Book by Ina Garten Cook like a pro is all about helping home cooks (like me!) gain confidence in the kitchen — because who no Want to feel like a professional chef while preparing dinner? And so recently, when I found myself in a complete cooking rut, I knew just the woman who could help me out of it. I decided to cook exclusively from Cook like a pro all week (with the exception of some light breakfasts and lunches, where I didn’t use the recipe at all), hoping to pick up some invaluable kitchen tips and wisdom and reignite my passion for cooking.
Although I wouldn’t say I’m done for the week quite a bit on the level of the queen of cooking herself (and I certainly won’t be getting my own TV show anytime soon), cooking like Ina has taught me a lot of great tips, and has already made my food so much better (my parents, who are my harshest critics, can attest). Here are five most useful things i have learned.
1. A squeeze of acid instantly refreshes fried food.
I’m a pescatarian, so I couldn’t try Ina’s favorite 30-minute dinner, Chicken Parmesan. Luckily, Barefoot Contessa offers a meat-free alternative: Milanese flounder. I don’t usually grill fish (it’s terrible!), but Ina was there for me every step of the way, and it was worth it — the fried crumb coating gave the silky, luxurious flounder a deliciously crunchy edge. To lighten the heavy, salty flavor, Ina suggests pairing it with peppery arugula and a bright lemon vinaigrette. She explains that all of these ingredients complement each other in a way that allows them to shine – and after I finished eating, I totally understood what she meant.
2. It pays to invest in several different types of salt.
Ina devoted an entire page of her book to salt, which she adds to almost everything – even her desserts! Ina uses exclusively kosher Diamond Crystal salt for cooking, because she knows exactly how it will affect the dish. She explains that Morton’s kosher salt and any fine table salt or sea salt are denser than Diamond Crystal and therefore have a saltier taste. If you’re not sure how much salt a dish needs, put a few bites of what you’ve made into a bowl and add salt until you hit that sweet spot. I was surprised at how effective it was at bringing out all the other flavors.
Ina also recommends having some finishing salt on hand, which adds an interesting texture and a different saltiness. For Milanese flounder, she recommends a touch spray flower of salt in the end. It is a slightly moist salt with a salty taste and does not dissolve as quickly as other salts, so the flavor stands out more. On zucchini sticks with Parmesan, he uses sea salt flakes like Maldon. I loved that it gave the soft zucchini a crunchy edge and an extra burst of flavor to the already flavorful side.
3. Cutting soft cheese with unflavored dental floss makes perfect slices every time.
Setting out to make Ina’s Baked Eggplant Parmesan, I was determined to get the layers perfectly even so everyone got an equally cheesy bite. At first I tried to use my chef’s knife, but it crushed and crushed the ball of fresh mozzarella. Then I tried Ina’s method and held a long piece of thread over the tender cheese and pushed it in one steady stroke. Smooth and simple.
If you don’t have it on hand, don’t worry—this smoky, crunchy, creamy eggplant dish will easily become a family favorite, even if things get a little messy. But if you do buy them, you’ll have no shortage of ways to use it. Unflavored dental floss can also be used for cutting cake layers, tying rolls and poultry.
4. Cut the corn kernels on a damp towel so they don’t bounce all over the kitchen.
Ina’s Chipotle Parmesan Sweet Corn recipe calls for eight to 12 husked ears. While you may be tempted to skip the shelling step and use frozen corn instead, trust me, starting with fresh is worth the effort. Besides, it’s not really that hard if you follow Ina’s instructions.
After peeling the husk off the cob, run a vegetable brush over the kernels to easily collect all the silk. Then cut off the end so that you can stand the piston firmly and cut without it swinging. Place a wet towel on the counter so the grains have a place to stick. A few did manage to escape, but the towel held much more than I expected! Finally, pick up a towel and pour the kernels into a bowl. It’s so easy, it’s almost meditative. The result was the freshest, tastiest corn I’ve ever had. Of course, the lime juice, parmesan and chili powder I mixed into the pan definitely helped.
5. Add coffee to chocolate recipes to give them an edge.
I mentioned earlier that salt makes all the flavors in a dish pop — and Ina says that coffee does the same thing for chocolate. As always, she is right. Chocolate cake isn’t usually my first choice, but these gorgeous triple chocolate cakes are probably my new favorite dessert.
I was amazed that just a teaspoon of instant coffee could have such an intense effect. It deepened the chocolate flavor and gave it the element of ~drama~ you’d expect from a recipe that calls for it three different types of chocolate (bittersweet, cocoa powder and semi-sweet chocolate chips). Honestly, it took all my self-control not to give up on the baking and eat the dough instead. I’m glad I didn’t because the finished product was light and moist — definitely my best work as a baker.
This post was originally published on The Kitchen. See it there: I’ve been cooking Ina Garten’s recipes all week. Here are 5 things I discovered.