Cooking tips

[TonyH]

Wine - If you wouldn't drink it on its own, don't cook with it.

[TonyH]

Don't fry bacon nekkid.

I did that once and they based a movie on it. You may have heard of The Matrix?

[El-a-Menthol]

Pan trick
If you have a stainless pan but you need it nonstick. Heat pan until smoking then wipe with a paper towel that has cooking oil on it. This will create a film that will make it non stick for a while.

Let me share a better way.
Take a paper cloth and drench it in peanut oil, or some other oil with a high burning/smoking point.
Use it to coat the inner side of the pan.
Now poor a layer on the bottom. So a good layer of oil. Now turn up the heat and wait for it to start smoking and turn off the fire right away.
Now wait 1 or 2 minutes.
If you have a thick bottom you should now hold it under cold running water, if you have a thin/normal bottom DON'T (might warp the bottom).
Now poor out all oil. Wipe dry with a cloth.
Repeat 1 or 2 more times.
Now after baking ALWAYS only poor out oil and wipe.
If you must use a brush then use only water, no dish washing liquid!

CONGRATULATIONS! You have created a non-stick stainless-steel pan.
Concratulations

[saf]

Buy whole chickens only. Learn how to break them down and it will save you money. Plus the carcass and parts you don't use can be used for stock. Nothing store bought comes close to homemade stock. There are plenty of vids out there.

[Lamb Root]

- Cook a lot of vegetables. Especially fresh vegetables. Eat all the vegetables that you've cooked.

- Don't touch just melted sugar with your hands.

- Don't overcook the pasta!! Than it tastes like sh*t and you've bothered with the nice sauce for nothing.

- They say that salting a cold water ads time to its heating process. Maybe, I never measured. Occasional stirring of the water brings water to a boiling point faster. I measured that one. Putting a lid on a pot helps too.

- If an unexpected guests come to a dinner and you don't have enough soup for them, just add some salt to the soup you already have.

- Never ever put metal things in the microwave.

[BigBull]

Eggs are delicate take your time with them

Great advice on eggs. Too many rush it. Try adding just a splash/dab of Orange Juice (you shouldn't taste it, if so you've added too much)...fluff's egg's nicely!

Always let your steaks come to room temp before putting them on the grill.

The difference between an excellent steak and an ok steak.

There in NO equivalent for BUTTER!

Using the real thing is always better than something you can't believe isn't real...

A decent knife that feels right to you.

There is nothing worse than using crappy knives in the kitchen.

Invest in a good set of knives, they'll last you a lifetime! Same goes for pans.

ALWAYS heat the Grill/Pan/Stove/Oven to the desired temperature before you add the food.

[saf]

Keep your knives sharp hone on steel every time you pick it up. Sharpen your knives more often, you should learn how to do this yourself. Most professional services are not doing kind things to your steel.

[Slash McCoy]

wear food service gloves when preparing jalapenos. Just a trace of the essential oil left on the hands can bring a grown man to tears, literally, when he rubs his eyes, even after hand washing. Contact lens wearers especially should heed this advice.

When cooking with jalapenos, it is important to quarter them and remove all the seeds and the core, and the end where the stem attaches. No flavor there... just fire. Get rid of it. Rinse then slice or chop.

Always saute the chopped jalapenos. This develops the flavor and gets rid of excess heat, which lets you use more, which gives you more flavor. Don't just dump them in the pot.

Now that you know how to use jalapenos, substitute them for bell pepper in dishes like etouffee, jambalaya, gumbo, etc. Great in omelettes or on pizza or pinto beans, with bacon and cilantro and onions. Mix some finely chopped jalapenos sauteed in bacon fat into your cornbread batter or corndog batter.

Oysters Slashefeller

dozen large oysters shucked and on the half shell
2 cups finely chopped baby spinach leaves
1/4 lb finely chopped bacon
grated parmesan and romano cheese, about 50/50
3 medium sized jalapenos, quartered, seeded and cored, and finely chopped

slowly cook bacon until it is well browned and crispy. Drain off most of the fat and save for later. Add jalapenos. Cook until cooked. Add baby spinach leaves. Turn and stir and cook just until it is well wilted. It will reduce in volume quite a bit as it wilts. Drain off all remaining grease. Distribute the spinach/jalapeno/bacon mixture evenly on the oysters. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake in 450 degree oven just until oyster edges are curling and cheese is browning, just a few minutes. Serve with crackers and tabasco on the side, and plenty of very cold beer.

[Slash McCoy]

A rotisserie chicken from the grocery store makes a very quick soup. Pull the meat off and boil the carcass hard for a half hour while you chop up the meat. Remove the bones, add the chicken and your veggies and cook at a low boil for 45 minutes. If you like, reserve the veggies for the final 10 minutes of cooking, for more texture. Those rotisserie chickens often get marked way down when it gets close to closing time. Also makes good quickie chicken jambalaya or any dish that calls for chicken. Chicken tacos? Ready to rock! Just lightly fry some corn tortillas and fill with shredded chicken, onions, and cilantro, sprinkle some salsa verde, and there you go.

[Alacrity59]

Great point on the jalapenos Slash. It takes far more than a casual rinse to get the heat off your hands. Any part of your body you touch that does not have a callous can become uncomfortable. I don't want to be fired as a steward here so I'm trying to use politically correct terms. You must really wash well with soap and water before you head off from the kitchen for a Bio-break.

[YetiDave]

Keep your knives sharp hone on steel every time you pick it up. Sharpen your knives more often, you should learn how to do this yourself. Most professional services are not doing kind things to your steel.

+1

I work in a kitchen where the other chef doesn't do this and it really winds me up having to take a knife back to the stone so often. I've got knives at home that can go 6 months+ without having to be honed as I use the steel before and after prep and it keeps them extremely sharp.

Another tip for jalapeños is to char their skins over a flame until blackened and place in a plastic bag to cool. Scrape off the char and you'll find they've got a much deeper flavour, this way they also stand up well to cooking in stews or chilli and it ensures you won't end up with strands of pepper skin in your meal.

And one more - you know you eat too many chillis when you instinctively rub your eyes with your knuckles

[Slash McCoy]

+1

I work in a kitchen where the other chef doesn't do this and it really winds me up having to take a knife back to the stone so often. I've got knives at home that can go 6 months+ without having to be honed as I use the steel before and after prep and it keeps them extremely sharp.

Another tip for jalapeños is to char their skins over a flame until blackened and place in a plastic bag to cool. Scrape off the char and you'll find they've got a much deeper flavour, this way they also stand up well to cooking in stews or chilli and it ensures you won't end up with strands of pepper skin in your meal.

And one more - you know you eat too many chillis when you instinctively rub your eyes with your knuckles

The only reason I usually don't roast mine is I am usually chopping or mincing them up pretty fine.

[Bengal Tiger]

Heat up the wok before adding oil. Cook veggies and meat separately first and keep the quantities small enough to stir it. Don't try to make a large batch of stir fry in one wok, make several smaller batches and combine it after cooking.

Most store bought Asian sauces are loaded with sugar or salt or preservatives. Much better flavor can be made with just a few ingredients and quick internet recipe search.

Anything you cooked yourself is probably better for you than anything you can buy.

Tomato sauce is a racket. It takes almost no extra effort to make delicious nutritious sauce out of organic canned tomatoes and any other ingredients you like. The Godfather has a scene where they make pasta sauce, and it's an excellent recipe.

[Rushman2112]

Great point on the jalapenos Slash. It takes far more than a casual rinse to get the heat off your hands. Any part of your body you touch that does not have a callous can become uncomfortable. I don't want to be fired as a steward here so I'm trying to use politically correct terms. You must really wash well with soap and water before you head off from the kitchen for a Bio-break.

Ha ha! First time I ever cooked with chillis was in Bangkok, and I was using the bird's eye chillis, little red devils. I thought I had washed my hands properly until I had a pee... I had certainly NOT washed my hands properly. I have never made that mistake again!

[oc_in_fw]

Okay, here is my cooking tip- marry a woman who enjoys doing it

[barrycv]

+1 ... I left behind 2 of them when I vacated my last place I lived, and I miss them already. (and I need to add it to my Renter's Insurance claim ... note to self.)

Those things are terrific for hitting the "doneness" right on. Mine was a Pyrex that you could program for Beef, Chicken, Pork, etc ... and it was adjustable for rare / med / well / etc.

It didn't always get it right, but if it was wrong, it was usually my fault ... I set the grill too high or did not thaw fully or put the probe in wrong.

Any recommendations on a Top-Shelf replacement(s)? I think I spent a grand total of $12 on these two, one was a Pyrex and the other was a Radio$hack ... but they both served me well until 3 weeks ago, but they had to take one for the team and while we can mourn them in their passing, their mortal remains will be considered permanently MIA. I hope my ex-landlord gets as much use out of them as I did the last 15 years, because they will probably last just as long if he takes care of them ... he won't.

BTW, I can go up to $50 for new kitchen temps and timers, I'll be needing several, and a good old-fashioned egg-timer with the fine sand is always cute to have on your desk. My vendor of choice is Amazon Prime.

Probe thermometer is my fav gadget by far. I have not over/under cooked any thick piece of meat in years since getting one of these things.

I don't have an expensive one, just something I got at my local dept store (Target). Only issue w/ these is the braided wire will eventually go out on you. Usually at the spot where it transitions from the wire to actual probe is the fatigue point, but I had one go at the spot slightly away from that where my oven door would typically close on it. So when you get one of these, consider getting an extra probe/wire.

I'll also add sharp cutting instruments. You're more prone to injure yourself when trying to manhandle a dull knife rather than letting the sharp one do the work for you.

This may be more appropriate for a grilling forum, but before putting anything on the grill, wipe the grates w/ some oil after it has heated up. Doesn't matter if you're doing burgers, chicken, shrimp, whatever, it helps provide a nice non-stick surface.

Brine. I absolutely love this method. Helps bland things like chicken/turkey/pork immensely. If you are smart & plan ahead, it can help double as a quick(er) defrost method, too.

[Rushman2112]

+1 on the brine. Supermarket chickens here are pretty bland, but overnight in a simple salt and sugar brine makes a difference you wouldn't believe. Well, perhaps you would since you brought the subject up!

[Bengal Tiger]

+1 on the brine. Supermarket chickens here are pretty bland, but overnight in a simple salt and sugar brine makes a difference you wouldn't believe. Well, perhaps you would since you brought the subject up!

Is it still very salty then when you cook it? I thought supermarket chicken would have already been injected with lots of salt water to fatten them up.

[Rushman2112]

Just had one today - roasted for lunch and cold with salad tonight. Not at all salty, I don't think these ones have been injected, they are pretty scrawny!

[JBagKY]

Is it still very salty then when you cook it? I thought supermarket chicken would have already been injected with lots of salt water to fatten them up.

Also, you should rinse them off after the brine. Any benefit that a brine gives you will not be taken away with a quick rinse under water. So, if you were thinking that the outside would be salty, this should take care of that worry. Also, when you mix it up, Alton Brown says to do 2.5 oz by weight of salt to 32 oz (1 quart) of water. Sometimes I do a little more even. So, its pretty diluted.