Cooking for Guys - getting started.

I am what is known as a professional cook. All that means is I get paid to cook. So I decided I'm going to start posting some recipes, and cooking tips. Most of these are directed towards guys, not men, or gentlemen, just guys. They will be stuff that you make late at night, or when a bunch of guys get together and hang out. A lot are going to be like how Buffalo Wings were said to be invented. You look in the fridge or in the pantry and see what you have.

One thing you may notice as I go along is that I like using gadgets. In my life I've owned a George Forman Grill, a rice cooker, a bread maker, a quesadilla maker, a food dryer, a couple of coffee machines, a food processor, a sandwich maker, and some more gadgets I like to play with. I also had access to a griddle, grill pan that covered 2 stove top burners, and you flip over to have either a flat surface or the grill lines. My brother had one of the Magic Bullets, which also is a great item for drinks.

As far as actual pots and pans, and utensils, I have a couple of items beyond the typical things you have around the kitchen.

I have an egg pan, it is an 8 inch pan that is only used for making eggs, fried, scrambled, and omelettes. I do not put it in the dish washer. I do not use any harsh scrubbing material. I do not use metal utensils or scrubbers on it. I use rubber spatulas and plastic coated utensils. I do my best to not scratch the surface so it is non-stick. The one I have now has the non-stick coating, but I've also used cast iron, aluminum, and stainless steel. Each if taken care of keep a good non-stick surface. I've also gotten to use one of the new green pans, they are worth the price but like any other you have to take care of it.

I have a wok. I use this for stir fry obviously, for regular pan cooking, for hot oil frying, for making pop-corn, and for steaming. A good wok can be one of the most versatile pans you can have.

I also have a professional quality chef's knife. I bought this at a store that only sold knives. I got one that felt right to me, was comfortable in my hand. It is an 8 inch blade on it. I also have a block set of knives with a serrated blade, a 12 inch cooks knife, a filet knife, a paring knife, and a utility knife. The only other knife I use is a cleaver. For that I have a Chinese cleaver as I enjoy using that for more aggressive chopping and splitting meats like ribs, and chicken, into pieces.

A couple of utensils I have and use are high temperature rubber spatulas and a couple of sets of tongs.

You don't need any of these items, they are just things I've picked up through the years, because I enjoy cooking. At work I need to follow directions, so at home, and even for my own meals, I like to be creative. As I post more of these posts, I will occasionally feature one of them, as I will also feature a certain ingredient, or cooking style, or item. In my mind I've already started thinking of a post about ramen noodles, and pizza, among other topics. If you have any suggestions, make sure to leave comments so I can either respond to them directly, or take them into consideration for a future post.