BASICS: HOW TO COOK PLAIN PASTA

Posted on January 18, 2014 by Chidera Allison under My Kitchen

For the purpose of this post, I chose spaghetti.

Ingredients

460g of pasta
4-5litres of water
1/4 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp butter

Directions

Bring the water and olive oil to a boil in a medium pot.
Add pasta and salt to boiling water. Cook for 10-13 minutes, stir occasionally during this time.
Drain in a colander and stir in butter to prevent the pasta from sticking.

Your pasta is ready to be served with any side of your choice.

BASICS: HOW TO COOK WHITE RICE

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Chidera Allison under My Kitchen

For the purpose of this post, the rice will be cooked on a stove.

Ingredients:

1 cup of rice
4 cups of water
1/4 tsp of salt

Directions:

PART A: Parboil the rice

In a bowl, wash and rinse out the rice several times to remove excess starch on the surface then drain in a colander.
In a medium sized pot, add the rice to 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium to high heat.
Before it’s fully cooked, drain in colander.

(N/B: certain meals would require only these steps)

PART B: Completely boil the rice

Wash, rinse and drain the rice out in a colander again.
In the same pot, add the parboiled rice to the remaining 2 cups of water and salt. Boil until rice is properly cooked. Be careful not to overcook the rice.
Drain out excess water, if any.

Your white rice is fully cooked and ready to be served with any side of your choice.

BASICS: Top 3 kitchen essentials

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Chidera Allison under My Kitchen

1. Electric/gas cooker (preferably with an oven/grill)

Space and your level of expertise play a huge role in choosing this. Choosing a cooker with four burners is usually the best option for a kitchen used for daily cooking. You can always have six burners if you have the space or the need for that. When choosing an oven, simplicity is key. The oven needs to be able to bake, roast, broil and also have a good temperature range.

2. Pots

Choosing pots for your kitchen depends on:

-What you like to cook

-How you like to cook

-Number of people you cook for

I’ll always advice non-stick pots with even heat distribution.

3. Cooking utensils

If you’re like me, you’d want everything fancy in your kitchen but honestly, just go for the essentials.

-Knives

-Spoons (wooden and slotted)

-Cutting board

-Vegetable Peeler