One of the things I hear often from friends - and an excuse I used to use frequently for myself - was that I "don't have the time" to cook for myself. It's faster and easier, I would argue, for a singleton to eat out. Well, sure - if you can manage to keep your meals to under $5/each. And exactly how much nutrition will you be giving up by relinquishing control over your diet in that fashion?
Finally, one day, I thought about it. You travel to the restaurant, wait to be seated, wait to order, wait for your food to come out. Then you eat, and the best part - somebody else takes away the dishes and deals with the mess. But are you sure you couldn't have cooked food better for yourself at home?
For me, one of my rarest indulgences at restaurants is steak. I hate paying restaurants $30+ when I know I can make the same thing for myself for under $10. And, in fact, there are plenty of incredibly tasty, inexpensive cuts of steak, if you just know how to cook them. Yes, you can even get high-quality, organically raised, hormone-free beef at a decent price if you know where to shop. (Trader Joe's carries good meat; as does Whole Foods; and specialty grocers like Fox & Obel. Look up "butchers" in your local Yellow Pages, too.)
I would love to have a grill, but in the meantime, I've learned how to do a good job on meat using pan-searing, roasting, or even a "stovetop grill" (which is not ideal, but passes). The key difference between restaurant and home cooking, when it comes to meats? Restaurants aren't afraid to flavor their meats, be it through marinade, grill sauce, or spices. How many of you just take your steak and toss it on the grill, maybe give it a little coating of BBQ sauce?
The other thing is that unless we're serving company, most of us don't bother to "dress our food up" for ourselves. It doensn't take a scientific study to know that an attractively-arrayed plate helps heighten our anticipation of what we're about to eat. The same steak simply tossed onto a plate without fanfare will not appeal to our senses the way that even the quickest of dressed plates do: a slice of fruit or vegetable; a shake of seasonings; a dollop of dressing or dipping sauce. It takes very little effort and transforms the ordinary to the extraordinary:
Finally, one day, I thought about it. You travel to the restaurant, wait to be seated, wait to order, wait for your food to come out. Then you eat, and the best part - somebody else takes away the dishes and deals with the mess. But are you sure you couldn't have cooked food better for yourself at home?
For me, one of my rarest indulgences at restaurants is steak. I hate paying restaurants $30+ when I know I can make the same thing for myself for under $10. And, in fact, there are plenty of incredibly tasty, inexpensive cuts of steak, if you just know how to cook them. Yes, you can even get high-quality, organically raised, hormone-free beef at a decent price if you know where to shop. (Trader Joe's carries good meat; as does Whole Foods; and specialty grocers like Fox & Obel. Look up "butchers" in your local Yellow Pages, too.)
I would love to have a grill, but in the meantime, I've learned how to do a good job on meat using pan-searing, roasting, or even a "stovetop grill" (which is not ideal, but passes). The key difference between restaurant and home cooking, when it comes to meats? Restaurants aren't afraid to flavor their meats, be it through marinade, grill sauce, or spices. How many of you just take your steak and toss it on the grill, maybe give it a little coating of BBQ sauce?
The other thing is that unless we're serving company, most of us don't bother to "dress our food up" for ourselves. It doensn't take a scientific study to know that an attractively-arrayed plate helps heighten our anticipation of what we're about to eat. The same steak simply tossed onto a plate without fanfare will not appeal to our senses the way that even the quickest of dressed plates do: a slice of fruit or vegetable; a shake of seasonings; a dollop of dressing or dipping sauce. It takes very little effort and transforms the ordinary to the extraordinary:
Citrus-Asian Steak
Marinated in lime juice, orange juice, and Thomas marinade. Liberally dusted with Argyle Street Asian Blend spices. Seared on both sides, and then pan-roasted in its marinade. Dressed with scallions, fresh tomato, and horseradish sauce (sour cream blended with fresh horseradish).
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