Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (7 page)

3. Get a head start on aromatics.

Professional chefs often keep tubs of
mirepoix
(chopped carrots, onions, and celery) or
soffritto
(chopped onions, garlic, and celery) handy so they can quickly add an aromatic foundation to everything from soups and stews to braises and sauces. This isn’t mandatory, but it can’t hurt—especially if you find yourself routinely cooking for a crowd.

4. Clean as you go.

No one wants to tackle a gigantic pile of dirty pots and pans at the end of the night. Besides, it doesn’t take much to clean up as you cook. Just keep a towel handy, and toss all your kitchen scraps into a large bowl as you go along. (I’ll admit it: I stole this marvelous “garbage bowl” idea from Rachael Ray.)

5. "Meat" your defrost bowl.

There’s nothing magical about my defrost bowl: it’s just a big container in my fridge that I use to thaw frozen meat. Every few days, I transfer some meat from my freezer to my trusty defrost bowl. Then, when it’s time to cook, I grab whatever’s no longer icy. My defrost bowl serves another purpose, too: it forces me to cook my meat before it spoils, which keeps me from stuffing my face with take-out.

6. Quick-thaw meat.

Need a faster way to thaw your frozen foods? Soak ’em in a hot water bath. It takes just minutes to thaw small to medium cuts of meat. As food guru Harold McGee points out, all you have to do is submerge the packaged meat in hot tap water for
15
to
30
minutes or until thawed, and you’ll be good to go. (The ex-germophobe in me was highly skeptical of this process, but don’t be alarmed;
studies show that this is perfectly safe.
)

7. Diversify your cooking methods.

One-pot meals can be a life-saver, but don’t narrow your focus to a single method of cooking at the expense of learning others. By deploying a variety of different approaches to food prep, you can have a roast in the oven and still whip up a number of sides using your stove, steamer, slow cooker, pressure cooker, or backyard grill. Not only will you become a more efficient kitchen ninja, but you’ll also enjoy a wider range of flavors and textures.

8. Make sure your oven's ready.

Oven thermometers are cheap, so
invest in one
and make sure your oven’s properly calibrated. Hot spots can also be a problem, so if you know that a certain corner of your oven runs hotter, do your best to avoid it, or rotate your food to make sure it cooks evenly. Obviously, if the dish you’re making requires the use of an oven, preheat it in advance, and make sure the racks are placed at the appropriate levels. Then, while the temperature’s rising, you can leisurely prep your ingredients. Make your oven wait for you, and not the other way around.

9. Know your salt.

Salt is a healthy, essential seasoning for just about any dish, but selecting the right kind to use can be baffling. Personally, I prefer kosher salt and sea salt to regular table salt, which is highly processed and often contains chemical additives like dextrose and ferric ferrocyanide. Most of my recipes in this book call for kosher salt—and by “kosher salt,” I mean Diamond Crystal brand, and not the denser crystals made by Morton’s. Remember:
not all salts are created equal.
If you’re using Morton’s kosher salt or fine sea salt (or have only table salt on hand), use roughly half the amount specified in my recipes.

10. Salt meats early.

I typically try to season my meats with salt at least a few hours (and up to a couple of days) before cooking. At first, the salt draws moisture from the meat, but once the protein fibers loosen up, they’ll reabsorb the savory juices, resulting in a more tender and succulent dish. When salting meat, here’s a good rule of thumb from Chef Judy Rodgers of San Francisco’s Zuni Café: for every
4
pounds of meat, season with
1
tablespoon of kosher salt.

11. Blot before you sear.

If you want to develop a nice char on your steaks and roasts (and who doesn’t?), use a paper towel to thoroughly dry your meat before applying high heat. Otherwise, the moist surface will yield steam instead of tasty brown bits. Alternatively, let your salted meat rest uncovered in the fridge for a day or two before cooking.

12. Make sure your pan is hot.

If you’re searing your proteins, be sure to start with a hot pan that’s spacious enough to accommodate the contents with room to spare. Otherwise, your food won’t develop the delicious sear you’re after. Test your skillet for heat by adding a bit of cooking fat; once it shimmers, you’ll know the pan’s ready for action. Also, don’t keep moving the meat around the pan. Be patient; the meat should remain in contact with the bottom of the skillet until the browned edges naturally release.

13. Have a taste or two (or seven).

Only you know what your palate likes best, so don’t be afraid to taste your food during each (edible) step of the cooking process, and adjust the seasoning accordingly.

14. The broiler is your friend.

Don’t be afraid of your oven’s broiler setting. I’m convinced that more folks would use their broilers if only they knew of the versatility of this tool. There’s a reason why salamander broilers are a mainstay in virtually every professional kitchen: broilers can be used to quickly cook everything from thin stalks of asparagus to herb-stuffed whole fish. Just make sure your food is
4
to
6
inches away from the heating element, and watch it like a hawk to prevent scorching or burning. After all, there are better ways to test the smoke alarms in your house.

15. Rest your meat.

Even after a hunk of meat is removed from the heat source, it’ll continue to cook. The bigger the piece of meat, the greater the rise in internal temperature. If you slice into the meat right away, the compression of the muscle fibers caused by the cooking process will push the meat’s juices out all over your cutting board. But once the meat has cooled slightly (
5
to
10
minutes), its muscle fibers will relax and widen, enabling it to retain more of its innate juiciness. So give it a rest, people.

16. Go against the grain.

By cutting meat against the grain, you’re actually tenderizing it before your teeth get in on the action. A piece of meat is made of muscle fibers and connective tissues, and while our pearly choppers are usually up to the job of gnawing and mashing them up, slicing meat against the grain (perpendicular to the direction of the muscle fibers) makes it easier for your teeth and jaws to do their thing. To find the grain, gently pull at the meat in opposite directions at the same time, and all will be revealed.

17. Roast off your vegetables.

Don’t let your vegetables rot in the fridge. Before stocking up on fresh produce, take all the uneaten veggies out of the crisper, and slice them up. Toss the pieces in a baking tray with some fresh herbs, kosher salt, pepper, and your favorite cooking fat. Roast it all in the oven at
425
°F for
30
to
45
minutes or until the vegetables are toasty on the outside and tender on the inside. Eat ’em with everything.

18. One word: brinner.

You can’t go wrong with breakfast for dinner, or dinner for breakfast. After all, there’s no rule that says that your first meal of the day must pop out of a toaster or waffle iron. Likewise, there’s nothing stopping you from dishing up sunny-side-up eggs and a rasher of bacon for dinner (with a big side of vegetables, of course).

19. Always make extra.

There’s no such thing as too many leftovers. Even if you’re cooking only for yourself, a fridge packed with fully cooked emergency protein and vegetables can be a life-saver when you’re pressed for time.