Techniques

Making Cooking and Baking Easy and Enjoyable

Okay, maybe bearable but definitely easier! Ever wonder “How do I do that?” I have, so over the years I have tested many ways of doing things in the kitchen and found some to be useful and others – well, not so useful. Some of my techniques are conventional and some unconventional, but this is what I have found to be easiest in my kitchen. I still don’t tie the legs of my poultry before putting it in the oven. Until the bird jumps out of the roaster and runs away, I won’t be doing any tying.

If there is one technique I could offer to the world to make cooking and baking easy – it is Mise en Place! Mise en Place is one of those fancy French words that basically means to have everything in place that can be prepped, measured and ready prior to cooking or baking. Therefore, you will not have to stop and measure each ingredient or go to your pantry or fridge and get it which will slow you down. Also, it will ensure that you have all the ingredients, prior to cooking or baking. Mise en place isn’t a great technique for everything, but for the most part I use it frequently, especially for a stir fry!

Tenting Meat

The purpose of tenting meat is to let the meat rest to preserve the juices, so it remains moist and juicy.  If using a meat… [more]

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Deglazing

Deglazing a pan means that you are pouring in a liquid, such as, wine or broth and scraping up bits from the meat that was… [more]

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Roasting Peppers

I roast my peppers in the broiler instead of over an open flame, because I find it to be easier.  Also this will work well… [more]

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How to Cut Pumpkins for Baking and Cooking

Cutting very dense, ridged pumpkins can be a battle to say the least.  Most of us know how to cut a small pie pumpkin and… [more]

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Chiffonade

Chiffonade is a term generally used to cut fresh basil, but any type of flat herb or even cabbage or lettuce (especially iceberg) can be… [more]

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How to Cook and Remove Meat from a Dungeness Crab

Step 1:  Keep crab alive refrigerated for up to 6 – 8 hours.  It should be alive when ready to cook.   Bring a large pot… [more]

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