COOKING TECHNIQUES
June 26, 2008
“It’s my belief that the best way to become a good cook is to learn these basic cooking techniques.”
Once you learn how to handle these fundamental techniques, you will be able to handle most recipes. Cooking is not just about recipes….it is about how to take ingredients and make them taste as good as possible.
Recipes are great road maps to show us how someone else got there, but one of the joys of cooking is to find your own paths. Knowing these techniques is like taking the car out for a spin in a new location. You’re not sure where you are going to end up, but getting there will be fun.
Saute
learn to sauté properly and you will be able to create hundreds of dishes without a recipe.
Cooking Pasta
quick tips on cooking your favorite pastas
Roasting
who doesn’t love a roasted chicken or Sunday roast beef.
Braising
may be my favorite way of cooking.
Grilling
it’s what us guys do best….at least that’s what we think
Brining
It’s what we should be doing before grilling but don’t
Mise en Place
in my opinion, one of the most important steps in cooking
and one most often not done.
Sauces
How to Make Incredible Sauces at Home?
Pan Roasting
How professional cooks do it. A little pan searing. A little oven roasting.
Stir Fry
quick, easy, nutritious, and a lot of fun
Deglazing
an essential part of learning how to sauté.
How to Cut an Onion
Learn this simple but effective method for cutting an onion that I learned from a professional chef.
How to Buy and Cook Sweet Corn
A quick lesson in buying and cooking sweet corn this summer.
How to Grill Corn
Learn how to grill fresh sweet corn whenever it is available.
How to make a Mayan Truffles - simple & easy
June 25, 2008
Ingredients· 1 c Whipping cream · 1 t instant coffee · 6 oz Semi-sweet chocolate pieces · 12 oz Semi-sweet chocolate chips · 1⁄8 c Coffee liqueur · 1⁄4 c Cocoa
How to Cook
1. Bring cream to the boiling point in a medium saucepan.
2. Remove from heat and add 12 ounces chocolate chips and instant coffee, cover.
3. Allow to sit 10 minutes.
4. Remove lid and stir.
5. Add coffee liqueur.
6. Allow mixture to cool 2 hours in the refrigerator.
7. Shape into small balls on wax paper-lined trays and place in freezer.
8. Melt remaining chocolate and allow to cool slightly.
9. Dip balls in the chocolate and roll in the cocoa.
10. Store in the refrigerator.
How to make a Fruit sauce for buffalo roast
June 25, 2008
Ingredients· 1 c Seedless grapes · 1 c Dried apricots; diced · 1 1⁄2 c water · 1⁄2 STICK butter OR margarine · 1⁄2 c Madeira wine · 1⁄4 t Cinnamon · Pinch of cloves · Pinch of nutmeg · 1⁄2 t Powdered ginger · 1⁄4 t Salt · 1⁄2 c Ground or finely chopped · Nuts (almonds, hickory, or · Pecans)
Cooking Fruit sauce for buffalo roast
1. Cover grapes and apricots in saucepan with water and bring to boil.
2. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Drain fruit and add all remaining ingredients.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Makes about 2 ½ cups.
Cherokee corn cob jelly recipe
June 25, 2008
Ingredients· 12 Ears fresh corn · 4 c water · 4 c Sugar · 1 3 fluid ounce package of liquid fruit pectin
Cooking Cherokee corn cob jelly
1. Cut corn from cobs and reserve for another use. Place cobs in water and bring to a boil.
2. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes.
3. Remove cobs and strain liquid through cheesecloth.
4. If necessary, add water to make 3 cups.
5. Place liquid in a saucepan and stir in sugar.
6. Bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved.
7. Stir in pectin and cook 1 minute longer.
8. Remove from heat, skim and spoon into sterilized jars.
9. Seal and store.
10. Makes 3 cups.
Some cooking tips, part 2
June 25, 2008
Here are some cooking tips I compiled through the years:
1. Add and remove small batches of food when deep frying, one at a time to prevent fluctuation of temperature.
2. Do not open oven door during cooking to prevent losing heat.
3. Cover the pot with a lid to bring water to a boil faster.
4. Cut meat in a uniform size to promote even cooking.
5. Do not overboil potatoes to be used for mashed potato to prevent making them gummy.
6. Remove brown patches of leaves from leafy vegetables. These brown patches tend to quicken rotting of the leaves.
7. Cook French fries twice to make them crisp inside and outside.
8. Allow hot food to cool down first before putting inside the refrigerator to conserve electricity.
9. Cover tightly cake when it will be stored inside the refrigerator to prevent it from absorbing distinct aromas.
10.Add salt to water when boiling eggs to peel off the egg shell easier.
Some cooking tips, part 1
June 25, 2008
Here are some cooking tips I compiled through the years:
1. Freshly ground peppercorns added to your food, while being cooked is more flavorful than packed grounded peppercorns from the supermarket. Thus invest in a good pepper mill.
2. Seasoning your meat, poultry or fish a day prior to cooking day will greatly enhance the flavor.
3. For a healthy beef extender, you may add oatmeal or bread crumbs to your ground beef.
4. To have more control over the amount of oil you use, transfer the oil in a squeeze-type dish soap bottle.
5. To avoid tears from onions being cut, put it in a freezer five minutes before slicing.
6. Do not marinade your meat in salt-containing marinade for more than two days, as the salt makes the meat drier.
7. Do not overcook vegetables to avoid losing their nutrients.
8. Do not use hotdogs stored in your freezer for two weeks.
9. When grilling, apply oil on the grates before cooking to prevent sticking of the meat and to promote better heat conduction.
10. When pan frying, do not overcrowd the pan that prevent even browning of meat.
Screwdriver
June 24, 2008
Ingredients:
60 ml vodka crushed ice orange juice
Method:
Fill glass with crushed ice and pour the vodka over it. Now fill the glass with orange juice, garnish with mint leaves or any garnish of choice and serve.
Pina Colada
June 24, 2008
Ingredients:
Ice3 tbsp rum cream of coconut pineapple juice whipped cream-to garnish pineapple wedge to garnish cherry to garnish
Method:
Put 1 scoop of ice in blender or shaker. Pour in 1 1/2 oz./3 tbsp quality Rum. Add a splash of Cream of Coconut. Add a splash of Pineapple Juice. Shake or blend thoroughly. Pour into a fancy stemmed glass. Serve garanshed with dollop of whipped cream, a fresh pineapple wedge, maraschino cherry, and a straw.
Margarita
June 24, 2008
Ingredients: 50 ml Tequila 25 ml Cointreau 25 ml fresh lime juice
Method:
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a salt rimmed Margarita glass. Garnish with a slice of lime.
Gin Fizz
June 24, 2008
Ingredients: 50 ml gin 25 ml lemon juice 12.5 ml sugar syrup soda water
Method:
Mix the gin, lemon juice and the sugar syrup with ice and shake well. Strain into a glass topped with ice and soda water.
