cooking techniques questions ...

[shireen]

I live alone, always busy at work, and have a chronic illness that causes fatigue. Coming home and making a meal is not practical. I'm trying to figure out ways to make several meals ahead of time and freeze it, so all i have to do is pop it in the microwave or oven when i get home from work. I don't buy fresh veges in the store because i never get around to cooking it, and it spoils.

i'm always frustrated by how my cooking turns out. So, here's some questions, hopefully some of you can provide a few tips so i can get enthusiastic about cooking again!

- how do you get the perfect soft-boiled egg with the runny yolk?
- how do you cook pork chops so that it remains moist and flavorful without turning to cardboard?
- what's the best kinds of seasonings (keeping it simple) for pork chops?
- how do you tell when fried chicken and roasted chicken pieces are done?
- when i reheat roast or fried chicken pieces (cold from the refrigerator) in the microwave, it always comes out dry. Is there a way to reheat it so it comes out moist and juicy as when it was originally cooked?
- i'm terrified of cooking fish. Take baked salmon for instance, it always comes out under- or over-cooked. What's the best way to judge if it's fully cooked without being overcooked?
- is there an easy way to remove leftover scales on fish without removing the skin?

I can't eat most fresh veges and fruit due to allergies
- what are some easy cooked fruit desserts? There's apple pie, that i love. What else can i do with fruit without adding too much sugar and cream?
- what kinds of cooked vegetables could i store in the freezer in individual portions? For instance, sauteed green beans, cooked cabbage, stir-fry greens, cauliflower. What will freeze, and what won't freeze?

Thanks in advance!

[noamnety]

1. It sounds like several of your meat problems are temperature related.

I had the same problem, drying out roasts by overcooking, and if you are fatigued it's easy not to get up to check it all that often. I finally broke down and got one of these:



The probe stays in the meat, the cord connects to the temperature display which stays outside the oven. You can set an alarm so when it reaches a certain internal temperature it beeps. Admittedly, I can't get that feature to work on mine, the whole thing seems to shut off before that happens, but I don't care enough to check if the batteries are dying - I just appreciate that I can see what temp I'm at without having to open the oven, cut into the meat to see how it looks inside.

As for fruits, if you can eat them cooked, try sauteeing them. It's less work than making pies, less calories, and very tasty. Apple slices, bananas, grapes, any of those can be cooked in a fry pan with a little butter, a small amount of sugar added if you want (I use powdered), and served as a very tasty side dish. If you have access to a grill, almost any fruit can be sliced and put on a grill, and that doesn't need added sugar at all.

[shireen]

16. good idea ...

i need to invest in a good meat thermometer.

Never had cooked grapes -- sounds interesting!

I have such mixed feelings about bananas. I'm originally from Malaysia, and grew up with an amazing variety of bananas that were so flavorful and sweet. The ones we get at the supermarket are pretty bland, in comparison. One of my favorite snacks growing up was fried banana fritters -- dip half a banana (typically about 1/2 - 1/3rd the length of the once we get here) in batter and deep-fry it. It was amazing.

[Warpy]

2. Super moist pork chops

Sear the chops quickly in hot oil, then add a can of chicken stock and cover the pan. Turn the heat to medium. The chops are done when the liquid has gone. You can make a gravy out of the brown stuff stuck to the bottom of the frypan, deglaze with wine or water, thicken, season. The chops will be incredibly moist and fully cooked.

The best way to tell if any meat is done is to get a meat thermometer. All meat should be rested for at least 10 minutes after it is taken away from heat to let the juices distribute evenly and cooking in the center finish. There are LED instant read meat thermometers out there that are dirt cheap and will save you a lot of guesswork and badly cooked food.

Scaling fish is best done outdoors on newspaper. Take a dull knife and go down the skin from tail to head. The scales will come off. Wipe the knife on the paper after each pass. You'll have a piece of fish with skin but no scales afterward. Roll the paper up and toss it, scales, goo and all.

I usually grill my salmon on a stovetop grill, 3 minutes on each side for a fillet. To poach salmon, put down a layer of lemon slices and whatever herb you're using, add a little water and/or white wine, put the salmon on top of the lemon but NOT IN THE LIQUID (very important) and steam. You can peek and test to see if it's done, but not often.

Most veggies freeze well, although asparagus gets limp. I usually just buy frozen veggies out of season and nuke them (steamed them when I didn't have a nuker) as needed. Leafy greens need to be cooked fresh unless you like black goo.

The best cooked dessert in the world is the simple baked apple. Peel halfway down and core. Stuff the core with raisins, nuts, brown sugar, whatever strikes your fancy, and bake until tender. Apples, peaches and pears can be baked sliced in a pan with a crumble layer of rolled oats, pecans, brown sugar and butter on top.

[shireen]

17. cool ideas!

The pork chops sounds so good, and would be great with noodles. I got some pork chop cutlets. which are thinner, so cooking time will be much shorter -- from http://www.flyingpigsfarm.com/">a heritage pig farm in upstate NY -- I like to get my ham from them, and support their efforts to preserve heritage livestock. The cutlets are still in the freezer because i've been afraid to cook them. :)

Steaming salmon is a good idea. Really like that. I tend to grill in a toaster oven (live in an apartment so i can't do it outdoors), get confused about how long to keep it there. It always ends up dry and stiff. I'm so pathetic! LOL!

ooh! I really like the idea of crumbed rolled oats, pecans, br. sugar and butter over baked fruit. That is spectacular!

[grasswire]

3. ideas

1. Do you have a real basic cookbook? May I recommend the Sunset Easy Basics for Good Cooking book? It will answer many of your questions. Available at amazon.com and most bookstores, and has sold millions of copies over the years.



2. I agree that a thermometer is useful for meats. This kind of pocket model is extremely handy, used by chefs all the time:

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=pocket+thermometer&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=ib68S9bLEo3-tAOK4PV-&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CCoQzAMwAA

3. An easy seasoning with a real affinity for pork is Lawry's season salt. It truly is my first choice for pork.

4. Frozen vegetables that you buy commercially have as high nutritional content as fresh ones. I would just buy bags of frozen veggies and take out what you want to use and seal up the remainder for another time.

More later

[shireen]

18. cookbooks & cooks

I've read them, but never seem to get it right. I'm not a complete novice. My mom is an excellent cook. I was even fairly good (so i was told by the grownups) when i was a teenager. But somewhere along the way, i lost that touch. If you observe good cooks in the kitchen, you see a sense of confidence and familiarity. I never got to that point, despite growing up with a good cook and reading the recipe books, and even doing my own cooking.

Therefore, I think cooking is a talent, an art-form. I'm not talking about those silly tiny-portions garnished plates with artistic dribbles on it. I'm talking about good flavorful homemade cooking, the kind that most of the people in this forum probably take for granted because they -- and you -- are good cooks. Perhaps some of that expertise comes with experience, but at a fundamental level, I think some people are just really good at it because they have a special talent. That's why i come to this forum and read the posts, the wealth of knowledge here is quite remarkable. Maybe some of that talent will rub off on me ....

[MajorChode]

4. Here's the answer to some of your questions

Soft boiled eggs are easy. Simply put your eggs in a small pan and cover them with cold or lukewarm water until just covered. Put them on the stove and when the water just comes to a boil, time them for 3 minutes. When the time expires, run cold water in the pan to stop the cooking. You can adjust the time as necessary to get them just how you like them. I prefer 4-5 minutes which produces an egg with just a small amount of a runny yolk. Remember that salmonella can live inside even the yolk of eggs. If you're worried about it, you can buy eggs that are pasteurized in the shell.

You need a meat thermometer. Overcooked meats will be dry. One of the best meat thermometers is a Thermapen, but they are a bit expensive (but worth it). They read meat temperatures instantly. Cheaper meat thermometers will work, but some are not calibrated very well, and you'll have to leave them in for a minute or so to get a correct reading as they don't read instantly like the Thermapen. All fowl should be cooked to at least around 165 degrees when measured at the deepest part of the breast. I usually take it off the heat at around 160 and the temp will continue to rise for a few minutes afterward. Many cooking publications recommend 180 degrees for chicken, which I find is overkill, but if you're very worried about salmonella cook to higher temperatures.

Here is my recipe for pork chops: I cut my own pork chops from a pork roast. Use a ruler to make sure you get them all exactly 2" thick. Soak them in a brine for 2 hours before cooking. To make the brine, I heat a pint of cider vinegar in a pan with 1 cup of kosher salt(you can use any salt but kosher salt dissolves much easier), 1 cup of brown sugar, and a Tbs of peppercorns. When the sugar and salt dissolve, add ice cubes until the temp goes below 40 degrees. Add the pork chops and put in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Dry the pork chops completely with a paper towel. Take about 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and remove the stems. Put 1/2 cup of light olive oil and the rosemary in a blender or food processor and process for a minute or two. Marinade the pork chops for 30 minutes or so in the infused olive oil. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Saute the pork chops for about 3-4 minutes in a cast iron skillet on each side until nicely brown. Immediately put the pan inside the oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees (about 15 minutes or so). Remove the chops and let them rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

[MajorChode]

7. Serve pork chops with applesauce or polenta

I don't know what it is about applesauce and pork chops, but they go together like peanut butter and jelly.

I make my own applesauce which is very simple to make. I take 4-5 apples and cut them into 1/2" cubes or so, with the skin on. If you use sour apples, you'll probably need to add a bit of sugar (brown sugar works great). With sweet apples, you should need to add any sugar. Throw them into a large pan with 1/4 cup of water and simmer them tightly covered for about 20 minutes or so until they are soft. You can process the applesauce in a number of different ways. I use an immersion blender, but you could use a food processor, food mill, stand mixer, or just however you normally process mashed potatoes. I like a fairly coarse applesauce with a few chunks still inside. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week, or you can also make large batches and can or freeze them which works well.

My recipe for polenta is here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x76600

[shireen]

15. Tab said the same ... pork chops and apple sauce.

it sounds really good, especially with the home-made apple sauce you just described. I like chunky applesauce so i'll probably pass on the food processor part.

THanks so much!

[cbayer]

5. I know that some will laugh, but I suggest Shake 'N Bake

they make it for chicken and pork chops. It is super easy, requires little clean up and produces well seasoned and perfectly cooked chops (or chicken).

A whole roasted chicken is done when the leg feels loose and the juice runs clear. Those little disposable meat thermometers work well, too. For individuals pieces, I suggest cutting all the way down to the bone of a thick piece.

For reheating, consider putting the chicken in a pan with some broth or gravy and reheating gently.

Bisquick has a great shortcakes recipe on the box. Make a batch, then put fresh or frozen fruit on the top. You can use a low fat whipped cream from a can (lasts a long time).

I don't like frozen veggies, so I just cook what we will eat.

Good luck to you! There are some great websites out there with recipes for one or two. When I lived alone, I would make something big on Sunday (like a roast chicken), then make dishes with it all week.

:hi:

[EFerrari]

8. I can't make frozen vegetables taste like anything but frozen vegetables.

I love the idea of them, though. The only thing that has worked really well is to make twice as much apple pie filling and to freeze half. For some reason, that thaws and bakes fine. Must be something about the firmness of the apple flesh in the first place.

[shireen]

19. great advice!

it's the kind of quick and easy dinner ideas that work for busy people.

I also need to stop depending on the microwave so much for reheating -- can't remember the last time i reheated chicken in a pan with some broth!

[Tesha]

6. Relax and understand first off...

that nobody just KNOWS how to cook - everyone here has had disasters - and the way to get good at it is to have fun
oh, and the best for not wanting to cook every night - make extra every time you cook - grill a steak? a couple of nights later slice what's left and toss it with some romaine and italian dressing with croutons! voila! fresh and tasty in minutes!

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Good-Food-Luscious-Lower-Fat/dp/0517881225

I recommend this book" Great Good Food" by Rosso

Buy used - it's cheap, it's fun - it has tricks and hints and menus and it's just plain good to read and enjoy.

[shireen]

14. thanks!

and i love the 'lower fat' part -- fat adds flavor to food, and finding a way to cook it right while keeping fat amounts down is an art.

[Tab]

9. I'll take a crack at a couple...

- how do you get the perfect soft-boiled egg with the runny yolk?
Don't know, don't eat eggs, but I could tell you how to get the perfect hard-boiled egg.

- how do you cook pork chops so that it remains moist and flavorful without turning to cardboard?
It depends. If you have those skinny little chops you just have to be quick with them. A decent sized chop is easier than one of those ultra-thick monstrosities. There's a point where you're too thick. If they're boneless, they're also easier to control. I put them in a glass pan (out of habit, I guess any would do), covered with applesauce mixed with (or sprinked with) cinnamon. I now just cook them until I know they're done, but you won't just be able to tell early on, so get an instant read thermometer and pull them when they're about 140. Take them out and let the pan sit on top of your oven or sideboard for about 5 to 10 minutes. This lets the temperature rise to 145 to 150, gives them a chance to redistribute their juices, and gives you a second to make the noodles ('cause you GOTTA have noodles with your pork chops).

In general, with meats I don't like using the official times because there's so many variables, from thickness/cut of meat, to how your oven works, to how often you open it, to how well it keeps the temp to how the pan plays into it, etc. Going by temperature is much better. And note - when you use an instant read thermometer just put it in, let it give you the reading, then pull it. Don't leave it there. Myself, I like the analog instant reads because I get a feel for how fast the temp is moving.


- what's the best kinds of seasonings (keeping it simple) for pork chops?
I like applesauce with cinnamon OR applesauce mixed with bread crumbs (I just use the italian bread crumbs that are always in my pantry). You have to have something moist mixed with the breadcrumbs so they don't burn. Applesauce is just a wonderful pairing with pork. You can take it further by adding in apple slices, raisins, etc - yum.

- how do you tell when fried chicken and roasted chicken pieces are done?
Generally they start to float in the fryer, if you're talking deep-fried. They should NOT get to where they burn. Burning may be a result of both temp AND the kind of oil you use. Do NOT use olive oil - it has a low smoke point. Peanut oil works really well (and so does walnut oil, but that's expensive in quantity). Another problem, particularly with deep frying, is that you must have enough oil at a decent temp so it doesn't drop low every time you add a piece, otherwise it'll all get oil soggy and you'll just have a heck of a time getting a decent friend critter out of it.

- when i reheat roast or fried chicken pieces (cold from the refrigerator) in the microwave, it always comes out dry. Is there a way to reheat it so it comes out moist and juicy as when it was originally cooked?
I don't do this much, but usually what I do is reduce the power on the microwave. Now we have things like 1500 or 2000 watt nukers, and that'll create a problem. So, two things - first, put the stuff on a paper plate (or paper towels). If you use ceramic plates or whatever, a lot of the energy gets absorbed heating up the plate, not the food. Second, reduce the power to about half. Go longer on low power, rather than faster on high power.

- i'm terrified of cooking fish. Take baked salmon for instance, it always comes out under- or over-cooked. What's the best way to judge if it's fully cooked without being overcooked?
I cook salmon really well. The first thing is buying the salmon. I prefer fillets over steaks because they don't have all the bones. Then, ask the fishmonger to slice it for you where you tell it to. On a long fillet (unless I want a small piece) I have them cut it where I get max uniform thickness, and I ignore the "tail". It's usually enough for three or four people. If you need more, repeat with another chunk of fish. What you want to achieve is a uniform thickness when you cook it.

Second, I remove the skin before cooking if needed (my wife hates the skin), because it's nearly impossible to get off after cooking without trashing the fish. You can still put the skinless fish on the skin for flavor if you want, you just don't have to serve it that way (or it comes off easily for them).

Third, I coat it with something to keep it from drying out. I've used everything from ranch dressing to applesauce, but what I really like is using Lawry's Tequila and Lime

I place the fish in a glass pan (my preference), then tuck whatever tail or thin part there is under itself to make a consistent height/width of the stuff to be cooked, then coat top and sides with the Lawry's, put it in my convection at 350 (note convection is quicker) and I take it out when it's done. Now, usually when it's done is about 20 minutes or so into cooking, when you can start to smell the aroma, and the lawry's has started to caramelize - brown and bubble in parts. Then I pull it and let it sit for about 5 minutes before serving it. I don't have an official way to tell you when it's done, because I just "know" at this point, but I probably learned by using the old "peek with a fork/knife" technique.

Oh, and serve with wild rice. Yum.

Hope something here helped!

- Tab

[shireen]

13. Tab, you're awesome!

It's so good to read this because i'm always having arguments with myself in the kitchen (it's crowded in my head, LOL!) and end up ruining the food. Especially fish. This post will be like a sanity check -- definitely a keeper!

Thanks so much, you have no idea how helpful this is! :)

[surrealAmerican]

10. I don't even try to bake fish.

It's probably the most difficult way to cook it. If you panfry or poach the fish, you can check on it more or less continuously and stop as soon as it's done (fillets cook very quickly).

[shireen]

20. the problem is fish cook so quickly ...

i'm nervous about parasites so i tend to over-cook rather than under-cook, then i over-cook a little bit more ... sigh!

[jgraz]

11. How to get perfect soft-boiled eggs

The same way you get to Carnegie Hall: practice.

Use the same pan, the same brand and size of eggs and the same burner on your stove every time. Put the eggs in the pan with enough cold water to cover them by a half-inch. I recommend using two-quart saucepan. If you're lucky enough to own a http://www.amazon.com/All-Clad-Stainless-1-1-2-Quart-Windsor/dp/B00005AL5S">Windsor pan, use that.

Place them on the burner, turn it to high and time it. Start with around 7 minutes for a high-end gas stove, 9 or 10 for an electric. When the timer goes off, rinse the eggs under cold water and crack them. If they're too soft, increase the cooking time. Too hard, decrease it.

Once you hit on the perfect time for your pan and stove and water temp, just do it that way every time.

[shireen]

21. practice ....

lol! I can see myself with a carton of a dozen eggs, practicing. :D

There are so many variables to consider - water volume, pan size, egg temperature. I once watched Martha Stewart describe how it's done (i love Martha), and she starts with the egg at room temperature. Well, she probably stopped by the chicken coop and picked the eggs off the nest. I keep my eggs in the refrigerator and don't have time to wait around for them to reach room temperature. So I tried to compensate for it by boiling a little longer. The results were mixed; sometimes they turned out great, sometimes i got hard-boiled eggs. So why the different results? I dunno. Maybe i let it sit a few seconds too long in the hot water. Maybe the eggs were not fresh enough. Maybe Mars and Jupiter were in alignment. Who knows ....

BTW, Windsor pan -- $125. Major yikes! It's beautiful, but no way i can afford it.

[MajorChode]

23. Here's an easy way to get the eggs to room temperature

Simply put the eggs in the pan, put the pan in the sink, and run a thin stream of lukewarm water over them for about 15-20 minutes. You don't have to store your eggs in the refrigerator as long as you use them within a week of when you buy them. Europeans rarely store their eggs in the refrigerator.

[Tesha]

24. Another classic recipe for soft-boiled eggs is the "three minute egg". Also: "Poachpods".

Rather than start your eggs from cold, drop them into a pan
of boiling water (that has enough water to cover them). Boil
for three minutes, remove and fairly quickly serve ('cause
they'll keep cooking as they sit there hot).

Adjust the cooking time to suit your taste for "doneness".

Sure, the eggs will sometimes crack from the thermal shock,
but you're making them to eat, not to decorate, so NBD, right?
And because boiling water will always be at just about the same
temperature (for your altitude), this recipe is probably more
reproducible than starting with cold water.

Another great alternative is to poach your eggs rather than
soft-boil them in their shells. Get a pair of "Poachpods"
(little green silicone cups); about $6 - $8. Boil your pan of
water. Lightly grease (butter or marg) the interior of the
Poachpods. On your countertop, crack one egg into
each Poachpod and using one or two of the three corners,
transfer the pod into your boiling water; it will float.

Cover the pan and cook for five minutes. No peeking!
Turn the heat off, uncover the pan and using the corners
again, pick the Poachpod out of the water. (The silicone has
very little thermal mass so if you keep your fingers out of the
hot water, you won't get burned, but if you're worried, use a
strainer to pick up the pods.) Drain off the water that's
condensed atop your egg-in-the-pod. With a spoon, slide
around the inside of the pod, freeing the egg, and plop your'
perfectly-poached egg onto your toast (or whatever).

As with the soft-boiled eggs, adjust your cooking time
for your desired "doneness". I think the package says
"six minutes" but we find that five works for us.

Before we started using 'Pods, poached eggs were a very
hit-or-miss proposition for us.

Tesha

[GoCubsGo]

12. A really simple cooked fruit dessert...

Baked apples--there are a zillion recipes for them on the Internet, including microwave recipes and "healthy" recipes. They tend not to require much sugar. Some call for butter, although it's not necessary. Others have raisins or other dried fruits and/or nuts. You can put cream over them before you eat them, although it's not necessary. Or, ice cream. Or, a little ricotta cheese... You can also bake pears the same way, or poach them in juice or wine. Again, loads or recipes on the 'net.

When I freeze vegetables, they are almost always incorporated into some dish, such as soup. Soups tend to freeze well. And, since you mention cauliflower, someone here recently posted a recipe from Martha Stewart's web site for Curried Roast Cauliflower Soup. It is delicious, and I suspect you can freeze portions of it with no problems. Italian tomato gravy for spaghetti freezes really well, too. I have had decent luck freezing peppers and chilies. They freeze best after being roasted. {Pack them in a ziplock back, getting out as much air as you can.) However, I occasionally will freeze raw chopped bell peppers. They are okay frozen for about a month before they start getting shriveled and discolored.

On edit: The link to the soup recipe can be found here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x74984

[shireen]

22. apples ....

i really like them cooked, i should start using them more often. Only some varieties are suitable for cooking, like Granny Smiths. I remember cooking one type of apple -- don't remember which kind -- but the texture and taste were awful. Later i found out that not all apples are created equal for cooking. LOL!

Timing is also important for freezing veges. I've got several bags of frozen fruit and veges that have been there for a really long time, and are probably not good anymore. So i'll be feeding them to my compost worms!

Thanks again!

[Tesha]

25. For pork, always use a meat thermometer.

Pork is considered done at 160° F. That's probably a lot less than our
parents used to cook it to, but trichinosis cysts die at 137° F, so that's
a pretty good safety margin.

At 160°, pork is still pretty juicy and definitely not yet at the "shoe
leather" stage.

Remember to measure the temperature in the thickest place(s) and
preferably, several different places. Stay away from bones and metal
skewers, both of which conduct in heat and lead to falsely-high
readings.

Tesha