Not A Single Fork Not A Single Fork

I don’t like to measure. I don’t like to measure so much that I rarely make anything that demands precision…like baking.Exact measuring cramps my style and who wants their style cramped, right? That’s what we’re talking about in this episode, how measuring can get in the way of freeing yourself in the kitchen and cooking.My mom never measured anything. Imagine how difficult it was trying to learn anything about cooking from her. Or, maybe you had a mom like that, too?No matter, we’re going to help whether you’re someone who loves to or hates to measure. So here’s our final game changer before we start talking about the really fun stuff!In this episode, we’re going to “suggest” you throw away your salt and pepper shakers. Why? Because they’re like using a black box. If you’re going to season food, you have to be in control and you can’t be in control if you can’t see what you’re doing.So, we’re going to guide you through the process of measuring without measuring. We’ll teach you about creating your own reference points so you can totally release your cooking animal.Another fun part of this episode is the (continuing) announcement of the winner of our May contest winner. We celebrated Moms throughout the month of May as a part of our 10 Year Anniversary Celebration and we loved the story so much we recorded a Facebook Live for our business page. You can watch our shenanigans there and hear the story written and submitted by Tiffany Christ Zachary. She won a Cooking Class for Two and has already signed herself (and her mom) up for our next Pasta Making 101 Class…how fun is that? You can watch the video from the Facebook Live by clicking the button below.As always, let us know what you think of this episode and the Rants and Raves, of course,So leave us comments, ask questions, call us out, but most of all, subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. You’ll find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 

One of the biggest stressors for home cooks is organization, or the (total) lack thereof.. In this episode, we will teach you how to “mise en place”, the ins and outs of how professional chefs stay organized,Here is another game changer! Organization is what it’s all about. Everything is ready to go. You know you have the ingredients, you know they’re the right shape and you know where they are. NO STRESS!This is the episode where I have to admit that you probably need to use a recipe IF you are making a dish for the first time. If you know it like the back of your hand, just go for it. But you’ve got to know what you need and when, regardless of recipe or not.Everything that goes into what you’re making is at the ready, in order of use (the timing for when it goes into your recipe) and it’s easy to see at a glance. That main picture is a really good example for a way that you can “get organized” in your home kitchen.So how do you “mise en place”.? Well, first, don’t go all rulebook on me. You can use anything as a container. You don’t need to buy anything new although there are A LOT of cute new items at Target for mise.* Know your recipe and what ingredients you need BEFORE you start cooking* Cut up and measure (if you must)* Have your containers ready and line them up* Put your prepped food in the containers* Arrange the containers in the order the ingredients will go into your dish* RELAX AND ENJOY THE COOKING…YOU CRAZY KIDSYou’re starting to feel it, aren’t you? That carefree cooking attitude!Let us know what you think of this episode and the Rants and Raves (more of those to come).So leave us comments, ask questions, call us out, but most of all, subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. You’ll find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to our crazy world of food and cooking classes where we teach real people how to cook real food. We don’t pull any punches and we are about as real as two bitches can get. Try to guess who’s crazier?.I’m Chef Candace Conley and this is my partner in culinary (and other types) crime, Natalia Banjac. We’ve worked in the food industry together for over 10 years; we are still besties and are still keeping it real.. So, we thought it was about time we shared that with you. We’re making that happen in our first ever podcast, Not A Single Fork.Our first episode is intended as an introduction not only for you to get to know us but to get to know our approach to food, cooking and well, life. And, yep, you guessed it…we don’t give a single f**k, er, fork…not really for much of anything. It has to be really, really important. We ascribe to the philosophy of Mark Manson in his book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F**k. If you aren’t familiar, we strongly recommend it. You’ll be SO much HAPPIER!This episode sets the stage for Season 1. We give you a brief overview of what kinds of topics we’re going to be talking about.* Flavor profiles and what that means in your personal cooking style* “GO TO” ingredients and suggestions of what you might want to always have on hand* Building your own reference library of your cooking faves, like magazines, cooking shows, books and such* Cooking basics and my “secrets” (The secret is, I don’t have any secrets…I’ll tell you everything!)We just want you to stop taking yourselves so seriously!Life is short and you usually have to spend a lot of time cooking so let’s have some fun, dammit!Some of our episodes will run longer and some shorter but no matter the length we hope you enjoy them..We want you to relax and just cook! No more judging, just cooking and loving what you make in the kitchen.So leave us comments, ask questions, call us out, but most of all, subscribe to our podcast and leave a review. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.Thanks for listening!

Let's clear some things up. I'm talking about cooking terms. They're thrown around a lot on cooking shows, in recipes and other places but what do they actually mean and how do you do them?Things like folding, deglazing or reducing.We're here to clear that up for you so that when you use those terms or even try to do them, you know what you're talking about.We also (for some reason) started by talking about the latest streaming shows we've been watching so if you need some suggestions for what to watch...we've got that for you as well.Finally, we are going to be taking a break for a bit. We've been doing the podcast nonstop for over a year and we need to re-charge our batteries so we'll be sharing past episodes that either you loved, we loved or both.So we'll see you in a few.Thanks for listening. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you like to listen. Oh yeah, and on our website, www.thegirlcancook.com (https://www.thegirlcancook.com/).

Not one to belabor a point but let's belabor a point.We can never talk too much about knife skills and all the crazy suggestions that are emailed, promoted, social-ed out there. There are many knife basics and we really wish that people would stick to those but they just can't help themselves.So, instead, we're going to help you with it, once again.In this episode, we discuss five more, five minute knife hacks (if you really want to call them that).From cutting cherry tomatoes all at once to wrapping rubber bands around your knife grip, we've got opinions on all of them.Luckily, short and sweet, so we don't belabor the point too much.Thanks for listening.Watch us up closed and unedited on YouTube @thegirlcancook including all of Natalia's coughing and yawning...I take those out of the listening version. You can hear us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, our little ol' website or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Tapping into one of my favorite sources, NYT Cooking, I discovered their rundown on the menu and dining trends happening across the country right now. Menus are getting smaller and more descriptive. Current menu items include everything from caviar to fried chicken and so much in between. Even nostalgic (and yummy) desserts are making a big comeback.Also noticed, commitment to staff (long overdue) and adding service charges to take care of them.Gone are the days of cryptic, two or three word item "descriptions". Now, diners can actually understand what they're ordering without needing the Michelin guide. Menus have become not only smaller (one page) but are brighter and more inviting, informal and often personalized to reflect the personality of the restaurant, the chef and the neighborhood. FUN!They are now devoting whole sections of the menu to non-alcoholic drinks.I don't want to give it all away. I mean, we want you to listen to the episode, right?So, hope you enjoy this week's menu and dining trend review. Thanks for listening and if you want to watch the up close and unedited version, check us out on YouTube @thegirlcancook (https://youtu.be/CE9d3_syp9E). You can watch today's episode and lots of past episodes as well.We'll be back next Friday with lots more food and cooking opinions, just for you!