Helping you cook better by focusing on technique

Hi, I’m Sandy.
I’m a mom of two who happened to graduate from The Culinary Institute of America and cook professionally for over 12 years. Now my intention is to empower you with knowledge that gives you confidence in the kitchen. I believe it all starts with fundamentals.

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Latest Posts

What’s the Difference Between Broth and Stock?

What Are The Parts Of A Knife?

How To Know When Chicken is Done?

plantainsandchallah

I teach you to cook better by focusing on technique.
Trained at the CIA + Cooked Professionally over 12 years

Saffron Beautiful, right?! If you’ve ever wond

Saffron

Beautiful, right?!

If you’ve ever wondered why saffron is so expensive; it’s because the stigmas are hand picked from a variety of crocus flowers and then dried. Each flower only has about 3 stigmas! Talk about labor intensive! 😳

This amount here cost me about $8, so I think I got a pretty good deal 😂

You can find it in oil or powdered form, but the whole stigmas are best and most pungent. Keep them in a cool and dark place for about 6 months.

It gives a beautiful red, orangy color to many dishes, but primarily known as one of the essential ingredients in the Spanish Paella and the French Bouillabaisse.

It’s hard to describe the flavor, but if you never cooked with it, it’s worth trying. It gives your dish a little somethin’ somethin’.

Oh, and a little goes a long way!

Have you cooked with it?

#saffron #cookingtips #spicesandherbs #bouillabaisse #paella #cookingclass #priceyherbs #saffronrice #foodiesofinsta #crocusflowers #homecooks #homecooksofinstagram

Flavor starts here. The cool thing about cooking

Flavor starts here.

The cool thing about cooking though, is you can take this and add or subtract and make it your own and even crossover cultures through food!

Share with a foodie friend or save for later!

#flavorbases #cooking #inthekitchen #aromatics #foodie #recaito #mirepoix #holytrinity #sofrito #soffritto #battuto #gingergarlicscallion #suppengrün #Wloszczyzna #flavorstartshere #homecooking #homecooks #homecooksofinstagram #fundamentals #culinarytechniques #culinaryknowhow #culinaryarts #culinary101 #chefmom #chefdad #homechef #eeeeats #veggiesfordays #buzzfeedfoodies #cookingbasics

Have you heard of the back slice? I like to think

Have you heard of the back slice?

I like to think of it as a “backward pull”because this is *similar* to the “push cut” only backwards 😉

The thought is that it minimizes crushing - so it works great for scallions (shown) herbs, leafy greens, etc. these foods can easily bruise with how you handle them with the knife.

I’m looking forward to teaching you so much more, in my own - easy to understand way! 🔪💚 😁

#knifeskills #knifetechniques #knifeskills101 #knifeskillsonpoint #chopping #homecooks #homechefs #homefoodie #momswhocook #chefmom #scallions #knifeskillspaythebills #knifeskillsclass #knifeskillscourse #chefsofinsta #efficientkitchen

Could you continue the way you are cutting now? S

Could you continue the way you are cutting now?

Sure, but you have a higher chance of cutting yourself and your speed won’t increase - which means more time on prep work.

✨You can love to cook and still not want to be in the kitchen all day if you have other things going on!✨

Here are some other reasons why improving your knife skills will help you:

EVEN COOKING: When everything is cut uniformly, it cooks at the same rate and subsequently tastes better.

EFFICIENCY: Of course speed takes practice, but even using the right technique with knife skills will yield more efficient results. Have kids? This is especially important!

SAFETY: Though it may sound counterintuitive, having a dull knife is way more dangerous than a sharp one. That's because you need to put forth more effort and pressure to get through your vegetable, which can cause a really jagged cut. If you use a sharp knife - of course there is that chance that you can cut yourself, but it would be a cleaner cut, hurt less and heal faster.

AESTHETICS: We eat with our eyes right? Knife skills just help our food look more beautiful!

I’ve had delay in the knife skills course, so I’d like to know when you would be more willing to take the course?

Summer or Fall? Please tell me in the comments 🔪

#knifeskills #culinaryschool #cheftips #knifeskillvideo #kitchenhowto #knifeskillsmatter #inthekitchen #foodie #homecooks #chefs #chefsofinsta #cookingcourses #knifeskillcourse #chefstalk #cuttingtechniques #julienne #cucumber #hiphopcooking #culinaryteacher #finestrips #chefknife #homecooking #homechefs #chefmom #chefdad #knifeskillz #knifelife #chefmommy #chefdaddy #knifecuts

You can eat the whole kiwi. 🤯 Yeah, skin and a

You can eat the whole kiwi. 🤯

Yeah, skin and all! Did you know that? I learned this a couple years ago!

I’m not a fan though, so I peel them - and a quick way is to use a spoon! 🥄

Back in the day I used to drink Arizona strawberry kiwi drink in a can. LOL.

Remember that?

Tag someone who might find this useful 💁🏼‍♀️

#kiwi #goldenkiwi #knifeskills #homecooks #knifeninja #chefmom #chefsofinstagram #culinaryschool #culinaryhacks #fruit #fruitlover #kitchentechniques #tipsandtricks #fruithacks #homecooks #howtovideo #howtocutfruit

Creating a soup without a recipe is just really fo

Creating a soup without a recipe is just really following a formula.

In the simplest terms, soup is a moist cooking method - and is just a bunch of “stuff” simmered in liquid.

You’re allowing the flavors to steep and release their flavor which results in a delicious soup.

I’m sending a quick cheat sheet on this by email tonight.

Sign up with the link in my bio (where it says “puzzled to planned”) before 10 pm EST to get it.

#homecooks #cookingtechniques #homechef #chefsofinsta #chefmomwife #soup #souptechnique #cookingtips #foodiesofinsta #souptechnique #tomkhagai #cookingfreestyle #cooking #homemade #cookwithoutabook #noreciperequired #norecipecooking #cookwithoutthebook

This is going to come off as rude – but I promise

This is going to come off as rude - but I promise it's not.

It's just that when we're cooking, we tend to forget about the knob.

You might remember back in the day - Emeril Lagasse had a show and he would always make me laugh because he would take the knob off the stove, hold it up for the audience to see and yell

"see this? you can turn it down ya know!" 🤣

Remember that YOU are in control. The flame (controlled by the knob) is what cooks the food, so you need to pay attention to what is happening to the food.

If it gets too* anything (too brown, too crispy, too bubbly, etc) your flame is probably too high. Lower it down, or even just remove the pan from the stove completely while you troubleshoot. Aka stir or add water, etc.

Conversely, if your food is not doing much or is taking a really long time - slowly crank it up and see how the food reacts.

The key is looking at the FOOD not the knob, but remember you can adjust it 👌🏼

This is a simple concept but one we forget about. Start noticing these things and you will start to feel much more in control in the kitchen.

Share with another home cook who is eager to learn!

#cookingtechniques #homecook #homecooks #chefmom #howtocook #foodie #kitchentalk #homecookedfood #inthekitchen #culinary #stove #controlthefire #controltheheat #cookingcontrol #athomechef #cookingtechniques #cookingtechnique #cookingwithyoursenses

You’ve heard that you shouldn’t overcrowd your

You’ve heard that you shouldn’t overcrowd your pan if you want proper browning right? (Aka the Maillard reaction)

How do you balance not overcrowding your pan, but also not cooking so many batches?

Keeping in mind that protein shrinks a bit, you can still allow them to mingle a bit. Make sure each piece has *direct contact with the pan* and you leave them alone a bit to brown *undisturbed* ⬅️ keyword!

You can see that there isn’t a ton of space in between my chicken but it still got a beautiful golden brown skin.

When you want to cook it in one batch, keep this in mind. Obviously if you have a lot more, you would have to cook in batches.

#chickentechniques #cookingtechniques #sizzle #maillardreaction #searing #saute #homecooks #homecooksofinstagram #cookinginstructor #kitchentips #ambitiouscook #eagercook #lovetocook❤️ #lovecooking❤️ #chickentips #browning #fond #deglaze #castironpan #chickenthighs #castironcooking #castironskillet #batchcooking #efficientkitchen

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