As we all know, cooking is a technical activity and a chemical reaction. We all started as a novice in the kitchen and experienced the baptism of oil fumes before slowly becoming a chef. The process may be difficult, but it can be done. Experience the joys that cooking brings us.

It is not difficult to become an excellent chef. The difficulty is that you do not understand the principles of cooking, or some cooking techniques, the reasonable combination of oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, etc...

It may not be possible to become an ideal chef in a short period of time. Only by learning in the early stage and gaining experience later can you become a real chef. These cooking principles can help you quickly understand the basics of cooking and then improve your cooking skills. Without further ado, let’s start with a few words.

I vaguely remember that when I watched a video on the Internet to learn how to cook, I obviously followed the same cooking method. Even the amount of seasonings was calculated in grams. However, it backfired and the first attempt failed. end.

The reason for failure is very simple. You cannot learn to cook just by watching videos or recipes. It is difficult to succeed in this way because you have no foundation in cooking skills and are still unfamiliar with the properties of the ingredients.

Before cooking, you must first understand many aspects, such as the nature of the ingredients and the combination of sauces. In addition, you must first think about the cooking steps in your mind before cooking. Every step of cooking is very important. Put the food in the pot first, when to add the seasonings, and how long it should be cooked. Therefore, you need to understand and think before cooking.

The preparation and pre-processing of ingredients are the prerequisite for cooking. Don’t just watch videos and recipes before cooking. You should organize every step of cooking in your mind, keep it in mind, and clarify your thoughts. Only when cooking is organized and handy.

Salt

"Salt" is undoubtedly the most commonly used basic seasoning in daily cooking. Knowing how to use salt is one of the most important knowledge in cooking, just because of the role of salt widely.

When I first started cooking, what bothered me the most was the order of using salt. Salt can cause chemical reactions in dishes. Adding salt first can dehydrate some ingredients, but most ingredients have to be locked. Keep moisture, etc... It can be imagined that the effect of salt is so great, and it is difficult to control it.

Take for example whether salt should be added first when frying loofah. Many people think that adding salt first will make the loofah oxidize and turn black. Some people think that salt should be added first to destroy the activity of the enzyme. Luffa is good for cooking. Then it won't turn black.

The correct way to use salt

①: There are many types of salt brands, which are more or less different, so that the saltiness of salt is different. When using different brands of salt, you should Try it first. When adding salt to dishes, you should add less and more to avoid being too salty or too bland.

②: Do not add salt first when stewing soup, because adding salt too early will coagulate the protein in the meat and make it difficult to dissolve.

③: When marinating meat for stir-fry, you should put salt in advance so that the meat will be more flavorful. The saltiness of the meat should be slightly higher than that of the side dishes, so that the vegetables will not start to become watery after being put for a while.

④: When marinating fish, do not use coarse salt. Use fine salt to avoid damaging the meat of the fish.

⑤: If you are frying vegetables, you should add salt last. If you add salt first, the vegetables will be dehydrated, which will affect the taste of the vegetables and the nutrients will be lost.

⑥: If you are cooking noodles or dumplings, you can put salt in the water first so that they will not stick to the pan.

Sugar

"Sugar" Sugar is added when cooking. In many cases, it is not to make the dishes sweet. The role of sugar is more like a condiment, neutralizing the taste of the dishes. The chemical reaction between sugar and ingredients can increase the taste of the dish. Sugar can alleviate excessive sourness, spiciness, bitterness, and enhance freshness.

The role of sugar: not only for seasoning, but also for increasing viscosity, lubricating the taste, and absorbing juice, so sugar can be added to most dishes.

Sugar has many uses: drawing sugar filaments, wrapping sugar, frying sugar color, etc...

Adding sugar to stir-fry dishes

①: Tofu products, sesame seeds Po's tofu, homemade tofu, and fried tofu dishes need to add sugar and cornstarch solution, which can increase the freshness and smooth taste of tofu.

②: If the vegetables are dehydrated too much when frying, adding a small amount of sugar before cooking can reduce the juice.

③: Put sugar before salt to reduce water loss and maintain the taste of vegetables.

④: Appropriate amount of sugar can be added to bitter melon, tomatoes, vegetables, and meat to enhance the taste.

⑤: Adding sugar to braised meat can make the color of the meat look brighter, promote collagen swelling, and make the meat softer and juicier. This is a simple chemical principle.

Soy sauce

As the saying goes: Seven things to do when you wake up early to open the door: rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and tea. This "sauce" most likely refers to yellow sauce and noodle sauce in ancient times, but in the past few hundred years, it refers to soy sauce.

Soy sauce is a condiment fermented from protein raw materials (soybeans, soybean meal) and starch raw materials (wheat, bran).

Judging from historical data, the original soy sauce was a derivative of soybean paste.

Soy sauce is the second seasoning that adds saltiness. It can not only adjust the taste, but also change the color of food.

Soy sauce is also divided into light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. The functions and usage of the two are completely different.

① Light soy sauce: Also known as "fresh soy sauce", the color is relatively light and reddish brown. It can be used for stir-fries, cold dishes, dipping, etc. Its main function is to enhance the freshness and flavor.

②Dark soy sauce: also known as "red soy sauce", the color is darker, brown. It is generally inconvenient for ordinary friends to observe the color of soy sauce, so just read the product label clearly when purchasing. Dark soy sauce is mainly used for coloring, and is suitable for dark dishes such as braised pork and braised food.

Acid

In addition to seasoned vinegar, lemon is also a common acid-increasing condiment and has a unique fragrance, making it easier for people to accept acidic substances.

There are two types of lemons we commonly use, yellow lemons and green lemons. Never think that green lemons are unripe yellow lemons. This lime and yellow lemon have different tastes and smells.

When lemon is used as a condiment

①: Lemon is one of the essential condiments during barbecue. Lemon can give the ingredients a more unique flavor and enhance the taste.

②: Lemon can also achieve better results as a fish remover. When marinating chicken, duck, and fish, it can effectively remove the odor of the ingredients themselves. Lemon can be used instead of cooking wine for better results.

③: To summarize, the outer peel of lemon is fragrant, the inner peel is bitter, and the pulp is sour. It's amazing that three completely different parts can exist in the same fruit.

①: Use oil that does not cover the ingredients and heat it in a single-sided oil bath. This is called frying.

②: Use oil that has not covered the ingredients and heat it in an oil bath. This is called frying.

③: Use a little oil and constantly stir to mix and heat the ingredients. This is called stir-frying.

④: On the basis of frying, reduce the oil and increase the temperature so that the fire is in direct contact with the ingredients. This is called burning.

⑤: The ingredients are heated directly by the heat source without relying on pots. This is called roasting. The difference between roasting and roasting: roasting is heating the food by flame contact, while roasting is heating the food by heat radiation.

⑥: There are multiple definitions of "burning" in Chinese cooking techniques. In addition to "burning" when exposed to open flames, water is added to stir-fry - bring to a boil over high heat - simmer over medium and small heat - reduce the juice over high heat/ Thickening is also called "roasting", such as Daokou roast chicken, braised pork, etc...

Stir-fried

In general, restaurant stoves are very powerful and can be stir-fried directly, but There is not enough firepower at home, and it is easy to get cooked if you stir-fry. What to do? Referring to Cantonese cooking methods, you can use cooking techniques such as "flying water" and soft stir-frying to control the heating time of vegetables. Flying water is to directly add hot water (depending on the size of the vegetables, some even take a few seconds), and finally pour hot oil and Seasoning. Soft-frying is to fry the water, then return to the pot and stir-fry a little before taking it out.

Frying

Many foods can be fried twice to make them crispier and less greasy. The first frying will not make them crispy and tender. It can be fried once more, but one thing to note is that it is easy to burn during the second frying, so the oil temperature must be controlled.

We usually use low temperature for the first time in order to make the inside cooked. If the temperature is too high, it will easily dry out and burn. If you fry at high temperature at the beginning, the moisture vaporization layer forced in by the heat disappears too quickly, and there is no time for the food to be evenly distributed. Therefore, if you want the inside to be juicy and not so dry, you need to fry it at a low temperature first.

After frying, you can let it sit for a while to allow the moisture to neutralize the inside of the food, and then fry it at high temperature for the second time. A large amount of residual moisture vapor will be released in a short period of time, and the surface will be dehydrated, so it will be crispier.

When frying, the pot you choose should be large enough to fully fry to prevent insufficient oil. Water should not enter during the frying process, otherwise it will explode, so be very careful.

During the frying process, if there are many ingredients, it should be fried in multiple times, otherwise the frying will not be sufficient. Fried meats should be marinated in advance (at least 1 to 2 hours). Potatoes and sweet potatoes can be boiled and fried to make them crispier.

Frying

Among the basic methods, "frying" and "frying" are the most difficult to distinguish. Both cook food in hot oil. The biggest difference between the two is The amount of oil.

I once saw a recipe theory: for frying, add a little oil to a hot iron pot, only the bottom of the pot is soaked with oil but not flowing; for frying, the oil must cover the food being cooked.

Obviously, fried food uses more oil.

Steaming

The so-called "steaming" looks like it is heated by water, but the actual cooking effect is to use water vapor to cook the ingredients in a closed space. Simmer and steam. Yes, there are two actions of "stewing" and "steaming" at the same time. Sealing must also be emphasized. Otherwise, try not to cover it and just heat it over water. See if it is cooked.

Beginners are also most likely to overlook this point. Why do I always overcook the vegetables? I think it’s because I’m not good at cooking, but I don’t know that it may be a problem with the kitchen utensils themselves.

①: Selection of kitchen utensils: smoke-free and non-stick pans.

②: Do not use steel wool when cleaning the brush. It will destroy the protective layer on the surface of the pot, reduce the service life, and lose the smokeless and non-stick properties of the pot. You can add detergent and scrub gently with a rag.

Having said all this, cooking is actually very simple. As long as you have the interest in learning, accumulate experience, and don’t be afraid of failure in cooking, you can make a big table by adding theory to practical operations and more practice. Gourmet.