All Stocked Up!

Today we venture into the area of food that is often overlooked: Stocks. They are always expected to be on the line in the kitchen. It's part of the mise en place that you don't even have to think about because it's so important. They're almost as important as salt and pepper on the line. Yes, that important.

Why are these flavored liquids so important to the production of good food? First let me say that stocks can always be replaced with water but what does water taste like? NOTHING, exactly, moving along now. A lot of people ask me, "What's the difference between stock and broth?" Simple. Stocks are made with the carcasses/bones of the animal and broths are made mostly with meat. I believe stocks contain more flavor than broths because of 2 things; cooking time and cartilage. What? You don't know what cartilage is? Have you ever eaten fried chicken and at the end of the bone is that white, hard looking stuff? That's cartilage. It's the hard connective tissue in joints that hold animal (and our) bones together. You will get most of your flavor from the cartilage because it's protein. Normally it takes about an hour to make a broth because chances are the meat you're using to make the broth is going to be meat you use in a dish so even though you're cooking it for a long time in water it will still come out dry. In professional kitchens stocks are usually made with items that you can't eat but still have loads of flavor such as the roots of celery stalks and carrot peels and bones of animals after deboning or filleting. A lot of recipes will say to cook stocks for about 4-5 hours. I say cook it for 8 hours! And the best way to know if you've succeeded in making your stock is when it cools down it looks like jello, literally. While the stock has been cooking the cartilage breaks down and turns into gelatin (jello is made of gelatin). So it literally MELTS into the liquid. Stocks can be used for numerous things; making sauces, thinning out a sauce that's too thick, making soups or glazing.

There are so many dishes made with stock that a lot of people aren't aware of. How do you think gravy for Thanksgiving is made or chicken pot pie? It's so easy to make but people are afraid of it. Three ingredients - flour, butter, stock. Make your roux and add stock and BAM! You have gravy. For pot pie you would do the same thing but make it a little thicker and add your veggies and meat and then BAM! You have pot pie. Risotto is also made with chicken stock but that's for another blog :)

The most important thing to keep in the back of your mind about stock is when a recipe calls for it, chances are you're going to get most of your flavor from the stock. So if you're making your own stock, LOAD it up with A LOT of bones! If you decide to buy canned broth you can always enhance the flavor by adding in some mirepoix and some herbs and some meat just to bring in a little more flavor. OR what I like to do, when making stock from scratch instead of using water use the canned stuff. That'll give it A LOT of flavor.

Making stocks are easy really it just takes a really long time. But the reality is, it's not worth it. First, unless you have an actual butcher shop near you, it's going to be hard to find Chicken bones or Veal bones at your local supermarket because no supermarket butchers their own meat in house. All meat comes in frozen. Chicken is a little easier to work with because you can use chicken wings. Not the whole wing but the last part of the wing that nobody eats because there's really no meat on it. Though there's not a lot of meat on them they contain A LOT of cartilage and they're cheap! And unless you have your own garden you will have to buy at least 4 oz of each herb because you can't just buy 1 or 2 sprigs of Thyme or parsley. Same thing with the veggies, it's impossible to buy just 2 or 3 stalks of celery. So unless you plan on making 5 or 6 gallons (which is a lot) then just go with the canned stuff (nothing wrong with it, just remember to make it taste better). But if you really are going to make a couple gallons of stock you can always freeze it!

The next time you see a recipe call for stock/broth just remember to appreciate it and respect it. Make it taste as good as you can make it taste and last but not least, ENJOY IT!

bien manger

-cwis

NaCl

I don't understand what the fuss is about with salt . How come nobody uses it? Because too much of it is bad for you? That's BULLSHIT. Well actually, too much of ANYTHING is bad for you.

Salt's been around for...well I have no idea how long it's been around but it's definitely been around for a LONG time. One thing everybody needs to understand about salt is that it doesn't make food taste salty (unless you oversalt) but makes food taste better. When you go to a "high end" restaurant what do you see on the table? Some silverware, plates, maybe candles, flowers, etc. But you'll never see a salt and pepper shaker. Why? Because the chefs in the kitchen have already properly seasoned your food. Don't believe me? Just check out their reviews, douche.

Ok, so now you're asking "isn't all salt the same?"  Answer: NO and a little bit of yes. Salt does taste like salt but nobody's eating salt by itself. There's a couple different kinds of salt. Table, kosher, baking, flavored, rock, sea, pretzel, popcorn, etc etc. The 3 most common salts you'll probably encounter in your life are Table salt, Kosher salt, and Sea salt.

Table salt is your typical salt in salt shakers, most of the time containing potassium iodide and dextrose (a sugar used to stabilize the iodide) as a dietary supplement to prevent goiter and mental retardation. (yes I just did copy and paste that, but I felt like you needed to know). All table salt contains an anti-caking agent to keep it from clumping when it gets too humid. I try to stay away from that stuff because well, it's just loaded with all this crap. All it's really good for is soaking up oil or spreading onto your steps when it's snowing out. The only thing table salt is really good for is baking because the grains are small enough to dissolve when baking. But again, let's not get me started on baking. Thank You.

Kosher salt (my favorite) is a wonderful thing and is the most common salt used in professional kitchens. Kosher salt is more coarse than table salt making it easier to pick up with finger tips and allowing it to stick to food better. Kosher salt gets it's name from its use in making food kosher in accordance to the Jewish dietary laws. A lot of people (including my sister) argue that Kosher salt is "saltier" than regular table salt. NOT TRUE! Kosher salt dissolves on the tongue faster than table salt (because of all the crap that's in it) making one believe that the flavor of salt is much greater. Kosher salt should be your everyday salt, the only problem is it won't fit in a salt shaker. But you don't need a salt shaker at the dinner table if you season your food correctly anyways.

Sea salt is usually the most coarse of them all. The grains are huge and you can actually bite into one.  The great thing about Sea salt is that it is ALL NATURAL. They way Sea salt is harvested is pretty much collecting the salt from evaporated salt water. What you see is what you get. Now from there though, depending on what the manufacturer wants to do with it, the salt can be processed several times. Maybe "processed" isn't the word I'm looking for. More like "purified". Some salts such as "sel gris" (gray salt) are not as refined and are a little more moist. It contains traces of clay and other elements from the evaporation process thus making it gray! Sea salt is typically a "finishing" salt, meaning it is sprinkled onto a dish when complete to bring out the last and final flavors. For example, you have a 8oz piece of tenderloin (filet mignon) and you've already cooked it and let it rest. Now you will slice it and lay it nicely on the plate. It's so moist and medium rare. This is when you take your sea salt and sprinkle lightly on the meat that's been sliced. Because before you cooked it you only seasoned the outside. There's no way you can season the inside without cutting into it. The Sea salt with be the finishing touch on the beef, everything is seasoned bringing out the flavor of the beef (inside and out) and the plate is complete and ready to eat.

(OH! Just letting you know, I am not fond of those salt "grinder." All it is, is sea salt in a grinder. For what? You should've just bought Kosher salt to begin with. If you have one, you just wasted your money. Sea salt is meant to be that big.)

How do you know how much salt to use? There's always one quote that sticks in my mind when asked "how much do I put in?" "You can always add but you can't take away." When I was in culinary school I was taught to season every time a new ingredient was introduced to the pan. When you saute onions and garlic add a little bit. Then when you add the tomato add a little bit, etc etc. Of course you're not going to add a tablespoon of salt but literally probably about half a pinch. If you don't think it's enough salt you're adding then you're probably adding just enough. A little bit of salt does go a long way whether you know it or not. And you should always taste as you cook.

Have ever eaten french fries that were sooo awesome? And then you go back and they don't taste the same? Like they haven't been seasoned? Well that's why? The awesomeness that you taste is not salt but the flavor the salt brings out. If you really don't believe me about this whole blog I dare you to test it out. Stone fruit is the best test subject. Stone fruit is anything with a big giant pit such as a nectarine or a plum or a peach. Cut 2 pieces off about 1 inch cubes. Season one with a little bit of salt and leave the other plain. Eat the plain first, chew, swallow, and sip some water. Then repeat with the salted one. Tell me which one tastes better.

Want to look like a pro when seasoning? When you're seasoning anything (raw meat, cooked food, vegetables etc), trying seasoning with height about 6-8 inches above the food (at work my hand will be 12 inches above the food but you don't want salt all over your counter and floor). This way you will see how much salt is coming off your fingers and it will also spread the salt evenly over the surface of the food. Also, when releasing salt from your fingers, rub your fingers. Don't keep the salt in your fingers and "throw" the salt at the food, that just looks dumb. You're not Emeril Lagasse!

I hope you've learned a little bit about salt from this blog and if you didn't that means you need to read it again.

bien manger

-cwis

Recipe for disaster (maybe not the right title)

Let's get this straight people.  I'm a chef.  I love to cook.  I love to make people happy.  I also love to express myself through my food.  You can't do that by cooking another person's dish.  What do I mean that?  RECIPES!  If there's anything that I took with me from culinary school, it's "Don't rely on recipes."  Ok ok, right now all I hear is "But I really don't know how to cook!  I need a recipe!"  Fine, but use the recipe once and throw it away.  After you've made the dish once you sort of know what it's supposed to look like and taste like.  But maybe you don't like those capers in there or you wish there was more heat or "you know what would go really well with this?!"  Make the dish your own dish.  Cooking, for me, is an art and artists express themselves through their work. When I show dishes I've cooked on my blog I always say "a little bit of this" or "some of that" etc etc.  That's because I'M NOT MEASURING.  Everything I do is "eyed out."

Baking is a totally different story.  Don't get me started on baking.

Now if you're owning a business, that's a totally different story.  The reason people come back to restaurants to eat is just not for the good food for but for consistency.  If you eat an awesome dish at a restaurant, come back and get the same dish but it's not the same, chances are you're not going to be happy.

Even though my last blog was an actual recipe, it was MY recipe.  A recipe I tested out myself.  The only reason I did that was because a restaurant I worked for liked my crabcake and wanted to put it on the menu.

So please stop asking me for recipes!  If you want a recipe there's something on the internet called GOOGLE.

bien manger

-cwis

Don't Be So Crabby!

Now I'm not a big fan of recipes. In fact, I HATE recipes. This is why I don't BAKE. Baking is all about recipes because if you're missing one item or if you're off by a tablespoon or so, you need to start all over. Cooking is about making the food taste the way you want it to taste. If it tastes too much like this then you add a little bit of this to balance it out.

I've gotten a few complaints from people that I never give them recipes. I always tell them to put a little of this in, and toss in some of this. Well, what is THIS???

So for your enjoyment I will share with you a recipe that I actually measured out and tested myself. 

I call this the  

New Jersey-Asian-Maryland Crabcake

Haha. Just kidding. I don't have a name. But here it is!

2 lb. Jumbo Lump Crab
1 cup Mayo
1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
1.5 T Worcestershire
2.5 T Tabasco
1 Egg
1 T Old Bay
2 Cup Break Crumb
3/4 Cup Sm. Diced Red Pepper (Optional)
1/2 Cup Cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

- If you decide to use the Bell pepper, saute it with a little oil and salt and pepper for 8 min and keep it to the side.
- Make sure the oven or toaster oven is preheated to 400 degrees.
- Combine Mayo, Mustard, Worcestershire, Tabasco and Old Bay.
- Add crab meat to wet ingredients and gently fold with a rubber spatula or spoon.
(Traditionally a Maryland Crabcake is folded so that the Lumps stay nice a big but if you want to break them  up and have little shredded pieces of crab that's fine.)
- Add the egg and chopped cilantro. At this point you can taste the mixture. Check for seasoning, or spice, or too much of this and that etc. It's OK to eat it, the crab meat is already cooked.
- Add the bread crumbs and fold/mix till all is incorporated.
- Make desired crabcake size/shape. But make sure the crabcake is no more than about 3/4 inch thick.
- Put a pan on medium high heat and add some clarified butter. Yes, I said clarified butter.
- Once the pan is hot, sear the crabcakes on one side for about 3-4 minutes. You can life the bottom of it to see how brown it is. Make sure it's nice and golden brown!
- Flip over and sear but only for about half the time (so about 2 min).
- Transfer onto baking sheet and toss into the oven.
- Let cook in the oven for about 7-8 min.
- Take out and enjoy!

If you want a sauce, check out my salmon cake blog and look for the Lime Aioli. Any questions? Shoot me a message! I told you I wasn't quitting!

bien manger

-cwis

See you "later"

I'm not quitting...i'm just taking a break. How long? Not sure but i'll let you know!

bien manger

-cwis

Answer sheet

CONGRATULATIONS TO SHAWN JUN FROM FULLERTON, CA!!!

1. Mise en place is your prep before you start cooking such as chopped onions, sliced peppers, cleaned spinach, etc. It literally translates into "set in place" or "put in place". It's French :)
2. Aborio Rice is the grain used in traditional risotto. Risotto is the way it's cooked by adding a liquid a little bit at a time and letting it reduce which concentrates the flavor of the liquid.  Risotto is not only made with Aborio Rice, it can be made with Barley, Regular white rice, Cous Cous, or even Cauliflower!
3. Al dente usually describes pasta when it's not cooked all the way, which is how you want it cooked. If you bite into pasta and it's completely soft, it's overcooked.  Al dente translates into "to the bite" in Italian which means you want a little bite when you bite into it.
4. NO! Pickles are cucumbers that have been pickled. haha!
5. Mirepoix aka the trinity is the mixture of Carrots, Celery, and Onions. You will almost always see these 3 vegetables in soups and stews.  The ratio is 2 part onion, 1 part celery, and 1 carrot.
6. Both a Julienne and a Chiffonade are strips.  But a Julienne is a cut for Vegetables and larger foods as a Chiffonade is a cut for herbs such as mint, parsley, and basil.
7. A roux is a cooked mixture of flour and fat used to thicken a liquid such as soup or a sauce.  Butter is typically used but you can also use oil or even bacon fat.  The ratio is equal parts.
8. Braising is used more for larger pieces of meat.  Liquid is filled only halfway up the meat and requires a longer cooking time.  Stewing is used more for smaller uniformed pieces of meat.  Liquid is added just to cover the meat and does not require a very long cooking time.
9. Sulfur is released from the onion when it is cut.  The sulfur rises in the air and mixes with the moisture in your eyes creating Sulfuric Acid.
10. Clarified Butter.
11. Simple syrup is made of sugar and water.  Equal parts Sugar and Water, but some people beg to differ as they believe the ratio is 2 parts sugar and 1 part water.  Either way water and sugar and heated to a boil and cooled down.
12. Puff pastry is made of layers of flour and butter.
13. Similar to Aborio Rice and Risotto, Squid is the ingredient to make Calamari and Calamari is the ring shape the squid is cut into.
14. Searing is the process of creating an even crust on the outside of the meat which will lock in all the juices in the meat.
15. Prime, Choice, and Select. Not a lot of people know about the prime grade of beef because it's just too expensive for the public and can only really be found in high end restaurants and very gourmet grocery stores.  Not sure if Wegmans or Whole Foods sells it.

Cooking 101

Here it goes! The first to answer all these questions correctly first WINS!  Please read the questions CAREFULLY before answering.  If you don't answer the QUESTION it will be wrong.  Results will be posted tomorrow.

PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTIONS VIA BLOGSPOT COMMENT!

Ready...

Set...

GO!!

1. What is Mise en place?
2. What is the difference between Aborio Rice and Risotto?
3. What is Al dente?
4.  Can you grow pickles?
5. What is Mirepoix and what is the ratio?
6. What is the difference between a Julienne and a Chiffonade?
7. What is a Roux and what is the ratio?
8. What is the difference between a Braise and a Stew?
9. Why do onions make you cry?
10. What is the main ingredient in Hollandaise?
11. What are the ingredients in a Simple Syrup and what is the ratio?
12. What are the 2 main ingredients in Puff Pastry?
13. What is the difference between Calamari and Squid?
14. What is the purpose of Searing? 
15. What are the 3 top grades of beef? Starting with the best.

 BONUS QUESTION (2 part)

A. What are the 5 mother sauces?
B. Name a recipe where each sauce is the base.