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.
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.
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.
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