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Survey: How Can We Help You?

2008_10_13-help-you.jpgWe've been reflecting a lot these last few weeks on the state of the economy: in the office, with our friends and with readers across the world. My last two Thursday emails have been about ways to cope in the kitchen with a changing economic landscape. The sense I have is that if you haven't felt a pinch yet, you probably will, and the way we cook and eat is an obvious place to adapt, save money, do better. We are here to keep you gathered around the table, and to keep you nourished.

 
 

(Image: Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society via Library of Congress)

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Surveys, Frugality, cheap cooking

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Comments (25)

I'd like to see more how-to videos. That one on how to dice an onion has helped tremendously. Would love to see more like that.

posted by ashleym (aka autzve on flickr) on October 13th 2008 at 8:08am
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I definitely voted for more recipes, but I wanted to mention another thing I love is when you explain, in layperson's terms, food terms/processes/ingredients that we (or at least I) may not always entirely understand - pasteurization/homogenization was great! Thank you!

posted by amt230 on October 13th 2008 at 8:09am
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One thing I like is recipes that cover a week so that in buying a whole package of some vegetable you don't use 1/2 or a quarter in a recipe and then do nothing with the rest of it, its planned into another menu later that week. Not wasting food is a great way to save.

posted by sally599 on October 13th 2008 at 8:22am
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I really like all of the recipes you post here because they often are written for a two-four person sized dish in mind (it seems like everything at epicurious, etc. is for at least 6 servings), though they are easily doubled/tripled. I also like that they are based on actual experience cooking in real life home kitchens. And they bolster my beginning (but eager to learn) cooking skills. So yeah, recipes :)

posted by STLcolleen on October 13th 2008 at 8:41am
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I'd like to second what Sally said; it would be great to see several recipes (3? 4?) in one week featuring the same usually-difficult-to-use-up ingredient.

posted by lizzapearl on October 13th 2008 at 9:36am
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Hey, thanks very much for this post - appreciate your commitment to helping AT readers - this is indeed crunch time. Must agree with sally599 - recipes that reduce waste. I try to cook dishes on Monday nights that either make great leftovers or that involve ingredients that can be popped into other meals throughout the next couple of days.

And not to be maudlin, but how about Recipes for RIFday (Reduction in Force day, or Headcount Realignment Day, or The Day You Get Laidoff)? Other than a stiff drink, that is. :-)

posted by berkeleydaisy on October 13th 2008 at 9:37am
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I'd love to know when it's okay to buy store-brand or generic ingredients and when the brand-name stuff is really better. For instance, I imagine that store-brand unsalted butter is not as good as Land O'Lakes but might be okay to use in some recipes.

posted by laurahazardowen on October 13th 2008 at 11:26am
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I would like to see recipes that freeze well. Even if a recipe isn't specifically a freezer recipe, give tips on if it would work to freeze it or not. Then maybe I won't be so tempted to order pizza or hoagies when I'm tired or brain dead and don't want to think about cooking that day, or I'll be able to take advantage of seasonal items that are reasonably priced.

posted by ah-ha on October 13th 2008 at 12:12pm
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I would like you guys to stop with the overwhelmingly ridiculous use of the first person plural all the time. Sometimes (often) it just sounds bad. This would certainly help in these harsh times.

posted by Sol on October 13th 2008 at 9:10pm
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Also, since everyone wants more recipes, it would be great if you provided a link to a printer-friendly version of the recipe.

posted by amt230 on October 14th 2008 at 5:15am
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I second ah-ha on the freezer recipes. Also, I don't know if you are into menu planning, but it can be a big help - especially with using up odds and ends like sally599 and co. requested.

And Sol, no one likes negative nancies. :)

posted by canole07 on October 14th 2008 at 6:23am
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I second, or third, or fourth (whichever it is) the call for recipes that team up with each other to use up all of the ingredients. I also love the "explain in layperson's terms" request, and printer friendly versions of recipes would be awesome.

And... also... as a side suggestion... what about recipes for "one-trick" ingredients? For example... bok choy or eggplant. I've only seen two recipes for eggplant (eggplant parmesan and baba ghanoush) that look like they'd actually taste good. And the only thing I know to do with bok choy is to stir fry it, or put it in soup. Both of these items were really inexpensive at my farmers market. Perhaps I'm the only one that is creatively challenged with these type of ingredients, but even just some creative inspiration would be welcome.

posted by Montana Girl on October 14th 2008 at 7:27am
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I'd like more main dish recipes that only use meat as an accessory, or just as a little bit of flavoring. Or no meat at all. Not necessarily vegetarian, but using cheaper sources of protein that are easier on the land.

posted by brittanykate on October 14th 2008 at 7:28am
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I second...or third, or fourth coordinating meals to use up leftovers. The Sunday Dinners series over at Cookthink has been great for that -- a week worth of recipes that can use up leftovers from a big Sunday meal.
http://www.cookthink.com/blog/?cat=115

posted by claireb on October 16th 2008 at 5:47am
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I voted for the recipes. But one thing I would LOVE LOVE LOVE is to know more about spices, the not so common ones that can really, well, spice up a tired chicken dish. I realize that spices are better tasted than described on the web, but something that coule familiarize me with indian, thai, asian, moroccan, etc spices. I think everyone knows what basil and thyme and rosemary taste/smell like but maybe something like curry is similar to ______, or saffron is like _______.

posted by nickel525 on October 17th 2008 at 8:08am
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please please make the recipes printer friendly!!!!!

posted by amanda25 on October 17th 2008 at 8:23am
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I second you, sally599. Great idea! I often find myself buying something for one recipe and then throwing it out a week later when it's gone bad in the kitchen.

I have my own recipe template onto which I often copy-and-paste online recipes. It is set to index-card margins, so with a few quick swipes of my handy dandy gluestick, I'm off to the grocery store with a recipe in my pocket. It also helps when cooking to have something small instead of an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper floating around the kitchen ... and it fits in my recipe box! :)

posted by birdie_dc on October 17th 2008 at 9:11am
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more recipies are always welcome but also some restaurant reviews with pics of location and food would be nice, especially of lesser known or interesting ethnic places.

posted by Lenny on October 17th 2008 at 9:58am
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I second the inclusion of "freezer-friendly" notes on recipes.

However, i'm a little surprised by all the excitement for recipes. And menu planning? Really? I feel like there are sooo many resources out there for just that kind of thing. What i like about the Kitchn, and what makes it stand out from the crowd, is that its more about living in the kitchen -- learning about food chemistry, new ingredients, good resources for hard to find ingredients, reviews of gadgets, and stories about brilliant a-ha moments or kitchen disasters. There are a million recipe sites, but only one like this, and i would like to preserve what we have here as much as possible.

I'm not saying don't add recipes -- i'm saying don't do it at the expense of what's already working.

posted by mh330 on October 17th 2008 at 10:01am
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I second the printer friendly comment and also want to chime in on more meals that utilize leftovers and can freeze well. Also, given that I am a new mom to an 8 month old, I would love to see more crockpot recipes. But for the most part, I really enjoy this site for the constant updates throughout the day, the beautiful eye candy and hence ideas I get for cooking at home and the exchange of ideas. Keep up the good work.

posted by rosebud on October 17th 2008 at 11:46am
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I would love seeing the recipes broken down by cost. I understand it would need to be approximate, especially given the wide geography of readers, but a ballpark figure would be nice.

Additionally, I enjoy being able to see a few different recipes for the same core ingredients. For example, butternut squash can be roasted as a side dish, then added to a pasta, pureed into a dip, and that puree can be the base for a soup. Knowing that beforehand allows me to roast it in a large quantity, then add spices or flavorings as I change it throughout the week for a couple of different meals. It's a form of pre-planning leftovers, so to speak.

posted by anntlope on October 17th 2008 at 1:50pm
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I second comments by mh33. I love this blog b/c it's about the kitchen, not just recipes. But in general, I've loved every recipe I've found through here.

One aspect that helps me feel like I'm spending my money well is the product series reviews. So, the most recent one was ikea products, sometimes I'm in the market for a tool for a long time before I break down and get it. I think there have been some others on crock pots etc.

Oh, and printer friendly would be great!

Thanks for asking!

posted by ScorpioJ on October 17th 2008 at 2:17pm
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How about guidelines for cooking frugally yet healthfully and with some diversity?

Cooking definitely saves me money--yet as I get into it I often end up chasing after semi-obscure ingredients and sometimes tools.

posted by sphinxie on October 18th 2008 at 1:20am
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sorry if someone has already mentioned this, but there should be a recipe index. a quick way to access all the recipes you've posted.

posted by chusmabilly on October 20th 2008 at 7:04am
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@chusmabilly - ah, but there is!

recipes

It's next to kitchen tours, our shopping guide, and our archive up on the nav bar.

posted by faith on October 20th 2008 at 12:19pm
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