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fandomhigh2016-01-26 11:24 am
sharp_as_knives) wrote in fandomhigh2016-01-26 11:24 am
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Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Tuesday, period 1
Class was meeting at Portalocity again today. After the first time he'd ended up in the world they'd be visiting, he'd looked for another, but as it turned out, the staff at this one was extremely enthusiastic about having them back, and Hannibal felt it would be rude to refuse. He simply dressed so that the chartreuse light of the sun wouldn't cause his clothes to clash too badly.
Once the students were all there, Hannibal waved them through the portal and they found themselves at Sur la Table.
"When you're preparing food," he started, "the most important thing is of course the food." Hannibal grinned. "The next most important is a good quality knife, and after that, a cutting surface. Without something to cut with and something to cut upon, preparing food is much more difficult."
He smiled at the staff, who led them to a display of knives. "There is a near-infinite variety of knives, many of which are specialized for a particular cooking task. Since we're starting with the basics, we won't discuss all of them, but ask any questions you like."
He picked up a largish knife and pointed out the various features. "All knives have several parts: the blade, the spine or back, the tip, and the heel; a tang - the metal that extends from the blade to the back and attaches to the handle; a bolster - a collar that separates the blade and handle; and a handle.
"The most important knives to own for cooking are a good chef's knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife. If you can only have a few knives, make it these. This is a chef's knife." He turned it to show them. "It has a wide blade, fairly triangular, with a center tip, which means the back and the blade both slope toward the point. That means you can rock it back and forth as you chop, and it never leaves the surface you're cutting on. You can use it for virtually anything." And he frequently did, but that wasn't covered in cooking class.
"Probably the best type to own is high-carbon stainless steel. Carbon steel on its own tends to discolor and may rust; stainless steel won't keep a good edge. This is the best of both worlds. You will also want to look for a knife that has been forged - shaped from metal - rather than blocked, which most cheap knives are. It will have much better weight and balance." He balanced the knife briefly to demonstrate. Because balance wasn't only important for throwing it.
"Other than that, you'll want to look for a length, weight, and balance that you personally find comfortable. Everybody is different, and you may have to try a few to find one. Chef's knives generally come in lengths between six and twelve inches. Make sure any knife you use fits your hand well and that you can grip it securely; what works for me likely will not work for Mabel," he nodded at her, "who has much smaller hands. Also, some styles are lighter than others, and weight is important; if a knife's too heavy, you won't be able to cut for any length of time. If it's too light, you're liable to make mistakes."
He set the knife down. "The best-made and most expensive knife is worthless if you take poor care of it. You should take care to keep your knives honed and cleaned properly; we'll go over that in the classroom. While we're here, please take a look at the selections and try to find one that works best for you."
Once they'd all had a chance to look over the knives, Hannibal discussed the pros and cons of various cutting boards. Glass was horrid and would dull your knives, plastic was...acceptable, barely, if you must. Wood or bamboo was best, but you had to keep it clean to avoid bacterial contamination. "There is also another type. If any of you are skateboarders?" He tapped a gorgeous cutting board. "These are made from recycled materials originally designed for skate parks. They are easier on knives, and they are nonporous, so no bacteria. You will, however, pay for the quality." He shrugged. Food was worth it, wasn't it?
"It's also good to have a groove around the edge, as these do on one side, to catch any juices that may flow from your cutting." Something else he wasn't going to cover too much in this class.
"When we return to the classroom, each of you who is new to the class will be making a beef salad. No cooking, but a number of different sorts of chopping, slicing, and cutting. Mademoiselle," he said to Cosette, "I would like for you to find a recipe that uses at least four different sorts of cutting, and prepare that. And I will be making a vegetable biryani, if any of you would like to see some of my cutting techniques." Some of them.
[Info for today from several sites; feel free to read them for other things Hannibal would undoubtedly cover: knives and cutting boards. Also feel free to take a look at Hannibal's preferred knives. The man does nothing by halves!]
Once the students were all there, Hannibal waved them through the portal and they found themselves at Sur la Table.
"When you're preparing food," he started, "the most important thing is of course the food." Hannibal grinned. "The next most important is a good quality knife, and after that, a cutting surface. Without something to cut with and something to cut upon, preparing food is much more difficult."
He smiled at the staff, who led them to a display of knives. "There is a near-infinite variety of knives, many of which are specialized for a particular cooking task. Since we're starting with the basics, we won't discuss all of them, but ask any questions you like."
He picked up a largish knife and pointed out the various features. "All knives have several parts: the blade, the spine or back, the tip, and the heel; a tang - the metal that extends from the blade to the back and attaches to the handle; a bolster - a collar that separates the blade and handle; and a handle.
"The most important knives to own for cooking are a good chef's knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife. If you can only have a few knives, make it these. This is a chef's knife." He turned it to show them. "It has a wide blade, fairly triangular, with a center tip, which means the back and the blade both slope toward the point. That means you can rock it back and forth as you chop, and it never leaves the surface you're cutting on. You can use it for virtually anything." And he frequently did, but that wasn't covered in cooking class.
"Probably the best type to own is high-carbon stainless steel. Carbon steel on its own tends to discolor and may rust; stainless steel won't keep a good edge. This is the best of both worlds. You will also want to look for a knife that has been forged - shaped from metal - rather than blocked, which most cheap knives are. It will have much better weight and balance." He balanced the knife briefly to demonstrate. Because balance wasn't only important for throwing it.
"Other than that, you'll want to look for a length, weight, and balance that you personally find comfortable. Everybody is different, and you may have to try a few to find one. Chef's knives generally come in lengths between six and twelve inches. Make sure any knife you use fits your hand well and that you can grip it securely; what works for me likely will not work for Mabel," he nodded at her, "who has much smaller hands. Also, some styles are lighter than others, and weight is important; if a knife's too heavy, you won't be able to cut for any length of time. If it's too light, you're liable to make mistakes."
He set the knife down. "The best-made and most expensive knife is worthless if you take poor care of it. You should take care to keep your knives honed and cleaned properly; we'll go over that in the classroom. While we're here, please take a look at the selections and try to find one that works best for you."
Once they'd all had a chance to look over the knives, Hannibal discussed the pros and cons of various cutting boards. Glass was horrid and would dull your knives, plastic was...acceptable, barely, if you must. Wood or bamboo was best, but you had to keep it clean to avoid bacterial contamination. "There is also another type. If any of you are skateboarders?" He tapped a gorgeous cutting board. "These are made from recycled materials originally designed for skate parks. They are easier on knives, and they are nonporous, so no bacteria. You will, however, pay for the quality." He shrugged. Food was worth it, wasn't it?
"It's also good to have a groove around the edge, as these do on one side, to catch any juices that may flow from your cutting." Something else he wasn't going to cover too much in this class.
"When we return to the classroom, each of you who is new to the class will be making a beef salad. No cooking, but a number of different sorts of chopping, slicing, and cutting. Mademoiselle," he said to Cosette, "I would like for you to find a recipe that uses at least four different sorts of cutting, and prepare that. And I will be making a vegetable biryani, if any of you would like to see some of my cutting techniques." Some of them.
[Info for today from several sites; feel free to read them for other things Hannibal would undoubtedly cover: knives and cutting boards. Also feel free to take a look at Hannibal's preferred knives. The man does nothing by halves!]
Listen to the lecture!
Try not to cut yourself. Blood looks awful in this light.
Re: Listen to the lecture!
Re: Listen to the lecture!
Re: Listen to the lecture!
Re: Listen to the lecture!
How was she supposed to listen to the lecture when there were knives to poke at anyway???
That's what she was doing, rather than listening. Sorry not sorry.
Re: Listen to the lecture!
Re: Listen to the lecture!
She blinked at him owlishly when he tried to get her attention.
Huh? What? Oh! He was talking! Still?
Re: Listen to the lecture!
Re: Listen to the lecture!
And yet, when he picked one up, he knew instinctively just how to hold it.
... admittedly, not necessarily in the way that was meant for food, per sé.
Re: Listen to the lecture!
Re: Listen to the lecture!
Re: Listen to the lecture!
Re: Listen to the lecture!