Movin to Wordpress

Hey Everybody,

We're movin to wordpress. Why? I like the cool crap you get when you manage the blog and the themes are more polished as well. Look for new posts at: ucantcook.wordpress.com

Steel Cut Oats: The Short Version

I like oatmeal. So does Rob. I know how to cook it. So does Rob. I always make steel cut oatmeal. Rob pulls a Houdini and I end up busting my ass over a hot stove for 45 minutes while those little oaty bastards make up there mind about how quick they're gonna finish cooking.

Now that I have picked a fight with oatmeal and checked off my list another inanimate object with which to yell at, I'll show you a short cut.

Quesadillas and Guacamole: without that stupid machine

I know some of you have seen those quesadilla makers. I know you felt compelled to buy one. I also know that this would be a stupid waste of money. Seriously guys, if you want to throw your money away, you might as well make the check out to me right now. Thanks to my new phone I also take all major credit cards, except Discover. Listen people, you DON'T need to get every gadget on "Buy Me Now" TV ok. I can show you how to do this quick and easy and without the extra crap.

Keeping Basil Fresh: with out the tatoo, earring and surly expression

Get it? Fresh? You guys suck....

I like fresh basil but sometimes you get this stuff home from the store and it's either wilted, wilts by the next day or has brown patches all over it. This herb is pretty delicate, so unless you're planning on having a little pot of it growing on a sunny window sill, you're gonna have to get creative. Let's face it guys, most of us live in cities where we're lucky if our apartment has a window, never mind sun.

Egg Preparation Series: Poached Eggs

I know, "long time comin'." Yeah shut up.

For all you 'peeps' (teehee) who can't poach an egg, here you go! Video proof that it can be done without a million bits of equipment or a piece of plastic you have to nuke.

Filet Mignon: a quick & dirty how to

The person who inspired me to start U Can't Cook has done it again. What has she done? Messed up dinner that's what and I know she's not alone. Have we seriously become such a take out nation that the simple act of frying up a steak is equivalent to completing the Friday New York Times cross word?

Soup's On: Minestrone – How ya doin'?

Note: This is a long and semi-advanced recipe.  I plan on making this into a video blog entry in the near future.

Roasted Herb Potatoes: It's a secret to everybody.

Restaurants make this look hard. It's not. In fact it's pretty easy once you know how to do it. The hardest thing I've ever had to deal with is mom coming by, snagging pieces before I set them on the tables and then yelping "Ow it's hot!" Really genius? Just out of a 400 degree oven and this is a surprise? I know they're good but wait a few minutes!

Quick Tip: Pork Chop Solution

Pork chops always coming out dry? Try wrapping them in bacon and pan searing on medium high heat. It's a change from shake n bake, which I have seen become an epic fail in the wrong hands. You know who you are....

Egg Preparation Series: Scrambled Eggs

When I first started cooking, scrambled eggs was my most used recipe. It didn't become edible until after a few tries. Hey I was 12 years old, give me a break. Scrambled eggs might be easy to make, but they are just a easy to mess up. Most common fails are too runny, too dry or flavorless. Below I'll give you the written recipe and method. I'll also link to the video so that you can see how they're made.

Epic Food Fail: This is Why Size Matters

I realize that most men who have just read the title have broken out in a cold sweat. Relax, I'm not talking about you, ego maniac. Size matters in cooking, no matter what she tells you. If your pot, pan, crock pot, whatever is too small for what you're about to put in it, you could be in trouble. I'll explain.

I have Chicken!.......Now what?

I don't know why people look at chicken with this mystical expression, but they do. I'm sorry but I must say that cooking chicken isn't exactly the same as finding the Holy Grail. Look people, chicken is NOT complicated. Sure if you don't cook it well you could get food poisoning and puke for a week but hey, no risk no reward! Relax, you're in good hands.

Feel like Indian food? Suvir Saran has you covered!

Suvir Saran, chef, author and NYC restaurateur, is the brain behind my favorite lentil dish. My husband and I  have visited his restaurants many times and own his book Indian Home Cooking. This is a wonderful book full of delicious recipes that a home cook at any level can replicate. Even if you only get this book for the pictures, it's a purchase you'll appreciate for a long time. We must have made that lentil recipe (Simple Lentil Dal with Fresh Ginger) a hundred times now and each time I'm saddened when the pot is empty.

For more information on Mr. Saran, please visit his web site: http://www.suvir.com/

For information on Devi, please visit: http://www.devinyc.com/

* By the way the Tandoor-Grilled Lamb Chops are off the hook!!!!!!!!

Video Entry: Basic Skills: How to Chop Carrots

Bumm-ba-DUUUM!!!! The first UCC video is now live! Woo! Excitement, fan fare and less spelling errors! Yes friends it's the moment you've all been waiting for. I have gotten off my fat, albeit cute, ass and put together the first of many instructional videos on how to cook.

I'm starting you off slowly with a chopping demonstration. Carrots! Next, onions! Tomorrow, celery and the world! Ok, so I got a little aggressive with the exclamation points. Hey, I'm excited. What can I say? ON WITH THE SHOW!

Stocking the cupboard: Teaching Old Mother Hubbard how it's done.

A friend of mine, the reason this site was spawned, recently went shopping and wanted some advice. Normally I would have gone with her, but I'm tired this weekend. When I go shopping for basics I try to think about shelf life, ease of use, likely hood of use and storage space.

King Arthur Flour: Scone Recipe

Oh my GOD this recipe is probably the best one I have for scones. I made this recipe for people at my work, my mom, and my husband's co-workers and it got rave reviews. Follow the directions closely. They give very good instructions.

Also, since you're baking you need to measure out your ingredients exactly as they are written in the recipe. No it won't kill your dough if you have a little extra flour knock off the side of the measuring cup, but it will be thrown off if you don't level your dry ingredients with a knife.

I will be filming this recipe the next time I make it so that you can see how it's done. Check out other fantastic recipes on their web site: www.kingarthurflour.com

for the scones: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/scones-recipe

Risotto: Step Aside Rice-A-Roni

For some reason Risotto is thought of as this Italian delicacy served in fancy restaurants. I blame Seinfeld. Risotto is peasant food! They took rice, cooked it in broth and ate it. There's no mystery in the making, no revelation that is being guarded by an armed staff of chefs. In fact I can show you how to make it right now and the only thing you'll really need is extra arm power, because it does involve a lot of stirring.

Sauteed Spinach with Garlic: Eat your greens

This is a sure fire way to use up spinach greens and not have to choke them down. If you got the hang of roasting garlic bulbs, you can use the cloves in this recipe. Otherwise fresh garlic works just fine. By the way, this is INSANELY easy to do. Your biggest worry is burning the garlic or spilling the spinach.

What you'll need:

• frying pan
• tongs
• kitchen knife

Ingredients:

• a bag or two of spinach (depending on how many are eating)
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, sliced or chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt to taste

The Starter Kitchen: Tools Part 2

The second installation of what you NEED in the kitchen. Remember, these house-ware stores and As Seen On TV people will try to get you to buy more than you need. Don't. You work hard for that money!

More Tools you need:

1. Measuring spoons
2. Ladle
3. Spatula
4. Colander & Sieve (and sometimes, a salad spinner)
   
5. Baking Sheet/Cookie Sheet
   
6. Serving Utensils
   

The Gravy Train Stops Here

For the love of god and all that is good and holy, WHY do people insist on destroying gravy? I was lucky enough to dodge bad gravy this season, but I think back on what my father said to my mother the first time he brought her to his family's Thanksgiving, "don't touch the gravy. It's spackle." He was right. Eventually he broke down and chased his aunts out of the kitchen and commandeered the turkey drippings, thus saving gravy for all in attendance.

OK enough of that crap.

The Starter Kitchen: Tools Part 1

I've gotten the question more than once, "what do I need in my kitchen." in this section I'll show you things you need, things that are good to have and things that. With each tool you'll get a run down of how it works and what you would use it for.

Because of time constraints, and the fact that I work all day, this will be a series of posts.

Making Bread Crumbs: When bread is hard enough to kill

We've all gone through this. You buy a beautiful long baguette with the best intentions of using it. You leave it in it's store packaging on the counter over night and the next day it feels like a red wood trunk.

You've got stale!

Your first instinct is to go, "Mother @#$%!" and throw it out. STOP! Calm down. Have some dip. This can be fixed.

Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda: What's the difference and why should I care?

I'll tell you why ya bunch of ingrates! If you mix the two up your libel to cock up your entire recipe, and then you have a mess on your hands and in your kitchen. An inedible mess.

Listen up bake fans. Cooking is different from baking because of one essential reason. Cooking is an art form, baking is a science. What does that mean? Glad you (didn't) ask. That means when a baking recipe tells you to do something you do it without question! Think of it as martial law, especially when you're going though the recipe for the first time. Some of the culinary art's most spectacular fails have happening in baking. You can at least modify a cooking recipe and save it. Ever try to separate a tablespoon of salt from four cups of flour. Forget it kid, you're now officially screwed to the wall.

You can't cook, so order takeout - best pizza

As requested, here's a review of Keste:

Let's get this out of the way first: this place rocks! I've been three times now, and I've noticed three things consistently:

1) The pizza is exceptionally good, consistently.

2) The service is Europe-slow, but accurate.

3) With the closing of Una Pizza Napoletana, this is the best pizza joint in Manhattan. I haven't been to some of the greats in Brooklyn (Grimaldi's, Motorino, Franny's), so I can't compare with those, but this easily betters Lombardi's, Veloce, John's and Joe's.

For those not in the know, a pizza upskirt is a shot of the bottom of the crust; this allows you to see the char left behind by a good oven (or lack thereof, by a bad oven).

Fail Fixed: Biscuits to French Toast

Even I mess up in the kitchen at times. Biscuits are my kryptonite. For some reason making biscuits or scones from scratch escapes me. I used a CookingLight.com recipe for "Angel Biscuits" and they came out like little tough breads. Yeah, fail.