Today we’re going to talk about the single-most important flavor factor for a lot of different dishes: mirepoix. (Pronounced meer-PWAH.) Yes, this is a very fancy-pants sounding word*, ? but what really matters is that it can SERIOUSLY up your game while cooking. A mirepoix is a simple mixture of chopped onions, celery, and carrots that you cook gently on the stove until the vegetables develop complex flavors, usually until they are browned. You then use these cooked vegetables as the base for the rest of your dish (such as stocks, soups, and sauces).
Cooking Terms and Definitions – Volume 1 – Beginner Words
Have you ever sat down determined to cook a recipe, only to come across one or two mystery cooking terms or words that stops you cold in your tracks? Like, “sweat the onions,” “brine the meat,” or “fold the batter?” And from there, you’re totally lost. Unknown cooking terms can cause all sorts of havoc in the kitchen. But don’t worry. It happens to the best of us! Today we’re going to talk about some of the most commonly misunderstood cooking terms you’ll see in recipes. These are words, phrases, and techniques that might trip you up if you run across them while cooking. While there are an endless number of culinary terms to learn, there are only a few you really need to know to become a better cook. I’ve compiled them all here for you in one place.
Kitchen Zone System + Checklist — Get Organized
Here’s a super simple concept that’s going to make your cooking SO much easier: it’s the idea of “kitchen zones.” First off, I want to say that it doesn’t matter if you have a tiny kitchen — or what we call in my house a “one-butt kitchen,” because there’s only room for one pair of buns. Kitchen zones make cooking SO much easier because it’s the first step of kitchen organization, and organization leads to easier execution. Each kitchen generally has four kitchen zones. In smaller kitchens these zones often overlap, and that’s totally fine. Here’s a quick video that will explain the zones and show you how to organize them.
Fearless Fresh 2017 Holiday Gift Guide
Let’s take a step back and thank whichever higher power you hold dear for the internet. The mess of wires and anonymous commenters that gives us shopping from home. Because I love you, I’m going to give you my top-5 list of awesome culinary-based Christmas gifts for 2017. Every single one of these things can be purchased while in the form of a blanket burrito on your couch while binging Netflix. No pants, shoes, or makeup required. Halle-freaking-lujah.
Introducing Fearless Fresh Cooking Cheat Sheets!
Fearless Fresh Cooking Cheat Sheets are like having a cooking teacher right there in the kitchen with you. These colorful cooking guides are full of easy-to-read recipe tables that allow you to mix and match ingredients, so you can create flavorful dishes with complete ease. For the next two weeks I’m offering all Cooking Cheat Sheets sets in a bundle at a discounted rate of 15% off + free shipping. If you order now, you will get the your cheat sheets will ship the first week of November.
Mexican Flavor Bomb: Avocado YUM Sauce Recipe
This avocado sauce recipe is a great example of how to increase flavor with almost no effort. Not only does it hit almost every mandatory flavor note, it also whips up in less than a minute. As a sauce it’s incredibly flavorful and very flexible, so you can serve it however you like it best — thin, like a sauce, or thick and chunky, like the best guacamole you’ve ever eaten. If you’re serving it in tacos, over enchiladas, or on top of chicken/fish/veggies, blend it to a smooth consistency so that it seeps into every nook and cranny of your dish. If you’re eating it like a dip or serving it on top of bread, leave it chunkier so that it’s easier to eat.
Farro Salad Recipe with Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomatoes
This farro salad is healthy, yes, but also hearty and incredibly flavorful. Whole grain farro fills you up while an impressively assertive cast of flavors makes this one of those two- or three-helping dishes: sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, green onions, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, and some welcomely bitter green arugula to round the whole thing out. This farro salad hits so many flavor notes, and perfectly, that I’ve been eating it for dinner with nothing else without feeling deprived in any way.
Summer Fig Jam Recipe with Aquavit
Each summer I have access to plenty of figs to make fig jam from and each year it’s a little bit different. One year I flavored my fig jam with orange juice and zest, another year with cinnamon sticks, and yet another with a generous pour of balsamic vinegar. This year’s fig jam was spiked with aquavit; a Scandinavian spirit flavored with caraway and star anise. The savory whisper complimented the inherent flowery flavors of the figs, resulting in what may be my favorite fig jam yet.
Flavor Secrets: Orange Blossom Water = the Ultimate Orange Juice
– This little orange blossom water recipe really perks up your standard glass of OJ. – Flavor Secrets is a little series I’m running about a handful of single, simple ingredients that can take the flavor of your cooking to the next level with almost ZERO effort. Let’s start with something innocuous: Orange juice. And, orange…
How to Freeze Blueberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, and Other Berries
Learning how to keep freeze blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and other summer berries can be frustrating without a few important tips. An endless variety of summer berries are filling the markets right now (and filling our mouths as we stuff ourselves silly with them). This is the best part of summer, in my opinion — but berries tend to spoil quickly, especially when it’s warm out.