FRC - I have wondered lately, after watching many chefs on tv...
- Thread starter dawnnys
- Start date
I am just a cook, for mant years, but if you read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential.....
he spoke of an older chef, who said "I just want to be remembered as a good cook". I do all the business and personel issues on the ships I am on, but still only consider my self a cook---
With that in mind I have a pot of salt and one of pepper and one of salt and pepper above my grill--I think for things we make almost daily maybe it just a second sense, and then when you taste you know if it needs a pinch?
And actually the other dry herbs and spices I do shake into my palm--
O.K. We have some chefs here, I'll let the big dogs in--
he spoke of an older chef, who said "I just want to be remembered as a good cook". I do all the business and personel issues on the ships I am on, but still only consider my self a cook---
With that in mind I have a pot of salt and one of pepper and one of salt and pepper above my grill--I think for things we make almost daily maybe it just a second sense, and then when you taste you know if it needs a pinch?
And actually the other dry herbs and spices I do shake into my palm--
O.K. We have some chefs here, I'll let the big dogs in--
It could be a food safety issue. If you're up to your elbows in raw meat, having the salt and
pepper in small bowls means you don't have to be constantly washing your hands to handle the dispensers. When you're done, the remaining S&P can be tossed out and the bowls washed. Other seasonings are too expensive to do this with.
I think it also looks better on TV not to have all those commercial jars and shakers lying around, and it saves prescious seconds of air time.
pepper in small bowls means you don't have to be constantly washing your hands to handle the dispensers. When you're done, the remaining S&P can be tossed out and the bowls washed. Other seasonings are too expensive to do this with.
I think it also looks better on TV not to have all those commercial jars and shakers lying around, and it saves prescious seconds of air time.
michael-in-phoenix
Well-known member
Laughing out loud!
And often you need to guage by the outcome of the dish, perhaps adding another pinch. Easier to
add than take away. I'm finding that saltiness is varying so much, I almost never measure but start with just 'a bit' (a pinch) and try before adding more. I think a definite measurement would presume all things to be equal, which they are not.
Boy am I getting wordy. Must be time for dinner.
add than take away. I'm finding that saltiness is varying so much, I almost never measure but start with just 'a bit' (a pinch) and try before adding more. I think a definite measurement would presume all things to be equal, which they are not.
Boy am I getting wordy. Must be time for dinner.
music-city-missy
Well-known member
Sort of what we have learned in culinary school is...
you really can better control the amount used especially when trying to put on meats and such before cooking. You wouldn't want to measure out a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and just dump it on a steak - it would wind up in a mound and if you try to sprinkle from the spoon, again it's uneven. If you use a shaker, it's hard to control how much comes out. Learning to use our hands in the kitchen and learn the feel of things is really quite important.
you really can better control the amount used especially when trying to put on meats and such before cooking. You wouldn't want to measure out a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and just dump it on a steak - it would wind up in a mound and if you try to sprinkle from the spoon, again it's uneven. If you use a shaker, it's hard to control how much comes out. Learning to use our hands in the kitchen and learn the feel of things is really quite important.
I agree with all of your comments, but why just salt? Is it because of Joe's idea that...
the other spices are more expensive and it'd be a waste of $$ to throw them out if they got contaminated?
Seems you'de get a better feel for all herbs/spices (and add as you went along if neccessary to adjust the taste) if we didn't measure a small amount, just grabbed a pinch of it by hand.
No?
the other spices are more expensive and it'd be a waste of $$ to throw them out if they got contaminated?
Seems you'de get a better feel for all herbs/spices (and add as you went along if neccessary to adjust the taste) if we didn't measure a small amount, just grabbed a pinch of it by hand.
No?
In the kitchen I rarely measure anything...
It's more a case of ratios than exact measures -
And cooking for 100 people it's more of a case of salt by the handful than a pinch...
When I start I pour out a small bowl full of salt and work from there, the same with spices out of the big jars, all by hand, it would be very time consuming to stop, wash your hands, take the spoon out, measure, pour out the spoon, wash the spoon... you get the idea.
At home I do use pinches, I only measure stuff when baking -
It's more a case of ratios than exact measures -
And cooking for 100 people it's more of a case of salt by the handful than a pinch...
When I start I pour out a small bowl full of salt and work from there, the same with spices out of the big jars, all by hand, it would be very time consuming to stop, wash your hands, take the spoon out, measure, pour out the spoon, wash the spoon... you get the idea.
At home I do use pinches, I only measure stuff when baking -
