{"id":891,"date":"2011-11-17T06:02:26","date_gmt":"2011-11-17T06:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mrsbutterfingers.com\/wp\/?p=891"},"modified":"2012-03-28T22:56:12","modified_gmt":"2012-03-28T22:56:12","slug":"how-to-be-a-great-cook-not-just-a-good-cook-its-all-in-the-details","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mrsbutterfingers.com\/?p=891","title":{"rendered":"HOW TO BE A GREAT COOK, NOT JUST A GOOD COOK … it’s all in the details"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have people who tell us they want to cook like a chef.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By definition a chef runs a kitchen,\u00a0 hires staff,\u00a0 orders food, costs and creates\u00a0 dishes,\u00a0 writes menu’s,\u00a0 cooks on the line – you get the picture.\u00a0\u00a0 You can’t be a chef, but you can become a better cook.<\/p>\n

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First, shop better.\u00a0 Buy better ingredients, buy seasonal produce, buy fresh oils and good vinegars. \u00a0 If\u00a0 you are buying your food in a store that also sells clothes, office supplies and toys change your food shopping habits.<\/p>\n

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Secondly, master fundamental techniques not just fancy knife skills.\u00a0\u00a0 Learn how hot to get your pan, how to sweat vegetables, braise meat. Read cookbooks that give you more than recipes. Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc is an excellent example.<\/p>\n

\"\"Don’t fill your kitchen with space gobbling gadgets.\u00a0 You don’t need a lot in the kitchen, a chef’s knife, a cutting board,\u00a0 a deep saute pan, a flat-edged wooden spoon, a whisk, a fine-mesh sieve, an off-set spatula, a micro-plane, a bench scraper, pepper-mill for spices, and a food mill.<\/p>\n

Clean as you go.\u00a0 Wash and put away pans and dishes as you finish with them.<\/p>\n

There is a difference between cooking at home and cooking in the restaurant.\u00a0 In ROXY’S BISTRO’s kitchen we always had six to eight stocks, an arsenal of prepared items, an endless supply of ingredients, dressings and sauces.<\/p>\n

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BEL ‘OCCHIO cooking classes were always very animated.\u00a0 The very intimacy of our kitchen created an atmosphere of discussion.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What better way to learn.<\/p>\n

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We loved sharing our knowledge. \u00a0 These may seem like small tips, but it’s the details that make the difference between good cooking and great cooking;<\/p>\n

always stir your batter (if you’re right-handed) clock wise, don’t stir both ways,<\/p>\n

always mix your salt into dressing before adding the oil,<\/p>\n

always let your meat come to room temperature before cooking,<\/p>\n

cooking your fish in a slow oven makes it harder to overcook the fish,<\/p>\n

salt meats, game and fowl anywhere between eight and twenty-four hours before you cook them,<\/p>\n

salt seafood right before it goes into the heat or the pan,<\/p>\n

salt vegetables that are\u00a0 to be grilled or saut\u00e9ed about thirty minutes in advance,<\/p>\n

it should go without saying but avoid iodized table salt,<\/p>\n

salt vegetables that involve sweating (onions and garlic) immediately as they go in the pan,<\/p>\n

roasting food on the bone, whether it’s chicken, fish or short rib is the best way of cooking the food evenly,<\/p>\n

use cinnamon sticks when seasoning sauces-when the cinnamon flavour hits the right note remove the stick (you can’t do this with powdered cinnamon),<\/p>\n

store tomatoes at room temperature, never in the refrigerator-it kills their sweetness and makes them grainy,<\/p>\n

never buy boneless, skinless chicken breast halves- no flavour,<\/p>\n

never buy lean turkey bacon-no magic,<\/p>\n

never buy I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter! and other butter substitutes-medical diet restrictions may be an exception,<\/p>\n

never buy beef tenderloin\/filet Mignon the most expensive and least flavourful part of the animal-marbled rib eye is the go- to cut,<\/p>\n

never, never buy peeled, chopped garlic-no flavour,<\/p>\n

Above all you must cook from your heart – not to impress people, but to feed the soul.\u00a0\u00a0 Be passionate about food.\u00a0 It will make all the difference between good cooking and great cooking!<\/p>\n

Oh yes, and read, really read your cookbooks.<\/p>\n

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