This is my personal notebook dedicated to my thoughts and tips surrounding cooking and food.
Of course you know I enjoy cooking, but I have been doing it for a good portion of my life. Since I probably thirteen years old. Along that journey, I have come to certain conclusions and methods that help me with the process of cooking. There are specific tools of course I will talk about. As well as major important ingredients I reccommend having at all times. Many and more to discover here.
✓ - A staple in my pantry
I also believe that you should practice the art of Mise en Place. Which is French for "Putting in Place". It is very easy to get overwhelmed and chaotic in the kitchen when the sauce or ingredient you are looking for still needs to be prepared or choped in the midst of something burning on the stove. Before cooking. Run through your ingriedients list and make sure you have everything minced, diced, measured, and place either in a combined bowl or in it's own separate prepping bowl.
This puts importance on reading your recipes before actually cooking. Eventually you will learn them so much, and learn the visual difference of measurments.
I started officially cooking and learning how to cook at a decently young age. Making dishes like the classic sopa de fideo, teriyaki chicken, homemade pot stickers, and others. But once I grew up and moved out onto my own, I realized how little recipes I actually knew. So here's the list with links to the books. I use a lot of these to also change according to what ingredients I actually have on hand so keep that in mind.
I don't think there is anything against having cookbooks. It isn't a sign that you can't cook. But for the same reasons a writer would have library for inspiration, the same reason someone who cares about cooking would have a collection of other chef's works.
It is very much important on the oils you use for specific types of foods and dishes. And it is important to know the kind of oil that is right for the job. There are oils you cook with strictly, oils that are strictly for sauces or dressings, and then there are oils for frying and dedicated to flavor.
Avocado oil is a personal favorite of mine. For one of many reasons, being a refined oil it has a really high smoke point of up to 500ºF. Which makes it perfect for every day cooking like roasting, searing, grilling, and low-heat use. Unrefined and extra virgin versions of it offer the light enough flavor to use in dressings or oils. It's what I choose before going to olive oil.
There isn't anything wrong with olive oil, for its own sake, there are properties it servers where other oils cannot. It is best to use Extra or virgin olie oil for dressings due to its low heat range and its grassy and nutty flavors it has. However as such, it does feel very heavy and thick on the tongue or wherever it is used.
Light / untoasted sesame oil does have a smoke point of 450ºF which is generally okay to use for casual cooking and frying. However I havent yet found light / untoasted sesame oil but I am on the look out. Now dark / toasted sesame oil is the opposite. It becomes rich with a very distinct flavor, because the sesame seeds get treated before being pressed, this alters the chemical structure of it. The compounds are now already thermally changed resulting in the oil degrading very quickly and becoming bitter. Now giving it an incredibly lower smoke point than lighter sesame oil. For this fact, this makes it as a better finishing oil for sauces and drizzled into a lot of asian and middle easter dishes.
Now peanut oil is one of my favorites for the ultimate purpose that is frying. Especially frying in large batches. Peanut oil has a high smoke point of 450ºf. I love using this to fry wontons, eggrolls, chicken nuggets, etc. The flavor is not so strong to overtake the food's flavors but also nice enough to add a minor nutty taste to the breading or wrap.