To me, cooking can be broken down into
3 main categories:
-
Preparation
-
Cooking
-
Spices
Preparation
If you cook on a regular basis, then
it is wise to plan meals ahead. For example: I may cook a BBQ pork
roast today in preparation of Chinese egg rolls tomorrow. I'll eat
half the roast today and save the rest. I may marinade a steak
overnight in the refrigerator, planning to cook it the next day.
It's a good idea to plan meals a few days ahead, so you can remove
foods from the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator. I don't like
defrosting meats in the microwave, it ruins the meat.
Thinking ahead makes
things go simpler and more organized. I usually set foods out early
in the day in preparation for a meal I'll make later in the
afternoon. I keep meats frozen until I need them. I take them out 2
days before I plan to use them. to thaw in the refrigerator.
Kitchen Tip: I
freeze my bag of peeled garlic, so I always have fresh garlic and it never
spoils after a week. Frozen garlic cuts very well right away once removed
from the freezer bag. Just keep the bag sealed while it's in the freezer to
maintain freshness and prevent freezer burn.
Kitchen Tip: I
also freeze mixed vegetables in a bag and always have them handy for fried
rice, stir-fry or just some boiled mixed veggies with a meal. You don't even
need to thaw them. Just break-off a clump, or usually they're already loose.
Cooking
Knowing how much heat to use and how
long is critically important. I remember the first time that I tried
to caramelize sugar in a pot. The sugar turned black and I lifted
the pot with the spoon glued in the hardened sugar when it dried. I
had the heat way TOO HIGH.
If you've never
caramelized sugar, you're in for a treat. It is awesome and very
easy to do!!! I pour caramelized sugar over my flan and it's
excellent I must say. All you do is pour one cup of white sugar into
a small pot. Heat it over a LOW heat. For the first few minutes it
will seem like nothing's happening, but then all of a sudden the
sugar will liquefy. Stir it gently with a spoon and watch it turn to
a caramelize color. When all liquefied you can pour it over flan or
any desert. You can easily clean the pot by pouring water into it
while it's still hot. WARNING: liquid sugar is extremely hot
and will burn you bad if you touch it. Be careful.
The amount of heat to
use is an art that you'll learn with experience. For chewy bacon,
use LOW heat. It takes 30 minutes, but it's well worth the wait.
HIGH heat makes crispy and salty bacon, yuk! But if that's your
thang, go for it!
Learn to monitor your
flame and temperature settings. Know what's going on. Don't just
apply heat. For example: I know that a pork roast should be cooked
to 155-160 degrees internally and I own a meat thermometer to
measure it.
As a general rule,
cook your meals at medium heat when using a frying pan. I use HIGH
heat for searing the outside of fried chicken, then put a cover over
the pan and simmer the meat on LOW heat for 2 hours until the
chicken falls off the bone. It tastes great!
Kitchen Tip: I
don't use dish soap hardly at all for my kitchen plates, cup, pans, and
such. I just rinse everything in hot water. It saves a lot of unnecessary
rinsing time every day (and the high risk of soap suds flavoring your drinks
and foods if not rinsed super well).
Kitchen Tip: I
store food leftovers into either a quart or gallon sized bag in the
refrigerator. Make sure they are zip-locked shut. I always plan ahead what
kind of meal I can make with the leftovers. or use it for a soup base. You
can put almost anything into soups.
Kitchen Tip:
There's 2 basic types of soup bases: Tomato and potato chowder.
Spices
This is my favorite category. Cooking
is all about spices, which are to the chef what colors are to the
painter. The best way to learn all the spices is to first obtain
them. You can purchase an assortment of spices and a spice rack at
warehouse outlets or major retail stores.
I do it differently
though. I like those little plastic bottles by McCormick. Everytime
you go shopping you ought to buy at least one new spice. Most people
never try new things and get into a rut of the same old foods. Some
husbands get upset at wives for cooking out of a can or never trying
new things. Well, here's how to make hubby happy. And best of all,
on the back label of every spice bottle you buy... THERE'S A RECIPE
for that spice!!! This is a great learning tool.
I have a little McCormick container of
the spice THYME in front of me and on the back is a delicious
recipe for sweet potatoes using thyme seasoning on them. If you've
been cooking for years and not using spices, you've been missing
out.
CORIANDER is good for flavoring
chicken.
One of my favorite
meals to make and eat is my 'DOUBLE T SPECIAL,' that is,
Tarragon Chicken and
Turmeric Rice. I learned the recipe
for Turmeric Rice from the back label of a spice container. Turmeric
by itself smells and tastes like ground cardboard (no kidding), but
it makes the best tasting rice in the world.
You learn how to use
spices and cook one recipe at a time, just like learned to play
songs or anything else in life.
The most important
item you're going to need when learning how to cook is a big garbage
pail. That's the only way to learn, that is, by doing the best you
can and tasting it when it's done. Hopefully it's edible or don't
get an upset stomach. I learned that using too much sesame oil
causes upset stomach. Sesame oil is NOT for cooking; only add a few
drops for flavoring in a stir-fry dish, et cetera.
I've eaten plenty of
lousy meals as punishment for adding too much salt or soy sauce. I'm
really starting to dislike soy sauce because it ruins a meal
quickly. It's a fantastic marinade.
I unsuccessfully tried
for years to make decent Chinese fried rice. Every online recipe
calls for soy sauce. The best fried rice you can make is WITHOUT soy
sauce. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth to flavor the rice. Let it boil
up in the wok, the flavor is very good. Add...
- 2 c, cooked rice
(1 c uncooked) that has cooled. I turn off the rice
cooker and leave the lid open for an hour.
- 2 T peanut oil
- 1 eggs
- 1/2 t dry sherry
- 1/2 c yellow or white onion, diced
- 3-4 scallions,
sliced thin
- 3/4 t salt (I measure
1/2 teaspoon; and then I measure an additional 1/4
teaspoon (totally 3/4 teaspoon of salt)
- 1/2 to 1 c cooked ham,
diced (I like a cup of ham. You can use other meats
or a combination thereof)
- 1/2 c cooked peas (I
just thaw frozen under the tap or add directly to a
heated wok)
Cooking is an art,
science, and blessing from God. When I consider all the varieties,
colors, shapes and flavors of the fruits, vegetables, seeds, spices
and meats which God has provided for us in His goodness (Luke 6:35)... how can
anyone not believe in God? How can anyone blaspheme His holy name?
Blessed be the precious name of Jesus Christ!