Monday, August 13, 2007
tips for cooking pasta
To cook pasta properly, you need a really big saucepan full of boiling water. The pasta absorbs a lot of water when it cooks, so it needs a lot of it. Also, the more space the pasta has to move around in, the quicker it cooks and the less likely it is to stick together.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. When it's at a rolling boil, add a good teaspoon of salt — you need to add a lot of salt as this is what will help flavour the pasta.
You don't need to add any oil to the pasta water — it doesn't really make much difference to the pasta sticking together or not.
As soon as the pasta is in the water, stir it well to make sure it separates and doesn't stick together — this is the main tip for preventing it from sticking, and you should stir it a few times in the first few minutes of cooking.
Cook the pasta for the number of minutes stated on the packet — set a timer.
Check it a couple of minutes before you think it should be ready as sometimes ambient humidity plays a role in the pasta cooking more or less slowly.
If you're serving the pasta immediately, tip it into a colander set in the sink and as soon as all the pasta is in the colander, carefully pick the colander up and set it on top of the saucepan. This will catch some of the cooking water which you can use to thin the sauce if necessary later on. Transfer this water to a jug or large bowl.
Return the pasta to the pan it cooked in and add ladlefuls of sauce until it's coated as you like. If your sauce is a little thick at this stage, this is where you can add some of the cooking water to achieve the desired coating consistency. Tip pasta into a large serving bowl and top with remaining sauce.
If you're cooking the pasta to be served later, rinse under cold running water until cold. Add a little olive oil and toss pasta to coat it in the oil. When you reheat the pasta, plunge it into a large saucepan of boiling water and cook it until heated through — about 2 minutes before continuing as above.
Pancake , Yummy
To make pancakes: Put a small amount of oil, cooking fat or butter into a pan. Heat until a faint blue haze is seen. It is a good idea to put the pancake mixture in a jug as this will make pouring easier. Pour enough mixture into the hot pan to make a thin layer. Cook quickly on one side until golden brown – lifting the edge with a small knife will help you see if it is ready. Toss or turn and cook on the second side.
To toss a pancake: When the pancake is cooked on the underside it can be tossed; however thin pancakes are often better turned. Hold the pan loosely in your hand, keeping your wrist very flexible and flick sharply upwards. With practice it will twist in the air and come down in the pan with the cooked side uppermost.
To turn a pancake: Once the pancake is cooked on the underside put a small knife under it and get the knife right to the centre of the pan. Lift carefully and flick over to turn.
Cooking terms
frankly, I am a beginner in cooking area, so when I read a recipe in english, it has a terms that I found very confusing, so here some terms that I've found with the definition. so you don't have to through the same confusion as I do.
Al denteIn Italian the phrase means "to the tooth"and is a term used to describe the correct degree of doneness when cooking pasta and vegetables. The food should have a slight resistance when biting into it, but should not be soft or overdone or have a hard center.
Baste:
This is when you baste meat with a sauce or marinade as it cooks. Roast lamb or chicken will benefit from being basted with the juices in the pan during cooking, in order to keep the meat moist.
Dice:
I guess this has something todo with cubus, and I am right. This is when you chop ingredients into neat cubes.
Marinate:
A sauce (marinade) is made and meat or fish are left to soak up the juices before cooking. Depending on the recipe, the food might be left to marinate for anything from a few minutes to overnight. It's always kept in the fridge.
Fondue:
From the French word for "melt", the term could refer to food cooked in a communal pot at the table or to finely chopped veggies that have been slowly cooked to a pulp and used as a garnish.
Worcestershire:
sauce Developed in India by the British, this dark, spicy sauce got its name from the city where it was first bottled...Worcester, England. Used to season meats, gravies, and soups, the recipe includes soy sauce, onions, molasses, lime, anchovies, vinegar, garlic, tamarind, as well as other spices.
source:
http://reluctantfourmet.com
Friday, August 10, 2007
Recipe for Hati Ampela Bumbu Kecap
Ok, I have another recipe, for your saturday cooking experiment :), now it guarantee the recipe is good since it have tauco in it.
BAHAN :
- 5 pasang ati ampela
- 1 lembar daun salam
- 1 batang serai, dimemarkan
- 2 sendok makan taoco
- 2 sendok makan kecap manis
- 1 sendok makan air jeruk limo
- 200 ml air atau kaldu
- 1/4 sendok teh garam
- 2 sendok makan minyak goreng
BUMBU HALUS:
- 5 butir bawang merah
- 2 siung bawang putih
- 2 buah cabai merah
- 1/4 sendok teh garam
CARA MEMBUAT:
- Tumis bumbu halus, salam, serai sampai harum. Masukkan taoco. Masak sampai taoco matang.
- Tambahkan ati, ampela, dan aduk sampai berubah warna.
- Bubuhi kecap manis dan air jeruk limo. Aduk sampai ati ampela terbalut bumbu.Tuangkan kaldu dan garam. Masak sampai bumbu meresap dan matang.
Untuk 6 porsi.
