Cooking 4 Everyone

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Fine Cooking focuses on making spectacular meals. Detailed recipes and colorful photos will inspire you and give you new ideas on how to fill up your dinner table. Feature stories will keep you up to date on the world’s finest chefs and winemakers.

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With 25 years of authority, Vegetarian Times is the invaluable guide to the healthiest options. This monthly magazine for current, new and aspiring vegetarians shares the latest thought-provoking food and lifestyle information, including practical information on cooking and nutrition, articles focus on health, fitness, governmental policy and the environment.

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The ultimate authority on Italian Food and cooking, providing step-by-step recipes from its test kitchen in Milan

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A must-have for any cook.Choose (shown left to right) white or black. From the Artisan Series. All-metal construction. Tilt-head design. 10-speed slide control. 325-watt motor. Polished stainless steel bowl with handle holds 5 quarts. Includes ‘C’ dough hook for kneading, flat beater, wire whip, and two-piece pouring shield. Manufacturer warranty. 13 29/32H x 8 21/32W x 14 3/32D.

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Well I bought this Presto deep fryer yesterday. Today I ordered a very well made (expensive) potatoe cutter. Now, what kind of cooking oil do I buy? I bought 2 bottles of Mazola vegetable oil today because I remember 20 years ago it had a high smoke point. I want to re-use oil as much as I can. Any suggestions on oil?
Mainly to make french fries.

They make special oil that is meant for fryers, and also peanut oil or soybean oil are good.

But vegetable oil will be absolutely fine. You can strain it and reuse it. Change the oil when you notice that the color has changed, or it foams, or has a strange flavor or smell.
You absolutely do NOT want you use extra virgin olive oil. The smoke point is too low

A friend from Charleston wants some southern cooking for an ucoming birthday. Take out is fine. It doesn't have to be a 5 star place. It's the food that matters. Hamhocks and lima beans, grits, etc Any ideas?Thanks.

Well I would check out some sites online. But you can't beat the classic Southern Dinner of Fried chicken, Cream Gravy, Mashed Garlic roasted Taters, and BBQ'd Corn on the Cob and some good southern biscuits.

Heres some recipes for that dinner:

Southern Fried Chicken With Gravy

INGREDIENTS:
oil or shortening
1 chicken, about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds, cut up
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
.
Cream Gravy
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup milk
1 cup water

PREPARATION:
Have a deep heavy skillet or Dutch oven with oil or hot fat about two inches deep.
Combine flour, salt and pepper; sift into a pie plate or wide bowl. Roll each piece of chicken in flour and place in the hot fat (about 370° F).

Put the largest pieces in firs, in the hottest part of the skillet. When all pieces are in the skillet and heat is regulated, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove top and turn chicken pieces when the underside is well browned. Replace top for another 5 minutes, remove and cook in open pan until the bottom side is browned. About 30 to 35 minutes in all will be required for cooking chicken if it is not too large. Try to turn the chicken only the one time.
The fat should be deep enough to cover the pieces when it boils up, but make sure you use a deep skillet, preferably one made for frying chicken, and watch carefully.

To make cream gravy:
Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 4 tablespoons flour; blend and cook until golden brown, scraping browned bits from bottom of skillet. Gradually stir in 1 cup milk and 1 cup hot water. Stir until smooth and thickened; add salt and black pepper. Pour into a gravy boat and serve with hot biscuits, potatoes, or rice.

Southern-Style Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred before measuring*
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lard or vegetable shortening, chilled
2 tablespoons butter, chilled
3/4 cup buttermilk

PREPARATION:
Heat oven to 450°. Adjust oven rack to center position.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Cut in chilled shortening and butter until you have pieces the size of small peas.

Make a well in center of dry ingredients; pour in buttermilk. With a wooden spoon, gently blend dry ingredients into the buttermilk, just until mixture is clumping together. If necessary, add a few more teaspoons of buttermilk.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured board. Pat out in a circle about 8 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2 to 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake on center oven rack for about 10 to 12 minutes, until tops are browned.
Makes 10 to 12 biscuits, depending on size of cutter.

*For the lightest biscuits, use a Southern white all-purpose flour if available

Good Luck this meal is so worth the work!

How to Make Pizza

To make a pizzeria-quality pie at home with no special equipment, start with the crust.

Randy Mayor
Step 1. Gather the equipment. All you'll need are two rimless baking sheets, a rolling pin, a spatula, a pizza wheel, and a large knife.

Randy Mayor
Step 2. Prepare the dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it's smooth and elastic.

Randy Mayor
Step 3a. Shape the dough. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle.

Randy Mayor
Step 3b. Shape the dough. Drape the dough over the rolling pin to transfer it to a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.

Randy Mayor
Step 3c. Crimp the edges of the dough to form a rim to corral the toppings on the surface of the pizza.

Randy Mayor
Step 4. Prebake the Crust. Holding the baking sheet at about a 45-degree angle and using a spatula to guide it, slide the dough onto the preheated sheet.

Randy Mayor
Step 5. Add the Topping. Remove the prebaked crust from the oven. Add your toppings, and return the pizza to the middle oven rack to bake.

Pizza Recipes:
1. Basic Pizza Dough
2. Basic Pizza Sauce
3. Cheese Pizza
4. Pepperoni PIzza
5. Grilled Shrimp Pizza
6. Wild Mushroom Pizza
7. Basil and Three-Cheese Thin-Crust Pizza
8. Sausage and Vegetable Deep-Dish Pizza
9. Fontina, Olive, and Tomato Pizza with Basil Whole Wheat Crust

Pizza is comfort food for the ages: Flatbread made of flour, water, and (maybe) a little olive oil has existed in the Mediterranean region for millennia. But residents of the Italian peninsula embraced the simple dish and, ultimately, made it their own. Tomatoes weren't added until the 16th century, when explorers ferried the fruit back from the New World.

Italian immigrants brought pizza to our shores in the 19th century. New Yorkers favored a thin crust, while deep-dish pizza became a Chicago icon. Pizza became a nationwide favorite in the 1950s, when GIs returning from World War II brought foods from around the globe to small-town U.S.A.

Homemade pizza is a special treat because you control the ingredients, from what goes into the dough to the cheese sprinkled atop, and your pizza will be lower in fat and sodium than store-bought or pizzeria pies, yet every bit as delicious. With just a little practice, you can master preparing the dough and toppings.

Step 1. Gather the Equipment
You'll need two rimless baking sheets, a rolling pin, and a spatula. If you don't have two rimless baking sheets, roll out the dough, and place it on the backside of a jelly-roll pan. Then, use a rimless baking sheet or a pizza stone to cook the pizza. Insulated baking sheets are less-efficient heat conductors, so bake the pizza about four minutes longer for a crisp crust if your baking sheet is insulated.

Use the rolling pin to punch down, roll out, and shape the dough. The rolling pin also doubles as a handy tool to transfer the dough from your work surface. Use the spatula to guide the dough onto the preheated baking sheet.

Step 2. Prepare the Dough
Pizza dough is a bread dough, so it requires the use of yeast. Yeast is a living entity, which you'll observe when you combine it with warm water and honey. As the mixture stands, you'll be able to see tiny bubbles form on the surface as the yeast blooms. Then, stir in flour and a touch of salt to form a soft dough, which you turn out onto a lightly floured surface to knead.

Kneading is a process that develops the dough's gluten—long strands of protein that make the dough pliable and act as balloons to trap gas emitted by the yeast, which helps the dough rise. When kneading the dough, be sure to follow the visual and tactile clues ("soft and elastic") to know when it's ready. Avoid overkneading the dough, or you'll end up with a tough crust (dough is overkneaded when it becomes rough and breaks into pieces rather than feeling smooth and stretchy). Then, put it in a bowl, and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until it doubles in size.

Step 3. Shape the Dough
After the dough rises, use a rolling pin to roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about a 12-inch diameter (See Step 3a). The objective is to roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness so the crust cooks evenly. You may end up with a 12-inch circle, a 12-inch square, or some amorphous shape in between—it doesn't matter as long as it's an even thickness. (Another option: Shape smaller pizzas to serve as appetizers or individual portions.) Then, gently drape the dough over a rolling pin to transfer it to a baking sheet sprinkled with a little cornmeal. (See Step 3b) Crimp the edges of the dough to form a rim to corral the toppings on the surface of the pizza, cover, and pop it into the refrigerator while the oven preheats. (See Step 3c.) Refrigerating slows the growth of the yeast so the dough doesn't continue to rise.

Make the Sauce
You can use a commercial pizza sauce, as we do with our Cheese Pizza, or prepare sauce from scratch. You can cook the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze, or simply prepare it while the dough rises. Another option is to doctor a bottled sauce by adding sautéed fresh vegetables and meats, a strategy we use for our Deep-Dish Pizza. Or you can forgo sauce altogether.

Preheat the Baking Sheet
Place your second baking sheet on the lowest rack in the oven while the oven preheats. This is similar to using a pizza stone, which is preheated so the raw dough hits a hot surface and becomes crisp and sturdy to support the toppings. If you don't preheat the baking sheet, that's OK. Just know that you will end up with a slightly softer crust.

Step 4. Prebake the Crust
Before adding any toppings, bake the crust for a few minutes on the lowest rack in the oven. Use the cornmeal-coated baking sheet as an impromptu pizza peel to transfer the dough onto the preheated baking sheet. The layer of cornmeal under the dough helps it to slide more easily. Then, prebake the dough as directed.

Step 5. Add the Topping
If you're preparing a sauce from scratch or want to cook vegetables or meats before adding them to the pizza, be sure to do so during the dough's first rise. The idea is to have all the toppings ready to go before the pizza goes into the oven so they're ready to add after the crust prebakes but while it's still hot. Add hearty toppings, such as sauce, cooked veggies, cheese, or meat to the prebaked crust.

Finish Baking and Serve
Once the toppings you select are on the crust, put the pizza back in the oven on the middle rack and bake just until the cheese melts and the top and bottom crust are golden brown. Moving the pizza to the middle rack after toppings are added ensures the bottom of the crust does not overcook.

Add fragile toppings like herbs or salad greens after removing the pizza from the oven and just before serving so they don't wilt. Then, slice the pizza with a pizza wheel, a large knife, or kitchen shears, and dig in

i want to study to become a chef

Hi,

I would search for cooking schools in Tuscany or Umbria, that's where you find some of the best food in Italy.

Her is a nice place to start your search:
http://www.italyexposed.com/infohub.shtml

Compare the different offers here and I'm convinced you'll find what you're seraching for.

While cleaning out the cupboard, I found an old bottle of cooking oil. Does cooking oil spoil? How long can it sit for?

It is usually good for about two years depending on the container that it is stored in and if it has been used.