Some people - people who make a Cajun/Creole roux frequently - are good at taking the flour from white, to blond, to peanut butter brown, to dark chocolate brown in high heat in a comparatively short amount of time (let's say 15-20 minutes). Also, experienced folk can use fats with low smoking points pretty successfully - lard, suet, pan drippings, margarine (margarine seems to be used more than butter...can you dig it?).

But...if you are new at it, it tedious and maybe a little boring, but I would strongly recommend med to med hi and olive oil for a longer period of time (30-40 minutes while standing over it and stirring it very, very frequently). It's also important to know that when you take flour to a medium to dark roux, it can no longer be used as a thickening agent. The flour becomes a taste participant but loses its usual properties. Because of this I'm wondering if it doesn't somehow deactivate the gluten. I'll have to research that.

I'd increase the oil a bit. Personally, I think the oil should cover the bottom of the pan and be at least 1/8 inch deep. But your proportions sound correct (1:2 oil:flour is classic in some books). Can't advise you on rice, potato, or tapioca flour. Doesn't sound like it'd be very good even if it browned properly.

There should be a bold, nuttiness to the roux that'll stand up to stuff like Louisiana Hot Sauce and andouille.

Have you seen this?

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/01/gluten-free-tuesday-roux-rice-flour.html

I'd have to try it to recommend it, but it looks like la vrai chose. Good luck, Doctor.

I don't know about that part but an acquaintance who used to make it took 20 or more minutes ( lost touch so I can't ask him). Try longer and maybe in a smaller pot so you're not unevenly heating it by tipping off the burner.

But my brain immediately jumped to the flour. Maybe you're gonna have to sacrifice the color to get the gluten free. How did it taste?

The direct answer to your question is that yeast won't actually "die" as long as you keep supplying it with food and refreshing its environment by expelling the toxins around it, but I don't think that's actually your question.
Indeed the bread will have more flavor- or more complexity of flavor- if you preferment some of the dough, but there are a few basic rules that will make life much better for you. Of course you could take a class (shameless plug) or follow a book- there are many, but a couple of basic rules:
Since this is such a complex process and so open to nuance, I'll just stick to the question of preferment.
YEAST:
Any kind of yeast is fine, but it MUST be still sealed and still before the expiration date when you use it. If you decide to use instant (rapid rise) yeast, use half as much as the amount you use for active dry. Instant must be mixed into the dry ingredients before you add the water. Active dry must be soaked for ten minutes before using. The water should be warm in either case (blood warm, as they say).
PREFERMENT:
Rather than forcing the final dough into a super long fermentation, it's a better idea to preferment a part of the dough for a long time and then add that to the rest of the dough. So: take about a third of the total flour, a third of the total water, and an eighth of the total yeast and mix those together. This can rise uninhibited (covered, room temp) for ideally 12 hours or up to 24 hours, not much longer than that. Then mix that pre fermented sponge into the rest of the recipe, following the instructions on the recipe. Remember you've stolen some water, flour and yeast from the total recipe so adjust accordingly.
PRIMARY FERMENTATION:
I'm not a fan of fermenting at cold temperatures but it can make baking bread more friendly schedule-wise. When your final dough is mixed the dough temp should be mid-seventies. Cover and let rise until 1 and a half times its original volume, knock it back and let it rise again to 1.5 X the original volume and you're ready to shape it. If you're committed to slowing it down in the fridge, it's much much better to do so as a shaped loaf rather than as a bulk dough, for reasons I won't go into now. If you decide to do that, the shaped loaves go into the fridge right after you shape them.

Then let rise as normal and bake. Hope this helps.

Oh, ADY isn't the best way to go. It's finicky about the temperature of the liquids in the bread dough and half of the yeast is dead in the packet anyway--it's just what happens to it in the processing. Yeast is a single cell organism, and it will live and grow and make CO2 as long as there is sugar around for it to eat, not too much metabolic byproduct (which is alcohol and CO2, mostly) surrounding it, and the cells aren't too crowded (yeasts make clumps when they divide, and the cells in the middle can die if the clumps aren't busted up periodically by kneading and punching down).How long that is depends on how much sugar is in your dough, the temperature of the dough while mixing and proofing, yeast brand, and so on.

Several things to try:

1) Switch to instant yeast. It doesn't care about the liquid temperature as much, most of the cells are alive in the packet, and it's much easier to work with.

2) Use a sourdough starter. There's plenty of sites on the interwebs that will tell you how to start this, or you probably know someone who has a sourdough that they'll share. If you make bread more than once a week, your starter (once created) will last pretty much forever as long as you keep feeding it.

3) Do your rises in the refrigerator. Cold slows yeast cell metabolism, so they get a longer "growing season" as it were, and you won't need to punch down the dough as often. Slower rise=better flavor.

4) Try this method for bread. You add very little yeast and a lot of water and time, and away you go.

The yeast is living off the simple sugars that are part of the dough (your ingredients) and produce the carbon dioxide that is what makes the bubbles in the dough. When you punch it down you deflate those bubbles, re-exercise the dough and ask the yeast to continue growing to produce more gas and have the dough rise again.

If the dough is warm it will rise rather quickly. When I was making my own bread I seem to remember having it rise at least twice in just a matter of a couple of hours before dividing into loaves, allowing it to rise finally in the pans and then bake. I think you are expecting too much from the yeast and it is running out of food to continue to live and grow. Is there any reason you are letting the rising periods extend so long or the number of cycles you are taking it through?

curries! i'd be so happy with a freezer full of curry. if you freeze them in gallon plastic bags and lie them on their side, they stack nicely.

empanadas! anything delicious is more delicious in a hand pie. they freeze wonderfully. my favorite is chilean style - beef, hardboiled egg, raisins, and olives - but caramelized onion and spinach or sweet potato and chilies or potato and sausage are great too. make a quadruple batch because you're going to miss them when they're gone. i make my own dough but you can buy frozen empanada dough or buy lotsa pie dough circles and cut them smaller.

i freeze soups in canning jars. storage and serving in one!

I don't see right now, but I know a bunch of people who've had great experiences with http://seattle.hipcooks.com/class/schedule/

Well, huh. I was SO excited to recommend the Kalorik toaster that we got (through a Woot sale) 2 years ago. It's super stylish (not something I thought I'd care about in a toaster, but it makes me smile every day, sitting there on the counter, all retro and cute), but apparently it's discontinued. This link should show you a pic, anyways. http://www.compactappliance.com/TO25244-Kalorik-Aztec-Copper-2-Slice-Toaster-With-Bun-Warmer/TO25244,default,pd.html?mtcpromotion=GoogleBase%3EKitchen_Housewares%3EKitchen_Electrics%3EToaster_Oven%3ETO25244&src=SHOPDISCOUNT#description

I will say that it's got wide slots, that it toasts well, and the "bun warmer" basket (while silly) is kinda nice, too.

The current version is ugly (in my opinion), so I don't know that I'd bother http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM1626425701P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM1077852201 Bummer, eh?

This model (with FOUR slots) is kinda interesting, at least http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM501659701P?sid=IDx20101019x00001a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=SPM1588565001

Hmmm, so this "answer" isn't very helpful, I guess. I will say that the brand, while pricey for a toaster, has been pretty darn good (was surprised to find it better than our previous $9 toaster from Target that we had for years). So, I guess if you can find a Kalorik that looks nice to you, give it a try.

Otherwise, Kitchenaid has been reliable in most products, so I'm sure their toasters are good, too.

I also suggest contacting PCC or Uwajimaya's ( http:// www.uwajimaya.com). Classes fill up quickly and last minute instructors and classes are sometimes added. I'd contact both of these local PNW markets for information about classes and if they have a "wait list." Sometimes, the demand is so great that another class is added. You might also ask if the instructor is teaching elsewhere or if they know of another class being offered in the area. I'd also contact Sur La Table, Williams Sonoma, and Whole Foods for their cooking class list. Often, these venues are knowledgable about other classes in a region. Bon Appetit!

If you want something cheerful with wide slots, why not a Hello Kitty toaster?!? hehe It even makes a weird, half-visible imprint of Hello Kitty on toast! :)

http://hellokittystuff.org/2011/02/20/lets-toast-with-the-hello-kitty-toaster/

This question brought back memories of college, when I also knew nothing about cooking, so this super-simple method really helped me get by. So simple, I'd hardly call it a "recipe".

Salt and pepper them and lay them skin-side down into a hot, hot skillet. Once you get a nice brown on the skin (a couple minutes), turn them over, dump in a quantity of Italian Dressing (just enough to flow around the thighs about 1/4"), bring to a simmer, lower temp to LOW, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

Not gourmet by any stretch, but great for those (like students) who don't want to be distracted by cooking and cleaning, and the dressing keeps everything moist and flavorful. Obviously, there are many kinds of dressings that could be used, and you'll find some to be too sour, so experiment, but you can hardly go wrong (don't use creamy varieties).

We call this recipe "marinated chicken thighs" around my house, because we're creative like that. Anyway, it's super-delicious and goes great with mashed potatoes.

5lb skinless chicken thighs (the recipe technically calls for bone-in, but since you can either get boneless skinless or bone-in, skin-on thighs at the grocery store and end up taking off the skin yourself, which I find disgusting, I usually just go with boneless skinless).

1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup oil
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
Mix the above ingredients (except the chicken) together with a whisk. Place the chicken thighs (ugly side up) in a baking dish (I use a 9x13 pyrex) and pour the marinade over them. Cover dish with lid or aluminum foil and bake at 350 F for 1 hour, then turn heat down to 300 or so for as much longer as you want to leave them in the oven (within reason). The thighs just get more and more tender and delicious the longer you leave 'em in. You want to take the top off the dish and turn the heat back up for the last 10-15 minutes to get a nice brown glaze on the tops of the thighs. It seems like a lot of ingredients for someone who doesn't cook much, I know, but the actual effort involved is minimal and I guarantee that your leftovers will get eaten.

Have you seen how eggs come out of chickens? And how deep the shit is that's considered a 'floor' for a chicken coop where some of those eggs land? Yeah, I think the fear of god was warranted

least ingredients:

Deep fry. Pour Vegetable oil into a deep soup pot, heat to 350, lower in the chicken parts, fry till crisp n browned, then salt n pepper to taste.

If you want to get fancy, marinande in buttermilk the day before, then add a cup or two of flour and a spoon or so of TonyCachere seasoning and shake in a ziploc freezer bag. Fry it up in a deep iron skillet and you got yourself some good old boy southern fried chicken.

I found this recipe online when I bought too much daikon radish and it is really good. The ingredient list isn't totally stuff you necessarily have on hand with the Daikon, sake and mirin, but you can substitute and it is pretty forgiving.

Daikon Radish with Chicken - Korean Style

http://www.food.com/recipe/daikon-radish-with-chicken-korean-style-133124

Roasted anything is easy peazy. Preheat the oven to 350. In a pan, put whatever it is you're cooking; in this case chicken. Drizzle olive oil over everything, you really don't need a lot, and cook. How long depends on the volume of what you're cooking but it's something like 20 minutes per pound. The important thing is that meat (chicken) gets cooked through (to an internal temp of 160*F) and if you're roasting something other than meat, you cook it til it's the way you want it. Crisp or soft or whatever.

That right there is more than I knew about cooking when I was first on my own- awesomely clueless is my default mode.

But, from there you can experiment with seasoning, etc. Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, brown sugar, Tabasco sauce, herbs. Have no fear. It's nothing.

Pickled Ginger's answer is much better than mine, or at least the recipe is.

However, as you fessed up to be cookingly challenged I thought I'd chime in with the near easiest thing possible. Assuming you can shop for yourself, go to the grocery store and buy some seasoned salt. There's all sorts out there. Some are general like lowery's and others are specifically for chicken.

Bring the salt home.

Preheat the oven to 350.
Put the chicken thighs on a baking sheet.
Season the chicken with the seasoned salt.
Put in the oven for about an hour. Maybe a bit less, maybe a bit more. Check after 45 minutes or so.

I like it baked so the skin is dark and crispy.

Enjoy.

For thighs, I've long made shoyu chicken using this recipe. Even easier: I usually put in more water in place of the wine. More or less of the ginger, garlic, or green onions won't ruin it, and more or less shoyu or sugar will just make it saltier or sweeter. Basically foolproof.

Here's the pages from my paleta's book. It's by fany gerson...

Then just freeze them. It takes about 4 hours or so.

You want to search for "paleta", i.e., "little stick", which is what they call the popsicles you can get on most streetcorners in Mexico. I agree, they're fantastic, just the perfect non-overpowering level of concentration. They often have real fruit in them, and that fruit is always super-ripe and heavenly.

Does this look like the thing you had? http://www.flickr.com/photos/ulteriorepicure/2636781451/in/photostream/ (not my photo)

I wonder if that flavor is made with horchata? You could try it. Lots of horchata recipes online, or you can buy it in a store, or you can buy it from a taco truck and take it home and freeze it with pecan bits in it. You might even be able to find pecan paletas in a Mexican grocery.

Or you could make this recipe here and see how it goes: http://www.jwi.org/Page.aspx?pid=2958

She says it's from a whole book of paleta and agua fresca recipes, which I think I'm going to have to order now.

Most people remove the pulp before cooking the seeds, but my friend taught me that the secret to extra-tasty roasted pumpkin and squash seeds is to leave some pulp on them (just remove big stringy clumps). Season lightly. Delicious.

I always scrape the seeds out of the cavity before roasting. Then place the seeds in a collander and rub with your hands under running water. The stringy membrane separates away from seeds. I then dry roast the seeds with sea salt chili powder and cumin for a yummy snack.

Just guessing here but you could probably spread the mess, pulp and all, on a large sheet pan and put in a low and slow oven, drying out the pulp but not quite roasting the seeds. The dehydrated pulp should make separation much easier.

I think I've only done this with Danish squash but here tis:

Cut the squash in half and hold it over the pan.

Scoop some innards to the edge of the squash and use that spoon to sever the strands holding onto the seeds and slide them over the edge of the squash so they fall onto the pan...

They still have the yummy oils on them, but shouldn't bring any stringy stuff with!

I bow to Russ's greater research skills, but note that the reason I wash my hands after handling eggs is that they often have chicken shit on them.
Even if they are free range and/or there are no big patches of crap on them, they are produced by the chook via her cloaca. Eew.

The bug of greatest concern here is Salmonella and the condition that results from being infected, Salmonellosis. If you get eggs that are infected you will probably suffer its effects as there is no immunity, even if you have had it before.

The bacterium can be on the surface of the egg but may also be contained within it as it was present before the shell was formed around the contents. Thorough cooking is the best way to avoid infection. That is, except if you hadn't thoroughly washed your hands and then spread the bacterium by touching other foodstuffs, utensils, or food prep surfaces. Hence the instruction to wash after handling eggs.

If you are only using a couple of eggs, why not wash after handling them, cracking them and tossing the shells? You may want to not be so careful for just yourself, but being creatures of habit - if you always do it then your normal procedures will protect others who happen to be at your house that you are cooking for in the future (especially important for children).

Appropriate handling of eggs.