Cook Like a Rock Star - Anne Burrell [5]
Whenever anybody asks me for tips for the home cook, I crack myself up because the first thing I say is, “You have to read the recipe.” That’s exactly what my mother used to tell me to do—and I never did. So now when I’m teaching, I can’t help but hear her voice telling me to read the recipe. As much as I love my mother, I hate it that she’s always right. Whether you’ve been cooking your entire life or are just getting into it, reading a recipe is really important; and it’s amazing how it can help you prevent mistakes and frustration later on.
I’ve spent a lot of time writing recipes in my career and I work hard to make sure that they work, and work well—for cooks of all levels. With all of these recipes I’ve used what I call my “crap detector” to eliminate unnecessary steps, streamline the operation, simplify the process, and maximize the flavor. Look at me, always thinking!
DON’T MESS WITH MY MISE EN PLACE
Okay, so I said no fussy words, and then I start with something that does sound sort of intimidating (or at least French). That’s because there’s always an exception in cooking—accept it and move on. The exception here is mise en place, which translates to “put in place.” It means get all of your prep work done before you start cooking. You’ll notice that the recipes in this book are not written by ingredients and then method like most books. Instead they start with mise en place—your prep work—and then the recipe is broken down into numbered steps. This is how I cook and how professionals cook, and it’s how you should cook, too. It doesn’t matter if you’re a four-star chef or a beginning home cook, you need to have your mise en place ready before you start cooking.
You have no idea how many times I have heard people complain that they were halfway through a recipe and realized the container of bread crumbs was almost empty or that they needed a cup of sugar and had only a quarter cup left. This is when things start to run amok and cooks start to get creative (Can I substitute bread for bread crumbs? I wonder if confectioners’ sugar would work instead of regular sugar?). Take your mise en place seriously and you won’t have to take chances with creative solutions that may or may not work.
So before you even think of turning on the stove, smash your garlic, dice your onions, wash your lettuce, and separate your eggs. Get out all your equipment so that you can just get in there and cook like a rock star. Good mise en place makes cooking less stressful (it also cuts down on clutter—you can clean as you go) and a lot more fun.
TASTE & SEASON AS YOU GO (A.K.A. DITCHING THE “I-HOPE-IT-COMES-OUT-ALL-RIGHT” METHOD OF COOKING)
As a chef, I make my living cooking for other people, and that includes seasoning their food for them. After years of practice, I have a very good idea of what a dish will taste like when it’s done, but I would never, ever think of waiting until the end of the cooking process to taste it. You MUST taste as you go. FOOD SHOULD TASTE GOOD! If it doesn’t, there’s something wrong and the only way to know is to taste it. For some reason, home cooks have a tendency to not taste their food during the cooking process—then they wonder why it doesn’t taste delicious when it’s done. I call this the “I-hope-it-comes-out-all-right” method of cooking, and it doesn’t work. Your palate is a muscle, and like any muscle, you need to train it. You know how you train it? Taste your food.
SALE & PEPE (SALT & PEPPER) ARE NOT MARRIED, THEY’RE ONLY DATING
I’m going to jump right out there and say this: If you don’t cook with salt, you will NEVER be a good cook. Salt is a flavor enhancer; it makes things taste like what they are. Have you ever heard of someone putting salt on watermelon? And there’s always a pinch of salt