Chef Foundation

Archive for the ‘Tips for Cooking’ Category

Placing finished meals in your freezer can save you time in the kitchen. It takes hardly any more time and only double your ingredients to have a time saving meal ready for the times when you just don’t have the energy or the time to start a meal fresh.

If you would like to start cooking for the freezer. Start with these six tips to help you get the most out of your freezer and maximize your efforts in the kitchen.

1. Freezing foods can alter the tastes of some spices such as garlic, pepper and cloves. When you first make your dishes in preparation for the freezer, season your food lightly before sealing it up.

2. Use both foil and plastic wrap to keep your food from getting freezer burned. If you are wrapping an item that you will place directly in the oven, such as a casserole, consider wrapping it first in aluminum foil and then either placing in a large freezer bag or wrapping in plastic. Use double layers of foil or heavy duty foil for maximum protection.

3. Don’t forget to label your foods so that months down the line you are not playing the guessing game. Use waterproof labels and/or ink so that your writing doesn’t get smudged.

4. Remember not all foods freeze well. Some that rank up there are mayonnaise, raw tomatoes, boiled potatoes, cottage and cream cheese. Get a list of non-freezer friendly foods. Go here for a list of foods that don’t freeze well

5. Some good things to freeze for emergencies are unfrosted cakes, cookie dough, and pie crusts. You never know when unexpected company might drop by. I often freeze my cake layers for the many birthdays that dot the year.

6. Make sure you remove as much air as possible from food items before placing them in the freezer. This will help keep your foods frost free.

With these tips and some delicious freezer friendly meals you’ll be getting out of the kitchen fast in no time.

Salmon is a healthy and flavorful fish. It is rich in omega 3s, which are good for the heart and it, can be used in many different recipes. If you are looking for cooking tips for cooking salmon in the oven, read on for some handy hints about how to bake this tasty fish.

First of all, you should preheat the oven to somewhere between 350 and 450 degrees F, depending on what the recipe recommends. If you are not following a recipe, keep the temperature near to 350 degrees F because it is easier to accidentally overcook the fish if you choose a higher temperature.

Preparing the Salmon for Baking

You might like to use a store-bought salmon rub or make your own. Try a mixture of salt, chili powder, and paprika for a spicy flavor or mixed herbs for an herby flavor.

Perhaps you prefer to use an herb butter, like basil butter or dill butter. If you want to keep the flavors simple, you can use a little olive oil and some lemon or lime juice with the fish. You can prepare the fish a few hours before you cook it in the oven if you want.

Glazes are also popular with salmon and you can make a glaze for salmon by baking a sweet fruit like pineapple or peach on top of the fish. The juices will run over the fish as it cooks.

What about making your own salmon marinade recipe? Try a mixture of white wine, ginger, olive oil, lime juice, and brown sugar and marinate the salmon in this for half an hour before baking it.

How to Bake the Fish

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. This is optional but it does make cleanup easier afterwards. Put the fish on the baking sheet and bake it for ten to twelve minutes, or until it is opaque all the way through. The exact timing depends how thick your salmon fillet is. Salmon usually needs ten minutes cooking time for every inch of thickness.

Salmon should be tender inside and cooked to medium rare, for the best results. Overcooking is one of the worst things you can do to fish, so keep an eye on the salmon as it cooks. Remember that it keeps cooking on the baking sheet once you have taken it out of the oven. When the fish is barely pink right the way through, it is cooked perfectly.

Another way of baking salmon is to make a foil parcel. This helps to seal the juices in and ensure the fish comes out succulent and tender. Simply add the fish to a square of foil, add some lemon or lime slices and maybe some dill, cumin, chili powder or another flavor, and then loosely twist the foil at the top to make a foil package. This cooking method is known as “en papillote.”

Last year I wrote an article entitled “How To Have The Perfect Barbecue” in which I lambasted most of my friends for burning food on the BBQ and shared my top tips for ensuring a perfect BBQ every time. An alternative way to put it is “How to BBQ without flames” because the secret to charcoal cooking (and indeed gas barbecuing) is sizzle and not flames.

The fat in the food is mobilised in the heat, drips onto the charcoal which creates the smoke to flavour the food. What we want is to hear the sizzle but no flames because flames will char the outside of the food leaving us at best eating something semi raw and at worst in bed with food poisoning. Easy huh?

Well it is quite easy if you’ve got a barbecue grill with adjustable rack height or gas burners but if you’re the true outdoor type travelling light you may well have a disposable charcoal barbecue tray. If you’re not familiar with the disposable barbecue grill it’s essentially an aluminum foil tray filled with lump wood charcoal and a light mesh cover. On top of the charcoal is a fuel impregnated mat which once lit is all that’s needed to get the grill going making them ideal when travelling light or for cooking whilst on a picnic. One thing is clear though and that is there’s no adjustment to the height of the grill and this means being careful not to burn the food, more on that in a minute.

The main advantages to this piece of equipment is that it’s light and portable, it’s really quick to get going and also really cheap so for a few dollars more you can really add a new dimension to you picnic. Having recommended trying one of these trays I think it’s also important to point out the downsides of cooking on them so here are my essential tips for cooking on a disposable barbecue grill:-

1. Sometimes the lighting mat can fail so if satisfying your hunger is totally dependent on cooking then remember to take a firelighter as back up – and don’t forget the matches!

2. Choice of food to cook is really important because there’s not much flexibility with the heat and it doesn’t last forever. Because of the lack of flexibility, avoid fatty foods such as sausages because these will simply spray fat onto the coals and cause flare ups. As I’ve already said, the flames will burn food but it’s not just that, flames are wasted energy and your charcoal won’t last as long. Try fish and steaks and other lean cuts of meat.

3. It’s not an expensive piece of kit so don’t expect an enamel grill. The best tip I can give is to brush the grill with oil before putting any food on it and this will prevent it from sticking especially if cooking fish.

One last point; It is as it says, “disposable” so if you’ve just finished your cooking, please look after your environment and dispose of the wreckage responsibly.

A Combination Of Ingredients As A Substitute

By using substitutions when you are cooking a great meal, and if you do not have the specific ingredients for your particular dish, you will find that every ingredient has a substitute which could enhance the flavor of your dish.

With regard to tips on substituting ingredients, you will find that almost every ingredient can be substituted and will be as close to the original. Sometimes, you may have to use two or three different ingredients to be able to get the taste of the original.

The following list will give you an idea of the common substitution tips for ingredients that take place in everyday cooking.

Common Substitutes

Flour

In case you have all purpose flour and the recipe required self raising flour, add 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder to every cup of all purpose flour.

Baking Powder

If you do not have baking powder, you could use 1/2 cup buttermilk added to 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and bring down the liquid in your preparation by half a cup or you could use 5/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar and 1/4
teaspoon baking soda.

Crumbs with crackers

If bread crumbs are available and the recipe calls for cracker crumbs, in place of each cup of cracker crumbs, use 1 1/4 cups of bread crumbs.

Bread Crumbs

Similarly, if you need one cup of bread crumbs, and you do not have it, just use cracker crumbs (3/4 cup).

Corn Starch

If the recipe required corn starch and you do not have it, just use 2 tbsps. of all purpose flour.

Butter

If you do not have butter when the recipe requires it, use 7/8 cup shortening for every cup of butter or 7/8 cup of vegetable oil could also be used.

Buttermilk

If you do not have buttermilk, you can use plain yogurt with the same amount. You could also use 1 cup of milk with 1 tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar.

Sour Cream

Substitute a cup of sour cream, with 3/4 cup of sour milk or plain yogurt of the same quantity

Chocolate Substitutions

3 tbsps. of cocoa powder that is not sweetened, and 1 tbsp. butter is used in place of one ounce of unsweetened chocolate. For semi-sweet chocolate, use 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate and 1 tbsp. sugar.

Lemon Juice Substitutions

A simple substitution for lemon juice is vinegar in the same amount as the recipe requires.

The above substitutions for ingredients come in extremely handy when you find that you are all set to bake or cook, and find some of the ingredients are missing. By keeping this list in your kitchen as a guideline, you can make use of the ingredients that you have at your disposal instead of rushing out to the store.

Have you looked outside lately? Summer is on it’s way and with it brings thoughts of picnics, cook outs and barbeques. Here are a few good ideas to make it as pleasant for you as for your guest.

Gathering Supplies:

1. Use a fitted sheet for the table cloth. You can make it almost wind proof by placing small stones into the corner pockets.

2. Carry your plastic ware to the picnic in a used potato chip container. Make sure you have cleaned it well, as it might attract small insects.

3. Collect a few frozen juice containers then refill them with water and freeze. These can be used to keep the meats and other food cold in your cooler. Once you get to the picnic you can use the ice to make Lemonade.

4. Use washcloths as napkins. They will be easier to keep on the table and so easy at clean up time. Just toss them in a bag, then bring them home to laundry.

Cooking Tips

1. For extra flavor, always marinate your meats. You can also inject flavoring into the meats. Supplies for this can be bought at most grocery stores.

2. If you are pressed for space in your refrigerator, use zip lock plastic bags instead of bulky bowls. Don’t forget to turn them over about every two hours.

3. Always flip your meats with tongs. Using a fork will allow flavor filled juices to escape from the meat.

4. Use a small, one and a half inch, paint brush to apply your barbeque sauce to your meat as it grills. You will get better coverage and appreciate the flavors more when it’s time to eat.

Clean Up

1. Before you put your pots or pans on an open fire, coat their bottoms with a bar of soap. You will find clean up will be much easier later.

2. Coating your grill rack with a thin covering of vegetable oil will make it a breeze to clean later.

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.