How to Filet a Fish
Once you’ve caught that slimy, scaly, wriggling fish; what do you do with it? For new fisherman catching the fish is the hard part, and if you intend to eat it then there is a simple method to cutting an excellent fish filet First lie the fish down as flat as possible, and sever its head with your filet knife. This will stop the fish from wriggling and allow you to begin to cut it. Next cut off the tail, and pull the fish into two halves, removing the spinal cord and bones from the middle as you do so (for larger fish you might have to cut down the middle). Next you will want to cut off the remaining fins and the skin.
Viola! You will have two beautiful fish filets ready to be cooked on the barbeque or in a saucepan, as for the best method on how to cook, consult an online expert!
Cooking in the Modern Age
I can still remember when I was little how my mom would spend hours on end slaving away in the kitchen to prepare a home cooked meal every evening. She would start early in the afternoon, slicing, dicing and doing miscellaneous prep work. And while her food always tasted amazing, I can distinctly remember making a promise to myself that I would never dedicate that amount of time to food prep.
Despite the fact that I’m now in charge of cooking all the meals for my family, I have been able to keep that promise. You may think I take shortcuts and use frozen foods and processed goods, but I’ve actually kept many of my mother’s traditional recipes intact. Thanks to newfangled kitchen gadgets, I’m able to prepare food in a fraction of the time and still achieve comparable results—although I’m hesitant to put my cooking on par with mom’s.
Caring for Your Cutlery
Whether you want paper-thin slices of tomato or need to carve up a hefty pot roast, having a finely honed set of kitchen cutlery is essential for any cook. Unfortunately, many people neglect their knives, leading to subpar cuisine. Making uniform and precise slices is not only essential for aesthetics, it also ensures even cooking.
Taking proper care of your knives will help them keep their edge longer, meaning you have to sharpen them less. First and foremost, always hand wash your knives; nothing dulls a blade faster than being run through the dishwasher. It’s also important to store your knives in a knife block. When your knives are thrown haphazardly in a drawer, other implements and knives their edge.
Keys to a Succulent Steak
Most people consider prime steak an extravagant and costly luxury only to be enjoyed on special occasions. And while this is certainly the case if you go to a four-star steakhouse, preparing steaks at home won’t blow your budget. Grilling steaks, however, intimidates many home cooks, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
One of the keys to a scrumptious steak is achieving a nice sear on the meat by cooking both sides on high-heat for a minute or two. This process will create a crust, which locks in the juices and is quite tasty in itself. Once you have seared the meat, turn down the heat until it is done to your liking. Here is where most people go wrong: It may be tempting to pull out your steak knife and dig right in, but exercise some restraint. Tint the steak with tinfoil and let it rest for a few minutes; this will allow the juices to redistribute and keep them in the meat.
The Right Knife for the Job
Using the right knife can save a cook from serious medical implications in the future. A good knife set that has a knife for each particular task you would like to perform in the kitchen is so necessary for the comfort of you hand. You shouldn’t use bread knives for carving your turkey, just as you shouldn’t use a chef’s knife to slice your bread.
Like with any task, the risk for medical problems increases when the right equipment is not employed for a particular task. A comprehensive knife set will include all of the basic knives you need to achieve virtually any culinary task. The right knife set today may save you thousands of dollars in the future.
What Every Chef Needs
Any good chef will tell you that half of cooking is using the right ingredients, and the other half is using the right tools. And one of the most important pieces of cooking equipment is the right knife for the right job. That’s why it’s a good idea for a dedicated cook to have an entire set of high quality knives. Having an entire set will ensure that you have a serrated bread knife that can thinly slice warm bread, as well as one that’s ideal for paring fruit.
In order for these knife sets to be as effective as possible, always make sure they are kept very sharp. This does mean you have to be extra careful about keeping them out of the reach of children, however. For adults, though, sharp knives can actually be less dangerous. Because you won’t have to hack and saw at your food, you are actually less likely to get cut. For this reason, consider investing in a knife sharpener.
Relaxation is in the Air
There’s nothing more relaxing than sitting in your most comfortable chair, reading and book and inhaling the scent of your favorite candle. The first thing I do when I get home is light one of my vanilla soy jar candles. The soft vanilla scent reminds me of my childhood, when I would help my mom bake cookies in the kitchen.
In addition to the good memories and relaxation, jar candles are nice because they don’t need to be blown out. All you have to do to staunch the flame is secure the top. This prevents annoying smoke from filling the room and wax spatters.
Fresh-Baked Bread Like Mom Used to Make
I can still remember those days of elementary school when I’d run home in the afternoon at full speed, just hoping to catch a preliminary whiff of freshly baked bread. By the time I stepped over the threshold, it would be the only thing on my mind. On the off chance that my mother would let us kids sample a slice of bread with butter before dinner, my sister and I would beg with exasperation.
These days, I’ve passed on the timeless tradition to my own children. Our family became exceedingly health-conscious in recent years, and fresh baked bread is one of those simple pleasures with all-natural ingredients that really can’t be beat. Somewhat surprisingly, our new stoneware loaf pan resembles the one my mother used to use right down to the last detail.
A Chef and His Tools
This admission might seem like a cliché, but just watching the show “Top Chef” has inspired me to eschew my old “cooking” habits. I use the word cooking loosely, because the only real effort I made was to warm up a microwave dinner or strain myself by making a sandwich. I had always known how unhealthy this practice was, but not until watching that merit-based reality show did I stop to think of all the delicious dishes I was missing out on.
Recognizing that a chef is only as good as his tools, I immediately went about tracking down a high-quality cutlery set and some serrated steak knives online. I also found a sharpener that would keep the knives perfectly honed. I plan to start simple with a few classic Italian recipes. It will probably be a while before I attempt something as complicated and nuanced as French cooking, but that’s definitely the ultimate goal.
A Paring Knife
A paring knife is a small knife that is perfect for peeling and other jobs that could not be completed with a standard size kitchen knife. It is also, normally in between 2 to 4 long (6 to10 cm). Paring knives are used in a variety of ways to cut and shape foods into the perfect meals. They are easier to control than other knives on skins and peels. The paring knife has many benefits.
