Slacker Method for Cooking Better Food

Posted by Jacques - January 6, 2009

I love cooking, but I hate cooking. It’s taken me years to figure out little tips that turn mushy bland food, into texturized flavorful goodness. If you think about the things that you enjoy eating like those juicy BBQ Ribs or those crunchy fries, it’s always a combination of flavor, texture, and balance. Turns out there are just a few very easy tricks I’ve learned that can often give you surprising results if you haven’t used them before.

#1 Add Salt

A little salt enhances everything. From cakes to vegetables to meat, salt pulls out moisture, concentrates flavor, and adds a little bit of zing. Also, you’ll want to add it while the food is still cooking. Nobody wants to bite into a salt crystal. I recommend using a sea salt grinder on the finest setting, this will also prevent over salting food and sea salt is more giving than other kinds of salt.

#2 Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Yes, I know a lot of people think they don’t like black pepper, but the truth is, much of the quality food you eat at restaurants has it. In fact, many things like Filet Mignon tend to only be cooked with oil, salt, and black pepper!

#3 Browning

Browning is a technique that creates extra texture and flavor in your foods. Almost everything can be browned to some extent, but be careful not to let it burn! First, don’t move that meat around so much. I know it’s fun, but it’s never going to brown. Second, to avoid burning turn the heat up high at first, and then back down to medium-low and make sure to coat the pan with oil. To brown vegetables, add a little sugar, and avoid packing them closely together or they will steam instead. If you’re cooking things in the oven, just make sure to put it in the top rack.

#4 Reduction

Ever wonder how sauces get to be so thick and flavorful? Beyond the seasoning, it’s usually “reduced,” meaning the water content is evaporated away. That’s how things like pie filling, sauces, and soups become so flavorful. The problem is that it has to be done at a low heat, and some things need to be stirred or else they will burn and create an undesirable bitterness.

#5 Don’t overcook food

Food doesn’t have to be burned to be ruined. Overcooked food can be try, rubbery, or bitter. Timing is one of most difficult parts of cooking and hardest to teach. However, keep in mind that even if you follow all of the steps above, if you fail this one then your food is not going to be good. That’s why this is the most important rule of all. Finally, remember that it is always better to undercook your food than overcook it. Much like cutting hair, you can’t take any of it back once you’ve gone too far. Just remember to check your food before serving it, and you can always cook it more if necessary.

Anything you like? Please share!

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January 6, 2009 | In All Slacker Methods, Slackers and Food |

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Speaking of salt, another whip-stick, short-cut trick for cooking is to use a flavored finishing sea salt. They’re user-friendly and only require a sprinkle to accentuate any dish.

Take pork chops for example; pan-sear them with olive oil or prepare them as you would normally do. Once they’re cooked, simply garnish with Pineapple Cumin Chili or Lavender Rosemary sea salt. That’s it. It’s that easy.

If you’re curious about other flavors and/or recipes ideas, take a peak:

http://www.secretsalts.com

Cheers.

Comment by Salty Mouth — January 7, 2009 #
Thanks Salty, awesome tip. It’s definitely another Slacker idea to put in the books!

Comment by Jacques — January 8, 2009 #
[...] Cooking and Baking. Making food is always good because you can eat your fun. You can also freeze your favorite creations for [...]

Pingback by 10 Cheap Ways for Having Fun and Wasting Time | The Slacker Method — March 1, 2009 #
Check out once a month cooking. I only cook once a week or so.
Re. reduction - this is easy to do in a crockpot if you have a fair amount of time.

Comment by Jacqueline — April 13, 2009 #

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