There is nothing more satisfying to the eye than a kitchen filled with beautiful utensils (cooking tools - Chambers 21st Century Dictionary), and wouldn't we all love to have a complete set of that boldly coloured, cast iron, enamelled French cookware (if they would like to sponsor this blog, I will gladly mention the name and include numerous artistic photographs), or the fabulous medical grade stainless steel waterless cookware that lasts longer than any marriage and has a pot that costs more than a small stove. However, unless you put in the effort, even the most expensive pots will not produce a better meal than a cheap aluminium saucepan from the local hardware store (okay, maybe a little exaggeration - I personally cannot bring myself to cook in aluminium).
A set of stainless steel 18/10 grade pots and frying pans will set you up for life. Experience has taught me that coated pans do not last and I have wondered how, if the material used is non-stick, they make it stick to the pan in the first place. Also, it is supposedly indestructible even though it can chip off, and I don't really fancy having it going through my digestive system or even perhaps becoming part of it. A heavy bottomed pan is essential, as it won't warp and create an uneven surface for stoves with solid plates or a ceramic top.
A gas hob and electric oven are, for me, the ideal arrangement, but always keep a spare gas cylinder, as there is nothing worse than running out of gas as you are beginning dinner.
The most useful item in a kitchen is the hand-held, stick blender with the chopping bowl attachment; this saves an awful lot of washing up by using it directly in the pot of soup that you want to puree or potatoes you want to crush with a little butter and not much fuss.
You can get away with very little in the way of knick-knack type of gadgets, as long as you have a very good set of super-sharp knives and a top quality vegetable peeler. Once you have experience in chopping vegetables, you really will find that manual is the way to go. I have a drawer filled with gadgets collected over the years that are just too much bother to use e.g. a garlic crusher is no better than pressing the flat side of a large knife onto the garlic clove - same result, instantly.
Another essential - a dishwasher - don't believe it when you tell yourself you would never need it because there are only two of you. Just have enough plates for 2 days!
Last item - microwave - useful for defrosting and warming up.
Monday 28 January 2013
Sunday 13 January 2013
Organising yourself in the kitchen
The secret to stress-free cooking and an enjoyable time in the kitchen is organisation. For me, the most important rule is: Clean As You Go! The first step is to fill the sink with hot, soapy water. I can't bear having dirty hands, so this is the easiest way to keep rinsing them off between handling ingredients, plus you can instantly wash those funny little items that don't fit in the dishwasher or only need a rinse because they aren't actually dirty. The ideal situation to be in once the food is cooking itself is to be stacking the last item in the dishwasher and wiping the surfaces clean. This also keeps the flies away. If you live in Kommetjie, it seems that the crayfishing season coincides with a huge leap in the fly population, the reason for which we draw our own conclusions but probably relates in large part to bait that gets dumped on the rocks or in public bins.
Once the sink is filled, assemble your ingredients. There is nothing worse than being halfway through a recipe and finding that the bottle of red wine that was in the back of the cupboard is no longer there, or that someone put the last of the parmesan on their potato the night before. Try to train your family to tell you when they use the last teabag or ate the nachos you were keeping for the Chilli Con Carne.
If you are anything like me, I buy ingredients that get put on a high shelf and forget about them, so that by the time I think of using them and have climbed the kitchen stepladder to find them, they are already 5 years out of date! This hasn't happened so frequently of late, as I have become much better in this department, mainly because after a really thorough baboon raid through the kitchen, you have to throw everything out and start again!
Unless you are making baked goods, I have never found it necessary to worry with exact measures. If you use a teacup to measure with, just ensure that everything goes into the recipe via the same cup and not a mug halfway through. Experience will very quickly teach you how to estimate everything with your eye and a couple of spoons! I would rather err on the generous side, particularly when making a sauce, as these can reduce to nothing very quickly if you have your temperatures too high.
The final important things to have handy are: the refuse bin to dispose of waste as it occurs, and a container with a lid for the vegetable waste to be separated for the compost heap or the porcupine (if you have one!) as you prepare your vegetables.
Next time I will talk about the tools and utensils that I can't do without.
Once the sink is filled, assemble your ingredients. There is nothing worse than being halfway through a recipe and finding that the bottle of red wine that was in the back of the cupboard is no longer there, or that someone put the last of the parmesan on their potato the night before. Try to train your family to tell you when they use the last teabag or ate the nachos you were keeping for the Chilli Con Carne.
If you are anything like me, I buy ingredients that get put on a high shelf and forget about them, so that by the time I think of using them and have climbed the kitchen stepladder to find them, they are already 5 years out of date! This hasn't happened so frequently of late, as I have become much better in this department, mainly because after a really thorough baboon raid through the kitchen, you have to throw everything out and start again!
Unless you are making baked goods, I have never found it necessary to worry with exact measures. If you use a teacup to measure with, just ensure that everything goes into the recipe via the same cup and not a mug halfway through. Experience will very quickly teach you how to estimate everything with your eye and a couple of spoons! I would rather err on the generous side, particularly when making a sauce, as these can reduce to nothing very quickly if you have your temperatures too high.
The final important things to have handy are: the refuse bin to dispose of waste as it occurs, and a container with a lid for the vegetable waste to be separated for the compost heap or the porcupine (if you have one!) as you prepare your vegetables.
Next time I will talk about the tools and utensils that I can't do without.
Thursday 3 January 2013
Cooking needn't be a chore
We spend an inordinately large proportion of our time in the kitchen, either cooking or cleaning up afterwards, and for so many it is nothing but a chore that must be endured. Producing food that excites your taste buds should be one of life's great pleasures, a showcase for your creative talents. If it is also pleasing on the eye, then you are producing a work of art to rival anything produced on canvas, and can be justifiably proud of your achievement. But nothing is gained without a certain amount of drudgery as well, and unless you are a celebrity chef on TV, you will have to chop your own onions and wash your own dishes. However, you are just as capable as they are of producing restaurant-quality meals in your own kitchen, with just a little enthusiasm, the right ingredients and utensils and, most importantly, perfect preparation. Without organising your work area, cooking can rapidly deteriorate into an unsatisfying pastime and the likelihood of tinned spaghetti on toast for dinner looms on the horizon.
In my next blog, I will make suggestions to lighten the load. In the meantime, here is an easy way to make red onion marmalade to accompany a cheese platter while you read your recipe books:
3 large red onions
3 Tblsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
Peel and slice onions. Melt butter in heavy pan over medium heat then add onions and sugar. Stir occasionally as they cook to a glossy, caramelized texture, about 20 minutes. Add wine and vinegar, bring to a slight boil, then turn down to low and simmer for about an hour until liquid has evaporated and the onions are a dark, glossy red and add salt to taste.
Eat hot or cold as a condiment. Keep in fridge and eat within a week. This will not be difficult.
In my next blog, I will make suggestions to lighten the load. In the meantime, here is an easy way to make red onion marmalade to accompany a cheese platter while you read your recipe books:
3 large red onions
3 Tblsp butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
Peel and slice onions. Melt butter in heavy pan over medium heat then add onions and sugar. Stir occasionally as they cook to a glossy, caramelized texture, about 20 minutes. Add wine and vinegar, bring to a slight boil, then turn down to low and simmer for about an hour until liquid has evaporated and the onions are a dark, glossy red and add salt to taste.
Eat hot or cold as a condiment. Keep in fridge and eat within a week. This will not be difficult.
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