Mark Bittman is our go-to source for quick, nutritious recipes without a lot of fussy ingredients or techniques. Lifehacker interviewed him this week about his minimalist cooking philosophy and he mentioned a few time-saving hints that surprised us.
He says minced garlic is unnecessary for most recipes, and is based on the French idea that garlic should disappear into the final dish. Garlic chopped into rough pieces is fine. The same goes for herbs, which he thinks taste better when chopped in larger pieces rather than finely minced.
He recommends keeping knives sharp, but don't worry about mise en place. And always start a pot of water boiling whether or not you plan on using it, since having it handy makes it easy to parboil ingredients and finish them quickly in a saute pan.
The interview also includes his favorite kitchen gadgets and his thoughts on the higher costs of local, organic ingredients, discussed as always in his straightforward, approachable manner.
Read the article:
• Mark Bittman on Saving Time and Avoiding Headaches in the Kitchen
Are you a fan of Mark Bittman's recipes and cooking style?
Related: In The Kitchen: What Takes You The Most Time?
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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I always chop garlic--fairly finely, because I don't like chunks too big, but still a fast chop rather than a mince. And the mise depends entirely on the recipe. If everything goes into one bowl or pan from the get-go, then I'll measure straight into that. If a middle step requires several ingredients in quick succession I'll prep them into individual step groups.
Bittman doesn't talk about how he manages to fish out a series of veggies from constantly boiling water.
I'm sure the pot of boiling water has its place for some recipes, but it doesn't seem like a very good tip if you rarely ever need it. It also seems a bit wasteful. Planning ahead might be a better tip.
Agreed, verily. Weird tip. I don't use the word "dumb" very often but...that sounds dumb. I'd rather just pop a lid on the pan I'm using to sautee if I feel the need to steam/boil the veggies in it. Then remove the lid to sear/brown/whatever.
The boiling water comment notwithstanding, I just love Mark Bittman's NYT column, and I regularly cook of out "How to cook everything vegetarian".
My style of cooking relies only vaguely on recipes. Instead, my cooking is guided by an intersection between food on hand and concepts of a final dish. I find this works well with Bittman's recipes because he is big on variations, and tells you which particular steps/ingredients are critical.
i love mark bittman, i always chop, not mince, garlic. maybe it reflects my style of cooking.
@lazy_lurker, my sentiments exactly. I love his column as well & discovered his book "How to cook everything". I watched a couple of his videos online. But, his variations are what lured me to check out his book from the library. I thought his book was only for people that don't know how to cook & quickly discovered that it has something for everyone ... newbie & seasoned cooks. Now, I MUST have it ... arghhh ... like we NEED another cookbook! LOL!
I chop my garlic. Sometimes I buy a small jar of minced garlic. Instead of putting a pot of water on to boil while cooking ... I fill one of my sinks with soapy water when cooking a full meal. This saves water since I don't have to keep turning on the faucet to clean as I go plus crusty dishes/pans can soak.
Do people not have electric kettles? With those, it doesn't take long to get boiling water if you need it.
Doddibot, I don't have an electric kettle. The only people I know who do are English, but Americans like myself tend not to have them.
I'm Canadian and lots of people up here have electric kettles.
I'm a Bittman fan and I like the boiling water idea. Since I consume so much healthy vegetarian food (like Mark), there is almost always a rice, grain, or pasta to make plus a vegetable to lightly steam.
Wasting the unused water is a choice that can easily be avoided.
I think I'll go put 2 cups of water on now :-)
i never mince garlic with a knife... that's why i have a garlic press.
otherwise i chop it or slice it, depending on the recipe.
prepping garlic is not the most time-consuming part of cooking!