r/AskReddit • u/MiuIruma332 • 22d ago
What are things people normally don’t realize about cooking?
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u/Adventurous_Ad_5337 22d ago
That the most tiring part is washing the dishes after cooking
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u/PianoManGidley 22d ago
I love the old adage: "2 hours to cook; 2 minutes to eat; 2 days to soak the dishes."
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u/NoahtheRed 22d ago
Acid. Whatever it is you're cooking probably needs a little acid added to really show off the flavor. A little vinegar or lemon/lime juice can make a HUGE difference.
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u/juniortifosi 21d ago
I'm surprised I had to travel this deep in the comments to find this. If your meal tastes flat it usually doesn't need more salt or seasoning. It needs acid. The magic flavour awakener.
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u/CyanManta 21d ago
Acid is the most overlooked component of any dish, sweet or savory. A lot of decent home cooks and bakers can become great home cooks just by learning how to use lemon, lime, and vinegar.
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u/IIIfrancoIII 21d ago
This is why we Hispanics add lemon juice to everything, it’s a little underrated imo. Most savior meals benefit hugely from lemon juice
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u/NoahtheRed 21d ago
A quick squeeze of lime or lemon over almost anything is gonna step the flavor up in a positive way. It's so damn easy, too.
Another acid hack is buttermilk. I really don't see it used enough, but when you're working with proteins....especially pork or chicken....letting it spend a half hour in some buttermilk before you cook is gonna really change not just the flavor, but also the juiciness.
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u/JHFTWDURG 21d ago
Is this like that episode of futurama where bender has water laced with lsd that he adds to his food?
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u/WigglySquid12 22d ago
That if you use 12 goddamn bowls, you have to clean those bowls too. Just stop using so many bowls. What do you need so many bowls for?
This is directed at myself.
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u/massiveboner911 22d ago
Im guilty of this. I prep ingredients ahead of time before i start cooking. One bowl per ingredient lol
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u/HolIerer 21d ago
1 bowl per ingredient?
That is so inefficient my nose is bleeding.
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u/DanTheTerrible 22d ago
True of utensils of all sorts. I like stainless steel pots with lids, and casserole dishes with lids. When done eating I can just pop the lid on and put the leftovers in the fridge without messing about with tupperware or plastic wrap or whatever.
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u/Wild_Doogy_Plumm 22d ago
Then you can just fill them with water and heat it on the stove to get all the cooked on stuff off easy so you don't have to scrub and scrape for an hour.
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u/doublestitch 22d ago
Yet when in doubt about mixing bowl size, go larger. You'll have fewer mess and errors that way and ultimately fewer bowls to clean, because you won't resort to pouring things into a larger bowl after grumbling This bowl is too small!
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u/FlyingFtotheMoon 22d ago
Exactly how I feel after successfully having everything mise en place and wondering if it is worth all the extra dishes.
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u/Games_and_Strains 22d ago
A trick I learned in culinary school is pile everything individually on a flipped over sheet pan. It’s a big surface so everything will fit, and it has flat edges so if you have to add things one at a time you can scrape them off into your pan without throwing it all in at once.
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u/NO_Cheeto_in_Chief 22d ago
My husband doesn't go understand this concept. I appreciate him wanting to help, but it causes way more work!
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u/CantTakeMeSeriously 22d ago
Let soups and stews sit for several hours after cooking. Adds massively to the flavour.
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u/[deleted] 21d ago
I feel like even sauces benefit from this. I made some sauce recently to go with my pasta, two weeks in a row... and while it tasted fine fresh and hot from the pot, it tasted even better as reheated leftovers over the next several days.
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u/-Quarter-Water- 22d ago
You can always add to but you can't take away.
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u/Wiggl3sFirstMate 21d ago
My dad gave me this advice but it works for pretty much everything in life. Arguments in particular. I always think to myself “I can say something here but once it’s out I can’t take it back”
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u/redundantart 22d ago
You can always dilute it with something else, and gradually work the remaining ingredients back to (more or less) their correct proportions.
Obviously it gets complicated when you deal with different margins of error. A bit of quick math and estimation can get things back on track.
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u/Kushkaki 22d ago
My mom taught me a tip that if you put too much salt in something throw a (peeled) potato in there. I haven’t got around to actually doing it but it seems like it would work
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u/LadyTwinkles 22d ago
1) Turning up the flame won't make your food cook faster. Cooking temperature and time are parts of the recipe as well.
2) If you are a beginner, don't try to act pro and randomly sprinkle ingredients. Use measuring spoons and note down the successful combinations.
3) Rinse everything with hot water, it makes the cleanup faster.
4) Burnt onions can't be fixed.
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u/RelaxingBeetle 22d ago
Burnt onions can't be fixed.
Oddly specific
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u/PrinCescha 22d ago
Oddly specific but very accurate. Tried not minding the burnt onions I made since it was gonna get covered up by a bunch of other ingredients but nope, my food tasted horribly bitter
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u/elephantphallus 22d ago
Don't pack the flour down when measuring. Recipes that call for X-amount of flour expect you to spoon loose flour into a measuring cup. If the recipe is precise, it will be measured by weight.
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u/RaccKing21 22d ago
Using volume for measuring baking recipes should be punishable with a firing squad.
As someone from Europe, trying to measure how much 1/3 cup of BUTTER is, is really annoying.
'Muricans, please use weight. Same for those filthy European infidels that sometimes do the same.
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u/shiguywhy 22d ago
Allow me to tell you my grandma's authentic biscuit recipe, as passed down to her from her mother:
Get a bowl full of enough self rising flour to make as many biscuits as you need. If your flour is old, add some baking powder. Make a well in the center and fill it with enough buttermilk to make the dough. Pour in enough oil to combine. Using your hands, scrape the flour into the milk/oil to slowly incorporate until it makes a dough. Knead it some. Form biscuits. Bake until done.
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u/viktor72 21d ago
It was common back then to give vague recipes because it was expected that people who were cooking/baking had some knowledge of different cooking/baking skills.
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u/shiguywhy 21d ago
Exactly. It's like old sewing instructions. "Finish in the usual way." "Use enough flour." You don't have to overstate because people know what they're doing, and time and materials are precious.
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u/RaccKing21 21d ago
My grandma used measurements like "three apples of raisins". Thankfully, she doesn't use those anymore.
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u/Why_So_Slow 21d ago
My great grandma cooked the same way. "As much flour as the cake takes" and "to taste" seasoning. Now I do the same and people get annoyed when I tell them this when they ask for recipe.
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u/shiguywhy 21d ago
Yeah I mean, even in "real" recipes some make these kinds of distinctions because sometimes shit is fucked. Too humid or dry, too hot, etc. I have a ton of recipes that say "if the dough is too wet, add more flour until it forms a dough" or "if it's too dry, add some milk."
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u/i_lost_it_again 21d ago
I do the same thing, and when I measure things like tsp and 1/4 tsp I legit use my hand cause I have used it so much I know exactly what it looks like.
Also I have a super old Pyrex glass measuring cup that the lines have completely worn off, but it was my nanas and was the first measuring cup I ever used so I remember where each line should be.
I have never had a recipe mess up from inaccurate levels.
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u/shiguywhy 21d ago
But don't you know baking is science and it has the same margin of error as cooking meth??? /s
My brother baked everything according to a recipe and is regimental in how he measures. Everything on the scale, everything in the mixer, everything by the boom. Nothing he makes ever tastes good. Crumb too tight on a cake (he made a pound cake with the crumb structure of angel food and I am still concerned about how he did it), tunneling on quick breads, he made shortbread that was basically structurally unsound hardtack... it's honestly amazing how bad he is considering he follows the directions exactly.
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u/i_lost_it_again 21d ago
it's honestly amazing how bad he is considering he follows the directions exactly.
Is he a stoner? Cause my husband (whom is normally a fantastic chef) made the worst Mac n cheese I have ever had in my life. He even measured the damn water according to the instructions on the box because of how high he was.
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u/GunnySwanson 22d ago
Our butter has measurements on the wrappers, does it not in your part of Europe?
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u/RaccKing21 22d ago
It's in grams here. Some doesn't even have those. I usually just measure it on a scale.
But no, cups and tablespoons aren't used here on packaging.
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u/floridaman1467 21d ago
Honestly if I see somebody had a scale that isn't for body weight my first thought is "alright where are the drugs"
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u/RaccKing21 21d ago
I even weigh my spaghetti when i need 200 grams for 2 portions of carbonara.
Never did drugs tho.
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u/chunkosauruswrex 22d ago
Protip one stick of butter is a half a cup.
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u/RaccKing21 21d ago
We don't have sticks. It's either 250 gram blocks or 125 gram blocks.
Do you see now why measuring in volume is a bad idea?
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u/Gabbleducky 21d ago
1 stick of butter is 113 grams!
I had to look this up the other day after getting an American recipe book
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u/COVID_19_Lockdown 22d ago
Tofu is a flavor chameleon
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u/AMerrickanGirl 22d ago
Here’s a fun thing to do with tofu.
Take the hunk of tofu out of its water, and put it on a dish in the freezer. Let it freeze solid.
Take it out and let it thaw completely. You’ll notice that it is no longer flabby. Now squeeze it until you can’t get any more water out of it.
Now you’ve got a nice chewy piece of protein that can be sliced or shredded and used as a meat substitute. Season it up and enjoy.
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u/Bitter__Melon 22d ago
It actually takes physical strength in some cases
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u/PianoManGidley 22d ago
My husband is in culinary school, and had to make mayonnaise from scratch, using arm strength alone. His teacher forbade the use of a stand mixer or anything for that assignment, so the students could understand the effort that goes into making mayonnaise.
NINETY MINUTES of whisking for his poor, unexercised arm.
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u/Quityurgriping 22d ago
That cooking is chemistry
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u/Unendingpasta 22d ago
This! Always thought I was a bad cook, turns out I was just bad at following directions. If you follow the steps correctly, it works.
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u/zomboromcom 22d ago
There's a fair amount of flexibility in cooking that you get to know after awhile. The same is not true of baking, which is precise. The common thread among the worst "Nailed It!" contestants seems to be an aversion to measuring.
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u/Unendingpasta 22d ago
Or impromptu ingredient switching! My mom was always able to go off recipe when baking and sub out ingredients with fantastic results. I however end up with either a brick or pudding any time I try to add “flair” to any baked goods.
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u/DelsMagicFishies 22d ago
Baking is more flexible than people seem to think, you just need a little more knowledge on how ingredients interact before you can start playing around. It’s still chemistry. If you know you need acid to get baking soda to react, it doesn’t really matter if you achieve that with chocolate, sour cream, honey, or lemon juice.
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u/saluki_88 22d ago
this is why i love cooking and hate baking. cooking i can eyeball, taste test to make sure it's all good. baking have to measure and hope you're right.
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u/Angry-Squirrel-0119 22d ago
YES! Cooking is much more flexible than baking in following instructions. That’s why I’m not best at cooking because I get nervous about all the wiggle room when adding ingredients. I find baking so much easier because if you actually look at and understand the instructions and apply them correctly it will work.
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u/CorruptManatee 22d ago
One time I was baking banana bread and didn't read the instructions all the way through (stupid me). We didn't have milk and I was half way through so I Googled it and decided to add watered down sour cream. THEN I finally got to the banana bread part and it said "if making banana bread, reduce to 1/3 cup milk (when I already added 1 and 1/4 cup of watery sour cream) and add 3 bananas mushed up" so my brain decided that since I added too much "milk" I'd make up for it by adding less banana... let me tell ya... I prayed as I put it in the oven and there must have been someone powerful listening because it came out like normal baked banana bread that tasted fine!!!
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u/MissMormie 21d ago
I just watched an episode where Jaques said, this taste amazing, how did you make this? And the candidate just said 'i followed the recipe'. And they were all gobsmacked. Which i think makes sense on nailed it.
Then again, i would like to see jaques actually make one of those creations in the time the contestants get..
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u/manimal28 22d ago
The next epiphany once you understand the principles is that you don't need to follow the directions, the steps are pretty intuitive.
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u/Unendingpasta 22d ago
I am learning! We’ve done the meal box things and we’ve learned a ton. My favorites are stir fry’s. Just start with your veg base and add whatever you’re in the mood for. They’re simple and hard to mess up.
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u/scoot_roo 22d ago
“Hotter” does not mean you can cook something faster. It’s often detrimental to the meal.
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u/Mini_Insane555 22d ago
Does the same thing imply putting food in the freezer is faster than in the fridge?
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u/irishchinadoll 22d ago
Olive oil is not all purpose
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u/sir_grumph 21d ago
Regular olive oil is best for cooking. Extra virgin is good for salads, drizzling, etc.
You CAN cook with EVOO, but it has a lower smoke point.
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u/Dapper_Ad_3331 21d ago
I’d go further and suggest light olive oil for regular cooking. I absolutely cannot stand the taste of canola oil for everyday cooking. Also (and happy to be told differently) I believe it’s not as healthy as olive oil.
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u/sir_grumph 21d ago
Interesting. I find myself using either olive oil, sesame oil or vegetable oil for cooking. Not sure I’ve ever used canola.
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u/moubliepas 21d ago
Totally. Kind of blows my mind that there are people who honestly think that 'olive' is a great taste to add to any and every dish. If your oil doesn't taste of olive it's terrible quality or, more likely, it does but you're too used to it to tell. So if you can't say 'this dish of -whatever- will benefit from a few olives and a thick, unctuous texture ' without stopping halfway and realising you need something else, you need something else
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u/ssunsspott 22d ago
I learned this when trying to use it for popcorn. My popcorn definitely had an olive oil taste to it which isn’t horrible but not great, made me rethink what I use it for
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u/NoAssist7770 22d ago
That the Box said a certain amount of olive oil but you forgot so you have to go back into the trash can and dig it out
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u/Amockdfw89 22d ago
Browning or broiling meat before you make soups, stews, curries or braises enhances the flavor by a lot. Also when cooking said things always use stock instead of water
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u/CyanManta 21d ago
And not just the sear on the meat itself. The brown bits on the bottom of your pan post-sear can permeate the entire dish and make it all taste like the meat.
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u/Back2Bach 22d ago edited 22d ago
After roasting a whole turkey, it should rest 20 to 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute.
This helps to make the meat moist and succulent for serving.
This gives you enough time to make gravy and to get other dinner preparations accomplished.
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u/Mental-PerformanceOP 22d ago
Cooking is art however baking is a science 🧪
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u/Plethora_of_squids 21d ago
And pastry making is mathematics
If your kitchen has a slightly different humidity or has a lower ambient temperature or the ingredients where you live are slightly different to the one where your recipe was written in, all bets are off
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u/yawdarb 22d ago
My aunt is a chef and she’s fond of saying: “Recipes are just a suggestion, not the law.” (Speaking more about cooking than baking here.)
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u/TheFitnessGuroo 22d ago
Timing and quantities are the most important part of cooking; put the wrong ingredient in the pan at the wrong timing, season at the wrong timing and quantity, and the food is just not as good. Perfect the timing and quantity, and you have a perfect dish.
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u/remarkablemayonaise 22d ago
Garlic burns easily. It's quite hard to add it too late.
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u/Wild_Doogy_Plumm 22d ago
It's quite hard to add it too late.
Disagree. Sure garlic only needs to sautee for 30 seconds to a minute but adding garlic at the beginning gives your dish a more mellow but deep garlic flavor, adding garlic at the end of your dish results in a stronger punchier spicy garlic flavor.
Garlics weird even just slicing/mincing/crushing makes garlic taste different. Insert Brad Leone rambling about alicin for half an hour.
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u/ghettone 22d ago
The 4 elements: acid , salt , fat and heat. The more elements you add the better the food gets.
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u/LordTet0 22d ago
Taste your food! Season along the way and just remember you can always add more seasoning but taking it out is a lot harder.
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u/PrinCescha 22d ago
My mom actually never gave any exact measurements. She mostly eyeballs everything she cooks and adds more little by little if the food still hasn't reached her standard
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u/mchammerhead88 22d ago
Red meat should be brought to room temperature before cooking, cooking it cold will make it tougher because the muscle fibers are contracted.
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u/KatsumotoNoSanjo 22d ago
Gordon Ramsey isn’t actually that mean
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u/UnscrupulousGoose 22d ago
If your pie crust sucks, its not the recipe, its your technique. If you 1) leave your butter in large chunks and 2) make sure its super cold the entire process including right before it goes in the oven, your pie crusts will improve drastically.
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u/Wild_Doogy_Plumm 22d ago
Freeze your butter and shred with a cheese grater, then put it back in the freezer while you get everything else ready.
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u/GarbageTheClown 22d ago
Sodium Citrate is king if you like to make any cheese sauces.
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u/DanTheTerrible 22d ago
Keep a running grocery list. When you run low of something, add it to your list. Waiting until you get to the grocery to try and remember everything you need is a strategy for failure.
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u/zjanus89 22d ago
It's a lot easier to cook in an organized kitchen, you know where everything is without looking and doubletakes. There's workspace, everything has a place, and you don't have to think and stress about it
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u/Bit-Weird 21d ago
Turning your stove top onto high heat to cook faster, doesn't make it cook faster. It just burns your food....
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u/SnooCalculations9259 21d ago
I know spoiled older ppl that don't cook. When I try to show then they say thas alot of work lol. When you cook especially elaborate meals the most work generally comes from the prep or the cleanup, the actual cooking is enjoyable mostly..
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u/joejoeyaes 22d ago
- Measure everything by weight. Volume measurements are inaccurate.
- Slapping your knife against a honing steel every other second doesn’t make you look good.
- Don’t use 3 year old oil. It goes bad, just get another bottle.
- Cooking anything isn’t easy. Expect to mess up lots of meals.
- write down EVERYTHING
- Keep your knives sharp. It will save you.
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u/PrinCescha 22d ago
Don’t use 3 year old oil. It goes bad, just get another bottle.
This is terrifying. Who tf uses a 3-year-old oil?
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u/ducks-everywhere 22d ago
Seasoning is an ACCENT. Condiments are ACCENTS. Let food have its own flavor, then add accent. If you need 16 different seasonings, you're doing it wrong.
Also from culinary school ---- mise en place. Everything works out better if you have everything in its place before you begin.
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u/clockworkapple14 22d ago
Agree generally with European foods but I’m Indian and that means about 10 spices for any dish
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u/tarnishedhuntress 22d ago
I get nervous jsut watching people cut up ingredients as they go and just pour them in the already cooking food. I must have everything chopped up and ready to go before I even turn on the heat.
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u/BlueShoeLover 22d ago
I must have everything chopped up and ready to go before I even turn on the heat.
Nah. Heat the pan, chop the onion, bung it in the hot pan. It needs a good 5min at least, during that time peel and chop your carrot and celery. They go in the pan, another 5min. During that time, peel and crush your garlic.....
Have ingredients and utensils close to hand and a bit organised, but there's no need to over-prepare for most things.
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u/PrinCescha 22d ago
Can't do that lmao. I have a terrible memory and chopping up ingredients while I'm already cooking is a guarantee I'm going to forget something and realize it when it's too late. Prepping everything before I start gives me enough time to make sure I'm not going to forget anything
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u/BlueShoeLover 21d ago
Prepping everything before I start gives me enough time to make sure I'm not going to forget anything
Fair point.
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u/Evil_Queen_93 21d ago
But if everybody in the world starts eating bland food, there would be no diversity of flavour profiles. There’s a reason people go for mexican, indian, chinese or thai foods.
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u/0LowLight0 22d ago
You're saving your life more often than you think.
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u/That-Ad9279 22d ago
Can you please explain?
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u/SeraCarina 22d ago
I remember a study that found that the number one predictor of the healthiness of a meal is where it is prepared. It found that food cooked at home is healthiest by this metric. Less fillers, processed foods, preservatives, artificial flavors, hidden ingredients, etc.
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u/immapizza 22d ago
You know exactly what goes into the dish, how and when it was prepared, etc. Eating out you don't really know any of that.
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u/PrinCescha 22d ago
Exactly why my grandma rarely eats out and even if she does, ISTG she'll go to the restaurants kitchen to make sure they're very clean when making the food.
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u/ProfessionalSquid 22d ago
It allows for a lot of improvising. I tend to play with seasoning when I do anything involving beef (curry powder is a favorite in my household as a result of this).
Contrast baking, where stepping even the slightest bit out of line completely borks your project.
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u/island-breeze 22d ago
That it involves much more than just going to the kitchen. You need to plan meals, drive to the store, adapt your grocery list (and change plans last minute), organize said groceries, clean the kitchen before, during and after. It's a whole process that starts long before dinner time.
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u/immapizza 22d ago
If you over salt a soup, you can throw in a potato whilst boiling to absorb some of the salt and bring the saltiness down.
Also, if you want to add cream to tomato sauce but you find that it curdles- heat both separately, then slowly add the tomato to the cream. Once combined, heat gently and be sure not to let it boil.
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u/Wild_Doogy_Plumm 22d ago
Old wives tale. The only way to make soup less salty is to make more soup, but you will get a nice salty potato to eat instead of your ruined soup if you try the potato trick.
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u/Musicferret 22d ago
Microwaving something from a package is not cooking.
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u/Dutch_Midget 22d ago
Damn one less skill on my resume
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u/AlleywayGum 22d ago
Change it to, managerial task operator on a micro processor.
Make it sound like an engineering degree and you'll be fine.
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u/PianoManGidley 22d ago
As Gordon Ramsay told numerous restaurants on Kitchen Nightmares.
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u/WaveDenier 22d ago
You can eat raw beef
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u/Frigguggi 22d ago
But why would you? Cooking adds so much flavor.
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u/butter00pecan 22d ago
You can't substitute ingredients and expect the dish to turn out the way it's meant to.
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u/guiporto32 21d ago
This so much. I’ve seen so many YouTube comments like “I used two eggs instead of four and I was out of baking powder. Why didn’t my cake turn out like yours??”
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u/Surprise_Corgi 22d ago
Once you learn how to cook, you're going to find restaurants and fast food unsatisfying. You'll know you could cook it better for far cheaper. The knowledge colors a meal poorly.
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u/freedfg 22d ago
I know how to cook.
I also know a Wendy's Baconator is fucking delicious right after work or on a long drive.
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u/derpstuff 22d ago
"Easy as cooking an egg" is very misleading. In reality, eggs are pretty sensitive and require precise temperature and timing to cook just right.
People eat bullshit burnt underside / uncooked interior eggs all the time like it was normal lmao
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u/PrinCescha 22d ago
I actually like my eggs a bit burnt and my egg yolk a bit runny, but I have zero fucking idea how to do that. It always comes out "perfect" and it's frustrating
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u/derpstuff 21d ago
You need a lot if heat very quickly. Best way I know is on a stainless steel griddle, metal spatula and years of experience.
Realistically though, with normal kitchen gear, it can be done:
- Unscratched non-stick pan on the stovetop, add a generous portion of frying oil. I like peanut oil for frying, canola also works!
- High heat, get the eggs and salt nearby. Heating up takes a minute or two.
- Once oil loses a lot of viscosity and starts flowing similar to water, crack eggs in pan and salt immediately.
- Turn heat down to about 4/10 power.
- Crispy edges should start appearing shortly.
- Wait until you can clearly observe a solid bottom, eggs should show a light gold crispy edge, solid white, nearly uncooked yolk.
- Using a silicone spatula, gently free up the parts that stick to the pan.
- Holding the spatula in one hand and the pan's handle in the other, unstick the bottom of the eggs from the pan and flip them in one swift movement.
- Wait about 5-10s and serve with yolk side up.
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u/PrinCescha 21d ago
Holy hell thank you!!!?????? I actually hate making eggs for myself because I couldn't do it the way I want but I'm gonna try this!
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u/RaccKing21 22d ago
I can make a perfect Beef Wellington.
Still can't cook or fry eggs correctly.
FML
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u/MindLikeAMindfield 21d ago
I feel this! I am more of a cook than a baker, but while I could nail a caramel stuffed chocolate cookie, I struggle with “basics” like chocolate chip
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u/soliloquy1985 22d ago
There are so, so many...
For one, don't be afraid to let meat sit and sear. It won't get that delicious char on it if you keep fucking with it every five seconds. Let it cook!
Along a similar vein, realize that meat also has a carry over cook time. It holds heat, and will keep cooking, for about five minutes. So pull steaks and such when they are ever so slightly less cooked than you want them.
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u/freedfg 22d ago
Most prepackaged foods you get in the supermarket can be made at home for way less and barely more effort.
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u/Nighty_Stary 22d ago
You can take my frozen pizza from my cold dead hands.
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u/Wild_Doogy_Plumm 22d ago
Chef Johns Wolfgang Puck pizza dough is incredibly easy to make and only needs to proof for an hour, it also freezes really well. I freeze it 1/2 rolled out and it's thawed by the time you roll it out to pizza size.
I freeze homemade pizza sauce in ice cube trays and then bag.
Shred cheese. It takes 2 seconds to brown up a little sausage and dice some pepper and onion.
Your pizza is assembled before your oven preheats and will knock the socks off of most frozen pizza for a fraction of the price. But not gonna lie i've still thrown a tombstone in after getting home from the bar at 2AM.
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u/Birdapotamus 22d ago
Cooking at higher than suggested temp is more likely to ruin things than speed up the process.
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u/wetlettuce42 22d ago
They need to watch the microwave oven otherwise you’ll forget about whats in there and the food burns
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u/Alice_isnt_dead_yet_ 22d ago
It is really surprisingly easy, as long as you know the basics just throw a bunch of shit in a pot with water and it usually turns out good.
Edit:spelling
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u/djchickenwing 22d ago
Balancing tastes is important and brings out complex flavors. That’s why sweet is balanced by salty in some desserts, salty is balanced by sour in some meat dishes, bitter vegetables may be cooked in sweet/sour sauces, and why a bitter coffee pairs well with a sweet pastry. Going all in on one taste is usually not a good idea because it’s overwhelming.
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u/AMerrickanGirl 22d ago
Watch the show “Chopped” where they discuss flavor profiles and balancing sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. I learned a lot about how to season food from this.
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u/NoahtheRed 21d ago
The various competition shows (Chopped, Cutthroat, Iron Chef, Grocery Games, etc) obviously have a lot of showmanship, but there's also a lot of REALLY good lessons in what constitutes good flavor and cooking. I've definitely learned a lot watching those shows just seeing how they use these weird limitations and ingredients to achieve stellar looking/tasting dishes.
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u/TheSandman86 21d ago
Sir, I just wanted to thank you for my favorite story ever on Reddit. Whenever I'm feeling down that story just make me laugh and brightens my day (sorry for my bad english). Thank you!
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u/Dagda_the_Druid 22d ago
The fire hazard.
If you tend to cook when drunk, or maybe you have some memory problems - invest in a smoke detector. Better safe than sorry.
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u/Jarl_Xar 22d ago
Professional cooking is extremely uncomfortable, antiquated uniforms ( think extra thick multiple layers in a 100+ degree environment ), combined with usually low wages and difficulty to take breaks when needed due to the on demand nature of the job can make for quite a time.
That being said, cooking is applicable to many aspects of life beyond the obvious. Organization, math, and time management will help you immeasurably, and the ability to see the fruits of your labour immediately is quite satisfying, at least when you aren't up to your neck in stress! Of course not all jobs are like this, but the majority of post culinary education level jobs are quite demanding mentally and physically.
A la cuisine!
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u/TMan4334 22d ago
Having a digital meat thermometer can make a huge difference in your cooking and can prevent overcooking your meats and making them tough.
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u/Entire-Bat-3148 22d ago edited 21d ago
You need to season your food. I have had too many meals that have had an inordinate amount of time and effort put into them only to end up tasting like nothing. Those spices in your pantry aren't just for show, or at least I hope not. At the bare minimum, at least shake in some salt and pepper!
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u/Yoink_Tactics 22d ago
Shallow and deep frying means being allways one wrong movement from massive 2nd degree burns all over your legs, feet and groin, half a year of recovery, skin grafts and years of treating your burn scars with ointments and generally being sore. Never leave the pan handle towards you. It's just there, ready to catapult a pan full of oil and melt your skin off of your flesh, should you bump it.
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u/a_guest_of_note 22d ago
Unbleached, compostable parchment paper saves energy, time, water, money, and sanity. I use it soooooo much.
Fancy one use tools are fun. But, you absolutely don't need them.
Well grown fresh ingredients make a huge difference is health and flavor.
Most olive oil is really gross. Some things are worth getting the nicer version. For salads, I get California cold press.
Bake by weight.
Xanthan gum messes with your GI. Try chia, flax, or psyllium instead.
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u/kikibunnie 21d ago
measure. by. weight. your food will be so good. invest in a mortar and pestle, buy spices whole and toast them, always use fresh ingredients
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u/sleightly_nonchalant 21d ago
Personally, if I cook it, I no longer feel the desire to eat it. Especially if it’s a meaty dish and I had to prepare the meats.
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u/SiloueOfUlrin 21d ago
Cooking is actually kind of hard. Especially if you're cooking eggs (unless you're using a microwave, then it's easy).
Eggs cook INSANELY FAST
Less than a minute or so.
Take it out too late and it will be a pain to clean up.
I usually prefer to microwave the eggs.
(Cook them like you cook beans, put a cover over them. They will explode everywhere if you don't, which is exactly what beans would do)
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u/squirrel-bear 21d ago
The reason why restaurant food tastes so good is that it has way more oil and fat than you'd ever use in your home kitchen, and way more salt and sugar you'd ever put in your dish.
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u/Evil_Queen_93 21d ago
There’s more to seasoning than just salt & pepper especially when it comes to proteins
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u/Nopenoteventrying 21d ago
You do it for an hour. Feels as though it's either been 20 days or 20 minutes.
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u/Lizblive 21d ago
Always use a much bigger pan than you think you need for meat. If you crowd a pan all of your meat will steam and you won't get that nice browning.
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u/GarrulousMustelid 22d ago
- Sharp knives are the safest knives
- Clean as you go
- Read the whole recipe before you start