Are you thinking about becoming a chef? Cooking can be interesting and fun for those who have an interest and like any other skill, it requires some time and dedication for you to be good at it. If you want to be good at it, you should definitely try to learn from professionals because they are the ones who can share all the secrets with you. This is where Ido Fishman cooking classes come in, as you can learn some useful kitchen habits that can go a long way in helping you during the cooking process. Want to know what these habits are? Read on to find out:
- Roast lemons in the oven before you juice them
Are you making lemonade and want it to be naturally sweet? Ido Fishman suggests that you roast them in the oven, as this will draw out their natural sugar and help in toning down the tartness. You may not need a lot of, or any sweetener later, depending on your taste.
- Season zucchini and mushrooms ‘after’ they brown
Both zucchini and mushrooms carry excess water and the food can get soggy because the salt draws out the water even more. Therefore, Ido Fishman recommends that you let them first shed some liquid and pick some color before you add salt. Plus, don’t let them hit the pan until they are fully dry.
- Dry the meat to get rid of excess moisture
Do you want the sharpest, cleanest sear when the meat hits the hot pan? Then Ido Fishman suggests that you get rid of the layer of moisture that the meat carries on the outside. How do you do that? Just take a paper towel and pat it dry.
- Use water for rinsing rice before cooking
Before you cook rice, Ido Fishman says that you should either run it through a strainer quickly, or rinse it in a bowl. This will get rid of the surface starch that could make the rice summer gummy when it is cooking, or make it clump together.
- Don’t use a nonstick pan too much
Yes, nonstick pans are great when you have to make French toast, pancakes and eggs, but Ido Fishman says that you stop here. These pans give a very specific type of heat, which does not get as hot as a regular pan. This means it does not really help in terms of crispiness, so go with the standard when making something else.
- Add salt to your coffee
Want your coffee to taste less bitter? Ido Fishman food expert says you just add a bit of salt to fix the bitterness and it also gets rid of the ‘stale’ taste. Salt is actually much better than sugar when it comes to neutralizing bitterness.
- Place a damp paper towel for heating leftovers
Want to heat up some leftovers in the microwave? Ido Fishman suggests that you put a damp paper towel over them before sticking them in. The water will heat up and create steam, which will prevent the food underneath from getting tough, particularly in leftovers like pasta and rice that tend to dry. They will hydrate well and be soft and delicious.
- Don’t use olive oil for stir-fries and steak
The smoke point i.e. the temperature at which olive oil starts to burn is relatively low. Therefore, Ido Fishman says that you should skip olive oil when you are making something that needs high heat. Whether you are making fried chicken, or seared steak, go with a neutral oil that has a high smoke point, such as canola.
- Use paper towels for storing your greens
Putting paper towels with your greens in the fridgeis a good idea because Ido Fishman says that it will absorb the extra moisture. This keeps the greens drier and their shelf life is also extended, which is what you want.
