topic Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased? in Community Spirit

What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

celestialinter0 — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 11:17:56 GMT

Start with me:

1. The role of seasoning is to enhance the aroma, not to cover the aroma of the ingredients themselves. Eat the ingredients, not the seasonings.

2. When frying vegetables, it is recommended to stir fry to the maximum heat, and take it out of the pot when it is almost out of rawness.

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

kopenhagen5 — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 11:29:11 GMT

Be subtle with flavours so you can still taste all the ingredients individually. (similar to above)

And don't shy from trying new combinations.

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

countessalmirena — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 11:52:43 GMT

When cooking potatoes, use the least amount of water; it will give the potatoes great flavoursomeness instead of losing flavour to the water.

Steaming vegetables brings out taste to the oomph degree.

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

janeababe — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 12:06:57 GMT

I haven’t boiled veggies in over 20yrs. I either steam, fry or roast them. 😋

I do prefer my veggies a tad on the crunchy side while my steak MUST be very well done (I can hear the boo-hissing from here! 😂)

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

springyzone — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 22:45:17 GMT

I don't know that I am any type of great cook but one thing I have come to understand is that if you don't have a particular ingredient, you can quite often substitute.

I used to often just buy ingredients but kicked up a few years back when a recipe called for Kahlua and I wasn't about to buy some just for the 1/4 cup needed. Was able to make a good substitute.

Same with some herb or spice combinations.

Google is such a boon.

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

*sons_and_daughters* — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:00:03 GMT

One thing my Nana taught me as a kid, if you taste something (savoury) and you think it's missing something, throw in a chicken stock cube. Had to be chicken, regardless of what you were cooking. You know, she was right!

I tried using a beef stock cube in a beef casserole that was "missing something" and it didn't work. Another time when it was "missing something", I threw in the chicken cube and it was perfect.

Same goes for baking dish gravy (no Gravox in this house!!). Even if you cook roast beef, or lamb, the gravy must have a chicken stock cube. No other flavours or it doesn't taste right.

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

domino-710 — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:11:53 GMT

This kitchen Goddess is taking all this onboard - and - passing it on to the Chef. lol

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

*sons_and_daughters* — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:27:59 GMT

Trying really hard to reply to an actual post, but keep getting a message flood error.......

Edit: That worked. Trying to reply to Jane...... I'll try again........

I prefer steamed veges, but still boil spuds. With salt!

As for the steak, no boo hissing here. People should have their steak how they like it, and shouldn't be made to feel bad for their preference. My sister likes it cremated. Personally, I prefer it on the rarer side, but lamb must be very well done. I can't do lamb anything resembling rare (which makes it hard when the spouse prefers it rare).

That said, I don't eat much meat. I just don't find it that appetising. I'd much prefer a plate of steamed veges. Unless it's snags, I love snags! I like meat in stuff, but not sit down to a plain steak or whatever.

Edit again: That worked! For the life of me, I tried so hard to reply to Jane's message, but kept getting an error.

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

tasfleur — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:29:35 GMT

One of the most savagely important things I ever learned was to always make sure that water was put into the pressure cooker before even starting to gather ingredients .. "just in case".

My first "mal-experience" was watching a sausage oozing out through the vent .. it was a great learning (if not frightening) curve.

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

domino-710 — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:29:48 GMT

OK - you lost me at pressure cooker. lol

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

*sons_and_daughters* — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:31:17 GMT

Pressure cookers scare me.

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

tasfleur — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:31:33 GMT

I no longer pressure cook sausages!

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

domino-710 — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:35:03 GMT

My mother had one - she also was scarey in the kitchen.

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

tasfleur — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:41:30 GMT

It was like watching a volcano erupt; it looked lurid .. I turned the hotplate off and fled down the corridor and waited. It was a vision of alien proportions. There were a few more culinary disasters after that, namely an eggplant that exploded in the oven .. but it got better, and I became a competent cook .. after all, what choice was there. All the same, it was fun.

PS ... the pressure cooker did not survive!

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

papermoon.lady — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:49:55 GMT

I hardly ever cook because I live on my own and it is difficult to get small quantities of fresh ingredients all the time (there are a couple of small shops near me, but they don't sell fresh food apart from bananas and potatoes). The only time I bought some ingredients and thought I would give it a go because I was bored, I completely forgot that I was cooking while working on a project (because it was such an unusual experience) and the pan caught fire... 🙂

(I now have a timer. )

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

veiled-lady — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:53:22 GMT

Don't give up on cooking something because it wasn't perfect the first time.

Practice mightn't "make perfect", but it certainly makes for improvement!

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

domino-710 — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:54:24 GMT

But I don't intend to ' improve '. lol

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

papermoon.lady — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 23:57:22 GMT

Neither do I. 🙂

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

tasfleur — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 00:05:44 GMT

"But I don't intend to ' improve '. lol"

Re: What basic principles did you understand and your cooking skills greatly increased?

tasfleur — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 00:08:34 GMT

Me neither .. we only have to be able to eat it after all !