Cooking with Chefs
Season Two: Episode One
Before starting, please complete the pre-program survey by clicking the link below.
How The Program Works.
We will prepare great tasting, nutritious food and have fun learning about new recipes, new cooking techniques, and what chefs do in the kitchen to keep everyone happy and safe.
Clean Hands, Clean Kitchen
It all starts with clean hands, clean clothes, clean hair, clean everything! That is important because the germs that cause illness are everywhere.
We will learn the right way to wash hands, keep prep and cooking areas clean, how to a knife, a stovetop, an oven and more.
Get Organized
Always read the recipes at least twice. Collect and organize all the ingredients and equipment you need from measuring spoons to saucepans and knives before you get started.
Chefs spend time preparing before they make the first cut or start to cook. To make cooking faster and easier, you must have good knife skills. And you can only get good by practicing!
Read the lessons, watch the videos, and practice. You will see your skill, speed and confidence grow. But always respect your knife, keep it sharp and handle it carefully at all times.
Share Your Experiences
After each episode, please share photos of you in the kitchen along with your completed dish. Tell us about your Wow! moments. Discuss them with your cooking club and your family and learn from each other.
Fuel Your Body
This cooking series is about learning healthy cooking skills and preparing nutrient rich foods. When you fuel your body with a variety of different foods and colorful fruits and vegetables, you will feel better and be more focused in the classroom or on the field or court!
Healthy eating is fun and delicious once you understand flavors and combinations. Each recipe will look at ways to prepare exciting and nutritious foods everyone can enjoy.
A major great benefit of cooking at home is you will be able to use less salt, less sugar, and fewer fats and oils than in processed or restaurant food.
You will soon be creating amazing dishes that taste great and are good for your body. Preparing nutrient rich foods does not have to be boring, or expensive, or time consuming. Read the recipes and practice to get better.
Skills over recipes.
You might see some of the recipes and think, "I don't need a lesson to make that!" But! Remember, the goal is to learn good culinary techniques to sharpen chef skills.
If you do not learn the proper techniques, you will find yourself stuck later when there are more advanced menu items.
Remember, it is not about learning recipes. It is about learning techniques and food combinations that work together create exciting dishes.
Weekly Checklist
Unpack your groceries.
If you aren’t preparing your recipe right way, be sure to store items properly.
Complete the lessons.
Review this week’s introduction and cooking videos and written lessons to learn and enhance important kitchen skills.
Get cooking!
Gather your recipe and ingredients. Review the videos for guidance as you prepare each recipe.
Share it!
Share the meals with your friends and family. Be sure to share photos by tagging @sdchefsdecuisine on IG or email us. Share your experiences with your cooking club.
Watch Episode One
Learn about proper hand washing, food storage and safety, and how to make delicious sushi rolls.
Episode One
Staying Clean in the Kitchen.
A clean kitchen and chef is the most important first step to learning to cook. Proper handwashing and understanding cross-contamination are extremely important when it comes to healthy cooking.
Handwashing.
Personal hygiene refers to our habits of cleanliness. Our clothes, hair, hands, everything, one of the most important personal hygiene practices is hand washing.
The basic steps for hand washing
are:
Wet hands and arms with water.
Apply soap.
Lather and scrub your hands and arms for a minimum of 15 seconds. Do not forget the areas under your nails and between your fingers, and use a small brush as necessary.
Rinse thoroughly with warm water.
Dry your hands using a clean paper towel or an approved drying method.
Hands should be washed frequently, from when entering the kitchen to start cooking and frequently when working with different foods. This is important when working with raw meats or with foods that other people are allergic to like shellfish, wheat, or other allergens, to prevent cross-contamination
Cross-contamination.
Cross-contamination is the transfer of bacteria, food microorganisms, or
food allergens from one food to another. These microorganisms, bacteria, or food allergens can cause serious sickness to you or others. Contamination can occur beyond just handling different food items, contaminants can be hiding on surfaces of plates, cutting boards, phones, animals,
and most importantly from personal contact with food, which is where most food-borne illness occurs. This is also why it is very important to be washing cookware and your hands properly
with hot water and soap to prevent contamination. clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Food storage and safety.
To prevent the formation and growth of food bacteria and other microorganisms it is important to practice food storage safety. Refrigerators must be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below and freezers must be kept at 0 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent the spoilage or growth of bacteria. In the food world there is a concept known as the “Danger Zone” which is the temperature between 40° and 140° Fahrenheit, which is the range of temperatures at which most bacteria multiply rapidly. We want to keep food out of this danger zone to prevent food borne illnesses or food poisoning, which is bacteria on food that gets us sick. If foods needs to be kept at room temperature it must be for no more than two hours. Different foods have different storage requirements. Root vegetables, (potatoes, onions), whole citrus (orange, lemon), eggplant, and squash do not need to be kept in the refrigerator.
Foods that require the refrigerator to stay preserved against bacteria and spoilage are called perishable foods. These are foods that contain a lot of water like fresh meats (raw chicken, fish) and all other fruits and vegetables (lettuce, strawberries) need to be kept in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days. Other foods like dairy, eggs, etc. need to be kept in the refrigerator but follow the “use by date” on the package to determine how long a food item is good for before it spoils. Freezing food is a great way to preserve food to make it last longer while also maintaining the same amount of nutrients, generally meats and vegetables can last up to 3 months in the freezer. When defrosting the food to eat it is important to keep the temperature in mind. “The Thaw Law” is to defrost foods in the refrigerator, microwave, or under running water, never defrost food on the kitchen counter because that can give bacteria a chance to grow and contaminate your food.
Understanding Sushi.
Some people think sushi means raw fish. That is not true. Sushi is Japanese for sour rice. Sushi can include raw or cooked fish, vegetables, tofu, eggs, or other types of meat proteins. But rice is the primary ingredient, and it takes years to learn to make good sushi rice. A famous Sushi Master in Japan once made an employee wait 13 years before allowing that employee to make sushi rice by himself. That is an extreme example, but it does take time and patience.
In today’s episode of “Cooking With Chefs,” we will be making sushi rolls. Be sure to read these instructions carefully. Then read them again and watch the video with Master Sushi Chef Jeff Roberto (recipe starts at minute 7:13). Now, it’s your turn! Your sushi roll may not look exactly like Chef Jeff’s. But keep practicing. That’s part of the learning process. You will get better!
There is a package of precooked rice and a container of sushi vinegar in your recipe kit this week. Prepare the rice beforeyou do anything else.
Peel back the top of the package to the dotted line.
Put rice package in microwave. Heat for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
Remove the rice package from the microwave.
Immediately transfer the cooked rice to a large mixing bowl.
Drizzle it evenly with the pre-sweetened sushi vinegar that came with your recipe kit.
Use a spatula or large spoon to fold the rice very gently.
Use more of a slicing and lifting motion, rather than stirring and smooshing the rice. (It might help to watch the video for a reminder.)
Continue folding until the vinegar is evenly mixed into the rice.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel touching the rice to prevent the rice from drying out. Let it cool on the counter to reach room temperature.
We also included instructions for homemade sushi rice. Try it the next time you make sushi and be sure to use short grain rice. But for your first time, it might be easier to use the precooked microwave rice we provided. It is available at most Asian markets.
Sushi Roll Recipe
Before you get started:
Your sushi mat is already wrapped in plastic. Make your roll as shown in the video (starting at minute 7:13). Skip the part about pulling out the plastic as you roll.
Your nori sheets are already half sheets. There is no need to cut them before you start making your sushi roll.
Look at how your mat is wrapped in plastic. You should wrap your mat with a clean sheet of plastic wrap each time you make sushi.
Sushi Roll Ingredients:
2 C sushi rice (microwave or homemade) and included two ounces of sweetened sushi vinegar
4 sheets of nori
1 whole large cucumber, sliced thinly into long pieces
1 carrots, sliced into thin sticks
1 medium avocado, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced into long pieces
Soy sauce, for serving
Directions:
Remember to add sushi vinegar to your rice after it cooks
Take a half sheet of nori. Lay it on a flat surface on top of wrapped mat.
Cover the nori with a thin layer of the sushi rice.
Flip nori over so the rice is on the bottom and touching the plastic wrap.
Layer the sliced vegetables in the middle of the nori in a line.
Roll long ways using the plastic wrap and push together to form the roll.
Cut the roll into 8 pieces. Serve with soy sauce and wasabi (not included). Enjoy!
Storage:
You can cover and refrigerate rolls overnight, but they should be eaten within 24 hours to preserve the texture of the rice. Eat at room temperature.
Options (not included in kit):
You can add sesame seeds, wasabi, hot sauce, fresh or pickled ginger..
Homemade Sushi Rice Recipe
Ingredients:
1 C Japanese-style short grain white rice
1 C water
2 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp granulated sugar (or honey)
Directions:
Rinse the rice with cold water in a larger bowl for 1-2 minutes, or until the water runs very clear. Drain well.
Rice Cooker Instructions: Briefly stir the rice and water together in the bowl of a rice cooker. Cover and cook according to device instructions.
Stovetop Instructions: Briefly stir together the rice and water (recommend using 2 1/4 cups water for this method) in a large saucepan, place the rice, then cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the water just reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer, and cook for 16-18 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove saucepan from the heat (with the lid still on) and let the rice steam for an additional 10 minutes.
While the rice is cooking, heat the rice vinegar, and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture nearly reaches a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. (Can just heat the mixture in the microwave if you prefer.)
Once the rice is cooked, transfer the rice immediately to a large mixing bowl and drizzle it evenly with the sushi vinegar. Use a spatula to very gently fold the rice — more of a slicing and lifting motion, rather than stirring and smooshing —until the vinegar is evenly mixed into the rice.
Cover the mixing bowl with a damp towel to touch the rice’s surface, which will help prevent the rice from drying out. Let it cool on the counter (or in the refrigerator) until it reaches room temperature.
Assignments for Episode 1
Snap some photos!
Time in the kitchen is about de-stressing, having fun, challenging yourself, and nourishing your mind, body, and soul. Our hope is that you find great pride in your efforts after each lesson. We also want you to learn and grow! Take a photo of your recipes and share them with the group. After each episode, you'll be talking with your group about what went well and where you were challenged.
Share your photos!
Upload your pictures to Instagram and tag @sdchefsdecuisine
or email them to cwc@sdchefs.org
Chef's reflections
Chefs take notes! Each experience in the kitchen will provide you with wins and some fails. Writing down what you liked and where you can improve will expand your chef skills and guide you toward your own culinary creations. Start a chef's journal, you'll continue to use it years from now.
Questions
What worked well with each recipe?
How can you make the recipe your own while still keeping it healthy?
How can you make the recipe your own while still keeping it healthy?
Share your Weekly “Wow!”
Here’s your chance to tell us about something that struck you in the video. Maybe it was something the chef said or an idea for how you can improve the look, or the texture or the taste of your dish. Write down your response in your handbook and feel free to share with us by emailing cwc@sdchefs.org
Episode 1 Handout & Recipes
We’ve created a printable Handbook for each episode of Cooking With Chefs which includes all the recipes!
You can find this Handbook in your ingredients package or download and print it from here.
Great Job Chef!
This concludes Episode 1 of Cooking with Chefs.