a thread full of my cooking misconceptions.

[Talus]

True story: my neighbor was making a pot roast, she took it out and said it was too hard, and asked me if I wanted it. I said sure, I'll take it. I threw it back in the oven for 2 hours at 350, and it was nice and tender after that, and I invited her and her bf over to try it. Low temperature & slow cooking works especially well for "tougher" cuts of meat.

[wyrmtung]

My only advice on ordering beef is to order one level higher than you prefer unless you really trust the chef. Most places really suck at judging temperatures and they undercook more often hitting the mark. Order medium rare and you get rare. Order rare and you get raw. If I order medium and I get medium then I'm fine with eating medium. And good for me if my pessimism pays off with me getting medium rare.

I don't get the snobbery of an earlier post who gave a shit how their customers ate their beef. They are paying for the meal and you are not eating it so why give a damn? If they enjoy their meal the way they like it then you win and your restaurant wins.

[Dantrag]

I don't get the snobbery of an earlier post who gave a shit how their customers ate their beef. They are paying for the meal and you are not eating it so why give a damn? If they enjoy their meal the way they like it then you win and your restaurant wins.

Pretty much this. Why give two fucks? They're paying. They want ketchup with their steak? Who cares. They want A1? Who cares. It's for their enjoyment, not yours. Everyone has different tastes. My step dad loves fermented soybeans. I think they taste like fucking ass. As others have stated, some people can't take the mid-rare style of beef. Does that mean they shouldn't be allowed to enjoy a steak? No.

[wyrmtung]

On topic, my advice to cooking is take care of your equipment. If you have non-stick pans then don't use metal utensils on them so you don't scratch them. And when you store them, don't pile them on top of each other. If you have to pile them up then put some cloth between them so they won't get scratched.

Another tip on non-stick pans is to rub oil on them while they are still cold. Even though they are called "non-stick" they aren't really. They still need lubricant. You should rub the pan while it is cold so the oil can adhere to the pan. And it's better to rub in the oil than let it slosh around.

You also want to avoid cooking spray because the spray leaves residue in the pan which gradually builds up into a sticky goop.


By the way, this constant care of making sure your non-stick pans don't get scratched is such a hassle. I bought a nice set of Calphalons and regret it. My next purchase will be a stainless steel set with a selected few nonstick pans for certain jobs.

[vagus]

On topic, my advice to cooking is take care of your equipment. If you have non-stick pans then don't use metal utensils on them so you don't scratch them. And when you store them, don't pile them on top of each other. If you have to pile them up then put some cloth between them so they won't get scratched.

Another tip on non-stick pans is to rub oil on them while they are still cold. Even though they are called "non-stick" they aren't really. They still need lubricant. You should rub the pan while it is cold so the oil can adhere to the pan. And it's better to rub in the oil than let it slosh around.

You also want to avoid cooking spray because the spray leaves residue in the pan which gradually builds up into a sticky goop.

All very good tips. As for the knife discussion. Don't need a super expensive one if you can't afford it. Find one that fits into your hand. Then invest in a knife sharpener.

[Byrthnoth]

General cooking misconceptions:
1) Raw egg will kill you - No, it won't. <<1% of the time it may give you the shits.
2) You need the internal temperature of your meat to reach ~160 degrees F - No, you don't. If you're cooking something for a long period of time, holding it at 140 for half an hour is more than sufficient and will be fine if you have a non-compromised immune system.
3) Tuna should be white - imma keel you sucka. Pepper and sear both sides of the Tuna steak and let the middle be god damned red.
4) Duck should be chicken colored when cooked - It should be closer to beef-colored when cooked.
5) More spices means something tastes better - Salt and Black pepper are the basic spices that go well on everything. In general you add like 1-2 spices to that to give something a unique flavor. You don't want your food to taste like you tripped and knocked your spice cabinet into the dish. If you're mixing like 18 spices then you're either making curry powder or doin it wrong.
6) Allspice is a bunch of blended spices like curry powder - No it isn't. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allspice
7) Rye bread's flavor comes from rye flour - At least for me, it's all about the Caraway
8) Gingersnaps are flavored like ginger - It's almost equal parts Ginger and Cinnamon, depending who you ask, and then cloves for the kick.
9) Everything related to cast iron maintenance - I hates people.
10) Mall-ee-ard reaction - Pronounce it May-ard reaction.

Things I have problem with cooking:
1) Finding a use for freaking oregano. - We have a basil plant and a cuban oregano plant. I cannot for the life of me use oregano as quickly as it grows.
2) Browning rice - I can get the maillard reaction to occur on rice, but it's either a slow or dangerous game to play with my gas stove. How the heck do you guys brown your rice? Low heat for long time, high heat and frequent stirring? I've gotten both to work, though the second option is generally much trickier.

Please PM me if you can think of a way for me to use more oregano or can teach me how to brown rice quickly and ideally without making it too hard.

[Ksandra]

You know to go back to something mentioned in the thread, what is everyone's recommendations for a good but not insanely expensive cooking knife? I've always had a cheap ass walmart set simply because when I first got an apt in cali I had 0 shit to fill it with, so was trying to be cost efficient in everything. I never got around to upgrading simply because I don't know what to fucking get. I look at knives at fancy cooking stores but there's so many and I don't know the difference, or if they are insanely overpriced.

I'd rather not have to pay $200 for a knife or anything, but having something better than what I have would be nice. I probably am not looking for a fll set as (as someone said) steak knifes don't really need to be awesome, just something for cutting meat/bread/veggies.

[zoobernut]

General cooking misconceptions:
1) Raw egg will kill you - No, it won't. <<1% of the time it may give you the shits.

If you don't want to worry about salmonella ever again just buy cage free eggs or have your own chickens. The eggs you get from your own chickens will be much more nutritious and a lot safer than store bought eggs. Not only that they taste better and they last longer too.

As for the other things you said those are good guidelines for people who don't know anything about cooking.

[Mellema]

You know to go back to something mentioned in the thread, what is everyone's recommendations for a good but not insanely expensive cooking knife? I've always had a cheap ass walmart set simply because when I first got an apt in cali I had 0 shit to fill it with, so was trying to be cost efficient in everything. I never got around to upgrading simply because I don't know what to fucking get. I look at knives at fancy cooking stores but there's so many and I don't know the difference, or if they are insanely overpriced.

I'd rather not have to pay $200 for a knife or anything, but having something better than what I have would be nice. I probably am not looking for a fll set as (as someone said) steak knifes don't really need to be awesome, just something for cutting meat/bread/veggies.

Avoid the fancy shops at all costs. Open the yellow pages and find a commercial hotel/restaurant supply store. It will be more expensive than Walmart, but you'll be getting durable/reliable items.

[Daydreamer]

You know to go back to something mentioned in the thread, what is everyone's recommendations for a good but not insanely expensive cooking knife? I've always had a cheap ass walmart set simply because when I first got an apt in cali I had 0 shit to fill it with, so was trying to be cost efficient in everything. I never got around to upgrading simply because I don't know what to fucking get. I look at knives at fancy cooking stores but there's so many and I don't know the difference, or if they are insanely overpriced.

I'd rather not have to pay $200 for a knife or anything, but having something better than what I have would be nice. I probably am not looking for a fll set as (as someone said) steak knifes don't really need to be awesome, just something for cutting meat/bread/veggies.

Go try out a Wüstof classic. It's around 100$ and a fantastic intro knife. If you don't cook hardcore it will last you for the rest of your life. Even if you do cook hardcore you still don't NEED to get anything else. Hell my old boss had the giant size version and he could make magic happen with it.

Eventually, if you end up becoming a knife guy/girl then you may want to upgrade, but still when it comes down to it you don't nnneeeeeeddd too.

Other good intro brands include henkel and shun's. Actually shun's are sharp as balls, but aren't for everyone because of their weight and grip., so make sure you test out all of them and just get what feels good. William Sonoma will let you try out all of these if you ask. Sometimes they even have onions for you to chop, but if not just bring your own.

Things I have problem with cooking:
1) Finding a use for freaking oregano. - We have a basil plant and a cuban oregano plant. I cannot for the life of me use oregano as quickly as it grows.
2) Browning rice - I can get the maillard reaction to occur on rice, but it's either a slow or dangerous game to play with my gas stove. How the heck do you guys brown your rice? Low heat for long time, high heat and frequent stirring? I've gotten both to work, though the second option is generally much trickier.

1) Black beans and rice. I was having a problem finding uses for oregano as well ,but it really does wonders with some black beans. The adage "if it grows together it goes together" is actually a pretty good starting ground for most things if you don't know what to do with it. You said cuban oregano, so why not try some other cuban dishes as well?
2) I find this is one time I actually use a nonstick pan. Blast the heat, get plenty of oil with a high smoke point, and stir stir stir. The reason I use nonstick for this is because without it the rice just sticks to the pan and burns instead of browning.

[Daydreamer]

Avoid the fancy shops at all costs. Open the yellow pages and find a commercial hotel/restaurant supply store. It will be more expensive than Walmart, but you'll be getting durable/reliable items.

Oh and Ksandra, Mellemas advice about not buying at fancy shops is so true. What I said about going to William Sonoma is just to try out the knives, don't ever buy them there as they are far overpriced. You can usually get the same knife 25% off on amazon.

[Dantrag]

You know to go back to something mentioned in the thread, what is everyone's recommendations for a good but not insanely expensive cooking knife? I've always had a cheap ass walmart set simply because when I first got an apt in cali I had 0 shit to fill it with, so was trying to be cost efficient in everything. I never got around to upgrading simply because I don't know what to fucking get. I look at knives at fancy cooking stores but there's so many and I don't know the difference, or if they are insanely overpriced.

I'd rather not have to pay $200 for a knife or anything, but having something better than what I have would be nice. I probably am not looking for a fll set as (as someone said) steak knifes don't really need to be awesome, just something for cutting meat/bread/veggies.

Go to a store and find what's comfortable for you.





Then order it online.

[zoobernut]

Go to a store and find what's comfortable for you.





Then order it online.

Doesn't this advice work for everything you buy these days?

[Ksandra]

Gonna sound stupid but what do you guys mean by "comfortable"? lol, I don't think I've ever found one that's not, I mean it's just a knife. Handles don't really change too much, so I'd imagine only thing to worry about is how sharp it is?

[archibaldcrane]

Gonna sound stupid but what do you guys mean by "comfortable"? lol, I don't think I've ever found one that's not, I mean it's just a knife.

JUST A KNIFE?!

This isn't TV kiddie hour where we all sit around licking Barney the Dinosaur's fucking pussy. This is real life, with consequences you take to the grave.

[zoobernut]

There is actually a huge variety in handle styles and shapes. Not only that but the weight of the knife as well as balance makes a difference too. For example I need a knife with a deeper blade meaning there is more space between the edge and the handle for my knuckles to fit. Smaller handled knives suck when I use them for chopping because my knuckles hit the cutting board.

Balance means where the center point of the knife is. Also make sure you get a knife with a full tang. That means the metal of the knife blade extends all the way down the handle to the other end of the knife. If you go for Wustoff or Henkle that is pretty much guaranteed but it is something to consider.

[Ksandra]

ya you guys are being way over the top on this, I'm not a pro cook, I just want something sharp that isn't going to rust in a month lol.

(I should have mentioned that)

[Dantrag]

Doesn't this advice work for everything you buy these days?

Pretty much.

ya you guys are being way over the top on this, I'm not a pro cook, I just want something sharp that isn't going to rust in a month lol.

(I should have mentioned that)

Seriously, go to any store with decent knives, maybe bed bath and beyond, find something that you like, and then buy it online. I'd shoot for something in the $50 range. That way it'll stay relatively sharp for a while and not break the bank.

[Qalbert]

Doesn't this advice work for everything you buy these days?

not hookers, from my experience

[ZarakiKujata]

ya you guys are being way over the top on this, I'm not a pro cook, I just want something sharp that isn't going to rust in a month lol.

(I should have mentioned that)

Have you talked to your neighborhood Cutco cult?

A friend of mine sold their knives 2 summers back, I didn't buy any but sounded okay, lifetime warranty and he was cutting pennies and shit w/ em.

edit: I'll reiterate the kitchen supply stuff. Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential discussed how you can essentially redo your entire kitchen at restaurant supply stores/by paying attention to when a restaurant near you is going out of business and buying their equipment for pennies on the dollar.