First Timers Cookbook

“Cooking Steak”

Looking for tips on cooking steak huh?

 I don’t blame you, I mean what’s not to love about the sizzle of the grill, the smell of smoky charcoal and wood, the occasional flame-up of fat dropping down into the hot embers, the taste of that moist tender meat melting in your mouth. . . Makes me hungry just thinking about it!

Cooking steak is one of the most basic of ways of cooking food. It takes us back to our days of being a hunter-gather society and of cooking anything and everything over open flames. Nowadays we don’t have to stalk, chase, kill, clean and portion out our steaks, but we do still have to “hunt” out the best product in some ways.

Here are some tips to help you in picking and cooking steak.

<!-1 - What grade of meat you choose will have a huge impact on your final cooking steak product. The basic grading order from top to bottom goes,

· Prime (what high end steak houses like Ruth’s Chris carry, very expensive)

· Choice (what most restaurants, hotels and foodservice serve, moderately priced)

· Select (what most grocery stores carry, cheaper and lower quality)

Look for “Choice” grade meat or higher. Most grocery stores will generally carry mostly “select” grade meat, so you may have to go somewhere like a specialty market, a butcher or Costco to get a choice cut of meat (prime is now available at Costco but has in the past usually only available to professional establishments because it is so expensive).

<!-2 - Begin with the end in mind when cooking steak. Know what temperature or doneness you would like your steak cooked to, this will help you when cooking steak appropriately and not over or under do it. (for more detail, check out Cooking Steak Temperatures )

· Rare 120 degrees to 130 degrees

· Medium Rare 130 degrees to 140 degrees

· Medium 140 degrees to 145 degrees

· Medium Well 145 degrees to 155 degrees

· Well done Over 155 degrees

<!-3 – Use an oven to take control into your hands, not your grills. Cooking steak is tricky because your grill tends to have hot spots in it, which means that some steaks may get more done than others. Also, you may have perfect grill marks and color on the outside, yet the inside could still be underdone.

Ever wonder how restaurants and hotels have cooking steak down?  Or how they can get 150 or 250 or even 500 or 1000 steak dinners done and out to the guests at the same time? The secret is that they will use the grill to put those distinctive marks on the steaks, but then they will put the cooking steak on pans and then finish cooking steak in the oven so that they all get done at the same time and to the same desired temperature or doneness.

So there you have it, there is a simple first timer’s guide to cooking steak. Try this out and see, but be careful, because after your friends, family and guests try your cooking, they will probably ask you to be the chef every time.

Want to learn more about cooking steak?  Check out our online Cooking program here!

Get The First Timer’s Cookbook, DVD or both right here!

Common food mishaps on Thanksgiving, namely, deep fried Turkey.

There are a few ways to serve Thanksgiving Dinner. Here’s a few.

Cut a small slit in the tomato (or any round fruit) by poking the tip of the knife in on a slant until it is about half way in.  Then do it again, only go in on an opposite slant so that it makes a triangle. 

Then repeat this until you have gone all the way around the tomato or round fruit.  Then pull the two halfs apart and look at the nice garnish you have just made.

Here are a few tips on what to look for when cooking a Turkey!

The 5 most common questions that I have heard over the years.

Question #1 – How long does it take to thaw my Turkey?

The best way to thaw your turkey is in the refridgerator, so that it stays in a climate controlled enviornment.  You can figure 1 day (24 hours) for every 4 to 5 pounds.  So if your Turkey wieghs 12 pounds, figure at least 2 to 3 days.

Question #2 – How long does it take to cook my Turkey?

The easy answer is 15 minutes per pound.  So if you have a 12 pound Turkey . . .

12 pounds x 15 minutes = 180 minutes

180 minutes / 60 min = 3 hours

Of course it may take a little longer, or not quite as long (refer to question 4 to see how to tell when its done).

Question #3 – How do I season my Turkey?

Salt and pepper are flavor enhancers, so you can’t go wrong with that.  But if you want to add a little more, sage, thyme, rosemary or a poultry seasonings are good too.  Just make sure you get the seasoning all over the outside and inside the cavity of the bird as well. 

Question #4 - How do I cook my Turkey?

Generally cooking instructions will be on the package the turkey came in, but I will preheat the oven to 425 degrees and put the turkey in for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, or until the skin is brown and crisp.  Then, I turn the temperature down to 300 degrees and let it cook for the desired time (I don’t count the initial 20 to 30 minutes as part of the needed cooking time).

Question #5 – How do I tell when my Turkey is done?

There are a few things to look for that show when the Turkey is done:

1. The internal temperature is at least 165 degrees.  Most of the time when cooking a whole bird, the temperature needs to reach closer to 180 degrees to ensure that its done, based on the other things too look for.
2. The juices are running clear. Don’t want any of that red or pink stuff running out, just nice and clear.
3. The joints are loose. When the poultry is done enough, the  cartilidge that makes up the most part of the joints will melt and turn into gelatin (that’s why turkey juice when it cools down looks like jello) and therefore the joints become very loose.

Everybody loves the traditional Potatoes and Gravy,

but Gravy has so many more uses that generally get overlooked . . .

What about the traditional Gravy drink that you have as an after dinner cocktail?

Of course there is always the Gravy fountain that is everyone’s favorite at weddings and receptions.

And there is nothing like coming home to a nice warm Gravy bath . . .  I admit, its definitely a guilty pleasure of mine.

Oh what would Thanksgiving be without mashed potatoes!

Being originally from Idaho I can appreciate a good potato, especially a good mashed potato!

One thing that I have learned is that on Thanksgiving you have to go all out, which means that for the best mashed potatoes you use heavy cream  and butter.  Not half and half or 2% milk, nothing less than:

Full fat = Full flavor = Full Thanksgiving experience

Here is my “Full” mashed potato recipe.  I did give you the option of just using milk, so you can “cheat” on the full-fat-experience if you need to. 

Be careful, because once you go full fat, you may never look back . . .

Mashed Potatoes

One of the keys to a great pumpkin pie is a killer flaky crust. 

Most recipes out there will call for water to be added to basically flour and butter or shortening (and of course a pinch of salt for some flavor).

Next time try this . . .

Instead of water, use Vodka (or any other 80 proof alcohol: Gin, Rum, etc.)

Alcohol evaporates faster than water which leaves your crust much flakier than if you use just plain water.

Don’t believe me? Guess you’ll just have to try it and see.  This recipe is courtesy of one of my favorite cooking shows/magazine/experts, America’s Test Kitchen.

http://www.americastestkitchen.com

Makes one 9-inch pie

If candied yams are unavailable, regular canned yams can be substituted. The best way to judge doneness is with an instant-read thermometer. The center 2 inches of the pie should look firm but jiggle slightly. The pie finishes cooking with residual heat; to ensure that the filling sets, cool it at room temperature and not in the refrigerator. To ensure accurate cooking times and a crisp crust, the filling should be added to the prebaked crust when both the crust and filling are warm. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream. Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor; do not substitute.

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter , cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening , cold, cut into two pieces
• 2 tablespoons vodka , cold (see note)
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Filling

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup drained candied yams from 15-ounce can (see note)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon table salt

Instructions

• 1. For the Crust: Process 3/4 cup flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
• 2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
• 3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• 4. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Using thumb and forefinger, flute edge of dough. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• 5. Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake on rimmed baking sheet 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake 5 to 10 additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove pie plate and baking sheet from oven.
• 6. For the Filling: While pie shell is baking, whisk cream, milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla together in medium bowl. Combine pumpkin puree, yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to sputtering simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes. Continue to simmer pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly and mashing yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes.
• 7. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream mixture until fully incorporated. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl, using back of ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer. Rewhisk mixture and transfer to warm prebaked pie shell. Return pie plate with baking sheet to oven and bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking until edges of pie are set (instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175 degrees), 20 to 35 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

Stuffing

A classic Thanksgiving side that doesn’t always have to be made with bread . . .

Here’s one with Rice.

Or it can be made with Cornbread too.

Cranberry Sauce

Not my favorite thing, in fact I think I can count on one hand how many times I have actually eaten it, but it is a Thanskgiving staple.

Now, here is how most people make it . . .

Here is one of my favorite recipes for it.

http://www.chow.com/recipes/27943-cranberry-sauce-with-orange-tangerine-and-pineapple-juice

Farming Cranberries

Ever wonder where Cranberries come from?

Traditional Harvesting

Dry Harvesting