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Cookware Essentials Cooking Class 101 |
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The cooking class 101 section is to help anyone who is not so confident at cooking
- it will help you with the basics and raise your confidence to then start really
enjoying your cooking experience and to try lots of different recipes to impress your
friends and family.This category will give you some great basic recipes such as
pan gravy, basic white sauce, how to roast a chicken and many more......
How To Roast A Chicken
Ingredients:
1x chicken
prepared stuffing
60g butter
1 cup water
1x chicken stock cube
salt & pepper
Method:
If using stuffing,fill this loosely into chicken as it will swell during cooking.
Secure vent with a small skewer or our great "Hotcooking Bands"
(if not using stuffing,throw a lemon inside.)
Put chicken into roasting dish,rub well with softened butter (especially on the breast and legs) add salt & pepper.
Add water & crumbled stock cube to pan
Roast in mod hot oven for 30 minutes, then brush chicken well with pan juices.
Move chicken around a little in the pan so the skin does not stick during cooking.
Add an extra 1/2 cup of water to the pan if water evaporates too quickly.
Continue cooking until chicken is tender, allow approx 1 1/2 hours for a 1.5 kg chicken.
Brush with juices about every 15 minutes.
Twice,during cooking time (if not using stuffing) tilt chicken so that any water in the cavity runs out
(the water slows down cooking time)To test if cooked,
pierce with skewer at the thick second Joint(just near the leg)-juices should run clear,not pink,
the skin will start to shrink slightly from the bones.
Additional flavourings can be added toward the end of the cooking time.
For Chinese Roast Chicken
Add combined 1/2 cup dry sherry,1 tbsp soy sauce,1 tsp grated green ginger and I tbsp of honey to pan
during the last 15 mins of cooking time.Brush chicken frequently with pan drippings.
Stuffing
It is best to always cook onion and garlic lightly before adding to your stuffing mix,
this improves the flavour and is better for the digestion.
Basic Bread Stuffing:
Ingredients:
1 small onion,chopped
1 stick celery,incl leaves,chopped
90g butter
1-2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)
5 cups stale breadcrumbs
water, milk or giblet broth
Method:
Saute onion and celery in butter until soft.Combine with sage,salt & pepper,crumbs and parsley.
Add enough liquid to moisten slightly.Makes enough for two chickens or one turkey.
A Good Gravy
Ingredients:
4 tbsp plain flour
3 & 1/2 cups water
4 beef stock cubes
salt & pepper
Method:
Remove roast meat from roasting pan and keep warm. Place baking dish on top of stove over med heat.
Bring pan drippings to the boil,reduce heat and simmer till all juices have evaporated and only fat remains.
Pour off excess fat -leaving approx 6 tbsp of fat. Leave dish over med heat,add flour,stir until combined with fat.
Remove baking dish from heat add water,all at once,stirring constantly (I often use a whisk)
Continue stirring till flour and water are combined;add crumbled stock cubes.
Return baking dish to heat,stir till sauce boils and thickens.
Season with salt & pepper.Simmer uncovered for about three minutes.This will serve six.
As a tip -for a light gravy, I add a little white wine and for a dark gravy a little red wine.
I also use the vegetable water.
Basic white sauce (bechamel sauce)
This basic white sauce can have things added to it for different dishes.
Cheese,for a lasagne,parsley,for fish,onion for corned beef etc.
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/2 bay leaf
1 slice onion
5 black peppercorns
1 small piece celery
1 blade of mace (a blade of mace is just the blade of your knife dipped in to then mace)
30g butter
salt & freshly ground pepper
nutmeg
Method:
Heat milk with bay,onion,peppercorns,celery & mace in a small saucepan until bubbles form around the edge.
Remove from heat,cover and let stand 20 minutes.
Wipe out saucepan,melt butter in it.
Stir in flour,stir over low heat 1 minute.
Remove from heat and cool a little, then add strained milk,stir until smooth.
Return to medium heat and stir constantly until boiling.
Lower heat and cook gently 5 minutes. Season with salt,pepper and nutmeg.
This recipe makes a coating sauce-the right consistency for covering food in the dish in which it is to be served.
For a flowing sauce to be used separately,follow recipe but use only 1 tbsp flour.
For a cheese sauce,add 30g of parmesan or sharp cheddar cheese and a pinch of dry mustard
or add 2 tbsp of finely chopped parsley and a few drops of lemon juice for parsley sauce.
Homemade Mint Sauce
(Spearmint -if you have it) is the best mint for mint sauce,but standard mint is ok.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (rinsed and patted dry)
1 tbsp castor sugar
2 tbsp boiling water
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
pinch salt
Method:
Finely chop mint leaves with 1 tsp sugar.
Place in a sauceboat or bowl and add boiling water.This will set the colour.
Stir in remaining sugar, vinegar and salt and let mint sauce stand one hour before
serving to let flavours develop.
Basic French Omelette
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 tbsp water
pinch salt
freshly ground black pepper
15g butter
Method:
Have a plate warmed and waiting. Have eggs at room temperature.
Break eggs into a bowl,add water and beat lightly with a fork just to combine whites and yolks.
It is important not to overbeat as this makes the omelette tough.
Add salt and a grinding of pepper.
Melt 1/2 the butter in an omelette pan (heavy base)When foam has subsided,add eggs.
Leave 10-15 seconds until eggs start to set on the bottom.
Using a fork or metal spatula pull egg mixture into centre of pan and allow
runny mixture to run to the outside.
Do this until the eggs have set underneath but the top is still quite moist and soft.
If using a filling, spoon across the omelette, tilt pan and using an egg slice,flip
over 1/3 of the omelette towards the centre,then turn over again so that it is folded
into three as it rolls out onto the heated plate.
Melt remaining butter in same pan and when it is sizzling, pour over surface of
omelette to give a nice glazed finish.
Basic Pancake Batter
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 & 1/2 cups milk
15g butter,melted
oil for frying.
Method:
Sift flour,baking powder & salt into a bowl.
Make a well in the centre and add egg,milk and melted butter.
Using a wooden spoon,gradually draw in the flour. Beat well.
Cover and leave to stand one hour. Grease and heat pancake pan.
Pour batter into a jug and pour in enough batter while tilting the pan to cover the bottom.
Cook until small bubbles appear on the surface,about 1 min,then flip over using a metal spatula.
These are lovely layered with a little butter, a squeeze of lemon juice
and a sprinkle of castor sugar,just layer and repeat.
Pikelets
This wonderful recipe has been around since the 60's (or earlier) when my Mum used to make these.
I remember her using the solid element on the stove top and using greaseproof paper
and butter to grease the hotplate(can almost smell them now!!)
Ingredients:
2 eggs
3 tbsp castor sugar
1 & 1/2 cups plain flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp of soda
1/2 teacup of milk (I use more as the mixture is quite thick)
salt
1 tbsp melted butter
Method:
Sift flour and cream of tartar.
Beat eggs and sugar well,then work in flour,adding milk in which baking soda has been dissolved.
Lastly, add melted butter. Mix til smooth.
TIP: pour mixture off the end of your spoon to get nice round pikelets.
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