• What to do with leftover french bread? panzanella, soups, bread pudding, french toast
• Food Storage?
• Cooking for one person?
• Portion size when entertaining? How much is not enough? How much is too much?
• Using the right utensils for the right cooking technique. Ex. Whisk, icing spatula, pasta scoop. Minimize the amount of dishes and utensils being used to limit the dirty dishes after. Also clean up as you go.
• When hosting/entertaining - how to serve items that need to be served immediately...cook while the people are there? or how to keep it heated? For example - risotto
• How to dispose of frying oil? - reuse?
• Acidity to cut the sweet and richness: lime? Don't understand the concept of acidity? When to use it?
• Reasons behind blind baking? Why blind bake for some types of tarts but not others?
• When do you use a water bath and when do you not? Some cheesecake recipes ask for it, some don't. Some custard recipes ask for it, and some don't? I know that the water bath is to keep the custard from cooking evenly and stay moist, but how come some recipes don't use a water bath?
• What is the difference between a buerre manie vs. roux?
• What items shouldn't you overmix? So it doesn't get tough? glutenous?

THINGS I LEARNED FROM WATCHING COOKING SHOWS

• how to make whipped cream
• how to make salad dressings
• how to make simple appetizers
• how to toast bread in the oven a.k.a. crostini
• how to make paninins
• how to make beschamel sauce (with a rue) - and that you always add nutmeg to a white cream sauce
• what it means to braise meat
• what gnocchi is
• what zabaglione is
• what tiramisu is
• what a granita is and how to make it
• how to make soups and stews
• what a double boiler is – also known as bain marie
• how to roast chicken
• what a pate choux is
• how to make pie crust – when making pie crust, all the ingredients need to be really cold (butter, milk, water), otherwise you won’t get the layers of buttery crust. It’s because the ingredients are so cold, that when they bake, the steam makes the dough rise and create the buttery layers.
• When baking, you should always measure your ingredients
• When baking, you should use room temperature ingredients (eggs, butter) otherwise the batter doesn’t mix well and you get lumps
• When baking, that you should flour chocolate chips and nuts before adding them to the batter – otherwise they sink to the bottom instead of incorporating into the batter
• When baking, always mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Put in batches rather than all together.
• With meat, always let the meat rest for a few minutes before you cut/carve into it. That way, all the juices won’t run out as soon as you cut it. Plus, while resting, the juices will spread evenly into the meat
• How to make burgers and the three rules to keeping burgers moist
  • Don’t overmix
  • Don’t compact them when forming the patty
  • Don’t press down on them when grilling – the juices run out
• Season every layer, as you go along.
• Shrimp don’t need that long to cook. Overcooked shrimp get very rubbery.
• How to blanche and shock vegetables
• How to present food – tableware, the right serving dishes to enhance the look of the dish, how to garnish
• How to prepare a menu
• How to prepare ahead – things I can make and freeze ahead of time
• Entertaining rules – the fact that I don’t need to make everything myself. That I can buy some things, and assemble other things that I get from the grocery store
• Table arrangements and decorations with flowers
• How to keep mashed potatoes warm until your guests arrive – add milk as needed, keep on a double boiler
• How to make pasta creamy - just add some of the starchy pasta water
• What simple syrup is
• How to make clarified butter
• To watch what ingredients to put in my body - not to have to eat frozen
• How to cut certain fruits and vegetables
• How to segment an orange or grapefruit
• What kitchen utensils and pans you need and which are completely useless/unnecessary
• How to make flavored/compound butters
• How to frost a cake (with an icing spatula) - start from the center and work your way to the sides
• How to temper
• What shortcuts to use while cooking (no need to cook chicken yourself, just buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store) and what shortcuts to avoid (buying pre-packaged/frozen items)
• How to add fruits to ice cubes
• How to use the freezer as your best kitchen tool
  • Freeze extra chicken stock
  • Freeze fresh fruits/berries for smoothies
• How to prepare a cheese board
• How to make dishes ahead for a party
• The key ingredients that make up a dish. For ex., tiruamisu consists of mascarpone cheese
• The right pots and pans and knives that you need and what you don’t need
• What the ingredients are into making dishes
• Quality ingredients
• How to properly shop at a grocery store - what items to buy and what to avoid such as processed foods
• How to read food labels
• How to create a rimmed glass for a drink

MY COOKING WISDOM

• HOW TO TELL IF FISH IS FRESH?
  • Bright! shiny skin
  • The fat bright yellow, not dull
  • The blood bright red, not brownish
  • under gills: bright red
  • No smell - belly should not smell like fish (if so, been out of the water for far too long)
  • Eyes not glazed, opaque
• BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE EFFECT ON FRUITS
  • break down
  • mealy
  • discolor
• WHEN MAKING BURGERS/MEATBALLS
  • Do not overmix: meat becomes tough.
  • Do not compact it when forming into shape: press gently
  • Do not press down when on the grill: all the juices run right out.
• WITH BAKING
  • Everything should be room temperature - eggs, butter. That way it mixes smooth and evenly, and there are no lumps
  • When making Pie Crust - you need cold ingredients - butter, cold water. The dough needs to stay cold so when it is baked, the steam will create the flaky layers in the crust.
• DIFFERENT TYPES OF DOUGHS
  • Pie Crust: buttery, crumbling. Great for: pies / quiche / frittata / chicken pot pie / tart
  • Puff Pastry: crisp and flaky layers. Great for: patties / apple turnovers
  • Pizza Dough: bready. Great for: pizza / calzone
  • Crescent Rolls: soft, bready
  • Phyllo dough: crunchy. Great for: spanakopita / baklava
  • Wanton: crunchy.
• ADVANTAGES OF A CAST IRON PAN
  • natural non stick with proper seasoning and maintenance
  • distributes heat evenly, no hot spots
  • Absorbs and releases flavor long term: when you apply heat to the cast iron, the iron pores open up and flavors of whatever you're cooking seeps into the pan.
  • Vice versa, iron is released into the foods
  • You must season the cast iron with some form of fat to create the non stick layer. You can use oil, bacon fat. I wouldn't use olive oil. I prefer ghee. Seasoning is applying heat to the cast iron so that the pores open up and the fat sets into the pores, creating the non stick layer. Not to mention the fat infuses into all future foods cooked on the pan.
  • You must season often to maintain your cast iron.
  • Do not use acidic foods such as tomatoes and lemons on a cast iron.
  • Do not use detergent on cast iron. Just wipe it with a warm paper towel.
• Thicken sauces with a beurre manie (butter & flour mixture)
• Put the leftover chicken broth in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer for use next time.
• keep food warm in the oven at 200-250 degrees until ready to eat
• Ripen bananas quicker by putting them in a brown paper bag with an apple wedge. The apple releases acid that ripens the bananas faster. Seal the bag and within two days, the bananas will be perfectly ripe.
• Certain fruits and vegetables should not be stored with each other. Do not store potatoes and onions together.

HELPFUL COOKING MEASUREMENTS

• Simple Syrup - Equal parts sugar and water
• Whipped Cream - 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream / 2 tbsp powdered sugar / 1 tsp extract
• Rue - Beschamel sauce
• Powdered Sugar Icing -

HELPFUL TEMPERATURES

• Crostini - 350-375 degrees for 10 minutes
• Roasting Nuts - 375 for 8 minutes