Well we sure hope you’ve had enough time to bust out at least one of the cooking fundamentals we covered in Part 1 of our “No Fluff” guide to improving your cooking skills.

We hope you pleasantly surprised your butcher by asking him for short ribs, brisket, cheeks, shanks or chuck to braise instead of steaks or chicken breasts. We hope your vegetables found their way onto dinner plates perfectly cooked and brightly coloured by way of blanching. We hope you sauteed standing as proudly as 6ft tall Julia Child did in the video we posted, to the roar of thunderous praise and second helpings. But most of all, we hope you had some fun doing it.

For part 2, we’re covering another very important fundamental skill with specific recipes and techniques. Brass tacks, baby!

#1 – Learn Versatile Base Sauces

This is one of my favorite skills. Learn a few simple preparations and you can literally turn it into dozens of different sauces to suit any dish by adding 1 or 2 more ingredients to the base sauce. Classic French cooking teaches 5 “mother” sauces. Between you and me, you really only need to know 3.

Béchamel Sauce

Don’t be weirded out by the name. It’s a basic white (cream) sauce that once made properly, can be made into a great number of other tasty sauces for different styles of cuisine. There are basically two important steps in making the béchamel – properly making a roux (combination of equal parts flour and butter) and heating up the milk prior to incorporating it into the roux. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

- 2 cups milk (use at least 2%, or higher)
- 1/4 cup butter unsalted
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- half a small onion, diced

In a sauce pan, heat up the milk until “scalded”, which means just under the boiling point. In a separate sauce pan, heat up the butter until melted, and whisk in the flour, cooking for 2-3 minutes until incorporate and smooth. Whisk in the scaled milk and add in the onion, bay leaf, pinch of salt and nutmeg. Heat until the sauce thickens and simmer for 10/15 minutes. Strain the sauce to remove the onion and you’re left with 2 cups of smooth, creamy béchamel base.

Now, feel free to use this tasty sauce just as is. Use it in lasagna or other pasta dishes or bake it with sliced zucchini and tomato for a delicious rich casserole.

OR! You could go crazy with it. Think of every cream sauce you’ve ever had. They’ve almost all started with a béchamel base just like this.

For starters:

– Add some diced garlic and parmesan and you’ve got an alfredo sauce.
- Add grated cheese, some dijon and fresh cracked pepper and you’ve got a great mac ‘n cheese in the works.
- Add some tomato sauce and you’ve got a rosé.
- Add white wine and lemon and you’ve got a delicious sauce for fish or shellfish.
- Add lemon and dill and you’ve got…well, you get the idea.

The important part is to perfect the rich béchamel base, and then the rest is up to you. Stick with the classics or go nuts with it. This is what I love about cooking.

Tomato Sauce

Making tomato sauce is kind of like going to a bar that’s having a karaoke night, everyone seems to think they’re the best at it but the really good ones are few and far between. The trick is, as with the béchamel sauce, to make a larger batch of tasty, classic base sauce and then having the option of creating variations of the sauce depending on what you’re making. Some people may think a spicy tomato sauce is best, but being stuck with a big batch of something that would completely overpower more delicate flavours is just plain silly. Here’s my recipe for tomato sauce (again, don’t feel you need to follow this exactly, but use it as a guide) and some examples of variations:

Ingredients:

- 4 strips bacon, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 3 cans (28 oz) whole peeled plum tomatoes, high quality such as San Marzano
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp sugar
- salt and pepper to taste

In a very large sauce pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add in the chopped bacon, sautée for 8-10 minutes until bacon has rendered and is crispy. Remove bacon from pot and drain half the fat. Add in the garlic, onion, carrot and bay leaf and saute 5-6 minutes until softened but not browned. Add in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan and deglaze.

Next, open the cans of whole tomatoes and crush them by hand as you add them to the pot. This step is very important! Once the tomatoes are in, add in the thyme, oregano, basil, and sugar and tomato paste and simmer for 45-60 minutes over low heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This sauce will keep for up to a week in the fridge or until to 6 months frozen.

Now my recipe I posted above is technically more of a marinara sauce due to the herbs, but it’s still very classic and very tasty. It’s great on everything but can also be riffed on to no end to bring a multitude of dishes to the next level:

- Add equal parts tomato sauce and béchamel to make a rosé.
- Add olives, capers, lemon zest and fresh parsley to two cups tomato sauce to make a Mediterranean style Putanesca sauce for pasta or vegetables.
- Add white wine, lemon zest and red chile flakes along with a cup of the tomato sauce to make a spicy white wine tomato broth for mussels or clams
- Add diced bell peppers and cilantro along with a a cup of tomato sauce and reduce it over low heat to make a tomato sofrito, an uber flavourful condiment for burgers, chicken or halibut.

I could go for days, man! Store-bought tomato sauce right out of the jar is a go-to for many, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but next time add a little extra jazz, I don’t think the execs at Ragu will mind at all!

Hollandaise

Yup, we all know hollandaise and often consume it during hangover-induced brunching (yes, I did in fact use brunch as a verb). It’s delicious, rich, and actually has many “spin-off” sauces, as has been the case with everything in this post. While most of them are considered “old school” in the world of cooking today, the process of making an egg-yolk emulsion sauce such as holladaise is a valuable skill to learn. Think of it this way; now you can brunch in your underwear without getting hassled by that pesky manager at IHOP – “Poach this!”

Ingredients:

- 4 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- pinch cayenne pepper
- pinch salt
- pinch white pepper
- 2 tbsp hot water

Set up a baine marie by heating up a sauce pan with boiling water, and placing a metal mixing bowl over it. Melt the butter in a microwave and skim off the top layer of milk solids (this is a quick and dirty way to make clarified butter). Add in the eggs yolks and lemon juice and whisk constantly until the yolks have warmed and thickened slightly, about 3-4 minutes, do not overheat the yolks or they will begin to cook your sauce will have chunks of yolk in it. Gradually pour in the melted butter, whisking constantly until fully incorporated. Add in the cayenne, salt, and white pepper and continue whisking until the sauce has thickened and forms ribbons when the whisk is pulled through it. Whisk in the 2 tbsp of hot water and remove from heat. Serve immediately.

Here’s a great video for you visual learners from epicurious on the techniques.

Making hollandaise isn’t hard as long as you understand the key points of why we make it this way:

- You need to heat the yolks before adding the hot butter to prevent them from shocking, resulting in a chunky, broken sauce that won’t hold the emulsion.
- You need to constantly whisk to evenly incorporate the ingredients, not whisking enough will break the sauce.

Hollandaise has plenty of derivatives as well, many restaurants these days have deemed them as passé, but don’t listen to them, how can you go wrong with anything starting with a hollandaise base?

- Remember that classic Bernaise sauce for steak? Yup, hollandaise with shallots, tarragon and crushed peppercorns.
- Impress your guests by making a Sauce au Vin Blanc, combining hollandaise with reduced white wine and chicken or fish stock. Delicious on any white meats or seafood.
- Kick up the standard eggs benny by adding minced roasted peppers, or even pesto, sundried tomatoes.
- Make an incredible steak or roast beef sandwich by adding hollandaise kicked up with horseradish and rosemary. Good Lord I think I am making this for lunch tomorrow!

To sum it all up, even though we’ve posted specific recipes on this blog, I hope the point came across that you don’t really NEED to follow a recipe other than very basic ratios and preparations. Master something simple, then make it your own!

I’d love to hear some of your creations from these mother sauces, leave a comment and let me know! Happy cooking.

I was searching the interwebs today looking for a good article to tweet about the best ways to genuinely improve your cooking skills so that you could, for example, cook a delicious Mother’s Day meal today (though undoubtedly still not as delicious as her cooking would be).

Perhaps google was not my friend today, because to be honest what I found was a lot of fluff; tips like “Be Positive!”, or “Learn to religiously follow recipes!”, or “Learn what things mean!” Really?

So I decided to create a basic guide myself that most importantly has specific skills, terms and techniques, with examples, that you can learn to immediately take your cooking skills at home to the next level. For Part 1, here’s what we’re doing.

#1 – 3 Fundamental Cooking Techniques You Must Learn

Here’s the truth, you really don’t need to dig through cookbooks memorizing obscure preparations or techniques. I’ve identified the 3 most important fundamental cooking skills you should master to take your food to the next level. Here they are:

Sautéeing

This is one we are all definitely familiar with. Hot pan, put in food. Cook. Right?

Well, sure, but what’s important is to understand the purpose of what sautéeing is all about. When we sauté we cook over relatively high heat with very little liquid to caramelize meats, crisp fish skin, brown vegetables and develop flavours.

Here are the fundamental pointers:

1. Use a quality, heavy saute pan which will retain enough heat to properly caramelize whatever you’re cooking.
2. Wait until the pan is hot enough! Adding food to a pan not properly heated will result in the food steaming or even sticking, and not properly browning.
3. Remove as much excess moisture from foods before cooking them. Pat your seafood, chicken or beef with paper towels before cooking, ensure your vegetables are thoroughly dried.
4. Don’t be a pan shaker! Leave the food alone once it’s in the pan, don’t shake it around constantly or stir it. Let it develop colour and flavour, nobody likes a pan shaker.

My personal favorite video demonstrating how to properly sauté is from Julia Child herself, showing how to properly sauté various parts of chicken. Notice her tips on using part butter, part oil to prevent the butter from burning, as well as not crowding the pan, and most importantly, leaving things alone and letting them cook! Watch how she uses the leftover caramelized bits of chicken to make her sauce and deglaze the pan. This is what it’s all about.

Braising

Braising is easily my favorite cooking technique. You’ve probably noticed this since a ton of recipes we post involved braised foods. We braise an awful lot of things in our catering business, even though it can be time consuming, because it allows foods to develop a character and complexity through the virtue of a longer cooking process that you wouldn’t get from any other method.

When I was learning how to braise foods, a chef once told me that “Braising is like stewing with a college education.” I’ve never heard it described better than that, so it’s still how I describe it to anyone wanting to learn.

More specifically, braising uses a combination of sautéeing (low liquid, high heat cooking). and stewing (slow cooking in liquid), to tenderize tougher cuts of meat, add flavour to certain vegetables and more. When we braise, we first brown over high heat with a small amount of oil or butter (sound familiar?), then the meat is removed from the pot, and we add in aromatic vegetables such as carrots, onions, garlic, celery, fennel, or anything you can think of. The meat goes back in the pot, we add in braising liquid such as wine or stock, and the pot is covered and transfer to a preheated oven to slowly cook for a long period of time.

Here are the most important tips you need to start braising today (you’ll notice the tips mirror closely to sautéeing, many of the same principles apply):

1. Use a heavy-bottomed pot, suitable to be transferred directly to the oven. No plastic handles or the not so favourable smell of melting plastic will be delicately imparted into whatever you’re cooking.

2. Take the time to get a proper sear before adding liquid. This is by far the most important step. Let whatever you’re braising properly brown, then remove it from the pot, adding in your vegetables, braising liquid (stock/wine, etc), then adding the meat back in before covering and placing in a preheated oven.

3. Give it time. Depending on what you’re cooking, it may need to braise in the oven for 3 hours, or even more. The virtue of this process is worth the final result in the end. Let your house fill with the delicious aromas all day, drive your neighbours crazy.

Here are some picture tutorials we’ve posted here involving braising. If you only learn one technique from this blog, learn this one.

http://drewcooks.com/blog/2010/picture-tutorial-sausage-and-beer/

http://drewcooks.com/blog/2010/braised-veal-cheeks-with-sweetbreads-rosemary-celery-root-and-fig-cabernet-sauce/

http://drewcooks.com/blog/2008/quick-meal-idea-braised-short-ribs/

Blanching

Blanching is very much an underrated technique, in my opinion. Primarily used on vegetables, which are easy to overcook, it allows you to perfectly cook them while maintaining the beautiful bright colour you get from a perfectly cooked piece of asparagus, or a bean, or broccoli, or anything similar.

When we blanch, we cook in a large amount of well-salted, boiling water. It’s important to use a pot large enough to not lose the boil for too long when adding in the vegetables. When the vegetables are just cooked through, we remove them and immediately plunge them into ice water, stopping the cooking process and locking in the colour.

Key Tips:

1. Use enough salt, approximately 1/2 cup per 4 litres of water. The salt will ensure the vegetables are seasoned through, and also helps to bring out their colour faster.
2. If blanching a large quantity of vegetables, do them in groups to avoid the water losing the boil.
3. Tie vegetables such as asparagus or carrots together with butcher string to make them easier to fish out when properly cooked.

After the vegetables are chilled in the ice water, you can keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to use them. Then simply reheat them any way you like, grill some asparagus to warm it and toss it with parmiggiano reggiano. Toss some carrots with balsamic reduction, broil some broccoli with smoked cheddar. What’s important to keep in mind is that you are simply reheating them at this point, NOT cooking them twice.

Here’s a 30 second video showing you the nitty gritty:

Stay tuned for part 2!

It was my birthday yesterday. And like most days, I woke up thinking, “What am I going to cook today?”. Except today I had something in mind right away. Now, on any other day, my favorite foods to cook and eat are braised foods, slow cooked foods, offal, things that people may think of as unappealing or even unappetizing in their humble raw forms, yet are transformed by virtue of good cooking techniques and flavours.

Today I wanted a sure thing. I wanted indulgence. I wanted a steak. Not just any steak, mind you, a Kobe beef NY Striploin.

I immediately sourced one from Cioffi’s Meat Market in Burnaby and picked it up. When I got home, this is what was staring back at me:

Yes, it’s a thing of absolute beauty. I couldn’t wait to cook it. But how do we cook such a steak? Well, the answer for this, and any other quality grilling steak, is not a BBQ, believe it or not (though I certainly wouldn’t kick a BBQ’d steak off my plate). The answer is your trusty cast-iron pan:

The reasons are pretty simple. For starters, a hot cast iron pan has more surface area coming in contact with the meat than a grill grate, giving you a beautiful crust on the meat that you just don’t get on the grill. Secondly, it’s a truer beef flavour, as there’s no charcoal/propane/leftover grease on your cooking grates to mess with the flavour. And when you’re dealing with a quality steak, you want to taste it for what it is.

Let’s get started. I like to flip mine over on the gas and leave it there for seriously, 15 minutes or so. Disconnect your smoke alarm cause it’s going to be a barn burner in that kitchen of yours tonight. Preheat oven to 400F.

When your pan is screaming, unapologetically hot, season your steak with good kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Add a tbsp of canola oil to the pan and add the steak immediately. The sizzle should be legendary.

Don’t touch it for 2 minutes, then flip it over, you should see a beautiful caramelized crust on the steak:

Now cook for an additional 1 minute and then fire it in the oven until the steak hits 125F. Pull it out, and let it rest for 5 minutes, aka the longest 5 minutes in the history of time.

You can see the fat melting throughout the meat like butter, it is indescribable.

On any other steak, I would add a touch of butter to the pan immediately after the flip, but for this steak I just didn’t need it. It was a perfect birthday meal for me this year, because at times you need to realize that despite all the fancy plating, trendy food items and modern cooking that you’re surrounded with every day, sometimes there just isn’t anything that can beat a good old fashioned steak.

Cheers!

I’m always surprised how many people have never heard of brining, much less tried it. This incredibly easy technique is the key to most amazingly juicy turkey you’ve ever eaten. It’s not difficult, and it uses ingredients everyone has at home. All you need is a little time and a vessel large enough to hold the turkey and the brine. So what is it?

A brine is simply a solution of water, salt,  sugar and often some other basic flavouring ingredients. These ingredients are mixed and the turkey is submerged in the brine, and allowed to soak refrigerated overnight, or up to 24 hours. The result is the juiciest bird you’ve ever eaten with a virtually fool-proof technique. Ready to try?

Recipe:

2 gallons water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
3-4 bay leaves
a dozen or so black peppercorns
1 lemon, halved
1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs

Step 1: Ensure your turkey is fully thawed. A frozen bird will not absorb the solution and the brining will be all for not.

Step 2: Mix all ingredients in a large stockpot, big enough to hold the turkey and the brine solution. If you don’t have a pot large enough, use a cooler.

Step 3: Submerge the turkey in the solution, what you have at this point should look something like this:

Step 4: If using a cooler, add in a large quantity of ice to keep the solution very cold, and place in a cold place like a garage or a safe place outside. If using a stock pot, place in the refrigerator.

Step 5: Allow to soak overnight, or up to 24 hours. For a large turkey, the brine needs a minimum of 6 hours to have an effect, though longer is desired.

Step 6: Remove from the brine, pat dry and roast as usual!

That’s it, and this technique works on ALL poultry, so don’t hesitate to try it and put the usual BBQ’d chicken over the top. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and happy brining!

Crispy skin is one of the true delights of cooking fish like salmon, trout or bass. The combination of perfectly cooked fish and skin so crisp you could strike a match on it is in my opinion one of the best textural experiences in the culinary world.

Too often I find people removing the skin, largely due to bad experiences eating fish improperly prepared resulting in soggy, rubbery skin. No thanks! But once you get these few steps down and nail your first fillet, you’ll never go back to sans-skin, trust me.

Salmon is a great fish to start with on this. It’s firm enough that it holds up well in the pan during flipping, and has lots of natural oils which help it to crisp up more easily.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 325F. Start with a smaller piece of fillet (5 oz or so, skin on of course). Ensure all the scales of the fish are removed by running the blade of a knife against the direction of the scales across the skin. Rinse under cold water.

Step 2: The most important factor in crisping skin is removing as much excess water as possible from the skin. Excess moisture will cause steam and prevent the skin from browning properly. Dry the fish thoroughly with a paper towel. Next, use the blade of a knife and draw it over the skin. This is called the “Squeegee” technique and is designed to draw out excess moisture from the skin. Dry again with paper towel.

Step 3: Using a good size sauté pan, heat over med-hi heat. Coat the bottom of the pan a thin layer of vegetable oil or a similar good high heat oil. It is very important to ensure the oil gets hot enough before placing the fish in the pan. It should be hot enough to sizzle right away, but not hot enough that the oil is smoking, this will cook the skin too quickly causing it to burn before it crisps.

Step 4: Season the fillet with salt and pepper and place skin side down in the hot pan. Cook for approximately 5-6 minutes, until the fish is nearly cooked through, and the skin is golden. Flip the fish and place immediately in the oven to continue cooking for an additional 3 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve…..skin on!

Last time we wrote about the immersion blender, the ever-handy blending, pureeing, and food processing tool. Did you try any of the recipes we recommended? If you missed the action, check that post out here.

Today’s must-have kitchen tool is…

SILPAT Silicone Baking Sheets

Made in France (which is boldly stamped across the entire product; only the French), SILPAT has the distinction of being the most popular non-stick baking item ever invented. Made from a combination of food grade silicone and fiberglass, it is the ultimate non-stick surface for baking, pastries and even sugar-work.

Countless chefs list this product as a must-have tool for their recipes, including Thomas Keller’s “The French Laundry Cookbook”.

They are built to last even after being used thousands of times with regular care, and not only will they work better than parchment or wax paper, it’s easier on the environment as well. Think of how many rolls you’d save over the course of owning one.

They aren’t cheap, expect to pay $25-$30 for a regular sized baking tray SILPAT, but investing in high quality cookware and accessories is always a good idea.

Here is my favorite quick recipe that I use my SILPAT for regularily.

Parmiggiano Reggiano “Chips”

Ingredients:

1 cup finely grated parmiggiano reggiano cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 F
Line baking sheet with SILPAT. Using a ring mold or any other shape (I have a star shape that looks cool) Spoon about 1 tbsp of the grated cheese into the mold to create a thin layer over the bottom. Repeat this until the cheese is gone. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. You will have about a dozen crispy “chips”, use to garnish pastas, salads or meat dishes.

Boom.

Most of you have probably seen these, but for anyone who likes to cook (and especially for those who love kitchen gadgets), an immersion blender is a must-have tool. I own the cuisinart one pictured above, which comes with awesome attachments that I find I use all the time, like a mini food processor and a perfectly shaped measuring cup for making home made mayonnaise and other spreads.

Puree soups and sauces in a few seconds, whip up some salsa in the mini processor, there are endless possibilities for these things. Here are a couple of my favorite things to do with them:

Homemade Mayonnaise (kicks the crap out of the store bought stuff)

2 large egg yolks
2 champagne vinegar (lemon juice works)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry english mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pinch cayenne
1 cup vegetable oil

Add all of the ingredients except the oil into the mixing cup for the blender. Turn the immersion blender on and slowly drizzle in the oil while the blender is running. Let it run for 30 seconds or so and you’ll have the best mayo ever. Kick it up with some roasted garlic or some roasted red peppers and it’s great on roast beef sandwiches.

Tomato Beurre Blanc (great on fish)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 shallots, finely diced
1 tsp fresh chopped tarragon
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 butter, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp white pepper

Method:

In a small saucepan, combined the white wine, shallots, tarragon and champagne vinegar. Simmer on medium heat until the mixture has reduced by half. Add in the heavy cream and tomato paste. Turn on the immersion blender and begin to blend while slowly adding in chunks of the butter until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is a very classic French sauce and it’s great on eggs, vegetables, fish and chicken. You can also replace the white wine with red wine to create a beurre rouge that is delicious on lamb.

By far, the single most important kitchen tool you can own is a good, sharp knife.

Nothing will see more use, help you prepare food faster and safer, and help you create a better final product than good knives.

Have you ever been chopping something with a dull knife, and have the blade slip off the food, possibly even cutting you in the process? (Bell peppers are the worst for these types of slips)

Did you know that some sushi masters can even taste if types of sashimi have been sliced or prepared with a knife that isn’t sharp enough? While most of us aren’t exactly sushi masters, we can all still benefit from a few tips on how to select and buy a good knife, and which types of knives you’ll actually need to own.

Let’s start with what NOT to buy:

• Stay far, far away from any types of knives advertising to “Never need sharpening!” The truth is, there is no such thing. All quality knives benefit from having their edge honed and re-sharpened periodically.
• Do not be lured into buying a knife set with something like 74 different types of knives. Sets that are marketed in this way are generally a sign of poor quality. In other words they are selling quantity over quality. As I’ll explain later, 3 to 4 good knives can handle any kitchen task.
• Don’t buy a knife until you’ve had a chance to hold it. Everyone’s hands and grip are different, so you want to find a knife that feels good for you. My hands are fairly large, so a knife that feels good to me might not feel good to someone else, etc.

People have asked me what type of knives I use before. I have 3 knives that I use every day, which can handle virtually any task. The brand of knives I use is Shun, and while they are fairly pricy, I have never owned a better knife, and can’t recommend them enough.

The workhorse of any knife set is the Chef’s Knife. 8″ is the standard size I own:

The second most used knife is my 6″ boning knife, which I use for meats and fish.

Lastly, a pairing knife for small tasks and detail work:

These three knives account for 95% of the prep work I do every day. I do also own a bread knife that sees a little face time when needed.

Some good brands to get you started on your search:

• Shun
• Wustof
• Global
• J.A. Henckels

While there are other quality knife makers, you really can’t go wrong with any of the brands listed above.

Try a couple out and see which feels best for you!

As we approach the magic of Christmas, we’re all much more likely to purchase an expensive cut of meat for a party or gathering, and the last thing we want to do is screw it up.

Thankfully, there are few things harder to screw up than a standing beef rib roast, our old familiar friend prime rib. Now, a cut of meat that delicious and foolproof usually means it’s expensive, and this is no exception. However, there are steps you can take to make this cut of meat even more over the top delicious.

Dry aging beef is a technique that’s been around for a long time. By allowing some of the moisture in the meat to disappear, a more concentrated and richer flavor is developed. For a long time this has been something thought to be only possible in a butcher shop or dry aging facility. Not true. With certain steps, you can do this right in your own home fridge, and take that expensive rib roast to the next level.

You’ll need:

1. A standing rib roast, at least 4 or 5lbs, however the larger the better.
2. A fridge
3. A baking sheet with a wire rack
4. Clean kitchen towels
5. A sharp knife

For starters, remove any paper or plastic wrapping on your roast and dry it thoroughly. Place the roast on the wire rack, and wrap it in a clean kitchen towel. Place the rack in the dryest and coldest part of your fridge, normally near the back corner close to the fan.

Change the towel every day for 5-6 days. By this time you should notice the exterior of the meat has dried out significantly, giving a dark colour to the exterior of the meat. You may notice a slight funky odor as well, but this is what you want! The smell of success! This can be easily remedied by placing a box of baking soda near the roast.

Your roast at this point should looking something like this:

Now, take a sharp knife, and carefully trim the dark and dried eges of the meat, revealing a beautifully aged piece of meat underneath. You’ll notice the meat has darkened slightly to almost a maroon color from the bright red you saw originally. Again, this is what you want! Something like this:

Now you’re all set, cook that bad boy, or slice it into amazingly flavorful rib eye steaks. I guarantee you’ll notice a difference, and so will your guests!

Most people are familiar with (and love, for good reason)  Korean style BBQ short ribs. Sliced thin, marinated overnight and grilled over hot charcoal they are a fantastic alternative to standard BBQ fare. However, short ribs are not limited to just the grill for cost-effective enjoyment (they are considerably cheaper than your average steak) as I’ll show you with a follow up to my braising article – Braised Beef Short Ribs.

The short ribs in all their glory:

You’ll notice these are considerably thicker than the Korean BBQ style. These will be cooking for a longer period of time, so you’ll want to ask your butcher to slice them 3/4″ to 1″ thick for you.

Next slice up some fresh veggies. I’ve got some local garlic, new potatoes, carrots, onions and button mushrooms, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

Next, slice the short ribs in half and season them with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper, then sprinkle 1 tsp of flour over each short rib. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a large heavy bottomed pan:

Brown the short ribs well over high heat on both sides. Getting a nice sear is important to the flavour of this recipe.

After well browned, remove them from the pot and brown the onions and garlic, then sautee the rest of the vegetables:

Now add the short ribs back to the pot, and add in the demi glace, beef stock, red wine, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and bring mixture to a boil. (Full recipe posted at the end)

Now, I know not everyone is crazy like me and makes their own demi glace, then freezes it in cubes, so omit this step if you like and thicken the braising liquid with a roux at the end of the braising process instead:

Your pot should look something like this:

Pre-heat the oven to 375F, and once mixture is boiling, place the pot covered in the oven and braise for 1.5-2 hours or until short ribs are ridiculously tender.

Plate simply and garnish with a little flatleaf parsley if you like (I couldn’t wait and started eating mine before this step)

There you have it! Something new and some good eats if I do say so myself. Here’s the ingredients for those keeping score at home.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

2-3 lbs beef short ribs, 3/4″ to 1″ thick
1 lb new potatoes, halved
8-10 small carrots, peeled
3 gloves garic, diced
1 medium onion, sliced
10-12 button mushrooms, quartered
4 cups beef or veal stock
2 cups dry red wine
2 cubes or 2 tbsp demi glace, or the same amount of roux
2 cups whole canned tomatoes
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper