Hungarian Style Chicken!

   Hey! Long overdue some sort of posting on here...... but this thing called life has been messing things up for a while. Things have pretty much settled out now so perhaps I can pay more attention to this particular blog again.

   Up here in "The Falls" we recently instituted a couple of new family practices which we hope will eventually become traditions. We have started "Family Fun Food Night" which is basically tacos or pizza or fried chicken or other fast food. Order in..... slam a movie in the blue ray player and just kick back and relax. At some point during the evening the family suggests and votes upon a country. JUST a country..... and based upon the result of their vote I am challenged with serving a family meal from that country on the following Friday. This is called "Foreign Food Friday" and the hope is that it will help broaden the tastes of the family and children and help all to better appreciate the wide variety of food and flavors out there.

Hungarian Chicken Paprikash.

   As you might suspect from the name Paprika is the main spice used in this dish. Regular Paprika is fine BUT if you search your local Mega-Mart you should be able to locate smoked Paprika too. Once you open the jar and take a smell..... you'll understand why you need this stuff in your spice cabinet!! 

   This particular recipe will serve about 6. Depending upon your personal preference you can either use entire chicken breasts...... chicken strips...... or either one which have been cut up into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes. (I prefer the cube method due to small children being present here) Even though the recipe has "dumplings" you may still wish to make some regular egg noodles or rice to serve this over since there is a light sauce or "gravy" that is part of the final product.

What you'll need: (Main dish)

1 Onion

1/4 c. oil

2 Tsp. salt

1 Tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. Paprika

4-5 lbs. Chicken (may be cut up)

1/2 Pint Sour Cream

1/2 Pint Light Cream

1/2 to 1 cup of water. (May not all be used)

Preparation:

Heat a 12 inch skillet and add the oil. When it begins to shimmer add the onion and cook until golden brown. Lower the heat and add the chicken next. Cook for approximately 10 minutes.  LOWER HEAT!

DO NOT be concerned is this seems to be too little time. The chicken will continue to cook in the gravy as we progress.

Mix all the seasonings together and stir those into the sour and light cream combination. If this mixture seems to be too thick you may thin it out with the water. You'll want it to be about as thick as the light cream. CAREFULLY pour this mixture into the pan and stir until combined. Cover and simmer on low heat. What you are looking for is just to see a bubble come up in the pan every few seconds. Taste and re-season to your liking. (don't be afraid to add more Paprika!)

Dumplings:

3 Eggs (beaten)

1/2 C. cold water

2 Tsp Salt

2-1/2 C. AP (all purpose) flour.

In a fairly large bowl mix all ingredients. You're looking for a good dough here so add more flour if it is too thin to start. You're choice next. You may either make teaspoon full size lumps and drop those into boiling water OR you may roll out the dough..... let dry briefly.... then cut into strips about an inch wide and two to three inches long.

The size is entirely up to you. These WILL be "tough" and chewy when cooked! Drop the dumplings (either way) into the boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse in cold water..... drain well. Add the cooked dumplings to the Chicken and stir in well. If you were going to have either noodles or rice with the dish prepare that while the dumplings cook. 

Serve over the noodles or rice...... or boiled and mashed potatoes or even a hearty bread. You're call. Add your favorite vegetable and you're set. This dish does not have a powerful or overwhelming flavor so if you're a wine fan keep your pairing on the gentle side. A bold wine will overwhelm both the dish and your taste buds. Consider a blended wine, Zinfandel or German Liebfraumilch. 

The most important thing? Have fun and enjoy! As with all cooking bend it to fit your taste and style. If you don't like sour cream just use a heavier table cream instead..... the flavor then will be even more mild. Consider adding mild tasting vegetables, like parsnips, to the dish while cooking for an extra flavor and texture dimension. Artichoke hearts would be another good option. In time you will develop a sense about these things and it makes the cooking process a more enjoyable and creative experience.

Achtung! Ein wenig deutsches Kochen!

It's been a while since I've posted. If anyone out there actually reads this I do apologize. The title should be a tip off. Translated it says: "Attention! A little German cooking!"

First of all German cooking isn't scary or difficult. It's simply different from what you are used to. A lot of what we eat every day in America can trace it's roots back to Europe and Germany. For example... a good old chicken fried steak isn't anything but a German Schnitzel with beef instead of pork. Pot roast is sauerbraten without the vinegar kick. See! You already know most of this stuff!

What we're going to do today is make kartoffelsalat or potato salad the traditional German way. I'll add something at the end to make this better but trust me, this stuff is great all by itself.

As with most of my cooking exact amounts of ingredients are a problem. I can give you the what but the how much depends upon how much you are making. I'm used to cooking for a minimum of 4 but lately it's typically for 2. The process, however, is simple. Just taste it as you get to the last stage and stop adding stuff when you like it. The only trick here is that the main ingredient is potatoes... and those tend to absorb flavors as it sets. So if it's right when you make it and you serve it a day later it may need to be tweaked a bit.

Ingredients:

Potatoes 8 to 10 small to medium "gold" potatoes. (These hold together when boiled)
Bacon roughly 6 to 8 slices chopped into small pieces
Onion 2 small to medium white or yellow onions, chopped fine
Canola oil approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Enough to very lightly coat
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Red Wine
Vinegar to taste

Preparation:

Start a large pot of water and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and test with a knife until it passes to the center without resistance. Quickly drain off the hot water being careful not to scald yourself on either the water or the steam. Fill with cold water to stop the cooking. This water will heat up too so drain it and refill with more cold water after about 5 minutes.

While the water is coming to a boil dice the bacon and get it cooking in a saute pan. (or any pan large enough to get the job done) Add some fresh ground pepper as the bacon renders. When the bacon is just starting to crisp add the chopped onions and cook until the onions are translucent. (get clear and soft)

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle peel and slice them into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick slices. Put these into a large bowl. Pour the bacon and onion mixture on top. DO NOT DRAIN off the bacon fat!

Carefully stir this mixture together taking care not to break up the potatoes too much. While stirring add the red wine vinegar. About 1/8 cup would be a good starting point for me but this is a matter of personal taste. It should have a noticeable vinegar "tang" but not be overpowering.

After the vinegar add the salt to taste. As I said bear in mind that potatoes tend to absorb flavors. This is particularly true with salt. (in fact if you over salt a soup you can add potatoes to save the dish.... just remove them before serving)

Depending upon how much fat cooked out of the bacon you may still need to add a little bit of canola or some other light oil to the mixture. This is just enough to lightly coat the potatoes. This prevents them from drying out during storage. (provided your batch lasts long enough to be stored!)

This is best served right after it's made. While it's okay out of the refrigerator the next day it's at it's peak when served fresh and warm.

This goes great with sandwiches. Wonderful with a nice Brat too! Want to go all the way to Germany? Fry up a Schnitzel!

BONUS!!!

Schnitzel! This is a lot easier than you probably think. All you need is a nice pork tenderloin roast and some prep time.

Slice the tenderloin into pieces about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. They will be about as big around as a coaster (3 to 4 inches) but we'll soon fix that. [wink]

Lay the meat on a solid surface (wooden cutting board) and cover with some heavy duty plastic wrap. With a smooth heavy meat mallet start at the center and pound out towards the edges pulling the hammer in the direction you want the meat to go as you finish the stroke. Continue until the meat is down to about 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick.

Prepare an egg wash and a bowl of bread crumbs. (I use egg beaters and Progresso bread crumbs) Season the bread crumbs with salt, garlic powder (lightly) and add 1/4 cup of all purpose flour. Mix to combine.

With your left hand dip the schnitzel into the egg wash and coat it on both sides. Transfer to the bread crumbs and, using your right hand, coat completely on both sides. You can sit these aside after coating for several hours. Simply cover and refrigerate.

In a large cast iron skillet add canola or peanut oil to a depth of about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch. Heat until you see the oil "shimmer" but not to the smoke point. (roughly 350 to 375 degrees F.) Carefully ease one schnitzel at a time into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown which will be between 1 and a half to 3 minutes per side. When done remove and sit on a rack to cool. Remember that the schnitzel is very thin so it can be overcooked easily. 3 minutes per side is the maximum it should take. Typical is closer to 2 minutes. Use your favorite seasoning salt on the schnitzels as soon as they come out of the skillet!

Serve with the kartoffelsalat for a perfect German meal. If you wish pick up a packet of Knorr Hunter Sauce.... or it may simply be called mushroom gravy mix. Prepare that according to manufacturers direction and pour over the schnitzel. You will enjoy yourself!

EXTRA BONUS! For a super special treat.... try adding some sliced ham (deli style) and Swiss cheese to half the schnitzel. Fold over... hammer the edges until sealed... bread and fry as above. Congratulate yourself! You've just made the German version of the French Cordon Bleu!! (And you though gourmet cooking was hard!)

Beef Jerky

I know what you're thinking. "Beef Jerky? That's not gourmet food!" I guess that depends upon your taste and the size of your wallet. Have you priced beef jerky in a store lately? It might sound like low budget stuff but they darn sure charge upscale and a half for it. Why pay the price for something you had no control over when it's not all that hard to make right at home?

Now this does require a shopping trip or two for materials. If you don't have a dehydrator I'd highly recommend you acquire one. If you mess around in the kitchen at all you'll find dozens of uses for it. I grow herbs in my flower beds and use the dehydrator to preserve them for later. Kids will enjoy dried fruit and you can add various nuts to that and make your own trail mix! LOTS of reasons to go spend $30 or so bucks on the thing. The big outfitters like Cabela's, Bass Pro and Gander Mountain usually have them in stock. Also try places like Academy Sports and Outdoors or a really good hardware store. I prefer one with the fan and heater on top. Much easier to keep clean that way.

If you don't care to buy a dehydrator you can use your oven. This will not work as well and requires more attention but it's an option. Dehydrating is done at VERY low temperatures over a long time. If you can't set your oven to a range between 115 and 155 degrees F then it's going to be a real bother. Most ovens bottom out at 200 which it too high. To compensate you can simply cycle your oven on and off every half hour or so. Like I said... ovens can be a bother.

On the other hand if you're really crafty you could put together a makeshift unit. Staple some screen (wide mesh) onto some 2X2's. Make these about a foot square. You'll need about 6. Find some fairly thick cardboard and make an enclosure on all four sides and the top. Lay another piece on the bottom to catch drippings. While your wife isn't looking.... borrow her hair dryer. Cut a hole in one side at the bottom to accept the business end of the unit and another hole at the top for a vent. Run the unit on low heat and low speed for best results.

Now..... time to get the rest of the stuff together. Head on down to your local Mega Mart and grab an eye of round roast. Go for at least 8 pounds. Also get a large bottle of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce and a good brewed soy sauce. If you want.... might grab a bottle of liquid smoke too. Depends upon your tastes. Okay.... pay up and head on back to the ranch. (OOPS! If you don't have them at home.... snag a box of 1 gallon zip lock bags!)

If you happen to have a meat slicer set the gap to about 1/8 inch. Trim all the fat from the outside of the roast and begin slicing. No machine? Grab a really sharp chefs knife and get busy then.... same deal.... about 1/8 inch. Start on one end and work towards the other. Pieces should be 3 to 4 inches in diameter.

Those of you with the electric slicer.... congratulations! You've got extra stuff to clean! Knife guys.... it's okay to laugh at them. Slicer guys.... grab a knife too.... time to get to cuttin'. Take each of the pieces and cut it into 4 to 5 pieces. Results will now be about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide and 3 to 4 inches long. Drop these into the gallon zip lock bag until you've got them all.

Tastes vary but at this point I pour in about a tablespoon of garlic powder. Next the entire bottle of Worcestershire sauce and about an equal amount of soy sauce. Compress the bag to remove as much air as possible and seal. Work it around for a minute or so to make sure the liquid is well worked in around the meat. When you're sure the meat is well coated and covered place the bag in a good sized baking dish and store in the refrigerator. (The dish is in case the bag springs a leak) Okay.... walk away (after cleaning up of course) for anywhere from a few hours to several days.... it will be just fine.

When you're ready get the bag and barely open it. Drain out all the liquid you can. Load the shelves of your dehydrator (whichever kind you're using) with the meat. My dehydrator is round so I lay the meat around the outside edge in a circle working my way to the center. When the rack is full you have options. Option 1 is to just go in to the next rack and continue filling. Option 2 is to kick things up a bit first. I usually sprinkle on some additional dry seasoning at this point. Maybe more garlic powder..... or onion powder..... if you like heat dash on some black pepper! I also find that if you take Kansas City or Canadian Steak seasoning..... run that through a spice mill and put it in a shaker bottle..... it gives the jerky a more exotic flavor. Experiment! If you like something put it on! Anything but more salt.... trust me... there is enough of that already.

Once all the racks are filled stack them up and assemble your dehydrator. I go for about 140 degrees and 8 to 10 hours. Time will depend upon how dry you want the meat to be. If you like your jerky moist and chewy... less time.... say 6 to 8 hours. My wife likes her's "crispy" so her batch cooks for about 12 hours. The dryer the end product the longer it will store without a problem. Moist jerky can still become moldy in less than a week.... provided it lasts that long.

Jerky makes an excellent low fat high protein snack. (Sodium is rather high though) Have a baby that's teething? Skip the teething biscuits (they make a BIG mess anyway) and give the kid a stick of Jerky instead! The flavor will keep them interested and the texture works their gum's better than the biscuit. When the business end gets too limp and soggy just snip it off with some scissors. (If you're going to do this make some extra long pieces of Jerky. Their piece should never be so small that they can't hold it with two hands.... otherwise there is a choke hazard.)

This time of year I start cranking up production. I give bags of Jerky to family members at Christmas. (We tried presents last year and everyone asked "Where's the Jerky?") I also drive around and hand out bags to the guys at the auto repair shop who keeps our two SUV's in running condition. Unless they are a vegan they'll appreciate the gift.

Jerky, by the way, is the Americanized version of the traditional Indian (native American) pemmican. The difference being that pemmican was usually venison pounded out and mixed with dried fruit or berry's. That was typically dried in the sun but it could be slow cooked and smoked in an earthen oven too.

Take your time.... choose high quality ingredients... don't be afraid to experiment some either. I like heat in my Jerky so I use the Worcestershire sauce. You might want to start out with straight soy sauce and tweak it the next time until you find the flavor you prefer. I've made Jerky with curry power and Jamaican Jerk seasoning on it. Like mustard? Toss some in the bag while the meat soaks. A more hardy or traditional flavor? Try adding your favorite BBQ sauce! Just go easy as that stuff doesn't dry well. For your time and effort you end up with two to three times the amount of Jerky for the money.... AND you know exactly what went into it and how it was made! (Priceless!)

BBQ Brisket and Ribs? Joe makes it easy!

I know a lot of you wish you could make really tender and juicy BBQ Brisket. And how about fall off the bone tender BBQ ribs? Wouldn't you just love to be able to serve those to your family and friends? Perhaps you have a grill or even a smoker out on your patio.... and have tried but things just keep coming out dry and tough.... even burnt. Ol' Joe is about to make serving perfect Brisket and Ribs so easy you won't believe it.

If you choose to use your smoker the secret is to keep the temperature low. You want the meat as far away from the heat source as possible and you want the temperature to stay between 180 and 200 at the very most. Use your favorite rub.... insert the meat and just walk away. 6 to 8 hours later (depending upon how hot you let things get) your meat will be done.

If you choose to use a grill (not my favorite choice for this) follow the same rules. Keep the meat away from the heat. (flame on the right side of the grill.... meat on the left) A lot of liquid will cook out of a brisket so be prepared for that. Just that liquid cooking out of the brisket is the main reason I prefer a smoker for this task. Ribs..... they can be done on a grill. I like to use the little rack normally used for keeping things warm rather than putting them directly on the grill.

With either of the above there is a lot of preparation and tending necessary. Unless you do this very frequently and have a "feel" for how things are going the odds are in favor of a less than stellar result. So how can you cook a brisket or a rack of ribs and know for certain that things will turn out well? Abandon everything you think you know about BBQ and pay close attention. I'm about to give up the secret of a juicy brisket and fall off the bone tender ribs.

PICK YOUR CUT OF MEAT
Head on down to your local mega-mart and ease on into the meat department. Sooner or later you'll find the briskets. Look for something in the 8 to 12 pound range. This is a good size for the average family of four.... or a couple that doesn't mind tasty leftovers. These will have a fair amount of fat on them so the final cooking weight will be a pound or two less than the purchase weight. Ribs are much easier. You really only have to choose between beef or pork. There are spare ribs and short ribs. Spare ribs generally have less meat since they are the larger ribs from higher up on the rib cage. Short ribs are just that.... the shorter end of the ribs.... less bone and more meat. Some ribs even come already cut down to single ribs and packaged about 6 to a pack. These are fine too. Just buy enough to do the job.

PREPARATION

Not much prep is required for the ribs beyond a quick rinse under cold water. The Brisket is another story. Briskets generally have a good amount of fat on them. You don't want to remove all the fat but you do what to get rid of at least 90% of it. This requires a very sharp knife and a large cutting board. As in the article on knives take care and cut away from your body. Trim the fat away until you have between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch of fat left. You can trim it all off if you want to but it's a bother. Besides the fat helps keep the meat moist during the cooking process.

RUB

Next step is to apply a good rub to the meat. Search your Mega-Mart spice section and you should be able to find two or three products that suit the bill. They will clearly state RUB on the label and may state that this rub is for brisket.... or chicken.... or something. You can also make your own but this is not an exact science and is fairly subjective.

I start off is about 1/2 cup of Kosher or sea salt and 1/2 cup of raw brown sugar crystals. (they usually come in a box and often take some serious searching to find) If you can't locate the raw sugar just use 1/2 cup of packed dark brown sugar. Also if you choose not to use Kosher or Sea salt reduce the salt by 1/2. To that add equal parts of ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and hickory smoke powder. (If you can find it. If not we can add liquid smoke later) If you want to make the flavor a bit more exotic you can add a little bit of cinnamon, some ground cumin, (go easy on that) oregano, MSG and some nutmeg. Those last items are optional and there is no exact measure..... it's something you will have to experiment with and get a feel for over time.

Take the cut of meat and massage a good quantity of the rub into the meat. Use more than you think you really need because this stuff works it's way into the meat and the flavor tends to become less pronounced during the cooking process. Coat all sides and then let the meat rest for about 15 minutes.

COOKING

While you are trolling your local Mega-Mart locate the cooking bags. These come in several sizes and you'll want the size normally used for cooking turkey. There are generally two to three bags in a box as well as zip ties. Line a LARGE sheet pan with foil. DO NOT skip this step as I have discovered not lining the pan can ruin the finish. (Learn from my experience here)

Position the bag on the sheet pan and (with some help) insert the meat into the cooking bag fat side up. IF you could not locate hickory smoke powder this is a good time to add some liquid smoke to the bag. This stuff can pack a punch so go easy until you get a feel for how much to use. I'd go with about a tablespoon full on my first attempt then adjust from there using this as a base point.

Set your oven to 200 degrees... NO HIGHER than that! It seems low but trust me... it's enough. I normally do all my preparations late at night and slide the meat into the oven between midnight and one in the morning. Hit the sack and don't give it another thought until about 10 hours later. Yeah... 10 hours. What produces the result is low heat and long cooking time.

FINISHING UP

10 hours later turn off the oven, remove the pan and let it rest on top of the stove for a good half hour. After it's cooled open the bag and carefully pour off the liquid into a medium sized sauce pan. (LOTS of great flavors in this stuff so don't waste it!) Let the meat continue to rest while you tend to these juices. After several minutes the fat will come to the surface. Use what ever method you prefer to remove the majority of it. A baster works.... so does a large shallow spoon. Don't worry if you don't get it all.... that's okay... do what you can.

Put the pan on the stove and start raising the temperature over medium heat. Meanwhile mix about 1/4 cup of cornstarch with just enough cold water to make a liquid. Once the sauce is at a low boil slowly add the cornstarch while stirring constantly. Cornstarch will not thicken unless it is boiling so this is critical. Also a sauce made with cornstarch gets thicker as it cools so after your sauce has boiled gently while stirring for about 3 minutes... turn off the heat and let cool for about a half hour.

While the sauce is cooling you can warm up some baked beans..... or dish out some potato salad or what ever else you wish. Remove the brisket/ribs from the bag and place on your cutting board. Using a very sharp knife slice the brisket into 1/8 in thick slices. IF it seems to be tearing turn the meat 90 degrees and try again. With ribs just use either a chef's knife or a small cleaver to separate the ribs into serving size. Place on the plate and spoon some of your sauce over it.

You can also use regular BBQ sauce on your meat..... or... while you're making your own sauce... simply add about a half a cup of your favorite bottled sauce to it.

If you like chopped BBQ sandwiches..... before you put things away use a fork and shred some of the brisket off and place it into a container. Add either your sauce or the bottled stuff to that and mix well. Heat in a microwave and serve on a bun anytime.

Another favorite of ours is to keep sliced brisket in a container. Heat these in a microwave also and place on top of a nice dinner salad to make a complete meal.

Okay gang.... the secret is officially out now! Feel free to write and let others know how your experience went and offer hints or tips you discovered.

Be sharp! (or... let's talk knifes)

Okay gang... I managed to overlook the most important item you'll need for cooking... other than perhaps food. The Knife! Off to the left you'll see a typical knife... except yours probably doesn't have all those lines and numbers. That's okay.... all they really do it make it harder to use and store anyway so you're lucky. Since those are there on this one... let's use them to get acquainted with the different parts.

#1 is the blade but you probably knew that.
#2 is the handle and again I suspect you knew that. So from here on out it ought to be a learning experience!

#3 is called the spine. Depending upon the purpose of the knife this can range from very thin to nearly a quarter of an inch thick. The knife will taper from here to the next number.

#4 is the edge.... the place where most of the work gets done. Depending upon the grade of the knife, the material of construction and the purpose.... this can be either a rather straight taper or it can gradually taper to near the edge then take on increasingly steeper angles (usually no more than three) until it comes to a point... or edge.

#5 is the heel of the blade... usually the last 1/3 to 1/4 of the length of the blade.

#6 is the tip and this is usually about the last inch of the blade farthest away from the handle and eventually meeting up with the spine to form....

#7 the point! Some folks call this the tip. Call it what ever you wish.

#8 is the bolster. Technically this part is neither blade nor tang but rather a transition between the two. It adds stability to the knife.

#9 is called the finger guard and is generally built into the bolster.

#10 is the tang of the knife and it's always hidden inside the handle material. Typically on a chef's knife this part is at least 1/8 of an inch thick. the handle material covers this and that material can range from bone to man made substances to wood. On a quality knife the handle material will be attached to the tang with 3 large rivets.

#11 is called the butt... and I have no idea why.


Okay... so much for anatomy class. What we have now is a bewildering array of knives to choose from. This is one area where I recommend that you don't skimp. As the old saying goes you don't get cut by a sharp knife... only a dull one. Why? Dull ones require more effort to use and increased effort leads to accidents.

What you'll want to buy is a very high grade of stainless steel for the majority of your knives. This material has a high carbon content and is typically heated to about 2000 degrees then forged into the approximate shape. After forging it is ground, heat treated, polished and sharpened to a fine edge. A good blade will hold it's edge well and require little effort to keep sharp.

A second type of knife is a stamped blade rather than forged. Here the knife starts as a roll of steel which moves through a stamping press. As the press cycles it stamps out blade blanks. These are then hardened, quenched, tempered ground and polished to form the blade. These can range from really cheap to pretty well done high grade products. Typically your very thin flexible knives will be made this way. A salmon knife for example. (Although it will work on more than salmon)

The last material is fairly new and still somewhat expensive. Ceramic. These blades are made from an industrial grade of zirconium oxide which is heated to very high temperatures until it can be molded into shape. Once sharpened these blades can hold an edge for many many years... which is a good thing... because they are much harder than 99% of the tools typically used to sharpen a knife! It takes a professional using diamond abrasives to sharpen a ceramic knife. On the plus side this blade will never rust... or react with anything! Impervious to even acid it may be the wave of the future.

As far as types of knives go there are a total of 13 different standard types made expressly for kitchen use. These range from cleavers (the largest and heaviest) down to paring (about a 3 inch blade) which is the most commonly used knife. In between those two extremes are boning knives, steak knives, carving (slicing) knives, bread knives, utility knives, tomato/bagel knives, salmon slicer, ham slicer, oriental cleaver and the fish fillet knife.

Yeah.... I know... all you snooty types out there are yelling.... what about the cheese knife? Well I consider those to be kitchen gadgets and not a true knife. Best cheese cutter? Piano wire. Just remember to put it back in the piano when you're done.

And now.... a word about safety! The safest knife you can use us a very sharp one. The sharper the cutting edge the less effort it takes to do the work. Less effort means less frustration and far fewer accidents. When exerting force with the edge always direct that force away from your body and all it's parts. Look and think before you start cutting and slicing. Do you have your fingers... or someone else's in the path of the blade? Is anything other than what you intend to cut in the way? Knives have one purpose in life and that is to separate things.... be that your favorite brisket or a head of lettuce. If a finger or arm or anything else gets in the way... the edge does not care. Nothing ruins a good dinner presentation faster than a severed finger.

Buy the best knives you can afford because they can be a lifetime investment if you choose correctly. The best knives will not rust or tarnish and can hold an edge for up to a year with moderate use. Between real sharpenings the edge can be dressed with a sharpening steel in a few seconds. Don't drop knives in the same general drawer everything else goes in either. Try to keep them separate. If you don't have a wooden storage rack take some heavy weight paper and make a protective sleeve for the blade. This not only prevents nicks on the edge but also cuts on your fingers. A sharp well constructed knife makes preparing meals so much easier. Invest in quality and enjoy that investment for generations.

Cooking Basics (Part Three)

Welcome back! We're going to continue with the tools and equipment you'll need to produce quality results in your kitchen. Last time we discussed the various types of cookware without going into too much detail. Since you don't have to pass any tests on this information I'm just trying to keep it pretty light and entertaining.

Okay.... now you've got a good quality pan on your stove. What next? Like everything else it all depends upon what you're going to be cooking. Like the cookware the tools you use with your cookware matter. Like the cookware, you'll need to acquire quality tools to produce the quality results you expect without too much effort.

When cooking there are various operations you perform over and over again. Basically those boil down to stirring and lifting. (And you thought this was going to be hard, huh?) Okay..... that was simple but now we break it down a little farther.

STIRRING: Exactly what it sounds like. Some implement used in the pan, pot or kettle to move the contents around for the purpose of heat or seasoning distribution. Still quite simple. Obviously we have a situation where, just like the pots and pans, one size doesn't fit all. Just like a one quart sauce pan isn't the right tool for making omelets... a teaspoon is the wrong tool for stirring a 20 quart pot of stock.

You will end up with an assortment of spoons, for example. Different sizes and different materials for different pots and pans and even different ingredients. Spoons come as solid or perforated and you'll need both. The perforated version is more for serving than just stirring since excess liquids can be drained away.

Whisks are another tool used for stirring. Composed of thin wires attached to a handle the primary purpose of a whisk is to incorporate air into a mixture. Beating egg whites to make a meringue is an excellent example. Whisks also come as an item manufactured of composite materials so you can use one in a non-stick pan without risk of damaging the surface. Like spoons, whisks come in a variety of sizes with some being small enough to use in a cup. As with the cookware, purchase your spoons, whisks and other tools as you discover a need rather than as some sort of mass purchase.

LIFTING: Lifting is not as simple as it sounds. Taken literally if you use a spoon to serve something from a pan.... isn't that lifting? Yeah.... technically. What we mean here is picking something up or turning something over. Primarily what we're talking about here are spatulas and their variants. (And they are myriad) Forks also fall into this category so we'll deal with those first.

Forks need to be used with caution! No... not because they have points and you can hurt yourself or someone else either. However those points ARE the reason you need to be careful here. Why? Because forks make holes in food. In the case of meat.... you DO NOT want to use a fork ANYTIME during the cooking or the resting phase. Holes give liquids a handy escape route and you want to keep liquids inside the meat and not making puddles. Puddles equal dry meat and no one wants that. (Okay.... my brother likes dry steaks..... steaks cooked until they resemble the charcoal they were cooked over..... but he's weird) Once the food has cooked and rested you may use a fork to hold it for carving. As far as I'm concerned that is about the only viable use for a fork.

Spatulas are like spoons only there are lots more options. Like spoons some are solid and others have perforations. Like spoons the perforations in spatulas are for drainage. If you are cooking a steak on a grill or in a pan a spatula is the implement of choice to turn that item over. It lifts and supports without making holes and this is exactly what you want. You may also use tongs..... however items sometimes stick to the cooking surface. If you use tongs and the food item sticks... you risk tearing the item. Stick with the spatula.

There are so many options here that it's almost a joke. "Come to Spatula city where Spatulas are all we sell!" All different sizes and shapes and materials are available. If you love pancakes you can buy a spatula that is very thin with a large diameter so as to easily slip under the pancake and flip it with minimal risk of damaging the product. Others are thicker with a shape ideal for stirring sauces in skillets. Still others are long, thin and perforated for the express purpose of handling fish.

MATERIALS: Like cookware there are a variety of materials available here. Stainless steel is king because of it's strength and ease of cleaning. It's non-reactive so safe for all foods. Nice as it is you don't want to use it in your non-stick pots and pans due to the risk of surface damage. When you break out the non-stick cookware you'll want to shift to another material. Your choices are wood, a plastic variant or silicone.

As with cookware all these items come in a huge range of prices and like cookware you'll generally get what you pay for. Like cookware what you'll want to purchase is somewhere between the cheap stuff and the "They want HOW much for that?" stuff. Buy things as you need them and buy the best you can afford without going nuts. Just because you can afford a $40 spoon doesn't mean you have to buy it if it has no real significant advantage over the $10 version. Now if the high dollar model will stir the food all by itself while I go do something else.....

The glaring omission here is knives. Because those shouldn't actually be used IN cookware, like the other items discussed, I left those out of this session. We'll visit that subject in the next installment. With knives it's not a matter of materials as much as it is specific uses, care and safety.

Cooking Basics (part two) [the dreaded homework]

Hey! Glad you're back! Remember that homework assignment? If not go read the last paragraph of Part One and get busy. While they are gone the rest of us will proceed.

Homework today is both easy and fun. All you have to do is recreate the meal you had at the restaurant. (you were probably thinking essay or something) If you're just starting out in gourmet cooking this is a very good way to get in some practice.

Compare your dish to the one the pro's fixed and rate yourself. Don't be too critical either. THEY had a recipe.... you're just winging it... so even if you come close... that's good enough for today. You can refine later. This is also a good way to start adding dishes from different cultures to your abilities.

BTW... don't be afraid to ASK your server what is in the dish if the ingredients are not listed. I've found that most places will tell you. Another tip. When looking for different nationalities of food to sample... go to little "mom and pop" places. If you enjoy their food TELL them and ask how they do it. Often they will sit down and tell you exactly how your meal was prepared. You'll gain insight and friends!

So much for the homework part. Now for the part that makes you head hurt... information!

Cookware

This is another area that you absolutely cannot cut corners on. It's okay to have some inexpensive stuff to drag out camping and such... use on the grill out back... etc. Cheap stuff is NOT for your kitchen. It will let you down every time by way of poor performance. Its non stick the coating will scuff and flake off... handles will come loose.... pans will bend.... lids won't fit right anymore... etc.
Cheap = Camping
Good = Gourmet. Got it?

Don't think that you have to buy the most expensive stuff on the shelf either. After a certain point all you're buying is the brand name... usually some Chef who's already quite wealthy and really doesn't need your money. Somewhere right in between the bargain stuff and the top of the line is the stuff that will work very well until you get your own cooking show on Food Network.

We're not looking for stuff that matches here. We're looking for what does the best job. We're also looking for a variety of different sizes and capacities. Sometimes we're also looking for different materials and coatings. Stainless Steel is the current king of cookware. Sauce pans, stock pots, skillets etc. Often I'll duplicate a pan... having one that is all stainless and another that has a thick, high quality Teflon coating. Which I use depends upon what I'm making.

Aluminum works well for griddles and is a less expensive alternative for that stock pot. Just remember that aluminum is a reactive metal so just use it for STOCK! Keep foods with a medium or high acid content OUT of your aluminum cookware.

Cast Iron! Contrary to popular belief cast iron isn't out of fashion. Properly handled and seasoned it can out perform everything else on the market for a lot less money. Cast iron is the original non stick cookware. After proper seasoning and years of usage it gradually takes on a coating of pure carbon. Carbon in this state requires *very* little additional oil prior to cooking and is completely non reactive to all foods. It's really heavy... and ugly... but the best stuff ever invented for cooking.

The reason most people have bad luck with cast iron is two fold. #1 They never properly seasoned the pan prior to use. (comprehensive instructions either come with the pots and pans or can be found on line) #2 They made the mistake of trying to wash the stuff the regular way when they were done. You NEVER put soap into a cast iron piece of cookware.. EVER! Rather, put about a 1/2" of very warm water in the pan... after rinsing it as clean as possible. Now... pour in about 1/3 of a cup of table salt. Rub gently with a soft cloth until the pan is clean. Rinse well and dry immediately. Follow that with a **VERY** light application of cooking oil. Rub that out with a paper towel until no more oil can be removed.... and you're done. Yeah... it's a lot of effort but it will reward you later.

CONSTRUCTION

Cast iron is usually cast as one piece. Some brands mix it up a bit and add wooden handles. I'd avoid those as they limit what you can do with the pots and pans. Lids for these usually fit fairly tight and are smooth inside. The exception is Dutch Ovens. The lids for these usually have little spikes sticking down. This allows condensation to form on the inside of the lid... collect on the spikes... and drip back down on your meal in a uniform manner.... thus basting your meal. Since cast iron is thick, dense and heavy it provides for very uniform cooking. It holds heat very well and distributes heat evenly. No matter how hot you get it... it won't warp. (Your meal might go up in flames but your pan will be just fine)

Aluminum pots and pans are usually stamped from blanks. Higher quality cookware is spun on a machine and a genuine human uses tools to coax it into the proper shape and thickness. If you are buying aluminum get the heaviest stuff you can afford. Look for double or triple bottoms which help distribute heat and make for more uniform cooking. Look for handles that are riveted on rather than held on with a screw. Lids should fit tightly. Teflon coatings are the norm anymore and are okay. Just remember that aluminum is a reactive metal so if it's not Teflon coated keep the tomatoes and other high acid foods out of it.

Production kitchens use a lot of aluminum cookware... but they use Chef grade which is rather thick and usually alloyed with a few other metals to make it harder. The reason aluminum is used is basically weight. They are easier to move and work with than heavier items. Over the course of an 8 hour day that makes a huge difference. Kitchen supply stores are a good place to look for chef grade items. Most will sell to the general public.

Stainless Steel is the reigning king of the kitchen and for good reason. It is non reactive, distributes heat quickly and evenly, difficult to bend or warp, won't stain and very easy to clean up. As with aluminum look for double or triple bottoms on stainless steel cookware. Because stainless steel is so dense it can be made rather thin and still perform well. But thin metals also tend to dissipate heat quickly so to even things out a thicker bottom on the pans will give a more uniform heating and help moderate changes in the burner settings.

Here too look for handles that are riveted on. Rivets are one indicator of quality cookware. The lids should fight tightly and can be made of almost anything. The stuff in my kitchen is glass with a stainless rim and Bakelite handles.... which means they can take oven temperatures to 400 degrees without a problem.

Stainless can also come as Teflon coated. Teflon has come a long way since it's introduction and the higher quality stuff is very durable. Just use common sense and keep metal utensils out of your Teflon coated things. Wood, plastic or silicon is okay though. If you are on a low fat diet Teflon is your best bet to help you. Most foods can go into a "dry" pan and not stick. As I said before I duplicated several of my pans. One straight stainless and another with the Teflon coating.

End Notes

It's like your parents told you. If you buy the good stuff you'll never regret it. Since good cookware can be 2 to 3 times the price of the cheap stuff it's best to acquire it piece at a time. If you have a recipe that says you'll need a 10" saute' pan that's a good time to head to the store. (a saute' pan has sloped sides while the sides of a frying pan are vertical) If you buy your cookware this way you'll spread the cost out over several months or years and that will make affording the good stuff that much easier. For your cash outlay you'll be rewarded with years and years of dependable service and thousands of wonderful gourmet meals.