Beauty Meditation

 

It is a mistake to cut the ingredients first in cooking. Kitchen rules taught by "legendary housekeeper" Shima

Shima Tassin, known as the "legendary housekeeper who can't make reservations". I have published many recipe books, but "Shima-san's Kitchen Rules: Tips for Making Daily Rice Easy, Lifelong Cooking Tips" (Kawade Shobo Shinsha) is a bit different. It's a book that focuses on pre-recipe "kitchen rules" without any recipes.

I want to convey "what I can't write in the recipe"

Mr. Shima, who is popular for his ability to stand in the "customer's kitchen", which is an away environment for chefs, and finish over 15 exquisite " preparations" in 3 hours. He says that he disclosed his know-how in this book because he wanted to ease the burden on people who "have a hard time making rice ."

Many people tend to stumble when they make it according to the recipe book but it doesn't taste good or the taste is undecided. Mr. Shima thinks that one of the causes is the limit of the recipe book.

When I started writing recipes, I realized that there are a lot of things I can't write in recipes . Recent recipes, in particular, tend to be "shorter and more concise." Since "Why go through this process" is not written, I miss the point to make it delicious. However, if you know the points , you can make delicious dishes with your usual dishes . You can apply it yourself, so it's a lifelong wisdom rather than learning a new and special recipe.

(Quoted from page 19 of "Shima-san's Kitchen Rules: Tips for Cooking for a Lifetime, Making Daily Rice Easy")

This book consists of four parts: preparation for the mind, setup & cooking, ingredients & seasonings, and cooking utensils, and describes the wisdom of cooking that Mr. Shima really wanted to convey. The secret of that striking dexterity is packed into this book.

Cooking should not start with "cutting vegetables"

Many recipe books start with the type of ingredients used and how to cut them. However, if you try to cut all the ingredients first with that feeling, Mr. Shima will not be able to cook smoothly.

The first thing I do is "put the pot on the stove" instead of "cutting the ingredients" . After oiling the pan, then cut the onions. Put it in a pan as it is from a cutting board and start frying, cut the carrots while frying, and put it in the pan.

(Quoted from page 41 of "Shima-san's Kitchen Rules: Tips for Cooking for a Lifetime, Making Daily Rice Easy")

This way, the chopping board will not be filled with ingredients, and you will not need a bowl or bat to hold the ingredients. It is also the best procedure for making curry that you want to fry onions slowly.

Also, when you need to boil the ingredients, you should stand in the kitchen and " first put a pot of water on the stove ." It is written that not having time to wait for the water to boil is "actually a very important setup".

Mastering "salt sprinkle" will change the dish

Shima-san's cuisine makes even the most discerning entertainer groan. The key to this is the French-prepared " salt ".

In French, the taste is basically determined only by salt, so it is essential to bring out the full power of salt, such as "drawing out umami," "dehydration," and "removing odors ." Especially for foods with strong umami such as meat, fish, tomatoes, and mushrooms, it is said that the sweetness and umami can be brought out more by sprinkling salt firmly.

Especially for meat, salt it well to the bottom . Even if the dish is stewed later, the finish will be completely different from adding salt to the stewed soup.

If the salt content of the meat is low, the taste will be blurred. Since meat is a mass of umami, it is no exaggeration to say that "the meat can be recognized by adding salt ."

For those who have a blurry taste, it's a good idea to sprinkle salt 1.2 to 1.5 times as much as usual. If you add salt to the main ingredients, the taste will be decided without adding seasonings later, and it seems that you can eat delicious vegetables with "no saltiness".

I used to make yakisoba in the way Shima-san saw on TV. Stir-fry the meat with seasoning, and stir-fry the vegetables separately without salt to make the best yakisoba in your history. I was surprised that it was easy to make delicious with just a little change in the method.

“Easy to eat every day is necessary for food that doesn't get tired,” says Shima. Even if you thoroughly imitate some of the rational techniques, your cooking skills will surely improve.