Tips & Tricks

loveheartsandnicotine

WHY do ya swirl the water?
...im damned if i know
but i CAN chop onions....lmao and u said it like ya momma told u............u havent tried it for real yet have u?

Gaffo

If ya don't swirl the water the egg will go all over the place in the water and its hard to get out and eat.

Sketch

What do you mean by 'swirl'?
Do you pick up the saucepan and swirl it?
Or do you swirl the water around with your hand or a utensil?

Gaffo

a utensil preferably.

Gordon

Don't put your butter in the fridge if you want to spread it on your toast in the morning. leave it out.

Butter doesn't go off if you leave it out does it?

Horsefumbler

Meant to say this ages ago...

Now we all love love pot noodles but don't u h8 it the way there's always a load of gunk in them and not enuff noodles on there own. Check this; Pour in the water and stirr them as normal, then when you feel that they ready to eat drain off the all the excess water over the sink using yur fork as a drainer,then yur left with just noodles on there own but with all the flavour! then add the soy sauce mixthat up a bit. This technique boosts the flavour of the soy sauce too.

it's the only way to eat a Pot Noodle really


ww)

Snowball

I know it's a bit long, sorry guys.

I used to be a professional chef (qualified), now I'm in college doing a change of career but I still love cooking. I will try to pass on some of the stuff I learnt.

Some of this is just variations of what ppl have already said, just I think, IMHO, that they would work better this way

Gordon said about stock, Stock is the life and flavouring of all kitchens. It is one of the most important things in cooking. The idea is to flavour everything you cook.
If you are preparing a meal and you have veg to add you will have cuttings and leftovers (all trimmings, roots, hairy parts of onions, potato skins, etc). Take the leftover veg and trimmings and bones of whatever meat (you can also make veg stock with no meat) you are cooking and cook it in a pot (the size of the pot will determine the amount of stock). Cook it all in a pot for a few hours, the longer you cook it the more flavour. Max 6 hrs. Then you can freeze it if you want.

Someone mentioned fried eggs; a trick is to put them in while the oil is cold. They end up a bit oilier but that how restaurants get that perfect, no blotches, fried egg.

For the whole poached egg, which I see ppl like (and so they should, they rock), add salt (to taste, that means taste the water) and a small amount of vinegar (both the salt and vinegar help the egg stay in one piece). Stir the water when it comes to the boil (and if you like, works out better) you keep stirring the water until if comes to the boil while you are stirring or u think its close. Then give it one last rev up and then wait until the whirlpool in the middle is in the centre. Add egg, take water off the stove. Leave until u recon it’s cooked.

Someone said something about bakes. Be careful with bakes, the meat might not cook properly if the oven is not high enough (prob is that the pastry might burn if it is too high). A trick is to slightly cook the meat first and same with veg then all u need to do is to cook the pastry. If no pastry don’t worrie, just cook the sh!t out of it if ur not sure.

Someone said about cleaning hands after garlic, lemon is good for that. It’s also good if u put in with the hot water in the micro (to clean it) someone mentioned, adds a nice smell.

Mercury_Tilt mentioned about sealing the outside of steaks. Perfect but nice idea is to have a second pan that is not very hot to continue with the cooking when the sealing is done. Sealing only takes a few seconds a side.

Onions, as far as I was taught onions make you cry because when you breathe in through the nose the airborne onion juice gets into one of your glands and messes you up. If you breathe in through the mouth and out through the nose it works a treat. Not always I might add but goon still.

Wooden utensils are great but u can’t leave them lying in dirty water and you have to keep them clean, they absorb dirt and bacteria.

If you can buy flavoured oils (like chilli oil or basil oil and so on {Important: If you decide to make your own oils look up the method, the stuff u put inside can go off and make u sick}) or oils like peanut (someone said that already) or sesame seed oil and so on.

Best mean u can get is your local butchers (Important: don’t assume all butchers are brilliant, look at what your getting and shop around). Failing that Superquin has really good meat (Super Value’s meat is ****).

General tip: flavour all the separate parts of a dish, adds to the meal (e.g.: Pasta, add stock to the water, chilli if it’s a spicy meal ur doing)

I hope I have helped.

Snowball

When you make soup you can fry some bacon in a drop of oil (literaly a drop). Cook them until they are dark brown and nearly burnt and then let them cool. Then break them up with your hands and you can use them as croutons. Its realy nice. you can also do that with pasta and so on.

commuterised

Originally posted by Mercury_Tilt


Dont let people put holes in sausages.

I love to prick my sausages and then crisp up the goo that spills out yummmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyy

fisty

herbs and spices.

use them in everything.


oh and when making boring mashed potato dice up onions and mash them into the potato (preferably spring onions)
this makes for some wicked stodge....

Onions and garlic are your friends, put them in everything.
same goes for salt pepper and chilli.

Tazz T

Herbs are great for adding flavour to dishes but don't use too many. Usually two is enough. Any more and you don't taste them. A good analogy is when you're mixing paint - mix many colours and you end up with a non-descript mess. Certain herbs are just great together - try oregano and basil, for example - great for pasta and pizza. Lemon and chili are good together too. Thyme and parsley for fish. Rosemary and lemon for roast spuds.

karma kabbage

There seems to be a distinctly eggy tendance here..... and so....

Prick raw eggs (with a needle or summat) before boiling, this allows air to escape as the inside of the egg heats up and helps prevent cracking ....of cook and cooked!

Lpfsox

Originally posted by fisty
herbs and spices.

use them in everything.


oh and when making boring mashed potato dice up onions and mash them into the potato (preferably spring onions)
this makes for some wicked stodge....

a variation on this is to stir in a bit of grainy mustard (not english or french mustard though) into your mashed spuds. nyom, nyom, nyom

loismustdie

Originally posted by SearrarD
when choppin onions, chew gum and you'll never cry!

a lot of people swear this works but it doesn't for me. i chew gum the whole time and i even chewed bread as it was suggested to me, i worked in a kitchen hotel so cut onions everyday and cried everyday

loismustdie

mashed potatoes with butter, milk and choped up peppers is lovely too for a change and scallions if you want. just add a little salt an pepper if any at all

loismustdie

Originally posted by karma kabbage
There seems to be a distinctly eggy tendance here..... and so....

Prick raw eggs (with a needle or summat) before boiling, this allows air to escape as the inside of the egg heats up and helps prevent cracking ....of cook and cooked!

or add salt to the water you're boiling them in, it does the same trick

loismustdie

bay leaves and basil in soup really makes a difference, theyr'e lovely but don't forget to take out the bay leaves

joseph brand

To clean garlic laiden utensils limbs and what av ye, use COLD water.

When makin mash, make sure ur potatoes dont have Granny Smith written on them, and look almost green.

To chop onions, use long broadsword with a distinctive slicing motion. The longer the sword, the further u are from pesky onion, or hold piece of toast in mouth as guard from fumes.

To make the most ANIMAL cheese toastie:
1. place chopped basil leaves and chopped garlic in bottle of olive oil. (leave for a day or so 2 ferment, and all that jazz)
2. spread this on bread.
3. place bread in grill
4. when heated a little, sprinkle the cheese on toast and place under grill for another bit of an oul toastin.
5. take out of grill, allow to cool a little, now 'RAM THAT BABY DOWN YER THROAT LIKE THERES NO TOMORROW'.

Now, that be the 'GOURMET ****'!!:cool:

Nemesis

If you open a good bottle of red wine and you cant finish it
give me a ring and I'll finish it.
Or if I'm not available,dont open a bottle of wine if you aint going to finish it..tis a waste..and even a sin...as is gluttony...but...I digress.
Nem

jerk

if you're cooking sausages only use suprquinn sausages they are the only sausages worth having.

mikep

Buy a vacuvin to keep unfinished wine fresh!!

Lord Nikon

Originally posted by accensi0n
if theres a draft in a room and you don't know where its coming from get a candle and light it. walk around the room with it and wherever it flickers thats where the draft is.

i'm curious to know what this has to do with food/drink?

joseph brand

@neuromancer: sense of humour????? Do You Have??? Eh????

Recipe for 5 second toast:

You will need:
1 slice of white bread, preferably sliced.
a blowtorch
Fire extinguisher(just in case)
Big fork

hold bread with fork and scorch with torch!

As easy as that.

Alien-1st

dont take food from strangers!!

Lucutus

Originally posted by jerk
if you're cooking sausages only use suprquinn sausages they are the only sausages worth having.

I agree with this statement, second to Superquinn bangers, Shaws are ok if yer stuck, but Denny and Galtee are muck.

The superquinn sausage burgers around summer bbq time are also delicious.

I don't know what superquinn put in them, but they are the tasty win.

Mumha

Re the Sausages, for a rule of thumb, look at the % Pork. Shaws have 80% pork. Plus, look at the Carbohydrate content. I think Shaws are about 6g of Carb per 100g. Some of them have 9 to 12g and others don't put on any such info at all !!! Stay well clear of those. I am open to correction but I think Roscrea have 43% pork. High Carb means filler which is cheaper than using Pork.

Mumha

Originally posted by Lucutus
I agree with this statement, second to Superquinn bangers, Shaws are ok if yer stuck, but Denny and Galtee are muck.

The superquinn sausage burgers around summer bbq time are also delicious.

I don't know what superquinn put in them, but they are the tasty win.

I agree Lucutus. I got some a few weeks ago when in Limerick and found them to be very tasty, AND, the carb content was only 2.3g ! Will be in Limerick, next Saturday for an cluiche mor, and will stock up.

luckat

The sausages from the Saturday morning market in Galway are the best - herby and meaty. Mmmm.

Clonakilty black pudding. Mmmmm.

If you want to make a really good stew, base it on a chicken stock - buy one of those packs of chicken wings, use half of them plus an onion, a carrot, a stalk or two of celery, some herbs and a clove or two of garlic, cover with water, boil gently for a couple of hours, then ditch out the wings and veggies and keep the stock.

Fry up chopped onions and meat (beef or lamb), while cooking chopped carrots in the stock. (If you want your carrots to be really good, chop them in wedges like the Romans did, not in rings like we do; roll the peeled carrot towards you, chopping in wedges as you go.) Add some of the stock in to the fried meat and onions so it sizzles, then pour the lot back into the pot of stock and carrots. Put in some salt and pepper at this stage. Cook in combination for around 10 minutes, then put it into an earthenware cassserole and cook it in the oven for a couple of hours. Serve with floury spuds steamed in their jackets.

Mashed potatoes: steam the floury potatoes, then rub the skins off with your fingers and add the potatoes to milk that's heating on the hob. Much nicer than if you add the milk to the potatoes. And add a good lump of butter and an egg, and mash in. (If you want to make champ, fry onions in butter, then add warm milk and cook for 10 minutes or so, then add your steamed potatoes.)

Apple crumble: core and chop Bramleys, but don't peel them. (But wash them; you don't know what those farmers have been putting on them.) Put them in a buttered casserole dish and put a dose of sugar on them - not too much, though. Sift flour into a bowl and then rub in butter or margarine, and sugar, and add a good lot of cinammon. Put this on top of the apples like a crust. Cook in an oven, and then just before you serve it, put it under the grill so the crust goes golden and crispy. Serve with thick Greek yogurt - the sour yogurt is great against the sweet apple crumble.

blondie83

If you don't like icing on buns and that, like you think it's too sweet or something, I found a really nice chocolate icing that tastes gorgeous. You need 100g of chocolate (I just use dairy milk) and 100ml of cream. Put the whole lot in a pan and heat until it comes to the boil, stirring continously. When its boiled up take it off the heat and stir until the chocolate is melted into it. Then get an electric whisk and whisk untill smooth. Then pour onto buns and leave to set. It is the best icing ever!

Sparks

Shaw's sausages are 80% meat - the rest have less meat than that because of the amount of cheap rusk used to bulk them up.

If you're buying equipment for a kitchen, you need one chef's knife. Not two, not three, not a block set of twenty specialised knives - one. Make it a decent one - global are my favorite, but some people prefer heavier ones. You are going to pay over fifty quid for it, and another 20-30 for the steel, and you will have to pay a fiver or so every year to get it professionally sharpened, but it's going to last you for twenty or thirty years. And you can't cook without a decent knife.
(You probably want a cheapish serrated knife too, that'll last you about two to three years but it's cheap so who cares).

Woks can't be used without gas or an open flame. At least not easily or properly.

Fried rice is a leftovers dish and the boiled rice has to be stone cold before you fry it. And it has to be fried in small batches in a wok that's so hot it's nearly glowing.

Chilli is always better if you leave it stand in the pot overnight. It can keep in the pot for several days if you heat it up past 70 degrees for two minutes every day - it doesn't have to go in the fridge.

Lots of things aren't meant to be kept in the fridge - eggs, for instance. Store them in the larder, pointy end downwards so the air sac doesn't float up and disrupt the innards of the egg.

Never eat chilled tomatos, they must be room temperature at least. Especially when raw.

Never eat sashimi in a noodle bar.

Cavistons in Dun Laoighaire is the best high-street shop for fresh fish and little avoca-type foodie stuff.

Avoca is heavily overpriced. Don't buy anything other than raw ingredients there.

Grow herbs - buy spices whole. Better taste, lower cost.

Chilli con carne does not have to be exclusively made with red kidney beans and minced beef.

Brown Thomas, surprisingly, is not overpriced for kitchen knives and similar items.

Kenwood Chef are the only worthwhile kitchen mixer to get. Get the metal model, it'll last longer. (*looks fondly at his mother's cast iron kenwood chef, 27 years old and still working in perfect condition*)

Get spare parts. (*looks regretfully at the now-broken kenwood chef whisk heads that didn't survive the 27 years*)

Buy a few smallish cheap chopping boards and one seperate one of different design for onions and garlic.

Never crush garlic. Chop it, smash it with the flat of the knife, roast it whole, but do not put it through a garlic crusher. That muck that comes out isn't tasty and it's a waste of good food.

Buy recipe books - but more importantly, buy technique books. Don't worry if you get an entire book on cooking with chocolate, or cooking with chicken, so long as it's not 101 recipes for pan-fried chicken because it won't teach you anything about how you cook chicken in general.

In General, never trust a thin chef de cuisine.