When to Cook What?

by Matthew
(Massachusetts)

When you cook dinner how do you know what to cook first, and when to cook what? You have a starch, meat, and vegetable. I can set the starch to cook, and then saute the protein product. Where do I fit in the vegetable?

How do you orchestrate your dinners Chef?


Chef Todd Says:
Therein lies the art and enjoyment of cooking, Matthew. That's a pretty big question to answer in an email. Does the painter paint the sky or ground first in his landscape? Does the songwriter write lyrics or melody first? Tough to say, but I can give you some guidelines.

First, look at your ingredients and estimate how long each will take to cook. Then, consider which products you can hold warm without deterioration.

If your chicken breast will be sauteed with vegetables and served with rice, you can make the rice ahead of time. Cook the chicken, hold warm and finish the vegetables that cook most quickly.

If you cook the veggies first, they'll get cold and mushy. The chicken breast won't.

The best way is to "par-cook" things to an equal amount of done-ness. Whenever I make pasta, I'll cook the noodles 90% done, shock them in cold water, and set aside. Then, perhaps I put grill marks on a chicken breast, but then place it into a warm oven to slowly finish. I can steam vegetables until they're still tough to the bite, shock them in cold water and set aside.

Then, 5 minutes before service, finish cooking the pasta and vegetables in simmering water, at which time the chicken will be exactly ready.

Sorry, but because of the wide range products and the different ways they cook, there's no one answer to this question. It's part of the art, timing and science of cooking that makes it an enjoyable journey.

Chef Todd.