Rochester Food Not Bombs Wiki - User contributions [en]

Apple crisp

2026-06-03T17:24:05Z

Nora at fedorfa: Created page with "Ingredients: +(Filling)+ 12 medium apples (different kinds is better, mix & match) 1 1/2 c white sugar 2 Tbs all purpose flour 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/3 c lemon juice(or water) 1 tbs of neutral oil +(Topping)+ 3 c all purpose flour 3 c oats 3 c brown sugar 3/4 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 c non-dairy butter or coconut oil Tools: knife or apple core-r, 1 large mixing bowl, 1 whisk, cutting board(s), colander, spatula/wooden spoon 1 sauce pot, aluminum f..."

Ingredients:

+(Filling)+
12 medium apples (different kinds is better, mix & match)
1 1/2 c white sugar
2 Tbs all purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 c lemon juice(or water)
1 tbs of neutral oil

+(Topping)+
3 c all purpose flour
3 c oats
3 c brown sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c non-dairy butter or coconut oil

Tools: knife or apple core-r, 1 large mixing bowl, 1 whisk, cutting board(s), colander, spatula/wooden spoon
1 sauce pot, aluminum foil, hotel pan, measuring cups

Instructions:

1. wash, core & chop apples into thin wedges, removing seeds, leaving skins on, set aside in bowl

2. oil bottom of hotel pan & set aside

3. mix filling dry's in bowl w/ whisk

4. add lemon juice/water to bowl and coat apples in it

5. add filling dry's to bowl and turn, coat apples

6. turn out mix into hotel pan

7. if using non-dairy butter melt in a pot

8. mix topping dry's in bowl with whisk

9. add nd-butter/oil to topping dry's, mix w/ spatula or wooden spoon until clumpy

10. spread topping over the top of the apples

11. cover hotel pan w/ cover or aluminum foil with some holes poked in it to trap steam,
cook in oven at 400F(204C) for ~40 minutes until softly bubbling & apples are soft

12. remove cover and cook an additional ~15 mins, until topping is golden brown

13. serve hot or chilled, keeps for several days, can be frozen for several months

--makes one 13" by 20" hotel pan, double as needed

Recipes

2026-06-03T17:21:47Z

Nora at fedorfa: /* Dinner Recipes */

= General Advice =
Some dishes are easier to make in large quantities than others, and some dishes will take longer than the 2.5 hours of a typical cook. This section has some general advice for getting to the serve on time, with food that is hot and delicious.

We usually make a main dish with 1-2 sides. When you decide what to cook, think about how long each will take, and start with the ones that will take the longest. For example, if you are making a tomato-based sauce from fresh tomatoes, start that as soon as possible, as the water needs 2-3 hours to cook off into a thick sauce. Here are a few more items that can be hard to finish on time:

* Flat topping a lot of vegetables (start chopping what needs to be flat topped right away)
* Making a lot of garlic bread (one batch can take as long as 30 minutes if the oven isn’t heating to broil temps)

The best way to make a large quantity of food on time is one pot foods. Think soup, curry, pasta with sauce, stir fry over rice.

A pound of pasta generally feeds 5 people, more if you are making a side starch like mashed potatoes. A large pot can comfortably cook around 10 pounds of pasta at a time.

=== Quantity ===
While we don't have a specific rule for how much food to make, as the amount of food which is taken by the public tends to fluctuate with the seasons, '''we currently aim to prepare about 35 meals per evening serve'''. Morning coffee serves aim to distribute 4 full airpots of coffee, or 3 pots of coffee and 1 pot of hot water. The airpots hold approx. 1.9 liters, or 64 ounces, for a total of about 5-10 cups of coffee per airpot, depending on serving size.

When vegetables are cooked, they shrink due to water loss. Thus, more vegetable by mass needs to be prepped than the expected output of servings will eventually be. A general rule that has worked in the past is:
* '''50 cups of vegetables reduces to about 30-35 cups of cooked food'''

This depends on the density of the vegetable in question; leafy greens tend to shrink much more drastically than starchy roots. Take this into consideration when getting out the cutting boards. A little math at the beginning of a serve can save you a big headache at the end.

When considering flavor, about 10 cups of onions serves as a solid base for a 35-cup entree, as does 10-20 cups of tomatoes. Tomatoes tend to have more water content than onions, especially when fresh. Using both together is a great shortcut to a delicious savory meal base, and is a good start for a fresh pasta sauce, curry, or bean dish.

==== Rice ====
A "rice cup" is not the same volume as a measuring cup!
'''One serving of rice, dry, is 3/4 cup by volume.'''

== Prep ==
Below are a few disconnected tips for food prep.

If you need to thicken a sauce in a hurry, you can add corn starch. Make sure to mix the corn starch in a bowl of cold water with a fork or whisk before adding to your soup/sauce, or the corn starch will clump.

Potatoes should pretty much always be par boiled before frying. It is very difficult to fully cook potatoes by frying alone without burning them.

== Seasoning ==
You can always add more seasoning, but it’s difficult or impossible to remove. Salt individual ingredients moderately, and it will be easier to get a dish that is evenly and well salted. So for example, if you are frying vegan meat and then adding it to a sauce, salt the meat before frying and the sauce separately, then taste and add additional salt if necessary. If a soup or sauce is too salty, you can add raw potatoes cut in half to absorb some of the salt.

Try not to make a main dish very spicy. Moderate spiciness is ok, especially if it is a dish that is traditionally spicy, like a curry. This is subjective and cultural of course, but it’s important to know your audience and make food that most who live in our area can enjoy.

Don’t be afraid to add a little sugar or honey to a sauce or soup if you think it needs it! Fresh tomatoes, for example, are quite acidic and even after cooking, can benefit from a spoonful or two of sugar. You can also add sweetness to a soup by caramelizing carrots, yams, or tomato paste, converting their starches to sugars.

=== Tomato Paste ===
For best results (and to avoid that bitter flavor that sometimes comes with tomato paste), gently fry the paste on its own with half olive, half neutral oil before adding to the dish (or adding the rest of the ingredients to the paste). Fry it well, til it changes color to a more red-brick complexion. Avoid burning by stirring very often, as that also makes it bitter.

=== Tempering Spices ===
Not just for curries, though this technique derives from that which is used to flavor them. Heat a neutral vegetable oil over medium flame and add '''only whole spices''' to it. Swirl the pan while the spices crackle, they're done when you can really smell them (no more than a minute, and watch for burning). Usually this is done immediately prior to adding fresh aromatics to the pan (onions/alliums, tomatoes, celery, carrots, fresh herbs), so use the amount of oil you'd want to start those in. It can also be done towards the end of a cooking process and poured into the cooking-pot.

== Flat topping ==
Flat topping effectively and safely takes skill and time to master. It is best to learn from someone who can show you how and help you improve. Nevertheless, here are some tips:

Flat topping is all about high temp. You can crank out a lot of flavorful food quickly if you have a very hot piece of metal and keep the food moving on it.

Flat topping is a full time role. Consider swapping off to not get overheated, but if you are flat topping, expect that to occupy your full attention.

You might have to use more oil than you think you need. Make sure you have plenty of neutral oil on hand. If food is sticking to the flat top, you are likely not using enough oil, or the flat top is not hot enough.

Don’t use olive oil or an oil with a low smoke point. Use only corn, canola, or another high smoke point oil.

Keep foods moving. You will rarely leave food undisturbed on a properly heated flat top for more than 60 seconds at a time.

Foods with a high water content can be salted 10 minutes or so before frying. Salt will draw the water out, so it can evaporate quickly, allowing the outsides of food to get crispy before the insides turn to mush.

== Breakfast & Coffee Recipes ==

=== Coffee Recipes ===

* [[Sugar syrup]]
* [[Cold Brew Coffee]]
* [[Iced Coffee]]

== Dinner Recipes ==
=== Staples ===
* [[Tomato Sauce]]
* [[Vegetable Curry]]
=== Sides ===
* [[Ian's Mashed Potato Recipe]]
* [[Fridge Pickles]]

===Sweets===
* [[Artemis's Berry Pie Recipe]]
* [[Ethan's Apple Cobbler Recipe]]
* [[Grouse's All-Purpose Sweet Quickbread Recipe (Banana Or Otherwise)]]
* [[EZ Pumpkin Pie from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken]]
* [[Apple crisp]]

Ian's Mashed Potato Recipe

2026-06-03T15:12:32Z

Nora at fedorfa:

# Rinse potatoes.
##Do not peel, skins are a great source of nutrients, and will soften & mash down well in the final product.
# Chop potatoes into small cubes, about 1" a side or less preferred.
##The more consistent the sizing, the more evenly they will cook.
# Add chopped potatoes to a big stockpot and fill with filtered tap water, enough to cover.
##You should have a couple inches of headroom in the pot - if no and pot is too full, split into two pots. This will ensure things don't boil over.
# Bring to a boil on stovetop over medium-high heat (may take ~30mins due to large volume of water). Once boiling, cook for ~10 more minutes until potatoes have softened.
##To check doneness, use a slotted metal spoon to (carefully!) fish out a larger chunk and stab it with a fork or spoon. The utensil should pass thru with no resistance.
# Drain potatoes in large colander. Careful, this releases a lot of steam! Return to pot and begin mashing. Add a little water/plant milk to facilitate mashing, but don't drown the potatoes by adding all at once. Periodically scrape the sides/corners as these tend to accumulate chunks. Keep mashing and adding a little liquid until a smooth, fluffy consistency is achieved.
#Season with:
##Plenty of salt
##Plenty of garlic powder
##A little black pepper
##A little paprika (the secret weapon)
#Serve!

''Nora's addition: Instead of water, use olive oil when available in addition to plant milk. To make it creamier, add vegan butter or veganaise when available :) And add nutritional yeast''

Ian's Mashed Potato Recipe

2026-06-03T12:48:35Z

Nora at fedorfa:

# Rinse potatoes.
##Do not peel, skins are a great source of nutrients, and will soften & mash down well in the final product.
# Chop potatoes into small cubes, about 1" a side or less preferred.
##The more consistent the sizing, the more evenly they will cook.
# Add chopped potatoes to a big stockpot and fill with filtered tap water, enough to cover.
##You should have a couple inches of headroom in the pot - if no and pot is too full, split into two pots. This will ensure things don't boil over.
# Bring to a boil on stovetop over medium-high heat (may take ~30mins due to large volume of water). Once boiling, cook for ~10 more minutes until potatoes have softened.
##To check doneness, use a slotted metal spoon to (carefully!) fish out a larger chunk and stab it with a fork or spoon. The utensil should pass thru with no resistance.
# Drain potatoes in large colander. Careful, this releases a lot of steam! Return to pot and begin mashing. Add a little water/plant milk to facilitate mashing, but don't drown the potatoes by adding all at once. Periodically scrape the sides/corners as these tend to accumulate chunks. Keep mashing and adding a little liquid until a smooth, fluffy consistency is achieved.
#Season with:
##Plenty of salt
##Plenty of garlic powder
##A little black pepper
##A little paprika (the secret weapon)
#Serve!

''Nora's addition: Instead of water, use olive oil when available in addition to plant milk. To make it creamier, add vegan butter or vegenaise when available :) And add nutritional yeast''

Main Page

2026-01-26T21:41:12Z

Nora at fedorfa:

<strong>Welcome to Rochester Food Not Bombs' Wiki</strong>

Solidarity, not charity, in Rochester NY.

==Meals==

Cooks take place downstairs at the [https://thesquirrel.org/ The Flying Squirrel Community Space]. On Wednesdays, we prepare approximately 50 meals, on Saturdays, we prepare 75-100. We share them among ourselves and then distribute the majority of the meals.

Meals are distributed for free on the public property next to the [[Rochester Transit Center]] and are dropped off at some of the [https://rocfnb.org/food-stands food stands] throughout the city. Meals are first come, first serve, and end times vary.

All are welcome, and no prior notice is necessary!

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="font-weight:bold;"
! style="font-weight:normal;" | <br />
! Side of the transit center
! Serve start time (approximate)
! Serve end time (very approximate)
! New Member Orientation time
! Cook start time
|-
| Saturday dinner
| N Clinton Ave
| 6:30pm
| 7:30pm
| 3:30pm
| 4:00pm
|-
| Wednesday dinner
| N Clinton Ave
| 7:00pm
| 8:00pm
| 4:30pm
| 5:00pm
|-
| Wednesday morning coffee / light breakfast
| St Paul St
| 8:30am
| 9:30am
| N/A
| 7:00am (ish)
|}

===Donations===

Please see our [[Donation Guide]]

We currently are spending money at a faster rate than we receive donations. You can donate via [https://rocfnb.org/donate Venmo] or donate something off of our [[Wish list]].

Have leftovers from a big party or gathering? We can be sure it winds up in hungry mouths. [[Contact us]] to arrange a pickup or drop-off.

==More Information==

* [[Recipes]]
* [[Volunteer Documentation]]
* [https://rocfnb.org Our Website]
* [https://rocfnb.org/ig Instagram]