Good Fast Meals (ported from old site)

This is first in what I hope may come to be an almost daily posting.  Topics will vary, but will generally be in the following areas:

• Information Technology: Storage, Virtualization, Enterprise Networking, VOIP, Business Continuity and Regulatory Compliance.
• Chicago Music and Dance scene: Groups, Performers, Places to Dance, Places to Learn
• Bachelor Cooking: Some cooking basics, good easy to make dishes, some different cooking styles and desserts guaranteed to please (some easy, some not).
• Government: What I see our government doing (right and wrong).

Todays topic:  Good fast meals
Have been experimenting the last few weeks with a variety of quick-fix frozen meals for two.  Discussed today:

1. Wanchai Ferry
2. Contessa

I am someone who thinks that most restaurants and prepared food makers use way too much pepper (and salt) in their dishes.  Being a suspicious and paranoid individual, this makes me think that they do so to hide their sins.  Throw enough peppers on something, and it doesn't matter what else is in the food because you can't taste it.  I was surprised to discover that both brands mentioned above don't do that.  Both are easy to make, usually requiring only a single frying/sauce pan with cover and a little oil.  Portions are appropriate, not the usual American tradeoff of quantity for quality.  Filling but not too much.  Quality is excellent for both, with excellently crisp veggies and tasty noodles or rice.  Each component retains its unique flavor which adds to the quality of the dishes.  Both are also a dollar or two cheaper than some of their competitors.  Neither takes more than 30 minutes (usually 15 or less) to make.

Cooking hint of the day:  Melding verses distinct flavors
Creating Melded Flavors
Sometimes you want to meld (mix) flavors.  This is usually done with spices, garlic, onions, celery, mushrooms, scallions, wine, etc.  To accomplish this, heat several tablespoons of oil in a pan (I only use olive oil).  add the various items to meld (usually a good idea to chop these up pretty finely), and then heat while stirring for several minutes until they are just cooked through.  Either add the main ingredients to this mix (e.g. a soup), or add to your base dish (e.g. pot roast).

Creating Distinct Flavors
When you want distinct flavors, either cook the items separately, or add them last to the dish.  This is done at many restaurants where a chicken breast may be cooked when ordered, but be covered with a sauce that was prepared earlier in the day.  Another good example of this is barbecue sauce.  One more example: Fondue

Some cooking topics discussed in future blogs:

• Dessert recipes both fast and complex
• Roasting: Beef and birds
• Soup recipes