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According to feedback I’ve received, my 30-to-60 second “Tips and Techniques Videos” have been a huge success! Since I have many recipes blog posts and videos which show you what to do with ground beef, two “Tips and Techniques Videos” in particular, Thawing Ground Beef and Browning Ground...
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... of a holiday!)
There are many, many different ways to make gravy, using slightly different techniques and ingredients. All gravies, no matter how they are made, should have no lumps, should be smooth as silk and should have no taste of raw flour.
In this post, I am going to show you how to ma...
in Start Cooking blog
... beating...
until the cream reaches desired consistency (do not over beat!).
Tips for a Successful Whipped Cream
One cup of whipping cream makes about 2 cups of whipped cream.
For flavoring, one teaspoon of vanilla is often added per cup of whipping cream. But the flavoring possibi...
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... of capers
1/2 cup of vinaigrette dressing
Step # 1 - Cook the eggs
Check out my 30-second Tips and Techniques Video on How to Boil an Egg. You can do this step well in advance, as hard cooked, unpeeled eggs will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.
Step # 2 - Cook the potatoes
C...
in Start Cooking blog
... of Grilled Vegetable Panini using a panini grill. These step-by-step instructions with photos show techniques and ingredients for a delicious game-time sandwich. These can also be made on the barbecue or a stove top griddle using a weight to flatten the sandwiches.
How about a Grilled Peanut Butter...
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If you’ve ever enjoyed a hearty, tender beef stew or the melt-in-your mouth texture of lamb shanks, you’ve enjoyed the product of a process called braising. This method of sloooooowwwwly cooking meat, vegetables or other ingredients over a low temperature turns out delicious results with relatively little effort. So, it's a great technique for beginners to try.
It does take a little bit of planning ahead, though. If you want to try braising, keep in mind that you’ll have to get that pot on the stove (or in the oven) early in the day. Perhaps you can get the ingredients prepared in the morning and then cook them in the early afternoon so that the dish is ready for dinner. (Word of warning: do not leave your house with food cooking on the stove top or in the oven!)
Why Beginners Should Try Braising:
It’s low-maintenance cooking! Once the ingredients are in the pot, you just let them cook slowly while you do something else.
You typically end up with a one-pot meal that’s got a delicious stewy/saucy texture. Eat it with some crusty bread and forget about preparing other side dishes!
Slow cooking transforms the texture of cheaper cuts of meat, giving them a tender, fall-off-the-bone quality.
Braising typically makes a large amount, so there are leftovers for lunch the next day or to store in the freezer.
How to Braise
The process starts with searing or browning meat (or other main ingredients) on the stove, then simmering the ingredients in a liquid over low heat.
Kathy demonstrates how to brown the meat for Guinness Stout Beef Stew.
The searing/browning step adds flavor to the meat, while simmering in a covered pot for a long period of time helps make it tender, and often produces a sauce or gravy.
Adding liquid helps to deglaze the pot, and give flavor to the stew.
The liquid used in the braising process depends on the recipe or personal choice; it can be anything from water, to stock, to wine or beer.
When the liquid is poured into the pot or pan where the ingredients were browned, it deglazes the pan. In other words, the flavorful juices and fat stuck on the sides of the pot get incorporated into the cooking liquid.
The simmering process can happen on the stove-top or in the oven, depending on what the recipe calls for. But, if you’re following a recipe that says to use the oven, the pot you’re using must be oven-safe. Check the bottom of the pot or the manufacturer’s instructions – don’t take any chances.
What to Braise in:
The recipe you're using will dictate what kind of pot or cooking vessel to use, but here's a rundown of some of the terms you may come across.
A Dutch oven, which is usually a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid that’s made of cast iron or enamel-coated iron.
A Crock Pot (also known as a slow cooker). This is an electric appliance that cooks food at a constant temperature for a set period of time. Crock Pots can be set to cook food while you're out of the kitchen or even out of the house. If you're planning on using a Crock Pot, use a recipe that's designed to be cooked that way. (There are many die-hard Crock Pot fans out there including Stephanie O’Dea, who made a New Year’s resolution to use her Crock Pot every day in 2008. She blogs about her project at A Year of Crockpotting.)
A pressure cooker
A large saucepan that has a lid
Great Recipes for Braising
Start by trying Corned Beef Brisket—it doesn't get easier than this!
Startcooking.com offers some recipes that serve as a great introduction to braising. Corned Beef Brisket (shown above) is a good starting point because, although the process involved isn’t technically braising, it demonstrates the benefits of slow cooking. The meat is not browned—all you do is put it in a pot, cover it with water, bring it to a boil, then simmer for 3 to 5 hours. You’ll end up with moist meat that tastes great as a main course or a sandwich filling.
Guinness Stout Beef Stew is braised for a relatively short period of time, about 90 minutes.
The photo tutorial on Guinness Stout Beef Stew (shown above), illustrates every step of the braising process. This stew is also relatively fast, since it cooks for about 11/2 hours.
If you’ve got more time, and prefer a Guinness-less stew, watch Kathy’s video on Beef Stew, which takes around three hours to make.
Here’s a helpful guide to a cool-weather favourite: Pot Roast. This photo tutorial over at Greg Cooks shows how you transform a slab of roast into a delicious meal. It gets its flavor from wine, garlic and fresh herbs.
Farmgirl Fare offers a tutorial on slow-cooking lamb; it cooks for two to three hours, but the pictures indicate that it’s well worth the wait.
You may be familiar with the French classic Coq au Vin, which is chicken braised in red wine. In this recipe, the chicken doesn’t cook for that long (around half an hour), but you make a sauce at the end.
For those who own a Crock Pot, here’s a Stewed Chicken Curry recipe, explained in a step-by-step photo tutuorial.
Kathy's Sweet and Sour Cabbage combines cabbage, apples and raisins for a delicious side dish.
Braising doesn’t have to involve meat. Kathy’s Sweet and Sour Cabbage (shown above) demonstrates how slow cooking can be used to make vegetable-based side dishes.
My Vegetable Blog offers Sherry-braised Onions and Apples with Raisins, a dead-easy way to make a dish of soft onions that works well with cheese and baguette.
in Start Cooking blog
... you’re a startcooking.com regular, no doubt you’ve become more comfortable with basic cooking techniques. Now you’re making sweet and sour meatballs, tomato olive quesadillas, and know how to stir fry. Plus, you’re no longer wondering what mesclun is! Maybe you’re even thinking of invitin...
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... practice fine-motor coordination, make choices about nutrition, and of course, learn basic cooking techniques. Making foods from different countries is also a superb way to start conversations about other parts of the world.
Teach good health and hygiene by making sure your children pull back lon...
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... them with a bit of fruit, you won't even notice you're getting your daily allowance of veggies.
Tips: If you're being adventurous and concocting your own smoothie recipe, try to keep things simple and choose no more than 2 or 3 fruits at one time. And, if you think what you've created is too over...
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... over the beef. If you'd like, try marinating the steak, but this isn't necessary for any of the techniques below.
Now, let's review our cooking options:
1. Fry:
Simply put, you're tossing a hunk of beef into a frying pan. Fire up a pan on medium heat, and warm up a teaspoon of oil for a mi...
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... it does get easier!)
Cuisine at Home (August 2007) showed how to make this onion holder in their "tips and techniques" section. You really can only use this method if the onion has pretty thick skin. (You’ll see why as you read on!)
Start by cutting the onion in half from the root to the tip.
...
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... here to introduce the novice cook to a whole new world of food.
For both the recipes and the “tips and techniques,” I have gone back to the basics.
Some of the many “basic” posts I have done are: How to Make a Hamburger, Deviled Eggs, Cooking White Rice and, of course, everyone’s favo...
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... home-ec teacher, the site offers up scrumptious recipes with stop-animation videos as well as tips and basic techniques in blog format. Maister is cooking in real time from her Back Bay kitchen, so viewers can see the equipment, materials and finished product. The videos are expertly edited, and at...
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... people feel special.
Everyone deserves a good home-cooked meal.
Here's my Top Ten list of tips to increase your success when you start cooking!
Kathy Maister's Top Ten startcooking.com Tips
Have fun.
Think small — master one skill at a time.
Keep your knives sharp.
Think ahead...
in Start Cooking blog
... and specialty stores also sell fresh and frozen pasta. Pasta: Dry, Fresh or Frozen has some great tips on helping you to decide what to buy.
Which pasta with which sauce?
The best thing about pasta is that there are no hard and fast rules, but a few guidelines for matching your sauce to a parti...
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[video file_key="ThreeGoodKitchenKnives"]
Today I'm going to begin a Tips and Techniques series here on my blog, starting with some comments on some basic equipment everybody who wants to cook will need.
Stocking a kitchen for the first time can be a very daunting - and expensive - experience. B...