Cooking--things you wish you'd learned earlier

[Thomas]

I wish I'd learned earlier that:

Baking homemade bread is not so difficult. Hell, baking anything is not so difficult (within reason...)

Let food thaw before cooking. The closer to room temp the better.

Pans should be seasoned and kept seasoned, and what Mrs. T don't know won't hurt her (why aren't you using soap on that pan???)

A good fruitcake recipe will open doors during the holiday season. (hint, lots of alcohol, none of the day-glo fruit product)

Two words: Over thermometer.

more words: Home-made egg nog.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

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.


take off metal foil.
wrap bottle in a towel. bang it, sort of between gentle and hard, the bottom of the bottle on the wall, or, if you are in a house with drywall, on a door frame. you should be able to get the cork out more than halfway. them pull. don't try this with good wine.

 

[Bouji]

Originally Posted by iammatt

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

.

I would seriously like to know some of the (number of) reasons.

 

[Dewey]

I cook a lot and have done so for the last twenty years, and I'm ashamed to say I just now learned how to work with dried beans. Canned beans are a nuisance, and they are relatively expensive. They are also more likely to give your guests the serious flatulence.

Once you know how to soak and cook dried beans, things like hummus, refried beans, bean dips, and dishes like red beans and rice ... such things are pretty much free. For $2 you can whip up an enormous batch of hummus, for example, whereas they charge $2 for a dinky little tub of off-tasting hummus in the health food store.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by Bouji

I would seriously like to know some of the (number of) reasons.
Well, first you have to start out by understanding that dried pasta is not the same thing as fresh pasta which has been dried. They are two completely different products made from completely different ingredients. Dried is made with semolina flour and water while fresh pasta is made from standard wheat flour, eggs and water. In other words, you cannot substitute one for the other and end up with the same dish. More than anything dried pasta is no better per se, but as I said above is better for most all pasta dishes. The two main differences between dried and fresh are taste and texture. As I am sure you know, spaghetti, linguine, penne etc are not meant to be cooked until they are floppy, rather they should be served al dente. As fresh pasta starts out floppy and gets more so, it is incompatible with the above basic shapes in the same way that dried pasta is less compatible with fettucine. Since most pasta dishes, and particularly most from the areas of Italy that are most famous for pasta, are to be served al dente and often from one of the three shapes I mention (or local derivitives of them), fresh is not a passable substitute in the same way that nobody would ever make a fettucine Alfredo (ugh) from dried fettucine. Things like fresh spaghetti or linguine are mainly a way to satisfy the uneducated palates of most Anglos who blithely assume that anything fresh is better than anything dried. If you add on to all of this that semolina flour is more healthful and the lack of eggs also beter for your cholesterol, you have some of the several reasons.

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by iammatt

The two main differences between dried and fresh are taste and texture. As I am sure you know, spaghetti, linguine, penne etc are not meant to be cooked until they are floppy, rather they should be served al dente. As fresh pasta starts out floppy and gets more so, it is incompatible with the above basic shapes in the same way that dried pasta is less compatible with fettucine.

Things like fresh spaghetti or linguine are mainly a way to satisfy the uneducated palates of most Anglos who blithely assume that anything fresh is better than anything dried.

I have never used fresh pasta in my house given that my favorite dishes all involve penne or spaghetti or some derivative. I once ate fresh penne at the the house of a "fresh freak" and it felt like I was eating a barely boiled egg white.

 

[Bouji]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Well, first you have to start out by understanding that dried pasta is not the same thing as fresh pasta which has been dried. They are two completely different products made from completely different ingredients. Dried is made with semolina flour and water while fresh pasta is made from standard wheat flour, eggs and water. In other words, you cannot substitute one for the other and end up with the same dish. More than anything dried pasta is no better per se, but as I said above is better for most all pasta dishes. The two main differences between dried and fresh are taste and texture. As I am sure you know, spaghetti, linguine, penne etc are not meant to be cooked until they are floppy, rather they should be served al dente. As fresh pasta starts out floppy and gets more so, it is incompatible with the above basic shapes in the same way that dried pasta is less compatible with fettucine. Since most pasta dishes, and particularly most from the areas of Italy that are most famous for pasta, are to be served al dente and often from one of the three shapes I mention (or local derivitives of them), fresh is not a passable substitute in the same way that nobody would ever make a fettucine Alfredo (ugh) from dried fettucine. Things like fresh spaghetti or linguine are mainly a way to satisfy the uneducated palates of most Anglos who blithely assume that anything fresh is better than anything dried. If you add on to all of this that semolina flour is more healthful and the lack of eggs also beter for your cholesterol, you have some of the several reasons.
I did already know the differences in the make up of the two, so sorry if you misinterpreted me, because you wasted your time, but I was asking why (you thought) one was better than the other; not what the differences were. Either way, I agree with you on the health front, dired is healthier, but let's concentrate on taste & texture (as such, most dried is 'fresh' as well, I mean it rarley uses preservatives, if, for argument's sake we consider the use of preservatives a definition for something not being 'fresh). As far as texture is concerened, if you are getting soft (fresh) pasta, you are cooking it for too long, or using too much egg / the wrong type of flour. It does not have to be a trait of fresh pasta. You do know that fresh pasta needs to be cooked for less time that dried? As for taste, I find the taste of fresh superior, namely because it is richer, and that is how I preffer it. If you preffer it lighter, then that's your personal taste. You do, however, have a point, it is easier to get dried spaghetti or linguine to the right texture, but that is not to say that you cannot get fresh pasta the right texture, it just needs more expertise.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by Bouji

As far as texture is concerened, if you are getting soft (fresh) pasta, you are cooking it for too long, or using too much egg / the wrong type of flour. It does not have to be a trait of fresh pasta. You do know that fresh pasta needs to be cooked for less time that dried?
Properly cooked fresh pasta is silkier and softer than properly cooked dried pasta. There is no way to have al dente fresh pasta because it requires there to have been a crunchy center in the first place. You can cook either badly, but the above is fact.

As for taste, I find the taste of fresh superior, namely because it is richer, and that is how I preffer it. If you preffer it lighter, then that's your personal taste.

I much prefer the nuttyr taste that comes from semolina to the more coventional taste of egg and flour. The point remains that fresh, undried spaghetti is not a suitable substitute for dried spaghetti as much as you may like it, just as dried fettucine is a poor choice.

You do, however, have a point, it is easier to get dried spaghetti or linguine to the right texture, but that is not to say that you cannot get fresh pasta the right texture, it just needs more expertise.

Many people would tell you that fresh spaghetti is an oxymoron and fresh, extruded pasta a blasphemy. Linguine is more questionable. Nevertheless, you are wrong about being able to achieve the same texture fresh and dried. They each have their own correct textures which are not the same.

 

[horton]

the importance of good salt and pepper, and how to use vinegars and other acids to brighten flavors.

also I think one needs to master a few dishes early -- don't be too eager to try any and every recipe and technique which looks interesting thinking that's what cooking is all about. Instead try to learn how to make a perfect steak or whatever and try and understand some of the basic techniques more deeply.

On pasta issues: I'm not so categorical on the fresh and dried stuff. Many classic dishes clearly call for dried because you need the texture and you want to taste the pasta (and dry has much more taster IMO). However there are some I much prefer fresh, e.g., taglitelle (sp?) with poached egg, parmesan and truffle; lasagna bolognese, and any filled pasta

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by horton

On pasta issues: I'm not so categorical on the fresh and dried stuff. Many classic dishes clearly call for dried because you need the texture and you want to taste the pasta (and dry has much more taster IMO). However there are some I much prefer fresh, e.g., taglitelle (sp?) with poached egg, parmesan and truffle; lasagna bolognese, and any filled pasta

Yes, this is true.

 

[Bouji]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Properly cooked fresh pasta is silkier and softer than properly cooked dried pasta. There is no way to have al dente fresh pasta because it requires there to have been a crunchy center in the first place. You can cook either badly, but the above is fact.

I much prefer the nuttyr taste that comes from semolina to the more coventional taste of egg and flour. The point remains that fresh, undried spaghetti is not a suitable substitute for dried spaghetti as much as you may like it, just as dried fettucine is a poor choice.

Many people would tell you that fresh spaghetti is an oxymoron and extruded pasta a blasphemy. Linguine is more questionable. Nevertheless, you are wrong about being able to achieve the same texture fresh and dried. They each have their own correct textures which are not the same.

You may be right, but my understanding of al dente is not 'crunchy', it is slightly firm. If you use coarse 00 grade flour, the right amount of eggs and cook for 45 seconds in a lot of salted boiling water, I can assure you, you will get a frim (although not crunchy) end product.
I mantain that it is possible to get fresh pasta the correct texture. I will however forefit if the case is that al dente is crunchy, not firm.
I would also like to flag up that you said water should make up fresh pasta, sure, some fresh pasta preparations require water, such as for ravioli, but if you're making extruded pasta, give it a try without adding water. Anyway, don't take my word for it, give it a try.

 

[GQgeek]

Originally Posted by horton

also I think one needs to master a few dishes early -- don't be too eager to try any and every recipe and technique which looks interesting thinking that's what cooking is all about. Instead try to learn how to make a perfect steak or whatever and try and understand some of the basic techniques more deeply.

I agree. I have 8 cookbooks but cook only a small number of recipes regularly. As I perfect one, I branch-out and add a new one to the repertoire. I do try to select recipes that give me exposure to different techniques though. Building techique is the most important thing and repetition is what gets you there.

 

[Bouji]

The hotter the pan, the better, when it comes to cooking steak.
Deglazing the pan with butter, wine or cream, for a very simple sauce.
Learning to make Macaroons at home instead of having to for out Laudree prices.

 

[Alter]

Originally Posted by iammatt

I much prefer the nuttyr taste that comes from semolina to the more coventional taste of egg and flour. The point remains that fresh, undried spaghetti is not a suitable substitute for dried spaghetti as much as you may like it, just as dried fettucine is a poor choice.


I agree with you on the dried vs. fresh question but why can't semolina be used for fresh pasta? Back in my cooking days I used to make fresh pasta to supply 3 higher-end restaurants. We always used semolina in our fresh pasta. It was good tasting pasta but, as you say, didn't work for all dishes. I do recall that the fettucine was good, even without the "al denteness".

 

[DMcG]

Originally Posted by Alter

I agree with you on the dried vs. fresh question but why can't semolina be used for fresh pasta? Back in my cooking days I used to make fresh pasta to supply 3 higher-end restaurants. We always used semolina in our fresh pasta. It was good tasting pasta but, as you say, didn't work for all dishes. I do recall that the fettucine was good, even without the "al denteness".

Yeah, I always use semolina flour when making fresh pasta. Maybe its wrong, but I like it.

I wish I had learned about the joys of cast iron sooner. As mentioned before an oven thermometer is very nice too. My oven is never up to temperature when it finishes its heating cycle. I never figured that out until I got an oven thermometer. The temperature is pretty damn close to right on once it does heat up.