Cooking tips I've learned being married to a chef

[dataz722]

Tip: wear gloves when cutting hot peppers (or at least wear a glove on your non-knife-holding hand and don't touch the peppers with your knife-holding hand). You can't really fully wash it off. Ran out of gloves and cut up a bunch of Serranos/Jalapenos/Red Chili peppers last night for Cinqo food (I know better but I ran out). Washed my hands several times. Several hours later wiped my eyes. D'oh!

Yep, done that, twice .


Nothing like having the back of your eyes feel like they are on fire.


I won't even touch them when I buy them. I will take the bag and turn it inside out and use that as a glove then just fold it back over them.

 

[StittsvilleJames]

Yep, done that, twice .


Nothing like having the back of your eyes feel like they are on fire.


I won't even touch them when I buy them. I will take the bag and turn it inside out and use that as a glove then just fold it back over them.

When I worked in a pub we used to make our own jalapeno poppers by cuting them in half, pulling out the insides, stuffing them and breading them. The new guy in the kitchen was always given this job on his first day, and wouldn't be told to wear gloves or anything. He would then be goaded into chugging tons of water, and coke, etc until he had to pee.

Then he would go pee and we would all laugh when he got the burning....good times. Making me smile just remembering it....

tip from me: I have a ceramic flat top stove, so I can't use cast iron on it. I use stainless steel pans though, and I find they do as good a job as iron does for cooking in the home. Avoid teflon, it causes cancer.

I have another tip too: buy a decent set of knives. No need to spend 400$ for a crazy chef knife for the home, but don't buy the $10 set from walmart. Much better to spend $100 on a good knife (at least have one) for your kitchen.

 

[Nateo]

Shun's "Classic" series is a good bang-for-the-buck. These are the knives we mostly use, except for a cheapo serrated bread knife. I could get by 99% of the time with just a paring knife and a chef's knife. No real reason to buy a set, unless it's just a 3-knife set.

I used to have a Henckel paring knife that was almost as nice as the Shun for half the price, I think I paid like $40 for it, IIRC.

Just remember that like any tool, routine maintenance will greatly increase the usefulness and longevity. A dull knife is a dangerous knife. You're way more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one.

I hone them every time I use them, and get them sharpened by a pro a few times a year.

 

[hamiltont]

tip from me: I have a ceramic flat top stove, so I can't use cast iron on it.

I use Cast Iron pans on my ceramic top stove all the time. Just make sure it has a flat bottom (some have a protruding ring on the bottom) and make sure the bottom is clean. Oh, don't drag it across the ceramic top of it could scratch it. The stove came with the house. Otherwise I wouldn't have one. Hoping it dies sometime soon so I can justify buying a gasser. Cheers!!!

 

[motobrewer]

Hoping it dies sometime soon so I can justify buying a gasser. Cheers!!!

have your wife break it like mine did. or, you break it.

all it took was a jar of bullion being dropped on top. was sweet to get a gas but running the line sucked...