Cooking Tips

Compared to your preparation, stir frying occurs in flash. Place the wok on a high heat, and when it is hot, add peanut, corn, or canola oil. After a few moments test the oil with a bit of the aromatics, ginger or garlic; if it sizzles the oil is ready. Then, add the aromatics. In less than a minute they will begin to release their flavor and aroma, and you can begin to add the vegetables and meat in the order of their cooking times; those that take the longest are added first. Stiri, lift, and toss the ingredients until they are evenly cooked without scorching. Ingredients may be removed once they are cooked and returned before finishing. Then add the liquid ingredients and seasoning. For thinly sliced or shredded dishes, turn down the heat for a few minutes while the flavors combine, adjust the seasoning, and serve. For dishes with tougher or larger ingredients, place a lid over the wok and adjust the temperature to maintain a simmer so that the food steams until it has absorbed a portion or all of the liquid. Then return any ingredients that were removed, adjust the seasoning, stir quickly, and serve.

Preheat oven to about 400 degrees F. Put cleaned beef, chicken or fish into a large baking pot. Add any fresh vegetables you care to, including carrot tops, if desired. Carrots, celery, and bell peppers are good to use. Onions do not need to be peeled. Place in the oven and brown for about 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Place roasted meat and vegetables in a stockpot. Add spices, as desired, such as garlic cloves, whole peppercorns, parsley, bay leaf, thyme and/or rosemary. Don't add salt, as you normally add this to the dish you are preparing which uses the stock. Cover the meat and vegetables with double their volume in water. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Leave the pot uncovered so that some liquid evaporates and intensifies the taste.
Seafood stocks need only 1 hour to develop maximum flavor, but beef and chicken should simmer at least several hours. Cook the stock until about one-third of the original liquid remains. Straini it, let it cool, and degrease it. The stock can be frozen in ice cube trays and cubes used as needed.
For vegetable stock, simply omit the meat, chicken or fish from the above instructions.

Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before using them so they won't burn during cooking.
If you prefer metal skewers, which have a long life, use square or twisted types, which will hold the food better than round ones.
To keep food from slipping off during cooking and turning, use two parallel skewers rather than a single skewer.
If you're using a wooden skewer, as you thread the food move the pieces close together, with no space showing.
If the skewer is metal, you can leave small spaces between the pieces.
When using foods with different cooking times (such as shrimp and beef), don't combine them on the same skewer. Instead, make skewers of just shrimp or just beef, start cooking the beef first, and then combine them on a serving platter.

Remove some of the fat in soups by adding a lettuce leaf to the pot. Remove the leaf after fat removal.

You can smoke food without a smoker and even without a covered grill. To smoke without a cover, place wet wood chips in an aluminum foil package; punch small holes in the package with a fork, and place directly on the charcoal.

Place a raw potato in salty soup. The potato will absorb the extra salt

1) Using 1 tablespoon of starter (discard unused portion or save a little in the 'frige in case of an emergency), 1 cup 75 degree water, and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour, proof for exactly 24 hours at 72 to 77 degrees. It's very important to maintain these precise temperatures and to proof for exactly 24 hours.
2) Examine the starter to determine what stage it's at, i.e. assuming you didn't overheat it, it should be 'flat', 'barely living', or 'healthy'. Remember the clues to identifying non-healthy starter: low number of bubbles, early hooch, gelatinous consistency, no froth on top, or any 2 or more of these symptoms. If 'healthy' you're done.
3) If not healthy yet, stir it well and refrigerate it for no lessthan 12 hours.
4) Remove the starter from the refrigerator and go to step 1. This iterative process needs to be repeated a few times...usually around 4 or 5 times or so unless you were lucky. A lot of the home-dried starters revive much quicker than this.

For instant white sauce, blend a cup each of softened butter and flour and spread it evenly in an ice cub tray. Freeze, then cut into 16 cubes and store in a plastic bag until you want to make a sauce. Then heat 1 cup milk and 1 cube, stirring until the cube is melted and the liquid is warm.
To prepare white sauce at the right consistency, remember 1-2-3. For each cup of milk use 1 tablespoon of flour for a thin sauce, 2 tablespoons of flour for a medium sauce and 3 tablespoons of flour for a thick sauce. Use 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine for any thickness.

Cooking with a small quantity of fat or oil at a high temperature is known as sauteing. It is a simple technique that maximizes flavor while minimizing cooking time. First, place a saute; pan on a high heat and add just enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. The oil allows even heating and prevents sticking while the high temperature browns the food, quickly sealing in the juices. A fat or oil that can withstand high heat, such as clarified butter or canola oil, is essential. When the oil is hot, place the food in the pan on its most attractive side. Do not overcrowd the pan because the temperature will drop and the food will not brown properly. After the first side has browned, turn it over and brown the other side. Do not turn the food more than once or twice because this will hinder flavor creation. Sauteing is most effective with fish and thin cuts of tender meat. Thicker pieces would burn before the inside was cooked, and so it is necessary to decrease the heat after the initial browning. Cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of the food and personal taste.

Carrots, potatoes, broccoli and other 'meaty' vegetables can be water sauteed as a quick and flavorful change to boiling and steaming. Water sauteing first uses steam to soften the vegetable and then direct heat and oil to brown it. Place a non-stick saute pan over a medium flame. Add a sliced clove of garlic, some red pepper flakes, a few tablespoons of olive oil, and enough water to submerge the garlic. Let the mixture boil until it totally evaporates, and the garlic and pepper begin to saute in the oil. A mild garlic and pepper flavor remains in the oil and coating the pan. Then, add the vegetables, sliced carrots for instance, and enough water to partially submerge them. Bring the pan back to a boil, and cover and simmer for a three to five minutes. The steam will make the carrots tender. Remove the lid and turn up the heat to let the water evaporate. The tender carrots will begin to saute in the oil. Sautei until slightly caramelized. The mild garlic and red pepper will enhance the flavor of the beautifully browned and slightly crisp carrots. Be creative by trying other vegetable and seasoning combinations.