Teach Yars(and others) How to Cook Thread

[LunarWeaver]

I microwave everything until my Korean slave finally comes in the mail. I hate cooking and will never learn to do it. My brother is a chef, though. Good for that sap.

[Momiji]

I microwave everything until my Korean slave finally comes in the mail. I hate cooking and will never learn to do it. My brother is a chef, though. Good for that sap.

I can agree with that. The 'just add water and ingredient pouch' udon I'm eating right now is pretty good.

*waits for Miriel to pop in and explain how I have no idea what good Asian food is*

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

*waits for Miriel*

Saffron. A wonderful Flavor. But a Little goes a very long way. Only add at MOST 2 sprigs of it, because it can and will overpower everything else.

Easy way to add flavor to your rice is what you cook it in. instead of water, use a stock like chicken or Beef, and the rice will take in the flavor and be even more delicious.

Iceburg Lettuce. Avoid it like the Plague. Go for Romaine instead.

Never Cut your Lettuce. Always rip it.

If you make a soup, the carrots go in first. They take longer to cook and get soft.

A wok is a wonderful tool. Buy one even if you don't stir fry.

Get a big Knife and a Big Cutting Board. They are also your friends.

Saffron is expensive, also it can be hard to always find fresh herbs. It also depends what you are making too. Though I do hear it has a good flavour, just expensive as far as spices are concern.

Also, fresh herbs tend to be more potent that dried herbs.

If you are using the lettuce right away, you can cut it. We cut it all the time at work. The thing about using a knife to cut lettuce is that the metal from the knife and the lettuce will go through a chemical reaction causing the edge where you cut to go dark green. Not usually a problem if you are using all the lettuce right away though.

Also, what kind of lettuce you use, completely depends what you are making. Romaine is a must for Caesars. At work we use Iceberg on the burgers and sandwiches. Iceberg is also common in Chinese cuisine or at least from what I was reading it is. For a sandwich, arugula is good and spinach offers a nice alternative. I also like plain old leafy greens too. Iceberg is a cheap alternative at times.

Oh, and one knife doesn't work for everything kids. Really depends what you are doing. Having a good chef knife is good. Personally, I prefer small chef knives because they offer clearance for my knuckles but are not so large that you have less control.

On the same note, especially with Chef's knives, there is a proper way to hold a knife. This insures more control of the knife and less chances of hurting yourself or others. Right above the handle of the knife, place your thumb and index finger. Pressing on either side of the blade with those two fingers, this ensures more control of the blade.

Also, if you fear the knife and act that way while using it, chances are you will cut yourself. :/ NEVER pass a knife by the blade, always by the handle.

A lot of this comes from personal experience. I have been working in the same kitchen for almost two years now, so those were some tips that I picked up, others personal observations.

Also, some other stuff:

Never over mix muffin batter. Muffins, unless specified in the recipe, should always look lumpy not smooth. They become smooth when you over mix the batter.

Chopped basil is awesome in tomato sauces.

Garlic is your friend but don't molest it.

Read twice, mix once. On the same note, when it says mix in separate bowls, mix in separate bowls.

Same recipes, different ways of mixing ingredients give different results. Happens when I make certain things compared to my mom. Sometimes when I bake it looks a bit different but taste just as good.

If you don't have a sifter when it says to sift, you can use a chinoise. Or simply use a fork to break all the clumps. SIFTING IS IMPORTANT. It makes the flour and/or dry ingredients less dense as well as break up clumps. This implies that there is a difference between sifting before and after measuring your ingredients.

Lemons work awesome at cleaning stuff like blue cheese off the blade of your knife.

Other things that I can't think of right now too...More to come later, if I remember and feel like it.