Nateo
Well-Known Member
My better half used to work as a sous chef at a fancy Italian restaurant. I've picked up a lot of tips from cooking with her, and thought I'd share them with the world.
1) Learn how to use a knife. I've been cutting things my whole life without actually knowing how to properly use a knife. Start here:
[ame]http://youtu.be/D9Qzz8R_J1c[/ame]
and
[ame]http://youtu.be/YT2EHRqcO2U[/ame]
2) Don't fear spices. The first time I saw her make marinara sauce, I was shocked at how much basil and oregano she used. Use fresh spices, and use a lot of them. Most mediocre cooking can be improved with more spices and more salt. If your spices are more than a year old, toss them out and get new ones.
3) Don't fear the burn. Get a cast-iron skillet and turn the heat up. Most stuff you cook in a pan would benefit from a little bit of charring. It's called "wok hei" in Chinese cooking. It's a combination of caramelization and Maillard reactions. I used to "sweat" everything, which is where your cooked veggies get limp and flaccid over medium heat. Throw the veggies into high heat and they'll get cooked but stay crispy.
4) Brown/char almost everything, especially slow-cooked meats. If you're throwing anything in the crock pot, throw it in that hot skillet for a few minutes first to get a good char on it. The skillet cooking breaks down the outer layer of the meat to allow the hot liquid to penetrate deeper, quicker, which means it will cook more thoroughly and faster. Also, if you're going to use marinades, char the meat first, then apply the marinade, and it will soak in deeper into the meat.
5) Butter is awesome. You know those awesome steaks you get at fancy steakhouses? Drenched in butter. A little bit goes a long way, so try mixing a bit in with whatever oil you're using in your skillet.
Well those are the main ones that come to mind. I'll post more if I think of anything else.
1) Learn how to use a knife. I've been cutting things my whole life without actually knowing how to properly use a knife. Start here:
[ame]http://youtu.be/D9Qzz8R_J1c[/ame]
and
[ame]http://youtu.be/YT2EHRqcO2U[/ame]
2) Don't fear spices. The first time I saw her make marinara sauce, I was shocked at how much basil and oregano she used. Use fresh spices, and use a lot of them. Most mediocre cooking can be improved with more spices and more salt. If your spices are more than a year old, toss them out and get new ones.
3) Don't fear the burn. Get a cast-iron skillet and turn the heat up. Most stuff you cook in a pan would benefit from a little bit of charring. It's called "wok hei" in Chinese cooking. It's a combination of caramelization and Maillard reactions. I used to "sweat" everything, which is where your cooked veggies get limp and flaccid over medium heat. Throw the veggies into high heat and they'll get cooked but stay crispy.
4) Brown/char almost everything, especially slow-cooked meats. If you're throwing anything in the crock pot, throw it in that hot skillet for a few minutes first to get a good char on it. The skillet cooking breaks down the outer layer of the meat to allow the hot liquid to penetrate deeper, quicker, which means it will cook more thoroughly and faster. Also, if you're going to use marinades, char the meat first, then apply the marinade, and it will soak in deeper into the meat.
5) Butter is awesome. You know those awesome steaks you get at fancy steakhouses? Drenched in butter. A little bit goes a long way, so try mixing a bit in with whatever oil you're using in your skillet.
Well those are the main ones that come to mind. I'll post more if I think of anything else.