tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17434646372765612012024-03-13T05:33:14.507-07:00Food ForwardThe kitchen...Explained.Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-6827691037742091122012-03-06T19:01:00.000-08:002012-03-06T19:01:22.745-08:00What’s that smell?<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> While doing a cooking demo at the local high school last week, I reminded myself and the students of a very important step to all good cooking; smell your food. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Wafting those airborne molecules towards your schnoz helps your brain and your taste buds to put the first strokes on the canvas that is your hard earned meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As items in your pan simmer away, they change chemically and emit different odors at each stage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I smell just about everything before it goes into the mixing bowl or pan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look for off odors (especially in dairy and protein) and prime my taste buds for the coming tasks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that inhaling deeply over a simmering pot gives you a status report on what’s going on inside and what to expect down the road from your ingredients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are your caramelized onions smelling sweet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does your carrot and ginger vinaigrette smell exotic and are the two flavors coming together as one spicy condiment?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like a soup that tastes bland towards the end of the bowl, religiously smelling your food can have a deadening effect on what you taste in the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whenever I’m cooking particularly odiferous foodstuffs like curry or heavily spiced dishes, I always step away when I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">think</i> there is enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have someone else give it a taste because I realize that I can no longer smell the curry spices that I am adding to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My nose is worn out on the smells before me and is looking for something new to experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Smell everything all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more you do, the more educated your palate will be in the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-39755522746081510922012-02-21T11:06:00.000-08:002012-02-21T11:06:22.246-08:00GBD (golden brown and delicious)<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of our favorite foods have a characteristic color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Golden brown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be it fried, roasted, seared, or sautéed, the color alone tells us it’s going to be delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This color shows controlled technique and finesse on the part of the cook. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The delicious amber color is a side effect of one of two things happening to your food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In high sugar items, caramelization is occurring at temperatures over 310 degrees and taking the sugars present in the food (both natural and added) through over one hundred chemical changes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The resulting color carries with it a depth of flavor and richness that can’t be attained through steaming or boiling. The temperature range for this to happen can be attained through most dry-heat cooking methods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same cooking techniques will yield similar GBD results when cooking low sugar items like proteins and breads, in a very different way though.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Maillard reaction is what causes the desirable browning of things like coffee, chocolate, and roasted meats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exposure to high temperatures causes great changes to locked up carbohydrates and amino acids inherent to proteins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine bread that never developed that golden crusty goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or fried chicken that came out of the pan bright white on the outside and tasting of nothing but flour.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Look for this color taking shape when cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coax it along with attention to the temperature of your pan, oven, or grill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The addition of fat in the form of oils and butter help to coat the item being cooked and conduct heat evenly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brown good, bland bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-32700736154043180052012-02-15T20:12:00.000-08:002012-02-15T20:12:04.990-08:00Sweet and Sour<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> When it comes to sweet and acidic flavors, we’re hooked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From candies to pickles and “ethnic” cuisines, some of our favorite foods have that wonderful sugary feeling or a pleasantly sharp bite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s the appeal and how can we bring those same tastes into what we cook at home?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Much like salt, acid and sugar have the ability to not only balance flavors, but accentuate and draw out tastes that might otherwise go unnoticed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Acids like vinegar and lemon juice help to cut the flavor and sensation of fat by evening out the flabby feeling that it can have on our tongue and allow other flavors to come through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine eating a salad with just oil on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sugar makes just about everything better if used in restrained amounts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its inherent ability to cover up bitterness and leave a pleasing aftertaste can be used to your advantage in a myriad of ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sprinkling a few white grains on wilted spinach reduces the bitterness and allows that pure green flavor to come through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evening out the heat of spicy dishes with sugar is a foundation of Barbecue and Asian cooking and is a great addition to a hot Arrabbiata sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The coup de grace of course is the combination of the two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sweet vinaigrettes, lemonade, and bread and butter pickles are great examples of these.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finishing a dish with a sprinkle of sugar or a dash of vinegar will help you elevate your food to the next level when you’re asking yourself “what is this missing?” .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-12464924059577593962012-02-08T20:33:00.000-08:002012-02-08T20:33:35.261-08:00The Patience of Bread<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Bread teaches us many things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the mixing and kneading, the proofing, slashing, and baking; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we learn patience and realize that there are so very many different variables that go into a good loaf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Baking requires loads of repetition and persistence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting your hands covered in flour and working the dough to develop gluten gets you involved in the task at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A baker needs (kneads?) to cultivate an intimate relationship when baking bread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting used to how each different dough feels at all of the stages creates an internal bread barometer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your fingers will learn when the dough is too wet or too dry, and whether or not it feels like the right weight for its size as it is expanding on your counter. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiEM90V5E6JRVoVtxVKuEjstjSmp8_Xw4gu9um2XYoVH9qEc_DwiKMcbgMCy3alwX2Bm4VQKK-yFIqCJA9X9jfyPEe6eevd-tTGXanBTObl7oTTBmXPTraVO7MCQMArjKDkJ7IM73e5s/s1600/DSC03035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiEM90V5E6JRVoVtxVKuEjstjSmp8_Xw4gu9um2XYoVH9qEc_DwiKMcbgMCy3alwX2Bm4VQKK-yFIqCJA9X9jfyPEe6eevd-tTGXanBTObl7oTTBmXPTraVO7MCQMArjKDkJ7IM73e5s/s320/DSC03035.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve started baking sourdough again recently and find that my average level of frustration throughout the day is rising more consistently then my naturally leavened loaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve gotten so involved with my sourdough that I even named my starter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s Stevie Nicks, don’t ask why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve found a basic and simple recipe that I’ve been making over and over again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only change one variable at a time (depth of slash marks, baking stone vs. pan, adding ice cubes to the oven to create steam for better crust) and park my chair in front of my oven window in order to watch the magic happen inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My suggestion to anyone beginning baking is to be patient and diligent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Find a simple recipe using good quality (not from the bottom shelf) flour and try to make it twice a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll see your loaves consistently get better as you gradually develop a feel for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-3405176220040219192012-02-02T20:19:00.000-08:002012-02-02T20:19:59.373-08:00Matters of the Pot and Pan (Temperature)<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> We first started cooking our food to make it more easily digested and to enable it to be more shelf stable (cave stable?). Once we graduated from spit roasting to cooking our dinners in a metal or clay pot, we were able to prepare foodstuffs that were more liquid rather than just chunks of meat skewered and suspended over the fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure the first chefs quickly learned that viscous solutions also have a tendency to stick to their container and caramelize unless their proximity to the fire was attended to regularly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much time and energy has been spent on enabling us better control of our heat source through inventions of things like stoves and thermostats, why not take advantage of them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always end up telling less experienced line cooks; “the burner doesn’t just go on and off, there’s a whole lot in the middle”.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A pot on the stove needs constant adjustment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes this can be accomplished by merely stirring it or setting it off center of the heat source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I typically offset a stock or reduction so that the bubbles rising on one side help to push the impurities over to the other more stagnant side giving me the chance to skim them away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things change as they cook too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soups and stews simmer away on a stove, they get thicker, thicker solutions hold more heat and will require you to routinely lower the temperature of your burner in order to maintain that lazy bubble you’re looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Aggressive cooking techniques need aggressive heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grilling, roasting, sautéing, and other dry heat cooking methods are all about evaporating moisture and getting it out of the way to allow browning to take effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence the sloped sides and large surface area of a sauté pan; its design allows water to escape quickly bettering the likelihood of you achieving the result of GBD (golden brown and delicious).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An attentive cook will listen to the pan and turn it down when the sizzling and popping sounds go from aggressive and evenly paced to violent and turbocharged.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Avoid using too much oil when cooking with gusto.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has a tendency to burn and spatter or even catch fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Experiment with temperature next time you brown chicken breasts in a pan by changing the heat level applied to the pan for each breast, hotter each time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take note of how they change in color and appearance as you progress in temperature. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-38040986228902611962012-01-31T08:48:00.000-08:002012-01-31T08:48:04.236-08:00Matters of the Pot and Pan (Surface Area)<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Much detriment can come from a poorly attended pot or pan in the form of dashed dinner dreams and limp vegetables intermingled with completely raw ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paying attention to both the surface area of your food and that of your cooking vessel is paramount in a kitchen.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOjfr11-H0IP7IBiZhyphenhyphen2gQzjsMDII5lcYyIGRsgQBv2_NscDL5uA-xu-vzOUELIbypTaexSLVLbxPq8XaujZ9qwk6R0BBK9CoeXI4FMbC24wj_TWmS2VR3kb8ifJvuM_7H58qunBZ51U/s1600/DSC02998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOjfr11-H0IP7IBiZhyphenhyphen2gQzjsMDII5lcYyIGRsgQBv2_NscDL5uA-xu-vzOUELIbypTaexSLVLbxPq8XaujZ9qwk6R0BBK9CoeXI4FMbC24wj_TWmS2VR3kb8ifJvuM_7H58qunBZ51U/s320/DSC02998.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Think about your favorite fast-paced cooking show (Chopped, Top Chef, Iron Chef), ever notice the cooks constantly giving their pots and pans a stir or a little shake?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t a nervous tick or showmanship, they are leveling everything off so that they have evenly cooked product while visually assessing what’s going on in the pan itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Vegetables in a pan can be quite fickle when it comes to being consistently tender and to counter act this we want to regularly rotate the layer of food that is in direct contact with the pan bottom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By leveling out the ingredients in the pan with a shimmy, shake, or stir, we can avoid having that rogue undercooked carrot or potato that never made its way to the business portion of our pan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of this stirring and agitation will have the desired result if we have picked the wrong size pot to sweat our vegetables in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WDH_ouijxAjfkFhH_a4o_uMexx23Ts19GL_hJzPZTnXnhfgzSd2aZH4axIEKtm4-Xk67GsunacsBKQO-38z4841-UyoCgy5htFKD4Ngoa9F8ef1jkN9Td7ddsd2nh7-Z6jrqKpmBtmM/s1600/nycleveland+198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WDH_ouijxAjfkFhH_a4o_uMexx23Ts19GL_hJzPZTnXnhfgzSd2aZH4axIEKtm4-Xk67GsunacsBKQO-38z4841-UyoCgy5htFKD4Ngoa9F8ef1jkN9Td7ddsd2nh7-Z6jrqKpmBtmM/s320/nycleveland+198.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Surface area comes into play when we look at our amount of foodstuffs versus the size of the pan that we are going to use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we are sautéing onions and desire a bit of color on them, then we will need med-high heat and a pan that is big enough to let the onions settle in a single layer or two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As vegetables and proteins stack up in a pan, they suck heat from the metal and release water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the temperature of the pan drops too much due to being overloaded, we will be steaming our onions rather delivering them to the world of crispy brown perfection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is especially important whenever we are preparing vegetables and proteins with high water content (mushrooms, onions, potatoes, fish, etc.).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-34653133310202463932012-01-20T08:45:00.000-08:002012-01-20T08:45:36.149-08:00In Good Taste (part two)<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> I wanted to elaborate a little on the previous post about our sense of taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I’ve never read somebody’s own methods of tasting and analysis, I will tell you the exact process that I go through each time I evaluate something I am cooking.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkewm5dIevHmm_CU8frriCN_faLEmPjNl3sdMir4r658NeH5MAbdjy8l-ev_xePNJq6307U5XLLxnFhdtPHqA5pvgreTshZcWbFjYg4YtNdPlvMuuiu61ED01Qr3qVnoHoqzE3xi3wVjg/s1600/nycleveland+188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkewm5dIevHmm_CU8frriCN_faLEmPjNl3sdMir4r658NeH5MAbdjy8l-ev_xePNJq6307U5XLLxnFhdtPHqA5pvgreTshZcWbFjYg4YtNdPlvMuuiu61ED01Qr3qVnoHoqzE3xi3wVjg/s320/nycleveland+188.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>First, I look at context.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask myself: “self, what’s the overall theme of this dish?”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it a hot summer dish?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or a late fall dinner that should be comforting and filling?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I give myself parameters to fit into so that I know what the end result should be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, I always use my eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this something appealing looking or is it unappetizing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I am preparing this component of a dish in accordance with a specific ethnicity or culture, does it look like something I’ve seen in this style before?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, I smell long and deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything off?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do this because it helps to prime my taste buds by way of the retro nasal passage at the back of my mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should immediately make me want to take the next step to tasting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the texture of my creation is pleasing, I immediately look for balance among the four main tastes (sour, sweet, salty, bitter ) and if I am looking for one of these to stand out, is it achieving that goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should there be heat (spiciness) in this particular part of the dish?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, is it at the tip of the tongue and very sharp, or is it at the back of the throat with a long finish?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look for layers of flavors that develop on my tongue as I roll the mixture around in my mouth and if any overly bitter compounds or flavor holes develop in the structure of the sensation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, is this component going to perform on the plate the way I want it to with the other ingredients?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will it compliment, contrast, or enhance the other parts to make a superlative whole?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeQaI3bmQ0Uwxn0Wyf3W9Eo_IMgNepXbnc9GNRPLefCF2WDfSMbRgqRAq8w_a97Sv2bVROd0q8AyJ-fQtbkj-_jqq0swp41ToMPzpNg1pSIllUW6Ve8d1c5_kYLpFYSsUVwXZKiV1J9k/s1600/DSC02267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeQaI3bmQ0Uwxn0Wyf3W9Eo_IMgNepXbnc9GNRPLefCF2WDfSMbRgqRAq8w_a97Sv2bVROd0q8AyJ-fQtbkj-_jqq0swp41ToMPzpNg1pSIllUW6Ve8d1c5_kYLpFYSsUVwXZKiV1J9k/s320/DSC02267.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now is the time to make adjustments conservatively and judiciously—you can always add, but you can never take out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am very careful while adjusting so as not to dull my palate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I taste something twenty times my senses are waxed over and not as accurate as they were during my first impression of the item.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then have someone else taste it and hope that I have not wasted my time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is how I do it all day, every day, and every time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QenesJ6H8l8fH6wFEInLBl-OSU2HIOwfmP44WfuZEpvlBjej2piF7MPfY4zmr0anMy8kBe-Lcc3OUjPJr0nKu3goHJx3_bdEKP9G8ieSBDE0i8oSIzfIiOZaXjPvywsREX2xPjpbpnA/s1600/nycleveland+174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QenesJ6H8l8fH6wFEInLBl-OSU2HIOwfmP44WfuZEpvlBjej2piF7MPfY4zmr0anMy8kBe-Lcc3OUjPJr0nKu3goHJx3_bdEKP9G8ieSBDE0i8oSIzfIiOZaXjPvywsREX2xPjpbpnA/s320/nycleveland+174.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-84852120609329993962012-01-18T19:19:00.000-08:002012-01-18T19:19:58.691-08:00In Good Taste (part one)<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Q9Oz6xSReSmiG6g1DR5xbIRNDGQ469P3QmlOq-czE6R02rVdIpXWecwblf5FGAXzgKRgyobH_4l_tf0GdUeuxTyqsFRrTk07SRYkZ2uUfQ7w0yKr3bwsCG_D_bJxfmfD1IzylSh6cAY/s1600/spoons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Q9Oz6xSReSmiG6g1DR5xbIRNDGQ469P3QmlOq-czE6R02rVdIpXWecwblf5FGAXzgKRgyobH_4l_tf0GdUeuxTyqsFRrTk07SRYkZ2uUfQ7w0yKr3bwsCG_D_bJxfmfD1IzylSh6cAY/s320/spoons.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Our sense of taste is soaked in memories. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One whiff of Pot-pie or a taste of salty, crumbly, biscuit is all that is needed to transport us back to grandma’s kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time, place, and our approximate age all come flooding back to us as our brains interpret the signatures of just a few wandering molecules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If all of our mouths are this sensitive to taste, then why do Chef’s palates seem so capable of identifying particular flavors than that of the average cook?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do they use this measuring device to its full potential?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Humans tongues all taste the same things the same 5 ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every delicious morsel of food and drink is a combination of Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, and Umami (we’ll get to umami in another blog). Through constantly thinking about what you taste and the different layers of flavors you experience in each mouthful, evaluation becomes easier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try to break down what you taste in the chronological order that it hits your taste buds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What flavors came first middle and last?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What seemed to be the dominant flavor?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there something that seems out of place?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may not be able to identify what something is “missing” but realizing that things are out of balance is a huge step in the right direction to proper adjustment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The reason that a Chef’s palate is so finely tuned is because of the sheer volume and variety of foodstuffs that pass through his mouth each day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being able to taste so many different items and analyzing them each time is what builds up our “taste bank”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right now you can think about what garlic tastes like, you can almost feel it on your palate and you definitely know when something has too much of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every flavor has its own signature; some subtle and some obvious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With careful, analytical focus on each mouthful of food that you eat—taking into account sweet, sour, bitter, and salty—you’ll begin to see how flavors build and complement each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-85768653848855101402012-01-01T19:30:00.000-08:002012-01-01T19:30:16.115-08:00Game Face<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Sure, cooking is a fun way to use up a few hours especially if you can include a family member or friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accommodating everyone’s particular needs in a menu you write, shopping for ingredients, the pressure of cooking for relatives (possibly a mother-in-law?) and you are surrounded by many hot and sharp things that are all waiting for you to slip up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fun right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only if you have properly applied your game face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The game face is the result of much time spent planning and organizing a meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s envisioning yourself doing each step of the prep and cooking process before you physically reach that point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time spent visualizing every knife cut and flip of the sauté pan in advance will cement into your subconscious an attack plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This enables you to predict possible hang ups and upsets and make adjustments so that they can be avoided down the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most professionals already have a habit of doing this for their everyday jobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You’re going to make a mushroom tart?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well then you’ll want to have the tart dough made at least hours ahead of time so that it can rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it’s resting, think about the pans you’ll need, rolling pin to shape your tart to the proper size and thickness, a small cup of flour, and your tart filling made and cooling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Assemble these all together in a kit and at the ready so that you have everything you need for culinary success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re cooking a large dinner, you may run out of oven space half way through prep time but by planning ahead you can make adjustments to the menu or process in order to account for the fact that you only have one oven and a limited number of racks.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I go to bed each night and drive to work each morning planning out my day so that when I get there, I’m already grabbing the pans and turning on the ovens for the first tasks that I want to accomplish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of coworkers tell me that I look “pissed off” while I am working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do have the brow creases to prove it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In truth, I’m just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">very</i> focused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually not on the task at hand, but one that is 10 steps away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My furrowed brow is my game face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s yours?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-38119984457628653132011-12-20T20:05:00.000-08:002011-12-20T20:07:36.638-08:00Grind and Grain<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3x7eLGsKISOdhyphenhyphenV3msqFxjh2RKzGlZd-pT7zx-zYsPLvOecII22WJrRmx_GZCvhCqDMhzjpEXgM3QWwjsoztdDNojKmT3Q1ingBxQ16EJK6mz0VED0ozKbGAXYNGXR3NRHGGasdPuqE/s1600/SandP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik3x7eLGsKISOdhyphenhyphenV3msqFxjh2RKzGlZd-pT7zx-zYsPLvOecII22WJrRmx_GZCvhCqDMhzjpEXgM3QWwjsoztdDNojKmT3Q1ingBxQ16EJK6mz0VED0ozKbGAXYNGXR3NRHGGasdPuqE/s320/SandP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Salt and the use of it can sometimes be very intimidating to cooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too much and your family or the reviewer from The Times will see a weakness in your abilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too little and the dish that you so carefully concocted and coaxed to mouth-watering deliciousness will never reach its full potential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do we strike that perfect chord of sodium fortified bliss?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Practice.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Salt is a magical thing that turns the satisfactory into the sublime. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each crystal comes with the power to pull flavor out, accentuate it, and when used in the right amounts in the right way, will increase retained moisture and depth of flavor (brining, salt & sugar rubs, marinades, etc.).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Making sure to season during the cooking process and not just after is one of the most basic ways to take advantage of this valuable kitchen tool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we wait until the very end of our simmering to season, we will not have allowed the sodium to drag the flavors and odiferous compounds out of our carefully prepped ingredients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These compounds need to have time to marry together to bring out their full potential and salt acts as a catalyst for this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have no idea what the results will be when I season with iodized salt out of a salt shaker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even when using finely ground salt out of hand, it is still terribly hard to both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">see </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">feel</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the granules of salt before they rain down upon a chicken breast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why I suggest Kosher salt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes no difference whether its Morton’s or Diamond Crystal (the red and white box), they both feel the same and that’s what is important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kosher salt crystals are much larger and thus more easily perceived by your senses of touch and sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep and dish of it next to your stove so that your fingers can get used to it and eventually become your measuring device.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-15508702656872532492011-12-12T18:49:00.000-08:002011-12-12T18:49:21.161-08:00Culinariphobia<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Everything in a kitchen is either blisteringly hot or wicked sharp and is worth being scared of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what I tell every dishwasher on their first day – sometimes even before I introduce myself to the puppy eyed newbie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t have the time to drive them to the hospital because they grabbed a red-hot pan handle with a damp rag (everybody does this once in their career) or they decided to thrust their hand into a silverware bin that a distracted server accidentally tossed a steak knife into.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I remember anything from earning my swimmer’s merit badge, it’s “check the water first”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s hazards everywhere in a professional kitchen and plenty to contend with In the home environment as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> My goal isn’t to have you cringe and tiptoe by your kitchen each day in fear of a disgruntled vegetable peeler.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor should you be walking on eggshells because you’re afraid of cutting or burning yourself on any one of a myriad of surfaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best way to avoid getting injured is to have confidence and a little bit of foresight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teaching your fingers to curl themselves when holding something that you are slicing is the best way to avoid cutting off the tip of a digit when you are surprised by a ringing phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The confidence part will come from the fact that you know your knife is razor sharp and thus requiring less pressure to julienne that red onion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turn your pot handles away from the edge of your stove so that you don’t bump them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just don’t position them over an open flame ( everyone does that once too – never twice).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Keep a towel or pot holder on you at all times and assume that if it’s metal, it’s hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try to get into the habit of looking the direction that you are going to turn your body before you make a move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will keep you from accidentally stabbing or burning an unsuspecting kitchen helper.<o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another benefit to creating these new habits is improved efficiency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, you’ll look like a pro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-69530453171693222472011-12-03T21:09:00.001-08:002011-12-03T21:09:45.252-08:00Cooking without worry<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> After a particularly rough day in the kitchen, a colleague of mine saw that I was fretting and said to me “It’s only food dude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re not doing brain surgery here.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s sage advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that all too often with food network soaked ideas and famous chefs constantly speaking of perfection on their newest Bravo Channel show, we forget that it’s only fuel that our body needs in order to run well and our goal is to just make it taste good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On a non-professional level, dinner is not something that should be stressed over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every single self-perceived mistake can instead be looked at as a learning experience and can be used as another brick in each of own our cooking foundations.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We all know home cooks that seem to be especially gifted in the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These imposing figures can somehow seem to be effortless at any given culinary endeavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be it a grandmother or maybe a mother-in-law, they all started somewhere and probably made the same mistakes that you have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A burnt roast, scorched soup, or under cooked chic ken thigh are all things that commonly happen in the strictest of professional kitchens and during the inattention of the most skilled cooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cooking is not brain surgery, and it should be a fun activity that brings pleasure and countless rewards to those who can maintain a analytical and positive perspective on their culinary adventures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most humbling and trust-building thing that a person can do is cook a person a meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Try and do it without worry and the experience will be substantially rewarding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A glass of wine during the process doesn’t hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-7578827849606960522011-11-29T18:21:00.001-08:002011-11-29T18:21:58.166-08:00The same. Every time.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Consistency is a corner stone of a good kitchen, and one of the hardest to come by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knifework and other prep tasks in the kitchen can sometimes seem monotonous and daunting especially if you’re restricted by time limits and other duties of the domicile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Setting a rhythm and sticking to it can be an efficient way to knock out a couple of prep projects with the quickness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Set a tempo for yourself in the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether it’s the rate at which you scale and measure ingredients, or the back and forth motion of your well honed chef knife, setting a beat to what you are doing will make you more accurate and efficient with your movements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of line cooks tend to hum as they work<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the busier the night gets the more focused on keeping pace they become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Playing music in the kitchen is a no-brainer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something not too slow and not too fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And definitely not Kenny G.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You don’t necessarily have to pick a favorite song or put a metronome on your spice rack, but if you<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>try to keep a certain pace and tempo to your movements in the kitchen you’ll see marked results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-69791429977662738602011-11-29T18:18:00.000-08:002011-11-29T18:18:50.973-08:00A Firm Grip<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>common issue that I come across with cooks of all skill levels is the dainty handling of razor sharp chef’s knives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a kitchen, this is your main and most trusted weapon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It whittles carrots down to juliennes and dices onions into appropriately sized bits for cooking so this should be a tool that is held with attitude and gumption instead of fear and discomfort. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> The handle of your knife should be firmly pressed into the palm of your hand with your index finger curled and gripping the side of the knife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This should give you a good choked up feel on the knife which will make it much easier to control throughout your various prep tasks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always know when I haven’t been doing as much knife work because the pea sized callous on the base of my index finger begins to get soft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Use every knife in a long and fluid slicing motion. This is why all knives have a curve or angle to them so that they slide along the cutting board without coming off of it. </span>Whenever you wield any knife out of your cutlery block, always make sure it is with a firm grip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’ll help to keep your dices square and you out of the emergency room.<o:p></o:p></span>Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1743464637276561201.post-27209023813459906452011-11-07T14:30:00.000-08:002011-11-07T14:30:38.519-08:00The foreign language of recipes I often hear that recipes and their listed techniques can be daunting to the uninitiated. Poorly written ones can be vague and very confusing while overwhelming and unfamiliar techniques can cause a passionate cook to stop dead in their tracks with no where to go right before dinner. Remember, aside from baking and pastry, recipes should just be a framework for you to build around. You're the boss in your kitchen and you should adjust things to fit your palate. Otherwise, they're easily written off as "bad" recipes. Here's some tips to help you out in the future:<br />
<ol><li>Be careful what you google when looking for a dish. There are no editors or recipe testers for this information so you are better off with cookbooks and magazines.</li>
<li>Look at the season of the year that the recipe is intended for. Summer? Focus on sweet and salty flavors with an acidic backbone. Winter? Smooth and silky is the way to go with luxurious textures and flavors.</li>
<li> Get yourself a go-to handbook that you'll always have by your side during your kitchen battles. I recommend "The Food Lover's Companion" and "The New Professional Chef". Both can be found on amazon for <em>cheap.</em></li>
</ol>Lastly, take the time to envision yourself doing each step in the recipe. This will help you to find unforseen problems and forgotten tools or ingredients before you get into the thick of it. <br />
<br />
Good luck and good cooking!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5-RBQ8zYRV5J8bcdzSFKIxm3tg9fpuFGlKBlMct-vpPhxj3QLUoi8N4bgtQXGx4il6w8P8JOlXQ6aDY0LSOoY14i0tksvs57g2blwv63Z4gAJcECGfeoJq_YutVpI-jng93AJuEVTsI/s1600/headshot1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq5-RBQ8zYRV5J8bcdzSFKIxm3tg9fpuFGlKBlMct-vpPhxj3QLUoi8N4bgtQXGx4il6w8P8JOlXQ6aDY0LSOoY14i0tksvs57g2blwv63Z4gAJcECGfeoJq_YutVpI-jng93AJuEVTsI/s320/headshot1.jpg" width="300" /></a></div> Bradfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13304225841367760274noreply@blogger.com0