Cooks Illustrat4ed magazine website…well worth the subscription money!
Great recipes, and many recipes have pictures on how to do certain tricky bits…nothing like seeing how to debone a chicken if you have never seen it done before=)
Though they never took my submitted suggestion for using filo - get one of those oil sprayers for the clarified butter instead of brushing down the sheets of filo with butter, set the bottom of the small pump sprayer on a coffee cup warmer…keeps the butter nice and melty=) and you don’t risk tearing the sheet of filo=)
When flouring a cake pan, you can use a cinnamon-sugar or cocoa powder-sugar mix rather than flour if you don’t want the flour to show on the outside of the finished cake (for example, if you’re not going to frost it). Plus, it makes the outside of the cake taste better.
When cooking fried eggs in a nonstick pan, use some nonstick spray in the pan before you heat it up. The eggs will be much easier to turn.
When cooking a stir-fry, it’s best to add the vegetables one kind at a time rather than dump them all in, because different veggies have different cooking times (carrots or broccoli first, then squashes/bell peppers, then mushrooms, then snow peas when the rest of the veggies are done). Also, use some onion at the beginning of the stir-fry process, and add in the rest right before it’s done. That way you get onion flavor in the veggies (and, one hopes, some nicely carmelized onions), and you also get some slightly crunchy onions with a bit of bite.
Don’t use nonstick spray in a dark metal pan. It will leave nasty residue that’s nearly impossible to remove.
To add on to JayElle’s advice re: egg whites, always use a VERY CLEAN bowl. Any tiny bit of soap or oil in the bowl will keep the whites from stiffening properly.
One note on the mandolin (har): Always…ALWAYS use the provided food guide/holder. It will only take one miscalculation to convince you, believe me.
Knives: Keep them razor sharp. Chop and dice with the fingers on your food-holding hand tucked under. Use the right knife for the right operation. A paring knife is called that for a reason.
Get an assortment of Microplane graters. These have become indispensable in my kitchen, particularly for grating hard cheeses, nutmeg and the like.
Olive oil: don’t buy the cheap tasteless crap off the shelf at Safeway. Experiment with several, such as Lucini . Some infused oils are very nice.
Balsamic vinegar: There is an equally huge range of these. Stay away from that black, bitter crap in grocery stores. White balsamic is a beverage.
Don’t get too cocky You forgot to mention that making a roux requires patience and practice. Medium heat at most and stir constantly to avoid burning the flour. If you don’t stir, and are making a light-colored sauce, you will end up with black flecks in it. While it may not affect the flavor, it takes away from the presentation.
Microplane graters are great, as are there thin slicers.
For health reasons make sure you have separate cutting boards for raw meat, cooked meats, and vegitables.
When cooking with red meat, get cuts that are suitable for the recipe, generally the longer the meat will be cooked the higher the fat content the meat should have. Good steak is much worse for stewing than cheap stewing steak would have been.
When buying spices, buy hole spices and grind them as you need them. A pesstle and Mortar or a electric coffe grinder (that you use only for grinding spices) is good for this task.
Write in your cookbooks. When you try a recipe, make a note of how it came out–did it need more salt, less cooking time, did you substitute red pepper flakes for cayenne, etc.
Lots of nods for the advice already given. A few tricks my grandma taught me:
nonstick pans are fine but even well-seasoned cast iron can be nearly nonstick if treated properly. The trick is to always heat the pan well before adding any oil. (Hot pan; cold oil.) And you won’t need all that much. Food honestly won’t stick. (Don’t do this with nonstick pans, though, as it will damage the surface.)
as for dried herbs, rub them lightly between your palms before adding them to the dish. It’ll release the essential oils and you can “smell” the taste. It’s a great way to get an idea of what they taste like, and which you prefer. Really it is a matter of personal preference. Olfactory learnin’, doncha know. The stronger the taste/smell, the more sparing the use in food.
Most spices are much better freshly ground. Durkee (I think) sells black peppercorns in a nifty little bottle that’s also a grinder. Fresh ground nutmeg is a wonder, and you can buy the little grater thingy for about a buck in any cookiware store. Fresh spices don’t taste a thing like the stale, powdered stuff in stores.
I’ll probably think of more later, but most of all relax and have fun with it, Lib. Anybody who hasn’t turned out at least one spectacular mess wasn’t really trying. <g>
This is a bit of a side note, but worth mentioning. I have found that the best place to buy herbs/spices is your local co-op bulk section. Vastly cheaper than the grocery store.
In terms of technique, I find that it is very important to clean as you go. This involves getting a feel for the timing and rhythm of cooking but in time you will find that it is possible to end up with every dish ready at the same time, as well as a clean kitchen.
Unless you have a local Indian super market Indian supermarket’s are God’s (Maybe Gannesh’s) gift to spice shopping.
Another thing is read the ingredients of what you are buying, in US this seems to be especially important. Too many supposedly basic ingredients (like yoghurt) have added ingredients (like Guar Gum) that will make them less than perfect for use in a recipe.
<personal -side note>
On my move to Silicon Valley from UK I waas worried I might not fing good Indian superstores, but on my first day I found an Indian spice shop off El-Camino Real, from that point I knew everything wood be allright here.
FWIW I live in a relatively small city and am a huge fan of our local health food store. They sell fresh herbs and spices that you can buy in whatever small amounts you like. Helps immensely in buying and keeping the pantry supplies fresh.
Excellent advice on the clean-as-you-go thing, Binary. It makes cooking fun instead of a chore. Stir, rinse a pan, wipe down the counter, stir, etc.
Second, third and fourth checking out Cook’s Illustrated. I thought I was quite a good cook, and then I started getting that magazine and got a few of their cookbooks. I would conservatively estimate that my cooking expertise improved about 200% as a result. Seriously.
IMHO that is way too much time for fish, some even will dissapear in your pot at 20 minutes cooking, others will turn rubbery or flaky. As soon as fish turns white it is nearly done. Some fish require more time for cooking, others cooks in a very short time.
One tip that I consider the 1st commandment of cooking is ‘You shall go easy on the salt’. It is better to add to little and correct at the end than screw a good dish because you added way too much salt. Besides, if you want to please different tastes other people might just add a bit more after served. I tolerate salt very little (18 yrs of non-salt diet because of kidney disease), my husbad adds salt to everything, this way we are both pleased.
Put me in as another vote for Cook’s Illustrated. The Editor has to be the most anal-retentive of cooks, and it’s for a good cause–you will learn quite a bit from the articles and recipes. They put out a book called The Best Recipe ( http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0936184388/qid=1088120409/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/102-4201807-3161702?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 ) which not only gives you recipes, but gives a basic cooking lesson with most of the recipes. I have given this book as a gift to several people who were interested in learning to cook. I may be a professional chef, but I will check this book out when I need a basic recipe for something. I have used their Macaroni & Cheese and Lemon Meringue Pie recipes many, many times over.
I’ve used this book the most out of all my cookbooks, even though there are very few recipes in it.
And to note on a few things in this thread: yes, Dogzilla is spot on the money on her notes on roux.
You want perfect, flaky pie crust? The number one, key tip is everything must stay cold until the moment it goes into the oven. Cold bowl, cold flour, ice-cold butter/shortening/lard, ice-cold water. After adding your water and getting your dough at that right texture (and handle it as little as possible–it’s ok to see patches of butter and flour in your dough), press the dough into a rough disc shape and wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes. Roll your dough out, fill your pie quickly, and pop it back in the fridge for another 30 minutes. Make sure your oven is hot; most pies bake at 400-425.
It’s the combination of the patches of butter, plus having a very cold dough in a hot oven that creates steam, which leavens the crust. If you mix your dough too much, not only do you make the gluten in the flour create protein strands that will toughen the crust, but if the butter is mixed in too much, you won’t have those pockets of steam that will create the flakes you want.
Man. All of a sudden, I have this desire to bake a pie… Mmmmm, peach pie.
I cook a little. I love “How to Cook Everything”… one of my favorite cookbooks ever.
My suggestion would be to get to know your slow cooker, AKA CrockpotTM. It’s not just for soups or stews- you can buy them with little racks and make meatloaf or all kinds of stuff. I love my slow cooker.
I second the ice-cold everything mentioned above for biscuits and pie crust.
Learn to time everything so that it all gets to the table hot. Especially if I come over, cuz I hate cold food.
Once you go fresh-ground black (pepper), you never go back.
Italian is very good to learn with, as there are tons of very simple recipes that you can play with.
There are lots of free resources on the internet to help the learning cook. If you want to learn more about some ingredient or technique, Google can turn up some excellent info for you. Some useful sites:
The Cook’s Thesaurus - alternate names of ingredients, and suggested substitutions.
My personal advice - don’t be afraid to fail. I think you haven’t really learned how to do something right until you’ve done it wrong a couple of times. In other words, don’t spend to much time gathering knowledge before you put it into practice. Just roll up you sleeves and make a really horrible dinner - your next one will be better.
Good catch on the fish (heh). Fish should only be cooked until translucent and flakes easily, about 5-7 minutes per inch.
Never add salt to water in which you are cooking corn on the cob. It makes it tough. If you must add anything, a little sugar in the water can help corn that’s not all that fresh.
Salting beef: if you must, do it just before broiling/frying. I recommend doing it afterwards, except in some cases where the cooking technique calls for a salt crust.
Technique: When grilling or frying meat, don’t attempt to turn the meat until it comes loose naturally (it will). Meat will stick initially, until the fat caramelizes. Attempts to loosen it prematurely will leave part of your dinner on the pan and make a mess of the steak.
Cooking tip: Pancakes (surprising how timid people are about this food) are much better if you add a bit of vanilla extract to the batter. I also HIGHLY recommend adding a bit of this baking spice from Penzeys. It’s also great in pies, pastries, hot chocolate, etc.
For most recipies, you can make substitutions to make the dish “healthier”. Milk instead of cream, margarine instead of butter, fat free half-and-half (I swear, it exists), “bacon bits”, etc.
Don’t do this.
If the recipe calls for a cup of heavy cream, that’s because the dish tastes best with a cup of heavy cream. It might still taste ok with a cup of skim milk, but you will be missing a lot. If you want a low-carb, low-sodium, low-fat food, drink water. Otherwise, cook food the way it is supposed to be cooked, and enjoy it the way it is supposed to be enjoyed. Just make sure you eat a sensible amount, and then don’t sit around all night posting to Internet message boards. :rolleyes:
One exception to the above rule:
In my experience, lots of recipies call for salt when it is completely unnecessary. Instead of adding salt during cooking, leave it out and add it to your plate if it is needed. One exception to this exception is in breadmaking, where the salt is needed to interact with the yeast.
I am not the best gravy maker in the world, because I don’t make it very often at all. We’re all on restricted calorie diets in this household.
However, I use approximately equal portions of fat and flour. If I’m cooking for the whole family, I don’t season with salt and pepper at all in the pot. My husband and daughter dislike most salty foods, and don’t like for me to season with salt. I cannot eat any more than the barest smidgen of black pepper, or I will have a horrible time with an upset digestive system. I won’t go into details, I will just say that I am miserable when I eat black pepper, or anything hotter than a peppercini. So I am not a good seasoning teacher. I WILL say that both my husband and daughter have sworn off the preground black pepper, and prefer to use a pepper grinder. Pepper grinders come in all price ranges, from completely disposable to items that one hopes to pass on as an heirloom. If you use pepper at all, I suggest getting a pepper grinder, it really seems to make a difference.
I don’t brown the fat/flour mix when making a cream gravy, but I do let it cook for a bit after adding the liquid. I always use lots of sausage bits for sausage gravy, it just doesn’t taste right otherwise.
Cornstarch must be handled differently than flour. It has to be dissolved in a bit of COLD water first. Adding cornstarch to hot fat or liquid is a sure recipe for clumps. A gravy made with cornstarch will have a transparent look to it. A lot of Chinese sauces use cornstarch for a thickening agent. I’ve read that powdered arrowroot can also be used as a thickening agent, but I’ve only seen it sold in the spice section of the grocery store, and it seemed to be too expensive for that purpose, so I have no practical knowledge of its use.
Sometimes, for whatever reason, my gravy forms lumps. Rather than stand and stir and stir and stir (I can’t stand for long periods of time anyway) I will take a whisk to the gravy, and that usually turns the sauce into a silky smooth liquid. On occasion, I’ve even put the gravy trhough a sieve.
I’ve read that what I commonly call a gravy is really a sauce, and vice versa. To me, a gravy is a savory liquid made from animal origin fat (butter, tallow, chicken fat, etc.), flour, and liquid, sometimes with additional seasonings and ingredients. To me, a sauce generally doesn’t have nearly as much fat and flour in it, if it has either of those two ingredients at all.
I have used rendered chicken or beef or pork fat to make gravy to accompany the chicken or beef or pork dish. I have even saved good quality fat from various cuts of meat. I lived with my grandparents for a couple of years when I was growing up, and both of them grew up during the Depression, so I learned some odd thrifty habits. Frequently, I will saute at least a bit of chopped onion and sometimes chopped celery and mushroom in the fat before I add the flour. I think that this makes a much more interesting gravy.
I am completely and utterly hopeless at making biscuits and pie pastry from scratch. Fortunately for me, there are a variety of mixes and premade products available, so that I can serve biscuits and pies.
When planning a meal, try to have every dish a separate color. Thus, if serving a pasta dish with a traditional tomato sauce (red and white), don’t serve another red item. Serve a green vegetable. One can serve chicken and potatoes together, even though they’re both white items, but this needs a strongly colored vegetable, llike green beans or broccoli. Most white items are loaded with carbohydrates. While I do not believe that carbohydrates are evil foods, as is the trend these days, I DO think that one should have no more than two carbohydrated dishes in one meal, and preferably only one carb item…for instance, chicken could be served with biscuits OR potatoes OR rice, but not all three. Try to choose the most brilliantly colored vegetables to serve, they tend to have the most flavor and nutrients. Romaine lettuce is supposed to be more nutritious than iceberg lettuce, for instance. One thing, though…don’t serve only cruciferous (sp?) veggies at a meal. Cruciferous veggies are broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and I think a couple more.
Not every meal has to be perfectly balanced. I think that if one has a balanced diet over a couple of days, that’s OK, as long as one doesn’t binge on a lot of fat or sugar or salt in one sitting.
Two of my favorite cookbooks are Fannie Farmer’s Cookbook and any of Peg Bracken’s “I Hate To Cookbook” series. Fannie Farmer’s will have directions on how to cook properly, and have all sorts of useful formulas, such as how long to roast a piece of meat according to weight. Peg Bracken feels that life is too short to spend too much time cooking, and gives a lot of shortcuts.
I love my slow cooker. It’s the only way I can really have roasts during 9 months of the year. It’s just too hot to turn on the oven in Texas except during our winters. I can put an arm roast in the cooker and have tender, flavorful pot roast in half a day. While the cooking period is long, the preparation is very short, under 5 minutes, which includes dragging out the slow cooker and plugging it in. Just be sure to read the instructions that come with it. For instance, mine says not to add more than a quarter cup of liquid for best results…so I pour about that much Burgundy over the roast, flip the meat to make sure it’s all covered with wine, turn on the appliance, and then leave it to cook. It’s important to leave the cooker alone. Don’t lift the lid, as that will allow heat to escape and the dish will take much longer to cook.
Hmm… I hadn’t thought of doing this. Don’t know why. I add either vanilla or almond to my french toast. I will try this next weekend.
Another note on pancakes. Use warm eggs and milk, otherwise the melted butter (you do use butter, don’t you?) in your wet ingrediants will solidify right up, and you’ll never get it mixed right.
Also, separate the eggs, add the yolks to the milk and butter. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then whip the egg whites and fold them into the batter. It provides an extra bit of levening for super-fluffy pancakes.
Oh yeah, and sift. Sift some more. Better sift one more time. In fact, while you are working with the wet ingredients, have your SO or kid (if they won’t make a mess) keep sifting. Sifting aerates the dry ingredients for even more levening.
You forgot to mention that making a roux requires patience and practice. Medium heat at most and stir constantly to avoid burning the flour. If you don’t stir, and are making a light-colored sauce, you will end up with black flecks in it. While it may not affect the flavor, it takes away from the presentation.