Read The Can't Cook Book: Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified! Online
Authors: Jessica Seinfeld
Tags: #Non-Fiction
The Can't Cook Book: Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified! (5 page)
Can I offer you a shortcut to success? Believe it or not, the key to all of this madness is to be organized before you start. You WILL BE successful if you have the same basic setup every time you cook. Rushing around and looking for things just creates chaos and stress. I call this initial part “Getting Your Sh#t Together.”
1 | Set up a cutting board. (If your board doesn’t have grippers on the bottom, place a wet paper towel underneath to prevent the board from slipping.) |
2 | Take out your knife and place it on the board. |
3 | Place your measuring spoons and cups nearby. |
4 | Set out the salt, pepper mill, and olive oil. |
5 | Have your canister of utensils nearby. |
6 | Keep a dry dish towel and paper towels handy. |
7 | Set out a small plate to use for dirty spoons. |
Now go to your recipe and read it through COMPLETELY before you start. Set out the specific pots and pans and ingredients listed so you can easily reach for what you need. Believe it or not, you’re ready to start cooking.
Everything that might put you in Panic Mode is dealt with head-on, right here in this section. When you are ready to attempt a recipe, and a step or two frightens you, come back to these pages. More than likely there will be a solution for you. There is no challenge we can’t get through together.
I am trying to give you as much instruction as possible without freaking you out with too much detail.
The photos and instructions that follow practically do the work for you. If you want even more support, visit
www.tccb.co
for my How-to videos. Or if you want to get all tech-y, you can access the videos using an exciting feature called digital watermarking. Simply download the free app at
scannow.mobi/tccb
then hold your phone’s camera a few inches away from the photo with the video icon next to it and help is on the way.
How-to? Go to:
tccb.co
.
How-to
I can’t get enough citrus. It’s a no-fat, high-flavor way to zip up any dish. You can zest it or juice it and add it to most things for a light, bright flavor.
Wash
and dry the outside of the lemon, lime, or orange.
Depending on the recipe, you may need citrus zest, juice, or both. If you need both, zest the citrus first.
wash
The colorful outer layer of the peel of citrus is called the zest. To zest it means to capture this flavorful layer by grating it.
Grate the zest
by moving the citrus in one direction along a grater/zester, pressing and rotating as you go and removing only the colorful outer layer. Stop when you get to the white part. Turn the citrus and repeat until you have the amount you want.
Zest of 1 lemon = about 1 tsp.
Zest of 1 lime = about
1
/
2
tsp.
Zest of 1 orange = about 1 T.
grate the zest
How to: zest citrus
To juice it, first
firmly press and roll
the citrus back and forth on your work surface to get its juices flowing.
Cut in half crosswise
and flick out any visible seeds. Insert the citrus reamer (or the tines of a fork) into the center of the fruit and
push and twist
to extract the juice (you may have to scoop out any stray seeds).
Juice from 1 lemon = about 3 T.
Juice from 1 lime = 1 to 2 T.
Juice from 1 orange =
1
/
3
to
1
/
2
c.
firmly press and roll
cut in half crosswise
push and twist
How to: juice citrus
