Secret to cooking - TURN IT DOWN!

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
The best pool shot is struck properly, with the correct speed.
The gas pedal is not a binary device.
More does not equal better.

What makes a good pool player?
What makes a good driver?

Control. Just because you can crank the heat does not mean you should. Hi heat is good for only one thing - boiling water. Even then medium-high is awfully hot, searing meats or sauteeing and nothing else. Just about everything else is in the medium range depending on your stove.

So if you want to become a better pool player, a better driver, a better griller control the heat.

Comments? Analogies to pool/cars?
 

cbuchach

Golden Member
Nov 5, 2000
1,164
1
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Except that it can be hard to turn down the heat on my Foreman (has no heat control). And yes, food does end up usually tasting dry and less flavorful.
 

TruePaige

Diamond Member
Oct 22, 2006
9,874
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Mmm..I eat often at the Japanese steakhouse and they use a lot of fire.

Fire is good.

It makes food tastes good. =D
 

DBL

Platinum Member
Mar 23, 2001
2,637
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True. When remodeling my condo, which only has electric, I opted for an induction cooktop for this very reason. Besides that fact that it can boil a pot of water in around 2 minutes, it's got superb heat control. I figured splurging for the induction cooktop was a one way to negate the fact that the condo has no gas facilities.
 

nboy22

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2002
3,304
1
81
Cooking is also better/easier on a gas stove BTW... gas is much, much easier to control.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: nboy22
Cooking is also better/easier on a gas stove BTW... gas is much, much easier to control.

Hell yeah it is.

But my point is:

1) wanna be a better pool player? Control
2) wanna be a better driver? Control
3) wanna not burn the crap out of everything? Medium or even lower depending on you stove.

 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
81
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?
 
Feb 19, 2001
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Originally posted by: Howard
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?

High heat FTW! I've never used low heat for my cooking, but then again that's because I'm Asian and I cook Asian foods =)
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: Howard
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?

Yep, better at home. Stir frying is super easy, all we're missing is the MSG and the "I'm still hungry" aspect.
 

Mrvile

Lifer
Oct 16, 2004
14,066
1
0
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Howard
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?

Yep, better at home. Stir frying is super easy, all we're missing is the MSG and the "I'm still hungry" aspect.

You honestly cook your stirfry in low heat?
 

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,811
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Originally posted by: Mrvile
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Howard
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?

Yep, better at home. Stir frying is super easy, all we're missing is the MSG and the "I'm still hungry" aspect.

You honestly cook your stirfry in low heat?

:laugh:
 

nboy22

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2002
3,304
1
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Originally posted by: Mrvile
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Howard
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?

Yep, better at home. Stir frying is super easy, all we're missing is the MSG and the "I'm still hungry" aspect.

You honestly cook your stirfry in low heat?

I have gone to buffets that have good sized woks that do the stir frying from direct flame, I wouldn't think so... every different type of food has it's own different directions.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: Mrvile
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Howard
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?

Yep, better at home. Stir frying is super easy, all we're missing is the MSG and the "I'm still hungry" aspect.

You honestly cook your stirfry in low heat?

Hell no. But when you can't cook you do stir-fry.

1) super high heat
2) lit'l bit of oil
3) crappy meat, chicken necks are a fav
4) toss quickly as that crappy meat is now craptactularly ready to be doused in sauce.
5) Sauce, add veggies, serve on overcooked rice.

Voila! Cooking. *puke* Still hungry.
 

Regs

Lifer
Aug 9, 2002
16,666
21
81
You mean like my mother? Leaves it on the grill. Then smokes a cigarette or two before she goes out and checks them!

If you're going to be a lazy cook..expect the worst!
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
81
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Mrvile
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Howard
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?

Yep, better at home. Stir frying is super easy, all we're missing is the MSG and the "I'm still hungry" aspect.

You honestly cook your stirfry in low heat?

Hell no. But when you can't cook you do stir-fry.

1) super high heat
2) lit'l bit of oil
3) crappy meat, chicken necks are a fav
4) toss quickly as that crappy meat is now craptactularly ready to be doused in sauce.
5) Sauce, add veggies, serve on overcooked rice.

Voila! Cooking. *puke* Still hungry.
I used to respect you. Now I don't know why, since you obviously love to troll.
 

nboy22

Diamond Member
Jul 18, 2002
3,304
1
81
In my opinion, Hot pans are great for heating up sides such as green beans, corn, and a lot of extra things that fall under this category. Use your imagination.

Hot pans are also excellent for searing fish, also a hot grill is nice for searing a fish fillet, depends if you want pan seared or grilled.

Steak and meats, doesn't matter, gotta use the grill ;)

Oil, salt, and pepper almost anything you cook, if not, use butter, salt and pepper.



I worked at a pretty nice restaurant and I worked the saute side so I gathered many tips for cooking quickly and efficiently, I'd have to say that without gas burners I feel empty.
 

DerekWilson

Platinum Member
Feb 10, 2003
2,920
34
81
Originally posted by: DLeRium
Originally posted by: Howard
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?

High heat FTW! I've never used low heat for my cooking, but then again that's because I'm Asian and I cook Asian foods =)
totally stole my response. except I'm not asian.

In fact, not even natural gas stoves get hot enough for real stir fry ... you need propane. seriously.

add to that searing things (as someone else mentioned) and you've got quite a few things that your electric oven just can't get hot enough for.

to go back to the OP ... control is still important. It's just that sometimes you do need to crank it up to 11. We'd lose the range of control we had if stoves didn't go up to high, gas pedals couldn't be floored and pool halls weren't full of idiots who shoot balls across the room ....

or ... maybe that last one was wrong.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: Howard
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Mrvile
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Howard
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?

Yep, better at home. Stir frying is super easy, all we're missing is the MSG and the "I'm still hungry" aspect.

You honestly cook your stirfry in low heat?

Hell no. But when you can't cook you do stir-fry.

1) super high heat
2) lit'l bit of oil
3) crappy meat, chicken necks are a fav
4) toss quickly as that crappy meat is now craptactularly ready to be doused in sauce.
5) Sauce, add veggies, serve on overcooked rice.

Voila! Cooking. *puke* Still hungry.
I used to respect you. Now I don't know why, since you obviously love to troll.

C'mon....you bring up a very specific means of cooking. I did mention sautee'ing (sp?).

And even stirfry demands temperature control, keep it hotter than hell and not over loading the pan. Any means of cooking is all about controlling temperature, stir frying is on the extreme of temp control, super hot with low quality meat.
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
81
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Howard
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Mrvile
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Howard
Have you ever tried stir-frying your own food and wondered why it didn't taste like from a Chinese restaurant?

Yep, better at home. Stir frying is super easy, all we're missing is the MSG and the "I'm still hungry" aspect.

You honestly cook your stirfry in low heat?

Hell no. But when you can't cook you do stir-fry.

1) super high heat
2) lit'l bit of oil
3) crappy meat, chicken necks are a fav
4) toss quickly as that crappy meat is now craptactularly ready to be doused in sauce.
5) Sauce, add veggies, serve on overcooked rice.

Voila! Cooking. *puke* Still hungry.
I used to respect you. Now I don't know why, since you obviously love to troll.

C'mon....you bring up a very specific means of cooking. I did mention sautee'ing (sp?).

And even stirfry demands temperature control, keep it hotter than hell and not over loading the pan. Any means of cooking is all about controlling temperature, stir frying is on the extreme of temp control, super hot with low quality meat.
Temperature control? What kind of control are we talking about when what you want is as hot as you can get?

And what the fvck is up with low-quality meat?
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: montypythizzle
What is wrong spidey? Wife burn something?

Nope, girl is too good to burn something.

Just trying to make the point.

I became a better pool player when I didn't smack the crap out of everything.
I became a better driver when I realized the throttle was not an on/off switch.

I became a better cook when I learned to control my temp. My main point is control your temperature. My post came from so called chefs not being able to fry an egg - that will teach you how to control you pan/heat.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: Howard
Temperature control? What kind of control are we talking about when what you want is as hot as you can get?

And what the fvck is up with low-quality meat?

the pan is as hot as you can get, once you put something in it the wok loses a small amount of heat, but not much.

You still have to control the heat.

Low quality meat? I lived with a guy in college who consistently cooked chicky necks for his gourmet meal. Name one mainstream stirfry dish that includes a quality meat via a fast cook method without being killed by sauce?
 

patentman

Golden Member
Apr 8, 2005
1,035
1
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I dunno, I cook everything @600+ degrees on my grill and it always comes out tasty and not dry. Just don;t cook with direct heat if your grillin and use a little olive oil on yer meat.