Best taste/effort ratio

What dish do you think has the best (highest) taste/effort ratio? I made Beef Bourguignon yesterday, and although it turned out great it’s a decent hassle. There are certainly things that are much worse on the “hassle” scale, but I’m wondering what’s the best? Please limit your thoughts to something which requires a modicum of preparatory effort - an answer of “a fresh picked apple” is not allowed.

For my money it’s tough to beat a good caprese salad, and you only have to slice up 3 ingredients, no cooking required.

Pasta Carbonara or al Vongole perhaps?

The list is endless.

Any number of egg dishes.
Grilled prime steak/veal chop/rack of lamb/king salmon/etc.
Roast chicken.
Seared scallops.
Seared tuna.

The list of delicious foods you can make quickly and easily is nearly endless. It just depends on having good ingredients.

I think the charm of Beef Bourguignon and other stews is that you make a big pot and eat it over several days. As the stew sits it just gets better. I’d never make a stew for one sitting unless it’s for a crowd.

Highest taste:effort ratio? Cut open an avocado, bit of salt, eat with a spoon out of the skin :wink:

This, or a mango where you don’t even need the spoon…



[head-bang.gif] [head-bang.gif] [head-bang.gif]

Hey, no one wanted rules in my best opening line to a song thread so live with it…

Poached egg on buttered toast.

Sauteed morels.

As for dishes which require a bit more effort, rack of lamb is tasty and seems impressive, but is quite simple to make.

Yep, preparing rack of lamb is something which might intimidate many but is pretty easy to do.

Your choice of beef b was what I was thinking after reading your opening sentence. But, since you grabbed it I’ll go for something that may be notch up the ladder but ice cream is pretty darn easy to make.

I thought about grilled meats, and while they’re very good you still have to heat up the grill, go outside, etc etc. Yeah I know not back breaking work, but also not “slicing 3 things up”. I don’t know about you, by my roast chicken, while delicious, involves chopping up garlic, thyme, oregano, mashing that with olive oil into a paste, then rubbing that under the skin of the chicken (getting fantastically dirty in the process), then trussing the chicken and waiting 30 minutes. Don’t get me wrong it still does great on the T/E ratio but we can do better.

Things which enter into my equation: amount of chopping/prep need, amount of pots/pans dirtied, total time (even if inactive).

Only other thing I can think which comes close is grits with sausage and a fried egg. Dirties 3 pans (I don’t do the sausage and eggs in the same pan) but can be done in under 10 minutes.

A steamed jumbo artichoke with curried mayonnaise for dipping

Roasted Chicken

For me it is some form of slow cooked pig…BBQ ribs or pernil are probably my two top choices. Very little effort and just need patience.

French style omelette? sooooo easy (after you get the hang of the technique) and the basic recipe only takes less than a minute.

Chicken thighs (skin on, bone-in, naturally). Salt, pepper, brown on one side for 10 minutes, flip and finish in the oven.

Ethan, I agree on the chicken thighs, though I make mine differently. For years, I have been cooking them in a large skillet or wok-shaped frying pan. I started out adding nothing, just sauteing them skin side down for about 10 minutes, rendering a good amount of fat, turning them and cooking (actually frying, at this point) the flesh side for 7-8 minutes, and then back to the skin side for another 6-7 minutes to render more fat from the skin. They are remarkably delicious, with crunchy skin and moist flesh. Now I add my own rub/spice to both sides - even better.

Cacio e pepe (pasta with cheese and pepper)