Re: Knife skills . . .my tasty, but ugly broccoli cheddar soup

[Guest guest]

Hmmm, well, I tend to find as long as my knife is sharp, I can

usually pull things off, though always on the messy side.

Now then, I am probably really showing my culinary ignorance

here, Ellen, but what are nne carrots?!! ; )

No doubt your broccoli cheddar soup was a very resounding success

though!

Adelaide

In a message dated 4/15/11 11:23:25 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,

hey_elel@... writes:

Just wondering if anyone has as bad knife skills in the kitchen as I do. I

was just thinking about this as I was making some broccoli cheddar soup

tonight. The recipe asked for julienne carrots. Well, my knife skills aren't

the greatest. So, I thought, as long as it tastes like broccoli cheddar soup

and not New England clam chowder, I'm okay.

What's your favorite quick prep tool for chopping, cutting things?

Favorite knife?

-Ellen

[Guest guest]

I love to cook, but my knife skills aren't all that great. I've got two

things working against me; limited wrist rotation, and lack of a surface

at the proper height on which to chop.

However, having a good knife DOES help enormously (and you MUST keep it

sharp).

If you enjoy cooking, I recommend you subscribe to:

http://www.cooksillustrated.com

That's the website for the magazine " Cook's Illustrated "

If you're not familiar, Cook's Illustrated is the " Consumer Reports " of

the home cook world. No advertising. They not only publish recipes (they

take a scientific approach to cooking, and not ONCE have I ever gotten

less than exemplary results following any of their recipes or cooking

methods), but do very extensive product (ingredients) and equipment

reviews. A subscription to their website costs about 4.95/mo, and I can

tell you my subscription has paid for itself many times over due to the

savings I've realized by following their recommendations for buying

ingredients and equipment.

For chef's knives, Cooks Illustrated recommends " Victorinox (formerly

Victorinox Forschner) Fibrox 8-inch Chef's Knife " as the best in terms

of cost and performance. It costs about 25.00. I own one of these (and I

also purchased a paring knife of the same brand) and I love BOTH of

them. Their " second place " chef's knife is the " Wüsthof Grand Prix II

8-inch Chef's Knife " at 82.50. Had I not had access to the results of

the tests done by Cook's Illustrated, I would have most likely purchased

a much more expensive knife than the Fibrox, thinking the more expensive

brands (such as Wüsthof and Henkels) HAD to be better than something 1/3

of the price. That one purchase alone saved me the cost of more than a

years subscription to the Cook's Illustrated website!

Insofar as cooking techniques, they don't just publish a recipe and

claim " this is the best way to cook this. " No - they actually do a lot

of research and collect all the different ways there are to prepare a

particular item (for example, a whole turkey). Then, they test each

method side-by-side and compare the results objectively. Once they have

figured out which method works the best of all available methods, they

then " fine tune " it to make it even better. Better yet, they explain WHY

a particular method or technique is better, based on cooking science.

Note to Adelaide:

To " julienne " a vegetable means to cut it lengthwise into " matchsticks "

....pieces approx 1/8 " square, and about 2 " long.

TG

El wrote:

> Just wondering if anyone has as bad knife skills in the kitchen as I do. I was

just thinking about this as I was making some broccoli cheddar soup tonight.

The recipe asked for julienne carrots. Well, my knife skills aren't the

greatest. So, I thought, as long as it tastes like broccoli cheddar soup and

not New England clam chowder, I'm okay.

>

> What's your favorite quick prep tool for chopping, cutting things? Favorite

knife?

>

> -Ellen

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

> ===

>

[Guest guest]

Ahhh, thank you, TG! I appreciate your help with this! ; )

I didn't have a clue as to what julienne carrots were, and now

I do!

Amazing what a person can learn in our Dwarfism Group, huh?!!

Take care,

Adelaide

In a message dated 4/16/11 7:55:40 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,

TwirlyGirly1@... writes:

Note to Adelaide:

To " julienne " a vegetable means to cut it lengthwise into " matchsticks "

....pieces approx 1/8 " square, and about 2 " long.

TG

[Guest guest]

Hi Ellen,

Box grater or Microplane...both work beautifully to get a fine grate/julienne

for vegetables and hard cheeses.

And I think would work very well for soups, taking into consideration

consistancy.

________________________________

From: El <hey_elel@...>

dwarfism

Sent: Fri, April 15, 2011 11:23:07 PM

Subject: Knife skills . . .my tasty, but ugly broccoli cheddar soup

 

Just wondering if anyone has as bad knife skills in the kitchen as I do. I was

just thinking about this as I was making some broccoli cheddar soup tonight. The

recipe asked for julienne carrots. Well, my knife skills aren't the greatest.

So, I thought, as long as it tastes like broccoli cheddar soup and not New

England clam chowder, I'm okay.

What's your favorite quick prep tool for chopping, cutting things? Favorite

knife?

-Ellen