Amateur home chef notes, part 1

[momopi]

This post is intended for those with little or no experience in cooking. I am not a professional cook or chef and the advice given here is mostly from my culinary school instructors.


So why should you learn how to cook? They say you are what you eat. So if your diet consists of take-out or "ding ding" (microwave) TV dinners, you should probably consider changing your dietary habits. Although it's possible to dine out and eat healthy, it's much easier to cook and control exactly what goes on your plate.

The culinary world also offers many career opportunities, but only if you have talent -- unless if you want to be a dish washer. Experienced chefs and Sommeliers can find work in fine restaurants around the globe. Although anyone can obtain WSET certification for wine, not everyone can become a Master Sommelier -- there are only about 100 Master Sommelier's in North America.

Generally speaking, European Chef training is better than American, and American Sommelier is better than European. In Europe professional Chef training usually takes up to 4 years before you can even qualify as a chef de partie (lowly line cook). In American culinary schools we churn students out in as little as 1 year and make them sous-chef. This is why restaurant food quality in France is better than America. Be warned, chefs tend to work long hours, and few get paid 6 figures. If you're aiming for a bigger paycheck, try hotel management.

In case of Sommelier, you're better off in America. Here in America we treat Sommelier as a real customer-service profession without racial bias. In France, rejects from the kitchen get sent to wine cellars and become Sommelier, service with a grim expression. The profession has a strong racial bias there, as most employers and customers will only consider hiring white European Sommeliers. Exceptions do exist but they are rare.

Here's an example of international jobs for a Sommelier:
http://www.mastersommeliers.org/Pages.aspx/Job-Postings (note: job post may be gone at later date)

"Sommelier Manager, Rawai Beach, Thailand
Evason Phuket is located in Rawai Beach, Phuket, Thailand.
We are looking for an experienced Sommelier Manager who is responsible for maintaining wine inventory, keeping budget goals, weekly wine tasting with our guest including wine dinner."

How would you like a job where you work for fine dining restaurant on the beach in a foreign country, serving wine and suggesting wine/food combinations to high-end clients? It can be done, but you must have the talent, dedication, and taste. If you don't have the fine taste buds for wine and food, you won't make very far. The primary role of a Sommelier is food and wine pairing. The job pays more than chef de partie (line cooks), but less than executive chefs. The up side? You don't spend your day in front of a hot stove. But, this isn't a recruiting post for the culinary career field. So let's move on cooking at home for yourself.

[momopi]

OK, let's start.

The first step is to clean out your kitchen and fridge. Check expiration dates and throw away anything that has expired. If you're not certain about how old something is, you should probably not eat it. Kitchen (dried) spices have shelf life of 1-4 years, and lose aroma as it ages. So it's a good idea to toss them out every year and buy new ones. Here's some general guidelines on shelf life in your pantry:

Boxed cereal: 6 months (less if opened)
Flour: 12 months
Dried Herbs: 12 months
Pancake mix: 6 months
Dried pasta: 12-24 months (you should use it within 12 months)
White rice: 24 months
Brown rice: 6 months
White sugar: 24 months (try to use it within 12 months)
Brown sugar: 4 months
Coffee (vacuum pack): 12 months
Tea: 12-18 months
Nuts: 6-8 months
Peanut butter: 6 months (less if opened)
Sauces: 12 months
Canned food: 12 months (general). For longer shelf life canned food stored for emergencies, check Mountain House brand #10 cans with shelf life up to 30 years.


Now scrub the kitchen, fridge, dishwasher, etc. clean. Take out your old pots and pans and give them a good scrubbing too. I cheat by using an older Black and Decker cordless scrubber, instead of elbow grease. You can see their newer models here:
http://www.blackanddecker.com/ProductGu ... =1499.1737

Products like Orange clean are great for the kitchen tiles, and Barkeeper's Helper is great for stainless steel (note: product is abrasive and may scratch). Throw away all your old kitchen sponges and get new kitchen cloth. Get a bucket of water and pour a cup of bleach in for sanitizing. Just soak some (new/clean) kitchen cloth in it and use it to wipe down the kitchen after you clean. For future reference, wash your kitchen cloths in the washer with hot water after use.

If your kitchen has a dish washer, make sure it's installed properly to use hot water, and overflow should go into the garbage disposal side (many old installations are incorrect). The dish washer is great for sanitizing your plates and forks with hot water.

Generally speaking, hot water kills more bacteria. You can train yourself by washing your hands in warm water, then slowly increase the water temperature. This will also help you build up "chef's hands" to tolerate high heat. But don't burn yourself. Do remember to wash your hands often in the kitchen and wash them whenever you touch raw meats or fish.

Food has less bacteria activity when heated or cooled. Anything that boils will kill all the bacteria. Cooked food should be consumed as soon as possible, or stored to 41 F within 4 hours. If the cooked food is left out for 6 hours, you should throw it away. There's an exception if you use continued heating, i.e. slow simmer, slow cooker, buffet "hot table", etc.

If you bought some El Pollo Loco chicken, left it on the kitchen counter all day, then nuke it in the microwave and eat it for dinner, chances are that you won't get sick easily. But in the food service industry, they can't take such risks. If you do something that has 0.1% chance of getting someone sick, and you serve 500 customers per day, it won't take very long before you send someone to the hospital with your food. As a cook you're responsible for the health and well being of those who eat your food.


If you have bottles of wine laying about, consider the following:

* Wine should be stored horizontally in a cool place. The cork of the wine only works properly when "wet", a dry cork will not seal correctly and may result in spoiling the wine. This is why almost all wine racks store wine sideways.

* Wine tastes best on the day that you open it. Although you can get those nifty vacuum seals, they will only preserve the wine a little longer. Once opened, red wine should be consumed within the week, and white wine within 2 days. Anything that's been opened and left sitting around for weeks or even months is not good for drinking, but can still be used for cooking. You can use it for wine reduction sauce or add to water to pre-boil meats.

* Generally speaking, red wine is paired with red meat and white wine with fish and poultry. But what's important is serving what you and your guests like to drink. So when in doubt, ignore the rules and serve the wine that you like better. i.e. I like Muscat, Riesling, Ice wine, Gewürztraminer, etc. There's no rule that says I can't drink my Alsace Gewürztraminer with a plate of tamales.

* Check your cabinets for wine glasses. Red wine is usually chilled slightly and opened 2 hours before serving, then poured into wide-mouth wine glasses. This is because red wine tastes better when it's slightly oxidized. White and Rose wine is served immediately after opening in smaller-mouth wine glasses. Champagne is served in flute wine glass with small top opening. Wine glasses are cheap, I saw Ikea selling champagne glasses for 25 cents each after New Year's. Unless if you have storage space issues, it's really not expensive to buy sets of proper wine glass.

[momopi]

OK, now let's go shopping.

* The first and most important item, if you don't already have it, is a good first aid kit for your kitchen. You WILL burn or cut yourself sooner or later. Make sure the first aid kit has stuff for both cuts and burns.

* If you have good quality knives at home, consider taking then to professional restaurant supply stores and have them sharpen your knives every 6-12 months. The knife sharpener in your kitchen will never do as good of a job as a pro. Toss out any low-quality knives and get good replacements. You only need the following 4 to start:

- 8" Chef's knife
- 6" Kitchen Utility knife ("Sandwitch Knife") - this is for traditionalists, not found in many modern knife sets.
- 3"-3.5" Pairing knife
- Bread knife (usually with serrated edge)

Good quality means something with a solid blade/handle and comfortable to hold/use. If the most expensive WÃœSTHOF feels unbalanced in your hand, it's not worth $1. My favorite chef's knife is an old one with wooden handle from Ralphs. Don't forget to get a wooden knife block. Remember to clean your knives after use.

* Paying more for the most expensive pots and pans won't make your food taste better. Visit your local restaurant supply store and check their inventory. My favorite cookware is Lodge cast-iron, Made in USA:
http://www.lodgemfg.com/
Please note that cast-iron requires special care: http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-seasoned-cast-iron.asp

Cast-iron pans are solid and CHEAP. If you damage it, you can re-season it in your oven, plus you get that extra boost of iron in your diet. In addition to cast-iron, you probably want to get a few stainless and non-stick pots and pans. The stainless steel clad ones are good for reduction sauces (never use your cast iron for wine reduction sauce).

Ever pan-fried something on a frying pan and had grease spatter everywhere? Get a non-stick pot. Fry your food inside and watch the pot catch all the grease spatter inside.

* Kitchen appliances: blenders, food processors, slow cookers, etc. Don't buy the cheapest $20 blender at Target. Buy the ones that can handle higher temperature and dishwasher safe. You need the higher temperature tolerance for making soups. Why make life hard for yourself when you can stick the better quality blender glass jar into your dish washer?

* Misc. kitchen tools: skip the cheap whisk, peeler, zester, grater, measuring cups/spoons, tongs, soup spoons, etc. Buy the stainless steel ones, they'll last longer and work better. There are some exceptions, like wooden utensils for non-stick pans and pots. Don't use metal utensils on non-stick surface, it'd scratch.

Don't forget a good quality sieve, I recommend a smaller one for skimming and a larger one for sieving. Also, pick up a few thermometers for meats and soups. I also recommend an assortment of stainless steel bowls of various sizes, to hold ingredients while you cook.

* Plates, bowls, cups, etc.: $100 Mikasa plate is not going to make your food taste better. I use IKEA plain white serving plates of assorted sizes. Round plates will last longer and square plates will damage easier (90 degree edges). Avoid colored plates because you don't know if the color pigments contain lead or something bad. The great thing about IKEA white plates is, if you drop one, it's easy to go buy a few replacements that look exactly alike. You don't have to worry about "sets".

* Made in ???: Generally speaking, the health and safety requirements in the US is higher. So food service items made in the USA is safer than those made in Korea & Taiwan, and those made in Korea & Taiwan is safer than those made in China. The Japanese are safety freaks and that's actually good, considering that you're putting the products into your mouth. Mainland China has safety standards too, but they're just not as anal as US or Japan. Some chemicals and heavy metals used in the production process will have no adverse effects with casual exposure, but could cause problems with prolonged use/exposure. Remember, you're putting the stuff into your mouth, so do your own risk assessment. When I go to Asian grocery stores, I look for "Made in Taiwan" food products over those made in China, Philippines, Indonesia, etc.

* Cookbooks: For general instructions, "How to Cook Everything":


Chef's textbook, with lots of picture instructions:


And the "study guide":


Check your local library, used book store, and good will stores. Cook books are plentiful in Goodwill and Thrift shops for as little as $1.

* Buying perishable food items: not just meats and fruits, but also the dried spices and boxed sugar. Remember that everything except honey has expiration date, and you should buy just what you need. That 48-bottle spice collection looks great as a Xmas gift, but you'd be throwing most of it away. I went to William Sonoma and they tried to sell me a large container of herbs de province in a fancy ceramic pot for $50. I ended up buying a smaller box for $9 and probably won't even use it up by end of this year.

Right now (Jan) it's not the right season to grow your own herbs, but later, when it's warmer, you may want to consider buying herbs in a pot from Lowes or Home Depo. I have a small herb garden on my patio and fresh herbs is always better than dried ones. Best of all, after you cut the rosemary, you can just water the plant and it'd continue to grow. Why pay $2-3 every time when you need it from Ralphs?

I went to IKEA the other day and they were selling these little grow it yourself basil kits for few dollars. The seed packet contains about 50 seeds. Don't be like an idiot and pour all 50 seeds into the small pot. Just use some here and there and save the rest. It's enough for several months worth of basil plants.

[momopi]

The first lesson in Culinary School usually starts with knife skills. I paid a lot of money to attend culinary arts school for basic training, you don't need to pay anything to learn how to hold and use a knife. This is something that requires initial instruction and lots of practice on your part.

First, how to HOLD your knife properly:
http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to ... tting-food
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYIJ4GvsYIc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwmpss5_8Sc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1NR0uNNs5Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POi7LQO2OyQ

Note that not all chefs will "pinch" the blade. The video instruction is intended to teach you how to hold and use the knife properly without hurting yourself. If you're clumsy, wear cut-resistant mesh safety glove on the other hand (not the one holding the knife).

How to Chop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7kZBB14wAc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlOpzH4Hzgk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FflIEjWGT8
http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-chop

How to Dice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XdOABVvmI8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG63etiJ0dQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdMYRyK5J3E

How to Chiffonade:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJEQFgfv7iw
http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-chiffonade-2

"Chiffonade" is a French word for rags that describes the cut. French cuisine has a heavy influence on western culinary traditions and many culinary terms like batonnet, julineene, and brunoise are all French.

How to Mince:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYEmp-YacF0
http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-mince

How to Baton:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuUn37S-CRI

How to Julineene & Batonnet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YU1IBLypo0
http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-julienne-2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJQR3DzAzbg

How to Brunoise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNTVY8tTXLw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpqEu-YDWVQ

How to Paysanne:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqcetdDZMn8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lWNGBVDIKQ

Good notes on herbs:
http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to ... nder-herbs


That's about it for the basic cuts. You can search for more examples on the web. Buy some inexpensive herbs and veggies to practice. Start with something soft, carrots are hard and may cause accidents. Note that all examples are for veggies and not meats and fish, we'll look at those later. It's much easier to start with veggies. In Japan a sushi chef is expected to spend about 3 years to learn how to use sashimi knife property to cut fish. In America we send students through "California Sushi Academy" in less than a year and people wonder why their nigiri sucks. If you want to get good, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE.

Many chefs prefer bamboo cutting boards because they don't scratch and nick like plastic ones do. But plastic cutting boards have a few advantages. They're cheap and dish washer safe. If you damage one, just flip it over to use the other side, or toss it. Bamboo cutting boards are nice, but some use glue containing formaldehyde and chemical dyes in its manufacturing process. Plus they require more care with cleaning and wood oil.

[momopi]

Soup stocks

Another very basic kitchen skills is making soup stocks. I'll be blunt, it's easier to buy soup stock in a container from the supermarket. It takes half a day to make chicken stock from scratch, whole day for beef stock, and 2 days (combined) for beef consommé. Much easier to just drive to the supermarket and chuck cans into your shopping cart. But, you should at least try it once so you know exactly how it's done, and what goes into the soup stock.

Read the ingredient list on the container and make sure it's all natural and doesn't contain MSG. A 14 oz can of generic, Ralphs brand beef stock costs $1 and has MSG, versus "Kitchen Basics" all natural soup stock in 32 oz container costs $2.80'ish. From a cost per oz point of view, the better qualify beef stock is not THAT much more.

Chicken stock is very easy to make, if you can find the bones. If you cook chicken at home and save the bones in your freezer, you might save enough for stock. Most supermarkets sell chicken whole or chopped up in pre-shrink wrapped packages from the supplier. The chicken bones with the legs, thighs, wings, breast, etc. removed are boxed up at the butchering center and sold to restaurants. It's very hard for you to go to a supermarket and buy it, unlike beef bones.

One possible source of bones is from whole turkeys, after the Thanksgiving meal. Technically it's not chicken, but what the heck, it works. You'll need a decent sized soup pot, onions, carrots, celery, leek, thyme (fresh preferred), bay leaf, cracked pepper, butcher strings (the kind used to tie chickens), and tomato paste if you're making beef stock.


OK, let's start with Chicken stock. If you carved the wings/legs/thighs/breasts off the chicken, it'll still have some meat and skin left on the bones and the back. Don't worry about scraping the meat off the bone, you can use it as is. If you're saving it for future use, make sure you freeze it (and use it within couple of months).

Some people will use the chicken bones and scraps as is without pre-boiling (or just rinse it). I tend to pre-boil to get some scum off and that's completely optional. Heat up a pot of water, toss in a few slices of ginger, and pour in some leftover wine (cooking wine, rice wine, white wine, soju, etc. save the red wine for sauce). Bring water to a boil and toss the bones in for couple of minuets, then remove the bones.

Have a look at how much chicken bones you have and eyeball the soup stock pot. Generally speaking, the chicken bones should occupy about 20% of the soup pot's space, the vegetable mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery) 10% of pot space, and toss in a bouquet garni.

How to make mirepoix:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirepoix_%28cuisine%29
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5-cYQKMRMs

How to make bouquet garni (garnished bouquet):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouquet_garni
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdAfWf-lg5U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEX0IsdaEME (French language, just look at the demonstration)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBQuKoCLYNM

Good video on basic herbs and how to prep them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf7W3Lxc2Cc

I was taught to make the bouquet with leek, bay leaf, thyme, and crushed peppercorns. Cut open the leek, wash it clean, and stuff some fresh thyme, 1-2 dried bay leaf, and some cracked peppercorns inside. Fold the leek over and tie with butcher string. See the videos above for examples. You can experiment and add garlic and other spices if you wish.

OK, so you put 20% chicken bones on the bottom of the pot, add the bouquet, then COLD WATER to fill the pot to 80% full. Now bring the pot to boil and immediately reduce heat to simmer. Let your soup stock simmer for 4 hours. In the first hour, you'll need to check the pot and skim the scum that floats to the top. Later, use some paper towels to soak up the grease that floats to the top to de-grease your stock.

Now add your mirepoix and simmer for another hour. Afterwards strain the soup stock into a container, let it cool and refrigerate for later use. Ideally you should cool the stock down to 41 F within 4 hours (less is better). Chicken soup spoils easily and is the ideal environment for bacteria, which is killed at >140 F or suppressed at <41 F. Once the chicken stock is spoiled, even boiling it will not save it, the toxins that bacteria left behind will make the soup taste bad.

DO NOT place hot chicken stock directly into your fridge. It will not cool fast enough and may cause problems for your fridge. You can put ice in your sink or cooler and place the stock pot on top to cool it down. Restaurant supply stores will sell commercial grade cooling containers, which are filled with water, placed in the freezer, then into the hot stock pot like a popsicle. It cools the soup quickly for refrigeration.

You could cheat with frozen water or soda bottles (remove the labels!), but wait until the soup stock is cooled a bit before using it (elevate the stock pot a little on one side for better air circulation from below). The plastic soda bottle is not designed to be frozen and dunked into hot boiling soup, and you never know if it'd cause chemical reactions. So be a little careful when doing this. Professional restaurant kitchens would never use them for liability reasons.

Chicken stock will last 2-3 days in the fridge, or longer in the freezer.

======

I'll get to beef stock recipes later when time is avail.

[Winston]

Wow did you type all that or copy and paste it? You should start a cooking website. I wish I could do all that, but my kitchen is very limited, and plus the ingredients you can get in Philippines supermarkets is very limited as well.

[momopi]

It's my draft for publishing on OC Reader blog:

http://www.ocreader.com/?p=782