Wizard Recipes

The USDA recommends that all meat be cooked until well-done (160°F) to kill any bacteria that could cause illness. We sometimes recommend cooking temperatures that are below this figure, because some meat tastes best cooked medium-rare or medium.

Food-borne illnesses are relatively rare and usually affect only infants, the elderly, or people with weak immune systems. The degree to which you cook meat is a matter of personal taste, but also keep in mind for whom you are cooking.

Roasting

There is only one way to guarantee that meat is roasted to the desired doneness: Use a meat thermometer. Always insert a thermometer into the center or thickest part of the roast without touching any bone or fatty sections.

Boneless roasts are tied to help them keep their shape during roasting. In our recipes, we sometimes place boneless roasts on a rack in the roasting pan so the heat can circulate under the meat, preventing the meat from cooking in its juices. Not all boneless roasts need to be cooked on racks, however.

Tenderloin and some loin roasts cook so quickly that they don’t have time to create juices. Rib roasts and other bone-in cuts come with their own natural builtin racks. Always remove a roast from the oven when it reaches 5° to 10°F less than the desired temperature, as the temperature will continue to rise as the meat stands.

It is not necessary to cover the meat; the density of the hot roast will keep it from cooling too quickly. A foil tent would only trap the steam and soften the roast’s delicious crusty exterior.

Panfrying and Sautéing

These fastest of cooking methods yield quick, tasty results. Before sautéing, pat the meat dry with paper towels so it can easily brown. Be sure to use a heavybottomed skillet so the heat is conducted evenly.    We don’t advise using a nonstick skillet; its slick surface inhibits the formation of a good crust. And don’t crowd the meat in the pan or it will steam instead of brown.

Cook over medium-high to high heat to sear the meat and give it rich flavor.

Braising and Stewing

Few dishes satisfy as much as a long-simmered stew or braised pot roast. The key is to be patient when slow simmering tough cuts of meat: It takes a long time for the collagen in the meat to melt and for the meat to become fork-tender. The key word here is “simmering.”

Tip: Do not let the liquid cook at more than a slow simmer or the meat will end up dry and tough.

Braising is usually done in a Dutch oven: a sturdy pot with a tight-fitting lid and a handle at each side that can go from the stovetop to the oven (and directlyto the table if you like). Enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens are somewhat expensive but can last a lifetime. Old-fashioned, less expensive cast-iron Dutch ovens work equally well.

Broiling and Grilling

These dry-heat cooking methods are close “cousins.” In broiling, the heat source is on top of the food, while in grilling, the heat source is below. Whether broiled or grilled, the food gets caramelized from the intense heat, which greatly contributes to its flavor. To make up for the lack of delicious smoky flavor when broiling, we like to use a flavorful marinade or dry rub.

Always preheat a broiler on high for about ten minutes. Stoves with separate broiling units have adjustable broiler racks that enable them to be positioned as close to or as far away from the heating element as desired. Electric ovens that double as broilers are problematic.

There is usually only one upper-rack position that is close to the heating element, but it is sometimes farther away than the ideal distance. This makes preheating especially important.

Carving Meat

Steaks and roasts benefit from a resting period before being served. This allows time for the internal juices to get redistributed throughout the meat, making the meat juicy and firming it for easier carving.

Steaks should be transferred to a warm platter to keep them from cooling off, but they only need to stand for a minute or two before being served. Average-size roasts (about three pounds) should stand for ten minutes, and larger roasts for up to fifteen minutes.

For safety’s sake, it’s a good idea to place a towel under the carving board to prevent it from moving. Always carve with a sharp thin-bladed knife and use a two-tine meat fork to steady the roast. Carve across the grain, not parallel to the fibers of the meat; this produces  shorter fibers, making the meat more tender.

The choice of cooking technique is important. If the usual method of cooking uses fat, try grilling, broiling, braising, or roasting the food instead. Instead of deep-fat frying, try oven baking.

French “fries” seasoned with chili powder or oregano are both tasty and low in fat when baked. Although stir “frying” can be a healthful cooking technique, use of generous amounts of oil negates some of the possible benefit.

Always measure the oil to be used or, better yet, replace it with wine or a broth that adds flavor but little fat and only a few calories. Cooking food for the proper time (avoiding overcooking) not only makes it taste better but also preserves nutrients.

Many cooking techniques make it possible to prepare more colorful, flavorful, and healthier dishes. These include the following:

Braising-Food is browned, then cooked in a tightly covered pan in a small amount of liquid at low heat over a long period.

Broiling-Food is placed beneath the heat source; basting may be needed.

Grilling-Food is positioned above the heat source; basting may be needed.

Microwaving-This is a quick way to cook food with little added liquid or fat.

Poaching-Food is cooked in a liquid at the simmering point.

Oven roasting-Food is cooked in an uncovered pan by the free circulation of dry air, until the exterior is well browned.

Steaming-Food is placed on a rack in a basket above boiling liquid. Food should not touch the liquid.

Stir frying-Small pieces of food are cooked over high heat and constantly stirred. Use wine, broth, or fruit juice as the liquid instead of the traditional oil.

Marinating food adds flavor and does not have to add fat. Some tips for successful marinating include piercing large cuts of meat, poultry, or fish with a fork to help the marinade permeate the food.

Always marinate food in a glass or ceramic dish in the refrigerator. Never place the food in a metal container. Most marinades feature an acid base that may react with metal and change the flavor.

Finally, a food safety tip: reserve some of the marinade before you put meat in it.

Marinade that has been in contact with raw meat should not be used to baste meat, poultry, or fish during the last 15 minutes of cooking. If you plan to use leftover marinade as a table sauce, it must be boiled for 5 minutes to eliminate bacteria.

There is more that can be done once the food is out of the oven or off the stove. Skim the fat off pan juices, stews, and soups. Instead of topping vegetables with butter or margarine, sprinkle them with lemon juice or herbs. Remove any visible fat (and any skin from poultry) before serving.

No special, expensive equipment is needed to cook healthful foods. A good set of non-stick pans, a skillet, a roasting pan, a baking sheet, measuring cups and spoons, and sharp knives are enough to get you started.

Quality, durability, ease of use, and cost should be the primary considerations when outfitting a kitchen.

Beef comes from the adult bovine, including cows (females that have had a calf ), steers (males castrated when very young), heifers (females that have not been bred), and bulls younger than 2 years. Beef from an animal slaughtered after age 2 years is generally classified as “well-matured beef.”

Meat from these animals begins to toughen and becomes more of a purplish red. Baby beef, in contrast, is from a 7- to 10-monthold calf. Of all the animals domesticated for food, cattle reign supreme. This animal, once only a beast of burden, became a source of meat and milk only after feed from improved agricultural practices became plentiful.

Even though cattle were first introduced to the New World in the 1500s, beef did not become popular in the United States until the Civil War, when other meats and poultry were in short supply.

After the Civil War, the abundance of grazing land and emerging transportation systems in the United States made it easy have hit the shelves. The result is that beef is 27 percent leaner than it was 20 years ago.

When eaten in moderation and prepared with low-fat cooking methods, beef remains a nutritious addition to meals.

Preparation Tips

When shopping, pick a cut of beef whose tenderness and level of flavor appropriately fit the recipe you are using. In general, the more expensive the cut of meat (rib, loin, breast, filet, sirloin), the greater the flavor and tenderness.

Cheaper cuts (leg, hip, shoulder) may be less tender but are just as flavorful. They are best prepared with slow, moist-heat cooking, such as boiling, poaching, stewing, steaming, or braising. Any of these moist-cooking methods are also best for any leaner, tougher cut of beef (leg, hip, shoulder), and slow cooking provides the best results.

Using a tenderizer also makes tough cuts more palatable. Acid ingredients such as vinegar, yogurt, cider wine, citrus juice, and tomatoes often are used in marinades because they tenderize the meat. Natural enzymes such as papaya, figs, and pineapple also can be used for the same purpose.

Cover meat with the marinade and place it in a non-metallic container in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours. Aged beef that you might find at your local supermarket probably has undergonewet-aging. The carcass is vacuum-packed in plastic bags and then placed in coolers for a week to a month. This process tenderizes the beef, but it does not have the dramatic improvement in flavor that occurs with dry-aging.

Ground beef contains enough fat (about 15 to 20 percent) to give it flavor and make it juicy without excess shrinkage. The most flavorful hamburgers are made with ground chuck, but that is not the only kind of to move large amounts of beef throughout the country.

For years, Americans have been one of the world’s top consumers of beef. But in response to concerns about red meat’s link to cardiovascular disease and cancer, consumption has declined significantly.

Since 1978, beef consumption has dropped 28 percent, whereas poultry and pork consumption has grown rapidly. Beef producers have launched several programs to provide leaner beef products. The industry has developed leaner beef breeds, let the animals forage from grasslands instead of grain lots, and developed economic incentives for producing leaner cattle.

Retailers also have reduced the average thickness of fat around the edge of steaks and roasts from 3/4 inch to 1/10 inch, and sometimes no external fat is present at all. In addition, low-fat ground beef and other meats hamburger available.

The leanest (around 11 percent fat) and most expensive of the ground meats are ground round and ground sirloin. New processing of ground meat is now making available even leaner choices (around 5 percent fat). The leaner choices are ideal for calorie and fat watchers, but they have to be cooked carefully to avoid their becoming too dry.

For more flavorful cuts of meat, dryheat cooking - roasting, baking, broiling, or grilling - is more common. Try these methods with steaks, tenderloins, and filets. To reduce the fat content of beef sauces or soups, refrigerate them and gently spoon off the fat layer that forms on the surface.

Serving Suggestions

Although beef can be part of a healthful diet, the key is to think of it as a side dish and not the main entrée. Dishes such as sirloin kabobs fulfill the craving for beef without the need to eat a lot of it.

Stir-frying, in which thin strips or chunks of beef are combined with large quantities of vegetables, is also an excellent way to have beef play a supporting role at mealtime. Stews and casseroles with vegetable-based sauces also offer this advantage.

Another simple option is to cut down on the amount of ground beef called for in a recipe. Reducing the amount of ground beef by half cuts the calories, fat, and cholesterol by half.

Certain procedures are often applied to meats before cooking to add flavor and/or moisture. These include marinating, barding and larding.

Marinating

Marinating is the process of soaking meat in a seasoned liquid to flavor and tenderize it. Marinades can be simple blends (herbs, seasonings and oil) or a complicated cooked recipe (red wine, fruit and other ingredients). Mild mari­nades should be used on more delicate meats, such as veal.

Game and beef require strongly flavored marinades. In wine-based marinades, white wine is usually used for white meats and red wine for red meats. Not only does the wine add a distinctive flavor, the acids in it break down connective tissues and help tenderize the meat.

Veal and pork generally require less time to marinate than game, beef and lamb. Smaller pieces of meat take less time than larger pieces. When marinating, be sure to cover the meat completely and keep it refrigerated. Stir or turn the meat frequently to ensure that the marinade penetrates evenly.

Barding

Barding is the process of covering the surface of meat or poultry with thin slices of pork fatback and tying them in place with butcher’s twine. Barded meat or poultry is usually roasted. As the item cooks, the fatback continuously bastes it, adding flavor and moisture. A drawback to barding is that the fatback prevents the meat or poultry from developing the crusty exterior associated with roasting.

Larding

Larding is the process of inserting small strips of pork fat into meat with a larding needle. Larded meat is usually cooked by braising. During cooking, the added fat contributes moisture and flavor. Although once popular, larding is rarely used today because advances in selective breeding produce consistently tender, well-marbled meat.

Dry-Heat Cooking Methods

Dry-heat cooking methods subject food directly to the heat of a flame (broiling and grilling), hot air (roasting) or heated fat (sauteing and pan-frying). These cooking methods firm proteins without breaking down connective tissue. They are not recommended for tougher cuts or those high in connective tissue.

Broiling and Grilling

To serve a good-quality broiled or grilled product, you must start with good quality meat. The broiling or grilling process adds flavor; additional flavors are derived from the seasonings. The broiler or grill should brown the meat, keeping interior juicy. The grill should leave appetizing crosshatch marks on the meat’s surface.

Selecting Meats to Broil or Grill

Only the most tender cuts should be broiled or grilled because direct heat does not tenderize. Fat adds flavor as the meat cooks, so the meat should be well marbled. Some external fat is also beneficial. Too much fat, however, will cause the broiler or grill to flare up, burning or discoloring the meat and adding objectionable flavors. Connective tissue toughens when meat is broiled or grilled, so trim away as much of it as possible.

Seasoning Meals to be Broiled or Grilled

Meats that have not been marinated should be well seasoned with salt and pepper just before being placed on the broiler or grill. If they are preseasoned and allowed to rest, the salt will dissolve and draw out moisture, making it dif­ficult to brown the meat properly.

Some chefs feel so strongly about this that they season broiled or grilled meats only after they are cooked. Pork and veal, which have a tendency to dry out when cooked, should be basted with sea­soned butter or oil during cooking to help keep them moist. Meats can be glazed or basted with barbecue sauce as they cook.

Cooking Temperatures

Red meats should be cooked at sufficiently high temperatures to caramelize their surface, making them more attractive and flavorful. At the same time, the broiler or grill cannot be too hot, or the meat’s exterior will burn before the interior is cooked.

Because veal and pork are normally cooked to higher internal temperatures than beef and lamb, they should be cooked at slightly lower temperatures that their exteriors are not overcooked when their interiors are cooked properly. The exterior of white meats should be a deep golden color when finishing

Degrees of Doneness

Everyone request and expect meats to be properly cooked to specified degrees of doneness. It is your responsibility to understand and comply with these requests. Meats can be cooked very rare (or bleu), rare, medium rare, medium, medium well or well done.

Larger cuts of meat, such as a Chateaubriand or thick chops, are started on the broiler or grill to develop color and flavor and then finished in the oven to ensure complete, even cooking.

Determining Doneness

Broiling or grilling meat to the proper degree of doneness is an art. Larger pieces of meat will take longer to cook than smaller ones, but how quickly a piece of meat cooks is determined by many other factors: the temperature of the broiler or grill, the temperature of the piece of meat when placed on the broiler or grill, the type of meat and the thickness of the cut. Because of these variables, timing alone is not a useful tool in determining doneness.

The most reliable method of determining doneness is by pressing the pie of meat with a finger and gauging the amount of resistance it yields. Very rare (bleu) meat will offer almost no resistance and feel almost the same as raw meat. Meat cooked rare will feel spongy and offer slight resistance to pressure. Meat cooked medium will feel slightly firm and springy to the touch. Meat cooked well done will feel quite firm and spring back quickly when pressed.

Accompaniments to Broiled and Grilled Meats

Because a broiler or grill cannot be deglazed to form the base for a sauce compound butters or sauces such as bearnaise are often served with broiled or grilled meats. Brown sauces such as bordelaise, chasseur, perigueux or brown mushroom sauce also complement many broiled or grilled items.

Procedure for Broiling or Grilling Meats

1 Heat the broiler or grill.

2 Use a wire brush to remove any charred or burnt particles that may be stuck to the broiler or grill grate. The grate can be wiped with a lightly Oiled towel to remove any remaining particles and to help season it.

3 Prepare the item to be broiled or grilled by trimming off any excess fat and connective tissue and marinating or seasoning it as desired. The meat may be brushed lightly with oil to help protect it and keep it from sticking to the grate.

4 Place the item in the broiler or on the grill. Turn the meat to produce the attractive Crosshatch marks associated with grilling. Use tongs to turn or flip the meat without piercing the surface (this prevents valuable juices from escaping).

5. Cook the meat to the desired doneness while developing the proper surface color. To do so, adjust the position of the meat on the broiler or grill, or adjust the distance between the grate and heat source

Foods can be cooked in air, fat, water or steam. These are collectively known as cooking media. There are two general types of cooking methods: dry heat and moist heat.

Dry-heat cooking methods are those using air or fat. They are broiling, grilling, roasting and baking, sauteing, pan-frying and deep-frying, Foods cooked using dry-heat cooking methods have a rich flavor caused by browning.

Moist-heat cooking methods are those using water or steam. They are poaching, simmering, boiling and steaming. Moist-heat cooking methods are used to emphasize the natural flavors of food.

Other cooking methods employ a combination of dry- and moist-heat cook­ing methods. The two most significant of these combination cooking meth­ods are braising and stewing.

Dry-heat cooking methods

Cooking by dry heat is the process of applying heat either directly, by sub­jecting the food to the heat of a flame, or indirectly, by surrounding the food with heated air or heated fat

Broiling

Broiling uses radiant heat from an overhead source to foods. The tem­perature at the heat source can be as high as 2000°F (1093°C). The food to be broiled is placed on a preheated metal grate. Radiant heat from overhead cooks the food, while the hot grate beIow marks it with attractive cross-hatch marks.

Delicate foods that may be damaged by being placed directly on a metal grate or foods on which cross-hatch marks are not desirable may be placed on a preheated heat-proof platter then placed under the broiler. Cooking will take place through indirect heat from the preheated platter as well as from the di­rect heat from the broiler’s overhead heat source

Grilling

Although similar to broiling, grilling uses a heat source located beneath the cooking surface. Grills may be electric or gas, or they can burn wood or char-which will add a smoky flavor to the food. Specific woods such as mesquite, hickory or vine dippings can be used to create special flavors. Grilled foods are often identified by Crosshatch markings. Next you can find the procedure for positioning foods on the grill to create these markings:

1.                          Decide which side of the grilled food will be presented face up to the customer. Place the food on the hot grill with this side facing down. If the item is oblong, place it at a 45-degree angle to the bars on the cooking grate. Cook long enough for the food to develop dark charred lines where it touches the grate

2.                          Rotate the food 90 degrees and allow it to cook long enough for the grates to char it to the same extent as in step 1

3.                          Turn the food over and finish cooking it. It is usually unnecessary to create the Crosshatch markings on the reverse side since this will not be seen by the people who will eat it.

Roasting and Baking

Roasting and baking are the processes of surrounding a food with dry heated air in a closed environment. The term roasting is usually applied to meats and poultry, while baking is used when referring to fish, fruits, vegetable starches, breads or pastry items. Heat is transferred by convection to the food’s surface, and then penetrates the food by conduction. The surface dehydrate: and the food browns from caramelization, completing the cooking process.

Sauteing

Sauteing is a dry-heat cooking method that uses conduction to transfer I from a hot saute pan to food with the aid of a small amount of fat. Heat then penetrates the food through conduction. High temperatures are used to sau and the foods are usually cut into small pieces to promote even cooking.

To saute foods properly, begin by heating a saute pan on the stove top, then add a small amount of fat. The fat should just cover the bottom of the pan. Heat the fat or oil to the point where it just begins to smoke. The food to be cooked should be as dry as possible when it is added to the pan to promote browning and to prevent excessive spattering.

Place the food in the pan in a single layer. The heat should be adjusted so that the food cooks thoroughly: it should not be so hot that the outside of die food burns before the inside is cooked. The food should be turned or tossed periodically to develop the proper color. Larger items should be turned using tongs without piercing the surface. Smaller items are often are turned by using the sauteuse’s sloped sides to flip them back on top of them­selves.

When tossing sauteed foods, keep the pan in contact with the heat source as much as possible to prevent it from cooling. Sauteing sometimes includes the preparation of a sauce directly in the pan after the main item has been removed. ]

Stir-frying is a variation of sauteing. A wok is used instead of a saute pan the curved sides and rounded bottom of the wok diffuse heat and facilitate tossing and stirring. Otherwise, stir-frying procedures are the same as those outlined for sauteing and will not be discussed separately here.

Pan-Frying

Pan-frying shares similarities with both sauteing and deep-frying. It is a dry-heat cooking method in which heat is transferred by conduction from the pan to the food, using a moderate amount of fat. Heat is also transferred to the food from the hot fat by convection. Foods to be pan-fried are usually coated in breading. This forms a seal that keeps the food moist and prevents the hot fat from penetrating the food causing it to become greasy.

To pan-fry foods properly, first heat the fat in a saute pan. Use enough fat so that when the food to be cooked is added, the fat comes one third to one half way up the item being cooked. The fat should be at a temperature somewhat lower than that used in sauteing; it should not smoke but should be hot enough so that when the food is added it crackles and spatters from the rapid vapor­ization of moisture. If the temperature is too low. the food will absorb excessive amounts of fat; if it is too high, the food will burn on the outside before the in­terior is fully cooked. When the food is properly browned on one side, turn it without piercing it, using tongs. Always turn the food away from you to prevent being burned by any fat that may splash. When the food is fully cooked, remove it from the pan, drain it on absorbent paper and serve it immediately.

Deep-frying is a dry-heat cooking method that uses convection to transfer heat to food submerged in hot fat. Heat then penetrates the food, cooking the in­terior through conduction. Foods to be deep-fried are usually first coated in ratter or breading. This preserves moisture and presents the foods from ab­sorbing excessive quantities of fat. Deep-fried foods should cook thoroughly while developing an attractive deep golden-brown color. Foods to be deep-led should be of a size and shape that allows them to float freely in the fat.

Today, most deep-frying is done in specially designed commercial fryers. These deep-fat fryers have built-in thermostats, making temperature control more precise. To deep-fry food, first heat the fat or oil to temperatures be­tween 325°F and 375°F (160°C-190°C). Slowly place the food in the fat, where il should float freely. Use tongs to turn it if necessary. When the food is done, remove it from the fat. drain it on absorbent paper and serve it immediately.

For best flavor, appearance and least nutrient loss cook vegetables as quickly as possible. The quickest-cooking methods present us with most tasty vegetables-blanching, stir-frying, deep-frying, grilling and broiling. But the slow-cooking oven roasting also brings out full flavors.

When you want to cook several kinds of vegetables together irrespective of what method you use, you have two choices to arrive at vegetables with the same degree of tenderness. Either add them to the pot or pan at different times, starting with the slowest-cooking, densest vegetables then gradually adding the faster-cooking ones, or cut them into different sizes-the slow-cooking vegetables into smaller pieces than the fast-cooking ones.

You may also combine two cooking methods. For example, pre-blanching vegetables significantly speeds up grilling, broiling or sautéing. Blanching is also an efficient way of preparing vegetables to fast last-minute serving, the way restaurant chefs serve freshly-cooked crisp vegetables in the shortest time.

The chef has the supply of pre-blanched, cooled vegetables ready to sauté on high heat in butter or oil and seasonings in less than a minute. Efficient home cooks do the same.

When cooking strong-flavored vegetables, such as those in the cabbage and onion families, the flavor becomes milder if you cook it in water to cover. The strong flavor components leach into the liquid.

They also become milder if you leave your pot uncovered so some of the strong volatiles spread their aromas throughout your house, leaving their vegetable source behind. Due to chemical reactions, prolonged cooking increases the strong flavor of cabbage-family vegetables, but decreases the onion-family vegetables.

A useful way of concentrating flavor in some high-moisture vegetables is a technique the French call dégorger. The idea is to get rid of part of the water without heat. You grate or finely dice the vegetables (cucumber, zucchini, cabbage) to increase the surface area and sprinkle it generously with salt.

After several hours the salt draws out some of the water that you drain in a colander or you wrap the vegetables in a kitchen towel and squeeze out the water by twisting the towel. After thoroughly rinsing out the excess salt, the vegetables are ready to sauté, stir-fry, bake or whatever method is suitable.

Useful Tips to remember :

¨ Use yellow onion in cooking, sweet onion for salads

¨ The flatter the onion the less the pungency

¨ For most intense garlic flavor add garlic late to the sauté pan or dishes

¨ Cooking ginger in water or oil mutes pungency; cooking in acidic liquid increases it

¨ Keep extra minced garlic and ginger in small containers in your freezer

¨ To ripen tomatoes, keep them out of the sun in a warm place in a closed paper bag

¨ Canned tomatoes are better for cooking than tomatoes out-of-season

¨ Chili powder is a spice mix; ground or powdered chili is pure red chili ground into fine

powder

¨ Keep ground chili and paprika in the freezer for best flavor

¨ To tame chili-induced fire in your mouth, get rid of chili oil with alcohol or milk products, or

soak it up with bread or tortilla; avoid water

¨ The ribs in the chili carry most pungency; the amount you include defines how hot your dish

will be

¨ Mushrooms add flavor and texture to dishes; some are bland but soak up flavorful liquids

¨ Heating creates the flavor in mushroom; raw mushrooms are pretty but flavorless

¨ Store mushrooms in paper bags in refrigerator, never in plastic

¨ Cook vegetables with three goals in mind: best flavor, most nutrients, most eye appeal

¨ Cook all vegetables for shortest time possible, particularly green vegetables to preserve color. Never add any acid or baking soda to the cooking water

¨ One of the best vegetable cooking methods is blanching in plenty of boiling, salted water. Microwave cooking is the least suitable