how to cook!

[Jamesstout]

i thought i'd make a thread witht he techniques needed to whip up a few basic meals to help out all the guys out there who can't cook. Drop in with any ideas or tips you might have or and requests.

You will need today
a chopping board
a good knife, as large as you feel comfortable with
a good quality cooking pot
olive oil
a good stove

and your ingredients

OK so i'll start with the basis of most sauces - onion and garlic (to this you add various other thigns depending on the culture - latin america would add peppers, france would add celery etc)

take your onion and slice it in half through the tip. Peel off the outer skin and then cut off the pointed tip but LEAVE THE OTHER END. Now place the flat side of the onion on the chopping board and cut ALMOST ALL HE WAY BUT NOT ALL THE WAY to the root, leaving a small area uncut, repeat this so that you have 3 or 4 cuts parallel to the baord in your onion, now do the same thing at right angles to the existing cuts, i.e. from top to bottom of the onion. Now if you cut across the width of the onion you will find that hey presto you have diced onion!

add this to a pan with a tbsp of olive oil

then prep your garlic; take the clove and place the flat part of your knife on it,lean on the knife to crush the garlic, then discard the peel and chop finely, the best way to do this is to keep the knife tip on the board and move the knife up and down using that as a pivot, be caredul to tuck in your fingers so you don't cut them.

cook over a medium heat until soft NOT brown.


ONce you have mastered this ou can do many, many things
add a tbsp of tom puree and fry for 5 mins, them add a can of tomatoes (not chopped because the seeds are bitter) and cook until reduced (you can add herbs, balsamic, olives etc) then season and serve (finish with evoo)

or you could add peppers after the garlicthen some short grain rice (which you fry in the oil) then some stock, saffron and seaoning, let the rice absorb then stir in pre cooked seafood/cicken/meat of your choice for a paella

or add some butter in there fry off the arborio rice, then add some stock, maybe some soaked mushrooms in their water (but not enough for the rice, then finish with cream (or no cream and finish with parmesan and a knob of butter after removing from the heat just stir this in) and maybe add some frozen peas, definitley finish with a grating of parmesan. the key with this one is to add the stock one ladelfull at a time and keep mixing.


just some random musings there. enjoy!

[JingleAllTheWAY]

interesting that no one has replied to this post...very informative....good stuff man.
do think pictures would be more helpful for people.....we do live in a day and age where people need visual stimulation to understand things

[Skyles]

Lol, couldnt help it.

What dish do we have at the end?... fried rice.

[Jamesstout]

Originally Posted by Skyles

Lol, couldnt help it.

What dish do we have at the end?... fried rice.

what?

thanks for the credit man i may take some pics soon and add to this

[JingleAllTheWAY]

Originally Posted by Jamesstout

what?

thanks for the credit man i may take some pics soon and add to this

yeah, i think this thread is a great idea. you'd be amazed how many people don't know basic cooking details....like the tip you gave about how to peel garlic. just smash it with a knife and skin comes right off....
this is all good info....but yeah, pics would make this thread A LOT better and probably more popular.

[matthor]

videos!

[jaytek80]

I'll second this. Almost everything I make starts with diced onions sauteed in olive oil with garlic. Anything else comes in later, but that's the core of 75% of anything I cook.

[The Solution]

Originally Posted by JingleAllTheWAY

interesting that no one has replied to this post...very informative....good stuff man.
do think pictures would be more helpful for people.....we do live in a day and age where people need visual stimulation to understand things

this might just lead to another food porn spam page! dont let it happen!!!

[Trimen1000]

It's a good idea to be able to cook your own food. I would make this suggestion. Spend just about 30 min each week and watch a stupid cooking show. You'll get ideas, and you'll know how to do things in the kitchen. If you're lucky and have someone in the house that can cook, watch them.

Also, learn how to bake chicken.

[Jamesstout]

okay so what should i do next i guess something MEATY, maybe a quick healthy curry sauce?

[dave.mc]

Originally Posted by Jamesstout

okay so what should i do next i guess something MEATY, maybe a quick healthy curry sauce?

sounds good, il post up my chicken and bacon pasta recipe when i get abit more time

[Jamesstout]

okay so im gonna give 3 choices and when i get time this evenign i'll write one up
curry
strifry
make ur own gnocchi

[The Solution]

Originally Posted by Jamesstout

okay so im gonna give 3 choices and when i get time this evenign i'll write one up
curry
strifry
make ur own gnocchi

def make one up for a killer stirfry.. im down to try it 2night at the cafeteria if they got the materials

[dave.mc]

i'd say go for the curry, stirfrys are simple to make

[Aindreas]

Originally Posted by dave.mc

i'd say go for the curry, stirfrys are simple to make

x2, as far as curry goes, all I know to do is throw some coconut oil, meat, veggies, and curry sauce in a pan, then serve w/ rice/flatbread/whatever. I'd love some more detailed instructions.

[rhollan]

Originally Posted by Jamesstout

okay so what should i do next i guess something MEATY, maybe a quick healthy curry sauce?

A good curry is timeconsuming to make, and they tend to be loaded with oil. You have to dry roast and grind the spices, brown-fry onions (though I've substituted shallots of late). Of course, there is no such thing as "curry powder".

I can post a vindaloo recipe one of these days (with pics), but it is not for the amateur.

The most important techniques to learn are proper cutting of food, the tools you need, and ways to cook (fry, steam, bake, broil, poach, blanche, etc.)

Sauces are an art in themselves: sometimes the food is cooked in the sauce (particularly a good curry), and sometimes it is prepared separately (like a saffron-butter sauce). The latter is more of a French style of cooking.

But, I've found it's easy to fry fish, chicken, steak, or turkey in a small amount of olive oil, while steaming veggies. Perhaps that would be a good start for beginners.

I'd be happy to shaer some of my recipies too.

[JingleAllTheWAY]

Originally Posted by Jamesstout

okay so im gonna give 3 choices and when i get time this evenign i'll write one up
curry
strifry
make ur own gnocchi

i vote either curry of gnocchi...i can't choose which.

[JingleAllTheWAY]

Originally Posted by LayzieBone085

this might just lead to another food porn spam page! dont let it happen!!!

whats food porn spam?

[Jules Verne]

Originally Posted by jaytek80

I'll second this. Almost everything I make starts with diced onions sauteed in olive oil with garlic. Anything else comes in later, but that's the core of 75% of anything I cook.

Same here, but I do often add ginger too. It is more expensive though. I mostly use pre-chopped garlic and ginger, but do fresh when I have the time and sometimes use olive oil spray to moderate the amount of fat.

[The Solution]

Originally Posted by JingleAllTheWAY

whats food porn spam?

just check the meals eating now and sweet thread

[Jules Verne]

Originally Posted by Aindreas

x2, as far as curry goes, all I know to do is throw some coconut oil, meat, veggies, and curry sauce in a pan, then serve w/ rice/flatbread/whatever. I'd love some more detailed instructions.

I make a whole range of curries. The problem is that I'm so used to it, I make them differently every time, don't measure out the spices and getting the time and inclination to write it all down is a pain!

here is an attempt - be warned I probably have missed out something.

Using curry sauce or power is probably the best start though. The trick is to add some fresh ingredients.

So basic ingredient to add to a curry sauce or powder:

Fundamental:

Garlic
Ginger
Onions
chili peppers (Serrano are the best I can find, but Indian chilis are better).

Other:
Tomatoes (either can of chopped if you are making the curry with a tomato base, or fresh if you add at the end)
Cilantro (add 1/2 fresh to curry, save 1/2 for adding before your serve)
Yogurt (totally optional, depending what you like)
fruit
carbs (potato usually, maybe veg, certainly green pepper and mushrooms)

Extra spices:
Cardamom (crushed seeds are great, otherwise ground - makes for a sweeter curry, good if you are doing a tomato base or adding yogurt)
Coriander (same a cilantro, but use ground, or preferably crushed seeds)
Cumin - again ground or if using seeds 'roast' them first - heat gently in a not-to-hot pan until aromatic
Cinnamon - try to avoid ground, it burns easily. Use sticks if you are cooking the curry for a decent amount of time (say over 1 hour) other wise be very careful or add after you've added liquid. I prefer to crush the sticks and cook them until soft, you get more flavor than just putting them in whole, but that's a matter of preference.

Oh goodness I could go on and on....there are lots more - turmeric (usually enough in the curry powder), cloves, fennel, (both for hotter curries - don't use extra for mild curry), fenugreek (good with cardamom for a sweeter curry) all of which can be used in different amounts to get a slightly different taste.

Mustard seeds - good for a hot curry/vindaloo style (no tomato base - use water for sauce). Fry carefully in a pan with oil until the pop. Easy to burn, so smell before adding anything else.

BTW I never use Ghee for my curries. It would probably taste better, but that's just too high calorie for me. I don't overdo the olive oil either, but that's up to you how much fat you want in it.

Basic instructions;

Brown meat (whatever you are using - I normally go with chicken, sometimes with shrimp added at the end or pork) in a pan, set aside. I'd do more lamb if it were cheaper here.

Fry (fairly finely chopped) onions, garlic (crushed with some large pieces or ready-chopped from a jar), ginger (preferably grated fresh) and chilis (or add the lot to the already popped mustard seeds) in a pan until soft, lower heat, wait for pan to cool and add spices - be careful not to burn any ground spices. Fry very gently for up to 15 minutes (the longer the better, you need to stir frequently. This is not the time to get distracted). This is when you are going to make the biggest difference to the taste - this releases a lot of the flavor from the spice mix. Frying different spices for different times I would put in the 'advanced' category - throw everything, including the curry powder in.

OK, next step is to add water or the tinned tomatoes. Simmer until the oil separates or about 15-30 minutes if not using much oil.

Add meat. You can add the meat first and fry it in the spices, then add the water or tomatoes. I just find it doesn't work quite as well for some reason.

Simmer gently for as long as you have the patience for....Even better if you cook it the day before, refrigerate and then reheat.

Add any extra veg, including fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers in the last 5-20 minutes before serving. same with the yogurt and fresh cilantro - 10-30 minutes before serving. If adding potato, consider pre-cooking or partially cooking them other wise it is easy to either have them too soft, or not cooked.

Not sure when to add coconut - I don't use that. but I do add fruit. Apples are good, pineapple works for a sweeter curry (if you are so inclined you can also sweeten with honey, sugar, splenda etc..), raisins also work well. Peaches, mango, anything like that. Not pears or oranges - although feel free to try. If doing a sweet curry go easy (or don't add) mustard seeds, cloves, fennel, too much turmeric or cumin - but definitely some unless the curry powder already has a lot in it.


One last thing, I would not recommend trying to curry turkey unless it has a very, very mild taste.

OR:

Throw the first set of ingredients in a pan, fry, add meat, fry, add curry powder, fry on low, add water/tomatoes, cook, add veg/yogurt anything else.


And I only just scratched the surface of your 'basic' curry. Currying fish and ground beef are both another story - although ground beef would work with the above method.

And then there is Biryani and Tandoori too..thai style (great with bambo shoots, water chestnuts and mini corn)

Anyway, if someone wants to post what they did, I'd be happy to make suggestions. There really is just way too many variable to cover all the possibilities.

Hopefully though you'll get the basic idea:

fry the first set of ingredients, onions ginger garlic chilis
fry meat separately
very gently fry spices for 10-15 minutes
add liquid and simmer
add meat, simmer for as long as you dare (probably ~2 hours max though)
add extras at appropriate time.

[stewart3860]

Garlic is a natural thermogenic.

Any form, powder...cooked...raw...whatever.

[rhollan]

Originally Posted by stewart3860

Garlic is a natural thermogenic.

Any form, powder...cooked...raw...whatever.

So is chili pepper. Habanero oil, habanero butter. So, when can I get my hands on some Dorset Naga peppers?

Eggs with Dave's Insanity Sauce: not just for breakfast anymore!

[Jules Verne]

Originally Posted by rhollan

A good curry is timeconsuming to make, and they tend to be loaded with oil. You have to dry roast and grind the spices, brown-fry onions (though I've substituted shallots of late). Of course, there is no such thing as "curry powder".

I can post a vindaloo recipe one of these days (with pics), but it is not for the amateur.

yea, the taste increases proportionally to the time spent. I think the trick is finding the happy-medium that you are personally satisfied with between taste and prep time.

personally I'll use some pre-ground spices and not bother grinding the spices - just crush seeds with a spoon or buy them already ground. But I do like to use fresh garlic and ginger. I also think I can make a pretty darn good curry without the excess oil. maybe personal opinion, but the only better curries I've had were at Indians homes, and even then I wouldn't be surprised if most westerners would prefer mine over a 'real' curry.

I'd love to see your recipe though.

[rhollan]

I'll be out of town for the weekend, but will try to post it when I get back. It's time I made a new batch, and I'll take pics.

[Rinkamd]

Sandwiches!

[getgot211]

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=idx
http://goodeats.dyndns.org/
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/i...aspx?boardID=1

there are whole forums dedicated to this kinda thing. not trying to discourage but one thread with simple write-ups probably wont make much impact.

[Aindreas]

Originally Posted by Jules Verne

I make a whole range of curries. The problem is that I'm so used to it, I make them differently every time, don't measure out the spices and getting the time and inclination to write it all down is a pain!

here is an attempt - be warned I probably have missed out something.

Using curry sauce or power is probably the best start though. The trick is to add some fresh ingredients.

So basic ingredient to add to a curry sauce or powder:

Fundamental:

Garlic
Ginger
Onions
chili peppers (Serrano are the best I can find, but Indian chilis are better).

Other:
Tomatoes (either can of chopped if you are making the curry with a tomato base, or fresh if you add at the end)
Cilantro (add 1/2 fresh to curry, save 1/2 for adding before your serve)
Yogurt (totally optional, depending what you like)
fruit
carbs (potato usually, maybe veg, certainly green pepper and mushrooms)

Extra spices:
Cardamom (crushed seeds are great, otherwise ground - makes for a sweeter curry, good if you are doing a tomato base or adding yogurt)
Coriander (same a cilantro, but use ground, or preferably crushed seeds)
Cumin - again ground or if using seeds 'roast' them first - heat gently in a not-to-hot pan until aromatic
Cinnamon - try to avoid ground, it burns easily. Use sticks if you are cooking the curry for a decent amount of time (say over 1 hour) other wise be very careful or add after you've added liquid. I prefer to crush the sticks and cook them until soft, you get more flavor than just putting them in whole, but that's a matter of preference.

Oh goodness I could go on and on....there are lots more - turmeric (usually enough in the curry powder), cloves, fennel, (both for hotter curries - don't use extra for mild curry), fenugreek (good with cardamom for a sweeter curry) all of which can be used in different amounts to get a slightly different taste.

Mustard seeds - good for a hot curry/vindaloo style (no tomato base - use water for sauce). Fry carefully in a pan with oil until the pop. Easy to burn, so smell before adding anything else.

BTW I never use Ghee for my curries. It would probably taste better, but that's just too high calorie for me. I don't overdo the olive oil either, but that's up to you how much fat you want in it.

Basic instructions;

Brown meat (whatever you are using - I normally go with chicken, sometimes with shrimp added at the end or pork) in a pan, set aside. I'd do more lamb if it were cheaper here.

Fry (fairly finely chopped) onions, garlic (crushed with some large pieces or ready-chopped from a jar), ginger (preferably grated fresh) and chilis (or add the lot to the already popped mustard seeds) in a pan until soft, lower heat, wait for pan to cool and add spices - be careful not to burn any ground spices. Fry very gently for up to 15 minutes (the longer the better, you need to stir frequently. This is not the time to get distracted). This is when you are going to make the biggest difference to the taste - this releases a lot of the flavor from the spice mix. Frying different spices for different times I would put in the 'advanced' category - throw everything, including the curry powder in.

OK, next step is to add water or the tinned tomatoes. Simmer until the oil separates or about 15-30 minutes if not using much oil.

Add meat. You can add the meat first and fry it in the spices, then add the water or tomatoes. I just find it doesn't work quite as well for some reason.

Simmer gently for as long as you have the patience for....Even better if you cook it the day before, refrigerate and then reheat.

Add any extra veg, including fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers in the last 5-20 minutes before serving. same with the yogurt and fresh cilantro - 10-30 minutes before serving. If adding potato, consider pre-cooking or partially cooking them other wise it is easy to either have them too soft, or not cooked.

Not sure when to add coconut - I don't use that. but I do add fruit. Apples are good, pineapple works for a sweeter curry (if you are so inclined you can also sweeten with honey, sugar, splenda etc..), raisins also work well. Peaches, mango, anything like that. Not pears or oranges - although feel free to try. If doing a sweet curry go easy (or don't add) mustard seeds, cloves, fennel, too much turmeric or cumin - but definitely some unless the curry powder already has a lot in it.


One last thing, I would not recommend trying to curry turkey unless it has a very, very mild taste.

OR:

Throw the first set of ingredients in a pan, fry, add meat, fry, add curry powder, fry on low, add water/tomatoes, cook, add veg/yogurt anything else.


And I only just scratched the surface of your 'basic' curry. Currying fish and ground beef are both another story - although ground beef would work with the above method.

And then there is Biryani and Tandoori too..thai style (great with bambo shoots, water chestnuts and mini corn)

Anyway, if someone wants to post what they did, I'd be happy to make suggestions. There really is just way too many variable to cover all the possibilities.

Hopefully though you'll get the basic idea:

fry the first set of ingredients, onions ginger garlic chilis
fry meat separately
very gently fry spices for 10-15 minutes
add liquid and simmer
add meat, simmer for as long as you dare (probably ~2 hours max though)
add extras at appropriate time.

Man I wish I could rep you again. I'm coming home this weekend and I plan on cooking up something along those lines. Thanks man.

[Jamesstout]

okay i reckon jules has the curry covered i'd add to his description of the thai method, you simmer the whole she bang with coconut milk so a thia curry goes something like this

first get your paste either red or green:

The basic ingredients that are always present in Thai curry paste of all forms - green, red, yellow, Massaman, Panang, etc - are garlic, shallots, cilantro roots (or stems, but never leaves), lemongrass, galangal, Kaffir lime zest, and Kapi shrimp paste. Other ingredients - chillies, dried spices, and more aromatics like Krachai (Wild Ginger) or Kamin (fresh Turmeric roots) - and the combination and proportion of them are specific to particular types of curry or meat. Krachai is said to prevent excessive fishiness in the final dish. For meat, they would add a bit more cumin seeds and less coriander seeds, and vice versa for chicken. This serving size is enough for about 1 pound of meat.
Ingredients:
10 Bird-eye chillies, green ones only, seeded
12 medium Prik Chi-fah, or Serrano, seeded
3 medium stalks of lemongrass
50 g shallots, sliced
100 g garlic, sliced
1 scant tsp kaffir lime zest
30 g galangal, peeled, chopped
1 tsp shrimp paste
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cilantro roots, finely chopped
pinch of mace
pinch of nutmeg

If the paste is to be used for fish or seafood, also add 30 g wild ginger (the bottom part only).

Pound or ground all the ingredients together to a fine puree.

The paste will need to be used right away if there's any water added during the processing. Otherwise it will keep in the fridge a few days. It does not freeze well.

with that as your base you can go crazy (its not that hard to make just a case of bungung the stuff into a food mixer)

fry curry paste in oil with some palm sugar then add some lemongrass (great for authentic flavour) then whack the heat down a touch add lime leaves or zest and your meat then stir about a bit (not long) heat down abit more and add coconut milk and fish sauce and simmer for half an hour.

serve with fresh cilantro torn over it i like it with chicken and prawns, fish balls could use beef (i wouldn't use beef in an indian curry what with cows being sacred in most of india!)

[The Solution]

Originally Posted by Jules Verne

I make a whole range of curries. The problem is that I'm so used to it, I make them differently every time, don't measure out the spices and getting the time and inclination to write it all down is a pain!

here is an attempt - be warned I probably have missed out something.

Using curry sauce or power is probably the best start though. The trick is to add some fresh ingredients.

So basic ingredient to add to a curry sauce or powder:

Fundamental:

Garlic
Ginger
Onions
chili peppers (Serrano are the best I can find, but Indian chilis are better).

Other:
Tomatoes (either can of chopped if you are making the curry with a tomato base, or fresh if you add at the end)
Cilantro (add 1/2 fresh to curry, save 1/2 for adding before your serve)
Yogurt (totally optional, depending what you like)
fruit
carbs (potato usually, maybe veg, certainly green pepper and mushrooms)

Extra spices:
Cardamom (crushed seeds are great, otherwise ground - makes for a sweeter curry, good if you are doing a tomato base or adding yogurt)
Coriander (same a cilantro, but use ground, or preferably crushed seeds)
Cumin - again ground or if using seeds 'roast' them first - heat gently in a not-to-hot pan until aromatic
Cinnamon - try to avoid ground, it burns easily. Use sticks if you are cooking the curry for a decent amount of time (say over 1 hour) other wise be very careful or add after you've added liquid. I prefer to crush the sticks and cook them until soft, you get more flavor than just putting them in whole, but that's a matter of preference.

Oh goodness I could go on and on....there are lots more - turmeric (usually enough in the curry powder), cloves, fennel, (both for hotter curries - don't use extra for mild curry), fenugreek (good with cardamom for a sweeter curry) all of which can be used in different amounts to get a slightly different taste.

Mustard seeds - good for a hot curry/vindaloo style (no tomato base - use water for sauce). Fry carefully in a pan with oil until the pop. Easy to burn, so smell before adding anything else.

BTW I never use Ghee for my curries. It would probably taste better, but that's just too high calorie for me. I don't overdo the olive oil either, but that's up to you how much fat you want in it.

Basic instructions;

Brown meat (whatever you are using - I normally go with chicken, sometimes with shrimp added at the end or pork) in a pan, set aside. I'd do more lamb if it were cheaper here.

Fry (fairly finely chopped) onions, garlic (crushed with some large pieces or ready-chopped from a jar), ginger (preferably grated fresh) and chilis (or add the lot to the already popped mustard seeds) in a pan until soft, lower heat, wait for pan to cool and add spices - be careful not to burn any ground spices. Fry very gently for up to 15 minutes (the longer the better, you need to stir frequently. This is not the time to get distracted). This is when you are going to make the biggest difference to the taste - this releases a lot of the flavor from the spice mix. Frying different spices for different times I would put in the 'advanced' category - throw everything, including the curry powder in.

OK, next step is to add water or the tinned tomatoes. Simmer until the oil separates or about 15-30 minutes if not using much oil.

Add meat. You can add the meat first and fry it in the spices, then add the water or tomatoes. I just find it doesn't work quite as well for some reason.

Simmer gently for as long as you have the patience for....Even better if you cook it the day before, refrigerate and then reheat.

Add any extra veg, including fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers in the last 5-20 minutes before serving. same with the yogurt and fresh cilantro - 10-30 minutes before serving. If adding potato, consider pre-cooking or partially cooking them other wise it is easy to either have them too soft, or not cooked.

Not sure when to add coconut - I don't use that. but I do add fruit. Apples are good, pineapple works for a sweeter curry (if you are so inclined you can also sweeten with honey, sugar, splenda etc..), raisins also work well. Peaches, mango, anything like that. Not pears or oranges - although feel free to try. If doing a sweet curry go easy (or don't add) mustard seeds, cloves, fennel, too much turmeric or cumin - but definitely some unless the curry powder already has a lot in it.


One last thing, I would not recommend trying to curry turkey unless it has a very, very mild taste.

OR:

Throw the first set of ingredients in a pan, fry, add meat, fry, add curry powder, fry on low, add water/tomatoes, cook, add veg/yogurt anything else.


And I only just scratched the surface of your 'basic' curry. Currying fish and ground beef are both another story - although ground beef would work with the above method.

And then there is Biryani and Tandoori too..thai style (great with bambo shoots, water chestnuts and mini corn)

Anyway, if someone wants to post what they did, I'd be happy to make suggestions. There really is just way too many variable to cover all the possibilities.

Hopefully though you'll get the basic idea:

fry the first set of ingredients, onions ginger garlic chilis
fry meat separately
very gently fry spices for 10-15 minutes
add liquid and simmer
add meat, simmer for as long as you dare (probably ~2 hours max though)
add extras at appropriate time.

reps! serious stuff there man.. loveing it keep it coming