Basic Knife skills – Kitchen Clueless Cooking Course

by Chef Ben Kelly | Feb 12, 2020 | Cooking Tips

Hello everyone and welcome to week three of my Kitchen Clueless Cooking Course. Today we are going to be taking a look at basic knife skills from how to sharpen a knife, to how to hold one. We will also look at some basic cutting techniques and talk about why you should know them.

Why are knife skills important?

Knowing the basic knife skills I’m about to layout for you is very important for a lot of reasons. First and foremost it will make you quicker and more efficient in the kitchen. Secondly, it is much safer to use a knife when you know the proper techniques. And thirdly, when your cooking becomes quicker and you feel safer it becomes more fun. If you enjoy cooking more, you will want to cook more. The more you cook, the better you will get at it and the more you will enjoy it. See what I’m getting at here?

Okay, let’s get to it. This is…

A sharp knife is a safe knife

Knives can be scary. Believe me, I have the scars on my hands to prove it. But, every single scar on my hand got there because I was using a knife incorrectly or I using a knife that wasn’t as sharp as it should have been. The common belief is that if a knife is too sharp it will be more likely to cut you or that if you do cut yourself it will be way worse than with a dull knife. Let me put the record straight once and for all. This belief is 100% false. A dull knife is much, much more dangerous than a sharp knife.

Why is a dull knife more dangerous than a sharp knife?

In a some ways it does seem counterintuitive that a sharp knife is safer than a dull knife, that is until you really start to think about it. The real benefit of a sharp knife is that it is easily going to cut into the food. A dull knife, on the other hand, will slide around and possibly slip into your finger. A sharp knife also requires much less force than a dull knife to cut.

Example 1

Those two examples are based on real situations I’ve been in and that I’ve seen countless times. You may think that I’m exaggerating the differences between a dull knife and a sharp knife but I promise you I’m not. I can’t tell you the number of times I would have cut myself if not for that split second I had to pull my hand away all because I wasn’t putting that much force into my knife.

Experiment

To illustrate my point I’m going to give you an experiment to do. Don’t worry, you’ll still have all your fingers at the end of this. You should seriously do this. Go to any door frame in your house and stand in the middle of it with your hands flat at your sides. Put the backs of your hands against the door frame and push as hard as you can for 15-20 seconds. Step out of the door frame and watch what happens to your arms. After another 15-20 seconds step back into the door frame and gently put the back of your hands on the door frame for 15-20 seconds then step out. I’m willing to put money on the fact that the results were much more dramatic when you stepped out of the door frame the first time compared to the second time.

The point of this is simply to illustrate that when applying a great amount of force, you give up an amount of control and that force has to be released in some way. At first, it was being released into the door frame, but when the door frame was taken away it was released into the air. When you are using a dull knife and putting all that force into it and it slips, that force has to go somewhere. The knife is going to go very quickly into whatever direction it has slipped. Hopefully, that isn’t the direction your fingers are in.

How to sharpen a knife.

One common problem is that most people don’t know how to sharpen their knives. Maybe you don’t have to. Wherever you live there is probably a professional knife sharpening company. It won’t be very expensive, you’ll only need to get it done once or twice a year, and it will be worth it. Just google knife sharpening in your town.

Sharpening Tools

Another point that I want to make here is that it isn’t that difficult to sharpen a knife. You may think that you need a fancy whetstone or an electric sharpener but you don’t. I’m willing to bet you $100 that you actually have everything you need to sharpen your knives already. Don’t believe me? Do you have a coffee mug? What about a ramekin? Anything that is ceramic will at the very least have a ring on the bottom that is unglazed. This can be used to sharpen your knife. I know that sounds crazy but I have done this many, many times and it works like a dream. You can actually take a very dull knife, and work it on the ceramic for a few minutes and get it razor sharp.

The key to sharpening a knife is the angle at which the blade glides across the stone or ceramic. A good guide to getting the proper angle is a penny (if you can find one). Put the knife flush with a flat surface. The handle will need to be hanging off the table, cutting board, or whatever flat surface you are using. Now, take a penny and slide it under the top of the blade close to the handle. The angle this creates is pretty much the angle you want the knife at as it is gliding across the sharpening surface.

The second most important thing to keep in mind when sharpening a knife is consistency. The angle must remain the same at all times, and the number of strokes across the sharpening surface must be the same for both sides of the blade. If the number of strokes is different per side, this could eventually ruin your knife. Rather than going one for one on the strokes (one stroke flip the blade, one stroke, flip the blade) I prefer to go five for five or twelve for twelve. It doesn’t really matter as long as it stays even.

Sharpening Technique

When sharpening a knife you want to push the blade forwards across the stone rather than pulling it backwards. This may seem counterintuitive but it is the proper way to do it. Dragging the blade back across the sharpening surface will round off the edge of your knife making it very dull.

Homework

Before you move on to the next section I suggest doing a little homework. Go to your kitchen and grab a knife and a mug. Flip the mug over on your counter exposing the uncoated ceramic on the bottom. Use that uncoated ceramic to sharpen your knife as I described above. You will be amazed at how well this works. Just remember to keep that angle consistent and to keep an equal number of strokes per side of the blade.

Now that your knives are nice and sharp, let’s move on to the next section.

How to hold the knife

Other than having a sharp knife nothing is more important when it comes to knife safety than the grip you have on your knife. The wrong grip can leave you with little to no control. It can also lead to hand cramps and fatigue. The proper grip, on the other hand, will give you maximum control over the knife while being relaxed enough to keep your hand from camping or getting fatigued.

I have seen people hold knives in a variety of ways. Some are okay, and some are terrible. But of all of the holds I have seen, there are two that stand out as the most common. Let’s take a look.

The wrong knife holds

The way back grip

First of all, we have what I call the way back grip. The knife is held very far back on the handle. This grip makes it look like the person holding the knife is trying to run away from the blade. The main problem with this grip is that the knife holder has no control over the knife. The knife will be very wobbly in the hand because this is not where the handle is designed to be held. It doesn’t fit in the hand properly. As I’m sure you may have guessed, a wobbly knife is an unsafe knife. Now only that, but there is no way to get consistency with your cuts when your knife is wobbling around like crazy.

This way back grip also completely changes the center of gravity for the knife which can lead to a lot of problems when cutting.

The pointing finger grip

The pointer finger grip is a little better than the way back grip, but not by much. This grip is where the knife holder places the index finger on top of the knife blade. This also reduces the knife holder’s control over the knife. Besides the increased potential for cramping, this technique turns the knife into a blunt object removing its innate agility.

There are three main ways to use a knife. Rock it back and forth. Push and pull it. Or, chop it straight up and down. The pointing finger grip locks the knife in the hand in such a way that it prevents the freedom of motion required to properly and efficiently use those three main techniques. In essence, it slows you down, makes you less precise, and makes the knife more dangerous by giving you less control.

There is also a weird thing that I have seen happen time and time again with this grip. For whatever reason when holding the knife in the pointer finger grip the knife holders hand has a tendency to migrate up the blade. Sometimes this becomes so extreme that they are no longer in contact with the handle at all holding only the blade. I know that sounds ridiculous but I have seen it happen time and time again.

Perfect Illustration

Just to illustrate my point I went to a stock image site and typed in slicing. The image below is what came up. Everything is wrong with this. If you look at the hand holding the knife it is in the pointer position so high up on the blade that one of the middle finger is pretty much under the blade. Come back to this image after you read the next few sections and see what else you can pick out as wrong about it.

The proper way to hold a knife

I want to make something very clear here, there is no one right way to hold a knife but there are two that are best. Which one you use is determined by the size of your knife in relation to your hand, and comfort. Let’s take a look.

When I was a little boy I played little league. Almost every time a player was at bat the coach would yell at them to choke up on the bat. What he meant was to hold the bat higher up on the handle, changing both the pivot point and the center of gravity of the bat. This allowed our tiny hands more control over the bat. Using a knife is very similar. The more you choke up on the handle (the closer to the blade of the knife you position your hand), the more control you will have over the knife.

I always suggest to people that they hold the knife as high on the handle as if comfortable for their hands. Again, this is really going to depend on the size of the handle in relation to your hand. The knife that I use most often has a fairly thin handle. Because of this, it is most comfortable for me to pinch the blade between my thumb and index finger just before it meets the handle. My other three fingers then wrap around the bottom of the handle in a relaxed but firm grip. This is the grip I most prefer and the one I recommend most.

The second best grip is really just a nice firm but relaxed grip high up on the handle as close to the blade as possible.

Your other hand

Let’s just clarify one thing right off the bat. Flat fingers create a big target for an out of control knife. Holding your hand flat against a piece of food while cutting is a really good way to cut yourself very badly.

The middle finger first position

A common cooking conundrum is how to hold the fingers on your other hand. I call what I am about to describe to you the middle finger first position. The best way I can figure to describe this is to stand your hand straight up on a cutting board. The fingertip of your middle finger should be the only part of your hand touching the board. Now, bend your middle finger only so much so that the tips of your index and ring fingers are now touching the board in line with your middle finger.

As scary as this will be to most of you, that first knuckle of your middle finger, the one that is slightly ahead of the ring and index fingers, should always be in contact with the side of your knife. It acts as a guide and stabilizer for your knife. As you cut, the side of the knife should always be being gently pushed into your middle finger. It is this finger that moves backwards and guides the knife. So, it is the hand that is holding the food that controls the width of the cut, not the knife-hand.

Benefits

The middle finger first position also gives an additional point of contact with the knife (the first knuckle of your middle finger). This acts as a stabilizing force on the knife. There should ideally be two to three points of contact on the knife at all times. The knife in the hand. The knuckle against the side of the blade, and the tip of the knife on the cutting board. We will get more into that last one when we look more in-depth at proper cutting techniques.

Holding your fingers in the middle finger first position will seem awkward in the beginning. The more you do it, the more natural it will become. As we’ve seen there are multiple benefits to this finger position. First of all, it creates a much smaller target than the flat finger position. It puts your fingers in a position that makes it very quick and easy to pull away should the knife slip. It helps to stabilize your knife. And, it allows you to cut more accurately and with greater speed.

Proper Cutting Technique

We touched on proper cutting techniques a little bit earlier in this post. Now, we are going to get a bit in-depth with it.

In movies and on tv shows when an actor playing a chef or cook cuts something it pretty much always happens in the same way. They essentially just smash their knife through the food and on to the cutting board over and over. This may look kind of cool but it is stupid for so many reasons.

Knives are not hammers

Knives are not hammers so they shouldn’t be used like one. Unless you are incredibly proficient with a knife there is no possible way to get any uniformity in your cuts when cutting in this tv style. Because of the diminished control and precision that comes with using a knife in this way the risk of injury is increased dramatically. It will also dull your knife, damage your cutting board, and bruise your food which can cause some foods to turn bitter.

Rather than using brute force to smash through foods, knives should be thought of as gliders.

Knives are gliders

Imagine a standard kitchen knife. Now, imagine that the blade of the knife is cut into even thirds. For most things, the back third of the blade is what should be cutting through the food. The side of the middle third of the blade should always be in contact with the first knuckle of your middle finger. And, some portion of the front third of the blade should always be in contact with the cutting board.

When cutting, rather than using an up and down motion (chop) the knife should be pushed forward and down so that it glides through the food. Then it should be pulled up and back to reset the position. You can think of it kind of like a sewing machine or like the piece of metal that connects the two wheels on one side of a locomotive. It is very important that some portion of the front third of the blade always be in contact with the cutting board when using this technique.

This technique is used for slicing small to medium-sized foods and it has a lot of advantages. First of all, it is much easier on the wrist, arm and hand than most other techniques. It is very safe because the knife always has three points of contact (knife hand, guide hand, cutting board). There is little to no force required due to the gliding and slicing motion. It is very accurate. And, it does not bruise the food being cut.

Homework

Go to your kitchen and get a cucumber or a carrot. Cut it into three-inch chunks then cut those in half lengthwise. Take one of those pieces of cucumber or carrot and place it so the flat, lengthwise cut surface is flat on the cutting board. Now, just like we talked about, stand your hand straight up on the carrot or cucumber so that only the tip of your middle finger is touching it. Bend your middle finger only enough so that the tip of each finger on either side of it comes into contact with the carrot. The three fingers should be in line with the first knuckle of the middle finger slightly ahead. Take your thumb and little finger and grip the carrot behind your front three fingers to stabilize it. Now, carefully using the glider technique cut the carrot using your middle finger on your guide hand to control the width of the cut.

Take your time with this. There is no need to rush. Speed will come with practice.

Basic Cuts

Now that we are all on the same page with how to use a knife properly, let’s take a look at some basic cuts that will come in handy throughout this course, and in your everyday life.

How to Julienne

Julienne is a type of cut where the food item is cut into matchstick. The size of the matchstick can vary from 3×3 mm to 1 x 1 cm. Julienne bigger than 1 x 1 cm and the julienne is known as a baton or batonnet. A similar style of cut used for soft herbs is known as a chiffonade. For a chiffonade, the herbs are rolled or stacked and cut into long thin strips.

To cut food julienne the food item is first cut into equal-sized pieces which are then sliced into planks the desired thickness of the final julienne. Those planks are then cut lengthwise a width equal to their thickness.

How to Dice

Dice means small cubes. To dice a food item, other than round foods, that item is first cut into either julienne or baton depending on the desired size of the final dice. The julienne or baton is then cut across to create evenly sized cubes. The bigger the julienne, the bigger the dice.

How to Slice and Dice an Onion

Onions and other round foods like tomatoes come with there own unique challenges and techniques to meet those challenges. Let’s take a look at how to slice and dice an onion.

Sliced Onion

When slicing an onion first cut off the top and bottom, then slice it in half down through the middle top to bottom. A lot of people peel onions whole but this is a pain. Instead, cut the onion in half, then peel it. It is much easier. Once the peel is removed place the two halves of the onion flat on the cutting board. You will notice lines running the length of the onion from top to bottom. You want to cut with these lines, not against them. Cutting against the line will lead to more onion juice flying in the air and you crying more. The onions also cook better when they are sliced this way rather than across the lines.

Diced Onion

To dice an onion first start by cutting only the top off. Then cut straight down through the root cutting the onion in half. It is very important that you leave the root attached. Peel the onion. Lay the onion flat and make two to six (depending on the desired size of the final dice) evenly spaced horizontal cuts in the onion again keeping the root intact. As you make the horizontal cuts keep your hand placed firmly on top of the onion with your fingers up. You want to make sure that your fingers are clear in case the knife slips.

Once you have completed your horizontal cuts, turn the onion so that the root is pointed away from you and make multiple verticle slices down through the onion. Once again, do not cut through the root. After you make your verticle slices you should be able to pick the onion up by the root and have it mostly hold together.

No, turn the onion once more so that the root is facing away from your knife. Slice straight down through the onion across the verticle slices. What you should have is evenly diced onions.

Conclusion

Following the basic knife skills I’ve laid out in this post will help you become a better cook. You will become faster, which will lead to you enjoying it more than you do right now. The big secret here though is that you have to consistently use these techniques if you want them to work for you. Reading this isn’t enough, you have to do the work. Practice, practice, practice.

If you haven’t checked out the first three posts in this series you can find them here, here and here.

If you can think of any basic knife skills tips or information that I missed please share it in the comments or on social media. And remember to subscribe to the blog up at the top right of this post so you don’t miss a thing.

5 Tips for How To Cook Rice Perfectly Every Time

by Chef Ben Kelly | Jan 31, 2020 | Cooking Tips

I can’t count the number of times people have told me about all the problems they have cooking rice. It’s too wet. They burnt it. The rice is crunchy. To some people, rice is the easiest thing to cook, but for some reason, others have a lot of trouble. This post is for the others. Today, I am going to show you how to cook rice perfectly every time with five simple tips. Are you ready to master rice? Let’s take a look.

Number 1 – Choosing Rice

There are over 40,000 varieties of cultivated rice out there, so choosing the right one for your needs can be difficult. There are only 3-4 varieties you need to think about in everyday cooking. They are basmati rice, brown rice (usually whole grain basmati), sticky rice such as sushi rice, jasmine rice, and arborio or carnaroli rice, which are both used to make risotto.

Though both basmati and jasmine make good all purposes rice, I prefer basmati as it is generally a bit cheaper, more readily available, and I find cooks a bit better. If I am making sushi, fried rice, or other foods from Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, or Vietnam, I typically use sticky rice, which will be labelled as sushi rice. If I am making risotto, it is either arborio (which I find easier to find) or carnaroli, which I prefer of the two. Brown rice I use if I feel I need a bit of a healthy boost, but this is rare for me though it is excellent in burrito bowls and the like.

Typically, I will have at least 2-3 of the above varieties of rice on hand at any given time. Notice how I didn’t list minute rice in there. To be blunt, I think minute rice is garbage. All of the flavours have been taken away in the name of convenience. White rice usually takes around 17-25 minutes to make from start to finish. While it’s cooking, the rest of the dinner can be prepared. I honestly see no reason for minute rice.

Number 2 – To Rinse or Not To Rinse

It is a good idea to rinse rice until the water runs clear for two main reasons. First of all, rinsing removes dirt and grime. Second of all, to rinsing takes away any excess starch. One key thing to keep in mind is that the rice must be drained very well after rinsing. Any excess water left from rinsing the rice may lead to the rice being soggy or mushy when cooked.

If you feel as though you are not getting enough water out of your rice, cut back the amount of water you are adding when cooking the rice by a tablespoon or two. This should compensate for the over-saturation.

Number 3 – Sauté the rice

Sautéing or toasting the rice in oil prior to adding the water can add an additional depth of flavour to the rice. Adding almost a nutty flavour and aroma. This can also help keep the grains of rice from sticking together.

To sauté or toast the rice heat a pot over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon or two of oil to the pot along with the rice. Cook the rice for 1-2 minutes or until it gets a pearly appearance rather than being solid white. Add the water as you usually would, bring to a boil, and cook as directed. This technique is especially useful when making risotto to get a more complex flavour and when making rice pilaf.

Number 4 – Rest The Rice

Though the ratio of rice to water and the timing may change, the standard procedure for making rice is pretty much standard across the board. There are exceptions to this, such as with dishes like risotto and paella. The basic rice procedure for making rice is as follows. Put the rice in a pot with the correct amount of water. Bring the water to a boil. Put a lid on the pot and turn the heat down to low. Simmer the rice for a set amount of time. Remove the pot from the heat and let the rice stand for a set amount of time. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Many, many people that I know tend to get impatient and skip the ever so crucial resting time when cooking rice. The resting period is usually only between 5-10 minutes and is worth every second. The rest gives the rice time to let off some steam and expel any excess moisture. Resting provides the rice with a better overall texture and allows it to hold it’s structure better when fluffed.

Number 5 – Read The Instructions

I’m not trying to be condescending here, I mean this seriously; when in doubt read the instructions. Different brands may process their rice in different ways leading to different cook times and different ratios of water to rice. It is essential to follow these instructions as carefully as possible to get perfect rice. There are occasionally issues with the package instructions. If you notice that you followed the directions to the letter, but the rice didn’t work out, you may need to adjust a few things the next time you make it. For example, if the rice is still very wet at the end of cooking, you may need to add a little less water. If the rice is mushy, you may need to cook it a little less and so on.

Bonus Tip

One complaint I hear from people is that they don’t like rice because it is boring. I think that is the fault of the cook, not the rice. Good quality rice actually has a lot of flavours, subtle as they may be. Flavourings may also be added to rice reasonably easily. Adding a bay leave and star anise to the cooking water when making rice will add a tonne of flavour. Herbs like thyme and rosemary can be added to the water too. Parsley or cilantro with lemon or lime zest can be folded into the rice once it is cooked. And the cooking liquid can be substituted for chicken, beef, pork, fish, mushroom, or vegetable stock, or even coconut milk.

There are thousands of ways to add flavour to the rice, and almost none of them are complicated or require much time. If your rice is boring, it is your fault, not the rice.

Conclusion

I eat way more rice than I do potatoes or pasta. I love it. It is easy to eat a lot because there are so many variates and flavours possibilities. Whether I’m making Mexican food, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, or anything else rice has a place on the table.

I hope that these tips have helped you feel a bit more confident cooking rice. If you do use some or all of these tips you may also notice that you are enjoying rice more. It isn’t just this bland, plain thing served on the side at Chinese Restaurants. It can be delicious on its own.

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Basic Cooking Course Week 1: Understanding Cooking Terms

by Chef Ben Kelly | Jan 29, 2020 | Cooking Tips

Have you ever opened a cookbook, or read a recipe online and felt as though you were reading something in a different language? Well, in some ways you were. Cooking does have a specific vocabulary associated with it. If you don’t understand that vocabulary you are already at a disadvantage. For example, if you don’t know what it means to “sauté”, “reduce by half”, or “julienne”, how can you accurately follow a recipe that includes those terms? Obviously you can’t.

Today is the launch of my free 10-week basic cooking course “Kitchen Clueless to Food Independent“. As it is the beginning we will be starting in what appears to me to be the most logical place, cooking terms. It seems to me that if you don’t understand what I’m saying you aren’t going to learn too much. So please join me as we define some of the most used and most important cooking terms you will come across in the course and beyond.

And with that, let’s take a look at…

Terms

Bake

To bake or baking means to cook something with dry, indirect heat as in an oven. An example of cooking over direct heat would be cooking over a flame. Typically baking is done with a moderate heat between 300°F – 375°F. Foods that would typically be baked include cakes, cookies, and bread.

Blanch

To blanch or blanching can mean two things. When referring to French Fries it means to partially cook in oil at a temperature of 300°F – 340°F. This blanching process cooks the fries through. The second and final cooking process is done on a higher heat 350°F – 375°F and crisps the outside of the fries. Without this initial blanching, the French Fries would get a very dark almost burnt colour on the outside in the amount of time it would take to cook them through.

The second meaning of blanching or to blanch is the more commonly used one. It means to place a food item in boiling water for a few seconds to a few minutes. The food item is then removed from the boiling water and placed in ice water to stop the cooking process.

This blanching process is used most commonly to peel tomatoes. A small cross cut is made on the bottom of the tomato which is then processed as described above. Once the tomato comes out of the ice water the peel comes off very easily. Two other uses for this process include helping to keep the vibrant green colour of basil when making pesto. And, for processing fresh vegetables prior to freezing them.

Braise

Braising is a moist-heat cooking method most commonly used for cooking meat. Braising is typically done at low temperatures over long periods of time. It is usually combined with a secondary cooking method such as searing or grilling.

The food item being braised is usually first seared in a hot pan to colour its outside and add flavour. Liquid such as wine, stock, or water is then added along with other flavourings. A lid is placed on the pot which is then placed in an oven preheated to a temperature between 275°F – 325°F.

Braising is a cooking method best suited to larger and tougher cuts of meat. Stewing is braising that is usually done on the stovetop rather than in an oven.

Brine

A brine is a salt and water solution most typically used to make fermented pickles and sauerkraut.

Today it is common to brine ribs, turkey, and chickens. These types of brine usually contain sugar along with salt, water and other flavourings. The benefit of bringing certain meat items is that the salt absorbs into the meat and binds with the protein molecules. This helps the meat retain moisture when cooked and also adds flavour.

Boil

Boiling is the point at which a liquid is heated so that it is vigorously bubbling. Boiling is used mostly to cook pasta, potatoes, and some vegetables. It can also be used for the processes of reduction and steaming. When meat, fish, vegetables or dumplings are set above boiling water and covered they are cooked by the steam evaporating off the surface of the boiling water.

Meats should not be boiled as the high heat and vigorous movement can toughen the protein strands, and make the meat rubbery. The term “boiled eggs” is a misnomer as eggs develop a sulfury smell and taste when subjected to the high heat of boiling. There is also the potential for the shells to break from the vigorous movement. Most other foods don’t do well when boiled. They tend to toughen, overcook, loose colour and flavour, and/or fall apart.

Broil

To broil is to cook something quickly over a very hot direct heat source. Most ovens have a broil setting that activates the top element in the oven which reaches temperatures in excess of 500°F. Broiling is most often down to melt cheese or quickly brown foods. It can also be used to cook steaks or pork chops.

Brown

Browning, also known as the Maillard reaction is the process by which amino acids and sugars present in food interact with heat and change colour and flavour. Think about browning a steak or the brown spots on the cheese and crust of a pizza. See caramelize (caramelization)

Caramelize

Caramelization is the process of oxidizing sugar using heat. We’ve all had caramel which is just refined sugar heat to the point of almost burning. Most foods, vegetables especially have natural sugars that when caramelized provide a deep flavour with a mild sweetness. Think of caramelized onions. This caramelization is also present in roasted vegetables to a lesser degree.

Caramelized onions are cooked over a low temperature for a fairly long amount of time. This low and slow cooking process draws the natural sugars out of the onion and the oxidizes them giving the onions a deep caramel brown colour and a sweet flavour.

Clarify

The term ” to clarify” means “to make clear” or to remove any solids and sediment from a liquid. In cooking it usually refers to either clarified butter or stock.

In the case of butter, it is first melted and left to sit for a few minutes. During that time the butterfat will separate from the milk solids. The butterfat, a golden coloured liquid will be sandwiched between two layers of cloudy white solids. The top layer of solids is carefully scooped off and discarded. The butterfat is then scooped out and saved leaving only the remaining milk solids on the bottom of the dish. For very clear clarified butter, the butterfat is then strained through cheesecloth.

Chop

To chop is to cut into small pieces with a vigorous cutting motion. This is usually only used for certain herbs like parsley or for very finely chopped meat such as for steak tartare.

When chopping, one hand holds the handle of the knife in a firm but a comfortable grip. The other hand is placed either on the back of the blade of the knife roughly 1/3 of the way from the tip of the blade to the handle. This will create a counterbalancing point and allow the knife to chop most efficiently.

Conventional Oven

A conventional oven is one that is heated either by burning gas, or electric elements from the top, bottom or both. The temperature is controlled by a thermometer attached to an on-off switch which turns the elements or gas on or off based on the set temperature.

Convection Oven

A convection oven is similar to a conventional oven but with the addition of a fan to circulate heated air. Convection ovens are generally more efficient. Typically, when using a convection oven the temperature is set 15°-25° lower than for a conventional oven. In modern convection ovens, this temperature change is automatic.

Higher-end convection ovens generally have three settings, Convect-Bake, Convect-Roast, and Convect-Broil. The convect-bake setting heats from the bottom. The convect-roast setting heats from the top element. The convect-broil setting heats from the top element as well but on a much higher temperature.

Cup

A cup is a standardized unit of volume measure that is described as both 250 ml and 240 ml. In the metric system 1 cup = 250 ml, while in the US 1 cup usually = 240 ml. For most things, this difference won’t have much of an effect. However, for baking, it is important to note which cup you are supposed to be using. (that’s why baking is best done by weight rather than volume).

A cup can be broken down into 1/2, 1/3 and 1/4 cups.

For accurate measuring buy good quality measuring cups with cleary written measurements.

Deep Fry

To deep fry is to cook foods completely submerged in hot oil. The temperature range for deep frying oil generally falls between 325°F and 375°f. Canola oil, lard, duck fat, and peanut oil are the fats most commonly used for deep frying due to their high smoke point.

When deep-frying it is important that the oil is up to temperature prior to the food being added. Food added to oil that has not reached a proper cooking temperature may absorb large amounts of oil and be overly greasy.

Deglaze

To deglaze means to add liquid, generally alcohol such as wine, to a hot pan to release bits of food that have become stuck to its surface. This is typically done when making a pan sauce or gravy. It is important that the pan be hot when the liquid is added otherwise the stuck food bits won’t lift up as easily.

Demiglace (or just demi)

Demiglacce means half glave in french. Essentially, it is a thick brown sauce made of thickened stock. The stock is traditionally thickened with a roux however it is also common to thicken the stock using natural gelatin. Demiglace can be used as a sauce by itself or added to pan sauces to create a secondary sauce.

Dice

To dice is to cut food into small cubes. There are four main sizes of dice. A fine dice, also known as a brunoise is usually around 3 mm x 3 mm x 3mm. A small dice is usually 6 mm x 6mm x 6mm. A medium diced is generally 9 mm x 9mm x 9mm. And a large dice is 1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm.

Foods that are to be diced are typically first cut into slabs or boards, then into sticks, or matchsticks the same dimension of the diced cubes. Then the matchsticks are lined up and cut across to make the final dice. The bigger the dice the bigger the matchsticks.

Dry Roast

To dry roast is very similar to baking but usually done on a higher heat between 375°f and 450°F. The “dry” in dry roasting typically means that no fat or liquid is added to the food item being roasted. Dry roasting is typically used when roasting nuts, seeds, or coffee beans.

Emulsify

To emulsify or emulsification is the act of combining two liquids that typically don’t mix (water and oil). Examples of common emulsifications include mayonnaise, chocolate, hollandaise sauce, and vinaigrettes.

To make an emulsification a binder is typically used. The binders help hold together the two liquids that don’t want to hold together. In the case of mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce, the binder is the egg yolk. When making a vinaigrette the binder is typically mustard either prepared or dried.

Fillet

A fillet is a boneless cut of meat or fish. In Europe, a fillet of beef refers to beef tenderloin.

Garnish

Garnish can refer to something added to a dish for presentation purposes such as edible flowers or curly parsley. It can also refer to a series of ingredients added to a broth-based soup or pizza. In pho, for example, the garnish could refer to the cilantro and Thai basil and/or the other vegetables present in the soup.

Glaze

A glaze in cooking is a thick, usually sweet sauce, that is added to foods during the cooking process. Often the glaze will add shine to the food item. Carrots are often glazed with a little honey and vinegar or brown sugar and butter.

Gram

A gram is a small unit of measure in the metric system weighing approximately the same as 1 cubic centimetre of water. For conversion to the American system, 1 oz equals roughly 28 g.

Grill

To grill (grilled) is typically synonymous with barbecuing as referred to in Canada. However, food cooked in a grill pan, over an indoor electric or gas grill, can also be called grilled.

Gratin

Gratin can be either a crust of melted cheese and bread crumbs or the process of melting and browning the cheese. The most common use of the term is potatoes au gratin which is a dish of thinly sliced potatoes cooked in cream and topped with cheese that is melted under a broiler (gratin).

Julienne

Julienne is a type of cut where the food item is cut into matchstick. The size of the matchstick can vary from 3×3 mm to 1 x 1 cm. Julienne bigger than 1 x 1 cm and the julienne is known as a batonnet. A similar style of cut used for soft herbs is known as a chiffonade. For a chiffonade, the herbs are rolled or stacked and cut into long thin strips.

Kilogram

A kilogram (also known as a kilo or kg) is a unit of measure in the metric system weighing approximately the same as 1 Litre of water. 1 kilogram equals 1000 grams. For conversion to the American system, 1 kg = approx. 2.2 lbs.

Low and Slow

Low and slow is a term in common use referring to a style of cooking on low heat for a long period of time. Braising, smoking, and “slow cooking” all fall under low and slow.

Litre

A litre (L) is a unit of liquid measure in the metric system comprised of 1000 millilitres, 4 metric cups, or approx. 2 pints. For US conversion 1 L = approx. 32 fl oz.

Marinade/Marinate

A marinade is a strongly flavoured liquid used to tenderize and flavour meat, fish, and poultry. A marinade differs from brine in that it generally contains an acid such as vinegar, oil, and spices a brine is a saltwater solution.

To marinate food, the marinade ingredients are combined and the food being marinated is added and left to sit over a period of time. The food item is then removed from the marinade and cooked as desired. Some marinades are than pasteurized by boiling and used as a sauce or a glaze.

Mother Sauces

In French cooking, there are five base sauces known as the mother sauces. Other ingredients are added to these base sauces to create an unlimited array of secondary sauces. The mother sauces are Hollandaise, Tomato, Espagnole, Veloute, Bechamel.

Béarnaise sauce is made by steeping shallots, tarragon, and often peppercorns in vinegar. The resulting liquid is used in place of lemon juice in Hollandaise. In this case, Hollandaise would be the mother sauce and Béarnaise sauce would be the secondary sauce.

Mince

Mince can refer to ground or very finely chopped meat. Most commonly the word Mince refers to food items that have been cut very, very small or the act of cutting food very small. It is an imprecise term that has no specific measurements associated with it.

Mirepoix

Mirepoix is a combination of 2 parts onions, 1 part each celery and carrot. This combination is used extensively in French cooking to flavour soups and sauces. In Italian, this combination is known as soffritto not to be confused with Spanish and Portuguese sofrito which is a combination of onion, tomato, garlic and pepper.

Pan-Fry

Pan-fry can mean to either cook in a shallow pan on the stovetop in a small amount of oil over moderate heat. It is often used as an interchangeable term for sautéeing however pan-fried items are oven coated in bread crumbs or flour prior to cooking. Pan-frying differs from shallow-frying in that much less oil is used to pan-fry generally only 1-2 tbsp.

The style of cooking is most commonly used for cooking fish such as haddock, cod or trout.

Pinch

Often in recipes, you will be told to “add a pinch of salt” or “a pinch of cinnamon”. A pinch is an amount you can pick up between the ends of your thumb and index finger. In the case of salt, you would reach your thumb and index finger into the salt dish (best not to use a shaker), and pinch your fingers together. The amount of salt between those two fingers is a pinch. and you have a pinch of salt. Occasionally the middle finger may be included in the pinch though this won’t drastically increase the amount of salt that is picked up.

Poach (poached, poaching)

To poach is to cook in simmering water. This style of cooking is most typically used for eggs and fish. It is important when poaching that the water is not boiling. The water should be hardly moving. Because the foods most commonly poached are fragile, the vigorous motion of boiling will break the food. Also, the high-heat of boiling can have a negative effect on the texture of foods.

Poaching can be done in plain water, flavoured water, olive oil, beer, or wine.

Reduce

It is not uncommon to be told to “reduce by half” or “reduce by two thirds” in a recipe. This is referring to the amount of liquid that has evaporated from the overall volume.

A recipe that tells you to “add 1 cup of wine then reduce by half” is saying to cook the wine until the total volume is half as much as you initially added. In this case, the total amount of wine left in the pan should be about a 1/2 cup.

Reducing liquids has two main purposes. First and foremost it concentrates the flavour. Water evaporates but the flavour stays behind. The more water you take out the more intense the flavour will be. The second purpose is to thicken. The more water you take out of a substance the thicker it will be.

Render (rendering)

Rendering is the process of slowly melting fat out of a food item. When cooking bacon it is common to start it in a cold pan. The pan and the bacon heat at roughly the same rate. This slow heating allows the fat in the bacon to melt away or render from the bacon. The bacon then cooks in this fat and gets very crispy.

You may also see this term when talking about cooking duck breasts. Duck skin is very fatty but very flavourful. To make it palatable some of the fat has to be rendered out.

Roast

Roasting traditionally refers to cooking in front of a flame over a long period of time. Today it is more commonly used to refer to baking meat on high heat between 375°F – 450°f. Modern ovens will have a “roast” setting which turns on the top element of the oven rather than the bottom element. This creates a nice crust or “roasted” appearance on the surface of the meat.

Roasting is a technique most commonly used for large cuts of meat such as hams, legs of lamb, or big pieces of beef. It is also common to roast vegetables. Roasted vegetables take on a mildly sweet flavour that highlights their natural flavours.

Roux

A roux is a mixture of equal parts (by weight) of flour and fat (most commonly butter) used to thicken soups and sauces.

To make a roux the fat is first melted then the flour is added. This mixture is cooked for 2-35 minutes depending on how dark a roux is desired. The darker the roux the nuttier the flavour. Light roux (cooked for 2-5 minutes) are the most common. Very dark roux is generally used to make Gumbo.

The general rule for adding a roux to a soup or sauce is that cold liquid should be added to a hot roux and a cold roux should be added to hot liquids. If this is done in reverse the risk of lumps increases dramatically.

Sauté

In French satué means to jump, that is the best way to describe this cooking technique. Food is added to a hot frying pan with a small amount of fat and cooked quickly while being tossed or stirred. The food is almost constantly kept in motion to prevent burning due to the high cooking temperature. This technique is most commonly used for vegetables.

Score

To score is to make small shallow cuts into a food item. This can be done to the bottom of a tomato that is going to be balanced and peeled. It can also be done to pork or duck skin to allow a marinade to penetrate more deeply, to create a nice presentation, or to allow for skin and fat to become crisper during cooking.

Sear (sealing)

Searing used to be called sealing because it was believed that the process sealed in moisture and flavour. This is false. Searing is done in a pan over very high heat with little to no fat. The purpose is to brown the surface of the meat, poultry, or fish very quickly. This browning adds a dept to the flavour that would otherwise not be there. This technique can be used on its own but is more commonly combined with braising.

When making a beef stew it is common to sear or brown the beef before adding it into the gravy to be braised.

Season (seasoning)

You will see time and time again in recipes to “season to taste” the seasoning being referred to is salt and pepper unless otherwise specified. The “to taste” part of that just means to add salt and pepper until you think it tastes good enough.

Shred (shredded/grated)

To shred or shredded usually refers to cabbage or lettuce that has either been cut very thinly or that has been grated on a cheese grater. Shredded cabbage can most commonly be found in coleslaw while shredded lettuce is most commonly used as a topping for hamburgers.

Simmer

To simmer is to cook a liquid on low heat. Usually, this item has been brought to boil first then the heat was turned down and the boil stops and turns into a simmer. Where a boil is violently churring liquid, a simmer is a very calm bubbling liquid.

Simmering is a way to cook liquids over a long period of time to intensify the flavour and to thicken. You simmer a pasta sauce or pot of chilli.

Skim

Skim can refer to a type of milk that has had the majority of fat emoved or skimmed off the top. It can also refer to the process of removing any scum that has accumulated at the top of a stockpot. Skimming a stock helps to ensure a clear appearance and flavour.

Slice

A slice is a thin, broad cut of food. Think a slice of cheese, tomato or bread. This type of cut can be used to cut vegetables such as onions, carrots, celery, and cabbage, as well as meats like roast beef or chicken. Slice is a fairly broad term used commonly to just mean cut.

Steam

Steam is water in its gaseous form. Water has a boiling point of 212°F any temperature above that and the water becomes steam. Because steam is hotter than water is can be used to cook foods quicker and more efficiently than boiling or simmering water. Because foods that are steamed are not submerged in water then retain more of their nutritional value.

Food that is to be steamed is placed in a sealed basket above boiling water. The steam collects in the sealed basket and cooks the food. I like to think of steaming as water smoking. Where smoking is cooking food with vapour from superheated wood, steaming is cooking food with vapour from superheated water.

Stew

A stew is a food item generally containing meat and vegetables cooked in a thickened stock or gravy.

Stewed fruit and vegetables are generally cooked in a small amount of water that has been thickened with flour, cornstarch, or reduction like stewed tomatoes.

Stock (Broth)

A stock is a flavoured liquid made by simmering bones with vegetables and herbs. This liquid is strained and used as the base liquid for soups, braises, and sauces, or to cook rice or potatoes.

Today the term bone broth gets thrown around a lot but this isn’t actually a thing. Where stock is made by simmering bones a broth is made by simmering meat. They are two very distinct things with different uses. Stock is used as a base of other foods but would never be served on its own. A broth, on the other hand, is served on its own as a soup.

Stir-Fry

Stir-fry can refer to both a style of cooking and a style of food. The style of cooking is the Asian equivalent to sauté. The difference is that a stir-fry is most typically cooked in a wok where a sauté is done in a regular frying pan. The food stir-fry is a combination of meat and vegetables that have been cooked using the stir-fry technique.

Tablespoon/Teaspoon

A tablespoon (tbsp) is a unit of volume measure. In the metric system 1 tbsp = exactly 15 ml. In the US system 1 tbsp = 14.8 ml. Strangely enough in Australia 1 tbsp = 20 ml. 4 metric tbsp = 1/4 cup

A teaspoon (tsp) is also a unit of volume measure. 3 tsp = 1 tbsp. In the metric system 1 tsp = 5 ml. In the US system 1 tsp = 4.92 ml. Oddly enough an Australian tsp is the same as a metric tsp.

The differences in these measurements from place to place are small but it is important to note where the recipe is coming from especially if you are multiplying the recipe. Small differences become large ones on a certain scale.

Temper (tempering)

To temper or tempering is the process of slowly adding a hot liquid to a cooler liquid to slowly increase the temperature. The process is generally used with items containing a high portion of egg or an item that may curdle. The idea is that by gradually increasing the temperature of the potentially volatile item it is less likely to curdle.

This process is used for lots of recipes but is best illustrated when making a chocolate mousse. Egg yolk and sugar is beaten together while chocolate is melted with rum and espresso. The chocolate mixture is considerably hotter than the egg yolk mixture. Because of this temperature difference adding all the chocolate at once would solidify the egg yolk leaving little bits of cooked egg yolk in the mousse. Instead, if the hot chocolate is whisked into the egg yolk in a slow steady stream the temperature will gradually increase, and the egg yolk won’t cook in the same way. What could have been a lumpy gross mess is instead smooth and delicious.

Tempering has a second meaning and is used to refer to chocolate that has been tempered in order to have it set firm, shiny, and with a nice cracking sound when broken. This is done by melting chocolate at one temperature, adding unmelted chocolate to lower the temperature and then slightly raising the temperature. These temperature changes cause the cocoa butter in the chocolate to harden into a specific crystalline pattern. This pattern is what gives tempered chocolate its texture and appearance.

Toss

To toss is to flip and jostle food in a bowl or pan in order to evenly distribute a sauce or another ingredient. You may toss cooked French Fries in a bowl with salt to evenly coat the fries with the seasoning.

Tossing a pan refers to a push and pull motion of a pan which causes the food to flip forward and back down on itself. Professional chefs use this technique rather than stirring because it is quicker and in many ways more efficient.

Truss

To truss is to tie a food item, often poultry, or meat to be roasted. When trussing a chicken the legs and wings are brought tight to the body in order to ensure a more even cook.

Next week…

Come back next Wednesday for Week 2 of my free basic cooking course when we look at and define basic cooking equipment. Remember to subscribe to the blog so you never miss a post and please share this post with anyone you know who needs a little help in the kitchen.

If there are any terms you are unsure of that I didn’t include on this list please mention it in the comments. I will define it for you and it will likely help other people too.

Thanks as always for reading and taking part in the course. See you Friday!

From kitchen clueless to Food Independent – My free 10-week basic cooking course

by Chef Ben Kelly | Jan 22, 2020 | Cooking Tips

It’s hard to believe but I started this blog well over two years ago. The main reason I did was to inspire people to cook more often. The idea was that by sharing information, recipes, and tips I could help people be more efficient and quicker in the kitchen. It was and is my hope that this will lead people to enjoy cooking more, and in turn, cook more.

The biggest issues preventing people from cooking.

When I talk to people about the biggest issues they face when trying to prepare meals at home, time is almost always the answer. I understand. I work a lot, I have a very young child, time easily slips away. But the food we eat is so closely related to our health and happiness, that it should be the last thing to slip, not the first.

Cooking is not only seen as time-consuming but also difficult. I believe that this is due to a lack of knowledge about cooking. Many people in the last few generations haven’t been taught basic cooking skills. For example, how to properly use a knife. It’s not their fault they weren’t taught these skills, but it is a problem. It’s time to change that.

Over the next 10 weeks

Over the next 10 weeks on the blog, I am going to dedicate every Wednesday’s post to basic cooking skills. We’ll start with basic cooking terms, move on to kitchen equipment, basic knife skills and so on. By the end of the 10th week, we will have gone through essentially a crash course in cooking. You will be able to make a variety of things without recipes, you’ll be able to make basic soups and sauce, salads, meals and a variety of other things. But more importantly, you will understand the how and why it all.

It’s my hope that with this free basic cooking course you will be able to enter your kitchen with an entirely new perspective and understanding. And that cooking won’t be something you have to do at the end of a long day, but rather the thing you look forward to to relax.

Who is the free basic cooking course for?

Whether you’ve been cooking at home for years or you’re just starting out, please join me over the next 10 weeks as we get down to the nitty-gritty of cooking. I strongly believe that even the most seasoned home cook will gain some valuable knowledge. And, if you know someone, a friend, your children, a neighbour, or coworker who is kitchen clueless, share this with them and give them the gift of food independence. Together we can make a difference.

What’s the best way to cook…?

by Chef Ben Kelly | Dec 6, 2019 | Cooking Tips

Today I am going to do something that I really enjoy but that I haven’t done in a long time. This morning I went to google.ca and typed “what’s the best way to cook” into the search bar. Google then suggested the 10 most common search queries starting with “what’s the best way to cook” and today I am going to answer all 10 of those questions. From halibut to zucchini this is what’s the best way to cook?

What’s the best way to cook halibut?

Halibut is a delicious fish that can be cooked in a variety of ways and combined with a variety of flavours. I personally find that halibut is best when seared in a pan and then finished in the oven.

To do this you just have to get a pan nice and hot over medium heat. Splash a few drops of water into the pan (there shouldn’t be any oil in the pan when you do this) if the water sizzles and evaporates within a second or two your pan is hot. Add a few teaspoons of oil to the pan, season the halibut with salt and pepper then put in the pan presentation side up.

The presentation side is the side that didn’t have the skin attached. Cook the halibut until it is nicely browned, this could take from 2 to 5 minutes depending on the pan and how hot it was. Flip the halibut and add a small handful of cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook for one minute. Then add in a big handful of spinach followed by about a half cup of white wine. Add in a few sprigs of thyme, parsley, and or basil then pop the whole thing in a 400°f oven for 7-12 minutes depending on the size of the fish.

Remove the halibut from the pan and place the pan back on the burner over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until a spoon dragged across the bottom of the pan leaves a line for a second or two. Remove the pan from the heat and add in 1-2 tbsp of butter, stir then pour over the halibut.

What’s the best way to cook beets?

For my money beets are best when roasted whole. This maximizes their flavour without making them soggy.

To oven roast beets, first, wash them and pat dry. Now, cut just enough off of the top of each beet to make a flat surface for the beets to sit on. Toss the beets with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the beets in a parchment-lined roasting pan and bake on 350°F for about an hour but depending on the size of the beets it could be a bit more or less time. The beets are done when a fork or knife is easily slid into them.

Once the beets are cooked allow them to cool for a few minutes. While still warm pick the beets up one by one and rub them using a paper towel. This should pull the skin off leaving only the delicious roasted beet underneath.

After the beets are peeled they can be tossed with butter and salt and pepper, cooled and used in a salad, or whatever else you can think to do with them.

What’s the best way to cook bacon?

Although some people may disagree I do believe that there is one best way to cook bacon. Spoiler alert, it doesn’t involve water.

I know that there are some people out there that think that the best way to cook bacon is to start it in a pan of water, cook it until the water evaporates then continue to cook until the bacon gets crispy. With all due respect, this is stupid. First of all the water is removing a lot of the flavour of the bacon and it’s not coming back. Secondly, once the water has mostly evaporated you are left with hot bacon fat in water which leads to lots of splatters and potentially serious burns. What you’re left with maybe crispy bacon but it is also going to be flavourless and it took a long time to get there.

My preferred method for cooking bacon is to start it in a cold pan. Lay the bacon in the pan, put the pan on the burner, and turn the burner on medium. As the pan slowly heats up it will start to melt the fat off the bacon. This does two things. Number 1, it makes the bacon a little less fatty. Number 2, the excess fat in the pan means that you are essentially deep frying the bacon in its own fat and flavour. Once the bacon is cooked on the bottom, flip it over and finish it. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and taste the crispiest, tastiest bacon ever.

Another great way to cook bacon is to lay it flat in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake it in a 350°F oven until it’s crispy.

What’s the best way to cook salmon?

Like with halibut I prefer a two-step cooking process when it comes to salmon. I sear it in a pan following a similar method to the halibut mentioned above, then I put it in a 350°F oven until it is cooked through. This works well for fillets but for bigger pieces, I like to just bake them in the oven.

The most important thing to remember when cooking fish is to not over-cook it. With fish, it is always better to have it slightly undercooked then slightly overcooked. You can always cook it a touch more, but you can never un-cook it. Err on the side of caution.

When it comes to sauces for salmon, simple is almost always better. A few teaspoons of dijon mustard mixed with maple always works well. Fresh chopped herbs mixed with a bit of oil and vinegar is great too. Don’t overcomplicate it, salmon has a delicate flavour that is easily overpowered.

What’s the best way to cook sweet potatoes?

There are two main ways to cook sweet potatoes. You can boil them or you can roast them in the oven.

To boil sweet potatoes, leave them whole and with the peel still on them. Put them in a pot, cover them with cold salted water, and put them on a burner on high. Bring them to a boil and cook until tender. Once they are cooked you can peel and mash them (the peel will slip right off), eat them as they are, or mix them in with something else.

Starting the sweet potatoes in cold water allows them to heat up and cook more evenly than if they are started in hot water. Yes, this will take a little longer to cook, but the sweet potato will be cooked evenly rather than mushy on the outside and firm in the middle.

To roast, the sweet potatoes either cut them in half lengthwise (peel still on) or peel them and dice them. Toss or drizzle them with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast the sweet potatoes in the oven on 375°F until cooked through. ‘

One other method for cooking sweet potatoes that I really love and that is actually my favourite is to place the whole sweet potato next to the hot coals of a campfire. Turn it ever 5-10 minutes so it cooks evenly then eat it with salt and a bit of butter.

What’s the best way to cook liver?

Liver doesn’t seem like it is all that common these days but I think we would all be surprised to see just how many people still eat it on a regular basis.

To get the best flavour out of liver it is a good idea to soak it in milk for a minimum of 12 hours prior to cooking it. This will help to draw impurities and off-tastes out of it. When you are ready to cook it, remove it from the milk, pat it dry with a paper towel, dip it in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper and cook it in a hot pan with butter. It will only take 3-4 minutes per side to cook the liver through and it is best to leave just a touch of pink in the center.

What’s the best way to cook sausage?

There are a lot of different ways that you can cook sausage form roasting them in the oven, to boiling them in beer and finishing them on the grill. They can be simmered in sauerkraut, or cut up and cooked in pasta sauce. Because there are so many options I honestly can’t say there is one best. But, here are a few links to some posts I’ve done with sausage that may give you a few ideas. Sausage and Lentils, White bean and chorizo soup, and Bangers and Mash.

What’s the best way to cook a turkey?

For my money, the best way to cook a turkey is also the easiest. Pat the skin dry, rub all over with butter, salt, and pepper, and loosely stuff it with onion, carrot, celery, and maybe a few links of sausage. Roast it uncovered in a 325°f oven for about 20 minutes per pound or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. One the turkey is cooked let it rest loosely covered with foil for 30 minutes before slicing.

For more creative whole turkey recipes check out the four turkeys post I did.

What’s the best way to cook kale?

The best way to cook kale is to not cook it at all. In fact, don’t eat it at all. It is terrible. Okay, but seriously there is a way to make it taste okay.

Remove the stems from the kale, and discard. Cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the kale into the pot in 2-3 batches. Cook the kale for 30 seconds then remove and put in a bowl of ice water. Repeat this process until all the kale has been blanched. Drain off the ice water and dry the kale as best you can by using a towel and a salad spinner. Toss the kale with a generous amount of olive oil and salt and pepper. Lay it out on a sheet pan and bake it on 325°F for 45 minutes to an hour or until the kale gets crispy. Serve as a side with salmon or halibut.

What’s the best way to cook zucchini?

When I was a kid we had a big garden and every year without fail we would end up with way more zucchini then we knew what to do with. My mom had found a recipe for zucchini chocolate cake which was actually really good. But other than masking the flavour of zucchini with chocolate what can be done with it? There is one way that I like to cook it above everything else.

The first step is to cut the zucchini into long thin noodles, you can use a spiralizer if you want. Then heat up a pan with a bit of olive oil. Add a handful of cherry tomatoes into the pan, then the zucchini. Cook for about 2 minutes then add in a few tablespoons of pesto, toss and serve. This works great as a main course or a side dish.

Conclusion

And there you have it, 10 questions asked and answered. Do you have a “what’s the best way to cook…” question that I didn’t answer here? I’d love to answer it for you. Ask me in the comments below or on social media. Have a great weekend everyone.

Tips For Getting More Flavour With Less Salt

by Chef Ben Kelly | Nov 29, 2019 | Cooking Tips

I am a big fan of salt. I would go so far as to say that I love salt. For someone in my profession, it is one of the most valuable tools we have at our disposal. Despite my love of the edible mineral, there are some people out there that for many different reasons must eat a reduced-sodium diet. That raises the question of how does one maximize flavour while using less salt? That is the question that I hope to answer today.

I want to be very clear that I am obviously not a medical professional, nor am I an expert in low sodium cooking. The information I provide below is simply meant to demonstrate how certain cooking techniques and ingredients can help to increase the flavour of food while using less salt or no salt at all. As I am not an expert in this I would welcome any information that any of you may be able to add in the comments.

Let’s get to it….

The purpose of salt.

Before we can really understand cooking without salt we should first understand cooking with it. Why is salt used in cooking and what does it do?

Salt has many purposes and uses in food from preservation to enhancing flavour. Today, we are going to skip over preservation and things like that because if you are on a low-salt diet I feel like you probably aren’t going to be munching down on a leg of prosciutto or a crock of sauerkraut any time soon. What we are going to focus on mainly is the ability of salt to enhance flavour.

Salt is used in cooking primarily as a way to enhance the flavours around it. I always like to equate it to tuning an instrument. An out of tune guitar or violin sounds off, even if it is only slightly out of tune. But, with just a little tuning that same instrument can sound amazing. That is the role salt plays in most cooking. It tunes the food. It brings all the separate flavours together so that they play in perfect harmony.

Is there a way to get that harmony with less salt?

In all honesty, to the best of my knowledge, there is no way to get that perfect balance without salt. But, we can come very close using other elements of flavour. Okay, what are the other main elements of flavour and how do we add them into our food?

The elements of flavour.

As we all probably know there are five commonly recognized tastes. (I believe that there are a lot more but we will keep this simple) They are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. Because we want to avoid the salty element, we have to adjust and maximize the other elements. Let’s take a look at each one and see how we can add it to our cooking, and how we can balance it with the other flavours.

Sweet

The sweet flavour likely isn’t the first thing that pops into your mind when thinking about how to make food taste good without salt. But, it is an important element to a perfectly balanced flavour harmony.

One interesting thing about salt is that it makes sweet things taste sweeter. Think of salted caramel. But this also works in reverse. Sweet things make salty things taste saltier. So, the goal is to find a way to get more sweetness out of our sweet ingredients.

Most commonly in savoury dishes, a sweet element comes in the form of vegetables like carrots, peas, parsnips, corn, squash, and more. The first step in getting the most sweetness we can out of these ingredients is to not overcook them. Boil peas and carrots only until they are tender, not mushy. A second thing we can do, this works really well with root vegetables and squash is to roast them on high heat (375-425°F). This roasting will actually caramelize some of the sugar naturally present in the foods making them sweeter. This, as we know, will make a natural salt in the dish taste a little saltier.

This same caramelization concept works with tomato or tomato ingredients. Tomatoes are actually a perfect food in terms of flavour because they are naturally sweet, sour, and umami. Having said that we can maximize their sweetness no matter what form they come in. Imagine you are making a curry. You sauté the onions, ginger, and garlic, then add in a few tablespoons of tomato paste. If you slowly cook that tomato paste for 10-12 minutes or until it starts to darken (the sugars are caramelizing) the flavour will become sweeter. This allows you to bump up the sweetness of the dish, and get more balance of flavour without adding sugar or salt.

Sour

A little sour can go a long way. In most dishes, a sour element comes from the addition of citrus, vinegar or wine. Using one or two of these ingredients in tandem can have a big impact on flavour. Imagine for example that you are making a cream sauce for pasta. You use a bit of white wine in the beginning and then you finish the sauce with a splash of fresh lemon juice (adding a bit of the zest will help too). You will have this mild baseline acidity from the wine, but then this really bright upfront pop of flavour from the lemon. This will balance really well with the natural sweetness of the cream.

As I mentioned above, tomatoes are naturally acidic as well, so adding a few tomatoes, or some tomato paste to a stew or soup can up the acidity (or sweetness depending on how you cook them) and thus creating more balance in the dish.

Bitter

Bitter is a flavour that we North Americans generally shy away from. However, a little bitterness can add a lot to a dish. Having said that, this element should be used sparingly. Some foods that we commonly eat that are bitter include kale and other dark leafy greens, olive oil, coffee, cocoa, broccoli, and more. Bitterness can also come from char. I know that this may seem odd but a little burnt can actually make foods taste better. Emphasis on the little there.

Bitter flavours make us salivate and stimulate our appetite. This salvation opens our palate and allows us to taste more clearly. So, where a little bitter may not necessarily make food taste better (though it can), it makes our ability to taste better.

Let’s take a look back at the roasted vegetables we talked about in the sweetness section for a second. If we use olive oil on those vegetables when roasting we can add a small amount of bitter flavour. We can also slightly overcook or burn the vegetables (again very slightly) and that will help balance the sweetness. What we should also realize is that if we squeeze a little lemon over those vegetables when they come out of the oven, and maybe even a little lemon zest, they will really pop. All this without a touch of salt.

Umami

The final flavour is umami. There are a lot of people who are confused as to what exactly umami is, but really all it is is savoury. It’s that flavour you get when you bite into a piece of cheese, a steak, a mushroom, or a pickle. It’s the flavour that keeps you going back for more. Adding this element into a dish is the final and probably most important way to balance flavour without using salt.

Let’s look at our roasted vegetable example one more time. What have we done to them so far? The vegetables were tossed in olive oil to add a touch of bitterness. Then we roasted them on high heat to make them sweeter by carmelizing their natural sugars. We even slightly overcooked them to get a bit of char around the edges to add a bit more bitter. And we added a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of lemon zest to add acidity which will add a big pop of flavour. Now, if we add a bit of cheese like Swiss or a very small amount of parmesan (Parmesan is high in salt but is generally okay in small amounts) we will get this umami flavour which will balance the whole thing out. Our vegetables will be incredibly flavourful without ever having come into contact with salt.

Putting it all together.

Let’s take a second and imagine a full meal. Let’s say pork chops with potatoes and vegetables. For simplicity’s sake, we will keep the vegetables the same as the above example. Now, what’s really important to note is that we want to maximize all the elements of the meal separately, but we also need to think of the flavour of the dish as a whole. How are these different elements going to work together? Meaning, how are the vegetables going to balance the pork chops, how are the pork chops going to affect the flavour of the potatoes, etc?

Pork Chops

Let’s start with the pork chops. First of all pork chops are great for a variety of reasons. They have a fairly neutral flavour that goes with just about anything. Like all meat, they have built-in umami. And, they hold up well to multiple cooking styles. Let’s say we sear our pork chops in a pan. We add in a bit of garlic, onion, and tomato and cook until the vegetables start to brown. We add a bit of white wine and chicken stock to the pan and simmer until the pork is cooked. Finally, we add a teaspoon of dijon mustard and mix that into the wine and stock to create a sauce.

For the pork chop, we have umami from the pork. We added sweetness by caramelizing the onions, garlic, and tomato. And we added acidity with the wine and mustard. There is no need to add too much sweetness or any bitterness because we are going to get that from the roasted vegetables.

Potatoes

When it comes to the potatoes, in order to keep the balance with the rest of the dish I would suggest a very simple preparation. Roast them with olive oil, rosemary, and a touch of lemon. Or mash them with a bit of sour cream and chive. The brightness of lemon or sour cream will add a punch to the potatoes and help to make them taste good again without salt.

The point here is that all of these elements are going to work together. Nothing is going to be overpowering but every bite will be flavourful.

Conclusion

In all honesty, using all the techniques I just shared with you will help to make food taste good without salt. Unfortunately, there really is no replacement for salt. There’s no getting around it. Humans are biologically designed to love salt. But, if you are a person who has to eat a low sodium diet this will hopefully help you in some way.

Thank you to Doreen B. for requesting this post.

If you liked this post you may also like these…

• HOW TO TASTE YOUR FOOD
• 5 Basic Principles Of Cooking
• HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY FOOD TASTE GOOD
• The Great Tomato Taste Test
• HOW TO MAKE THINGS TASTE GOOD – ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
• 5 ESSENTIAL SPICE BLENDS

5 Cooking Principles for Success

by Chef Ben Kelly | Nov 13, 2019 | Cooking Tips

Whether you are just starting out in the kitchen or have been cooking for years, it is important to have a strong foundation in the principles of cooking. In this blog post, we will delve into the five most essential principles that will help you create delicious meals and improve your culinary skills. From understanding the importance of balance in flavours to mastering the technique of browning, these principles will provide a solid foundation for your cooking journey. Keep reading to learn more and take your culinary skills to the next level.

Principle of Cooking 1 – Balance

What is balance?

When it comes to cooking, balance is key. This refers to the perfect ratio of sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, sour, and umami flavours in a dish. While you don’t necessarily need all of these flavours in one dish, incorporating three or four of them can really take your dish to the next level. However, simply having three different flavours isn’t enough; they must work together in harmony to create a well-balanced dish.

How do you know if a dish is balanced?

So how do you know if a dish is balanced? It’s simple – it should taste delicious. Ideally, no one flavour should overpower the others. There may be one main flavour, with the others supporting it, but all flavours should work together seamlessly. To achieve a balanced dish, it is essential to taste your food as you go and make adjustments as needed. This can include adding a squeeze of lemon or a touch of vinegar to add acidity, a bit of sweetness to balance out any bitterness or saltiness, or a touch of heat to bring out the other flavours in the dish. It will take time to develop your palate and learn what flavours work well together, but it is an important skill to have in the kitchen. As you continue to taste and adjust, you will start to recognize when a dish is well-balanced and when it needs a little something extra. Remember, the key is to taste and adjust until the dish tastes delicious to you.

Principle of Cooking 2. Seasoning Is Key

Proper seasoning is crucial in bringing out the full flavour of your dishes. It’s not just about adding salt and pepper until it tastes good to you, although that’s certainly a good starting point. Different spices and seasonings can add depth, warmth, and a variety of other flavours to your dishes. For example, salt helps to balance the overall flavour of a dish by highlighting the other flavours present. Pepper adds a touch of warmth to the mouth, which can help to open up the palate. By understanding the role that each spice and seasoning plays in your dishes, you can create more complex and nuanced flavours that will elevate your cooking to the next level.

Principle of Cooking 3. Open The Spices

Spices can be an integral part of any dish and can greatly enhance the flavour profile. It is important to think of spices as a raw ingredient, much like a carrot, as they can be transformed through cooking. Raw spices are good, but cooked spices are even better. One way to bring out the natural flavour of spices is to cook them in oil. This is especially effective for ground spices, as the heat helps to release the essential oils that contain the flavour. These oils are more easily extracted in oil than in water, making this method effective for adding depth and intensity to the flavours of your dish.

When adding spices to a recipe, such as a pot of chili, it is common to add them after browning the meat and cooking the onions and garlic. However, for maximum flavour impact, try adding the spices in before the wet ingredients. Once the onions and garlic have softened, add in the spices and cook for a minute or two before adding in the wet ingredients like tomatoes. This allows the spices to be gently cooked and their flavours to be released and intensified.

Overcooking spices.

It’s important to be mindful of the cooking time when it comes to using spices in your dishes. While cooking spices for a longer period of time may seem like it would allow the flavours to fully infuse into the dish, it can actually have the opposite effect. The essential oils that give spices their flavour are volatile, meaning they can easily evaporate or dissipate. If spices are cooked for too long, the heat can cause the essential oils to break down, resulting in a loss of flavour. This is especially true for ground spices, as their surface area is larger and they are more exposed to heat. It’s generally recommended to cook spices for no more than an hour or two, as anything longer could lead to a loss of flavour. This is especially important to keep in mind when making dishes like chili, where it’s common for the ingredients to simmer for an extended period of time. While it may be tempting to let the chili simmer for hours on the stove, it’s important to be mindful of the cooking time for the spices to ensure that the dish still has a robust, flavorful taste.

Principle of Cooking 4. Colour = Flavour

The Maillard reaction, also known as browning, is a chemical reaction that occurs between amino acids and sugars when food is cooked at high temperatures. This reaction is what gives food a browned, caramelized appearance and a deeper, more complex flavour. When it comes to cooking, more color often equals more flavour, and this is especially true when it comes to the Maillard reaction. Foods like onions, carrots, pork chops, and steak can all benefit from browning, as it adds depth of flavour and can even add a touch of sweetness to certain dishes.

For example, when making tomato sauce, it is common to add sugar to help balance out the acidity and remove any bitterness from the tomatoes. However, if you take the time to carefully cook the tomatoes until they start to brown, you can achieve a natural sweetness and depth of flavour without the need for added sugar. The same is true for tomato paste or any other food that has a relatively high sugar content. By sautéing the ingredient until it turns brown, you can bring out its natural sweetness and add depth to the flavour of the dish.

Overall, the Maillard reaction is an important principle of cooking that can add depth, complexity, and sweetness to a wide range of dishes. Whether you’re an experienced chef or just starting out in the kitchen, learning how to utilize the Maillard reaction can help you take your cooking to the next level.

Principle of Cooking 5. Patience

When it comes to cooking, patience is a virtue that cannot be overlooked. While it may be tempting to rush through a recipe or try to speed up the cooking process, the extra time and care that you put into your dishes can make a huge difference in the final outcome. For example, a tasty stew requires time to braise the meat and cook the vegetables to perfection, and this process cannot be rushed. On the other hand, a rushed and poorly prepared stew will not have the same depth of flavour and overall appeal.

In addition to providing your dishes with the time they need to cook properly, patience in the kitchen also involves being thoughtful and mindful of what you are doing. This means taking the time to properly caramelize tomatoes, allowing spices to open up and release their flavours, and constantly tasting and adjusting the seasoning as you go. While these steps may only take a minute or two, they can greatly impact the final flavour of a dish.

Success in the kitchen often leads to increased confidence, and by adhering to these principles of cooking and taking the time to be patient and thoughtful, you can achieve small victories that will ultimately boost your confidence in the kitchen. So the next time you find yourself tempted to rush through a recipe, take a step back and remember the value of patience in the kitchen. Your taste buds (and those of your loved ones) will thank you.

3 Common Cooking Mistakes and How-To Fix Them

by Chef Ben Kelly | Oct 2, 2019 | Cooking Tips

Over the course of doing this blog, and teaching people to cook in person I have noticed 3 common cooking mistakes that people make over and over again. They don’t let their pans heat up, or they over crowed them. They under season or don’t season at all. And, they don’t plan or do proper preparation. On the surface, these 3 common cooking mistakes may not seem like that big a deal. But, when we look a bit deeper, what becomes clear, is that fixing these 3 common cooking mistakes completely changes how people cook.

Today, we are going to look in-depth at these 3 common cooking mistakes. We’re going to talk about why they are actually pretty big problems and how they are holding people back. And, we are going to figure out how to solve them in an easy and straight forward manner.

If you feel like you make these mistakes, this post is for you and will help to make you a better cook. If you don’t make these mistakes, share it with someone who you think does. Because everyone deserves to be able to cook.

And with that let’s take a look at…

Number 1 – Pre-Heating/Over-Crowding The Pan

Why is it important to pre-heat your pan?

Problem 1

Has this ever happened to you? You were making a stir-fry or searing meat happily cooking along but then all of a sudden your pan fills with liquid. Instead of stir-frying or searing, you seem to just be boiling your food. The food comes out tough and soggy rather than crips and tender. So, why did this happen? You guessed it because your pan wasn’t hot enough.

When food is cooked, it releases moisture. When moisture hits a hot surface, it evaporates, turns into steam, and floats up into the air. If the surface that the moisture is hitting isn’t hot enough rather than evaporating it just accumulates and pools in the bottom of the pan. This is actually a double-edged sword because the more pooled liquid that accumulates, the more the temperature of the pan drops.

Problem 2

Imagine once again that you are happily cooking along. Let’s say you are once again searing meat. You add a bit of oil to the pan then add in the meat. You let it cook for a minute or two but then when you go to turn the meat you realize that it has stuck to the surface of the pan. It’s not just a little stuck, it’s almost like someone superglued it to the pan. What went wrong? You guessed it, the pan wasn’t hot enough.

When a steak hits a hot surface something known as the Maillard Reaction happens. What that means is that a chemical reaction is happening when the heat is applied to amino acids and sugars in the meat. All this really means is that the surface of the meat turns brown. That browning creates a smooth surface that won’t bond with the pan. You’ll notice this a lot if you are cooking on a BBQ that hasn’t properly been pre-heated.

Fixing this mistake.

The obvious way to fix this mistake is to put your pan on the burner and let it sit for a few minutes. This freaks some people out, and I get it. You don’t want to wreck your pan, you don’t want to start a fire, whatever. Also, knowing how long to let the pan sit can be difficult. This is especially true because some pans like heavy steel or cast iron pans take a while to heat up. But, this also depends on the type of stove you have. The easiest answer I can give you is 2-5 minutes. The best way to check and see if your pan is hot is to splash a little water on it. Just run your hand under the faucet for a second then flick your fingers at the pan. If the water sizzles and evaporates quickly, or if a droplet bounces around the surface of the pan, it is hot enough.

Make sure there is no oil in the pan if you are going to test it with water. Also on that note, always heat the pan then add any oil or fat right before adding the food. Just think hot pan cold oil.

Overcrowding

Sometimes, you may properly heat your pan but you still get that pooling in the bottom. This is likely happening due to overcrowding. When you are searing meat you want to make sure that about 30% of the surface of the pan is open. This may mean that you need to sear meat in batches, but it will give you an even sear. Just wait a minute or two for the pan to heat back up before adding addition batches of meat into the pan.

If you are stir-frying, you’ve heated the wok properly, and you are still getting pooling, it is the same reason. You are overcrowding. With a wok, it is a little different. The key here is to add ingredients in stages, giving the wok time to heat back up after every addition. So, let’s say you put meat in a nice hot wok. You brown it then add the onion. Cook the onions for 1-2 minutes, letting the pan heat up, then add carrots, and broccoli. Cook that for 2-3 minutes letting the wok heat back up, then add baby corn and so on. For the record this is why I don’t like frozen stir-fry vegetables, they cool the pan down and boil rather than stir-fry.

Under seasoning

Why is seasoning important?

Just to be clear, when I say seasoning, I mean salt and pepper specifically. Talking about spices and herbs and acids, and all that stuff is a post unto itself.

Seasoning is important, salt specifically because it is a flavour enhancer. Pepper, on the other hand, is just flavour. So, what do I mean by salt is a flavour enhancer? I mean, salt makes everything around it taste better. It is important to remember that you should never actually taste salt. If you do, you’ve used too much, and it really is a fine balance. But, when you get that balance just right, all the flavours work in harmony and the food is more delicious than it otherwise would have been.

How to use salt?

The trick with salt is that it is a two-step process that involves one other thing that people don’t do nearly enough, tasting the food. I can not express enough how important it is that you taste what you are cooking. That is the only way to know what is needed to make it better. I know these seems really obvious to some of you, but I also know that there are a lot of people reading this who just had a lightbulb pop on in their heads. It’s for those lightbulb people that I’m saying this.

The general rule for salt is to use a little in the beginning, then taste nearer the end of cooking, and add salt as needed. Taste and adjust as needed always adding salt in small amounts.

How do you know when you’ve used enough salt?

The easy answer for me to give you is you’ve used enough salt when the food tastes as good as you think it can. This is not really a helpful statement but it’s true.

Here’s the thing about food and taste, it is subjective. If you like how it tastes then stop seasoning. However, before you do, ask yourself one simple question, “Is this as good as it can be or, can I make it better?” If you think it is as good as it can be then stopped and enjoy it. Otherwise, keep adjusting. But, remember, if the food starts to taste salty you’ve gone too far and there really is no fix to that.

What type of salt should you use?

There is a problem with regular table salt, two problems actually. The first problem is that it tastes terrible. The second problem is that it doesn’t dissolve evenly in food. So, what can happen is you season a soup, stew, or whatever, you taste, add more seasoning, taste and add more until you get it right. But then as the food sits all that salt starts to dissolve into the food and when you go back to it the food is all of a sudden very salty and you don’t know why. That’s why.

I generally recommend that people use either Kosher Salt or Sea Salt in cooking. The flavour is much better than table salt and both of these salts, Kosher Salt especially dissolve evenly and quickly in food. Both can be found at your local grocery store.

What about seasoning vegetables and meat?

You can’t really taste a steak as it is cooking to be able to tell if it has enough seasoning on it. Really, that isn’t the end of the world. People can always add a bit of salt later if they want. However, I would say that when seasoning a steak or pork chop or chicken breast or something like that, you are going to want to use more than you think you should. People have a tendency to just lightly sprinkle a bit of salt on a piece of meat, about the same amount they would put on a scoop of mashed potatoes, but it’s not enough. Think about it this way, there is no seasoning on the inside of the meat. It’s all on the outside. So, that exterior seasoning has to be enough that it flavours every bite. Be generous and you will be happy.

When it comes to seasoning vegetables, most can be tasted. You can pick up a spoon full of peas, or a green bean, or a piece of carrot and taste it to see if it has enough seasoning. It’s the same process as before; season taste, season taste.

Poor Planning

There is a saying that I love that goes like this, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. Now, I’m not saying that you need to sit down and map out every step you are going to make in the kitchen. But, you should have all your ingredients handy and know the steps you are going to have to take to make the meal you want. Obviously, if you are following a recipe this won’t be that big of an issue.

The other important part of this is preparing your ingredients. When it actually comes down to cooking, things can happen pretty fast. If you are reaching around in a cupboard for a specific spice or trying to chop garlic while you’re sauteing your onions, things can go bad quickly.

The remedy to this problem is pretty simple, gather your ingredients, and do any chopping/slicing before you start cooking. This way when you need to add something to the pot you have it at hand and ready to go. This is a very simple way to fix a very serious problem.

I do understand that this may extend your total time in the kitchen slightly. But, it will allow you to be more relaxed, take your time to make sure the food comes out exactly how you want, and do clean up as you go. All of this will make the cooking process more enjoyable and relaxing.

Conclusion

Like anything, cooking is a skill that can be learned and honed over time. But that’s the key, it takes time. Be patient, and accept small wins as successes.

I hope that this post has helped you solve some problems that you may have had in the kitchen, and if you know anyone else who may be having similar issues please pass this along to them.

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