Learning to Cook - Stove top and oven

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Autistic AT-ST said:
omelets are fun to make, Though the only hard part is folding them over to finish the omelet.
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It requires a bit of knack and there are specialized tools to make it a lot less hassle. I'm not usually HUGE on presentation anyway, so I don't sweat it quite as much.
 
Orange Rhymer said:
I'm a big fan of cooking. I love my Le Creuset, cast iron, and knives (there was a good thread on it).

However,
When I began this journey, I actually started with a oiled steel Wok, a set of bamboo steamers, a chinese chef knife and butcher knife, and a THICK bamboo chopping block.
The block survives today - decades later. The rest died a natural death.

The point: Wok cooking is GREAT for beginners. A non-flat bottomed wok allows you to gain confidence working with hot pans, and gives you the interaction with your tools and ingredients. The dished/conical shape of the wok allows you to vary temperature of ingredients. Also, the wok allows a 'pan frying' technique while reducing the required amount of cooking oil. I used the wok for traditional western cooking, and the occasional eastern dish. Stirfrying is what the wok excels at, and is a quick/easy meal.
The feedback obtained with wok cooking will accelerate your learning.
I eventually graduated from using a wok, to traditional pots/pans. However, the wok was a great foundation.
Hot pan, cold oil
FOOD NEVER STICKS!!
(never buy coated pans, btw.)

La Technique: An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamental Techniques of Cooking: Pepin, Jacques: 9780812906103: Amazon.com: Books

La Technique: An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamental Techniques of Cooking [Pepin, Jacques] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. La Technique: An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamental Techniques of Cooking
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Any recommendations on a wok? I’m looking to get into chinese food. As much as I hate the country I like their food, and as you said it’s an exeptionally versatile pan.
 
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Takayuki Yagami said:
Any recommendations on a wok? I’m looking to get into chinese food? As much as I hate the country I like their food, and as you said it’s an exeltionally versatile pan.
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A carbon steel wok is the way to go. It is intimidating at first, and you need to season it first by heating the pan and adding oil to it in layers. Lots of tutorials on youtube. It's a small amount of maintenance but worth it imo. I love cooking in my wok.
 
Haram Exercise said:
A carbon steel wok is the way to go. It is intimidating at first, and you need to season it first by heating the pan and adding oil to it in layers. Lots of tutorials on youtube. It's a small amount of maintenance but worth it imo. I love cooking in my wok.
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I meant brands. I’m used to cast iron, so seasoning isn’t something I’m blind to.

Dyn said:
Are you taking the piss? Fucking donkey.
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He is deranged enough to openly lust after Hillary Clinton.
 
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Takayuki Yagami said:
I meant brands. I’m used to cast iron, so seasoning isn’t something I’m blind to.


He is deranged enough to openly lust after Hillary Clinton.
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I literally purchased a cheap-ass wok from my metro Chinatown.
Made by children, smelled like Shanghai, cost almost nothing. This was made for China, not for export. Zero packaging- but it works great.
Welds were ok. Steel was fine. After it was broken-in, perfection.
 
I forgot to mention, I AM back to cooking. This time at a friend's house on a weekly basis. She gave me a cookbook for Christmas and opened up her kitchen to me for the timebeing.

So far, we made meatloaf, lo mein, waffle batter, gumbo and chicken dishes. One technique that stood out to me is the action of "folding egg whites."
 
The Last Stand said:
I forgot to mention, I AM back to cooking. This time at a friend's house on a weekly basis. She gave me a cookbook for Christmas and opened up her kitchen to me for the timebeing.

So far, we made meatloaf, lo mein, waffle batter, gumbo and chicken dishes. One technique that stood out to me is the action of "folding egg whites."
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Folding in the egg whites is also a method used in cake batter, a lot of delicate desserts call for meringue.
I was reading earlier in the thread and realized the posts were a year ago, it sounds like you have improved a lot since then.

What sort of food do you like, do you like to try everything?
Noodles and dumplings are something different to try, egg drop soup is easy enough to try.

For egg drop soup, I make it without adding corn starch to the broth before, and it made scrambled eggs floating on top of boiling broth lol.
The corn starch interacts with the broth to make the liquid slightly thicker than regular broth.
Don't put the eggs in if it's boiling though, it needs to simmer, not boil.

I'd give you a recipe to follow but I personalize almost every recipe I learn so there aren't recipes online I would suggest.
I don't like the amounts people use most of the time, but I like their ideas. I'll make it their way once and always have to change it to my own way.

Just the other day, this doughnut glaze said use 3 cups of powder sugar and I reduced it to a 1/2 cup.
I can't imagine what the fuck 3 cups would have been, a stinging horrible strong taste of sugar?
I didn't even try to make a test batch with 3 cups of fking powder sugar, that would be ridiculous.

I also had no powdered sugar so I made some with a magic bullet, granulated sugar, and corn starch.
Domino brand powder sugar is made with corn starch and sugar, it's good to know this because you're not just adding sugar, you're also adding corn starch which is a thickener.
You can also make caster's sugar by putting the sugar in a magic bullet type thing without corn starch.

When adding corn starch to certain things like stews, soups, or in baking, it's best to mix it up in a shallow amount of water with the starch to remove the lumps before adding it.
Some recipes will ask for corn starch to be dry, like bubblegum and marshmallows.
Potato starch is a type of food-safe starch that visually appears glittery and shimmery and is used in cosmetics; a lot of candies use alternative starches like tapioca starch and potato starch.

Here's a picture of my potato starch, shiny and glittery unlike corn starch, corn starch is matte colored like flour.
potatostarch1.png
 
Crunchy Oats said:
What sort of food do you like, do you like to try everything?
Noodles and dumplings are something different to try, egg drop soup is easy enough to try.
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I'll try anything at least once. I didn't like eggplant at first, for instance. Over time, I acquired a taste for it.


Crunchy Oats said:
I was reading earlier in the thread and realized the posts were a year ago, it sounds like you have improved a lot since then.
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Thank you. I now have access to more ingredients and materials because of my friend. Cutting raw chicken can be tricky because of how slimy it can be.

I'm learning knife techniques like mincing, dicing, slicing, even sharpening.
 
The Last Stand said:
I'll try anything at least once. I didn't like eggplant at first, for instance. Over time, I acquired a taste for it.



Thank you. I now have access to more ingredients and materials because of my friend. Cutting raw chicken can be tricky because of how slimy it can be.

I'm learning knife techniques like mincing, dicing, slicing, even sharpening.
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Just gone back and realised I commented on this thread years ago, and it's good to see someone enjoying or getting a knack for cooking over time, certainly enjoying it enough to share on this site.

Sharpening and learning to use a whetstone (if you have it) I think is very important. The difference in speed for prep and general safety is incomparable. Butchering is a pain in the ass (and dangerous) without a sharp knife. I've sliced my thumb several times because a blunt knife slid off instead of going through what I'm trying to cut with ease.

I think for most Chinese dishes, I've always used some combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine and oyster sauce. I think you can basically take anything and make it taste Chinese with variations of these 4.
 
The Last Stand said:
I'll try anything at least once. I didn't like eggplant at first, for instance. Over time, I acquired a taste for it.



Thank you. I now have access to more ingredients and materials because of my friend. Cutting raw chicken can be tricky because of how slimy it can be.

I'm learning knife techniques like mincing, dicing, slicing, even sharpening.
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Slicing raw chicken is much easier if it's semi-frozen. Put it in the freezer for like 20-30 minutes if it's fresh; if it's already frozen, defrost it until it starts to feel soft if you poke it.
 
Ol Dirty Fatso said:
Slicing raw chicken is much easier if it's semi-frozen. Put it in the freezer for like 20-30 minutes if it's fresh; if it's already frozen, defrost it until it starts to feel soft if you poke it.
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One recipe next is "dry age" steak. Why and how would you dry age steak?
 
The Last Stand said:
One recipe next is "dry age" steak. Why and how would you dry age steak?
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You wouldn’t want to bother doing it at home unless you can set aside a fairly large amount of space/an entire fridge.

Basics is that you set up specific conditions so that the meat desicates slightly over a fairly long period of time, ie. weeks, but not in such a way that it’d putrify. As water leaves the steak, flavors will concentrate and new ones will develop from the slight fermentation.
There are multiple youtube tutorials on how to do it. Power to you if you try.

Edit: If you do it I’d recommend cooking it in a pan instead of on a grill, and start with a reasonably larger cut than you intend to get at the end.
 
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Haram Exercise said:
This is the one I use the most. I'm happy with it. Craft Wok Traditional Hand Hammered Carbon Steel Pow Wok with Wooden and Steel Helper Handle (14 Inch, Round Bottom) / 731W88 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PUZT9MU/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_3EK4TMZA8DW98S157EW5
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Did the handle on yours go slightly loose after you first cleaned and seasoned it? It doesn’t seem to be falling out or anything but it worries me that the handle is kept in with what appears to be 2 wood screws.
 
Takayuki Yagami said:
Did the handle on yours go slightly loose after you first cleaned and seasoned it? It doesn’t seem to be falling out or anything but it worries me that the handle is kept in with what appears to be 2 wood screws.
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yes the handle is loose. My screws are made of metal though. You could try tightening the screws and it should firm up.
JULAY said:
I just saw this thread. I was a professional chef for about 10 years. Any questions anyone has, I'll be happy to help.
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What is the secret to the perfect french fries?
 
Haram Exercise said:
yes the handle is loose. My screws are made of metal though. You could try tightening the screws and it should firm up.

What is the secret to the perfect french fries?
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I mean they’re the type of metal screws you use woth wood.

Frying them twice and seasoning immediately after they come out of the oil. First is to cook through, seconds is at higher heat to crisp them up.
 
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