Why My Food Always Tastes Good: Foundations Matter

My birthday was earlier this month, and my parents got me a couple of cooking classes at Central Market as presents. I was able to choose the classes I wanted to attend, and being that it was Passport Spain (a 2 week extravaganza dedicated all things Spanish), I was able to pick classes with my two favorite winemakers on the planet, Alvaro Palacios (of Alvaro Palacios in Priorat, and Palacios Remondo in Rioja) and Albert Costa (of Vall Llach also in Priorat).

The classes were great for two reasons. First and foremost, I was able to taste a variety of their wines. They are sinfully good, every last one of them; and reasonably affordable considering the quality. Secondly - I was able to personally meet the winemakers, and got a verbal promise from each to give me a personal tour of their vineyards the next time I am in Priorat. I have both of their business cards and soon won't forget this promise...so I fully expect to hold them to it.

One of the best wines I've ever tasted

The classes weren't so great for a number of reasons. Mainly it was my utter shock over the number of people who were totally clueless: “Food bloggers” in the class who were constantly stirring the shit out of everything that hit a pan. People “pressing” meat into a pan like that jackass trying to squeeze the juices out of a burger at a 4^th of July cookout. Young professionals, many of those who were on dates, that were trying to sear/brown meat in pans that were barely on medium. Folks throwing things into pans that weren’t hot yet. People freaking out about a “recipe” and exact measurements and order of operations to a nearly OCD level.

These are the reasons folks should be attending cooking class, not to learn how to make “Spanish food”, or learn a new recipe/style. Cooking shows, youtube, and recipes found in magazines or online could do basically the exact same thing for you at a fraction of the cost. For better or worse the instructors were primarily tasked with instilling wisdom where possible, and getting the meals finished so we could eat the final product and drink some fantastic wines.

But it got me thinking: How many people don’t know the essentials? The things that aren’t even tips or tricks really, but just instinctual cooking basics. The equivalent of me breathing while I’m in the kitchen – I never think about it, my body does it automatically, and if it didn’t I would be dead by now.

Build Blocks...

Fellow food blogger and good family friend Angie at Food Muses had a similar thought last week – what are my limitations and where do I have my fundamentals down pat? I’ve been all about fundamentals in cooking for the past 18 months or so. After a number of botched attempts at new flavor combinations, or preparations of cooking food that were entirely unconventional, I realized there was absolutely no shame in learning the most authentic, and truest form of a recipe or preparation. That’s why everyone loves Grandma’s cooking so much, and people make boastful claims about “the recipe hasn’t changed in decades”: the foundation is there, and the art becomes faithful replication of perfect technique. It’s become like breathing.

So where does that lead me, and you, my faithful readers? Another list of bullets, commentary, and future posts about my fundamentals, tips, and tricks. Another chance for me to rant, and a few more chances to completely contradict myself by telling you something that defies conventional wisdom but just works.

Foundation to Great Cooking:

·         Don’t Cut Corners – This is probably where I lose half of the readers, if they even made it this far. And I don’t care. If you make it past that simple statement your food will taste infinitely better. When you have the chance to peel your own fresh garlic, squeeze your own lime juice (looking at you, Seth), make your own chicken stock, roast your own peppers, etc – DO IT! It may cost a bit more, or take a bit more time, but the results will carry some serious ROI. I spent two.fucking.hours. making a roux for gumbo. It consisted of stirring oil and flour over medium heat. That’s it. For two hours. The end product was a gumbo worthy of Creole praise – a nearly perfect end product that didn’t take much more than stirring and patience. And for the love of God, at least own one good chef’s knife (and spend no less than $50-$60 on that one knife), and at least one good pot. The next time I’m in your kitchen and see that fake metal BS, I’ll stab you with your shitty 17 knife set that cost you $20 and barely be able to break skin with any of them. The one that finally cuts through will break off it’s poorly made handle and not even the doctors will be able to get it out. How the hell do you expect to cook with that?

·         Stop Being Fearful of Your Food – It doesn’t want to burn. It doesn’t want to stick to the pan. It doesn’t want to boil over. It doesn’t want to crack, or dry out, or jump out of the oven. So please, for the love of God, stop feeling the need to always peak into a covered pot, open a hot oven, constantly stir everything in a pan, or flip/poke/prod your food. There are exactly three things on this planet that I can think of that require that kind of constant attention: the aforementioned dark roux, risotto, and polenta. You must stir constantly, or it burns, or it sucks as an end product, or it doesn’t retain proper texture. The rest? Learn what the maximum amount of stirring/attention that item needs and ONLY pay it that. As the saying goes - [it] already died, you don't need to kill it again.

o   When you’re grilling, sautéing, roasting, frying, etc you probably only need to turn/move your meat 2 times, maybe 4-5 depending on what you’re cooking and how many sides. Long story short, when you cook something, anything, the more you move it, the less it caramelizes. Caramelization is good, it draws out the natural sweetness and flavor of your food. It’s the reason the only foods you ever crave boiled are shellfish.

o   Whenever you turn things too many times it causes the juices to run from the hot side (that used to be on the heat) to the cool side. Turning meats only as many times as you absolutely need to cooks the meat faster, promotes better browning/caramelization, and juicier meat. If you see me turn a steak/chicken breast/pork chop more than twice it’s an exceptionally large cut of meat and needs to cook on another end to promote even doneness. It’s not me fidgeting.

o   If you are one of those people who constantly stirs a pot, put your spoon down and walk away. Just do it. You will get no flavor out of your ingredients by constantly fiddling with them. They won’t burn – just keep an eye on it.

o   Intentionally (or unintentionally) screw some stuff up. Figure out what you screwed up, and more importantly what you didn’t like about it when it was screwed up. It’ll teach you a lesson, and the next time you’re instinctually going to do it better. Just don’t be afraid – it’s a learning process. A delicious learning process. Be as critical of yourself as you need to improve, but not to discourage yourself.

·         Use All of Your Senses: You have 5 senses. Use all of them while cooking. It takes a bit of training, but each of them has their own role. Learn what each dish needs to taste, smell, look, feel, and sound like along each step of the process. You’d be amazed what each sense can tell you separately. You’d also be amazed how inaccurate all of them all on their own. Ever seen a chef/critic do a blind taste test, or have someone cook without their sense of smell? Again – you may not catch on immediately, but there are always warnings that something needs to be stirred, that a pan is on too hot (or not hot enough), that the dish is done, or even though the recipe called for 40 minutes, it may need another 5/10/15.

o   Taste Your Food: Sounds OBVIOUS right? Then why on earth don’t you do it while you’re cooking? Taste your sauces, marinades, salads, soups, mashed potatoes, etc during the process. Check for salt, spice, acidity. Adjust when you know it needs more or less of something, counterbalance with flavors. Rescue a dish that’s gone overboard. Taste tells you as much as you could possibly ask – so ask.

o   Smell Your Food: Taste is 70% smell. Seriously. It’s the reason why nothing tastes worth a damn when you’re sick, and why you should never, under any circumstances, light scented candles during a good meal. It’s the sense that can tell you the most about your food independent of the other senses, including taste. Get your nose in there and start to smell everything: marinades, soups, spices, dry rubs, meats, veggies. Does your nose want spice? Acidity? Does it smell like it’s burning? It’s caramelized? Does this smell remind of you of that time you unintentionally fucked up the roux and everything tasted burnt? Once you become a ninja master you can start experimenting based on smell. I “make up” spice blends, marinades, and salad dressings all the time based on complimentary smells.

o   Listen to Your Food: You can hear a pan that’s dry and hot without even trying. You can hear food about to burn, slightly burning, and too burnt, without even trying. Sizzles, snaps, hisses, boil, crunch, mush…all useful, all can be used to your advantage. If it sounds like nothing is going on, there’s a good chance you might be right – and it’s time to turn up the heat. The snap and crunch of your veggies as you cut them is a good indicator of how fresh they are. As important as sound is in cooking, silence makes me crazy in a kitchen and I need some good, loud music, to accompany me, and I suggest you do the same. If you’re enjoying the whole experience the food will taste better. I guarantee it.

o   Touch Your Food: And I don’t mean play with it. Youtube a video showing you how to test the doneness of a piece of meat just by touching it. No meat thermometers required. Use your hands to mix when appropriate. So long as your hands are washed it shouldn’t gross you or your guests out – so get in there! Picking out the best, freshest, most desirable groceries has a huge impact on your final product. Knock on a loaf of bread, bend and poke and prod your produce to make sure it’s up to standard. Squeeze all your lemons and limes to make sure they aren’t hard as a rock. If they are, they won’t give you any juice, and are essentially worthless. Learn what the correct thickness of a sauce or a soup or a dressing is as you stir it, and use that to determine doneness.

o   Look at Your Food: With experience you’ll know it’s time to flip a steak or fish by seeing how far the heat has penetrated the sides of the meat. You’ll notice when a pan is looking a little dry and could use a splash of water/stock/etc. Oil smoking in a pan might mean that it’s just the right time to add your food to a pan, or that it’s entirely too hot, depending on what you are trying to accomplish. This is one of the more reactionary senses, as you are either modifying or correcting something in progress. Sight may be the sense that is the least useful on it’s own, so pay respect to what your nose, mouth, and ears are telling you before trusting sight and sight alone.

·         Properly Salt Your Food: This means before, during, and after you cook, but not on the table with a shaker in your hand. Just about everything on this planet needs salt. It’s a scientific fact that salt makes foods taste more like themselves, alters the texture, and changes the aroma of everything it touches. Desserts need Salt. Steak needs salt. Veggies need salt. Potatoes, more than anything on this planet need salt. Use the right kind of salt (aka keep your Morton’s salt for baking, and buy kosher or sea salt for EVERYTHING else). Salt in layers. That means different ingredients may need salt at different stages in the cooking process. Meats almost always need salting before hitting the heat, veggies need it shortly after being introduced to heat, and some dishes need it in the dish and on top as well. Learn these things, and if you are ever confused – ask someone who might know, aka me. Salt meats well in advance of grilling (like 15-30 minutes). Salt veggies once you’ve started cooking them or very close to serving – the salt leaches out the water from the veggies and makes them soft and wilted. If you’re cooking the veggies, this speeds up the process and helps the veggies sweat.

·         Heat Your Cooking Surface Before Using It: Don’t start anything in a cold oven, cold pan, cold grill, cold oil. Ok, maybe a few things like chicken stock, but that’s beside the point. It won’t caramelize, will likely turn out soggy, and will take a lifetime to cook. Turn on your heat, wait for the pan/surface to get to the right temp, and then add your food. I saw someone just throw shit into a mostly cold plan at the Central Market cooking class and damn near slapped them. This is the reason mom would always make those tiny “test” pancakes on Saturday morning before making a real batch. She was testing the heat. Using your sense of touch, you can always put your hand over a pan or pot or fire (not actually touching it, mind you) and get the relative heat of the surface before ever adding a thing to it. My dad taught me this trick, and I’ve used it any time I’ve sautéed, browned meat, or started a charcoal grill.

I feel like I’ve published a short novel at this point. I’m going to be surprised if anyone has read this far, and I commend you for sticking with it. There’s so much more, tips that are geared towards specific dishes and techniques, but this is the foundation, and without it you’re stuck trying to build the Taj Mahal when you haven’t mastered building a treehouse.

Comments are always greatly appreciated. Happy cooking, y’all.