Ten Cooking Basics

Over the past few years as I’ve re-learned skills related to cooking, I’ve found a few thoughts that have helped me a great deal in being more flexible in the kitchen. I’m sure there are plenty of others that could be listed here, but in the interest of space, here is a list of ten basic concepts:

10. Use the freshest possible ingredients
    There’s a reason for expiration dates, and that reason is a combination of freshness and flavor. This is why people have unique methods for shopping for fruits and vegetables. But it doesn’t stop there. Raw pasta has a much better flavor than dried, meat from a real butcher can be considerably better than from the big-box grocer’s, and Eggland’s Best isn’t just a marketing ploy.
9. Don’t be afraid of your cookware
   One of the tricks in my Omelet Tutorial is to lift the partially-cooked egg mixture so raw egg runs underneath, preventing a brown crustiness. To do so the right way, you have to get the spatula all the way under and lift the pan right off the stove so you can tilt it quite a bit. Getting people to do this can unnerve them completely … but there’s really no reason to be afraid of it.
8. Check your temps
   Are ingredients being stored at the right temps? Does your stove and oven actually operate correctly? Is the cooked food at the proper cooking and serving temps? All of this makes a huge difference in how things go in your kitchen.
7. Season, then re-season
   If you don’t taste your food before serving it, you’ll never know how a dish will actually taste. Taste it, then season it, let it simmer, taste it again, and do the whole thing over till it tastes good.
6. Let meat, pork & poultry rest after cooking
   If you don’t let meat rest a few minutes once it’s done, and cut into it immediately, all the juices will escape, leaving it dry. Let the meat rest, the juices will stay put, and you’ll have a tender and juicy cut of meat.
5. Drain cooked items properly
   How many times have you had greasy chili, or watery pasta, or slimy sausage? Get the juices off of ground beef by pushing on it with the back of a spoon. Toss cooked macaroni till all the water is out of each noodle. Let bacon and sausage drain on paper towel or a lint-free cloth. Your dishes will be much better for it.
4. Keep your eyes open
   This means to not only look for inspiration wherever you can, but to also try anything at least once, either in eating it or cooking it. You’ll never develop a broad-enough palette to taste with or a colorful-enough palette to cook with if you can’t paint with broad-enough strokes.
3. Welcome opinions
   Don’t be afraid of your diners’ opinions of what you’ve cooked or created, of messing something up, of treading on peoples’ likes and dislikes. Use these critcisms to create your own dishes or modify what you’ve gotten from somewhere else, doing this in such a way that your dishes are better for it. And if you’re eating someone else’s creation, use constructive, not destructive, criticisms.
2. Do it your way
   As with any other activity, cook long or often enough and you’ll develop a style that is uniquely you. People may like it, or they may not, but at least you’ll be true to yourself, and that’s what they may really like.
1. Practice
   … makes perfect. The more you make a dish, and the more repeatable the end result, the happier your diners will be in the long run. For the short run, refer to #8.

That’s about as quick-and-dirty as I can make it. So, what are some basic concepts you follow? I know, Chef Tad, I know … keep the knives sharp … 😉