tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966747504559676498.post3420046296521630695..comments2023-06-11T04:38:01.334-04:00Comments on Wynn Anne's Meanderings: Lessons Learned the Hard Way: CookingWordfiendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06655930772371361091noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966747504559676498.post-45789196486022206102013-12-09T17:50:42.330-05:002013-12-09T17:50:42.330-05:00And I definitely need to use my crockpot more!And I definitely need to use my crockpot more!Wordfiendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06655930772371361091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966747504559676498.post-59397033112913734182013-12-09T17:46:48.978-05:002013-12-09T17:46:48.978-05:00A really high quality knife would be wasted on me,...A really high quality knife would be wasted on me, but I like good pots and pans.Wordfiendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06655930772371361091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966747504559676498.post-73955848492458545322013-12-09T16:21:18.464-05:002013-12-09T16:21:18.464-05:00Tip with the pesto: it can be delicious with other...Tip with the pesto: it can be delicious with other (fresh) herbs; you don't need to use only basil. <br />If you don't have the patience to stir onions over gentle heat for 45 minutes, slice 'em and dump them into your crock pot. Wait 3-6 hours and you'll have servicable caramelized onions. They aren't as good as the real kind, but work really well to flavour a beef stew or in other dishes. <br />Similarly,t he crock pot will be your friend for slow simmered stews; you can leave it on the stove (or in the oven... the benefits of the fabulous le creuset pots) for 90 mintues+, or you just dump the dish in the crock pot, set it on to low, and go off to work/out for the day/to bed/whatever and you have a delicious hot meal 6-8 hours later. <br />Yup, I always prep my ingredients in advance, unless I know the dish well and know there's a lengthy enough gap. (And before I start, I clean the counter). My mother was a fantastic cook and baker, and that's how she taught me.<br />Most baking recipes actually are based on unsalted butter... that way, you control the amount of salt for the right chemistry. (different brands use different amounts)<br />And yup, I use timers regularly, even if i"m in the kitchen. For a stew, it doesn't matter as much, but for anything baking-- even marinated chicken breasts-- it's key. And if I'm going to another room (e.g. to watch tv) i bring the portable timer, so I'm sure to hear it! <br />Knives... sigh... i *finally* got good ones. And a husband who has no idea how to cut properly so they're perennially blunted and messed up. Alizanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966747504559676498.post-68671877916708142692013-12-01T14:10:58.922-05:002013-12-01T14:10:58.922-05:00What? No salted butter? Those Europeans sure are o...What? No salted butter? Those Europeans sure are odd.Wordfiendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06655930772371361091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966747504559676498.post-58973636144794979322013-12-01T14:09:52.149-05:002013-12-01T14:09:52.149-05:00I agree! It astounds me to watch the kids cooking ...I agree! It astounds me to watch the kids cooking amidst dirty dishes and crowded counters. And I *hate* finding out half way through a recipe that I'm missing a crucial ingredient.Wordfiendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06655930772371361091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966747504559676498.post-74962811448345472232013-12-01T01:26:34.716-05:002013-12-01T01:26:34.716-05:00P.S. I am still bamboozled by products here in Swi...P.S. I am still bamboozled by products here in Switzerland: They have the most incredible array of creams, for example, but I cannot find an easily 'whipable' cream. I have asked around, and tried a few, but they turn rapidly from liquid to butter,, almost no point in between. I have settled for now having my whipped cream rather limp. Better than spooning butter on top of dessert. I also can't figure out the "cold cuts": Some things are uncooked, some cooked and ready to eat, but I sure can't tell by looking. And the butter!! I love the taste of salted butter on warm bread. Cannot find salted anywhere. Probably not a bad thing. But it affects my baking because I was using salted butter in all my recipes back home. Now I do the taste-test to figure out the salt needed. I should pay attention to the amount that comes out right, and write it into my Canadian recipe.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07096644628348749119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966747504559676498.post-84440350787570902872013-12-01T01:15:47.869-05:002013-12-01T01:15:47.869-05:00Great tips Wynn Anne, and Martha.
Another thing I&...Great tips Wynn Anne, and Martha.<br />Another thing I've learned the hard way, is to be organized before beginning. Have items washed, chopped, prepped prior to beginning to cook. Seems like an obvious, but some of us are organizationally challenged. I could never get a stir-fry to work out because I was over-cooking some items while I scrambled to get other items ready. Learned from our student Jingyi to have everything ready before even heating the pan.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07096644628348749119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966747504559676498.post-49446798824817317362013-11-30T18:03:25.764-05:002013-11-30T18:03:25.764-05:00Good suggestion and tips! (But I do love using my ...Good suggestion and tips! (But I do love using my made-from-scratch spaghetti sauce in my lasagne. I may re-think that.)Wordfiendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06655930772371361091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7966747504559676498.post-62279309790918670642013-11-30T16:42:35.780-05:002013-11-30T16:42:35.780-05:00Is this blog going into your family cookbook? It s...Is this blog going into your family cookbook? It should. TIP: I'm brand loyal in my cooking. Once I know what brand works well in a recipe I write that beside the flour, cocoa, beans, etc. TIP: don't make all your food taste the same by using the same brand/type in every recipe...spaghetti sauce should not be used in lasagna (use pasta sauce) or on homemade pizza (use pizza sauce) or in chili (use canned tomatoes), etc. I don't add the same spices, veggies, etc to every recipe just because I like them. I try to have basic onions for all but not zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, etc for every sauce. I keep my recipes from blending into the same flavour.Martha Bramer Maguirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04928117558521182318noreply@blogger.com