Refining Cookery

 The nature of my career and my work with people transitioning from their full-time career/have to work phase to their 'whatever comes next phase' (I will avoid calling it retirement), has put me in a position to observe a lot of people. I find that the term 'life long learner' is thrown out often more as an ideal than as something truly imbibed. But for me, it is definitely the case. I would present the case of the Theodora Project as a prime example. But let's focus how this 'life long learner' attitude manifests in the more mundane...like with cooking.

I have been cooking for a long time. And like anyone who cooks a long time, I have my standards. But with all the traveling and cooking classes I've done over the last five years, I keep adding more techniques into my repertoire. Recently, I found a couple of rather small adjustments that have made a BIG difference in the consistency of my cooking results. They are use of the instant read thermometer, paying close attention to time, and bringing food to room temperature.

The Instant Read Thermometer

I've had one for years but never used it for some reason. I would typically just rely on rough time and observation to see if food was done correctly. This led to erratic results. Out of frustration on consistently over or under cooking salmon, I decided to try the instant read. Voila! Suddenly I was achieving perfection...especially when applying the next simple technique.

Paying Close Attention to Time

Since I was reading the results with the instant read, the next logical step was to be way more exact on the amount of time I was cooking things. No just watching the clock. Setting the timer. A result was finally cooking burgers (a nemesis for me) to a satisfactory result. I even use the timer now to make sure that pans are the right heat before I start cooking with them.

Bringing Food to Room Temperature

Even with use of the prior two techniques, I was having issues getting the innards cooked for large pieces of protein. This was especially true of when I put things in the smoker. I guess I have been a bit paranoid about food going bad so I would not take it out of the fridge for very long before I cooked. I experimented with taking it out much earlier. What a difference. Now foods were coming to their proper cooking temperature way more consistently and with less time.