Why I Listen to the Food, Not to the Recipe

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  • Опубліковано 22 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 110

  • @ajs11201
    @ajs11201 2 роки тому +1

    There's an old adage--cooking is an art while baking is a science. Helen, as usual, masterfully explains how to incorporate all of the cook's senses into preparing various foods. I learned to cook at my grandmother's knee, and I always wondered how she could look and listen to her pans and instinctively know what was going on. So often, I heard her say "that pan's too dry" and reach for a knob of butter or a splash of water. Over the years, I've honed those instincts as well. In this video, Helen provides underlying explanations for what many of us learn through trial and error.

  • @hanslehmann2124
    @hanslehmann2124 2 роки тому +3

    A Wolf range. Nice! I got one a month ago, the first new stove I've owned in my many decades on this planet. It took a couple of weeks, though, before I learned that trick where, after turning them to low, you push again and turn and they go to extra low.

  • @vprox147
    @vprox147 2 роки тому +23

    I’ve always loved cooking and baking… would always help my parents, grandmas, or whoever I could at the moment… so when i got old enough like pre teen and teen to start trying recipes myself… I quickly learned that I cannot always trust the recipe to the T and would often have fails. Then i started following recipes to the extent it serving as an outline that I don’t have to follow exactly word for word.. it’s by your preferences or whoever your providing food for’s preference.

  • @Death_Bliss
    @Death_Bliss 2 роки тому +25

    Great video, Helen! The jab at Adam Ragusea's meme while explicating his occasional tips of "listening to and smelling the food and the pan" did not go unnoticed :P.
    If you remember a comment from a while back about finding the right ingredients in a third world country, here's an update. I sincerely thank you for teaching me how to caramelise onions. It has turned into an obsession. It is such a hassle, what with the tearful cutting (my knife isn't good), long cooking time and usage of oil in a quantity greater than I am comfortable with, but one taste and all inhibitions were cleared. After making a quiche with it, I also made a pasta dish along with minced chicken and capsicums. All were heavenly. Next on the agenda: Pirozhki.

  • @rafaelluciano
    @rafaelluciano 2 роки тому +7

    Helen always coming with the different topics. I started reading salt, fat, acid, heat because of her and I can understand more her teaching methods. No longer focused on following a recipe thanks to Helen

  • @BuddhistZenDave
    @BuddhistZenDave Рік тому

    Rennie, only person to ever give advice on how to correct your heat, a must for new cooks.

  • @UncleMarco
    @UncleMarco 2 роки тому +11

    You are the most informative teacher on this platform, my skills have improved so much because of you!

  • @Riabain
    @Riabain 2 роки тому +1

    My mother has never cooked using recipes. I do, but the recipes are just a guideline, and that includes what temperature to set the stove at. Like my mom, I look, hear, smell, and sometimes touch the food (with a spatula or something else) to figure out how it's cooking. Every stove and burner is different, so that's really the only reliable way to judge. No training, just years spent watching my mum do her thing in the kitchen. Thanks for this much needed video for those who cook directly by the book.

  • @tybellsprout
    @tybellsprout 2 роки тому +7

    I wish this video existed when I was first learning to cook, still learned a lot though. Once again, thanks for the very informative and straightforward guide to cooking.

  • @fiftyclown
    @fiftyclown 2 роки тому +4

    Everytime you post a video I love to kind of take a little pride of how far I've come along in cooking, because I totally understand this and love that I've got to a point where a recipe is just a spark of inspiration/reference for my take on a dish

  • @hunterjorgensen1145
    @hunterjorgensen1145 2 роки тому +5

    I appreciate Helen's hard right turn into meme-ing

  • @etherdog
    @etherdog 2 роки тому +2

    Very practical advice, Helen! One should practice with inexpensive ingredients to get the hang of the sound and don't buy crappy cookware.

  • @ScaryMeadow
    @ScaryMeadow 2 роки тому +1

    This is also really good for people cooking from another part of the world than where the recipe originated from. In Norway for instance, we only use glass cooktops (or induction if you can afford it) which means you have to use all your senses and adapt while following a recipe. Gas is only used for outdoor grills or sometimes in restaurants. I've never even seen one with my own eyes.

  • @geniej2378
    @geniej2378 2 роки тому +2

    Learning to pre-heat a pan for browning was a game changer for me. I always used to get dry overcooked meat because I didn't account for time the pan takes to heat up, and my cooking time was always too long.

  • @pietbliksem
    @pietbliksem 2 роки тому +6

    Great informative video as usual! These days cooks rely so much on thermometers that they often don't get this very point. My late grandmother taught me how to cook on a solid fuel stove and she would say the fat 'whispers', 'hisses', or 'crackles' at the respective cooking points. Also when making preserves I never need a thermometer because I know how far the syrup is by the sound and the size of the bubbles, and of course the cold water test. Cooking on electricity is somewhere between gas and solid fuel stove in ease of use, which is why I always prefer gas. However; us kitchen-drones can't always choose our preference so we need this kind of information to make our cooking consistent.

  • @clarityisgood2215
    @clarityisgood2215 2 роки тому +13

    I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of your videos Helen. You clearly understand the importance of the details and want your watchers to be successful. I discovered you a few months ago and have tried three of your recipes, scones, burnt cheesecake and apricot rugelach. They were all amazing and got rave reviews. I'll be getting to the savories soon enough. Thanks for helping us home cooks take it to the next level!

  • @Huskyfish14
    @Huskyfish14 2 роки тому +6

    This is my favorite style of video from you Helen! Super informative, makes it easier to calibrate general kitchen techniques! Thank you for the help!

  • @opulesce
    @opulesce 2 роки тому +5

    Thank you, Helen, for stressing the importance of logic and intuition in the kitchen. Just following a recipe to the letter often doesn't work as well as letting a recipe be the list of what you need to make said dish, along with a "guide/suggestions" of how to get there. Logic and intuition come with practice, that being said, boy are you right about cooking on other people's stoves!

    • @rexiioper6920
      @rexiioper6920 2 роки тому +1

      Helen's video where she compared Samin Nosrat (intuition) to Kenji (measurement) is one of the most insightful for serious home cooks.

  • @clement9782
    @clement9782 2 роки тому +2

    Helen, I love your titles, you're so cheeky ! Thanks for the recipes AND the smiles ;D

  • @wayneparks
    @wayneparks 2 роки тому +4

    Awesome video! Everything you were describing about listening to the food made me miss my induction range that I had back in the US. The relationship between the sound the food made and the number setting on it was so incredibly instantaneous that I've decided I want to swap out the gas range from our house we bought here in Europe for an induction. For now, I can cope with the gas range, and I can appreciate the more even heat distribution from it, but it's just too damn slow for me. I look forward to trading that for the superior heat response speed of an induction cooktop.

  • @GogebicYooper
    @GogebicYooper 2 роки тому +2

    I normally cook on gas. However, I recently began cooking on an electric range. I found the heat confusing so I measured the burner heat from LO (1) to 10. The plot was linear from 300 F to 1,000 F. The amount of heat that transferred to the pan, of course, was significantly less at each setting. Anyway, now I have a better idea of how that burner behaves…and sounds. Thanks for the video.

  • @WillGallagher1
    @WillGallagher1 2 роки тому +14

    I’ve had a number of stoves in various apartments - some gas and others electric - and it is shocking how different the results are if you go by the nob indicators… On my current range, what I would consider to be “cooking on medium heat” is very close to the “High” indicator on the nob and the setting that say “Low” on the nob will barely keep food warm. On past ranges, I’ve seen the opposite. Trust the food - not the dial! I’m also interested in trying induction… I’ve only used it to boil water at a vacation rental, but I imagine it would be more accurate because of the technology. Any thoughts? Also, thanks Helen for another great video!

    • @angelacarr2481
      @angelacarr2481 2 роки тому

      "Trust the food - not the dial!"
      Nice summary.

    • @jonathansturm4163
      @jonathansturm4163 2 роки тому

      On the better induction stoves you can set the temperature, but temperature and heat are not the same thing. You can illustrate this by comparing an aluminium pan (if you still have one) brought to the same temperature as a cast iron pan. The latter requires more heat to come to temperature and will cool much slower than the aluminium pan or a thin steel pan for that matter. Helen’s technique here is impeccable. Glad I found her.

  • @markknecht9416
    @markknecht9416 2 роки тому +1

    Laser thermometer to judge pan heat (and hot or cold spots) of the pan before the food goes in is how I mostly address this. Knowing the smoke point of the oil you are using is also a good idea.

  • @solarsystem1403
    @solarsystem1403 2 роки тому +7

    My stove has a mind of it’s own, so I always have to rely on listening. I envy your gas stove immensely.

  • @markfischer3626
    @markfischer3626 2 роки тому +3

    When I was a child my mother had an interesting method. She'd put the food in the pots and pans or broiler or rotisserie, turn them on and go into another room to read a mystery book, one of her hobbies. When she'd smell something burning she'd go to the kitchen to investigate. Somehow we never had burned food and she cooked dinner every night.
    Sweating an 8 quart pot filled with onions for French onion soup takes me an hour of constant watching and stirring. What's left is about an inch thick at the bottom. You have to stop at precisely the right moment. Too pale and it isn't sufficiently caramelized. Too much and it burns. What it looks like is the key, dark brown.
    Where temperature is critical I use an optical thermometer. Best results for me with steak is one day of dry brining, freezing, a cast iron frying pan with a little peanut oil heated to at least 500 degrees, and then using the constant flip method, 30 seconds on a side until I have a nice crust. Finish in an oven at 275 until the internal temperature is 125. The thermometers are indispensable tools for me.

  • @rebekahlow8375
    @rebekahlow8375 2 роки тому +1

    This video was very interesting and helpful!! Love from Vermont

  • @Christian-ql4vw
    @Christian-ql4vw 2 роки тому

    👏👏👏 you’re the only person in the history of ever to say this on UA-cam

  • @Exiled_Rouge
    @Exiled_Rouge 2 роки тому +2

    Medium, low and high heat can not be mysterious concepts. As they describe the relative strength of the range. What one may be describing here is not really related to the same concept. One might be misapplying the term medium (if the range is 1 to 5 say) then the medium setting is any setting between 1, 2, and 4 & 5; 3 essentially. Medium-high or "moderately high" would be 4 in this scenario. It's a misunderstanding of using the label Medium to mean medium-strength relative to the low or high strength of the flame/heat source. The problem is linguistic. The error comes from faulty logic.
    Just to test I asked in a group chat what 12 people would consider medium heat- they all replied the halfway point between the lowest and highest setting.

  • @didisinclair3605
    @didisinclair3605 2 роки тому +1

    Such great information, Helen! When I moved into my first house, I bought a DCS stove; I wanted to invest in a great stove as cooking is my joy... sadly I feel like the little old lady who drove her ferrari to church .. I can only use the lowest setting, as all the others are scorching hot. And a consistent simmer? nope.

    • @Iconoclast1919
      @Iconoclast1919 2 роки тому

      It sounds like it needs to be calibrated. Call a professional who can do that for you!

  • @lisag.6599
    @lisag.6599 2 роки тому

    Thank you, Helen!! Very sensible. :)

  • @francismeowgannou5322
    @francismeowgannou5322 2 роки тому +1

    Thanks! I always found the heat settings on recipes for stove tops very confusing since all stove tops I've cook on are slightly different from one another.

  • @BlueJazzBoyNZ
    @BlueJazzBoyNZ 2 роки тому

    I find that the sound of the gas also is an indicator of heat. Totally agree that the control knobs are non-linear
    Also some cookware have high thermal mass and react slowly to changes ion the knob setting such as cast iron
    and thinner pans react quicker

  • @TheArcSet
    @TheArcSet 2 роки тому

    Thanks for this.

  • @Christopher_Gibbons
    @Christopher_Gibbons 2 роки тому +27

    No, this is important for soups and stews as well. A sudden deepening in the sound of the simmer is a critical early warning that you are about to get a big bubble of hot soup in the face.

    • @johnwarthunder1990
      @johnwarthunder1990 2 роки тому +1

      Should this happen avert your gaze at once to alleviate your trepidation

  • @Reinolds_Recipes
    @Reinolds_Recipes 2 роки тому

    Love it! Going to try this :) thank you again for sharing! New subscriber here!😍😍

  • @tmcdgreen
    @tmcdgreen 2 роки тому

    Fantastic video, I learned a lot!

  • @G-Major
    @G-Major 2 роки тому

    Great video, appreciate the sound examples!
    I have a sorta unrelated question and was wondering if you have advice: when handling/cooking raw meat, how often should I be washing my hands and cooking instruments? The skin on my hands is not happy with how much soapy washing I do while cooking.

    • @helenrennie
      @helenrennie  2 роки тому +2

      Here is what I do:
      put a bit of salt in a little prep cup so that you don't contaminate your big bowl of salt.
      dry the meat with paper towels
      salt from the little prep cup and discard the rest of salt, put the prep cup in the sink
      Put the meat in the pan using your hands
      Wash hands
      from here on you are clean and your utensils are clean. Don't touch the meat with your utensils too much (you want to leave it alone until it browns).
      After you flip it, you might want to rinse your utensils if you touched the raw part.

    • @G-Major
      @G-Major 2 роки тому

      @@helenrennie Thanks! I like that strat.
      When you flip, doesn't that utensil always touch meat that isn't fully cooked?

  • @1998tkhri
    @1998tkhri 2 роки тому +1

    Adam Ragusea taught me to listen to the difference between boiling and frying- that way I can know if moisture has reduced entirely

  • @JRileyStewart
    @JRileyStewart 2 роки тому +2

    It's a whole different world when using ceramic stove tops, isn't it? It takes forever for the burners to cool down, so immediate adjustments (especially to lower the heat) is impossible. I don't like to remove the food from the burners while this happens, so I prefer to start low and steadily add heat (instead of starting high and lowering heat). It might make a great tutorial to show us with ceramic stove tops how to use the dang things, as you have in this video for your gas burners (color me envious).

    • @helenrennie
      @helenrennie  2 роки тому +2

      What are ceramic stove tops? do you mean electric flat stovetops?

    • @rexiioper6920
      @rexiioper6920 2 роки тому +2

      @@helenrennie I'm guessing he means anything with an electric coil. I have that now and tend to just lift the pan off the ring when I need to cool something down.

    • @user-qn9ku2fl2b
      @user-qn9ku2fl2b 2 роки тому

      another thing with those is that the max setting is often ridiculously strong and pretty much only intended for bringing water to a boil

    • @JRileyStewart
      @JRileyStewart 2 роки тому +2

      @@helenrennie Yea, I guess, but modern 'flat tops' are made of ceramics that hold their heat too well (which I suppose helps regulate the heat to the pan over time). I've had several. Moving the dial from Hi to Medium makes no difference to the sound of the food over an entire cooking session. Mine also simmers a pot of sauce on a setting of 'Low'...but that's another problem.

  • @denisehartley4579
    @denisehartley4579 2 роки тому

    Could you please either share your model of range hood or review hoods?

  • @mattregehr2761
    @mattregehr2761 2 роки тому +1

    Hold up did you add any extra fat at 8:05? It looks like you added the chicken “dry” but it still didn’t stick because of the high heat. I had no idea that was possible on stainless steel 😮

    • @helenrennie
      @helenrennie  2 роки тому +2

      Funny you ask -- I was so focused on my recording equipment that I goofed and forgot to add the oil to the pan for the first test. It worked just fine (because my chicken was dried very thoroughly). Of course then I had to use no oil for all the other heat settings to be consistent. This only worked because the chicken had a skin. On a skinless piece you need to add oil.

    • @mattregehr2761
      @mattregehr2761 2 роки тому

      Ah that makes sense!
      Btw I've learned so much from your videos I can't thank you enough :)

  • @originalhgc
    @originalhgc 2 роки тому

    Risotto! When I'm toasting rice in a risotto, I use sound to know when it's time to add the wine. The rice start making a little clickety-clack sound.

  • @108u9
    @108u9 2 роки тому +1

    #askhelen Is there a difference between cooking on a gas stove vs an induction cooker? Apart from just the types of pans you can use 🤔

    • @helenrennie
      @helenrennie  2 роки тому +1

      You can get the same results, but it might take a different amount of time to preheat the pan, your heat settings will almost certainly will be different, the size of pan you can use will be different too. Unless you have a very expensive induction stove, you might not be able to use really large pans since the magnet won't heat the outside of your pan.

  • @Iconoclast1919
    @Iconoclast1919 2 роки тому

    When I watch Hell's Kitchen with my son, I would always explain to him that it would be a real challenge of their skills when they are thrown into a challenge with anything they've never cooked on before, for the many reasons stated in this video.

  • @usernamehandle
    @usernamehandle 2 роки тому

    Need some help: Should I not be using oil when I brown things? I keep cooking skin on chicken thighs. I pressure cook them and then sear them. But I usually do so in a bit of oil. The skin always sticks! I guess the heat isn’t high enough? But 1) I use the grilling glaze which routinely burns if the heat it too high and 2) I’m often searing from them coming out of the fridge, so I need them to warm up too… so I use low heat. Any advice, anyone?

  • @ZapAndersson
    @ZapAndersson 2 роки тому +4

    Wait, is this a whole new "Why I don't do X, but do Y" battle with Adam Ragusea? Why I listen to my cutting board instead of my knife? Why I live at Four Seaons instead of building a house from Cutting Boards?

  • @albertdaniel712
    @albertdaniel712 2 роки тому

    High med low mystery solved!! 🤩👍

  • @theoldgrowler3489
    @theoldgrowler3489 2 роки тому

    I flick a few drops of water onto my pan to see the reaction. Simmer and evaporate, Sizzle and quickly evaporate, bounce off the pan.

  • @Amethyst1919
    @Amethyst1919 2 роки тому +2

    I freak my hubby out by listening to the food... He doesn't cook often so he's not as experienced as I am. I will often hear that his heat is too high for what he's cooking and smell that it's time to add the next ingredient etc. from the next room. I'll holler in that it's time to flip something and turn down his heat, or that he better add his liquid now before something burns... He always wonders how I knew any of this...

  • @m4inline
    @m4inline 2 роки тому

    I dont care when I need to turn my gas up OR down. I am 100% in LOVE. 😘

  • @nobodyisprfct
    @nobodyisprfct 2 роки тому

    Made me laugh to hear her cover the "smarty pants" comments. Reminded me of my family often calling me Mr smarty pants! I really appreciate this channel!

  • @palaceofwisdom9448
    @palaceofwisdom9448 2 роки тому

    I write the burner heat number on my recipes once I figure out the optimal setting. If I ever move, I'm taking my cooktop with me. 😂

  • @janehall2720
    @janehall2720 2 роки тому +1

    I was taught to use my 5 senses while cooking. Each sense helps the other.

  • @m1lpyy
    @m1lpyy 2 роки тому

    dear helen, you are such a beautiful woman! i just found your channel and i am hooked!! looking forward to be cooking more often, thank you for sharing!

  • @rexiioper6920
    @rexiioper6920 2 роки тому

    I really want to hear Helen's best smartie pants kitchen stories.

  • @user-qn9ku2fl2b
    @user-qn9ku2fl2b 2 роки тому

    1:19 lmao Helen stop trolling us

  • @Yayojayoful
    @Yayojayoful 2 роки тому

    Wish I had this video the first time I tried actual cooking

  • @gregharris3965
    @gregharris3965 2 роки тому

    🌸

  • @luvr381
    @luvr381 2 роки тому

    Juice under meat means it's not hot enough? Never knew that.

    • @rexiioper6920
      @rexiioper6920 2 роки тому

      yeah, with higher eat, the juice would just evaporate away

    • @luvr381
      @luvr381 2 роки тому

      @@rexiioper6920 Obviously, I meant I never knew juice under the meat wasn't ok.

  • @squidpaladin
    @squidpaladin 2 роки тому +1

    the last time I was this early to something, my quiche was still raw in the middle

  • @Katsura_ja_nai_Zura_da
    @Katsura_ja_nai_Zura_da 2 роки тому

    I have induction stove, I hate it!

  • @bldmontemor
    @bldmontemor 2 роки тому

    nice adam reference

  • @alexandervogel2005
    @alexandervogel2005 2 роки тому

    I Love you

  • @potapotapotapotapotapota
    @potapotapotapotapotapota 2 роки тому

    This is one reason why cooking is just a mystery for people

  • @sadiakiran1153
    @sadiakiran1153 2 роки тому

    Helen you can turn a buffoon into a good cook👍

  • @mfar3016
    @mfar3016 2 роки тому

    Could you make a video on pork chops? I no longer even buy them because they always come terrible! Regardless of which cut I buy or how I make them, (oven, grill, stovetop) they always disappoint.

    • @helenrennie
      @helenrennie  2 роки тому

      ua-cam.com/video/uLaaNEr1Lq4/v-deo.html
      ua-cam.com/video/PwjFF37oFV0/v-deo.html

  • @SlideRSB
    @SlideRSB 2 роки тому

    My burner knobs go to eleven.

  • @watercressfabrique3333
    @watercressfabrique3333 2 роки тому

    I WAS CACKLING AT THE TITLE

  • @HATEgoo-gle
    @HATEgoo-gle 2 роки тому

    I equate those sounds to Applause:
    High -- Dan Souza, Helen Rennie, Ethan Chlebowski, Lucas Sin, Jeremy Yoder, Alton Brown
    Medium -- Adam Regusea, Stephane Nguyen,
    Low -- Joshua Weissman, Kenji Alt
    Off -- Rachel Ray, Jaime Oliver

  • @diane4071
    @diane4071 2 роки тому

    Interesting ,however, I am deaf and unable to hear cooking sounds. So I will have to continue to cook by sight.

  • @MeepMeep88
    @MeepMeep88 2 роки тому +1

    8:05 ballsy... putting meat on a stainless without any oil?! The things you do for your viewers lol

  • @GarudaLegends
    @GarudaLegends 2 роки тому

    my smoke alarm? yeah, i need help. i also use a non stick skillet, so i might be cheating at cooking.

    • @helenrennie
      @helenrennie  2 роки тому +4

      I use non-stick skillets all the time. that has nothing to do with your smoke alarms. For some ingredients, like fish, potatoes, and eggs, you need non-stick

  • @cisium1184
    @cisium1184 2 роки тому

    I'm more worried if my soup _does_ make a sound. It means something is still alive in there.

  • @user-qr8ki8ue4i
    @user-qr8ki8ue4i 2 роки тому

    I have a horrible stove. It has two settings...lukewarm, and nuclear bomb.

  • @it-s-a-mystery
    @it-s-a-mystery 2 роки тому

  • @derekkee5588
    @derekkee5588 2 роки тому

    Forgive the homosexuality, but…those full (half) body shots?? Yaaaassss come thru hunny 🥵

  • @latetodagame1892
    @latetodagame1892 2 роки тому

    I think you have nice knobs!

  • @hobbyhopper3143
    @hobbyhopper3143 2 роки тому +1

    Wow, Helen. Have you listened to the first few minutes of this video? In all the videos of yours I’ve watched I’ve never heard you speak with such derision for inexperienced cooks. The inexperienced cooks will freely admit that’s the case. That’s why we watch videos like yours. That, however, doesn’t make us stupid or objects for ridicule.

    • @helenrennie
      @helenrennie  2 роки тому +5

      I didn't mean it that way at all. Sorry if it came across that way.

    • @jaimemedina3351
      @jaimemedina3351 2 роки тому

      I have to agree. Her content still comes up but I rarely watch anymore. There’s a pattern on most social meetings of needing to put down one thing in an effort to differentiate. Its quite off putting.

    • @j81562
      @j81562 2 роки тому +7

      I could not disagree more with Hobby Hopper’s comment. Helen’s content is tailored made for inexperienced cooks and I don’t think this video was at all derisive. She is the best kind of teacher in that she includes the why as well as the how. She is addressing common frustrations that home cooks experience and providing solutions. I have been cooking for decades and am a competent cook but she has taught me new things that I have applied to my cooking. I would have loved to have had this resource available to me when I was first living on my own and learning to cook.

    • @jaimemedina3351
      @jaimemedina3351 2 роки тому

      @@j81562 she directly refers to some as smarta alecks… so not sure you’ve got much of a point. Why give oxygen to any challenging comments when your presence is based on viewership and participation?

    • @rexiioper6920
      @rexiioper6920 2 роки тому +3

      @@jaimemedina3351 but there are smart alecks all over youtube and I'm guessing female youtubers get far more of them than men; also if she was solely interested in views she'd be doing 'Sam the cooking guy' crap

  • @noktilux4052
    @noktilux4052 2 роки тому

    Are you single? ;-)