I'd love to be able to cook. I'm pretty good with a mircowave (I can nuke anything). Fryin pan isn't too much of a problem and I can always turn the cooker hobs on without setting myself alight. I haven't had much experience in actually cooking food though...proper food that is. Like what they have on masterchef and big cook, little cook.
Any tips or starting points. And don't say chappatis - everyone can make chappatis. All you need is some Champion atta, a rolling pin and your fist.
2 answers, the 1st...your Mother, your Mother, your Mother! [it's NOT how i learned, but what a blown opportunity to have some great quality time with your Mum!] Seriously, i see way too many Muslim families where the women do ALL of the "domestic" stuff, i.e., cooking, cleaning laundry AS IF that is how it is supposed to be! i mean sisters waiting on their brothers...doing their laundry for them...
oops, enough of a rant. anyway, as i see so much "culture" in the different nationalities, i would assume that most folks like "their own food" the best. therefore, spend as much time as you can learning from your Mum. in addition, you will be making your Mum VERY happy [for a variety of reasons.] AND in later years you will REALLY appreciate that time as well! [and MAYBE just maybe, you won't let your sons grow up to be so "useless" around the house!]
2ndly, get a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant [of the type that you want to learn.] BUST YOUR REAR END WORKING! be an absolute dynamo. the cooks, In Sha'a Allah, will notice this and give you more work to do, of the prep variety at first: chopping, slicing, peeling. as long as you are that dynamo, ask the cooks lots of questions. as long as you are the guy that they can rely on, they should give you preferential treatment. working in a kitchen is hard work, VERY hard in some. cooks tend to "dislike" lazy people, and gravitate to those who are willing to "make it work." 2 of the restaurants that i have worked in were in the top 100 BUSIEST Restaurants IN THE COUNTRY when i worked in them. there are people who are chefs today because i noticed their hard work and so i spent my time training them! [you do this this because when you need a new cook, you KNOW you have someone who will pull his or her own weight!]
usually, in restaurants you will learn prep work, then "short order", breakfast and luncheon items and then dinner.
at home, if you're going to do this your self, get the crock pot! chop, spice, flour, add water, press a button.
i would also recommend a rice cooker, especially one that will cook brown rice! something like this:
http://www.aroma-housewares.com/kitchen/appliances/ARC-1000.html
they have steamer trays that fit in the top. you could put some veggies in there and steam them while the rice is cooking.
THEN, get a steamer! we have this:
http://www.oster.com/ProductCategory.aspx?mpcid=1543&cname=Cooking&cid=27&pid=1377
actually, ours is digital. for a nice meal we:
put carrots in for 10 minutes, then the beeper goes off.
put red potatoes [or yukon golds] in for 5 to 10 minutes, when the beeper goes off
add fish for 8 to 12 minutes depending on fish [salmon works VERY nicely!]
we have some key lime butter in the freezer that we slice and put on the fish and dinner only takes about a half hour to cook!
for other pots and pans, seriously go to a restaurant supply store! for your knives as well! the stuff sold in most stores is crap and in a bad economy you should be able to get lots of deals!
Crusted Rosemary Chicken [i created this last Ramadhan, my wife loves it and i use it as a replacement for fried chicken]:
get some "crushed rosemary" and trust me on this, the crushed works best [the other stuff is like pine needles, although fresh works good if you want to steam it]
we use chicken leg quarters [$1.49 a pound for halaal, and YES, i do the shopping]
coat your pan with an oil cooking spray and heat oven to 350.
put the chicken in the pan skin side up [my wife takes the skin off.] put some of the rosemary in a little nappy dish. take it and as you spread it over the chicken, crush it with you fingers into a fine powder. cover as much of the chicken as you ca with the "dust", add a little basil or oregano [we add a touch of mixed sea salt seasoning] and some salt and pepper.
put it in the oven. now, [and this is the part my wife loves] about 5 minutes before it is done, crank the oven to 425! as soon as the light goes out [meaning the oven is up to temp] shut it off! let it sit [and you'll find your own favorite length of time for about 8 minutes.
just before you take it out, turn on the burner under your tea kettle.
when you take the chicken out of the oven, put the chicken on a plate and look at your pan. if it's not burnt [and it shouldn't be. if it is, skip this part and heat it less next time
], add a liquid to the pan. water works fine, maybe 3/4 of a cup, it will "deglaze" the pan pulling up all the flavors. then reduce the water by half on the burner, this goes really good over some brown rice!
your done!
you CAN play with the liquid. sometimes i use Martinellis sparkling apple juice instead of water or grape juice. find your favorite and personalize it!
just some ideas...
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