I'd like to learn how to make better food

[Meadbh]

Thanks everyone for the many suggestions and recommendations. Now I have an idea on where I need to start focusing my attention.

This may sound odd, but how do you remember everything...like what "tweaks" you made to raise the taste level a notch, etc.?

omni

Before making a new recipe, I usually review several different versions and follow the one with the clearest instructions. For example, there are many videos that show how to knead pizza dough. I particularly like the one from Susan's Cooking School. My first efforts didn't rise very well, but at least they made a good base for the toppings. I researched the reason why the dough might not rise and decided I had probably killed the yeast by using water that was too hot! So I did a little controlled experiment with yeast and water at different temperatures and identified the best temperature range to get foamy yeast. The next pizza was much better. It's a continuous improvement cycle. I like to take photos of the results with my iPhone and store them in the cloud with comments. I don't use a notebook because I would never look at it. YMMV.

 

[splitwdw]

Thanks everyone for the many suggestions and recommendations. Now I have an idea on where I need to start focusing my attention.

This may sound odd, but how do you remember everything...like what "tweaks" you made to raise the taste level a notch, etc.?


omni

If there are cooking classes around you, take a couple. I took several and had a great time cooking then eating what we made. There are quite a few recipes that I still make from those classes.
Regarding "how do you remember everything", I make several copies of the recipe I'm going to alter and make notes on the copy. When I was entering baking contests I kept notes on taste, texture, quantity (too many nuts-not enough nuts), temperature, cook time, ingredient substitutions, which pan I used. You should have seen my notes when Pennsylvania had a contest for a vegetable quick bread. Couldn't be any of the usual veggie breads. They gave you a list of veggies you could use. I didn't win but some of my test quick breads were: tomato-walnut, Onion-pecan, spinach-walnut, spinach-cinnamon, spinach-cheese, carrot-cinnamon. All of them were okay and I did enter the Tomato-walnut. Oh, and never ask old people to be your taste testers. I made free form yeast bread and instead of judging the taste I was told it should be square because they couldn't make a sandwich, could I make it bigger so they could make paninis, no nuts or seeds because they got under their false teeth.

 

[Badger]

I use one of these cause I'm cheap and I can leave it out in the rain

PK Classic Charcoal Grill and Smoker | Portable Kitchen

My father bought one of these in the mid 60s. Nice thick, heavy duty cast aluminum that opened along the long side. He used it for a couple of decades before moving when I inherited it. Eventually I took it to a vacation home in the mountains where I used it for 12 more years. 35+ years and a few cooking grates later I sold the home and imagine it is still there.

Cheers!

 

[RetiredGypsy]

This may sound odd, but how do you remember everything...like what "tweaks" you made to raise the taste level a notch, etc.?

I make recipes myself, or cut and paste recipes, or cut and paste portions of different recipes together like some kind of culinary Frankenstein, and keep them in a Google Drive folder. That way I can make notes easily, and either follow the recipes while cooking with my phone or laptop or print them out. If I print something out and find a better way, I'll make a note of it, then copy the note into the document later.

If it's a very hands on type of recipe, printing it out each time I want to use it makes it easy to go through it with food-covered hands and not worry about mucking up anything except a piece of paper.

 

[saluki9]

The only way IMHO to buy a Big Green Egg is at an EggFest.


EGGfests - Big Green Egg - The Ultimate Cooking Experience

Also check craigslist. I bought a brand new Large egg for exactly 50% off. The seller won it in a contest and never took it off the shipping pallet.

 

[BBQ-Nut]

Thanks everyone for the many suggestions and recommendations. Now I have an idea on where I need to start focusing my attention.

This may sound odd, but how do you remember everything...like what "tweaks" you made to raise the taste level a notch, etc.?


omni

My family teases me to no end on this...I keep a log in excel for recipes where I keep notes.

 

[omni550]

OK...as a singleton, suggestions as to how do I consume the many iterations (of which some are 'failures') that it takes to perfect a recipe? Or do I just sample and dispose and write those off as the cost of learning?

omni

 

[Meadbh]

OK...as a singleton, suggestions as to how do I consume the many iterations (of which some are 'failures') that it takes to perfect a recipe? Or do I just sample and dispose and write those off as the cost of learning?

omni

Leftovers are delicious and you can freeze many of them. Have plenty of airtight containers and Ziplok bags. Besides, most of your creations will be edible. I suggest keeping it simple. If you have uncooked leftovers, make a soup or a stew with them (my $9 small slow cooker is wonderful and idiot proof!) or toss them in an omelet or frittata. BTW, learn how to make a good omelet. It's a beautiful thing.

These are great ways to clear out the fridge. I have very little food waste now. When I was w*rking, I would often come home at 8 pm to find wilted lettuce and mouldy cheese in the fridge. Out they would go. Not conducive to healthy eating. That doesn't happen anymore.

http://www.worldfooddayusa.org/food_waste_the_facts

 

[NW-Bound]

... At first I'd just follow the recipe - then as I got more confident (due to practice) I started modifying the recipes - or just scanning recipes ahead of time and then winging it. The key thing is to practice...

The key is to try new recipes - and then experiment with changing them once you've got them down.

+1

OK...as a singleton, suggestions as to how do I consume the many iterations (of which some are 'failures') that it takes to perfect a recipe? Or do I just sample and dispose and write those off as the cost of learning?

omni

Well, make small portions at first, or you can make friends and invite them over for a party.

I recently learned to make pork meat and chicken liver pâté, and it took me about 4 iterations to get the spices right, plus inventing my own method for minimal mess (blanch the liver first!).

 

[RetiredGypsy]

Leftovers are delicious and you can freeze many of them.

+1. If you're on the fence about the health concerns of plastic tupperware, there's glass stuff that works great. All of my stuff is Anchor Hocking, bought at discount through Ross or Marshall's.

 

[Marketwatcher]

Slow cooker makes cooking healthful and easy. I look for vegan slow cooker recipes since they don't use cream and other fatty ingredients. I make a large batch and freeze leftovers.

 

[walkinwood]

Jacques Pepin's excellent series Fast Food My Way helped me get going with cooking. He teaches basic techniques as he cooks. He has another DVD set - I think it is Jacques Pepin's Essentials, that includes a lot of basic cooking techniques.

He has a new show starting soon. Check him out.

 

[Walt34]

Similarly, I've never taken anything off my Big Green Egg that wasn't wonderful.

I wish I could afford one of those...

Made me look - Yow, those ARE pricey! At those prices it better cook well!

Big Green Egg Prices - The Big Green Eggic

I seriously wonder if I'd use it enough to justify the expense but I know some folks cook almost everything on the grill. For those it would make sense.

 

[Rustic23]

A friend has a Green Egg. It cooks well, however, he has not been able to get it to smoke well. It traps the heat, slow cooks, but does not generate a lot of smoke. As he also has a smoker and a grill, I'm not sure what purpose the Green Egg serves other than a slow roaster.

As far as cooking gadgets go we have one of these. Does turkey, chicken and prime rib. OUTSTANDING! Highly recommended

http://www.amazon.com/Char-Broil-TR...&qid=1442700810&sr=1-2&keywords=oilless+fryer

 

[Avocadorunner]

I'd start with the food in season at the time. Go to farmers markets & check your grocery stores for produce, meat and fish that is fresh and in season. Then google your food with the word "recipes". You will find what you are looking for. We are lucky here in So. Cal. We grow heirloom tomatoes, avocados, corn, beans, peas, strawberries, dragon fruit, persimmons and many different kinds of citrus (blood oranges are my favorite). You can always find interesting recipies, from simple to complex, once you have good fresh main ingredients.

 

[imoldernu]

Back to the original question:

I'm asking for your input/suggestions on how I can go about learning to make better food...is it skills, recipes, ingredients, spices, or what?

Sheesh... am sympathetic...
Am no connoisseur... in fact had to look up how to spel it....

a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste:

Anyway... as a latecomer to cooking, am not into reading recipe books... to find that the 1/4 teaspoon of cumin essential oil and a sprinkle of cinnamon... the preheat to to 325degrees and cook until the thermometer reaches 170 in the thigh or 180 in the breast... the "let rest" for 20 minutes and serve with essence of braised barley toast... and a fine courvoir de vivre wine... is not my thing!

It just ain't me...

Too late to learn and too stubborn to take advice...

I go to the internet and ask for "simple recipe" for whatever... check to see if I have any... any of the spices... (sub for what I don't have, with garlic salt)... then put it in the oven or on the stove until DW says "I smell something burning!"

Ya oughta taste my "Turkey Soup ala Whatever". Whatever was left in the veggie bin...

It's all okay, though... as I age, so do my taste buds... DW settles for Marie Callender frozen when It's my turn to make the meal.

Oh yeah!... one more thing... I bought an english muffin egg sandwich maker from Aldi's two weeks ago, when the price went from $24.99 down to $7.99 when they cleared out the overstock. ... Same as this one from Hamilton Beach...
http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/breakfast-breakfast-sandwich-maker-25475.html?gce=7&utm_expid=49787036-3.vMkGgFfdS62hcfYbiUEtig.2&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

A fun project... Would recommend to everyone who likes this kind of breakfast.
***** five star...

 

[braumeister]

A friend has a Green Egg. It cooks well, however, he has not been able to get it to smoke well. It traps the heat, slow cooks, but does not generate a lot of smoke. As he also has a smoker and a grill, I'm not sure what purpose the Green Egg serves other than a slow roaster.

I suspect your friend just hasn't thought through his use of the BGE. It's a terrific smoker (among other things).

When many people try to get smoke flavor in their meats, they typically let the smoking wood get too hot and after putting out minimal smoke it simply burns up.

The BGE lets you control the temperature so you can keep your smoking wood (chips or chunks) at the right temp to continually produce the desired smoke.

You have to understand what you're doing, but please don't blame the BGE for problems it doesn't have. It's a smoker, a grill, an oven, and any combination. But it's just a tool and any tool can be used effectively or haphazardly.

 

[Sue J]

I cooked for a family of four until the kids grew up and moved out, so now it's just DH and I, although the sons show up occasionally for whatever we are having.

I'm a fairly plain cook and had gotten into a rut of making the same things the same way for far too long. A few years ago I started watching cooking shows on tv and I've picked up some great new ideas. Sometimes I follow a recipe, sometimes I'm learning a new technique.

When I was a kid my mother used a pressure cooker. I had one when I was first married, using it mostly for soups. I bought a new one a few years ago and I use it often now. I borrowed a few pressure cooker cookbooks from the library and bought a few cookbooks that I wanted to have on hand. I still make soups but I've learned to use the pressure cooker for many other things and my husband loves everything I've tried.

From what I've learned from the pressure cooker books and on tv I've learned how to make up my own dinners/soup/stew/side dish based on the techniques and ideas I learned from following a recipe. So now I can look at what I have on hand and create my own thing.

It's been fun and I've been enjoying learning new things. The pressure cooker that I have makes enough for 4 or more so I have leftovers or freeze things for later. There are smaller pressure cookers if you are just cooking for yourself.

One of the techniques I tried last week was not a pressure cooker recipe, but a grilling idea from PBS's America's Test Kitchen. It was for a "Spatchcocked" Rosemary Lemon Chicken and it was the one of the best things we ate all summer. I never spatchcocked a chicken before and it was not hard at all, just a little messy!

 

[MBAustin]

+1 on spatchcocked chicken - it cooks much more quickly and easily and isn't hard once you've done it a time or two. For the OP and other singles - if you get an organic/natural chicken, they are usually much smaller than the behemoths in the grocery store, so the leftovers are manageable (and yummy).

I very rarely make anything so bad that it isn't edible. I don't bake much, so there's lots of room for adjusting along the way in case things aren't quite right. Most recipes I save in Evernote and make my adjustment notes there - both what I actually did and ideas for next time.

One trick I learned from watching Chopped is to add a little vinegar just before serving if the flavors seem a little "flat". I keep a large selection of small bottles of specialty vinegars so I can pick one to match (or highlight) the dish.

If you like to cook healthy, pick up an issue or two of Cooking Light - the recipes are generally well-written and not too complicated, and they also highlight new techniques and ingredients frequently.

Finally, I second the recommendation for cooking classes. In particular, the one class that improved my cooking the most was knife skills (two sessions, one veggies & fruits, the other meats & fish). The techniques there, plus keeping my knives sharp, make good cooking so much easier and more fun.

 

[splitwdw]

As far as cooking for a single, my husband has kind of lost his appetite as he's going through treatment. I freeze everything in single portions and as flat as I can make the package. It's easy to thaw the package quickly in cold water for when he is hungry. I've found I like having things fast and easy to cook, fish, boneless chicken tenders, very thin burgers. You can dress these up or down depending on what you're making. Then again, my husband wasn't hungry tonight so I'm sitting here eating a chocolate/strawberry/yogurt smoothie for dinner that I froze yesterday. Yay, Vitamix!

 

[spncity]

 

[Bamaman]

As a Southerner, our native diet is the food at the Cracker Barrel restaurant. Good food starts with great recipes, and you can Google any recipe in the world and have a printed copy in seconds. I also like to take the menu's of my favorite restaurants and use them as my household menu. Much of the great restaurant food is remarkably easy to cook. We Southerners are also big on barbeque, and we cook out on the grill many times per week no matter what the weather is. Every time I travel to far away places, I long for the food "back home." Nothing like good home cooked food, like the cast iron skillet of cornbread my wife made tonight.

 

[48Fire]

Thanks everyone for the many suggestions and recommendations. Now I have an idea on where I need to start focusing my attention.

This may sound odd, but how do you remember everything...like what "tweaks" you made to raise the taste level a notch, etc.?


omni

I write them down, even the bowl to use, and what cabinet it is in. Just a little problem when we moved, and bowls were relocated Some of this is to entertain my family.

 

[audreyh1]

I somehow found a couple of good cookbooks and started following the recipes. After a couple of years I had a lot of things "down" and could girl out how to make something taste good.

Check out "How to Cook without a Book" - but you do need the book. Practical yet creative. It gets to the essentials.

Same with grilling - I found a couple of good cookbooks and stated following the directions.

 

[haha]

In my mind by far the best cooking is classical French cooking, as well as French bistro cooking. Mastering the Art of French Cooking (2 Volume Set): Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck: 9780307593528: Amazon.com: Books

You cannot go wrong with these. My former wife learned on these books, and she can really cook. I was hunting and fishing all the time, and we were crabbing and clamming and harvesting mussels and overall, we ate like l a lord and his lady. (Except that wife had no kitchen staff to do all the work.)

Ha