"hypermiling" your cooking

[OSUBearCub]

Sounds good - what does she put in it?  I don't put in basil because I don't like it with chili.  But I have home-grown dried basil and marjoram (I prefer it to oregano) for Italian dishes.

We're Neapolitan so the sauce is really smack in the middle of the spectrum: smooth texture, balanced sweet/sour, moderately seasoned, and on the thick side but never chunky.  The recipe is crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, garlic, olive oil, salt, black pepper, a very light touch of sugar, and basil.  A bay leaf or two if you're feeling feisty.  I find the oregano takes a back seat to the chili spices - if you hate basil, marjoram is perfectly acceptable.

Once our family settled in Ohio, the recipe got a decidedly Italian-American twist with the addition of meat.  To start the sauce, we brown pork ribs (thicker "country ribs" if you can find them) in olive oil in the bottom of the pot.  Then the the minced garlic is added for about a minute, the heat is cut to the lowest your burners allow, and the rest of the ingredients above are dumped in over the ribs.  Simmer until it's as thick as you like - I go at least two hours.  Pull out the pork and pork bones when done.  The bones will be dead but the pork will be fall-apart awesome.

Pasta - as prepared
Pizza - thickened slightly but optional
Enchilada Sauce - Add in some ground cumin and chili powder to taste
Chili Base - Add ground cumin and chili powder along with diced jalapenos
Sloppy Joe Sauce - Add brown sugar and prepared mustard to taste

One pot of sauce, five different dishes. :-)

[Gerard]

we brown pork ribs (thicker "country ribs" if you can find them) in olive oil in the bottom of the pot.  Then the the minced garlic is added for about a minute, the heat is cut to the lowest your burners allow, and the rest of the ingredients above are dumped in over the ribs.  Simmer until it's as thick as you like - I go at least two hours.  Pull out the pork and pork bones when done.  The bones will be dead but the pork will be fall-apart awesome.
Pasta - as prepared
Pizza - thickened slightly but optional
Enchilada Sauce - Add in some ground cumin and chili powder to taste
Chili Base - Add ground cumin and chili powder along with diced jalapenos
Sloppy Joe Sauce - Add brown sugar and prepared mustard to taste
One pot of sauce, five different dishes. :-)

I'm liking this a lot. Do you toast the cumin before grinding it?

[OSUBearCub]

we brown pork ribs (thicker "country ribs" if you can find them) in olive oil in the bottom of the pot.  Then the the minced garlic is added for about a minute, the heat is cut to the lowest your burners allow, and the rest of the ingredients above are dumped in over the ribs.  Simmer until it's as thick as you like - I go at least two hours.  Pull out the pork and pork bones when done.  The bones will be dead but the pork will be fall-apart awesome.
Pasta - as prepared
Pizza - thickened slightly but optional
Enchilada Sauce - Add in some ground cumin and chili powder to taste
Chili Base - Add ground cumin and chili powder along with diced jalapenos
Sloppy Joe Sauce - Add brown sugar and prepared mustard to taste
One pot of sauce, five different dishes. :-)

I'm liking this a lot. Do you toast the cumin before grinding it?

I buy pre-ground cumin.  But if you've got time, a grinder, and the inclination, toasting probably takes things to a whole new level! Ha ha.

[pagoconcheques]

Slice food thinly before cooking.  It cooks faster.  Works for stir frying as well as for barbecue or saute.  I typically slice steaks or boneless chicken breasts to 1/2 or 1/3 original thickness then marinate them, and they will cook typically in about a minute a side. 

[Lizzy B.]

When my parents get back from grocery shopping, they sort everything into freezer/fridge stuff on the counter so they only have to open the fridge/freezer once.

Uh oh, I thought that was just standard practice, not a weird super-mustachian habit. I usually have enough that my fridge needs a little re-arranging, so it's helpful to have everything ready at once.

I keep old plastic coffee "cans" filled with water in the freezer. Helps keep the freezer full and I'm always ready to throw a few in a cooler for a quick adventure. This works better than loose ice because the water tends to stay in the can instead of soaking whatever else is in your cooler.

[No-stache]

Learned quite a few things from this post.

My tip (and most of you probably already do this) is to made a double (or triple) batch of anything that can be frozen. Mainly soups, stews, and sauces. You save getting all the knives and chopping boards out, can buy ingredients in bulk, and then freeze in portions appropriate for usage. And there's only one cleanup.

[GardenFun]

I keep old plastic coffee "cans" filled with water in the freezer. Helps keep the freezer full and I'm always ready to throw a few in a cooler for a quick adventure. This works better than loose ice because the water tends to stay in the can instead of soaking whatever else is in your cooler.

That is a really good idea!

[Lizzy B.]

I keep old plastic coffee "cans" filled with water in the freezer. Helps keep the freezer full and I'm always ready to throw a few in a cooler for a quick adventure. This works better than loose ice because the water tends to stay in the can instead of soaking whatever else is in your cooler.

That is a really good idea!

I wish I could take the credit, but I learned it from my mother in law.