Crooked Kitchen

I have a bad habit.

It’s a habit a lot of people have. A habit that drains money faster than cable TV. Faster than broadband internet.

My name is Matt, and I’m addicted to Starbucks. (Hiiii Maaaatt.) That’s right. I pay $2.65 every weekday morning for a large (fine, venti) iced coffee.

But now I’m trying to get off that habit. I’m going back to making my own coffee (which, I have to admit, tastes much better than Starbucks’). Today I’ll cover my method for making hot coffee. Later I’ll write about cold-brewing, which is good for both hot coffee and iced coffee.

Continue reading to learn about The Beans, The Grind, and The Brew and see my method for hot coffee »

Recently the time between my posts has increased. In part, that’s due to lack of time and motivation, but the ultimate cause is lack of funds. I have lots of post ideas, but I don’t have the cash to go out and obtain the materials to make them work. Recipes I’d like to try, produce I’d like to do research on, and products I’d like to review - they’re all on the backburner until I can scrounge up enough change to fund the posts.

Starting today, and running for a week, I’ll be calling for donations. I’ve set up a permanent donations page that outlines what I’ll use the money for, and what perks you’ll receive if you help me fund my work. All donated money will go directly towards this site, and I will stay accountable by explicitly recording what the money has funded.

I ask only for a small donation - $1 can contribute to a recipe, $5 will pay for an entire single-serving recipe plus leftover ingredients, $10 will fund an entire multiple-serving recipe or a research post. If you donate, you’ll get acknowledgement and a link to your website or blog on the post that your donation made possible, and the top 5 fundraisers will have a link permanently posted on the donation page.

Please help me keep posts going. I don’t want to sound desperate. For now, my hosting costs are covered, but without more help than I’m getting, I’m afraid that my content will suffer.

Out of all the cookware I own, the ones I like best are made out of cast iron. They’re the most versatile cooking vessels I have. I started using cast iron 4 years ago, when I moved in with someone who preferred cast iron for a lot of his cooking. I had been wanting to try it out ever since watching Alton Brown use it to cook a ribeye. In 2006, I got my own cast iron skillets and began using them daily.

Photo by Southern Foodways Alliance / CC BY 2.0

Continue reading to find out why you should use cast iron, how to choose it, how to season it, and how to cook in it »

One way to save money on food is to shop at local, independent markets, especially ethnic markets. When I was living in Santa Barbara, I did some exploring of the local markets, and found that prices on most real food were cheaper than prices at the chain supermarkets. Here in the LA area, I have a large ethnically-biased produce market that I do a lot of my shopping at.

Sunland Produce is a supermarket-sized business on the corner of a major intersection. I believe it’s owned by an Armenian family, and they seem to cater mostly to the local population of Eastern European, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic customers. Aside from the namesake produce section, there are aisles of ethnic pantry items.

Olive Oils

Some of the interesting things are the varieties of olive oils and vinegars. exotic pickles and peppers, cans of hummus and baba ghanoush, and all kinds of spices. There’s also a great bread aisle with all varieties of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern breads and pitas, and lots of interesting little cookies and desserts.

Continue reading to see the deli, meat counter, and huge produce section »

I had a plan to write a great post on shopping the grocery flyers. That was April 29th. But the infection I had been fighting flared up and made me not want to work all day, then put me in the ER that night. Since then it’s just been problem after problem, and only now am I finally able to get back to posting.

Since the last time I posted, I’ve moved out of my rented room in Santa Barbara and back in with my family in LA. it’s been a month, but I still have to move all my stuff in to where I want it. Health problems have kept me from doing that, but now I’m getting better. One of my major goals in moving in is to get my computers set up in a clean, organized environment, so I can be more productive, both with my blog and the other things I do.

Also, once I’m all moved in, I’ll take over the kitchen and start doing my own grocery shopping. My eventual goal is to do all the grocery shopping and cooking for the family, with my mother willing to finance the shopping. I think the best way to get that going is in stages. First I’ll do my own shopping, with my own money, and cook mostly for myself, but in larger portions than I’d usually cook. I’ll offer the extras to whoever wants them, or leave leftovers in the fridge (which my brother will probably eat). Eventually, when more of the food in the kitchen is “mine,” I’ll begin asking for input on what the family wants for dinner, and cook dinner for everyone. Hopefully once I’m doing that on a regular basis, I’ll be able to ask for funding to buy food each week.

Once I’m fully moved in (should be within the next couple days), I’ll post again about how I’ve organized my working space. I’ll also post once I’m on my way to cooking for the household.