POLL: Door Knock Dinners, Feast or Famine?

[Beth]

The pantry quiz, and watching the Door Knock Dinners show made me wonder (1) how the rest of you would react to having someone arrive at your door to cook dinner, and (2) how well would you eat on a typical night?

I'll start by saying I'd run to start clearing toys, books and other kid stuff before the cameras got too close. How well we'd eat is a tougher question....most nights, I'm sure we'd do okay since I try to always have enough staples to make a couple of impromptu meals, but then there are those times when they's have to get a gourmet dinner out of breakfast cereal and popsicles. Tonight, the freezer has filet mignon and shrimp, but Christmas decoration baxes are still everywhere!

[kwormann]

Why, is anyone volunteering to come to my house to make dinner ????

It wouldnt be anything "traditional"...in fact, I think it would be a great challenge. We dont each much meat, so if there is any in the house, it is canned tuna and maybe some frozen chicken. There is always cheese and beans and pasta and usually salsa, so Im guessing some kind of mexican pasta would be the best bet!

Kim fun topic! I love that show

[Angel]

Oh this is a great topic... I have often wondered while watching that what I would do.
Like Beth I to would have to run around and clean... not little kid toys but "my toys", then after I found a way to hide mounds of design books and samples I would have to most likely make my self look somewhat normal(usually as soon as I get home from work it is off with the dress clothes and into pj bottoms and my hair pulled up on top of my head...my I just made myself out to sound so attractive, I am surprised my husband is still married to me after 3.5 years http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif )
Anyways as for food good luck, unless they want to make coffee, pasta, spuds or fresh garlic they may be out of luck....
Great topic, Kudos to you Beth for such a fun topic

[Cbyerman]

This is one of my favorite shows. And JUST IN CASE they ever come to my house (highly unlikely, I know) I always keep boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sun dried tomatoes, pasta, roasted red peppers, frozen bread dough, and other misc. items. As an added bonus, with all of these items in the house, I always have something to make for dinner http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Since, like I said, it is not likely that Gordon Elliot will be knocking upon my door any time soon!

And, as for the condition of my home, the camerapeople would be tripping over baby toys, and I'd probably look pretty bad - but, hey, I would have sun-dried tomatoes!

Caroline

[ElinorC]

I'm quite sure that the people are notified ahead of time since I don't think that truly surprising people with a camera crew is a very good idea. I also don't think most people keep their houses in such good condition that a camera crew can just walk in unannounced.!

[Beth]

Elinor, I suspect you're right that they have at least some idea that someone will show up if not exactly when. The 2 times I've seen the show, I thought the folks were less than shocked, but one lady did say that she was just about to go out.

Don, a soulmate! I had 3 turkeys in the freezer until my mom got a new small chest freezer and took 2 of them (I have a 2nd fridge, but no longer the sep. freezer). I immediately got ice cream and pork chops. My California neighbors always said that they knew where to come if we had an earthquake, and when I told my husband about the 3 items always in your pantry thread, he said the question should be what 3 things aren't in there.

[Don]

What an absolutely horrible thought! My house is usually a disaster area (except for those four or five times a year when I know that company will be coming!) I can't imagine the embarrassment of being caught on television with everything in disarray.

On the other hand, dinner would probably be no problem. Between the freezer, pantry storage area, and assorted items in the refrigerator, we could easily live off our reserves for three months. In fact, in the freezer alone I have two whole turkeys, about 12 lb. of chicken breast, 9 lb. of boneless loin pork chops, 6 lb. of beef steak, and who knows what else lurking in the frost! I also have at least 30 or 40 small bottles and cans of different Asian sauces, curry powders, etc. It seems that I buy them, use them once, and then they get added to the menagerie. While I would love to have someone cook dinner for me, I don't think I could bear having my stash revealed on TV. I already get teased enough by my family who accuse me of secretly running a 7-11 out of my house!

[emilycat]

What a neat idea for a topic!

Okay, well, I've never seen this show before, but I think I would be horrified for someone to show up unexpectedly and cook my dinner! For me, cooking dinner is THE most relaxing time of day for me, and since I'm really big on planning ahead of time, I would be jolted by having someone come in and alter all of my plans. In short, I would not be a happy camper. (Yes, I know, I can be quite anal...you guys are seeing another side of me http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif )

As for their success, well, that would kind of depend on what day of the week it was. If it were right after I'd gone to the store for the week, they'd have a blast,and could probably make just about anything they wanted...I have a pretty well-stocked pantry, with all kinds of pastas, dried beans, always onions, garlic, tomatoes; my freezer is stocked with tons of vacuum-packed Alaskan salmon, halibut, snapper and cod, and I usually have a bag of frozen shrimp. I have several different kinds of cheeses and, like, a garden and an orchard in my vegetable/fruit drawer after I've gone shopping, because a meal without tons of produce is just AHHHHHH! to me. But, um, if they came right before I went shopping, they might have a bit of a problem, since I try to use everything up before I go again.

[Don]

Beth,

It's good to hear that I'm not the only one with a turkey farm in the freezer! I actually don't care much for roast turkey, so we eat it one day a year--Thanksgiving. But my grocery store kept giving us free turkeys for every $150 we spent. By January (they did this for Thanksgiving and Christmas), we had five turkeys in the freezer. We finally gave them to a food bank. Besides we were running out of places to put other stuff in the freezer. Now we have three turkeys (same promotion this year). I think the people at the food bank are going to be serving a lot of turkey this January again!

[Beth]

Don, last year I tried to give mine to a local group's food drive, but they weren't set up to take perishable items. The ssecond one we got was smaller, so we tried one on the grill. My 4 yr old has decided he loves turkey, so what the heck! We use different spices and sides during the year. Now, wouldn't you like to see them try to defrost and roast one of those turkeys with the cameras rolling? If it was that or PBJ, what would they do?

[Mitchdoggy]

Has anyone ever tried "Fried Turkey"? (I'm not sure if this could ever be considered "light" cooking. However, I have a friend from LA who insists it isn't that greasy and the meat is very tender.

[Beth]

Originally posted by Mitchdoggy:
Has anyone ever tried "Fried Turkey"? (I'm not sure if this could ever be considered "light" cooking. However, I have a friend from LA who insists it isn't that greasy and the meat is very tender.

I haven't tried it, but it became very popular here in TX several years ago. The stores (grocery, sporting goods, hardware, everywhere) sell turkey fryers, marinades, injectors, special oils. They are often injected, marinated or rubbed with seasoning (often cajun) and fried whole, so it's a specialty production and not as easy if you need a large turkey. I have heard that they are very good, but I don't think I'm up to doing one myself. For those who have macho men (the kind who won't let a woman near a grill), it is a way to get them to help with Thanksgiving dinner. Since the fryers are used outdoors, it can be sold as a "guy" thing.