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The simple cooking thread
- Thread starter DrewChan
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The_MAC
Honorary Master
1 "hot" tip that I can give while cooking on more than 2 Plates i.e. Rice, Meat, Veg and maybe a sauce on the 4th plate.
Don't put all the plates on the highest level (only for a few minutes to heat up), you will soon find yourself trying to reshuffle the pots/pans and it will quickly get out of control. Just heat the plates with the pot/pan already on, preferably with the water/oil already in and then reduce the heat to medium, increase as you go along, this will help you to have the situation under control.
Oh, and get a kitchen timer (you even get ones with 2 timers built into one), it really helps.
Don't put all the plates on the highest level (only for a few minutes to heat up), you will soon find yourself trying to reshuffle the pots/pans and it will quickly get out of control. Just heat the plates with the pot/pan already on, preferably with the water/oil already in and then reduce the heat to medium, increase as you go along, this will help you to have the situation under control.
Oh, and get a kitchen timer (you even get ones with 2 timers built into one), it really helps.
cerebus
Honorary Master
Dos and don'ts.. hm. I'll be honest, there's not much to say here. Cooking is like any other skill - you start out by learning to follow instructions, and after time you develop the ability to create your own recipes.
If you want to learn how to cook, find a dish that you've always wanted to make, find a recipe for it that doesn't seem too daunting, and follow the instructions carefully. The second time you make it, try from memory and add your own touches.
Rule 1: Clean as you go. Cleaning is the unglamorous portion of cooking, but you have to learn how to work it into your cooking time or you'll end up with a great meal, but a mountain of caked dishes that you need to labour over once the dinner has been finished. It will ruin your enjoyment of cooking very quickly - or your SO will end up forbidding you from stepping into the kitchen.
Rule 2: Don't try to be fancy. Get the fundamentals right. Great food doesn't always look like a restaurant dish. A well-roasted chicken will be more satisfying than a sloppily-cooked, artistic piece of presentation food.
Rule 3: Take thought over each component of your meal. For instance, the inside of the roast chicken can be stuffed, the meat can be moistened, the skin can be rubbed, you can add vegetables to the pan, etc - and none of that should happen automatically. What are you going to put inside the chicken? A sage breadcrumb mixture, a packet stuffing, vegetables, a lemon, a beer can? Will it complement the flavour profile you created in the rubbing?
Rule 4: Less heat is safer than more. It sounds obvious, but it's the most common mistake I make all the time. The other day I made KFC-style chicken. The first frying batch, I turned the oil to 5 and ruined the oil, charred the breadcrumbs and left the inside uncooked. The second batch I turned down to 3 and got perfect results. You don't speed up cooking by turning up the heat. That said, you also need to be sure when using oil that you're letting it reach sizzling levels before starting with the food.
If you want to learn how to cook, find a dish that you've always wanted to make, find a recipe for it that doesn't seem too daunting, and follow the instructions carefully. The second time you make it, try from memory and add your own touches.
Rule 1: Clean as you go. Cleaning is the unglamorous portion of cooking, but you have to learn how to work it into your cooking time or you'll end up with a great meal, but a mountain of caked dishes that you need to labour over once the dinner has been finished. It will ruin your enjoyment of cooking very quickly - or your SO will end up forbidding you from stepping into the kitchen.
Rule 2: Don't try to be fancy. Get the fundamentals right. Great food doesn't always look like a restaurant dish. A well-roasted chicken will be more satisfying than a sloppily-cooked, artistic piece of presentation food.
Rule 3: Take thought over each component of your meal. For instance, the inside of the roast chicken can be stuffed, the meat can be moistened, the skin can be rubbed, you can add vegetables to the pan, etc - and none of that should happen automatically. What are you going to put inside the chicken? A sage breadcrumb mixture, a packet stuffing, vegetables, a lemon, a beer can? Will it complement the flavour profile you created in the rubbing?
Rule 4: Less heat is safer than more. It sounds obvious, but it's the most common mistake I make all the time. The other day I made KFC-style chicken. The first frying batch, I turned the oil to 5 and ruined the oil, charred the breadcrumbs and left the inside uncooked. The second batch I turned down to 3 and got perfect results. You don't speed up cooking by turning up the heat. That said, you also need to be sure when using oil that you're letting it reach sizzling levels before starting with the food.
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Batista
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googoodoll
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1. Egg boiler
2. George Foreman
2. George Foreman
RustyPrincess
Expert Member
Invest in a sharp knife.
Just don't be scared of thinking and don't think of cooking as something difficult.
I cook a lot, and people are always like, "Wow thats amazing!"
The truth is none of what I do is difficult or amazing. It is all just following recipes and a few common rules. The only difference between me and other people is that I'm willing to put the effort into cooking. I'm not more skilled or more capable than any other cook.
I think of cooking as inputs, outputs and processes. Its really quite simple.
I cook a lot, and people are always like, "Wow thats amazing!"
The truth is none of what I do is difficult or amazing. It is all just following recipes and a few common rules. The only difference between me and other people is that I'm willing to put the effort into cooking. I'm not more skilled or more capable than any other cook.
I think of cooking as inputs, outputs and processes. Its really quite simple.
cerebus
Honorary Master
Rule 5: Learn the properties of ingredients. Every vegetable has a different boiling or roasting or softening point, and you don't want to throw in your spinach with your potatoes because they cook differently. Herbs and spices work with each other, and need a fairly precise quantity or they will overwhelm the dish. Searing meat enriches it but can also dry it out, and you need a sense of the tolerance of a particular meat. This all takes time to develop.
Rule 6: Always have a full stock of flavour ingredients. That means herbs, spices, stocks, garlic, onion, spice mixes, vinegars, oils, salt/pepper, etc. Try to buy some new herb/spice every time you go shopping and refill whatever empties out regularly. I buy celery bunches and chop and freeze them in bags because celery is so useful as a base. I get good quality olive oil and vegetable oil. I always have balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sticky brown sugar, curry, cumin, paprika, coriander and a ton of other spices. I try to buy or grow fresh versions where it matters - like cilantro, basil and parsley, where the dried and fresh leaf herbs taste significantly different. I have fresh lemons and lime, and lemon juice. Even more seemingly esoteric ingredients can prove very useful - like sesame seeds or sliced almonds - so just buy and leave them till you need them.
Rule 7: Get a good knife and a good frying pan.
Rule 6: Always have a full stock of flavour ingredients. That means herbs, spices, stocks, garlic, onion, spice mixes, vinegars, oils, salt/pepper, etc. Try to buy some new herb/spice every time you go shopping and refill whatever empties out regularly. I buy celery bunches and chop and freeze them in bags because celery is so useful as a base. I get good quality olive oil and vegetable oil. I always have balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sticky brown sugar, curry, cumin, paprika, coriander and a ton of other spices. I try to buy or grow fresh versions where it matters - like cilantro, basil and parsley, where the dried and fresh leaf herbs taste significantly different. I have fresh lemons and lime, and lemon juice. Even more seemingly esoteric ingredients can prove very useful - like sesame seeds or sliced almonds - so just buy and leave them till you need them.
Rule 7: Get a good knife and a good frying pan.
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The_MAC
Honorary Master
+10000
I recently got gatvol of my cooking equipment and bought an expensive but so worth it set of Victorinox Knives and a Jamie Oliver T-Fal Pan. It has since revolutionised my cooking experience and ability. Its worth every cent, seeing as you use the stuff almost everyday of your life.
The knives glide through food, example: cutting a horizontal slit through chicken breasts is no effort (watch for the fingers).
The pan is so non-stick that if you're not careful the food will literally slide out of the pan.
Which ones? The cheaper ones get horrible reviews after proper use for a couple of years.
Zewp
Banned
+1. Buy a few Victorinox knives and throw away all your other vegetable knives. They're about R50 each and sharp as ****. Cut like a dream.
cerebus
Honorary Master
I got one of those ceramic coated pans from Woolies. So far I'm very impressed. The coating doesn't scratch nearly as easily as tefal. Heat dissipation is also great.
grok
Honorary Master
Someone once told me if you can read a recipe book you can cook.
Hasn't failed me yet ..
Oh yeah .. and rule #4 above! Raising the heat to shorten your cooking time is like trying to get 9 women to have a baby in one month.
Hasn't failed me yet ..
Oh yeah .. and rule #4 above! Raising the heat to shorten your cooking time is like trying to get 9 women to have a baby in one month.
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cerebus
Honorary Master
Someone once told me if you can read a recipe book you can cook.
Hasn't failed me yet ..
Yep and on that... Rule 7: The internet is the best cooking aid known to man. If you have an iPad, load up some recipe apps like Epicurious. Use Youtube channels like that one from Randhir. Whenever I cook something new I have my iPad propped up in the kitchen. Even the smallest things like how to get fluffy rice can be quickly discovered online.
Yeah but there are many many dodgy recipes on the net...
A few tips I follow, as a nervous cook myself:
- Figure out the basics for yourself, starting small and working your way up
- Practice, practice, practice to grow your confidence
- Don't be afraid to experiment a little
- Figure out the basics for yourself, starting small and working your way up
- Practice, practice, practice to grow your confidence
- Don't be afraid to experiment a little
Experimenting is kinda my problem - I create more crap dishes than good ones, guess I will start reading recipes..... and get sharp knives..... and watch youtubes.... and get a non-stick pan..... and buy some decent ingredients
grok
Honorary Master
Experimenting is kinda my problem - I create more crap dishes than good ones, guess I will start reading recipes..... and get sharp knives..... and watch youtubes.... and get a non-stick pan..... and buy some decent ingredients
See it's not difficult at all young padawan .. soon, Masterchef awaits.
RustyPrincess
Expert Member
Experimenting is kinda my problem - I create more crap dishes than good ones, guess I will start reading recipes..... and get sharp knives..... and watch youtubes.... and get a non-stick pan..... and buy some decent ingredients
Is there something in particular you would like to know how to make?