Food How To:
First in a series of tips that I have learned during a lifetime in and around kitchens, both home and professional. At first, these may seem like simplistic methods for basic foods. But I believe that Anyone Can Cook and Everyone Can Cook Good. My experience informs me that a major sticking point in starting a cooking journey is the expectation that one has a solid foundation of food knowledge. As a country, we do not. One study discovered 16 million Americans thought chocolate milk comes from brown cows. Seriously? WTF! As a nation, our food illiteracy has resulted in an obese, ignorant, and lazy population that has outsourced cooking to multi-nationals and exercise to video games. When I see a child with a 64 ounce soda and a bag of chips at 10 in the morning, I can predict the health arc for this kid’s life. I am on a mission to change that, one cook at a time! A journey of a thousand meals starts with the perfect egg or the best oatmeal, so let’s go.
The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg. You know, the kind with a bright yellow yolk. Not the kind with that protective green coating, like mom made.
Use a 4-qt. sauce pan for seven eggs.
Place cold eggs in pan. Cover with cold water.
Set time for 10 minutes.
Place on high flame and let boil.
Lower heat to medium high when alarm sounds, and set another 10 minutes.
Turn off heat when alarm sounds, and leave in hot water for another 10 minutes.
Run under cold water at the end of this 10 minutes until cooled.
To peel perfectly, crack each end of the egg against the sink wall, and massage the egg under a gentle stream of cold water.
The shell will peel off whole, once the water gets between the egg and shell membrane.
Enjoy with freshly cracked black pepper, kosher salt, and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Best Oatmeal Ever. Ok, full disclosure here. I have been screwing oatmeal up forever. Today, I nailed it. The wife told me so. To over-compensate for bland gummy oatmeal, in the past I would pile on the after-market add-ons: maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, walnuts, apples, cinnamon. That all stopped this morning. I was mentally mulling about the kitchen in my mind this morning, not wanting to make oatmeal today, but also not wanting any meat or eggs. So, I decided to use a big stockpot, and to sauté the oatmeal in some butter, kind of like a rice pilaf. Once the nutty aroma hits your nostrils, time to get busy. I added in two shakes of cinnamon, swirled it around the pan. I added in some almond milk and brought to a boil. Stirring is the enemy of oatmeal, as it releases the starch, thereby making a nice glue. I low boiled for about 8-10 minute until the liquid had been absorbed. I tossed on a couple of pats of butter (butter and bacon - can never have enough) and let rest for a few minutes. I guarantee you, this will be the absolute BEST bowl of oatmeal you will ever enjoy!
Cook something good today, and share it with someone special- Ric