A friend suggested just yesterday that I should write another cookbook. She thought it should be for people who already have everyday cooking skills, but aren’t looking to be the next Martha Stewart. She mentioned she’d like to learn more cooking tips, especially the things recipes never seem to mention. That got me thinking. I'm not ready to write another cookbook, but I do know quite a few cooking tips and I think I should share them. Here! With you.
I'll start with a few of my favorite everyday tips: I often cook ahead for the week, but rarely use a microwave to reheat food. Instead, I keep a couple of skillets and saucepans with lids handy.
To heat food I pour a little bit of broth, or water in, then spoon the perfect amount of food in. I often set these pans up before leaving for work in the morning and store them in the fridge.
When my husband, Geoff, texts to say he's on his way home I simply put them on the stove over a very low flame. By the time he gets home 20 minutes later the food is piping hot.
You can see by the photo to the left that I also warm biscuits on top of my skillet. Well, why not? To give the biscuits a level shelf to rest on I use a wire cooling rack. It fits nicely over the handle of the lid, which by the way, is warm and dry.
This tip is related to the first. When setting the covered pans on the stove I prop our dinner plates against them so they will be toasty warm when the food is ready. Since the flame is very low they don’t get too hot to handle, or crack. Warm plates keep the food hotter longer. Because I like hot food hot, this is something I do daily.
When a crispy crust is of the utmost importance I use the air fryer. It's got an easy to use perforated basket that surrounds the food with hot swirling air and makes everything turn out crispy. It's basically a mini convection oven. Want crispy French fries? Use the air fryer. Crunchy outside, tender inside Onion Rings? Use the air fryer. Want to warm up yesterday's pizza? Absolutely use the air fryer!
It's easy to bake in an air fryer. I use a small sheet of parchment paper, spoon whatever batter on it, close the door and set the dial. Since air fryers cook much faster than a regular oven, its best to peek inside at regular intervals so as not to overcook the food.
You can cook a lot of different things in an air fryer. I made fruity granola bars in about 12 minutes. Sorry, no photo. But they sure were good!
I'll be teaching a Baklava cooking class in a few weeks. There are many important steps to making it the very best dessert ever!
A critical step is to never bake baklava in a glass pan. Simple reason being, there is a simple syrup as part of the recipe. It needs to be boiled for awhile, chilled in an ice bath, then poured on the hot baklava as soon as its pulled from the oven. The cold simple syrup hitting the hot baklava pan makes a really nice crackling sound due to the temperature differences. That's exactly what would crack a glass dish and ruin a whole pan of baklava. So, use a metal pan when making baklava.
Want to know the rest of the secrets to making a beautiful pan of baklava? PM me and I'll tell you how to get in the class.
Ever since my friend requested cooking tips I've been jotting some of the best in a notebook. I'll share more here and in my monthly newsletter. Want to get our newsletter in your email? Request yours at <Tours@EvansvilleCulinaryTours.com>