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Articles from Chef Todd Mohr | Selfgrowth.com
- It’s Angel Food Cake Hell If You Mix It Wrong! - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrNo, you’re not. You’re not looking for another Angel Food Cake recipe. The recipe really doesn’t matter as much as the procedure. So, rather than look for a new written set of instructions, how about scrutinizing the steps that professionals take in creating this fat free dessert? When you ...
Views: 3473(1 vote) - Your Butter Cake Recipes Will Fail Without The Creaming Method - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrButter cake recipes will always be disappointing if you don’t use the correct mixing method. While most people blame the oven for cake faults, the problem is not in the baking. The most common cake faults stem from mistakes made during mixing. Mixing methods are the most important step in ...
Views: 3169(1 vote) - The Best and Easiest Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipes Anyone Can Master - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrDo you think you need a pasta sauce recipe to make a great pasta dinner tonight? I promise you that if you learn three of the most commonly used (and so called) culinary mother sauces, you will be creating all kinds of dishes with a never-ending variety of options. You might even find a new ...
Views: 2881(15 votes) - How To Cut Vegetables Using The Tip Fulcrum Method - by Submitted on Aug 16, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrI know how to cut vegetables. Trust me, I do. Early in my career I was a lowly prep cook. I was part of a very large system, at a very large kitchen, that fed 15,000 people TWICE a day! My job was to cut vegetables, all day every day. I did this for months! From six in the morning to five ...
Views: 2140(2 votes) - Why Do They Call Them Mother Sauces? - by Submitted on Sep 07, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrThe concept of having Mother Sauces from which to create most other sauces is a relatively new concept. Sauces have been used in cooking just about as long as fire has. Sauces in French cuisine date back to the middle ages. In those days, sauces were used to hide the bad texture and flavor of ...
Views: 2121 - Cake Mixing Like the Pros with the Two-Stage Method - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrCake mixing techniques are always more important than cake baking temperatures. I demonstrated this in an earlier blog by using a butter cake recipe to demonstrate the creaming method. This method combines butter and sugar to trap air, then uses egg yolks to form an emulsification. The ...
Views: 1825(1 vote) - The Eight Steps of How To Braise from Culinary College - by Submitted on May 23, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrKnowing how to braise is a cooking skill that’s widely misunderstood. Knowing WHAT to braise is even more confusing to most home cooks. Now, it’s time to end any confusion about this ignored way of cooking because I’m presenting the information to tomorrow’s chefs at culinary college. Our ...
Views: 1823(12 votes) - Cook Simply and Easily with Fresh Ingredients Delivered to Your Door - by Submitted on Aug 17, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrDo you want to cook simply and still ensure that your kitchen is only producing healthy meals? Then you are going to love the idea that I'm going to share with you today. I just received my first produce box! This produce box is filled with healthy, fresh ingredients that practically guarantee ...
Views: 1769(1 vote) - Cook Green Beans in Advance and Keep Their Vitamins Intact - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrWhen you cook green beans this holiday season, will you open a can of condensed soup and let the beans bake for hours? Most people do. Baking vegetables over a long period of time reduces their nutrient value. Plus, if you are trying to have a stress-free holiday cooking experience, you’re ...
Views: 1562(1 vote) - A Consomme Recipe That You’ll Never Try - by Submitted on Oct 04, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrI’ll admit it. You’ll never try this consommé recipe. Even my students in culinary college will make it once and probably never again. I try to bring you the best aspects of cooking and make it simple. But, there’s no way to make this clear and flavorful broth easily. It’s a professional ...
Views: 1557(1 vote) - Pumpkin Tarts Means Fall Food Starts! - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrPumpkin tarts are always the first thing I make when I have access to the fresh ingredients of Fall. I know it’s time to start enjoying Fall foods when the colorful assortment of squash come to my local farmers market. However, I see the wrinkled brow of concern and confusion on shoppers ...
Views: 1466(25 votes) - Dig Deep For The Best Clam Chowder and Stuffed Clams - by Submitted on Jun 10, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrClam digging is a tradition in my family. I grew up on the water, and had my own boat shortly after my first bicycle. It’s an activity that not only yields fantastic fresh ingredients for cooking, but a family activity that everyone enjoys. It’s one thing to buy fresh fish; it’s another to ...
Views: 1460(1 vote) - 10 minutes to change your cooking without any experience at all! - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrIt’s time to eliminate the idea that you have in your head that you don’t know how to cook and possibly can’t even learn how to cook! In fact, I say that you already have some cooking knowledge and I’m going to prove it to you. How? Well, you are eating something at home right? We all have to ...
Views: 1458(33 votes) - 10 Romantic Dinner Ideas From a Chef Who Loves His Wife - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrIt’s easy for me to share 10 romantic dinner ideas with you, because I cook this way almost every night. I only cook what I’m inspired to create, and my wife, Heather has always been the muse behind my creativity, from culinary college until today. The most romantic meals have three ...
Views: 1441(13 votes) - Why Poaching Fish is Better Than Boiling - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2012 from Chef Todd Mohr“What has less flavor than water?” I pose the question to my cooking college class. Nothing! Nothing has less flavor than water. If you’re thinking about poaching fish, chicken, or eggs, why not ADD flavor to the final result by cooking them in a flavorful liquid? That’s the first rule of ...
Views: 1433 - Number One Chef Secret Will Change Your Cooking Forever! - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrHave you ever wondered how a chef can be told to cook with a few ingredients and they can pull together a dish without using a cookbook? How is that possible? It’s possible because there are chef secrets that we use in cooking every day. They’re the same chef secrets that I teach in my online ...
Views: 1394(1 vote) - 7 Tips for Healthy Eating at Home - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrI’ve devised my 7 Tips for Healthy Eating at Home because I feel like crap. What the heck is going on? I’m a healthy guy, I’m not overweight. I exercise more than most people. I was the Executive Chef at a large hospital, so I know about nutrition and I can cook. Why do I feel lousy? Why ...
Views: 1382(11 votes) - Stock vs Broth Makes All The Difference - by Submitted on Aug 23, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrThe best soups and sauces are made from intensely flavored liquids. The question of stock vs broth must be considered when making either of these kitchen staples. What is the difference between the two? Why are they different? What effect will either have on my cooking? A stock is a ...
Views: 1367(1 vote) - 9 Steps to Great Low Carb Cooking From Home - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrYou don’t need a written recipe to achieve great low carb cooking from home. One basic cooking method and the ingredients YOU desire are all it takes. Earlier this week, I showed you a low carb chicken recipe using sauté method. Today’s inspiration will follow the same procedure with ...
Views: 1365(7 votes) - The Farmer’s Secret to Growing Tomatoes in Winter - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrThe trees are bare, the ground is frozen, and if you want the best and freshest ingredients, where are do you go? Well, there is someone growing tomatoes in the winter! If you understand the science of cooking and you want the freshest ingredients even when they’re out of season, then you’re in ...
Views: 1345(4 votes) - Roll Out Cookies For Santa The Right Way! - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrI’d be worried if I made cookies for Santa and he didn’t eat them. What would that mean? Was I too naughty this year for him to even take a bite? Or, is Santa expecting more from me than stale cookies from the store? Santa expects cookies from scratch and I’ve let him down in past years. ...
Views: 1341(1 vote) - Easy Cooking Ideas a Recipe Book Will Never Tell You - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrIf you’re looking for easy cooking ideas, stop searching in recipe books! Instead, look at your cooking basics. One of the best basic cooking methods to employ for quick dishes is stove-top sauté. Sauté is a direct source, conductive cooking method that uses intense heat to cook and brown ...
Views: 1330(1 vote) - Are You Cooking Meals from a Broken Cookbook - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd Mohr“Burn your recipes!” If you’ve been following me for any amount of time now, you’ve heard me utter that statement time and time again. It’s not that I’m entirely against using recipes for home cooking, it’s more because I see cooking meals as a personal art form or your kitchen culinary ...
Views: 1323(1 vote) - Cooking With Steam and Gin Blossoms - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrI’ve said it before, “the Food Network is the MTV of cooking.” MTV used to play music, now they’re entertainment about music. Food Network is entertainment about food. They don’t teach anyone to cook. Last week, I was listening to my favorite band, The Gin Blossoms on my iPod while cooking ...
Views: 1315(8 votes) - Brining Turkey is Better Than Burning Down Your House - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrBrining turkey is my favorite way to prepare my holiday turkey. People’s biggest fear is that their turkey will be dry after cooking it. This is a reasonable fear, because “roasting” is a dry-heat convective cooking process. When roasted, your turkey is cooked indirectly through the use of ...
Views: 1302(1 vote) - Cooking Brown Rice Methods – Which do you choose? - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrWhen you’re cooking brown rice, does it come out mushy or lumpy? When you follow the brown rice instructions, do you get inconsistent results? Despite what everyone on the internet says, there is more than one way to achieve firm but fluffy results when cooking brown rice. All the brown ...
Views: 1291(1 vote) - Summer Cooking: Cooking Shrimp for Unlimited Uses - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrCooking shrimp at home is a wonderful, casual alternative to a night out at a restaurant. But that's only if you know how to handle shrimp and produce those beautiful professional results yourself. Unfortunately, most people have trouble with shrimp for a couple of reasons. First, there is the ...
Views: 1282(2 votes) - Are You Missing The 5 Benefits of Simple Cooking? - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrSimple cooking is the best cooking. There, I said it for the 1000th time! No matter where I travel, no matter to whom I speak, those people and cultures that know good food say the same thing. In Paris, the spice store shared his incredibly simple secret to eating healthy, “Simple things are ...
Views: 1279(1 vote) - Easy Healthy Recipes Left on My Doorstep! - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrWant to make some easy healthy recipes and ensure that your kitchen is only producing healthy cooking? Then you are going to love the idea that I’m going to share with you today. I just received my first Produce Box! The Produce Box is filled with healthy, fresh ingredients that practically ...
Views: 1278(3 votes) - How We Fry In a Pan at Cooking College - by Submitted on May 17, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrYou can fry in a pan or sauté on the stove top, but knowing the differences between the two methods is an important lesson in cooking college. There are big differences between the basic cooking methods of Pan Frying and Sauté, but most people think they’re the same. Heat is transferred to ...
Views: 1266 - Ethnic Profiling Is The Key to Cooking With Spices - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrCooking with spices is an aspect of cooking that frustrates many people. The questions I receive all highlight a confusion over which spices to buy, how to use them, and how much of them to use. All of those questions can be answered with a simple change in thinking. Use ethnic ...
Views: 1265(7 votes) - Summer Cooking: The Simple Steps for Cooking Perfect Steak - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrCooking perfect steak might mean different things to different people, but by using the same - very simple procedure, everyone can achieve their own personal definition of perfection right on their own BBQ grill. The process begins with choosing and preparing your own beef tenderloin and ends ...
Views: 1263(18 votes) - Fast Dinner Ideas From Your Kitchen Cabinet - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrFast dinner ideas come from the combination of quick cooking methods and the ingredients you have on hand. Planning and cooking meals for your family can be frustrating when you depend on written recipes that command specific ingredients. Sometimes you have the items, sometimes you don’t. ...
Views: 1256(5 votes) - A Quick Dinner Recipe Frees You From the Kitchen Faster - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrStir Fry is the best way to create your own quick dinner recipe using ingredients you have on hand. It’s also a great way to create healthy meals using fresh ingredients and free yourself from the kitchen faster than following a written recipe would ever allow. In the video that accompanies ...
Views: 1241(17 votes) - Why this Vegetable Lasagna Recipe Changes Everything. - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrA Vegetable Lasagna recipe is easy to find on the internet. Everyone will have you cooking dry sheets of pasta, letting them cool correctly, then wrestling with the limp, soggy, wet sheets to create a layered Italian dish. I’ve taken a long hard look at lasagnas and I think something ...
Views: 1239(1 vote) - Christmas Dinner Ideas Start with Appetizers Too Fancy For You. - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrChristmas dinner ideas come easy. Turkey, Ham, or Beef with potatoes and vegetables. However, how you START your meal can be a more perplexing problem. There are infinite choices of holiday appetizers to choose from. How do you find the right recipe? You don’t FIND the right recipe, you ...
Views: 1231(1 vote) - A Great Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipe by Burning Peppers? How? - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrA great Thanksgiving appetizer recipe can be the start of any reason to celebrate. Whether a holiday dinner, birthday, or weekend party, offering attractive and delicious yet simple appetizers can get any gathering off to a great start. Appetizers, or “hors d Oeuvres” are small bites of food ...
Views: 1230(1 vote) - How To Make Homemade Sauces Like The Pros - by Submitted on Aug 29, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrProfessional Chefs know how to make homemade sauces using basic cooking methods, not written instructions. That’s why you won’t see a truly skilled cook run for a recipe when they need a sauce. Empowered with HOW to make a sauce, they don’t need a recipe to say WHAT to put in it. A good ...
Views: 1230 - Does Your Holiday Stuffing Recipe Have The Right Stuff? - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrI don’t think I’ve ever used a holiday stuffing recipe. That’s not to say I’ve never made a dressing for turkey, I’ve had to make it for 15,000 people! Imagine trying to follow a recipe for 15,000 people. Would it say “15,000 pinches of salt”? I’ve been urging people to “cook like a ...
Views: 1226(1 vote) - What is Demi Glace? - by Submitted on Sep 14, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrWhat is Demi Glace? It’s only the most indispensible ingredient for making brown sauces. Professional chefs know that the secret to making rich and flavorful gravies for beef, veal, lamb or game lies in the few simple steps needed to make their sauces pop. Demi Glace uses one of the mother ...
Views: 1221 - Stuck for Christmas Dinner Ideas? Try Potatoes Anna - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrChristmas dinner ideas are harder to come by than any other holiday menu. Most people have deep traditions when it comes to their Thanksgiving table, but Christmas presents a great opportunity to try new things, new ideas for the coming new year. Let’s start with starch. Potatoes are high ...
Views: 1212(1 vote) - How to Steam Food in Culinary College - by Submitted on Apr 06, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrWelcome back to culinary college! Today’s lesson is How To Steam Food. I’m glad you are punctual to class because you’ll want every minute of this four and one half hour lecture and laboratory class. The students at Stratford University in Baltimore aspire to careers as professional ...
Views: 1209(1 vote) - The Turkey Gravy Thickener that Grandma Ignored - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrMy Grandmother used cornstarch to make turkey gravy. My Mother inherited this procedure of dissolving cornstarch in water to thicken the drippings. Well, this generational laziness stops here! If your family is like mine, your elders will be sliding the roasting pan from the oven in a few ...
Views: 1209(1 vote) - Do it Yourself -4 Steps to Copycat Restaurant Recipes. - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrI have a friend that plays guitar. He can hear a song and figure out how to play it. This has always impressed me. I watch him intently listening to the song, nodding his head, humming a bit, and then his fingers go to work. The left hand forms chords, the right strums or picks at the ...
Views: 1208(1 vote) - How To Create a 6 Course French Dinner Without Recipes - by Submitted on May 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrWould you break into a sweat if you had to create a 6 course French dinner for friends? Most people would, it can be intimidating cooking for other people. What makes this cooking stress even greater is trying to follow written recipes. Cooking is fun. Referring back-and-forth to written ...
Views: 1202(1 vote) - Holiday Fun with Brown Sugar Ham Glaze and a Blowtorch - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrMaking your own brown sugar ham glaze is so simple that you won’t need to buy a commercially prepared sweet-baked ham this year. You can save money by buying, baking, and glazing your own ham this holiday season. Brining Turkey is Better Than Burning Down Your House was my advice for people ...
Views: 1201(1 vote) - Whats the Best Way For Cooking Brown Rice? - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrCooking brown rice can be very confusing if you pay attention to a written recipe or package instructions. There’s more than one way to cook brown rice, just like there’s more than one way to cook chicken, beef, or vegetables. Brown rice is whole-grain rice that is less processed than white ...
Views: 1198(2 votes) - Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution IS The War On Drugs - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrI’m not sure why Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution has returned to television. Does the former Naked Chef want to cure obesity? Does he want to reduce diabetes? Does he want to remove additives from our food? Is it fat? Is it sugar? Is it children? Is it adults? Is it a war on drugs? Why ...
Views: 1194(2 votes) - Catch a Taco Fish, One of the Quick Dishes for Everyday Cooking - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2011 from Chef Todd MohrIf you could cook like me and create quick dishes every night of the week, you’d never need a recipe book. Without a recipe book, you’d never need to stress about dinner. It’s the written recipe that causes so much anxiety about preparing family dinners. Are you always trying to figure out ...
Views: 1190(1 vote) - This Chicken Kiev Recipe Was Invented in Culinary Arts School - by Submitted on Apr 12, 2012 from Chef Todd MohrMost home cooks would begin searching cookbooks for a Chicken Kiev recipe that met their tastes, cooking skill, and ingredients on hand. This is most often a time consuming task. Actually, it takes MORE time just to find the recipe that it would to cook this stuffed chicken entrée. In ...
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