101 Things Every Good Cook Should Be Able To Do

[chriswill]

Salmon en croute.

 

[tarannau]

A few more for consideration:

Perfectly slow cooked sausages, mash and onion gravy.

Gratin potatoes/dauphinoisse (Sp?)

Roast potatoes done to perfection, preferably fluffy, crisp and cooked in goose fat.

Irish Stew

A simple, perfect, Italian-style tomato sauce

A clear chicken stock - one of the most essential ingredients in most cook's arsenal.

 

[*Miss Daisy*]

Salmon en croute.

keep up dear,, that ones in her Op

 

[tarannau]

I loved making beef wellington at new year and it tasted fab! *pulls faces at tarranau*
..

Ya big ponce. I bet you had doileys on your dinner table as well. Probably had name tags with caligraphic writing too...

 

[mrsfran]

A few more for consideration:

Perfectly slow cooked sausages, mash and onion gravy.

Gratin potatoes/dauphinoisse (Sp?)

Roast potatoes done to perfection, preferably fluffy, crisp and cooked in goose fat.

Irish Stew

A simple, perfect, Italian-style tomato sauce

A clear chicken stock - one of the most essential ingredients in most cook's arsenal.

Sausage and mash, good call. As is potato dauphinoisse.

I wasn't sure about roast potatoes. I thought I'd maybe just put "full roast dinner" and include them in that.

For some reason, I'm reluctant to out chicken stock in because I already make it a lot. It feels like cheating.

 

[trashpony]

You haven't got a proper roast in there - beef, gravy, yorkshires, roast potatoes and parsnips and veg

Really good mashed potato
Victoria sponge
Scones


Oh - and I've got a fantastic failsafe hollandaise sauce recipe I can post if you'd like

 

[Juice Terry]

Thought this said "101 things every good cock should be able to do"


..as you were...

 

[aqua]

Ya big ponce. I bet you had doileys on your dinner table as well. Probably had name tags with caligraphic writing too...

did I fuck

it was the night before NYE, 4 of us knew we wouldn't eat at all the next day so I thought I'd go to town on a fab meal finished with xmas cake and custard (home made natch )

bloody fantastic it was so nerrrrr to you and your silly food

 

[mrsfran]

You haven't got a proper roast in there - beef, gravy, yorkshires, roast potatoes and parsnips and veg

Really good mashed potato
Victoria sponge
Scones


Oh - and I've got a fantastic failsafe hollandaise sauce recipe I can post if you'd like

Ooh yeah, go on then. Mine always curdles.

 

[*Miss Daisy*]

Oooh, what about Quiche,,
or a cherry tomato tart

 

[sonik]

Gratin potatoes/dauphinoisse (Sp?)

Made this the other night, so so simple and it tasted amazing.

 

[Alf Klein]

Ratatouillie


Boeuf Bouginion

 

[trashpony]

Right - foaming hollandaise:

2 large eggs, separated
1 dessertspoon white wine vinegar
ditto lemon juice
110g salted butter
salt and pepper

Blend the egg yolks in a food processor with a little salt. Heat lemon juice and vinegar in a small saucepan until it simmers and then switch the processor back on again and add the liquid in a steady stream.

In the saucepan, melt the butter gently until it's foaming. Add it in the same way - in a steady stream with the processor running.

Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until they're in soft peaks and then fold in the sauce a spoonful at a time into the egg whites. Voila.

It's a bit of a cheat but the brilliant thing is that it's stable. And it's not as sickly as the real thing

Excellent with asparagus

 

[mrsfran]

Thanks for that, I'll try that this weekend.

 

[tarannau]

A paella, perhaps a jambalaya and a gumbo/fish stew as well

Simple grilled sardines

Proper home-made wonton soup.

And nice freshly cooked chicken wings too - one of the most overeaten and devalued foods ever, but honestly one of the finest fastes known to man when done well.

 

[aqua]

what about the not following a recipe skills? ala ready steady cook style?

 

[beeboo]

I'd strongly disagree with Beef Wellington by the way. It's one of those overfussy, affected 'look at me' dinner party dishes if you ask me - I'd rather have perfectly roast beef and save the pastry for the desert every time.

Nooo, you need beef wellington on the list! I luuurve beef wellington - it'd probably be my 'death row dinner'. yum!

 

[moose]

what about the not following a recipe skills? ala ready steady cook style?

Indeed. There's only one thing a good cook needs to be able to do - to satisfy the people s/he's cooking for, whatever the occasion or budget.

 

[crustychick]

Vegetarian Lasagne - a really good one. not just yer bog standard pasta sauce and veggies nonsense

Mushroom Wellington

Roulade

 

[mrsfran]

Indeed. There's only one thing a good cook needs to be able to do - to satisfy the people s/he's cooking for, whatever the occasion or budget.

Something which is likely to include actually being able to cook some things, no?

I'm not talking about developing the perfect or ultimate recipe, I'm talking about practicing cooking nice food and developing my own recipes. Most of the cooking I do now is off-the-cuff and I'd like to develop a wider range of dishes.

 

[Ozric]

Bechamel - very handy

 

[spring-peeper]

I am embarking on a project. I am going to decide on 101 dishes that a really good cook should be able to do. Then I am going to cook them, making notes along the way in my pretty new notebook. Some of them will be simple, some of them will be difficult. And because it's my project, I get to reject things I don't like. Like anything involving soggy bread.

I was just thinking that it would be really great if someone did something like this, and voila!!!



What are your plans when you are finished? If you are going to sell it, PLEASE let me know. I can be your first order.

Good luck with this

edit to add: I just thought about it and I'm probably going to need more than one copy.

 

[Ms T]

Proper mayonnaise
Pastry
Perfectly cooked steak
Thai green curry

I wouldn't bother with chips, myself. I don't know anybody who cooks their own chips -- they're an eating out thing (although I'm partial to spicy potato wedges).

 

[rubbershoes]

I wouldn't bother with chips, myself. I don't know anybody who cooks their own chips --

we* make our own chips. far far better than shop bought.


*that's mrs shoes who does it. i just eat them

 

[Utopia]

Things Every Good Cook Should Be Able To Do

Be in the Kitchen with their girlfriend/wife whilst shes cooking and not say "I think you'd be better off doing it like this" or "Now, If I was you then i'd do it this way", hence not pissing her off!

 

[Mrs Miggins]

A good tomato sauce for pasta
Fish in parsley sauce
Skate with black butter
French onion soup
Stock of all varieties!

 

[_angel_]

God I'm so ignorant in the kitchen .. but... making a decent cake (of your choice, I'd opt for chocolate) is important.


I found a good Jane Asher recipe for my sons christening cake that tasted great (sadly it didn't look as good as it tasted)

 

[mrsfran]

I was just thinking that it would be really great if someone did something like this, and voila!!!



What are your plans when you are finished? If you are going to sell it, PLEASE let me know. I can be your first order.

Good luck with this

edit to add: I just thought about it and I'm probably going to need more than one copy.

Heh, I'd be lucky to get it published. I was planning to write my progress in my shiny new moleskin notebook what I got for my birthday and then I could use it as a reference book for the future and my grandchilden would inherit it and it would be a Marvellous Heirloom.

I'll probably write it up online as well, perhaps create a livejournal for it.

 

[fractionMan]

A decent carbonara
Proper job tabbouleh
Gumbo

Great idea by the way!

 

[Fruitloop]

Buy a Larrousse and start at 'A'. You can probably skip the entry for Camel, mind