Posted by theo at 12:12 pm
Jul 312009
Chicken breast is one of those staples for people who want low calories, high protein and great taste. But getting a great seared chicken breast that’s not loaded down with added fat isn’t all that common. Don’t get me wrong, the typical chicken breast is OK, but it just doesn’t knock your sox off. Anyway, here’s how we do it… First, get yourself some FRESH, Organic, Free-Range Chicken. … Expensive yes, but great food simply starts with great ingredients. Now if money’s really tight go ahead and buy your manufactured chicken (eye roll). Next, just trim off the fat and [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 7:09 pm
Apr 182008
I saw my brother cooking a lamb over Easter .. Oven gets opened..peeks in. Pokes the carcass.. Shuts oven.. .. 15 minutes go by.. Opens oven door..peeks in. Takes a knife to the carcass.. inspects for redness.. Shuts oven door.. Repeats until he gets sick of it and says some cuss word and if anybody doesn’t like it tough (second cuss-word). .. Nothing catches the Easter Holiday Spirit like underdone lamb and cussing. .. But it doesn’t have to be this way… Most people think of recipes mostly with regards to complicated dishes, especially baking. I [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 12:39 am
Mar 182008
When I have veggies over anyone’s house there’s usually just a few of them to the side of the dish. Or, as during Thanksgiving, big bowls of them but you spoon some into the side of your dish. Ya know? Well I just had a large cereal bowl of veggies and I’m telling the truth that it was absolutely delicious. Seriously. .. Anyway here’s what I did and you should seriously consider trying this at least once. They just taste so much better than the ugly stepchild of a side dish with a little butter rubbed on top [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 1:10 am
Mar 142008
When you cook vegi’s does the end result resemble this weird looking mush or are your vegi’s still firm enough to remain distinct entities? Well, unless you’ve lost your teeth or something don’t cook so much. Especially if you are cooking a big batch for reheating later, .. lay off a bit and leave something there. This morning I made a pot of vegi’s that I would eat right away and also reheat and feed on later in the day. Cooked them just to my liking and they were not mushed by the additional reheat [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 3:42 pm
Mar 082008
Just came back from the kitchen. Have a lot to do this morning then Di’s coming over to visit, so I needed something easy to make. It’s a cold New England day this morning so I was in the mood for something warm and basic, no frills, honest food whatever you want to call it. Took some fresh fish (wild and not farmed or course) out of the frig. Took out my stainless steel steamer. Added water and set on high heat. While this was heating up took a little organic canola oil and coated [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 4:12 pm
Feb 122008
One of the latest kitchen appliances in the past few years has been what is known as single serve coffee machines. The angle being that you make one cup of fresh coffee for immediate consumption. .. And how can we disagree? Most everything (especially coffee) tastes much better fresh. This compared to my parents “coffee” that sits on the coffee maker hotplate burning and turning bitter. Although this is an improvement over the days when they had a percolator which would actually boil the coffee. .. Actually, this is one of my “back in the day how tough [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 3:28 pm
Feb 112008
My friend Diane is trying to cut down the amount of fat in her diet and wanted to know how best to make a hard boiled egg as a substitute for fried. Here it is: Shopping List: Spring Water (enough to cover the eggs in your saucepan & fill a cooling bath) Organic Eggs Recipe: Place Spring Water in the Frig 8 hours before to cool down. If you don’t have 8 hours just add some ice. This is for the cooling bath. Place the eggs in a saucepan. Add Spring Water until the eggs are [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 1:35 pm
Dec 102007
It seems that there’s a lot of conflicting information and beliefs out there regarding knife sharpening….What’s recommended and what makes sense for the home chef? Well first the critical distinction is home chef…If you’re a professional knocking out hundreds of meals you’re at an entirely different level than the home chef. One is about production, getting food plated and to the diners with maximum speed and quality..as for the home chef..well, we don’t dawdle but also don’t mind keeping things at a pace where cooking is an enjoyable thing.
Posted by theo at 10:45 pm
Dec 042007
Contrary to what many believe olive oil can be very good for frying. This oil has a smoke point of about 375F so with a medium heat you should be good to go. The reason I tend to under-do it on the heat is because medium is usually enough to get the job done and the oil undergoes a minimum of deleterious effects (hydrogenation and loss of flavor). Earlier today I sauteed some scallions, mushrooms and peppers in olive oil to use in a sandwich and it tasted great. Now in addition to taste, olive oil [...click to contimue reading...]
Posted by theo at 4:04 pm
Oct 202007
One of the easiest ways to prepare Bouillon is to use a Coffee Maker (stay with me on this one).. First rinse out the Filter Basket and Carafe. Then add the amount of water called for in the Bouillon Instructions on the Package. Finally, add the Bouillon Cubes to the Carafe and turn the Coffee Maker on. From this point the Bouillon makes itself and keeps warm until you need it. When you’re done cooking just wash out the Carafe as it was the only part of the Coffee Maker in contact with the Bouillon Flavor. Since [...click to contimue reading...]
