Speed vs Time Saved

[neadods]

Last night, M and I had a "risotto-off." She cooked hers by hand; I put mine in the fuzzy-logic rice cooker I got for Christmas. And the result was two risottos, both alike in dignity and creaminess.

Now... when people talk about time saved, they're usually talking about speed: dinner in 30 minutes! 20 minutes! 15 with only 5 ingredients! And if you measure by speed, then M was very much the winner: she started with basic ingredients and was eating about 35 minutes later, less than half the time it took the Zoshirushi to announce it was done by playing a tinny version of the Japanese national anthem.

BUT! I am going to argue (as I will with all the Electric Gourmet ideas) that I won in terms of *time saved.* Because for 30 of those minutes, M was standing by the oven, patiently stirring and ladling and stirring some more before finally plating and eating it.

Whereas while my dinner took around an hour, the actual time I spent in the kitchen was ~10 minutes: I prepped the frozen onion and white wine in a saucepan for about 5 minutes, then dumped everything into the Zoshirushi and walked away, only coming back to plate it when I heard it beeping.

And I argue that that is over an hour of my time *saved* because in that hour, I could go do something else! Clean. Read a book. Catch up on email.

To steal scarlettgirl's motto for homekeeping, I want an organized house so I can spend more time watching Dr. Who. And the Electric Gourmet project is going to give me that, I think. (While I'm writing, the Zoshirushi is mulling over a heaping helping of apple moyle made with brown rice, barley, and dried apple. We'll see what kind of a breakfast that makes. Or maybe in future I'll try it with cracked wheat in an egg-and-milk sauce - I bet that will taste a great deal like french toast, only without the having to fry it!)

Comments

[lagilman]

Ah, but for those of us for whom cooking is a meditation/thinking time, your way is Missing the Point.

;-D

[nycdeb.livejournal.com]

there are times I don't want to be in the kitchen, that is true (and for those times I have a handful of quick and yummy throw together things I make) but at those times, I do not make risotto. Risotto to me is - as suricattus states - more relaxation and meditation. There is something soothing about quiet repetitiveness when the end result is something like risotto.

But I agree that "time saved" depends largely on your opinion of what the task at hand is. I've never understood, for example, why anyone calls stir-fry quick. The actual stir frying part is but the prep work is NOT. It isn't difficult but fiddly - and not fiddly in the same soothing way as stirring risotto.

Naturally everyone else's mileage may vary.

[museclio]

See I like the fiddly bits of stir fry - I like the making everything a similar shape making the coloration pleasing and that such I think it can be meditative as well - whereas stirring risotto I read a book.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Ah, but risotto is creamy and satisfying and nourishing! So it's probably going to be in my rotation a lot, but that doesn't give me the time to sit and fuss with it.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Heh. That assumes there's time for meditation these days.

[ziggychaos.livejournal.com]

Some of those recipes sound yummy.

And, yes, being able to walk away and do something else while dinner is being made is time saved. If I have a longer cooking dish, I try to get it started before I take care of my furkids (litter boxes, food and water, etc.), so by the time I'm done with those things, I'm ready for the kitchen.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

The brown rice/barley pudding was a disaster. I'm trying it again with barley alone.

[suze2000.livejournal.com]

This is why I love a roast dinner. Meat in, veggies in some time later, the only need is to turn and season if required. And because of the cooking time of the roast, everyone thinks you've slaved for hours, where nothing could be further from the truth. :)

I'm not sure about not-fried french toast though. Sounds like the point is being missed. While I'm totally there with a risotto - I hate cooking the sods, but love eating them. Darren's the master risotto chef and I leave it to him after I'm done helping with the chopping of the veggies. :)

[jennetj.livejournal.com]

Tell me about this rice cooker. Mine's elderly and could use an upgrade. And risotto - yum!

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I'd have to go check the model number: it's the Zoshirushi Neuro fuzzy logic one that does about 4 servings max. So far I'm happy with it, but I've only just begun to fiddle with the options, and occasionally I do get wipeouts (for example, making "porridge" with brown rice and barley doesn't work.)

Using arborito rice, I get fabulous risotto. Also decent white rice, and I think I'd be getting a good rice pudding if I was using arborito instead of barley. There are six different settings: porridge, white, mixed, brown, quick (and I'd have to go check the last one).

I also did an all-in-one meal by mixing teriaki sauce in with the white rice water and putting a raw salmon fillet on top; open the thing half an hour later and all was cooked and ready to go. I did have to pick scales out of the rice, though.

It's extremely powerful, and I'm hoping will be a tool for healthier eating. (However, that rather depends on how healthy you consider risotto made with arborito to be.)

[fabricdragon.livejournal.com]

zojirushi is the bestest brand i know

i have one of their bread makers. i have LIVED on that bread at cons......

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I just bought a Cooks bread maker on sale. I have high hopes for it.

If I can make frittata in the Zojirushi rice maker - and it looks online like I can - then it's going to be my new bestest friend at conventions when I start traveling again.

Timed saved

[olivia-sutton.livejournal.com]

Nea - I completely agree with your comments about time-saved (that for an hour you could do something else!)
But I REALLY loved this comment: "I want an organized house so I can spend more time watching Dr. Who".
Thanks for the chuckle!
--Olivia

Re: Timed saved

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I wish I could claim credit, but that's scarlettgirl's - she's so, so right!