Lights, Camera, Cook!
Page 10
STAY TUNED FOR SCENES FROM EPISODE 2 OF NEXT BEST JUNIOR CHEF!
But first, a word from the experts . . .
Essential Knife Techniques for the Young Chef
from The Young Chef: Recipes and Techniques for Kids Who Love to Cook by the Culinary Institute of America
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These techniques are the cornerstone of every chef’s success. The better practiced you are at these methods, the better a chef you will become—and the better your food will look and taste.
Knife Skills
A chef’s skill with a knife helps him or her work quickly and efficiently with accuracy. Precise and uniform knife cuts are one of the keys to beautiful-looking food.
Knife Safety
Understanding how to use and maintain knives and other kitchen tools is an important part of working in the kitchen and essential to your own safety. You may need to talk to your parents before using kitchen knives. Here are some important rules:
Keep knives sharp. A dull knife can be dangerous and make you more likely to cut yourself.
Keep knives clean and dry. Dirty knives can cause cross-contamination.
Store knives in a knife block, on a magnetic strip, or in a drawer with plastic knife sheaths so that they are stable and the blades are protected.
Use the right knife for the job.
Never put knives into a sink full of water. They can be hidden and could cut someone who reaches into the water.
Make sure your cutting board is stable and not hanging over the edge of the counter. You can secure a cutting board on the counter by putting a wet paper towel underneath.
Never pass a knife to someone; always lay it safely on the counter to be picked up.
Handling a Chef’s Knife
Your hand should be placed at the point where the blade and the handle meet. Angle your fingers down and make sure your thumb is tucked in behind your index finger.
Hold the food with a clawlike grip. Cut the food with even knife strokes from the tip to the heel of the knife. Move the hand that is holding the food in place back little by little as you cut back along the food.
Three Common Knife Cuts
Slicing
Cutting in a straight downward motion at regular intervals so that pieces are uniform in size.
Julienning
Cutting into long, uniform “sticks” (pictured above). Accomplished by first squaring off the sides of the vegetable to make a rectangle. The “block” is cut lengthwise into slices, and then the slices are stacked neatly and cut into sticks.
Dicing
Cutting into uniform cubes. After cutting into julienne sticks, gather sticks and cut them crosswise into small cubes.
Foods can be diced into large (¾ inch), medium (about ⅓ inch), or small (¼ inch) pieces, or very tiny (⅛) pieces, which chefs call brunoise.
THE HEAT IS ON
LACES, EVERYONE!” Steve held up his hand. “And cameras . . . rolling!”
Chef Gary stood at the front of the room. “You’ll have five minutes in the pantry and then we’ll start cooking, but remember, if you’ve forgotten anything you can go back. Your time starts . . . NOW!”
Caroline, Oliver, and Rae grabbed their baskets and raced into the pantry. Rae recited the five ingredients from the top of her list: “Anchovy paste, soy sauce, tomato paste, fish sauce, and olive oil.” No one cared that she talked to herself—they were used to it. Ten minutes ago she’d been desperate, but now she was on a mission. “Umami paste to the rescue!”
“TIME!” shouted Chef Aimee.
Everyone raced back to their workstations.
A minute later, Chef Aimee gave the official start. “LET’S GET COOKING!”
The camerapeople moved in for a close-up of Oliver’s workstation. His first step was mise en place—that was French for “everything in its place.” Everything needed to be chopped, measured, and portioned into bowls before he even started cooking. The benefits were huge—less chance of making a mistake, and faster access to the ingredients.
Caroline grabbed her potatoes and started peeling. There was a lot to do.
Chef Aimee came by just as she began grating. “Oh dear, are you okay?”
Tears steamed down Caroline’s face. She nodded. “It’s the onions, but I’m almost done.” She dumped the grated potatoes and onions in a dishtowel and moved over to the sink. “I need to wring these out and get them as dry as possible, because extra moisture will make my potato cups soggy.”
“Clever,” said Chef Aimee. “I’m impressed.”
Caroline blushed.
I’m cooking my hot dog in the oven. I don’t want it to dry out, so I’ll put it in a baking dish with just a little beef consommé and roast it at around 400 degrees for ten to twelve minutes. The consommé will help it stay moist, and the baking will make it perfectly brown.
Rae was waiting for Chef Aimee when she arrived. She held up a mason jar. “Pickled onions. I made them right away, so the onions would have time to absorb the flavor of the vinegar.” She dipped a spoon into her bowl and stirred. “And now I’m making an umami paste.”
Chef Aimee leaned over the bowl to look. “What’s in it?”
Rae rattled off a list of ingredients, and then stopped. “Oh no! I forgot the Parmesan cheese.”
Chef Aimee pointed to the pantry. “Well, don’t waste time talking to me.”
Rae gave a fast wave and ran off. When she came back Chef Aimee was gone. Too bad—she’d wanted to tell her about her potato salad. Hopefully no one else was using sweet potatoes. Rae grabbed the Parmesan cheese and quickly grated it into the bowl. The potatoes were next, and if they weren’t peeled and boiling in the next five minutes she’d be in trouble. She sighed. This was definitely going to be a race, up until the very last minute.
I’m going boil my hot dog, but not just in water. I’ll add salt, vinegar, cumin, and nutmeg. After five minutes in a simmering bath, it’ll be perfect.
Oliver was Chef Aimee’s last stop. His countertop was filled with bowls, tools, cutting boards, pots, pans, and Oliver was racing back and forth.
Chef Aimee watched, shaking her head. “Oliver, what’s going on here? This isn’t how you usually work. It looks . . . kind of crazy.”
Oliver nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I know, but there’s so much to do.”
Chef Aimee put her hand on his shoulder. “Let’s take a breather, just for a minute. Take me through your process.”
Oliver pointed to each bowl and identified them. “Bowl one is sriracha barbecue sauce—still needs paprika and Worcestershire sauce. Bowl two: sauce to add to the red onion marmalade once the onions are done cooking. Bowl three: homemade ketchup—I’ll add this finishing sauce once I’ve blended the tomatoes, onions, vinegar, water, and sugar in the food processor.” Oliver fidgeted and pointed to a stack of potatoes. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I really need to get to those if I’m going to finish my rosti on time.”
Chef Aimee raised her arms and stepped back. “Of course, Oliver, continue. I don’t know how you did it, but it looks like you’ve got this under control.”
I’ve scored my hot dog and am marinating it in a mixture of oil, homemade ketchup, soy sauce, and garlic. It’ll absorb these flavors and the moisture from the sauce. When I put it in the pan, it will steam on the inside and grill on the outside. It’s the best way to make a perfectly cooked hot dog. And I’ll use bacon fat instead of butter.
“Thirty minutes,” called Chef Gary.
“No!” Caroline banged a spatula on the table.
Chef Gary rushed over to check on her.
“Ugh!” She dropped the spatula and picked up a fork. The mini potato cups were sticking to the muffin tin.
Chef Gary stepped up and sniffed. “Mmm, smells good. Might be worth the trouble to get them out.”
Caroline smiled halfheartedly and attacked the tin again. This time the plump potato cup popped right out. She picked
up a bowl started mixing.
Chef Gary watched. “What’s that?”
“Homemade ranch dressing.”
He covered his mouth. “I’d better go before I start drooling.”
“Eye on the clock! FIFTEEN MINUTES LEFT!” Chef Aimee clapped her hands.
That was just enough time for the last two visits—Rae and Oliver.
Chef Gary picked a skewer off Rae’s table and twirled it. “I think we’ve seen these recently.”
“Yes Chef, but with a new recipe. I’m making potato salad on a stick . . . with sweet potatoes.” She dropped a quarter cup of diced poblano chiles into her bowl of potato chunks. “I have to mix these in carefully—I don’t want to smash my potatoes.” She picked up a wooden spoon and carefully folded the ingredients together.
Chef Gary returned the skewer. “Good work, Rae! I can’t wait to try that flavor combination.”
“Sweet and spicy to go with umami!” Rae looked up to smile at Chef Gary, but he was already heading off to see Oliver.
Oliver was shaking his head and his frying pan.
“What’s cooking?” asked Chef Gary.
“Not this potato rosti!” snapped Oliver. Then he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, sir, but it’s these potatoes. I want crispy, not soggy.”
“Creative problem-solving.” Chef Gary tapped his head. “Take a minute and think it through.”
Oliver nodded, took a deep breath, and studied his pan. Suddenly, he knew what to do. “Thank you, Chef!” His pan was too crowded. The rosti was steaming not frying. He sliced the rosti into eight and pulled out four pie-shaped wedges. A minute later, four remaining slices were back on the stove, crisping up.
Chef Gary walked to the center of the room. “FIVE MINUTES!”
“AHHH!” Rae drizzled five droplets of poblano honey dressing on the side of the plate.
Oliver cut three thin wedges of potato rosti and balanced them on edge next to a small ramekin of ketchup.
Caroline stacked three mini potato cups one on top of another and was just about to add a last decorative sprig of cilantro when . . .
“TIME! HANDS UP!”
“CUT!” yelled Steve.
To be continued . . .
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About the Author
CHARISE MERICLE HARPER is the author and illustrator of many books for children, including the Just Grace series and the Next Best Junior Chef series. Charise lives in Oregon.
Learn more at www.chariseharper.com
About the Illustrator
AURéLIE BLARD-QUINTARD studied classical drawing in Paris and earned a Master of Communication Media degree, specializing in stop-motion animation, in Bristol, England. She lives with her family and their cat in Strasbourg, France.
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