By Pat Tanner Special Writer
When I read the following tip from executive chef Bruce Lefebvre in an e-newsletter from The Frog & The Peach it dawned on me that professional chefs probably break the rules all the time.
“Bake cookies at 300 degrees despite what the recipe says,” Mr. Lefebvre writes, “so that the center is cooked but the outside does not get too dark.”
For more years than I care to name I rigidly followed recipe instructions, to ridiculous lengths. Once I loosened up, though, my cooking was much the better for it.
Mr. Lefebrve’s advice got me thinking that maybe there are yet other rules I slavishly follow without question, so I asked chefs from around the area for their best tips that go against common practice or the accepted way of doing things. Here are the results.
Apparently I am not alone in taking instructions too literally.
Will Mooney of the Brothers Moon says this is his favorite such story, but as a good son begins his missive with a contrite “Sorry, Mom.” His mother, he says, is a good cook who had just one problem she couldn’t figure out.
“It was roast pork and only roast pork — everything else she makes is always great. But after many attempts it was always dry when she took it out of the oven and she couldn’t figure out why. So she goes to her son ‘The Chef’ with the problem. I fixed the problem by advising — wait for it — ‘Take it out of the oven sooner.’ Now it’s great roast pork all the time.”
From Sue Simpkins of Main Street comes this timely advice for the home cook:
“With the hectic holidays, if I’m planning to have family for brunch and everyone likes a lot of bacon and sausage, I cook off two or three pounds of each well ahead — weeks ahead, even. I drain and cool them and freeze in zip-lock bags, then pull them out and either reheat in the oven or microwave (briefly). The other nice benefit is getting all the greasy cooking done well in advance and all at once! Obviously this need not be done only when planning a large party. I keep a stock handy for the grandchildren or for BLTs, etc.”
We home cooks are always being told that baking, unlike other forms of cooking, requires precise measurements and timing. Well, try telling that to the pros! Bruce Lefebvre isn’t alone with his 300-degree cookies. Pastry chefs, it seems, just can’t resist tinkering with temperature and technique. Max Dierkes, pastry chef at Rat’s Restaurant, is one such experimenter and has overcome a problem he suspects many of us can relate to.
“One thing I like to do when baking brulée, custards, or cheesecakes is to eliminate the water bath altogether and reduce the oven temperature to 200 or 225 degrees,” he says. “It seems no matter how hard I try, I can never keep the water from the bath out of my product. When baking brulée I found it will still set at the lower temperature and it will not curdle or over-bake. When baking a cheesecake I first cook it at 350 degrees to brown up somewhat, then turn down the temp to 225 degrees. It is done when the internal temperature reaches 156 degrees. I then leave it in the oven with the door slightly open until it has cooled.”
Gigi Burton of Plainsboro’s sugar + sunshine bakery offers two tips that she uses frequently:
“One, instead of zesting citrus fruits onto a chopping board, zest directly into your mixer bowl so you don’t lose any of the essential oils. I like to zest directly into my sugar to ensure every bit of flavor is incorporated into the final product. Two, when a recipe calls for water or milk, use this as an opportunity to add additional flavor. For example, try using coffee or fruit juices instead of water or steeping cinnamon sticks or tea bags in milk.”
These next three gems are from chefs at Chambers Walk Café.
Julia Waterhouse, executive chef, reminds us that it has become socially acceptable for people to eat pork slightly rare, whereas in the past that was always verboten. (As Mama Mooney can attest.)
Owner Mario Mangone makes this astute observation:
“Many chefs say that they are cooking with olive oil for its health benefits, but once olive oil is heated to the smoking point (usually most sautéing is done at this temp), all of the beneficial ingredients in the olive oil dissipate.” What he prefers to do for flavor, consistency, and health benefits, “is to drizzle a bit of olive oil over the finished product.”
Melissa Gorman, Chambers Walk’s pastry chef, chimes in with:
“Most recipes and common understanding of baking specify using non-salted butter — not true! Salted butter can be used just as successfully in that most baked goods also have salt in them. Also, it has always been touted as complete contamination for a bit of yolk to be present in egg whites, especially when beating whites to meringue. Again, not true. A little bit of yolk in no way inhibits the stiffness of the whipped whites. Conversely, a little bit of egg white in your yolk — whatever may be the final destination of the yolks — doesn’t affect the outcome either.”
What a relief!
One chef I can always count on for a spirited response to any inquiry is Mark Valenza, whose BYOB restaurant is Za in Pennington. In characteristic style he took my request for culinary tips in a somewhat different direction. I will give him the last word, since he employs the traditional “Top Ten” countdown and it is, after all, almost New Year’s Eve.
Writes Mr. Valenza, “The subject of culinary tips led me to places I dared not travel, so I toned down my thoughts on dinner party prattle and restaurant etiquette (that got ugly) and came up with the following:
“10. Salt all fried food … Remember: like the potato chip, all fried foods are simply grease-and- salt delivery devices. Don’t ever serve me grease without my salt.
“9. If you’ve never made it before … Try it out on the very young or the very old first. They’ll tell you the truth.
“8. Wine … If it’s over 10 years old, chances are you own a very expensive bottle of vinegar. Please don’t make your friends and family drink it. Admit its shortcomings and move on to the next bottle; it will make for a better dinner and story.
“7. Vegetables … are marvelous, colorful, unique taste treats. Stop overcooking them.
“6. If you’re a Rachael Ray fan … C’mon, you already know how to eat cheap. Check out some old Julia Child shows and learn how to dine well.
“5. Cooking clothes … Get yourself a chef’s jacket; it will save your holiday sweater from grease stains and instill culinary confidence. No cute slogans printed on your jacket like “Kiss the Chef,” or “Grill Guy” or “Gal” — it will defeat the purpose.
“4. When in doubt … add bacon.
“3. I know this isn’t going to be my most popular suggestion, but under the category of you get what you pay for … we should pay more for Chinese food.
“2. Bones … Why do so many of us have an aversion to bones? We all know what we are eating, don’t we? Use bones; bones make food taste better
“1a. If you have vegetarian or vegan friends … Just love them, make crudités. Even if they insult all the food you slaved over and like to eat, remember … they’re just hungry.
“1. Dining out … Always dine at chef-owned BYOBs. The food is always better and you can save a lot of coin on wine and alcohol. OK — that was a little self-serving.”
Pat Tanner, the restaurant critic for New Jersey Life magazine, writes a biweekly food column for The Princeton Packet. A former caterer and corporate trainer, Ms. Tanner is a founding member of the Central New Jersey Chapter of Slow Food and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the James Beard Foundation and the Association of Food Journalists.
