# If you can cook you know that.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268 "2012-10-29T22:25:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/101 "2012-10-31T21:40:21Z")
Found a cite [here](http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/297254). I didn’t realize this was a Cook’s Illustrated technique. I just adapted it from a Gordon Ramsey method I saw which uses butter and creme fraiche, but I don’t (usually) use those, nor do I cook them to as homogenous consistency as he does. > [@](#): > > From Cook’s Illustrated: > Scrambled eggs work great with high heat. The high temperature can produce big, pillowy curds. Try using four eggs, adding one tablespoon of milk or cream per egg and salt to taste. Whisk together eggs and milk, but not too much or it can toughen the whites. Pour eggs in a hot skillet in which two teaspoons butter is bubbling, but not brown. Four eggs will cook in about a minute (two eggs in around half a minute), so stay with them, pushing the eggs forward through the pan. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/102 "2012-10-31T23:26:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Found a cite [here](http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/297254). I didn’t realize this was a Cook’s Illustrated technique. I just adapted it from a Gordon Ramsey method I saw which uses butter and creme fraiche, but I don’t (usually) use those, nor do I cook them to as homogenous consistency as he does. I can see how that would work. The key would be to get them out of the pan before disaster strikes. I like to make mine with cream cheese, at least when I’m doing breakfast burritos. Coincidentally, they’re on the menu for tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/103 "2012-11-01T00:27:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I can see how that would work. The key would be to get them out of the pan before disaster strikes. Yep. I make these almost every day, and the key is to take the pan off while the eggs are still a bit underdone and let the residual heat finish it off before plating. Sometimes, I will add a dollop of yogurt/sour cream/creme fraiche and/or cheese at the end for a little extra creaminess and tang. If you haven’t Gordon Ramsey’s technique, you might be interested. [Link here.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUP7U5vTMM0) Note that that is not quite the way I do them, but it has some of the same principles. I don’t like mine quite _that_ creamy and completely whisked through, nor do I use that big knob of butter (unless I’m feeling decadent), but it gives you the right idea. What’s great about high-heat eggs is that I could put a couple slices of toast in the toaster, and in the time it takes the toast to pop, I can take the eggs from shell to scrambled and ready to serve. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/104 "2012-11-01T01:42:16Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I must be the only person on the planet who doesn’t like cast iron. Also, there are dishwasher knife holders out there. I don’t do it, but it can be done. Knives with wooden handles are a generally a dishwasher no-no, however. I can’t use cast iron, because my wrists won’t take the weight (speaking from experience). I run my knives (plastic handles) through the dishwasher and they’re still fine. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/105 "2012-11-01T02:16:11Z")
I have to say, I almost never use mise-en-piece or however you spell it: There are always things that need to cook before other things, but don’t need constant attention, and I find that the spaces in between are just about right for chopping up the veggies for the next step. The one exception is when I’m making an omelet. Then, I have all of the fillings ready to go when I start the eggs, because timing is critical for adding the fillings. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/106 "2012-11-01T02:28:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I have to say, I almost never use mise-en-piece or however you spell it Same here. I usually chop and prepare as I go along, with the notable exception of stir fry. Mise en place is great, but I’m not working in a restaurant where the items in my mise can get used for various dishes and time is of the utmost. At most, I’ll have three ingredients chopped at the ready, but usually, it’s more like (let’s take onions-peppers-celery for example), I’ll heat the pan with oil, chop the onions, dump em in the oil and give 'em a stir; chop the celery; dump in the oil and stir; chop the peppers; dump in the oil and stir. I prefer to work linearly like that. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/107 "2012-11-01T03:30:36Z")
I’ll vote for the veto of high heat. If you know what you’re doing, high heat can be useful. But for the average person who does occasional cooking, TURN DOWN THE DAMN BURNER. I’ve told my husband repeatedly: Cooking on HIGH doesn’t make the food cook faster. It just makes it BURN faster. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/108 "2012-11-01T04:28:37Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > If you haven’t Gordon Ramsey’s technique, you might be interested. [Link here.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUP7U5vTMM0) Note that that is not quite the way I do them, but it has some of the same principles. I don’t like mine quite _that_ creamy and completely whisked through, nor do I use that big knob of butter (unless I’m feeling decadent), but it gives you the right idea. What’s great about high-heat eggs is that I could put a couple slices of toast in the toaster, and in the time it takes the toast to pop, I can take the eggs from shell to scrambled and ready to serve. Taking it on and off the pan seems like it wouldn’t work if you have an electric stove. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/109 "2012-11-01T10:28:17Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Taking it on and off the pan seems like it wouldn’t work if you have an electric stove. If you can cook, you know that you should replace that electric stove with a gas stove.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/110 "2012-11-01T11:13:02Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > I’ll vote for the veto of high heat. > > If you know what you’re doing, high heat can be useful. But for the average person who does occasional cooking, TURN DOWN THE DAMN BURNER. > > I’ve told my husband repeatedly: Cooking on HIGH doesn’t make the food cook faster. It just makes it BURN faster. > ~VOW Yup, now come and tell Mrs M., whose standard approach is “start late, turn everything on high” and who will put an empty pan with a splash of water in it on a hotplate while boiling water in the kettle to go in the pan, so that the hotplate and the pan itself can be getting hot while the water is. Saves precious seconds donchaknow. _I_ know that if you want to soften some onions, this should happen at hot-fat temperatures so they will brown. “Frying” in water is useless unless you like the taste, texture and colour of boiled onions, and the gnat’s burp of calories saved is not worth it. But dear God, the time she served me boiled liver… :eek: :barf: I think, however, we are done with either stewing plums or boiling up cans of condensed milk for banoffee pie and deciding to have a little nap on the sofa while they’re getting done. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/111 "2012-11-01T12:44:33Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If you can cook, you know that you should replace that electric stove with a gas stove.🆒 All well and good in theory, but I have never lived in a dwelling that had gas. And I think my landlord would have some issues with it now… ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/112 "2012-11-01T12:47:34Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > _I_ know that if you want to soften some onions, this should happen at hot-fat temperatures so they will brown. “Frying” in water is useless unless you like the taste, texture and colour of boiled onions, and the gnat’s burp of calories saved is not worth it. Onions can burn pretty easily at higher temperatures. I do medium-low for sweating/carmelizing and medium to medium-high for stir-fry type cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/113 "2012-11-01T14:02:38Z")
. . .learning timing is critical for successful meals. My spouse is a good and creative cook, but her sense of how long things take is somewhat lacking. Timing a meal so that everything is finished at approximately the same time takes skill and practice, not to mention memory and an innate sense of time. You wouldn’t put the salmon fillet on to cook at the same time as the pot of rice. If you can cook, you have information in your head like about how long it takes for pasta or rice to cook, how long a fish fillet takes to be flaky and perfect, and how to schedule these things so that dinner isn’t an overcooked mess. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/114 "2012-11-01T14:12:50Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > . . .learning timing is critical for successful meals. My spouse is a good and creative cook, but her sense of how long things take is somewhat lacking. Timing a meal so that everything is finished at approximately the same time takes skill and practice, not to mention memory and an innate sense of time. You wouldn’t put the salmon fillet on to cook at the same time as the pot of rice. If you can cook, you have information in your head like about how long it takes for pasta or rice to cook, how long a fish fillet takes to be flaky and perfect, and how to schedule these things so that dinner isn’t an overcooked mess. Totally agree with this. And in my experience, it’s the one thing that people who don’t cook very often have trouble with. Of course, getting everything done at once typically means the last 5 or 10 minutes of cooking is a bit hectic. That’s the time that Mr. Athena typically wanders into the kitchen and starts yakking with me and wondering why I’m not stopping to chat with him about that funny commercial he just saw on TV. It’s amazing he still has all his fingers. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/115 "2012-11-01T14:15:03Z")
Before mincing garlic, split each clove in half and remove the central “vein”, then crush the rest under a knife and chop like normal. The central part tastes a lot more bitter than the rest of the flesh. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/116 "2012-11-01T14:35:43Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Yup, now come and tell Mrs M., whose standard approach is “start late, turn everything on high” and who will put an empty pan with a splash of water in it on a hotplate while boiling water in the kettle to go in the pan, so that the hotplate and the pan itself can be getting hot while the water is. Saves precious seconds donchaknow. To my husband, the first step in any recipe is “heat the oil in the pan”. If the second step is “mince a shitload of onions”, the third step becomes “remove smoking oil from heat and turn on the fan”. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/117 "2012-11-01T14:35:44Z")
Regarding pie crust … pardon if someone else already mentioned this, but I make mine with lard, and they come out perfect every time. No special handling (although I am careful, but not ridiculously so), roll, slap in pie plate (glass) and they’re perfect. Flaky and perfect. And believe me, I was scared of pie crusts for years. Lard. It’s the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/118 "2012-11-01T14:37:18Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Lard. It’s the way to go. For all sorts of things. Let go of your fear, and embrace the pig. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/119 "2012-11-01T14:40:32Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > This one I have to disagree with. When I make a roux, I add a little liquid, and stir until thick. Then add more liquid, stir until thick. Continue to add until it’s a little looser at a simmer than desired for service. You add **cold** liquid to roux? So the cold liquid encapsulates the little particles of fat? Your method is exactly like mine. I’m just saying, don’t add _cold_ liquid. Warm it up and make the roux happy. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/120 "2012-11-01T15:16:43Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > . . .learning timing is critical for successful meals. My spouse is a good and creative cook, but her sense of how long things take is somewhat lacking. Timing a meal so that everything is finished at approximately the same time takes skill and practice, not to mention memory and an innate sense of time. You wouldn’t put the salmon fillet on to cook at the same time as the pot of rice. If you can cook, you have information in your head like about how long it takes for pasta or rice to cook, how long a fish fillet takes to be flaky and perfect, and how to schedule these things so that dinner isn’t an overcooked mess. I just made actual wild rice (instead of a blend) for the first time last month. I was serving it with a pork tenderloin, so my internal clock said to start them at about the same time. What I didn’t know is that wild rice takes a LOT longer then white or brown rice. Let’s just say it was a “well rested” tenderloin when it was time to eat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268.md?page=7)