Cooking tips for beginners AMA

[Caca-faat]

As suggested in another thread. For anyone who wants any cooking tips ask here and those of us who are are capable will answer.


Tip 1:
Browning Meat

Browning meat is important, chicken beef, lamb.
This is when the pan is on medium to high heat with very little oil, you are placing the meat in the pan and allowing the meat to have adequate contact with pan. Do not turn it do not move it. The meat has to create a seal with the pan.
This causes the maillard reaction, the carmelization of the natural sugars in the meat.

Tip 2

Always ensure your pan is hot enough, this goes hand in hand with not over crowding your pan.
This is linked to the tip above.

When the pan is hot enough this ensures the meat starts to cook immediately. If the pan isn't hot enough the temperature of the meat will cause the temperature of the pan to drop, the pan will take too long to heat up and the meat will not brown and end up broiling instead.

Tip 3
Broiling is when the meat releases its juices into the pan, it doesn't actually fry it kind of sweats. This also occurs when the pan is over crowded. The meat is too close together and the meat doesn't have enough room to cook and the temperature of the pan drops, it doesn't brown and becomes rubbery and grey.

Tip 4
Always make sure your meat is room temperature:

If the meat is too cold, when it hits the pan the muscle tenses up, the meat sticks to the pan, it wont end well.

Tip 5
When marinating your meat, always put oil on your meat. 2 tablespoons or so.

1. It makes the powdered seasoning more spreadable. Onion powder,garlic powder, celery salt etc.
2. When frying a steak, put oil on the meat and a little in the pan, it prevents it from sticking.

So when frying a steak:

1. Make sure the meat is room temperature
2. Season your meat with whatever seasoning and a little oil for spreadability.
3. Make sure your pan is super hot
4.Do not overcrowd the pan, add 1 steak at a time if you can
5. Do not turn the meat too soon, the meat needs to remain in contact with the pan for long enough to brown. Do not be tempted to check it too often (breaking the seal)
6. Once you turn the meat add butter, crushed fresh garlic, fresh thyme and spoon the butter over the steak.
6. Once your steak is done, let the meat rest. Take the meat out and let it sit covered in foil to let the meat relax.


Please feel free to add tips or ask questions.

 

[Caca-faat]

Good Kitchen Habits


Developing good kitchen and cooking habits makes the cooking process much quicker.

Knowing which tools and pans you need before hand, which ingredients you dont have or need and always having kitchen staples to hand. It seems obvious but forward planning really gets the job done.

Kitchen Staples are multi purpose ingredients or tools that are essential.

• Flour
• Butter
• Eggs
• Cornflour
• Ketchup
• Salt
• Soy sauce
• Fresh onion
• Fresh Garlic
• Fresh Thyme
• Fresh ungrated Nutmeg
• Paprika and other seasonings
• Kettle
• Wooden spoon
• Metal oven tray x 2
• Pirex Dish
• Spatula
• Decent Knives
• Cutting board
• Tongs
• Measuring cups and spoons

I cannot express how important good Sharp knives are. Sharp knives speed up the cooking process, what can take you 6 strokes will take you 1 stroke with a good sharp knife. There are lots more reasons why good knives are important but for the purpose of this, just remember to always keep your knives sharp. Buy a knife sharpener and learn to sharpen your knives if you can.


A kettle is an essential tool in the kitchen. You will usually need hot water for what ever you are cooking so using a kettle is a way quicker means. You dont have to put potatoes or rice into cold water and wait for it to come up to temperature, you can cut out about 15 mins or so each dish than requires hot water just by using the kettle instead.



If you are planning on making large meals you will need more than one of most things.

A large frying pan and a small one
A large and small sauce pan
More than one cutting board (you can get 2 in a pack)
A large chefs knife and a meat cleaver

A spatula because using a spatula to pick up items is better than using a fork, you can use tongs where required.

 

[Caca-faat]

Sauces

Sauces are pretty simple, it is usually the meat juices mixed with various seasoning, but there are different tricks you can use to intensify your results using some of the tools listed above.

Deglazing


When roasting joints of meat or whole bird in a pan; there will always be juices dripping into the pan which look burnt or burnt bits of seasoning. People make the mistake of discarding this, but its actually flavour gold.

• Remove the meat from the pan, and place the pan on the stove top with the burners on medium. Use a wooden spoon to rub and "unstick" any elements.
• Pour hot water from the kettle into the pan a little at a time while rubbing all the burnt bits to make a solution, you're essentially cleaning the pan.
• You want to end up with just enough water to cover the base of the roasting tray or pan you are using.
• This liquid is like caramelized meat stock and is deep and rich in flavour kinda like a stock cube or bullion.
• You can then transfer these meat juices into a saucepan with pre sauteed seasoning (Onion, Garlic, tomatoes, fresh thyme, habanero) to make the base for gravy.

Said gravy would then need a little bit more water, ketchup or tomato paste to make your gravy. Bring to a medium boil till everything is cooked through. Using a table spoon or so of cornflour mixed with 2 table spoons of water added into your gravy to thicken. Cook for another couple of minutes. This is all dependent on quantity of course.

Roux

Roux is basically butter and flour of equal parts cooked in a sauce pan until the butter cooks the flour.

You would heat the butter in a saucepan till it has melted and started to bubble. You do not want to burn the butter. Add your flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Mix vigorously till the butter and flour forms one big ball. Do not take your eye off it, it will burn in a heart beat. That is the roux and the base of many sauces.

Once a ball has been formed, add about 3 1/4 cup milk a little at a time. Using your wooden spoon press into any lumps you find and smooth them out to a paste then blend into the surrounding liquid. The whole mixture will double in size very quickly. Add as much milk for as thick as you want it to be, whisking well to ensure it is smooth and has no lumps. It should be thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon when done. Run your pinky down the back of the spoon, the sauce should be thick enough to leave trail on the back of the spoon without coming back together.

At this point you can add grated cheese to make a cheese sauce and whichever powdered seasoning you want for flavour. Pour over pasta and grated cheese on top and stick it in the oven.

Or mix into pasta with smoked sausage, sauteed bell peppers onion and garlic, add some pan fried prawns on the side and eat.

Or mix some pepper corns into the white sauce and let simmer for a little longer to make pepper corn sauce for pouring over steak.

 

[Neuromancer]

Good thread.

 

[Strapped]

To brown meat
Place a lil oil in the pan
Pour couple tea spoon of sugar in the pan
When the sugar turns brown
Place your meat & turn

 

[Jasonmask]

You should do one for intermediate cooks

 

[Caca-faat]

To brown meat
Place a lil oil in the pan
Pour couple tea spoon of sugar in the pan
When the sugar turns brown
Place your meat & turn

I did this for the first time the other day. I liked the colour it gave the meat. I prefer it to using browning.

 

[BaldingSoHard]

Good thread, breh but these are intermediate tips. I'll do some true beginner shyt.

1. The highest heat setting really is only for boiling water. Don't use high heat, unless it's cast iron, a wok, or you're boiling water.
   
2. Tasting your food while you cook it is what cooking is. You need to be able to adjust what's happening on the fly. Start with a little bit of salt, and add accordingly. You can always add more, you can't take it out once it's in.
   
3. You don't need the big wooden block knife set. All you need are a chef's knife and a pairing knife and a good sharpener. Bread knife as well if you're feeling fancy, but if you're a beginner you don't need a bread knife.

 

[Caca-faat]

You should do one for intermediate cooks

I consider myself an intermediate cook but if anyone has a question, I will answer where I can.

 

[Jasonmask]

I consider myself an intermediate cook but if anyone has a question, I will answer where I can.

Same I’ve been a sauté in the past and learned quick on prep and how to make basic dishes like pad Thai. I just wanna up my cooking skills and I’m not a beginner either

 

[BaldingSoHard]

Cooking is the shyt, brehs.

It is, in my opinion, the key to a happy relationship.

Think about every time your woman was on your ass about some unimportant emotional shyt. Was she hungry at the time? I bet she was. I have headed off 90% of the fights in my relationship by simply asking my girl, "Are you hungry?"

Women. Are. Always. Hungry. Brehs. Be the nikka who can wrangle that shyt confidently and skillfully.

Plus once you've cultivated the skill, you can create anything you want to eat anytime you want to eat it.

That super-divine shyt you had in France that one time? You can have that shyt whenever you want.

Your late-Grandma's famous smothered pork chops? About 25 mins away.

It's like a super power in the dating world.

Pro-tip: Frank Sinatra and a glass of wine turns cooking into a full-on good-ass time.

 

[Caca-faat]

Same I’ve been a sauté in the past and learned quick on prep and how to make basic dishes like pad Thai. I just wanna up my cooking skills and I’m not a beginner either

Prepping is key, makes the process so much easier. I have never worked in a kitchen, I'm a home cook. I imagine my knife skills and prep skills would improve greatly. I'm currently cooking at my own leisure in my own time or when I get home from work.

 

[intruder]

Dint use rice cooker when cooking rice. Use the poor and stuff it at the end with plastic bag

 

[Mike Nasty]

Don't over complicate things.

Search YouTube.
Search Videos in the native language, like "Taco Salsa receta" or "Spaghetti aglio e olio" you need to find the Italian videos in Italian. Those simple pasta dishes

 

[BaldingSoHard]

Prepping is key, makes the process so much easier.

I only discovered this within the last two years but god damn is it true.