The Kitchen Counter - Home Cooking Tips and Inspiration

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Peeling Back the Layers Oct 29, 2014

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Peeling Back the Layers

Imagine an ingredient that has been around as long as civilization itself, and is used heavily in almost every culture and cuisine in the world. The builders of the pyramids of Egypt ate it for nourishment. At other times in world history, it was considered so valuable that people would pay their rent with it, or give it as gifts. Ancient Greek athletes would eat it in the belief that it enhanced their athletic prowess. Roman gladiators would rub it all over their bodies to firm up their muscles. Doctors prescribed it to alleviate snakebites, coughs, and headaches.*

In modern cooking, it helps to give many of your favorite dishes a depth of flavor that can't really be achieved by substituting any other ingredient. Behold, the mighty onion!

Wait, I'm sorry. Did you think I was going to say bacon? Or chile peppers, quinoa, kale, or goji berries, or any number of other fad food items that have gained and lost popularity over the years? Interesting as they may be, so much has already been said about them. And none of them have the staying power of the simple onion, nor are there many other ingredients so universally incorporated into so many cuisines. I wanted to take some time today to talk onion. I'm going to focus on the bulb varieties commonly found in the United States, and not so much green onions (scallions), shallots, or other close relatives.

Many people seem to have a love/hate relationship with onions. I count myself among them. I was that kid that would always find the tiniest bit of onion in something my mom had cooked and refuse to eat the rest of the dish (even if I had already eaten most of it already without complaint). While my opinion has changed on cooked onions, I still can't stand eating raw onions. Put raw onions in a salad or on a burger and you've practically ruined it in my mind.

But I understand the power of the onion. There is a reason that every major cuisine in the world uses it extensively. There's a reason why it's part of the "holy trinity" of cajun cooking, or one of the primary ingredients in mirepoix in French cuisine, or soffrito in Italian cooking. In order for you to harness the savory powers of onions, it's helpful to know the four main varieties of bulb onions and their uses.

Yellow (or Spanish) Onions

The yellow onion is the most commonly used variety in American cuisine. When you see a recipe that calls for onion, yellow onion is most likely what you need. Thin-skinned and mild, yellow onions are great for all around use, and are the onions I use more often than the others, by far.

Sweet Onions

Sweet onions often look like the common yellow onion mentioned above, but are usually less round and more squat and oval shaped. They contain less sulfur than yellow onions and therefore taste much sweeter. There are several well known varieties of sweet onions, including Walla Walla, Vidalia, Maui, Bermuda.

White Onions

Delicious when lightly sauteed, white onions are the go-to onion when cooking Mexican and Latin American cuisine. Next time you whip up fajitas use a white onion along with your peppers.

Red Onions Sharp-flavored and colorful, red onions are often used raw as additions to chili, salads, or any dish that could use a pop (or rather a punch in the face) of pungent flavor. I rarely use red onions as I don't care for my onions raw, but if you do then this is the onion for you! No More Tears

One of the reasons many people dislike working with onions are the tears and stinging eyes that come with chopping them. There are dozens of tips (some more effective than others) on the internet about how to solve this problem, and some are downright crazy (chopping onions under running water? Yeah that sounds easy). My favorite trick if you have this problem is to put your onion in the freezer for 10-15 minutes prior to chopping. Don't leave it in too long or it will be too hard to cut! A nice sharp knife will help as well, as you'll do less shredding on the onion and therefore reduce the amount of irritants that make it to your eyes.

Onion Recipes

How to caramelize onions - My method for perfectly rich and sweet caramelized onions.

Beer battered onion rings - My first attempt at onion rings at home turned out pretty darn good!

French onion soup - Not my recipe, but a staple for onion lovers.

Swiss onion tart

A Word About Knives

If there is one kitchen tool that can vastly improve your time spent in the kitchen, it's a good quality knife. No other tool is used more often on a regular basis, and having a poor quality knife can do a lot to turn a person off to cooking at home (not to mention they can be a safety hazard). While good knives aren't cheap, they will last you a long time if properly cared for. Save up for a good knife, or perhaps now would be a good time to write Santa a letter letting him know how good you've been all year!

What to Look For in a Good Kitchen Knife

Knife preference is subjective, and different people have different preferences in types and brands of knife. However, there are a few qualities in a knife that I think are non-negotiable:

High quality steel
Solid handle construction
Well balanced and good weight

There are many excellent quality brands widely available in the United States; J.A. Henckels and WÜSTHOF are two of the most common. Both are German companies and their knives are very well made. Though not cheap, the investment will start paying off immediately over a cheap knife. My personal favorite knife is the WÜSTHOF Classic Series Cook's Knife. I most often use the 6-inch version, and I use it for almost every cutting task in my kitchen. For bigger jobs I have an 8-inch Henckels Santoku knife, but I seldom use it.

WÜSTHOF Amazon Page

Regardless of the brand you choose, you should avoid any knife that:

"Never needs sharpening." These are never top-quality knives, and usually have a blade that is somewhat serrated.
Is sold on TV in the middle of the night. Again, these are never top-quality blades, no matter how many rusty pipes and tomatoes it looks like the knife can cut through.

Five Favorites of Fall Oct 17, 2014

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Leave me voice mail feedback at: 971-208-5493 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kitchencounterpodcast Twitter: @TKCpodcast Email: feedback@kitchencounterpodcast.com

Full show notes at: http://kitchencounterpodcast.com/5

Today we're talking fall dishes and I want to share with you my "Five Favorites of Fall." Most of us have an idea that when the weather starts to change, and different foods become available, that our tendency to cook certain dishes, or types of dishes, increases. Rarely in the middle of a long, hot summer are we heating up the kitchen cooking roasts in the oven. Likely we are out on the back porch grilling, or eating out more, or picnicking, or whatever. But when the days get a little shorter, and the leaves on the trees start their transformation, and the evenings cool down, we bust out the casserole dishes and sauce pots and start cooking heartier, warmer fare.

The following list, to me, epitomizes what that means for the home cook; these are my favorite fall recipes. These are the dishes I think about when fall arrives. I bet one of your fall favorites is here, and I'd love to know what I missed in your opinion.

1.Chili

Probably the first thing I make when the weather turns cool is chili. Almost no other dish means fall to me more. One of the things I love most about chili is that it means so many different things to so many different people. I'm sure you could have a different chili recipe every day of the year and not repeat. Probably more than that even. Because of chili's versatility, it can be adapted to a wide variety of tastes and dietary requirements. Need vegetarian, or vegan, chili? No problem. Like your chili so spicy it melts your tongue to the roof of your mouth? You can do that. Hate tomatoes and prefer a chili that uses green pepper instead? Got it. Really, the sky is the limit when it comes to chili.

Remember with chili that when a recipe calls for chile powder, they are generally speaking of a chile blend that isn't spicy. Most chile powder blends you buy in the grocery store will be on the mild side, and if you aren't sure, ask before you buy. The spice in chili comes with the other ingredients you add in smaller amounts (e.g. cayenne, jalapenos, chipotles, etc.). Remember it's easy to add heat to chili, but nearly impossible to take out, so err on the side of caution!

My go-to chili recipe is your standard chili con carne (with beef), and it is what most people probably envision when chili comes up. If you want to make this vegetarian, simply substitute more beans for beef (feel free to try other varieties than kidney). Diced Portobello mushrooms would be fantastic as well.

Recipe Link: http://kitchencounterpodcast.com/recipe/chili-con-carne/

2.Beef Stew

Ah beef stew. When I was growing up on mom would sometimes take a cheap, tough cut of beef, like an eye of round roast, and brown it up then toss it in a pot with some onion, carrots, and potatoes and let it stew in the oven with some liquid for a few hours. The house would smell amazing and you would end up with the ultimate one-pot meal. More often than not she stewed pork, which is why when beef was on the menu it was just a little more special.

While I sometimes make beef stew the way my mom did, I have developed my own method of making stew to create some wonderfully rich sauce and a deep flavor. I cut up my beef into smaller chunks and use beef broth or stock and a hearty red wine to stew the meat and carrots. I like to mash or whip the potatoes separately and then use the beef and sauce over the top. The red wine and stock cooks down into an incredibly rich sauce that I could just eat like soup (seriously). If you didn't feel like potatoes, this would go very well with nice wide egg noodles.

Recipe Link:

A couple of easy mashed potato recipes: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/basic-mashed-potatoes/ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/basic-mashed-potatoes-recipe.html

3.Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and dumplings are a quintessential comfort food; it even sounds cozy! Just say the words "chicken and dumplings" over and over and pretty soon you'll find yourself curled up in front of the fireplace reading a good book while the rain pours outside.

The recipe for this dish looks intimidating, mainly because there is a long list of ingredients. Don't let that scare you away; the effort is well worth the result. The key to making this dish sing is how you prepare the chicken ahead of time. Some recipes I've seen call for boiling the chicken until done, then adding to the dish. Please, don't ever boil your chicken. Yes it cooks just fine, but the flavor will be sorely lacking, even if you add salt and seasoning to the water. You might as well just open a can of chicken and dump it in. Instead, simmer the chicken in a combination of white wine, chicken stock, rosemary and garlic. You'll end up with a much tastier base for your dish and the chicken will be much more flavorful as well.

As for the dumplings; in some versions of the dish I've had, the dumplings are little more than clumps of dough floating in the broth. For this recipe, you'll have big, fluffy dumplings to which you can add a variety of ingredients to pack in even more flavor (I like dried thyme in my dumplings).

Recipe Link: http://kitchencounterpodcast.com/recipe/chicken-dumplings/

4.Apple Crisp

When fall rolls around there is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to apples, especially where I live in the Pacific Northwest. My favorite way to eat apples is right out of hand, but occasionally I get motivated to put them into a dish. I love apple pie, but homemade apple pie can be a real bear to pull off well (my wife is the baker in the family). Apple crisp is a fantastic alternative, primarily because you don't have to mess with finicky pie crust. Drop a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top of the finished product and no one will be complaining!

Also note that this dish uses "warm" spices which really come into more use starting in fall. By warm spices I mean those spices that aren't spicy hot, but, well, "warm;" cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, etc. Think of spices that go into a chai latte, or pumpkin spice, and that's what I mean by "warm" spices. Also be sure to use the right kind of apples. Just like with pie, you don't want an apple that cooks down into mush. When unsure, opt for granny smiths. They are widely available and never fail in a baked dish.

Recipe Link: http://kitchencounterpodcast.com/recipe/easy-apple-crisp/

5.Mom's Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

I have very fond memories of my mom making these cinnamon rolls around the holiday time, and we kids would devour them. Different than most typical cinnamon rolls, these are baked in a heavy cream/brown sugar "goo" that soaks into the rolls and makes them irresistible. You won't want to go back to frosted cinnamon rolls after having these! To save yourself time and some frustration, pick up a box of Pillsbury hot roll mix to shortcut to the dough. You won't gain much by trying to make the mix from scratch. You'll want to eat these as soon as possible after baking to avoid the goo making them soggy, but I doubt you would have any trouble doing that!

Recipe Link: http://kitchencounterpodcast.com/recipe/moms-gooey-cinnamon-rolls/

Better Safe Than Sorry Oct 05, 2014

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Food Safety Basics

A suggestion came in on our Facebook page from Jennifer to talk about leftovers and how to safely store them. That got me thinking about food safety in general, so I decided to devote this episode to talking about good food safety practices to practice in the home kitchen.

One in six Americans will get sick from food poisoning this year. That means that in some point in your life you've probably been sickened by food whether you realize it or not. I've been hospitalized because of foodborne bacteria I picked up in a restaurant, and let me tell you, it isn't fun!

I'm going to break this down into three parts: Food prep, cooking, and storing leftovers.

By the way, foodsafety.gov is an excellent website with tons of practical info for use in your kitchen including cooking temperature and storage charts.

First of all, you should understand what foods are cause for concern when it comes to food safety:

Safely Preparing Foods

Poultry, meats, seafood, eggs, and raw milk dairy products cause the most concern when it comes to bacteria. The keys to properly handling your prep foods are: - Wash your hands often! - Keep your risky foods (meats, poultry, seafood, etc.) separated from your not so risky foods (vegetables, fruits, grains, etc), to avoid cross contamination. - I recommend having different cutting boards for different types of food so you can make sure you aren't dicing onions on the same board you just cut up raw chicken! Also be sure to properly clean all utensils between ingredients. - Don't thaw or marinate meat at room temperature. - When you are done prepping, clean up your area thoroughly before starting in on cooking.

Cooking Your Food Properly

This phase is mainly concerned with cooking your foods to a proper temperature to kill bacteria and therefore make the food safe to eat. You should get a hold of a good cooking time/temp chart (the one from foodsafety.gov is perfectly fine). The other key is to get yourself a good food thermometer. My favorites are the instant-read digital types, but here are three different ones to check out. Insta-Read Large Dial Cooking Thermometer Commercial Waterproof Digital Thermometer (great all-around thermometer) The Cadillac of food thermometers

Also remember not to double-dip when you taste your food--You'll transfer nasty mouth bacteria to the food!

Storing leftovers

Bacteria grows most rapidly between the temps of 40F and 140F degrees. You should get leftovers in the fridge ASAP--it's generally not a good idea to let them cool at room temp for any period of time. Try to accelerate cooling by increasing the surface area of food before putting in fridge (put hot liquids in shallow bowls, and cut up meat into smaller pieces). This will also help ensure you won't heat up items that are already in the fridge. Also note that the back of your fridge will be the coolest, and therefore the best place to put leftovers.

You should only reheat leftovers that you plan on eating. Don't reheat, then cool, reheat, then cool. Also, reheat to full temp (165F) to kill any bacteria that has accumulated.

Only keep leftovers in your fridge for about 3-4 days before tossing. Remember, just because something smells or looks "ok" doesn't mean it doesn't have bacteria that can make you sick! When it doubt, throw it out!

Food Safety Resources

foodsafety.gov- U.S. government website with tons of resources on food safety. Also lists food recall information Interesting article on reheating leftover meat USDA website for food safety and security Home food safety booklet download

Connect with The Kitchen Counter Podcast!

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If you liked what you heard, please consider subscribing in iTunes. You can also help out the show by leaving a positive review in the iTunes store (you know you want to)!

The First Rule of Cooking Club Sep 27, 2014

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Fall is officially here! This excites me because at least here in Oregon, the weather begins to change from long hot days to shorter and cooler ones. That means it's time to bring on the "one pot" dinners. That's a term I use collectively for soups, stews, chili, casseroles, and basically anything where most of the meal is done in one pot, kettle, or baking dish.

One of my favorite meals of this type is shepherd's pie. A little Irish pub in Newport Oregon, Nana's Irish Pub, makes one of my all-time favorite versions of this dish. If you ever find yourself in the Nye Beach neighborhood of Newport, do yourself a favor and get into Nana's. You get bonus points if it's a stormy day (it makes the food and atmosphere all the better)!

I rounded up a few shepherd's pie recipes for you to take a look at, my favorite to make being the Gordon Ramsey version linked below. It's relatively easy, and is packed full of rich flavors.

Gordon Ramsey's Shepherd's Pie Mario Batali takes shepherd's pie up a level Alton Brown's Shepherd's Pie Shepherd's pie recipe from Allrecipes.com

I also had an opportunity to have a short conversation with my brother Randy about a cooking club that he and his wife and another couple started a few years back. He mentioned that it might be a good topic for the show, and I agreed! We talk about why cooking clubs are a great way to grow your skills in the kitchen and how to get one started. Randy also shared an amazing coleslaw recipe!

Randy's Blue Cheese Coleslaw Recipe!

Connect with The Kitchen Counter Podcast!

Facebook: facebook.com/kitchencounterpodcast Twitter: @TKCpodcast Email: feedback@kitchencounterpodcast.com

If you liked what you heard, please consider subscribing in iTunes. You can also help out the show by leaving a positive review in the iTunes store (you know you want to)!

One Rib to Rule Them All Sep 14, 2014

Show notes

Today we're covering a couple of really easy recipes that will make your family and friends cheer, and will make you look like a pro in the kitchen! For starters we're talking about a really simple baked egg recipe that will make you forget about scrambled, sunny side up, soft-boiled, or whatever your (soon to be formerly) favorite egg preparation is.

Are you looking for the perfect make-ahead dish to take to your next tailgater or game night? Then let's talk pork ribs in the oven. I cover the difference between baby back and spare ribs, and I talk about a perfect rub for your ribs (and practically anything else you might want to grill). These pork ribs taste like you spent a day going low and slow in the BBQ pit. Don't worry--I won't tell anyone you caught up on past episodes of Grimm while these babies took care of themselves in the oven.

Recipes covered in the show:

Baked egg recipe

Simply Perfect BBQ Rub

Superstar Pork Ribs

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