The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Be a smarter cook in 2019
Tips and recipes to up your kitchen game.
My mother’s mother had an uncanny ability in the kitchen. Poor, but armed with the array of what a farm kitchen could provide, she cooked mostly out of necessity – to feed her family. The principles of cooking were intrinsic to her. They, too, were a necessity for survival. She also cooked with a hefty dash of curiosity – and really enjoyed food. All these attributes made her an amazing cook.
They can make you an amazing cook, too. If you’re resolute in a desire to cook smarter, faster and leaner this year – if you want to save time in the kitchen and spend less – arm yourself with the only tool you truly need: knowledge. But what are these principles?
Use recipes as guidelines, not gospel (unless you are baking something). Don’t be afraid to stray from a recipe; rather, use it as an inspiration or touchpoint. How? First, arm yourself with the knowledge of flavor profiles. Some chefs refer to these as “flavor families.” In other words, what tastes well with what? Start thinking of these elements as families of flavor that you can easily rely on in a pinch. Mirepoix, the classic French flavor combination of celery, carrot and onion, is a perfect example. Change the celery to pepper, and it’s called the holy trinity (and is the flavor foundation of many dishes from the American South); change the pepper to tomatoes, and you’ve got sofrito (the foundation for many Latin American dishes). Start experimenting and play with some ideas of your own. Don’t be afraid to improvise. To be clear, though: Baking is different, and you’ll need to fol-
low a recipe to the letter for the sweet stuff. A half teaspoon more of baking soda could be a disaster, so always measure accurately.
Stay organized. Chefs call it mise en place: the practice of having ingredients and tools ready, organized and within reach before you begin cooking. Another part of mise en place is cleaning as you go. Nothing makes for a more unorganized kitchen than a dirty kitchen – and it saves so much time in the long run to keep things clean. Are you waiting for sauce to reduce? Wash some dishes. Is the chicken brining for 30 minutes before you roast it? Clean the counters and take the trash out. Be smart about your time.
Keep your pantry stocked. Certain items at the ready make cooking simple and easy. Five-minute meals are within arm’s reach. Think about what you like to cook, then make a pantry list. My family is big on pasta, so I usually have some on hand. Rice. Beans or lentils. A few fresh vegetables. Canned tomatoes. Canned tuna. Stocks (make your own or buy some). Arm yourself with the seasons – vegetables and fruits are always better when grown locally. And then there are condiments like soy, Worcestershire, mustard, sriracha and fish sauce that provide umami. Stock your refrigerator door with a few to flavor steamed vegetables, sauces, meats – virtually everything.
Familiarize yourself with the science behind what’s going on when you cook something. This understanding will eventually lead to the understanding of methods (boil, broil, sauté, fry, bake, roast, etc.) and how each works. Methods will eventually lead to the understanding of technique (how to braise, for example). What does fat do? Acid? Sugar? Salt? Cooking is science, but it’s not rocket science; anyone with genuine curiosity can learn how to cook.
Need some help? Try “On Food and Cooking” (Scribner, 1984 and 2004) by Harold McGee, considered the bible of cooking, in its second edition. Last year’s award-winning “Salt Fat Acid Heat” (Simon & Schuster, 2017) by Samin Nosrat, is already an indispensable part of my cookbook collection. Tom Colicchio’s “Think Like a Chef ” (Clarkson Potter, 2000) makes cooking easier, too.