Duncan - Lazy Cooks Guide To Making Good Food

Lazy Cooks Guide To Making Good Food 50 Minimalist and Delicious Recipes That You Can Use Ever yday
Table of Contents
BELLE & WINSLEY PRESS
Lazy Cooks Guide To Making Good Food David Duncan
First Edition, 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication or the information in
it may be quoted from or reproduced in any form by any means without
prior written permission of the copyright holder.
All efforts have been made to ensure that the information in this book
is accurate and complete as of the date published. The author and the
publisher disclaim liability for any adverse effects that may occur as
a result of applying the methods suggested in this book.
This book is presented solely for motivational and informational
purposes only. The information in this book should by no means be
considered a substitute advice of a qualified medical
professional, who should always be consulted before any new diet,
exercise or other health program.

Introduc tion In this book, youll learn how to cook with minimalist recipes that use only 3 to 5 ingredients. Most recipes contain a lot of ingredients but the truth is that you can make food that tastes great without having to depend on a thousand ingredients. In fact, the best tasting recipes require the use of only a few ingredients. With the right preparation and technique, youll be surprised at how you can prepare dishes that takes only a minimum amount of effort to prepare. Chapter 1 covers some of the basic techniques that you need to learn when cooking.
Chapter 1 Cooking Guide
Preparation When making stir fry dishes, you have to make sure to cut your ingredients in the same size and preferably the same shape.
Chapter 1 Cooking Guide
Preparation When making stir fry dishes, you have to make sure to cut your ingredients in the same size and preferably the same shape.

This will make it easier for you cook the ingredients evenly. When preparing fish, pork and poultry, you might want to consider brining your meat before you start marinating or cooking. A brine is basically a salt solution that will help denature the proteins of your meat to make it more tender and juicy. Heres a basic brine that you can use: 4 cups or 1 quart of water cup salt Brine your fish, poultry or pork overnight so that you can get a more juicy and flavorful dish. Make sure to season your meat with salt 15-20 min. before cooking.

This brings out some of the juices of the meat to the surface and helps you to achieve that browned crust better. The browning of food is called the Maillard reaction. It is basically the chemical reaction between the protein and reducing sugars. The main takeaway from all of this is to take advantage of this effect by salting your meat early on to bring out the proteins. When youre adding salt to thick cuts of meat such as a rib roast or pork loin, dont be afraid to season generously with salt and pepper. Remember that its a whole chunk of meat and some of its parts wont be seasoned with salt.

Speaking of salt, you can use kosher salt as your default but you may want to try out different kinds of rock salt. Some salts have a more intense saltiness compared to others. Rock salt in particular is salty so keep that in mind. If you want to evenly salt your food, use soy sauce. Soy sauce is an excellent marinade as it helps to evenly distribute the saltiness and gives your food a darker and more appetizing color. You can also use salted butter instead of unsalted butter when youre using it for pan-frying or sauting.

Just remember that when youre adding any of these ingredients, you need to lessen the amount of salt you put in. Also keep in mind that the amount of salt you put in your food plays a huge role in the foods final taste. If you can, try to get a taste of your food before you serve it. Youll know when it lacks more salt. This sounds like basic common sense but most people forget to do it. And by the way, dont double dip.

Cooking When pan frying or grilling your meat, dont follow the popular advice on TV of flipping it once. When cooking a steak or burger, you should be flipping it every 15-20 sec. This ensures that the heat doesnt reach the center of the meat too quickly. This helps you to keep the meat on the pan and allow you to brown it properly without overcooking it. This is another principle that helps you take advantage of the Maillard reaction that you get from cooking food. A good meat thermometer is an excellent tool that keeps you from overcooking your meat.

Its very economical when you consider the fact that youll be cooking your food to near perfection almost every time you use it. There are good brands that cost a little less than 10 bucks. With that said look at the cooking temperatures of the FDA at: www.fda.gov Some of the temperatures in this book may be lower but weve tried and tested these recipes. Also keep in mind that these temperatures are the points where bacteria is killed almost instantly. Holding your food at a lower temperature for a period of time may have the same effect. When it comes to cooking pasta, you want to achieve a texture that is tender but firm to the bite at the same time.

Youll notice a little bit of chewiness in the pasta as you take a bite. You can also add some more herbs and spices depending on your taste preferences. For most recipes, I usually add the herbs and spices right after cooking the dish. This ensures that I dont burn out the herbs and the flavors they impart on the dish.
Chapter 2 Recipes
Basic Skirt Steak Ingredients: 1 skirt steak 1 tbsp. olive oil Sea Salt Black Pepper Prep Remove the steak from the refrigerator and pat dry and place on a rack for 15 min.

Coat very thinly with oil. The oil will hold the salt for the meat and it will also help conduct the heat. To the meat. Sprinkle some tsp. of sea salt per side and 1/8 tsp. black pepper on the skirt steak and rub it all over the meat.

Allow the meat to sit for 10 min. to allow the some of the juices to come out of the meat and give it a nice crust. Cook Heat some olive oil in your pan and sear the meat. Flip often until browned.
Seared Du ck Ingredients: 4 duck breasts, trimmed of excess fat and score the skin in cross hatch pattern Sea salt Black Pepper Peanut Oil Prep Pat the breasts d ry to make the skin more crisp. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook In a cast iron pan and over medium heat, add the oil. Once heated, lay down the breast skin side down and flip often until browned. Wrap and cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10 min.
Seared Portobello Mushrooms Ingredients: 2 Portobello mushroom caps 3 tbsp. Vegetable oil Butter Salt Prep Cut the mushroom into -inch slices. and add oil and butter into the pan. and add oil and butter into the pan.

Brush some oil on the mushroom and season with salt. Cook Sear the mushroom for 5 min. without moving them. Flip and cook for another 5 min.
Basic Rack of Lamb Ingredients: 2 lbs. dried thyme Prep Preheat your grill or broiler to medium or medium high heat Cut the lamb in half. dried thyme Prep Preheat your grill or broiler to medium or medium high heat Cut the lamb in half.

Coat thinly with oil and season with thyme, salt and pepper. Fold a strip of aluminum foil on the bones so that it doesnt burn. Cook Cook the lamb and flip every 20 seconds. Take it out once the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 138 degrees F. Let it rest for 5-10 min.
Perfectly Baked Potato Ingredients: 2 medium Idaho Potatoes Olive Oil Salt Prep Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the potato with water and dry with paper towels. Poke holes on the potato with your fork. In a bowl, coat the potatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Cook Place in the center of the oven for 1 hour or until the skin fells crisp when squeezed and the potato is soft. cup extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp. cup extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp.