Do I adjust cooking times depending on the amount I'm cooking?!
Nige
Answers: I have a couple of recipe books which tend to show you the weight of ingredients for 4 or 6 servings, but as I only tend to do it for 2 I usually halve the amounts. I've found I tend to guess the times as I feel that if I stir fry for the time it says - I'd end up with lumps of charcoal! Is there an easy way to adjust the times - or should I have the nerve to carry on cooking it regardless? Also does this apply to various types of cooking ( stir-fry, boil, braise etc. )?
Nige
Recipes are guidelines, and your sensory observations (sight and smell) are much more important than what the numbers say. If the stir fry looks dry, then turn it off.
You shouldn't have to adjust the numbers much at all even if you are reducing the quantities in a recipe. There are other issues here--for instance, if you are using firm tofu instead of soft, you will have less liquid. If you use older carrots that have been sitting in a fridge, you'll find that they absorb a lot more oil than fresh ones.
Keep to the recipe but--always check and always taste periodically. Order in a recipe is important--usually, you want to saute the meat and garlic first before you put in delicate veggies like scallions and parsley.
Good luck
Common sense really.
YES
It is a thing you learn Nige, put the things that will take the longest to cook on first.
Begin by boiling the potatoes and add the vegetables after your potatoes.
Hi Nige, basicaly it's down to experience which you are obviously gaining all the time, but with fresh ingredients just pinch them between thumb and finger, if partially cooked will not completely give way; al dente; if fully cooked will squish.
An easy way which may also help is cook things like onions first followed by harder to softer items; by chopping food into same size chunks also helps as they will cook at the same rate. Bon apetite.
You adjust only the amounts of ingredients, but not the cooking time, except for thigs like whole fish (bigger and thicker fish would cook longer than thinner or smaller ones). For things like stews and beans, cooking time would be the same. Roast beef and steaks that are thinner or smaller would cook faster.
hiya, simple way to know how to long to cook something for is to still follow the cook book. but if you half the ingredients halve the cooking time also. once you cook the same meals over again you wont need the cookbook and youll know by smell etc when something is cooked.