Top 10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Cooking
Published on April 16, 2008 - 249 Comments
As many of you know, I love cooking; it is my main hobby. Over the years I have discovered little tips that make cooking so much better. These are things which are most often lacking when someone presents you with bad or dull food. If you follow all of these tips, your cooking will improve dramatically.
The Microwave Oven is good for one thing only: defrosting; and even that can be done just as easily by putting something in the refrigerator one day before your need it to defrost gently. Microwaves do not add to the flavor of anything they cook, whereas stove top or oven cooking does - through the caramelization of juices (which is what gives us the brown crispy outside of meat). Having a microwave in the house leads to the temptation to cut corners. I have not had a Microwave for 3 years and I can still cook an entire meal from scratch in less than 40 minutes - and I guarantee it tastes a hell of a lot better than anything cooked in a microwave.
If you are using a recipe, read it twice from beginning to end before you start doing any cooking. So often we skim a recipe and then in our hurry (once things start to heat up) we neglect certain steps. By reading the recipe twice, you are less likely to skip a step which can result in disaster. Having said this, I also recommend that try to experiment with your cooking - don’t become a slave to your cookbook - but make the choices intentionally, not through forgetfulness.
If you are cooking a meal with multiple components - such as a roast chicken with vegetables, it can be very helpful to write a list of what you need to do and when. You can write down specific times (I find it useful to work back from the time you want to serve). This results in a much smoother working process and you won’t have people waiting for dinner to be served late.
Wine can add a lot of flavor to a meal; if you are braising meat - for example in a pot roast, pour in some wine. The alcohol content left after cooking is not enough to make this an “adults-only” meal (on the other hand, I think children should be given wine with dinner from a very young age anyway). The general rule is to use red wine with red meat, and white with white. If you are going to pan fry some fish, just pour in a half cup of white wine and some herbs, and you can make a lovely meal with a ready made sauce.
Dried herbs have little or no flavor. This tip alone can transform bland food in to masterful food. You can either grow your own herbs, or you can buy them fresh from the supermarket. The herbs you are most likely to use repeatedly (and therefore the best ones to grow yourself) are thyme, bay leaves, parsley (use the Italian flat leaf type - it has a lot more flavor than curly parsley), and (to a lesser extent unless you like to do a lot of oriental cooking,) coriander (cilantro). Another less common herb that you should try if you haven’t is tarragon - it has a slight aniseed flavor and is excellent with fish or chicken; buy the French kind - the other type (Israeli) has no flavor.
Forget everything you have been told about salt and health. If you want to eat good food, you need to use plenty of salt. A real pinch of salt involves using 2 fingers and a thumb, not the forefinger and thumb. People have been frightened off using salt by government advertisements, and it is ridiculous. The French eat a lot of salt (and butter) and they have a very low cardiac deathrate compared to a nation such as England which has a bizarre obsession with salt reduced diet. When boiling pasta, make sure the water tastes like the sea. If you have never tasted seawater, it tastes like it is so salty that a mouthful would make you gag. For a very large pasta pot of water, I usually use two small handfuls of salt. When cooking vegetables in water, always add salt. Contrary to popular belief, salt in cooking water does not stop the color from leeching out of vegetables, it simply enhances their flavor. Also, if you boil your potatoes before roasting, salt water helps to give more color and crunch to the outside.
Butter is fundamental in good cooking. When you fry a steak, you should always fry it in butter (with a little oil added to stop the butter burning). Butter adds flavor to anything, and can also be used as a thickener (see sauce below). Do not use margarine, do not use semi-soft butter. Always cook with unsalted butter (then you can decide exactly how much salt you want the dish to have). If you really want to improve boiled or steamed vegetables, undercook them, then add them to a pan with a big knob of butter and finish the cooking over a high heat. Add salt, pepper, and chopped parsley.
They say that a good sauce is the difference between a cook and a chef. Sauces are extremely easy to make and you should almost always prepare a sauce to go with your meals. If you have fried meat in a frying pan, leave the heat on and pour some wine in to the pan - scrape all the bits off the bottom and cook until the wine has evaporated by half. Pour in some stock (any type will do, but do try to match the stock with the meat - or use chicken for everything except fish) and cook down until it is half again. Taste it and add salt and pepper if you need to. Strain and serve. Additionally, if you want your sauce to be a little thicker, whisk in a knob of butter off the heat.
Fresh ingredients make all the difference. Vegetables and meat bought from small producers (such as local farms) is even better. Supermarkets have strict requirements about the appearance of food and very little concern about taste. An apple bought from the local market will always be better than anything you can buy in a supermarket. Add to that the overpacking that we see so often in chain markets and you have a recipe for disaster. I guarantee you that any of your regular recipes when made with fresh ingredients and not supermarket ingredients will be 100 times better.
Tasting is the most important part of cooking. You must constantly taste what you are cooking as you cook it. This is true even of things like hamburgers. You should take a little bit of your hamburger meat and fry it - then taste it. Keep adding more salt and pepper or other ingredients and repeat the frying. When it finally tastes right, you can make your burgers. Because this is such an important part of cooking, many chefs will not cook with ingredients they do not like. Tasting early in the cooking process can save you from a disaster later on - when it is too late to recover.
Related ListsA Message From JfraterTop 10 Steps to Making a Perfect Roast Chicken Top 10 Common Errors Made In Cooking 10 Easy Arithmetic Tricks |
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1. DiscHuker - April 16th, 2008 at 5:32 am
Practice, Practice, Practice. that is the best way to get good at everything.
2. Levi - April 16th, 2008 at 5:37 am
Amazing. I love to cook myself. A trait passed down to me by my mother. I knew you liked to cook JF, but I didn’t know to this extent. Absolutely stunning list.
3. DiscHuker - April 16th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Oh yeah, and excellent advice about knowing the recipe without being shackled to it. my main thrust of cooking is the department of baking. being creative with the order of processes and amount of certain ingredients, usually salt and chocolate, has led me to some wonderful results.
4. Borka - April 16th, 2008 at 5:44 am
Experiment as much as possible !
5. Levi - April 16th, 2008 at 5:47 am
I’ve never once in my life ever used a “booked” recepie. I’ve had great success. But I was taught the rules of cooking. All my measurements are done by eye. I measure spoonfulls in my palm, liquid amounts by time, etc. But of course, I’ve done little to no baking.
Bakings an exact science if I understand right, DiscHuker?
6. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 5:56 am
I fully agree with dischuker, the more you practice your cooking, the more likely you are to know what things can go wrong, what works, what doesn’t etc… My brother’s gotten to the stage where he makes specific touches to everyone’s plate depending on what they prefer, he’s amazing. I think that this and your other list about unusual food combinations are some of the most interesting on the site. I chucked in some aniseed into my mum’s meat once, just to see what would happen, and it turned out to be the best thing she’s ever made.
And mate, with all the time you spend on this site, how do you have time to cook all the time!
7. stevenh - April 16th, 2008 at 5:59 am
For an interesting change use Ghee instead of butter.
It is a clarifed butter from India. If kept in a closed container it does not need refrigeration, so it is softer than regular butter.
Great taste as well.
I agree with everything except number 10.
You would be better off bringing it to a recycle center
8. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 5:59 am
DiscHuker: that is so true - I think it is a good idea to really perfect a few base recipes then play around with others until you perfect them too. On your other point about baking - I find baking terrifying - though I have no problems with cooking - I am always worried that things will go wrong.
Borka: definitely true of cooking - you can come up with some weird and wonderful stuff!
Levi: Thanks
I love writing food lists 
If you like this list you might like this one too: http://listverse.com/miscellan.....ng-tricks/ (top 10 basic cooking tricks)
9. juanjux - April 16th, 2008 at 5:59 am
11. Use olive oil
10. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 6:03 am
carpe_noctem: I love cooking so much that I make time
Sometimes dinner is at midnight - but at least I have fun on the way 
And you are dead right about the aniseed thing - I almost always use it when cooking slow cooked meat now.
stevenh: oh - that is a good point - if you use ghee you don’t need to add oil to stop the butter burning because Ghee doesn’t have the solids that butter has.
11. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 6:04 am
juanjux: I do use olive oil - but only when I am cooking something from a region that produces it - ie, Italian, Greek. I always use butter for standard European fare as that is what the French use (and they invented modern cuisine)
12. JwJwBean - April 16th, 2008 at 6:05 am
I hate cooking. I took Home Ecenomics in 8th grade. I got a C. For those non americans - I took a sewing and cooking class when I was 13-14 yrs old and I barely got a passing grade. We were making cookies from a recipe. We thought we read the recipe. Somehow we missed the word melted. We were supposed to melt the chocolate before adding it. OOPS. Course I was in a group with 2 other people so I guess I shouldn’t take all the blame. They didn’t quite turn out like they were supposed to. I am saying your number 9 of read read read and read again of the recipe is always a good idea.
13. islanderbst - April 16th, 2008 at 6:06 am
I always like cooking on a gas stove top rather than electric
14. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 6:09 am
i’m so glad australia has normal subjects… it seems like home economics is just the class you take when you can’t be bothered to do anything else… i’m terribly sorry jfrater if you do that over in new zealand (incidentally, i’m the only aussie in existence who likes you guys!)
and i love cooking too, i made my family wait until like 11 at night to eat once because i was too busy making it right. i think something that worries people is when something goes wrong, and maybe it’s just the aussie mentality of ‘oh well, so that didn’t work, try again’ but if something doesn’t work, or it’s completely unsavable, start again, who cares!
15. Levi - April 16th, 2008 at 6:11 am
JF: From reading the comments in this list and the other one, it sounds like you’re a marvelous cook. Perhaps posting a list of your favorite recpies wouldn’t be a bad idea.
16. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 6:13 am
and jfrater, do you like music? because there doesn’t seem to be an enormous amount of music-related lists on the website. i know i’d love to see something on some composers of the romantic or classical period, or anything on piano works of the last couple of centuries… just a thought!
17. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 6:13 am
JwJwBean: how can you hate cooking?! I am shocked!
islanderbst: me too - by far! Gas is so much easier to manage
carpe_noctem: I have the same attitude as you with starting over - I have no problems throwing something out and starting again. And NZ does do home economics (or used to) - but it is very brief (only in the two years prior to starting high school).
18. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 6:17 am
levi: that’s an awesome idea! jf your fans have spoken
19. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 6:23 am
levi: I was thinking that before actually
I might do that - I have a great recipe for lamb shanks!
20. JwJwBean - April 16th, 2008 at 6:27 am
I know jfrater, I know. Absolutely shocking. Anyone want some Easy Pineapple Cake, er bread, er goo…
And I had many things I wanted to take in school. I chose Home Ec. because at the time I thought I wanted to cook and sew and be a Future Home Maker of America (I was the vice pres. of the FHA at the time). I guess it is better to learn those things at home. My mom is an excellant cook and seamstress. She just didn’t have the patience to teach me.
21. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 6:29 am
carpe_noctem: I do - I have done a few opera and 20th century classical music related lists. I actually studied opera and worked as a professional singer for a number of years. Here is my favorite piano concerto (Concerto for Piano and Strings) by Alfred Schnittke:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9DEfeU1lis - it is in three parts - listen to them all - great stuff.
22. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Great List; Great job Jamie. Y’all know I love food. The microwave tip is the very best. My family all works on different shifts; the only thing we use our microwave for (not including stuffed green peppers - sorry they turn out better - you don’t have to blanch them) is for heating up the dinner they missed.
I own about 40 cookbooks. I read them, I close them, then I go cook. The only exception is cakes and pastries.
I don’t find it necessary to make a list anymore, (unless I’m catering a dinner), but it took me 25 years to get the timing thing down pat.
The only other suggestion I would make is to cook seasonally. What I mean is don’t decide to have raspberry coulis in May. Raspberries are only good (ie; not trucked from 10,000 miles) in august/september. If what you need is not seasonally available; frozen is a better bet. They at least are processed immediately, generally picked ripe, not picked hard and disgusting and sprayed with some shit to make them ripen.
Again - as Jamie said - buy the very best ingredients you can afford.
Jamie - we are finally getting some decent purchased stocks where I live - unfortunately they are marked as organic so cost about 4 X as much as they should. They are worth it.
23. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 6:30 am
When I find myself eating something delicious at a restaurant, I’m constantly thinking about how I can replicate it at home. After many tries and mistakes, I usually can come up with the same thing at home. I hear people say they don’t want to cook when they come home from work or whatever, but I find it relaxing and a worthwhile activity. The smell in your house after baking bread - not from a friggen machine but with your hands - is reason enough to try it.
Most of what you’ve suggested here is well taken.
Cooking for yourself is satisfying and rewarding, but you have to be patient and curious. Cookbooks can help, as well as watching decent cooking how-to shows. But there’s no substitute for curiosity and an adventurous spirit. And you’re right on about salt and butter, and I would add olive oil and cream to the list.
I read Anthony Bourdain’s book Kitchen Confidential and he has a chapter devoted to why he’s a chef and you’re not, not a in a snobby way, but he explains little things that you can do to improve your cooking skills and much of what jfrater listed is also in his book. My entire taste in food was transformed after I made my own batch of Emeril’s Essence. Whether you like the guy or think he’s an annoying troll, that spice is damn tasty on just about anything savory. And anyone who watches something like Top Chef or Alton Brown, or even Gordon Ramsay’s programs knows, simple fresh ingredients and good preparation always trumps anything pretentious that you might think you need to do to be a good cook.
24. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Jfrater:
Great list (amazing that some people don’t view these suggestions as common-sensical, even now). I’d make only two additions:
And *always* use good, extra-virgin olive oil (except for high-heat frying and deep-frying).
And when a recipe calls for lemon juice–use LEMONS… not the stuff out of a bottle.
one other one—never use tomato sauce from a bottle. Make your own.
(This from 1/8 Greek, 1/4 Italian Randall).
25. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 6:36 am
I should clarify; here organic (unless you buy directly from the farmer) is a crock of shit. They are still processed by the same companies that produce the regular non-organic food. Using too much cow-shit is not any better for you than processed nitrogen fertilizer. Natural pesticides are just as toxic as man-made poison. Shop the markets. Get to know your green-grocer. or Grow your own.
26. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Mom424: you are dead right about seasonal produce - by shopping at a farmers market you should really only have seasonal stuff available. I think it also makes it nice for the seasons to be marked by different foods - it gives you something to look forward to as the new season approaches. As for the list for timing - I still need it - big time!
Bucslim: good points - I try to guess what is in everything when I eat out too - and I also find cooking relaxing - I am happy to spend an entire day in the kitchen - or even weekend if I am making something especially complex. It makes the eating so much more worthwhile when you know the effort put in. And I also agree about the bread machine - I should have mentioned that in item 10 too - that is another device you can certainly throw away
27. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Mom - you get smarter every time I read your comments. What’s for dinner?
28. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Randall: true about the olive oil - it is good to have very high quality olive oil in the house because if you just want a quick snack for guests you can put oil and balsamic vinegar in a dish with bread on the site and no cooking is needed at all! And you are right about the lemon juice - I didn’t mention that because in NZ it is incredibly rare to see people use bottled lemon or lime juice - people generally squeeze their own; I guess it is more common in the US to use pre-packed.
Mom424: I am of two minds about organics as well - which I why I said farm fresh but did not say organic. Unfortunately in the UK, organic is about the only way to get good quality fruit as people will excuse blemishes, etc. The rest of the fruit and veges taste like rubber. And as for growing your own - I just bought 50 packets of vege seeds today - I will be planting them once I return to NZ
29. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Hey Bucslim; I make my own Bam seasoning mix too. Damn tasty! I got sick of Emiril pretty quick; is it just me? it seems he seasons everything the same.
I do swiss chalet chicken better than swiss chalet. Also whole stuffed (with t-bone tails, red wine, peppers, onions) potato skins. Stolen from the Keg. Gazpacho stolen from LaFayette Restaurant. Quite the thief I am.
30. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 6:47 am
bucslim: if i’m ever at a restaurant and i really really love it, i ask the chef how he made it. maybe it’s different in america (i’m assuming you’re american, don’t hold it against me if you aren’t) but most chefs seem quite willing to share their secrets. it’d be like a doctor not telling you how he fixed you, people get into these careers because they love what they do, not because they’re making a lot of money out of it
jfrater: i’ve already seen that concerto, i love it! my favourite is rachmaninoff’s first concerto for piano and orchestra (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Mi96lHAlOg if you’re interested), i got to play that with my school’s orchestra, it was amazing! i started playing piano when i was 3 (i’m almost 19 now) and the french people (i’m in france for a year on youth exchange) can’t seem to comprehend that anyone would do something for so long a time… and that’s amazing about the opera thing, i was never much of a singer haha…
31. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 6:52 am
carpe_noctem: Nice to know that Schnittke’s appeal is well spread! And you are in one of my favorite countries in the world! I love France and the French! Take advantage of your time there. It must have been great to play Rachmaninov with an orchestra; I am not the biggest fan of his stuff but I recognize that a great deal of talent is needed to play it. Planning on tackling the number 3 anytime soon?
32. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 6:54 am
jfrater - have you read Kitchen Confidential? If you haven’t it’s really interesting to anyone who cooks. Salty language and ridiculous stories from the restaurant kitchen including stealing, substance abuse and burning flesh.
33. dangorironhide - April 16th, 2008 at 6:55 am
Meh… This list seems very ‘preachy’. What you like isn’t necessarily what everyone likes. Fair enough some of them are common sense (9,8,2), but what if someone isn’t a big fan of wine for example? I can’t tell the difference between fresh and dried herbs, we use both at home, whichever is closer to hand. Microwaves are really useful for warming up leftover quickly, & they (mostly) taste the same as heating them up in the oven, & take a fraction of the time.
Why do you think young kids should be given wine with meals?
34. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Just a little note; you don’t need a formal vegetable garden to grow your own. I have beautiful flower gardens all around my house (I will post some pics over on the picture thread later today) in the midst of my flowers, if you look close, you will find garlic, lemon thyme, basil, peppers etc. I grow patio tomatoes. I live in potato country, and close to the Holland Marsh, so I don’t grow any root vegetables. Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, turnips, cabbage, are available in good condition all year here.
35. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 6:59 am
jf: i’m having the best time here, they let me join the youth orchestra at the place i’m living in haha! and the third has to wait for a little while, it’s bloody hard! not many people know about the first one, but it’s awesome… i love liszt as well, i’ve been looking for ages for the original liszt version of the 2nd hungarian rhapsody, and (i have no idea if you know these, but you definitley should listen to them) i’m learning his paganini etudes, they’re bloody impossible! you have to watch La Campanella, i started it when i was about 13, and it’s by far the hardest piece i’ve ever played!
36. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 7:02 am
Mom - I used to love Emeril before his live show. His solo show seemed to be more about cooking exciting food. His live show was just annoying after about a week, the excitement was overblown and with every gutteral scream, he started to become chalk screetchings. I loved his enthusiasm, but he stepped on that gas pedal too many times. I prefer Alton Brown’s Good Eats much more. And I love Gordon Ramsay’s salty language and sheer commitment.
carpe - I once ate a bowl of rice noodles and grilled pork at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was heaven. I must have tried cooking that at home in a wok 20 times before I came up with something similar. i would have asked the chef how she did it, but I don’t speak vietnamese.
37. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Dangorironhide; Wine for cooking, alcohol is evaporated out of it. I don’t drink very often (I prefer red when I do), but I use it at least 2 or 3 times a week; for sauces, gravy (thick sauce), marinating pot roast. That kind of thing. Zabaglione is the only thing I can think of off-hand where the booze isn’t cooked out of it.
Honestly though a glass of wine with dinner (they do it in Europe all the time) isn’t gonna hurt your kid. In fact I believe it promotes responsible drinking. Drinking as an accompaniment to a meal, not to get wasted.
38. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Mom - I produce a television gardening program. Our website is undergoing some construction issues right now, but if you want to check it out go to http://byf.unl.edu. It’s also podcasted under “Backyard Farmer.” And the features I produce are also on YouTube and Yahoo Video.
39. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 7:06 am
dangorironhide: because I think it promotes responsibility with alcohol and takes away the mystery of alcohol. I think the French attitude to wine (which is the same as mine) is why the French don’t have problems with youths binge drinking like the English do. As for your other point - I guarantee you would taste the difference between dried and fresh tarragon in a chicken pie
40. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 7:11 am
bucslim: good point… you can always try to ask him and see how far it gets you… but hey, at least you got there in the end!
41. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Mom424: that sounds like the sort of garden I would love to grow- I just need to buy some books now - to learn about the ins and outs of growing from seed.
carpe_noctem: I am familiar with the pieces you mentioned - it is good to see such passion for music - an essential element in success
Oh - and I forgot to mention to dangor in the last comment - the taste of cooked wine is not the same as when you drink it - it develops in the cooking.
42. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 7:13 am
Rosemary is another spice that is way better fresh. The flavor is much more subtle, less perfumy, just better. Carefully slip your hand between the skin and the meat of a whole chicken. Make a pretty pattern with fresh rosemary. Salt well inside and out. Roast. Yum. Even lamb chops (not my fave) with garlic and fresh rosemary and olive oil. To die for.
43. boab - April 16th, 2008 at 7:19 am
“I think children should be given wine with dinner from a very young age anyway”
Care to explain why ?
Thanks
44. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 7:19 am
i can’t believe some people genuinely believe that food with wine added to it is alcoholic… there’s more alcohol in a chocolate liquer than in a steak with a bottle of wine upended onto it… and i do fully agree with the french method, wine with dinner promotes healthy drinking in later life. it’s like sex, if you don’t educate kids about it early, they’re going to pick up a whole heap of stuff at school and on tv, which doesn’t really promote a healthy education…
is it a mortal sin if my dad adds beer to food?
45. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Mom424: lamb chops are about the only thing I use rosemary with - I am not a fan of it otherwise.
46. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Bucslim; very cool site, some questions I needed answers to. I have a flowering crab apple tree that needs pruning.
Jamie; I’m not sure about the growing season in NZ but here we need to start some stuff in the house in peat pots. Tomatoes & pepper plants for instance. Swiss chard, peas, beans, radishes, beets, all are started in the garden. I always have a patch of chard. Harvest it with scissors, it keeps growing back. I much prefer it to spinach or beet greens or kale.
47. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 7:23 am
carpe_noctem: definitely not (the beer thing) - Heston Blumenthal puts beer in his fish and chips batter - it is quite common. You can also make beer bread. Yum.
boab: see above. Additionally, I don’t see any problem with children drinking alcohol with parental supervision (this does not mean I would give children vodka, etc.) In New Zealand (where I grew up) children are allowed to drink at any age in a restaurant as long as they have adult supervision (and without adult supervision from 18). I believe the same is true of France, and Italy. Not sure about the UK. I am not quite sure why alcohol is so demonized.
48. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Mom424: the NZ season is the opposite of the US - and the climate is similar to England though in the major cities it doesn’t get as cold as England and summers are hotter.
49. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Jfrater; I know dried rosemary has a taste similar to after-shave. Honestly I like most regional foods, chinese, thai, mexican (not taco bell), japanese (i skip the chicken heads and fish guts), but I cannot get my mouth around Middle Eastern - North African food. It all tastes, even the candy, like you should be spraying it in your armpits. Cardomam, pine nuts, rosemary, juniper berries - yuck.
50. chershey - April 16th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Fresh ingredients is probably the most important thing on this list IMHO.
I don’t like fish at all. It tastes bland and plain and downright odd. Last Christmas my family and I went fishing on the Great Barrier Reef and cooked the fish as soon as we got home - without ever freezing it (it was on ice in the cooler on the boat but that’s it) - and it was some of the best meat I’ve ever tasted; I can’t wait to go back this year and eat more!
51. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 7:36 am
i’m going to go with mom on this one, north african food really doesn’t taste like anything that’s meant to go in your mouth… and food (with music, film and rugby) is one of my loves of life, i’m willing to try anything from anywhere in the world, and almost always love it, but i never managed to get around the whole, this smells an awful lot like un-food thing that the middle east has got going on there…
jfrater: beer bread! oh dear god yes, that’s next on my to-do list. and the french love their bread, so i could introduce the next big thing ha… is it possible to add too much wine to food? like, i would have thought almost definitely yes, it’s like salt, if you add too much, it doesn’t work, but my mum seems to think you can just chuck as much as you want, it’ll just enhance the flavour more
52. SlickWilly - April 16th, 2008 at 7:39 am
I cut up a couple of hotdogs and threw them into a pot of Kraft Shells ‘n Cheeze. It was…okay.
53. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 7:41 am
boab - I think one of the reasons is to develop a child’s palate. And I think we have such an over abundance of fear about alcohol that other countries like France don’t have because they are introduced to wine at an early age.
But we rely on fast food so much in America to feed our children I sincerely think it stunts children’s appreciation for good food that goes beyond not wanting to finish your vegetables. Sure there’s a danger of drinking too much, which probably won’t happen if mom and dad are sitting at the table. But helping a young adult figure out what actually tastes good is never a bad thing. And it’s probably better than chicken nuggets and orange goo. But realistically it’ll never catch on here, there’s too much fear when it comes to alcohol. I don’t know how the stinky French do it, but I raise my glass to them in that respect.
54. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 7:45 am
SlickWilly; as long as they were either Nathan’s or Schneider’s Red Hots I could stomach it. Being Canadian I prefer the original Kraft Dinner in the box. (We have the highest per capita consumption of KD in the entire world). We actually have it every couple of weeks or so. Instead of potatoes or rice. Last time we had Bar-B-Que’d marinated loin chops (lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dried herbs, salt & pepper), stir fried veg and 3 boxes of KD. I feed 7 people every meal.
55. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 7:46 am
carpe_noctem: if it a long cooking casserole I think you could be fairly liberal with the wine - at least a bottle. If it is a dish being cooked on the stove, or a sauce, you would use the wine to taste.
56. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 7:47 am
bucslim/boab: i have no idea how the french get away with it, but they drink more than any country i know, and there’s almost no trouble with alcoholism here… i agree that much of america’s reluctance probably stems from fear about what might happen, but realistically, the kids are drinking anyway, and it promotes a much healthier attitude towards alcohol if they’re introduced to it earlier. my parents have always been very happy to let me do pretty much whatever i wanted in regards to drinking, and there’s never been any problems towards it, if i wanted a drink, i could ask for one, no questions asked…
57. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 7:51 am
jfrater: my parents tend to drink the wine as they’re putting it in, so over-wining is rarely a problem, but it’s good to know! my mum definitely follows your last rule about tasting, she always makes sure that it still tastes like it’s meant to… and i think i completely forgot to mention this: great list! every one of those points i agree with!
58. peppercurls - April 16th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Mom424: I have the same problem with Middle Eastern. I think it is the overwhelming (and ubiquitous) combination of brine and sweetness that turns me off. I had, however, the most amazing roasted rosemary chicken at a Lebanese restaurant the other weekend. mmm.
59. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 8:01 am
There’s been some mention of the boxed Mac-N-Cheese here so I thought I’d share this little tidbit:
In addition to producing television shows, I also have produced distance education classes for the University I work for. Most of the classes I’ve been a part of have been in entomology - the study of insects for the uninitiated. Anyway, the professor told me for one of his freshman introductory classes he had the students bring in a box of Kraft Mac-N-Cheese as well as generic brands. In 10 years of looking at the packet that contains the cheese powder through a microscope he has NEVER come across a packet WITHOUT cockroach parts or rodent hair/feces. I know that stuff is in virtually everything we put into our mouths, but I pretty much stick to making my own home-made version of Mac and Cheese.
If I get nostalgic, I can always sprinkle some cockroach parts and rat hairs on top.
60. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Bucslim; Some how it doesn’t surprise me. KD is almost a comfort food here. Like Apple pie. It actually doesn’t gross me out very much. I also eat hotdogs (I am picky about the brand, but that is for flavor, I’m sure Schneider’s if full of ears, lips, hair and god knows what) and peanut butter. The allowable ratio bugs/peanuts is pretty high last time I heard.
61. Celeste - April 16th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Salt?? Blargh!! Personally I cannot stand salt, and I can pick up even pretty small amounts in food. For me it’s not about the whole health issue, I just think salt’s flavor is crap, cheap-tasting even. It completely wipes out your palate. Good seasoning is very important to good food preparation, but this to me DOES NOT include salt. (And I cannot wait until everyone gets off this whole replacement products trend [like seasalt and splenda] and how they are soo much more healthy for you and are magic and will help you lose weight and have magic children blah blah blah)
62. romerozombie - April 16th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Having scientists made those pills that contain as much nutrition and whatever as a meal yet? No? I’m really looking forward to Heinz Super Sausage, Beens And Mash Pills.
63. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Mom - and I thought all you Canucks ate was back bacon, beer and doughnuts. Take off eh?
64. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 8:17 am
Celeste; I have a sister who tells me she doesn’t like salt except on fries. Her husband is a chef. He salts correctly, before it gets to the table. Either in the sauce or directly on the food. Maybe you are just salt sensitive? Used correctly salt enhances the flavor of almost everything. I am careful; if I am using commercially prepared soup or stock, I don’t season until the end.
Try oatmeal. Not the instant kind. Make it without the salt; it tastes starchy and gloppy. With the salt it tastes much nuttier.
65. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 8:19 am
bucslim; ayuh, and Timmy’s Coffee (Tim Horton’s has the highest sales of ‘quick foods’ in Canada), and KD.
66. Phil - April 16th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Got to agree with the salt. What is it with the UK anti salt thing. Took me a while to realise my chips dont come with salt.
67. SlickWilly - April 16th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Celeste: Salt is *extremely* important in good culinary cuisine. An experienced chef will know how the salt affects the flavor of the dish, the cooking time, and how the salt itself helps cook the dish. A big thing to remember, though, is that few classically trained chefs will use plain old table salt. It has no character to it. There are literally dozens of different kinds of salt, each one with a distinct flavor and character about it, that influences food in slightly different ways. If you ever eat in a nice, gourmet restaurant, often you won’t even find salt and pepper on the table when you sit down. Experienced fine diners are generally expected to trust that the chef will salt the meal appropriately, before it reaches the table.
Mom424/bucslim: Thank you both for taking the wind out of one of my many bad jokes. Not surprised about the cockroach parts, I’ve heard that many years ago. Every item on the assembly line is allowed a certain ppm of cockroach parts and vermin feces. Peanut butter is usually the biggest offender. Take that, pb&j. I don’t let it bother me.
68. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Slick - that might be true in some respects about the salt. But I’ve heard that in the same vein as wine. People I trust say that there are rules about this stuff, like what wine goes with what food, but in the end it’s important to trust your own palate. There’s some rule about not putting italian cheeses on seafood pasta, Jacques Pepin does it, because as he said, he likes it. Of course snobs will disagree, but you can’t argue with a guy like that.
69. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Celeste: sea salt (which is what I cook with) is salt that is completely untreated - it is just pure flakes of salt. The most commonly found salt (table salt) is iodized and contains flowing agents - it tastes of chemicals and is disgusting IMHO. Sea salt is what chefs use - not the half chemical powdered stuff most people use in their homes. And as Slick said - a good restaurant will never have salt, pepper, or other condiments on the table - the chef prepares food which tastes perfect to begin with (if he follows my rule 1 about tasting)
70. Bob - April 16th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Great list. Agree with everything on it, especially raising kids to have a little wine with their meal. When people grow up where wine is a normal part of meals, they are less likely to abuse it. Asceticism always causes the equal and opposite reaction of indulgence and hedonism. The via media is always the best rule to live by–don’t fall for either of the opposite errors in any question.
71. trojan_man - April 16th, 2008 at 9:03 am
JF: I noticed the classical music comments…might I suggest you have a mascot for your site (don’t kill me)…Franz Liszt.
72. scottishchef - April 16th, 2008 at 9:03 am
wow everyone has such strong views on cooking! people in scotland use loads of salt on there food. its so annoying when you send a meal out only to watch the customer layer it with salt - before tasting…
73. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 9:04 am
How did this topic degenerate into a discussion of disgusting foods like Kraft mac & cheese (and what IS it with Canadians about that crap anyway—and adding KETCHUP to it? Good lord… and while we’re at it…. unless I’m mistaken, I note that a couple Brits complained here about the food suggestions. And again–the old saw about the Brits not knowing a THING about food continues to prove true. Cripes. When the British are being told the right way to deal with, purchase, prepare, and cook food–they should just shut up and listen… *carefully.*)
Now… the wine thing, giving it to kids… I’m proud to say my daughter (who is 13, soon to be 14) has already been gradually introduced to drinking wine… and I’m even prouder to say that she *actually* prefers dry wine to sweet. Damn proud. And I back up Jamie Frater 100% on this–it removes the mystery of alcohol and makes for more responsible drinking. Also, it teaches kids that eating is meant to be a good or great experience (which must therefore include wine) ….not something that comes out of a box or a bag from some godawful fast food place (my daughter, I again proudly add, detests McDonald’s).
Anyway… assuming Jamie agrees to publish it, I’ll have a List on wines ready soon, for those who care about such things.
74. scottishchef - April 16th, 2008 at 9:08 am
British are generally lazy at cooking but dont tar the scots with the same brush - we have some of the best local produce on offer!
75. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 9:09 am
trojan - ha ha ha - very clever
76. trojan_man - April 16th, 2008 at 9:10 am
Randall: a wine list would be excellent. My wife and I want to become more knowledgeable about the subject as it pertains to wine with food options.
77. trojan_man - April 16th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Mom: thanks…I can hear the others throwing rotten, insecticide-laced produce at their screens now.
78. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Randall; Its the same as the Emma Peel thing. I can’t help that I like KD. It was imprinted on me too young to do anything about it. We don’t make it very often and we eat it as a small part of the meal. And no I don’t put ketchup on it. I use ketchup to make bbq ribs, and on french fries (only sometimes - I like vinegar or mayo with fries too), and on toasted streaky bacon sandwiches.
79. Bob - April 16th, 2008 at 9:27 am
“and I’m even prouder to say that she *actually* prefers dry wine to sweet. Damn proud.”
And well you should be.
Looking forward to that wine list!
80. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Hahaha! Franz Liszt absolutely has to be the new mascot! Nice trojan!
Randall: A list of wines would be an excellent addition! God, i’ve spent so much time reading these lists but never commenting, this is much more fun… And seeing how jf holds you in such high regard, i’m almost certain it’d get published… Good idea!
I think one of the problems with this site is how subjective it can be, even though i’d love to see another list about the best of the best in film, everyone has a different opinion, so it’s good to see something like this that’s fairly objective! Then again, some people think that you shouldn’t cook with salt, but they’re just idiots
I reckon you could make a list about the most dangerous activities one can do, between me, my brother and my sister, we’ve been scuba diving, run with the bulls, swum with sharks, gone sky diving, bungee jumping and hang gliding, there’s just so much out there for adrenaline junkies it might be cool. Or, you know, not.
81. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Did I just go insane or did a Scottish person defend their cuisine? I thought all Scottish cuisine was based on a dare.
Yeah, let’s grind up anything we find and stuff it into an intestine, boil it for 10 hours and eat it.
82. Rick. - April 16th, 2008 at 9:32 am
Re: herbs. I use cilantro the most, actually. By the handful depending on the dish.
83. carpe_noctem - April 16th, 2008 at 9:36 am
bucslim: haha, i saw that too… scottish cuisine is one of life’s oxymorons, but at least they’re trying
84. SlickWilly - April 16th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Randall: Two things -
1) The discussion about boxed mac and chee is my fault. I thought it would be cute and clever to crack a joke about being a very poor cook on a list about cooking. Unfortunately, it backfired and I realized that it was neither cute nor clever. I also realized that canadians love boxed mac and chee.
2) The correct spelling is Kraft Mac n’ Cheeze. Note the distinguished “z” in “cheese,” as well as the abbreviated “and,” because, apparently, us americans are just too damn busy to go around saying “and” all day. If you’re going to denigrate the stuff, at least bother to spell it right. Oh, and you can take your cute little ampersand and shove it right where the sun don’t shine.
85. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Rick:
Me too…. I put it in salads, use it like arugula… basil too. I use cilantro in a ton of stuff… and it’s indispensible for authentic Mexican…
I cannot understand people who hate cilantro… have you met such people? It’s unfathomable to me. How can you not like it? And yet… I’ve known about a dozen people who absolutely detest it! It makes me feel like going, “behold this thing that walks like a man… it hates cilantro! What other oddities can nature produce?”
86. srichards - April 16th, 2008 at 10:00 am
People from Trinidad and Tobago generally love to cook usig alot of seasoning…..best food in the world.
oh and I am not challenging any one to a fight down
87. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 10:02 am
trojan_man:
The centerpiece of the list will basically *be* about which wines go with which foods… a list of the basic wine types, pairing them with certain kinds of foods… in a very generalized way… so I hope people will find it useful.
If I can just get the damn thing finished….
88. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Ketchup, by the way… my most hated of all condiments. Below is one of my favorite answers from the wonderful Straight Dope column, by the most exalted and amazing Cecil Adams (nearest to god in my book, after Henry Miller). I remembered this one after writing my reply to “Rick” above… and I thought, where did I *get* that line that goes, “behold this thing that walks like a man..” And then I remembered. But in case anyone cares… this is the LAST word on how to *properly* dress a hotdog:
Dear Cecil:
I was sitting at the Montreal Pool Room eating my all-dressed hot dog and suddenly the question hit me: why is there no ketchup in an all-dressed? Is ketchup not as respectable a condiment as relish or mustard? Is there a conspiracy? Does Dirty Harry’s remark about ketchup in a hot dog have anything to do with it? I would be so thankful if you could shine a light on this obscure bit of knowledge for a passionate and perplexed user of ketchup. –Paul Macneil, Dorval, Quebec
Cecil replies:
Paul, I know you don’t mean to act like an alfalfa-chewing barbarian, but this is like asking why Leonardo didn’t paint the Mona Lisa on black velvet. Ketchup is destructive of all that is right and just about a properly assembled hot dog (and we’re talking about a pure beef hot dog, not one of those things you could serve with dressing on Thanksgiving).
Ketchup smothers the flavor of the hot dog because ketchup makers add sugar to their products. That takes the edge off the highly acidic tomatoes, but it takes the edge off everything else, too. Which is exactly why a lot of parents like it, according to Mel Plotsky, sales manager for the David Berg hot dog company in Chicago. (Chicago is one of the hot dog’s holy cities.) Put ketchup on it and a kid will swallow anything–and from there it’s a straight shot to Velveeta cheese, Franco-American spaghetti, and Deborah Norville.
For that matter, you want to watch the mustard, too. Plotsky says your mainstream brands like French’s put in too much turmeric and whatnot. What you want is some unpretentious mustard like Plochman’s that enhances rather than competes with the flavor of the beef. You should also steam or grill rather than boil your hot dogs–water leaches away the flavor and softens the wiener till it becomes non-tooth-resistant mush.
But–getting back to the original question–you say you like the taste of tomatoes. Fine, then eat tomatoes, as God meant them to be eaten–fresh sliced and piled on top of the hot dog. The recommended ingredients of a hot dog with everything, in order of application, are mustard, relish, chopped onion, sliced tomato, kosher pickle spear, optional peppers, and celery salt. (Many think you have to get kraut in there too, but Cecil wants a hot dog, not Oktoberfest.)
People get pretty emotional over the ketchup question. Mel Plotsky opened our discussion by describing the condiment as a “catchall of garbage.” Over at crosstown rival Vienna Sausage, they refer to ketchup as the “K-word.” If you go into an authentic hot dog joint and ask for ketchup on your hot dog, the counterman will pause and look you in the eye. He may or may not say, “Ketchup?” with a tone of disbelief. But you may be certain what he’s thinking: “Behold this creature that walks like a man. It wants ketchup on its hot dog.”
But hey, if you want ketchup, by all means get it.
–CECIL ADAMS
89. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 10:18 am
I hate it when my wiener’s flavor has been leached away and softened to the non-tooth resistant mush stage.
90. trojan_man - April 16th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Randall: Well, we love to go to wine tastings in our general area. However, the wine here is probably not of the highest caliber. It would be a good learning experience to see which “good” or “fine” wines are suggested.
91. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 10:23 am
trojan_man:
What’s your region? I grew up in wine country, though not California… New York… the *other* wine region of the US. (Though of course there’s Oregon too, and a few other minor places… but New York’s been big as a wine producer for a long time). Anyway, living around it most of my life has helped… plus, my family were wine and liquor merchants for a long while.
92. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 10:23 am
carpe_noctem: “And seeing how jf holds you in such high regard” - alas it is untrue - Randall knows my deepest darkest secrets and is holding me and the site to ransom
93. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Mom424: btw, you are so right about the oatmeal (porridge) thing - if you make porridge with no salt, or even just a little, it tastes like dirty water - utterly disgusting. My father (whose parents were Scottish) used to make the best porridge - unfortunately when I have it at cafes for breakfast I almost always have to add a LOT of salt to get it properly flavored (which is not ideal as salt should be added in the cooking process of porridge).
94. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 10:26 am
jfrater:
That’s right, kiwi-boy… now get back to work!
And I want those shoes to shine so I can see my *reflection* in ‘em next time… or you *know* what’ll happen!
95. Miss Destiny - April 16th, 2008 at 10:32 am
I like this list, but I don’t think I could depart with my beloved microwave. Same goes for the George Foreman grill.
I have always wanted to try cooking better food, most of what I make is prepackaged and stuff like that. I can do wonderful things with a package of Ramen (any flavor but the nasty shrimp kind) and some leftovers.
My taste in wine is generally limited to the sweeter stuff. But I’m sure I’d use just about anything for cooking.
Mom mentioned Timmy’s, now I totally want a Café Mocha and some Timbits.
96. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Randall: yes sir master sir!
Oh - and btw, I dislike coriander (cilantro) - not so much that I won’t cook with it because (thankfully) it loses the strongest aspects of its flavor when cooked. I have flatmates who love it so I do use it from time to time. I also love Thai food which, I believe, uses it. So perhaps it is more the smell of it I don’t like.
97. Borka - April 16th, 2008 at 10:32 am
@jfrater
it can be great fun that`s for sure!
If u have spare time and money + some1 of oposite sex to help u with those experiments(talking bout cooking now
And who knows u might create something rly good and and get urself famous xD
98. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Miss Destiny: it isn’t too hard to get used to a microwave-free life! you will feel so liberated once you do
Borka: I would love to be famous for producing a great dish - maybe I can come up with a List Universe Salad
99. Miss Destiny - April 16th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Speaking of wieners: the only ones I will eat are Sahlen’s. They’re a local thing here in the Buffalo, NY area. I absolutely love them with a little bit of chopped onion, some relish, and ketchup. (Yeah, I said it, ketchup! But only a little bit.) They’re also wonderful in chili-cheese dog form, with some chopped onion. I skip the mustard though, not a big fan unless the mood strikes.
100. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 10:38 am
jfrater; I know, I swear most people have never had the nutty wonderfulness of properly cooked porridge. We call it that too, but I’ve noticed it as oatmeal in the states.
Randall; you sure you’re not Cecil? you have a similar pithy sense of humor. I’ve been reading his stuff forever. Makes me laugh out loud sometimes. He has quite the pool of experts to draw on. I found his Who wrote the Bible? series facinating. His etymology articles are always good too.
101. islanderbst - April 16th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Slickwilly- I am looking at a box of (quote)Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (end quote).
get over yourself
102. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Miss Destiny:
You’re from Buffalo! (I’m not, but I know it well, and I live… to the southeast a ways… a good ways, but still in NY). I know Sahlen’s… do you know any rib places on the scary west side of town? I have a friend who has a place there…
103. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Miss Destiny; I have the Forman grill. I only like it for sausage or things that have a sweet marinade. It does not get hot enough to properly brown the meat. Because it gets hot top and bottom, it is cooked through before it is browned. I like meat brown and crunchy on the outside, tender, juicy, on the inside. Not grey all the way through.
104. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Mom:
“Randall; you sure you’re not Cecil?”
ah Mom… if I told you, I’d have to have you silenced. Not pleasant for either of us. Obvious why it would be so for you… and me, I don’t need another life on my conscience.
Thank you for the stunning compliment, however.
And yes, I agree… Cecil is fantastic, the best… deserving of sainthood and statues and whatnot.
105. Miss Destiny - April 16th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Randall: I live outside of the city itself, and I don’t venture there much except for sporting events. I’m not very familiar with the west side, except that it is indeed scary. Most of the dining I do in Buffalo is downtown.
106. SlickWilly - April 16th, 2008 at 11:00 am
islanderbst: I most certainly will *not* get over myself. I always have and always will exercise my god-given and constitutionally protected right to act like god’s gift to the world. And you can take your phony-baloney “Kraft Macaroni and Cheese” and park it, because everyone who is anyone (read: me) knows that “Mac ‘n Cheeze” is the correct phonetic spelling.
“If mom wants to pleaze me, she’s only got to cheeze me.” - Kid #1, Kraft Mac’n Cheeze commercial.
Suck on justice.
107. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 11:14 am
A very good list.
However, I use my microwave as and when it’s convenient; and as for fresh herbs…preferable, but I happily use dried (except coriander and mint);
Also, I think there is a lot of snobbery about salt; interestingly, a friend of mine is a Savoy-trained chef, and tells me that - taste considerations aside - using salt when cooking in water is also about temperature (it raises the boiling point);
Organic ? good produce is good produce irrespective of whether it is organically grown. In the UK at least, the organic movement is largely a crock. And, personally, I care not a fig whether the produce is locally produced.
Hmmm..I guess I’m a plebian…but nobody complains about my cooking
A couple of additional points…
I think it was Bourdain who made the point that (generally speaking) the difference between a professional’s dish and an amateur’s is the stock (as bucslim touched upon).
No mention of spices?
108. islanderbst - April 16th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Ah. now I realize. Mac’n Cheeze is what the shortbus kids eat.
109. jardojo - April 16th, 2008 at 11:15 am
The only reason I keep a Microwave around is for popcorn and heating up hot drinks fast, other than that I wouldn’t mind getting rid of it.
110. Shane S. - April 16th, 2008 at 11:17 am
#12: Have (and correctly use!) the right knife for the job. Chopping is different from slicing and frenching, and how an item is cut will have an effect on how it is cooked, as well as help in presentation. Proper preperation produces pefection, or something like that. Great list!
111. Phillies - April 16th, 2008 at 11:21 am
I’ll have to bookmark these and the other cooking lists. I’m lucky I can properly boil water…
112. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 11:22 am
“I just bought 50 packets of vege seeds today”
jfrater - LOL good God man !! What did you buy ? I do exactly the opposite and buy my seeds in NZ to bring back to the UK !!
113. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 11:23 am
“I’m lucky I can properly boil water…”
Phillies - so buy it ready-boiled
114. SlickWilly - April 16th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Curse you, islander. Curse you.
115. trojan_man - April 16th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Randall: I live in the southeast. I know, I know, the wine here is two steps up from fermented MadDog, but we do have some good tastings. Mostly in the foothills in north Georgia.
116. lightningclash - April 16th, 2008 at 11:53 am
I used to know how to cook, thanks to this list I’ll get right back at ‘er.
117. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Jamie, Randall, Kiwi, Slick,Buc, Myst Etc; Y’all can wander over to the forums and have a look at my awe inspiring gardens. There is a bonus too. You can see what little and mouthy looks like. And not even a good shot.
118. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Do the veg plants grow counter clockwise in NZ?
119. babygirl2882 - April 16th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I really wish I could cook well…I just don’t have the patience. But these are simple things even I can do!! Thanks
I always love your cooking lists (well ok I love them all but cooking ones give me good tips)
120. SlickWilly - April 16th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Mom424: Quite a green thumb you got there. Absolutely gorgeous. A bit wild and unbridled but I like that in a wo…garden. The “garden of weeden” sign is a nice touch. Not a bad picture of LV’s resident mom, either.
121. Mom424 - April 16th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Not very good either, I avoid pics as often as possible. Half lying down,no bra, boobs disappearing into armpits, no make up, no hair-do, in bed at a crappy hotel. Not my best angle.
122. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Mom - cool photos. Love the garden.
And, it’s weird, but you kinda looked like I imagined you would.
Whattaya doing Saturday nite
123. Crimanon - April 16th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
#10: HEY! I MAKE AN AWESOME MICROWAVED PORK CHOP, all juicy and pinkish, Nummies.
Wine, salt, butter, Are you sure you’re not french? Not that there would be anything Wrong with that. Good food, Incredible egos.
Most of the actual Food at home Is of my design, And I can agree with most of this list. Being in a relationship with a baker has it’s benefits. There’s never a shortage of Bread, and I make a tasty Sandwich, Pepper onion bun, Smoked salmon, alfalfa sprouts, sweet Vidalia vinagrette… tomatoes and lettuce optional. Great I made myself hungry.
Listverser=Foodie.
124. MichyMoonshine - April 16th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Lovely list, microwaves should be banned!
I don’t usually meet guys who like cooking, but I always find that men who love to cook hate to do the washing up ^_^
Leaving it to the women…
125. SlickWilly - April 16th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
kiwiboi: Back the fuck up…that’s my kool-aid.
Mom424: If that is what you consider a bad pic, I’d be very interested to see what you would call a good pic. As for me, I’m not very photogenic, so I typically avoid cameras like the plague. I’m extremely tall and very broad, so I dwarf just about everyone I’m in a picture with. Not very aesthetically pleasing. The only time I get away with it is pictures of me on stage when I’m not near anyone else, so the vast majority of my facebook pics are band photos.
126. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Mom:
Lovely gardens… admirable work… I lost my energy for gardening a few years back… I should return to it.
127. Crimanon - April 16th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Mom: Nice bush. Like the easel.
128. Crimanon - April 16th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
MichyMoonshine: Dishes are Gods way of keeping your gluttony to a minimum. I cooked, You can clean.
129. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
“the vast majority of my facebook pics are band photos”
Slick - what instrument ?
130. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
bucslim: they do - producing lush flavoursome nuclear free produce
Crimanon: definitely not French - I just appreciate that food is their greatest contribution to man
MichyMoonshine: you just described me to a ‘t’
I despise washing up and don’t do it 
131. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Kiwiboi: theremin.
132. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
jfrater - LOL
133. SlickWilly - April 16th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
jfrater/kiwiboi: You laugh, but I’ve actually played one…on stage, no less. My primary instrument is bass.
134. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
slickwilly: seriously? I am actually envious! I really want a theremin!
135. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Slick:
You’ve PLAYED a theremin? Now see.. *that* is cool. (still, that was a good one, Jamie).
Who the hell OWNS a theremin? I want one. Just so I can scare my neighbors.
I play guitar by the way… proud owner of a vintage Gretsch, actually…
136. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
This is STILL my favorite theremin performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwqLyeq9OJI
137. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
“You laugh”
Slick - that’s cause you must be the cool guy in the theremin photo on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theremin
138. MichyMoonshine - April 16th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Crimanon/jfrater: I just described why I hate men in a “t”
You’ll never catch me cleaning up after what someone cremated
I mean, cooked…
139. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Slick - bass is my main instrument too
Though I have around 12 or so “ordinary” guitars too (don’t remind my wife; they are all over the house)
140. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Randall - a vintage Gretch. That’s waaay cool. Lemme guess - a cream colored one ?
141. bucslim - April 16th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Do you Kiwis like Jermaine and Brett? What about Murray? Do you think Mom could be a part time model?
142. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
“Mom: Nice bush”
Crimanon - now that is plain bad
143. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
bucslim - I’ve never seen Flight of the Conchords! I should d/l some and take a peek
144. Crimanon - April 16th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Michy: Personally Offended that you think that I would Burn food. I’ve got a Y chromosome, so what, that isn’t Directly related to ruining a good meal. I’ve met more Women in my life time that can’t cook. XX, A confirmation that water Can Indeed Burn. Not very fair is it?
Jamie: What the Hell was that???? Theremin… I’ve got to see this.
145. jfrater - April 16th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Mom424: I hope you are ready for the onslaught of emails you are going to be getting when I get back to NZ - I need a direct line to a green thumb and you are IT!
I hate Flight of the conchords and simply cannot understand their popularity.
146. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
kiwiboi:
nope, not cream colored… cherry wood stained… fairly dark. It’s a 1965 Tennessean, with Chet Atkin’s signature on the pick guard, and a Bigsby whammy bar… I bought it 25 years ago, off a guy in this awful heavy metal band, but he’d been the guitar player for the Dictators, one of the original NYC punk bands in the mid-seventies… so this thing has been played at CBGB’s… and by god knows who.
She’s a beauty… not easy to play though.. thick neck. (I have relatively short fingers).
What do you have? I love Fenders… always wanted a vintage Rickenbacker 12 string too. Though i heard that actually, the machinery on them—tuning heads and so forth–were kinda crap. Still, super cool.
147. matt - April 16th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
best list in weeks
148. SlickWilly - April 16th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
kiwiboi: Very cool.
Always great to meet a fellow four-stringer. I’ve fiddled around with guitar, but it just doesn’t do it for me. I’m much more comfortable on a large instrument like bass (I play a 6-string, Yamaha TRBJP to be specific, with the WIDE string spacing), partly because my hands are so big. What kind of bass do you play?
And yes, I have played a theremin. It was for a this kooky, avant garde fusion project I was involved with for a short time. They are surprisingly difficult to play. You have to be very precise with your hand movements to get it to do what you want it to do. I wasn’t very *good* at it, but it was great for this sort of atmospheric soundscape piece we were doing.
bucslim: I *love* Flight of the Conchords. One of my favorite running gags is how everyone assumes they are british because of their accents.
Randall: What?!! The Great Randall actually…*gulp*…complimented me? Should I kneel and genuflect? Or do you just want money again?
Seriously though, love those Gretschs. Fabulous tone. Semi-hollow body, I assume?
MichyMoonshine: In our household growing up, it was customary that whoever didn’t cook has to clean. Otherwise, you make the cook do everything, and the cook might not be so inclined to cook again in the future. As far as I’m concerned, if you didn’t cook you should at least offer to help clean up. Otherwise, it’s kind of rude. Of course, the cook should clean as he or she goes as best they can, so they don’t just leave the kitchen a filthy stinking mess.
149. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Randall - I’m a Fender guy. I have a pinkish 71 Precision bass, a white strat, and assorted others (about 16 in all).
Currently I’m looking for a Lowden electro-acoustic.
I’m a leftie
BTW…that Gretch sounds cool. I love rockabilly, but the ony time I played a Gretch (upside down) it just wasn’t me. But I’d love to own one!
Rickenbackers ? Oh yeah! I never played one, but I looove The Jam!
150. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
kiwiboi:
Cool collection, man…. I’d love a vintage Fender…
don’t know Lowden, off the top of my head…
The Gretsch is a beauty. I’m proud of her.
LOVE the Jam, man! One of the greatest groups ever…
151. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Here’s some of my guitars :
http://www.kiwicool.com/guitars.htm
..and a guitar-related page I put up a coupla years ago for a young Aussie guy who was starting out on guitar :
http://www.kiwicool.com/music.htm
152. Randall - April 16th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Slick:
Semi-hollow with the painted-on F holes, yeah.
153. MichyMoonshine - April 16th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Crimanon/Slick: I see what you mean, but I’m always made to clean, no matter who cooks
16 year old girl is not equal to slave
But I’m the only one who cleans 0_o
And it generally is a stinking, greasy, not to mentioned burnt-on-pan mess…
Why is everyone suddenly talking about guitars?
I play grade five….on an unknown brand!
(Fake LesPaul)
154. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
“I’d love a vintage Fender…”
Hmmm…I bought a white 1965 telecaster for $150 when I was a young ‘un. But it was a right-hander and I had trouble with the cutaway (or, lack thereof, being a leftie).
So, being the investment guru that I am, I traded it “up” for a brand new sunburst Ibanez Les Paul copy. They gave me $120 for the Tele as part of the deal.
Believe me, it hurts all over again just typing this story out. I saw onr of those Teles go for $11,000 last year…
155. kiwiboi - April 16th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
“I play grade five….on an unknown brand!”
Michy - good for you. Keep it up!!
156. filipinoknight - April 16th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
A couple more tips is to have the proper tools and equipment(sharp knives well seasoned pans) and you must have patience. You do not want to rush through anything. I have to disagree about having the microwave I never use it to cook meats. But it makes it convient to heat up water and steam veggies.
157. anthony p - April 16th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
My trick is to not let my girlfriend anywhere near the kitchen, still trying to get the smell out of the draw under the bench, she spilt cream while trying to whip it, which proceeded to seep through a crack in the wodd leaving rancid creamsycles on the underneath of the bench and a pool of the stuff in the draw underneath, this happened 4 months ago and it stills seeping through.
158. Csimmons - April 16th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Nice, I like to cook a lot of Italian so the tips on making the water salty like the sea will really help. Really could have used the tip “Always have the necessary utensils such as knifes(sharp ones) and other important cooking utensils.”
159. SlickWilly - April 16th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
kiwiboi: Oy…the guitar player from one of my old bands had a late 60’s telecaster and sold it a couple of years ago for severa