Don’t be afraid to try something new either. Maybe not with dinner guests though or at least with understanding ones. 😁
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In addition to having sharp knives, having a good knife sharpener is essential. Never underestimate the safely feature of having a very sharp knife do its job on the food instead of you as you saw away with a dull knife.
I'm an iconoclast where this is concerned. I don't want to have to use a honing steel on every Henckels knife before I use it Been there done that--many years ago, my husband thought a full set of Henkels knives was a great Xmas present for me.
. Ended up giving the Henckels set away, and with his blessing (he soon learned what a PITAnkle keeping them sharp was) bought a huge set of Cutco which has stood the test of time for 35 years.
So this is my knife sharpener. It works on Cutco knives, smooth and serrated, and on Shun, Victorinox, and Dexter knives as well (don't judge
). It was initially recommended by Cooks Illustrated about 20 years ago. I've used one ever since, replacing the blade or the whole sharpener every 3-4 years.
All of this is not to fly in the face of those who love sharpening their knives on super duper knife sharpening tools. I've looked at them (a lot!) over the years but still come back to the simplicity of having a knife that is sharp at the exact moment that I want to use it, and if it's not, it only needs 1 or 2 passes through this little gizmo and I'm back in business.
KathrynLast edited by fzxdoc; October 19, 2023, 07:09 AM.Comment
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Hmmm. I sent a Cutco serrated knife back last year to let them sharpen it for free, as I botched it up using my Worksharp manual sharpener. Their serrations are a bit different from the ones on something like my cheap Amazon steak knives. I'll have to look into the Accusharp if it can really handle those. -
jfmorris, I sharpen my Cutco serrated knives on the Accusharp, no problem. Honestly they hold an edge so well that I think I've used an Accusharp on them only a couple of times in the past 10 years.
It's comforting to know, though, that I can always send my Cutco knives back to the factory for free sharpening. Once they replaced a paring knife whose tip I broke off trying to separate two frozen pieces of meat--for free! I heart Cutco.
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Kathryn we only own one Cutco knife - a pearl handled trimmer - and it is my wife's favorite knife. She doesn't like to see me using it in fact!
She bought it from a young man at our church many years ago who was selling Cutco stuff to raise college tuition. When I say their serrations are different - they really are. Normal serratations are curved, with the entire serration sharpened. Cutco's Double-D edge has a straight cutting edge segment between two triangles that are not sharp.
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My cooking journey began as a college student who was working his way through school. To say I was on a tight budget was an understatement. Back then a luxurious extravagant dinner out was the all you can eat for one price night at Pizza Hut. I started with what I could do which was boil water. Kraft chicken and noodle dinners were in the same size box as their Mac and cheese is now and required my only skill. The great thing about the Kraft dinners was they were frequently on sale at 5 for a dollar. They were my generation’s ramen noodles. My kitchen starter kit involved 2 knives, an old steak knife and one of mom’s old butcher knives, a spatula, a large spoon, an old copper bottom pot and an old stainless skillet. They complimented my dining set of 1 plate, 1 bowl, 1 each of fork and spoon. I could easily dirty all my stuff in one meal. My big break through came when a friend gave me a copy of The Joy of Cooking, the 1975 version. That remarkable book not only has great recipes but teaches you how to cook from the very basics on up. As an example on page 145 a chapter labeled The foods we heat starts. The sections in that chapter are labeled, high altitude cooking, About heats, About Dry heat, Broiling, Skewer cooking, Deep-Fat frying, it goes on and on covering what different frying oils to use, Moist Heat cooking and many more. It was exactly what I needed, the how to along with the recipes. Does your cook book have a warranty? This one does, it states on the dust jacket” Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. Try any dozen recipes in Joy of Cooking. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, you may return the book and get your money back”. Just like Mosca I ended up being the cook in my marriage and I loved it. I learned so much and had success and failures along the way. I found my self single years later and was blessed with a wife that can cook and is a master baker. Our kitchen and large butlers pantry are both full of our combined cooking tools. I’m 71 years old now and the journey continues. I’ve learned so much from all of you that my list of what to try next is large.Last edited by Oak Smoke; October 15, 2023, 08:20 PM.Comment
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Oak Smoke A sharp blade, good footware n a pair of vise grips. Veeoola'
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If you have non-frozen shredded hash browns, use your waffle maker to cook them.
Does both sides at once and clean-up is easy.Comment
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Clean as you go..Comment
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I like this one. Especially if you’re just starting; my mom, and her mom, would put everything in the sink as they used it, and clean up at the end. But there is actually a lot of down time while cooking, that can be put to use. For example you might be waiting for water to boil, and all the meats and vegetables have been chopped; clean the wooden cutting board (and the knife if you hand clean those)!
It is really satisfying to take a casserole out of the oven and place it on a clean stovetop.
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agree with all of it ^^^
Read a recipe all the way through… twice.
mise en place
sharp knives
clean as you go
weigh ingredients when baking (breads, cookies, pizza, you get where I’m going here)
have a great support system, like Amazing Ribs!Comment
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And always have an up-to-date list of "go to" takeout places for those "rare" cases of culinary disaster! Ask me how I know...Comment
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I’d like to pass on a lesson I learned from Bonsey,
water is for boiling, not for cooking. To add depth of flavor, If available, always consider using a stock, homemade if possible, it’s always possible, it’s just planning.
Depths of flavor added in is something I still talk with Bonsey about, a lot.
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Wow. All good info. I would add, don't substitute or omit ingredients and expect the recipe to turn out the way the reviews would indicate. My ex thought paprika and chili powder was interchangeable as they had the same color.Comment
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Lots of terrific advice, one thing I learned too late in my cooking journey, but especially since I’ve been doing more carbon steel and cast iron cooking. This even applies to stainless steel cookware, but always pre-heat your pan. Use the right oil and your foods won’t stick.Comment
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Smoker_Boy They’re okay. Carbon steel is closer to cast iron when you treat it right. I grew up using stainless, it takes a little getting used to but in the end it’s about the same utility-wise as cast iron: sometimes it sticks, but not usually.
But you know what you said about cheap knives? That’s what I feel about non stick pans. I buy a cheapish one, use it until it’s worn out, and then get another one. The most recent one is actually pretty good, I'm going on 4 years or so now with it. -
Mosca Yeah, relatively cheap non-stick is all we have ever bought.
T-Fal is about the most high-end as we go.
EDIT: First time I have ever tried the "mention" thingy. -
Smoker_Boy the carbon steel definitely took me a while to learn, but now I don’t like cooking in anything else. I can’t remember where I saw it, but the water drop test in SS is a good one. It should roll around in pan like a drop of mercury. Of course, then adjust to your desired cook temp
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My dear departed MIL was a very smart lady, but she had no cooking sense. She could follow a recipe, but if there was a typo like printing a "c" instead of a "t", she would put a cup of whatever she was preparing.
Not only should you read a new recipe twice, make sure it makes sense and that there are no glaring errors.Comment
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Just have fun……..if it doesn’t turn out, it’s ok. Learn from what may have went wrong and keep going.
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Pre-heat skillets, don’t be afraid of high heat, invest in a small number of good tools—a chef’s knife, a cast iron skillet, a good instant read thermometer, a large non-stick pan, a Dutch oven, large stock pot, a blender, and a food processor—always stock fridge/pantry with kosher salt, olive oil, black pepper, chicken stock, heavy cream, carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, garlic, and shallots, learn to make your own salad dressing.
Many other tips but I find if I follow these I can cook almost anything.
And a big second for mise en place. That will prevent many kitchen disasters.Comment
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Oh snap….. I forgot one…..
don’t put ketchup on hot dogs or burgers…🙃🙃🙃Comment
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