The whole “I have a bit of this so I might as well use it” mentality. It seems like you usually have an idea of what you are about to make and what will be your main ingredients but then you often spot something in your fridge/freezer that could go well with the meal and so you add it. It’s one of the things I am really focusing on getting better at as it helps me reduce waste AND to cook better tasting food. So thank you for showing us how to do that.
8 months ago
| 35
honestly, washing the dishes as you go. I am at least rinsing my pots and pans right after putting the food in a serving dish. It's just so much easier when the pot is still warm. Even if I don't use soap, rinsing it makes it easier to wash after the meal. That is one thing I have changed from watching these live cooks.
8 months ago (edited)
| 48
I think the flattening and frozen storage of 'meal prep' type stuff has helped me the most. Breaking things down to single serving size and having them be ready whenever I'm ready for them has been fantastic for me not being so wasteful. I'm no longer wasting half a 3lb pack of ground beef. Instead it's me weighing out 1/3 lb portions and freezing them and having them ready at a moments notice. They thaw super fast just putting the bag in room temp water. Now I don't have 2 lbs of meat going bad in the bottom of my fridge 4 days after I used the first bit.
8 months ago | 22
Ingredient prep vs meal prep- making a batch of rice one day as opposed to an entire meal centered around rice that you're stuck eating the same thing everyday. it helps our household with food waste management. and figuring out basic swaps (can I use canned coconut milk if I dont have heavy cream? what vegetable could I use if recipe calls for one im allergic to or out of?) that won't taint the dish but will help in a pinch
8 months ago
| 18
One of the biggest for me was tasting as you’re cooking and learning what a dish “needs” to feel complete and well rounded. Most of the time we talk about adjusting salt levels, maybe adjusting spices, but after years of learning I feel like I can more intuitively “dial in” the consistency, texture, and appearance, among other things Honestly it reminds me of that scene from the beginning of Ratatouille where he’s visualizing flavors and aromas lol
8 months ago
| 8
A big thing for me is how the framework idea can let you buy an ingredient without having an exact plan on how to use all of it. It's very difficult to buy enough groceries for a single meal for one person, so being able to repurpose leftover ingredients for other meals is key.
8 months ago | 10
Washing as you go is a big one. I already had an affinity for cooking but being more disciplined with the cleaning definitely made it all easier to love doing on the regular. You also helped me transition from the early "recipe-oriented" approach, making shopping for and cooking a dish a big deal, to a more "principle-oriented" approach of knowing the general harmony between ingredients for a type of dish. Thanks to that I'm more creative with sometimes the limited set of ingredients I have on hand.
8 months ago (edited) | 3
Cleaning the kitchen as you go starch + protein + salad/greens/vegetables + sauce = quick meal
8 months ago (edited)
| 13
You know for me, the videos have taught me not to be afraid of the kitchen, not to be overwhelmed with an entire recipe. I just cook and chop the same ways and then react to the ingredients I have on hand substitute if needed. There's less pressure to cook something at an exact temp for a certain amount of time and just knowing if something is done. Also prepping sauces or Produce before beginning the cooking. Might seem obvious but something I learned at least. Love the videos, I save all of them for grocery shopping days.
8 months ago | 1
Biggest unspoken W from your videos is the way you organize and clean as you cook
8 months ago | 6
Funny thing. I was doing these things already but I didn't learn they were actual techniques until I started watching YouTube. Like clarifying butter, making a rue, the holy trinity, sweating onions, and probably a dozen other things. That's what I like about this channel. I feel like I have permission to continue being in my kitchen (and people like Gordon Ramsey won't track me down and yell at me.)
8 months ago | 1
1. Using a pressure cooker to cut down active cooking time. 2. I'm gluten intolerant (not as severe as Celiac) and am always scanning for ways to adapt for that. Usually it's using cornstarch for gravies or corn tortillas, rice, etc
8 months ago | 0
i love the idea of just buying groceries without thinking about recipes and making meals as you go throughout your week. reduces waste and forces you to make the most out of what you got
8 months ago | 4
Kind of a different answer but I think something along the lines of "confidence" in the kitchen... Basically a willingness to experiment or do something slightly differently. Being able to know the limits on both sides of an issue and experimenting between them. This adds a level of fun to cooking that people who "hate" cooking don't understand bc they shackle themselves to how a stranger says they should do something
8 months ago
| 3
Framework based cooking is a really great skill to have so you can be more flexible and save money. I also have found your deep dives to be very interesting. It’s changed the way I look at onions, canned tomatoes, and bacon.
8 months ago | 0
I've always had a 'clean as you go' mentality, but being inexperienced haven't always had a good sense of when I can step away from the stove-top while something is actively cooking. Seeing the things that you are comfortable not paying close attention to - less sensitive things cooking, spices that are OK to eyeball rather than measure, etc. - is just as helpful as the things you are actively doing.
8 months ago
| 1
Biggest thing has to be the idea of frameworks, and cooking based on what ingredients you have as opposed to shopping based on meals you plan. All the other stuff like prepping ingredients or how to store items is great, but if you can't cook based just on what's available then you still need to plan everything before any of that becomes relevant.
8 months ago | 0
Glad you mentioned spice experimentation because one of the things I struggle with when cooking is improvising and deciding what flavours go with what.
8 months ago | 2
dealing with that person that always manages to stand where you need to be, lol
8 months ago | 0
Snacking on scraps as you cook 😂 It's not a dinner party, perfection isn't needed
8 months ago | 0
Cook Well w/ Ethan Chlebowski
I could use your help! What are some of the “soft skills” of cooking that you have noticed or learned while watching these live style videos on the Cook Well channel?
By soft skills, I mean the non obvious things that just reading a recipe or highly edited video can’t teach you:
- Time / task management
- Ingredient substitutions
- Spices experimentation
- Lifestyle considerations (braised beef tacos)
- Framework based cooking
Basically, any moment that made you stop and think.
“I haven’t thought about doing that before”
“I need to try that because I have busy week coming up”
“I don’t have exactly what he has, but I can make something similar with (insert ingredient)”
I’d appreciate any comments below. I’m thinking about main channel video on the topic of soft skills vs hard skills.
8 months ago | [YT] | 165