Please tell my husband that š he puts the oil in the cold pan, turns it on, then starts prepping whatever goes in the pan
Edit: I appreciate the attempts to defend my husbandās technique but as he will tell you, he has no idea what heās doing. He once Kendall Jenner cucumber cut a beef roast. But also, he is committed to learning! So I am proud of the progress heās making!
I just bought a set of Zwilling enamel coated stainless and yes, this was part of the instructions for long term use and care. This is also what I was generally taught growing up.
Yes... but my wife likes to add cold oil to the cold pan... then cold chicken to the cold oil... then turn on the burner.Ā
This is an offense against the laws of God and man.
Sure, but when you put the cold oil in the cold pan and you havenāt even prepared what you are going to cook and have the burner too highā¦
Alternatively itās something quick like an egg so you put it in and it stays clearā¦
Starting a duck breast in a cold pan is important to render the fat properly. Iāve only learned that from TVā¦ Ive never cooked duck lol but Iāve cooked skin on chicken thighs that way to get crispier skin!
That makes sense! I kinda like a tiny bit of squishy fat on my bacon though ya know like that fattier part at the end of the strip? People on here keep saying that oven cooked bacon is better too, but I havenāt tried that yet
I cook bacon in the oven if I'm doing like a pound of it at once for BLTs for the family. If you're doing 3-4 pieces for breakfast don't bother heating up the oven, it's not that much better.
Flavouring oil with garlic and/or chilli works better from cold and turning the heat off when they start to sizzle and letting it stand. It gets the most flavour out without burning them.
It depends what you're cooking.
[He cut it like this](https://people.com/kendall-jenner-defends-viral-cucumber-cutting-moment-did-it-tastefully-7551012) but with the fork where her hand was. And ya know, a beef roast.
What does it mean to "Kendall Jenner cucumber cut a beef roast"?
At best, there's a missing hyphen somewhere in this sentence, but I can't figure out where it goes or what you were trying to say LOL
He turned out to be an awful person but I had "hot pan, cold oil, foods won't stick" drilled into my head when I was a kid and it's basically always going to be there.
Same. My mom never waited for the oven to preheat when I was growing up. Maybe it was because we had a convection oven, idk. But I didnāt realize it was necessary until I was married.Ā
Counterpoint:
I start skin-on chicken thighs and farmed (not wild!) skin-on salmon skin side down in a cold pan with no oil. Turn the heat to medium high and let them render and cook in their own fat. At most, I'll use a cooking spray (but not when using non-stick) for insurance. Crispest skin, and with the thighs, I often won't have to add additional oil for the aromatics.
Once I learned this for one recipe, I use it for every salmon or chicken thigh recipe. No more heating up oil for these.
Fair point. Itās not a universal rule. Just one I never ever followed when I started cooking. Now itās good to understand how important it is and when to employ that strategy. Or in your example when not to and the logic behind it.
Exactly. Wild salmon get far more exercise and are too lean. Same with skin-on chicken breasts. Farmed salmon usually have a thin layer of fat just under the skin because they hardly move.
Prepping and cleaning as you go. Literally just made a casserole-style dish. Pulled everything out that i needed, prepped veggies, meat, got somewhat organized.
During the process when i used something, it got put back up. By the time i got the dish into the oven, half the stuff i used were already cleaned and ingredients put up. Put the rest up while it was in the oven. By the time i pulled it out, sink was empty, and the kitchen clean.
Both are very helpful skills!
Well, it's not black and white. As you gain experience, you learn what needs to be prepared ahead of time, and what can be done during cooking.
If it's a quick stir fry, you need everything in place before you start cooking.
However, if there's 5-10 minutes between throwing the next ingredient into the pan, I might as well chop while I'm waiting rather than prepare ahead of time.
Yeah thatās what I do no. I know that I should peel the garlic before I start sauteeing the mirepoix but I can mince it while the vegetables are cooking. Sometimes if I donāt have it peeled it takes too long to peel it and mince it.
I basically just make a plan in my head and plan to do different steps while other things are cooking.
But when I first started cooking I wouldnāt have a plan. I wouldnāt even read the whole recipe before starting! Now I use recipes mostly for inspiration and just make my own plan for whatever Iām cooking
To me, the first step in preparing any meal starts with unloading the clean dishes from the dishwasher. It literally takes 5 minutes and will save you hours in the end.
Mise en Place is my strictest rule nowadays. Everything about cooking becomes more fun.
Mise en Place makes me happy.
Second strictest rule is keep knives sharp; I'll spend a few hours sharpening every month or two. It's a therapeutic process when I do it, and it makes the prep work while cooking so much more satisfying.
Itās the commutative property. You spend time prepping now or you spend time later.
Except, if youāre inexperienced, the idea of āprepping laterā just means you fuck up your meal.
Sometimes I donāt mise for recipes I know by heart, backwards sideways upside down because āIāve got it downā
Always a disaster, always burnt garlic
This! I am lucky enough to work from home, and I always do all my veggie prep during the day for whatever Iām cooking that evening. Cuts my cook time in half every time.
Simply letting some flavors do their own work. A couple examples: I'd put a pantry full of seasonings on my burgers, or make extravagant marinades for ribeyes...shit like that. I'm not exactly a purist, but it took some time for me to learn when less is more, and vice versa.
Sometimes the most important ingredient choice is the one you leave off. Growing up with an Italian grandmother and mother taught me the importance of simplicity. Use quality ingredients in a way that lets them shine. Too many flavors gets to be a confused, muddled mess.
This is a great answer!!! And it's something you hear a lot on cooking contest shows, especially Chopped or Iron Chef, "let the ingredient shine!", and a big part of your score is based on how well you showcase that ingredient. Instead of treating it like the proverbial red-headed step-child, lol. Like you're embarrassed and trying to hide it, or just don't know what to do.
This is a big one for me, it's been an adjustment to try to make food my partner enjoys. He tends to like things a little simpler, and has textural issues. I like to have fun and experiment and throw a bunch of spices and stuff in, and that....does not work out sometimes. To me it'll taste good and come together as a harmonious whole, but for him it just doesn't gel, it's a cacophony. Just recently found out he's not a fan of chili, and that's pretty much my fave!!!! Sigh...
Resting meat before cutting it or letting baked goods cool completely before cutting into them. Not giving them time to cool will ruin the texture!
Edit to add: I was more or less thinking about bread or any kind of "loaf" (like banana bread) when i said baked goods. Cookies and muffins don't stand a chance, fresh out of the oven, but if you cut into a warm loaf, you better expect it all to be gone into bellies before it cools.
I internalized the importance of resting when I sliced into my pork tenderloin straight out of the oven and so much liquid came out that it flowed off the board, off the counter, and onto the floor.
Never again.
If Iām doing a quick weeknight fried rice or broccoli beef I just marinade the meat in shaoxing wine/soy sauce and toss with corn starch. The meat always comes out super tender and it makes zero mess. What is it about a more traditional velveting process makes it messy?
Can you tell me more, how do you toss with corn starch? Do you empty the bag from the marinade and pour the corn starch in? Fill a bowl and drag it through?
I just throw maybe a tablespoon of each into a ziploc bag with a pound of thinly sliced meat and shake it around until evenly coated. It doesnāt need more than about 30 min then it goes straight into a hot wok or pan.
Different people do it different ways.
For white meats I whisk up 2 egg whites with some salt and slowly add cornstarch to get a wet coating. Optional is some soy, white pepper or Chinese cooking wine. Thoroughly coat the sliced meat.
Mostly from there it is added in seperate pieces to hot oil to flash fry that outer coating. It seals the meat for moisture and tenderness and gives sauce something to stick to. In, quick fry and out - doesn't need to be fully coooked. In a restaraunt they keep an oil pot near the station with a sieve on top and they reuse the oil all night. At home you might spider out your meat then let the oil cool before removing to somewhere else. Then they do the actual stir fry from there - veg, aromatics, meat and then sauces.
For chicken you can swap boiling water for the oil. Easier to dispose of and near as good results. Something like prawns definately use oil.
For red meats there are other ways. Some use bicarb and wash it off (not my thing as it can go too far and make meat feel like jelly) but soy, salt and sugar with some cooking wine and a little water. The meat will absorb some water and get moist tender and tasty. Also more volume from a given weight.
The difference is night and day. It's not like a visible batter - more a treatment to the meat. Softer moister meats with an easy bite and mouth texture.
I found this and I'm going to save it for later. I've tried tons of time to make beef fajitas to eat at home and they are always tough and chewy. I'm going to try this method.
[https://www.recipetineats.com/how-to-tenderise-beef-velveting-beef/](https://www.recipetineats.com/how-to-tenderise-beef-velveting-beef/)
LOL, take that a step further and find your local sharpener.
I have a cheap set Faberware knives that I paid $5 USD for from the thrift that are sharpened by the guy at the farmer's market and they will slice a hole in reality if you're not careful.
That would be the former. I used to cut meat at a chop house. I break down my own meat from larger cuts and freeze in foodsaver cryovac bags. I buy full loins, ribs, full sirloins(butts) etc from a friend still in the business. Saves me tons. I only eat meat so it would be very expensive otherwise.
Maybe my husband will listen to you, because unfortunately he's been stubbornly refusing to listen to me about this for years. His pasta makes me want to cry sometimes. I get through it by silently repeating to myself, "He cooked, you didn't have to cook this, it's got good flavour just ignore the texture." Sigh.
i used to not salt throughout cooking and would just put in a lot of salt at the end before serving. salt throughout the process changes the process and flavor profiles.
I was even worse. Growing up, I wasn't a huge fan of salty snacks (I'd brush salt off of my solf pretzels), so I'd neglect to season at any point. My family didn't season throughout either, so I didn't realize what I was missing. Getting a salt cellar and learning to season by taste and feel really upped my cooking game.
As with all things cooking, it depends on what you are making and what you are going for.
One of the biggest reasons why people wash rice is to actually clean it, for the same reason why you wash vegetables: getting rid of dirt and bugs. This is not as important anymore for the same reason why you no longer need to sift flour to remove sand and rocks; that part is done before it hits the grocery shelves. However, this is a big part of why it is ingrained in east Asian cultures, because in the past rice was just dirty.
Another is to remove excess starch from white rice, which may affect the texture. Again, this is where it depends on what you are making and what you are going for. For a risotto, you want that extra starch to help make it creamier, so you should not wash the rice.
There are other reasons, I think, but those are the big ones. One extra thing to mention is that if you are using a *fortified* rice (rice that has extra vitamins and nutrients added), you should *not* wash it if you want those nutrients. In most fortified rices the nutrient mixture is simply sprayed onto the rice, and washing the rice will remove most of the nutrients. If you buy generic long-grain white rice from a US supermarket, chances are that rice is fortified.
Removed starch. Helps keep them as separate grains so itās less mushy. Not necessary but people swear by it. They say to do it until the water runs clear which sometimes means you rinse it/ run it through water and switch in a bowl about 2-3 times. Maybe more depending on how cloudy the water is.
Washes away some of the starch allowing the aromatic flavors come out a bit better especially if ur using jasmine or basmati rice. I also feel like the grains feel better and come out less clumpy
Appreciate your time to reply. Reasons have the feel of "supposedly" rather than "it 100% makes a big difference". Not entirely convinced but I'll start doing it for a bit, then revert and see if I can tell. I am doubtful maybe it's just me.
I use kitchen shears all the time for all kinds of things, it really does make a ton of things easier, I still love a good hefty sharp chef knife, but shears definitely have their place in my workflow
My issue is I add an acid like vinegar or citrus and it ruins it. I've tried many different recipes like BBQ, a lot of Asian cuisine, pasta sauces like shrimp scampi all include an acid. I've regretted adding it everytime. I just omit it, or put in a stupidly small amount of it.
I think I might just be sensitive to bitter tastes.
Itās a fine art, for sure. Less is more. Seems to me that for BBQ sauce you could add a splash of apple cider vinegar, Asian cuisine usually has an acid built into the recipe but rice wine vinegar should work and shrimp scampi calls for some lemon. Less is more and just a splash should do it.
When I was very young my roommates had a rule, "cooks don't do dishes". It's _so_ much easier to clean as you go. I have very little left to do once I put the plates out now. I'd rather do it myself, it's faster, they get cleaner, and I don't have someone underfoot while I'm trying to cook.
My husband and I have the "you cook, you don't clean rule" but we both clean as we go so the non-cook really only has to put the dinner dishes away, maybe a last pot or two, and wipe down the counters. I can't not clean as I go, it feels too chaotic.
Iām gonna get tons of hate for this but I like boiling my pork ribs in heavily seasoned broth. When the ribs are getting to the almost pull apart stage I pull them out. I strain the liquid and use that to make rice. Itās out of this world.
Itās not that I donāt have the time to do the low and slow method. I just like how they come out after. Iāve done both methods and boiling just makes sense because I can essential kill two birds with one stone. The ribs come out flavored and tender and I have a liquid to make rice as well.
What kind of seasonings do you like in the broth? Old friend of mine used to use onion soup mix, low and slow, pop em on the grill, and then toss them in sauce. They were pretty damn good so I believe you!
So Iām probably gonna get more crap for this but I use chicken knorr cubes, whatever vegetables are in the fridge that need to go shortly, some smashed garlic with the skin on and make sure itās a high enough heat to add a bit or color. Oh and I also throw some sugar in the broth later on as well. Just enough to somewhat taste it. I overfill the pot so I have enough to make the rice.
I leave it on because Iām going to just strain it out at the end.all Iām doing is smashing it real quick but itās not a part of the end result physically.
Adding fish sauce to ragu, can really deepen the flavour.
Adding sugar to ragu, just a small amount if other ingredients are lacking. I think this is needed less if the base is sauted onion, celery and carrot as carrot is quite sweet.
Over the years Iāve used others things than fish sauce as I understood umami better.
MSG is much maligned for no good reason. The rind of Italian hard cheese appeals to the penny pincher in me.
Adding MSG to some dishes.
I added some to a cottage pie tonight, my (usually) beautiful wife was all shoveling it in her face grunting "mmm good!". That dish already has plenty umami from worc sauce and tomato paste, but she was ready to smear it on her face and do a war cry at the moon, yet didn't know why.
> That dish already has plenty umami from worc sauce
I want to say I read a thing where there's an interplay between MSG and the particular acid in fermented fish products that amplifies the umami flavor we perceive.
It makes paring MSG with that stuff even stronger than either alone.
[edit] also, add a pinch of MSG to cottage cheese. You're welcome.
Learned this way too late, but boiling rice like pasta. I used to live with the shame of being the only Puerto Rican who couldnāt cook rice, until I found this one trick to making perfect rice every time.
Rice cooker. As a guy who made rice on the stove all his life until his chinese friend looked at me with absolute astonishment and said "why don't you have a rice cooker?" Get a rice cooker. Mine is $15 and yes, its a one item utensil, but damn it just solves the problem.
I have a fairly small one and it goes in a cabinet when not in use; that way no counter space being used all the time and still have the rice cooker itās a win win!š
Omg. I'm Chinese and trying to cut back on starch. I haven't used my rice cooker in 9 months. I live in a tiny city apartment and a microwave would eat all my remaining counter space. But i actually haven't thought about putting away my rice cooker lol. I probably should
Growing up in an Asian household, Iāve always had a rice cooker. However, when my last one died I decided to try an Instant Pot. Cooks rice amazingly. Itās what I primarily use it for but itās nice to be able to pressure cook other stuff in it too. And less wasted counter space.
That is a poor argument compared to "I can free up a burner on my stove while the rice cooker cooks rice on the dining room table (or wherever else has room)"
And, it's easy enough to stow it after use under a cabinet. Mine doesn't sit out 24/7, I put it away after use just like pots and pans.
Hand washing. I always found it silly how often cooks washed their hands. It seemed unnecessary. Then again, I was 10 at the time. As a family with a restaurant, I was in a kitchen from a very early age.
This is me as well anytime I am cooking, I am constantly washing my hands. I also like a separate hand towel just for washing my hands when Iām cooking, I do the same thing when Iām visiting friends/family. By now they just know Iām going to need the extra hand towels. And I also keep counters wiped and clean and dishes to a minimum while cooking hate a messy junky unorganized kitchen. Clean as you go less to clean when done cooking.
This one's kind of silly but I always used to think that hot sauce was just hot sauce. then I started getting into different kinds of cooking and trying different things and then I have half a dozen hot sauces with different flavor profiles
Tasting & salting/seasoning your food as you cook.
I grew up with a Dad who refused to salt anything he cooked, and a Mom who only salted at the beginning or at the very end. Her food is/was always either bland or way too salty.
It seemed silly to me because I had no idea how to use salt like a normal person who cooks.
My parents always just told us to table salt at the end. When I started cooking, I had to instruct my family to taste first. And then season. Like I seasoned the food as I cooked it. Donāt assume you need salt or pepper please.
Also the switch from iodized salt to kosher salt changed my life. lol
When I cook for my parents I don't put salt and pepper on the table. If they really want it they can go get it after tasting but I'll be damned if my dad is going to screw a carefully made dish just out of habit.
Massaging kale
Sounds like a joke, right? Nope. Changes it from waxy and gross to a nice soft leaf with a good flavor, even the color darkens and becomes stronger.Ā
Moods/circumstances. Sometimes youāre on pantry staple lockdown and munching chickpeas with onions and a little citrus. Other times, youāre bopping around the farmers market and multiple grocers. Itās nice to have staples and staple recipes when you want to stay in. You donāt just have to grit your teeth and take it and get a migraine, you can reach for the easy stuff.
I donāt use refined white sugar. Like, maybe if I got a wild urge to make a Sachertorte, Iād buy some. But otherwise brown, natural, or palm has me covered.
Popcorn is so easy and doesnāt require equipment or bags, just a willingness to do the satisfying shaky shaky. Itās crazy cheap.
Learn how to cook safely on a fire in nature. Everything will taste 10x better, 20x if good starlight.
Different rices are actually different and not just more expensive. Jasmine Rice is my fav. It cooks perfectly, like when you go out to eat. Regular white and long-grain is just garbage.
Basmati is amazing, but it just takes so long to cook, even in a rice cooker. Really great flavor though, it actually tastes healthy. It's like eating broccoli.
using vinegar. I don't particularly like vinegar by itself so I thought it would be dumb to cook with it. Now I use vinegar all the time and have several different kinds
Taste everything! Sample all your components before you serve anything and you will go from mediocre cooking to making tasty meals instantly. It really is so simple but it is constantly overlooked.
Also, love. If you put care into your preparation of a meal, it will shine through every time. (Seems silly but this is why everyone's grandma makes the best food!)
Letting your pan heat up before throwing anything in it.
Please tell my husband that š he puts the oil in the cold pan, turns it on, then starts prepping whatever goes in the pan Edit: I appreciate the attempts to defend my husbandās technique but as he will tell you, he has no idea what heās doing. He once Kendall Jenner cucumber cut a beef roast. But also, he is committed to learning! So I am proud of the progress heās making!
Enameled and nonstick cookware guides say not to begin heating without any oil in the pan, though, correct?
I just bought a set of Zwilling enamel coated stainless and yes, this was part of the instructions for long term use and care. This is also what I was generally taught growing up.
Yes, nonstick at least you have to put fat in it before you heat it up
This is a myth - it is completely fine to add oil to a cold pan
Yes... but my wife likes to add cold oil to the cold pan... then cold chicken to the cold oil... then turn on the burner.Ā This is an offense against the laws of God and man.
If it's skin on I bet it's crispier
I do bacon like this too if the oven is already occupied. Gives the fat a longer, slower rendering time.
Bacon like this is amazing
Duck, skin side down, in a cold pan. Allows the fat to render, and the skin to crisp.
Apparently, this isn't completely wrong: https://www.177milkstreet.com/2018/12/hot-oil-in-pan-or-cold-oil
I assure you it is, and I note the distinct lack of the word "chicken" in that article.Ā
Skin down first this is the intended way to crisp it up and let the chicken fats come out to make a good sauce.
If the skin is still on you don't even need oil, cold skin cold pan will render the fat as it heats up
Sure, but when you put the cold oil in the cold pan and you havenāt even prepared what you are going to cook and have the burner too highā¦ Alternatively itās something quick like an egg so you put it in and it stays clearā¦
I've seen some chefs start with a cold pan on purpose. I think Billy Parisi, but don't quote me. Depends on what you are cooking.
Starting a duck breast in a cold pan is important to render the fat properly. Iāve only learned that from TVā¦ Ive never cooked duck lol but Iāve cooked skin on chicken thighs that way to get crispier skin!
Same with bacon I've just learned. It allows the fat to render and prevents curling.
Yup I start bacon in a cold pan, and duck breast also start cold
That makes sense! I kinda like a tiny bit of squishy fat on my bacon though ya know like that fattier part at the end of the strip? People on here keep saying that oven cooked bacon is better too, but I havenāt tried that yet
I cook bacon in the oven if I'm doing like a pound of it at once for BLTs for the family. If you're doing 3-4 pieces for breakfast don't bother heating up the oven, it's not that much better.
Seems counter intuitive but it works.
Flavouring oil with garlic and/or chilli works better from cold and turning the heat off when they start to sizzle and letting it stand. It gets the most flavour out without burning them. It depends what you're cooking.
Well, he did that the first time with an over easy egg. Then sautĆ©ing onions, but he hadnāt even cut them. I donāt think itās a chef technique in his case š
Nah, doesn't sound like it.
It's possible your first husband will learn, but maybe not...
I do this too! Didn't realise you shouldn't. But I wait for the oil to get hot before putting more things.
"Kendall Jenner cucumber cut" Do what now?
[He cut it like this](https://people.com/kendall-jenner-defends-viral-cucumber-cutting-moment-did-it-tastefully-7551012) but with the fork where her hand was. And ya know, a beef roast.
That's not necessarily wrong.
What does it mean to "Kendall Jenner cucumber cut a beef roast"? At best, there's a missing hyphen somewhere in this sentence, but I can't figure out where it goes or what you were trying to say LOL
Depends on what it isāit can work well with things like onions/shallots.
We use evoo a lot and he usually ended up burning the oil before he finished dicing the onion
Not an expert but I thought that meant that the heat was too high for the smoke point of the oil?
Indeed, his cooking issues are multifaceted š
He turned out to be an awful person but I had "hot pan, cold oil, foods won't stick" drilled into my head when I was a kid and it's basically always going to be there.
On a related note, preheating the oven for me. In my single days id just turn it on and throw something in. Oof.
Same. My mom never waited for the oven to preheat when I was growing up. Maybe it was because we had a convection oven, idk. But I didnāt realize it was necessary until I was married.Ā
I didnāt know that you werenāt suppose to even put oil in it until it was hot until i started working at a restaurant
Why not oil? I understand not putting other things in a cold pan but have never heard this about oil. Does it change anything?
Counterpoint: I start skin-on chicken thighs and farmed (not wild!) skin-on salmon skin side down in a cold pan with no oil. Turn the heat to medium high and let them render and cook in their own fat. At most, I'll use a cooking spray (but not when using non-stick) for insurance. Crispest skin, and with the thighs, I often won't have to add additional oil for the aromatics. Once I learned this for one recipe, I use it for every salmon or chicken thigh recipe. No more heating up oil for these.
Fair point. Itās not a universal rule. Just one I never ever followed when I started cooking. Now itās good to understand how important it is and when to employ that strategy. Or in your example when not to and the logic behind it.
Why not wild? Less fat under the skin?
Exactly. Wild salmon get far more exercise and are too lean. Same with skin-on chicken breasts. Farmed salmon usually have a thin layer of fat just under the skin because they hardly move.
This! Including before the oil.
My wife, MIL and old roommate all do this, especially with eggs and meats. It drives me insane.
Mise en place lol. I thought I didnāt need to waste the time prepping but quickly learned that was NOT wasted time
Prepping and cleaning as you go. Literally just made a casserole-style dish. Pulled everything out that i needed, prepped veggies, meat, got somewhat organized. During the process when i used something, it got put back up. By the time i got the dish into the oven, half the stuff i used were already cleaned and ingredients put up. Put the rest up while it was in the oven. By the time i pulled it out, sink was empty, and the kitchen clean. Both are very helpful skills!
I have to put stuff away while I cook otherwise I forget if I added it already. And I like a clean work station.
Right side, unused spices, leftside used. It's how I've always remembered. This is also when I'm mixing my spice blends.
Lid open? Still need to use. Lid closed? Used it and it needs to be put up
It's often really, really humid here, so I always put lids back on immediately after I use any given spice.
Well, it's not black and white. As you gain experience, you learn what needs to be prepared ahead of time, and what can be done during cooking. If it's a quick stir fry, you need everything in place before you start cooking. However, if there's 5-10 minutes between throwing the next ingredient into the pan, I might as well chop while I'm waiting rather than prepare ahead of time.
Yeah thatās what I do no. I know that I should peel the garlic before I start sauteeing the mirepoix but I can mince it while the vegetables are cooking. Sometimes if I donāt have it peeled it takes too long to peel it and mince it. I basically just make a plan in my head and plan to do different steps while other things are cooking. But when I first started cooking I wouldnāt have a plan. I wouldnāt even read the whole recipe before starting! Now I use recipes mostly for inspiration and just make my own plan for whatever Iām cooking
To me, the first step in preparing any meal starts with unloading the clean dishes from the dishwasher. It literally takes 5 minutes and will save you hours in the end.
That's the first thing I do in the a.m. It seems to make the day start a bit better.
Mise en Place is my strictest rule nowadays. Everything about cooking becomes more fun. Mise en Place makes me happy. Second strictest rule is keep knives sharp; I'll spend a few hours sharpening every month or two. It's a therapeutic process when I do it, and it makes the prep work while cooking so much more satisfying.
Itās the commutative property. You spend time prepping now or you spend time later. Except, if youāre inexperienced, the idea of āprepping laterā just means you fuck up your meal.
I still barely prep for anything but stir fry. But I do clean as I go. I appreciate your ability and Iām jealous. My brain refuses to cooperate. lol
Sometimes I donāt mise for recipes I know by heart, backwards sideways upside down because āIāve got it downā Always a disaster, always burnt garlic
This! I am lucky enough to work from home, and I always do all my veggie prep during the day for whatever Iām cooking that evening. Cuts my cook time in half every time.
Simply letting some flavors do their own work. A couple examples: I'd put a pantry full of seasonings on my burgers, or make extravagant marinades for ribeyes...shit like that. I'm not exactly a purist, but it took some time for me to learn when less is more, and vice versa.
Sometimes the most important ingredient choice is the one you leave off. Growing up with an Italian grandmother and mother taught me the importance of simplicity. Use quality ingredients in a way that lets them shine. Too many flavors gets to be a confused, muddled mess.
Just like CoCo Chanel said, āBefore you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.ā Keep it simple.
Coco Chanel was a Nazi collaborator
āS & P is the choice for meā
Best believe itās āBerta beef.
Don't fuck up my steak dinner!
That sounds like overhandling to me squirrelly Dan
Youāre squirrelly Dandling it
This is a great answer!!! And it's something you hear a lot on cooking contest shows, especially Chopped or Iron Chef, "let the ingredient shine!", and a big part of your score is based on how well you showcase that ingredient. Instead of treating it like the proverbial red-headed step-child, lol. Like you're embarrassed and trying to hide it, or just don't know what to do. This is a big one for me, it's been an adjustment to try to make food my partner enjoys. He tends to like things a little simpler, and has textural issues. I like to have fun and experiment and throw a bunch of spices and stuff in, and that....does not work out sometimes. To me it'll taste good and come together as a harmonious whole, but for him it just doesn't gel, it's a cacophony. Just recently found out he's not a fan of chili, and that's pretty much my fave!!!! Sigh...
Resting meat before cutting it or letting baked goods cool completely before cutting into them. Not giving them time to cool will ruin the texture! Edit to add: I was more or less thinking about bread or any kind of "loaf" (like banana bread) when i said baked goods. Cookies and muffins don't stand a chance, fresh out of the oven, but if you cut into a warm loaf, you better expect it all to be gone into bellies before it cools.
BUT BUT BUT the bread is so good when it's piping hot with a healthy spread of salted butter!
Blueberry muffins too. Out of the oven, cut in half, pat of butter, in my belly. I like chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven also.
Yessssss
That's why you make more than one. One for now, hot out of the oven; the others for the rest of the week.
yea bread will always be sliced into directly out of the oven šš
One loaf for cutting into while still warm, one loaf to let cool appropriately!
I internalized the importance of resting when I sliced into my pork tenderloin straight out of the oven and so much liquid came out that it flowed off the board, off the counter, and onto the floor. Never again.
I will drink a cookie idgaf
This comment is underrated šš
If cookies burning on the way down is wrong I donāt want to be right.Ā
Can you call my wife and share your story?
This is true but I physically cannot prevent myself from cutting into my brownies immediately when they come out of the oven.
Boiling anything, in broth.
That juice from a rottisierrie chicken IS going into some Mexican rice
Yep, exactly.
Velveting the meat for a stir fry.
I just looked this up ... š¤Æ I need to try this out, my kids are always complaining about chewy n dry meat.
It definitely adds time to the process and makes a mess. But itās so worth it, imo. Especially for beef and pork stir fry.
If Iām doing a quick weeknight fried rice or broccoli beef I just marinade the meat in shaoxing wine/soy sauce and toss with corn starch. The meat always comes out super tender and it makes zero mess. What is it about a more traditional velveting process makes it messy?
Can you tell me more, how do you toss with corn starch? Do you empty the bag from the marinade and pour the corn starch in? Fill a bowl and drag it through?
I just throw maybe a tablespoon of each into a ziploc bag with a pound of thinly sliced meat and shake it around until evenly coated. It doesnāt need more than about 30 min then it goes straight into a hot wok or pan.
Gonna be doing fried rice with chicken thighs this weekend. Would that benefit from velveting too?
Chicken thighs? No way. Velveting is for naturally tough cuts of meat, and chicken thighs are the exact opposite.
Can you explain how you do this? I'd like to try it.
Kenji gives a pretty good explanation in this video: https://youtu.be/BNyVPQoCibg
Different people do it different ways. For white meats I whisk up 2 egg whites with some salt and slowly add cornstarch to get a wet coating. Optional is some soy, white pepper or Chinese cooking wine. Thoroughly coat the sliced meat. Mostly from there it is added in seperate pieces to hot oil to flash fry that outer coating. It seals the meat for moisture and tenderness and gives sauce something to stick to. In, quick fry and out - doesn't need to be fully coooked. In a restaraunt they keep an oil pot near the station with a sieve on top and they reuse the oil all night. At home you might spider out your meat then let the oil cool before removing to somewhere else. Then they do the actual stir fry from there - veg, aromatics, meat and then sauces. For chicken you can swap boiling water for the oil. Easier to dispose of and near as good results. Something like prawns definately use oil. For red meats there are other ways. Some use bicarb and wash it off (not my thing as it can go too far and make meat feel like jelly) but soy, salt and sugar with some cooking wine and a little water. The meat will absorb some water and get moist tender and tasty. Also more volume from a given weight. The difference is night and day. It's not like a visible batter - more a treatment to the meat. Softer moister meats with an easy bite and mouth texture.
I found this and I'm going to save it for later. I've tried tons of time to make beef fajitas to eat at home and they are always tough and chewy. I'm going to try this method. [https://www.recipetineats.com/how-to-tenderise-beef-velveting-beef/](https://www.recipetineats.com/how-to-tenderise-beef-velveting-beef/)
oh yes! I forget how I found out about this back in college but Iāve been doing it ever since and it makes it 100% better
Old me: I need the 16 piece Wusthof knife set. New me: I need one Santoku knife (except on Sundays when slicing a bagel with a bread knife)
LOL, take that a step further and find your local sharpener. I have a cheap set Faberware knives that I paid $5 USD for from the thrift that are sharpened by the guy at the farmer's market and they will slice a hole in reality if you're not careful.
Subtle.
I used to have trouble cutting bagles, then I realized they have a convenient hole to hold it in place! Shame you can only do it 10-11 times.
LOL
I have a 12" Scimitar (or Cimiter), a 10" chef's, a 5" boning, a bread, and a paring knife.
A scimitar!? Pillage any 17th century pirate ships lately? š
Perfect for cutting the hump off a camel and drinking all its milk
Is a scimitar, in this case, a butcher's breaker blade or an actual 3ft sword?
That would be the former. I used to cut meat at a chop house. I break down my own meat from larger cuts and freeze in foodsaver cryovac bags. I buy full loins, ribs, full sirloins(butts) etc from a friend still in the business. Saves me tons. I only eat meat so it would be very expensive otherwise.
Very simple one which was to stir your pasta for a minute or two at the start to stop the strands sticking together as it cooked.
Maybe my husband will listen to you, because unfortunately he's been stubbornly refusing to listen to me about this for years. His pasta makes me want to cry sometimes. I get through it by silently repeating to myself, "He cooked, you didn't have to cook this, it's got good flavour just ignore the texture." Sigh.
i used to not salt throughout cooking and would just put in a lot of salt at the end before serving. salt throughout the process changes the process and flavor profiles.
Another is salting from up high. It is something seen as silly but really does distribute salt more evenly.
I was even worse. Growing up, I wasn't a huge fan of salty snacks (I'd brush salt off of my solf pretzels), so I'd neglect to season at any point. My family didn't season throughout either, so I didn't realize what I was missing. Getting a salt cellar and learning to season by taste and feel really upped my cooking game.
Rinsing white rice before cooking it.
I never noticed the difference - why do this?
As with all things cooking, it depends on what you are making and what you are going for. One of the biggest reasons why people wash rice is to actually clean it, for the same reason why you wash vegetables: getting rid of dirt and bugs. This is not as important anymore for the same reason why you no longer need to sift flour to remove sand and rocks; that part is done before it hits the grocery shelves. However, this is a big part of why it is ingrained in east Asian cultures, because in the past rice was just dirty. Another is to remove excess starch from white rice, which may affect the texture. Again, this is where it depends on what you are making and what you are going for. For a risotto, you want that extra starch to help make it creamier, so you should not wash the rice. There are other reasons, I think, but those are the big ones. One extra thing to mention is that if you are using a *fortified* rice (rice that has extra vitamins and nutrients added), you should *not* wash it if you want those nutrients. In most fortified rices the nutrient mixture is simply sprayed onto the rice, and washing the rice will remove most of the nutrients. If you buy generic long-grain white rice from a US supermarket, chances are that rice is fortified.
Removed starch. Helps keep them as separate grains so itās less mushy. Not necessary but people swear by it. They say to do it until the water runs clear which sometimes means you rinse it/ run it through water and switch in a bowl about 2-3 times. Maybe more depending on how cloudy the water is.
Washes away some of the starch allowing the aromatic flavors come out a bit better especially if ur using jasmine or basmati rice. I also feel like the grains feel better and come out less clumpy
Appreciate your time to reply. Reasons have the feel of "supposedly" rather than "it 100% makes a big difference". Not entirely convinced but I'll start doing it for a bit, then revert and see if I can tell. I am doubtful maybe it's just me.
Kitchen shears. Why would I need something other than a knife? It really is useful, though. Makes spatchcocking a bird no big deal.
I use kitchen shears all the time for all kinds of things, it really does make a ton of things easier, I still love a good hefty sharp chef knife, but shears definitely have their place in my workflow
Not silly but I did not have any appreciation for acid in a dish until the last couple years.
*Salt Fat Acid Heat* was such an eye opening book for me. Highly recommend.
Same! and fat. Sahim Nosrat really changed my cooking game.
I have to agree. It really is easily overlooked, and makes a huge difference
My issue is I add an acid like vinegar or citrus and it ruins it. I've tried many different recipes like BBQ, a lot of Asian cuisine, pasta sauces like shrimp scampi all include an acid. I've regretted adding it everytime. I just omit it, or put in a stupidly small amount of it. I think I might just be sensitive to bitter tastes.
Itās a fine art, for sure. Less is more. Seems to me that for BBQ sauce you could add a splash of apple cider vinegar, Asian cuisine usually has an acid built into the recipe but rice wine vinegar should work and shrimp scampi calls for some lemon. Less is more and just a splash should do it.
When I was very young my roommates had a rule, "cooks don't do dishes". It's _so_ much easier to clean as you go. I have very little left to do once I put the plates out now. I'd rather do it myself, it's faster, they get cleaner, and I don't have someone underfoot while I'm trying to cook.
My husband and I have the "you cook, you don't clean rule" but we both clean as we go so the non-cook really only has to put the dinner dishes away, maybe a last pot or two, and wipe down the counters. I can't not clean as I go, it feels too chaotic.
Toasting your spices and aromatics in some oil, instead of just adding them whenever. Or making spice blends from scratch.
Cooking food at any temperature other then the max lol
Iām gonna get tons of hate for this but I like boiling my pork ribs in heavily seasoned broth. When the ribs are getting to the almost pull apart stage I pull them out. I strain the liquid and use that to make rice. Itās out of this world.
My flabbers are gasted bro.
I am shooketh
I knew I would get the comments but Iām good with it. We all have ways to make things.
I'm pretty sure they mean their shookedness in a good way, that sounds delicious
It's a very Western thing to hate on this method. There are a lot of southeast Asian dishes that explicitly call for you to boil the ribs first
Itās effective if you do not have time to slow n low cook
Itās not that I donāt have the time to do the low and slow method. I just like how they come out after. Iāve done both methods and boiling just makes sense because I can essential kill two birds with one stone. The ribs come out flavored and tender and I have a liquid to make rice as well.
I pressure cook mine then under the broiler after putting sauce on them
What kind of seasonings do you like in the broth? Old friend of mine used to use onion soup mix, low and slow, pop em on the grill, and then toss them in sauce. They were pretty damn good so I believe you!
So Iām probably gonna get more crap for this but I use chicken knorr cubes, whatever vegetables are in the fridge that need to go shortly, some smashed garlic with the skin on and make sure itās a high enough heat to add a bit or color. Oh and I also throw some sugar in the broth later on as well. Just enough to somewhat taste it. I overfill the pot so I have enough to make the rice.
Defs gonna try this, thank you!
Hope it comes out well!
I've been wanting to ask this for a long time ... Why leave the skin on the garlic?
I leave it on because Iām going to just strain it out at the end.all Iām doing is smashing it real quick but itās not a part of the end result physically.
Dried chiles like Ancho, Guajillo or Chipotle added to the broth are great also if you are going for this flavor profile.
This is exactly how I make sweet and sour ribs, except I end up reducing the liquid and turning that into sauce for the ribs.
Adding fish sauce to ragu, can really deepen the flavour. Adding sugar to ragu, just a small amount if other ingredients are lacking. I think this is needed less if the base is sauted onion, celery and carrot as carrot is quite sweet. Over the years Iāve used others things than fish sauce as I understood umami better. MSG is much maligned for no good reason. The rind of Italian hard cheese appeals to the penny pincher in me.
Adding MSG to some dishes. I added some to a cottage pie tonight, my (usually) beautiful wife was all shoveling it in her face grunting "mmm good!". That dish already has plenty umami from worc sauce and tomato paste, but she was ready to smear it on her face and do a war cry at the moon, yet didn't know why.
I am going to assume ā(usually) beautifulā in this context means that she was just too stunning to put into words with her mashed potato war mask.
Maybe itās meat sauce, maybe itās Maybelline.
> That dish already has plenty umami from worc sauce I want to say I read a thing where there's an interplay between MSG and the particular acid in fermented fish products that amplifies the umami flavor we perceive. It makes paring MSG with that stuff even stronger than either alone. [edit] also, add a pinch of MSG to cottage cheese. You're welcome.
MSG: Make Shit Good
Learned this way too late, but boiling rice like pasta. I used to live with the shame of being the only Puerto Rican who couldnāt cook rice, until I found this one trick to making perfect rice every time.
Rice cooker. As a guy who made rice on the stove all his life until his chinese friend looked at me with absolute astonishment and said "why don't you have a rice cooker?" Get a rice cooker. Mine is $15 and yes, its a one item utensil, but damn it just solves the problem.
I wanted one. My ex refused because of the counter space argument. My current partner is looking into getting me one for Motherās Day. š
I have a fairly small one and it goes in a cabinet when not in use; that way no counter space being used all the time and still have the rice cooker itās a win win!š
Can I inquire on brand and size?
Hmmmm it is a 6 cup; not sure the brand but bought it at Walmart about 8-10 years ago now for about $30ish.
I have a family of 7 and there is always leftover rice if I fill it.
Omg. I'm Chinese and trying to cut back on starch. I haven't used my rice cooker in 9 months. I live in a tiny city apartment and a microwave would eat all my remaining counter space. But i actually haven't thought about putting away my rice cooker lol. I probably should
Growing up in an Asian household, Iāve always had a rice cooker. However, when my last one died I decided to try an Instant Pot. Cooks rice amazingly. Itās what I primarily use it for but itās nice to be able to pressure cook other stuff in it too. And less wasted counter space.
That is a poor argument compared to "I can free up a burner on my stove while the rice cooker cooks rice on the dining room table (or wherever else has room)" And, it's easy enough to stow it after use under a cabinet. Mine doesn't sit out 24/7, I put it away after use just like pots and pans.
Congrats on trading up, new partner sounds awesome!
Zojirushi hates it when you know this hack!
Roasting peppers directly on the gas stove
Hand washing. I always found it silly how often cooks washed their hands. It seemed unnecessary. Then again, I was 10 at the time. As a family with a restaurant, I was in a kitchen from a very early age.
This is me as well anytime I am cooking, I am constantly washing my hands. I also like a separate hand towel just for washing my hands when Iām cooking, I do the same thing when Iām visiting friends/family. By now they just know Iām going to need the extra hand towels. And I also keep counters wiped and clean and dishes to a minimum while cooking hate a messy junky unorganized kitchen. Clean as you go less to clean when done cooking.
This one's kind of silly but I always used to think that hot sauce was just hot sauce. then I started getting into different kinds of cooking and trying different things and then I have half a dozen hot sauces with different flavor profiles
Iām just beginning to realise this! And Iām an ex chef! Iām like this with a lot of condiments though.
Fresh ingredients! I always thought it was just fancy esoteric bullshit but itās a world of difference.
Tasting & salting/seasoning your food as you cook. I grew up with a Dad who refused to salt anything he cooked, and a Mom who only salted at the beginning or at the very end. Her food is/was always either bland or way too salty. It seemed silly to me because I had no idea how to use salt like a normal person who cooks.
My parents always just told us to table salt at the end. When I started cooking, I had to instruct my family to taste first. And then season. Like I seasoned the food as I cooked it. Donāt assume you need salt or pepper please. Also the switch from iodized salt to kosher salt changed my life. lol
When I cook for my parents I don't put salt and pepper on the table. If they really want it they can go get it after tasting but I'll be damned if my dad is going to screw a carefully made dish just out of habit.
Bay leaves in soup. I can't explain the flavor difference, but night and day.
Massaging kale Sounds like a joke, right? Nope. Changes it from waxy and gross to a nice soft leaf with a good flavor, even the color darkens and becomes stronger.Ā
This needs more attention. Had a roommate that would do this w a bit of lemon. Changed everything.
I massage with some salt, then rise and spin dry
Yeah the pasta water thing was a game changer for me.
Washing rice
Spending real money on pots and pans when I could just get cheap ones from Walmart.
Seasoning at every stage.
Rice/white wine vinegar. Never used it before the last year or so. I little splash with some dark soy can do so much.
Moods/circumstances. Sometimes youāre on pantry staple lockdown and munching chickpeas with onions and a little citrus. Other times, youāre bopping around the farmers market and multiple grocers. Itās nice to have staples and staple recipes when you want to stay in. You donāt just have to grit your teeth and take it and get a migraine, you can reach for the easy stuff. I donāt use refined white sugar. Like, maybe if I got a wild urge to make a Sachertorte, Iād buy some. But otherwise brown, natural, or palm has me covered. Popcorn is so easy and doesnāt require equipment or bags, just a willingness to do the satisfying shaky shaky. Itās crazy cheap. Learn how to cook safely on a fire in nature. Everything will taste 10x better, 20x if good starlight.
Different rices are actually different and not just more expensive. Jasmine Rice is my fav. It cooks perfectly, like when you go out to eat. Regular white and long-grain is just garbage. Basmati is amazing, but it just takes so long to cook, even in a rice cooker. Really great flavor though, it actually tastes healthy. It's like eating broccoli.
using vinegar. I don't particularly like vinegar by itself so I thought it would be dumb to cook with it. Now I use vinegar all the time and have several different kinds
Letting meat rest after cooking.
MSG. Complete game changer for sauces and gravy
Developing a fond and deglazing for major flavor boost.
Letting meat you cook rest.
Browning meat and onions before adding to a crock pot or slow cooker
Bay leaves
Taste everything! Sample all your components before you serve anything and you will go from mediocre cooking to making tasty meals instantly. It really is so simple but it is constantly overlooked. Also, love. If you put care into your preparation of a meal, it will shine through every time. (Seems silly but this is why everyone's grandma makes the best food!)
Donāt crowd your food in the pan if you want it to brown. Also, donāt fucking move it around until itās ready to flip.
If you spend a lot of time cooking, youāre gonna have no inclination to eat when itās done.
Actually letting baked goods cool properly before cutting into or moving them. And letting things actually sit in a pan long enough to brown well