Home - Plantains & Challah

Most home cooks struggle to come up with new meals and search endlessly for recipes; but they are just instructions for that specific meal.

I teach you the skills that allow you to cook any meal and feel empowered in your kitchen.

Read more…

Sign Up For Free Cooking Tips & Techniques

Email

Name

Please wait...

Woo Hoo - you're part of the email crew!

Latest Posts

Kids & Knife Skills

Cooking Fats & Smoke Points

Capsule Cookware

plantainsandchallah

Teaching home cooks techniques, not recipes
Trained at the CIA + Cooked Professionally 12+ yrs
Chop It Like It's Hot – Knife Skills Course Waitlist⬇

Carving a whole roasted chicken is similar to fabr

Carving a whole roasted chicken is similar to fabricating the chicken raw - it’s just a different texture.

Make sure you let the chicken rest first to registribute the juices and so that it’s not too hot to handle.

The main two takeaways here are:

1. “wiggle it just a little bit” 😂 this will help you see where the joints are. If you do hit bone though, no biggie…

2. Just keep using the tip of the knife to find your way. Use a dragging motion.

Tell me below if you are team spatchcock or team whole bird?

#carvingabird #carvingchicken #wholeroastedchicken #knifeskills #homecooks #homemade #foodies

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

Simple helps cooking feel carefree and easy. Many

Simple helps cooking feel carefree and easy. Many times, when cooking for holdidays, I rely on these "flavor bombs" and the cooking the cooking method with proper technique and it really packs a punch!

No recipe necessary!

Fresh herbs add a freshness you can’t match with dried herbs.

Roasted chopped nuts add crunch and nuttiness

Zest of any kind adds brightness

Vinaigrettes are great for marinades but also pack an acidic punch for salads and veggies

Caramelized onions add an amazing depth of flavor and sweetness

Roasted garlic adds a wonderful richness and mild sweetness

Cooking with chicken or duck fat is an amazing way to add flavor. Remember fat is flavor and it carried throughout the dish!

I'll be using almost all of these for my Passover cooking!

Which do you like from the list?

#flavor #homecooks #homecooked #freshherbs #citruszest #duckfat #passover #vinaigrette #toastednuts #caramelizedonions #roastedgarlic #homechef #ilovecookingformyfamily

Frantic. That’s the best way to describe how I

Frantic.

That’s the best way to describe how I feel when anxiety kicks in and I'm overwhelmed with everything I have to do.

I’m in the middle of reading one of my favorite books for the *second* time: Work Clean. What great Chefs can teach us about organization by @dcharnas

There is a section in the book where Charnas talks about how Chefs put precision before speed which helps them achieve “quality velocity”

Slowing down steadies the body, which makes smoother, more precise movements, and it also helps the mind break down a series of movements. This reminds me of a key process I teach (which I learned in professional kitchens) which I’ll call “task grouping” - where you break down a task that has a series of steps and you complete each step in its entirety all the way through before moving on to the new task (I have videos on this on my feed)

I always knew that completing tasks in this manner decreased cognitive overload, but what I learned from the book is even more interesting.

The brain goes through a process called myelinization which is the physiological result of repeated motion, thought and practice!

Charnas goes on to explain that it “wires” the quality of those actions, so in other words: sloppy fast movements will be repeated; but if you are slow, steady and precise, that is what the myelinization will preserve.

My March cohort of “Chop It Like It’s Hot” knife course has come to close, and this message is as much for my students as it is for you.

Whether in the kitchen with knife skills, or at work with a deadline, or even parenting the kids: slow down. You’ve got this. 😄

ps- Also a shoutout to @meetmykneads
who told me about "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" which is also a similar concept.

#slowdowntospeedup #slowdown #knifeskills #chefskills #homecooks #slowandsteady #kitchentalk #cooklikeapro #knifeskillslifeskills #workflow #foodenthusiast #foodie #homechef #chefmom

How to make NON BORING salads Use variety and expe

How to make NON BORING salads
Use variety and experiment!

Is it always romaine, and iceberg for your salads?

There's a whole world of lettuces out there and here are just a few with a quick flavor run down.

Watercress- mustardy
Butterhead - mild and tender
Radicchio - Fairly bitter, mixes well with others
Endive -slightly bitter and crisp. Can be cooked as well
Curly chicory- fairly bitter
Frisee - I remember it because it looks like frizzy hair! 😂
Lambs lettuce- very mild and tender, mixes well with butterhead
Arugula - sharp and peppery
Tatsoi- mild, bitter, mustard like

If you've tried any, which is your favorite?

#lettuce #typesoflettuce #butterhead #tatsoi #watercress #radiccio #endive #curlychicory #frisee
#arugula #lambslettuce #salads #summersalads #homecooks #homecook #howtomakesalad #foodinfographic
#produce #foodguide #ingredients

Have you ever wondered if your chicken is complete

Have you ever wondered if your chicken is completely cooked - and worried it was under done, only to find you have over cooked it instead?

The media has drilled the idea of salmonella into our heads, and frankly, it’s a bit overkill.

Of course, you should always practice food safety, but don’t let fear hold you back from having delicious chicken.

On my website, I share some tips to give you confidence when cooking chicken!

Search: "chicken" on plantainsandchallah.com and this quick read will pop up first!

I link to the best thermometer out there in case you want to skip that (in my bio)

#chickendoneness #chickendone #chickencooking #cookingchicken #cooklikeapro #foodie #inthekitchen #homechef #dadchef #confidentcooking #momchef #thermometer #affiliatelink #accuratethermometer #cookingtips

All cooking is divided up by cooking method catego

All cooking is divided up by cooking method categories, which are then broken down into cooking method types.

🍳 Dry cooking uses dry heat or fat as the cooking medium. No liquid. Maillard Reaction occurs (or you should be striving for this)

🥣 Moist Heat Cooking uses moist heat, steam or liquid (water, stock, wine, etc) as the cooking medium. No Maillard reaction occurs.

🥘 Combination cooking combines both dry heat and moist heat cooking.

This was taken and adapted from my cooking guide: How To Cook Without Recipes (which will turn into a self paced video course)

Once you know and understand this concept and these methods, you can create your own meals without relying on the recipe.

If you’re part of the email crew, last night you got a chart on beef cuts and corresponding suggested cooking methods.

🧏🏻‍♀️ What cooking method are you using for dinner tonight? Let me know in the comments

#Homecooks #cooking #cookingtechniques #cookingmethods #cookingtechniques #homecooking #deliciousfood #norecipes #homecooked #drycooking #moistcooking #chefsofinstagram #chefsofinsta #cookingformulas #cookinglikeapro #cookinglikeaboss #chefmom #chefmommy #lovetocook❤️

There are no onion police coming after you if you

There are no onion police coming after you if you use an alternate onion in different applications but there are some better for certain preparations.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

Shallots: Grown in clusters like garlic, it has a mild garlic flavor but less pungent. Very aromatic, and mildly sweet. You can use them in replacement of onions but ideally used raw and in French dishes or dishes where you want a light onion/garlic flavor. Excellent in vinaigrettes.

Yellow: These are the most widely used and have a lot of flavor when sauteed and are good friends with garlic in most dishes. Yellow onions are not ideal for eating raw as they are very pungent.

White: A bit pungent but work great on tacos, burger topping, or dishes with a spicy kick. These deliver a great crunch.

Red: (or purple): On the sweeter side and work great for many things. Raw, pickled, grilled and roasted with veggies.

Spanish: These onions are relatively mild. They are the most versatile. Can be yellow skinned but also white. A great all purpose onion. Can use for onion rings, grilled onions, roasted and raw as well.

Sweet: There are a bunch (vidalia, Maui, Walla Walla, Bermuda, and more) These have the least sulfur content which makes their sweetness stand out. This also means they don't last as long.They work great in dishes where you will caramelize the onion because it will enhance the sweetness. Also great eaten raw.

#homecook #newcook #homechef #onions #oniontypes #homecooking #produceinfo #foodies #lovetocookformyfamily #shallots #redonion

Load More… Follow on Instagram