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 meat. 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. Bacterial contamination, however, you may never detect. All I can say is, buy from reputable vendors. Check that the color and smell are good. 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. "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 you won't be cooking; 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 clapped his hands. "Today, you will be roasting a chicken, making a stir-fry with beef, cooking a pork chop, and broiling fish. Season them or whatever else you like, and cook them any way. But I want you to handle them properly and learn to use the meat thermometers. Ask if you have questions."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hannibal smiled at her as he passed. "When I first began learning to cook, it was like magic - you put things together, and all of a sudden there's food."

"I really didn't expect it being so easy once you understood the basics," Elsa admitted, smiling up at him. "You cut everything, you heat everything... I don't doubt that there's far more to the more complicated recipes than that. The steak tartare that you prepared is still far beyond me, I'm sure. But, if anything were to happen to Gerda back home, I wouldn't have to worry about eating after going back to Arendelle."

"It's good to be able to feed yourself," Hannibal answered with a nod. "And yes, some recipes are far more complex, but the basics are the same. A good foundation is important."

"As it is in all things, I suppose," Elsa mused. "Learn the building blocks, and then stack on from there?"

She smiled a little more, looking down at what was sitting in front of her, still a little impressed that it actually looked like food.

"I like it. Being here, I mean. Getting so many basics that I wouldn't have had a chance to learn otherwise."

"Then it's good that you've come," Hannibal said. "I'm a big believer in learning whatever you can."

Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Friday, 3rd period

Re: Cook your food!

Re: Cook your food!

Re: Cook your food!

Re: Cook your food!

Re: Cook your food!