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Forum
-> Household Management
-> Kosher Kitchen
amother
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 Sat, Jan 16 2010, 11:45 pm
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hi be4 I got married I was never allowed to go in2 my moms kitchen it was her domain and when I got married and had to start cooking I was clueless bH I kinda got the hang of it but I was thinking if ppl can post simple tips about cooking-all my newly married friends r in the same boat as I was so would love to c tips I can give over or learn for myself!!!!!!thanks in advance!
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ra_mom
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Sat, Jan 16 2010, 11:51 pm
First of all, the cookbook Quick & Kosher from the Bride Who Knew Nothing is a great guide for anyone, especially for those who have a hard time around the kitchen.
Can you tell us what you have mastered already, and what you feel you need the most help in?
That way we might be able to help you better.
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Raisin
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 7:58 am
buy a cookbook and start cooking! jaime gellers book is good but relies on a lot of premade stuff. The spice and spirit of kosher cooking is a great comprehensive cookbook with hundreds of recipes that all work well.
Sure, you will mess up a few time, but eventually you will learn.
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chocolate moose
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 9:00 am
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dd just got Cooking from Above for $25 at Target. It shows you EXACTLY what to do.
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greenfire
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 9:35 am
cooking is easy - use the spices you like in foods - follow basic recipes - watch your food so you don't burn anything - and learn your likes and dislikes in the kitchen - then modify to your taste
all set
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amother
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 10:50 am
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I'm righ there with you. It's not just the recipes we need, but the basic TECHNIQUES of cooking. For instance, when do we need to cover the pot and when do we keep it open and when do we use the tilted cover technique. Also when it calls for food to simmer does this mean really low, medium low, medium high... These things are not told in a recipe and I WANT TO KNOW! Is there books that teach these things?
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Raisin
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 2:19 pm
| amother wrote: | | I'm righ there with you. It's not just the recipes we need, but the basic TECHNIQUES of cooking. For instance, when do we need to cover the pot and when do we keep it open and when do we use the tilted cover technique. Also when it calls for food to simmer does this mean really low, medium low, medium high... These things are not told in a recipe and I WANT TO KNOW! Is there books that teach these things? |
I'm sure there are, I just can;t tell you a name of one. I had a good housekeeping cookbook that was very useful in that it gave lists on how long to cook meat, poultry, fish and vegetables. if you browse around a bookstore or online I'm sure you will find some thing.
But lots of these things just come with experience. I grew up cooking at home so I guess I can't remember a time when I didn't know how to cook, but I'm definately a better cook after being maried 10 years.
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Mimisinger
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 2:45 pm
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A lot of this stuff you can just google. Try it.
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amother
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 3:12 pm
op here
poster amother exactly!!!!!!!I always follow recipies but they never come out gr8-when baking chicken how do I know if 2 cover or not and what it does etc!does anyone know of a book that teaches the basics!!!!!!!!!
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Mimisinger
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 3:16 pm
What if you ask questions here? People could answer them.
Some, you'll learn as you go on.
For example - covering or uncovering a pot.
You never cover pasta while it's boiling - it will overflow and make your stove a mess (I found that out).
Always cover rice when it's cooking, or the water will turn into a gas and fly away and leave hard, gross, rice.
Basically, when covering or uncovering, do you want the liquid to stay or leave? Stay? Cover the pot. Leave? Uncover the pot. If you make a big sauce that you want to reduce (get thicker) you cook it uncovered so that the water will evaporate.
Let's say I'm cooking something - while I want the flavors to co-mingle, I leave the pot on, but then it's too watery, so I take off the cover so the water leaves the pot.
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Zus
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 3:28 pm
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Simmering is usually with the cover on, but always on low fire.
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Raisin
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 3:57 pm
a cookbook will tell you those things. For example if you want to make chicken, look at the chicken recipes and see how long it takes to cook the chicken and if you should cover it or not. You can play a litte with the ingredients - use different spices for example, but recipes always tell you if you need to cover pots or pans and how long to cook for.
(Chicken peices take about and hour and half to cook, and I cook uncovered, though some recipes tell you to cover for first hour and then uncover)
some things will work out whichever way...chicken soup will cook fine covered or uncovered.
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amother
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 4:12 pm
I was in the same boat as you a few years ago. So here are the silly things I didn't know that cookbooks assume you'll understand...I'm sure others will disagree with me on some of these, but these are the best methods I've found for not burning my food or making it too raw.
If the recipe doesn't say whether to cover or uncover something, they usually mean it should be uncovered. If they want it covered, they'll say so.
With that said, I sometimes cover things if I'm nervous they'll burn or get dried out. If I'm cooking something for Shabbos and will be rewarming it later, I'll cook it covered for a little while, then uncover it for the last bit. That way it'll be more liquidy than it would have been otherwise, and it won't get dried out when I warm it up.
If you take the skin off chicken, I would cover it. Otherwise it will probably get all dried out.
If you swap bone-in chicken for cutlets or vice versa, change the cooking time. Bone in is about an hour and a half (depends on how well done you like it). Cutlets are about twenty minutes to half an hour. If you swap the times, your chicken will either be raw or dried out and burnt.
Simmer is low. If it doesn't say anything in the recipe, put it on a medium flame. If you put something on high, watch it and STIR OFTEN or the bottom will burn. (If you're ever confused about a cooking term, like "simmer," just google it.)
Can you ask some other specific questions, and we'll try to answer them? Things really do become easier with time. I've been married for only a few years, and already I feel like I know what I'm doing enough to give advice. Which I NEVER would have believed the week after my wedding when I called my friend to ask how to boil pasta! (FYI - Look at the side of the box for directions.)
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Raisin
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 4:18 pm
vegetables (eg potatoes, sweet potaotes etc) will cook faster if you cut them up into small peices.
(maybe you all know this but my friend didn't)
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ra_mom
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 9:25 pm
If an oven recipe does not specify if the chicken should be covered, that means it should be UNCOVERED.
Rice, pasta, cousous, farfel... follow instructions on bag. (Different types of rice have different cooking times.)
If you are making bone-in chicken bottoms, the general time and temperature to cook is 1 hour and 30 minutes at 375. Uncovered will give you nicely browned juicy chicken.
Simmer usually means medium/low flame, with cover of pot on, but slightly open.
Amother, when you have a question about a specific recipe... start a thread  That's what imamother is for Before you know it, you'll get the hang of it.
(And btw, Jamie Geller's Quick & Kosher specifies EVERYTHING. Covered, uncovered. Pot cover on, pot cover off. Amount of spices... Nothing says "to taste". There are amounts for everything.
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gold21
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 9:38 pm
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Maybe try Kosher by Design Kids in the Kitchen? its also pretty clear. I think those are your best bets, the easy cookbooks. Maybe purchase that and Quick and Kosher.
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amother
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 9:45 pm
I'm anon cause everyone who knows me knows I love love love this cookbook.
its called Clueless in the kitchen
Its amazing! See if u can get it from a library 1st to see if you like it, but it explains everything and is fun to use. Its the perfect beginers cookbook and the recipes actually taste good. You'll have to skip some and you'll have to sub some things because its not a kosher cookbook but its still amazing!
Here is a link:
Clueless in the Kitchen
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Pineapple
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 9:46 pm
| amother wrote: | | does etc!does anyone know of a book that teaches the basics!!!!!!!!! |
get the betty crocker cook book - its a red loosleaf
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amother
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Sun, Jan 17 2010, 11:05 pm
I'm the second amother. Thank you everyone for your replies, it's really appreciated. (and TY OP for starting this thread  )
ra_mom what does the tilted lid do?
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SavtaHelen
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Mon, Jan 18 2010, 10:32 am
My first tip is to relax and have fun...we all make mistakes and I am sure that some of the world's greatest gourmet recipes were someone's error once. For instance, who thought to beat egg whiltes until stiff?? It must have been someone daydreaming!
There are no kitchen police. You don't HAVE to do anything.
It is usually easier to add more than take away. So start with modest amounts of spices, you can always add more. The same holds true for mayo, lemon juice, salad dressing...
Less time is better than too much time, for most things...Bake for less, check and you can always add more. If things are overcooked, they are mushy and/or burned. You can add time but not reverse it!
RICE used to be a big challange for me. White rice is easy. Put about a tablespoon of oil in the bottom of a saucepan, heat it and stir one cup of oil in it. Add two cups of boiling water, and spices (salt, parsley, chicken soup powder...)Bring to a boil, stir once, cover and simmer for 7 minutes exactly. Turn off the fire but DON"T OPEN the cover. Let is sit and steam itself for at least and hour.
You can add all kinds of things to this either before you cover it, or an hour later. Some suggestions are fried onions with or without mushrooms, walnuts, pinenuts, diced carrots with or without peas, canned corn (drained) or whatever else seems right to you.
The internet is a wonderful source of information. Irecommened the Jewish Food group archives.
Tzomet Sefarim has a Cook book as opposed to a recipe book that teaches all kinds of cooking techniques.
Good Luck, be creative and enjoy!
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