I can't cook

[Tommy T.]

@jerry921, I have written this for you. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't. It isn't meant to criticize you but to maybe assist you a bit. Cooking a few simple things is not really difficult. So I will tell you how to make something here...

BLT - Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich:

You will need to have in your apartment/condo/home:

Stove top, cutting board or counter, sharp knife, plate, frypan (preferably non-stick), spatula or tongs, paper towels, appetite, a bottle or can of San Miguel Pilsen.

You will need to shop for and buy:

Regular bacon (thin sliced is best for this)

Bread or bun - like burger bun

Mayonnaise

Lettuce

Tomato(s)

Butter

Method:

Rinse a couple of lettuce leaves and a tomato. Shake the water off the lettuce. Slice the tomato to make about 1/4" slices - two slices are enough. 

Take the bread or burger-type bun and spread some butter on one side (the inside if burger bun)

Heat up the fry pan with about 1/2 heat then place bread or bun inside. Slide it around a bit to spread the butter around. Keep an eye on it and and check it frequently for looking toasty. When it looks a bit toasty, then flip it over and do it again on the other side. Each side should take maybe 1  minute if the fire is a bit hot.

Remove the bread/bun and set aside on a plate. Slather some mayo on both pieces of bread or bun.

Place 2-4 strips of bacon in the pan (depending on how much you like bacon - I always do 4 because I am a bit of a pig about bacon)

Fry the bacon at a low to moderate temperature - not hot, or you will burn it. Turn it when it starts browning on the first side. (If it's smoking, your heat is too high.) When it is looking fairly brown on both sides, then remove to a plate where you have placed a folded paper towel. The paper towel will absorb the grease.

Break the bacon as needed to fit then place on the bread/bun bottom. Add tomato slices, the lettuce and then the top bread or bun.... Voilla! You have your very first BLT! Eat and enjoy the sandwich with the cold beer!

Now... If you feel like you have learned a bit, try my enhanced version of the above - 

The BLTCEO - Bacon Lettuce Tomato, Cheese, Egg, Onion Sandwich

Extras to buy are:

Cheese (I buy blocks of cheese and slice them thick, but you can just buy pre-sliced cheese in packages)

Eggs

Onion

Really best with a hefty burger bun, if available (I find "Brioche Buns" in some bakeries here)

Mustard - I prefer Dijon mustard...that's just my taste everyone's tastes are different...

Method:

All same as before, EXCEPT:

Before cooking the bacon, take one egg and open it up into a small bowl then beat it a few times with a fork.

Take the onion and slice two or three slices about 1/8" thick, if you can.

If you buy the block cheese, slice it about 1/4 inch to make two slices.

Toast the bun then slather first with mayo then with mustard. You can do that with both sides.

Cook the bacon and drain on the paper towels.

Drain off the grease from the frypan and then dump in the egg. Let the egg cook a bit until solid, then either flip it or just fold the sides onto the middle - it will only take a minute or so to cook this much in a moderate heat.

Break up bacon as needed to fit and place on bottom bun. Then place egg on top followed by cheese,, then onion, tomato, lettuce, bun.

If you are feeling more comfortable about cooking, you can cook the onion slices in the frying pan after the bacon cooks in some of the bacon grease and before cooking the egg. Just set it aside on another plate to add after the egg on the sandwich.

I hope this helps you to try to cook!

Cheers!

Edited September 20, 2019 by Tommy T.
alter content

[graham59]

One of my 'Grahamburgers' : 

(Minced/ground pork,  egg and corn flour, with my secret spice and herb mix,  onions,  and tomato ketchup) 

.I am able to select the pork that I want mincing. Lean for me please. 

I mix up enough to make into a few 'patties', which can then be frozen (with plastic or grease-proof paper dividers between them).

Edited September 20, 2019 by graham59

[Mike J]

The challenge is to find good bacon, tomatoes, and cheese. 

[graham59]

Agree on the bacon. I don't even bother to buy it any more. 

Tomatoes ... from our garden. 

[Clermont]

36 minutes ago, graham59 said:

One of my 'Grahamburgers' : 

Well I don't go to that much trouble, Last year I found a hamburger joint on Passy Rd and only 50 P each, bloody good too and the second one fills the gap left by the first. I'm slowly broadening my outlook on different foods over there.

I will agree the older type PI women know how to cook better than the young'uns. Back in their flirty days, to land a good man, they had to know how to scrap a meal together out of nothing, there was no fast food outlets. And for you men that have older partners/wife's, you'll know what I mean, Meringa leaves, lemon grass, green paw paws, just to name a few. Yes when it comes to cooking and the ingrediencies, mine is plain bloody kuripot. 

[Guest jerry921]

Well thanks for the thought, but I've not eaten a BLT for 50 years or more, I don't know precisely how old (young) I was when I started to refuse them. I hate raw tomatoes. Ketchup, ok, tomato sauce, ok. Raw tomatos, nope, never. I don't even like it when somebody puts tomatoes on my hamburger and I take them off and they leave a little slimy tomato seed on my nice burger.

I can handle breakfast and lunch at home, I just eat out for dinner every night. Not worth the trouble to cook for one person, even if I could do it well.

Do the supermarkets in the Philippines have any frozen dinners? Lol. 

[graham59]

My tomatoes ARE cooked...or I use puree, which is actually more nutritious.

I don't want to put cold uncooked slices in my burgers either...not even (useless) lettuce.  

Save the fresh fruit and veg for salad or sandwiches. 

[scott h]

18 minutes ago, jerry921 said:

Do the supermarkets in the Philippines have any frozen dinners? Lol.

Yep!! we even have toilet paper, electric lights and running water...most of the time LOLOLOL

But seriously, Most supermarkets have a selection of frozen stuff...……….but I think that if you move here you will do most of your shopping at a place called S@R. It is akin to our Costco. They even have frozen white castle burgers there. Lots of imported frozen stuff. 

[Tommy T.]

3 hours ago, Mike J said:

The challenge is to find good bacon, tomatoes, and cheese. 

Mike... you're kidding me...right?

2 hours ago, jerry921 said:

I can handle breakfast and lunch at home, I just eat out for dinner every night. Not worth the trouble to cook for one person, even if I could do it well.

So sorry you are not interested in my offering... that's okay...

Well... there are lots of different ways to create a burger. I will try@graham59's version above!

So the guys here mostly don't like fresh lettuce, tomatoes or bacon? I find local tomatoes to be tasty and wonderful - they just should be washed before eating. Same with lettuce...

I mean this with respect, Jerry - to each his own. In the many years I lived alone, I cooked for one often - and thrived. I specialized in learning how to create dishes that would either be good as leftovers a few days after cooking or to freeze and save them for a future meal. It was - and still is - a fun hobby for me. I am no chef, but enjoy the creating - even when it turns out "doubtful"?

After reading your posts, I think you might have issues with living here in Philippines. There are frozen things in freezers, but you won't find Swanson's Hungry Man Dinners or the like. S & R is your best choice for something sort of close to that.

I think that, if you really think you want to live here, you should consider coming over and staying for a month or two and "taste" the local culture to see if it fits?

If you want to eat out one or two times daily, there are lots of McD's, Burger K's, Jollibees, and other fast food places. Most of the rest are Filipino fast or street food.

Lastly... agreed - find a Filipina who is at least 30 years old with a kid and she will likely be a decent cook - if you like Filipino food - especially rice... Just my opinion.

And again, I wish you the best as you consider...

Edited September 20, 2019 by Tommy T.

[Howard]

3 hours ago, graham59 said:

Agree on the bacon. I don't even bother to buy it any more. 

Tomatoes ... from our garden. 

Pure foods makes a decent bacon.