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Cooking--things you wish you'd learned earlier

post #1 of 61
8/20/07 at 11:15pm
Thread Starter 
This thread is dedicated to Ed. Maybe with education he will move beyond roasting carcasses on a spit.

Ok, today I was peeling shallots -- a lot of them -- and I started to get really fed-up. I googled a shortcut and apparently you can dunk them in a covered pot of boiling water for 3 minutes and they become a lot easier to peel. Wish I'd thought of that an 45 minutes ago. I was almost finished so I didn't bother, but it'll be nice to know for next time.
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post #2 of 61
8/20/07 at 11:22pm
Don't knock roasting carcasses. Them's some mighty good eatin's.
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post #3 of 61
8/20/07 at 11:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas View Post
Don't knock roasting carcasses. Them's some mighty good eatin's.

+1. There's not a damn thing wrong with roasting carcasses. Good meat is good simply. Don't fuck it up with fancy smancy sauces.
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post #4 of 61
8/20/07 at 11:37pm
I wish I'd learned earlier how easy it is to make fresh pasta, and how much better it is than dried. If I keep a ball of dough in the fridge, I can crank out and cook fresh pasta in the same time it takes to cook dried.
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post #5 of 61
8/21/07 at 12:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by California Dreamer View Post
I wish I'd learned earlier how easy it is to make fresh pasta, and how much better it is than dried. If I keep a ball of dough in the fridge, I can crank out and cook fresh pasta in the same time it takes to cook dried.
Actually, other than a couple specific dishes dried pasta is much better than fresh for any number of reasons. Although some people believe that you can substitute, you really can't. Spaghetti, pene, linguine etc all MUST be dried. Some noodles can be fresh or dried, but the great pasta dishes all NEED dried pasta. Sorry, but that is just the way it is. GQ- Don't be a baby. I used to have to finely dice 2 cups of shallots a day. Don't dunk them, just learn to use your hands better .
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post #6 of 61
8/21/07 at 12:44am
I wish I had learned to open a wine bottle without a bottle opener earlier in my life.
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post #7 of 61
8/21/07 at 1:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroStyles View Post
I wish I had learned to open a wine bottle without a bottle opener earlier in my life.

How?
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post #8 of 61
8/21/07 at 1:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by iammatt View Post


Actually, other than a couple specific dishes dried pasta is much better than fresh for any number of reasons. Although some people believe that you can substitute, you really can't. Spaghetti, pene, linguine etc all MUST be dried. Some noodles can be fresh or dried, but the great pasta dishes all NEED dried pasta. Sorry, but that is just the way it is.

GQ-

Don't be a baby. I used to have to finely dice 2 cups of shallots a day. Don't dunk them, just learn to use your hands better .

Hey man, I was cooking a big batch of bourgignon to try and SAVE time since i'm super busy over the next 2-3 months. Maybe next time I shouldn't do it out of a Thomas Keller cookbook. I realized I need more pots tonight as well. God I can't wait to own a house with a 6 burner range and a huge kitchen. I did dishes like 4 times tonight =/ I need a wife (for the dishes, not the cooking-actually she can peel the shallots)
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post #9 of 61
8/21/07 at 1:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkNWorn View Post
How?

You need tools.

Take a screwdriver and put a screw into the cork. The screw should be maybe an inch give or take. Put it in 3/4 of the way. Then hold the bottle between your feet, use pliers to hold on to the screw, and pull up. Works like a charm. This usually only comes up at places like a hardware store or my apartment.
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post #10 of 61
8/21/07 at 4:29am
I wish I knew more than a decade ago that you cannot pour highly flammable fuel on a barbecue and not expect to get 2nd degree burns all over when the fuel can explodes in front of your face.
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post #11 of 61
8/21/07 at 7:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by iammatt View Post


Spaghetti, pene, linguine etc all MUST be dried. Some noodles can be fresh or dried, but the great pasta dishes all NEED dried pasta. Sorry, but that is just the way it is.

How silly of me believing all of those Italian chefs who state ad nauseum that fresh is the best way to go. And how sad for them that they spend so much time making pasta in their restaurants when they could just nip out to Safeway and grab a box of Barrilla.

Of course there is no "the way it is" - taste is subjective by definition.
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post #12 of 61
8/21/07 at 9:34am
I wish I'd learned earlier how easy and useful it is to make your own stock--chicken, fish, whatever.

I wish I'd learned earlier that a few simple things in my kit--like a meat thermometer, a mortar & pestle, and one great chef's knife--are better than lots of gadgets I'll never use again.

I wish I'd learned earlier never to get involved in dried vs. fresh pasta debates. But I know better now.
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post #13 of 61
8/21/07 at 10:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroStyles View Post
I wish I had learned to open a wine bottle without a bottle opener earlier in my life.

I failed miserably trying to open up a bottle of wine at my friends b-day party in July.
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post #14 of 61
8/21/07 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by California Dreamer View Post
How silly of me believing all of those Italian chefs who state ad nauseum that fresh is the best way to go. And how sad for them that they spend so much time making pasta in their restaurants when they could just nip out to Safeway and grab a box of Barrilla. Of course there is no "the way it is" - taste is subjective by definition.
never mind, believe what you want no matter the facts.
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post #15 of 61
8/21/07 at 10:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroStyles View Post
You need tools.

Take a screwdriver and put a screw into the cork. The screw should be maybe an inch give or take. Put it in 3/4 of the way. Then hold the bottle between your feet, use pliers to hold on to the screw, and pull up. Works like a charm. This usually only comes up at places like a hardware store or my apartment.

I figured you had adapted the champagne saber into a wine application. Man, what a let-down
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