Have you ever wished you could sit down with one of the stars of the Food Network and quiz them on their top cooking tips? Well we grilled Jackson’s own Chef Irv Miller for his expert advice and insider tips on some of the most common culinary queries. This is the first in a series, so stay tuned.
Want to know more? Leave a comment with your own culinary question and Chef Irv will pick one to answer next week!
- When using salt, do you recommend sea salt, iodized salt or Kosher salt? Are there different uses for each?
I recommend Kosher Salt. It’s what I use at the restaurant and at home. Kosher salt is coarse and to easy control when seasoning a dish with your fingertips – it’s easy to just grab a pinch! It is additive free and reasonably priced. Due to iodized salt having a finer grain, it dissolves much more quickly – I would use this type of salt to season pasta water and as a measured baking ingredient. Sea Salt, though pure in form, can be trendy and expensive due to the drying process.
- Do you need to rinse pasta with water while straining?
If you are using pasta directly out of the pot, then there is no need to cool or rinse it. If you are preparing pasta for later use, boil it in lightly salted water until al dente. When done, strain it and transfer into a container with ice water, stirring well to cool completely. When completely cool, drain the water and transfer the cooled pasta to a storage container. Coat the pasta with a liberal amount of olive oil to keep it from sticking together. Store it in the refrigerator until needed. To reheat, dip the pasta into boiling water for 30 seconds
| Share | Grill the Chef (continues): Culinary Tips from Chef Irv Miller of Jackson’s Steakhouse |
