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fandomhigh2013-10-22 12:06 am
sharp_as_knives) wrote in fandomhigh2013-10-22 12:06 am
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Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Tuesday, 1st Period
Hannibal nodded at the students as they took their seats. "Good morning. I hope you all had a very good break. Today we'll be speaking about utensils once again. While a good knife is perhaps the most important, there are other things which also make cooking substantially easier. Among them, pots and pans."
He nodded at the assortment in front of him. "There are a number of basic types, and if you're planning on cooking at all, it's good to have at least one of each." He held the handles of the first two, lifting them so everybody could see. "A sauté pan, and a skillet."
"The sauté pan is deeper and has straight sides; it's best for searing meat, and for reducing sauces. It has more surface area at the bottom, and meat and other things are less likely to escape." He smiled and turned the other one. "The skillet's sides are sloped, so you don't have as much room. But if you're cooking anything that takes a lot of movement, such as stir fry, or that requires serving from the pan, it is easier to work with."
He picked up and turned the next item.
"Saucepans come in many sizes; if you're stocking a kitchen, you'll probably want several. The size of your pan can determine how quickly and evenly your food is cooked. Similar to those is a double boiler."
"The top pot is simply a shallow saucepan; the bottom, as you see," he demonstrated, "has a ridge in which the other sits. This way you can cook things for which direct heat is too delicate. Water in the bottom steams the food in the top."
He tilted the largest pot forward. "Lastly, a dutch oven."
"Larger than a sauce pan, with thick walls. Very useful for soups or for larger roasts."
He flicked the dutch oven, which made a fairly dull thud, and the double boiler, which rang at a higher pitch. "You will also note the various metals. Cast iron is traditional for the dutch oven; also many saucepans, including this one. However, the iron may react with strongly acidic or alkaline foods, so it's good to have something nonreactive as well. Stainless steel is nonreactive, but it doesn't conduct heat well. This double boiler and skillet are all-clad; that means they have a copper core surrounded by stainless steel." And that they cost more than some people's paychecks.
"You want to be careful when choosing metals to get something that will last, and preferably that will not poison you. Also, you should take good care of the pans that you get; they'll last much longer and your food will taste better."
He eyed them all. "I had considered that for this class it would be appropriate to have you wash dishes instead of cooking, but that seemed too cruel after vacation. Count yourselves lucky. Instead, you will be making eggs." He tapped each pan or pot in turn. "Fried, scrambled, poached, and hard boiled. The same food, very different ending points, and different cookware for each. Please ask if you have any questions."
He nodded at the assortment in front of him. "There are a number of basic types, and if you're planning on cooking at all, it's good to have at least one of each." He held the handles of the first two, lifting them so everybody could see. "A sauté pan, and a skillet."
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"The sauté pan is deeper and has straight sides; it's best for searing meat, and for reducing sauces. It has more surface area at the bottom, and meat and other things are less likely to escape." He smiled and turned the other one. "The skillet's sides are sloped, so you don't have as much room. But if you're cooking anything that takes a lot of movement, such as stir fry, or that requires serving from the pan, it is easier to work with."
He picked up and turned the next item.
"Saucepans come in many sizes; if you're stocking a kitchen, you'll probably want several. The size of your pan can determine how quickly and evenly your food is cooked. Similar to those is a double boiler."
"The top pot is simply a shallow saucepan; the bottom, as you see," he demonstrated, "has a ridge in which the other sits. This way you can cook things for which direct heat is too delicate. Water in the bottom steams the food in the top."
He tilted the largest pot forward. "Lastly, a dutch oven."
"Larger than a sauce pan, with thick walls. Very useful for soups or for larger roasts."
He flicked the dutch oven, which made a fairly dull thud, and the double boiler, which rang at a higher pitch. "You will also note the various metals. Cast iron is traditional for the dutch oven; also many saucepans, including this one. However, the iron may react with strongly acidic or alkaline foods, so it's good to have something nonreactive as well. Stainless steel is nonreactive, but it doesn't conduct heat well. This double boiler and skillet are all-clad; that means they have a copper core surrounded by stainless steel." And that they cost more than some people's paychecks.
"You want to be careful when choosing metals to get something that will last, and preferably that will not poison you. Also, you should take good care of the pans that you get; they'll last much longer and your food will taste better."
He eyed them all. "I had considered that for this class it would be appropriate to have you wash dishes instead of cooking, but that seemed too cruel after vacation. Count yourselves lucky. Instead, you will be making eggs." He tapped each pan or pot in turn. "Fried, scrambled, poached, and hard boiled. The same food, very different ending points, and different cookware for each. Please ask if you have any questions."
Re: Cook your eggs
Re: Cook your eggs
Re: Cook your eggs
But, the people who'd done this to him were bastards and hadn't given him crutches. Though, if they had given him crutches, he probably would have left them in his room.
"So, I probably have but I wasn't awake for it."
Re: Cook your eggs
Re: Cook your eggs
But yeah, he probably would have tried to get out of a hospital if he'd been admitted. This time, though, it wasn't his fault.
Re: Cook your eggs
"If you find yourself in serious pain or difficulty, my number is on your syllabus," Hannibal pointed out. "I assure you I'm well acquainted both with injuries and with discretion." Not that he'd try to extract any less information than a hospital, but he'd be sneakier about it, and he wouldn't have to tell the police.
Re: Cook your eggs
Re: Cook your eggs
Re: Cook your eggs
He'd rather avoid becoming a modern day peg leg, if he could help it.
Re: Cook your eggs