Looking at different recipes can be very confusing and many people are discouraged because they believe they are not good at cooking. I’m here to tell you that you can do it! If you have ever made a salad before then you can make all of the meals in the cooking basics series.
I’ve broken down cooking into two basics steps, once you follow the pattern you can breakdown other recipes into these two steps as well. Like most things to be successful you need plenty of practice and good preparation helps too. So keep these things in mind and tell me about your successes!
Video Transcript
Hello and welcome to good for you living. This video is a detailed explanation of the 2 step method to cooking that compliments the cooking basics series.
Yes, what I’ve done is broken all recipes down into 2 principles that anyone can follow. The aim being to eliminate complexity in the kitchen, build your confidence in the kitchen and through that you have control of your cooking and consumption and you start creating your own signature dishes.
Well that’s probably happening right now anyway but you don’t know it. Whether it’s the special way you make tomato and cheese toasties, or your special spaghetti bolognese, or even how you cook your steak, it’s all unique to you and to your liking. The best part of home cooking is that it’s actually healthier and fresher then any other.
So here are the two principles that you need to keep in mind when cooking.
First it’s about oil and water. You separate your ingredients that you cook in oil and those that you cook in water or have a high water content.
What’s so special about oil and water. Well many things. Oil and water are amazing. They are two liquids that are found in almost all organic and inorganic systems. They are in animals, plants, eco-systems, cars, machinery and components.
One of the most special properties is that they are liquids that don’t mix, they always find a way to separate. They are used for lubrication, cooling and as a carrier. In terms of body function one of the most important things is that oils or fats carries fat soluable nutrients around the body and water carries water soluable nutrients around the body, that’s very simplified, what I’m saying is that they both play a vital role in your body and you need to have them in your system. Good fats and good water.
In cooking the properties we concentrate on are that oil you can heat over 100 degrees centigrade or 212 fahrenheit, which we can use for frying, and water’s boiling point is that 100 or 212 degrees. So think of an egg, the difference between a fried egg and a boiled or poached egg. Ingredients act differently when cooked at different temperatures. and we need to separate them to cook them they way we want or is required.
So that is one factor to think about. The other factor is if ingredients have a high water content then they are considered water ingredients. For example tomatoes, cabbage and other leafy greens expel a lot of water when they are cooked and that makes your dish “wet” or not dry. From there you will not be able to take your cooking past that 100 or 212 degrees. So these ingredients will have to go towards the end of your cooking.
Which brings us to an art in cooking. Temperature control and timing. Bascially we start off high with frying our oil ingredients and work our way down, and once we start adding our water ingredients we won’t be able to get back past that boiling point. An example of frying ingredients would be garlic, onion, ginger, meats etc. think of the difference between fried onions and boiled onions, fried meat and boiled meat, now you are listening to your tongue. It does take a little practice but the good news is that you can practice 3 times a day – breakfast, lunch and dinner.
So the first principle is about oil and water. The second principle is everything is a salad. What does this mean? Well it means that if you have ever made a salad before then that’s how easy making great meals are, super simple.
So how do you make a salad? Get your ingredients, chop them up, put them in a bowl, toss and mix them around, add your dressing, toss and mix some more, and there you have it. You don’t want to over complicate things before you even start, you can do it! All these recipes can follow the same pattern. Keep things simple and remember everything is a salad.
Like most things good preparation is going to lead to success. Some will say that I’ve oversimplified things, but that’s just to get you started and get you in the right mind set. And the more you do it, it will seem simple.