share cooking hints, calling all cooks

[strollingbones]

alrightie..what are your cooking hints....that little thing you do that makes a difference in recipes?

biscuits: even with self rising flour...add a small pinch of salt...helps the biscuits rise...dont overhandle...knead about 6 times than cook in hot oven at least 400 if not 450..

catfish: have oil at 325...any less...soaks up grease...any higher...drys out the fish



so what are your hints?

 

[PoliticalChic]

For me timing is everything. I check frequently whether I'm baking a cake, grilling a steak, or boiling pasta. When you overcook things, it makes the texture and taste change dramatically for the worst. There's nothing worse than a dried out cake, shoe leather steak, mushy vegetables or overcooked pasta.

Roasting or grilling vegetables is a great way to add a little zest to your vegetables whether it's broccoli, zucchini, carrots, or brussel sprouts. It adds a nuttiness that you normally get when just cooking on the stove. Oh, and I forgot to add chestnuts. Roasted chestnuts are awesome.

 

[strollingbones]

i always prefer food a wee bit under cooked as opposed to over cooked...i love grilled veggies...i just love fresh veggies...fresh ingrediants is a key to good cooking

 

[manifold]

Meatloaf: Replace anywhere from half to all of the breadcrumbs with oatmeal. Quick Oats or Old fashioned, doesn't matter. Better flavor and much better texture, IMO.

 

[manifold]

French Toast: Add a dash to a half-teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter. Yummmmm!

 

[PoliticalChic]

Here's a tip that I discovered fairly recently. May sound pretty obvious... I make my own burgers, but I noticed that even if you shape a perfectly flat patty, the cooked patty is dome-shaped. If you make an indentation in the middle of the burger, shaping into a plate (with a depression), your burgers will come out nice and flat. Most people probably won't care, but I do.

 

[manifold]

Most people already know this, but if anyone doesn't, steaks should be room temperature before you cook them. So let them sit out for 20 minutes to a half hour before you throw them on the grill.

 

[editec]

Above all, start out with the best ingredients you can possible afford.

That's absolutely the best advice I can offer anyone.

 

[Shogun]

Meatloaf: Replace anywhere from half to all of the breadcrumbs with oatmeal. Quick Oats or Old fashioned, doesn't matter. Better flavor and much better texture, IMO.

I like using corn flakes, graham crackers and croutons, myself.

 

[Shogun]

i always prefer food a wee bit under cooked as opposed to over cooked...i love grilled veggies...i just love fresh veggies...fresh ingrediants is a key to good cooking

go get a pressure cooker and a 22 of some kind of red lager. Pour some of the lager into a measuring cup and agitate so it will lose some of the carbonation. Then, layer with patato spears, baby carrots, squash, sliced onion, Brocolli crowns and red bell peppers. Pour in the decarbonated lager and drink the rest. 4-6 minutes after the valve starts going apeshit remove from stove and hold cooker under cold water to diffuse the pressure. Enjoy.

 

[Dis]

French Toast: Add a dash to a half-teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter. Yummmmm!

Or a tiny bit of almond extract, and cinnamon.

 

[strollingbones]

i make my own vanilla...its much better than the junk in the store and last forever....

it has to age for a while that is why most dont do it

 

[Terry]

The best cook is someone else other than I cooking. I gave that duty to the husband. He turned out to be rather a decent cook.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Wok oil. I use wok oil in place of regular oil in many recipes. It has an extra little garlicky edge to it, and I find it a bit lighter than regular oil.

I dislike adding salt to food and rarely do it. Instead, I use lots of the other spices on my rack. Most brands include listings on the label of what sorts of food that spice is good for, and I've gotten some very interesting suggestions from it.

Ed said use the best ingredients, and I agree. But also, don't skimp on the equipment. Get good stuff, and take care of it. Makes all the difference in the world over cheapo pots and pans.

 

[Shadow]

French Toast: Add a dash to a half-teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter. Yummmmm!

Another good trick is to use egg nog instead of milk. Yummy!

 

[Annie]

French Toast: Add a dash to a half-teaspoon of vanilla extract to the batter. Yummmmm!

and a bit of nutmeg, just gives it a something 'extra.'

 

[Annie]

Wok oil. I use wok oil in place of regular oil in many recipes. It has an extra little garlicky edge to it, and I find it a bit lighter than regular oil.

I dislike adding salt to food and rarely do it. Instead, I use lots of the other spices on my rack. Most brands include listings on the label of what sorts of food that spice is good for, and I've gotten some very interesting suggestions from it.

Ed said use the best ingredients, and I agree. But also, don't skimp on the equipment. Get good stuff, and take care of it. Makes all the difference in the world over cheapo pots and pans.

Speaking of garlic, it makes just about everything, other than dessert and breakfast foods, better.

 

[American Horse]

alrightie..what are your cooking hints....that little thing you do that makes a difference in recipes?

....so what are your hints?

An idea for a quickie individual serving of Strawberry Shortcake: (my wife's creation)

Take fresh strawberries and crush them up in a small soup bowl using the round edges of a small fruit-juice sized glass, until they are well crushed to release their juices.

Add some white sugar during the crushing process so that it is well mixed with the strawberries and the juice.

Split an individual "Twinkie" down the middle laying it open with the two halves side by side on a small plate with the cream filling facing up.

Spread the crushed strawberries and juice over the twinkie and add "Reddi-Whip" whipped cream on top to your desire.

Because she's worked since we married, my wife has always had to be a master of the 15 minute meal. And, since she has a rare disease which drastically limits her diet, she has always had to prepare one meal for our son and me, and a seperate one for herself. Although she doesn't eat any kind of desert at all she would still create something quick and convenient for the two of us as long as our son was at home.