Saturday, November 11, 2006
cooking, cooking, all day long...
ok ladies! ever since carie's request for recipes from quin (le chef!) we have been discussing what kinds of recipes would be the most useful. last night we decided it's really not about recipes at all. it's all technique and knowledge of the food you're trying to prepare. with that in mind, quin has decided to make it completely open...ask him your questions about what you're cooking or what you would like to cook! anything and everything, trust me. now, if there is a specific recipe you want, that's different, like you would really like a killer cheesecake recipe or bread or something...i can get you that. an example of a question would be: i really like to cook with chicken but it usually comes out more dry than i would like, what should i do? OR, i have heard of cooking with wine, how does that work, what kind of wine would i look for? stuff like that. now, if you don't want to post on here with your questions, just email me at jbryner@spheris.com or qjbryner@yahoo.com . just learning the right way to cook my vegetables and how NOT to dry out meat, made a big difference in my cooking. oh, he also says that you need to be confident, stop measuring everything. you should be familiar with the things you use to cook. i think that's it for now. he's finally done with school and is back at home so the waiting is over!! woo-hoo:) hope to hear from you soon!
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11 comments:
So does he cook the dinner at night--or do you Jen? Or do you share the task? I guess he probably would want to leave his work at work maybe... How lucky are you to have him!
it depends on how much he has already cooked that day. sometimes he likes to cook so he can try new things or he's bored. when he works a full day and is tired, i cook. half the time he's not even hungry!
Jenny, so your husband is a cook? You're lucky. I have some issues with cooking. So how do you not dry out the meat? That is one of my problems.
I need ideas for easy to prepare meals that don't cost a lot of money. I like eating well and I like a lot of veggies, but I don't like spending a lot of money on fancy fresh herbs (I haven't been successful at keeping a live herb garden going thus far, though I do have a rosemary bush that I believe is still thriving in my front yard). I loved using Racheal Ray's 30 minute meals, but I discoverd I was spending about $100 a week on groceries, and there is no way we can afford that.
Also I have a lot of dried beans/peas/lentils in my pantry. Any tips on how to use them up? I'm used to using canned and I'm not good at figuring out the whole soaking thing.
Does he have any menu planning tips? Lately we've been getting frozen pizza and making it once or twice a week just because Lacy loves pizza so much.
I also really like leeks and shallots as aromatics... can I use them interchangeably with onions? Or is that a bad idea?
I am a total food network junkie and I am an Alton Brown addict... I just have no time/money/energy for food preperation!
If you were going to send a mass email, my email is Celestiac@hotmail.com
ditto celestia on drying out chicken and steaks! I know there must be some secret that I don't know. What is it?! Help!
My secret to moist and delicious animal flesh-- get your husband to cook it!
We cook chicken and stake all the time. The trick is to marinate. Especially with steak. Then cook it at a lower heat for longer. Since we live here in Hawaii we just cook out on Zac's man grill but it is pretty similar with the oven...try it. There are some great marinates in the store or you can make your own.
Dear Betty,
I have a hard time with cooking without having to cook. I'd really like to know the magic spell to conjure up a perfect dinner without actually doing anything. I like eating, chewing, swallowing, and not feeling like I'm going to be sick, but granola bars and sending my kids to scavenge outside is getting old. Help Betty!, Nauseous in Nampa
well i like to cook, but honestly i've been such a slacker lately! i just feel like i do the same meals over and over and i get bored with them. to be honest i've learned most of my stuff from my mom, sister and rachel ray ;) i just need new yummy QUICK ideas!
one really great way to cook chicken breasts is to spray them with butter flavor spray, season with whatever seasoning you like (a little fresh chopped rosemary is yummy with garlic, paprika, salt, pepper)...get a skillet nice and hot but don't use any oil in it, then 'pan sear' the chicken. just brown them on both sides and don't worry if it sticks a little, you can use that stuff for a sauce or gravy. heat oven to 350, bake the chicken until done. when you touch it, it should feel like the skin between your thumb and forefinger if you hold your hand out straight, fingers together. you don't have to cover it or anything! you can do the same with steak, only try searing it on the grill, then going to the oven. never try to cook chicken on the stove top unless you're cooking it in a sauce or soup, it will just dry. for barbecue, use this method also! don't try to put the BBQ sauce on raw chicken and cook it, pan sear or sear on the grill first, then put the BBQ sauce, then hit the oven. if you're going to cook a WHOLE chicken, you can make a nice compote butter, just mix butter (NOT MARGARINE!!!!!!) with herbs you like, thyme goes well with chicken, and some sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and smear UNDER the skin. to get under it, pull it up at the neck and work your fingers along slowly and it will separate from the meat. then just bake for a couple hours. of course you can come in about every 30 minutes or so and use a baster to squeeze juice on the top if you want, it doesn't hurt! you can use the same pan searing method for pork chops too, i just thought of that. anyway....it's important to have some fresh herbs handy. basil, chives, rosemary, onions, sun dried tomatoes, to add flavor and color. you don't typically have to use a lot to get a good flavor and they are really not expensive, usually a couple dollars for each kind. if you want to grow one, rosemary and basil tend to grow the best planted in the ground, not a pot, and mint, that grows well too but it will take over whatever it is next to, so plant it away from other stuff. also, fresh garlic makes a huge difference. you don't necessarily have to get the cloves, you can get it already minced in a jar. kosher salt is kind of important too. if you don't already use it, do a taste test sometime between regular 'table' salt and kosher salt. it WILL change the flavor of the food. you also don't have to use as much kosher salt as the other kind. and, you already know how i feel about butter...
i will tackle vegetables later! joy had a great point too, marinades are important, you need to know what result you want before you start. it's also important to know what you're putting IN your marinades so you don't end up cooking them, which can happen to certain meats if you use certain acidic ingredients. i love cooking!!!
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