Today I'm going to visit on a subject that effects everyone.
Most people think that in order to make great food, you are required to have a kitchen full of gadgets to accomplish this.
In the kitchen, and in everyplace in life, things can be divided into two categories; Needs and Wants.
But people have found a way around this. I NEED a mixer to make a cake.... I'll buy a KitchenAid!!
That's all well and good, if you use it at least once a week.... but lets face it, half of the base line ($200) stand mixers spend more time gathering dust than being used.
I see that as a gross waste in funds that could be appropriated to other real needs.
So lets break some kitchen needs down:
Item:
Mixer: Basic: Oster hand mixer ($20) Splurge: KitchenAid Stand Mixer ($200-400)
Chef Knife: Basic: Faberware 4" vegi ($6) Splurge: Ginsu 8" Damsucus ($90)
Pots/Pans: Basic: Paula Deen set 12 ($112) Splurge: EmerelWare set 10 ($299)
Glass Dish: Basic: Pyrex set 11 ($21) Splurge: CorningWare set 7 ($59)
By comparison, you can see where you could over spend very easily.
The goal should be to find a good mix of basics and a few splurges that will make your life easier in the kitchen.
Things you will need in an everyday kitchen:
-measuring cups & spoons
-a large mixing bowl
-a spatula, mixing spoon, whisk and pair of tongs
-a cookie sheet
-set of pots & pans
-a cutting board
-a glass 13x9 baking dish
-set of dishes and flatware
It's that simple! You can make amazing food with these basic kitchen tools. Make sure you take care of what you buy, add simple additions once and a while, and soon you find a well thought out collection that reflects your personal cooking style!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Mes En Plas.
Have you ever found yourself enamored, nay, fixated on a food? You wake up one day and cant seem to get (sayyyy) chocolate chip cookies off your mind. After hours of trying to ignore the temptation to make said cookies, you give in.
Into the kitchen you fly, recipe in hand you start in creaming you butter and sugars... but wait? whats this? you only have a 1/4c of brown sugar? And on more careful examination of your pantry, you find you are low or without key ingredients.
Pure and utter defeat.
Now this brings me to my first 'real' post. Rightly so it deals with a 'working order' to things. If you've ever taken a French class or cooking class you might have heard the phrase "mes en plas".
The literal definition is: Putting in place.
The culinary definition is: for everything a place.
This is an immensely helpful tool to utilize in everyday life. Thinking three steps ahead become second nature after a while, and is a means to sanity for military families everywhere.
Much like the Boy Scouts, to have mes en plas is to always be prepared.
Whether it is by making sure to have all ingredients correctly prepared before starting a recipe, or something as simple as remembering to pre-heat the oven.
In the world of cooking (home or professional) mes en plas is a way of survival.
So this is where mes en plas relates to this blog.
I know most blogs jump into their 'crazzzy and ammmmazing' recipes.
I feel the best way to write this blog is to give the information that others do not.
Like what I keep on hand in my cupboards, what I consider must haves compared to 'splurges', and realistic recipes for beginners and culinary aficionados alike.
My next entry will cover what I find to be a well stocked, and usable, pantry followed by a post on my go to tools that make my kitchen run.
Into the kitchen you fly, recipe in hand you start in creaming you butter and sugars... but wait? whats this? you only have a 1/4c of brown sugar? And on more careful examination of your pantry, you find you are low or without key ingredients.
Pure and utter defeat.
Now this brings me to my first 'real' post. Rightly so it deals with a 'working order' to things. If you've ever taken a French class or cooking class you might have heard the phrase "mes en plas".
The literal definition is: Putting in place.
The culinary definition is: for everything a place.
This is an immensely helpful tool to utilize in everyday life. Thinking three steps ahead become second nature after a while, and is a means to sanity for military families everywhere.
Much like the Boy Scouts, to have mes en plas is to always be prepared.
Whether it is by making sure to have all ingredients correctly prepared before starting a recipe, or something as simple as remembering to pre-heat the oven.
In the world of cooking (home or professional) mes en plas is a way of survival.
So this is where mes en plas relates to this blog.
I know most blogs jump into their 'crazzzy and ammmmazing' recipes.
I feel the best way to write this blog is to give the information that others do not.
Like what I keep on hand in my cupboards, what I consider must haves compared to 'splurges', and realistic recipes for beginners and culinary aficionados alike.
My next entry will cover what I find to be a well stocked, and usable, pantry followed by a post on my go to tools that make my kitchen run.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Start of something new.
After mulling around the idea for over a year, I've decided (obviously) to start my very own food blog.
I figured a good way to start this off would be to give a little of my history, how I came to love cooking and how I ended up here today.
As long as I can remember I've always loved cooking. More so, I loved food.
From an early age I can recall helping my mothers (yes, I have TWO) in the kitchen as much as possible. Anything I could convince them to let me do ( some tasks I had to beg to be involved in), and more so bug/annoy until they gave in or kicked me out of the kitchen. The work of it, the smells, colors, plating and ultimately the enjoyment of your hard labor by people you love. Even from a young age I found this to be exhilarating! While other kids watched cartoons, I watched cooking shows. Other kids colored, I thumbed the pages of cook books. By the age of ten, I was able to fully cook and serve dinner for a family of five. A lifelong love had found me.
While I thrive today as a "home cook", I did make a go at it professionally. I worked my tail off to completed a one year study in culinary arts. No, not in a community college, but at a vocational school.
While a year seems like very little time to complete anything, the course was an 'at your own pace' kind of deal, taking the average student three years to complete.
I then followed that by completing a six month unpaid internship at a well known local restaurant, earning a job offer of a permanent position. I took this all as a great sign from above, I would become a chef!
But like many male driven career field's, I found myself working twice as hard, in half the time for a quarter the recognition of that of my male counterparts. While my technique never suffered, my creativity and love of the art of cooking did. Loathing each day that my food was simply a "job" and no longer a labor of love, I made the choice to changed career paths.
Years have passed since then, but I still regard the choice to leave professional cooking as the best choice for me. I continue to expand my culinary skills, techniques and knowledge base daily. And while I am primarily a homemaker, I have found it as an opportunity to indulge my family to healthy and wholesome (leaning toward gourmet) meals that leave my soul satisfied.
I plan on using this blog to document the meals I make, the techniques I use, how they can be replicated, smart use of portion control, multitasking and special emphasis on military family cooking.
I hope that you all find my musings informative, my words inspiring and my food satisfying.
If not, this is probably not the blog for you, feel free to switch back to whatever you were doing before!
I figured a good way to start this off would be to give a little of my history, how I came to love cooking and how I ended up here today.
As long as I can remember I've always loved cooking. More so, I loved food.
From an early age I can recall helping my mothers (yes, I have TWO) in the kitchen as much as possible. Anything I could convince them to let me do ( some tasks I had to beg to be involved in), and more so bug/annoy until they gave in or kicked me out of the kitchen. The work of it, the smells, colors, plating and ultimately the enjoyment of your hard labor by people you love. Even from a young age I found this to be exhilarating! While other kids watched cartoons, I watched cooking shows. Other kids colored, I thumbed the pages of cook books. By the age of ten, I was able to fully cook and serve dinner for a family of five. A lifelong love had found me.
While I thrive today as a "home cook", I did make a go at it professionally. I worked my tail off to completed a one year study in culinary arts. No, not in a community college, but at a vocational school.
While a year seems like very little time to complete anything, the course was an 'at your own pace' kind of deal, taking the average student three years to complete.
I then followed that by completing a six month unpaid internship at a well known local restaurant, earning a job offer of a permanent position. I took this all as a great sign from above, I would become a chef!
But like many male driven career field's, I found myself working twice as hard, in half the time for a quarter the recognition of that of my male counterparts. While my technique never suffered, my creativity and love of the art of cooking did. Loathing each day that my food was simply a "job" and no longer a labor of love, I made the choice to changed career paths.
Years have passed since then, but I still regard the choice to leave professional cooking as the best choice for me. I continue to expand my culinary skills, techniques and knowledge base daily. And while I am primarily a homemaker, I have found it as an opportunity to indulge my family to healthy and wholesome (leaning toward gourmet) meals that leave my soul satisfied.
I plan on using this blog to document the meals I make, the techniques I use, how they can be replicated, smart use of portion control, multitasking and special emphasis on military family cooking.
I hope that you all find my musings informative, my words inspiring and my food satisfying.
If not, this is probably not the blog for you, feel free to switch back to whatever you were doing before!
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