Unified Field Theory of Cooking

Take food item. Pan fry in animal fat with garlic, onion, salt, and pepper.

That is all.

This is the foundation of just about every protein dish that I cook. When meat is kept neutrally seasoned, it is also extremely versatile when it becomes leftovers. Learning how to make great components, such as sauces and stocks, allows a cornucopia of meals to arise out of practically nothing.

Mitchell wrote: Learning how to make great components, such as sauces and stocks...

This I need to learn to do.

I can say that I'm loving my cast iron pan. I used to despise brussel sprouts with the consuming fires of a thousand damnations. Discovering to pan fry them with bacon has turned them into one of my favorite side vegetables.

Anything is better with beer batter. And bacon. I recently did bacon-wrapped beer battered deep fried lil smokies (the ones with cheese in em!). ZOMG

Beer Baron wrote:

Mitchell wrote: Learning how to make great components, such as sauces and stocks...

This I need to learn to do. I can say that I'm loving my cast iron pan. I used to despise brussel sprouts with the consuming fires of a thousand damnations. Discovering to pan fry them with bacon has turned them into one of my favorite side vegetables.

Messing with sauces is easy.

Cook something in a pan.

Notice how when it was done there was still stuff left in the pan?

Cook that stuff until its weakness leaves. That's where you'll start a sauce. The stuff you have there has an intense (probably salty) flavor. But you can't eat it plain (unless no one os looking). Most likely you'll combine it with a liquid (Wine, water, fruit juice, Pepsi, etc). These are then further reduced to intensify their flavors—reduction generally gets rid of the water in a liquid first, so you're left with everything that ain't water and is flavor.

You may introduce a fat instead of liquid, like butter. Or a fat AND a liquid together, like cream. Again,reduction is always your friend. If you taste something that isn't quite there, reduce it until it is.

You'll throw a few things to the cat, but overall, once you get a handle of the chemistry and physics of it all, it's a fun pursuit.

jg

mndsm wrote: Anything is better with beer batter. And bacon. I recently did bacon-wrapped beer battered deep fried lil smokies (the ones with cheese in em!). ZOMG

Beer was another component of tonight's dinner. My standard prep method for brats is to seer them on each side briefly, then fill the pan with about 1/4" of beer, cover and let them steam like that for a while.

I bring home a 6-pack every workday (for free). I can not drink it that quickly, so I have to cook with it. I have enough Old Rasputin in stock to keep Poop Shovel happy for... I was going to say a month, but realistically about a week. It makes good Corned Beef Hash.

In reply to JG Pasterjak:

All that beer I said I need to find a use for? I think I just did.

Start with a roux. That's just equal parts butter (or any fat/oil) and flour. Cook the flour until it caramelizes. With butter, it will go the color of coffee with cream. You can let it get darker too if you want more flavor, but be careful of burning it. Then add your liquid flavor like roast or turkey drippings (let the turkey fat settle out, you just want the "juice"), wine, beer and onions, canned broth, old engine oil....

KABLAMMO - gravy! Very very nice gravy! Damn fine gravy!

JG Pasterjak wrote: Messing with sauces is easy. Cook something in a pan. Notice how when it was done there was still stuff left in the pan? Cook that stuff until its weakness leaves. That's where you'll start a sauce. The stuff you have there has an intense (probably salty) flavor. But you can't eat it plain (unless no one is looking). Most likely you'll combine it with a liquid (Wine, water, fruit juice, Pepsi, etc). These are then further reduced to intensify their flavors—reduction generally gets rid of the water in a liquid first, so you're left with everything that ain't water and is flavor. You may introduce a fat instead of liquid, like butter. Or a fat AND a liquid together, like cream. Again,reduction is always your friend. If you taste something that isn't quite there, reduce it until it is. You'll throw a few things to the cat, but overall, once you get a handle of the chemistry and physics of it all, it's a fun pursuit. jg

Your writing has great power, jg. I was deeply moved by these few paragraphs.

I was just about to share the Holy Secret of the Roux, but I see one of the other Brethren was able to bring the joy already.

I like to deglaze the pan with brandy, tequila, or wine.

I really started to learn a lot by watching cooking shows. I love cooking shows. Some of my favorites are a new Martha Stewart show on PBS and Good Eats on Food Network. America's Test Kitchen on PBS is also pretty good and they give good explainations on why to use one ingredient over another so you can start to pick which recipe will give better results.

Of course with all of this, be prepared to eat a meal and toss it out. Not everything that rolls off of my stovetop is left over worthy. I've been cooking for myself for over 10 years now, I even did some catering in college. (Though college kid catering is mostly serving...)

DINERS DRIVE INS & DIVES is the best show on TV period. exclamation point!

We only watch it while we're eating dinner because to watch it any other time means a road trip &/or cooking something we don't really need.

I deglaze (deglaze just means loosen the stuck on meat bits from) the pan with the alcohol item such as dry sherry, wine or beer, and then add those pan drippings to the roux. Smells berkeleying incredible. Then, if I will need more gravy than what that will yield I will add broth appropriate for the dish, meaning chicken or turkey broth or stock for chicken dishes and beef broth for beef dishes, and simmer until reduced. Don't boil this, as that can make it bitter, just simmer. Add flour at the end to thicken. Potato water also works well as a thickener - I will save the water from cooking potatoes when I make mashed potatoes and freeze it in ice cube trays for use later in gravies and sauces.

Bon Ape Tit!

Beer Baron wrote: Take food item. Pan fry in animal fat with garlic, onion, salt, and pepper. That is all.

I like to subscribe to this school of thought as well as "Well i have this, this, this, and that. Guess i'll chuck it in the slow cooker with garlic, onion, salt, and pepper, and see what happens."

Last night:

I have pork shoulder, potatoes, diced tomatoes, garlic, jalepenos, poblanos, and some chicken stock. Lessee what happens. (E36 M3 was delicious is what happened)

For the sake of my weight and general health, I refuse to learn to make gravy.