The Cook's Companion

By Dawn Michelle Everhart

This book is for everyone that is trying to teach themselves how to cook; for anyone that wants to find a better, easier way to put a meal on the table, or someone who just wants to improve on or add to the kitchen skills that they already have.

I’ve tried to bring everything down to a level where someone with absolutely no experience in the kitchen and has never tried to cook a meal can understand and use all the information in this book. This means that everyone else needs to skip over the parts that they know well to get to the information they want or need.

If by chance one of you skips the entire book then I have just one question: Why didn’t you write this book to give the less experienced cooks of the world a helping hand and save me the trouble?

Everyone deserves to be able to put a great meal on the table just like their grandmother did three times a day. It’s really not that hard so long as you have a basic understanding of how things work. That’s what we intend to do, to explain to you, in plain and simple terms, everything you really need to know about cooking but have never been taught.

One of the biggest hindrances to someone trying to cook is that most recipes assume that you already have a certain amount of knowledge, and if you don’t have it, then you can’t follow the recipe successfully. That’s why we’ve devoted an entire chapter to explaining the most common of these terms, what each one means, and how it is done.

By the time you finish studying this book, each of you should be able pick up any recipe, prepare the dish, or the meal, without any trouble and serve it to your guests or family.

Table of Contents

Prologue

By Timothy Craig Everhart

Traditional cooking skills such as making gravy from scratch, poaching an egg, making a shortcrust pastry or your basic custard are now almost obsolete. It’s sad to think that the traditional kitchen skills, which our parents and grandparents used on a daily basis, are simply disappearing from the modern cook’s repertoire.

I know that it’s inevitable that lifestyles would have changed, sometimes drastically, over the years with the advent of all the new kitchen gadgets and appliances, but basic skills such as poaching, braising and baking should be passed down from generation to generation. If any of you have grandmothers, great-aunts or anyone else in the family with the scratch-cooking skills, I urge you to get them to teach you those skills, don’t let them die out. Usually all you have to do is ask, most of them would truly love to pass their culinary skills down to the next generation, the way they were taught. Most of them probably gave up once they figured out that own children barely have time to take something out of the freezer and nuke it in the microwave.

Now I’m not saying that all of the modern gadgets are the sole reason for our declining cooking skills. Instead, some of them actually enhance those skills; a food processor can turn hours of slicing and chopping into minutes of non-effort, a crock-pot will sit and simmer something untended for hours, and it you don’t appreciate an electric mixer then you need to try making meringue with nothing except a fork and a bowl like my great-grandmother used to. One of the best inventions in my own modern kitchen is my rice cooker; it cooks the rice on its own, leaving me free to cook the rest of the meal.

Now I realize that through the week no one has time to cook a meal from scratch, in most families it takes both mom and dad working just to survive, but on the weekend and holidays you need to pull out those old skills, dust them off and whip up a wholesome family meal. Sitting down together as a family to a hearty home cooked meal is one of the essential parts of raising a family and instilling those values you want your kids to have. So if you use these modern gadgets, as they should be used, simply to speed up the process in the kitchen you may find yourself with the time to have these family get-togethers, called dinners, a lot more often.

This is one of the main goals in writing this book, to give you the knowledge to develop these skills, especially for those of you who do not have anyone in your own families who can pass them along to you. Although you will find a few recipes scattered throughout this book, it is not a recipe book. This book is designed to help new cooks get started or cooks of any level find new, different, or better methods to help enhance their cooking experiences and deepen their understanding of how things work.

Table of Contents

Chapter One:

What do I really need?

The very first thing that you will need is some good cookware; pots, pans, baking dishes, pie plates, etc…

One of the best, but most ignored of all cooking secrets, is that great food is prepared in great- pots, pans, and dishes. The main key can be summed up in one word, HEAVY! Heavy cookware builds heat gradually and more evenly, preventing the scorching effect that you get in cheap, thin cookware. Also, a heavy, tight-sealing lid will hold in more of the steam, and therefore more of the flavor. In other words, the more of the aroma that is in the air, means less flavor that will be in the food.

I know that most of you can't just run out and buy the best cookware set on the market, I know I sure can't. One of my friends paid more for his set than I paid for my car. He dished out over SIX GRAND!!! for his, I may have a hundred invested in mine, and guess what; he often borrows some of mine because it does a better job. His is a great set, looks good too, it even all matches. I rooted mine out at yard sells, auctions, flea markets, etc.... Get the idea, most of the old stuff was built with quality in mine, it will virtually last forever. When looking for your cookware, the main question you should ask yourself is: Do I want a great looking kitchen or great tasting food?

The only thing that I buy new is my non-stick coated and electric stuff. Also, never buy the cheap coated non-stick surface, with this; you always get what you pay for. The latest addition to my collection of cookware is the silicone bakeware I’ve been acquiring for the past couple of years. In my opinion, this is the greatest of all the modern innovations for use in the kitchen today.

One of the biggest single advantages that silicone has over the other materials used to make cookware is that it is both heat and frost resistant. Silicone can literally be taken out of the freezer and put into a fully preheated oven without damage; I wouldn’t advise trying that with any of your glass baking dishes. This makes silicone cookware very versatile, I use many of the same pieces for baking and cold dishes like Jello or frozen desserts.

Silicone is also absolutely non-stick; it simply will not adhere to baked goods. This means that cake and muffin pans do not need to be oiled, sprayed, greased, or floured. If you are using the silicone pans you simply pour the batter right into the bare silicone and when it is done baking you just simply peel it away leaving the baked goods intact, what more can you ask.

Silicone also does not stain or hold smells, and it is dishwasher safe as well. This means that using silicone cookware can help keep your kitchen clean, sweet smelling and sanitary. It is also very heat resistant, I’ve also purchased two mittens, a pot lid grabber and a table mat made of silicone too. So I do highly recommend that you start finding yourself some of this new stuff to add to your own collection of cookware, even if you have to do it one piece at a time like I have.

One bit of advice, when deciding which silicone cookware to buy, be sure to twist it. This will show you how flexible it is, the more flexible it is, the better quality it is. Also, if you see white streaks appear when you twist it; don’t buy it, that is a sure sign of a poor quality silicone.

However, when you’re buying conventional cookware there is no easy way to test it. If you decide to go with the older used cookware then stay with the tried and true name brands; Lodge cast iron, Pyrex, Anchor Hocking or Fire King glassware, Corningware ceramic, Calphalon non-stick, Cuisinart stainless steel, and Farberware who makes good cookware of all types.

If you are building your cookware collection over time as your budget and kitchen allows, as I always have, then start by acquiring the pieces that you’ll be using the most. You’ll need a few basics to start with:

A medium to large skillet (10 to 12 inches), for sautéing and frying.

A small to medium non-stick skillet (8 to 10 inches), to use for eggs.

A 6 to 8 quart Dutch oven for stews and soups, or cooking potatoes.

A 6 to 8 quart non-stick pasta pot w/ locking drain lid.

2 or 3 different sized saucepans w/ tight-fitting lids for melting butter, boiling eggs, cooking smaller batches of soups, sauces, vegetables, rice and grains.

A medium sized casserole dish (1 1/2 to 2 quart).

Several cake pans; 8 or 9 inch rounds, a loaf pan, an 8 or 9 inch square, and a 13 X 9 at least.

2 cookie sheets.

A wire rack for cooling.

Once you have the basics, build up your collection with more pieces of general cookware. Some examples of these would be:

A heavy duty roasting pan with a lid for those large hunks of meat.

A wok for stir-frying.

Additional sizes of the various different types of skillets; stainless steel, cast iron, non-stick, with and without lids.

A grill pan for indoor grilling.

A griddle for pancakes and grilling sandwiches.

A steamer insert for healthy vegetables

A double boiler for melting cheese, chocolates, or making delicate, easy to burn sauces.

After acquiring this second tier of cookware you’ll find yourself getting more specialized pieces that will make sense for your cooking style. I won’t even start to list any of the specialty cookware because they number in the tens of thousands.

Listed below are the five basic metals that are used in the construction of cookware and some of their properties:

Aluminum – This metal’s popularity arises from the fact that it conducts heat quickly and evenly, and is very sensitive to changes in temperature giving it the ability to cool just as quickly as it heats up. Aluminum is extremely lightweight and durable, a thick pot or Dutch oven has many of the same advantages as the same pieces made from cast iron with only a small fraction of the weight. Much of the aluminum cookware you’ll find has been anodized which makes it non-reactive to acidic or alkaline foods, resistant to scratches and this also gives the cooking surface non-stick properties.

Cast Iron – This metal produces thick, heavy pans, pots and kettles that are the most durable of all cookware. They are slow to heat up but are excellent at retaining and distributing the heat making them great for deep frying and dishes that require longer cooking times like braises and stews. Non-coated cast iron must be cured or seasoned before its use and after cleaning with soap. Cast iron cookware is a natural non-stick surface. Seasoned right, this cookware will continue adding flavor layer by layer as long as you don’t scour it off.

Seasoning is basically a process of baking grease into the iron itself. Preheat the oven to 240 degrees then coat the entire piece with vegetable shorting or lard, do not use liquid oil for this. You may want to use kitchen gloves for this. Place the cookware on the top rack with a sheet pan underneath to catch any drips. After 20 minutes remove and wipe off the excess with paper towels. Return to the oven and bake for 2 hours then allow it to cool slowly without opening the oven door.

Cast iron can be used for about anything but I suggest that you not use it for rice, pasta, or anything with a lot of water until it is very seasoned. It can also be used on any type of cooking surface; on a range, in an oven, over grills, camp stoves or the coals of a camp fire. After each use let the pan cool to warm then wipe clean. If there is any food stuck rub with a little coarse salt, if you must use water wash in warm water only, no soap. Be sure to dry it thoroughly then rub in a little cooking oil all over, including the outside, bottom and handle.

Carbon steel – This metal is not found in very much good cookware today but the best woks are still made from hammered out carbon steel. The one drawback is that like cast iron, carbon steel also has to be kept well seasoned.

Copper – This is one of the best metals for conducting, distributing and retaining heat that is used in cookware. Regretfully it also tarnishes dents and scratches far too easily and is very expensive. Because of these drawbacks copper is usually used as only a thin coating over carbon or stainless steel.

Stainless steel – Because this is the most durable and easiest to clean metals it is one of the most widely used in cookware today. It is non-porous and nonreactive along with being resistant to rust, corrosion and pitting. However, because stainless steel is not very conductive, it is often combined with one of the more conductive metals such as copper or aluminum

Knowing which items of cookware you’ll need and being able to pick the materials best suited for the type cooking you’ll be doing, will go a long way in helping you outfit your kitchen with the best cookware for your particular needs and as your budget allows.

Next you’ll need to get your cooking utensils and accessories:

Just about the most important accessory that every kitchen needs are thermometers, at least two. Get an oven thermometer, no oven that I’ve ever used has been 100% accurate. Many recipes you’ll follow will have critical temperatures that you’ll need to hold. Having an oven thermometer is the only way to be sure. Every kitchen also needs a meat thermometer, although beef steaks are perfectly fine rare, most cuts of meat are not and there is just no sense playing around with undercooked meats. Thermometers are relatively inexpensive so there is no reason that every kitchen shouldn’t have at least those two. Other thermometers you may want and need is one for the freezer, the fridge and another for candy.

About the next most important accessory that every kitchen needs is dry and liquid measuring cups and spoons, so you don’t batch up the recipes by using too much or too little of the ingredients. Nested or graduated measuring cups are used for dry ingredients while a clear glass or plastic measuring cup with a pouring spout is best for liquids. For small amounts of dry or liquid ingredients you’ll need a set of measuring spoons as well. Measuring accurately is one of the most important cooking skills in the kitchen. This is what allows you to follow recipes and to be able to reproduce the exact same dish over and over again.

You will need three basic knives to start with:

A 9 to 10 inch chef’s knife, find one that has a comfortable feel in your hand because you’ll find yourself using it more than any other. This one knife can and will be used for most of the cutting, slicing and chopping that you’ll be doing in the kitchen.

A long serrated bread knife, at least 9 inches. These enable you to cut slices of bread and cake without smashing them flat.

A small paring knife. These small super sharp knives are great for peeling, coring and other small cutting jobs around the kitchen.

For cutting meats you’ll find that a two prong chef’s fork will come in handy for holding it in place, especially for carving.

Along with the knives you’ll also need a cutting board. There are three basic types; traditional hardwoods, plastic, and tempered glass. I personally prefer the old style hardwood boards. The plastic boards may be easier to sanitize but they are not as durable and while the glass boards are easy to sanitize and even more durable than the wooden boards, they are hard on knife edges causing them to need sharpening more often.

Every kitchen needs either a large colander or mesh strainer. This tool is essential for draining the water from cooked vegetables and pastas or rinsing leafy greens and salads. You will also need a skimmer, to remove foods or impurities from liquids.

Another thing that every kitchen needs is a vegetable peeler. Sure, they’re great for peeling cucumbers, apples, and pears but there are also other chores that they a good at as well. You can slice thin slivers of cheese much thinner than you could possibly cut with a knife. When you see a cake decorated with these delicate curlicues of chocolate they were most likely cut with a peeler. If you need to soften butter that the refrigerator has made as hard as a rock then just shave off what you need and it will soften up fast. A peeler can also be used to zest the outer skin of a citrus fruit, just make sure that there isn’t any white showing on the underside of the zest or you’ve peeled too deep.

You’ll need at least 3 different sized mixing bowls, stainless steel is the best.

A set of plastic bowls with tight fitting lids for refrigerator storage.

A masher.

A stainless steel wire whisk

A good set of tongs.

A good hand held can opener

A grater, do not get one of these new flat graters that lies across the top of a bowl. Find yourself a box grater, they are the most versatile with six different grating options to shred, shave, dust and zest. Choose one with a sturdy handle.

A good selection of hanging utensils with the wall mounted hanger strip. Most of these have all the basics; spoons, slotted spoons, spatulas, turners, a carving fork, ladle, zester, pasta spoon, etc…

A set of wooden spoons continue to be kitchen essentials because of their usefulness for mixing and stirring. They are ideal for use in non-stick cookware and for stir frying in a wok but they do wear down over time and tend to discolor easily. Don’t spend too much on these, get them cheap and just replace when necessary. Many stores sell them by the packs for a dollar or two.

Kitchen shears. Don’t go too cheap here, invest in a sturdy pair with tapered, fine tips and nice roomy handles, you’ll never see an end to the uses you’ll find for this handiest of items.

A splatter screen is very handy and easy to store and should be on every cook’s list of essential kitchen tools. This simple tool can save you loads of clean up time.

A minute timer is a must. Although most ovens now have onboard timers having a second one can be very handy.

Get you a good set of kitchen scales, many recipes will call for weights instead of volume measurements.

If you are planning on baking you’ll need to get yourself a sifter to remove and/or break up lumps in the dry ingredients.

Two things you’ll need for presentation is a melon baller and portion scope with a quick-release lever.

Table of Contents

Chapter Two:

How do I follow a recipe?

At first this may sound like a dumb question, especially to some of you more experienced hands, but then I’m not writing this book to you. The simplest of recipes are full of terms that sound like Greek to the inexperienced cook. They throw words around like; sautéing, braising, blanching, and poaching, expecting everyone to know exactly what they are talking about. Well by the end of this chapter I’m going to try to make sure that you not only know what the most popular of these terms mean but how to actually pull them off as well.

Sauté: This has to be the most misused of all the process names that you’ll find in any recipe book. You really need to read between the lines of each recipe, to find out how they are using the term. Sautéing is supposed to be a method of cooking that uses a small amount of oil in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. The French word sauté means, To jump. This refers to the need to have the pan of oil just below the smoking point. When ingredients are added to this amount of heat they tend to hop and jump around in the pan. This confirms that there is a sufficient amount of heat to begin sautéing the food properly.

Many recipes I’ve seen call for you to sauté something at a low heat for long periods of time that is actually simmering not sautéing.

Good sautéing always starts with a good sauté pan. There are two main considerations when choosing a sauté pan; it should have a thick heavy bottom that will spread the heat evenly without any hot spots, and it needs to be big enough so that you can cook your ingredients without crowding them. Non-stick is alright for vegetables but if you love those delicious pan sauces you need to sauté your meats in a regular pan. The reason is that you need a little sticking to create the (fond), or rather the brown bits that make those sauces so good.

Always heat the pan first, until a drop of water will sizzle and evaporate quickly. Then pour in the oil and watch it closely, it will look like it’s about to dance out of the pan right before it reaches its smoking point. It will go from perfectly smooth to lined and beading or shimmering. If you let it go any further and it will start to smoke and you will have to pour it out and start over. Once oil begins to smoke, it’s burned and you will taste it in the sautéed food. You need to keep it close to but not over the smoking point. The smoking point varies with the type oil you use: Butter and Unrefined oils have low smoking points, around 350 degrees, so they are not good for sautéing. Refined vegetable oils like: soybean, canola, peanut, sesame, safflower, and olive have smoke points