"Lucy" > wrote in message
. com...

Lucy, first of all, as other have already said - good for you for trying
this! It isn't going to all turn out great the first time, but then, that's
the whole idea, right - to learn? Sounds like the asparagus and
spinach were just fine, so it's just the chicken that needs a little work.
Two out of three isn't bad at all!

Now...
>
> -boneless skinless chicken breasts that were raw (yes, raw!) in the
middle,
> with burned garlic, and little onions. I put plenty of olive oil in the
pan,
> and yet when I lifted them to turn them over.. I ripped some of the flesh
> off, as it stuck to the pan. haha

You've already heard from others that this sounds like a case of
a too-hot pan, so I won't repeat that. Here again is where a
thermometer, at least initially, may be of some help (at least so that
you don't take chicken off the heat while still raw in the middle), but
eventually this will get to be one of those times when you really won't
find much use for the thermometer. Garlic is also a bit tricky, as it
DOES burn easily - and even when it doesn't burn, garlic changes
its flavor when cooked, so you may want to change the order of
things or at least add to it.

What I'd recommend for something like this is to start with the
olive oil (or whatever oil you like, really) over medium heat, and
adding minced garlic, onions, shallots, etc. first. Should the
garlic burn right away, the oil is definitely too hot - remember,
MEDIUM heat. What should happen is that these items will
sizzle a bit and start to release a very nice aroma; the onions
will turn soft and translucent. This should only take a couple of
minutes, tops. At this point, add the chicken breasts (seasoned,
right?) and keep an eye on things. Make sure nothing is sticking
- you can shake the pan a bit, or lift the chicken a little bit to
make sure. Flip the meat as needed to get it to cook nice
and evenly, browning both sides as you like.

Now, one more thing re the garlic - adding garlic up front like
this, and letting it cook with the chicken the whole time, generally
does NOT give you much in the way of what you might think
of as "garlic flavor". As garlic cooks, it gets sweet and nutty,
as opposed to staying "hot"; if you want the sharper "fresh
garlic" flavor AND the more subtle cooked garlic taste, then
you can just add a bit more minced garlic at the end, just before
you remove the chicken from the heat.


> -spinach leaves, but only one serving. Who knew it would shrink so much? I
> am tempted to email the FDA and ask them to require manufacturers to put
on
> the package: WARNING: Shrinkage does occur, and all the viagra in the
world
> isn't going to correct this.

ROTFL...

Yes, spinach is amazing stuff in this regard. A huge pile of
fresh spinach shrinks to virtually nothing, and quickly; it's also
one of those things that's very easy to overcook. When steaming
spinach or cooking it in oil or whatever, it's good to do that
just before you're ready to serve the meal - put the spinach
onto the heat, and then it's ready pretty much as soon as it's
wilted. If you're sauteeing it in olive oil, as you did (and by the
way, it sounds great - cooking to your tastebuds is just fine!),
it's roughly "add the spinach, turn to coat with the oil, hey it's
DONE!".


Bob M.

"Bob Myers" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Lucy" > wrote in message
> . com...
>
> Lucy, first of all, as other have already said - good for you for trying
> this! It isn't going to all turn out great the first time, but then,
> that's
> the whole idea, right - to learn? Sounds like the asparagus and
> spinach were just fine, so it's just the chicken that needs a little work.
> Two out of three isn't bad at all!
>
> Now...
>>
>> -boneless skinless chicken breasts that were raw (yes, raw!) in the
> middle,
>> with burned garlic, and little onions. I put plenty of olive oil in the
> pan,
>> and yet when I lifted them to turn them over.. I ripped some of the flesh
>> off, as it stuck to the pan. haha
>
> You've already heard from others that this sounds like a case of
> a too-hot pan, so I won't repeat that. Here again is where a
> thermometer, at least initially, may be of some help (at least so that
> you don't take chicken off the heat while still raw in the middle), but
> eventually this will get to be one of those times when you really won't
> find much use for the thermometer. Garlic is also a bit tricky, as it
> DOES burn easily - and even when it doesn't burn, garlic changes
> its flavor when cooked, so you may want to change the order of
> things or at least add to it.

Bob.. Thanks. Ya, the garlic was really gross! heh..

> What I'd recommend for something like this is to start with the
> olive oil (or whatever oil you like, really) over medium heat, and
> adding minced garlic, onions, shallots, etc. first. Should the
> garlic burn right away, the oil is definitely too hot - remember,
> MEDIUM heat. What should happen is that these items will
> sizzle a bit and start to release a very nice aroma; the onions
> will turn soft and translucent. This should only take a couple of
> minutes, tops. At this point, add the chicken breasts (seasoned,
> right?) and keep an eye on things. Make sure nothing is sticking
> - you can shake the pan a bit, or lift the chicken a little bit to
> make sure. Flip the meat as needed to get it to cook nice
> and evenly, browning both sides as you like.

My stove is gas, and the flame was pretty low.. I think I'll get it
eventually thru trial and error.. (but the trials and the errors really bug
me!) ..
seasoned? I keep my seasonings in the salt shaker <grin>
Nah, I'm kidding, although I haven't had to explain that to you
I have seasonings.. but didn't know what would taste good on the chicken, so
I left it plain. Glad I didn't waste any now.. as the dog got the chicken
breasts. How do you do chicken breasts?

>
> Now, one more thing re the garlic - adding garlic up front like
> this, and letting it cook with the chicken the whole time, generally
> does NOT give you much in the way of what you might think
> of as "garlic flavor". As garlic cooks, it gets sweet and nutty,
> as opposed to staying "hot"; if you want the sharper "fresh
> garlic" flavor AND the more subtle cooked garlic taste, then
> you can just add a bit more minced garlic at the end, just before
> you remove the chicken from the heat.
>
>
>> -spinach leaves, but only one serving. Who knew it would shrink so much?
>> I
>> am tempted to email the FDA and ask them to require manufacturers to put
> on
>> the package: WARNING: Shrinkage does occur, and all the viagra in the
> world
>> isn't going to correct this.
>
> ROTFL...
>
> Yes, spinach is amazing stuff in this regard. A huge pile of
> fresh spinach shrinks to virtually nothing, and quickly; it's also
> one of those things that's very easy to overcook. When steaming
> spinach or cooking it in oil or whatever, it's good to do that
> just before you're ready to serve the meal - put the spinach
> onto the heat, and then it's ready pretty much as soon as it's
> wilted. If you're sauteeing it in olive oil, as you did (and by the
> way, it sounds great - cooking to your tastebuds is just fine!),
> it's roughly "add the spinach, turn to coat with the oil, hey it's
> DONE!".
>
THAT is where I screwed up. Oh man, Bob.. lol
I dumped the bag of spinach in there, and kept stirring.. and I'd go off and
do something else, and come back and stir.. and stir.. and watched it
disappear right before my eyes. Kinda like watching Fabio morph into Barney
Fife or something..
I'm going to gear up and try again this weekend sometime.. Thanks!
lucy

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 03:15:34 GMT, "Lucy" > wrote:

>I'm going to gear up and try again this weekend sometime.. Thanks!
>lucy

Lucy, I am going to recommend another book for you.

Learning to Cook With Marion Cunningham.

She got the inspiration for this book, from her classes on teaching
adults how to cook. I find it very readable, and the instructions are
incredibly clear.
The recipes are great as well.

Christine

"Christine Dabney" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 03:15:34 GMT, "Lucy" > wrote:
>
>>I'm going to gear up and try again this weekend sometime.. Thanks!
>>lucy
>
> Lucy, I am going to recommend another book for you.
>
> Learning to Cook With Marion Cunningham.
>
> She got the inspiration for this book, from her classes on teaching
> adults how to cook. I find it very readable, and the instructions are
> incredibly clear.
> The recipes are great as well.
>
> Christine
Christine,
Thanks! I'll get it. I tried to find another one at Barnes and Noble and
couldn't.. so I'm going to just look for this one on good ole amazon.com..
tomorrow. bedtime for bonzo soon.
lucy