Tips and tricks in the kitchen

[Romany123]

The mother of invention.

Why not for once in a while try your own recipe instead of reaching for a cookbook? (I know that a lot of you will already be doing this, so it is aimed mainly at those who want to break out and would appreciate a few tips)

The key here is to understanding what flavors go together and with what, for instance try stuffing a boneless leg of Pork with Rosemary Thyme and Garlic. it gives the meat a real lift.
Start by learning about a few herbs that work well.
I have lifted this straight out of Culinary artist By Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. (This book has a senior place in my kitchen)

"flavor Pals"

ROSEMARY works well with the following.
Garlic,
Oregano,
Parsley,
Sage,
Thyme.
Keep adding to the list and in no time at all you will be achieving results you never knew possible

Try adding your herbs to wards the end of cooking and make sure that they are fresh, or if dry make sure they are in date.

Always taste the food as it is cooking and adjust the seasoning as needed

Don't be afraid of messing it up the more you experiment the more competent you will become.

Small things make a difference. For instance did you know that the larger the pot of water to volume of vegetable's will give them a better color?

Freshness is also important here, we in the UK a lot of our vegetable's
are imported and irradiated to keep them fresh, but the taste will give them away as soon as they touch the palette. Try and buy locally.

Cook for the eye as well as the taste. If it looks good you are 50% there.

Don't always go for cheap cuts try buying a smaller amount if money is tight. Cheap cuts are great for slow cooking.

Finally have fun.

I have made this post for those that are new to cooking and would add my thanks to my friends that have over many years, held my hand Special thanks to June,Jean,Clive...just a few of my many friends, that I am glad to see are gracing these boards.

Please add to the above and give your own tips and tricks, hopefully we will all learn from the experienced

 

[Andy M.]

It's OK to follow a recipe to the "T". It's also OK to change it if it looks good but has something in it you don't like. The recipe police will not knock down your door if you vary from the original!

 

[ronjohn55]

The recipe police will not knock down your door if you vary from the original!

Sir, we need you to come downtown and answer a few questions for us, please.

John

 

[Andy M.]

I'm not talking. I know my rights, I want a lawyer! ...or do I want a chef?

 

[Steve A]

Always taste the food as it is cooking and adjust the seasoning as needed

Just a reminder there, if you plan on reducing whatever liquid you have, hold back on the sodium until the end. Sodium refuses to reduce.

Ciao,

 

[Half Baked]

Small things make a difference. For instance did you know that the larger the pot of water to volume of vegetable's will give them a better color?

I had no idea.

 

[TATTRAT]

I tis easier to peel potatoes once they are cooked...just hold them in a side towel, and rub a little, skin peels right off.

 

[vagriller]

I tis easier to peel potatoes once they are cooked...just hold them in a side towel, and rub a little, skin peels right off.

Great tip!

 

[DaCook]

"Don't be afraid of messing it up the more you experiment the more competent you will become." Tell that to my roomie and my son.
Actually my roomie has a pretty good palate and I value the feedback. My son on the other hand is an eating machine. As long as it doesn't have olives in it, he will eat it. Once in a while he actually asks what it was or what it is called.

 

[DaCook]

"did you know that the larger the pot of water to volume of vegetable's will give them a better color?"
Well salted water also helps keep the colour.
Also cooking pasta in a large pot of salted water helps keeping it from sticking together.

 

[Romany123]

Good morning Marlene

". My son on the other hand is an eating machine. As long as it doesn't have olives in it, he will eat it. "

Lol I had a son like that, now he loves cooking

 

[vagriller]

Also cooking pasta in a large pot of salted water helps keeping it from sticking together.

Olive oil works too.

 

[cjs]

Thank you for the kind words Dave - I really don't know how I got along before having Culinary Artistry in my kitchen!!

Some of my best food combinations have come to be because of cleaning out the fridge!! And most times I don't write down what I had...

 

[Romany123]

"Some of my best food combinations have come to be because of cleaning out the fridge!! And most times I don't write down what I had... "
The times I have done that lol

 

[Chopstix]

Olive oil works too.

Va, won't the olive oil make the pasta slippery and therefore the pasta sauce won't cling well to it? Just asking...

On another matter relating to pasta, don't be surprised when you see a hairdryer in my kitchen. I'm finicky about having my pasta al dente. So after straining the pasta in the collander, I use my hairdryer (power HIGH, air COOL) to stop the pasta from cooking . (Rinsing the pasta is a no-no in my kitchen ...!)

 

[Romany123]

Roux Based Sauces (such as Bechamel )

To make them smooth and silky, cook in a double boiler for at least 25 minutes or on the lowest heat possible stirring now and again.


I have seldom seen this advice in cook books, they just tell you to stir until thickened, they never come out silky that way.

 

[vagriller]

Va, won't the olive oil make the pasta slippery and therefore the pasta sauce won't cling well to it? Just asking...

It doesn't seem to be a problem. You don't put a whole lot, just 1/2 tablespoon-full tablespoon or so in the pot.

 

[Claire]

Also vegetables will retain more color if you do NOT cover them while cooking. Don't ask me why, but I heard this on a TV show and it actually works.

Another natural herb combo is that I think thyme and sage go very well together in virtually any poultry, pork, or fish dish that is Euro (as opposed to Asian) in background.

Southeast Asian food needs lots of fresh herbs: Cilantro, parsley, mints of almost any kind. When you get outside a part of the country where there is a large Thai, Vietnamese, etc population, it is where they skimp and to me it really ruins the experience. We once asked a restaurant owner in Florida why no herbs. He replied that the Americans there (mostly elderly retirees from PA and NH) actually complained about having all that "green c***" on their plates! So when you experiment with these dishes do NOT skimp on fresh herbs. Pile them on a plate and let everyone garnish to their own taste.

There is no shame in using the microwave oven. You can bring things up to warm or half cooked then finish on the grill or in the oven. You know Julia said to keep some things to yourself in the kitchen. In this case even your fussiest guests will not know if you started your potatoes in the microwave oven, then finished them in a very hot conventional oven or fried. I learned this trick when I lived in a trailer for 3 years and the air conditioning couldn't keep up with the stove. Now my kitchen is not air conditioned so on hot days I often start things in the microwave and just finish them under more conventional heat sources. If it is there, use it and just zip your lips in case you're cooking for a microwave snob.

To me the most important cooking tip is to develop a circle of food-loving, non-food-snob friends. Make sure to marry someone like that as well. Open minds at the table, people you can hand a vegetable peeler to and say "help!" in a crunch. People who will never question that you put a different seasoning in a dish than they are used to, or that your fried chicken isn't real southern fried the way they had it, or anything like that. People who will never say "yuck" at the table (a big faux pas in my family as a child) ... you're never going to be able to cook exactly what everyone loves every time, and neither you nor your guests should take that personally. I guess the bottom line on that is good manners all around.

 

[lulu]

To me the most important cooking tip is to develop a circle of food-loving, non-food-snob friends. Make sure to marry someone like that as well. Open minds at the table, people you can hand a vegetable peeler to and say "help!" in a crunch. People who will never question that you put a different seasoning in a dish than they are used to, or that your fried chicken isn't real southern fried the way they had it, or anything like that. People who will never say "yuck" at the table (a big faux pas in my family as a child) ... you're never going to be able to cook exactly what everyone loves every time, and neither you nor your guests should take that personally. I guess the bottom line on that is good manners all around.

Could not agree more! PS could you tell the above to my in laws please?

 

[Romany123]

If using table salt in a salt shaker, add a few grains if rice to the salt shaker. It absorbs the damp and allows the salt to run freely.