# Cooking. I admit it, I use \ **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072 "2010-09-08T17:12:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/221 "2010-09-15T20:39:09Z")
Thanks, friend! ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/222 "2010-09-15T21:10:21Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > > [@Leiko](#): > > > > Until my big glass dutch oven broke (with dinner in it, graagh) I often made chicken and dumplings in the microwave, with leftover rotisserie chicken, canned broth, and Bisquick dumplings. That’s at least four cheats right there. (The recipe also contains onions and carrots and fresh sage, which isn’t cheating.) > > > > Now I have to do it on the stove, so I cheat slightly less. > > Share the recipe, please? Oh, wow, I wrote carrots when I totally meant celery. If you’re going to use carrots, either use frozen carrot, or cut the carrot really small and maybe microwave it/cook it on the stove a few minutes before the onion goes in. Normal procedure: Chop up as much onion and celery as you like- I generally do three to four celery stalks plus one whole onion. If the only onions you have are mild, add a minced clove of garlic. Dump it in either a microwave safe container or a nice big frying pan- either way, you need something with a lid. Pour in a can of chicken broth, half a can of water, and any chicken drippings you might have at hand. If you are using homemade or box broth, you want enough to cover the veg and make 'em float, but not more than about 3 inches deep in the pan. 2 is probably enough. Simmer on the stove while you get on with the rest of the prep OR microwave 10 minutes. Skin and debone at least half of a roasted chicken (yay Costco!) Leave the wings intact and dump them in with the veg- they’re too much work to bone out, and the gelatin helps with the mouth feel. Cut or tear the meat into bite-size or slightly bigger piece. Stir the meat with as much black pepper as desired and a tablespoon or two of flour. If it’s home roasted chicken and you think it wasn’t quite salty enough, add a tiny pinch, but if it’s Costco it’s plenty salty. When the veg is slightly softened, stir the in the floured chicken, making sure all the pieces get moistened so the flour is absorbed. Microwave it until it’s boiling, about 5 minutes, or turn up the heat to do the same. (If you’re cooking on the stove, stir a lot here!) In the bowl that previously contained the chicken, dump in approximately 1 cup of Bisquick. You might need more if your pan is really big. Add one egg, and enough milk to make a wet dumpling dough- not quite a batter, but nearly so. Sprinkle dried sage on the surface of the stew, or lay on many leaves of fresh sage. (If you don’t like sage, I bet thyme could work, but I’ve always used sage) Drop gobbets of dumpling on to the boiling stew- focus more on getting most of the surface covered than in making them thick, as they will puff up. I use a big cereal/dinner spoon plus another to help scrape the goo off. Cover and microwave for 5 minutes or simmer on the stove for 5 to 10, depending on how long it takes for the dumplings to finish. Try to let it cool down a tiny bit before eating, but I always burn my tongue. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/223 "2010-09-16T08:49:40Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > My brother, who has worked in the hotel/restaurant industry his whole life, claims that no restaurant, apart from 5-star restaurants, uses anything BUT jarred garlic in their foods. NONE. Not a one in America, says he. (Five-star establishments, as I understand it, must prepare everything on-site, including butter!) Feel free to correct this if anyone has a cite of a higher authority than Ellen’s Brother.™ Did he mean jarred minced garlic, or jarred whole cloves of garlic? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/224 "2010-09-16T13:16:49Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > My brother, who has worked in the hotel/restaurant industry his whole life, claims that no restaurant, apart from 5-star restaurants, uses anything BUT jarred garlic in their foods. NONE. Not a one in America, says he. (Five-star establishments, as I understand it, must prepare everything on-site, including butter!) Feel free to correct this if anyone has a cite of a higher authority than Ellen’s Brother.™ I personally know of at least two local restaurants where I know the chefs, and both of them chop their own garlic. They are both far from 5 star restaurants. I have no problem believing that your average restaurant buys their garlic in jars, but unless Ellen’s Brother has actually visited every single restaurant in America, I have to doubt his word. Especially since the two chefs I know definitely chop their own. As many have noted, there is a taste difference between minced-and-stored-in-oil garlic and freshly chopped garlic. And there is no law saying 5-star establishments have to make everything on site, either. Especially since there’s no real definition of 5-star. Who awards these stars? Michelin is the most common star-awarder that most people cite, and their top rating is 3 stars, and they only rate a small handful of countries/cities. That said, I’ve been to my share of highly rated restaurants, and though many of them do make a lot of stuff in-house, I’ve definitely been served bread/charcuterie/butter from outside the establishment. It’s really just up to the restaurant - if they can find a reputable high-quality supplier, they might opt to bring something in rather than make it themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/225 "2010-09-16T13:19:26Z")
Minced, I believe, **coffee** — but I’ll ask him on Saturday when I see him. ETA: I’ll also probe him to see where he gets his “every restaurant in America” hyperbole, **Athena**! ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/226 "2010-09-16T13:24:35Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > My brother, who has worked in the hotel/restaurant industry his whole life, claims that no restaurant, apart from 5-star restaurants, uses anything BUT jarred garlic in their foods. NONE. Not a one in America, says he. (Five-star establishments, as I understand it, must prepare everything on-site, including butter!) Feel free to correct this if anyone has a cite of a higher authority than Ellen’s Brother.™ > > Canned tomato products? Try [Dei Fratelli](http://www.deifratelli.com/). Even the pizza sauce is fantastic! Your brother is wrong. Really wrong. Very, very wrong. I’ve worked in many kitchens that use fresh garlic exclusively, none of which were 5-star rated. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/227 "2010-09-16T13:35:36Z")
In her cookbook, Susan Spicer from Bayona in New Orleans says that they started using the jarred whole cloves in their signature garlic soup, just because they needed so much of it every day. I’ve had the soup, and it was fabulous (as was everything else there), so I can’t argue with that. I still can’t get behind the pre-minced stuff, though. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/228 "2010-09-16T14:13:38Z")
Wait’ll he hears about this! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/229 "2010-09-17T05:03:43Z")
I’ve got a question: lots of you keep mentioning using canned/boxed _stock_ – is there really stock available and I’ve somehow missed it on the shelf, or do you just mean broth? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/230 "2010-09-17T05:48:19Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > I’ve got a question: lots of you keep mentioning using canned/boxed _stock_ – is there really stock available and I’ve somehow missed it on the shelf, or do you just mean broth? There’s really stock. You can buy either one at my grocery store. ETA: meaning broth OR stock. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/231 "2010-09-17T08:05:40Z")
Two words: [Liquid Smoke.](http://www.colgin.com/public/) Yeah, and I’m in Texas, too. The shame-- oh, the shame. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/232 "2010-09-17T12:20:25Z")
> [@Doctor\_Who](#): > > There’s really stock. You can buy either one at my grocery store. ETA: meaning broth OR stock. Wow! Clearly I’ve been semi-sleepwalking through the store for years. Okay, off to genuinely _look at_ what’s on the shelf. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/233 "2010-09-17T12:30:20Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Wow! Clearly I’ve been semi-sleepwalking through the store for years. Okay, off to genuinely _look at_ what’s on the shelf. 🙂 That explains the first part of your username, I suppose. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/234 "2010-09-17T13:09:46Z")
> [@Panurge](#): > > That explains the first part of your username, I suppose. 😛 😉 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072/235 "2010-09-17T13:34:41Z")
I steam corn in the microwave. Just husk it, put it on a plate with a little water and cover with a big pyrex bowl and zap. It’s a shortcut, but my wife and I think it’s best this way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-i-admit-it-i-use-this-short-cut/553072.md?page=11)