How To Wash Your Hands

 

 

A proper hand washing routine is an essential measure for preventing cross-contamination and limiting the spread of bacteria that cause food poisoning. But what's the best way to wash your hands? It's not enough to simply splash some water on your hands and call them clean. To be safe, you really do need to take the time to do it right.

 

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 1 minute

Here's How:

1. Rinse your hands under the hottest running water you can stand — at least 100°F.
2. Soap up your hands — preferably using soap from a soap dispenser but bar soap is OK. The key is to generate a good lather. Use an anti-bacterial soap if possible.
3. Scrub for at least 30 seconds, making sure to soap up your wrist and lower arm areas.
4. Since you might be digging your fingers into ground meat or kneading dough, you should also clean under your fingernails. Keep a nail brush by your hand-washing sink, and use it.
5. Rinse thoroughly, again, for at least 30 seconds but longer if that's what it takes to fully rinse off the soap.
6. Use a clean paper towel to turn off the faucet. Throw that towel away and use a new paper towel for the next step.
7. Dry your hands using a clean paper towel — not a dishtowel or other cloth. Why? Dishtowels hang around the kitchen and get wiped on everything, making them the ideal vehicle for spreading bacteria from one kitchen tool or surface to another — or onto your freshly washed hands.

Tips:

1. Wash your hands after using the restroom, before and after touching raw food, after sneezing or coughing, after taking out the trash or using any type of cleaning product — or in a word, frequently.
2. Don't use another body part, such as your upper arm or elbow, to shut off the faucet. You'll just contaminate your elbow that way. Use a clean paper towel, and throw it away afterward.
3. Avoid, if possible, those hot-air hand dryers. They can sometimes harbor bacteria, which are then blown onto your nice clean hands. Not good.
4. Don't go around with wet hands, either. Wet hands are more easily contaminated than dry ones.

What You Need:

• Hot running water.
• Soap, preferably from a soap dispenser, and the anti-bacterial type if possible.
• Nail brush (or a toothbrush) for cleaning fingernails.
• Clean paper towels.

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/safetysanitation/ht/handwashing.htm

The Anatomy of a Chef's Knife

Chef's Knife 

 

 

 

 

The chef's knife is probably a cook's most important tool. And given the amount of time it spends in your hand, it's definitely worth making sure you have a good one.

A lot of people suggest purchasing "the best knife you can afford." But that's not much help unless you know what makes one knife better than another. Otherwise, you're just buying the most expensive knife you can afford.

The best knives are forged from a single piece of steel that runs the entire length of the knife. Read on for a quick tutorial on the various parts of a chef's knife, what they do and why they're important.

 

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/knivescutlery/ss/anat-knife.htm

Cooking Classes for Kids

 

Culinary Classes For Kids

The popularity of the culinary arts isn't just confined to grown-ups. These days, more kids than ever are discovering an interest in food and cooking. If you're looking for reputable organizations that offer culinary classes for kids, here are a couple of great resources:

Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI)

Launched in 2006, the Junior Leagues' Kids In The Kitchen initiative offers cooking lessons and demonstrations featuring local chefs and nutritionists in more than 250 locations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. The group operates a website featuring recipes, nutrition and fitness tips, as well as an online nutrition game. Visit the Kids In The Kitchen website for information on dates and classes near you: AJLI Kids In The Kitchen Program

American Culinary Federation (ACF)

With more than 230 chapters and 20,000 members across the United States, the American Culinary Federation is the largest professional chefs' organization in North America. And through its Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989, various local chapters offer hands-on cooking classes for kids taught by professional chefs and cooks. Visit the ACF website to locate the nearest local chapter to you, then contact the chapter directly to find out about Chef & Child events near you: American Culinary Federation Local Chapter Listings http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/culinaryschools/qt/childchefs.htm

5 Tips for Choosing a Culinary School >->

 

Find the Culinary School That's Right for You

If you're interested in pursuing a career in the culinary arts, at some point you'll no doubt be faced with the decision of whether or not to go to culinary school. A lot of old-school chefs will claim that real-life restaurant experience is more valuable than anything you can learn in a classroom. And industry experience is important. But with so many of today's most successful chefs holding culinary degrees, a pattern of success begins to emerge. The bottom line is, more and more of the top chefs in the top kitchens are culinary school graduates — and they're the ones doing the hiring! So there's a good chance they'll be looking at that "education" line on your resume to see if you've got a culinary arts degree. Once you've decided that culinary school is the right choice for you, the question becomes which culinary school? Here are five things to look for when choosing a culinary school:

1. ACF Accreditation

The American Culinary Federation (ACF) is the top professional chefs' organization in North America and is the organization responsible for regulatory oversight of culinary schools. Schools seeking ACF accreditation must undergo a thorough evaluation of their curriculum, facilities, student-teacher ratios, certification of instructors and more. ACF accreditation is like a seal of approval from the culinary industry, so you can be confident that an ACF-accredited culinary arts program is going to adhere to a uniform standard of instruction and provide a top-quality culinary arts education.

2. Cost

While you're working toward your dream of success in the culinary industry, the reality is that entry-level foodservice jobs aren't exactly high-paying. And since it's not uncommon for some culinary schools to charge $40,000 or more, that often means incurring a large amount of student-loan debt. Fortunately, many local community colleges offer ACF-accredited culinary programs at prices that are incredibly affordable. For instance, the culinary program at any of the community colleges in California will cost state residents around $1,300. When you consider that ACF accrediting ensures a standard level of quality (not to mention the fact that many programs that charge upwards of $40,000 have no accreditation whatsoever), an excellent culinary education does not need to be an expensive one.

3. Age of School

The popularity of cooking reality shows such as "Top Chef" has led to increased interest in culinary schools. To meet this increased demand, more privately operated culinary schools come into existence. But newer schools aren't necessarily better. For one thing, ACF accreditation doesn't come overnight. It takes a consistent track record of excellence to receive the ACF's seal of approval, and many newer schools just aren't there yet. Something else to remember is that the longer a school has existed, the broader its network of alumni will be. And that translates into jobs. If a school has been around for 50 years or more, chances are that hundreds of its graduates are working in kitchens throughout the area and beyond — many of whom may be the executive chefs or sous chefs who do the hiring.

4. Modern Facilities

The flip side of the age of the school is the state of its facilities. Community colleges may have been around longer, but their budgets may also be relatively small. That makes it tougher for them to purchase new equipment or outfit modern classrooms and kitchens. On the other hand, the newer schools with the higher tuitions often boast newly constructed, state-of-the art facilities. Then again, not every restaurant out there is going to have state-of-the-art facilities, so taking classes in the comfort of a shiny new high-tech kitchen may not adequately prepare students for the gritty realities of the culinary industry.

5. Hands-On Instruction

A good culinary program should have some sort of student-operated restaurant that allows them to get a sense of real-world restaurant service — and in fact, most of them do. The question is, how realistic is the experience it offers? If students are only serving 20 or 30 guests per day, it's probably not enough to approximate the pressures and demands of a real restaurant. At the other end of the spectrum, culinary arts students at Los Angeles Trade-Tech College serve more than 800 guests daily in three separate dining facilities. Of course, there's no substitute for real restaurant experience. Some programs encourage or even require some sort of internship or "externship" whereby students earn course credit through work in a local restaurant.

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/culinaryschools/a/5culischooltips.htm

Blueberry Muffins Recipe

 

The key to making great muffins is not overmixing the batter. Once the liquid ingredients are added to the dry, mix the batter by hand just until the flour is moistened, for no more than about ten seconds. Too much mixing can cause the muffins to be dry, tough or misshapen. And if you want to spruce your muffins up a little bit, here's a recipe for a simple streusel topping you can mix up in just a few seconds.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups blueberries, rinsed and carefully drained
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, or 2¼ cups pastry flour, sifted
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg (or 2 medium)
• 4 oz butter (½ stick) or shortening

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Unwrap the butter and heat it in the microwave, in a microwave-safe bowl, for about a minute, until it's thoroughly melted. Set it aside at room temperature to cool, but don't let it solidify again.
4. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and then add the sugar, milk and vanilla to the eggs.
5. Thoroughly grease and flour a muffin pan (or use paper muffin liners).
6. Pour a tiny bit of the melted butter into the egg-vanilla-milk mixture and stir it in. Repeat 3-4 more times, adding a slightly larger amount of the liquid butter each time until it is all incorporated. IMPORTANT: Don't add hot melted butter to the egg mixture as the heat from the butter would cook the egg, and that's not what you want to do!
7. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ones and mix no more than ten seconds. The batter should be visibly lumpy, and you may see pockets of dry flour. That's OK! It's extremely important not to overmix the batter, or the resulting muffins will be too hard.
8. Fold the blueberries into the batter, then gently pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and bake immediately. TIP: The dry and wet ingredients, respectively, can be mixed in advance, but as soon as the wet and dry ingredients have been combined with each other, the liquid will activate the baking powder and the batter must be baked right away.
9. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/bakingdesserts/r/blueberrymuf.htm

French Toast Recipe . . .

 

French toast is traditionally made from day-old bread, and it's actually better made with stale bread than with fresh, because stale bread will absorb more of the custard mixture than fresh bread will. But if all you have is fresh bread, try toasting it very slightly beforehand. This basic French toast recipe can be modified and enhanced by adding cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest -- even rum or brandy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 tsp sugar
• 8 slices regular white bread
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp butter

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200°F.
2. Beat eggs thoroughly. Whisk in sugar, half and half and vanilla.
3. Pour the custard mixture into a shallow glass dish. An inch deep should be fine.
4. Heat your griddle to medium-low, and melt the butter on it.
5. Soak a couple of slices of bread (but only as many your griddle can accomodate at once) in the custard while you count to ten. Flip them over and repeat.
6. Carefully remove the soaked slices from the custard, letting the excess liquid drain into the dish, and transfer the bread to the griddle. Flip when the bottoms are golden brown. When the other sides are also golden brown, remove from the griddle.
7. Serve French toast right away, or transfer it to a dish in the oven to keep warm.

Serves 4 people.

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/griddledspecialties/r/frenchtoast.htm

Home Fries Recipe

 

Home-fried potatoes, or "home fries," may be thought of as a breakfast accompaniment, but it's the potatoes that really make a great breakfast. This recipe for home fries features red potatoes, onions, and red and green bell peppers.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 large red potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into ½-inch dice
• ½ tsp paprika
• 2 Tbsp butter
• Kosher salt, to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet or other heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat.
2. Melt the butter, then add the onion and garlic and sauté until slightly translucent, about 2 minutes;
3. Add the diced red and green peppers and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender but still firm.
5. Season to taste with paprika and Kosher salt.

Makes about 4 generous portions of home fries.

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/potatoes/r/homefries.htm

Irregular Verbs

In contrast to regular verbs, irregular verbs are those verbs that fall outside the standard patterns of conjugation in the languages in which they occur. The idea of an irregular verb is important in second language acquisition, where the verb paradigms of a foreign language are learned systematically, and exceptions listed and carefully noted. Thus for example a school French textbook may have a section at the back listing the French irregular verbs in tables. Irregular verbs are often the most commonly used verbs in the language.
In linguistic analysis, the concept of an irregular verb is most likely to be used in psycholinguistics, and in first-language acquisition studies, where the aim is to establish how the human brain processes its native language. One debate among 20th-century linguists revolved around the question of whether small children learn all verb forms as separate pieces of vocabulary or whether they deduce forms by the application of rules. Since a child can hear a verb for the first time and immediately reuse it correctly in a different tense which he or she has never heard, it is clear that the brain does work with rules, but irregular verbs must be processed differently.
Historical linguists rarely use the category irregular verb. Since most irregularities can be explained historically, these verbs are only irregular when viewed synchronically, not when seen in their historical context.
When languages are being compared informally, one of the few quantitative statistics which are sometimes cited is the number of irregular verbs. These counts are not particularly accurate for a wide variety of reasons, and academic linguists are reluctant to cite them. But it does seem that some languages have a greater tolerance for paradigm irregularity than others.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregular_verb

http://www.google.com.my/imglanding?q=irregular+verbs&hl=en&sa=X&tbm=isch&prmd=ivns&tbnid=SN1Bfi7LkIS27M:&imgrefurl=http://hectorcarpio.com/regular-verbs-list&imgurl=http://cdn1.grupos.emagister.com/documento/irregular_verbs_alphabetical_list_57681_t0.jpg&w=386&h=500&ei=g0yuTaXrEMm8rAfbuIiJCg&zoom=1&iact=hc&oei=g0yuTaXrEMm8rAfbuIiJCg&page=1&tbnh=145&tbnw=112&start=0&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0&biw=1259&bih=813

Quiz: Food Safety and Sanitation

Test Your Knowledge of Food Safety and Sanitation HERE ! ! !

http://culinaryarts.about.com/library/quizzes/foodsafety/blquiz.htm

Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

Pasta Carbonara Recipe 

Spaghetti Carbonara Recipe

Spaghetti Carbonara is one of the most popular Italian pasta dishes. This version combines cream, eggs, cheese and bacon. The traditional Italian version omits the cream, but most people in the states are accustomed to having a bit of cream in their carbonara, so we're happy to oblige.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb spaghetti
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 4 eggs
• ½ lb bacon, cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ¾ cup freshly grated pecorino-romano cheese (parmesan may be substituted)

Preparation:

1. Fill a large soup pot with cold water and add a handful or so of Kosher salt. Stir and taste; it should taste like seawater. Cover the pot and heat the water until it boils.
2. Add the diced bacon to a cold sauté pan and cook slowly over a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.
3. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling salted water and cook according to package instructions, about 6 to 9 minutes or until al dente, or tender but still firm to the bite.
4. While the pasta cooks, combine the eggs, cheese, cream and olive oil in a bowl and beat with a whisk until completely mixed.
5. Drain pasta, toss with the egg and cream mixture, then add the cooked bacon and chopped parsley. Serve right away, with additional grated cheese if desired.

Serves 4

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/pastanoodles/r/carbonara.htm

 

Basic Omelet Recipe >>>>>

 

Basic Omelet Recipe

Many people are intimidated by omelets, but if you can make scrambled eggs, you can make an omelet. Omelets should always be cooked in a nonstick sauté pan. An 8" omelet pan is the best choice, but any nonstick pan will do as long as it's round and between 6 inches and 10 inches in diameter. Also, you should always use a heat-resistant rubber spatula.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. whole milk
• 2 Tbsp clarified butter or whole butter
• Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Crack the eggs into a glass mixing bowl and beat them until they turn a pale yellow color.
2. Heat a heavy-bottomed nonstick sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and let it melt.
3. Add the milk to the eggs and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Then, grab your whisk and whisk like crazy. You're going to want to work up a sweat here. If you're not up for that, you can use an electric beater or stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whatever device you use, you're trying to beat as much air as possible into the eggs.
4. When the butter in the pan is hot enough to make a drop of water hiss, pour in the eggs. Don't stir! Let the eggs cook for up to a minute or until the bottom starts to set.
5. With a heat-resistant rubber spatula, gently push one edge of the egg into the center of the pan, while tilting the pan to allow the still liquid egg to flow in underneath. Repeat with the other edges, until there's no liquid left.
6. Your eggs should now resemble a bright yellow pancake, which should easily slide around on the nonstick surface. If it sticks at all, loosen it with your spatula.
7. Now gently flip the egg pancake over, using your spatula to ease it over if necessary. Cook for another few seconds, or until there is no uncooked egg left.
8. If you're adding any other ingredients, now's the time to do it. (See note.) Spoon your filling across the center of the egg in straight line.
9. With your spatula, lift one edge of the egg and fold it across and over, so that the edges line up. Cook for another minute or so, but don't overcook or allow the egg to turn brown. If necessary, you can flip the entire omelet over to cook the top for 30 seconds or so. Just don't let it get brown.
10. Gently transfer the finished omelet to a plate. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs if desired.

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/eggsdairy/r/omelet.htm

How To Roast A Chicken ? ? ? ?

 

Roasted Chicken Recipe

Roasted chicken is one of the tastiest, most satisfying dishes you can make. This simple tutorial will show you how to roast a chicken. NOTE: This roasted chicken tutorial also includes the procedure for making gravy, starting with Step 9. If you're interested, here's more on how to make gravy.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 1½ hours

Here's How:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Remove the neck and giblets (heart, gizzard, liver) from the chicken's body cavity and pat the bird dry, inside and out, with paper towels.
3. Smear the outside and inside of the chicken with butter, then season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper — both inside and out.
4. Truss the chicken securely with cooking twine. This step is optional, but it will help your roasted chicken cook more evenly.
5. Roughly chop about half an onion and a single celery stalk and a single medium carrot. Scatter these chopped veggies (known as mirepoix) at the bottom of a roasting pan.
6. Set a roasting rack over the chopped veggies and place the chicken (breast-side-up) onto the rack.
7. Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and roast the chicken for an hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes (depending on size) or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 165°F. Don't poke too many holes with the thermometer, though — you don't want the juices to leak out.
8. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, carefully lift out the rack with the roasted chicken on it and transfer the bird to a clean cutting board. Let it rest there, covered with foil, for about 10 minutes before carving. NOTE: The optional steps that follow are for making gravy.
9. Place the roasting pan over a medium heat on the stovetop to brown the mirepoix.
10. Drain off any excess chicken fat (which you can use for making the roux in the next step), pour about 2 cups of chicken stock or broth into the pan and simmer until reduced by about a third.
11. To thicken the gravy, add a small amount of roux, or combine 2 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp cold water to make a paste (called a slurry) and stir this into the stock.
12. Return to a boil, lower heat and simmer for a minute or so or until the mixture thickens, then strain through a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.
13. Season the gravy to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper.

Tips:

1. You can stuff the bird with fresh herbs or other aromatic items. Thyme, rosemary and marjoram are good choices, but any fresh herbs will do. A couple of lemons or oranges cut into wedges or some fennel fronds are also good for stuffing the chicken. But remember, these items aren't to be eaten. They're for adding flavor and aroma only. And of course, whatever you choose to stuff the chicken with, just be sure to do it before you truss the chicken!
2. For an even juicier roasted chicken, push lumps of butter under the skin before roasting it.
3. Add a few peeled cloves of garlic to the carrot-celery-onion mixture before roasting.
4. Don't worry about basting the chicken. You let the heat out of the oven every time you open the door, and that's not good. Also, drizzling hot liquid from the roasting pan over the chicken breast merely accelerates the cooking, thus drying out the meat more than if you just left it alone.
5. Instead of mirepoix, just lay a few slices of bread at the bottom of the roasting pan. As the chicken roasts, the drippings will soak into the bread and the bread itself will turn all toasty and delicious.

What You Need

• One whole chicken, about 4 to 5 lbs
• Roasting pan with rack
• Butter, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Carrots, celery and onion
• Chicken stock or broth
• Butter and flour for making a roux, or cornstarch for making a slurry
• Instant-read thermometer
• Mesh strainer with cheesecloth
• Optional: Garlic, fresh herbs and citrus fruits such as lemons or oranges
• Optional: About three feet of kitchen twine for trussing

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/chickenturkeymore/ht/How-To-Roast-A-Chicken.htm

How to Use A Chef's Knife ? ? ?

Proper Chef's Knife Grip

Proper Chef's Knife Grip

Proper Chef's Knife Grip

This tutorial will cover the correct way to hold a chef's knife, and how to grip the food with your other hand to avoid cutting yourself. You may want to review The Anatomy of a Chef's Knife before getting started.

This photo illustrates the proper chef's knife grip as seen from the inside or thumb-side of the cutting hand. The thumb grips the knife around the top of the blade, with the hand wrapped around the bolster of the knife.

While beginners find that this takes some getting used to, it definitely provides extra control over the blade.

Proper Chef's Knife Grip

Proper Chef's Knife Grip

Proper Chef's Knife Grip: Outer View

Here we see the same grip from the opposite side. Note how the index finger is wrapped fully around the blade. The index finger and thumb should be opposite each other on either side of the blade while the remaining three fingers are sort of loosely curled around the handle.

Note that you should be gripping the knife mainly with the thumb and forefinger. If you find that you're tightly clutching the entire handle of the knife, just relax and loosen up. With practice you'll get used to this grip, and soon any other grip will feel very unnatural.

 

Secure the Food With the Guiding Hand

Secure the Food With the Guiding Hand

Secure the Food With the Guiding Hand

Now that the your knife hand knows what to do, we need to make sure your other hand does, too. Your non-knife hand is called your "guiding hand," and its job is to hold the food to keep it from sliding around on the cutting board. This puts it in a uniquely dangerous position. With the knife blade flying up and down, you need to keep those fingertips tucked safely away, while still being able to firmly hold the food.

The grip shown here is called the "claw grip" and as you can see, by keeping the fingers curled inward and gripping the food with the fingernails, the fingers stay out of harm's way. The side of the knife blade actually rests against the first knuckle of the guiding hand, which helps keep the blade perpendicular to the cutting board.

Alternate Claw Grip

Alternate Claw Grip

Alternate Claw Grip

In this modified version of the claw grip, the first knuckle of the guiding hand rests flat on the food product, with the fingers again curled inward safely. And this time the knife rests against the second knuckle rather than the first.

Each of these claw grips is acceptable, so use whichever one you feel comfortable with.

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/knifeskills/ss/knifegrips.htm

 

Dry Heat and Moist Heat Cooking : : :

Dry Heat and Moist Heat Cooking

Cooking methods in the culinary arts are divided into two categories:

1. Dry heat cooking, such as roasting, broiling or sautéing.
2. Moist heat cooking, like braising, steaming or poaching.

Because every cooking method uses either dry heat or moist heat (or sometimes both), classifying them this way ensures that every known method falls into one category or the other.

"Dry" Oil and Other Fats

It's worth noting that cooking methods involving fat, such as sautéing and deep-frying, are considered dry-heat methods. If this seems confusing, remember that oil and water don't mix, so while fat can take a liquid form, in many ways it's the opposite of water — hence "dry" heat.

Choosing the Right Cooking Technique

Using the appropriate cooking method for the type of food being prepared is a major part of the culinary arts. Tough cuts of meat like beef brisket or lamb shank need to be cooked slowly, at low heats, for a long time, and with plenty of moisture. Prepared properly, these cuts can be incredibly tender and delicious.

On the other hand, dry-heat methods typically involve very high temperatures and short cooking times. A piece of brisket cooked in this way — on a grill, let's say — would be tough, chewy and largely inedible. Interestingly enough, a beef tenderloin steak cooked using a slow, moist-heat method such as braising would also turn out tough, chewy and inedible — albeit for different reasons.

Here's an article that will tell you more about the best cooking methods for the various cuts of meat.

Dry Heat Cooking

Dry heat cooking refers to any cooking technique where the heat is transferred to the food item without using any moisture. Dry-heat cooking typically involves high heat, with temperatures of 300°F or hotter.

Baking or roasting in an oven is a dry heat method because it uses hot air to conduct the heat. Pan-searing a steak is considered dry-heat cooking because the heat transfer takes place through the hot metal of the pan. Note that the browning of food (including the process by which meat is browned, called the Maillard reaction) can only be achieved through dry-heat cooking. Examples of dry-heat methods include:

• Roasting & Baking
• Grilling & Broiling
• Sautéing & Pan-Frying
• Deep-Frying

Moist Heat Cooking

Moist heat cooking methods include any techniques that involve cooking with moisture — whether it's steam, water, stock, wine or some other liquid. Cooking temperatures are much lower, anywhere from 140°F to a maximum of 212°F, because water doesn't get any hotter than that. Examples of moist-heat cooking methods include:

• Poaching, Simmering & Boiling
• Steaming
• Braising & Stewing

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/cookingmethods/a/dryheatmoist.htm

Dry-heat cooking methods : : :

Pan-Searing: Dry-Heat Cooking

Dry-Heat Cooking Methods

Dry-heat cooking refers to any cooking technique where the heat is transfered to the food item without using any moisture. Dry-heat cooking typically involves high temperatures, meaning 300°F or hotter.

Brown is Beautiful

Note that the browning of food, as when bread is toasted, can only be achieved through dry-heat cooking. This browning in turn leads to the development of complex flavors and aromas that can't be attained through moist-heat cooking techniques.

Sautéing & Pan-Frying

Sautéing requires a very hot pan. When sautéing, it's important to heat the pan for a minute, then add a small amount of fat and let the fat get hot as well, before adding the food to the pan. Another key is not overloading or crowding the pan. The pan must stay hot in order to achieve the desired browning of the food. Too much food in the pan dissipates the heat, causing the food to steam or boil rather than sauté. One method for maintaining a hot pan and ensuring the food cooks evenly is through tossing or flipping the food in the pan — sauté actually means "jump" in French. Some sauté pans have sloped sides to facilitate this, but it's generally only done with smaller pieces of food, especially vegetables. For a demonstration, here's a video on how to sauté vegetables. Pan-frying closely resembles sautéing, with the main difference being that pan-frying uses slightly more fat and slightly lower temperatures than sautéing. This makes it a good method for cooking larger pieces of meat that would not have time to cook through because with sautéing, the food isn't in the pan for very long. For that reason, larger pieces of meat are often finished in the oven after the surface has been cooked to the desired degree.

Roasting & Baking

The words roasting and baking are largely synonymous in that they both describe a method of cooking an item by enveloping it in hot, dry air, generally inside an oven and at temperatures of at least 300°F (but often much hotter). This technique cooks food fairly evenly since all of the food's surfaces are exposed to much the same degree. This differs from pan-searing, for instance, where the surface that touches the hot pan gets much hotter than the side that faces up. Roasting and baking both require that the food be cooked uncovered, so that it's the hot, dry air that delivers the heat, not steam from the food. Despite these similarities, roasting and baking can mean slightly different things depending on who you ask. Some chefs use the word "baking" only when speaking of bread, pastry and other bakery items. Some may use the word "roasting" only when referring to meats, poultry and vegetables, but use the term "baking" for fish and other seafood. Yet another distinction can be made with respect to temperature, with "roasting" implying greater heat and thus faster and more pronounced browning.

Broiling & Grilling

Broiling is another dry-heat cooking method that relies on heat being conducted through the air. Because air is a relatively poor conductor of heat, broiling and grilling require the food to be quite close to the heat source, which in this case is likely to be an open flame. Thus the surface of the food cooks very quickly, making this type of cooking ideal for poultry, fish and the tenderest cuts of meat. In fact, because of the extremely hot and dry nature of this cooking method, it is customary to marinate meats that will be broiled or grilled. Incidentally, there is one significant distinction between broiling and grilling, which is that grilling involves heating the food from below, while broiling involves heating from above. In both cases, the food is typically turned once during cooking, and a grid or grate of some kind is used, which gives the food the distinctive grill-marks that are the hallmark of this cooking technique. As with sautéing, it's critical to heat the broiler or grill before putting the food on it.

Deep-Frying

Since deep-frying involves submerging the food in hot, liquid fat, it might take some time to get used to the idea that it's actually a form of dry-heat cooking. But if you've ever seen the violent reaction of hot oil to even a tiny drop of water, you know that oil and water are a couple of opposites that want nothing to do with each other. To avoid that, make sure anything you place into the hot fat is free from excess moisture. That might mean patting an item dry with a paper towel before frying it. Deep-frying requires keeping the oil at temperatures between 325°F and 400°F. Hotter than that and the oil may start to smoke, and if it's any cooler, it starts to seep into the food and make it greasy. After cooking, deep-fried items should actually have very little oil on them, assuming they've been fried properly. The key to keeping the oil hot is to fry items in small batches, as introducing too much food to the oil will cool it off. Another clue that deep-frying is in fact a form of dry-heat cooking is the attractive golden-brown color of foods cooked using this method. Foods are often coated in a simple batter to protect it and seal in its moisture. http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/dryheatcooking/a/dryheatcook.htm

Moist-heat cooking methods : : :

 

Moist Heat Cooking Methods

Moist heat cooking refers to various methods for cooking food with, or in, any type of liquid — whether it's steam, water, stock, wine or something else. Relative to dry-heat cooking methods, moist-heat cooking uses lower temperatures, anywhere from 140°F on the low end to a maximum of 212°F — which is as hot as water can get.

Braising & Stewing

With braising, the item to be cooked is first seared or sautéed, then partially covered with liquid and simmered slowly at a relatively low temperature. Braising can be done on the stovetop, but it's best done in the oven so that the heat will fully surround the pot, causing the food to cook more evenly than if it were only heated from below. Braising is a good technique for cooking tougher cuts of meat, such as those from older animals, or ones that naturally contain more connective tissues. These tissues are what can make these cuts of meat tough and chewy when improperly cooked. But the long, slow application of moist heat dissolves these tissues, with the result being a tender piece of meat. What's more, as the connective tissues break down, they dissolve and form gelatin, which thickens the cooking liquid and gives it body and shine. Meanwhile, braising causes the muscle fibers to absorb moisture from the cooking liquid and steam. That gives you a juicy piece of meat. Braising also melds flavors from the stock, vegetables and any herbs and seasonings. Here's a video on how to make pot roast.

Poaching, Simmering & Boiling

Poaching, simmering and boiling are really three different stages of the same cooking method. Each of these methods describes cooking food by submerging it in hot water (or another waterlike liquid like stock). What defines each one is an approximate range of temperatures, which can be identified by observing how the water (or other cooking liquid) behaves. Each one — boiling, simmering and poaching — has certain telltale characteristics:

Poaching refers to cooking food in liquid that has a temperature ranging from 140°F to 180°F. Poaching is typically reserved for cooking very delicate items like eggs and fish. At poaching temperatures, the liquid won't be bubbling at all, though small bubbles may form at the bottom of the pot. Simmering is distinguished by cooking temperatures that are a bit hotter than with poaching — from 180°F to 205°F. Here we will see bubbles forming and gently rising to the surface of the water, but the water is not yet at a full rolling boil. Because it surrounds the food in water that stays at a fairly constant temperature, food that is simmered cooks very evenly. It's the standard method for preparing stocks and soups, starchy items such as potatoes or pastas, and many others. One of the downsides to simmering is that vitamins and other nutrients can be leached out of the food and into the cooking liquid. Boiling is the hottest of these three stages, where the water reaches its highest possible temperature of 212°F. It's actually the method that is least likely to be used in cooking. That's because the violent agitation caused by churning bubbles characteristic of a rolling boil will often damage the food. Boiling would be a bad choice for cooking an egg outside its shell, as when preparing poached eggs, because the agitation would basically destroy the egg. The same holds true for pastas and delicate fish.

Steaming

Once water is heated past the 212°F mark, it stops being water and turns into steam. As far as physical agitation goes, steaming is very gentle, making it ideal for cooking seafood and other delicate items. It also has the advantage of cooking quickly while avoiding the loss of nutrients through leaching. Interestingly, steam's maximum temperature is also 212°F, just like water. But unlike water, steam can be forced to exceed this natural temperature limit by pressurizing it. The higher the pressure, the hotter the steam becomes. Cooking with pressurized steam requires specialized equipment, though, so it's not something that a home cook would typically use.

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/moistheatcooking/a/moistheatcook.htm

 

How To Use A Knife Sharpening Steel

 

How To Use A Knife Sharpening Steel

When we use a whetstone to sharpen a knife, what we're doing is reshaping its cutting edge by grinding away tiny amounts of the blade. And while it's the best way to sharpen a knife, all that grinding can leave the knife's edge rough and uneven. Using a knife steel, also called a sharpening steel or honing steel, helps smooth out that roughness, leaving a nice, straight edge.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 1 minute

Here's How:

1. With your left hand (or your right hand if you're left-handed), hold the sharpening steel point-down, with its tip resting firmly on a dry cutting board — as if it were a large nail you were about to hammer into the board.
2. With your other hand, hold the knife crossways against the steel with the back of the blade (the part nearest the handle) touching the steel. You're going to be pulling the knife backward, toward you, so you want to start with most of the blade in front of the steel.
3. Tilt the knife so that its cutting edge meets the shaft of the sharpening steel at a 22½-degree angle. Don't have a protractor handy? That's OK! Remember that 90 degrees is a right angle, and 45 degrees is half of that. So 22½ degrees is just half of that. You can pretty much eyeball it.
4. Now, maintaining this 22½-degree angle, gently pull the blade toward you while simultaneously gliding it downward along the shaft of the steel. You want to cover the entire length of the blade, keeping the blade at that 22½-degree angle the whole time. Do this step 10 times.
5. Switch to the other side of the blade, give it ten more strokes on the steel and you're done!

Tips:

1. Make sure your sharpening steel is at least as long as the blade you are honing. For instance, if you are using a 10-inch chef's knife, your knife steel should be no shorter than 10 inches as well.
2. After using the sharpening steel, rinse and carefully wipe the blade dry with a towel so that any tiny metal filings on the knife's edge don't end up in the food you're about to work with.
3. Keep your knife steel handy while you're working in the kitchen. Just a few minutes of ordinary slicing on a wooden or plastic cutting board can knock your knife's delicate edge out of alignment. Once you're accustomed to the feel of a sharp knife, you'll feel the difference right away. When you do, just a few quick strokes on the steel will straighten it right out again, without having to grind away any more blade on a whetstone.

What You Need

• Sharpening steel
• Chef's knife in need of honing

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/culinarytools/ht/honing.htm

THICKENING AGENTS >-->

• 

• Roux – Equal parts flour to fat (clarified butter is traditional). There are three different stages for rouxs including white, blond and brown. Full thickneing power is not relized until sauce or soup is brought up to a simmer after the roux is incorporated. For ratios and more detailed guidlines,checkoutthis post on how to make and use a roux.
• Liason – A mixture of heavy cream and eggs, added just at the end of the cooking process to slightly thicken, but mostly enrich, sauces and soups. The standard ratio for a liaison is 16:1:2. So for every 16 ounces (or one pint) of sauce, you will need 1 egg yolk and 2 ounces of cream. The liason will be tempered with up to 1/3 of the warm sauce or soup before incorporated. This helps to keep the eggs from coagulating. For more information, check out this post on how to make and use a liason.
• White Wash – A mixture of water and flour is whisked together into a “slurry” before being incorporated into a sauce. The water helps to hydrate the starch molecules in the flower, preventing the flour from clumping when it hits the hot sauce or soup. This is an extremely poor technique to use. It is only listed here for sake of completeness.
• Beurre Manie – Also known as “The Lazy Chef’s Roux,” Beurre Manie is equal parts of flour and whole butter kneaded together until it forms something like a dough. Pieces of this dough are then broken apart and added to simmering sauces or soups to thicken them. It is recommend that you simmer the sauce for at least 20 minutes more to cook out any raw, starchy flavor the flour introduces. Use the same ratios of Beurren Manie that you would a Roux.
• Corn Starch – Has twice the thickening power of flour. Most commonly added to a soup or sauce in a slurry form, using a 1:1 mixture of water to Corn Starch. To thicken a sauce or soup with the consistency of water to a traditional nape stage (coats the back of a spoon), you will need 2 oz of Corn Starch for every 1 qt of sauce or soup. Full thickening power will not be realized until your sauce begins to simmer. Corn Starch has tendency to give sauces a smooth and shinny appearance. It is used extensively in Asian cooking, especially Chinese Cuisine.
• Arrow Root- Very similar to Corn Starch with the same thickening power. It is used exactly in the same fashion as Corn Starch to thicken sauces and soups. Has a much more neutral taste than Corn Starch, but tends to be more expensive. Most commonly added as a slurry, and its full thickening power is not realized until the sauce is brought to a simmer.
• Farine – Literally the French word for “flour”. As a thickening technique it refers to dusting your product (ususally a protein) in flour. The excess flour is then shaken off, and the product is sauteed. The pan is then usally deglazed, and a sauce is built on top of this base. Also commonly used to build a base for thick soups and stews.
• Panade – Most commonly used to stabilize and bind meat balls and pates, it is usually a mixture of day old bread and some sort of liquid; stock, milk, water, etc. In the case of thickening sauces or soups, the bread is usually browned in butter and then simmered into the base that you wish to thicken. It can either be left as is, or blended and strained for a more refined consitancy.
• Food Grade Gums – Food grade gums are really emerging as the thicking agent of choice in a lot of high end kitchens. They’re gaining populartiy because they are extremely neutral in flavor and are added in such low concentrations (usually les than 0.5% by weight), that they have no effect on color or flavor. One of the most commonly used food grade gums for this purpose is Xanthan Gum, which can be picked up at a lot of health foods stores.
• http://freeculinaryschool.com/thickening-agents-for-sauces-and-soups-reviewd/

Shortbread Cookie

 

Shortbread Cookie Recipe

Here's a recipe for shortbread cookies using the "rolled cookie" method where the dough is rolled out and the cookies cut out with cookie cutters. A few tips:

• Chill the dough thoroughly before rolling it out.
• Dust your work surface with flour before rolling out the cookies. But don't use any more flour than you absolutely need, or the cookies may come out too hard.
• Cut the cookies out as close together as you can to minimize leftover scraps. You can reroll these leftovers. But doing so toughens the glutens, and cookies made from these rerolled scraps will likely turn out too hard.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ lb unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• ¾ cups granulated sugar
• ½ tsp salt (table salt, not Kosher salt)
• 3 egg yolks
• ½ tsp vanilla extract (or see variations below)
• 3 cups pastry flour, or 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

Preparation:

1. Let all the ingredients come to room temperature before you begin.
2. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar and salt on low speed.
3. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix until blended.
4. Add the flour to wet ingredients and mix until they're combined.
5. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Be gentle with the dough while wrapping it. Overworking the dough will toughen the cookies.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F.
7. Prepare your baking sheet pan by greasing it with butter or shortening or lining it with parchment paper. Or use a silicone baking mat, which is my favorite technique.
8. Unwrap the chilled dough, transfer it to a lightly floured workbench or butcher block and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about one-quarter of an inch thick.
9. Cut out the cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Remember, cut them as close together as you can.
10. Bake for around 15 minutes or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies are barely beginning to turn golden brown.
11. When the cookies are cool enough to handle but still warm, remove them from the pan and cool them on a wire rack. You can eat them as soon as they're cool enough that they won't burn your mouth. Or if you'll be storing them, make sure they've cooled thoroughly first.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies. Variations: For a slightly different flavor, try substituting ½ tsp lemon extract or almond extract for the vanilla. Or leave out the flavoring altogether, which is actually more traditional.

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/cookierecipes/r/shortbredcookie.htm

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe

Oatmeal raisin cookies are everything a cookie should be. This classic oatmeal raisin cookie recipe shows why it's one of the most popular cookies ever. A few tips:

• Let the butter, eggs and milk come to room temperature before creaming them.
• When creaming the wet ingredients, the longer you mix them, the lighter the cookies will be. For chewier cookies, mix just enough to combine the ingredients.
• If the raisins are hard, you can soak them in a bowl of hot water for about half and hour, then drain and dry them thoroughly in paper towels before adding them to the dough.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ lb unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 2¼ cups brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp whole milk
• 3 cups quick cooking oatmeal
• 3 1/3 cups pastry flour, or 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt (table salt, not Kosher salt)
• 1½ cups raisins

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Let all the ingredients come to room temperature before you begin.
3. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and the salt on low speed. Note: The longer you cream these ingredients, the more air you'll incorporate, giving you a lighter cookie. If you want a chewier cookie, cream only enough to combine the ingredients.
4. Add the eggs, vanilla and milk and mix until blended.
5. Sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder together into a separate bowl.
6. Combine the oats with the dry ingredients.
7. Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until they're combined.
8. Mix the raisins into the dough. Note: If the raisins are hard, you can soak them in a bowl of hot water for about half and hour, then drain them and dry them thoroughly in paper towels before adding them to the dough.
9. Prepare your baking sheet pan by greasing it with butter or shortening or lining it with parchment paper. Or use a silicone baking mat, which is my favorite technique.
10. Using a 1 oz scoop or the equivalent, drop 1 oz balls of dough onto your sheet pan, leaving enough room between them to allow for them to spread.
11. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies are beginning to look golden brown.
12. When the cookies are cool enough to handle but still warm, remove them from the pan and cool them on a wire rack. You can eat them as soon as they're cool enough that they won't burn your mouth. Or if you'll be storing them, make sure they've cooled thoroughly first.

Makes about 60 cookies. The recipe may be halved, or you can prepare the dough through step 8 and freeze some or all of it for later. To freeze cookie dough, roll it into a tube and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Later you can simply unwrap the tube, cut the frozen dough into single-cookie slices and bake normally.

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/cookierecipes/r/oatmealraisin.htm

 

 

Rolled Chocolate Cookie

 

Rolled Chocolate Cookie Recipe

These chocolate cookies are made by the "rolled cookie" method where the dough is rolled out flat and the cookies cut out with cookie cutters. A few tips:

• Chill the dough thoroughly before rolling it.
• Lightly dust your work surface with flour before rolling out the cookies. But don't use any more flour than you absolutely need, or the cookies may come out too hard.
• Cut the cookies out as close together as you can to minimize leftover scraps. You can reroll these leftovers. But doing so toughens the glutens, and cookies made from these rerolled scraps will likely turn out too hard.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 oz unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 tsp salt (table salt, not Kosher salt)
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup milk, plus more for washing tops of cookies
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ Tbsp baking powder
• 5 cups cake flour, or 4 2/3 cups pastry flour, or 4¼ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2/3 cups cocoa powder

Preparation:

1. Let all the ingredients come to room temperature before you begin.
2. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar and salt on low speed. Note: The longer you cream these ingredients, the more air you'll incorporate, giving you a lighter cookie. If you want a chewier cookie, cream only enough to combine the ingredients.
3. Add the egg, milk and vanilla and mix until blended.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder together into a separate bowl.
5. Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until they're combined.
6. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Be gentle with the dough while wrapping it. Overworking the dough will toughen the cookies.
7. Preheat oven to 375F.
8. Prepare your baking sheet pan by greasing it with butter or shortening or lining it with parchment paper. Or use a silicone baking mat, which is my favorite technique.
9. Unwrap the chilled dough, transfer it to a lightly floured workbench or butcher block and use a rolling pin to roll the dough out quite flat: about one-eighth of an inch thick.
10. Cut out the cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Remember, cut them as close together as you can.
11. Using a pastry brush, wash the tops of the cookies with milk and sprinkle the tops with sugar.
12. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies are barely beginning to turn golden brown.
13. When the cookies are cool enough to handle but still warm, remove them from the pan and cool them on a wire rack. You can eat them as soon as they're cool enough that they won't burn your mouth. Or if you'll be storing them, make sure they've cooled thoroughly first.

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/cookierecipes/r/rolledchocolate.htm

Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Here's a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe that's sure to become one of your favorites. It uses semi-sweet chocolate chips and brown sugar to conjure up some of that old-fashioned cookie goodness. A few tips:

• Let the butter, eggs and milk come to room temperature before you cream them.
• When creaming the wet ingredients, the longer you mix them, the more air you'll incorporate, giving you a lighter cookie. For a chewier cookie, mix just enough to combine the ingredients.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• ½ lb unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• ¾ cups granulated sugar
• ¾ cups brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp salt (table salt, not Kosher salt)
• 2¾ cups pastry flour, or 2½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 12-oz package)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Let all the ingredients come to room temperature before you begin.
3. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugars and the salt on low speed. Note: The longer you cream these ingredients, the more air you'll incorporate, giving you a lighter cookie. If you want a chewier cookie, cream only enough to combine the ingredients.
4. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until blended.
5. Sift the flour and baking soda together into a separate bowl.
6. Add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until they're combined.
7. Mix the chocolate chips and nuts into the dough.
8. Prepare your baking sheet pan by greasing it with butter or shortening or lining it with parchment paper. Or use a silicone baking mat, which is my favorite technique.
9. Using a 1 oz scoop or the equivalent, drop 1 oz balls of dough onto your sheet pan, leaving enough room between them to allow for them to spread.
10. Bake 8-12 minutes or until the edges and bottoms of the cookies are beginning to look golden brown.
11. When the cookies are cool enough to handle but still warm, remove them from the pan and cool them on a wire rack. You can eat them as soon as they're cool enough that they won't burn your mouth. Or if you'll be storing them, make sure they've cooled thoroughly first.

Makes about 45 cookies. The recipe may be halved, or you can prepare the dough through step 7 and freeze some or all of it for later. To freeze cookie dough, roll it into a tube and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Later you can simply unwrap the tube, cut the frozen dough into single-cookie slices and bake normally.

 

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/bakingdesserts/r/chocchipcookies.htm