Bryson's Profile
Tricks you figured out in the kitchen and thought 'good one'!!!
I don't really wash my non-stick pans. As long as the coating is intact, wiping them out with a paper towel should get them clean.
For something without a non-stick coating, baking soda with just enough soap and water to moisten it makes a good scouring paste.
Tricks you figured out in the kitchen and thought 'good one'!!!
Proper knife care is probably the most important. Always store knives in a knofe block (I have one that's got what is essentially a plastic brush inside a box, so I can store any random knife I've got in there rather than having the traditional wooden block with slots in it), or invest in some knifeguards to protect the edges of your blades. Get a steel and get in the habit of honing it before usethen handwashing and drying it immediately after use. Sharpen regularly.
Learn your spices. Stocks should have thyme and bay. A pinch of nutmeg makes cream sauces better and a bit of sage does the same for cheesy sauces. Tomato sauces are begging to have some oregano in them. Get whole spices and grind as needed when possibe You can use a coffee grinder for this; grind up some white rice when switchig between coffee and spices (and vice-versa) to clean out the grinder and keep flavors from transfering. Beware ciniamon, there's a few different kinds, the darker kind made of the thick bark will break your grinder.
Individual cloves of garlic can be pealed easily by cutting off the root end and rolling between your palms (optionally, giving a quick whack with the side of a knife first to losten it up. For wnole heads of garlic, cut off the bottom and drop in a hard plastic container with a lid and shake violently. For many things garlic paste is better than minced garlic, mince the garlic, then sprinkle salt over it and crush it with the side of your blade (bonus points ylu can make onion paste the same way). Cut the top off a couple heads of garlic and drizzle with olive oil and put in a 350 degree oven till mushy (about 30 minutes) to make roasted garlic paste.
When you get home, take the rubber bands and twist ties off your produce. Leafy greens and herbs should get wrapped in slightly damp paper towels. Crispy vegetables like romaine lettuce and celery will stay that way longer if you cut off the bottom and store underwater. Tomatoes should stay on the stem until needed (get the kind that comes with bunches still on the vine).
Season meat before cooking, but go light on the salt. If you are using ground meat, mix the seasonings in with the meat before forming it for meatballs, burgers, etc. Save your fats; strain them into jars and set aside (I keep bacon fat in the fridge). Use the right fat for the job (there's not much of a point in sweating onions in vegetable oil if the dish is getting bacon later), and you add a bit of fat to a pan before rendering meat or cooking bacon to help start the process.
If you're up to it, grow an herb garden. Herbs are much better fresh, and even if you later dry skme of the herbs, you can literally taste the love you put into it. To dry herbs, tie a bunch of herbs by the bottom of the stems and hang somewhere.
What makes a good french onion soup?
The secret to good onion soup is time. Lots and lots of time.
You have to caramelize the onions, slowly. Most people say 30 minutes, but I prefer to cook mine for an hour. melt some butter in your pan and then add a bit of garlic and enough onions to fill your pot to the top, they will cook down after a few eye burning minutes to the point where you will be asking "that's all?" Keep stirring for 30 - 60 minutes till the onions are nicely caramelized and then deglaze the pan with your alcohol of choice.
Once the onions are done, fill your pot with broth/consume` and add herbs. Then let it simmer for an hour or two. While it simmers, take some bread and toast it in butter and garlic for your croutons.
THe thing to remember is that if you rush any step of the process you will end up with an inferior soup so it's best to start it in the mid afternoon (most likely on an off day)
Stock versus Broth
Broth is generally made by boiling meat while stock is made by boiling the bones and has to be coocked longer.
Need your best french onion soup recipe!
There is no recipe. There is a procedure. Grab a bunch of onions half red half white (two medium sized per person should work) and drop them in a pan with some butter (not margarine) and brown them on medium medium high. It will take a few hours to caramelize but it is worth it. I have to warn you though. The amount of onions will fill the pot TO THE TOP and the out-gassing is quite horrid but after a few minutes (preferably with the exhaust fan on) the onions will shrink down a lot and stop smelling anything but tasty.
After they have caramelized add beef broth/consume (its better with homemade) add salt, pepper and spices to taste. I use some thyme and parsley and never measure; just drop it in. Simmer that for about an hour for the flavors to mingle.
In the mean time get a loaf of french bread and slice it then toast the slices in butter (not margarine) and garlic in a pan and drop in a ramekin or other oven safe dish. When the bread is done and the soup has been simmering for a while pour the soup in the bowls over the bread and then grate a good melting cheese on top (Mozzarella, Swiss and Gruyere work great). Once cheesed turn your oven on broil and put the dishes in the oven till the cheese melts and starts to bubble.
Serve and enjoy
Pizza Stone Advice?
You shouldn;t have to spin it. The whole point of a pizza stone is to evenly distribute heat so if you let it sit in the oven long enough it should bake everything evnly without you having to touch it.
Pizza Stone Advice?
That would be the reason yes.
Just scrape the cheese off. If you try to bake the cheese off the fat just melts into the stone and you'll never get it out.
Pizza Stone Advice?
Usually the best way of making the Pizza not stick is a bit of cornmeal sprinkled on the stone before you drop the pizza on.
As for cooking the pizza crank up the oven as high as it goes and let it sit 45 minutes to a hour. THe stone is a heat mass which is the point so it is not all that usefull before it reaches the right temperature
Help - Bread Kneading Question
Using a timer is for machines and can lead to inferior bread anyways since the time required varies by the environment of the kitchen.
Kneed by feel on a floured surface (your counter will do). If the dough needs more flour it will quickly take it off the counter, if it does this just add more. Also make sure you flour your hands or bad things happen.
It might take a few tries to know what the right consistency is but generally it needs to be smooth and elastic and not sticky. Sticky means too much water. If it likes to crack into pieces it needs more water (ditto if its a brick)
pink or green peppercorns?
Pepper is like olives, it changes color over its lifespan before it is picked so many peppercorns of different colors are the same thing picked at different stages of maturity and will have nearly the same taste (in a dish with many ingredients any differences will probably go unnoticed)
The major use of having different colored peppercorns is for different colored foods, for instance white pepper is often used in creme sauces so they stay white whereas black pepper would be noticeably visible. In a similar way red pepper could be used in a tomato sauce, and green could be stealthily added to a pesto.
