Cooking Lessons

Angie550

All this talk of food is making me hungry and realize that I dont know how to make a lot of stuff.  Has anyone taken a good cooking class around Morris County that they would recommend?

nyclisa78

[url]http://www.classicthyme.com/[/url]my shower was there, the teacher was patient with a group of 40 women who would not shut up so i can only imagine how he is with people who are actually there to learn!

erikag23

watch the food network.

akmackay

A lot of community colleges offer nighttime "learning" classes- I know Brookdale in Lincroft does. Maybe look into your local community colleges? I agree with watching the Food Network- that's where I learn!

jtheiss

Viking Cooking School in Fairfield, NJ. They offer a variety of courses on different types of food, etc.

Angie550

Thanks ladies.  I watch the food network, but sometimes I wish I had someone there with me.  I am always scared that things are not cooked enough and end up over cooking them. I need someone to say "It is done, take it out".

erikag23

if meat is soft in the middle when touched with a fork, then that generally means it is not cooked all the way through.  obviously for steaks this is fine if you like rare-medium rare, this is no good for chicken.  that is my rule of thumb.  sometimes works other times i cut down the middle and see where we are lol.

samor

Erika, as always, great responses!

Angie550

I tried to use a meat thermometer, but then I 2nd guess myself that I am putting it in the right spot.  And my mind plays tricks on me and I always think chick or pork looks pink.  FI said to me one night "You are a good cook, it would just be better if everything wasnt dry and over cooked" hahah poor guy.  We have tacos alot, you cant over cook chopped turkey

erikag23

i also find marinating prevents the meat from drying out.  mc cormicks has great grill mate marinating packets that really help keep the meat moist when cooked.  i normally do it the night before or that morning.

ffbride_0813

You should have a cooking party at home.  We do that sometimes where we invite friends over and we make fajitas, they make guac or we make pizza all together.  You could do one where everyone brings fixens for part of the dinner.  That way you can learn from other friends you may have that can cook.  And its a fun time for everyone.

cherylanddan0706

Angie, I'm the same way, I totally have timing down, but I'm always second guessing. My sis is the same, we blame our mom. When she was preg with my brother she had pork poisoning, and couldn't have anything done. She always thinks things are too pink. I'm constantly cutting after cooking and sticking it in FI's face to check color and saying "I dunno I think its a little pink"

Lola Minnie

I would love cooking classes too. I religiously watch food network to learn and have enough cook books but my fears get the best of me that I will not succeed. Plus my fi is *very* picky with food. There are so many things he won't eat that I struggle with what I can make.

Angie550

Cheryl - Same thing here.  My Mom has made me paranoid that things are always pink and I ask FI all the time.  Now he doesnt even look at it, he just says it is done. 

jtheiss

Lola - my FI is the exact same way. He's anti everything. It seems like if it's not meat and potatoes or pasta he's not interested! Have you found anything that appeals to him?

Danes983

Here's an idea. Not sure how you feel about chicken but, get an over stuffer the ones by purdue comes with a popper (the little thing that tells you its done)  In addition to that put your meat thermom in it and when the popper pops look at the meat therm. It will say its done so then you will maybe trust it more!

Danes983

*Oven stuffer not over stuffer* sorry.

cherylanddan0706

I love those Danes.  I like the ones that are just in the bag too, I am too tired and crap to start doing stuff from scratch on the week days, weekends I'm a maniac (when I have time)Angie, my FI does the exact same, he just says "yea its done" I'm always to poison us.  Damn my mother :)My BIL always makes comments too me my sis and my mom at the dinner table talkinga bout how we don't think the pork is done, he gets so frustrated

mrs.spunky1508

With chicken & pork that I saute or cook on the stove, I take the meat out of the pan, put it on a warm plate and cover with foil. Then I microwave the veggies and mash the potatoes or check on the rice, or whatever I am cooking to go with it. The extra few minutes keeps the juices in, so it doesn't dry out, and cooks it just that last little bit so I don't run into the "is it done or not?" problem.

Lola Minnie

Jtheis, these are the things off the top of my head that he won't eat: pork, veal, chilli, tacos, stew, pot roast.  It's really difficult. How many times can I make chicken cutlets, sausage, or pasta. I feel like the things he likes are fattening... so when I try something new, I tip-toe around it because he has such a weird food phobia.

jtheiss

Lola - I know, it's really frustrating. I have to lie to FI all the time about the ingredients in stuff that I make because I know he'll like it as long as he doesn't KNOW that there's something in it he dislikes. One time I made stuffed shells and put a grated bell pepper in the filling so that it basically just melted once it hit the pan and just added some spice. He walked into the house and said he could smell the cooked pepper in the air and subsequently scraped the filling out of the shells and just ate the noodles. I was so pissed!

Lola Minnie

Jtheiss, what a sad story! I know your pain. Maybe other knotties have tips for us to solve our problem. My fi feels bad about his food phobia and thinks it's a real issue. I will bring home chilli my mom makes and he won't let me eat it in the same room as him. Very tough. When we eventually have children, I will start making more meals and he will have to suffer and eat a frozen pizza or something.

Danes983

LIE LIE LIE. Thats what I do. Or cook before they get home and hide the box and stuff. Now my FI loves turkey burgers and tacos! Now only if we could get the FDA to understand.. we could have a secret code on each box of heathy stuff for example it would say Mac and Cheese but it would REALLY be light mac and cheese.  Just we would know. shhh

Mye

trial and error, of course dont put your health at risk, but its the best way to learn....