Top 5 Cooking Skills Everyone Should Know

Even top chefs once had to learn the basics of cookery. Good Food brings you the must-know skills that will take you from nervous novice to confident cook...

We've put together a top five list of key skills that every beginner cook should know in order to gain confidence in the kitchen...

1. How to chop an onion

The cornerstone of so many dishes, learning to chop an onion efficiently can speed up dinner preparations no end.

2. How to master basic knife skills

Once you’ve mastered chopping onions, it’s time to broaden your knife skills and get to grips with scoring, shearing, fine slicing and more.

3. How to boil an egg

Sounds simple but a perfect, runny yolk can be lost in a moment, so timing is key. The duration of a boil depends on how firm you want the eggs to be, but it’s always best to start with them at room temperature to avoid undercooking. For a soft-boiled egg, bring a pan of water to the boil, gently lower the egg into it with a spoon and cook for three to five minutes. For hard-boiled eggs, start in a pan of cold water and bring up to the boil, then cook for seven-10 minutes – the longer you cook, the firmer the egg will be. Plunge the egg into cold water as soon as it's done to stop it from overcooking. For more help perfecting your egg timing, read our guide on how to boil an egg.

4. How to cook pasta

If you’ve been put off pasta by stodgy, stuck-together school dinners, it’s time to learn how to cook it properly. In Italy, pasta is always served ‘al-dente’, which literally means ‘to the teeth’ – boiled until softened, but still firm to the bite. To achieve this, fill a pan with double the water to cover the pasta, add salt to taste and bring it to the boil. Carefully drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes, making sure to stir within the first two minutes of cooking to prevent sticking. Bear in mind that different pasta shapes will have different cooking times and fresh egg pasta will cook much quicker than dried.

5. How to poach an egg

There’s no need to buy special pans to get perfectly poached eggs – they’re much easier than you think.

Cooking classes are available. For more information call us at 954-367-YADA (9232) or email at info@yadachef.com.

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Palm Beach + Boca Raton + Fort Lauderdale + Miami Beach

info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232)

561-285-7466

www.yadachef.com

south florida catering and personal chefs

White Fish Gravlax Recipe

White Fish Gravlax Serves 4 Here is a great starter, light lunch or a fantastic item for your holiday buffet. If you have problems with gluten substitute the wheat bread for a flax or millet bread or leave it out entirely and eat on some mixed greens. Gravlax 5 ounces/145 grams white fish, bass, snapper-I used tilapia (sushi grade) 2 tablespoons/34g coarse salt 2 tablespoons/25g caster sugar 1 tablespoon/7g of ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon/2g ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon/2g ground cloves 8-10 pieces of fresh dill fronds Mustard Butter 2 Tablespoons/28g of unsalted butter, softened 2 Tablespoons/28g of dijon mustard. Salad 1 handful of watercress dressed with simple vinaigrette Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream Mix salt, sugar, black pepper, allspice, and ground cloves. Liberally sprinkle on both sides of the fish. Lay half of the dill in a glass container. Place the fish on top and cover with rest o...

Italian Cream Pie Recipe

This cream pie, often served at Easter and Christmas is rich and, oh, so, good. The recipe has been handed down from my Nonna's family who came to the USA in the late 1800's The basic recipe is for a vanilla cream pie, but you can also sometimes made a half vanilla/half chocolate cream pie by melting a couple of chocolate squares into half of the Italian cream. Then, pour the chocolate and vanilla creams into the crust at the same time (easier with help) so that they bump up against each other, but don’t mix. You can also pour the cream in two layers. 1 Quart/1 liter Milk 1 Cup/200g Sugar 3 Tablespoons/22.5g Cornstarch 8 Egg Yolks 1 Orange Peel (One Large Orange) Orange Flavouring ( we use the juice of 1/2 an orange and reduce until a thick syrup) Important: At no time should this mixture come to a boil. If it does, throw out and start over. Always stir slowly counter clockwise. From start to finish, the mixture must be stirred at all times. Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks,...

Do you Remember Herman? Sourdough Starter and Recipe

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Amish friendship bread, as well as an interchangeable starter referred to as Herman (the name varies), became a popular exchange among friends who shared the starter as well as recipes. Herman Starter Preparation time: 10 minutes Standing time: 5 days Yield: 4 cups 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup warm water 2 packages (2 1/4 teaspoons each) active dry yeast 2 cups each: milk, flour 1. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the warm water. Sprinkle yeast over mixture; set aside until doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. 2. Combine milk, flour, remaining sugar and yeast mixture in a plastic or glass container. (Do not use metal.) Stir with a wooden spoon; cover loosely. Set aside at room temperature, at least 8 hours. 3. Stir mixture once a day for three days. On the fourth day, measure out 1 cup of Herman for baking; measure 1 additional cup to give to a friend as a gift. To replenish starter: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk and 1...

Homemade Turkey Ham Recipe

Making your own cured turkey “ham”, is not only healthier, but in our opinion much tastier. It will be much lower in sodium and be preservative free. You are going to use turkey in 3 different forms. Cubed, minced and pureed. This will give it a more “ham” like texture. Start with 2 pounds 10.5 ounces of skin off deboned turkey thigh meat Cubed Turkey 14 ounces/400 grams turkey meat, cut into cubes 1 teaspoon/4 grams salt 1/4 teaspoon/1 grams curing salt Minced/Ground Turkey (if you use pre minced make sure it’s thigh meat) 14 ounces/400 grams turkey meat 1 teaspoon/4 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon/2 grams curing salt 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons/40mls water For The Puree 10.5 ounces/300 grams turkey meat 4 teaspoons/20mls water 1/2 teaspoon/2mls garlic powder 1 teaspoon/4 grams salt 1/2 teaspoon/2 grams curing salt 1 large egg white 2 teaspoons/10ml liquid smoke 1/2 tablespoon/2 grams smoked paprika Trim the turkey if not trimmed alread...

Black Garlic Lamb Chops with Red Wine Reduction

Marinade adapted for this recipe from RecipeZaar. You can choose either lamb chops from the USA or New Zealand. The ones from New Zealand are a bit smaller, but more gamey. This recipe was written using ones from the US. You can use a grill pan on the cook top if not using an outdoor barbecue. Serves 4 12 lamb loin chops, 1/2-3/4 inch/1.5-1.9cm thick 1 teaspoon/5ml sea salt 4-5 cloves black garlic 2 cups/500ml full body red wine (we used a cabernet) Marinade: 1/4 cup/60ml red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons/30ml chopped fresh rosemary 1tablespoon/15ml chopped fresh thyme 1 teaspoon/5ml minced fresh garlic 2 tablespoons/30ml olive oil fresh ground black pepper to taste Have your butcher trim most of the visible fat and "French" the lamb chops. Make a paste of the black garlic and sea salt. Rub the paste on the chops. Combine marinade ingredients. Place lamb chops inside a resealable bag large enough to hold...

Easy Soft Caramel Recipe - No Candy Thermometer Needed

These easy soft caramels can be whipped up in about 15 minutes. You do not need a candy thermometer to m ake these caramels and they literally melt in your mouth! EASY 4 INGREDIENT SOFT CARAMELS (NO CANDY THERMOMETER REQUIRED) INGREDIENTS 1½ sticks butter ½ cups/100g sugar 3 tablespoons/45ml light corn syrup 14 ounces/415ml/397g sweetened condensed milk optional: coarse sea salt, ½ teaspoon/2ml vanilla (see note) INSTRUCTIONS In a medium sauce add butter and sugar and stir over medium heat until melted. Stir in corn syrup and condensed milk. Bring to a boil and then decrease to simmer 7-10 minutes or until mixture achieves deep golden color, stirring constantly. (*For lower altitudes, simmer time may need to be reduced 2-3 minutes, watch carefully for coloring!) - See update below recipe! Pour caramel into a foil-lined 8x8 inch pan and allow to cool completely. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt if desired. When completely cooled, cut into squares and wrap in wax paper. NOTES...

Roast Goose Recipe

Whose making goose today? Christmas is coming the geese are getting fat. We've all heard the this Christmas carol. Having goose at Christmas time used to be a staple and slowly gave way in the to the Christmas turkey. If you have never had goose give it a try, be ahead of the trend and help this tradition return. Goose meat is richer and darker than turkey. It has a higher fat content than poultry, but a lot of the fat melts away during cooking leaving deliciously tasty and succulent meat. Goose is comparable in fat content to many cuts of beef, and the rendered fat is culinary gold. Nothing tastes better than vegetables or potatoes sauteed in goose fat. Remember it is a treat and everyone deserve the occasional treat! When buying a goose try to find a fresh, free range bird. Most geese are raised under cover for the first few weeks of their lives and then are set out to roam the pasture where they eat grass and grains. The smaller/younger the bird the tastier it will b...

Devils on Horseback Recipe

RECIPE COURTESY OF CLARISSA DICKSON WRIGHT AND JENNIFER PATERSON Ingredients: Chicken livers, trimmed Butter Cayenne pepper Prunes, stoned Rashers of streaky bacon, cut in half Directions: Gently saute the livers in butter, then cut into thin slices and dust lightly with cayenne pepper. Stuff the prunes with chicken livers. Stretch the bacon pieces with a flat knife. Wrap a piece around each prune and secure with a wooden cocktail stick. Grill until the bacon is crisp. Food Network private chefs and event catering Palm Beach + West Palm Beach + Boca Raton + Fort Lauderdale info@yadachef.com | 954-367-YADA (9232) www.yadachef.com south florida catering and personal chefs

Chinese Chicken Teriyaki & Bok Choy Egg Rolls

T he original recipe came from Nakano. We have changed it up a bit to accommodate our clients tastes. Makes 18 egg rolls Serving Size: 2 egg rolls ⅓ cup/79ml soy sauce ¼ cup/60ml Seasoned Rice Vinegar 1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil 2 tablespoon honey 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely minced 3 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 pound/450g of chicken breast, small diced 1 tablespoon canola oil ½ cup celery/115g, sliced thin 1 ½ cups/150g Napa cabbage, thinly sliced ¼ cup/12.5g carrots, thinly sliced 2 scallions, sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt and pepper 18 egg roll wrappers 1 cup/250ml canola oil, to sauté Combine soy sauce, Seasoned Rice Vinegar, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger and cornstarch. Heat oil in pan and cook chicken, then add teriyaki sauce and cook until thickened, approximately 3 minutes. Set aside. Wipe pan clean and add oil, celery, Napa cabbage, carrots, scallions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until all water is...

Batard from Baking with Julia (Chef Danielle Forestier) Recipe

So many people have asked us for an "Authentic" baguette/batard recipe. Here is a GREAT one that was presented on "Baking with Julia". We cut the recipe in ha lf to make 2 loaves. One was slice in the traditional fashion the other we left plain to show how it "explodes" if you do not. Batard from Baking with Julia (Chef Danielle Forestier) Batard are made from the same ingredients as baguettes. The only difference is the length of the finished product. Both the baguette and the batard weigh 250g or 8.8 ounces. It is the law in France you can NOT use any ingredients except flour, water, yeast and salt and that you must wait 20 minutes before selling the bread after baking. Makes 3-4 loaves 5 cups bread flour 2 cups cool water (about 78 F) One .6-ounce/17g cube compressed (fresh) yeast 2 1/2 teaspoons salt Mound flour on a smooth work surface and make a well in the center. A little at a time, pour water into the well. Use fingertips to draw i...

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