Topic: things that puzzle me in recipe books and videos

[goncalo]

The more recipes/videos/books I look at, the more intrigued I get about certain advice.

For example:

• Chefs picking teaspoon quantities using a chef spoon and you can almost swear they've picked up more than a single teaspoon (and yes, don't get me wrong, I know it can be done using a chef spoon and it's not the size of the spoon that matters but the quantity, but it just doesn't help to elaborate with precision.
• The advice of storing spices in dry, air-tight containers  away from light, when you can see not all cooks practice this (i.e Julian Voigt has these large containers open throughout all of his vids and I'm pretty sure he doesn't go through one of those large containers in a single day)
• what puzzles me is that the chef spoon after mixing the g&g paste in oil in a pan goes into all these separate spice containers, which not only leads to lumps of spice caused by any drizzle of the sauce/g&g paste from the spoon , but presumably overtime it alters the flavour?

May be I'm being naive, as I'm a rather inexperienced cook, but still, I would like to hear any thoughts?

[Peripatetic Phil]

My honest feeling ?  Reality v. theory.
** Phil.

[Stephen Lindsay]

gagomes

I still follow my own recipes because I notice that when I deviate the quality of my curries decreases si i am inadvertently over or under estimating the quantity of ingredients. I assume that after turning out hundreds and thousands of curries, BIR chefs can make a better judgement of quantities than I can and as Phil says reality would suggest the "recipes" followed to the letter are more for us non-professionals.

[JerryM]

the key thing is that this site will deliver on your needs for BIR. there's just a lot on info to sift (and often conflicting views).

an easy one is the spice use by date - yes fresh is good practise but they last a long time both in ground and whole form. having air tight does make a difference for ground. for example i have ground mix powder 1 yr old and it tastes just as good as it did.

the spoon is the one item that stays clean during the cooking cycle (the base washes it). the dipping by the chefs does work. they don't get lumps either - it's fascinating to stand in the open kitchens and watch. the speed that they work means that only "sight" measurement will work. repetition is the key. i still stick to using measuring spoons even though i know better consistency could be gained long term.

the real thing is to focus on the food you cook and how to improve on it. the other key thing is that there is plenty of help in the forum. ditch the books and start making your own recipes from the site

[stevejet66]

ditch the books and start making your own recipes from the site

Spot on jerry, all the books are to formal, to regimented, imagination is the key.

[JerryM]

stevejet66,

i suppose most of us take it for granted that we can obtain a sample and view it being made these days so easily - i guess this helps with our own individual imagination as you say.

the other thing i always apply is that if you don't start you will never arrive. often when starting out you can be overcome with problems rather than picking off opportunities.

best wishes

[JerryM]

realised this morning that although "spoons" seem "clean" when cooking it's not technically the case (used last night for 3 off curry2go chef nural mogul)

nb the build up on the tip is not dipping but down to keeping the rim clean. needless to say i was hot frying.

[goncalo]

Thanks guys. I'm slowly starting to understand "the game" in the kitchen. Your comments make a lot of sense

[goncalo]

Another interesting thing to mention, is the type of onions that chefs seem to prefer, which seem contradicting. For example:

Bruce Edwards: Suggests spanish onions as being the best.
Julian Voigt: Suggests Dutch or English.

Someone else I read today (and can't seem to find again) was suggesting english onions _only_. This obviously doesn't give a very good sense of clarity over which type of onions produce the best results, if there is a huge difference between them.

[JerryM]

i mainly used dutch onions down to having asian stores nearby. i have used english onions too ie from asda. spanish i feel would work too. i also know some like red onion (adding an extra sweetness).

i like the dutch down to ease of peeling. i don't really think there is any discernable difference in the finished base.

the importance is how the base is cooked. there is much posted on this (chewytikka 3 hr video being the best for me). i like to have plenty of oil in the base during cooking and not much water (the onions produce water). a slow medium simmer for a long time is my preference. i also see a need for 2 stages (typ 2 hrs & 1 hr). the 2nd stage being after blending when i add lots of water.