Cooking Techniques
Here are a few cooking techniques that I find helpful in the kitchen. I hope you do too!
LEARNING BASIC KNIFE SKILLS
Part of cooking involves prepping your ingredients, which means it is important to get comfortable with your knife skills. Knowing how to properly use a kitchen knife will speed up your prep time, build your confidence, and even help you practice mindfulness in the kitchen.
Step 1: Choosing a chef knife. You will need a sharp, 8-inch chef knife feels comfortable in your hand. These can get pricey, but there are excellent chef knives under $30 -- for example, the Zyliss Control Chef Knife. You’re looking for a knife that has good weight, balance, and a sharp blade.
How do I hold my knife?
You want to grip your knife at the base of the blade to have complete control. The base of the blade is the sharpest part of the blade. Pinch the base of the blade with your thumb and forefinger, wrap your hands around the bolster (where the blade meets the handle) and curl your other fingers around the handle. This may feel a little awkward at first, so adjust as needed. This is the proper way to hold a chef knife and will make a huge difference when in the kitchen.
With the hand you are using to hold the food, make sure your fingers are out of the way and the blade is moving evenly through the food. The way I do this is by holding the food with what’s called the ‘claw grip,’ where I use the knuckle of my middle finger as a guide for the knife. Please see video for reference.
Step 2: Stabilizing your board. You will want to stabilize your cutting board by placing a damp paper towel underneath it. This will keep your board in place and prevent it from sliding around.
Step 3: Get to work!
Below is a video that demonstrates a few basic knife skills: slice, dice, julienne, breakdown & slice a pepper, chiffonade, chop and slice an onion, garlic paste
HOW TO PERFECTLY ROAST VEGETABLES
Roasting vegetables is a great way to add a new depth of flavor to your food. The high heat from an oven in combination with the natural sugars found in vegetables will cause a reaction in the food called caramelization, creating an end result that is sweet, nutty and toasty. Root vegetables like squash, carrots, and parsnips tend to be our go-to when it comes to roasting vegetables, but you can roast anything! The trick is timing.
How to perfectly roast any vegetable:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 425F
Step 2: Cut vegetables evenly
All vegetables should be relatively the same size so that they cook evenly and are done at the same time. Similarly, vegetables with like-cook times should be roasted together on the same tray.
Step 3: Drizzle in oil and season
Once you have cut up your vegetables, place them in a large bowl and drizzle them with oil. Season vegetables generously with salt, pepper and a variety of other spices you enjoy. I like to use garlic and onion powder. If I want some heat added to my dish, I toss my veggies with cayenne and smoked paprika.
Step 4: Spread veggies out evenly
Spread out vegetables evenly on a baking sheet in one single layer.
Step 5: Roast
Roast vegetables in a preheated oven for at least 25 minutes. Stir veggies every 10 minutes to check their doneness. Remember to cook with your five senses! When your veggies begin to turn a golden brown then they are close to being done. The same goes for when your vegetables start to smell toasted and sweet. This is usually a sign that your food is close to being ready.
Below is a guide showing cook times for various vegetables.
25-35 minutes: Cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, onions, summer squash, radish
35-45 minutes: Brussels sprouts, carrots, winter squash, eggplant, potatoes
45-60 minutes: Beets, garlic
HOW TO SAUTE
The word sauté means ‘jump’ in French, and that is exactly what your food is doing in the pan when it is being sautéed! Sautéing is a dry-heat cooking method that uses a small amount of fat to cook food quickly. You are browning the surface of the food to develop complex flavors and aromas that you would not be able to achieve from steaming.
The key to sautéing is getting the pan very hot, then adding your fat (oil or butter) and letting that get hot as well. When you introduce food to the pan you want to be careful not to add too much that you crowd the pan, otherwise moisture from the food will create a steaming environment and you won’t get that lovely browning effect that you are looking for.
Once the food has been introduced to the pan, you want to keep it moving or ‘jumping’. This will ensure that the food cooks evenly on all sides. A wooden spoon is a great tool to toss your food. You can also practice making circular motions with your arm while holding the pan itself to get the food jumping.
MEASURING WET and DRY INGREDIENTS
Measuring your ingredients ensures that you get consistent results with your baked goods. Not all ingredients are measured the same way and not all measuring tools are made equally! A scale is the most precise way to measure ingredients, but liquid measuring cups and dry measuring cups also work very well. There is, however, a proper way to use them!
How to measure wet ingredients
I prefer using glass graduated measuring cups with a handle because they last longer and are better for our environment. However, plastic also works fine. For liquids such as water, milk, and oil, use glass measuring cups with a spout and handle. Carefully pour the liquid into the glass measuring cup and stop when the meniscus is at the desired line. When standing at eye level with the water, the meniscus is the lowest part of the curve that the liquid forms in the glass.
How to measure dry ingredients
For flour and white sugar, use dry measuring cups. Begin by aerating the dry ingredients with a spoon or whisk to prevent any clumping. Next, use a scoop to spoon the dry ingredient into the measuring cup – do not pat it down! Level it off with a knife or straight edge. Do not bang the cup on the counter or shake it back and forth to try and level it. The only exception to firmly packing down a dry ingredient is brown sugar. You want to pack down brown sugar so that it takes the shape of the container.
These methods will ensure that you are properly measuring your ingredients for baking, which will result in more consistent final products.
HOW TO COOK RICE
Make me rice with any meal and I’ll be happy. Lucky for me there is a variety of rice out there, but no one likes it when rice is gooey or undercooked! Here is a guide on how to cook a few of my favorites.
Classic White Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1 ¾ cup water
Method:
1. Place water and rice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit, covered, for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Japanese Short-Grain Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
Method:
1. Rinse rice 3 times in a sieve to remove any excess starch. Allow rice to soak in clean water for 30 minutes then strain.
2. Add soaked rice and measured water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow rice to sit, covered, for 15 minutes.
Brown Rice
Ingredients:
I cup brown rice, medium or long grain
8 cups water or broth (I like to use half water and half broth)
*If doubling the recipe, use 12 cups of water
Method:
1. Bring water (or broth) to a boil in a large pot.
2. Add rice and boil until just cooked, a little firmer than you want – this will take about 30 minutes.
3. Drain rice very well through a sieve, shaking sieve to remove any excess water.
4. Return rice to the dry pot. Put the lid on the pot with no heat underneath and leave covered for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.
Wild Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup wild rice, rinsed well
3 cups water or broth
½ teaspoon salt
Method:
1. Place rice, water (or broth), and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and allow to simmer for 40-45 minutes. You will see the kernels break open when it is finished cooking.
2. Drain liquid and serve.
HOW TO MAKE A VINAIGRETTE
Making a vinaigrette is simple. All you need to know is how oil and vinegar work together. When you are making a vinaigrette, you are making something called an emulsion. An emulsion is the mixture of two or more liquids that are normally not able to mix, like oil and vinegar. When we make an emulsion, we are forcing the oil and vinegar together to form one solution by either whisking it, shaking it, or blending it with a blender. The force of a blender will give you a result that is similar to a thin mayonnaise.
The classic ratio for a vinaigrette is three parts oil to one part vinegar, however much of this depends on which oil and vinegar you choose. If you are using a mild vinegar and a strong oil, you may want to adjust that ratio. It’s a good idea to start at the 1:3 ratio, taste your vinaigrette and adjust from there.
Choosing a vinegar (acid):
Choose something that will complement the food but not overpower it. I tend to choose milder vinegars like white wine, red wine or rice vinegar. It’s important to taste what you are using and choose what you will enjoy. There are a variety of options available: balsamic, apple cider, lemon juice, lime juice, etc.
Choosing an oil:
Use an oil with lots of flavor. I like to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil on fresh salads with a milder vinegar or lemon juice. If you are looking for something more neutral, avocado or sunflower oil work nicely.
Seasoning your Vinaigrette:
To bring out the most flavor in your vinaigrette, season your dressing with salt and pepper to start. From there, you can add a variety of herbs that may complement what you are dressing. Thyme is sweet, earthy and a little minty. Rosemary is more pronounced and has flavors of lemon pine. Basil is sweet and similar to anise. Get to know your herbs and spices and play around with what is available to you. If you want to add a touch of sweetness to your vinaigrette, honey or maple syrup work beautifully, while cayenne and garlic work great for added heat.