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fandomhigh2013-11-12 12:51 am
sharp_as_knives) wrote in fandomhigh2013-11-12 12:51 am
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Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Tuesday, 1st Period
Hannibal waited until everyone was settled, then leaned on the counter. "Our next topic is one that is very important, so we will be spending two or possibly three weeks on it. And that is safety. It's important not to unintentionally poison yourself or anyone else with your cooking, after all." Intentionally was a topic for a different class.
"Safety is important from the very beginning — from choosing your foods, through cooking them, and until you have eaten them. We will be covering each aspect." He paused for a moment. "Well, we will be covering choosing foods from a grocery. If you hunt your food by other means, you are on your own; I'm not teaching that class," he joked, smirking faintly.
"We will start with dairy. Dairy should always be kept cold. Don't pick it out, then wander around your store or go someplace else. If you're not going straight home, pack it in ice. And make certain it's cold when you pick it up. If it hasn't been kept cold at the store, it may already be going bad. I purchased some of the milk for today's lesson from the store in town after their refrigerator went out. Possibly to do with a panda in the dairy case." He still wasn't too sure about that one. He shook his head. "If the store owner weren't honest, there might be no way of knowing the milk had been warm, so be observant. Once it's in your own refrigerator, milk should only be kept for around one week, cream a little longer. Yogurt and the like," he gave them a very sour look, "if there is anything growing on it, it is far too old."
He took out several carafes of milk. "If you are at all unsure of your milk, it's best to test it. The dates the bottles have on them are no guarantee. Trust your senses. First," he held up one of the carafes and sniffed it, "smell. If milk is fresh, it should have a smooth, pleasant scent, or you may notice no scent at all." He held up another carafe. "If it is spoiling, the scent will be noticeably unpleasant." He passed both carafes around for everyone to smell.
"Also useful is the color. If you can't see it because of the container, pour some into a glass. It should be white. Not yellow or grey or anything else." He poured out some good milk and some with a decided yellow cast to it. "And lastly, the texture." He poured the milk again. "If it is thick or anything other than smooth, throw it out." He eyed them all pointedly. "If you think your budget is too tight to allow for new milk, think of how much it will cost to be sick."
Hannibal set the milk aside. "Also, cheese. It can be harder to tell by smell, since some cheeses are fairly fragrant. The exception is the very liquid cheeses — ricotta, cottage cheese, and so forth. Treat them as you would milk; they will smell bad if they are bad. Also, if they are moldy, throw them out." He really couldn't say that enough.
"For the others, taste or sight is probably your best bet." Since you likely didn't have a nose as sharp as his. He took out several different types. "If it is solid, leave it in the original wrap; this will keep it freshest. Hard cheeses are somewhat resilient." He held up a chunk of parmesan. "You may leave them out without harm, and if they get mold on them which is not intentional, you may trim it off, along with half an inch around it. The rest will still be usable. Also, you can freeze them if you wrap them tightly."
He picked up a wedge of brie. "Cheeses with more water in them you may want to leave out to soften before eating, but you should still be somewhat careful. Don't leave them out for longer than a couple of hours. If they get mold on them, throw them out. And they do not freeze well."
Next was gorgonzola. "Blue cheeses have mold in them already. It's intentional." He held it up for them to see. "For these, you'll want to treat them like whatever they most resemble. If they have more water, you'll want to refrigerate them. If they are harder, perhaps not. However, these do not precisely go bad. They get sharper with age, and eventually you will not want to eat them. It is, however, down to your own taste."
He held up paper that was waxed on one side. "Cheese paper is the best wrapping once you open cheese. Since I doubt you will have any, the next best thing is a layer of parchment inside plastic wrap. Do not wrap your cheese directly in plastic unless you enjoy the taste of plastic." His expression said what he thought of it.
Hannibal glanced at his watch. "Meat we will need to leave until next week, it seems. So. Eggs." He pulled out a carton. "Always keep them refrigerated. Don't leave them out. Make sure when you buy them that they are clean, and the shells are not cracked." He held one up. "Often if they stick when you move them in the carton, it means the shell has cracked. But also use your eyes." He held up a slightly cracked egg. "You don't want to buy anything that may already have bacteria in it."
"Store them in their original carton; keep them no more than five weeks. If you need to, you can freeze them, but not in the shells; beat them together and then freeze them. Once you remove them from the shell, if you are not freezing them, use or eat them — or anything you make using them as a primary ingredient — within three or four days."
He cracked an egg expertly into a bowl. "Keep them separate from other foods to avoid cross-contamination. And unless you know that your eggs are safe, you should avoid eating anything that contains raw egg."
He waited for questions, then nodded. "Today you will not be cooking." He put away the previous examples and set out a large assortment of small dishes of milk, cream, yogurt, many different cheeses, and a few eggs. "Instead, I want you to determine which of these are fresh, and which are not. You may use any tests you like, but I would caution you against consuming too much. You may discuss amongst yourselves or work alone. I will also be here to answer questions."
"Safety is important from the very beginning — from choosing your foods, through cooking them, and until you have eaten them. We will be covering each aspect." He paused for a moment. "Well, we will be covering choosing foods from a grocery. If you hunt your food by other means, you are on your own; I'm not teaching that class," he joked, smirking faintly.
"We will start with dairy. Dairy should always be kept cold. Don't pick it out, then wander around your store or go someplace else. If you're not going straight home, pack it in ice. And make certain it's cold when you pick it up. If it hasn't been kept cold at the store, it may already be going bad. I purchased some of the milk for today's lesson from the store in town after their refrigerator went out. Possibly to do with a panda in the dairy case." He still wasn't too sure about that one. He shook his head. "If the store owner weren't honest, there might be no way of knowing the milk had been warm, so be observant. Once it's in your own refrigerator, milk should only be kept for around one week, cream a little longer. Yogurt and the like," he gave them a very sour look, "if there is anything growing on it, it is far too old."
He took out several carafes of milk. "If you are at all unsure of your milk, it's best to test it. The dates the bottles have on them are no guarantee. Trust your senses. First," he held up one of the carafes and sniffed it, "smell. If milk is fresh, it should have a smooth, pleasant scent, or you may notice no scent at all." He held up another carafe. "If it is spoiling, the scent will be noticeably unpleasant." He passed both carafes around for everyone to smell.
"Also useful is the color. If you can't see it because of the container, pour some into a glass. It should be white. Not yellow or grey or anything else." He poured out some good milk and some with a decided yellow cast to it. "And lastly, the texture." He poured the milk again. "If it is thick or anything other than smooth, throw it out." He eyed them all pointedly. "If you think your budget is too tight to allow for new milk, think of how much it will cost to be sick."
Hannibal set the milk aside. "Also, cheese. It can be harder to tell by smell, since some cheeses are fairly fragrant. The exception is the very liquid cheeses — ricotta, cottage cheese, and so forth. Treat them as you would milk; they will smell bad if they are bad. Also, if they are moldy, throw them out." He really couldn't say that enough.
"For the others, taste or sight is probably your best bet." Since you likely didn't have a nose as sharp as his. He took out several different types. "If it is solid, leave it in the original wrap; this will keep it freshest. Hard cheeses are somewhat resilient." He held up a chunk of parmesan. "You may leave them out without harm, and if they get mold on them which is not intentional, you may trim it off, along with half an inch around it. The rest will still be usable. Also, you can freeze them if you wrap them tightly."
He picked up a wedge of brie. "Cheeses with more water in them you may want to leave out to soften before eating, but you should still be somewhat careful. Don't leave them out for longer than a couple of hours. If they get mold on them, throw them out. And they do not freeze well."
Next was gorgonzola. "Blue cheeses have mold in them already. It's intentional." He held it up for them to see. "For these, you'll want to treat them like whatever they most resemble. If they have more water, you'll want to refrigerate them. If they are harder, perhaps not. However, these do not precisely go bad. They get sharper with age, and eventually you will not want to eat them. It is, however, down to your own taste."
He held up paper that was waxed on one side. "Cheese paper is the best wrapping once you open cheese. Since I doubt you will have any, the next best thing is a layer of parchment inside plastic wrap. Do not wrap your cheese directly in plastic unless you enjoy the taste of plastic." His expression said what he thought of it.
Hannibal glanced at his watch. "Meat we will need to leave until next week, it seems. So. Eggs." He pulled out a carton. "Always keep them refrigerated. Don't leave them out. Make sure when you buy them that they are clean, and the shells are not cracked." He held one up. "Often if they stick when you move them in the carton, it means the shell has cracked. But also use your eyes." He held up a slightly cracked egg. "You don't want to buy anything that may already have bacteria in it."
"Store them in their original carton; keep them no more than five weeks. If you need to, you can freeze them, but not in the shells; beat them together and then freeze them. Once you remove them from the shell, if you are not freezing them, use or eat them — or anything you make using them as a primary ingredient — within three or four days."
He cracked an egg expertly into a bowl. "Keep them separate from other foods to avoid cross-contamination. And unless you know that your eggs are safe, you should avoid eating anything that contains raw egg."
He waited for questions, then nodded. "Today you will not be cooking." He put away the previous examples and set out a large assortment of small dishes of milk, cream, yogurt, many different cheeses, and a few eggs. "Instead, I want you to determine which of these are fresh, and which are not. You may use any tests you like, but I would caution you against consuming too much. You may discuss amongst yourselves or work alone. I will also be here to answer questions."
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(Zhari)
Listen to the lecture
Test the food
Re: Test the food
He was just going to try and delicately sniff things so he didn't have to get too close.
Re: Test the food
Re: Test the food
Re: Test the food
Re: Test the food
Re: Test the food
Eat Hannibal's food and ask questions
Talk to the TAs!
Re: Talk to the TAs!
If anyone asked him how he was so good at the good-food-bad-food game, well, good luck getting a straight answer out of him.
Re: Talk to the TAs!
Re: Talk to the TAs!
Why complain about it? Most people didn't care to listen anyway.
Re: Talk to the TAs!
Re: Talk to the TAs!
OOC!
Re: OOC!