RE: Becoming a Good Cook

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corysub -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/11/2009 5:41:49 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Leathersandals I love to eat, I love food, I love to cook.. but I'm not that good at it. I'm not terrible, but I'm only good at guy food. Bacon wrapped hot dogs with jalapenos and velveta on a lightly toasted bun, fried pork chops, steak, etc etc.. I do know my way around a kitchen, I've been a sushi chef for about 7 years. But the whole point of sushi is that we don't actually cook much. So I ask you CM citizens. Are good cooks made or are they born? (I feel like you could replace "cook" with "dom" and get a nice heated discussion going) I think cooking is about passion and love. If you really enjoy the kitchen just get a few simple peasant type cook books..not that fancy French stuff..or some recipies from friends or family..and start with those. If you an measure a tsp, an oz, a qt...a lb... you are half way there. Taste everything you are preparing as it cooks...adding seasoning to taste...salt adds flavor but too much sodium is not a good thing... I love to use herbs to add flavor...basil, parsely, thyme, oregano..are my favorites but my background is Italian and those herbs plus carrots, celery, onion, potato and you can make a lot ot things...

cjan -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/11/2009 6:38:35 PM)
Cooking is not hard to learn, there are lots of ways. Cook books are good. Choose a good general one instead of a specialized topic to start. Alton Brown's show on the Food Network channel is a good one. It's called "Good Eats". He covers all the fundamentals on whatever he is cooking in every show, and I think he's entertaining. The foodnetwork internet site is a good one too for recipes of all kinds from the simple to the more complex. Relax, enjoy yourself and remember to have friends over to share.

Vendaval -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/11/2009 8:20:23 PM)
How about being a waiter in a Chinese/Japanese/Korean/Vietnamese restaurant? You would learn by being in that atmosphere and talking with the staff. And if you want to actually learn cooking try the less intense shows on the Foot Network. No doubt somebody on here can suggestion some. Some of the competitions make good chefs have nervous breakdowns. lol quote: ORIGINAL: Leathersandals No more rice hate. With these skilled hands I'll show you the secret technique of ancestral rice making. I won't let you dishonor it. Anyway.. I love watching Iron chef and Gordon Ramsey and all those other super intense cooking shows. The people just seem to GET food. It might just be experience but I will look into the cooking classes and stuff.

aravain -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/11/2009 9:49:27 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Vendaval try the less intense shows on the Foot Network. The foot network? Oh my...

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/11/2009 9:52:17 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Leathersandals. Once you find the right combo stick with it. Was that intended to be a pun?

girlygurl -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/11/2009 9:56:00 PM)
Pardon me, I just glanced up and read this thread to say "Becoming a Good Cock" girly (must start wearing glasses more often)

aravain -> RE: Becoming a Good Cock (2/11/2009 10:01:58 PM)
Why do you need glasses? would that really be such a bad topic? XD

DesFIP -> RE: Becoming a Good Cock (2/12/2009 4:27:53 AM)
My favorite cookbook is the Fannie Farmer one. I find Joy of Cooking less accessible. Get an overall cookbook and start reading through it. When you note a recipe seems to be relatively simple and easy, then get the ingredients listed and make it. Then find another recipe you think you could do and try that. After a couple of months you will have a dozen recipes that you are confident you can do. And so on.

BitaTruble -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 4:57:34 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Leathersandals I love to eat, I love food, I love to cook.. but I'm not that good at it. I'm not terrible, but I'm only good at guy food. Bacon wrapped hot dogs with jalapenos and velveta on a lightly toasted bun, fried pork chops, steak, etc etc.. I do know my way around a kitchen, I've been a sushi chef for about 7 years. But the whole point of sushi is that we don't actually cook much. So I ask you CM citizens. Are good cooks made or are they born? (I feel like you could replace "cook" with "dom" and get a nice heated discussion going) I think it's a combination and loving to eat is great incentive for learning how to cook. ::grins:: I've turned into a natas (pronounce natesh) slut since coming to Portugal but unfortunately you require a special oven (which goes to 700 degrees) to be able to make them, so I'll have to continue to purchase the work of others. Natas are sort of like creme brule in a filo dough-type crust and are an absolute staple here in Portugal. Talk about a little slice of heaven in your mouth. Crap, I'm drooling. Okay.. I'm off to the pasterlaria to get some natas! Oh, and Hell's Kitchen ROCKS. Just saying. ::grins::

ScooterTrash -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 6:33:48 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Leathersandals I love to eat, I love food, I love to cook.. but I'm not that good at it. I'm not terrible, but I'm only good at guy food. Bacon wrapped hot dogs with jalapenos and velveta on a lightly toasted bun, fried pork chops, steak, etc etc.. I do know my way around a kitchen, I've been a sushi chef for about 7 years. But the whole point of sushi is that we don't actually cook much. So I ask you CM citizens. Are good cooks made or are they born? (I feel like you could replace "cook" with "dom" and get a nice heated discussion going) The are developed with experience. A Grandma walking you through it the first time is a likely possibility, so genetics may play into it indirectly. As for a hotdog wrapped in bacon (gasp) with peppers and velveta, aside from the fact that it sounds just plain disgusting, does that come with a free cardio exam or what?

Lynnxz -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 6:36:07 AM)
I am horrible at cooking unless it's simple, or I have a recipe... that being said, there's a recipe website out there where you can search by number of ingredients, or the main ingredient... or how long it takes to prepare. I can't find it though. [>:] Anyone know what website I'm talking about?

Maya2001 -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 7:08:33 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Lynnxz I am horrible at cooking unless it's simple, or I have a recipe... that being said, there's a recipe website out there where you can search by number of ingredients, or the main ingredient... or how long it takes to prepare. I can't find it though. [>:] Anyone know what website I'm talking about? maybe SOS cuisine

Lynnxz -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 7:09:29 AM)
Yes! Pefect, thank you!

LaTigresse -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 7:15:09 AM)
I think both. I've heard I am an excellent cook. I love doing it, and have a knack for creating things without any need for a recipe. Yet, the reality is there are rules to cooking, just like everything else. Once you learn the rules/basics of whatever type of cooking you want to do it becomes quite easy to branch out and be more creative. Example......I can make great soups without even looking at a recipe. I cannot make great soups without onions, celery, garlic, wine, olive oil, and some sort of good stock.

Kana -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 7:25:33 AM)
Cooking is a craft. Like painting, music, baseball, and many others. That means it takes some modicum of talent that then must be honed, hopefully to a razor's edge. So my answer is both. I rarely use recipe's. I don't think I have opened a cookbook in at least six months. buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut I'm a trained chef, never went to culinary but have been sous chef at a four star french restaurant so I have a bit of experience here. I cook by taste, smell, past knowledge and that extra something that says, hey, throw caution to the winds and toss some ginger in there. It usually works. So I have lots of training and technical skill to bring the vision to life, but the vision must come from within and that cannot be taught. Which of course leads to the corollary question... Do artists create art or does art create the artist? (P.S: To stir up a shitstorm, and to reply to the OP, I think the same can be said about doms.

lusciouslips19 -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 7:32:22 AM)
I love cooking and baking. It took many years before all those Julia Child's shows started making sense. But then I remembered the small tips given. I love Joy of Cooking. It teaches you great technique if you read the text. Everything from skinning a squirrel to using chopsticks. I have enjoyed Frannie Farmer too along with Cooking light and various recipes from other sources. But Kana, I would have to disagree with you. You dont necessarily need talent. You need to follow directions. I was willing to experiment and throw the failures out. Many people dont do anything but boil water and dont even try. It's the trying that is the important thing. i have an ex husband that buys crap and never tries to make anything healthy. Its all canned and processed and trips for fried chicken. All you need to do is read and follow the directions. You may never be a Great cook but you will get by if you learn to make a few things. The not being able to is a cop out.

came4U -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 9:21:19 AM)
Born and made both, but without passion for culinary skills you are just an at-home burger flipper. Anyone with taste buds will notice a good meal made with care and pride over some sludge tossed in a bowl to appease pangs of hunger. Using any kind of processed food in my home is a no-no. I wouldn't eat that garbage unless at gunpoint. Baking on the other hand is a science, and exact measurement of ingredients must be followed or you have yourself a blob of baked sh*t. That science takes more skill, patience and attention to create something that is accurate and mouth-watering. I envy the baker's skill. I try, I don't do too badly, but I lack the patience.

BigSi2009 -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 11:03:48 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: aravain Rice is something I'll never understand. It's hard to cook, it's hard to use in dishes, and it tastes horrible. [:'(] I don't pretend to be a rice expert or have any clue as to how to do Sushi standard rice. However, I cook rice simply by using half a cup per person in a small non stick pan, adding boiling water and then simmering without a lid. By the end of the 10 minutes, all the water has gone and the rice is cooked but not mushy. I guess by leaving the lid off, the rice dosen't absorb the water so much. I hate eating rice that is fluffy and squidgy.

came4U -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 11:16:07 AM)
rice is simple, 1 cup water per 1 cup rice in salted boiling water, reduce heat, lid tight, never open, med-low 8-9 mins. Stir after removed from heat.

Vendaval -> RE: Becoming a Good Cook (2/12/2009 11:25:33 AM)
Fast Reply - I forgot to mention, be sure to have a fire extinguisher nearby when you start cooking.

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