Wednesday, June 29, 2005

E -Eggs

Eggs
Egg punnery has been around since the chicken. No yolk. And as long as I have been around, I’ve loved the little guys. These complex elliptical orbs of protein and nutritional goodness cook up as many ways as a human can devise.

Eggs are chicken potential. No, you’ll never find a beak inside a shell, but the cellular stuff is all there for sprouting a chicken. Eggs are made up of five basic parts; a shell, a small pocket of air, the albumen, the yolk, and the chalazae. Despite what you might think, the last is not a small Frenchman, it’s a thin cordal structure that holds the yolk in the center of the egg. Nature’s safety packaging. The albumen exists in two forms, the outer thin albumen and the inner thick albumen. Crack an egg and watch the liquid pour out – that’s the thin stuff. Hold a cracked egg open long enough and a thick gelatinous goo will appear – that’s the thick. I think we all know about the yolk. So what about the air? Beats me. I figure an egg is like a snow globe. No matter how beautiful the contents, it’s near impossible to fill with water without letting in a bit of air. Air is just a natural thing and it works for me.

Why my fascination with the white one? I’m not sure where to begin! They are filling, easy to use, taste great with almost anything, and after eating huevos rancheros in Costa Rica, I’m convinced they are perfect with just about anything.

I could write pages and pages on egg grades, sizes, and types. But I won’t. I’ll keep it simple. Grade AA is fresh from the chicken. Grade A has been around a few weeks. Small, large, super-sized, it has nothing to do with quality. Finally, the older the egg, the better for cooking hard-boiled eggs but not much else. It’s about chemistry and while time might heal all wounds, time also breaks down all membranes. Broken membranes are not good for keeping a yolk together but are good for peeling.

For my final point about general egg information, check your eggs before you cash. Make sure they are cold and check them for cracks and breaks.

Eggs are great for leftovers. I’ve mentioned one such method in my post on broiling. Here’s another one. Tonight I was privileged to be in my house all alone, just me and my kitchen. Like a putting on a comfortable sweater, I turned on the broiler. Then, I opened up two English muffins and let the creativity flow. First, I placed roughly two teaspoons of scotch bonnet hot sauce in the middle of each muffin. Next, I cracked each egg and carefully placed it on top of the muffin. Finally, added slices of thin ham and cheese; prosciutto and american. Three to four minutes under the broiler and then topped with roughly a tablespoon of mild salsa on each. Ok, I did burn a little of the American cheese but until I get a new oven light, I’m cooking in the dark.

Poach ‘em, fry ‘em, wine and dine ‘em. Eggs are great. I challenge you to stop making scrambled eggs because it’s easy. Cook them sunny-side up. Poach them for a salad. Or paint them and stick them in the yard. Be creative.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

NOTE: What's in your fridge

Driving home last night, my wife called me and asked what I wanted for dinner. As she and the kids were out all day in the 90 degree weather, I recommended something quick and easy like hot dogs and mac/cheese. I spent the next 25 minutes thinking about what we had in the fridge to add some color to the meal. I thought it would be great to walk in the door and "whip up a nice little side dish." Pulling into the driveway, I couldn't think of anything. Partially because we are near time for another grocery shopping and partially because I'm new at all this. The best idea I had was something salty - but what? My wife knew - she always does. She had prepared an easy tomato and cucumber salad with a nice Italian dressing. Perfect. As a final note, I thought about adding something to the mac and cheese but came up empty....except for chipotle powder which I added to my serving.

Friday, June 24, 2005

D - Dishes, a confessional

D was a much harder letter than I had expected. For the life of me, I couldn't think of a style of cooking that began with D. "Broiling, grilling, braising, d, d, darn it I can't think of anything." D was becoming an elusive letter.

Write what you know, that's what I've always heard. There it was, in bright spinning neon letters twirling in my head. Dishes.

Dishes are an integral part of the dining/cooking experience. Paper plates are ok for outdoors, but don't serve up pasta primavera on paper plates. Set the table for enjoyable dining.

You know, I'm not here to talk about setting the table. Yes, proper food display does matter. Fine China, Fiesta-ware, or standard tableware it doesn't matter that much as long as you make the presentation of the food as well as the food itself. How do you present a hotdog? Well, that's another show. But do have a beautiful table for dining and whatever you do, don't have a centerpiece that forces you to crane your neck for talking to your guests.

I'm here to make a confession about dishes. I have never been a good dishwasher. Fix dinner and then put stuff back in the fridge - someone else can do the dishes, that was my mindset. I didn't think myself too good to do the dishes. I found myself lazy with a capital L. My wife told me once "I don't mind you making dinner, I just wish you'd clean up your mess afterward." She was right. I could use the pots and pans but scrubbing them clean? That just wasn't in me to do. So for that, I asked her forgiveness and I ask yours as well.

A few weeks ago, I changed my way of cooking and cleaning. I had an epiphany. A breakthrough moment. The kitchen ceiling opened and I saw the light. I pictured a pottery maker squeezing clay through their hands, feeling the textures of the clay, the smell, and then creating their art. Knives, pans, utencils, those are part of the art as much as the food itself. The more time i could spend familiarizing myself with their nuances, the better I could use them. A knife is like a golf putter. It has a distinct feel and weight. You know how far you can take it before you need to switch to a wedge. A knife is the same. Sometimes you need a different knife, but gosh darn it at least now I KNOW when I need a different knife. Familiarity, that's why I should "do the dishes." Knowing where everything gets put away, knowing the texture of a bowl has changed a bit since the last time I used it, knowing it's time to season a pan. And then the kitchen ceiling closed.

Turning out the lights as I left the kitchen, I imagined a carpenters workshop with all the wood shavings swept up, all the tools put away, the lingering smell from freshly cut timber. Just like a woodworker, I had used the tools of my trade, created something beautiful, and then just like any responsible tradesman, cleaned and checked my tools for the next days work.

Doing dishes isn't about cleaning up a mess, it's about cooking.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

NOTE : Grocery Stores

Within a few minutes of my home, I've got Kroger, Marsh and a Super Wal-mart. I don't think it's that super, but that's another story. What kind of produce could a guy in central Indiana find at his local grocery? Mangos! WTF, I thought. That stands for What's This Fruit? I love mangos, so I know what they are, but what are they doing in central Indiana? I like to keep these NOTES sections short, so I'll end with this. Take a stroll through your local produce sections and you might find some hidden treasures behind the onions and celery.

Saturday, June 18, 2005

C - Charcoal

Charcoal.

Dateline: Last Monday.
Location: My driveway.

I spent a lot of time camping when I was growing up. Cooking over an open flame with the standards; hotdogs, marshmallows, and I’m sure other grocery goods. I managed to carry that back home in the form of a little Weber grill. My backyard had a small concrete slab where a water well used to be. Perfect grill location. Yes, one time the grill was a wee bit close to the house and I bubbled a little paint but we don’t need to reminisce any more.

My history proves I can grill. I can start charcoal. I can cook with charcoal. I can do it!

Standing in my driveway with a new grill, a bag full of charcoal, and a small torch I went to doing what I’d done before. Twenty-five looooooooooong minutes later, I came to a sad realization. I had always bought easy-start charcoal. Easy-start means soak the suckers in a combustible liquid before bagging and selling to customers who like food that tastes a bit like kerosene. When a man can’t get a fire to burn for more than a minute or two, it really drives him UP THE FREAKING WALL! Granted, it was a very windy day, but I’d done it before. Finally, after a combination of lighter fluid and oiled paper, which I’ll get to later, the fire started and stayed burning.

Monday afternoon, an hour later than expected, I served up lunch. Grilled Hamburgers, grilled yellow squash, and grilled romaine lettuce. The lettuce was for a salad from in AB’s “I’m Just Here For The Food.” My wife commented the salad dressing (apple vinegar, capers, and Dijon mustard) would go great on any salad. So noted.

Dateline: Friday evening.
Location: My driveway.

Starting with a Killian’s beer in hand, I tried making fire for the second time in five days. This time, success came sooner than before. I started with a sheet of newspaper and folded in several times, while occasionally spraying it with vegetable oil, until it was about the size of a 3x5 card which is, well, 3x5. Then I built my charcoal pyramid on top of the 3x5 newspaper. Initially, it was hard to get the paper to light. A little too much oil, I suspect. A small squirt of lighter fluid on top did the trick. The fluid penetrated enough of the paper to get it going while the vegetable oil/paper acted like a wick so a flame was produced for a long period of time. Just long enough to start the charcoal burning. By the time the charcoal was hot enough to grill, all the paper had burned up.

Friday evening, we dined on brats, yellow squash, mushrooms, and pineapple rings – all grilled.

What have I learned about grilling and grilling with good charcoal. Buy two spray bottles and label them water and oil. The water is for putting out the sudden flames that grease produces. The oil is great for lighting spraying veggies and whatever else will be grilled for preventing grill sticking. Truthfully, I don’t have my bottles labeled. I bought two colors; red and green. Red reminds me of a fire extinguisher so that’s my water bottle. These bottles run about a dollar each. Next, use 30 charcoal briquettes per pound of meat. I ran long on the brats as I put the veggies on too late in the game. So grilled pineapple took 10 minutes instead of 3. Finally, I don’t need to buy a charcoal chimney if I stick with the oil and paper.

Charcoal is a cruel mistress. Respect her, treat her well, know her limits, and she will treat you well. Do none of these things and you’ll have your grill on the roadside in no time.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

NOTE: Filling the kitchen Pt 2

Inches away from buying an iron skillet, I turned my gaze upon a deep frying pan. Think stir-fry. Stir-fry in my house occurs every other week. The high walls make this thing great.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

B - Broiling

Broiling: Open your oven. Stick your head in as far as you can. Now look up. Congratulations, you've found the broiler. If you're anything like me, the broiler button on your stove is the cleanest button and without wear. After all, typical back-of-the-box instructions start with "preheat oven." The birth of cooking stones, in my humble opinion, is another reason the broiler has gone un-used. The stone can produce even cooking with an occasional nice crust - cook a frozen pizza on a stone and you'll see what I mean. Broiler? I don't need to stinkin' broiler.

The truth is I do need a broiler and so do you.

A broiler is a heat source located in the roof of the oven. It has two heat settings, "high" and "low." My oven is user-friendly so when I turn on the broiler, it says "hi." Who say truncation is a bad thing? Broiling requires the oven rack to be at either the highest or second highest setting. Think of broiling as grilling with the coals levatating over the food instead of under. Broiling is high heat from a close source.

Time for hunting. In fact, this should be easy. Find where you keep your cooking pans (cookie sheets, etc) and take out everything you see. On the bottom of the stack is the broiling pan. Looks like a vented piece of metal. The broiling "pan" is two pans. One is the vented pan, the other is a grease/gunk catcher. Always use the two together. I know, this is very basic to some of you, but for me...not so much. You have found your primary cooking pan for this method.

Broiling is a great method for cooking fish. I'm not saying you have to go out and buy the freshest fish possible. Fresh is better but not necessary. We all have a budget. We tend to buy frozen tilipia for a quick easy meal. My wife has always cooked it on a stone in the oven - usually 8 minutes. I tried broiling. Same results in 5 minutes. Maybe not the same, I prefer the broiled version as it seems
flakier. My kids say they taste the same. Plate the two side by side and they're both great.

Broiling is also great for eggs. Say it with me...broiling is also great for eggs. This time, ignore the broiling pan and grab a small saute pan - and wrap the handle in aluminium foil. I don't want to go into the exact instructions/recipe but this is the basic idea. Broiler on high, over rack on 2nd to top. Toss a little olive oil in the pan. In a mixing bowl, add two eggs, salt and pepper to taste, and leftovers (tomato, green pepper, sliced lunchmeat, etc). Pour these contents into the saute pan and broil for 1-2 minutes. Slide results onto a plate. Continue this process while adding a layer of salsa in between. You'll have the fluffiest egg dish you've ever had. That's the basic's. Check out "I'm Just Here For the Food" for the exact recipe and instructions.

I'm learning the broiler is my friend. I'm sticking with recipes before I venture into the realm of "what happens if I broil this?"

If you've got any good recipes, post them. I was going to say "if you have any good broiling stories" but that caused me to question my sanity.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

NOTE: Filling the kitchen

Expect to pick up a few kitchen items when you first start your cooking education. I need an iron skillet, splatter guard, a few spray bottles (water, oil,etc), a basting brush, and more oil.

AB - Alton Brown

AB (Alton Brown) has a show called Good Eats on the Food Network television channel. www.altonbrown.com for those who are curious. Some people say he reminds them of me. Some say I remind them of him. As luck would have it, I was able to tell Alton that little anticdotal bit myself when I met him at a book signing. I told him I took it as a compliment and he replied he took it as one as well. My wife says we seem like two kindred spirits. Yes, we both have spikey hair and similiar glasses but I'm not going to dye my hair to look exactly like him no matter what the tabloids have suggested. Well, anyway, the point I'm trying to make is it took a like-minded person to show me what cooking is and what it isn't.

What type of stuff does he teach? COOKING - that it's the proper combination of food and heat, with a little kosher salt thrown in on occasion. Alton, pronounced Al-ton, says cooking is about thinking and understanding food and heat. For example, when cooking in the oven, where does the heat come from? Either a flame or a calrod, right? Technically that's correct but knowing that doesn't make me a better cook. If I'm broiling, the heat comes in the form of radiation. If I'm frying, heat comes from conduction (from the fluid medium) and convection (of the fluid medium). This is the stuff Alton teaches that gives a person the knowledge to walk into a kitchen and make a meal from almost anything. For example, through studying his book "I'm Just Here For The Food," I learned that different cuts of meat cannot all be cooked via the same method. No big deal to some of you, for me, a big deal.

This blog will track my learning from Alton (from his show and first book) and let you know what I'm learning, where I've messed up, how I've improvised, and what great tools I've had to buy. Not all the postings will be directly about AB and/or the book. Heck, if you want that - BUY HIS BOOK. I'm currently without a cast iron skillet but not for long.

Before I forget, last night I sorted out all the pots, pans, glassware, and common kitchen tools for easier access. What did my wife say about that? I'll let you know when she gets back in town.

That's it for AB. I hope D will stand for Duck or Density of Meat and not Disaster.

Why I never learned.

The more I think about it, the more I like the AB to Z concept. Learn a little and share a little. Increment the letter for each post. E might be eggs but it's too earily to tell. Once I'm up to Z, I might start back with AB. Why AB? I don't want to tackle that one quite yet.

I first want to tackle a question that will perhaps save me a few months of psycho-analysis. Why, at my age, am I just learning to cook? The short and sweet story is my mother was never much of a cook and didn't teach me canola oil from canned soup. My mother taught me a lot of things, no doubt about that, but culinary skills weren't in the mix. I skated through most of my life having people, like my wife, cook for me. Oh, I can make deli sandwiches and whip up an ok pot of chili (thank God for male genes) or make something on the stove top. I have a black-belt in Microwave - not that I'm bragging. Only with supervision had I ever used the oven.

The most perplexing part has been my personal culinary history. I grew up watching Jeff Smith and Justin Wilson, two fine cooks in their own right, but I never had it in me to put a whisk in a bowl.

Why, after all this time, have I decided to make myself a decent chef? Because I have recently discovered what I'd been missing all these years - the understanding of cooking. I thought you cooked to eat. But then why my fasination with cooking shows? I don't care THAT much about how my food is made. We cook TO cook - that's what I finally learned. I thought peole cook just to eat - 30 mintes of prep for a 10 minutes meal seemed too much for me. Truth is, cooking is creative, it's fun, it's productive, it's science, it involves fire(!), and it's a benefit to those around us. I just never realized that before.

Friday, June 10, 2005

Off I go

This blog is intended to provide hope for those who haven't learned to cook. It's a journey of my own cooking life and how, at the age of 32, I'm finally understanding that cooking is a marriage of food and heat - and a little kosher salt.