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 Posted By: KYHeirloomer 
Nov 8  # 1 of 9
We've talked about repetitive training with tecniques; that is, choosing a cooking technique like sauteing, and using it every night for a week to become proficient with it.

The same sort of thing can be applied to what you cook. In the first you're learning how to do something. In the second you're learning what happens when you mix various herbs, spices, and methods.

tcinsa is gonna have a lot of chicken parts laying around. And spicedumb is trying to learn how to use herbs and spices. So they, in particular, can benefit from this learning approach.

The idea is to choose a main ingredient and run the changes on it. For the example, let's use skinless/boneless chicken breasts. And we're going to use pan-frying as the cookery technique.

Ultimately this works best if you do it every night. But that can get boring to people, so you might want to spread it out. In each case, make notes to yourself as to what you like and dislike about the dish, how the flavor profile changes, etc.

On the first run-through melt some butter in a skillet or heat a little olive oil. Actually, you should cook some of the chicken both ways, to see what that does to the flavor profile. Eventually even use something like bacon fat.

Once the oil is heated, add the breasts to the skillet. Cook until the meat starts turning opaque, and browns on the one side. Flip them over and brown the second side.

Taste and analyse the chicken. Kind of bland and boring. If you varied the oils there should be some flavor differences. Now, sprinkle with salt & pepper and taste again. Make a note on your reaction to that, because later on you'll be salt & peppering before you cook, and you want to see what affects that has.

Next run-through. Sprinkle breasts with salt & pepper and pan fry. Has that changed anything?

Next run-through. Mix salt, pepper, and flour. Dust the chicken with this mixture and pan fry. Note any changes in flavor.

Next run through. Set up a three-bowl frying system. For that you put seasoned flour in the first bowl. An eggwash in the second. And a breading in the third. Keep in mind that you can vary things by seasoning the egg wash as well as the flour (for instance, whisk-in some hot sauce).

In use, you put the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then dip it in the eggwash. Then coat it with the breading. Then pan fry.

For the first 3-bowl set up just use seasoned flour, a plain egg wash, and regular bread crumbs. Then start running the changes just on the breading material. Try flavored crumbs instead of plain. Panko crumbs instead of standard. Ground nuts. Crushed cereals. Adding parmesan or other grated cheeses. Etc.

Once you've run through all of those, repeat them, only this time flavoring the eggwash or seasoning the flour differently. What happens if you add a bunch of hot sauce to the eggs? Or if you mix oregano into the flour?

By the time you finish this exercise two things will happen. First, you'll be pretty tired of eating chicken! Second, and more important, you'll have developed a feel for how different flavorings affect the taste of what is, essentially, the same dish.

If you want to go a step further, repeat the exercise, only this time bake the breasts instead of pan frying, to see how the cooking method changes things.

And, once you've gone through that whole thing, try it again, this time checking how various sauces affect the taste, texture, and appearance of the dish. Let's say you make a bechemal sauce. Ladle some over a cooked breast. Does it improve the dish? Detract from it? How so? What if you modified the sauce by adding X. Will that help or hinder?

But, of course, making sauces is a whole other lesson.
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 Posted By: tcinsa 
Nov 8  # 2 of 9
KY, I owe you big time - this is priceless! I think this is exactly what I need to do to get a basic foundation. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this.

I have a question - what is the reason for dusting the chicken with flour before the egg wash? I've never seen that before (which means nothing, of course). I have recently begun drying my meats with paper towels before breading or pan sauteing because I read that dry, room temp meat will sear better and accept and hold breading better and it definitely seems to be true. Is that the purpose of the flour dusting?
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 Posted By: KYHeirloomer 
Nov 8  # 3 of 9
You ain't as dumb as you make yourself out to be. ;)

By dusting with flour you create a base that other thinks can stick to. Is it important when just dusting and pan frying? That's an exercise for the student. But if you're going the three-bowl route, it can be crucial. Neither the eggs nor the breading will stick real well without the base.

If you opt for a batter instead of a dry breading you most assuredly need to flour first.

I'm confused about one part of your post. Why would you sear something before breading it? They serve the same basic function.
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 Posted By: tcinsa 
Nov 8  # 4 of 9
Quote KYHeirloomer wrote:
You ain't as dumb as you make yourself out to be. ;)

By dusting with flour you create a base that other thinks can stick to. Is it important when just dusting and pan frying? That's an exercise for the student. But if you're going the three-bowl route, it can be crucial. Neither the eggs nor the breading will stick real well without the base.

If you opt for a batter instead of a dry breading you most assuredly need to flour first.

I'm confused about one part of your post. Why would you sear something before breading it? They serve the same basic function.
No, you're right, I was talking about the 2 different things I've learned to do. I can pan fry a steak and I can make breaded pork chops. But for both things, I read you should dry the meat with a paper towel first - though for different reasons. The steak so that it will sear properly and the chops so that extra water won't keep it from holding the crumbs and so it won't pop so much in the oil. This was a revelation to me - I never heard of drying the meat first but it sure does make a difference.

But the flour dusting as a base for the breading makes a lot of sense. The only issue I've had with the chops is that sometimes the breading doesn't stick too well - (and also sometimes I don't get my oil hot enough before I out the meat in but that's another issue). I will definitely follow your training method and I'll bet this will be a very useful tip for me!
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 Posted By: Keltin 
Nov 8  # 5 of 9
Hey TC, do you ever check your oil temp? I know a lot of people say you shouldn’t do this, but I’ll let the oil heat for a bit, then dip my finger in water, and let 1 drop of water hit the oil. If it bubbles and pops energetically, it’s ready. Otherwise, let it heat a bit more and test again later. Just make sure you only use one drop of water!

If you don’t want to do the water trick, you can sprinkle a pinch of flour into the oil. If it begins frying, then you’re good to go, otherwise, heat the oil a bit longer and try again.