Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 15: Roast

I think it's kind of funny that "roasting" and "baking" are the same thing; we just call it "roasting" when meat or vegetables are involved. Roasting meats makes me think of whole chickens going into the oven at fairly high temperatures in order to caramelize the skin. However, we also roast at low temperatures for longer periods of time to ensure the meat is cooked properly, like pork loin or prime rib.

• The lack of water in the process makes roasting tough meats impossible; water helps break down the connective tissues of these meats, so without it, you end up with dry, tough meat.
• For the best results, let your food come to room temperature and pat it dry.
• Ruhlman also suggests using the convection feature if your oven has it to prevent hot and/or cold spots in your oven.

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 14: Sauté

This chapter is a strange one in that it mostly discusses sautéing meat at high heat. Very little attention is paid to lower temperature sautéing, though the point was raised which I can appreciate.

Did you realize cooking bacon in a pan is considered sautéing? I hadn't given it much thought either, but it makes sense after hearing it! Some other lessons:

• The word "sauté" comes from the French word meaning "to jump"; think of those chefs you see on TV tossing veggies in a pan to stir while sautéing.
• Tough meats should not be sautéed; this method is reserved for tender meats and vegetables.
• To sauté meat, you want to heat your pan over high heat and then add the oil. Meat should be seasoned and patted dry before adding it to the pan. These two steps will help prevent the meat from sticking.

Related Recipes:

• Spring Veggies with Truffle Salt

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 13: Soup

I generally have a hard time envisioning soups as meal-worthy unless for a light meal, or to be served with something more substantial. But then again, I have rarely made soup so my views aren't really all that surprising!

There are two types of soups that Ruhlman discusses: clear and pureed. Clear soups are broth based soups, like classic chicken noodle or miso soup. Pureed soups have a pureed base of vegetables, such as potato, corn, or even fruit soups. As with all cooking, proper seasoning of your soups is extremely important and can transform a dull soup into something extraordinary. Tasting not only for salt, but also acid, is key to making soup. His takeaway tip, as taught to culinary students, is to season a spoonful of the soup (with salt, acid, etc) and notice how it improves, or worsens, the flavor.

Garnishes can play an equally important role in your soups as well, adding a textural dimension that is especially pleasing to the palate. Easy garnishes include crackers on the side of the soup bowl, to homemade croutons floating atop, to blanched and diced vegetables in a pureed soup.

Related Recipes:

• Fresh Tomato Soup with Vodka
• Thai Spiced Pumpkin Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 12: Vinaigrette

Vinaigrettes: not just for salads! I know I've never thought of it this way, but a vinaigrette is simply a sauce made of acid and fat. The traditional ratio is three parts oil to one part acid; this is a quick and versatile base which can obviously be changed up by using different acids (vinegar, lemon juice) or fats, then add other ingredients to your liking (onion, garlic, soft herbs, etc).

I make my vinaigrettes one of two ways: combining the ingredients in a mason jar and shaking vigorously, or throwing everything into the blender for a nice, creamy consistency. Either way, I like making a big batch and storing in a glass jar to use throughout the week. This method makes it easy to re-shake and serve. You can also whisk your acid and slowly stream in your oil to emulsify, but be sure to serve right away before it quickly separates.

Ruhlman includes a recipe for lemon-pepper vinaigrette which looks divine!

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 11: Sauce

The wonderful world of pan sauces! Just reading this chapter made my mouth water and eager to make a sauce or two of my own. As wonderful and easy it is to make a quick pan sauce after cooking or roasting meats, most of the time I feel too lazy to put forth additional effort to make a sauce. I regret this fact especially after reading Ruhlman's emphasis on the subject. Sometimes getting the meat out of the pan as quickly as possible and starting the pan soaking process feels a little more urgent.

How to Create a Pan Sauce

Creating a pan sauce is a very simple process: after cooking/roasting your meats, your pan has all kinds of great flavorful browned bits stuck to the bottom. This stuff is begging to be used and costs nothing to you; use it!

1. Optionally add sliced onions and/or carrots (for sweetness) and let them develop a little color.
2. Deglaze the pan with about 1 cup of water (or liquid, such as stock or wine) and bring to a boil. Use a spoon to scrape up all the bits and wait for almost all the water to cook off. At this point, add another cup of liquid.
3. Your sauce is waiting for a little something extra now, so add a splash of acid (lemon juice, vinegar, etc), maybe a little butter or cream for richness, soft herbs, just get creative!
4. Strain your sauce and you've got a fancy looking sauce for your food with minimal effort.

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 10: Sugar

I realized it's been a while since my last Learning to Cook segment. This one is a very short lesson on sugar which discusses sugar's role in baked goods, frozen treats, candies, and sauces.

Lessons Learned:

• Sugar prevents crystallization in ice creams, giving it that nice, creamy texture.
• Sometimes a hint of sugar can take a sauce or dressing to the next level. Add a bit of honey to a balsamic dressing and taste the subtle difference. The same goes for BBQ sauce which often marries acidic (vinegar) with sweet (sugar).
• Compound butter is a great way to use butter as a garnish for your food, especially for meat and fish. Soften butter, then mix in aromatics such as shallot or fresh herbs, then roll in waxed or parchment paper or put into a container, then and refrigerate to re-solidify.

Related Recipes:

• Caramel Apple Pie
• Sweet and Spicy Almonds
• Jeni's Splendid Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• Chocolate Simple Syrup
• Blueberry Sorbet
• Ricotta Ice Cream
• Low Sugar Tayberry Jam
• Blueberry, Lemon, and Chili Pepper Jam

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 9: Batter (Flour, Part Two)

Who doesn't love batter? Seriously...cookies, cakes, waffles? Yeah...I make these types of things a lot and I'm sure you do too.

Ruhlman describes a batter as pourable dough; think cakes, muffins, and fried fish batters. My personal favorite application is probably a brownie since I love chocolate!

Lessons Learned:

• In light cakes, such as sponge cakes, the egg is what lends the airy texture. The eggs are beaten and trap air bubbles which will then leaven the cake as it bakes.
• Sugar obviously adds sweetness to the batter, but also some structure to the final product as well.
• Butter adds flavor and also prevents gluten formation as we learned previously.

Related Recipes:

• Sourdough Muffins
• Kabocha Squash Muffins
• Pumpkin Yogurt Corn Muffins
• Blueberry Multigrain Muffins
• Banana Cake
• Chocolate, Coconut, and Rum Cupcakes
• Fifteen Chocolate Brownies

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 8: Dough (Flour, Part One)

This lesson covers cookie dough, bread dough, and pastry dough which, when stripped down to basics, are all pretty similar, containing flour, water, and salt at the core.

Lessons Learned:

• A measured cup of flour can differ in weight by up to 50%! This makes it extra important to weigh each cup of flour with a kitchen scale.
• Working with dough encourages the strands of gluten (protein) to connect and elongate, creating a smooth dough and chewy product. Fat (such as butter) keeps these proteins separate, resulting in a crumbly, tender product.
• Ruhlman's basic proportions for a simple bread dough is 5 parts flour to 3 parts water, plus 0.5% weight of flour in yeast and 2% weight of flour in salt. Bread should be kneaded until smooth, elastic, and can be stretched until translucent in color. Be very careful not to over rise the dough which will result in poor texture.
• For pie dough, keep the fat as cold as possible when cutting it into the flour; these pockets of fat create flakiness within the dough. Use only enough water to bring the dough together and do not overwork the dough.

Related Recipes:

• Monster Cookies
• Semolina Citrus Turbinados
• Bacon Cookies
• Chapati Bread
• Whole Wheat Pita Bread
• Stollen
• Bagels

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 7: Butter

Butter! Who doesn't love it. Butter has so many different applications: in doughs, batters, sauces, or just as a condiment or topping for other items.

Lessons Learned:

• Butter is about 80% milk fat; the rest is water which is what makes it spreadable at room temperature.
• Using butter in cooking to baste foods both flavors the food and cooks the food from the top down (in contrast to the pan which cooks from the bottom up).
• Compound butter is a great way to use butter as a garnish for your food, especially for meat and fish. Soften butter, then mix in aromatics such as shallot or fresh herbs, then roll in waxed or parchment paper or put into a container, then and refrigerate to re-solidify.

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 6: Egg

In this chapter, Ruhlman discusses what I have considered to be a very simple ingredient, the egg, at length. This chapter was quite eye opening for me, not only in the lessons (how best to cook an egg), but in advanced application (custard).

I'm quite surprised that he didn't discuss the quality of eggs. I've noticed a significant difference in yolk color and flavor between inexpensive eggs and organic and/or local eggs. Using higher quality eggs will certainly make a difference in your cooking.

Lessons Learned:

• Eggs are best cooked with gentle heat and gradual temperature changes. Eggs cooked at high temperatures and quickly will be tough. Keep this in mind when scrambling eggs--try cooking them over a double boiler for creamy, silky eggs.
• Basic vanilla custard proportions: 4 large eggs, 2 cups milk and/or cream, sugar, and vanilla to taste.
• Pourable custards begin with egg yolks cooked over heat (direct or double boiler) until thickened to desired consistency.

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 5: Acid

I'm not typically one to reach for acids when cooking; in rare cases, I will use lemon juice or rice vinegar, though I am quite addicted to dijon mustard on sandwiches...

Given that it's one of the five taste sensations, perhaps it's time I pay more attention to this element in my cooking?

Lessons Learned:

• Acids come in the following forms: vinegar, citrus juice, pickles (fruits or vegetables), sour fruits, wine, mustard, sour vegetables, and cultured dairy products.
• Acid is used in cheese making, forming the curds from the milk.

Related Recipes:

• Fresh Tomato Soup with Vodka
• Strawberry Black Pepper Dessert Sauce

My favorite "lesson" in all this is the possibility of using vinegar in desserts--cider vinegar tart sounds intriguing and delicious!! This is definitely going on my list to make

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 4: Onion

Lessons learned:

• Onions are about 95% water!
• Once heated, onion types are indistinguishable so there's no need to buy more expensive varieties for this purpose. For eating raw, choose the onion type that appeals most to you for the context.
• The harshness from onions comes from the sulfur in the soil; more sulfur = harsher onion, less sulfur = sweeter onions.

• Sweating technique:

  Onions are cooked at a low temperature, gently, with some kind of fat. The onion releases water and becomes sweeter as it cooks.

• Caramelizing technique:

  This is the browning of the onions after the water has been cooked out. Thinly slice an onion; heat a heavy pan with butter or oil over low heat, then add onions and stir occasionally. Onions will first sweat, then the water will evaporate and the onions will brown.
• A couple tricks to speed the (slow and slightly tedious) process--cover the pot at the beginning of the cooking process to heat the onions more quickly -or- cover the onions with water and some butter, then boil, which will break down the onions more quickly.

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 3: Water

This chapter covers a basic, fundamental ingredient in our kitchens: water. I know I use water without even thinking twice about it! Boiling, steaming, DRINKING...

Lessons Learned:

Ruhlman covers water as a tool is used in the following ways:

1. Direct Cooking (boiling, steaming, poaching)

• Food should be boiled in plenty of water. More water means more energy, resulting in faster cooking and better food. If the water stops boiling when food is added, put the lid on the pot until it returns to a boil once again.
• Boiling is good for green vegetables and pasta. Steaming is good for vegetables and some breads (think Chinese steamed buns). Poaching is good for delicate foods like fish, eggs, root veggies, beans, etc.

2. Indirect Cooking (water bath)

• Water baths allow for gentle cooking and is used in egg dishes, custards, and cheesecakes.

3. Cooling and Freezing

• Ice water baths allow for quick cooling of boiled vegetables, maintaining their bright, vivid colors. Prepare your ice bath with equal parts water and ice.

4. Brining

• Salt changes the cell structure of food and allows it to take in more water, resulting in juicier meats.

5. Extracting Flavor

• Prime examples of water's flavor extraction are stocks and soups, coffee and tea.

Related Recipes:

• Japanese Style Cheesecake [Water Bath]
• Ricotta Ice Cream [Freezing]
• Blueberry Sorbet [Freezing]
• Jeni's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream [Freezing]

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 2: Salt

Ruhlman discusses the importance of proper seasonsing, specifically salting, of your food. I think salting to taste is something a lot of home cooks take for granted, I know I do at least. It's easy to fall into the trap of following recipes too closely; half a teaspoon of salt here, a quarter teaspoon there. I've known this forever it seems, learning first from various Food Network chefs, but somehow reading and thinking about it makes me see it in a new light.

Lessons learned:

1. Take the time to season as you cook, adding each step of the way as appropriate. Start of onions with salt, adding for each new addition in the pan (mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. for pasta sauce, for example) for a greater depth of flavor.
2. Try adding salt to raw fruits and veggies for snacking or appetizers. Sliced tomatoes (10 minutes prior to serving) and watermelon were two examples cited. Pineapple chunks and sliced cucumbers are some additional things I've tried.
3. Proper seasoning of pasta water requires approximately 2 tablespoons of salt per gallon of water.
4. Salt doesn't dissolve in oil or fat! Dissolve salt in a little bit of water before adding to dressings or vinagrettes for an even distribution of flavor.

Related Recipes:

• Sweet and Salty Nut Butter Toast
• Spring Veggies with Truffle Salt

Pin It

Ruhlman's Twenty Chapter 1: Thinking

I'll be the first to admit: I fail this step all the time. I start cooking a recipe, thinking I know what I'm doing and then POW! I've forgotten to add a critical ingredient or don't have all the things I need to complete the recipe.

Lessons learned:

1. Read the recipe through from start to finish and think about the motions of each step, what the dish should look like at each step (ingredient color/ visual doneness, sauce thickening and reduction, etc.)
2. Set up your mis en place before starting to cook. Cut up any ingredients, gather spices, get out your pans and cooking utensils and ensure everything is orderly and in place before beginning. Anything less will end up cluttering not only your space, but also your mind, and make you less efficient.

Pin It

Cooking School Series Intro

As an ordinary home cook, I've always been interested in learning the science and classic techniques involved in cooking but there don't seem to be a lot of resources out there where I can get distilled information. I've decided to embark on a culinary learning adventure, reading up on cooking techniques, tips, and tricks and invite you to learn alongside me. I expect most of my learning to come from cookbooks and books on the subjects of cooking and food, though cooking resources online will likely prove just as helpful at times. I do wonder how many sources there are for learning as a home cook, but I guess I'll find out!

I'm starting this series and calling it "Learning to Cook". You can find these posts under the category cooking-school or the new Learning to Cook Series page from the sidebar Navigation.

Preliminary Goals:

• Learn fundamental cooking and kitchen techniques
• Learn some of the science of baking
• Apply learned techniques in my own recipes

I'm not entirely sure where this will take me. It may be short lived and die off quickly, or it might become the only thing I blog about. I want a place to capture what I learn to serve as a helpful reference for myself to document this information. I'm hoping it will provide some inspiration for myself in the kitchen; there's always another cooking technique or flavor profile to learn, why not learn about it and apply it now?

Pin It