# 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:** 18\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/121 "2012-11-01T15:18:42Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If you can cook, you know that you should replace that electric stove with a gas stove.🆒 Winner! ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/122 "2012-11-01T15:28:51Z")
Yeah, I don’t worry about the liquid temp either. Just add a dash, stir, add a dash, stir, add a dash, stir. Once you’ve got it loosened up good, you can just dump in the rest of the liquid, stir, and simmer until it’s the right thickness. Learned this method by age 8; I’ve never made lumpy gravy in my life. ---
**Author:** ![drbhoneydew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d78d45/32.png) [@drbhoneydew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drbhoneydew)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/123 "2012-11-01T15:56:54Z")
> [@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’d add to this learning where the give is in the timings - what things can and can’t stand for a bit, and what can and can’t tolerate cooking for longer than the instructions say. You can probably get away with starting the salmon fillet after the rice is finished. There is no standard cooking time for dry beans and pulses. Those instructions for how long to cook them have an implicit “at least” or “if you’re really lucky”. You might as well buy the whole duck. Stock & rillettes from the carcass and confit from the wings/legs for barely more than the breasts. 10 servings for the price of 2 1/2. Marinades are nigh-on the least effort and most effective way of improving meat. Putting it in the marinade before it goes in the freezer and it will marinate as it defrosts. ---
**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, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/124 "2012-11-01T21:12:10Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > 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. Ouch. Yeah, wild rice isn’t really rice, and it takes about 40 minutes. Good food combo, though. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/125 "2012-11-07T20:54:31Z")
I just burst out laughing… > [@Smapti](#): > > An airplane-sized bottle of vodka, poured into a pot of chili that has scorched, will neutralize the burnt flavor. In envisioned a bottle of vodka laying on its side with wings protruding and wheels underneath…the whole thing holding 90-million gallons of Stolichnaya and rolling across the tarmac at LAX. Yeah! That’ll neutralize the burnt flavor of ANYTHING! Hell, if I could get through that, you could set my breath on fire and I’d be too drunk to care!🆒 [Okay, yeah, I know what you really meant.] –G! No, No, ossifer, I’m not as think as you drunk I am, really! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/126 "2012-11-07T23:26:58Z")
Wow. What a mix of experienced chef and college dorm cooking advice. Salt: You HAVE to salt most dishes up to a certain point while cooking; trying to leave the salt out or undersalt it means no amount of table salting will bring up the flavor. Prep First. Cook Second. This will save you from screwing up a dinner more times than you can imagine. It’s easy for one thing to overcook, go bad or have to be set off heat while you do something that ‘would only take a minute.’ The ‘browned bits’ are called \*fond \*by experienced chefs, and \*fond \*is the gold that holds ALL of the flavor for your dish. Learn to scrape it/wash it into the sauce or mix. I prefer real vanilla, but it’s insanely expensive. Whoever said “artificial vanilla is crap” needs to do an actual taste test, or check with Cook’s, who has… and found no difference between real and artificial even in delicate recipes… and had tasters who preferred the synthetic. If you’re on a budget, save your money for ingredients that count. ---
**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 7, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/127 "2012-11-07T23:33:30Z")
> [@NitroPress](#): > > The ‘browned bits’ are called \*fond \*by experienced chefs, and \*fond \*is the gold that holds ALL of the flavor for your dish. Learn to scrape it/wash it into the sauce or mix. Actually, the browned bits are called _sucs_. The _fond_ is the sauce you make from this when you deglaze. ---
**Author:** ![southernlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@southernlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/southernlady)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/128 "2012-11-08T02:10:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Salt: You HAVE to salt most dishes up to a certain point while cooking; trying to leave the salt out or undersalt it means no amount of table salting will bring up the flavor. Only one thing I cook ( **NOT BAKE** ) gets salted prior to cooking…grits! No amount of salting afterwards takes the place of them cooking in slightly SALTED water. I leave salt out of most of what I make. Baking…yes, I do use salt them. As to gas stove…I would LOVE to have a gas cooktop and an **electric** oven. But no gas on this street so my only option is completely electric. I use recipes as guidelines…except when baking. Liz ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/129 "2012-11-08T21:27:09Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > 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. Cold liquid, right from the fridge in the case of white gravies. Usually room temperature or warm in the case of stock/broth gravies, but cold if the stock/broth was in the fridge. [ol] [li]Make the roux in the hot pan.[/li][li]Add a little liquid, which heats immediately on contact with hot roux & pan. Stir until thick.[/li][li]Add more liquid, which heats immediately on contact with hot roux & pan. Stir until thick. Repeat until just looser than desired for service.[/li][li]Season further if needed.[/li][li]Serve.[/li][/ol] My gravies do not break, come out grainy, lumpy, or ugly in any way. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/130 "2012-11-09T01:07:47Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > The main effort is in the prep work and the clean-up. If you can get someone else to peel, chop, and do the dishes, you can look like a cooking genius without breaking a sweat! - - - - - - - > [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Learn to cook at the proper temperature and have just a little patience. * * * I think I may be one of the very few who intentionally cleans while cooking. I do it not just because it gives me less mess to deal with after the meal, but also because it forces me to slow down and let things cook without me fussing over them and introducing problems. > [@Miss\_Woodhouse](#): > > cooking wise: Everyone should have an arsenal of at least 5 meals they can throw together at a minutes notice without opening a recipe book or going to the store. Those last minute meals save us a lot of money on take out. Hmmm…wouldn’t that be a _repertoire_? Attacking people with food is so high-school-ish. Cooking and serving, on the other hand, is a performance art! —G! Cookin’ up that old time long lost recipe for me . --Sammy Hagar (Van Halen) . _Poundcake_ . For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge ---
**Author:** ![amijane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@amijane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amijane)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/131 "2012-11-09T20:01:40Z")
Learn how to make decent jellied stock, then use it in\* everything\*. Sauces (Heston Blumenthal makes a [wonderful stock-based cheese sauce](http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/heston-blumenthal/macaroni-cheese-recipe) that’s silkier and more flavourful than one that’s roux-based), ragus, soups, stews, beans… and I’ll happily have a cup of my chicken stock as a broth for lunch. Commercially available stock is vile, overpowers everything but the heartiest flavours, and stock’s so cheap and easy to make and store. I’ve got a pot bubbling away downstairs at the moment with the leftovers of this evening’s clementine roast chicken, the leftover veggies and a handful of bay leaves from the garden. I don’t generally heat my liquid before adding to a roux because I don’t want to dirty another pan - I have a tiny kitchen with approx. 1 square metre of counter space, so keep things as simple as possible. I don’t add the cold liquid bit by bit, either. I have a mini wire whisk that laughs at lumps. Make the roux, brown it, glug a bunch of milk in straight from the fridge, getting whisking as it comes to a boil and, woohoo, creamy, lump-free bechamel! Dump some fresh ground white pepper and nutmeg in the pan and we’re alllll good. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/132 "2012-11-09T20:27:41Z")
Wait, you think commercial stock _overpowers_ things? That stuff is watered-down and weak. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/133 "2012-11-09T21:08:55Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Wait, you think commercial stock _overpowers_ things? That stuff is watered-down and weak. It tends to be salty, especially if it reduces. Maybe that’s what **amijane** means? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/134 "2012-11-09T21:21:00Z")
Yeah, that makes sense. I thought maybe she was talking about bullion cubes, or something. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/135 "2012-11-09T23:04:41Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Yeah, that makes sense. I thought maybe she was talking about bullion cubes, or something. In my experience gold just won’t thicken up no matter how long you simmer it for. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/136 "2012-11-10T02:02:42Z")
The rule I was taught about adding liquids to roux was: hot roux, cold liquid: cold roux, hot liquid. It has never failed for me, my sauces and gravies are lump-free. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/137 "2012-11-10T03:38:29Z")
If you finish off something in the oven in a skillet, for god’s sake leave several potholders on the handle after you remove it, while it rests. To remind yourself that 3rd degree burns that cover the palm of your hand really really hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268/138 "2012-11-10T04:07:16Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > In my experience gold just won’t thicken up no matter how long you simmer it for. I blame my phone. It changed to that spelling, but I totally noticed it and thought “Yeah, all right.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-can-cook-you-know-that/639268.md?page=6)