I was raised vegetarian, you see, and while I’ve eaten lots of meat outside of the house, I’ve never, ever cooked it.
I did a damn good job, if I say so myself.
The menu? Cubed chicken with sauteed mushrooms, onions, and green peppers with soy sauce over chicken ramen.
Rave reviews from my Korean roommate. One question though… are boneless skinless chicken breasts always so hard to cut? I had to work for 20 minutes just to get a pound of chicken cubed. Maybe I need to get a sharper knife. Oh, well. Victory for one night.
::cue announcer:: “This has been another look into tiggeril’s mundane, pointless existence, which she feels compelled to share with 10,000 strangers.”
As for cubing/cutting the chicken breasts, put them in the freezer for awhile, then cut them. (Same thing for any meat.) That way they won’t be slimy and slide around while you’re trying to slice them.
Agreed on the freezer thing, but make sure you time them well - if they’re in too long, then they are REALLY a bitch to cut And you should have a sharp knife; I personally prefer one with a bit of “teeth” to it.
Why would I feel guilty? I’ve been an omnivore for quite some time.
Putting them in the freezer seems reasonable. What about the white stringy stuff that’s on the chicken breasts? I took it off, because I thought it was fat or leftover skin or something. Also, what’s a good way to make sure that it’s cooked? I would cut into the thickest pieces to see if it was pink or not. Is there a way to tell if it’s done without chopping it up further?
The best way to learn how to tell the level of doneness is through touch.
I learned by using a meat thermometer and feeling the meat at different temps.
It takes a little practice, but I have gotten to the point where I can lightly press on a steak on the grill and tell how well it is done.
Of course I went to culinary school where the tutition covered the product used in the testing! It just takes a little longer when you aren’t cooking ten breasts at once.
My biggest suggestion- SHARP knives. I am a bit obsessive about my knives ( I can shave quite easily with any knife in my house) , and for good reason. A sharp knife will allow you to work more smoothly, efficiently and safer. A sharp knife will go where you point it, not slide off oh, say, a slippery chicken breast and into your thumb:eek:
No you’re not askingtoo many questions, just cook with what you like and learn by your mistakes.
My favorite cooking trick is to finish almost all my sauteed/pan seared meats in the oven. It allows for a crust on the stove top while preventing nasty burns by heating through in the gentler heat of the oven
MikeG – finishing off in the oven doesn’t toughen the meat? Dry it out? What temperature? I wish hubby (the griller) could learn your touch trick. He’s a well done guy and I’m rare, but he always insists on starting the steaks at the same time.
It’s nice to have an expert on hand. Cool beans!
Chicken breasts shouldn’t be pink in the middle. And removing the white stringy stuff was a good thing – it’s tough and gristly. What is it, Mike? Cartilage or tendon stuff?
As for feeling guilty, I guess it’s not time for that yet. When you actually kill the chicken though . . .
The that white stuff on the chicken breasts are tendons–those bits of tissue that keep the muscle attached to bones, and that’s why they’re tough and stringy.
Finishing meat off in the oven doesn’t dry it out, unless you over-cook it (of course). The original sear on the meat seals in the juices, so finishing in an oven (which is usually not for very long, anyways) would not dry it out. Just heat up your oven to 350°F, sear your meats as needed (just until you’ve developed a nice crust on them) and pop them in there for a few minutes.
The trick I learned in culinary school on how to test steaks by touch is this: Touch your thumb and forefinger together (and don’t press hard), then feel the pad of your palm just under the thumb. Notice how soft it is? That’s what a rare steak feels like. Touch your thumb and middle finger together, and that pad firms up a little. That’s what a medium steak feels like. The thumb and ring finger is what a well-done steak feels like. For chicken breasts, you want that “well-done” feel.
But I have to say, if you’re cooking turkey (might as well mention it now, since Thanksgiving is around the corner), invest in a meat thermometer–don’t put your trust in one of those “automatic pop-up buttons” that they put in turkey. Your turkey will be safely cooked when the meat reaches 165°F internal temperature–those buttons are set around 180°F, which, by then will have started to dry out your meat.
To back up MikeG about sharp knives, they are safer than dull ones. They go where you aim them instead of being deflected by something that’s too tough and going into your hand.
That’s exactly how I learned it JavaMaven1 but it’s been so long now that I just “feel” it. It helps that I like things on the rare side too.
Another couple points
meat keeps cooking after you take it off the heat.
let the meat rest a couple of minutes so the musce can reabsorb some of the yummy juices instead of running onto the plate and being lost.
-the trick for burgers:
pat the meat patties gently, don’t smash them into little balls.
Turn them ONCE!! put them on the grill/pan and let them cook. Don’t turn them!! When you see juices starting to puddle a little bit on top of the patties then flip them over.
DON’T press on the patties!!! It may make a cool flame up and “woosh” but you know what that flame and sound is? Flavor and juiciness!
As for turkey, I no longer cook it since the BBQ place in Evanston sell fresh smoked turkey at Thanksgiving ohhh… what a joy!
The last turkey I cooked was according to Alton Brown’s recipe here and it came out wonderfully.
I would love to be able to use the oven here… cookies, enchiladas, yum. BUT… it’s so old that the numbers on the temperature control dial have all but worn off. I’ll have to go over it with a magnifying glass and a permanent marker to re-mark the temps. Annoying.
Those would probably come in handy at frat parties too… snipsnip <evil grin>
Feh. I’ll eat it, but don’t expect me to get any blood on my hands. Besides, there aren’t too many free-range, bag-your-own-fryer places in Chicago. Unless you go up to Northwestern. <evil grin>
Learned that one the hard way. It was a bit overdone.
