Intuitivekitchenbylizzy

How to pick a knife! TO really pick a knife, you have to hold it. So go to a store in person, and pick one up. The first knife type you should buy is called a chef’s knife, or utility knife. It usually looks like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KLMJJPS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The chef’s knife is designed to be used in many ways, and if you keep yours clean and sharp, you may not need another one at all. I picked this one, because I have a fairly small hand, and I like the somewhat shorter blade because of that. If you can afford it, buy a carbon steel knife like this one. You will notice some things about a knife if you pick one up. Knives have a vocabulary around them that get a bit technical, but all it really is , is a way to name the important parts so you know what you are looking at. For a really helpful guide to the terminology, go  to this excellent site here: https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Identify-the-Parts-of-Your-Kni...

Despite my long experiences in all kinds of professional kitchen, I am not a knife expert. I see those cooking shows on tv, with the cooks whipping through cutting veggies, and sigh, I will never be that efficient! But, there ARE some things I know about knives, that I feel I should pass on. Not at all original to me, these are well known by cooks and chefs. RULE ONE: By the best knife you can afford. In my opinion, one good knife is better than a whole set of lousy ones.  Tune in tomorrow for how to buy one. RULE TWO: A Sharp knife is SAFER than a dull one. This is the most counter intuitive think to a beginning cook. People instinctively associate sharpness with getting cut by other things . like sharp edges to glass, sharp corners on furniture, and so on. The difference is, of course, that a knife is designed to cut. A dull knife will cause you to press down in order to cut. This means you cannot count on your knife cutting with the same effort every time. You will never ...

My blessed mother in law cooked almost every dinner for her family for her whole married life. She had favorite things to cook for dinner, and her famous pineapple upside down cake & thanksgiving corn pudding are now passed down to her grateful grandchildren. Dad Baker did cook when mom was at her other job; he is infamous in the family for serving potatoes and onions for dinner...served with mustard. Mom ALWAYS referred to her recipes when she cooked, written down in her tiny handwriting. Her kitchen was tiny too, with just enough room for the table that sat them all (four kids & two adults). I think she liked it that way...there was no room for another cook in HER kitchen! I was thinking about her careful ways, almost the exact opposite of the way I cook. My point is, use recipes if it makes you comfortable in the kitchen. It's alright. BUT, if, like me, you would rather leave concentrated efforts for special occasions, then cook intuitively. Often, recipes are seen...

As a former restaurant cook, I am very aware of the cleanliness rules that apply to a commercial kitchen.  As a home cook, we all need to understand some basics...I hate to clean my house, but I have some habits from my past that have become intuitive. You will find these little tricks can really help to cook cleanly. 1) Tuck a clean towel in your waist or sling it over your shoulder.  You can see many TV cooks do this, and there is a good reason! You should use your hands when you cook. Just get in the habit of wiping your hands well between touching different types of food (meat-wipe-eggs-wipe-veggies-wipe ect) 2) Wash hands, everyone. This is essential! Use soap, and rub your hands together long enough to sing the ABC's. Then rinse. This goes for anyone eating, or cooking, or snacking. 3) Switch cutting boards & knives This is another essential.. EVERY time you cut raw beef on there, WASH your cutting board with soap & rinse before cutting anything else on ...

So we are in the dog days of July here, and the very last thing I want to do is cook. But I do like to eat, so what's a girl to do? This is where intuitive cooking really helps out. I think of the freezer as a part of my pantry; that is, I stock it with basics I know I can cook with, and are flexible enough to allow me to make all kinds of variations on a theme. For example, I love to stock frozen raw bread dough on a regular basis. I tend to buy a couple of two packs, because where I shop, the inventory for it is unpredictable. I DO make my own homemade bread, but not in the summer. So, in the morning, I toss out a couple of frozen loaves , put each on an oiled pan, and let them thaw until I'm ready for dinner. Almost instant pizza! I nudge it out over the pan (I don't at all care about the shape).  Then, I slather it with whatever fresh, thawed frozen,  or roasted veggies I have...or, if I'm willing to go down to the farmer's market, I pick up fresh tomatoes a...

There is a new trend in cooking, the pre prepared meal. The idea is , you get all the ingredients and seasonings (pre measured) for a few meals, plus the recipes, and all you have to do is cook according to the directions. This saves you time in shopping and planning. I know someone who has tried one of these, and she liked the idea. she found, however, that predicting just when her family of nearly grown kids might be around made it difficult , and resulted in food waste ( which is one of the things she was trying to avoid). I have never used one of these mail meals myself. I suspect that you wind up paying more per ounce than you ever would if you shopped for it all. Another disadvantage, and this is a big one, is that you don't learn how to cook intuitively. You have to have your hands in the entire process of cooking to really get the touch. Judging how much garlic you like by taste, or how much butter to add ect. , comes with time and practice. That is why I suggest yo...