I recently roasted my first chicken. It was a disaster. I was so terribly worried I'd dry out the chicken (as you read about so often) that I undercooked our bird to the point where it was barely edible. Frustrated because I'd read and referenced so many recipes, I decided maybe I just wasn't meant to roast a great chicken. And then I talked to a friend who encouraged me to try again, a different way.
Before I began food writing, I was an English teacher, so I'm well aware of the fact that there are all different kinds of learners out there. Some of us are visual learners while others must go through the motions of a new skill on their own to really get it. After my failed attempt, I now have a theory that roasting a chicken might just be one of those skills you need to see before you understand how to "get it" on your own. While it's not difficult to prepare, I think it is difficult to understand when the chicken is done — what the breast feels like, how the leg should jiggle just so, what the juices look like when the bird is perfectly cooked. I could've read a million different recipes and still be left standing by the oven, confused.
For Attempt #2, everything went beautifully. My friend Olaiya walked me through the whole process visually and now I feel like I could teach anyone how to perfectly roast a chicken at this point. I just needed to see it done right before me. Making pie dough is another skill that's much like roasting a chicken: it's nice to have someone walk you through how exactly the dough should feel when the butter's fully incorporated. Learning to properly cook a steak, how to use a grill, or trimming and pruning vegetables in the garden are other skills that I find necessary to witness first before simply googling a "how-to" piece.
What kind of learner are you? Do you find that there are certain kitchen skills that are just necessary to learn by seeing someone else do them versus reading numerous cookbooks or manuals?
Related: What New Cooking Skills Do You Want to Learn This Year?
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I am the exact same way about roasting chicken. Unfortunately, I don't have anyone around to show me how to do it, so I've stubbornly put it on the menu again for next week in the hope of just figuring it out myself through trial and error.
I usually have to make some mistakes the first time, but the second time I'm golden -- if I haven't frustrated myself to the point of not trying something for a second time.
I have a habit of doing it right the first time and wrong the second. lol! On the bright side, I learn from my mistakes. Practice makes perfect, right?
I dive right in to whatever the task may be. If I have no idea what I'm doing, I'll read something or watch a video first. Experience is generally the best teacher, so I just go for it. If it fails, I'm out some food. No biggie.
Tangentially related, I need to trust recipes LESS. I bake a lot, and know what I'm doing in most cases. I doubt my own skills when I think something seems hinky. (Bake time, amount of liquid, etc.)
Absolutely agreed. Looked at a recipe yesterday. thought to myself.... nooooot so sure that's going to work. And it didn't. Luckily I had enough skills to salvage it, but it was touch-and-go for a while, and I should have trusted my intuition the first time.
I learn in many different ways, but mostly by doing. I too roasted a chicken for the first time ever a few weeks ago. My roommate had purchased an in-oven thermometer which I tried to use but frustrated me to no end. I chose to trust Julia Child instead, who offered no internal temperature suggestions and instead said to look for clear juices and the absence of pinkness. Nearly perfect result, despite two hours of freakout.
For me, the recipes that I understand best describe what you're looking for. Shaggy doughs, small bubbles, shimmering oils, golden color. I use all my senses in the kitchen. Oven temps and times are great, but if you tell me that it it will smell like caramel when it's nearly done, or a few drops will firm up no a cold plate, I can do it.
But nothing beats being shown in person.
I am a total visual learner. When I mastered pie crust, it was because someone walked through it with me and pointed out what it should look like at each stage. Same thing for caramelizing onions, whipping cream and egg whites, biscuits, poached eggs... I could go on.
For things where I don't have someone to guide me, I go by trial and error with the help of videos and pictures. I eventually figure most things out, but it takes longer and there are more failures along the way (hello, wheat bread, caramel, and any kind of oven-roasted meat).
RumAGoGo, I totally feel you on trusting recipes less! In any field, it's mastering the basics and feeling confident in those that really allows creativity and improvisation to flourish.
I don't mean to patronize, but roasting a whole chicken is exactly as simple as it sounds. The genius of Thomas Keller is to be trusted here. You can complicate a roasted chicken to no end (stuffing, trussing, etc), but don't start there. Rinse and dry the bird WELL (in fact, let it sit out for a bit to get the skin as dry as possible). Salt and pepper inside and out, and put it in a 450 degree oven for an hour. Take it out, and give one leg a wiggle. It should feel like a handshake, no wiggle along the bone. Slice into the skin at the leg joint, to be sure that the juices run clear. Don't open the oven, oil the bird, or check it's temperature often.
That's it. Crisp skin, moist, juicy meat, even at the breast. What more can you want?? It's all of 10 minutes of prep!
Here's the full explanation: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Simple-Roast-Chicken-231348
I learn by experimenting:-) Have you tried slow roasting your chicken? It takes a long time, but it is worthwhile for a special Sunday night dinner..... the meat comes out so tender that you can even chew without teeth:-) http://7th-taste.com/2011/01/01/provencal-rotisserie-chicken-rose-wine-from-bandol-provence/
I like pictures! Martha Stewart's Cooking School book is great for me because she shows you pictures. I do wish someone was there holding my hand but my parents are both self taught (my mom just throws things in a pan, my dad is a little more exact) and my boyfriend is just learning how to cook. So I like recipes that are very specific and with pictures...I have been known to look up a certain technique (like rolling out pie dough!) on You Tube
I'm like Rum A Go Go, I just jump in and do it. I might watch some videos online just to get the basic feeling of it, but overall I just do it and hope for the best. I'd say 90% of the time it turns out.
As with most skills, cooking is best learned by doing. I'm a bit obsessive, and will cook the same dish over and over until I am satisfied with the results. It helps to start with an idea of how a dish should taste and look, so I think that developing one's palate by eating well and widely is a good start.
With a detailed recipe (think Marcella Hazan) I get along fine. It's all there in the words.
Whole chickens are tough to work with because they are not uniform and have meats which cook better to different internal temps. Spatchcocking really helps and is easy (use scissors to cut out the backbone, then flatten the chicken). This allows a more even cook time for the entire bird and as a bonus, it cuts the cook time by over half. Spatchcock a chicken video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr9eqIp6rbI
If you need to roast whole, You really should truss the chicken as Michael Ruhlman does: http://ruhlman.com/2010/07/how-to-truss-a-chicken/ - Don't get me wrong, I love Thomas Keller, but on this I find that trussing allows for a more even and predictable cook.
One more thing - Brining is up to you, I prefer not to brine. It's personal taste.
Re. roast chicken:
Preheat oven and roasting pan (pyrex is good, no need for a rack) to HOT
Meanwhile, gut and prep chicken (add aromatics and seasoning of choice), allow it to come to room temp.
Roast for 18 mins per 500g, plus additional 18 mins
I like to roast mine on its side, turning onto the other side just before half way through cooking time, and finishing it breast down.
Rest your roasted chicken for half an hour breast down too, and it will be moist and juicy all the way through. Deglaze pan juices to serve on the side.
@Kris K: Good for you! Put on some good music and have good faith in yourself!
@Alannah: Thanks, Alannah. Good tips! You're right: it's not difficult. BUT I was a vegetarian for most of my adult life, so I'm missing out on a lot of that meat intuition and always feel skittish that chicken is not quite done. I'm getting better though. Thanks for your tips!
@Diane Lee I haven't tried slow-roasting a chicken, Diane, but now I'm curious! Will look into this recipe further. Thanks so much for chiming in.
When I first started cooking on my own and using recipes, I was a scientist...no literally I was a scientist. I followed the recipe just like I would a lab manual and learned the hard way that was not the way to cook when my food always turned out bland. If you watch cooking shows, you see that they say a teaspoon when they are clearly putting in a tablespoon. So what I learned is to apply my naturally inherited gift of taste and follow recipes with a grain of salt. I both learn through reading the recipes and watching techniques on shows, but the best is experience. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.