View Full Version : ***Cooking Tips***
Because I'm still a bit of a noob at this cooking lark I thought I would start a thread so we can share tips etc.
Even really dumbass ones would be useful :p
I made a sponge today and used 2 yolks and one whole egg and it came out great! :D
I needed the other whites to make a pavalova tomorrow eve.
Might be a tip might not, but thought I'd better post something to start off :p
BB x
When making yorkies, add a little bit of olive oil into the bottom of each "pot" and get it all very hot in the oven before pouring in the mix. This should help stop your yorkies from sticking to the bottom when you take them out. Also, don't open the oven door to keep checking on them, it'll stop them from rising properly. If you don't have a window to check on them, try to time them as best as you can. :)
Stan_Lite
19-02-2008, 12:28
When making yorkies, add a little bit of olive oil into the bottom of each "pot" and get it all very hot in the oven before pouring in the mix. This should help stop your yorkies from sticking to the bottom when you take them out. Also, don't open the oven door to keep checking on them, it'll stop them from rising properly. If you don't have a window to check on them, try to time them as best as you can. :)
Olive oil? Poof :p
Lard is what you use with Yorkies.
Extra virgin can also be used if you're even more poofy. :D
Stan_Lite
19-02-2008, 13:19
Extra virgin can also be used if you're even more poofy. :D
;D
Ok. Better come up with a tip myself instead of trashing BBx's thread - sorry hun :o
When slicing chicken breast for stir fries etc., I use a very sharp knife when the breasts are still semi frozen, you get a much cleaner cut when the meat is still firm.
Obviously, you leave the chicken to defrost properly before cooking.
Ok. Better come up with a tip myself instead of trashing BBx's thread - sorry hun :o
Heee hee was going to say :p
:D
BB x
I make mash potato using whole potatoes in their skins cooked on the jacket potato setting on the microwave. I scoop the insides out for the mash and I'm left with crispy skins that I can use for stuffed potato skins the night after. No peeling required :)
I rub a little olive oil into the potatoes before baking them. Lovely crispy skins.
If doing the oil and salt to get crackling crispy on pork, add a little paprika - even if you don't eat the crackling, the flavour will seep gently into the meat while cooking. Is wonderful when served with a white sauce and steamed veggies :)
Don't cook bacon in the nude.
That is all.
goldilocks
19-02-2008, 18:44
keep onions in the fridge and use a very sharp knife to cut them = no tears :)
always make more than you need with foods like casserole, bolognaise (etc) and freeze them in individual portions - easy to reheat - and saves you turning to 'junk food' when you're in a rush
When making Chili, a few pieces of dark chocolate thrown in really does give a a completely different taste to a dish that can taste the same time and time again.
Roast Beef Rather than cooking dry or with Oil, try slow cooking with a couple of glasses of Shiraz, A few sliced shallots and a little bit of beef stock. Extremely tender
Roast Lambs Legs Before cooking, massage the leg with Olive Oil, once done massage in some dried Rosemary into the skin then season. Beautiful
Roasties Different strokes for different folks. Some use Olive Oil, some use lard and some use Vegetable Oil. I find the very best tasting roasties are made from using Goose fat. So bad but sooooooooo damn good. A jar of Goose fat costs around £1.50 and you should be able to do two very good roast dinners from that.
Stan_Lite
20-02-2008, 05:46
Ooh, talking of roast beef. Cheap joints of beef can be tough if not cooked properly.
With brisket, I roast it until it's cooked through then leave it until it cools down completely and slice it thinly. Make some onion gravy and put the sliced beef and the gravy in a casserole dish (make sure the meat is completely covered) and put it in a lowish oven (about 180C) for about two hours. The meat should be lovely and tender and delicious. Brisket has just the right amount of fat to make a tasty beef dish but can be tough.
Patience is the key to making a smooth, lump-free pancake/yorkshire pud or indeed any batter.
Make a well in the centre of the flour, crack in the eggs and beat to a smooth paste. Then add the milk a bit at a time, beating each time to make sure it's fully incorporated. Do it this way, and you shouldn't even need to use a whisk!
I just bung it in the blender :D
Good tips people! :D Keep it up and don't forget this thread when you stumble across one :)
Marks and Spencers Tomato and Basil soup would be great with pasta - on its own or in a spag bol sauce....
...this was discovered when consuming it as its intended use, as soup - it tastes whack. :p
:D
BB x
I am guessing "tastes whack" is not a good thing? :confused:
I imagine BB saying it like Joey in Friends when he's trying to pass for 19. "That is whack!" :D
Don't cook bacon in the nude.
That is all.
I have a scar on my belly where I decided to BBQ once in my kini. :'(
My silly little tip is on chopping onions too! Huzzah! When you need to chop em up nice and small, chop off the tops and tails, peel away the outer skin, then chop in half (top to tail downwards). Plonk one half flat on it's belleh and then make cuts into the onion to one edge (not all the way through) and then chop sideways and voila! Cubes of onions without it slipping everywhere!
Just re-read that and it's confusing... hang on a sec... I'll do a drawing demo!
http://pheebeh.googlepages.com/onionscopy.jpg
THere yar!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Don't cut the root off!!! That's the bit that makes you cry. Dice it whilst the root is still intact on the bottom. :)
OoooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo!
I *alway* cry whilst chopping onions.
That'd be why!
Silly billy willy me! I'll try that then! And I have got me onions in the fridge now... not that I'm going to be using them for a while as I have a vat of soup I need to get through first! Then I'm making pepper soup which requires the onion! YAY!
Yeah if you leave the root on then it doesn't make you cry and it's easier to chop :)
Can I steal that picture for my website though? Pleeeeaaaaaaaase!!!!!
(this may be the first image I have actually asked permission to steal...)
LeperousDust
22-02-2008, 23:36
Don't cook bacon in the nude.
That is all.
Everyone of my hungover fry ups i forget this, albeit not naked, but boxer shorts aren't *much* protection...
Stan_Lite
23-02-2008, 05:46
I have a scar on my belly where I decided to BBQ once in my kini. :'(
We really need to see the scar and the 'kini in question to get a better idea of what you mean ;)
Talking of scars, another one from me - on safety this time.
When filleting fish or boning out meat, always cut away from the body. Basic stuff I know (first thing I was told when I started my short apprenticeship as a butcher) but you'd be surprised the number of people (including professionals) I see cutting towards themselves. Chap I worked with at the butchers failed to follow this advice and stabbed himself in the groin - he was lucky, an inch to the left and he would have severed the femoral artery, an inch to the right and no family allowance.
Yeah if you leave the root on then it doesn't make you cry and it's easier to chop :)
Can I steal that picture for my website though? Pleeeeaaaaaaaase!!!!!
(this may be the first image I have actually asked permission to steal...)
sure thing :) It's hardly a work of art :)
Big Stan - I knew about the fish but I always forget which way! So thank you for the reminder! :D
And my belly scar is just a small little white circle :) The kini no longer exists I'm afraid :(
Stan_Lite
27-02-2008, 09:12
sure thing :)
Big Stan - I knew about the fish but I always forget which way! So thank you for the reminder! :D
It's an easy thing to forget. I often find myself about to do it and stop to reposition stuff. A small thing but potentially deadly consequences.
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