Cooking terms

Sauté, Pan Fry, or Stir Fry

To cook food quickly (for just a few minutes), in a small amount of fat (oil, butter, etc.), in a sauté pan or wok over direct heat. Foods that are commonly sautéed include meats, poultry, and vegetables.
Boil

To heat a liquid until bubbles break the surface (212 °F at sea level, lower at altitude). Boiling is a common way to cook foods such as pasta, sauces, and vegetables.
Simmer

To cook food gently in liquid at a temperature that is just below the boiling point so that tiny bubbles just begin to break the surface. Foods are typically brought to boil over high heat, and then the heat is reduced to simmer with a lid on the pan/pot to finish the cooking. Foods that are commonly simmered are sauces, rice and some other grains, and dried beans.
Brown

To cook for a short period of time over high heat at the beginning or end of cooking, often to enhance flavor and texture, and create a nice cooked look. Browning is usually done on the stovetop, but also may be achieved in a broiler. Foods that are typically browned include meats, casseroles, and anything that needs quick melting and crisping on top.
Bake

To cook food in an oven, thereby surrounding it with dry heat. To ensure an accurate cooking temperature, it can be helpful to use an oven thermometer. Many ovens bake either hotter or cooler than their gauges read. Foods that are commonly baked include seafood, meats, casseroles, vegetables, and baked goods (breads, cakes, pies, etc.).
Broil

To cook food directly under or above a very hot heat source (~500 °F). Food can be broiled in an oven, directly under the gas or electric heat source, or on a barbecue grill (known as "char-broiling") directly over charcoal or gas heat. Foods that are typically broiled include meats, poultry, and seafood.
Grill

To cook directly over a heat source on metal racks or rods or on a special grill pan. Meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, and even some fruits grill beautifully.

Taken from National Heart Lung Blood Institute

How to....cutting terms and photos

Chop To cut food with a knife or food processor into fine, medium, or coarse, irregular pieces.	Cube To cut food into uniform pieces, usually ½ inch on all sides.	Dice To cut food into smaller uniform pieces, usually ⅛ to ¼ inch on all sides.
Mince To chop food into tiny, irregular pieces.	Slice To cut food into flat, usually thin slices from larger pieces.	Julienne To cut food into thin slices about ⅛ inch thick and about 2 inches long. Taken from the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute

How I make rice

Someone wrote in asking me how I make my rice. The truth is...I cheat. I use a rice cooker. When I married my husband I had one of these that I used as a vegetable steamer. I never knew that it would become something I would use 3-4 times a week. This is actually our 4th rice cooker because we use them so much we wear em out. There are a few tips I will give you.

First, when I met my husband I had no idea you had to rinse the rice. Apparently YOU MUST RINSE THE RICE. So. I do. I fill it with water, swish it and drain. Lather rinse repeat. Also, for 1 cup of rice you are supposed to put 1 cup of water. However, I feel it works better to put just over a cup. Or two cups of rice and just over two cups of water. Finally, before you scoop it out, it works best if you get the scoop wet.

Add your rice

Rinse

Drain

Fill with water just over the line

Push cook

Wait fifteen minutes and BAM!

Fluffy white rice every time!

No need to fuss with the silly pans!

How to: Truss a chicken

With the chicken facing away from you start by putting your cooking twine under the chickens legs.
Then cross the strings forming an X

Pull the X down toward the butt (facing away from you) and pull tight

This will close the legs for you. Bring each piece of twine around the sides of the bird

Make sure you tuck the wings under the twine so they don't pop out during cooking.

Tie the string placing the knot over the neck opening of the bird. This will keep it sealed during cooking.

Tie it up in a pretty bow

And you have a beautifully trussed chicken ready to be roasted!

Roasted Herb chicken

1 Whole chicken
1 stick unsalted butter semi softened
2 sprigs rosemary - stemmed
3 sprigs thyme - stemmed
1 large sprig tarragon
7 cloves garlic
1/2 shallot
4 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch crushed red pepper
1 lemon juiced
1 White onion chopped to 1" pieces
3-4 yukon gold potatoes chopped into 1" pieces
1.5 cups celery chopped into 1" pieces
2 Cups chicken stock
1 Cup white wine
3 tbsp corn starch
4 tbsp cold water
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 450. In food processor combine, butter, olive oil, 2 sprigs rosemary, thyme, garlic, shallots, crushed red pepper, 1 pinch pepper, 2 pinch salt. Mix until all ingredients are chopped and combined in butter. Wash chicken. Starting near the head of the chicken loosen the skin. Begin placing herb butter under skin making sure to reach all the way to the end and down the sides. Truss chicken coat outside with her butter and place in roasting pan. Scatter potatoes, celery and onions around chicken. Cover with stock, wine, salt, and pepper. Halve lemon and juice over chicken. Place halves in pan and drop in remaining rosemary and tarragon. Place in oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and flip bird and roast for another 30 minutes this will crisp the skin on both sides. Flip one final time and roast continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Remove when temperature is close to 170. Cover bird for about 15 minutes and then carve. Dish out vegetables and remove herbs and lemon. Strain excess fat out of roasting pan. Place roasting pan on burner (or pour juices into a soup pot) and bring to a boil**. Season generously with salt and pepper. Combine cornstarch and cold water and add slowly until sauce thickens (not heavy like a gravy just slightly thick). Remove string. Carve chicken and cover in sauce.

** Note, if you don't have enough juice left in roasting pan add some chicken stock. Also some people may prefer to strain their liquid before making the sauce to remove all the bits, I do not do this).

Thickened sauce

To carve breast meat start in the dead center of the bird and let your knife follow the bone down the side. You will have 2 perfect size breasts.

Asian glaze sea bass cooked in paper

2 portions sea bass
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
3 to 4-inch knob ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
6 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Rip off 2 pieces of parchment to form packets each about 12-inches long. Season fish with salt and pepper. Place a piece of parchment in a shallow dish then in the center of the paper stack 1/2 of the scallions and mushrooms, layer with slices of ginger and garlic and top with fish. Combine the brown sugar, vinegar and tamari and pour 1/2 of the sauce over fish. Fold over the top of the parchment then roll the sides in to form a sealed pouch tie with cooking twine. Arrange the pouches on a baking sheet and roast in hot oven 12 to 14 minutes or until fish is a white color and slightly flaky.