You're stuck at home. There's nobody there but you. The fridge has food in it and the kitchen has some equipment. You're hungry... Do you: a.) Pick up the phone and order pizza? b.) Drive down the road for take-out? c.) Find something to nuke? d.) Call mom and ask if you can come over? e.) Cook it yourself? If you answered anything A through D, you've got a long way to go friend! If frying an egg seems as difficult as a 700lb squat on a patch of ice wearing nothing but a banana hammock while being stared at by cannibals, then this section is for you!! Cooking Theory is the method to it all. In this section, you'll find out how to cook, why things work the way they do, and what the best tool for the job is! No more fouling around the kitchen looking for the fire extinguisher. It's time to break out the good china and cook to impress! Oh, and if there's anything you'd like to see....float me an e-mail and I'll post your question (and answer) for all to see! Happy Eating!!
<div align="center">How to Grill the Perfect Steak </div> </span> <div align="center">Submitted by Tim</div> Ever wonder how restaurants always turn out a better steak than you do at home? It isn’t just that the more expensive places get the better cuts of meat (even better than what you can find at high end grocers). A lot of how a steak tastes is involved in the preparation of both the meat and the equipment. The Hardware: -The Grill: Whether it is gas or charcoal, cooking a steak properly involves a lot of heat. If your grill has a thermometer, it may not completely accurate, but can provide a good guideline for internal temperature. First off, always clean your grill before you put anything on it! When you turn it on, turn it to high, all burners, even if you are only cooking on a small portion of the grates. -The Grates: Always clean! Don’t play Al Bundy and leave that burger and chicken goodness on for next year’s BBQ party. Debris on the grates can make you sick, even under high heat. It also leads to food stickage – a killer for fish, finely ground burger, or anything that has a tendency to not come off. :sick: -Tools: Although the standard grill set comes with a turner, tongs and a fork, THROW THE FORK AWAY!! Piercing the meat while it is cooking results in a flood of juices to spurt out, lending to dry meat. I prefer to use the tongs no matter what the job. The Meat: -Cold or Warm? Though meats should be stored in the ol’ chill chest, they shouldn’t ever go from fridge to grilltop! Cold meat cooks slower and unevenly. Even if the outside looks burnt, the inside may still be cold. If you must freeze meats, thaw them in the fridge for a few days before you are ready for them. When you are ready, leave them in the package and set them on the counter for a while. Nothing bad will happen to them while they come up to room temperature; just don’t let flies or the dog get ahold of it! Steak will cook much better if left to come up to room temperature before meeting the flame. -Seasoning? Though there are tons of seasoning mixes out there, sometimes the best is simple. Salt and pepper are standards for a reason – they are good on anything! If you are truly looking for that restaurant flavor, skip the table salt and ground pepper and go for Kosher salt and cracked pepper. Kosher salt is larger and more course, and will stay on the meat longer. Some even say it helps to better sear the meat. Freshly cracked pepper has a much better flavor and is stronger, so use it sparingly. Sprinkle the S&P on the meat when it comes to temperature, then let it rest for another minute or two. Personally, I like to add a little garlic powder to my steak, but never anything else! :thumbsup: -The Cut? The cut of meat often determines how tender the finished product will be. The more marbling there is in the meat, the more tender it will be. Steak cuts with large areas of fat or connective tissue will often lend to a “gristly bite”, of which I hate. Buy as good as your budget allows. Top sirloin is awesome stuff, but don’t overlook a good London Broil or even an Eye of Round Roast! Roasts are generally larger pieces of steak that aren’t sliced yet. Buy an eye and cut it yourself. Which leads me to thickness – how thick or thin should you go? Well, if you think it will cook up to be a steak-em, it’s way too thin. I’d rather have a smaller piece of beef that is thick (1-2”) than a long, flat piece. Flatter has more surface area and will cook faster, but will also dry out. The Method: Now that you have the steak rested up to room temperature, lightly seasoned on both sides, and the grill thermometer is between 500 degrees and solar flare, you’re ready, right? Not quite yet! What about the cooking oil? No, you’re not frying, but you will need a little bit of vegetable, canola, or mixed oil on a paper or cotton towel before you begin. Using the tongs, use the towel to oil the grates. This will insure that the meat will not stick to them easily and that the heat will spread evenly over the meat. Time to sear! Place the meat on the grates, leaving a few inches between pieces. Let it sit! Do not touch it! Back away!! Close the lid and let it go for 2 minutes before poking, prodding, prying or even farting near it! Don’t open the lid either as it will let the heat out! The meat will cook to the grates and stick, but as it sears, it will eventually release itself and come up with those wonderful lines that you see on TV. (Most sticking on grills happens because the heat was too low and the meat was not allowed to sit long enough.) After 2 minutes, turn the meat onto the other side with your tongs onto a NEW area of the grill. The new area will be hotter than where the steak already was – the heat from that area soaked into the cooler meat! Let it go for another 2 minutes. Don’t touch it!!! :blink: Now, is it done? Nope! There is one VERY CRUCIAL step before cutting into it. The meat MUST REST. Cutting into the meat just after it came off the grill will result in a puddle of blood and other fluids all over the plate. Unless you want to eat and watch a horror movie without joining Netflix, let the meat rest! The juices will literally suck back into the meat and stay there. The longer the rest, the more you will be rewarded! Rest the meat wrapped in aluminum foil. It will help the heat to stay in, and will even continue to cook as it rests. (It’s called carry-over heat, and if misused, will result in dry turkeys, burnt eggs, and filet mignon-jerky! More to come on that…) To the Plate: Once the meat has the opportunity to rest (about 4-5 minutes is ideal), uncover and serve. If it is a small portion for individual people, put it right on the plate and let folks cut how they like. If it is a larger cut, like a London Broil, cut against the grain in slices using a sharp, non-serrated knife using the least amount of strokes as possible. Cutting against the grain will result in meat that has shorter fibers and is easier to chew – a great trick for tougher steaks that you want to be more attractive to the mouth. :sweat: <span style="color:#FF99FF">Toppings? Mushrooms and onions? Blue cheese? Peppercorn and mustard “au poivre”? It depends on your taste, your audience, and your intent. If the steak was expensive, don’t put anything on it! Let the natural flavor of the beef be the centerpiece. Smothering a filet in onions is like buying a Viper and getting it custom painted with the Geek Squad emblem!! More on sauces and toppings at a later time. I hope this helped you in preparing the perfect piece of cow. Whether you are cooking for 1 or 100, great steak takes a bit of time, patience, and know-how. Your efforts will be rewarded! There’s nothing that says high class and MANLY like a greatly grilled steak! :yes:
<div align="center">Easier, better turkey roasting instructions </span> Submitted by TiM</div> Essential Gear: Turkey Roasting pan Reliable oven Aluminum foil *Probe Thermometer* Cooking a turkey according to the directions on the wrapping often ends with birds that are too overdone, dry, and otherwise drab. Follow these easy cooking tips to make sure that bird flies off the plate!! 1. Don't go by the pop-up timer. It's generic and will yield turkey jerky! 2. Basting does nothing. How can juice get into the bird from the outside??? 3. Season minimally - S&P the skin and cavity. 4. NO STUFFING!! It increases cooking time and may give rise to bacteria from raw turkey. If you must have it, cook it outside the bird!!! <span style="color:#CC0000">Cooking instructions: 1. Wash the bird in a clean sink. This will remove excess 'fluids' and other debris. 2. Set the oven to 500 degrees first! Yes, that's scorching hot!! 3. Put turkey in the roasting pan, then make a triangle out of aluminum foil that covers the breast of the turkey - think of it as chest shield in a suit of armor! 4. Push the probe from a probe thermometer into the middle of the breast, making sure not to hit bone or the cavity! Knowing the internal temperature is KEY to a done, tasty bird. 5. Stick that puppy in the oven at 500 for 30 minutes! Set the timer!!! 6. After 30 minutes, back off heat to 350. Keep the probe in place, and cover the breast with the foil. 7. Set your probe to 165 degrees. Cook until it goes BEEEEEEEP! 8. Pull from the oven when it beeps, but do NOT remove the probe or cut into it!! 9. Allow to coast to 172 degrees outside the oven. Yes, it will. It's called carry-over heat. It's cool, trust me! 10. When temperature is reached, pull the probe. Carve and serve!! Lastly, make sure not to stick the bird on the table - only plate portions of it. This way, you'll get to decide how much of that tasty flapper you have for leftovers to come!!!
