Cooking tips for beginners AMA

[FLYINHAWAIIAN]

By herbs I presume you meant dried herbs as opposed to fresh.
The main difference is the sodium content. Each of these seasoning contain salt so as a collective, your dish can be very salty.

Dried herbs are not as pungent as fresh as they don't contain the natural oils, drying them changes the flavour of leafy herbs. Dried thyme tastes nothing like fresh.

If your going to have any dried seasonings go for woody spices like all spice, cloves, cardamom or nutmeg. These spices are best bought whole and toasted and grround yourself, pre ground spices spoil quicker.

TBH your better off buying the pure seasoning, garlic powder,onion powder and make your own blend. Then the flavour will be on point every time.

Also, powered herbs go better with stews and soups. Only time i use fresh is in Pho/Noodle soups and other shyt like pasta dishes or roasted vegetables

 

[Caca-faat]

I'm bumping this thread, because we clearly need it on here.

 

[CSquare43]

I'm bumping this thread, because we clearly need it on here.

I'm about to throw a bunch of stuff on the grill but I almost never remember to get pics....plus I got kids....they find cooked food fast...

 

[bnew]

 

[hatealot]

Here's something so simple in terms of ingredients but easy to fukk up.

Gravy. @Caca-faat

I make my own but I can't make it like the restaurants. It comes out low quality or still has a very small hint of flour in it.

 

[CSquare43]

Here's something so simple in terms of ingredients but easy to fukk up.

Gravy. @Caca-faat

I make my own but I can't make it like the restaurants. It comes out low quality or still has a very small hint of flour in it.

I've never learned to make my own. I use packets and add stuff to it, but it's never as good as home made....

 

[hatealot]

I've never learned to make my own. I use packets and add stuff to it, but it's never as good as home made....

I done bought those corny ass packages and it's still not the same, they put too much sodium in those pre made packages.

 

[Mr. Negative]

Here's something so simple in terms of ingredients but easy to fukk up.

Gravy. @Caca-faat

I make my own but I can't make it like the restaurants. It comes out low quality or still has a very small hint of flour in it.

you should never really compare your cooking to a restaurants, IMO. There's a lotta factors that go into the flavor difference .

First and foremost difference: if it comes out of a bag.

2nd: You ever have to adjust a recipe from cooking in bulk to cooking for 1-3 people? It's a headache.

3rd: quality/type of ingredients. The best example I can give here is french fries and pizza. You can cut up a billion potatoes and never touch the flavor of McDonalds, Wendys or Checkers/Rally's fries. It's really just potatoes, oil and salt, but there's so many variants that you can't touch at home. Beef Tallow instead of your store bought oil, Rally's pre-seasoned fries, Wendy's almost powdered sugar consistency salt.

That's not even getting into pizza with it's umteen ingredients and toppings and cheeses.




but outside of that, if you taste flour, cook your roux more. Medium low heat and don't be afraid of browning your flour too much.

And remember, you're not trying to match gravy out of a bag. You and anybody eating your cooking has had bulk gravy a billion times.

When YOUR gravy is GOAT, It's GOAT.

 

[Caca-faat]

Here's something so simple in terms of ingredients but easy to fukk up.

Gravy. @Caca-faat

I make my own but I can't make it like the restaurants. It comes out low quality or still has a very small hint of flour in it.

What’s your method? Good gravy takes hours?
Do you use stock or broth? A good short cut to impart flavour
Do you use bones? I roast the bones of the meat I’m using to make gravy stock/ bone broth (even more if I have to buy extra)
I use a reverse roux ( buerre manie)to make gravy so essentially my roux goes in at the end.
Do you use fresh onion, garlic, thyme, carrots, celery, bay leaf, Scotch bonnet/ habernero these are all important dried will not do, however dried bay leaf is fine.



Let me know your method and I can help you to adjust.

 

[Caca-faat]

What’s also important here is HOW he’s holding the knife. He’s holding the base/ hilt of the blade, and not the handle. Gives you control of the blade and allows you to apply pressure in the correct way.

 

[Caca-faat]

Unfortunately your going to have to cope with the unedited version and me cussing off my sister in the last video. However I tried to make a step by step tutorial. Just scroll through. I cant be asked now. Sorry.

This is a quick gravy that I do, scroll to see the steps

Roast your bones to make stock for what ever meat your cooking.

Making stock is super easy, it doesnt take a lot of work but can go a very long way. It does take time though, but its a set it and forget it type thing perfect for a saturday at home doing nothing.

I start by roasting the bones in the oven on about 400 F till they become carmelised. I also chuck onions in, no need to chop, garlic, thyme, and whatever herbs and spices I want.


Staples for stock are:
Carrots
Celery
Garlic
Onions
Pepper
Clove
All spice
Pepper corns
A bouquet garni (which is herbs tied together to prevent them getting lost, and usually contains thyme, rosemary bayleaf and any other herbs that are on a stalk.)


Then into a big pot with more of what ever spices I had and whatever complimentary herbs that go with that particular meat. E.g Chicken and Thyme or Lamb and Rosemary.

Then boil on low for a couple of hours. When all the meat as fallen off the bone, season your stock to taste and let cool for a couple of hours on the stove.

Once cooled, strain and freeze into different portions and use for soups, gravy, rice or risotto.


Side note: My freezer is a graveyard of carcasses, any whole joint of meat, whole poultry, whole fish bones, or shellfish shells and heads are saved to make stock. Nothing should go to waste.

You dont have to buy bones, your butcher may give them to you for free, don't ask dont get.

Great tips.

Question: Why do you bake the bones before boiling them in water?

For my stocks, especially chicken, I'll use the whole chicken season it, and then boil in water. For beef stock I'll find cuts of beef with a lot of bones and do the same. I've never thought of baking before boiling. I'd like to know the reasoning behind that.

Carmelising the meat gives it waaay more depth of flavour, and adds carmelised notes where u would otherwise not have any. It helps to roast tough aromatics like onions and garlic too for those caramel notes. Then deglaze that pan after u take out the bones and use that liquid in ur stock. ( theres a tip for deglazing up thread)

It helps to round out the flavour profiles on your palate and elevates your dish.

Let me know if you have questions after the tips and video, I posted. I tried to attach an unedited video, I posted awhile back. I hope it helps.

 

[Rev Leon Lonnie Love]

Im late but im here. Dope thread

 

[the elastic]

I ain't know you're supposed to take off the membrane on ribs before you cook em


Wasted a whole rack after learning the hard way

 

[Whatupdoe?]

I ain't know you're supposed to take off the membrane on ribs before you cook em


Wasted a whole rack

Some people say removing it leads to a dryer rib since the membrane can keep moisture in. I say the difference is negligible and removing it allows the rub to penitrate both sides of the rib.

 

[Rev Leon Lonnie Love]

I ain't know you're supposed to take off the membrane on ribs before you cook em


Wasted a whole rack after learning the hard way

im lucky cause the first time I made them I made sure to watch a couple of youtube videos to get tips, and was able to notice every single one removed the membrane.