Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 31, 2013 12:26:32 GMT -5
I've been trying to learn how to cook, specifically how to cook meat. I can follow directions on a package as well as anyone but meat doesn't come with directions on how to cook it. And I'm worried I'll not cook it enough and get sick. And many meat types taste bland without some type of flavoring or seasoning. But you can't put BBQ sauce on everything since that's not healthy.
Anyway, I've been trying to learn meat cooking from my mom, but it's still confusing. I'm pretty literal minded so I tend to treat cooking like an exact science where there's a formula that needs to be followed.
It's a lot to keep track of. Chicken breasts you can marinade and you cook on 350 for 30 minutes, but you can't put BBQ sauce on it until a few minutes before or it will burn. If you marinade you can't use the marinade again or you'll get sick, you have to put it in a new cooking pan. You broil steak and pork chops but have to flip them over. But again, some seasonings will burn because they have sugar.
These are the things I'm trying to remember, but it's tough. How do y'all like to cook your meat? How do you flavor it? How do you remember all this stuff?
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 31, 2013 12:29:54 GMT -5
I guess I should add the qualifier that I don't have a grill (I live in an apartment), and grilling is a whole other bag of worms. Though I did borrow my sister's George Foreman Grill. Do any of you have any experience with that?
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on May 31, 2013 12:39:27 GMT -5
I have some indoor grill experience, and like it. Just make sure you do it near an open window, or something like an exhaust fan to draw out the smoke. Stick to the smaller, thinner cuts of meat (unless you like rare protein) and you'll be fine.
Get a meat thermometer. It's important for testing the doneness of chicken, pork and turkey - not items you want to serve undercooked.
Be careful with adding marinades when you cook using high heat, like a grill. The sugars in marinades will go from caramelized to burned fast. Leave the sweet marinades for the end, or close to the end, of the process. Use dry spice rubs to season early, and brush on the wet marinades later.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on May 31, 2013 12:40:14 GMT -5
Montreal meat seasonings are good.
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on May 31, 2013 12:40:29 GMT -5
I had an electric grill (non George Foreman) that worked well for burgers and hot dogs, until the day it sparked when I plugged it in. Mostly, cooking meat just takes practice. A meat thermometer is very helpful, since chicken and pork need to be cooked to a certain temperature (170 degrees) to be safe. A thermometer is also helpful for cooking a roast beef in the oven, because it tells you how done the meat is (140 for rare, and so on). You can buy one you poke in the meat and then remove once you read the temp, or one where you can leave it in the meat while it cooks with a temperature alert. Simple ones are available in your grocery store. I have an old Betty Crocker cookbook which gives the basic temperatures and general cooking instructions. There are plenty of places on the web that have the same info, and basic to elaborate recipes. Start simple; work your way up. Have fun!
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Queen of Interesting Nuts
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Post by Queen of Interesting Nuts on May 31, 2013 12:43:11 GMT -5
I would love to know how to make a roast, still can't make a decent one at 40.
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justme
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Post by justme on May 31, 2013 12:46:25 GMT -5
Blargh! It ate my post!!!! The short version is go watch Good Eats by Alton Brown. He has a science background and approaches cooking that way. He explains all the whys behind cooking and a lot of basics as well. There's actually episodes on what you're asking about - cross contamination, broiling, seasoning - in fact he did 10 seasons so there's episodes on practically everything you want. I think I've seen the episodes on youtube. (ETA yup, has its own channel www.youtube.com/user/GoodEatsComplete?feature=watch) ETA: Couldn't help myself. Here's a clip on cross contamination
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NancysSummerSip
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Post by NancysSummerSip on May 31, 2013 12:47:15 GMT -5
When the cooking process is done, let the meat rest before serving it. By resting, I mean put it on a carving board, cover it with foil and just let it sit there for five to 10 minutes. Yeah, I know. It's done on TV all the time, but it seems kinda hokey. Nope, there is a reason for it. The juices redistribute and the meat really does taste better.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 31, 2013 12:48:13 GMT -5
Spend $5 and get a meat thermometer or spend $25 and get a fancy pants one, which you can put in while it cooks and will beep when it gets to the right temperature. Get one of those charts for what temp is recommended. chicolockersausage.com/2012/01/27/fun-meat-fact-friday-internal-temperatures-and-meat-me-updates/Having the meat thermometer takes a LOT of the anxiety out of cooking meat. For chicken - I marinate it all day, and then cook it, but I use thighs with skin. The marinade permeates the meat and gives it a little flavor, and it does burn a little, but then you can throw out the skin, and have good, moist meat. For steak and pork chops, I use a regular fry pan and sear it on both sides, and then put it in an oven until it reaches the proper temperature. That is how most restaurants do it, so I think it is the proper way to cook it. My husband insists on doing the steaks on the grill - he thinks that is proper.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on May 31, 2013 12:56:57 GMT -5
but look for the low sodium ones, the regulars are pretty salty. I also use a lot of McCormick's Cajun blend of seasoning, it goes well on chicken and fish. I my grill pan. since I got it, I haven't taken my George Foreman grill out of the pantry closet. I like pork tenderloin cooked on the grill pan. I will sear the outside of the portions, then add a little bit of water to the pan before lowering the heat a little and covering the meat with a pot lid to keep the steam in, to finish cooking. I will broil turkey breast tenderloins as well, either with a marinade or dry rub. I have an electric oven, so my broiler is up at the top. I move the top rack all the way up, and put the baking dish right under the broiler. if I'm using a marinade, I will cover the baking dish for the first 20 minutes of cooking to prevent the marinade from burning. flip the meat over halfway through cooking, and broil uncovered for the last 5 minutes or so to crisp the outside. yum.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 31, 2013 13:05:18 GMT -5
Are you working from recipes or trying to wing it? If you're literal minded you might want to look up some recipes online or check out a beginner's cookbook. Recipes are formulas you follow to get results. Just copy what it says to do.
With practice you can start adjusting things to your taste and create your own recipes.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on May 31, 2013 13:05:45 GMT -5
Google Cooking for Enengineers if this link doesn't work - www.cookingforengineers.com/ If you are worried about not cooking meat enough scout around the internet- it's not so much that the food is under cooked - but rather that it was allowed to cool and than sat for a prolonged period of time. 165 degrees F will purify water. A 'slow cooker' usually holds a temp of 225 degrees F. the food in the slow cooker never reaches an internal temperature of 225 - it would be a chuck of charcoal (or dried out leather) if it achieved that temp... Get a good meat thermometer if it really bothers you... Here's some things I found helpful: I got dramatically better at 'cooking' once I realized it was all science. Another thing that helped improve my skills was being willing to "fail" - in otherwords, it was ok to not produce a perfect meal. I also had a 'deal' with myself that I would eat whatever I cooked but if I gave it the old college try and it was horrible I could order pizza. I've made many so-so meals, a handful of meals where I managed to eat two of the four servings (I'm single - since most recipes make 4 servings - I get 4 meals out of it), and only one where I had to order pizza The real 'skill' or 'know how' for being able to cook OK is simply getting enough experience doing it.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on May 31, 2013 13:17:30 GMT -5
I'm a flexitarian and don't cook meat all that often... but when I do it's usually something simple like: I follow the recipes for the temperature to cook at AND the cook time for these: Beer Can Chicken (on the grill) (I usually make a seasoning rub for this - or use whatever premixed spices I have on hand: Lemon Pepper mix? Cajum Mix? Mrs. Dash salt free mix? Whatever) Roasted Chicken in the oven (I usually just salt/pepper the cavity and put in stuffing) Roasted Pork tenderloin in the oven (salted, peppered, and arranged with some potato wedges) Homemade Meatloaf (an recipe as long as it doesn't include tomatos, peppers, or celery ) Homemade Hamburgers (I make them and freeze them raw. It's easy to pull one or two out and while still frozen put in a pan and cook them.) It's not hard to figure out if a hamburger is done or not... I just eyeball it when I squish it alittle with a spatular if the 'juices' aren't red it's ready for cheese! I recently tried making 'pepper steak' and then fajitas with flank stank - I used a fajita seasoning mix that came in a little packet. I used an online recipe for the pepper steak. Both came out good. I've found that the cook times on recipes are fairly accurate. There are also 'tables' in the back of older cookbooks (think the 70's and older) for how long to cook various types of meat (based on weight and cooking temperature) that seem to be accurate. You can also find the info with a quick online google search. So the 'rule' for whole chicken (or bone in parts) is usually 20 minutes per pound at 350 degrees fareinhiet. Don't assume your oven is accurately set - you can buy an inexpensive "Oven Thermometer" and check the temperature. My oven thermometer came from Target and cost less than $5.00. I've got a 65 year old stove - so I do check to make sure that it's heating to the temp I expect. Also a good meat thermometer can be very helpful. Search online - there's dozens of them...
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 31, 2013 13:18:37 GMT -5
McCormicks makes recipe spice packets. It'll have a recipe on the back and it'll come with little pre-measured out sets of spices. You just follow the recipe and the premeasured spices. I've done the Tikka Masala one and it wasn't too bad.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on May 31, 2013 13:28:41 GMT -5
McCormicks makes recipe spice packets. It'll have a recipe on the back and it'll come with little pre-measured out sets of spices. You just follow the recipe and the premeasured spices. I've done the Tikka Masala one and it wasn't too bad. there's taco seasonings (and instructions/recipe on the back), fajitas seasonings, chili seasonings, etc. Easy Peasy! I"ve found the Aldi taco seasonings are OK as are the local ethnic markets "not brand name" seasoning packets. And they are about 2/3rds the price of McCormicks - so less than a $1 each. I'm NOT complaining about the cost of McCormicks (or the other brand that got Green packaging). Just trying to point out that theres a HUGE variety of 'seasonings in a little packet with a recipe/how to use it instructions on the back' available.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 31, 2013 13:29:11 GMT -5
I have a grill pan that I like to use and can cook steak, pork chops, burgers and chicken on it. I just cook each side for 5-7 minutes until it's done. with pork and chcken, you can pierce it with the tip of the knife and if the juice runs clear it's done... if it's still slightly pink, it's not done yet. My go too seasoning for steak is rub the steak with olive oil and then sprinkle Tony Chachere's seasoning on it. That will work on pork chops and chicken as well. I also like to broil chicken if I'm going to cut it up for salads. I'm super paranoid about undercooked chicken so I probably tend to overcook mine a bit. But I'll broil it for 10 min, turn it over, broil for 10, turn it over, broil another 10 and then turn it and broil another 5-7 minutes. When I do that I like to mix a little dried basil in the White Wine Worcestershire sauce and baste it each time I turn the chcken over. What is a grill pan? Is that like a special pan that you put in the oven?
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justme
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Post by justme on May 31, 2013 13:30:33 GMT -5
You put a grill pan on the stove. I've seen it used on gas stoves, I suppose it could work on electric ones?
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 31, 2013 13:33:08 GMT -5
I would love to know how to make a roast, still can't make a decent one at 40. Roasts are another can of worms too because my understanding is you typically use a crock pot. And crock pot cooking is still different than cooking in an oven or grill. But my understanding is you can put a roast in the crock pot with some seasoning and just set it on low and it will cook. Another problem is being single it's hard to eat all the meat in one sitting. I guess I can refrigerate or freeze cooked meat? How long does that keep?
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on May 31, 2013 13:36:42 GMT -5
Phoenix, a grill pan looks like this. it also works fine on electric stoves as well as gas.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on May 31, 2013 13:36:49 GMT -5
There used to be a show on Food Network called "How to Boil Water" that might be a good start. Maybe other shows that show you how to cook easy meals - Rachel Rays 30 minute meals maybe. I love Alton Brown, but sometimes he can be a bit nerdy and really into gadgets, but his recipes are usually good and he shows you how to do everything. I'm sure there are some basic cookbooks out there also.
Just start simple and try things. The more you do it, the more you learn and the better you get.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 31, 2013 13:38:13 GMT -5
Hmmmm, it does seem having a meat thermometer would make things easier, and help you know if you're cooking the meat enough.
I didn't know they made such things.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 31, 2013 13:38:33 GMT -5
Take it on step at a time Phoneix! You don't need to master all forms of cooking overnight. It's a learned skill that you get better at with practice.
You certainly do not need a crock pot if you don't want one.
I urge you to check out some cookbooks and read a lot of recipes. Just follow the directions accordingly and boom you'll have dinner. Over time you can decide if you want to expand your skills and/or buy more kitchen gadgets.
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justme
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Post by justme on May 31, 2013 13:38:45 GMT -5
Depends on what you store the meat in. I have a Foodsaver, so that can easily store food 6mths - 1 year. If it's just a ziplock back I'd say under 6mths for sure, depends on how quickly it gets frostbitten. I personally prefer to freeze my meat raw if it's not already cooked in a dish, it's too easy to overcook frozen meat if it's already been cooked.
You don't have to make all roasts in a crock pot. For Christmas we make a prime rib roast and we've cooked it in the over and the grill. Crock pot is for meats you don't mind being cooked all the way through, it's a low and slow cooking method. My parents make pulled pork in their's and said it freezes really well.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on May 31, 2013 13:40:06 GMT -5
That's all good advice, I'm not looking to do anything too elaborate, at least not now. I'm just looking for dinners that I can prepare with meat in them in 30 minutes or less after a day at work.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2013 13:40:05 GMT -5
Buy a meat thermometer as others have suggested. Mine cost $14.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond. With a $5/$15 coupon (yes, they let me use it), it cost $9.99. The probe cover has suggested temps on it so you don't have to keep up with a chart. It is also programmable for specific meat.
I have a George Foreman since DH doesn't like to grill. It's easy to use, but you probably do need the instruction book. I bet you could find it for free online.
I have a Betty Crocker basic cookbook. I also have the Fannie Farmer one. They are good at teaching you how to do basics.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 31, 2013 13:42:17 GMT -5
You might like A Man, A Can and a Plan to start with. It's a pretty basic coobook and geared towards dudes.
There are millions of cookbooks/recipes designed for 30 minutes or less, X amount of ingredients or less etc. Tons of recipes online too.
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Queen of Interesting Nuts
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Post by Queen of Interesting Nuts on May 31, 2013 13:42:29 GMT -5
Sorry to interrupt your thread Pho. I hope you find lots of yummy things to eat and enjoy yourself. My family always had roast on Sunday and I just can't seem to get it.
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justme
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Post by justme on May 31, 2013 13:42:52 GMT -5
Phoenix, a grill pan looks like this. it also works fine on electric stoves as well as gas. I was thinking of the ones that stretch over two burners But I just found a picture with it on an electric stove so I guess this version works well too!
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2013 13:46:32 GMT -5
This is a great cookbook if you are using grass fed meat. It's got a nice overview of cuts and how to prepare. www.amazon.com/dp/1584798637/ref=rdr_ext_tmbThe bacon/maple popcorn takes awhile to make but it's worth every minute.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on May 31, 2013 13:49:17 GMT -5
Also, Phoenix, remember that cooking is a skill. You won't get it right the first time. It takes time to get really good at things, and cooking is a skill that takes time and practice, so don't get discouraged if you cook twice and it isn't awesome. Also remember that no matter if you do it poorly and the meat tastes mediocre, or if you do it perfectly and it is the best ever, it is all shit tomorrow - literally.
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