Lesson 2- Beginnings

This is just the beginning of a fun, enjoyable, learning experience for you. You're going to learn how to cook, and I mean without a book. These are all the same methods that are taught in top culinary schools, except you're getting your schooling from the comfort of your own home!

First things first. I'm assuming by now that you have read the post about Mise en Place, that's the first step in this course. Every chef needs to understand mise en place, and it's even a good thing to carry into your everyday life. So, where does cooking start? Well it starts with your ingreidents-

Choosing Your Ingredients: You should really be able to use the local market to decide what you’re going to be cooking. Try to find a store that carries local produce, that will be giving you the best in season ingredients. You should really try to cook just what’s in season to ensure that you’re family is eating the best quality food. Who wants to eat asparagus that came in all the way from Chili when it’s asparagus season in your local area. These large chain grocery stores are ruining the food that we are putting in ourselves and our families mouths. Then, think about the end dish, it can only be as good as the ingredients that you’re starting out with. If you’re starting with mediocre ingredients you can only expect a mediocre result. Using local, fresh ingredients will speak for themselves, and will only require minimal effort to create something fantastic.



An Important Note About Salt and "Dead Pepper": In my home I use Kosher salt on a regular basis, and occasionally Sea Salt. Salt is the one ingredient that can make a difference between a bland meal and an excellent meal. It doesn’t take much to create something magical just by using the basic seasonings, salt and freshly ground pepper. People will think that you spent all day in the kitchen preparing a meal so flavorful. Salt draws out the natural flavor of your ingredients. I think the one ingredient that most home cooks don’t use enough of is salt. The most common type of salt used in American homes is that superfine stuff that comes in the blue jar. If you learn to use Kosher or Sea Salt you can have more control over the final outcome of your dishes. Both those salts are a more coarse grain (some sea salts are fine though) these can easily be picked up in your fingers, which allows for a more consistent product. You will eventually learn how much salt to use by what it feels like in your finger tips.

Whether you use Kosher salt or sea salt is a personal preference. I personally use Kosher salt on an everyday basis and sea salt or fleur de sel for accenting or finishing a dish. Like, I would grill asparagus and drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt. This is a wonderfully simple, easy, elegant spring/summer dish. For learning purposes I think that Kosher salt is better. It's a little easier to control the salt flavor in a dish. Sea salt is generally more pungent and can ruin a dish a lot easier if you're not really careful.

Next, take that pepper out of your cupboard that has been sitting in the plastic tub for who knows how long, it's dead! Now, throw it away! That is not pepper. There is no pepper smell or taste left to that pathetic excuse for a spice. You need to go to the store and buy a pepper grinder, it doesn't have to be expensive, anything will work. Now, go and buy some Whole Black Peppercorns and you've just unlocked one of the secrets to great cooking. If you don't believe me try your old, pre-ground pepper from the plastic jar and the freshly ground side by side. I don't think you'll doubt me then. Think about it though, the pepper that was in the jar was ground months ago and who knows how long it sat on the shelf in the grocery store!

So, if I could only tell you two things to change you’re cooking it would be use more salt and pepper. Set a cup of salt and a pepper grinder next to your stove so they are always there ready for you to use. These are two big steps in getting you to be a better cook. Now, you just have to learn to actually use the salt and freshly ground pepper in your cooking. So, this can be your weapon when cooking for friends and family now. Judging the right amount of each just takes practice, learning what's too much or too little for each dish. The more you taste the better you'll get at judging it. That brings me to the next key-

Taste Your Food! The only way to learn about the food that you’re cooking is to taste. The more you taste your dishes during the cooking process the more you will learn about what they are supposed to taste like. Tasting, looking, smelling, and feeling, these are all important ways to learn about your ingredients. Tracking how the textures and flavors change will be helpful in balancing the dishes flavors. Through this tasting process you will also learn about your likes and dislikes of your own palate.

The best way to change the flavor of a dish that you’re not too confident about what it needs is to just pull out a small amount and season that. Once you have determined what it is that is missing in the dish you can then season the whole dish. This will take away a lot of anxiety about ruining the whole dish with one foul swoop of salt. If this does happen, well, I guess you'll learn to taste in smaller batches. And, you'll just whip up and batch of some-off-the-shelf-boxed-dinner and know that you learned a lesson! It might take a few of those "rescue dinners" while you're still just learning. You're getting the feel of the salt between your fingers, the number of cranks on the pepper grinder it takes. All of this is going to take practice, practice, practice.

You'll get it, and soon be creating meals from your local ingredients and seasoning just perfectly.