tips and tricks
PROFESSIONAL CHEF SECRETS
How to make home-cooked meals exceptional.
WRITTEN BY HEIDI BETHEL
PHOTOS BY CHRIS HOLLOMAN
Have you ever ordered a meal at a restaurant and said to yourself, “I could make this at home?” Chances are that, somehow, it’s just not the same. How do chefs do it? How do they incorporate so much flavor, and make their dishes look so beautiful on the plate?
Whether you want to spice up your day-to-day culinary routine or kick your holiday gatherings up a notch, chef and cooking expert Lara Ritchie, culinary director at Reno’s Nothing To It, has a few clandestine kitchen techniques used by chefs around the world that can add extra zing to classic cuisine.
Sharp knife skills
“A sharp knife is the No. 1 rule for any professional kitchen,” Ritchie explains.
There are many benefits to keeping a blade with a fine edge, including an efficient, accurate cut with little force.
Ritchie adds, “The dirty news of it all is a cut from a sharp knife heals much more quickly than that of a dull one.”
Spice it up
Incorporating flavorful, good spices into dishes is an inexpensive, no-calorie way to make food exciting.
“You can use one spice blend on dinner tonight that creates a Moroccan-style cuisine and tomorrow is Italian. You can travel the globe in a week by simply changing your spices,” Ritchie says.
But, she also notes that it’s important to check the dates on dried herbs and spices.
“Shelf life is a year and a half,” she says. “After that, the oils dry and they lose nearly all taste.”
Sweat it out
Many chefs sweat onions and other translucent vegetables to heat and soften them while gently drawing out flavor before adding to sauces and soups. Sweating is similar to sautéing in that it usually is done in a pan on the stovetop with a relatively small amount of oil, but on much lower heat. Ritchie suggests that instead of using the pan lid, you place parchment paper over the top.
“As the vegetables are sweating, the condensation hits the paper and comes back down, which means you don’t brown the veggies,” she says. “They stay nice and sweet. It also will maintain more of the nutritional value.”
Stir in some citrus
All it takes is a simple piece of rind from a lemon or juice from an orange to elevate most dishes to a new level.
“Sometimes you’re just talking about the acidity that will pump up flavor in a soup or sauce. Or with a marinade, dressing, or cake, you can add citrus zest to give it a kick,” Ritchie says.
She explains that citrus is a necessary part of every kitchen because it can be used in many applications.
“It’s the acidity that will pump up flavor, but the essential oils and zest go a long way, too,” she says. “With your favorite shortbread recipe, add a little lime zest to give a subtle, small adjustment with a big impact.”
Use dairy (sparingly)
Avoid pasteurizing plunders by instead using a low-fat dairy finisher to give an extra layer of flavor and texture to dishes.
“When making pasta sauce, you don’t necessarily have to add a hunk of cheese to the recipe. Instead, sprinkle a brined cheese, such as feta or Parmigiano-Reggiano on at the end,” Ritchie explains.
The same technique applies to soups.
“If you’re making a soup, use a broth base and add the cream at the end so you don’t use too much,” she says. “It gives the soup depth and saves on calories, too. It’s a win-win.”
Heidi Bethel always is on the lookout for new methods to the madness in her kitchen. She has a ho-hum soup recipe that will definitely benefit from Ritchie’s tips.
Resources
For even more helpful tips and tricks in the kitchen, be sure to attend Ritchie’s cooking classes at Nothing to It Culinary Center, 225 Crummer Lane, Reno
http://www.Nothingtoit.com, 775-826-2628
