What is the one cooking trick

[Richard Kilgore]

I have been doing a lot of little things different in the past few years that I have been working at improving my cooking. And many of them I have added since coming to eG. This thread in itself is a treasure trove of solid ideas.

Here are a few.

*Using Kosher Salt & Sea Salt

*Having lots of towels and bar mops on hand (thanks, tommy)

*Putting a towel on the counter with the cutting board on top

*Growing my own herbs

*Adding herbs to some dishes at the end for more flavor

*Reminding me re mise en place, which I started doing many years ago when I began cooking Chinese and other Asian dishes, but which I can forget when rushed

*Making my kitchen workspace more efficient and less crowded by moving less frequently used items to the pantry or storage area

[KarenS]

Blanching vegetables before your meal (and shocking in an ice bath). Just heat when you need them- prettier and cooked just right! Thickening soups with cold potatoes or cooked rice (instead of roux). The best oils and vinegars. Paying extra for free range poultry and beef (it tastes so much better!) Buying organic produce whenever possible.

Microplanes are very cool. Freshly ground pepper only!

[enthusiast]

A silly thing really but it has made a big difference - not trying to get away with the smallest bowl possible when mixing something. It's amazing how quickly I can cut butter into flour using a BIG bowl and how well I can toss a salad using the same BIG bowl. Ditto for many other mixing, folding, etc. tasks.

Anna N

this is a classic - i'm so glad other people do it too. why have small bowls at all? big bowls all round, i say

[drinkingchef]

First of all, quality ingredients, seasonal, local, and usually organic products taste the best. Its natural. It makes sense.

Secondly, I learned about wine. Learning how to taste wine has changed the way I taste food. I can seperate different components of taste and understand why one thing tastes better than another. I can also taste something and say, for example, it needs more acidity. Then I can think of all the different things that add acidity. It could be vinegar (of any flavor depending on the dish) or fruit (juices, maybe), or wine. And suddenly the flavor options seem endless. All you have to do is break it down into simple balancing components, just like wine

[browniebaker]

A real timesaver was figuring out one core formula for all the quickbreads that I bake a lot, including pancakes, waffles, biscuits, cornbread, muffins, quickbread loaves, and snacking cakes. The core formula that works for everything is,

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

The variables depend on which quickbread I am making:

eggs (1 or 2)

liquid, such as milk, yogurt, or fruit juice (from 1/2 cup to 2-1/2 cups)

oil or shortening (from 2 to 8 tablespoons)

sweetener, such as white sugar, brown sugar, or honey (from 0 to 3/4 cups)

substitution of cornmeal for all or part of the flour in core formula

fruits, nuts, cheese, meat, flavorings, etc.

When you bake as often as I do, this core formula lets you avoid having to consult a recipe every time. For example, rolled biscuits require the following variables in addition to the core ingredients: 7/8 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup lard, and 2 tablespoons sugar.

The recipes are all stored in my head!

Edited September 5, 2003 by browniebaker (log)

[jwagnerdsm]

The first trick I learned several years ago -- and I think everyone does it now -- is to smash the garlic clove with a big knife instead of messing up a mincer.

Some other things that make a difference:

1.) Adding a half-stick of butter to my risotto with the last ladle of broth to give it an extra creamy texture.

2.) Using free-range chickens instead of the paltry caged birds from the grocery... a huge difference.

3.) wrapping some wood chips in foil and dropping it onto the grill when I don't want to smoke a piece of meat on the smoker but still want a little hint of apple or hickory.

4.) Using my ricer to extract tamerind paste. Saves on the clean-up.

5.) And always doubling the amount of garlic called for in a recipe.

[fifi]

5.) And always doubling the amount of garlic called for in a recipe.

Ain't that the truth. Is the rest of the world really so timid of garlic? Are cookbook and recipe writers really trapped in that delusion? Look at how the Emeril Live fans go nuts when he adds "about 40 cloves" of garlic. (Oh dear. Maybe I should edit that out. Let's not start another Emeril rant.)

edit to add: My latest revelation is the concept of cleaning up and saving the chicken fat from making stock. I got that one from eGCI!

Edited September 5, 2003 by fifi (log)

[Jinmyo]

A silly thing really but it has made a big difference - not trying to get away with the smallest bowl possible when mixing something.  It's amazing how quickly I can cut butter into flour using a BIG bowl and how well I can toss a salad using the same BIG bowl. Ditto for many other mixing, folding, etc. tasks.

Anna, it's so very true.

I also use huge mixing bowls to season and oil things like roasted potatoes before pouring them out onto the roasting pans. And sometimes for seasoning and marinating meats.

I wonder what people think they "trying to get away with" by making things so difficult for themselves. The idea of a few extra strokes of a washcloth. When one approaches something in a miserly and narrow manner, wanting to expend oneself as little as is possible, the results are always trouble.

[cjsadler]

Recipe and Technique:

½ veal bones (knuckles) and ½ chicken bones: do not roast!

Put the bones in a kettle and just cover with water. Bring to the boil, drain and rinse with ice and water.

Refill the kettle to just cover the bones. Add a traditional Mirepoix, un-roasted and with ripe, raw tomatoes instead of tomato paste. Simmer for eight hours while skimming. Strain through cheesecloth and cool.

Reduce the stock (no need to strain) until 1/4 the volume. It is like magic, the stock is a beautiful rich golden brown with lots of texture and body. Absolutely no bitterness and lots of gelatin.

On a daily basis the stock can be refreshed with a small Mirepoix and your choice of carcass (roasted duck, lamb, venison, veal, rabbit, etc). The alcohol and bones used really shine through. The flavour is rich while not being over-powering or of a tacky texture.

I guess I need to go back to Europe for a refresher course. This has truly revolutionized my thoughts on cooking. I hope everyone enjoys the recipe!

Did I miss the alcohol in the recipe?

Can someone reply to this? Chef Fowke? The alcohol is missing from the recipe.

[bloviatrix]

edit to add: My latest revelation is the concept of cleaning up and saving the chicken fat from making stock. I got that one from eGCI!

I received the revelation of saving fat the first time I roasted a duck. Now I always have containers of duck fat easily available in my freezer. Duck fat is truly a food of the gods.

A little bit of duck fat makes all vegetables taste better!!

[Jon Tseng]

swimming goggles for mass onion-peeling sessions

bit of a pain if you're wearing spectacles at the same time, though...

j

[sherribabee]

I went to J. Harding Restaurant Supplies and got a nice soup pot and a mandolin ..

I will never go back to slicing my cucumbers again .. Love that little gadget.

Oh man, be careful with that mandoline . . . them things scare me.

Yup yup! I've slivered the heck out of my knuckles on more than one occasion with that scratch-a-frackin thing!

[sherribabee]

Re: onions -- is it considered poor form to cut the onion into chunks and then just whack a few times with a food chopper? cuz that's the only way I can do it tear-free.

[fifi]

I received the revelation of saving fat the first time I roasted a duck.  Now I always have containers of duck fat easily available in my freezer.  Duck fat is truly a food of the gods.

A little bit of duck fat makes all vegetables taste better!!

I don't do duck but I am going to start doing that, actually mainly for the fat. The more I hear about duck fat, the more I am wanting to get me some. I have bought goose fat in a can (a French product) for doing David Rosengarten's roasted chicken. I am also wondering if goose fat from an actual goose might not be better as well.

To hell with the actual bird. I want the fat.

[Alex]

The one "trick?" When I cook -- cook. To wit...

Pay attention (especially to the knife work). Say no to multi-tasking, rock-'n-rolling, and serious conversing. Drink a little wine. Keep my head in the kitchen, literally and figuratively.

[Suzanne F]

Oh, fifi, you have to get a duck and have it quartered at the store! Then you can pan-fry/steam it according to Mark Bittman or Paula Peck, 1/4 by 1/4, and add the fat to the collection.

Duck is the steak of the poultry world.

Edited September 5, 2003 by Suzanne F (log)

[Toliver]

Re: onions -- is it considered poor form to cut the onion into chunks and then just whack a few times with a food chopper? cuz that's the only way I can do it tear-free.

Not bad form at all. As long as presentation isn't a perogative, it tastes good and you can escape the tears, I say "Whack away!"

I found out the hard way that even something as mild as green onion/scallions can cause you to tear up if you chop up enough of them. DOH!