Cooking Tips

[no one]

Rosemary is an herb. 

[Cecelia]

-Don't let me cook.  Seriously, don't.  It will NOT turn out well.

[Little lunch]

Don't use onions if you got shallots.

Use a brush to paint oil onto vegetables for roasting.

Put a folded wet rag under your chopping board to stop it sliding around.
Ten seems like a lot, but fingers are important.

If you get hot toffee on your skin, wash it off with cold water.
Wiping it off will wipe the skin off also.

Dropped your knife?
Well move out the fucking way and don't try to catch it you stupid fool.

A splash of vinegar helps keep poached eggs apart.

Béchamel Sauce - equal parts flour and butter.
Melt butter and add flour. Stir into playdough.
It's half butter, it's not going to burn, cook the flour flavour out.
Turn it down. Add warmed milk in little amounts to get a real silky sauce.
Is it for lasagne?
Then don't worry about lumps, they'll cook out.

So every week at a client's house I cook that sauce and add cooked garlic, mussels, prawns, salmon, capers, calamari, squid, shallots, baby spinach, pesto, chilli and a bit of ricotta cheese.
Chuck it onto lasagne sheets, top it off with mozzarella and bake.

When pan frying foods with a large water content, like seafood, do it in small amounts.
If the food doesn't caramelise (brown) you won't get all the flavour.
What to do with the brown on the bottom of the pan? - Deglaze it with wine and if you've got fire, flip it all near the flame and you can burn out the alcoholic content.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Deglaze it with wine and if you've got fire, flip it all near the flame and you can burn out the alcoholic content.

Not to be a nudzh, but this bit's largely a myth.  It takes an awfully long time (in cooking terms) to burn off the alcohol.

Boru

[Pat Mustard]

I'd be happy with this thread including some recipes.

However - I don't enjoy cooking and I am not adventurous or skilled as far as food is concerned.  

I struggle with cooking for two after spending years cooking for five plus however many extras showed up with my kids.  Not all recipes that were in my usual rotation cut down well from A LOT to dinner for two with maybe a lunch leftover.

Freezer's your friend in that case. I regularly cook for six and spend the rest of the week eating the results.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Tip for fresh herbs (inspired by Fireball's somewhat ambiguous position regarding rosemary):

Since fresh herbs are not always in season, buy them when they are, then chop them up as soon as possible.  Put the bits in an ice cube tray, cover with water and freeze. Put the frozen cubes of different herbs in appropriately labelled baggies and freeze.  The ice coating will keep then from getting frost burnt, and they'll be good for a year.

Boru

[Athene]

Generally, it's easier to add more of anything to a recipe, then it is to take it out.

Line edges of pies with aluminum foil to prevent crusts from becoming over-baked or burned--especially useful in making deep dish pies.

Boil potatoes whole (with skin on) for use in potato salads. When done, and cool enough to handle, simply pull of skins and cube.
Saves time and effort peeling, prevents potatoes from absorbing excessive water while cooking (more water means less flavor), and makes cubing a breeze.

Bacon cooks just as well in the oven as it does in a frying pan--better, actually.
And requires nowhere near as much tending to.

Use broth in place of water when possible---adds more flavor.

Allowing meat to brown and crisp for a while (veggies too, to a degree) is sure-fire way to get any soup or stew's flavor off to a great start.

Adding a couple of whole, dried bay leaves to soups and stews provides the X factor that takes them from being simply "okay" to fantastic.

[Chad32]

If you're going to boil something like noodles, a bit of cooking oil in the pot keeps them from sticking to the pan. Even if you don't eat pickles, keep a jar of pickle juice in case you burn yourself. It soothes better than just water. When cooking meat, make sure it's cooked all the way in before you're done. It could look fine on the outside, but still be raw on the inside. Let food cool in its juices before setting it out.

I don't have a lot, because I don't cook a lot, but there's some basic stuff I've learned.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Generally, it's easier to add more of anything to a recipe, then it is to take it out.

Related tip:  Excess salt can be removed from a soup or stew by tossing in two or three small, peeled spuds and simmering for a few minutes.

Boru

[brewer]

Ordering take out is a better idea than cooking hammered.