Need to Step Up My Cooking Game

I want to move on from simply throwing garlic salt and black pepper on everything. So does anyone have any cookbooks, websites, or anything else that they’d recommend?

Well, I’m not a chef, but people say I’m a decent cook. I watch a lot of food network shows to learn about cooking. The important thing is that I didn’t focus on the recipes, rather on the basic themes that show up time after time. Learning what herbs go with what, how to perfectly cook anything from eggs to duck breast, and developing a sense of properly seasoning a dish all go a long way. Recipes are cool, but look deeper at what makes the recipe great and you will eventually see a basic pattern. Go to the food network site, pick a recipe and try it out.

In the end you will realize that everyone uses the same damn things on everything: butter, fresh garlic, pepper, kosher salt, lemon juice, fresh herbs, etc.

Pick up Tom Colicchio’s “Think Like A Chef”

It’s a good book that doesn’t necessarily throw down a ton of recipe’s, but definitely shows you techniques that help immensley.

This book doesn’t pin you down or make you follow everything to a T, which is something I like.

Interesting idea guys, probably would get more mileage out of learning the hows and whys vs just a recipe. Going to check out that book and try to watch more food network. Just have to stay away from everyday italian I can’t focus on the food with Giada De Laurentiis’s amazing cleavage on display.

cooks.com and allrecipies.com

That is all

V

[quote]Johnny T Frisk wrote:
Interesting idea guys, probably would get more mileage out of learning the hows and whys vs just a recipe. Going to check out that book and try to watch more food network. Just have to stay away from everyday italian I can’t focus on the food with Giada De Laurentiis’s amazing cleavage on display.[/quote]

Dude, you’re right. She’s so small though, and her short arms remind me of a t-rex. She’s a good cook though, and pretty damned adorable.

Seeing that cleavage is almost incestuous… Almost.

[quote]BradTGIF wrote:

[quote]Johnny T Frisk wrote:
Interesting idea guys, probably would get more mileage out of learning the hows and whys vs just a recipe. Going to check out that book and try to watch more food network. Just have to stay away from everyday italian I can’t focus on the food with Giada De Laurentiis’s amazing cleavage on display.[/quote]

Dude, you’re right. She’s so small though, and her short arms remind me of a t-rex. She’s a good cook though, and pretty damned adorable.

Seeing that cleavage is almost incestuous… Almost.[/quote]

And what if she pokes your eyes out with that Tucan beak of hers?

V

I’m confident my eyeball would bend her nose to-and-fro. That beak, albeit big for her body, is more than likely 85% nesting materiel.

Jamie Oliver’s “Cook with Jamie”. It’s got everything you need to get started cooking healthy and really tasty meals.

[quote]BradTGIF wrote:

[quote]Johnny T Frisk wrote:
Interesting idea guys, probably would get more mileage out of learning the hows and whys vs just a recipe. Going to check out that book and try to watch more food network. Just have to stay away from everyday italian I can’t focus on the food with Giada De Laurentiis’s amazing cleavage on display.[/quote]

Dude, you’re right. She’s so small though, and her short arms remind me of a t-rex. She’s a good cook though, and pretty damned adorable.

Seeing that cleavage is almost incestuous… Almost.[/quote]

I saw “cleavage” and had to look her up on Google images. She is awesome.

Ad Hoc by Thomas Keller.

[quote]Johnny T Frisk wrote:
I want to move on from simply throwing garlic salt and black pepper on everything. So does anyone have any cookbooks, websites, or anything else that they’d recommend?[/quote]

This might help!

[quote]JoabSonOfZeruiah wrote:
Ad Hoc by Thomas Keller.[/quote]

Finally! Someone who actually knows something about food.

On Food and Cooking - learn to cook anything
The Flavor Bible - Have an ingredient? Find out what goes with it! Make your own recipes.

[quote]Johnny T Frisk wrote:
I want to move on from simply throwing garlic salt and black pepper on everything. So does anyone have any cookbooks, websites, or anything else that they’d recommend?[/quote]

Oh, shameless self-promotion:

[quote]Johnny T Frisk wrote:
I want to move on from simply throwing garlic salt and black pepper on everything. So does anyone have any cookbooks, websites, or anything else that they’d recommend?[/quote]

You could do a lot worse than garlic salt and black pepper. As far as cookbooks, I subscribe to Cooks Illustrated and Cooks Country. They are put out by Americas Test Kitchen (add a .com for the website). They focus on pretty much everything you are looking to learn - better recipes, proper technique and they explain why the recipe works/does not work.

I would also echo the comments about watching the Food Network. While most of the shows suck ass, there are several that are pretty informative and entertaining. I like Alton Brown and Bobby Flay (dick-bag) as they tend to focus on the style of cooking that I enjoy.

You can also gain a lot of knowledge simply by finding a recipe and having at it. You will fuck some things up, but when you do you should be able to figure out what you can do to make it better.

I would also suggest that you make a pilgrimage to the French Laundry and see how it is really done.

So much to learn, now if I can just get my boss to let me “borrow” so meat from the store.

[quote]SteelyD wrote:

Oh, shameless self-promotion:

[/quote]

That salmon looks damn good, might have to pick up a fillet after my shift tonight.