As a result of my love for food, and eating out, honestly, a bit too much, what started as engaging conversations with chefs at some of my restaurants, and eventually chefs from across the country turned into a passion for cooking. Uhh, well, although I can’t call myself a cook or chef, I have categorized myself as a flavor mad scientist.
- Cook – someone who can prepare food
- Chef – someone who can create recipes appreciated by a wider audience (personally, don’t care if they’re a professional or not)
- Flavor mad scientist – someone who attempts to be innovative and likes experimenting with permutations of flavors and textures (80-90% ‘failure’ rate), aka me
So, I chatted/learned from chefs/cooks, ranging from some of the most prestigious kitchens to my favorite home kitchens. Here are some tips and hacks I got from some of the best:
For the carbs:
- You can tell if a risotto (or rice in general) is cooked by smearing a rice grain on a flat surface. If it smears without noticeable lumps, you’re good.
- Add a teaspoon of olive oil in the pasta dough to give it a bit of shine.
- Flour matters. Don’t just use all-purpose. 00 (double zero) for silkier flour and pasta chewiness. Durum for coarser grinds, longer cook times, and for making flatbreads; some use it for pasta too, depending on the chef. And so on.
For the proteins:
- Score the fat of a (ribeye) steak before searing, so it’s easier to render the fat. Score is a cross-hatch pattern. More surface area to render.
- Use tongs to cook steak and a spoon to butter-baste (I swear I used to think it was spelled “butter-basing”)
- Don’t cook cold proteins (meats/seafood). Let it rest till room temperature before cooking.
- Allow for meats to rest for as long as you’ve had it in the pan to better absorb the flavors.
- Before searing proteins, dry with a paper towel or season generously with salt to reduce moisture and splatter once you put it into the pan.
- Hot pan/hot oil, quick sear and won’t stick to the pan.
- Brush fish with mayonnaise to prevent them from sticking to the grill. And a great browning too.
- Use cuts of meat that are rich in marrow and collagen (cartilage) to make stock, like wings, chicken feet, chicken carcass, pork knuckle, etc.
- If you don’t have a meat thermometer, stick a metal rod (or a cake tester) into the center of the meat. Then place the rod on your lower lip. If it’s cold, more time. Hot, it’s done. If you’ve burnt your lips, well… in gamer terms, GG.
For everything else:
- If your meats or onions ain’t sizzling in the oil, the oil in your pan isn’t hot enough.
- To not bruise your herbs when chopping (or chiffonading if you want to be fancy), you need a sharp knife and cut once per cross-section. You can tell if you bruised your herbs by the residue they leave on the chopping block.
- Lemon juice, ideally fresh, helps fruits from oxidizing (after being cut), so it retains its fresh color.
- Flavor extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) with herbs (i.e. bay leaves, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.) for the “secret” zing to your recipes. You can do the same with white wine that’s used for deglazing the pot/pan.
- Zest citrus in once in one fluid motion with a zester to prevent mixing in the bitter rind.
- Use fine grinds for salt and pepper to season pre-cook, and coarse grinds for post-cook/presentation.
- Buy whole spices and a spice grinder (or pestle and mortar), instead of ground spices. You’ll get fresher and richer flavor that way.
- Toast spices for more flavor.
- Under-seasoning is a rookie mistake. (Admittedly, after this tip, I fell under the category of over-seasoning.)
- Keep your work station clean. Mise en place.
- Wear short sleeves while cooking, or roll up your sleeves.
- If you’re a 4-eyes, like me, invest in contacts. Glasses can fog up from the steam, and possibly blur your vision in critical moments.
- Don’t skimp on costs. Quality cookware and ingredients lead to quality food. (Not saying you can’t otherwise get a good meal, but you’ll notice the difference.)
This post was inspired by a friend’s comment on my Instagram post on February 5, 2020.
#unfiltered is a series where I share my raw thoughts and unfiltered commentary about anything and everything. It’s not designed to go down smoothly like the best cup of cappuccino you’ve ever had (although here‘s where I found mine), more like the lonely coffee bean still struggling to find its identity (which also may one day find its way into a more thesis-driven blogpost). Who knows? The possibilities are endless.
