I used to be a novice in the kitchen and had very little cooking experience. Don't fry the eggs and cook the vegetables well. This is what I once asked of myself. Later, I met a few friends who cook delicious food, and I suddenly felt that cooking is actually a very interesting thing.
If the dishes produced are compared to a painting, then the chef is the person who painted it with his own hands. When you cook a dish well, you feel a real sense of accomplishment. Although it is a relatively late start, if you use the right method, you will get twice the result with half the effort. With this belief in mind, I began to hone my cooking skills.
After I understood some cooking principles, I suddenly discovered that cooking is not difficult, and I actually learned to cook. If you want to cook well, there are methods to follow. Below, I have summarized 7 "cooking principles" that I think are very practical. Let's take a look.
When cooking, the most commonly used heating medium is oil. The temperature of the oil can also be understood as the heat. If you want to cook delicious food, it is important to control the heat. We often hear chefs say "what percentage of oil temperature", this percentage is based on the ignition point of the oil.
The ignition point of oil is 280 degrees. 10% is equivalent to one-tenth, that is, 28 degrees. The 50% oil temperature is equivalent to about 140 degrees. For novices in cooking, it is difficult to judge the oil temperature. In fact, there are some simple methods:
10% or 20% oil temperature: Put your hand above the oil surface and you will feel a slight heat, which is suitable for easy Paste dishes;
30% to 40% oil temperature: there is no movement on the oil surface, insert chopsticks into the oil surface, small bubbles will appear around the chopsticks, suitable for stir-frying meat;
5, 6 Oil temperature: The oil surface fluctuates, there are many bubbles, and there is a sizzling sound. It is suitable for most dishes such as stir-frying, boiling, and deep-frying;
Seventy to eighty percent oil temperature: There is a lot of smoke, and it is suitable for oil Fried or pan-fried dishes usually have a crispier skin.
When cooking, we need to heat the pot before pouring the oil in. Hot pot and cold oil can avoid sticking to the pot. The specific heat used depends on the vegetables being stir-fried. Generally speaking, if the oil temperature is low, the food will absorb oil easily and taste greasy. If the oil temperature is high, the flavor of the food will be brought out. Of course, the premise must be moderate.
To make dishes delicious, the use of seasonings is crucial. For novices in cooking, it’s not about using too many seasonings but using them in the right place. Our most common kitchen seasonings include salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and cooking wine. If you use these five home-cooked seasonings correctly, you will be more than half successful.
Salt: The most important seasoning, the first of all flavors, you can do without anything but salt. When cooking, remember to take it out of the pot quickly before adding salt. Salt has the effect of forcing out moisture. Adding salt too early will cause a large amount of water to leak out of the ingredients;
White sugar: It can enhance the freshness and polish, and can also buffer other flavors. If you add too much salt, you can add some sugar to reduce the saltiness;
Soy sauce: light soy sauce adds freshness and saltiness, and dark soy sauce adds color. The latter is often used in braised dishes. Remember to reduce the amount of salt if you add soy sauce. ;
Vinegar: can maintain the moisture in the ingredients and make the taste crisper, but remember to add it just before taking it out of the pot;
Cooking wine: mainly plays the role of removing fishy smell. When the temperature in the pot is the highest, the fishy smell components can be dissolved and evaporated.
When it comes to the use of seasonings, we only need to master two points. One is to use the right time, for example, you cannot add salt just after the dish is out of the pot; the other is to use the right amount. Remember that too much is not enough. If you are not sure, you can divide it. Put it in several times, test the taste first and then put it in again.
On the basis of using the right spices, if you want to take your cooking skills to a higher level, you must master the principles behind the use of spices. Spices usually have a relatively obvious aroma, and when used correctly when cooking, they can remove the fishy smell and improve the aroma. There are so many types of spices, but there are 4 basic ones: star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Star anise: also called aniseed, suitable for stewing or braised meat. The longer the heating time, the richer the aroma, so it is not suitable for stir-frying vegetarian dishes;
Cinnamon: commonly used in making meat dishes When used, it has a sweet aroma with a bit of spiciness, which is essential for making braised food, and has the function of antisepsis and preservation;
Fragrance leaves: the smell is relatively soft, with a bit of sweetness, suitable for making sauce dishes or clay pots The dishes are very suitable for using fragrant leaves;
Sichuan peppercorns: essential for Sichuan cuisine, it can relieve the greasiness of the ingredients and remove the fishy smell of the ingredients.
When it comes to the use of spices, it is better to use less than too much, because the taste of spices is usually strong, and if you are not careful, it can easily overwhelm the taste of the ingredients themselves.
When cooking meat dishes, in order to make the meat tender and juicy, there are three key points: first, you must choose fresher meat; second, you must control the cooking heat and not overdo it. Cooking; third, marinate in advance. The third point is very important and is easily overlooked by everyone.
When marinating meat, we can add cornstarch or egg white, and stir it evenly to form a protective film on the surface of the meat to reduce the loss of water during high-temperature cooking. In addition, I would like to remind everyone that when marinating meat, it is best not to add salt, because salt will accelerate the loss of water. You can use soy sauce instead of salt for seasoning.
During the heating process of meat, moisture will be lost at an accelerated rate, causing the taste to become old and dull. If you want to make the meat tender, you need to add a barrier to it before cooking to replenish and lock in moisture. Therefore, when making meat dishes, you should first marinate them.
When you first start learning to cook, you can set a small goal and try to make a plate of vegetarian dishes delicious. In this regard, there are also techniques to follow. When frying vegetarian dishes, try to use meat oil, such as lard, etc. You can saute the oil before adding it to the pot. In addition, be sure to stir-fry over high heat and quickly, and add salt just before taking it out of the pan. The former can maintain the color of the vegetables and avoid yellowing, and the latter can prevent the vegetables from losing a lot of water.
When frying vegetarian dishes, you must adhere to the principle of minimalism, keep the seasonings simple, and use only good oil, salt, and garlic. The control of the heat and the oil used are also key factors that determine the taste.
Before I learned to cook, I never understood why the fish soup and bone soup sold in restaurants were thick and white, while the ones I made at home looked bland and tasteless. Later, after I understood the principle that determines the color of soup, I suddenly realized it. The reason why the soup turns white is because during the heating process of the ingredients, fat and protein dissolve in the water and undergo an emulsification reaction.
Therefore, generally speaking, ingredients with high fat content are more likely to undergo emulsification reactions, and the soup is more likely to be cooked into a milky white color. When the heat is relatively high, the emulsification reaction can be accelerated.
If you want to stew fish soup or bone soup thick and white, remember to turn on high heat first, and then turn to low heat after the soup gradually begins to turn white. Remember to cook on high heat until white, and on low heat until clear. .
After talking about the above 6 cooking principles, this seventh principle is the simplest, but also the most versatile. I remember the narration in the food documentary "A Bite of China", "High-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods." The better the ingredients, the more you need to taste their true taste. Too much modification will be counterproductive.
High-quality ingredients often only require the simplest preparation to amaze diners. To put it another way, choosing good ingredients is a key to making delicious dishes.
Lazy Cat’s Experience
Cooking is difficult, because it does require a lot of effort; it is easy, because there are still skills behind it. Circular.
The 7 cooking principles summarized above have been found to be very useful after I personally practiced them. It was through them that I realized that cooking is an interesting learning process. In the process of continuous learning, I actually learned to cook.