Thoughtless meals

We all have a repertoire of meals we can make that require no thought at all. For many people their repertoire is a source of deep embarrassment because it doesn't extend much beyond cold cereal, roasted squash, or a can of soup. Expanding this repertoire expand your enjoyment of cooking. linearly.

The first step in expanding your repertoire beyond frozen Trader Joe's could be roasted chicken. Imagine a drug dealer who doesn't own a gun, said "dealer" would be almost as feckless as the home cook who can't work with chicken. Now imagine a drug dealer with a gun. ooooo! scary drug dealer! Now imagine a home cook who is comfortable with roasting a chicken. That's not a cook, that's a chef! That's a chef who will get laid tonight.

Roasting a chicken is easier than you think. Preheat the oven to 425F. You'll have nice, crispy skin because you roasted at a high temperature. Pat salt and pepper all over the inside and outside of the chicken. Place the chicken on its side in your roasting pan. You will get good results roasting on anything made of metal that is oven safe, even non-stick cookware will work fine. After 20 minutes flip it to the other side. After 20 more minutes flip it onto its back. Take it out of the oven after 10 more minutes, and let it rest 10 minutes. Thats 50 minutes in the oven for a 3-4 lb bird, you may need to adjust if your bird is much bigger or smaller. I bet that you already have this recipe memorized!

You know, there's a lot of extra space in that roasting pan, why don't you add some vegetables? Cut a potato and an onion each in half without peeling either of them. Cut the onion at its widest part, so the root is entirely on one half, trust me, roasted onions are good. The first time you flip the chicken, add the potatoes and onions to the pan, cut side down. They'll absorb some fat! You'll be roasting them for 30 minutes. (If your potatoes are big you might want to start them when you start the chicken) If you want to be really fancy, keep some tapenade on hand to spread on the potatoes when they are done. Serve 1 onion and 1/2 potato per person.

Learning to work with chicken is empowering. There are fantastic things you can do with chicken, a lot of fantastic things! Keep an eye out for meals that you can make that require little thought and effort, yet will get you laid.