The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook

Cooking Methods and Food Preservation Techniques

A cooking method defines a seasonal dish as much as the ingredients do. I'm not likely to make a hot pot of white bean chili in July or to roast corn and barbecue shrimp on a cold day in January. In Kentucky recipes, the oven, grill, stovetop, and smoker are prominent. The following cooking methods and food preservation techniques are used most often in this book.

BAKING OR ROASTING

Baking and roasting are different cooking methods, but the technique is the same. Both use hot, dry air to surround the food on all sides, and they are usually done in an oven. Sometimes, but not always, roasting is done at a higher temperature than baking. We bake hams, cakes, cookies, potatoes, and fish. We roast turkeys, vegetables, and large cuts of beef for roast beef.

BARBECUING

Barbecuing involves an indirect source of heat with lots of smoke. Not as cool in temperature as smoking or as hot as grilling, barbecuing is a low, slow process.

BRAISING

Braising is the cooking of browned meat or vegetables in liquid in a covered vessel such as a Dutch oven. It's used to coax tougher cuts of meat such as beef chuck roast, beef brisket, or pork shoulder into tender submission.

BRINING

Brining means to soak a food in a salt solution. See page 264 for brining a chicken and page 300 for brining a turkey.

CANNING

This method of food preservation utilizes surplus produce from the garden to preserve the flavors of summer for the winter. Sauces, vegetables, fruits, jellies, or jams are sealed in sterilized jars and processed in a boiling water canner, allowing them to be stored without refrigeration. It's essential to know the difference between low- and high-acid foods and how to can each type in a safe fashion. In this book, Margaret's Chili Sauce (page 219) is a high-acid food processed with the boiling water method of canning.

CAST-IRON COOKING

A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet is an icon of Kentucky home cooking. Used for everything from baking cornbread to frying sausage patties, cast iron holds heat superbly and creates a hot surface for cooking food. The trick is to keep cast iron seasoned so it will give you many years of a nonstick surface.

To season a cast-iron skillet, use these tips adapted from Lodge: Wash the cookware with hot, soapy water and a stiff brush. Rinse and dry completely. Apply a thin, even coating of melted vegetable shortening or cooking oil to the cookware (inside and out). Place aluminum foil on the bottom rack of the oven. Set the oven temperature to 350 to 400°F. Place the skillet upside down on the top rack of the oven. Bake the cookware for at least 1 hour.

After the hour, turn the oven off and let the skillet cool in the oven. Store the skillet, uncovered, in a dry place. After using a cast-iron skillet for cooking, clean it with a stiff nylon brush and hot water. Using soap is not recommended, and harsh detergents should be avoided. Towel dry immediately and apply a light coating of oil while the skillet is still warm. If food still sticks to the surface, repeat the seasoning process.

FREEZING

Freezing berries, corn, green beans, tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables keeps them fresh well past the harvest.

GRILLING

Grilling uses high heat from below (the opposite of broiling). Generally, the food is cooked on an open grate with the heat of the fire underneath it. The food is then flipped over to cook the other side. Grilling is typically reserved for thinner cuts of meat, fish, or poultry or vegetables of uniform thickness.

PICKLING

Pickling is preserving vegetables or fruits in an acidic solution. This method of preservation is popular for cucumbers and other vegetables. For example, the recipe for Bread and Butter Freezer Pickles (page 218) uses a sweet sugar solution.

ROASTING

See Baking or Roasting, above.

SAUTÉING

This stovetop method of cooking uses a large skillet and medium-high to high heat from below. Add a bit of oil and let the skillet get hot before sautéing. This method quickly cooks and browns a piece of chicken, fish, pork, or other thin cut of meat for enhanced flavor and a restaurant-worthy presentation.

SLOW COOKING

A countertop electric slow cooker is used for Ale-8 One Slow Cooker Pork Barbecue (page 175). This appliance and cooking method come in handy when you can't be there to watch the entire cooking process or when the oven or stovetop is needed for preparing other food.

SMOKING

Used most commonly for cuts of pork, beef, and fish, this cooking method uses a very low temperature and surrounds the food with smoke generated from hardwood coals. To smoke foods at a higher temperature, see Barbecuing, above.

Equipment List

In addition to ingredients, every well-stocked kitchen needs some basic equipment. Here's the equipment required for success with the recipes in this book.

Blender: Either a countertop or immersion variety works for blending soups or making pesto, but for crushing ice, only a countertop blender will do.

Box grater: Use this to grate your own cheese—it's both cheaper and fresher. Also use a grater to cut butter into flour when making biscuits or scones.

Can opener: The old-fashioned hand-cranked model with the new-fangled twist doesn't leave a sharp edge—plus, it keeps my arm in shape.

Cast-iron skillet: No Kentucky kitchen should be without one. Take care when using and washing it so it doesn't lose its seasoning (page 337).

Colander: Essential for washing fruits and berries and draining pasta.

Corkscrew: Essential for opening a bottle of wine.

Double boiler: Not essential, but useful for low-heat melting, such as chocolate, and to avoid overcooking egg or custard sauces.

Dutch oven: My favorite piece of kitchen equipment and especially useful for making soups and stews, braising a pot roast, or cooking a chicken. Two terrific Dutch ovens are the cast-iron version from Lodge and the enameled cast-iron version from Le Creuset. Both are heavy and conduct heat slowly, but once they get hot, they retain heat beautifully.

Fat separator: My glass fat separator, with a small strainer on top, has paid for itself over and over. I use it whenever I make chicken broth, beef stew, pot roast, or any other dish that requires separating the fat from the broth or juices. Some models are made out of plastic, but they crack too easily when hot liquid is added. I recommend spending a few extra dollars for a glass model.

Food processor: For certain kitchen tasks, nothing beats a food processor: mixing pizza dough and pie crust, making pesto and salsa, chopping nuts, shredding cabbage, and grating large quantities of cheese.

Garlic press: Some argue the virtues of minced garlic over pressed garlic, but I'm not a discerning enough cook to tell the difference in most recipes. Pressing garlic is a fast way to cut fresh garlic, so I like to use a garlic press instead of mincing to save time.

Griddle: I can't make pancakes or corncakes without my stovetop cast-iron griddle.

Hot mitts: I use a pair of hot mitts that extend up to the bend in my elbows. At this length, the mitts protect my hands from hot pans and my forearms from the steam when draining hot pasta and even the occasional bump on the oven rack. And unlike square pot holders or a dish towel, I wear them like gloves, allowing me to keep a good grip on hot dishes.

Ice cream freezer: To make homemade ice cream, every kitchen needs a countertop or traditional ice cream freezer. My KitchenAid mixer has an attachment for making ice cream.

Knives: Every well-stocked kitchen should have at least three types of knives: A chef's knife is used for slicing, chopping, and cutting. A paring knife is good for making small cuts and for slicing or peeling in the air as opposed to on a cutting board. A serrated knife is used most often to slice bread and tomatoes. Shop for a knife that fits your hand. Keep your knives sharp, and don't put them in the dishwasher.

Measuring cups and spoons: For measuring liquids, 2- or 4-cup glass models are most useful. For measuring dry ingredients, smaller “dry” measuring cups and measuring spoons are a must.

Ovenproof baking dishes: I use primarily 13×9×2- inch and 15×11×2-inch baking dishes made of glass or ovenproof ceramic.

Parchment paper: Used primarily for baking, it's readily available in rolls at the supermarket.

Rimmed baking sheets: Also called half sheet pans, rimmed baking sheets have multiple uses in the kitchen. Those used for the recipes in this book are 17½×12½×1 inches.

Saucepan: A 3-quart saucepan is a great size, useful for making sauces or small batches of soup or creating a makeshift double boiler.

Scoop: Portion scoops come in different sizes. A small #100 scoop can be used whenever a 1-inch ball needs to be measured. A medium-sized #40 scoop is useful for larger portions of cookie dough, meatballs, drop biscuits, and the like.

Silicone spatula: They used to be called rubber spatulas, but now everything is made of silicone They're useful for folding flour into liquids and scraping batter bowls and mayonnaise jars.

Skillet: Most often I use a 12-inch ovenproof skillet with sloped sides. My favorite brand is All-Clad. They might seem expensive, but my stainless-steel version may never have to be replaced. A smaller (8-inch diameter) nonstick skillet is the ideal size to scramble a few eggs or to toast nuts.

Soup pot: For making soup and boiling water for pasta, a 7-quart pot works well.

Strainer: A strainer with fine mesh openings comes in handy to strain seeds out of Concord grapes or to shake powdered sugar on top of a cake.

Thermometer: An instant-read thermometer is essential to measure the final internal temperature of meat or poultry and to measure the temperature of milk or water when making yeast dough.

Tongs: I use tongs, the spring-loaded variety, all the time to toss salads, serve long strands of pasta, and turn meat in a skillet or on the grill.

Waffle iron: I have two types: one for breakfast waffles (a must-have) and one for ice cream cones (a luxury).

Wax paper: Use it to separate layers of cookies in a storage container or to wrap pimiento cheese sandwiches. I feel at one with my grandmother with a roll of wax paper in my kitchen.

Whisk: For homemade vinaigrette and hand-whipped cream, nothing beats a whisk. I like one with long, thin wires.

The Kitchen Toolbox

The Modern Kitchen and Pantry

Cooking Methods and Food Preservation Techniques

Equipment List