Hi there! Nice to meet you!

I'm Steve - a food enthusiast and part-time blogger. In a past life I used to chef in a restaurant and I did a stint as an instructor at cooking schools. I've been around plenty of good food and good people. I live in Encinitas in North County, San Diego, California when I'm not traveling for my full-time job. I'm a foodie and onmivore and I'm on a perpetual "seefood" diet- if i see it I'll eat it. If it's really good I'll try to make it a home with perhaps a little twist. I guess you could call me a really poor man's Asian Anthony Bourdain. You don't have to spend a small fortune to eat well, you just need some imagination, a couple of secret ingredients, and a willingness to try new things. I look at the weekly food ads and purchase the seasonal items that are freshest and on sale to stretch my food budget. I'll also try anything once and most things twice.
Mis En Place
Wikipedia definition of Mise en place (French pronunciation: [mi zɑ̃ ˈplas]) is a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "everything in its place." It refers to the set up required before cooking, and is often used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that are expected to be prepared during a shift. The term has also been used outside of cooking: psychologists Weisberg et al. used the phrase to refer to "how one's stance towards a given environment places constraints on what one feels able to do within that environment, and how these assessments and predispositions impact the process of preparing to act." A proper mise en place can contribute to success in the kitchen and in life, it's a methodology for preparing for success, a way of thinking and organizing that anyone that has been through culinary school or worked in a professional kitchen understands and that becomes part of your being. We will refer to Mise en Place in both cooking and in life.
Wikipedia contributors. "Mise en place." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Oct. 2016. Web. 5 Oct. 2016. |
Pantry Items
|
A well equipped pantry along with a well thought out mise en place is critical to success in the kitchen. I'll show you what food items I always have in stock, appliances, knives, gadgets and cookware I can't live without and probably some that I can live without. You can really enhance your cooking and flavor profile by having a couple of secret ingredients on hand in your pantry. I always have chicken broth and vegetable broth on hand along with a couple of different types of rice, garlic, onions, pasta both long types (usually angel hair) and short types (penne, rigatoni). I use Himalaya pink salt as my daily salt as it contains many healthful minerals not found in common table salt (which you should never use) and it has a milder salt flavor. I also use kosher salt for dry marinating meat(s). I counted last night and I have 11 different kinds of salt in my cupboard. I always have yellow onions and fresh garlic on hand as well. I'm fortunate that Maddie always has lemons on her trees so I have a good supply of citrus I use a lot of lemon zest and lemon juice. |
Secret Ingredients:
1) Smoked Salt-Smoked salt provides a unique flavor and gives almost anything that grilled BBQ flavor
2) Thai Fish Sauce-adds subtle umami flavor to any dish
3) Flavored Oils-I use roasted garlic olive oil and truffle oil along with a lemon, basil olive oil flavored oils provide a base of flavor (flavored oils also make great popcorn)
4) Sichimi Togarashi- Japanese Red peper is blend of different peppers that adds a unique heat to dishes, more subtle than black pepper and bolder than white pepper
5) Soy Sauce-There are many types of soy sauce, I like to add soy sauce as a substitute or adjunct to salt (smoked or plain) It adds umami flavor however it does add sodium.
6) Cajun/Creole Spice mix-Creole seasoning is usually a mixture of paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic, black pepper it is a good all purpose seasoning base for everything from scrambled eggs to BBQ rubs. There are a number of brands that you can purchase.
7) Rice Vinegar-Rice vinegar is a lower acid vinegar that has a mild flavor that is more neutral than an apple cider vinegar or a red wine vinegar
8) Food handling gloves-This might be the one item I can't live without, I love mixing things with my hands but I hate getting my hands dirty. I don't like handling fishes either or other smelly items.
9) Cajun Garlic Hot Sauce-This is an under appreciated flavor that adds so much to many items, it's much more than tobacco sauce and the garlic flavor along with the heat makes it a great addition to pasta sauces, soups, jambalaya, gumbo and all of the other southern asian foods that I tend to cook often.
1) Smoked Salt-Smoked salt provides a unique flavor and gives almost anything that grilled BBQ flavor
2) Thai Fish Sauce-adds subtle umami flavor to any dish
3) Flavored Oils-I use roasted garlic olive oil and truffle oil along with a lemon, basil olive oil flavored oils provide a base of flavor (flavored oils also make great popcorn)
4) Sichimi Togarashi- Japanese Red peper is blend of different peppers that adds a unique heat to dishes, more subtle than black pepper and bolder than white pepper
5) Soy Sauce-There are many types of soy sauce, I like to add soy sauce as a substitute or adjunct to salt (smoked or plain) It adds umami flavor however it does add sodium.
6) Cajun/Creole Spice mix-Creole seasoning is usually a mixture of paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic, black pepper it is a good all purpose seasoning base for everything from scrambled eggs to BBQ rubs. There are a number of brands that you can purchase.
7) Rice Vinegar-Rice vinegar is a lower acid vinegar that has a mild flavor that is more neutral than an apple cider vinegar or a red wine vinegar
8) Food handling gloves-This might be the one item I can't live without, I love mixing things with my hands but I hate getting my hands dirty. I don't like handling fishes either or other smelly items.
9) Cajun Garlic Hot Sauce-This is an under appreciated flavor that adds so much to many items, it's much more than tobacco sauce and the garlic flavor along with the heat makes it a great addition to pasta sauces, soups, jambalaya, gumbo and all of the other southern asian foods that I tend to cook often.
Kitchen Items
What items should I have in my kitchen. If you go to any one of the kitchen stores you'll see thousands of items items that will make your cooking easier. I am pretty old school in that I don't use a lot of kitchen gadgets, I use primarily knives and just a couple of other items. I don't bake (I'll leave that to Maddie) but I do have a soft spot for fried foods and of course grilled, smoked and BBQ.
Chef's Knife or Gyuto-This is my all purpose workhorse item in the kitchen I use an 8" (210mm) Japanese Chef's knife. I use this probably for 95% of all cutting tasks, Japanese knives have a steeper cutting angle than western knives and typically have harder edges to they stay sharper longer. Remember the Katana samurai sword was designed centuries ago to cut through a warrior in one blow, today these sword making families are still making blades, this time for chefs.
Paring Knife-You need a paring knife to peel and cut smaller items, however I find I don't use this as much you might think
Bread Knife- Bread knives are serrated knives that can be used to cut more than just bread. They are great for cutting cheese and slicing roasts and hams.
Deep fryer-Yes I know deep fried foods are not good for you but, sometimes you just have to have some homemade fried chicken or chicken wings and tater tots. Using an electric one makes it a bit easier to control the oil temperature.
Heavy Roasting Pan-Use a heavy weight roasting pan as it will conduct heat better and brown better than a lighter weight one.
Immersion Blender-Got to have one to blend soups and sauces quickly and easily in the pots that they are cooked in.
Paninni Grill-Versatile appliance that makes great grilled sandwiches, can grill vegetables and other items
Cook Air Grill-This is a wood burning grill that heats up fast and gets up to high temperatures quickly it also imparts wood smoke flavor. You can learn more about it here at: www.cook-air.com
Fish Turner-This is a type of spatula with open tines that help flip delicate foods
Wok/Stir Fry Pan- I use a Calphalon stir fry wok pan with a flat bottom. I flash fry most items or cook most things in this pan.
Chef's Knife or Gyuto-This is my all purpose workhorse item in the kitchen I use an 8" (210mm) Japanese Chef's knife. I use this probably for 95% of all cutting tasks, Japanese knives have a steeper cutting angle than western knives and typically have harder edges to they stay sharper longer. Remember the Katana samurai sword was designed centuries ago to cut through a warrior in one blow, today these sword making families are still making blades, this time for chefs.
Paring Knife-You need a paring knife to peel and cut smaller items, however I find I don't use this as much you might think
Bread Knife- Bread knives are serrated knives that can be used to cut more than just bread. They are great for cutting cheese and slicing roasts and hams.
Deep fryer-Yes I know deep fried foods are not good for you but, sometimes you just have to have some homemade fried chicken or chicken wings and tater tots. Using an electric one makes it a bit easier to control the oil temperature.
Heavy Roasting Pan-Use a heavy weight roasting pan as it will conduct heat better and brown better than a lighter weight one.
Immersion Blender-Got to have one to blend soups and sauces quickly and easily in the pots that they are cooked in.
Paninni Grill-Versatile appliance that makes great grilled sandwiches, can grill vegetables and other items
Cook Air Grill-This is a wood burning grill that heats up fast and gets up to high temperatures quickly it also imparts wood smoke flavor. You can learn more about it here at: www.cook-air.com
Fish Turner-This is a type of spatula with open tines that help flip delicate foods
Wok/Stir Fry Pan- I use a Calphalon stir fry wok pan with a flat bottom. I flash fry most items or cook most things in this pan.