So I've always wanted to become good at cooking but never really tried. I still haven't tried much. I've tried making things like cabbage rolls and Chili which turned out good. I want to start trying recipes and stuff more though and learning the fundementals. I just started this thread to maybe get some ideas of some dishes I could start learing to make. I started watching some cooking reality shows, mostly Ramsay's stuff and it gets me in the mood and motivated to try harder. Never want to be a chef, just a great cook in the kitchen enough to impress friends and family and myself

What were some of the first things you guys learned?

Where should I start?

Any good Youtube channels that are good for beginners or basics?

I tried to improve my scrambled eggs, just because I saw a video on Youtube with Gordon Ramsey. Definitely an improvement, even though I let mine get a little harder than his goo.

I changed how I cook my steak. Now I let my steak go to room temp, get a pan hot and use grapeseed oil and get a nice sear and even though I like my steak almost well done, the crust on it and the juicier inside I've already made the best steak I've ever tasted on my first try. Definitely better than any restaurant steak Ive had. So at least for myself a few things have improved.

I'd recommend buying two good knifes, a chefs or santoku, and a paring knife.

Dont go for fancy or expensive, just find some that fit your hand and have nice balance. Will make a world of difference.

I always keep a book of knife techniques on hand and use it every time I come across a cut I dont know how to do.

A couple good books for ideas are Ad Hoc at Home and How to Cook Everything. I also enjoy reading Cooking Ingredients by Ingram.

Some of the best dishes I've made have come from Bon Appetit or Saveur and modified to the occasion or a whim. Cooks Illustrated is great too.

Homemade pasta is super easy, a great base for a bunch of meals, and a ton of fun to turn out.

Best of Luck!

Patrick

I'll check out some of those books. Homemade pasta is something I've wanted to make since seeing an episode of Hells Kitchen where they had to make it. Most of my favorite foods are Italian type stuff anyway, usually with a tomato type sauce so I'm sure learning to make my own fresh pasta would be pretty awesome.

Anyone have a recipe for awesome mashed potatoes. Not sure if there are any tips or tricks to make them super good. I plan to try a Salisbury Steak dish on ym days off from work using ground beef, mashed potatoes and some kind of gravy. I still need to learn how to make beef gravy so any recipes or tips for that would be great too. I am still kind of clueless.

As of right now I'm not looking to get into much of the fine dining type of dishes. Mostly just stuff I'd get in a cheaper restaurant around here but just do it better than they do..because honestly most of it is not that great.

Also any advice for a probe thermometer and also an in oven thermometer?

You can get a probe thermometer at practically any home goods store. The insta-read (digital) ones are reliable and affordable.

One easy approach that I take to cooking goes somewhat like this.. It's the way I used to approach family meal at my last restaurant. Sweat garlic and onion (and celery and carrot, if you want), add some component of ground or cubed meat. Once that's cooked through, you can decide where you want to go. You can add roasted vegetables, gratinee with cheese while roasting in the oven, and you've got a casserole. You could add some cooked pasta and a little heavy cream and you have a pasta dish. Add some South American spices and let's make tacos/quesadillas/qualquier quieres. If you add some stock and some roux you could make a stew or something chowder-y or throw some pie crust or puff pastry on top, bake it off, and call it a pot pie.

The point is, this approach is kind of like a tree with a lot of branches. You get to pick and choose how you want to modify your technique and execution based on 1. what you have in the kitchen to eat and 2. what you're in the mood for. Most of the things I'm trying to describe are pretty approachable in terms of difficulty, and they all revolve around whatever veggies and meat you want to use up or are craving.

Also, this is a good way to practice flavors, technique, and execution. You can start developing ideas you like and before you know it you'll be applying some Mexican spiced street taco theme from a Saveur article to a pasta that has pancetta and egg yolks.

Hopefully this helps!

Here is a link for a cooking series called Jamies 15 minute meals which I have been watching lately. There are some really good ideas tips about easy and quick everyday meals.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...MVoz9_r5f_iHTV

Thnaks guys.

I've found when frying a steak (I use grapeseed oil) I get quite a bit of smoke. While the steak itself comes out great it's kind of a hassle when I smoke out the place I'm at because I'm renting a room type of thing and it's not my house haha

Is this normal for you guys too?

Uh, no. Why do you "fry" a steak? The oven broiler is a far, far better option.

That said, grapeseed oil smokes at around 400-420 degrees. If you need more heat than that, you should switch to peanut oil which doesn't smoke until around 450.

But seriously, quit frying your steaks.

Almost every video I've watched or pictures I've seen people cooking their steaks in a pan on top of the stove if I rememeber correctly so I assumed it was the standard or best way.

Wow. Really? Where do you live and what shows/videos do you watch?

To me, a perfect steak is seared-to-a-crisp on the outside, while leaving the interior medium-rare. To me, that means grill or broil -- not fry in oil. But hey, you gotta eat what you like.

Oh, and a quick question, Newff. If you're heating oil to the smoking point, and then throwing a steak in there, aren't you splattering and spraying grease and oil all over your freaking kitchen? Wtf? Mrs. RoundGuy would kill me if I did that.

I've been watching mostly cooking shows on youtube and clips. For example the one by Gordon Ramsay where he has a pan, gets it really hot on his burner, puts in his oil and then just cooks his steak in the pan. Most videos I've seen used the same method.

I like a nice crust on mine too and manage to get it with how I've been doing it as long as everything is nice and hot. I know everyone will crucify me for this but I don't like to see blood in my steak, I don't mind it just a tiny bit pink and even though done more than most prefer I find I'm still able to keep it juicy inside. I still want be able to cook steaks how everyone else likes them though which is usually med-rare. I'm sure they taste better that way but I just have a problem where it grosses me out. If you guys say it's better inside the oven then I will give it a try.


You are right, it makes quite a mess

Really depends on the cut an desired outcome. I like to broil filet to a med rare, NY I like to pan cook in a bit of olive oil and butter. Play around with it, but oil should never be heated to the point of smoking (burning). Heres a post from a NY I did last year and put in the Lounge Food Blog.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...postcount=3557

Cooking a Good Steak in OOT has covered this rather thoroughly

Searing a steak in a pan with some oil or butter is super standard. See the OOT thread.

Good Lord, that's a monster of a thread. Without reading it yet, I'll go out on a limb and say that "super standard" does not include anywhere in the Midwest.

Seems the standard in that thread is to sear in a pan stovetop then put it in the oven. I haven't went throuh most of it. Was just looking at pictures.

Well, with 8000 posts, I question whether that's "standard". If it is, then someone needs to correct that error. RoundGuy is on the way...

I think that at the moment the two most popular methods in the OOT steak thread are:

1) The "El Diablo" method - raw steak goes into a pan with oil at low/mid heat, flipping either once or a few times, then cranking up the heat a bit higher, adding some butter, and searing.

2) The Reverse Sear method - raw steak goes into the oven at a low temperature until a few degrees from desired cooked point, then comes out for an initial rest. Then, oil and/or butter is put over medium to high heat and the steak is seared and crust formed on the stove top.

Of these two methods, the latter has proved more "noob friendly" because it's much harder to overcook the steak when you're cooking it low and slow (and maybe even using a thermometer). The all stovetop method requires practice and a bit of guesswork/knowledge of your stove/pan/etc.

There are of course other people in an 8000 post thread with other preferences, including grills, sous vide, etc, though honestly I can say it's been a while since I can remember someone posting a steak which has been near a broiler.

My God, Cit. That entire post just seems ridiculous to me. I have never cooked a steak by either of those methods, and never will.

It seems to me, from what you've said, that everyone in that thread lives in a studio apartment with with a stove top, no oven broiler, and no access to an outside grill.

Pretty sad.

I always grill my steaks, or use a broiler (which is just an upside down grill really)...

lol

yep confirmed lol @ roundguy

Don't make me come into your threads.....

Just for argument's sake re: pan searing steak:

Jamie Oliver cooks steak in a pan
Alton Brown cooks steak in a pan
Heston Blumenthal cooks steak in a pan
Gordon Ramsay cooks steak in a pan
Marco Pierre White cooks steak in a pan
Alain Ducasse cooks steak in a pan
Thomas Keller cooks steak in a pan
Jacques Pépin cooks steak in a pan