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Recipes
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Written by Elke Probkevitz
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Thursday, 12 May 2011 10:41 |
 It’s almost wedding season and the new batch of brides have a lot in store for them. In all the excitement of planning a wedding, no one prepares the kallah for her role as the new home cook. Many girls find this job overwhelming when they don’t have experience in the kitchen growing up, or their mom was not an avid cook herself. Others might be interested in steering away from the traditional egg salad and potato kugel that they grew up with. Where is a kallah to turn? Facing the daunting task of preparing a nightly meal for your new spouse can be stressful. Even the most experienced cooks have burned or oversalted at least one dinner in their lifetime. So don’t be discouraged when something doesn’t go exactly your way. Face the kitchen with a can-do attitude, armed with the basic essentials, and you’ll be a pro in no time.
Start off with the basics. Don’t be too ambitious right away. Start with a basic, simple recipe just to get you started. Once you feel more comfortable in the kitchen you can attempt a new technique or unfamiliar ingredient.
Read through the recipe. Make sure you have all the ingredients and the steps don’t sound too advanced. You don’t want to be half way through cooking only to discover you don’t have an ingredient or don’t understand how to complete the recipe.
Follow the recipe. Follow the recipe step by step. Especially in baking, following the recipe is crucial to achieve perfect results. When cooking, don’t play around with substitutions or alterations until you’ve tried the recipe out and know whether you need every step and ingredient. Next time, when you’re more comfortable, you can put your own spin on it.
Learn from your recipes. Recipes are a great way to teach you techniques and what flavors go well together. Use this opportunity to learn something so that in the future you’ll be able to skip the cookbook and create a meal on your own.
Don’t leave your food unsupervised. Just when you get distracted, that’s when the pot boils over and makes a big mess or the vegetables begin to burn in the pan. Make sure to stay close when bringing a pot to a boil or sautéing your food.
Make things that are quick and simple. There isn’t always time to be busy in the kitchen for hours. Finding recipes you can whip up in 20-30 minutes is essential for the new cook. Season chicken with your favorite herbs and spices and roast in oven, or quickly pan-fry a fish fillet and you can have a healthy dinner in no time.
Make one-pot meals. Too many pots going at one time can be distracting and difficult to manage. Making a whole meal out of one pot is simple and delicious, and can be prepared in advance. Plus one-pot meals means one pot to clean!
Take a cooking class. A cooking class can be a fun and educational way to overcome the new-cook jitters and get your feet wet in the kitchen. Find a local cooking class or hire a personal chef like myself to give you basic lessons and feel more comfortable in the kitchen. It’s a great gift for a new kallah or anyone who is interested in expanding their cooking repertoire.
Easy Roasted Chicken Wings
These chicken wings are crispy like fried chicken wings, but they are roasted in the oven to save on the calories.
Ingredients:
4–5 pounds chicken wings
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 cup flour
1/2 cup honey
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce (such as Sriracha or Tabasco, optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Season wings with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour and shake off excess. Place wings on prepared baking sheet and spray each wing with nonstick spray. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, or until bottoms are nicely browned. Turn over and cook another 15 minutes until golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, combine honey, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, and hot sauce. Toss roasted wings in sauce mixture to coat and serve.
Want to learn how to cook delicious gourmet meals right in your own kitchen? Take one-on-one cooking lessons or give a gift to an aspiring cook that you know. For more information, contact Take Home Chef personal chef services by calling 516-508-3663, writing to elke@TakeHomeChef.net, or visiting www.TakeHomeChef.net.
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