Questions from a Culinary Student

[asmallbug]

Hi,

My name is Ivan and I've come here as a culinary student looking to ask a few questions as part of my study. This looks like a great little community and I would be very thankful to hear your experiences and thoughts. I've been reading a lot of the topics here (a goldmine for someone in my position, haha) and I hope this is the right category to be posting this.

You don't have to answer all the questions, I will find even a couple responses very helpful

What is your first memory of cooking?

Other than the final result (and eating it), what do you most enjoy whilst cooking?

What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made?

Which recipe gives you the most cooking satisfaction?

Are there any kitchen utensils you regret personally buying?

What’s the best / funniest response you’ve had to something you’ve created?

If you had to give three nuggets of advice to someone just starting out, what would they be?

Thanks for your time and I look forward to (hopefully) reading your posts!

Cheers cheers!

 

[pacanis]

Hi,

My name is Ivan and I've come here as a culinary student looking to ask a few questions as part of my study. This looks like a great little community and I would be very thankful to hear your experiences and thoughts. I've been reading a lot of the topics here (a goldmine for someone in my position, haha) and I hope this is the right category to be posting this.

You don't have to answer all the questions, I will find even a couple responses very helpful

What is your first memory of cooking?
That would have to be the Sunday before the last day of school in seventh grade. I was all day at the beach and got sunburned so bad my skin didn't peel, it cracked. I was literally baked.

Other than the final result (and eating it), what do you most enjoy whilst cooking?
Watching TV. I'm a multi-tasker when I cook and rarely pay attention to what I am cooking.

What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made?
That would be my ex-wife.

Which recipe gives you the most cooking satisfaction?
Any new on that I try.

Are there any kitchen utensils you regret personally buying?
No

What’s the best / funniest response you’ve had to something you’ve created?
"I'll never mix those two liquors together again."

If you had to give three nuggets of advice to someone just starting out, what would they be?
Keep your head down, your left arm straight, and push through the ball.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to (hopefully) reading your posts!


Cheers cheers!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I first made pancakes with my Dad, and bacon grease basted, fried eggs with my Stepfather.

1rst thing I ever made on my own, from scratch is sardines dipped in egg-wash and dredged through uncooked farina, then fried in hot oil. Tasted great, smelled up the house.

I enjoy the creative process, the art of cooking. I use my engineering skills to make sure it comes out right.

Worst mistake, walking away from a simmering pan of calve's liver braising in tomato sauce. When it burned, it was one of the worst smells ever. And it completely ruined the pan (I was young).

Most satisfying dish for the palate - perfectly grilled Ribeye, medium rare and super tender. Most satisfying dish to make, any that come out exceptionally good, be it apple pie, or a standing rib roast, great pate', or perfect pancakes.

Regret purchasing - All things teflon.

Funniest, yet, most exasperating thing anyone said while i was cooking - "You just put cinammon in your spaghetti sause!" Teh container was marked garlic powder and had been reused by the home owner to store cinammon.

Learn first, how to use a knife, a whisk, and explore what tools are useful to you.

Learn your ingredient flavors

Learn how various ingredients work together, what they do in a recipe, and how they react to different techniques. And equally important, know how to make the mother sauces.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[purple.alien.giraffe]

Hello, welcome to DC! Hopefully you'll like it well enough to share the knowledge you're gaining and stay active in our little community.

Other than the final result (and eating it), what do you most enjoy whilst cooking?

I love the way the cooking food makes the house smell. I also love any time I get to be creative.

What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made?

Walking away from a pan that had oil heating in it. Just went to use the bathroom real quick. It caught fire. Luckily it didn't spread to anything else and no one was injured. Lesson vehemently learned. Turn the burner off, it can be turned back on when I get back.

Are there any kitchen utensils you regret personally buying?

A garlic press. They're a pain to clean, even if you clean them immediately, and you loose way too much of the garlic. A zester, fine grater, blender/hand blender or knife are better tools.

What’s the best / funniest response you’ve had to something you’ve created?

From a roomate, "This is the best soup ever. You better never change this recipe!" He later refered to it as "epic soup".

If you had to give three nuggets of advice to someone just starting out, what would they be?

Don't be afraid of cooking, especially if you're cooking just for yourself. To quote Dune, fear is the mind killer. Mistakes will happen, stuff will come out ruined and inedible. Note what went wrong, chalk it up to experience gained and order a pizza or make a sandwich for the night.

Plan ahead but don't overthink things. If something is simple, let it be simple. If it's more complex figure out how you're going to tackle it and then tackle it, adjusting as needed. You can't plan for everything so don't wear yourself out trying.

Learn to reuse, both knowledge and ingredients. You made some amazing veggies sauteed in butter. Awesome, what else can you do with them. You have some leftover? Even better, now you can try something new with them.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Hi,

My name is Ivan and I've come here as a culinary student looking to ask a few questions as part of my study. This looks like a great little community and I would be very thankful to hear your experiences and thoughts. I've been reading a lot of the topics here (a goldmine for someone in my position, haha) and I hope this is the right category to be posting this.

You don't have to answer all the questions, I will find even a couple responses very helpful

What is your first memory of cooking?
Making Penuche fudge in my Grandmother's kitchen about age
six.
Other than the final result (and eating it), what do you most enjoy whilst cooking?
The smell, the warmth, memories of times past.

What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made?
Getting old.

Which recipe gives you the most cooking satisfaction?
Bread

Are there any kitchen utensils you regret personally buying?
Food processor.

What’s the best / funniest response you’ve had to something you’ve created?
I think you need to practice on this one, at least once a week.

If you had to give three nuggets of advice to someone just starting out, what would they be?
Drink your milk.
Take a sweater.
Don't run with that sucker in your mouth!

Thanks for your time and I look forward to (hopefully) reading your posts!

Cheers cheers!

Welcome to D. C.

 

[ErikC]

Hi,

My name is Ivan and I've come here as a culinary student looking to ask a few questions as part of my study. This looks like a great little community and I would be very thankful to hear your experiences and thoughts. I've been reading a lot of the topics here (a goldmine for someone in my position, haha) and I hope this is the right category to be posting this.

You don't have to answer all the questions, I will find even a couple responses very helpful

What is your first memory of cooking?

Other than the final result (and eating it), what do you most enjoy whilst cooking?

What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made?

Which recipe gives you the most cooking satisfaction?

Are there any kitchen utensils you regret personally buying?

What’s the best / funniest response you’ve had to something you’ve created?

If you had to give three nuggets of advice to someone just starting out, what would they be?

Thanks for your time and I look forward to (hopefully) reading your posts!

Cheers cheers!

1st memory of cooking would probably be heating up a can of soup, or making toast as a young kid. As for real cooking, my first "from scratch" dish was a pork roast when I was about 35 or so. I was a late starter.

My favorite thing about cooking is the creativity -- starting out with raw ingredients and ending up with a tangible and useful result. There is also the sense of independence, not having to rely on someone else to be able to eat something other than packaged food.

My worst mistakes usually involve over cooking or using too much heat. Nothing really stands out in my mind as my mistakes are all too common.

I get the most satisfaction out of not using a recipe at all. Knowing a few techniques and what ingredients go together, I can usually just come up with something based on what I have on hand.

I can't think of anything I regret buying, but I no longer get any use out of my pasta machine, as I have not found a good gluten-free pasta recipe. On second thought...maybe I regret buying a cheap set of pots and pans, but they did work for me until I could afford good ones.

I think my best response was having four kids ask for second helpings of brussels sprouts, and the looks on the faces of their parents.

My three nuggets of advice: 1. Get organized before cooking; 2. Learn all the basic techniques you can; 3. Learn what flavors go together. And on top of all that, have fun, and don't sweat the mistakes.

Best of luck to you!

 

[pacanis]

ooh, take a sweater. Sound advice!

 

[CWS4322]

Welcome to DC Ivan!

What is your first memory of cooking?

Heating up a can of corn all by myself (I was 4 or 5).

Other than the final result (and eating it), what do you most enjoy whilst cooking?

I like people to enjoy the food I make. I like pushing the envelope with flavours.

What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made?

Salt instead of sugar in a carrot cake.
Which recipe gives you the most cooking satisfaction?
This one's tough. I really like making traditional Scandinavian cookies at Christmas. Brings me back to baking with my grandma when I was young and Christmases spent with the cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
Are there any kitchen utensils you regret personally buying?
No.
What’s the best / funniest response you’ve had to something you’ve created?

You should enter this in a contest.
If you had to give three nuggets of advice to someone just starting out, what would they be?
1. Master the basics.
2. Learn to make a drop-dead ceasar salad.
3. Learn to make 5 other dishes you like and can cook with confidence and serve to friends.

Cheers cheers!

I'm not sure if my answers will display. Too brain dead to figure out how to insert text between other lines.

 

[Robo410]

What is your first memory of cooking?
rolling hundreds of tiny swedish meatballs with my sister for mom and dad's new years's party

Other than the final result (and eating it), what do you most enjoy whilst cooking?
the sounds and the smells

What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made?
an early solo quasi lasagna, was unseasoned and thus tasteless

Which recipe gives you the most cooking satisfaction?
the long slow braises like a rabbit ragout or osso bucco

Are there any kitchen utensils you regret personally buying?
cheap items from the grocery store kitchenwares aisle

What’s the best / funniest response you’ve had to something you’ve created?
This is awesome! I love your Bolognese. (about a vegan eggplant lasagna, a recipe of which I am very proud.)

If you had to give three nuggets of advice to someone just starting out, what would they be?
1 on kitchenware, buy the best quality because you'll only have to buy it once
2 on groceries, buy the best quality because it will last longer, keep longer, taste better
3 on cooking, learn techniques not recipes. learn chicken dijon and you can make chicken dijon. learn to saute chicken and you can make 100 dishes by changing out a few ingredients.