Re:Show HN: Parsnip – Duolingo for Cooking
by sequoia on Thursday July 28, 2022 @06:24PM
(#32270795)
> Is there a way to avoid this?
Is there a reason to avoid this? GP commenter's list of "status" cuisines (including "chopping vegetables" as a status symbol) is just nonsense, you should not expend too much energy trying to interpret it.
Re:Show HN: Parsnip – Duolingo for Cooking
by contingencies on Thursday July 28, 2022 @07:16PM
(#32271211)
If you don't like chopping, cook things whole (steaming, boiling and baking come to mind), tear with your hands, smash (eg. chinese chopper side-smashing of cucumbers is a fun thing) or use a food processor (insta-soup).
The main problems with pre-cut ingredients are that they are cut in one way only (thus you have no control over form), they are compromised in texture, aroma and flavor, they are more vulnerable to pathogens, they degrade faster and they tend to be repackaged in single use plastic which is really terrible for the environment. Being packaged, they can be difficult to inspect and thus often used as a means to dispose of subpar ingredients by penny-pinching retailers. Further, they're also more expensive.
Frozen veg is often pre-chopped. However I admit that I put that in to make up the rhetorical triad.
Can you share more about why you'd want to avoid chopping your own vegetables?
It was mentioned in the parent comment as an example of something unreasonably onerous.
Re:Show HN: Parsnip – Duolingo for Cooking
by djtango on Thursday July 28, 2022 @07:26PM
(#32271290)
From experience pre-chopped veg is usually less fresh and poorer quality
If you're not picky, blending it is quicker in bulk.
Is there a way to avoid this? I can get some chopped vegetables at the grocery store, but the vast majority of vegetables are only available whole.