fandomhigh | Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques

Hannibal nodded at the students. "Last week, we discussed dealing with dairy and eggs safely. This week, we'll be discussing meats. There are entirely too many different kinds to deal with them all, so — some of the more common."

He set out dishes.

"Fish, beef, chicken, and pork. Keep your cold foods cold, and your hot foods hot. Between forty and one-hundred forty Fahrenheit is where bacteria will thrive. Never keep your food at those temperatures for longer than an hour. As with the dairy, buy this last and bring it straight home."

He waved at the meats. "For the most part, if meats are spoiled, you will smell it." He smiled. "Don't worry; I won't make you do that again. As far as bacterial contamination, you won't. All I can say is, buy from reputable vendors. Check that the color is good and the smell. Fresh beef will appear bright red, not brown. Fresh pork will be pink; fresh poultry, off-white or cream colored. Fresh fish will not smell 'fishy'."

"Some precautions apply to all meats," he continued. "First of all, there are guidelines for handling them in order to minimize risk. Always keep cooked foods and raw meats separate. Wash your hands and your utensils before switching between them. And be very careful with foods that you don't cook; you don't want to spread bacteria to them from something else."

He tapped the plate with the beef. "Each cut and each type of meat has its own cooking guidelines, but again, you want to heat it to above one-hundred-forty degrees, and you want to keep it there. Do not thaw and freeze and cook and freeze…" he grimaced. "Once it's begun cooking, finish it."

"So." He gestured to them. "Today, you will be roasting a chicken, making a stir-fry with beef, cooking a pork chop, and broiling fish. Season them any way you like; do as you will with them. But I want you to handle them properly and learn to use the meat thermometers. Ask if you have questions."

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Don't kill it; it's already dead. Just cook it.

Flick went to work with the pork chop first. He followed the instructions carefully, checking on the temperature of the meat before tossing it into a pan to cook up.

So far, everything was going pretty well. He didn't think he'd ruin this meal.

Hannibal watched for a moment, then nodded. "Good. What are you planning for the chicken?"

"You mean like for flavor?" Flick asked, glancing over. "Or the actual cooking?"

"Both," Hannibal answered. "Have you decided?"

"Hadn't really thought about it," Flick said, shrugging. "Maybe something light? Some pepper or something?"

Hannibal nodded. "Feel free to experiment. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them."

Because simple was boring.

Oh boy, this was an important lesson in not poisoning people in the future. Billy had a pretty good idea of how to make sure chicken and meat were done, so he took the fish, added some salt and just the barest hint of Italian spices, and started broiling it, hoping to cook it just enough that it was edible but not ruined.

That seemed a bit of a boring way to cook the fish to Hannibal, but it was important to know your comfort zone and limits. He nodded to Billy. "What will you do with the beef?"

"Um. I'm not sure?" Billy said. "I like my meat medium so there's still a little red in it but I'm not sure if that's okay? I should probably season it too, yeah?"

"Medium is generally fine," Hannibal reassured him. "Just be sure to watch the temperature. And seasoning is not required for this particular class, but I imagine you'll find it easier to eat if you do use some."

Sparkle was pretty sure that the chicken was going to take the longest, so he got a start on that, first, before trying to decide which to try next. Stir-fry was quick and easy, and he wasn't entirely certain if it was possible to screw up fish.

The pork chop?

You know, choosing 'chicken first' had been the easy part, here.

"Pork isn't generally one of the first things people learn to cook," Hannibal noted. He eyed Sparkle for a moment, then gave him a tiny grin. He pulled out his tablet and found a recipe. "What do you think of this one (http://www.porkbeinspired.com/RecipeView.aspx?RID=28)?"

See, there was a reason that Hannibal was swiftly winning Sparkle over as one of the coolest teachers on the island.

"Fire?" Seriously, Hannibal was completely making his day, here. "Oh god, you mean it? I get to light these things on fire on purpose?"

OH HAPPY DAY.

Hannibal chuckled. "That is the general meaning of flambé, yes." He handed Sparkle the tablet and patted him on the shoulder. "Try to confine it to the pork."

Chicken totally went in first, and then Minako started on her stir-fry. Fresh ginger slices. More ginger! Sugar peas, sesame seed oil, large and fluffy udon noodles, brocolli, scallions, Chinese spinach, and DONE!

Well, no, not done -- Minako needed to grind out her own red pepper flakes first, because that would be PRETTY. And tasty.

"You have experience at stir-fry, I see," Hannibal noted. "Very nice."

Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Tuesday, 1st Period

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