Chef Foundation

Archive for the ‘Tips for Cooking’ Category

Your propane gas grill can be the host of tons of delicious and savory concoctions. This is especially true for propane gas grills with rotisserie attachments. Regardless of the season, weather or reason, you can cook up easy and hassle-free meals that keep your family and friends coming back for more.

Marinades are everything, and timing is the key to using them right. Your rotisserie can held you slow roast chickens, turkey, beef, pork and even pineapple. In fact, the options are endless. Learning to properly season what you roast before putting over the heat however, will be the key to getting the desired end results.

Always trim the fat off of the meats that you are planning to cook, or find a butcher that prepares the meat this way for you. Red meat and pork can be punctured several times with a turning fork, placed in a large bowl and covered liberally with the marinade of your choice. This can be covered and refrigerated for several hours to allow time for the seasoning to permeate the meat.

Chicken and turkey can be washed and the excess portions of fat near the thighs and rear of the birds can be trimmed off using kitchen shears. By pulling the skin away from the meat slightly at the neck area you can provide room to stuff numerous spices including onions, garlic, rosemary, sage and others. The birds can also be punctured and placed in a covered dish with marinade as well to encourage a deep, flavorful seasoning that will roast in when the bird is on the spit.

If you are using your grill in the winter, do not be afraid to implement other cooking devices as well. A good rice cooker is the best way to have a complete meal without having to get your hands dirty. A warm bed of jasmine or saffron rice can be the perfect complement to a lot of the meals that you will make on the grill. Learning to cook your vegetables right along side the meat is another way to keep the meal simple.

Outdoor cooking is very popular, and there are a few different reasons for this. For one, outdoor cooking allows large groups of people to come together and enjoy themselves, and so it is a great means of entertaining. Also, the food that is cooked here has a much different taste than the more conventional oven cooked food, and really offers a unique charbroiled flavor.

There is something really special about outdoor cooking although it does involve quite a bit of skill and innovation. With a little practice and some effort however, anyone can become a talented outdoor chef and learn to cook for their friends and family.

Getting Started

Anyone interested in cooking outdoors will first have to get the necessary equipment. The first and most important piece of equipment here is going to be what they will cook in. The two most popular options here are the outdoor fireplace and the outdoor brick oven. Both of these help to deliver the tastes and aromas that you are looking for and both have models that range from affordable to high priced.

It really depends on the type of outdoor cooking that you are planning on doing. If you are an experienced chef who is planning to cook regularly then it will be more worth it for you to spend a bit more money and get a high quality oven. If you are just a beginner and are not sure how often you will be using it, then the best idea, at least for now, will be for you to stick to a lesser priced model.

A grill may also be a useful tool here and will be a good purchase to make for cooking in the outdoors. This is because there may be certain foods, namely vegetables and legumes that will have to be grilled as opposed to cooked.

Recipes

Coming up with recipes for your outdoor cooking is one of the most fun parts. A good idea is to select a couple dozen recipes that you like and then make a little cookbook out of these so that you can use them in the future.

Bread is especially delicious when cooked in an outdoor oven or fireplace, as is pizza and most pasta dishes. The options are really endless here, and if you are serving for an event of some sort the best idea will be to ask around and find out what foods everyone likes so that you can create a menu that is going to satisfy everyone’s tastes.

The first thing to worry about when preparing a filet mignon roast is your choice of roast. If you want to make this for a special occasion, ask your butcher for the cut early in case they need to order it in. Not every meat department keeps a big stock in this expensive cut. Before you pick one out of the case, you need to understand that a filet mignon roast is not the same as a tenderloin. Yes, filet mignon comes from the tenderloin, but it is the most tender portion. The other end of the tenderloin has some chewy portions that you may find disappointing.

When you think about cooking your filet mignon roast, consider that this cut has very little fat. You do have a tradeoff for all that tenderness; filet mignon does not have a robust beefy flavor like many other cuts. To compensate, many cooks serve it with a gravy made from the drippings or coat the meat with a flavorful rub.

To keep your roast from curling, remove the silverskin. This is the tough, silvery membrane on one side of the roast. Remove any remaining fat deposits. Cut your tenderloin into two pieces before cooking. You can use your pan more efficiently, and for those who prefer different results, you can cook one to 120 degrees and one to 125 degrees before removing them from the oven. This way your guests have a choice of rare or medium. Before you put your roast in the oven, you will want to tie it with kitchen twine to keep the meat from flattening and losing its shape. Tie a string around the roast every two or three inches. The string should be firm, but not too tight. This will help your roast to cook more evenly.

Before searing your roast, pat it dry with a paper towel. A moist surface will not let the meat brown properly. When searing, use a heavy based pan and give all sides of the roast a few minutes of undisturbed cooking to create that beautiful look. If you want to apply a rub to the roast, such as a mustard herb mixture, apply it after the meat has been seared. Applying a rub like this adds flavor without overwhelming the filet mignon’s delicate taste.

Once you have your roast in the oven, keep a meat thermometer in it. Check it frequently. When the roast reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit, remove it from the oven. Do not let it overcook. While you may not think it is done at this point, the roast needs to rest, and the meat will continue to cook during the resting period, raising the inner temperature another 10 to 15 degrees. Let the meat rest somewhere warm for at least 15 minutes to let the juices become reabsorbed by the fibers.

Do not tent your resting meat with foil. It will stay warm enough for the length of time it rests, and tenting would soften the crust by trapping any escaping moisture. Once your roast has rested, you can easily slice it for your guests, knowing that every bite will be juicy and tender.

-Spinach will be even more tastier when we soak it in a mild sugar water and then cook it.

-Green Peas when cooked with a pinch of sugar, smells good.

-Amla Powder with honey or ghee taken daily after the supper keeps your eye sight brighter even after your 50′s.

-Mix about 1 table spoon of milk with the poori dough, will make the poori’s fluffy.

-If you mix 1/4 table spoon of sooji and 1/4 table spoon of sugar, it will resist the fluffiness of the poori for hours.

-Boil the tulsi leaves with pepper and sugar in water and drink it 3 times a day to control your Blood Pressure.

-Boil tulsi leaves and camphor leaves in water and drink it 2 times a day to get rid of cold and cough.

-Garlic is an antioxidant which when taken daily will prevent us from Cancer.

-Instead of putting coconut or til inside Modhakam you can also keep dry grapes, cashew nuts, dates, coloured and crushed dry coconut, tutty fruties. It will attract small children and will be an all time favourite snack/tiffin for them.

-Add salt to Morkuzhambu after removing it from the flame(gas stove).It will be thicker as a paste.

-Add fried rice powder to coconut mixed poriyals(vegetables) to make it crispier and even more tastier.

-Add salt to the vegetables after it becomes half cooked.

-Fry a tomato, onion, green chilly, carrot in oil and then grind the obtained paste along with coriander leaves and required salt to get the vegetable chutney.this chutney can be used as a side-dish for doas, idly and chappati, etc. It is a healthier dish suitable for all ages.

Meal times so easily become a battle field when we are cooking for little ones. We spend hours preparing a nutritious meal but it all ends in tears with a toddler tantrum at the tea table.

Are there any simple guidelines we can follow when cooking for little ones? I would say after many years of experience and many tantrums, mine as well as the kids, that it is possible to take some of the tension out of cooking for little ones.

My first rule when cooking for little ones is don’t cook. Or at least cook less. Children love raw foods and they are very healthy. Keep some cut up carrot sticks in the fridge. Washed, peeled and sliced into finger sized pieces they make an excellent snack. With a little houmous, or peanut butter maybe, they are extremely nutritious. Raw food really is good for children.

On the same principle why not try homemade smoothies. They can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge. This is one of the simplest ways of getting children to eat fresh fruit and vegetables. You can also turn smoothies into a kind of ice pop by freezing them. They are lower in sugar than commercially available products.

A thing we easily forget when cooking for little ones is that they have small stomachs. They need to eat little and often. The large meals we habitually prepare for adults are just too much for children. They simply cannot wait four hours from one meal to another. You need to have lots of healthy food in small portions ready to hand.

When it comes to the main family meals the single biggest problem is vegetables. So many small children will not eat vegetables, especially green vegetables. The answer is to get creative. Sauces exist for a reason. Broccoli was surely made for garlic butter or cheese sauce.

Some people will object that children will not eat garlic. But if they are introduced to it slowly they will. It will soon become a favourite and it is very healthy. The same is true of cheeses. It is worth introducing children to variety of cheeses. They might not like them all but they will develop a taste for some. Cheese is a valuable source of calcium and vitamin D which are important to growth of strong bones and teeth.

It is important to introduce children to what we think of as “adult” tastes because that is the way to ensure that their diet is varied. You will also avoid the trap that so many parents fall into of having to cook two meals. One word of warning here: when cooking for little ones never add salt. Salt is very bad for babies and small children.

Many of the problems associated with cooking for little ones can be overcome by cooking with little ones rather than just cooking for little ones. That is to say let them help you in the kitchen. I know that will make twice as much work and twice as much mess, but it will be worth it in the long run. Cooking for little ones should be about introducing them to the world of food and encouraging a healthy relationship with food. It is better for a child to learn that a muffin is something you bake with care and love rather than something you grab in a hurry and eat without thinking. You can guarantee that the peas they have shelled themselves will be eaten and not left on the plate.

Even after we have done all these things there will still be time when the kids simply will not eat the meal you have lovingly prepared. This brings me to what is perhaps the golden rule when cooking for little ones. At this point you must resist the temptation to scream at them and throw dishes across the kitchen. Their refusal to eat is not a reflection on you or your cooking. They are only human and so are you. The best solution is to learn to make soup or keep some chickens in the backyard. They will always eat what you cook. Well, nearly always.

If you’re like a lot of people, you only use your microwave for reheating and defrosting food, or for popping popcorn. You may have never even considered using this common kitchen appliance for cooking an entire meal, because for many years a lot of microwave meals didn’t taste very good. But this type of cooking has come a long way, and these days there are all kinds of delicious recipes that can be made in half the time it would take to cook them in a conventional oven or on the stove top.

Cooking Tips

In order to create the best-tasting meals possible in your microwave, there are a few simple tips to follow.

For instance, to ensure that your food is cooked thoroughly, make sure that things are spread out evenly on the plate. Do not stack foods. In order to cook meat evenly, instead of cooking it on high power for a short period of time, cook it a little longer at medium power.

Here are some more helpful tips for cooking in your microwave oven:

Cut large foods, such as roasts, into smaller pieces so that they will cook completely through, and cook evenly. About half-way through cooking, rotate or flip the food you are cooking. This will also help to ensure that it is cooked evenly. Only use containers that are labeled microwave-safe. There are many plastic containers that should not be used in a microwave, especially those that are intended for one-time use, such as margarine and whipped cream tubs. Instead of using plastic wrap to cover food to keep it from drying out while cooking, use a paper towel instead. To really ensure that your food is nice and moist, dampen the paper towel slightly before covering your food. Remember to allow for a sitting time. Many foods are a lot hotter than you may think, and liquids that you think may not have reached the boiling point actually have, and moving the container immediately can cause the liquids to boil over, leading to burns.

How to Adapt Your Favorite Recipes

It is usually pretty easy to convert many of your favorite recipes for microwave cooking. Often, you can find many recipes that are similar to your own, online. These have been created just for the microwave, and you can always tweak them, adding your own special touch to make the recipe your own. Or, you can play around with your recipes. After all, a lot of the most delicious dishes in the world came to us through trial and error.

Don’t get upset if everything you make doesn’t taste amazing. It may take a while to perfect the art of this style of cooking, but once you do, you will be creating delicious meals in no time at all.

There are all kinds of great recipes that you can use to create delicious meals in your microwave oven. You can find them in magazines, online, and in a number of cookbooks. So, stop using this handy little appliance just to reheat and defrost foods. Cook some delicious meals too, and save time doing it.