Learning to cook

Xelene

Xelene

Xelene

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Joined
27 Sep 2005
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London innit
So i've always been able to bang up like a simple tomato sauce and bit of mince type food but recently got all nerdy about cooking food and started studying the science and techniques behind it.

I've recently discovered the Maillard reaction, particularly from making some slow cooked pulled pork but it led me onto pan sauces. Previously I learnt about the Mirepoix. I'm currently learning how to make the "Mother" sauces.

What old cooking / chef invention have you discovered and are currently mastering?
 
I've recently discovered that less is more i.e. concentrate on several key flavours, and stop tweaking! Quite obvious really but it's taken me a while to realise.

For example, I was using onions and garlic in dishes like carbonara because I wrongly assumed that all Italian dishes would have onions and garlic. I was wrong. Tried it without and it's so much better.
 
You never stop learning. At work tonight I learned to rub a little oil on the inside of a ring mould. When you fill it with mash it slips off like a dream.
 
Sundance said:
I've recently discovered that less is more i.e. concentrate on several key flavours, and stop tweaking! Quite obvious really but it's taken me a while to realise.

For example, I was using onions and garlic in dishes like carbonara because I wrongly assumed that all Italian dishes would have onions and garlic. I was wrong. Tried it without and it's so much better.
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You sweating the onions down enough? If you don't they won't be sweet and more bitter. People make the mistake of not sweating them down and they're bitter and harsh.

Garlic makes most things better. Try adding at the end to keep its flavour.
 
Sundance said:
I've recently discovered that less is more i.e. concentrate on several key flavours, and stop tweaking! Quite obvious really but it's taken me a while to realise.

For example, I was using onions and garlic in dishes like carbonara because I wrongly assumed that all Italian dishes would have onions and garlic. I was wrong. Tried it without and it's so much better.
Click to expand...

Actually, a tiny little bit of garlic is ok in Carbonara. Really should only be enough to provide an interesting little background not though, not a main flavour. Although authentically it should just be pancetta, eggs, parmesan, pasta and black pepper that give the sauce it's flavour.
 
Buchanan0204 said:
You sweating the onions down enough? If you don't they won't be sweet and more bitter. People make the mistake of not sweating them down and they're bitter and harsh.

Garlic makes most things better. Try adding at the end to keep its flavour.
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THIS!

Also I never add garlic at the start when sweating onions as it not only loses some of the flavour/goodness but add with 2-3 minutes to go, really find it makes a difference.

If frying garlic on it's own I never do more than a minute - very bitter
 
One of the things I'm enjoying the most is learning the science behind it all. The reason onions get sweet is you accelerate the conversion of cellulose to sugars by adding heat. It reminds me a bit of an old experiment we did at school. Take a slice of white bread, spit on it and leave for 10 minutes. The enzymes in your saliva start to accelerate the process of converting the starches into sugar.

Basically just spit on everything half an hour before cooking!
 
Illgresi said:
Actually, a tiny little bit of garlic is ok in Carbonara. Really should only be enough to provide an interesting little background not though, not a main flavour. Although authentically it should just be pancetta, eggs, parmesan, pasta and black pepper that give the sauce it's flavour.
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The egg should be mostly cooked by the heat of the pasta. Carbonara tonight I think :)

Flash fried slivers of Garlic that are like mini chips will be added tho
 
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Buchanan0204 said:
Heston springs to mind, should grab his books if you like all the science guff.
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He's certainly interesting. Foods way too finicky for me tho :) I like hearty simple food, but enjoy understanding the processes behind it.

There's a great American website which is devoted to BBQ - and the science of making it taste superb which I really enjoyed reading through.

http://www.amazingribs.com/


Like I said in the first post, i'm really interested in stuff like the Maillard reaction - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction)
 
When making fruit sorbets I add a little vodka to the fresh berries, there is a reaction between the fructose and the alcohol that really bring out the fruit flavour.
 
Enjoying reading the science behind some methodology is nice, but don't forget the core skills involved in cooking as well. Your comment in the low and slow thread about "sealing" the meat, for example, is not correct :P
 
kohlditz said:
He's certainly interesting. Foods way too finicky for me tho :) I like hearty simple food, but enjoy understanding the processes behind it.
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In that case also check out:

Ideas in Food (a book and a blog that has influenced a lot of major chefs)

Modernist Cuisine

Chefsteps
 
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