Need "Non-Cookbook Cookbook" to learn to cook without recipes

[k_young221]

Hi there. I'm on a mission to improve my abysmal cooking skills and had a question for you all. I'd like to learn the basics, not just in a sense of techniques, but also in terms of improvisation. I can follow a recipe okay, but I'd like to learn to cook the way one learns to dress with style. You don't buy a book with pictures of outfits to wear, you just learn the principles of style, right? So I want to learn what flavors go together, stuff like that. I've paged through "The Improvisational Cook" which looked neat, except about 70% of the book is recipes, many of which are a little too "gourmet" for me and my family.

Can anyone recommend any books I should look into?

Thanks,
~K

 

[GB]

You should check out Alton Brown's I'm Just Here For The Food. It fits the bill for what you are looking for. There are a small handful of recipes ( 10-20 or so), but they are just there to demonstrate the lessons he is trying to teach.

 

[k_young221]

As it happens, I just returned "I'm Just Here for the Food" to the bookstore this morning. I was so excited when I found it, but... I tried the first recipe last night, for steaks. Let me just say, it bombed, and I followed the instructions to a "T." According to my husband (whose opinion I trust more than Alton Brown's, as Alton's not the one eating my cooking), the recipe was absolutely wrong. Should have cooked on low heat, not high; should have marinaded, not just salt and pepper, the cut of beef wasn't suited to that method of cooking, etc. So... I dunno... =\

 

[Andy M.]

As it happens, I just returned "I'm Just Here for the Food" to the bookstore this morning. I was so excited when I found it, but... I tried the first recipe last night, for steaks. Let me just say, it bombed, and I followed the instructions to a "T." According to my husband (whose opinion I trust more than Alton Brown's, as Alton's not the one eating my cooking), the recipe was absolutely wrong. Should have cooked on low heat, not high; should have marinaded, not just salt and pepper, the cut of beef wasn't suited to that method of cooking, etc. So... I dunno... =\

Are you referring to the recipe with the cast iron skillet pre-heated in the oven and the ribeye steak?

 

[keltin]

I’d suggest “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman. It covers technique, improvisation, and recipes for nearly every kind of food you can think of. From salad to bread to soup to every meat imaginable. If you could only have one book, I’d go with this one.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I can't recommend Julia Child's The Way To Cook highly enough.

She gives "basic" recipes for everything, & then follows with recipes on how to use the "basic" recipe to make new dishes to your taste.

It's a FABULOUS book, & is still in print & available. In fact, I saw several copies at Borders Books just the other day. My copy is in tatters, & I almost considered buying myself a new edition - lol. That's how much I love this book.

It also contains the most fabulous recipe for a terrific Xmas Roast Goose - one that I've been using for YEARS now & have no plans for deviating from. Really - you can't go wrong with this book if you're looking for a cookbook that encourages you to branch out on your own.

 

[keltin]

As it happens, I just returned "I'm Just Here for the Food" to the bookstore this morning. I was so excited when I found it, but... I tried the first recipe last night, for steaks. Let me just say, it bombed, and I followed the instructions to a "T." According to my husband (whose opinion I trust more than Alton Brown's, as Alton's not the one eating my cooking), the recipe was absolutely wrong. Should have cooked on low heat, not high; should have marinaded, not just salt and pepper, the cut of beef wasn't suited to that method of cooking, etc. So... I dunno... =\

Huh? What cut of meat did you use. It’s pretty much standard procedure to cook a good cut of steak on high heat (to sear) with basic seasonings so that the flavor of the steak shines.

Low and slow cooking is usually only done with less expensive and tougher cuts of meat. I’ve never seen it suggested that a good ribeye, strip, or filet be cooked on low heat.

What cut of steak were you using?

 

[k_young221]

Andy: Yes, that's the recipe to which I was referring. Did I mess up because it's a bad recipe, or because I'm a bad cook? lol

I'll take a look at How to Cook Everything. Basically, I want to be able to take a look at the ingredients I have on hand and "whip something up." Maybe that's a lofty goal for a beginning cook, but my family and I are all picky eaters, so I'm constantly having to alter recipes anyway.

 

[k_young221]

Keltin- It was a less expensive cut. I think Brown even mentioned in the recipe that it's not that great a cut. B/c what you said is what I thought- good cuts can be cooked quickly, while cheaper cuts are better for stews and stuff.

 

[keltin]

Keltin- It was a less expensive cut. I think Brown even mentioned in the recipe that it's not that great a cut. B/c what you said is what I thought- good cuts can be cooked quickly, while cheaper cuts are better for stews and stuff.

Agreed. It sounds like your hubby was spot on then!

 

[k_young221]

Oops, Andy, maybe the ribeye recipe wasn't the one. The one I followed, which I believe is one of the very first in the book, just had you heat the cast iron skillet on the stovetop, not in the oven. I don't remember what cut of beef was used, but it was definitely a cheaper cut. Sorry about that.

 

[jennyema]

Cookwise by Shirley Corriher is exactly what you describe.

 

[Andy M.]

Oops, Andy, maybe the ribeye recipe wasn't the one. The one I followed, which I believe is one of the very first in the book, just had you heat the cast iron skillet on the stovetop, not in the oven. I don't remember what cut of beef was used, but it was definitely a cheaper cut. Sorry about that.

I just looked it up. It's a recipe for skirt steak. What did you not like about it?

 

[Andy M.]

Cookwise by Shirley Corriher is exactly what you describe.

An excellent book!

 

[jennyema]

I just looked it up. It's a recipe for skirt steak. What did you not like about it?

I'd marinate skirt steak but you should never cook it on low heat unless you are braising it. Generally you cook it fast and hot on a grill or in a cast iron skillet to med rare and then slice it on the bias.

BTW, "I'm Just Here for the Food" is an excellent cookbook, IMO.

 

[GB]

The first recipe in his book was for skirt steak, which should be cooked very quickly at very high heat to rare.

What was it about your attempt that you did not like?

What you are trying to learn is very hard to get from a book. It will come with practice more than anything else. The more you cook and try different things the more you will learn how to improvise.

I know it sounds counter intuitive, but improvisation takes practice. My favorite band improvises their music a lot. They used to do improv exercises for many hours each day. My wife just did not get that concept. She thought that improv was just making it up as you go along. While that is true, there are still rules that you must adhere to in order for it to work. The same goes for cooking.

 

[ironchef]

Andy: Yes, that's the recipe to which I was referring. Did I mess up because it's a bad recipe, or because I'm a bad cook? lol

I'll take a look at How to Cook Everything. Basically, I want to be able to take a look at the ingredients I have on hand and "whip something up." Maybe that's a lofty goal for a beginning cook, but my family and I are all picky eaters, so I'm constantly having to alter recipes anyway.

Forget Alton Brown's books and with improv of any type, you need to learn the pure basics of technique before you should even think about cooking on the fly. How to properly saute, poach, blanch, roast, pan fry, etc. In all honesty, "Cooking for Dummies" is one of the better books out there because of it's ease in the way the information is presented. Just ignore the chapter on equipment (at least in the beginning) and the rest of the book is great for someone who doesn't have a lot of cooking skill.

 

[k_young221]

The recipe was for a skirt steak. I followed the directions but the steak was VERY rare. I wanted to get it to maybe a medium or medium rare, but it took a lot longer than the recipe stated. And then the steak was tough and stringy. A question: If less-expensive cuts should be cooked slower than more expensive, then why should my $4 steak cooked on high heat? (Sorry, I'm sure it's obvious, but I know right around nothing about steak. I don't even like steak.) =)

I will check out the books everyone has suggested. I know that the whole improv thing will come with practice. I need to learn not only cooking techniques, but also culinary "fashion rules" or whatever you call them. Like, what foods pair well together and what spices go with what and what cuts of beef are suited to what types of cooking, and on and on. "Cooking for Dummies" sounds especially appropriate for my case. ;-)

 

[Andy M.]

It can be confusing. Skirt steak is the standard cut of meat for fajitas. It's cooked hot and fast for that dish as well.

If your meat needed a little more time in the pan to get the right doneness, that's a minor thing and not something to blame the cookbook for. Did you preheat for the full time on high heat? Did you cook the meat on high heat? Perhaps your stove burner isn't as powerful as some can be.

As to the toughness, this can be avoided by carving across the grain rather than with the grain. Cutting across the grain severs the tough miscle fibers, making it easier to chew.

 

[auntdot]

I am with IC on this one. You have to learn the basics.

To me watching cooking shows was not only very educational but the price was right.

Start off with basic recipes.

As far as learning about meats goes, think Merle Ellis' 'Cutting Up in the Kitchen' is still one of the best primers on meat. You can pick a used one up on the web at one of the used book outlets, or perhaps through Amazon, for a couple of bucks.