Learning a Few Tricks

Like just about any endeavor … vocational or avocational … equipment and training can be important in preparing someone for success. Sometimes, however, it isn't specific training so much as learning a few tricks of the trade. Many times the techniques which become second nature for professionals are counter-intuitive for those who are novices.

This past week, I had the privilege of taking an evening class at the local culinary school; the focus was on knife skills. Many of the things covered in the class were reminders of principles I already knew; the vast majority of things were reminders that, like any skill, significant practice is required before one can master such things. One simple example of this was the recognition of how difficult it is to consistently batonnet or julienne vegetables.

There were a few tricks I learned, however, and those are the things that make a class such as this one worth the cost, time, and effort. Several of these will be things that I share in upcoming posts. I had previously learned, for example, how to easily cut a bell pepper in a way that would avoid the seeds; I now know a technique for cutting a tomato for similar results.

I look forward to taking more classes … to sharpening my skills (pardon the pun) … and to sharing a few tricks along the way.

New Opportunities

I have a couple of things happening in my life right now, which will mean (a) more cooking and (b) more opportunities to learn.  With those things on the horizon, perhaps I'll find the motivation to be more active with this blog.

The first upcoming change is a divorce.  Looking back through previous posts, I've mentioned that my wife has done a lot of the cooking while I've had a few "specialty" dishes.  Between the two of us, I've also been a bit more adventurous and experimental.  But, as I prepare to return to bachelorhood (does that apply to one who is divorced?), I know I'll be doing more cooking.  I have no doubt some will be out-of-the-box meals; I'm not going to instantly transform into a "real cook."  But as I learn, perhaps I'll have more ideas to pass along.

Second, the local culinary school is offering some evening classes that I'm looking forward to taking.  Instead of taking classes that teach how to prepare a particular menu or set of dishes, I'm going to be taking some classes that teach basic skills.  The first, coming up later this week, has to do with knife skills.

A chef's primary tool is the chef's knife.  Yes, there is other equipment involved -- stoves and ovens and pots and pans and spatulas and mixing bowls and ... lots of other things.  But a chef's ability to use a knife for slicing and dicing and other acts involved in food preparation is important.  I know there will be a great deal of practice involved to truly become skilled, but I look forward to learning the proper techniques which can be practiced and brought to bear on my work in the kitchen.

Again, I cannot promise that I will be overly active with the blog.  I like the idea of sharing insights as I find them, however, and I'll try to use this blog for that purpose.

Mise en Place

I learned this French phrase, mise en place, from some friends who are professional chefs.  It literally means "putting in place," or -- more colloquially -- having everything in place.  When these chefs are training others, this is something they stress.  You want to have an orderly work area, with everything in its place, knowing that you have all the ingredients and utensils and so forth before you dive into a recipe (and find yourself ill-prepared to complete it).

One of the things I have always disliked about my wife's approach to cooking is that dirty pans and utensils just get stacked at the side.  If those haven't been cleaned before the next cooking session, they are just pushed a little further to the side and more is added to the mess.  In contrast, if I go in the kitchen to cook and there are dirty dishes, pots and pans, or utensils, I begin by washing and getting everything clean.  As I cook, I wash things as they have been used.

I think it would be accurate to say that a lot of the "junkiness" I've seen in our kitchen has to do with the fact that we have more stuff than we need ... in case some of it is dirty when it's needed.  The whole concept of mise en place has given me a new outlook on this.  If everything is in its place, then you don't need extras ... you can clear the clutter ... you can have a workspace that makes sense and which is conducive to what you're seeking to accomplish.

What I'm encouraging is organization.  This can take a number of different forms, as different approaches make sense to different people.  But the more you de-clutter, the more effective you will find yourself, especially in the kitchen.

Measuring Up

My son asked me a question while we were cooking this past weekend, and I thought it might be good to share it for others who might wonder the same thing. When you're using measuring cups, what is the difference between a measuring cup for liquids and one for dry measure?

As far as volume, there isn't a difference. A 1-cup measure is a 1-cup measure.  A 1-cup measure by any other name ... well, you get the idea.

However, different measuring cups are designed for different purposes. And that is what is important, when you're determining which to use.

A liquid measuring cup has two special features to help you with liquids. First of all, there is a pour spout. Second, there is extra room at the top of the cup, above the 1-cup line (or whatever the top measuring line is). Both of these things help you measure liquids and get them poured into the pan or bowl without spilling.

When you are working with dry goods (sugar, flour, etc.), on the other hand, the measuring cup doesn't have extra room at the top. Instead, you should fill the measure and level it by scraping all the excess off with the back edge of a knife or other flat utensil. It is hard to get dry goods level in a measuring cup designed for liquids, because you'll never be filling to the top of a measuring cup designed for liquids.

There is a second issue, as well. Dry goods tend to settle more as the diameter of the measuring cup expands. So if you use a measuring cup for liquids – which tend to be larger around – you will actually end up with more of the dry substance, simply because the settling will mean that more of the substance will fit in the measure. (This is assuming that you are not packing the cup, as you are sometimes instructed to do with something like brown sugar.)

Finally, when dealing with liquids, the meniscus has to be taken into account. When you put water in a glass measuring cup and look closely, you see that the water is a little higher against the sides of the cup than in the middle. And if you fill a measuring cup designed for solids with water, it will “dome” on top. This is caused (in both cases) by surface tension … and liquid measuring cups are generally designed to take this into account (where the lines are drawn on the side). In that way, the measuring devices are slightly different … because one accounts for the meniscus and the other does not.

The bottom line is that there are slight differences … although not enough to throw the typical recipe off by much. The difference is that liquids and solids should be measured using devices designed for that purpose. With liquids, you need to account for the meniscus and be able to measure and pour without spilling; with dry goods, you need to be able to fill the measure and level the top. Use the measuring cup designed for what it is that you are measuring, and you'll save yourself some trouble.

Tuna Mac Casserole

This is an extremely easy recipe I ran across a number of years ago.  Even though it's simple -- it is NOT a gourmet dish -- but it's tasty and continues to be a "regular" at my house.  You'll find the recipe, ready to print in half-sheet format, here.

INGREDIENTS:

          1 box (7-8 ounces) macaroni & cheese

          Milk & butter (for preparing mac & cheese)

          1 can (10-11 ounces) cream of mushroom soup

          1 sleeve of saltine crackers, crushed

          2 cans (5 ounces each) of tuna

UTENSILS:

          1 medium-sized pan for preparing macaroni & cheese

          Large mixing bowl

          Glass baking dish … 11"x7"x2" Pyrex is an ideal size

          Liquid measuring cup (to measure milk for mac & cheese)

          Cooking spoon for stirring

          Strainer/colander

          Knife

          Can opener

Okay, so I'm listing everything but the kitchen sink.  (You'll need one of those, too, by the way.)  I'm just trying to be thorough, making no assumptions about anyone's cooking skills.

PROCESS:

1a) You'll begin by making the macaroni & cheese, according to the package instructions.  Put water in the pan and bring it to a boil.  Add the macaroni, bringing the water back to a slow boil.  Stir occasionally ... and make sure it doesn't boil over ... and cook for the length of time specified.

1b) While the macaroni is cooking, take the sleeve of saltine crackers and pour them into the large mixing bowl.  Crush them in your hands.  You don't want them reduced to a powder, but you should crush them so that the largest pieces are about a quarter inch to half inch in size.

2) As the macaroni is almost done, cut the needed amount of butter from a stick (using the knife), and measure out the necessary amount of milk.  Set both of these aside, ready to be used.  Start preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

     When the macaroni has finished cooking, turn off the burner.  Pour the macaroni and water into the strainer or colander in the sink.  After the water has drained, pick up the strainer, shake it side to side to get as much water out as possible, and then pour the macaroni back into the pan.

     Quickly add the pre-measured milk and butter and begin stirring.  Stir in the packet of cheese powder that came with the macaroni & cheese.  Continue stirring until all of the butter has melted and the cheese powder has fully dissolved.

3) Add the prepared macaroni & cheese to your large mixing bowl (with the crackers in it).  Add the cream of mushroom soup and tuna.  Mix everything together well.

4) Pour the mixture into your glass baking dish.  If you want, you can lightly spray the bottom and sides with non-stick cooking spray before you do this -- it isn't necessary, but will make it a little easier to clean the dish when you are finished.  Spread the mixture evenly, so the top is level.

5) Place the baking dish in the oven.  Cook for 30 minutes.

When it is done, serve it with a salad and maybe a green vegetable (green beans or English peas).

Real Men Don't Have to Cry (when chopping onion)

It took me a few days to get this post ready.  I was trying to figure out some technical stuff -- like how to take a video, get it to my computer, add subtitles, and get it uploaded for access from this site.  You will notice two things, almost immediately:
     1) As previously stated, I am not a professional chef.  I'm a "regular guy," just like you.  I don't have superb knife skills.
     2) I am not skilled at shooting and editing video.  I admit that this isn't a great video ... so you don't have to tell me that the video could be better quality.
     (By the way, I shot the video on my Asus Transformer EeePad tablet, then sent the file to my Box cloud storage account for retrieval on my computer.  Once there, I used the VideoPad Video Editor to edit the video, saving the new file in Box, to be accessed by the link below.)

So let's get down to it.  We need to chop (or dice) an onion.  We don't particularly want to shed a lot of tears in the process.  After all, your eyes sting after a while.  So is there a quick and easy way to get an onion chopped?

It just so happens that there is.  The video clip (click on the link below) shows me dicing an onion, following these six easy steps:

1) Remove the dry "skin" on the outer layer.

2) Cut off the tapered end of the onion.

3) Using a sharp chef's knife, make horizontal cuts into the onion -- but not all the way through.  The finer you want the onion chopped/diced, the more cuts you should make.  (That is, you will need more cuts, closer together, for a finer dice.)

4) Rotate the onion 90 degrees and repeat Step #3.  You may need to hold the onion together a bit as you do this, so watch your fingers!  (You have a sharp knife, remember?)

5) Cut the onion vertically, through the previous cuts.  Again, the finer you want the onion to be diced, the more cuts you'll want to make (not cutting off as much each time).

6) Using your knife in a rocking motion, go over the onion pieces on the cutting board, making sure that any larger pieces are cut down to size in the process.

The best news of all is that the onion is diced and ready to go into the skillet before my eyes start to water.

Here is the video clip:

Beef Enchilada Casserole

I can't find the source for this Beef Enchilada Casserole recipe.  I know it isn't my own, but – unfortunately – I cannot credit a source at this time.  A PDF file with the recipe printed in half-sheet format is located here.

INGREDIENTS:

          1 pound lean ground beef

          15-ounce can mild enchilada sauce

          15-ounce can tomato sauce

          1 small onion (finely chopped)

          ½ cup green onion (finely chopped)

          2 cups (8 ounces) grated cheese (Colby-Jack or cheddar)

                    This is "pizza cheese"

          ½ package flour tortillas

          Salt & pepper (to taste – about ¼ teaspoon of each)

You can include green chilies if you would like to add some zest.  Another ingredient that adds a nice flavor is black olives (finely chopped).  A small can of either, or whatever other ingredients you would like to add, will be plenty.

     Note that I am using lean ground beef.  This will have little fat that cooks off during the browning process, and does not need to be drained for this recipe.  If you use beef that is more than 7% fat, you will probably need to drain the fat after the meat is browned (that is, at the beginning of Step 3).

UTENSILS:

          Large skillet

          Glass baking dish (13"x9" Pyrex)

          Spatula

          Cutting board

          Chef's knife (or any other sharp knife)

          ½ cup (dry) measuring cup

          ¼ teaspoon measuring spoon (if needed, for salt & pepper)

          Non-stick baking spray

PROCESS:

1) Chop the onion.  You want it chopped fairly fine.

NOTE THAT STEPS 2a AND 2b (BELOW) SHOULD BE PERFORMED TOGETHER.

2a) Put the beef and onion in the skillet.  Set the burner on medium-low.  (The burners on my cook top can be set to Low-2-3-4-5-6-High.  I set the burner on 3 for browning.)

     The goal is to brown the beef.  Use a spatula to break the beef up into pieces, mixing it with the onion as you do so.  As the beef browns, continue using the spatula to break up the pieces as you turn the meat.  If you leave it sitting too long, some of the meat will burn – and that is not a good thing – so turn the meat and break up the pieces every 2-3 minutes.

     To make sure the meat is cooked – without burning – realize that a little patience is involved.  Expect about 20 minutes for the meat to brown well.

2b) While the meat is cooking, chop the green onion.  Like the onion, you'll want it chopped fairly fine … you'll end up with a bunch of thinly-cut rings.  Use the ½-cup measure to keep up with how much you've chopped.

     If you are going to add another ingredient that needs preparation, this is the time for that, as well.  Black olives, for example, make a nice addition … chop those finely.

3) After the meat has been thoroughly browned, add the enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, and green onion.  Add a little bit of salt and pepper.  (I use about a ¼ teaspoon of each.)  If you are adding other ingredients – like green chilies or black olives – add them now.  Mix everything together well, turn the burner down to about half the temperature (I browned the meat on "3," so I turn the knob down to about "1½"), and let it simmer for 10-12 minutes.

     While the mixture is simmering, you can wash the cutting board and knife.  With a quick rinse of the measuring cup and spoon, everything is clean and ready to put away.

     About halfway through the simmer, start preheating the oven to 350° F (175° C).

4) You are ready to fill the baking dish.

a) Spray the bottom of the dish lightly with non-stick spray.

b) Tear tortillas in pieces and cover the bottom of the dish.  I use small (about 6" diameter) tortillas and tear them in quarters.

c) Pour about half of the meat & sauce mixture over the tortillas, spreading it evenly.

d) Sprinkle about half the cheese over the top.

e) Repeat steps (b)-(d) so that there are two layers of everything.

5) Put the casserole in the oven and let it bake for 20 minutes.  (While the casserole is baking, wash the skillet and spatula.)

6) When the casserole has finished baking, let it cool for 5 minutes.  You can use a spatula to cut it into pieces, and the pieces should lift out easily.  Leftovers can be refrigerated (or frozen) after the casserole has cooled, to be reheated later.

This is an easy recipe.  Serve it with corn (Mexican corn, if that appeals to your taste buds) and a small garden salad for a nice, nutritious meal.