As a confirmed bachelor, I am not a very experienced cook. However, I make attempts at meals on occasion and always end up with something mostly edible.
I can follow a recipe well enough, though sometimes I get overzealous and add things in the wrong order, or misread a 1/2 for a 1/4 and whatnot.
But even in the most basic of recipes, sometimes certain things are called for that even novice cooks are expected to know how to do. And frankly, I don’t.
For instance, sauteeing onions. I love me some onions. And garlic. I put a little of both in almost everything (I eat a lot of meat, what can I say). But I’ve never been able to get the hang of sauteeing.
I’ll put a bit of olive oil in a pan, heat it on a low heat, and add the onions. I know they’re supposed to go until they turn translucent, but reaching that point seems the difficult part. I either have the heat on too low and they just kind of boil in the oil there for a while, or it’s on too high and I end up with oil splattered everywhere.
And then, once they’re done, what do you do with them? Keeping them in the pan just gets them burned and nasty.
I can never figure this seemingly simple task out.
Any tips?
Please feel free to add any shortcuts or tips regarding cooking or preparation as a whole that you’ve picked up over the years that might benefit other novices as myself
I find that margarine, while unhealthy (remember when they thought it was good for you?) sautes and browns onions better than oil. I think you may want to nudge the heat up a bit, stir constantly, and take the pan off the burner when they reach the state you want. When they are yellow (or, as the cookbooks say, “golden”), if you are not going to use them right away, just slip them off into a saucer or other small container.
I’m no Julia Child, but I’ve been cooking for 40+ years, so ask away.
This is one of those things that it depends on who you talk to.
Personally, I heat up the onions in olive oil as you do. I probably keep the heat a little higher than you do.
Once they get soft, I lower the heat and put in the garlic (I always use cloves that have gone through a garlic press) and sautee it a few more minutes.
It really depends on what your using it for. For instance, if you’re making a pasta sauce with meat, at this point throw in the meat to brown, once brown, add the tomatoes or whatever else you’re putting in. If no meat, just put the sauce in.
If you’re using it to top a steak, take it off the heat at this point. You can keep it covered to keep it warm as you make the steak.
And just because you’re a bachelor is not an excuse not to know how to cook. :mad:
True enough, which is why I’m trying my hand at it
I appreciate the tips for sauteeing onions, I’ll try again tomorrow when I grill up some elk burger.
I was hoping to attract savvy cooks to leave tidbits of wisdom on everything from how best to choose an apple at the store to the benefits of a wider spatula to how to peel a carrot without a vegetable peeler. Y’know, just little tricks you’ve picked up that don’t necessarily equate to great cooking, but help get you there easier
There is some dependency on exactly what you plan to do with the onions.
If you truly want sauteed onions, like for a burger or steak, then it takes time to get them right. I usually slice up a couple of onions, heat up some olive oil on medium high, then add the onions after the oil is heated. Stir them around a bit for a few minutes, shake in a little salt, then turn the heat down to medium and let them go for about ten more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then turn the heat down to low, stir them a few more times, and let them cook on low for another ten minutes or so. By that time, they will be translucent and golden, with a few crispy edges. PERFECT as a sauteed onion seasoning. (Add pepper too, if you feel so inclined.)
If the onions are just one ingredient in a multi-ingredient recipe, like spaghetti sauce, I usually just cook them for 5-10 minutes in olive oil on medium heat, then I add the garlic. If you try to cook the garlic and onion for the same length of time, the garlic will burn before the onion is really cooked, despite the instructions given in many recipes.
Part of this comes from the fact that I have a hard time digesting uncooked onions, so unless I saute them until they are cooked through, people around me suffer to some extent for the next couple of days. But giving them plenty of time to saute carmelizes the sugars in the onion, making them taste that much better.
Sounds like you might be using too much oil, especially the part about the oil splattering. You just want to coat the bottom of the pan, you don’t want any real depth to it.
for peeling carrots without a peeler I just wash the things and chop them up, I never understood peeling carrots.
since you like garlic and olive oil heres a super easy one for you,
take a garlic bulb, peel off some of the loose dead skin, place in a piece of foil large enough to wrap it with some wiggle room, not much is needed but you dont want it tight. pour some olive oil over the top of the garlic, about a spoonful or 2.
pop it in the oven and let it bake until the garlic is soft and kinda translucent brown.
I would try around 350 Degrees for 30-50 minutes. (its been awhile since I roasted garlic…making myself hungery here)
you can spread it on some good bread or add it to recipies but roasted garlic is an easy treat to make.
First regarding the garlic - for many recipes the important factor is getting the flavor of the garlic rather than the cooked bits of garlic. For many recipes I will heat the oil on medium high and then saute the garlic for 30 - 45 seconds and then, using a slotted spoon, gather the garlic bits on the spoon and throw them away. I too had many a situation where the garlic would simply burn and this solves the problem without comprising the taste. Many Italian cookbooks actually call this out as the preferred method. If the final product requires the garlic for texture, in additon to taste then be very attentive to the fact that it cooks quickly and you may still find it helpful to remove from the pan and then add back later.
Regarding the onions - here it most definitely depends on the recipe. If the recipe says sweat the onions then cook them on low heat, typically covered, for 5 - 10 minutes until translucent and then add other ingredients. If the recipe calls for carmelized onions then you need to cook them for 25-30 minutes at medium heat and usually you don’t need to stir them. Having had the same difficulties that you mention (though not a bachelor) led me to refine my techniques and minimize the damage.
Don’t be afraid to take the pot off the burner, if need be, in order to keep the onions/garlic/whatever from overcooking.
I would suggest a lower temperature of around 225-250 and roast for about 1.5 - 2 hours. If you do this then take some tomatoes and slice them and put them and the garlic on a cookie sheet and roast for about 2-3 hours until the tomatoes are shriveled up and have stopped giving up their liquid. The results will astound you.
It should take about 5 minutes to sautee the onions. If it takes much longer than that, the pan isn’t hot enough. If you add the oil and onions before the pan is heated, it will take longer as well. The normal way to do it is 1. Heat the pan. 2. add the oil (not too much). A few seconds later 3. add the onions.
My best tip: silicone spatulas. You can use them for anything (unlike normal rubber spatulas or metal spatulas). They are dishwasher safe (unlike wooden spatulas). They don’t get hard over time. NOTHING sticks to them.
Right now, silicone spatulas/scrapers are my best friends, even though they won’t peel carrots.
Right below silicone spatulas on my list of Best Tips are silicone pan liners. NOTHING sticks to them. They do heat up, so food browns the way it is supposed to when it is baked, but they do not melt, and NOTHING sticks to them. (Oh wait, I already said that.) They clean up in soapy water, because NOTHING sticks to them.
I saw in a catalog today silicone oven liners. They are going on my Christmas wish list, because I am quite sure that NOTHING will stick to them, and my can of EasyOff will become a thing of the past.
Toward the bottom of my list of Useful Kitchen Things, though, is silicone pot holders. They are much too thick to be useful as pot holders, although they can be used to open jars or as trivets. Since I already have a plethora of jar openers, and don’t really have a use for trivets (I use cutting boards), my silicone pot holders really don’t get much use in my kitchen.
Another more general cooking tip: Add a little olive oil to water used to cook pasta before you add the pasta (or add a pat of butter, if you prefer, to the cold water). When you add the pasta to the boiling water, the oil will coat the pasta, making it less likely to stick.
Another tip: READ cookbooks. My favorite is Fanny Farmer. My mother was an abysmal cook when I was growing up, so until I actually started living on my own, I truly thought that Hamburger Helper was a legitimate (and complicated) “dish.” Then I spent a year in France where I had to cook for myself using only an electric burner that someone loaned me. Since Hamburger Helper (or ANY kind of “Helper” mix) is completely unknown in France, I had to work out my own recipes using only a skillet and an electric burner. When I got back to the States, and got my own apartment with a complete kitchen, I bought a couple of basic cookbooks and sat down and READ them. I don’t mean that I read every single recipe, but I read the first couple of explanatory chapters, where they explain cooking techniques and equipment, and I read the first part of most of the “chapters”, where they give even more tips on specific types of foods.
I can now cook virtually anything (except pastries) with no fear that it will turn out inedible. In fact, I consider myself a very capable cook, with no fear at all of trying new recipes and modifying them to suit my own tastes and needs. (I have tried pastries, but I don’t have the required equipment to do it justice, so I rely a lot on phyllo dough if I make pastries now.)
If you don’t want to buy cookbooks, check out the available books in your local library. I happen to work at a university with a well-known culinary arts program, so I have a TON of books and magazines at my disposal in the library (even though I teach computer classes), but I have also found some very useful books at the public library.
No, no, no! To provide a cite I will quote the *Il Fornaio Pasta Book * (it’s handy but most cookbooks share the same sentiment):
“Don’t add oil to the water when cooking any dry pasta or most fresh pasta. It defeats the purpose of the pasta - to serve as a surface to which the sauce will stick. The exception to this rule is large sheets of of fresh pasta; when cooking these, it is acceptable to add a teaspoon or two of olive oil to prevent the sheets from sticking.”
When cooking pasta bring rapidly back to a boil and stir frequently to separate the individual pieces.
For younger, tender carrots the side of a spoon is adequate. Scrape over the carrot to remove a thin layer of skin without removing all the tasty flesh.
For older, harder carrots get a relatively sharp but not too large knife. Use like you would a normal peeler.
Another way to deal with carrots, and spuds, if you don’t want to take off too much flesh but do want to get rid of some skin - a clean kitchen scourer. Scrub your chosen veggie, and then rinse to get rid of flaky skin. Good for young taters that you’re going to roast, as it scruffs them up nice and gives you a crunchy edge.
I’ll turn the burner to high and let my pan heat for about three minutes, add oil, let heat for another minute, then add the onions and turn the burner to medium and let the onions sweat and sautee for about 7 minutes. I always add my garlic to the onions about 4 or 5 minutes into the full sautee for only about 3-4 minutes of total sauteee time on the garlic. I believe in “insulating” the garlic with an extra ingredient for a more moist and less intense sautee. I don’t like burnt garlic. I would never sautee my garlic alone at anything above a medium low flame.
I found this method of pureeing garlic in a recipe recently, and it takes patience and not-awful knife skills (would never let my husband do it, for instance, he cooks like a dream but still has a habit of cutting himself.)
Get your amount of garlic peeled and roughly chopped. Make sure you have expansive cutting board. Sprinkle a small amount of coarse salt over garlic. Rub the flat side of a knife back and forth over the garlic and salt, pressing down. The salt crystals help crush the garlic into what turns out to be a divinely smooth puree but it takes a good amount of patience and some herding of garlic pieces around the chopping board at first.
Best kitchen tool we have: Next to silicon everything it’d probably be a GOOD cheese grater. We have a microplane grater for hard cheese, and a hand-held single plane grater (rather than a box) with a rubber-coated foot that works beautifully and seems to slip less and cause less cuts and nicks for the abovementioned accident prone husband.
Blunt cutting tools are widely considered more dangerous than sharp ones because they slip more. A mezzaluna is possibly the most overrated item we’ve ever bought for the kitchen. A good knife or two on the other hand will reward you pretty much forever.
