Corona cuisine / Social distancing cooking

In no way interested in spreading paranoia, I nonetheless found myself wondering about the culinary challenges a possible pandemic quarantine would raise. I keep a pretty full pantry and I'm lucky to have an extra fridge/ freezer, but I don't have weeks of frozen proteins or anything like that.

So: what are your very best, staples-only recipes? (ie this is very popular right now, from alison roman: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/102 ... llot-pasta)

What are you going to hoard this week for the possible trouble later?

How do you make non-perishables delicious?

What ingredients that last a long time in the fridge can become the basis of a meal?

I believe that most disaster preparedness experts recommend fulfilling your protein requirements via dried meats, lentils, and weaker family members.

I think the actual recommendation starts with neighbors, no?

Well, my neighbors I actually like. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Tom yum soup: shrimp, galangal, lime leaves, lemon grass from the freezer; stock and straw mushrooms from cans; name prik pao from a jar in the fridge, but fresh tomatoes and cilantro.

JoelF wrote:but fresh tomatoes and cilantro.

Howdy, neighbor!

Weird, verging on eerie, none, zero, nada, toilet paper, bottled water or Bounty paper towels at Costco Niles today around 3pm. I went for my regular run which includes Kirkland toilet paper, Bounty paper towels and the 20oz cases of water, they were wiped out.

I was not "panic buying" we are down to two rolls of t-p, two rolls of paper towels and a couple of scattered bottles of water, just a regular restock. I typically buy a few of each and store in the basement as needed.

Not sure if this was coincidence, doubtful. In all my years of Costco shopping this is the first time I have witnessed anything but abundance of above mentioned products.

I was momentarily tempted to load up on 50/lb bags of rice, cases of canned chicken and a pallet of spam, but would have felt the fool. Hope I'm not singing a different tune in 30-days.

Had a similar experience at the Glenview Costco Saturday when I went to pick up a prescription. Every cart had some combination of water, bleach, or wipes. A worker told me they were out of toilet paper and paper towels until Monday. Other necessities like vodka were running low.

Giovanna

In my Facebook feed, there were friends in different parts of the country that described weekend Costco runs as absolutely nuts with paper towels and toilet paper sold out. Meanwhile, my trip to my local Jewel on Saturday afternoon was calm with no evidence of a run on paper products.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/quarantine-cooking-finding-relief-from-coronavirus-anxiety-in-the-kitchen

Corona cooking in the belly of the beast.

Indianbadger wrote:https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/quarantine-cooking-finding-relief-from-coronavirus-anxiety-in-the-kitchen

Corona cooking in the belly of the beast.

Love this . . .

"Quarantine cooking is built on an overabundance of time and a scarcity of ingredients. It is the flamboyant presentation of simple ingredients."

and this . . .

"meal after meal, they're recording the moment when their future seemed to slip away, replaced by an endless present -- one that could shatter at any moment . . . into an apocalyptic future."

=R=

GWiv beat me to Spam!
I was at Walmart in Naperville Sunday, just to get a couple of items. We were out out liquid handsoap and I usually buy a jug and refill the smaller bathroom containers.
When I walked in, there was a huge display of bleach, toilet bowl cleaners etc. I couldn't find the anti-bacterial soap, just an empty shelf. Flagged down an employee and was told they were out. I bought a jug of regular liquid soap, and they only had a couple of those left.

At home, I've got a nice supply of Rancho Gordo beans. Not ready to start stocking up on non-perishables, but I guess I would get canned tuna, pasta, canned tomatoes and water...guess I should add wine to that list too.

I read this today from Deng Anqing, a Chinese essayist and novelist who found himself stranded with his parents in his childhood village southeast of Wuhan.
https://lithub.com/life-under-quarantin ... -outbreak/

As people here are cancelling trips, loading up on supplies, this writer's description is frightening...

We, too, are trying not to exaggerate the dimensions of the problem, but this seems like a good time to stock up on consumables that we know we're going to need whether or not the human race takes a big hit over the next month or so. Most of what we buy comes from Amazon or Costco (the former whenever possible), and we've ordered things like a five-pound bag of dried garbanzo beans (I like them a lot, and they're versatile), regular-use healthcare products (contact cleaner/solution, prescriptions, etc.), the aforementioned paper products, stuff like that.

It surprises me that there seems to be a run on bottled water. We've stopped buying bottled water (plastic: guilt), and I don't really see why, given what we know about corona virus, that bottled water is something people feel they need. If the water supply becomes contaminated (is that even possible?), I would probably change my position.

Louisa Chu had posted on Facebook that many of us can probably eat well for a good long time based simply on what we have in our pantries. I agree. This plague could provide an opportunity to eat through shelf-stable food we've had hanging around for a long time.

David Hammond wrote:Louisa Chu had posted on Facebook that many of us can probably eat well for a good long time based simply on what we have in our pantries. I agree. This plague could provide an opportunity to eat through shelf-stable food we've had hanging around for a long time.

As long as municipal water, natural gas and electricity remain 'on,' there is enough food in-house for two weeks or more.

A few weeks ago, I cooked a 13-pound ham for three people. That ham alone kept us fed for a grueling week or more.

We will run out of milk and I might meter my egg usage. I do have 20 pounds of butter in the freezer.

Preparing for this is like a winter storm or a summer heat spell. Really not a big deal in many respects.

Regards,
Cathy2

Corned Beef briskets with use by dates around May 1st.

C2, "grueling" is right. I'm good for the leftovers maybe up to two days after the preparation of the initial meal, but after that, I rebel against this tyranny of food, and the leftovers go in the freezer.

Hi,

Last night, I was at a program where a sign up sheet was circulating. I signed on, then passed it to the next person a seat away. "I don't touch anything!" Ok, then stood up to hand to the person just beyond his reach.

Once the program began, my Mom could not see the screen though I had no problem. I moved a seat over to accommodate her and made certain not to touch this guy. I could hear his wife whisper, "Should we move?"

Afterwards at a Jewel grocery store, the man in front had commercial sized cans of green beans plus not quite as large baked beans. I commented I did not know Jewel sold canned vegetables in such large cans. Neither had he seen them before, but, "I am preparing to stay home in case I have to. Plus the dogs like them, so they can finish what I don't want."

He inquired how was I preparing, but learned I wasn't doing anything at all. Of course, I did not reveal I could lock the doors and still have food left to consume a few weeks later.

He wanted to know if I had followed the news. By the beginning of May, every hospital bed will be filled. Sure, I am aware of the news. I am aware it is still a random event. I was informed this problem paralleled Biblical events, I should really prepare.

Yeah, I guess my Jewel freebies pick up of an energy drink, seaweed snack and Monopoly freebie Almond Joy was not a great indicator of my concern for our species to disappear anytime soon.

Regards,
Cathy2

Not to start a flame war, but can someone explain to my why bottled water is now a staple. Um, you turn on your faucet and gallons of water come pouring out to use as you wish. Need to take water with you? Put the used bottle under your faucet - instant bottled water.

chicagojim wrote:Not to start a flame war, but can someone explain to my why bottled water is now a staple. Um, you turn on your faucet and gallons of water come pouring out to use as you wish. Need to take water with you? Put the used bottle under your faucet - instant bottled water.

I share your bemusement at the rush to buy bottled water. I don't get it.

Speaking of CoronaCooking; I was in Chinatown this Saturday evening at 5 PM at my favorite place, Mala Spicy Spirit, and I was the ONLY person there. I felt so bad for the people running the place that I over-ordered way above my usual over-ordering that I do anyways. I am thinking of making this a weekly jaunt. The place is usually pretty crowded on weekends.

Feelsbadman.gif.

David Hammond wrote:

chicagojim wrote:Not to start a flame war, but can someone explain to my why bottled water is now a staple. Um, you turn on your faucet and gallons of water come pouring out to use as you wish. Need to take water with you? Put the used bottle under your faucet - instant bottled water.

I share your bemusement at the rush to buy bottled water. I don't get it.

I was told -- by someone who doesn't feel this is irrational -- that if things get bad enough, the employees who operate the public water facilities could get so sick that they can't come to work, and these facilities could cease to operate. It seems pretty far-fetched to me but there you have it.

=R=

Last week the Costco in Bloomingdale had toilet paper and we got some. We don't need water, we get it from the tap and its perfectly good. I have a bunch of wipes and hand sanitizer so don't need that or soap. Regular soap does perfectly fine you really don't need antibacterial if you wash your hands right. Stocking up on staples such as pasta, ground beef, rice, tomato sauce, frozen vegetables, fresh fruits that last such as apples or oranges, oatmeal, chicken breasts, etc, you can eat a long time using just these foods. As long as there is water and no power outage, its fine. Try using fewer sheets of toilet paper.

Re bottled water: I think the point is to stock up on things that you would want to have around if you can’t leave your house for two weeks. For some it’s gin, others canned tuna fish, contact lens solution, bottled water.

Standard advice to prepare for natural disasters, like hurricanes, is to have bottled water in case city water supplies become polluted.

I believe in having at 2 weeks of non perishable, no cooking required food in the house at all times, COVID or no COVID. In practical terms this means food that comes in cans and retort pouches. Assuming you eat about 2000 calories daily, this comes out to roughly 2 cans beans, 2 cans veg, 1 can chicken/fish, and 1 can corned beef/SPAM per day. Plus multivitamin & fiber supplement. You can buy these items at ALDI for about $7 per person per day.

If you buy what you would normally eat anyway, you will cook through your stock every so often and don't actually have to spend any extra money on it; you're just buying a little more at once.

David Hammond wrote:

chicagojim wrote:Not to start a flame war, but can someone explain to my why bottled water is now a staple. Um, you turn on your faucet and gallons of water come pouring out to use as you wish. Need to take water with you? Put the used bottle under your faucet - instant bottled water.

I share your bemusement at the rush to buy bottled water. I don't get it.

What's so hard to get? Lots of man hours are spent every day ensuring the water that comes out of the tap is safe to drink. In a pandemic, it's not unreasonable to have water dept staffing levels under stress. Things gets missed, people doing jobs they don't normally do and before you know it you have a repeat of the Cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee back in '93.

Not a big deal if you are comfortable boiling lots of water. I'm not out buying large amounts of water but I am picking up a few extra gallons when I'm out. I use it for my dogs when traveling so it will all get used eventually.

FWIW,
Dave

https://www.amazon.com/LifeStraw-Person ... s9dHJ1ZQ==

It seems more probable that I'll be working from home for a couple of weeks per company policy. I added a package of chicken thighs and chicken stock to my cart at Costco today. I anticipate doing a big cook on weekends for easy weekday meals.

FWIW, I didn't see any bath tissue at the Lincoln Park Costco, but they had paper towels.

Since it is frozen food month, I did buy some frozen vegetables for the short term. Was it the price or the world around me, probably a bit of both.

Cathy2

BadgerDave wrote:

David Hammond wrote:

chicagojim wrote:Not to start a flame war, but can someone explain to my why bottled water is now a staple. Um, you turn on your faucet and gallons of water come pouring out to use as you wish. Need to take water with you? Put the used bottle under your faucet - instant bottled water.

I share your bemusement at the rush to buy bottled water. I don't get it.

What's so hard to get? Lots of man hours are spent every day ensuring the water that comes out of the tap is safe to drink. In a pandemic, it's not unreasonable to have water dept staffing levels under stress. Things gets missed, people doing jobs they don't normally do and before you know it you have a repeat of the Cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee back in '93.

Not a big deal if you are comfortable boiling lots of water. I'm not out buying large amounts of water but I am picking up a few extra gallons when I'm out. I use it for my dogs when traveling so it will all get used eventually.

FWIW,
Dave

Dave, I see your point. If we're on the cusp of a service breakdown, maybe I should buy a gun (as police may be understaffed), fire extinguishers (as the fire department may be understaffed), etc. I'm living the with probability that the water supply will be fine until I hear otherwise...at which point, bottled water, of course.

Arrived to Jewel after 9:30 pm this evening, the parking lot was full of cars.

The night crew who usually do inventory and stock were zipping around dealing with all the customers.

A lot of carts had toilet paper and water.

When I got in line at self-checkout to pay for my milk, there were nine people in front of me. The clerk advised it was a lot worse a few hours before.

Regards,
Cathy2