Three Little Tricks that Make Cooking Easier and Better

October 14th, 2008 Posted in Cooking tips

 

Over the years, I’ve discovered, through sheer trial and error, a few realizations that have really helped make me a better, more productive, and more interesting home cook. I would like to go over everything I’ve discovered over time, but one of the great things about the blog format is that it’s nice to present ideas in little snippets for easier overal digestion. So with that in mind, here are three little tricks, or habits, I’ve developed that have really helped me. Maybe they’ll help you, too. Thinking like this begets more cooking, and better eating.

1.  Upgrade your relationship with salt. Throw out the iodized table salt and replace it with kosher. Purchase some sea salts with varying textures and colors/origins, and get to know them. Then find some sel gris (coarse gray salt from the coast of Brittany, France) and begin to make flavored salts. Most of the salt that most people consume is consumed via processed foods, which are loaded — and then some — with salt. The breakaway cooking style may appear at first glance to place an undue emphasis on salt. But because processed foods play little or no role in the cooking and eating habits of breakway cooks, overall salt intake is probably much lower than those with average, conventional diets.

Salt is the most important ingredient in every cuisine on earth, and for good reason: it makes food taste good, and our bodies must take in adequate salt replenishment just to survive.  Surely it’s a good thing to control and tweak our own intake to our own preferences, as opposed to consuming huge quantities of salt through processed foods and then needing to “watch our salt” intake. Using better and more interesting salts also lends visual and textural interest to your food, in addition to making it taste a whole lot better.     

2.  Make way more than you think you’ll need for any particular meal. The reason? It’s just as easy to cook a pound (or more) of something than it is to cook a half-pound (or less) of something, be it meat, vegetable, pasta, salad, whatever. What to do with the extra? This is a good problem to have!  Simply eat it for lunch the day, or use it as a component for a future meal, or give it away to someone. It’s awfully convenient to have a tupperware full of cooked chicken, which can be used in all sorts of ways: in a stir-fry, an omelet, fried rice, in a sandwich, in a pasta dish, on pizza . . . and dozens more. It will save you a huge amount of prep time and cook time. Same with baking bread: make enough for three or four loaves, instead of just one, and refrigerate the dough — then it’s just a matter of shaping a loaf and throwing it in the oven. Same with salad:  washing and spinning a bunch of greens — enough for two or three or four salads — and storing the ready-to-go greens in a bag in your fridge means instant salad. Nice for the times when you just can’t deal with the hassle of putting it together. 

3.   Keep a bunch of different liquids in your fridge. So much of good cooking involves liquid: boiling, braising, simmering, sauteing, poaching . . . most cooks typically use water and stock for this type of cooking, but using different liquids adds layered complexity and flavor to foods without extra work or fuss. The more liquids you have lying around the kitchen, the better! I almost always have on hand the following:

  • fresh carrot juice (by far my favorite; I think of carrot juice as a stock)
  • white wine, dry and not so dry
  • red wine
  • sake
  • apple juice
  • boxed organic chicken stock (homemade is obviously better, but not by that much, and the convenience factor is a massive plus)
  • boxed organic beef stock (as above)
  • maple syrup
  • pomegranate molasses
  • ginger syrup
  • date syrup
  • plum syrup

    • I’m interested in hearing more supersimple tips — cooking philosophies, even — from YOU. What epiphanies have made you a better cook?

     

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    1. 19 Responses to “Three Little Tricks that Make Cooking Easier and Better”

    2. By w. on Oct 14, 2008

      Like you, throwing out table salt something I never looked back from. I primarily use sea salt (not kosher) because it’s just easier to get my hands on. Learning to be more organized in the kitchen (i.e. prepping ingredients first before assembly) has cut down my mess in general and also helped with post-cooking washing up. Another favourite is freezing leftover wine into little ziplock bags for cooking!

      My biggest epiphany, however, was that no store-bought stock will EVER be able to match up to home made. I don’t remember the last time I ever bought a tetra-pack of stock – there’s never enough flavour, always too much salt, and finally you really never know what goes in! The only stock I ever buy (and that’s when I’m desperate) is straight from my butcher and that’s after conversations with him about how he makes it and what goes into it. Convenience be damned – I’d now much rather cook with water instead of store bought stock.

    3. By Eric on Oct 14, 2008

      Thanks W. It’s true that store-bought stock isn’t as good as homemade, but the organic version I buy is pretty damn tasty. I try to keep a supply of homemade stock around, and usually have some in the freezer (in ziplock bags), but I’m an advocate of the organic tetrabox of stock — great to pull out when you don’t have homemade.

      But I love your phrase, “convenience be damned.”

    4. By Autumn on Oct 15, 2008

      Don’t be afraid to experiment. And the follow up: don’t be afraid to fail!

      I’ve made great strides in learning about cooking techniques, textures, flavor combinations, etc., from horrific kitchen failures. And my biggest moment came when I realized, “I want to try this recipe, but I don’t have any *insert ingredient here*… Oh well, I can leave it out or just chuck in some *insert other ingredient here* instead.” Be brazen. Pick up a cookbook, pick out a recipe that you’ve always wanted to try but thought it was too hard and go for it!

      I am also a fan of “convenience be damned!” (What a beautiful sentiment!) It isn’t always feasible but I try for fresh/homemade whenever possible. It gives you a whole new appreciation for your food.

    5. By Stuart on Oct 15, 2008

      My cooking Philosophy — Recipes are guidelines.

      Your idea of cooking, especially rice, with carrot juice has been a big change for me.

      Pan Steaming — I saute veggies in a little olive oil till they take on a nice, vibrant color, then add a little water, cover and steam for a few minutes. Remove cover and let water evaporate. You can either remove them for a bit and keep cooking other stuff in the same pan, or build the dish with them in the pan. The result is much better than just steaming or even stir frying in my experience. And the idea came about originally so my wife didn’t have to do as many dishes!

      Acid — just like salt, I think acidity is under utilized in American cuisine. It just makes the food better. I will pan steam broccoli or green beans and toss them warm in an Apple Cider vinaigrette and my boys (3 and 8) gobble it up!

      I gotta get better at the “cooking more than you need” concept…that should make my weeknight meals easier if I can just get into the habit of doing it, and using the leftovers!! (note to self…time to clean out the fridge.)

      I love the “convenience be damned” quote as well, but have to say that I agree with Erica bout the boxed stock. I really love the Pacific Gold Mushroom broth. The veggie broths tend to be a little to much, so I buy the 1 cup size in a 4 pack and use it as a base, but less now as I’ve been using the carrot juice in it’s place. (If I only had a vita-mix to make my own carrot juice…) As on of two working parents, convenience is a necessity, but I feel I do it without sacrificing quality.

      I use my pressure cooker quite a bit as well.

      I guess that’s it for now. Looking forward to learning more tricks from the rest of you!

    6. By Lucy on Oct 17, 2008

      I also have found that home made stock completely transformed my cooking and now I use the pressure cooker to whip up a week’s worth in 20 minutes. I am really not one to choose convenience but the pressure cooker does produce a flavorful good stock. Add a nice bouquet of whatever herbs are in season.

      I also have gotten lots of mileage from a good olive oil and a pot of duck fat, for bringing out flavors in otherwise very ordinary things. Thanks for your thoughtful posts. I always look forward to them.

    7. By Stephanie on Oct 17, 2008

      Eric, your tips are spot on. The salt tip is so true and I would like to emphasize that the texture of salt is key to how you use and enjoy it. I had a funny conversation about salt with a doctor friend who loves to cook. She was quick to proclaim that blind taste tests have proved there is no taste distinction between different kinds of salt, so she only ever used the boring iodized kind. Then, when we were cooking together I found it incredibly difficult to actually cook with the iodized salt. The texture just wasn’t working, like for a roast chicken.

      Under the liquids category I love fruit jams. I make a lot of fresh fruity vinaigrettes by mixing some jam with olive oil and vinegar and a little herb. I Love June Taylor Jams which taste phenomenally fresh. And I’ve been making the appricot-mint lamb recipe from your first book, Breakaway Japanese Kitchen with great success on the BBQ.

      My favorite simple cooking trick however is fried bread. Can this be cooking? I’ve taken to “toasting” slices of a good loaf in a little olive oil with garlic. I also make fried pasta (which I categorize as bread). It’s like cheating, it’s so good and so easy.

    8. By Sonya on Oct 19, 2008

      1. I used to be very anti-salt until I started cooking beans. I just could not get them to taste good without salt. Now I buy very high quality salt and use a little bit in my cooking and nearly everything tastes so much better.

      2. Learning how to quickly make basic sauces, like tomato sauce and dairy-based sauces, for pasta and vegetables.

      3. I agree with your liquids comment, but I still have a ways to go on that. Though not quite a liquid, I feel that pesto is a good addition here.

      4. Throwing out any pre-made salad dressing and making it from scratch each night. A lot of people I know think they don’t like salad dressing, because they’ve only had bottled ones. Here is the first place I realized how truly amazing lemons are. Like a previous writer, I believe lemon juice and vinegars are under-utilized ingredients in American home cooking.

      5. Fresh herbs in everything!

    9. By Eric on Oct 19, 2008

      Autumn — I too was freed from the crashing realization that I don’t have to follow a recipe, and that substitutions were not only okay, they often vastly improved the original. Brazen is goo, indeed.

      Stuart — thanks for the pan-steaming tip. It’s one I don’t utilize enough, even though I’ve long concentrated on reducing the number of dirty dishes! I’ll try out a new pan steaming idea soon, and will report back. And your Americans-don’t-use-enough-acid point: absolutely. For me, acid is almighty — this would be a good subject for a mini-essay, and I thank you for the spur. And: the Pacific mushroom stock is indeed excellent — very highly recommended, for those of you who don’t know it. I need to keep this around more: my Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell it, where do you get yours?

    10. By Eric on Oct 19, 2008

      Lucy — I’m all over the pressure cooker, but, remarkably, I don’t even have one now! This must be rectified pronto. I think it’s probably hard to go wrong with just about any pressure cooker these days (they’re really come a long way, and are leagues safer than the ones of yore, with their nightmarish reputations for splattering pressurized boiling dinners all over ceilings and body parts). Do you recommend a particular one?

    11. By Eric on Oct 19, 2008

      Steph — the “salt is salt, screw your sea salt” people are wacko — they understand nothing.What they’re REALLY saying is:in foods that are heavily processed, salt makes no difference whatsoever — your fancy salt isn’t going to taste any different or better than good ol’ Morton’s. And to a trivial extent, they’re right. Samples from ten- thousand-vat batches of Campbell’s soup aren’t going to taste any different if they use iodized or anything else. But for hand-crafted foods of the kind we explore here, the difference couldn’t be more stark. especially for textural reasons, as you say.

      I’m a huge June Taylor fan as well — wish I could afford to buy more of her stuff! They’re really wonderful. And: love the “cheating” fried bread and pasta!

      Btw, any good farmers’ markets in Baltimore? Anything of special interest to breakaway cooks there?

    12. By Eric on Oct 19, 2008

      Sonja — so glad you’re back on salt! Fresh herbs with everything, along with good salt, is a sure-fire way to improve one’s cooking. EVERYTHING tastes better with herbs!

    13. By Stuart on Oct 27, 2008

      Pressure Cookers — I like Fagor. I’ve had one for 14 years. They are just as good as the Kuhn Rikon and half the price. They also just came out with an electric one that I have been using a lot lately (it’s also a slow cooker and rice cooker.) I haven’t freecycled my stovetop one yet…what if I want to cook rice and beans at the same time? Slow cooked some Rancho Gordo beans last week..what a revelation! I just used onions, garlic and water to cook the beans…the broth came out yummy and almost beefy. (the last hour of cooking, salt the beans and leave the top off). My wife just about accused me of using a meat stock! The “pot liquor” is in the freezer right now awaiting something worthy of it’s excellence.

    14. By Stuart on Oct 27, 2008

      Eric,
      I get the mushroom broth at a new store down here called New Leaf…like an independent whole foods, but better…everything is actually organic. The also carry umeboshi, but haven’t ventured that far yet…

      Come down, get some stock, a pressure cooker….cook us dinner. :)

    15. By Eric on Oct 27, 2008

      Oh, I know New Leaf! There’s one down in Felton, yes? The owner is a real character. They are a wonderful store.

      You’re actually using/loving/recommending the three-in-one deal? More so than a stove-top? Can you brown meat in it?

    16. By Abigail Pugh on Nov 5, 2008

      I’d like to comment on stock as well! I do keep organic stock cubes (herb and chicken varieties) in the cupboard for dissolving into a bit of hot water, throwing into a veggie puree, adding milk or cream, a handful of herbs, liquidizing and calling the resulting simple soup ‘lunch’. But for stock-centric dishes such as risotto, I rely on home made chicken stock with bones and scraps from my local Polish ‘chicken ladies’ (a buck a bag). I add water, a whole onion, a carrot, half a lemon and some sea salt and simmer slowly (leaving it sub-boiling so it stays nice and clear). Then I freeze it in whatever containers I can find (increasingly phobic about plastic but I do re-use yoghurt containers).
      A couple of other great staples: small glass bottles of organic, undiluted, unsweetened fruit juices – the sour ones, like lemon, lime, cranberry and blackcurrant. Make a healthy drink by adding club soda (NO! to imported bottled fizzy water! think of the fossil fuels to import these carbon-squandering evils!) and a tasty unrefined sugar such as maple syrup or coconut sap, and lots of ice. (A great booze-substitute if pregnant like me and jonesing for grown up drinks). Also, add a few drops to salad dressing. Throw a capful into a soup for an intriguing fruitiness. They keep forever add add a hit of strong, fruit flavour when, let’s face it, you otherwise wouldn’t be getting out the juicer.
      One more thing: I bought some sundried chillies (can’t remember the type) in olive oil from a trip to Cape Town (best farmer’s market I’ve ever been to and prices to make you cry from jealousy). The jar lives on the shelf of my stovetop, and I put a teaspoon of them into soup, risotto, tagines, salad dressings…they’re running out fast. I also have a huge jar of a herb and seasalt ‘rub’ from the tough herbs of the Karoo desert near Cape Town. I adore and can’t live without these little flavour treasures brought home from traveling – souvenirs of the land, and indispensable ways to add something extra with zero work.

    17. By Eric on Nov 5, 2008

      Abi, you make me ache! Capetown is someplace I’ve always wanted to visit.

      Has anyone told you that you sort of write like Nigella? :^)

      Can you be more specific about these small glass bottles of juice? Who makes them?Is it 100-percent juice, nothing else?I’m not sure I’ve seen them. Your tough herb desert global flavor blast sounds delightful. I wonder what’s in it?

    18. By Eric on Nov 5, 2008

      And: you’re pregnant! Congratulations. Breakaway baby food is next, perhaps an empire could be born along with the baby!

    19. By Abigail Pugh on Nov 6, 2008

      Thanks for the Nigella compliment. I always call my mum the ‘real Nigella’ because she mixes short cuts with good old-fashioned technique and a dash of theatre and it works…90% of the time (the other 10% nobody notices because they’re lulled by her confidence!).
      I’ll source the name of those super-strong organic juices. They act like concentrates but are actually just full strength.To the bottled water thing: does anyone at this blog know about old fashioned Soda Streams? I reckon adding bubbles at home to filtered water is the greenest way to get fizzy, healthy water to have with our home cooked meals.
      Eric thanks for the congrats. I’m almost 6 months. And eating like a mad thing. Pregnancy cravings make you understand and love food in a great, new way. (The nose gets doubly sensitive and even a sip of wine is a big sensory blast).
      I wish I knew what was in that flavour-blast rub from Cape Town: it looks like oily black tea with chillies and beautiful salt crystals but the stringy leaf is probably rosemary, with other herbs, that have blackened. It’s fabulous stuff.

    20. By Eric on Nov 10, 2008

      Abi — there is no doubt that soda water at home is the way to go. Check out one of my first posts on this blog on this theme:

      http://www.breakawaycook.com/blog/archives/34

      (or search for “matcha water” in the search above in the upper right corner, above)

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