Cooking - do you know...

In fact, I know several ways to cook broccoli, now that you mention it.

Of course, I would look it up in Fannie Farmer to remind me how long to cook the broccoli, and how much flour to put in the gravy, just to make sure. Cookbooks are a wonderful crutch (which links back to the "do you use recipes when cooking" question asked here a while ago).

Wow. Is broccoli an unpopular vegetable? Or just usually eaten raw? I can do all of the above, and I know how many tablespoons are in a cup, too. :)

I hate broccoli, so I have no reason to know how to cook it. The thing about gravy is that you have to actually *cook* the flour, not just add it as a thickener. Basically you're making a roux using the meat drippings (mostly fat) instead of butter. If you don't, it tastes like... well flour. raw flour is pretty unapatiazing.

Gravy (or rather, good gravy) is a relatively recent thing for me.
**bill: There are three teaspoons in a tablespoon.
**reality: Then you should let the folks at dictionary.com know that their information is incorrect. I'll be willing to wager 150 teaspoonsful of your beverage of choice.
**N.B. I have no idea if the theory I presented to reality is correct. Time to do a little more research.
**I didn't find anything about differing teaspoon sizes (as a measuring unit; the actual spoons used for stirring beverages are usually smaller in Britain) As far as I can tell, it was just a goof on dictionary.com's part.

but I can look it up when I need to know it so big frikkin deal

an interesting point by atzilut, though -- does knowing how to *find* information count for as much as knowing the information to begin with? In today's information-glutted society, where none of us can indiividually hold in our heads all the information we'll ever need, isn't it inevitable that we'll end up storing references in our heads, rather than objects?

I know how to cook broccoli. You leave it raw. I hate cooked broccoli. I also know how to make gravy and the number of teaspoons to a tablespoon is pretty easy too.

Although there is obviously more than one way to cook broccoli...

Waaah, what a scary thought that people wouldn't know how to do these things. They're pretty typical things to do! Although I suppose I can see a vegetarian not knowing how to make gravy *per se*, but the same technique makes cheese sauces and other things without meat ...

***THREE teaspoons!!!! How did you guys get two???

Qbaz: A very intriguing point. We've seen this on other surveys - "I don't KNOW that but I can easily LOOK IT UP". Maybe we should make a survey on that (heh heh)

I think I know all 3, but I'm probably not great at making gravy. It's 2 teaspoons in a tablespoon right? I steam my broccoli, and I know I do that well because it comes out great most of the time (I love broccoli!) Gravy is just taking the juice left from cooking a meat thing and adding thickener (generally flour), stirring a lot...
** later..
OK, I'm wrong. I guess I'm more of a feel-your-way around kind of cook. Honestly, I almost never use ts/TBs spoons I just put the amount I feel like adding. I've revoted to remove both ts/TB and gravy. I do know how to cook broccoli, but I couldn't tell you exactly how long or anything - I just check it's color and turn the steamer off (usually way before it rings) when it's that bright green color and still fairly firm. I don't generally do gravy because of all the fat, also it just seems like such a pain in the ass. I buy low-fat can/jar gravy if I really want it. ...or, I let someone else prepare it.

There are tons of ways to cook broccoli. I make great gravy, and I have no idea how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon. (its never come up)

I actually needed an option for "I don't know any of these things"
**What Atzilut said.

I don't care if the next person can cook or not, but I think it is a wonderful, creative hobby that you can share with your family. They feel special & so do I. Maybe the next person is a great gardener or tailor or whatever.

..now whether it's *good* or not is a different story...

What an odd selection of things to choose! But I'm glad to learn about the ts/TB thing.
I don't know how much this means, anyway. I mean, I have a set of measuring spoons, one of which is a teaspoon and one of which is a tablespoon; why do I need to do conversions? And if I ever need to make gravy, I know many sources from which to find a good recipe. (As to the broccoli, I toss it in a plastic bag in the microwave with a little water and a splash of lemon - steams it nicely in next to no time.)

I presume you mean without a recipe of any sort, and not "packaged" or whatnot.

Just microwave for however long the package says. To what Eris said, it's this lack of cooking ability that leads to dependence on pre-packaged foods, unbalanced diets, obesity, heart disease, etc...

*reality: have you tried cooking for yourself very often? I used to think it was pretty silly, and nowadays I really appreciate it. YMMV, but I find it very satisfying to sit down to a nice meal that I've created for myself out of fresh ingredients, often while reading a book or watching something on cable. I don't generally make things that are as complex or interesting as when I'm cooking for other people, but I love the feeling of "I made this", and then I typically also have leftovers for a day or two that make good lunches....

I know several ways to cook broccoli. I make a damn good gravy. And I am Master of Units!***Three teaspoons to a tablespoon, two tablespoons to a fluid ounce, eight fluid ounces to a cup. Approximately five milliliters to a teaspoon. *** gilly--knowing the conversions allows you to make half a recipe, and make one 9x13" cake from a recipe for 2 8" rounds, etc.

I'd probably use my steamer for the broccoli (this is too vague). gravy is (as far as I know) just flour and maybe spices added to meat drippings. I think it is 2 tsps to a tbls If I am wrong on these, then I will revote to show my correction. *I thought the heat involved in the gravy was implied.... guess not. and I will now revote to show my ignorance **daver you may want to check your references, www.dictionary.com defines teaspoonful as "usually reckoned at a fluid dram or one quarter of a tablespoonful." *** weird, webster's shows it as one third tbls. **** well, the current theory (by daver of course) is that the odd reference (showing 4 rather than 3) is british because they use smaller teaspoons. he also went into a talk about how volume measures (in cooking) are an invention of the americans since the british use weight. mystery solved.
*seven: not necessarily. I eat poorly and am fat and don't usually cook simply because I am too damn lazy to grocery shop, and cooking for one seems like a waste of time. the pre-packed foods make this an option. I am a decent cook and with a cookbook I think I could cook anything. basically, the pre-packed foods perpetuate the cycle, but aren't the cause. this started before the foods (there was a demand that was filled) and has simply spiraled.
*glen: nope. not for a few years. every thanksgiving and christmas I bake several pies. as mentioned previously, the laziness factor prevents me from buying supplies usually. at the end of any given day I am usually not motivated enough to even want to eat, since I don't usually want to eat, I don't buy food, since I don't have food, I don't cook. this is more from desire not to mingle with my fellow man than anything. There is this one meat pie thing that I like that is good for 4 meals (+ or - 1) and some other things that I will cook and eat. I think the things I enjoyed making the most was a chocolate cream pie (from scratch) and donuts.

I don't believe you all know how to make gravy. And it's obvious that somebody is wrong about the number of teaspoons in a tablespoon.

The Joy of Cooking confirms it to be 3 teaspoons to a tablespoon.

*** glen - I agree with you; I never used to bother cooking for myself but it feels great, and I can cook better food than some restaurants I might go to. Even with cleanup if the meal is simple it's not necessarily very time consuming.

When I cook anything it may not be the "proper" way but it's the way I like it. The best cook I know is ron2112......he's my hero :)

I consider the erosion of American cooking skills to be a travesty. It seems there are just an awful lot of younger people who don't know even the most basic things about how to cook any non-prepackaged foods. I'm not sure why -- it seems like a pretty fundamental skill to me. Maybe it is just too easy now to feed oneself without it. As for my own skills, what steve said, and I usually use cornstarch for the gravy. And I vote for three teaspoons. *** dpolicar: good thing you didn't try that with salt

gravy's that stuff you buy in a can, right?

I have started rice on fire. That should answer your question. :Þ

boil broccoli until it's slimy.......milk and flour in meat drippings.....tsp/tbsp 3/1......tbsp/cup 16/1........tsp/cup 48/1....any other stupid questions??

"I can fake all of the above" should have been an option. Also, you didn't say whether or not we could buy a gravy mix and cook that.

I know several ways to cook broccoli and make gravy, but don't know how many tsp there are in a tbsp or even if the ratio is integral (though the one time I used three tbsp rather than three tsp of baking powder I managed to salvage it pretty well, so I guess I have a good intuitive notion of the ratios).
eris: actually, baking powder is almost as bad (bitter, alkaline, yech.) and I deal with it the same way -- add more food to the pot!

knowing 'how' to make gravy and actually being able to prepare it - sans lumps - are two different things ...how can you not know how to prepare broccoli?? that stuns me! 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon, 4 tablespoons in 1/4 cup (so there!)

I don't want to know how to cook broccoli anyway! BLECH

None. What a cooking illiterate I am! I do know how to cook only a few things...

Resy: Knowing how to make gravy correctly enables you to make it without lumps. Here goes: Separate the fat from the aqueous phase of the drippings. Measure the aqueous phase. For each cup, use 3 Tbsp of flour and 3 Tbsp of fat. Put the flour and fat (supplement with butter or oil if you don't have enough) in a large saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture has bubbled a lot and then started to slack off. Now add a little bit of the juice, and beat it into the flour and fat mixture. When it's thoroughly incorporated, add a little more. The mixture will get thicker through the first few additions until it has the consistency of a paste, then you'll be thinning it until it's close to gravy consistency. The key is patience; don't add too much liquid at once, or instead of paste that you're stirring liquid into you'll have liquid with lumps of paste in it. When all the liquid is incorporated, simmer for a few minutes to finish, stirring frequently.

hey steve, I liked your recipe page.

A gravy short cut I learned recently and approved the results of involved mixing some of the liquid (like a cup) with flour in the blender, until completely smooth and then just stirring that into the rest of the liquid. Much quicker (something I like) and about the same, in terms of results.

but then you have an oogy blender to deal with :(

The only thing I don't know how to do is cook broccoli, but that's okay because I hate broccoli.