Cooking Techniques
July 27th, 2009
Quick meals don’t have to have less taste.
You may not be the next Paul Deen or Rachel Ray, but that doesn’t mean that you too can’t whip up a gourmet tasting meal in your own home in a reasonable amount of time. Many people shy away from cooking gourmet meals because of the considerable amount of time they can take to prepare. Between grocery shopping, prepping, and then cooking the food, the entire process can be quite time-consuming. But if you have a plan and this list of handy tips, you can make gourmet meals any day of the week in considerably less time than normal.
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Most people tend to think of kitchen staples as pretty interchangeable. Does it really matter what kind of salt, flour, rice, etc. that you choose for a dish? Experienced cooks know that the answer to that is a resounding “Yes!”
Flour is the most basic baking ingredient and has a major impact on the taste and quality of baked goods. It has the power to make or break a recipe.
January 23rd, 2009
Who would have ever thought that non-stick cookware would become controversial? It was approved for use in cookware in 1960, and gave cooks the option to cook with less fat. Even more exciting, the non-stick surface made cleanup a snap. And yet, for almost 20 years, there has been vigorous debate about its safety.
The culprit is a substance called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is used in making Teflon. Manufacturers say it’s safe to use in cookware – as long as the cookware is used properly. When it’s not, the fumes from overheated non-stick skillets can kill birds and sicken humans with a malady called “polymer fume fever.”
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January 13th, 2009
An Old Favorite Regains Popularity
After experimenting with Teflon, anodized aluminum, and stainless steel, many cooks are tossing the expensive, high-tech stuff in favor of an old standby: cast iron.
The cast iron skillet
is relatively inexpensive, healthy, and almost indestructible. Even better, well-seasoned cast iron has a slick, almost Teflon-like coating – but without the health concerns now swirling around Teflon.
If you’re wondering how to season cast iron, cook in it, or how to care for the skillets you inherited, read on. Cooking with and caring for cast iron is easier than you think.
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November 30th, 2007
One of the biggest differentiating factors between a self-schooled chef and one who has graduated from a formal culinary institution is the inclusion of French cooking techniques into his or her repetoire. According to Wikipedia.org, “Almost all culinary schools use French cuisine as the basis for all other forms of Western cooking.”
Therefore, it stands to reason that if you’ve been fully trained to prepare classical French cuisine, you’ll have a greater chance of obtaining a well-paying position working for a prestigious, high-end restaurant, hotel or spa.
May 16th, 2007
Many budding foodies want to know: how do I become “fast” like the pro chefs on television? What’s the secret to swift preparation of dishes that look as attractive as they taste? How do I work through more complicated meals – without destroying the place, and losing a few fingers in the process? The answer is by sharpening your cutting skills.
Most culinary institutions offer training in cutting techniques as part of their curriculum. However, if you don’t plan on attending cooking school but at least want to get semi-serious in the kitchen, you’ll appreciate this overview. The cuts described here are best suited for vegetables. Nearly all are achieved via a chef’s knife.
Helpful tip: Believe it or not, you’re more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife, than you are while using the properly sharpened blade of a good, heavy chef’s knife.
Following are some basic cutting techniques that you’ll need to master if you plan to become “chef extraordinaire” one day:
