinda like cooking but not nearly as much eventhough i am supposedly pretty good at it, i don't know why, never caught my attention as much. Maybe because i'm not that big of an eater and stick mostly to salads, chicken and fish in my diet lol.

>>798
All of these look delicious but I love this mushroom one!

>>638
What's your go to stew recipe? The only good 'stew' I know how to make is Japanese curry, I've tried some Irish stew recipes but they never seem to turn out quite as good as I'd like.

>>819
I make pearl barley stew.
I turn on the rice cooker and let it heat up while I chop some leek, onion, garlic and parsnip, then fry them in oil in the cooker for a bit. At this stage you could add some diced meat too, I like pork belly. Add the barley, water, and vegetable stock and/or seasoning and let it cook for a full cycle or until the barley is soft enough for your taste. I like to let it get really soft and reheat it for days, it keeps getting better. You can also add just enough water for the barley to cook and have yourself a nice bowl of comfort food. I'm a really bad cook and I've never made a pot of this I didn't love.

>>803
>>809
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me c:

>>832
That looks tasty! Gotta try this!

Out of curiosity, did you all learn to cook from mother/grandmother figures?

My nana and grandmother died when I was 8-10 and my relationship with my mother was always shockingly bad. My dad taught me to cook some things but mostly cooked for me and my siblings (mum was the breadwinner and he worked less hours/was more available because he owned his company). When I moved out it became apparent how much i couldn't cook so I just ordered takeout and was poor AF as a result.

Where can I even start learning? I'm terrible at baking but I can make spaghetti bol… lol

>>870
I did learn from my mother and grandma although it is not a requierment now with all the viable options.
I'd personally rocommend sticking first to learning the basics i.e: how to make that fine ass pasta or how to season everything and then try more "innovative" stuff.

I personally would recommend Laura in the Kitchen in youtube for traditional cooking. Although there are a lot of channel i have yet to make anything of her that tastes bad. She is not very precise and messy and very comforting. Only is that she uses the us system for cooking so you gotta convert the units if not american.

Also sorted food old videos are pretty nice, the newer ones are pretty boring clickbait garbage.

Gordon Ramsay also has a youtube channel and thanks to him i make the best scrambled eggs ever.

If you are into japanese cooking you can try out cooking with a dog, its very comfy and easy to follow.

I'd say stick to youtube since you can actually see what the people are doing step by step rather than reading it.

A bit of personal advice on baking:
Be very precise with measurements, get a scale and cup measurers, don't eye it.
Do not overmix, even if it still has some clumps of flour, they will go away once you bake it. If you overmix it will be incredibly dry and tough.
Do not mix (most things at least), fold it. Get a spatula, go around the bol, bring it down, up and repeat. This way you ensure a more fluffy texture.
Sift your flour, it makes a lot of difference.
If you are making a dough that says to "eye" the flour, do it with your hands, it needs to be sticky but that it doesn't get stuck in your hand, if that makes sense. If you see it sticks to the table or your hands, add more flour.
Get good ingtedients, not even the most amazing dish will be good if you use garbage.
Try everything! Don't just add at random.
If you make something that need to poof up, DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN at any cost. it will depoof. Let it cool inside the oven so it stays puffy and nice.
When a mixture is done, run a spatula through the bol, sometimes things get stuck there without mixing and baking is very precise.
If you make bread, put some water on a container on the lowest part of the oven for a more soft and crunchy bread.
Different types of chocolate have different melting points and consistency once melted, do not mix and match them. Even if uou do not like black choxolate but the recipie calla for it, use it. You can add more sugar at the end of the mixture if it tastes too bitter. But remeember most things get milder once baken.
If you need to use whipping cream, do not buy it premade, buy it liquid, chill a bowl and make it yourself. Different recipies require different textures. You can also adjust the sugar and vanilla this way.
To make caramelized sugar, NEVER touch it with any utensil, put some sugar on a skillet, heat it up and add water (or lemon) in small quantities only moving the skillet.
To check on your pastries use a toothpick and pokw it, if it comes clean it's completely done. If it comes wet leave it 3 min more and check on it again. Different ovens heat differently at the same temp.

Uhhh.. i am sure i am missing a lot here ( and made a lot of typos, sorry mobile kek) but these are quite basic things so maybe it's useless advice kek.

I'm positive you will make some delicious dishes and pastries in the future if you keep at it. Everybody in this world can cook, no matter the background, you just gotta try. Good luck anon i belive in your cooking habilities!

>>870
My mom died when I was in middle school. I literally just started cooking real meals a year or so ago, and I'm 26. Like, never touched raw chicken before sort of deal. I have been living on my own since 23, but I was just making precooked meals, avoiding meat, or going out. It's amazing I didn't get fat.

Anyway, I recommend crockpot recipes to start. Also, looking up easy meals with your oven – salmon is really good baked, and chicken too! I like not having to watch a pan or pot. Also, broccoli is good with some lemon zest and cheese in the oven too.

I mostly just asked friends for their easiest recipies and did a lot of googling. I remember a blog called Budget Bytes being especially helpful. Make sure you have a good list of staple ingredients, things like rice, spices, meat, favorite veggies, oils.

Sometimes I get a bit said that I don't have any family recipies or traditions but I make do.

>>870
My mom cooked a lot but she never really had the patience to teach me. So I learned her recipes by watching her in the kitchen a bunch of times.

I think I learn most of my recipes from youtube videos nowadays though. It's great because you can stop and repeat as many times as you want, and there are lots of channels that specialize in beginner dishes or are just really clear and simple so you don't have to stress about doing it well.

Food Wishes is imo one of the better channels. The guy has done virtually every dish under the sun and is really clear and lighthearted. He has complicated dishes but he also has really simple ones that are easy to follow!
https://www.youtube.com/user/foodwishes

I enjoy cooking, and learned mostly through trying out recipes from the internet and watching YouTube videos.
Growing up my family ate pretty bland meals, my parents aren't really into cooking. I don't think I even knew anything about spices until I was 18 and in this youth volunteer program where we lived in a house with 12 youths.

Everyone took turns having a week where you would cook dinner and lunch for the entire group. We made our own bread every single day. Once we had a guest come to our house to teach us how to cook a vegan meal (burritos). I think she used lentils instead of ground beef, and I was amazed that it still tasted like a normal burrito ( ~ s p i c e s~) . Because I had no idea wtf herbs and spices were. So then it lit a fir inside me, and for my cooking week I went crazy researching and learning how to cook extravagant meals. & it was so much fun.

As long as you can follow a recipe it's pretty much going to turn out good. When I think of something new I want to try out, I always just google "_____ recipe" and take the top three rated recipes and then use a combination of those 3 recipes based on my personal preference (ex, more garlic, no pepper,).

Here are two of my favourite YouTube channels for cooking:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Manjulaskitchen

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8gFadPgK2r1ndqLI04Xvvw

>Do you know how to cook? If not, why do you want to learn?
I 100% learned cooking thanks to the internet. From recipes online and youtube. My mom never cooked one thing for me.

>What's your speciality?
I try to cook different dishes for my fam, but I guess if I have to choose one would be japanese.

>Which type of food is your favorite?
Japanese overall, and steaks (just by themselves)

>What are your cooking goals?
Dont have any/

>Do you have professional experience?
No

>What are some tips you wish you knew sooner?
Not that i wish i knew sooner, but wash your (cut already) onions if you dont want them to have a strong flavor. Rub your fingers on some stainless steel to get the smell of garlic off of them (believe me they will smell for days after).

Re: japanese dishes suggestion channels, Id recommend like the other anon: Cooking with Dog (rip Francis tho ), and JustBento/ JustHungry for the GOAT japanese lady -teacher master. (Justonecookbook is ok too but she feels like the cheap copy-cat of JustHungry).

Cake-Anon here! Work has been crazy. I'm a line cook and pastry chef, and it's my first job in a kitchen! Everyone in my kitchen it really cool, and there hasn't been any yelling yet lol
We've switched one of the kitchen recipes to one of mine too, which made me extra happy!
I got some chefs knives and already took a small chunk out of a finger. I'll try to be more careful in the future.
Any recommendation for literature regarding food? I'm currently reading through the French Culinary Institiutes pastry book, which I am very thankful for.

>>1019 cake-anon im so happy to hear things are going okay.

Please share any trade secrets with us!


On a different note this week I am going to try and make lavender ice cream. I feel it may go horribly wrong. But everyone likes a tryer…. right?

Does anyone have any favorite cooking youtube channels? My favorite is probably Food Wishes, I like how simple and easy he makes everything seem.

>>1019
Not a book, but a podcast. I have a feeling that this will be right up your alley. http://heritageradionetwork.org/series/a-taste-of-the-past/

>>2599
Binging With Babish is fun to watch. He recreates recipes from tv shows and movies. Games sometimes, think its only been Breath of the Wild so far.
also he's really handsome imo

>Do you know how to cook? If not, why do you want to learn?
I know how to cook and I learned from my mom. She's known throughout my extended family for being the best chef but I think I'm slowly overtaking her lol. She's very talented though and I really appreciate all the different cuisines she introduced me to from a young age.

>What's your speciality?
I don't think I have one but I guess I'm the only vegan I know so I'm known to bring vegan food wherever I go haha. There are a few things I keep making over and over. My favourite is a big pot of chilli because it lasts a long time and you can make so many things out of it (quesadillas, nachos, enchiladas, tacos…). I also love making curries, stir fries, soups and stews. I'm good at baking but I rarely do it because cakes and biscuits are so fattening. I often bake and then give the result to my boyfriend or bring it to a party haha.

>Which type of food is your favorite?
That's SO hard to choose. Growing up I've always really liked soup and stews so they're really nostalgic foods for me. When I'm sad, a bowl of warm soup always cheers me up. Lately I'm really into thick, rich curries and if I go too long without eating curry, I really miss it haha (I'm abroad at the moment and I've gone about 2 months without a good curry and I've told everyone that the first thing I'm going to do when my plane lands is find the nearest place that sells tofu curry). I have a suspicion that when I was still in my mom's womb, she ate a lot of curry and she hasn't denied it. My mom was always a big fan of Italian and Mexican food so I'm used to cooking and eating those cuisines. I've been to Italy many times and thinking about a bowl of fresh, handmade pasta made with sweet, organic tomatoes that some Italian nonna slaved over all day or warm bread with olive oil makes me drool. Also a huge fan of sushi. I'm thinking of buying a rice maker soon.

>What are your cooking goals?
Honestly hearing someone praise my cooking is the best feeling in the world. Somehow I don't get the same kind of buzz from people praising anything else I do, just cooking. So my goal is always to make someone say "mmm" or "thanks, that was delicious". It's especially satisfying when I've made something vegan and fed it to a meat-eater who didn't suspect it. They're always so surprised that completely plant-based food can taste so good.

>Do you have professional experience?
Nope.

>What are some tips you wish you knew sooner?
Keep water that you've boiled veg or pasta in to make creamy pasta sauces, rich gravy or soups. Be patient, truly delicious things take time and all the best kinds of food are simmered for hours. My mom is very talented and she was never really big into following instructions. She'd start off with a recipe (Nigella Lawson is one of her favourites) and then add things to it. It always freaks me out when she does that but somehow it always ends up turning out amazing. Once I made a melanzane parmigiana for a party and she added some leftover cous cous into the parmesan mixture for the top. I freaked out but it absorbed all of the tomato sauce and juices from the aubergine and made the top go all crispy in the oven. I don't know how, but she made it work.

Showing off my miso soup.
I used packaged miso and dashi for the basic soup and added smoked tofu and spring onions, seaweed, and thai lily mushrooms to the paste before pouring in hot water. Super easy but satisfying comfort food.

Also mushrooms for udon noodles in progress <3 >>2706

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/12382/beef-stew-in-the-slow-cooker.aspx

I made this yesterday in my slow cooker! It was really lovely. Since the weather in England has been quite rainy recently, I decided to make something warm.

I covered the beef in flour and browned them in the pan before I popped them in on top of the veg haha, this helps bring out flavour and also thickens the sauce up apparently. I used sweet potato instead of normal potatos and it tasted great! (Sorry for the messy picture i originally took it to send to a friend over Line!)

I'd love to learn how to make ice cream one day

>>2706
Also this looks great!

I hate cheesecake but making it is kind of fun. I want to try making a japanese cheesecake, have any of you done that.

>>2825
No worries Anon, I will eat your cheesecake. Just give me a time and a place.

>>2825
I have!

Its a bit more work because of the meringue but it's nice and fluffy and not as dense. I've also seen a 3 ingredient japanese cheesecake recipe online but never tried it.

>>2825

>I hate cheesecake but making it is kind of fun.

Please anon, gimme all of your cheesecakes. I love it but I fucking suck at doing it, they always have something off when I do them.

>>2706
>>2707
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa this had me salivating, fuck

I think my favorite dish that I have ever made was this roast for my boyfriend and I.

http://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/main-course/poultry/duck/

What are everyones favorite soup recipes?

>>8103

Lentil soup using a vegetarian broth or just water with salt. Grill onions and garlic in olive oil on the side until yellow. Boil the lentils until cooked, add in onions and garlic. Add chopped tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos, and avocado on top. Quick and simple, takes about 20 minutes!

reviving this thread to show off my tasty pork loin roast from Christmas. Apple honey marinaded with some steamed veggies, had potatoes too. It was a hit.

>>8420
God it looks good, anon. I'm hungry ugh

>>8420
Sage cause I forgot to post the recipe

Pork shoulder loin 350 g
Marinade:
Grated garlic: A small amount
Honey: 2 tablespoons
Soy sauce: 3 tablespoons
Apple juice: 5 tablespoons
Assorted Steamed Vegetables for garnish


Trim the fat off the pork loin and bring to room temperature Combine the marinade ingredients and soak pork in a bag or tupperware for 10-24 hours, rotating once or twice. Bring back to room temp and remove pork from marinade, pat dry. Roast at 215C or ~420F for 40 minutes turning once. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting, garnish with veggies.

I just bought sticky rice but I don't have anything else besides soy sauce. I don't think I can leave my house tomorrow since I've been a bit sick.

Can I do anything that resembles Japanese food, like onigiris, even without nori? I was told by a friend that I would need sugar and rice vinegar, but didn't find that online in onigiri recipes. Send help, please!

>>8438
onigiri just uses salt usually, do you know exactly the kind of rice you bought? sticky rice is it's own thing and is usually called sticky or sweet rice and isn't the same as short or medium grain rice(the japanese kind). a lot of people confuse them.

if you did buy the right rice you can make a yummy yaki onigiri. just make the onigiri by shaping warm cooked rice with your hands dipped in salt water and grill it in a pan at med heat and then brush or put a little soy sauce on each side near the end so it crisps up.

>>8469
It's the appropriate rice, anon! Thank you for your tips!

>>8471
good to hear! a friend of mine bought 'sticky rice' before and it was a disaster!

I just bought shimeji and shiitake mushrooms and I want to freeze them because I bought a fuck ton. I read online I need to sautee some kinds of mushrooms before freezing them so or they will get slimy. I'm an idiot when it comes to cooking so… Does that change their taste? Thanks.

>>8696
Well I did it anyway, just finished putting everything in the freezer. wish me good luck with my mushrooms ;_;

>>8803
shiitake are a no go, you need to saute them first, that's why they sell them dried, you should steam shimeji first becaue they'll have a weird texture later.

>>8816
Oh no, I didn't do that to the shimeji but I did sautee the shiitake. Thank you, anon.

>>622
This is my go-to recipe for dinner for me and my bf. 20 min and done. Whats your favorite, easy dinner?

http://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2017/09/salmon-florentine.html

>>10655
soboro bowl! i usually make it with pork, but just cook the meat, add the seasoning and scramble and egg and your done. the rice is what takes longest (unless you freeze it) but we have a rice cooker.

https://www.justonecookbook.com/tori-soboro-donburi/

>>10655
Pastas with bean protein because we eat vegetarian at home.

This is simple and tasty: https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/10/quick-pasta-and-chickpeas-pasta-e-ceci/, or sometimes I cook pasta, then throw in pesto, 1 can of black beans, and a little cheese. It makes a great creamy sauce without a lot of prep.

>>10083
Damn…I watched this videos for the recipe, skipped to the end and ended with feels…must be nice to have a happy married life ;_;

>>10655
I just tried that recipe and it was amazing! Made it for my Dad and brother and they loved it. So easy too, thanks for sharing!

Anywho, I like these taco stuffed peppers. They're pretty low calorie and also very filling. Love how the taco meat gets crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle:

https://skinnymom.com/skinny-taco-stuffed-peppers-2/

I can prepare a meaaaaaan bowl of instant ramen let me tell you. I'm going to buy 7 packs of em' this morning, also some energy drinks.

i've got rice sitting at home that's like a few days old + tons of cheese and broccoli
gonna try and make cheese brocco rice

I'm going to make curry chicken tonight, it'll be my first time cooking it.

>>28171
good luck bb <3

I made a pumpkin pie from scratch recently and it tasted good but it was a little watery, the recipe said to boil the pumpkin but I think that made it take on too much water so I'll bake it next time to get it mushy enough to make into puree.

>>28172
arigatou~~!

I made this a few weeks ago, it's quite easy and delicious!
Used less oil and had it on toast.

It's simple but so satisfying for how indulgent it can be. I halve the oil/butter amounts and it still comes out fine.

>>31157

Wish I could have this on nice toast for lunch today. It looks comfy.

How can I improve my knife skills? I'm super clumsy with kitchen knives because I'm scared that I'll cut my finger. Is taking a knife skills class helpful?

>>37744
Seconding this, I’ve been cooking for like two years now and my chopping skills are abysmal

cake anon, do you have any resources for learning how to make cakes? any tips on doing the frosting?

>Do you know how to cook? If not, why do you want to learn?
I do, but only because everyone in my family is too lazy to cook.

>What's your speciality?
Nothing too fancy mainly braising meats.
For dessert, if its baked I usually make something that gets most of its volume from a meringue like an angel food cake.
Recently I've made japanese sponge cakes, took me 3 tries to get it right because I had to make do with whatever flour was available and the meringue wasn't quite right.

>Which type of food is your favorite?
That's almost impossible to say, I like pretty much anything that is enriched (high in fat) with either eggs, butter or cheese.

>What are your cooking goals?
Currently I'm trying to get a hold on making sourdoughs.
I haven't had any luck so far because the room temperature is very bipolar and its hard to predict when my starter peaks.
If I can get it right then that opens up a whole range of healthier flour based recipes I can make.

>Do you have professional experience?
No, people keep telling me I should consider a career as a chef. But I do plan on taking a few short courses.

>What are some tips you wish you knew sooner?
Temperature is so important in cooking. It can make or break whatever it is your making.
Starting out I never really knew how important it is to control and monitor the temperature in cooking.


Also to any miners out there who are living on a budget and want to cut costs, I strongly recommend getting into breadmaking.
It's so versatile and flour is usually the cheapest thing in the baking aisle. I managed to save a lot of money on food.

>>622
>Do you know how to cook? If not, why do you want to learn?
Yes I know how to cook
>What's your speciality?
I'm a general kind of cook: soup dishes like beef/pork/chicken stews, fried rice and meats, frozen desserts like flans, etc. charcoal grilling, oven-cooked meats, broiling, etc.
I don't bake though
>Which type of food is your favorite?
Savory dishes
>What are your cooking goals?
No goal in particular, although I'd like to keep learning more stuff to please my future partner if ever.
>Do you have professional experience?
No.
>What are some tips you wish you knew sooner?
When I began cooking, I wish I knew how to scale ingredients to fit several people.
Also the cooking time for different ingredients ie vegetables are easily overcooked, meats take a while, etc.

I recommend supercook.com to you kind anons. Input the ingredients, and it shows recipes.

Made some Korean food with friends - tteokbokki and kimchi fried rice.

Have you ever tried making keto food?

My grandmother has been trying to do a ketogenic diet recently, So I have been learning to make ketogenic foods. Basically its all just trying to find replacements for sugar and bread. Because so much of what we eat is full of both.

https://www.heyketomama.com/keto-broccoli-cheddar-soup/
https://www.wholesomeyum.com/keto-90-second-bread-recipe/

>>42993
Looks good!

>Do you know how to cook? If not, why do you want to learn?

I know how to cook, though I want more knowledge.

>What's your speciality?

Pannekoek! It's basically a crepe.

>Which type of food is your favorite?

Pastries/ desserts.

>What are your cooking goals?

Be able to cook for many people at once and be able to make cute desserts. Possibly one day become pastry chef, though I know that is a difficult task.

>Do you have professional experience?

No, one day I hope to.

>What are some tips you wish you knew sooner?

Pretty basic, but always add a small pinch of salt to sponges/ pastries while making the batter/ dough part. It sounds weird to add to sweet food, but it actually brings out the flavor more because you aren't overpowered by sugar!

>>43004
Are you a Dutch anon? Do you also know how to make poffertjes? They are yummy.

>Do you know how to cook?
Yes. I started cooking at age 12. My nanny taught me how to cook and I guess I love it because it reminds me of being with her. Those were my happy moments in an otherwise miserable existence.

>What's your speciality?
I make a really great alfredo sauce, that seems to be my family's favourite thing I make.

>Which type of food is your favorite?
I love cake and pastries!

>What are your cooking goals?
I want to get a certification, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon.

>Do you have professional experience?
Yes. I learned a lot from my more experienced co-workers. I was lucky to train under some talented guys.

>What are some tips you wish you knew sooner?
Timers are your friends. Timers keep you from ruining your food if you're a forgetful person. Also lining cake pans with the parchment paper!

What is everyone making for Christmas? Is anyone having people over?

For those of you who love cooking, how do you learn to enjoy cooking? I cook to get food on the table, but don't enjoy the process. The whole time when I cook, I'm constantly thinking about how time-consuming the whole process is and how much time I'm wasting that I could be spending on something I enjoy. How can I change this mentality toward cooking?

>>44492
Your mileage may vary, but I used to have a similar mindset when cooking. What helped me out a lot was A)Covering up and removing all clocks/ways of telling time and B)Cooking with someone I like to make the process feel less like a chore.

Has anyone tried making ceviche before with pre-cooked shrimp? Does it taste significantly different?

I'd love to use raw shrimp the way it's supposed to be, but unfortunately don't have access to really fresh seafood where I live, so would rather substitute with cooked shrimp for food safety reasons. If it makes a huge difference in terms of taste, I'll pass on making it though.