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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 2/26/2008 12:16:35 AM | Ohh my.....
Theres lots of ways to become a better cook... I start with nutrition
(nurturing, from biology what body needs)..... so fresh tasty/spices//herbs etc..
cooking is basically chemistry... once you understand why a recipe says to use something for eg... you understand more what your putting together...
heat/preperation etc....
anyhoo. I think really...huge grin..... a french cooking class would be great for you...
I suggest french because of the sauce specialties.. there are different styles of french cooking though..
but secondly .. what a great new hobby/interest.. I could see it becoming one of your new passions and I bet you meet some wonderful ladies there....
ohh yes when i get this excited feeling... I know its great... hope you try it... I see many new doors opening for you if you do..
smiles/peace | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 2/26/2008 4:33:05 AM | Hello AK Transplant,
Unfortunately, I haven't had time to read the other posters here this morning, so if I am repeating somone, I apologize. I have actually helped quite a few people with your same desire and problem. I can't say there is a formula, so it may be a little hard without a few real conversations with you, because cooking is personal and must reflect who you are, or your heart isn't in it, therefore, no fun.
1) I think it is most important to find a recipe(s), or a particular food item(s) you really love and start with those.
2) Don't start with skills, unless that is your passion, which I doubt. Skills will come later.
3) Think about and envision how you want that first real recipe/accomplishment to come out. Imagine how it will look, taste, smell...in short, develop your senses about the dish before you start making it.
4) Get a piece of paper and pen and make a thorough list of the ingredients you will need, another for the utensils and dishes/pans you will need and if you want, one of your thoughts, especially if you feel you may forget your wonderful brainstorming.
5) If you are not making up your own recipe/dish, but using someone elses, then don't be afraid to alter it in any way, unless it is a pastry or dessert, because those need exact measurements to turn out right. Other dishes can be altered in many ways. Add an ingredient you would like to have in it, remove one, or expand on one.
6) Get the kitchen prepared and get in there and do it. If it turns out great, invite someone to share and celebrate! If it turns out bad, find out why and don't be discouraged because you are learning here and you learn best by mistakes.
7) After trying a few dishes on your own, go cookbook shopping. Spend time and get one that you are really excited about and make several dishes in there and change them up to fit your personal style and taste.
After those 7 steps, you should be well on your way to feeling much more confident and knowing what your style is. Most of all, if you aren't enjoying it, don't do it. Remember that even though cooking is personal, it is meant to be shared and give pleasure. Have fun! | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 2/26/2008 5:50:06 AM | I am a professional chef and the secret to being a better cook is planning your meals ahead .
Example
Sunday : Whole Roast Chicken w/roast potatoes & veggies
Now here is the secret-remove all food from roasting pan and set aside.Pour water into the bottom of the pan then set on top of the burner.Bring the water to a boil .Pour off the water into a pot and set aside.
Remove the skin from the left over chicken meat that has been cleaned off the bones.Add the skin and bones into the pot that has the roasting pan water with vegetable trimmings (carrot peels are a no go unless you want to make carrot soup as the stock will be orange in colour).
You now have the option to add the meat to the finished soup along with the leftover roasted vegetables or you can create another dish from the chicken.
I advise that the average household should only have common food ingredients, none of the hard to find and unusual food items .
The true practise of a professional kitchen is the use of leftovers
The soup that was made can be turned into a cream chicken with the addition of a roux (flour and fat mixture) that can be coupled with noodles,toast or fill a pie.
Happy cooking. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 2/26/2008 7:46:04 AM | I would second the recommendation to find and watch the show Good Eats by Alton Brown on the Food Network. I was bored one day and was looking for some torrents to download, and so I came across one online, and it sounded interesting. Downloaded one episode and I was hooked.
Alton Brown breaks things down to be easy to understand and follow along. Goes into more than just food and cooking by looking at different pieces of cooking equipment, and explains what you should look for and why you should get one piece over another. If you want ideas for a particular food, go to YouTube and search "Good Eats" and your food of choice.
Eventually I started to give it a go, but my first attempt was Apple Crisp, and it was perfect. Due to my situation, I was unable to try many of the other things, but previously without knowing how to cook a turkey or make a stuffing, and having never done it prior, for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, I made the best turkey with stuffing I personally have ever ate. I know that everyone at both those meals enjoyed them quite immensely. With that said, I've not enjoyed meals cooked by others as much as I may have in the past.
I think you need to focus less on recipes, and more on learning techniques. How long to boil, simmer or saute something. My learning style is to watch how to do something, then follow up with reading the ingredient list or method of cooking, re-watch how to do something, and then finally give it a try. Cooking classes (unless they are video recorded) may not be the best choice at least to start, as you may not always remember how it was done before.
One suggestion I can make, is that for any cooking that requires salt, use Kosher salt. The grains of salt are larger, and stand up a bit better to cooking than normal table salt. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 2/26/2008 8:14:04 AM | OP: My advice is to start with REALLY BASIC cookbooks. Books written specifically for beginners. They have explicit instructions that typically don't involve a lot of jargon. Very straightforward. You can find them in the cookbook section of most chain bookstores and sometimes in young adult or childrens sections. Then practice, practice practice. One tip: recipes are a starting point, not always the destination. Don't be afraid to experiment with what you like, and above all, HAVE FUN! Here are a few great cookbooks for beginners, all available on Amazon.com. The first two are REALLY cheap if you buy them used.
The Starving Students' Cookbook - easy instructions and explanations, good do-it-yourself food for college kids away from home for the first time without Mommy.
Better Homes and Gardens His Turn to Cook - easy instructions, simple but much more fancy food than the Starving Student cookbook.
The Compleat I Hate to Cook Book | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 2/27/2008 1:32:41 PM | Transplant:
Focus on learning technique and you will have the tools to make amazing stuff without a cookbook. I'm a trained chef and everything I do is linked to a technique I learned in school.
Try taking a cooking class in your area. If you live near a Williams-Sonoma, for example, they offer cooking lessons in most of their locations. They're fun, affordable and really informative. Think of the shows that you watch, but you can actually ask questions.
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 2/28/2008 5:37:10 AM | | ..I've been reading where you don't want any alcohol in your cooking..and that's OK...you can use vinegars in place of them quite often...Apple Cider vinegar...Balsamic vinegar...Wine vinegar..they all have their place in your pantry...and in your cooking. As far as learning how to make certain dishes...I can't think of a better way than by watching "America's Test Kitchen" on PBS....The cooks there test their recipe's hundreds of ways...and bring the best methods they've found to you so you won't have to make any mistakes...it's virtually foolproof..and they usually explain why they cook something the way they do. Record the shows that you like and save them for when you want to whip something up.... | |
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| Ask a Chef
Posted: 2/29/2008 4:30:16 AM | Wow you got a lot of replies with this question! But here it is and your mother would agree. First of all I am a qualified Chef, and I come from a long line of Chefs of fame in Australia. We (my family) have cooked for Royality, Presidents, Prime Ministers and Celebrities but all that is not so much due to our training (although it does help) it is because we love what we do. Find something you like then improve on it, experiment. I can tell you I have made expencive dishes that to me tasted like crap and yet I have eaten the most basic of foods prepared by the home cook or housewife that tasted incredible. You have to find your passion with food, love what you do because it will show in your cooking.
Good Luck and Happy Cooking | |
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| Ask a Chef
Posted: 2/29/2008 4:31:09 PM | | Thanks for the input, Chef. The issue for me is this: I do love very simple foods. I can do a great cheese burrito and eat brats until I get sick. The problem is I also love halibut (I'm from ALASKA!) and can't do much beyond just cooking it. I can't make a sauce and I love halibut with a sauce. So I'm having difficulty getting over the hump. | |
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| Ask a Chef
Posted: 2/29/2008 8:51:25 PM | One of the best sites I have ever used is www.recipezaar.com and a search on halibut cam up with over 270 recipies. Some of these recipies just copy others in the site but it really is a good site and I have used some of the recipies in 5 Star establishments. I highly recommend www. recipiezaar.com to anyone from the budding home cook to the highest of qualified of Chefs.
Good Luck and Happy Cooking | |
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| Ask a Chef
Posted: 3/2/2008 5:48:53 PM | AKT,
You're asking about sauces. Well, there are several kinds of sauces that you can make, but they all have a common structure. First there is the oil-based component or "dry" ingredients. Even though oil is a liquid, it doesn't mix with water, so when you're making sauces, batters, and doughs, the oils and fats go in with the other dry ingredients such as starches. Next comes an emulsifier that allows the dry ingredients to mix in with the wet ones. Third comes the water-based component or "wet" ingredients, which typically carry the flavorings. BTW, sugar is a "wet" ingredient because it dissolves readily in water.
To make a basic white sauce, or Bearnaise, you start with a roux. Roux is a mixture of flour and butter, though you can substitute olive oil for butter if you are vegan or want to avoid dairy. Heat a pan to medium high, toss in, say, a tablespoon of flour followed quickly by an equal volume of fat. Whisk the flour and fat together until the mix forms an even paste and it smells slightly nutty. The roux combines the dry ingredients (flour and fat) with the emulsifier (the protein in the flour and the milk solids in the butter). You can then add a cup of hot milk, half-and-half, or cream, though straight cream is a little too rich for most people. If you're vegan, you can use plain soy milk, blended tofu, or unsweetened rice milk. Whisk in the milk and leave on the heat until the mixture comes to a boil. At that point the sauce is fully thickened so you can lower the heat to a low simmer (a couple of bubbles come to the surface and pop every second or so). Grate in a bit of fresh nutmeg and add salt and white pepper to taste (white pepper is black pepper without the black shell, so it won't put flecks in your sauce). That's a basic white sauce.
If you want to add cheese to your basic white sauce, just grate up a cup or so of whatever you'd like and stir it in. If you add too much and make it too thick, add a bit of milk, good white wine, or a clear stock (such as chicken, vegetable, or fish) to thin it back out. If you're vegan, you can use grated vegetarian cheese, or a mix of nutritional yeast, cayenne, fresh garlic, and onion powder, along with some mashed potato for texture.
To go with halibut, a nice sauce might include a hint of bleu cheese or, if you prefer, some very sharp cheddar. Personally, I'd use smoked gouda or possibly a smooth chevre (goat cheese) with herbs, and maybe some sour cream. Toss a few chives and capers on top and I think you'll be very happy.
You can make other sauces in a similar fashion. If you want to make a pan sauce from something you've just sauted or roasted, remove the meat and let it rest. To the pan add a little wine or vinegar (red wine or basalmic vinegar for red meat, white wine or rice vinegar for white meat or fish) to dissolve all the carmelized meat juices that have stuck to the pan. That process is called "deglazing" the pan. Use a whisk to mix all the bits into solution. Now you've got your wet ingredients and your emulsifier (the proteins from the meat juices), and all you need is your dry ingredient or thickener.
You have two choices. If there isn't much liquid in the pan, you can make another roux right there in the pan. Add some butter and flour and whisk it together. You can use chicken, beef, fish, or vegetable stock to thin the mix to the right consistency for your sauce.
If there is a lot of liquid, you can mix up a slurry of corn starch and cold water, then slowly drizzle that in while you whisk. The corn starch won't lump up if you mix it with very cold water and add the cold mixture to the hot liquid in the pan while stirring quickly with a whisk. The starch starts to cook and thicken as soon as it gets hot, but if you whisk it in fast it will disperse evenly before it turns to glue. Bring the sauce back up to a boil to cook all the thickener and then season to taste. It's got to boil, otherwise the thickener will taste raw.
Other sauces use butter or egg yolks as emulsifiers, but if you remember that, in general, a sauce is a thin batter in which the starches are all cooked while still wet, you'll be able to figure out how to make a tasty sauce of any flavor or thickness you prefer.
In batters and doughs, the idea is to make the same kind of emulsion, but to drive off the water so that the starches and proteins can form a rigid foam. | |
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| White Sauce Correction
Posted: 3/3/2008 7:53:03 AM | The French name for the basic white sauce I described is a Bechamel sauce, not Bearnaise. I'm not sure what I was thinking there! LOL!!!
A Bearnaise sauce uses egg yolk as its emulsifier. It is similar to Hollandaise, but uses vinegar instead of lemon for acidity (which helps prevent the yolks from curdling) and tarragon and shallots for flavoring. Yolk-based sauces are made by mixing the yolks and acid together while still cold, and then gently warming over a double boiler while continuing to whisk until they just start to thicken. You must continue to whisk for a minute or two after you remove them from the heat. Transferring to a cool serving dish helps dissipate the residual heat that keeps them cooking and thickening for a few minutes after you remove them from the stove.
An exception is mayonaise, in which a tiny bit of frozen (if purchased) or raw (if homemade) yolk is used to blend air into a quantity of vegetable oil. There is no appreciable water component in mayonaise. If you want to make a vegan mayo, use a pinch of soy lecithin granules or a few drops of liquid as your emulsifier. Lecithin is the emulsifier that makes egg yolks and yolk-based sauces smooth and creamy. | |
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| White Sauce Correction
Posted: 3/3/2008 3:26:40 PM | No problemo, M. Chef! I caught the difference right away because I actually tried to make a bearnaise....and failed, miserably! Ah, well. Such is life.
But I have so much to learn. Thank all of you for your suggestions. It keeps me motivated. And quite frankly, I can't believe this forum has gone on for FOUR PAGES! When I asked the question originally, I hoped it would go one page.
There is passion for this, isn't there!
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| White Sauce Correction
Posted: 3/4/2008 3:31:29 AM | My guess is that you didn't mix in the acid while the yolks were still cold. Few recipes tell you to do it that way, but it works much better when you do. Either that, or the water in your double boiler was too hot. Either way, the yolks can scramble/curdle before the sauce forms.
A rolling boil is much too fast. The water should be barely simmering. If it's boiling when you start, you can turn the heat off underneath so that as the sauce comes up to temperature the heat underneath is tapering off.
You can sometimes save a yolk sauce that is cooking too fast if you shock it by placing the pot in an ice-water bath. That will stop the cooking process. Keep whisking to break up lumps before they form. | |
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| back to the main topic
Posted: 3/4/2008 10:58:01 AM | | When becoming a better "cook", for me started at home! You said that you did not have this so I am sorry. It really is not too hard everyone on these pages have given you all good advice!? Just keep moving forward and find out what tastes good to you! Maybe find some friend or maybe make new friends that can help you on your journey, other than that take care and try to eat well!! | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/4/2008 11:45:10 AM | If your where from Mich like a lot of us and and your mom and grandma' s couldn't cook there way out of the out house and you were not as lucky as me to have dad that was air force and could do everything to give me a hand in the kitchen at age 8 then you get a cook book that starts with the basics better homes and garden it even tought me to cann but it didn't teach me to spell
Or better yet just find one of these beautiful young things strike that most of them can't cook any way so you may have to settle for one of the young feelling ladies that can cook | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/4/2008 11:24:30 PM | | Just like anything else in life: practice, practice, practice. (Just be prepared to eat a lot of "practice".) | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/5/2008 1:51:10 AM | Step one: Use quality ingredients -- no "krab" with a k. No imitation vanilla. No margarine.
Step two: Don't mess em up. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/5/2008 4:46:56 AM | OP, I feel your pain. Cooking for one is not exciting. (Hi, neighbor! I'm in Grand Rapids.)
Along with all the wonderful cookbooks already suggested (my mama had many of them, for our family of six!), do some searching for few-ingredient meals. I've seen matrices where these are listed, and the idea is to combine them in different ways. Say, ramen noodles. You can add different veggies, your beloved halibut, leftover rotisserie chicken, tofu, etc. (No offense is intended nor implied towards anyone on here wearing a white top and checkered pants.)
Here in the 616 are several of those "come assemble a meal" businesses. You and several other customers spend a couple hours in the hosts' beautiful kitchen putting together meals to take home and freeze. I think they are designed for families of four, so they'd just give you smaller containers and you'd get many more meals out of it. This could be lots of fun for a single guy, as the typical participant is female (while they are probably spoken for, most of them likely have single sisters-cousins-work colleagues).
Also, swing by the new & improved Meijer @ Cascade. They have a cook station where hatted chefs assemble some luscious easy stuff, and then hand out little samples... and recipe cards. This happens daily from about 2 pm- 6 pm (weekdays, anyway).
With their excellent culinary program, GRCC likely has some community ed classes that could be interesting.
I inherited southern-raised "cook a boatload of it" skills, and watched my father try to learn the basics from his long-time personal chef. Takes a while.
HTH! | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/5/2008 4:57:49 AM | Get some Betty Crocker cookbooks and a George Foreman grill. Oh and a
crock pot is great if you work.
There are recipes on the internet all over the place for EZ stuff too.
IF you have a friend who cooks really well ask for lessons--do not be shy about it or you will never learn to cook.
I have had ALL my friends who are great cooks cook w/me in my kitchen at one time or another.  | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/5/2008 8:33:19 AM | I find that each person just needs to find a cooking style they have an aptitude for, practice with that first, and branch out to other means afterwards.
For instance, when I started cooking for myself at 19 (and I'm not talking Kraft Dinner), I had no problem following recipes for stove-top cooking like stir-fry, etc., but I had yet to develop the sense for how long meat takes to cook properly... I was so worried about salmonella that I actually created rubberized chicken breast nuggets from cooking them so long!  (I kid you not, they became meat-flavored super-balls from being so overdone).
Like they say though, practice makes perfect and frequency = familiar. Now I can whip up anything on the stove I so please, so I've branched out to oven-based cooking as well, roasting the occasional bird or baking a side-dish. Since I live in a condo, I can't own a BBQ, so sadly old-fashioned grilling is still off the menu...
It doesn't take a knack to cook something decent, I rather think it takes a knack to make something inedible!  | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/5/2008 9:26:21 AM | Speaking from experience the best way to become a 'better' cook is to just go into your kitchen and have fun. Don't worry about making things perfect.. Ever seasoned professional chefs have troubles sometimes. Find a recipie that you like and make it your own.. switch things around. Play.. have a great time.
Good luck in your quest....lol.. want any advice just ask. I ADORE cooking. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/5/2008 2:33:21 PM | [ Since I live in a condo, I can't own a BBQ, so sadly old-fashioned grilling is still off the menu...]
...Tell ya what..if you want something good..that doesn't need a BBQ..Get some ribs...dust them with your favourite dry rub...wrap them in foil..and toss in an ice cube
...Pop them in the oven for 2 3/4 hours at 275...and pull them out and fire up your broiler.
...Lay them on the broiler pan curved side down...Sauce them with your favourite BBQ sauce...and lay them on the bottom rack in the oven...that way they'll get plenty of time to carmelize the sugars in the sauce...when the sauce bubbles all over (don't wait till it burns)...Take them out ...turn them over...and sauce the other side...I'll guarantee you that you won't miss having them on an outdoor grill... | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/6/2008 1:48:28 AM | Always use any leftover wine and freeze it because it makes excellent stock for casseroles!
haha like there's ever any leftover wine in my house | |
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