Comments on: Cooking Is As Easy As Being a DungeonMaster

By: For The Love Of Food | Healthy Eating Tips - Upgrade Your Healthstyle | Summer Tomato

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:01:25 +0000

[...] Cooking Is As Easy As Being a DungeonMaster <

By: Devon

Devon — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:16:15 +0000

That’s very interesting, I’d never compared to two before. I’m the cook in my family (my wife can’t stand to be in the kitchen ever since her pregnancy) and it’s been rough finding meals that everyone will eat, and that I can cook in my limited time. But, it’s been a lot of fun! Cooking for yourself is definitely healthier, and overall, cheaper than eating out or the “just add chicken” meals.

You ought to check out a friend’s blog, Kitchens and Krakens(http://kitchensandkrakens.blogspot.com/). She’s a gamer and a cook. A good cook.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:36:09 +0000

I caught your post off of RPG Bloggers, and I have to agree. Though, as both a professional cook and a GM, I never drew the connection between the two. Even beyond the extent of the home kitchen, the chops required in a professional kitchen are serious. Much like being a GM, one must be on the ball and part psychic, always ready to anticipate the next rush.

My advice to people who want to teach themselves to cook. Pick something that you love, comfort food or otherwise, and learn it. That old joke that every guy has one dish he can cook. Building a meal or a dish is like building an encounter. Understanding what the right levels of each element should be for optimum enjoyment.

Great post! Thanks!

By: c

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:17:15 +0000

I get comments like that a lot too! I think a lot of folks underestimate themselves and think anything that they don’t know how to do must be hard and impossible to learn. Cooking isn’t rocket science, and knowing how to cook makes eating a lot more fun!

I’ve always loved to cook and bake, but I do tend to get into a cooking funk in the summer. Our little window AC can’t keep up if I heat up the kitchen with too much cooking, and I get really tired of salads and sammies. Luckily, though, summer means grilling! I also need to use my crockpot more, and plan meals a little further in advance (like, before I come home from work starving and realize I didn’t put meat out to thaw. D’oh!).

@Roscoe – I’m a big advocate of cook once, eat for days. Make a full batch of something – soup, stew, meatloaf, a roast – and then pack the leftovers into little tuppers. Put a couple in the fridge for lunches over the next couple of days, and the rest in the freezer for later. You can fit a lot of those little tuppers in the freezer above your fridge!

By: e

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 02:25:44 +0000

@ Matt – I’m in Maryland, so once the ground freezes over, we’re pretty much SOL for local produce. This year, I plan to learn canning so I can make my own BPA-free crushed tomatoes for the winter.

@ Roscoe – I think the fun part about cooking for one is that I can do all sorts of experimenting without fear of offending someone else’s tastebuds! There are also plenty of one pot meals and also crockpot meals that freeze easily so you can have your own microwave meals.

By: Roscoe

Roscoe — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:07:19 +0000

I enjoy cooking, but I find my problem is motivation: If I’m cooking for just myself, I don’t feel like cooking. All the prep, cooking, cleaning, for one plate of pasta? Why bother?

I’ve tried to stock the house with reasonably healthy premade meals (like Trader Joe’s Indian Fare, which is made of actual 100% food for eating) but the problem’s still there. Short of inviting friends over every night, how can I encourage myself to cook more often?

By: Matt W.

Matt W. — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:13:41 +0000

Depending on your area, don’t forget about CSAs or co-ops to help with fresh produce during the winter! A lot of the same farmers that are producing cabbage, cherries, and lettuce right now will be producing carrots, rutabagas, onions, and other offerings in the fall and winter!

Just think of it as borrowing a few NPCs…