Deep-fry, Fry, Panbroil, Panfry and Saute'

Yes, it's vocabulary time again.  If you don't know the language of cooking, it is hard to read and understand the recipe.  The terms I've selected today can really be confusing because they are often used interchangeably.  For example, let's look at fry and saute'. 

By definition, they can all be done in a skillet in oil but here's the rub--  When you fry it's hot fat over moderate to high heat, turning once and to saute' it's a small amount of fat over medium to high heat and using a tossing or turning motion.  This is want I mean by using the terms interchangeably.  At least in the south, we fry.  When my Mother or Grandmother sauteed, they called it frying. 

Then there's panfry.  Again, this is not a very common term any more and is often replaced by fry.  The difference is you pour off the excess fat as it accumulates.  The best example of this is cooking bacon, sausage or any high fat food.  If you want the food to have a crispy exterior, it shouldn't be swimming in fat.  When you are preparing lots of bacon, for example, you pour off the excess fat in between batches of bacon.  But again, I know lots of people who "fry" their bacon.  They have never used the term panfry.

Now panfrying should not be confused with deep-frying, also called french frying, but both can be associated with lots of fat in a pot or pan.  Let's face it, if you have a deep frying pan, you could deep-fry.  The thing with deep-frying is the fat must be deep enough for the food to float to the top.  It floats to the top when it is done.  Also with deep-frying, you don't pour off the fat.

I've talked about all the cooking in fat, now let's look at panbroiling.  You are still probably using your favorite frying pan but this time it will have very little to no fat added to the pan.  A good example here is a steak.  Most steaks have what is called marbling.  That's the fat veins that run throughout the lean muscle.  This marbling is what tenderizes the steak and helps give it some of its flavor.  For some steaks, you can just get the pan hot, not smoking, and place the steak in the pan and as you hear the sizzle, you will see a small amount of fat coat the pan.  Some steaks don't have as much marbling and you may need to use a small amount of fat in the pan to prevent sticking.

What ever you do, don't let this make your head spin.  Remember, this is not life or death.  Just use this as a reference and remember when you see these words in a recipe, just look back at these explanations and enjoy cooking.

And just a word about clean up, it's hot water and soap.  Dishwashers don't usually do a good job on a very greasy pan.  This may take some "good old elbow grease".

Happy Cooking, until next time....
Becky Homecy

Simmer, Boil and "Rolling Boil"

Hi All,
It's time to talk food vocabulary again.  I've been asked "What's the difference between a simmer and a boil and what's a rolling or hard boil?".  I might even get into how to "burn water".  Here goes:

When a recipe calls for the food to simmer, it means for the food to continue cooking at a temperature below 212 degrees F.  You will still see bubbles on the surface of the food and occasionally they will pop.  Stirring is still needed because the food is still on the heat source and can burn.  Simmering helps ingredient flavors blend.  This can be an important part of the process and can mean the difference between just OK flavor and very flavorful.  If the recipe calls for the food to simmer, don't skip the process.  It is important to remember because simmer is achieved at a lower temperature; it helps keep foods, herbs and spices from getting scorched.  A scorched food, herb or spice can give off a bitter or bad flavor.  Stirring occasionally also helps prevent scorching.

Water boils at 212 degrees F and we usually associate boiling with water.  We boil water to cook many different things but pasta comes first to my mind.  To boil water, it is best to use a pot or saucepan with a good fitting lid.  The boiling process will occur faster if the pot is covered and remember a watched pot will boil but it will take longer because you are taking the lid off and letting heat escape.  When a food boils, the surface of the food has lots of bubbles and almost all of them pop on the surface.  The rolling boil is the boil when you stir the pot and the boiling doesn't stop.  Remember stirring allows heat to escape and lowers the temperature of the food.  In the time of home canning, foods were boiled to destroy bacteria that may have grown over time.  Many people still follow this logic with foods from the grocery store.  Just remember, high heat can also kill many nutrients.  I'll let you decide which is best for you.

Now let's talk about "burning water".  Of course, you can't burn water but you can let your pot or saucepan cook dry.  What it means is the pan has been on the heat long enough to convert all the liquid to steam and the pan or the solids left in the pan start to burn.  This could result in the loss of a favorite pan or cause a kitchen fire.

I hope this helps clear up the difference between simmer and boil.
Happy Cooking,
Becky Homecy

Recipes using cube, dice, chop and mince.

Hi All,
Here are some very simple recipes using the key techniques.

Simple Appetizer

1 block of cheddar cheese, about 8 ounces

1/4 pound of thin sliced ham

1 small bottle of green olives, no pits (for color I like the pimento centers)

Party toothpicks

Directions:  Cube cheese into 1" squares.(It helps if the block is only 1" high to begin.....less cutting)

Cut ham in strips.(They don't have to be perfect.)

Open and drain olives.

Loosely wrap cheese cube with ham strip.  Spear olive with pick and continue through the ham and cheese.  Place on a plate/platter, cover with plastic wrap and chill until serving time.

Serves:  As Many As You Make (about 20+)

I like this combination of flavors but you can always experiment with flavors you like.

Easy Pasta Salad

1 16 ounce box of pasta (pick the shape you like)

1/2 cup creamy italian dressing (more or less to taste)

additional ingredients, as you like.....for example

chopped green peppers

onions

thawed frozen green peas

(just put them in a colander(round bowl with holes in it) and rinse in cold tap water)

chopped hard cooked egg

sweet or dill pickle relish

chopped fresh carrot

this list is only limited by your imagination, just remember some foods taste better hot than cold.

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain off water. (Rinsing after cooking will cool off the pasta and decrease the surface starch.)  Mix all ingredients together, chill and serve.
Serves 4-6

Very Simple "Homemade" Spaghetti Sauce

2  15 ounce cans of tomato sauce

1  15 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes

1  pound ground beef

1  half large onion

1  tablespoon italian seasoning

2  cloves garlic

Directions:  Cook ground beef in a skillet(about 10" across and 2" deep) until no pink is visible.  Drain off  grease, keeping 1 tablespoon, and remove beef from skillet.  Chop the onion and mince the garlic (don't forget to take off the peel).  Add onion and garlic to oil in skillet.  Cook until the onions start to look clear.  Return ground beef to skillet and add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and italian seasoning.  Cook watching for mixture to form bubbles on the top.  Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes to let flavors blend together.  Serve over your favorite cooked pasta.

Happy Eating!!!

Becky Homecy

Cube, Dice, Chop and Mince

I get lots of questions about the difference between cubing, dicing, chopping and mincing.  The difference is really quite simple.  When you cube a food you want it to be bite size.  Think about the cheese cube.  It is about one inch square or more.  On a toothpick, it becomes a snack or with the addition of other bite size foods it can be an appetizer.  Dicing can be thought of as a smaller version of cubing about 1/2".  You are still trying for that square shape. For this food, let's say green peppers, you want to see it in the salad but you don't want it to be the only thing you taste.  It has to be smaller and share the "stage" with other foods in looks and not over flavor.  When we chop we really don't care so much about the shape of the food and the size is often about 1/4".  Sometimes the food will almost cook away in the recipe.  What we want is the flavor and some of the presence of the food.  A good example here is the onion.  When we chop onions for soup, we really want the flavor and being able to see some of the onion is not really a bad thing.  Mincing is the smallest cut of all and shape doesn't matter.  The best example is garlic.  We usually mince garlic into very small pieces.  Garlic can have a very robust flavor and that small minced clove really adds to any dish.

So there you have it.  The simple explaination of the difference between cubing, dicing, chopping and mincing.  See you next time.
Becky Homecy