Cooking For Engineers

[motan]

I'm not an engineer, just an ordinary law student. Maybe that's the reason why I love this website and Michael's analytical approach to cooking. I concur with TeaPot. Hats off to Michael!

As regards the major controversy that evolved around the innocent oven baked chicken and rice: why do some people seem to get so emotionally charged when they have discussions? yeah, we all agree that organic ingredients are better. and canned food, booo. but some of us can compromise. or make exceptions to the golden rule. or talk about it reasonably. since we all seem to love analytical cooking, why not consider analytical thinking?

[Guest]

I just tried this recipe and I think it was amazing.


To the first poster:
Go kill yourself.

[Jen]

Why all this BS for a recipe? Whomever thought of it, IT'S A GREAT DISH!! There's ways around things but I see nothing wrong with this recipe and it tasted wonderful. I just happened to use Instant rice instead of regular rice.....Does that mean I'm gonna die faster because I use Instant Rice??? If so, I had a good life and I got to try a wonderful Chicken and Rice dish.

[Guest]

in search of a recipe for the old standard comfort food, this site appeared. Politicizing aside, try this:

brown rice instead of white (maybe some other grains mixed in)
Amy's Organic cream of mushroom soup
brown the (organic) chicken parts
increase the water (I increased to 3.5-4 cups)
use a combination of water, organic chicken broth and a spot of milk/cream
add thyme, parsley & black pepper
a bit of salt (yes, have to add some because soup is low sodium)
increase the garlic and skip the onions (if this is to your taste).
cook in an iron skillet

Such comfort for a rainy day in the Pacific NW!

[Guest]

I increased the amt of rice from 1 c. to 1.5 c. (thus, the additional liquid)
Cooking time increased to about 1.5 hours (don't worry about overcooking chicken, esp if using bone-in, which I did).
EVVO instead of butter...but, who cares, use either.

Happy person in PNW.

[Wu Jen]

How can you in good concience post a recipe with ANY sodium in it whatsoever? Don't you know that it is harmful to the human body and that if you so much as even know about sodium you will DIE?

It's a commonly known fact that the human body requires no sodium and that you even reading about sodium here is causing your BP to shoot through the roof and your children to be born malformed! The horror!! We must act now to stop the senseless distribution of sodium! JUST SAY NO!!!

[annoyed]

"We like us some white rice, canned soup, and fatty chicken. And if you don't like THAT, you can always go to someplace in Africa where all you've got to worry about if your nose falling off from the BO."

That is why you racist American bastards have people shooting the hell out of you in schools. You can't even talk about food without making racist comments. Wonderful.


I think it's a good recipe, it could be substituted with mildly precooked brown rice, and better-than-condensed cream of mushroom, but I like the recipe, it's nice and easy.

[dickrebel]

Hi CfE,

Good recipe. I have been making the same thing since my mother tought it to me as a kid, but we used whatever vegetable was on hand, not just zuchini. I think I've even had it with canned black olives at one point. I've had it with cheese, with ham or bacon added, etc. I like it with frozen lesieur peas best.

For the health nuts, or those needing to control cholesterol or sodium:

Campbells makes a low sodium version, and a "healthy" version of this soup.

Remove the fat and skin from the chicken before adding to the dish. You could even use breast meat, however the dish will be more bland.

The butter isn't really that much for the amount of food you are making, so stick with the butter. However, you can use olive oil too, but I don't think it tastes as good in this dish.

I don't advise using any of the "brown" rices, as they don't absorb as much liquid as white, and the cooking time would be different. Who wants undercooked rice with overcooked chicken?

-dr

[angela]

Tried this dish and it turned out well. Additions to this recipe- chopped baby carrots, portabella slices, cayenne pepper. Substitute Lipton Onion Soup (envelope) in place of the Campbell's soup.

Oh, and posters (you know who you are) life is too short to argue about trivial stuff.

...Live, Love, Eat!!!!!!

[Spanna5]

when I came across this page I thought that with the heading cooking for engineers would mean that it would have an intelligent discussion page. I was quite astounded that people would get so vocal over a simple chicken dish ah well I guess there is nothing as funny as people
I will just cook the dish as it sounds as though it will be quite tasty.......
thanks for the recipe

[K.B. Shep]

There isn't a thing wrong with this dish. It is versitile and simple. Many people I work with don't know the first thing about cooking rice, I think this would be an easy dish for them. If sodium is a concern, it is easy enough to adjust in this dish.

I am a Nutrition Educator. There are no bad foods. What is bad is lack of proper portion control, and lack of exercise.

The French eat some of the most fattening foods in the world, yet as a population they are slimmer then us here in the US.(it should be noted that as some of them are adopting western customs, they are catching up to us). They did a university study in Philly on this very issue. They found that the French eat much smaller protions. Imagine that folks!

I would rather have the "full fat" version of certain foods I love,and just eat a smaller portion.

[Khoopla]

I can't believe there's an entire website of adults bickering back and forth because of one chicken recipe. I wonder if the first guy spends all of his time visiting every website with recipes, looking for bad ingredients?

[Guest]

My, oh my, I came on browsing the net for an easy chicken and rice recipe to prepare for my family and I am astonished at the language and bickering that has gone on over a recipe. There is a quick fix to this apparent dilemma: if you know what you like to eat then eat what you like; if you don't like the ingredients in a recipe then don't eat it. How hard is this? No matter how you "slice" it, people will eat what they like not matter the ingredients, sodium level, or name on the package. There are like so many more things in life that our attentions and energies can be focused on.

[Guest]

I am teaching my 4 yo to cook and chicken and rice is one of his favorite foods this recipe looks great and simple for him to try (with help of course) and i love the format of your "recipe card" I will defintly be coming back to cooking for engineers thanks!!!!

Oogie mama
lilcraftystar.blogspot.com

[babbles]

I just wanted to say.....

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS WEB SITE!!!

Keep up the great work!!!