I’ve been thinking about what to include in my blog since it’s not very interesting at all and I haven’t had anything to write about in a long time. And so I’ve decided that I will include some very simple notes on cooking that I can think of or come across.

Handling onion and garlic

*Everyone knows about how onions make you cry. Well it’s all due to the sulphuric gas that is released. There are a lot of tips and tricks to avoid the crying but the essential is to chill the onion (less likely to release the gas when it’s cold, it’s chemistry!) and use a sharp knife for quick and easy cutting.

*When cooking onions, if you want to sweat the onions without browning them, add a pinch of salt. This will draw moisture out of the onions and stop the browning. Same goes for garlic.

*If you are not so fond of garlic but still want to give your food flavour, use roasted garlic. Roast garlic has a rich but much more subtle flavour. To roast garlic just half a whole garlic horizontally without removing the ‘paper’, drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the open end of the garlic and a spinkle of salt, wrap them in tin foil, and roast in oven at 175°c (350°F) for about 20-30 minutes. To remove the cloves from the paper, just squeeze them out.

*To introduce a small hint of garlic flavour, use a raw cut garlic clove, and rub it on bread, meat, or even the serving dish.

Cooking steak

*When cooking a steak, always only turn your steak/piece of meat once. This will help retain the juiciness of the meat. Also do not press down on the meat. Doing so will cause all the natural juices of the meat to drain out.

*So how do you tell when your steak is ready? Well use this simple trick: your cheeks is about the same consistency as rare, your chin = medium, and your forehead = well done.

Roasting

*When roasting a bird it is always a good idea to tie the legs and wings so that they are closed onto the body. This will let the whole bird cook at the same time.

*To check if the chicken is done, you can use a meat thermometer and test the temperature of the thigh. A minimum of 75°c (165°F) means that bird is cooked. If you do not have a thermometer, just poke into the thigh. If the juice runs clear means it’s done, if there’s still a blood means it needs to cook longer.

*To get a roast bird with nice and crispy skin, you need to start of with a dry bird. A few ways to dry he bird, use paper towels, hang it to dry for a few hours, or rub salt over the skin. Then start cooking at a high heat until the skin starts to brown, then turn the heat down for the rest of the cooking.

Keep meat juicy and tender

*After grilling, roasting, or pan frying a large piece of meat including poultry, let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes so that all the juices can flow to the entire piece of meat. To rest is just to remove from heat and leave it aside.

Utensils maintanence

*I know most people already know this but there are still people out there who do it. DO NOT use metal on non-stick cookery! No knives, no spoons, no forks, no metal objects! Use wooden, bamboo, plastic, or silicon spatulas or spoons. Using metal will scratch the teflon surface. This spoils the cookery, making it not non-stick anymore, and the layer under the teflon is potentially harmful.

Fresh herbs vs. dried herbs

*It is a myth that fresh herbs are better than dried herbs. Actually both have different flavours and things to offer. A little tip for using fresh herbs is to put it in at the last minute. Overcooking the herb will kill the flavour. They are also good for making marinades.

*To help release the flavours of fresh herbs, use a pestel and mortar if you have one, if you don’t, use the blunt side of a knife and whack the herbs a little to release their ‘oils’.

Deep frying

*The ideal temperature for deep frying is around 180°c (360°F). If you do not have an oil thermometer, tear a small piece of bread and fry it. It sound take around 5 seconds to brown. Anything faster means that the oil is too hot.

*Do not put too many things into the oil when frying. This will cause the oil temperature to drop and will not fry nicely.

*Frying batter. To tell you the truth I’m still figuring this one out but there are always the say few things that people always say makes for a crispy batter:

1. Cold temperature – use cold liquid to mix the batter or keep it sitting on a bed of ice. The cold temperature of the batter will get shocked when thrown into the hot oil, an crispen.

2. Air – incorporating air into the batter will also help, either by adding baking soda or using some kind of carbonated bevereage (for example beer).

3. Fat – just like any flaky, crunchy pastry, a crisp batter has a high fat to flour ratio around 1:2.

4. Less is best – it’s always better to under mix than to over mix the batter because if you do, you will lose all the air. Try to fold the batter rather than to whisk it. Also when coating the item with batter, make sure it is only thinly coated.

5. Keep it hot – it’s always best to serve while it’s hot because as it cools, the batter will get soggy.

Cooking pasta

*Rule number 1 is to salt the water that you are going cook the pasta in. Give it a generous amount. Some people also like to put oil in the water. I say… DON’T do that. Why? Because that oil will coat the pasta which inhibits the sauce from fully coating the pasta. If you are worried that the pasta will stick, just stir it around the first few minutes of cooking.

*Some people also like to wash the pasta with cold water after draining it. But that washes away the starch that helps the sauce stick to the pasta.

*However if you intend to cook the pasta before hand and use it later, washing the pasta and mixing a little oil into the pasta stops it from sticking.

Eggs

*I love eggs, cooked any way. And it seems that a lot of people are missing out on one of the best ways to cook eggs, poaching, because they think it’s too difficult. It really isn’t. What you need is a pot of water brought to a boil, and turned down to a medium simmer. Add into the water a generous amount of white vinegar. The vinegar acts as a binder for the egg white, so it doesn’t run all over the water. If you are not so good at cracking an egg, I suggest you crack it into a cup or bowl first. The egg should also be at room temperature. When you are ready, swirl the water in the pot to create a whirlpool and then pour the egg in. It should work because it works for me. Don’t worry if it doesn’t work the first time. It takes a little practice. Alternatively if you are dead lazy to cook an egg, just zap it in a microwave.

*You know the myth that egg yolks have higher cholesterol than egg whites? Well if you haven’t got the news, it’s been disproven. Eating egg whites only is just about the same gram for gram as eating a whole egg.

*How to tell if an egg is rotten? Well easy way without cracking it open is to put it into a bowl of water, if it floats, it’s rotten. The fact is that there is always a little air inside an egg. As it gets older, the air pocket gets larger. So if the egg sticks out of the water a little it’s ok, but when it’s completely floating, throw it away. For those who are paranoid, the safest way is to of course, break the egg into a seperate container.