Becoming a Better Cook

[Highspeed]

I love cooking.
My 'mis en place' is similar to Chris's ( allowing for minor regional variations ) except that I have curry spices too :-

Cardamom pods
Cloves
Cumin seed ( roasting and crushing the seeds rather than using powder gives a better flavour - if you have the time )
Fenugreek seeds ( 'Methi' )
Garam Masala
Coriander ( Cilantro, but in powder form )
Ginger paste
Coconut milk ( prefer it to cream and it's a staple for Thai style curries )

I also have a couple of homemade dry rubs, one for Jamaican Jerk chicken, the other Cajun ( my interpretation of )

The last meal I cooked was chorizo in a honey, red wine vinegar and garlic sauce with sauteed potatos - sounds a bit posh but it's typical bar food here.
Curry tonight I think.

Edit:- I don't use dried rosemary, sage or thyme - they grow wild here, we just pick them as needed

[MarkD]

I'm answering before reading anyone else's responses, so I may be repeating some stuff.

My wife and I took a couples cooking class at Chef Central in Paramus a few years ago, we made lamb chops, with sides and such, then ate what we made. There was a pro there who stepped us thru everything, we learned quite a bit. They used to have classes in things like knife work (essential for some types of cooking). Here's the link to their current calendar: https://www.cookingschoolsofamerica.com ... e=calendar

Also, a good reference cookbook is a good investment. I personally like Joy of Cooking. It'll tell you everything from how long to boil an egg to make it soft-boiled and up from there.

Food Network is my wife's default TV channel, so I see a lot of it! I always liked Alton Brown on Food Network. The Barefoot Contessa and Giada Delaurentis also have some very good recipes and techniques. I used to like Nigella too, but not for the stuff she cooked, so nevermind. I find Paula Deen annoying.

Last, but probably most important, is to cook. Try something, see if it works, adjust as needed. One of the things I hate about the cooking shows like Chopped is that that's not the way a good cook works with new ingredients. He'll make something with it, try it, adjust it, and keep trying until he gets it right. Not spend a half hour cooking something he's never tried before and put it out for people to eat.

Learn your ingredients. Learn what different spices taste like, learn to imagine what they'd do if added to something else.

[rightisright]

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I have some reading to do!

[Weetabix]

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I have some reading to do!

Don't let the reading slow you down from cooking, though.

[HTRN]

You should buy a good set of pots and pans, as the $20 variety box from wal-mart won't serve your needs well, and will lead to frustration.

No but the 230 dollar set from Walmart is the best thing short of springing for Al-clad. Also, he's gonna want a good cheap(because the coating wears off, no sense spending more than you have to) nonstick - T-Fal currently makes the best nonstick pan for under 50 bucks, and is sold in Target. If he needs an omelet pan, Kitchenaid makes a heavy duty cast aluminum nonstick 8" that is really only bettered by the infamous Julia Child pan.

Finally, you literally cannot get a better cooking textbook than McGee:

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Cooking-Scie ... 684800012/

It's been the bible of culinary students for over 25 years.

I second this - in terms of the restaurant industry, this book is second only to Escoffier's textbook Le guide culinaire in terms of impact.

I personally like Joy of Cooking.

This is another very good text - Lots of recipes, and it explains how to do alot of things.

[blackeagle603]

Ordered "Ruhlmans 20" for DearDaughter#1 Christmas present.

She's always been the most creative artistically (visual arts) of the 3 girls, and that's saying something. The past year or so she's been applying that artistic/creative bent of hers in the home arts; first in the kitchen and more recently sewing.

She tried a new pan seared (in bacon fat) beef recipe out on us last night. She made some secret witches brew of seasoning that made a cheap cut of steak really pop in flavor. The saute'd onion/veggie/bacon mix she made to top it was full of win too.


Her entire Halloween "Ariel" costume scratch sewn this year. Student on a budget working w/ thrift store fabric and salvaged materials from a crafter lady friend. Fitting the bodice was quite a project (starting with sewing a muslin mock up).

[rightisright]

We buy fresh frequently, but it usually stays in the fridge, not in the mise.

I've read you can buy some herbs fresh and freeze the leftovers in small quantities.

As far as kitchen kit, I'm doing pretty well. There are some listed things I still need.

I have a Le Creuset factory outlet close by. With a coupon and buying factory seconds, they are reasonably priced. I certainly couldn't see myself dropping $300 for their normally priced Dutch Oven. But for $125, mine sees a lot of use. I also have their 12" skillet. They claim their interior enamel coating makes it non-stick.. Um, no. But it heats very evenly.

My older set of Costco Kirkland coated pots and pans is starting to wear a bit thin. Mostly due to misuse by me before I gave a hoot about cooking. So I will be in the market for a decent set soon. Any thoughts on this set: http://www.amazon.com/Circulon-Anodized ... s=circulon

I did a post on inexpensive kitchen knives a while ago: http://theguncounter.com/forum/viewtopi ... hen+knives They are all serving me quite well.

[PawPaw]

I certainly couldn't see myself dropping $300 for their normally priced Dutch Oven.

I can't imagine spending $300 on a Dutch Oven. I've got about four singles and a complete set and I don't think I have $300 tied up in the whole collection. What makes a Dutch oven special is use. The longer you use it the better it gets. Go get a couple of Lodge dutch ovens and use them. They'll be heirlooms in a couple of years. Or, look for cast iron cookware at garage sales and flea markets. That's where I've picked up most of mine. Bayou Classic is another good brand and I have several of these. If you're ever digging through a flea market and come upon a Griswold dutch oven, pick it up. They're considered the very best, although I can't really tell much difference in my Griswold and my Lodge.

Cooking takes practice and a good instructor. It helps to start slowly in one genre. I, for example, learned at my mother's stove and my cooking is mainly Cajun and German. I learned campfire cooking from my Dad and uncles and I won't let you go hungry in a campsite.

Tonight, I've made a middling gumbo, which Milady and I will eat when she's done running errands. It's an easy recipe and I suggest it to those who want to learn basic cajun cooking. Pay particular attention to your roux and the link above links to a roux tutorial.

[rightisright]

I have 2 Lodge skillets and one Dutch Oven. When I first started grooving w. cooking, I F'd up seasoning them. I need to bring them back to bare metal and start again.

People seem to dig this lady's method: http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/ ... cast-iron/

[PawPaw]

I have 2 Lodge skillets and one Dutch Oven. When I first started grooving w. cooking, I F'd up seasoning them. I need to bring them back to bare metal and start again.

People seem to dig this lady's method: http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/ ... cast-iron/

She might be right, although I've never used flaxseed oil. Didn't know you could buy it, and I've been seasoning cast iron all my life.

The first step, though, demands a hardwood campfire. Build it in the back yard, if necessary, and I used to start the seasoning process when we were burning brush-piles. I"d gather the cast iron that needed to be re-seasoned, put them in the brush pile, then light it off. The next morning I'd drag them out of the ashes and wash them. Dry them thoroughly and coat them in Crisco. Put the pot in an oven set at 350 and let it set in there for an hour or so. Then take it out and let it cool.

What you're trying to do is to get that iron hot, really hot, and let all the crud burn off. Then you have to let it cool slowly so that you don't crack it. Cast iron will crack when it's cooled too quickly. That's bad ju-ju for cooking.

Seasoning a cast iron pot is simply filling the pores with grease. This isn't rocket science, this is simply cooking. Folks have been cooking with iron for several hundred years. Nothing to it, easy-peasy. Don't let the folks confuse you. I doubt that our ancestors could run down to the store and buy flaxseed oil, so they used what they had, mainly lard or cooking oil. Still, if flaxseed oil makes you feel better, use it. I've never heard of that method until ten minutes ago, and I've been doing this all my life.