Harry’s Hacks , Kitchen Confidence Made Easy

  Hello my friends and welcome. I know that I might have mentioned this before, but have any of you noticed that you basically have to sacrifice your first born to pay for dinner? Do you find yourself gasping with disbelief when the check comes, asking “How much for what?” Are you having a problem comprehending how sharing flatbread and a salad could possibly come to $170 bucks? Well my friends, Harry has your back. If you have not already converted your kitchen to a large walk - in closet  it might well be time to fire up  that strange silver machine with the burner thingies on it and learn how to actually cook the food you eat yourself. Now you may not know this or care but there is more to me than just a pretty face. I am not just a restaurant town crier and food voyeur. I am a certified cooking fool, who has ruined more meals than Carter has little liver pills, and learned a bit along the way. So in the name of all the innocent vegetables and proteins that sacrificed their lives for my culinary journey let me add my two cents ( actually due to inflation four cents).   

Anyway, the most important thing I found is to learn to control the heat. BTW ,cooking  disasters can occur on both ends of the spectrum whether the heat is too high or too low. Do yourself a favor and buy a good thermometer ( Instapen is great , about $100), and use it every time. Also when baking food, cook most proteins hot, like 420, and then know the proper finish temp, fish 145 , chicken 165. Set  the timer on your phone and start checking after 15. Also to reheat most anything ( a very underrated skill ) set your oven at 370 , cover and cook for 16 min , then uncover and cook for another 8 min. 

Remember cooking is basically science, cold wet food does not cook very well, for best results , dry it off first and bring it to room          temperature. Also if you can’t stand the heat don't get out of the kitchen, add a little chicken stock, it is your culinary “Hail Mary”.

Probably my best advice  is to make seasoning easy. Mix up a batch of my Tuscan Spice (see Recipe Below), it is great if I say so myself, which I do. Just  add  two pinches to salads, chicken, fish or just about anything. Use it to substitute for any aromatics like Oregano, Thyme, Basil, Rosemary etc. No more standing on your tip toes trying to reach 100 things and dropping glass bottles that  smash on your countertop. I also would suggest that you meet my friend , "Adobo", a great general spice with a mild garlic flavor. Ditto, you might also like to try Trader Joe’s Brown Rice for a tasty  3 minute side dish add salt, pepper, butter, pistachio nuts and a little curry ( or Tuscan). Lastly and most importantly, if I were you and I kinda am I would consider biting the bullet and buying the very excellent Breville countertop oven. It is by far the best thing I have ever purchased and I use it every day. It is very roomy  and since it is at eye level it makes controlling the temperature a breeze. Now that wasn't so bad, was it? Hello, are you there? It’s  almost dinnertime time to try out my hacks. Too late? OK , just order in.

           

    Harry’s Tuscan Seasoning

               2 T Rosemary

               2T  Thyme

               2T Basil 

               1 T Marjoram

               1T Garlic Powder

               1 T Sage

               1 T Parsley 

               1 T Paprika 

               1 T Kosher Salt

               ½ T Ground Black Pepper 

               ½ T Onion Powder

               ½ tsp Cayenne or Red Pepper Flakes 

               ½ tsp Ground Fennel ( Optional )

Combine in a bowl whisk together, breaking up any clumps.

Store in glass jar ( 6 month supply)