Cooking secrets you wished you'd known about sooner.

[Spymaster]

That’s a link to an email address Spymaster

Cheers.

Fixed.

 

[Private Storm]

gravy granules also work well as a cheap, no frills stuffing for birds, esp ducks and geese.

I'm suspecting that this was the cookery program you got most of your tips from...

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Use cookery books

Also this. Cooking decent meals isn’t some arcane skill that takes years of practice. All you need to be able to do is follow a set of instructions.

Read a book, pick one you like the sound of, do what it says. That’s it


(The skill bit comes from creating your own dishes, being able to look at a pile of ingredients and come up with something new. But really who has the time? Other people have done the hard work for you… )

 

[story]

This is one I wish other people knew:

Cook onions for longer! Don’t just shove huge chunks of roughly chopped onions round the pan on high heat for a few minutes.
Ditto bell peppers.
Also aubergines.

The number of times I’ve gone round someone’s for supper “come over, I’ll cook!” and they’re basically serving half-cooked veg. Very disappointing.

 

[Orang Utan]

This is one I wish other people knew:

Cook onions for longer! Don’t just shove huge chunks of roughly chopped onions round the pan on high heat for a few minutes.
Ditto bell peppers.
Also aubergines.

The number of times I’ve gone round someone’s for supper “come over, I’ll cook!” and they’re basically serving half-cooked veg. Very disappointing.

Aye, turn the heat down and slow down! And not just with veg!

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

Aye, turn the heat down and slow down! And not just with veg!

(((((((stir fry)))))))

 

[RubyToogood]

I don't make a lot of food with gravy over here and Portuguese cuisine is pretty much gravy free . However, occasionally I make liver and onions and have always put a splash of vinegar in the gravy after once asking , decades ago, the landlord in a Camden boozer why his gravy was so good

Specifically red wine vinegar gives you the red wine flavour without having to have/open a bottle.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Tiny bit of butter in the rice. I'm pretty good at rice, but this has taken it to the next level.

 

[Orang Utan]

Use plenty of ghee in South Asian food

 

[Humberto]

Where do you get ghee though?

 

[Epona]

Where do you get ghee though?

Depends where you live I suppose, but there are tubs in my local supermarket (Morrisons) and you can also make your own using butter.
Just watch out when buying the tubs to make sure you're getting actual ghee made from dairy butter and not a tub of mixed palm and other fats.

 

[Epona]

I mean being dairy it's obviously it's no good for vegan dishes, but ghee is a bit of a game-changer in non-vegan lentil dishes.
That and asafoetida (hing), don't be put off by the smell (get the yellow coloured stuff, it's mixed with gram flour and turmeric and doesn't smell as strong as the raw brown stuff, just add a bit more to your dishes).

 

[Saul Goodman]

Depends where you live I suppose, but there are tubs in my local supermarket (Morrisons) and you can also make your own using butter.

Thanks for clarifying

 

[Epona]

Thanks for clarifying

Badum-tsh!

 

[existentialist]

Where do you get ghee though?

Tesco! Or your local subcontinental grocer.

 

[Humberto]

If there's more oil on top of a finished pan of curry than you want a slice of bread will soak most of it up.

 

[philosophical]

Spring Greens cooked by throwing them sliced in boiling water for about one or two minutes (depends on thickness of leaves), then drained and pressed dry(ish) then served with a bit of vinegar.
Is this technique so well known it’s not worth mentioning.
However the nutrition guys……..

 

[Epona]

This is one I wish other people knew:

Cook onions for longer! Don’t just shove huge chunks of roughly chopped onions round the pan on high heat for a few minutes.
Ditto bell peppers.
Also aubergines.

The number of times I’ve gone round someone’s for supper “come over, I’ll cook!” and they’re basically serving half-cooked veg. Very disappointing.

Honestly, anyone who publishes a recipe that includes lines like "fry onions for 3 minutes until translucent" or "add onions for 10 minutes until caramelised" needs to be taken out back and retired to a nice paddock on a farm somewhere.
It takes 40 minutes or more to caramelise onions, and whatever you are doing with them (unless they are required to be raw ofc!) takes at the very least 10-15 minutes cooking time.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Honestly, anyone who publishes a recipe that includes lines like "fry onions for 3 minutes until translucent" or "add onions for 10 minutes until caramelised" needs to be taken out back and retired to a nice paddock on a farm somewhere.
It takes 40 minutes or more to caramelise onions, and whatever you are doing with them (unless they are required to be raw ofc!) takes at the very least 10-15 minutes cooking time.

This is the reason I rarely make French onion soup. I absolutely love the stuff, and I make a very nice one but it's a lot of effort. Similarly, risotto, although once I get it into my head that I want either, I get a bit excited, because I know I'm in for a treat

 

[CooltanRefugee]

Shaoxing rice wine, in stir fries. Chipotle paste, in a chilli.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Shaoxing rice wine, in stir fries. Chipotle paste, in a chilli.

One or two small squares of dark chocolate (70% ish) in a pot of chilli.

 

[CooltanRefugee]

One or two small squares of dark chocolate (70% ish) in a pot of chilli.

Sriracha on Ferrero Rocher

 

[story]

One or two small squares of dark chocolate (70% ish) in a pot of chilli.

I use 100% Montezuma chocolate for this.

 

[Epona]

I thought the current in vogue chilli thing was to add coffee rather than chocolate.
(I mean adding chocolate is not authentic, adding coffee probably isn't either - nor tomatoes or beans for that matter)

 

[krtek a houby]

I thought the current in vogue chilli thing was to add coffee rather than chocolate.
(I mean adding chocolate is not authentic, adding coffee probably isn't either - nor tomatoes or beans for that matter)

Don't think either are "authentic" but they can add to the dish for sure. Would tend to use the coffee, rather than chocolate but it's down to which suits you.

 

[Epona]

Don't think either are "authentic" but they can add to the dish for sure. Would tend to use the coffee, rather than chocolate but it's down to which suits you.

For me, neither
But have got a bit sick of people wittering on about putting chocolate in chilli (just because one Mexican sauce involves chocolate) for the last couple of decades, like it's the be all and end all

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Honestly, anyone who publishes a recipe that includes lines like "fry onions for 3 minutes until translucent" or "add onions for 10 minutes until caramelised" needs to be taken out back and retired to a nice paddock on a farm somewhere.
It takes 40 minutes or more to caramelise onions, and whatever you are doing with them (unless they are required to be raw ofc!) takes at the very least 10-15 minutes cooking time.

I do agree, it certainly gives the most flavour. It does take quite a lot more oil I find for longer cooks, even just adding a drop extra at a time to stop them sticking or browning. I know people add water sometimes, but at this point your not caramelising them?

 

[Epona]

I do agree, it certainly gives the most flavour. It does take quite a lot more oil I find for longer cooks, even just adding a drop extra at a time to stop them sticking or browning. I know people add water sometimes, but at this point your not caramelising them?

That works, the water helps to soften them and boils off, then the surface of the onions caramelises

 

[Spymaster]

It takes 40 minutes or more to caramelise onions, and whatever you are doing with them (unless they are required to be raw ofc!) takes at the very least 10-15 minutes cooking time.

Absolutely. Thirty to forty minutes from raw to caramelised but then about 20 seconds from caramelised to burnt if you don't keep an eye on them!

 

[Chz]

I reiterate gochujang. Sweet, salty, hot and sour in one spoonful. It's not meant to blow your head off, and it's frankly gross to use so much that it would. You don't want to taste "gochujang" in the same way that you don't want to (usually) taste salt. It works with the other flavours in moderation. A teaspoon's worth in macaroni cheese is divine.