Food Questions? Ask Chef Helm
By Chef Helm
Are you challenged in the kitchen? Do you wish you could cook like a chef? I'm here to help you save money, eat better, and learn about the world through your meals. I am a professional chef, mentor, and lover of all things culinary. I look to have people's senses awakened by their food, to learn to enjoy their meals instead of consume them. It takes effort to not throw that package in the microwave, but not as much as you think. You can learn to cook better, no matter what level of cooking knowledge you have. I will continue to post here, share techniques, answer questions. Tell me what you want to learn about, and I will do my best to help you out. Here's to good living!
Asparagus
It's asparagus time! My local farmer just called and told me the crop is in! Sauté in a little butter and hit it with a splash of white wine. Fresh herbs such as basil or tarragon help accent the flavor. Don't forget to season! Sea salt or kosher is lower in sodium than regular salt, and it just tastes better. Fresh grind the pepper, try loading your grinder with a mix of peppercorns.
Cook Books
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Comments
Ansie, in the restaurant we prepare the lamb shanks ahead of time as you thought. Not really a partial cook, but pretty much all the way. I usually left them in at least some of the cooking liquid so they stay moist. We then re heat to order, which as you noticed, takes little time. Same method for osso buco also. You can cook them as you wish seasoning wise, then freeze for a long period of time. They will thaw just fine as long as they are wrapped well without air contact that would cause freezer burn. My advice is to cook them off, freeze them, then put them in a cooler with your other foods at the start of the journey. This will give them a chance to just thaw over your trip, and will also keep the other foods cold. Hope this helps, if you would like some tips on actually cooking the shanks, drop me a note. CH
Ansie van der Lith 3 years ago
Dearest Chef, I want to know on how when we eating out in a restaurant does the chefs prepare and cook lamb shanks in such a short period after us ordering it? Lamb shanks takes up to about 3 hours to cook. I have been struggling with this question for a very long time. Do the chef’s partial cooking their lamb shanks in advance and freeze them or do they add something to the raw shanks to cook it within 20 minutes? I am having a very formal birthday function for 10 people at my friend’s home 600km away from my town, we will be leaving early the Saturday morning of the function and will only get there late, and I will be preparing other foods too. My friend whose birthday it is would like me to serve whole lamb shanks. It is going to be a smart occasion and I will be serving the guests as if they are in a restaurant as part of my special birthday gift. My question is, can I partial cook them and freeze them? How long before the function date can I cook and freeze them or do you have alternative methods to prepare lamb shanks in such a short period? Please let me know as soon as possible so that I could make preparations. Any tips on cooking and storing/freezing in advance would be very helpful for the future too. I am thanking you from the bottom of my heart. Please email me on ansie@acg-sa.co.za. Kind regards, Ansie