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fandomhigh2014-10-24 09:21 am
sharp_as_knives) wrote in fandomhigh2014-10-24 09:21 am
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Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Friday, 3rd period
Hannibal nodded at the students as they took their seats. He was standing today, as his chair was occupied by a heating pad with a small, brightly colored snake on it. "Good afternoon. Today we'll be speaking about utensils once again. And I will try not to keep you from the festival for too long," he added with a smile. "While a good knife is perhaps the most important, there are other things which also make cooking quite a bit 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 regularly, it's good to have at least one of each." He picked up the first two, turning them so everybody could see. "A sauté pan, and a skillet."
"They're quite similar, but 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 your food and liquids are less likely to escape." He smiled.
"The skillet's sides are sloped, so you don't have as much room at the bottom, but if you're cooking something that involves a lot of movement, such as stir fry, or that requires serving from the pan, this is easier to work with."
He picked up 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."
"A shallow saucepan," he showed off the top half, "paired with another pan, which has a ridge in which the other sits." He demonstrated. "You use this for cooking things too delicate or fussy for direct heat. 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. "It solves both problems nicely.
"Be careful when deciding which type of metal to get. You want something that will last, and that preferably won't poison you. And take good care of them, whatever type you get; they'll last much longer and your food will taste better."
He set the pans down. "Today, you will be making eggs." He tapped each appropriate pan or pot in turn. "Fried, scrambled, poached, and hard boiled. The same start, very different ending points, and different cookware for each. Please ask if you have any questions. And don't bother Mr. Starsmore." He gestured at the snake. "He's grumpy when awoken, and they don't make antivenin for him."
He nodded at the assortment in front of him. "There are a number of basic types, and if you're planning on cooking regularly, it's good to have at least one of each." He picked up the first two, turning them so everybody could see. "A sauté pan, and a skillet."
 |  |
"They're quite similar, but 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 your food and liquids are less likely to escape." He smiled.
"The skillet's sides are sloped, so you don't have as much room at the bottom, but if you're cooking something that involves a lot of movement, such as stir fry, or that requires serving from the pan, this is easier to work with."
He picked up 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."
"A shallow saucepan," he showed off the top half, "paired with another pan, which has a ridge in which the other sits." He demonstrated. "You use this for cooking things too delicate or fussy for direct heat. 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. "It solves both problems nicely.
"Be careful when deciding which type of metal to get. You want something that will last, and that preferably won't poison you. And take good care of them, whatever type you get; they'll last much longer and your food will taste better."
He set the pans down. "Today, you will be making eggs." He tapped each appropriate pan or pot in turn. "Fried, scrambled, poached, and hard boiled. The same start, very different ending points, and different cookware for each. Please ask if you have any questions. And don't bother Mr. Starsmore." He gestured at the snake. "He's grumpy when awoken, and they don't make antivenin for him."
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Listen to the lecture, look at the pots and pans
Cook your eggs
Eat Hannibal's food and ask questions
Peppercorn-roasted pork with vermouth pan sauce (http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2009/09/peppercorn-roasted-pork-with-vermouth-pan-sauce)
Sweet potato gnocchi with fried sage and shaved chestnuts (http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2009/10/sweet-potato-gnocchi-with-fried-sage-and-shaved-chestnuts)
Baby brussels sprouts with buttered pecans (http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2006/11/baby-brussels-sprouts-with-buttered-pecans)
Apple cider beignets with butter-rum caramel sauce (http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2007/10/apple-cider-beignets-with-butter-rum-caramel-sauce)
Talk to Hannibal!
OOC!
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