Onions and garlic -- and other accepted recipe "mistakes"?
It seems like a lot of dishes -- perhaps the ones I make -- start with sauteing these.
Know what drives me nuts? When a recipe calls for onions and garlic to go into the pan at the same time, and asks for the onions to be "golden brown."
Ehm -- what about the garlic?
Surprisingly, I've found lots of great cooks making this "mistake." I generally disregard those instructions and just do the onions for a while before adding the minced garlic to lightly soften before the next few ingredients are added.
This oversight just doesn't add up in my view. Do you agree? Which recipe "mistakes" drive you nuts, in your experience?
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14 Comments:
The only thing that comes to mind immediately is when a recipe will say something like, "It makes six to eight portions" and in reality it's much less or way more than that. I recently tried a recipe for arroz con leche and it was supposed to serve 6-8 people, which was entirely too much because it was just going to be a little treat for my nieces. I cut the recipe in half and once all the ingredients were together it was so much I had to transfer it to a bigger cooking vessel! It did thicken up a bit, but even after halving the recipe there was enough for 6-8 people.
PumpkinBear at 4:06AM on 08/11/08
The whole "brown garlic" thing is subjective. Batali prescribes "cook the garlic until it's lightly browned," but even at this early stage of brownness, it tastes bitter to me and I consider it burned. BTW, I always remove the sprout because it's the first thing to burn when sauteing garlic.
I generally add onions to the pan first, cooking them as much as possible before adding the garlic, then watching like a hawk to make sure the garlic doesn't brown.
I don't think it's considered a "mistake" by the author to suggest this cooking method - just a matter of the author's preference.
chiff0nade at 5:15AM on 08/11/08
Agree with chiff, it's a preference. I add garlic at different times during cooking depending on what I'm making. I prefer the garlic not to be browned. Just because a recipe browns the garlic doesn't mean you have to. Recipies give me ideas, they are not carved in stone.
finsbigfan at 8:05AM on 08/11/08
toasting the garlic until lightly browned and adding the garlic & olive oil it was cooked in to the food (like white beans, broccoli-rabe & pasta, mashed potatoes, etc) gives the dish a real depth and richness. i like my garlic toasted... not burnt. you do have to watch it like a hawk though and take it off the heat before it gets to toasted because it does continue cooking in the hot oil.
if i'm sauteeing onion and garlic together, i always add the garlic in after the onion has cooked quite a bit first.....
pooch at 9:17AM on 08/11/08
Personally, I read the entire recipe to visualize what I'm getting into. If I don't agree with the "way" garlic is handled (first, last, browned, etc.) I just use common sense and proceed from there. The "basic" techniques are generally the safest especially if you question a technique. I, too, always add the garlic after the onions so that it will not burn.
dianeb at 9:32AM on 08/11/08
Me too. Onions first, add garlic later. I don't want the garlic getting browned.
minstrel at 5:16PM on 08/12/08
I think I should've been more clear. My point was, if you add onions + garlic at the same time, and IF the recipe calls for "golden brown onions" (not garlic). . .then the garlic will be beyond brown.
tmj529 at 12:09AM on 08/13/08
By the way, Minstrel. . .I'm dying to compare gumbo recipes with you! Esp. as we're approaching fall. . .
tmj529 at 12:09AM on 08/13/08
Yeah, I always wait to add the garlic, too. In some recipes I just flavor the oil with little slices of garlic by using really low heat and slowly bringing them just to the golden stage then fishing them out. Then I eat them because they are so sweet, toasty and a little chewy. Delicioso!
Calichef at 1:41AM on 08/13/08
baking recipes that make it sound like everything should just be dumped in at once - that does NOT always work. To me the point of a recipe should be that when you are done, it comes out exactly like it should whether you cook all the time or not. Otherwise, why would I need a recipe?
csbrown at 3:49PM on 08/13/08
I personally do not enjoy when a recipe waits until the instructions to tell you that the flour should be sifted, or the milk should be steamed. I'm bad at reading recipes all the way through ahead of time, so if I measure out my ingredients, I want them to be fully ready to use!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 4:33PM on 08/13/08
If you position your pan partly off the burner you can put the onions in the part of the pan directly over the heat and the garlic on the edge off the side. Other ingredients being suateed, (celery/peppers/muchrooms etc), can also be placed accordingly.
Also, the size of the dice affects browning time .... and be sure all ingedients are at room temp to begin with!
srhcb at 5:30PM on 08/13/08
@tmj529
I'd love to compare gumbo recipes, too! I need some new tips. But this probably isn't the right thread.
minstrel at 9:55PM on 08/13/08
One recipe error that I've seen more than once is adding all the broth to the risotto at once. I know that's not right.
blackolive at 11:56PM on 08/13/08