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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Foods That Freeze

Getting That Perfect Steak

How To Make Your Produce Last Longer

plantainsandchallah

I teach you to cook better by focusing on techniques, not recipes. 🔪
Trained at the CIA + Cooked Professionally over 12 years

My anxiety was really high, and I had that nervous

My anxiety was really high, and I had that nervous laugh.

You know the one when you’re really uncomfortable but the laugh is the only thing getting you through it?

It was a long day and my older daughter had run practice and I went into the office for a couple hours in the afternoon, so I thought it would just be easiest to just pick up some pizza; it was too late to start cooking so I pulled into a local restaurant with my minivan.

This parking lot is extremely tight. Way too many cars in this small parking lot. I tried pulling into a spot on my left but with my huge a** van, I just wasn’t making it!

People were looking and me and I felt the eyes (and my stomach grumbling, because I smelled that delicious pizza from the lot) so I turned right and tried to swerve into another area that looked like I could fit -- except I had to drive diagonally because there was the corner of a building on my left, a row of cars on my right and as I pulled in further, there was another another car, a storage unit, a garbage dump and a fence - so I was completely blocked and no way out!

During my quest to keep moving forward, I let the anxiety build up and just felt stuck. I called my husband laughing hysterically (but so stressed inside) and he calmly said:

“you just have to back out slowly”

During my panic I had not even considered backing out!! 🤪

I was so focused on moving forward. Has that ever happened to you? Go, go, go?

This was a good lesson that it’s okay to stop and “back up” if you need to. You can always pick up where you left off and move forward again.This applies to many areas in your life.

Take a step back, breathe and reassess.

Oh! Needless to say I no longer have that minivan! 🤣

#anxiety #movingforward #rest #slowdownandbreathe #backup
#memorialdayweekend #nervouslaugh #feelingstuck

Rice is simple – but not easy. I’ll be sending

Rice is simple - but not easy.

I’ll be sending an email to my crew (with video) tonight with some pointers. 🥣

Fluffy rice is in your future!

Tell me your rice issues below🤦🏼‍♀️😁

#ricecooking #homecooks #homecookedrice #foodies #ricecookery #basmati #basmatirice #lovetocook❤️

How to make NON BORING salads Use variety and expe

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!

Next round of Chop It Like It’s Hot is probably November!

#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

A technique focused meal is better than a recipe f

A technique focused meal is better than a recipe focused meal.

Let me explain.

I don’t mean that you can’t use recipes; but if you focus on the recipe and lose sight of the technique, your meal will be mediocre at best.

Let’s say that you have *no recipe* and want to saute a chicken breast and make a simple pan sauce.

If you focus on the following:

Seasoning properly and when to season
Using the proper tools
Using quality ingredients
Searing the chicken properly to achieve the golden crust (aka Maillard reaction)
Manipulating the heat appropriately
Basics of how to make a pan sauce

Your meal will be INFINITELY better than if you tried to follow a fancy recipe that had extra ingredients but neglected these key skills.

Not to mention that once you understand these concepts in and out, you will be able to cook faster and still have a delicious meal.

What is one “recipe” that you always follow?

Tell me below...

#norecipecooking #cookingrecipeless #cookingsimply #homemade #easycooking #maillardreaction #homechef #adulting #techniquefocused #chicken #workingmom #foodie #momlife #chefmommy #chefmom #chefdad #culinaryschool #culinaryhowto #culinary101 #kitchenhacks #seasoning #kitchentools #pansauce #inthekitchen #learntocook #cookbetter #cookingmadeeasy #culinarytechniques

In the middle of dinner service I was outside, in

In the middle of dinner service I was outside, in my chef whites, crying.

Tensions were high, and I should have been behind the line, cooking, but needed a break. A fellow Chef took over so I could get fresh air from the intense heat of the kitchen.

Tears of frustration falling down my face because my Chef yelled at me- yet again. I couldn’t tell you what for, because it had happened so many times. What I do remember, was I felt torn between my passion for cooking and the “boot camp” feel of working in some kitchens. It was intense training that affects me today.

“If you got time to lean, you got time to clean” was a popular motto that I didn’t mind because I always loved being “productive” but sometimes I can’t *just* brush my teeth...because I see bath toys all over the floor, so why not use my other hand to pick them up right? 🤦🏼‍♀️

Other parts of this intense culinary training has served me well with efficient habits - I’ll never pass things that go into the room I am heading to without bringing them with me. It has been ingrained in me for so many years that if I am “already heading to the walk in fridge, why not save time and bring everything else that is going there anyway?”

I’m not going to sugar coat it, kitchen life was rough - but it was also amazing and I miss it a lot some days. Just like these days...I love motherhood and balancing everything else, but it is really rough some days.

Just remember that if you’re going through rough times, and tensions might be high - it’s ok to get fresh air and take a break.

Can you relate?

#thankfulthursday #kitchenstories #efficientkitchen #cheftalk #linecook #dinnerservice #takeabreak #productivity #motherhood #balance #tensionsarehigh #pandemiclife #struggleisreal #jugglestruggle #workingmom #momoftwo #culinarytraining #takeabreak #habits #cheflife #reallife #relatable

When you’re using the “rocking cut” method i

When you’re using the “rocking cut” method it really only makes sense to use it with foods that are closer to the board.

If you have to raise your wrist up too high, it becomes less comfortable and less efficient.

Little things like this can make a huge difference in your Choppin’ skills!

#knifeskills #rockingcut #homecook #knifeskills101 #knifetechniques #choppingasmr #kitchenbasics

Breaking down Cauliflower It doesn’t have to be

Breaking down Cauliflower

It doesn’t have to be a mess all over your cutting board!

Try the paring knife for more control in this job.

What’s your favorite way to eat it? 👇🏼

#cauliflower #knifeskills #produce #homecooks #choppingvideo #knifetechnique #paringknife

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