Home › Chicken RecipesEasy Chicken Recipes
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Simply delicious says it all. There are so many fantastic and simple chicken recipes out there. If you’re just starting out cooking or still aren’t really confident yet, don’t make your life harder than it needs to be.

Yummy chicken and veggies

Remember, one of the keys to enjoying cooking is starting small. Master the basics first. Once you’ve done that, you can work your way up to the more complex recipes and not end up a nervous wreck.

And even if you’re a more advanced cook, there’s nothing wrong with an easy recipe!

I’ve compiled a list of easy recipes for chicken that are great for day to day cooking.

Remember though, easy doesn’t necessarily mean quick! All of these recipes are easy to follow, but some take a bit more time. And if you’re like me, some days you just don’t have a lot of time to cook.

To help you pick the right recipe for the day, I’ve split up the recipes into threecategories:

Bon appetit!

 

Regular Recipes

Quick Preparation Recipes

Quick Cooking Recipes

  • I came up with this chicken paprikash recipe to re-create the authentic Hungarian meal one of my best friends’ mom used to make when I was little. It was an instant family favorite!
HomeCooking Chicken › Chicken Pot PieWhen it starts to get cold out, an easy chicken pot pie is one of the best, most comforting meals. And it’s hard to believe that something so good could be so easy to make.

But it really is!

There are a lot of different ways to make a delicious and easy chicken pot pie, so you have a lot of flexibility. You can add and remove ingredients to make it just right for you.

So how do you make homemade chicken pot pie? Just read on. In this article, we’ll go over the ingredients that go into a chicken pot pie, and how to make a homemade chicken pot pie.

 

What Goes In A Pot Pie?

There are lots of ways to make an awesome and easy chicken pot pie. You can use different vegetables, you can have a thicker or thinner filling, and you can use cubed or shredded chicken.

But no matter how you do it, a chicken pot pie always has a few certain ingredients.

It’s a mix of chickenvegetables and seasonings in a delicious creamy sauce, and the whole thing in a crust.

Chicken

No surprises here: the main ingredient in a chicken pot pie is chicken. And the best part about making an easy chicken pot pie is that you can use all kinds of different chicken to make it.

  • Chicken Pot Pie - Chopped ChickenChicken pot pie is a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken. I always have a lot of leftovers after roasting a chicken, and I love making a homemade chicken pot pie with them.
  • If you don’t have leftovers, you can cook chicken to make your pot pie.
    • You can boil chicken until it’s cooked through. For chicken breasts or cubed chicken pieces, it might take 20 minutes or so. A whole chicken might take a little longer.
    • The nice thing about boiling is that you can use the cooking water as a broth in your cream sauce.
    • You can also bake chicken in the oven. Just place lightly seasoned chicken on a baking sheet and cook it for 30 to 40 minutes at 375F, or until it’s cooked through.
    • You could also grill or pan-fry chicken. The only reason I’d say to avoid it is that it gives the chicken a crusty outside, which might not blend in the sauce as well.

Once you have your cooked chicken, you can cut it up into cubes or chop it very finely. There’s no right size – just chop the chicken as fine or as coarse as you like it.

No matter what type of chicken you use, you’ll need about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of cubed chicken for a 9″ deep dish pie. Use a little more if you prefer a very chicken-y pot pie, and less if you’d rather have more vegetables.

  • That’s about a pound of cooked chicken, and a bit more if you’re starting with raw chicken — it loses weight as it cooks.
  • Remember, the measurements really don’t need to be exact. A chicken pot pie is super flexible, and you can add more or less chicken to suit your tastes.

Vegetables

Chicken might be the main ingredient, but most chicken pot pies have a lot of vegetables in them, too. Here are a few possibilities.

  • It’s hard to imagine a chicken pot pie without onion. You can do it, but onion adds so much flavor. You can chop it up very fine if you prefer not to have noticeable onion pieces, but you can also leave it coarse if you prefer.
  • Carrots and celery also go great in any easy chicken pot pie. You can leave them in thin slices if you like chunkier veggies, or chop them up really fine.
  • A few cloves of garlic can add a ton of flavor, too. Some other veggies you can use are peascornpearl onions, and mushrooms.
  • Another popular vegetable for an easy chicken pot pie is potatoes. Cubed bits of cooked potatoes add a bit of texture to the filling.
  • You’ll need about 3 cups of cooked vegetables for a 9 inch pie. You can easily add more or less though, to suit your tastes.

Now, before you put your vegetables into your easy chicken pot pie filling, you need to cook them. They’ll be in the oven for a while, but usually it turns out better if the vegetables have had a chance to soften a bit. Again, you have options.

  • Some veggies can be boiled for a few minutes to soften them, like carrots, celery, peas, and corn. You can boil potatoes, too, but they’ll probably take a little bit longer, up to 15 minutes for bigger chunks.
  • Some veggies are best if you saute them in a bit of oil, like mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Just heat a bit of oil over medium heat, and saute the veggies until the onions start to become translucent and soft.
  • Some veggies are good either boiled or sauteed, like carrots and celery.

Once your vegetables are cooked a bit, they’re ready for your easy chicken pot pie!

Cream Sauce

The chicken and vegetables give a lot of the flavor to our easy chicken pot pie, but we’re still missing a key element: the cream sauce.

The cream sauce is what blends the chicken and vegetables together, and it’s what makes a chicken pot pie so comforting, warm, and creamy.

Making the cream sauce isn’t hard. It’s made up of four basic ingredients: butter, flour, milk and chicken stock.

  • For a deep dish pie, you’ll need about 4 cups of cool liquids. If you’re worried, you can always add a bit more. If you have extra filling, you can always have it with toast or pastry puffs.
    • You can use any combination of milk and chicken stock for your liquids. More milk will make it creamier, and more stock will make it more flavorful. I like to use 1 1/2 cups of milk and 2 1/2 cups of stock.
    • For extra flavor, you can add a few tablespoons of white wine or sherry to the liquids.
  • You’ll need butter and flour to thicken the sauce. For each cup of liquid, try a tablespoon of butter, and two tablespoons of flour. So for four cups of liquid, that means a 1/4 of a cup of butter and half a cup of flour.

Here’s how you make it:

  1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium low heat. Add in the flour, and whisk it until it has the texture of smooth, wet sand.
  2. Let the mixture bubble for 5 or 6 minutes, until it loses the raw flour smell and starts to turn golden.
    • The longer it cooks, the less it will thicken your sauce, but it’ll give a nice, nutty flavor.
  3. Chicken Pot Pie - Cream SauceSlowly add the liquids, whisking constantly to keep the mixture smooth. It’ll thicken very quickly, and if you don’t whisk you’ll get floury lumps.
  4. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes or so, whisking occasionally to keep it smooth.

Once the cream sauce is done, you can add in your cooked chicken, vegetables and seasonings. And you’re almost done with your easy chicken pot pie!

Seasonings

The last ingredients in a delicious, easy chicken pot pie are the seasonings. I think that the best part of a homemade chicken pot pie is its simplicity, so I don’t like to add a lot of different seasonings. But there are lots of choices out there that’ll give you awesome results.

You can use salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, tarragon, celery seed, parsley, cayenne pepper… different spices will give a slightly different taste to the pie. Just use a spice that you like and you’re sure to get good results.

I recommend adding the seasonings to the filling last. Add in a bit at a time, and taste. You can always add more seasonings if you want, but it’s a lot harder to take seasonings out of your filling.

The Crust

When I think of an easy chicken pot pie, I see a traditional 2-crust pie: a crust on the bottom, the delicious creamy chicken filling, and another crust on top. But there are lots of different types of chicken pot pie. Here are a few options:

  • Some chicken pot pies don’t have a bottom crust. Just fill a large baking dish, or several small individual sized dishes, with the creamy chicken filling. Then, cover the dish with a pie crust rolled to size.
  • My favorite chicken pot pie is a 2-crust pie. Just line a baking dish with a pie crust, fill it with the chicken filling, and place another pie crust on top. Crimp the edges together, and bake!
  • Another option is to use biscuits as the crust. Just fill a dish with the homemade chicken pot pie filling, and top it with some biscuit dough.
  • Really, you can use any kind of crust-type thing you like. Phyllo pastry is another option for an easy chicken pot pie.

Notes

If you’re using pie crusts, be sure to cut some slits in the top crust for steam to vent.

How To Make A Chicken Pot Pie

Alright, we’ve been over the different elements that make up our easy chicken pot pie. Now let’s put it all together.

Here’s how to make a delicious, homemade chicken pot pie.

  1. If needed, cook the chicken. You can use lots of different cooking methods. Just check out the chicken section. Set the chicken aside.
  2. Cook your vegetables, then set them aside. Again, there are a few different cooking methods to pick from.Chicken Pot Pie - Cooking Vegetables
    • Pick a method that’s most convenient for you. If you can saute all the veggies, then you can do that in the same pan you plan to make your sauce in. But if some need to boil, why not just boil all of them, for convenience?
    • Onions usually need to be sauteed. If you plan on boiling all the other veggies, you can saute the onions in the butter, and make the cream sauce over them. It’s not my favorite method, because I feel the onions make it harder to get the sauce smooth, but it’s definitely convenient.
  3. Make the cream sauce. Just check out the cream sauce section for more instructions.
  4. Add the chicken, vegetables and seasonings to your cream sauce, and let it simmer 10 minutes or so.
  5. Line a pie plate with a pie crust. Fill it with the homemade chicken pot pie filling. Cover with a second pie crust, and crimp the edges of the crusts together.
  6. Bake in an oven preheated to 375F until the crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes or so.
  7. Let the pie cool for at least 10 minutes. The filling needs time to set a little after you take it out of the oven.

Notes

  • Sometimes, the bottom crust doesn’t get crispy — it just gets soggy from the filling. There are a few things you can do to help.
    • Pre-bake the bottom crust before adding the filling. Prick the crust with a fork to prevent it from bubbling and buckling, and then line it with foil or parchment paper. Scatter some pie weights or dried beans to keep the crust flat. Then bake it for 10 minutes or so in an oven preheated to 400F.
    • Baking the pie on the bottom rack in your oven can help, too. It’ll take longer for the top crust to brown, giving the bottom crust more time to cook through.
  • These instructions are for a 2-crust pie, but the idea is the same no matter what type of crust you use. The filling is cooked, so you only need to bake the pie until the crust is the perfect golden color you want.
  • To help the crust become a nice, rich, golden brown, there are a few tricks you can use.
    • Brush the crust with a beaten egg. It’ll give the crust a crisp, brown, shiny finish.
    • You can also brush the crust with milk or cream. You’ll get the same crisp brown color, without the shine.

And that’s how you make a yummy, easy chicken pot pie. Enjoy!

Home › Beef RecipesEasy Beef Recipes
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There are a lot of delicious ways to prepare beef. Some can be a little bit tricky, it’s true, but there are just as many easy ways of cooking beef.

This section of Enjoy How To Cook is dedicated to just that – beef recipes that anyone can make!

These recipes are perfect if you’re still learning to cook and aren’t totally comfortable in the kitchen yet. But they’re also great for a more advanced cook. I picked all these recipes because they’re easy and delicious. A simple way to make a great meal!

I’ve split up the recipes into two categories:

Enjoy!

Quick Prep Recipes

Ground Beef Recipes

  • Tourtiere is a delicious French Canadian holiday specialty. This meat pie recipe for tourtiere will show you how to make a great Christmas meal.
  • Shepherd’s pie is a nice, warm and comforting meal. And it’s very easy to make! This shepherd’s pie recipe is especially good, with deliciously seasoned meat and garlic mashed potatoes.

 

Quick Prep And Cooking Recipes

Ground Beef Recipes

  • Picadillo is a delicious Latin American dish made with tomatoes, ground beef and more. Check out this tasty and super easy picadillo recipe.
  • Hamburgers are a great treat all year round, but especially good on the grill in the summer. Check out these hamburger recipes for a delicious meal A simple barbecue hamburger recipe. Just pure beefy goodness. My favorite, the best hamburger recipe. It’s simple, but has a bit more depth to it.

Steak Recipes

  • Flank steak is a wonderfully flavorful but somewhat tough cut of beef. This flank steak recipe helps tenderize the meat with a delicious teriyaki marinade.

Marinade Recipes

› Easy Apple Crisp

When fall rolls around, there’s nothing better than an easy apple crisp for dessert. Apples are in season, and the weather’s getting cool, so what could be more perfect that a warm, delicious apple crisp?

Apple crisp is one of my favorite desserts. I love the apple filling, but the part I really love is the topping. Crispy and golden, it’s just so delicious. But the great part about apple crisp is that no matter what part you prefer, you can make an easy apple crisp that suits you.

If you like the crust, you can make it with a thicker topping. But if you like lots of filling, you can just pile a few more layers of apples in there to get it just the way you like it.

And the best part is, apple crisp is a really easy dessert to make. The longest part is slicing the apples! In this article, we’ll talk about how to make an easy apple crisp just the way you like it. We’ll start with what goes into the filling. Then, we’ll talk about making the topping. And finally, we’ll put it all together and talk about how to make apple crisp.

The Filling

The first part of an easy apple crisp is the filling. I’m calling it a filling, because it’s a lot like a pie filling — but really in an apple crisp it’s more of a bottom layer than a filling.

The filling is the apple part of the apple crisp. But to get the best possible apple crisp, you need more than just apples.

In this section, we’ll go over the different ingredients you want to include in your apple crisp filling:

Apples

No surprises here: apples are the main ingredient in an easy apple crisp! But there are a few extra things to know.

First of all, there are lots of different types of apples. And each type has its own particular characteristics:

  • Sweetness vs. tartness. Some apples are sweet, and others are tart. A mix of sweet and tart apples gives a flavor balance, but you can try out different combinations to see what you like best.

    • Keep in mind, though, that baking makes the apples sweeter. A tart apple will bake up sweet, but it’ll have a wider range of flavors. A sweet apple will become even sweeter.

  • Apple Crisp - Red ApplesFirmess vs. mushiness. Some apples stay pretty firm and keep their shape when they bake, and others can get really mushy. You can use a mix of both, if you want both textures, or you can just stick to one type. Just think about what you like best, and pick an apple that suits your tastes.

Once you’ve picked which types of apples you want to use, you need to cut them up. There are a few different ways to do it. Just pick whichever method you like best!

  • If you like, you can peel the apple. I always prefer a peeled apple for an apple crisp, but you can also try it with the peel on for little textured bits.

  • You should always core the apple. At the very least you’ll want to remove the seeds, which are very mildly poisonous. But the seed casings and other parts of the core can have an odd taste and texture, too, so you’ll probably want to remove those as well.

  • Once your apple is peeled (if at all) and cored, you’ll want to slice it up into small parts that’ll cook up more easily.

    • You can cut the apple in quarters and then cut each quarter into 1/8 or 1/4 inch slices. The thicker the slice, the firmer it’ll stay.

    • You can also cut the apple into little half-inch or so chunks. It’ll give a slightly different texture — you’ll be able to really bite into each apple piece when you eat your apple crisp.

I prefer peeled apple slices myself, but the only way to know what you’ll like best is to experiment and see what works best for you.

Other Fruit

Even though it’s a nice, easy apple crisp, that doesn’t mean that it has to only have apples in it. Adding some other fruit to the filling can make a nice change of pace, and give your apple crisp a distinctive flavor.

Here are a few fruits that go really well in an apple crisp.

  • Cranberries. Cranberries add a nice tartness to the sweet apples. You can add a little extra sugar to the filling if you’re afraid of it being too tart.
  • Peaches or pears. Just slice them the same way you do your apples. It’ll add some sweetness, and some different flavors. Yum!
  • Dried fruit. You can also add different dried fruit to the filling, for some extra flavor and texture.
  • Berries. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or other berries are great in an apple crisp.
  • You can add any fruit you like! Just be sure to cut it into pieces that’ll cook at about the same speed as your apples.

How much other fruit should you add if you use any? That’s entirely up to you. You might want to have mostly apples, with just a hint of other flavors, or you can have an even blend. Just try out different combinations and see what works for you.

Sugar

Apples are naturally sweet. Even the tart apples will get nice and sweet as they bake. So there’s no need to add a whole ton of sugar to the filling. Still, a little sugar has other advantages than just sweetness.

  • Sugar helps draw out the juices from the apples. That’ll help the apple pieces keep their shape better as they cook up. It also adds some moisture to the filling.
  • The water, juices and sugar in the filling will boil as the easy apple crisp cooks. And thanks to the sugar, it’ll get thick and syrupy, which will give your filling a wonderful texture.

Since apples are nice and sweet already, there’s no need to add a ton of sugar. A teaspoon or so per cup of chopped apple is usually enough, although you can definitely adjust that higher or lower depending on how sweet the apples you’re using are, and how sweet you like your apple crisp!

Water

little bit of water added to the filling, along with a bit of sugar, helps create a syrupy sauce for the apples as they cook, almost like a light caramel. You don’t need much — a teaspoon or two per cup of chopped apple.

How much you need depends on two things.

  • Some apples are juicier than others. If your apple has a high water content, it’ll release more juices, so you don’t need as much water.
  • How syrupy you want your filling. More water will give you more syrup, but it’ll be a bit lighter. Less will give you a drier filling, although what syrup there is might be a bit thicker.

I usually add just enough water to moisten the apples, but not enough for it to start pooling in the bottom of the dish. It gives me an apple crisp that has a thick syrup, but not too much of it — the filling is still made up mostly of apple slices that keep their shape.

Lemon Juice

Adding a bit of lemon juice to your easy apple crisp filling adds a tiny bit of flavor, but mostly it’s there to keep the apples from oxidizing and turning brown while you prepare your other ingredients, or while you let the sugar draw out the juices.

You don’t need much — just enough to coat the apples. A teaspoon or two per cup of apple slices should be plenty. Just be sure to toss the apples in the lemon juice so they’re all coated.

Spices

With just some apples, water, sugar and lemon juice, you can make an amazing and easy apple crisp. But sometimes it’s nice to change things up a little bit and add some extra flavors.

Adding some spices like cinnamonnutmegclovescardamomallspice, or ginger can add a nice touch to the apple crisp. And like the rest of the apple crisp, there’s no need for exact measurements. Just sprinkle a bit of spices until it feels right. You can toss the apples in the spice mixture and taste one before cooking it — the flavors will intensify as they cook, so don’t overdo it!

Other Seasonings

One of the best things about apple crisp is that you can make your own easy apple crisp recipes so easily, with just a little bit of creativity. You can add almost any seasoning you like that you think would go well with apples. And if it doesn’t turn out delicious, then just remember it for next time, and keep experimenting.

Some other seasonings you can add to your apple filling are citrus zest, a bit of vanilla, or whatever you like. You can even soak your apples in a bit of red wine before baking them. Just try out different things, and you’ll discover some wonderful apple crisp recipes of your own.

And now that you know all the ingredients you need for the filling, we can move on to the next layer — the topping.

The Topping

The topping is my favorite part of apple crisp. It’s crispy, it’s crumbly, it’s buttery and delicious, and adds just the right amount of crunch to the soft, warm apple filling.

So what goes into an easy apple crisp topping?

Flour

A little bit of flour in the topping helps the topping get nice and crisp, if you mix it in with a little butter. Some apple crisp recipes don’t call for flour at all — instead, you just use oatmeal. But a little bit of flour gives nice, flaky, crispy clusters that you won’t really get with just oatmeal.

Oatmeal

You could make an apple crisp with just flour and no oatmeal. But I find an oatmeal topping much more appealing. The oats cook up nicely, and have a wondeful flavor.

You can use quick-cooking oats or old-fashioned oats — both will cook without a problem. The main different is that old-fashioned oats are slightly thicker, so it’ll give a different texture. Which texture you prefer is up to you!

Butter

Butter is an essential part of the apple crisp topping, although you could use a subsititute if you wanted. The butter is what holds the topping together, and creates little crispy clusters.

The best way to use butter in an easy apple crisp topping is to cut the amount you need into little quarter of an inch cubes. Use unsalted butter, and make sure it’s well chilled. Then, cut the butter into the rest of the topping ingredients, until the whole thing looks like coarse crumbs. The cold butter crumbs will expand in the oven, and make your topping beautifully crispy.

Sugar

The topping needs a little bit of sweetness to really be delicious. I like to use brown sugar in the topping, but you could also use white sugar if you prefer, or another sweetener. The sugar will help the topping become a nice golden brown.

Seasonings

The last ingredient in an easy apple crisp topping is optional, but it’s what makes the difference between all the different apple crisp recipes: the seasonings. Here are a few seasonings you can add to the topping.

  • Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, or cardamom.
  • Chopped nuts, like pecans, almonds or hazelnuts.
  • A pinch of salt can enhance other flavors. But don’t use any more than a tiny pinch — the goal is to enhance flavors, but you don’t actually want to taste the saltiness!

Proportions

So when you’re making your easy apple crisp topping, how much flour should you use? How much oatmeal? And how much sugar, butter, and spices? The truth is, it’s super versatile. You can really adjust the proportions to suit how you like your topping.

But here’s some starter amounts. For a 9″x9″ apple crisp, you can use:

  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup oatmeal
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • a pinch of salt

You can easily adjust those measurements to suit your tastes. If you like a topping with more oatmeal, you can add more. If you prefer a slightly more doughy topping, there’s nothing wrong with a bit more flour. And if you like things sweeter, you can always add more sugar. But that’s a great topping to start with!

How To Make Easy Apple Crisp

Alright, now that we’ve gone over what goes into an easy apple crisp, let’s go over the steps to acutally making it. It’s super easy!

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

  2. Mix all the ingredients for your filling in a large bowl, or right in the baking dish. I use about 4 apples for a 9”x9” apple crisp, but you can increase or decrease that amount based on how thick a filling you like.

    • Apple Crisp - Peeled AppleRemember, the filling consists of sliced or cubed apples, a bit of sugar and water, lemon juice to prevent oxidation, and whatever other fruit or seasonings you want.

  3. In a small bowl, mix the flour, oatmeal, sugar, spices, and nuts for your topping. Basically all the dry ingredients.

  4. Cut your chilled butter into little 1/4 of an inch cubes, and mix into the dry topping ingredients until the mixture looks like a coarse meal.

  5. Spread the filling at the bottom of the baking dish.

  6. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling.

  7. Bake the easy apple crisp in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and crisp.

    • Unlike a lot of baked goods, the oven temperature isn’t too too important. You can easily cook an apple crisp at 350F or 400F if you happen to need the oven at that temperature. You’ll just need to cook it for a bit more or less time, until it’s golden brown.

And that’s all there is to it! You can be eating a wonderful and easy apple crisp in no time. The only part I find takes time is preparing the apples, so it can be nice to have a helper for that. Then it really takes no time at all, and it’s twice the fun!

Enjoy!

HomeMaking Soup › Making Cream SoupsMost soups are pretty comforting food – they’re warm, tasty, and satisfying. But cream soups are even more special. They have a velvety texture and a creamy smoothness that make them just as perfect for a fancy restaurant as for a warm meal with the family.

If you go to the grocery store, you’ll find rows and rows of canned Cream of This and Cream of That. And if you browse online, you’ll find thousands of recipes that use these condensed cream soups.

But what if you just want the soup? Well, the fact is, all those canned soups are alright, but they’ll never ever compare to a homemade cream soup made right.

A homemade soup has so much more flavor, and it’s just better for you!

Cream Soups – Cream of Broccoli

No preservatives, no strange chemicals, and you control everything that goes in. If you have to restrict your salt intake, it’s as easy as getting a smaller measuring spoon.

So what exactly is a cream soup? Well, as you can guess from the name, the thing that really makes it a cream soup is… cream! Or at the very least, milk.

What about the rest? Well, in this article, I’ll tell you all about cream soups. First, I’ll go over the three basic elements that make up a cream soup: the base, the thickener, and the cream. Then I’ll talk about how to put them together to make a delicious cream soup.

What’s A Cream Soup Made Of?

The Base Of The Soup

Every cream soup has a base. It’s the soup’s major component, and the part that adds the most flavor.

In most cases, the base of a cream soup is a vegetable puree.

  • A vegetable puree can be as simple as vegetables boiled in a bit of water, then pureed with a blender or food processor.
Cream Soups - Leeks
  • However, to get a more complex flavor with not a whole lot more work, you can saute some aromatics like leeks, onions, shallots, garlic, etc, with a bit of butter, and then add some chicken stock and boil the vegetables in the mixture. Then puree the whole thing! It’ll be a lot more flavorful.
  • You can also use vegetable stock if you’re trying to make a vegetarian meal, but keep in mind that vegetable stock doesn’t contain any gelatin and so doesn’t really carry flavors as well as chicken stock would.
  • Some vegetables benefit from being sauteed a bit with the aromatics. Mushrooms are a good example (although not technically a vegetable, you know what I mean!). It helps bring out the flavor. Just saute them, add the stock, simmer a bit, and then puree.
  • Some vegetables – again, like mushrooms – make a great cream soup without being pureed. Whether you puree the vegetable-stock mix is up to you, just see what you like.

For some cream soups, however, you wouldn’t really want to use a vegetable puree. For example, a cream of chicken soup really only needs chicken stock as a base, with maybe a few aromatics and some pieces of cooked chicken added and then pureed.

The Thickener

The next element in cream soups is the thickener. This is what gives the soup most of its awesome texture – everything except the creaminess, and possibly some chunkiness from the vegetables.

There are a few ways to thicken a soup.

    • The best way to thicken a cream soup is by making a roux, and it’s not at all complicated. Just take equal parts butter and flour, and melt the butter over medium low heat. Then just whisk in the flour and cook it until it’s well blended and starts to lose its raw flour smell.
      • A good guideline is to use 1 tablespoon of flour for every 2 cups of liquid you have, but adjust to your taste.
      • Roux is especially good with a cream soup because it doesn’t just thicken – it also helps prevent the milk or cream from separating.
    • Another way to thicken the soup is with a slurry, a mixture of cold liquid (water, wine, stock, etc), and a bit of flour or cornstarch. Just add the flour to the cold liquid and stir or shake very vigorously, until you have a smooth paste. Then whisk the paste into your soup.
      • It’s a bit simpler than the roux, but you have to be careful to mix the slurry very well before putting it in your hot soup, or you’ll end up with floury, gooey lumps.
      • If you’re using a flour slurry, you’ll have to cook it in the soup for a longish while, until it starts to lose its raw flour taste.
      • Cornstarch is easier to use, but it gives a somewhat different texture than flour, and it’s generally not as appealing. It tends to be a little more jelly-like, and even gummy if you add too much.
    • You can also thicken a soup using egg yolks and cream. Just mix egg yolks and cream in a small bowl until blended, then slowly add a bit of hot soup to the bowl and mix, to heat up the egg. Then, pour the egg yolk mixture back into the soup.
      • Use about 1 tablespoon of cream and 1 egg yolk for each cup of soup to thicken.
      • It’s important to heat the eggs slowly or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs in your soup – that’s why you gently heat them before placing them in the soup.
      • It’s best to serve the soup immediately after adding the eggs. The egg yolk mixture will thicken really nicely, but it’s not super stable. If you heat the soup too much, the eggs will coagulate (again, scrambled egg soup).
      • Thickening the soup with egg yolks and cream gives a wonderfully thick, silky texture.

Cream Soups – Broccoli Puree

  • Finally, you can thicken soup with a puree. Of course, we’re already doing that, as described in the previous section, but that’s not quite enough for a good cream soup.
    • If you want extra thickness, add some rice, raw grated potato or beans to your vegetables while they’re cooking. When everything is fully cooked, puree the whole thing.
    • Be sure your thickener is fully cooked, or your soup might end up with a grainy texture.
    • This will thicken the soup, but it definitely won’t add the same kind of silky smoothness as using a roux would.

Notes

  • All of these thickeners will work to thicken any soup, not just cream soups.
  • Most thickeners don’t freeze well.
    • If you’re planning on having lots of leftover soup, set some of your vegetable puree aside and freeze it for later.
    • You can thicken it when you defrost it, and then add milk and cream.
    • The potato, rice or bean thickening is an exception to this rule.

The Final Touch – A Bit Of Cream

Alright, so we know that cream soups are made up of a base, usually a vegetable puree, and thickened with some kind of thickener, usually a roux. The very last step is what really makes it a cream soup – the cream.

Of course, cream isn’t really the healthiest thing around, but luckily you can make a delicious cream soup with half-and-half, whole, or even skim milk.

The texture will be a bit different for each, of course – cream is, well, creamier – but if you use a good thickener, you’ll still end up with a wonderful soup.

You might even prefer a lighter soup. Cream soups made with real cream have an awesome texture and flavor, but they can be a bit heavy and rich.

The amount of cream you use is up to you, but a good guideline is 1/2 a cup of milk per cup of vegetable puree. You can use a bit less if you’re using cream rather than milk.

Now that we know what the different elements are, we’ll learn how to put them all together to make any type of cream soup you like.

Although I described how to use a bunch of different thickeners, in this section I’ll just focus on the roux, which I think is the best for a cream soup. If you want to use another thickener though, check out the notes at the bottom of this section.

What You Need

Here’s what you’ll need to make a cream soup:

  • Some aromatics, like onions, leeks, or garlic.
  • A vegetable base, if desired, like asparagus, broccoli or celery.

    Cream Soups – Bowl of Broccoli Florets

    • Each pound of vegetable will yield about 8 servings of soup.
    • Chop the vegetables so that they’ll cook nicely. At this point, you can save some of the vegetables for garnish – like the tips on asparagus, or pretty broccoli florets.

    OR

    A meat base, like chicken. The stock will provide some flavor, but you can also add in a few cups of chopped cooked chicken to puree and to garnish.

  • Chicken stock. You can use vegetable stock, too, but it won’t add the same texture or flavor to the soup.
  • Butter. You’ll need some to saute the aromatics, and some to make the roux.
  • A few tablespoons of flour for the roux, about 1 tablespoon for each 2 cups of liquid. You can add more or less depending on how thick you like your soup. If you’re using cream rather than milk, you don’t need to use as much flour to thicken.
  • You’ll need milk, or cream. The amount is up to you. You can use a cup of milk for each cup or two of puree, or more or less as you like it. Start with less rather than more – you can always add more milk!
    • If you’re using cream rather than milk, you don’t need to add as much, unless you like a very rich soup.
  • Spices. Salt and pepper work well, and depending on what vegetables you use you can add some other spices, like thyme, nutmeg, ginger… anything you like.

How To Make The Soup

And here’s how you put it all together to make a cream soup:

Cream Soups – Sauteed Leeks, Onion and Garlic

  1. Finely chop your aromatics and saute them in a bit of butter.
  2. Add the chicken stock and the chopped vegetables. Simmer covered until the vegetables are soft – about 20 minutes depending on the vegetable you used and the size of the pieces.
  3. Puree the vegetables with the stock. Set the puree aside in a bowl.
    • It’s easiest if you have an immersion blender.
    • You can use a regular blender too. Just be careful not to overfill your container, and watch out – the puree will get hotter in the blender, so make sure it doesn’t bubble and splash you when you open your container.
  4. In the same pot you cooked the vegetables, melt some butter. Add an equal amount of flour and cook over medium low heat until the mixture is blended and loses its raw flour taste – this is the roux.
  5. Slowly add the milk or cream to the roux, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil and heat until the sauce is smooth and thick.
  6. Add the puree, stir, and season.
  7. Serve, add garnish to the bowls, and enjoy!

Notes

  • If you want to thicken using a slurry, you can simply add it to the puree, and then add the milk.
  • If you want to thicken using egg yolks and cream, add the milk to the puree, stir, and then add the egg yolk thickener last and serve immediately.
  • If you want to thicken using potatoes, beans, or rice, just cook them with the vegetables and puree.
  • If you want to freeze the soup, it’s best to just freeze the puree, and add the thickener (except for the puree thickener) and milk when you defrost.
  • Depending on the type of vegetable you use, you may need to use more or less. For example, mushrooms can have a very subtle flavor, and you may want to double the amount you’d use of another vegetable.

Well, that’s all there is to making a delicious cream of anything soup. Try it out… it’s easier than the great taste would make you think!

› Cream Of Mushroom Soup

If you’re in the mood for cream of mushroom, a homemade cream of mushroom soup recipe is the way to go. Nothing can compare with the flavor of homemade. The cans are handy and versatile, but on their own… well, they pale in comparison!

It’s a bit more work than just grabbing a can opener, but it’s not actually all that hard — and it’s so worth it! Just try it once and you’ll never want to go back.

This cream of mushroom soup recipe is really versatile. You can use any kind of mushroom you like, and each will give its own subtle flavor to the soup. Don’t be afraid to experiment. If you want to know more, check out our article on making cream soups.

And if you can… use a homemade chicken stock! It’ll make the soup way better. Find out how in our article on making chicken stock, or check out our chicken stock recipe.

And now for the recipe!


Cream of Mushroom Soup

Preparation Time: 15m     Cooking Time: 40m     Total Time: 55m


Servings

Serves 8.


Ingredients

5 tbsp butter
2 lbs mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, washed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
1/4 tsp thyme, or to taste (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste


Instructions

  1. In a skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat, and saute half the mushrooms until they start to turn golden. Set aside.

  2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Saute the onion, leek, garlic and remaining mushrooms until the onion is soft and translucent.

  3. Add the chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

  4. Puree the mushroom/stock mixture, and set it aside in a bowl.

  5. In the pot, melt the remaining butter over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the flour, and whisk until it’s smooth — this is called the roux. Cook the roux until it starts to smell nutty, and loses the smell of raw flour.

    • The roux will be like a thick paste. If it’s too thick, you can add more butter. If it’s too thin, you can add more flour.

  6. Add the milk to the roux, pouring it in slowly in a thin stream. Whisk constantly to keep it smooth. Let the mixture come to a boil, then simmer until it’s thick and smooth, whisking often.

    • If you need, stop pouring the milk and whisk until it’s smooth again, then start pouring again. It’s easier to get lumps out when there’s less liquid.

  7. Incorporate the mushroom puree and the reserved sauteed mushrooms. Stir until it’s well blended.

  8. Season to your taste with the thyme, salt, and pepper.


Tips

  • The reason you saute half the mushrooms at the beginning is to add them later, for texture. But if you prefer a smooth soup, you can skip that step and just saute all the mushroom in step 2.

  • This cream of mushroom soup recipe uses chicken stock. The gelatin in it gives the soup a better texture, and helps carry flavors. But if you want a vegetarian soup, you can use a vegetable stock, too… just make sure it’s very mildly flavored, otherwise it’ll overshadow the flavor of the mushrooms.

  • I usually use 1% milk, but you can use anything from cream to skim milk. If you use cream though, you don’t have to put as much, and you can cut down on the amount of flour. It’ll be thicker and richer on its own.

› Cream Of Broccoli Soup Recipe

Sometimes there’s nothing like a good bowl of soup. This cream of broccoli soup recipe really hits the spot when that time rolls around.

I like it because it uses some nice, simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen already, and it really brings out the yummy taste of broccoli rather than relying on lots of spices. Of course, I happen to love broccoli!

You might notice that this cream of broccoli soup recipe calls for cooking the broccoli in chicken stock, which is left in the soup. Some recipes call to boil the broccoli then throw away the water, but that just tosses a load of nutrients and flavor down the drain! It’s another reason I love this recipe.

Try it out, but feel free to tweak it. I rarely use exact measurement myself, so just adjust as you go along. If your soup seems too thick, don’t be afraid to add a bit of milk to thin it.

And now, here it is!


Cream of Broccoli Soup

Cream of Broccoli Soup, with Garnish

Preparation Time: 20m     Cooking Time: 40m     Total Time: 1h0m


Servings

Serves 8.


Ingredients

5 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 leeks, washed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups fresh broccoli florets and chopped stems
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 1/2 cups milk
3 tbsp flour
salt and pepper, to taste


Instructions

  1. In a large pot, melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat and saute the onion, leek, and garlic until the onion is soft and translucent.

  2. Add the broccoli and chicken stock. Simmer uncovered until the broccoli is just soft enough to mash or puree.

  3. Puree the broccoli/stock mixture. Set the puree aside in a bowl.

    • For a chunkier soup, just mash with a potato masher.

    • If you prefer a smoother soup, you can use a regular or immersion blender to puree.

  4. In the same pot, melt the remaining butter over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth, and cook the mixture until it starts to lose its raw flour smell, and smells a bit nutty.

    • The fat-flour mixture, called a roux, should have the texture of a thick paste. If it’s too thin, add a bit of flour. If it’s too thick, just add a bit of fat.

  5. Add the milk to the roux. Pour it slowly in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Try to keep the mixture smooth at all times. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer until it thickens, whisking often.

    • Sometimes it’s easier to pour in a bit of milk, whisk until smooth, then add a bit more milk and repeat.

  6. Incorporate the broccoli puree. Stir until it’s well blended.

  7. Season to your taste with salt and pepper.

  8. Serve, and enjoy!


Tips

  • If you like, you can save a few pretty broccoli florets to garnish your soup, just like in the picture. Just add them to the bowl right before serving.

  • This cream of broccoli soup recipe uses chicken stock because it has gelatin in it, which gives a nice texture and helps carry and blend flavors. But if you prefer a vegetarian soup, you can use vegetable stock instead.

  • You really only need enough stock to cover the vegetables so that they can cook. The more you add, the thinner your soup will be. So keep that in mind when you add the stock. Put as much as you like!

  • If you puree the soup in a blender, be careful. It’s very hot, and will get hotter as the soup purees. Let it settle a bit before opening your container.

  • You can use cream, half-and-half, whole or skim skim. If you do use cream though, you may want to cut down on the amount of cream and of the butter-flour mixture. It could end up too rich and thick. I use 1% milk myself, and it’s still creamy and awesome.

  • For this cream of broccoli soup recipe, you can substitute frozen broccoli for the fresh broccoli. If you do, you may also want to add extra flour or less liquid – the frozen broccoli might be more watery.

HomeChristmas Dessert Recipes › Cranberry BarsAs far as Christmas dessert recipes go, these cranberry bars are actually fairly healthy, and they make a nice change of pace from rich, heavy — but delicious — desserts.

My mom has been making these for 16 years now. She got the recipe from a newspaper article… in fact, she still has it carefully stowed away, and brings it out every year for Christmas.

These cranberry bars are my dad’s favorite Christmas dessert. They’re not too sweet, but the cranberry-orange filling is super delicious and festive — they taste like Christmas!

So if you want a healthier option among all the rich Christmas desserts, try out this recipe. Here it is!

 


Cranberry Bars

Preparation Time: 20m     Cooking Time: 50m     Total Time: 1h10m


Servings

Yields 24 bars.


Ingredients

12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp grated orange zest
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups rolled oats


Instructions

 

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the cranberries, water, white sugar, grated ginger and orange zest until the mixture is boiling. Cook the mixture over medium heat until all the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
  2. Pour the filling into a bowl. Place it into the refrigerator and let it cool and thicken.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  4. In a small bowl, mix the flour, ginger, baking powder and salt.
  5. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one.
  6. Add the flour mixture and the rolled oats to the butter-sugar mixture, and mix until the dough is well blended.
  7. Spread all but 1 1/2 cups of the dough into a greased 9″x13″ baking dish. Spoon the cranberry filling evenly on top of the dough. Spread the remaining dough over the filling.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the topping is a nice, golden brown.
  9. Let it cool completely before cutting into little bars.

 


Tips

 

  • When cooking the cranberries, you should be sure to use a saucepan made from a non-reactive material like stainless steel. Otherwise, the acid in the cranberries could cause your pot to discolor, or even change the taste of the filling. For example, you should never cook cranberries in an aluminum saucepan.
  • If you don’t have time to make the whole thing at once, don’t worry. The cranberry filling will keep in the fridge for a few days, and you can make the crust later.
  • Don’t worry about spreading the topping perfectly evenly oven the soft cranberry filling. You can just drop the dough in little clumps and try to cover as much of the surface as possible. Keeping your hands wet or floured will help you spread the dough.
  • These cranberry bars are perfect for freezing. After cutting them into bars, just place them in an airtight container. If you need to stack the bars, separate them with a layer of wax paper. When you’re ready for them, just take them out of the freezer and let them defrost at room temperature for about an hour.

Source: Simmons, Marie. A to Z Bar Cookies. Chapter’s Publishing, 1994.

› Cooking Vegetables

Methods for cooking vegetables are important, because it’s a pretty well-known fact: vegetables are good for you. They’re full of vitamins, nutrients, and lots of other stuff our body needs to function properly. But a lot of people see eating vegetables as a chore – an unfortunate but necessary part of the meal.

Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Vegetables can actually be really delicious.

In my family, we always ate lots of vegetables and salads, and I never understood why people didn’t like them. Then I started going out more, and it all became very clear: cooking vegetables is a skill that not everyone has learned.

The thing is, cooking vegetables isn’t hard. But different vegetables need to be treated differently. Some are better sautéed, other are great roasted, and some are best raw. And it’s just something you have to know to be able to get the most out of your vegetables.

I’ll start by going over the different ways of cooking vegetables. Then, I’ll talk about specific vegetables and the best way to prepare them.

Vegetable Cooking Methods

There are lots of different ways of cooking vegetables. Each has its ownadvantages and disadvantages, and each gives the vegetables a particular texture and flavor. Some methods let you use spices, others let you keep the veggies crisper. And some methods are just better suited to certain vegetables.

So which method do you pick? In this section, I’ll go over the different methods for cooking vegetables, and some of their pros and cons.

Boiling

Boiling is one of the easiest ways to prepare vegetables. All you need is a cooking pot, some water, some vegetables, and maybe a bit of salt. It’s quick and convenient!

But boiling vegetables causes them to lose some of their nutritional value. The boiling water leeches some of the vitamins and nutrients, and even some of the flavor, right out of the veggies. The best way to minimize that nutrient loss is to make sure that they spend as little time as possible in the boiling water. And just how you do that depends on what kind of vegetable you’re boiling.

To learn how to get the most out of your vegetables, check out this article on boiling vegetables for all the details.

Steaming

Steaming is a great method for cooking vegetables. It cooks the vegetables and softens them up, but because they’re not immersed in water, they don’t lose as many nutrients. It also preserves more of the flavor than boiling does.

And like boiling, steaming is super convenient. Even though you can get a special cooking appliance, a steamer, you really don’t need one. If you have a pot, some water, and a steaming basket, you’re all set. Or if you don’t have a steaming basket, even a colander can do the trick. There’s even a way to steam vegetables using just a pot and a bit of water. What could be easier?

For more information and detailed instructions, check out this article on how to steam vegetables.

Sautéing

Sautéing vegetables, or stir-frying them, means cooking them over fairly high heat, and stirring them often. The high heat helps them cook quickly, which minimizes nutrient loss. And stirring them keeps them from burning!

Sautéing is a really tasty way to cook vegetables. They keep a lot more flavor than boiling or even steaming, so that you taste how delicious the veggie really is. And it also lends itself really well to seasoning the vegetables. A little bit of oil and spices or a tasty marinade can really make your vegetables go from good to outstanding.

Unlike some of the other methods for cooking vegetables, though, you really have to keep an eye on sautéing vegetables. They can burn pretty quickly!

Find out more about sautéing in this article on how to make sautéed vegetables.

Roasting

I like to roast vegetables in the fall or winter, when having the oven on warms up the kitchen in a wonderful way, and the smell of delicious food spreads through the house. And a lot of fall vegetables like squash taste so great when they’re roasted.

One of the great things about roasting vegetables is that even though it takes a while to cook, the preparation time is pretty much non-existent – just toss the veggies with a bit of oil and herbs, put them in a baking dish, and let them roast. It’s especially nice when the rest of your meal takes a little more attention, so that you can work on it in peace.

Roasting gives the vegetables a unique flavor that you don’t get by boiling or steaming. Cooking them slowly in the oven helps them caramelize a little bit, bringing out their natural sweetness and enhancing their flavor. And it’s so easy to add a few delicious herbs and spices. Yum!

To find out more about how to do it, check out this article on roasted vegetables.

Grilling

Some vegetables are just better on the grill. Grilling gives that special cooked outdoors, perfectly browned taste that no other cooking method can match. And you can easily marinate the vegetables, or add some herbs or a sauce to them before cooking to give them some extra flavor.

Zucchini, with just a bit of oil, garlic, salt and pepper is one of my favorite vegetables to grill.

Grilling isn’t quite as convenient as some of the other cooking methods though. For one thing, you need a grill. And that also means it’s usually more of a warm weather kind of meal. But you also have to keep a close eye on the vegetables while they’re cooking. They’ll usually need to be flipped, and checked to be sure they’re not burning. Not as convenient, but well worth the effort!

Braising

Braising is a cross between steaming and boiling. Instead of cooking the vegetables by completely immersing them in boiling water, you only add enough water to cover about half the vegetables.

Like steaming, it cooks the vegetables a bit more gently than boiling. But it’s usually a bit quicker than just steaming, since part of the vegetables are in the water. And using just a bit of water means that you don’t lose as many nutrients or flavor, so you get extra delicious vegetables.

And it’s so easy. Vegetables and a pot filled with a bit of water is all you need for a delicious vegetable side dish! You can even use stock or wine for some extra flavor. Find out how in this article on braised vegetables.

Preparing Specific Vegetables

As we saw in the previous section, there are lots of different ways of cooking vegetables. Some work for almost any vegetable, and other are better for some vegetables than others. And in most cases, the vegetable you use is going to affect things like the cooking time or the amount of water to use.

In this section, I’ll go over how to cook specific vegetables: which methods work best for that particular vegetable, and what exactly you need to do to get the veggie just right!

Asparagus

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. It has such a delicious, distinct flavor! And it’s wonderful served hot or cold, in salad or as a side dish. Here are a few ways to cook asparagus.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a great vegetable. It’s really good for you, and it has the potential to be super delicious, if you know the right methods for cooking vegetables. So here are a few ways to cook broccoli, the right way!

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts are a misunderstood vegetable. They have this terrible reputation from a time when people liked cooking vegetables by boiling them to death, and that’s just about the worst way to cook Brussels sprouts. But reading this article on how to cook Brussels sprouts might help you appreciate this wonderful little vegetable.

Carrots

Carrots are delicious, colorful vegetables that are packed with nutrients. There are lots of different ways to cook them, and each method brings out a different quality of this tasty root. Here are some ways to cook carrots.

Spaghetti Squash

I find that spaghetti squash is one of the coolest vegetables out there. It’s a squash, and it tastes like a squash, but it separates into long spaghetti-like strands. Perfect for a light, pasta-like meal! It’s so mild tasting, it goes with almost any sauce. The only trick is cooking it! There are a few ways you can do it.

HomeCooking Beef › Roast Beef
Roast beef is a wonderful meal. It’s juicy, tender, and full of flavor. But cooking roast beef can be a bit scary if you don’t know how to do it. Beef roasts aren’t the cheapest cut, so you want to make sure it comes out perfect!Roast beef is usually the center of a special meal, like a Sunday dinner with the family or a get-together with friends. That adds to the pressure, doesn’t it? No one wants to serve a burnt roast on a special occasion.

Wondering how to cook roast beef? Well, I’ve got good news for you. Cooking roast beef is actually surprisingly easy. Just follow a few simple guidelines and you’ll end up with a perfect roast beef every time!

In this article I’ll go through all the steps of making roast beef. First, I’ll talk about selecting the right cut of beef for roasting. To get the best possible results, you need the right ingredients! Then, I’ll talk about seasoning the beef. Lastly, I’ll go over three different ways of cooking roast beef. Each method gives different results, so be sure to pick the right one for you!

Here we go!

 

Step 1: Selecting a Cut of Beef

Cooking roast beef is just like any other cooking method. If you want great results, you have to start with the right cut of beef.

Roasting is a dry heat cooking technique. The meat would burn before it got hot enough to melt collagen down to gelatin, so you need to start with a tender cut of beef.

You also want to have a bit of fat in the meat. The fat melts and bastes the meat while it’s roasting, so you end up with a juicier meal. A cut with some marbling and a thick layer of fat (a quarter of an inch to an inch) on one side is just about perfect.

So what are you looking for? Large, tender cuts with a decent amount of fat on them. Here are a few good cuts to pick for roast beef:

  • Cuts from the rib. Try prime rib or a rib-eye roast.
  • Cuts from the loin. Strip loin, top sirloin and tenderloin roasts are especially tender, but sirloin tip and tri-tips roasts are tender enough for cooking roast beef, too.
  • Cuts from the round. Be sure to pick the more tender round cuts. You can use eye of round, inside round, outside round, top round or rump roasts. These aren’t as tender as the rib and loin cuts, but they usually aren’t quite as expensive, either.

Step 2: Seasoning the Beef

Beef is pretty delicious and flavorful all on its own. If you want, you can stick to just plain old salt and pepper when cooking roast beef. You’ll still end up with a fantastic meal. But there are other great ways to season a roast that add a bit more flavor. I’ll go over two ways to season the beef, a spice rub and a seasoned paste.

Spice Rub

The simplest way to season your beef roast is to make a spice rub. A spice rub is just a mixture of spices that you rub into the meat before cooking it.

The two main ingredients in a spice rub are salt and sugar. Salt is there for the flavor. Sugar is there to help caramelize the meat – it’ll give the meat a wonderful golden brown color.

Apart from salt and sugar, you can add just about anything you like to a spice rub. You don’t even need to stick to the sugar/salt base, if you don’t want.

Really, the only thing to worry about is putting in flavors that you like. Try dried or crushed garlic, onion powder, oregano, Cajun seasoning, thyme, rosemary, chili powder, or any other spices you like.

Once you have a spice rub ready to go, the next step is to rub it into the meat. It’ll be easier if the meat is a little bit moist, so you don’t have to pat it dry.

A spice rub works best if you get an even coating all over the roast. The thicker the coating, the more of a crust it will make when you cook the roast beef. If you like a good thick crust, you can even add some breadcrumbs to the rub.

Rubbing a Paste

A paste is a lot like a spice rub, except that you add a wet ingredient to it. That makes it easier to spread on the roast. You can add oil, butter or margarine, mustard, molasses, or anything you like. Just make sure that it’s thick enough to stick to the meat. Mix all your spices and the wet ingredient, then spread it evenly over the roast. That’s it!

Step 3: Cooking

There are a few different ways of cooking roast beef. Some people will tell you that the right way of doing it is this way or that way, but really, the only thing you should worry about is which way you like best.

No matter which method you pick for cooking roast beef, there are a few things you should do:

  • Let the beef reach room temperature before cooking it. If you don’t, it won’t cook evenly. Season the meat, then leave it out for about an hour – it’ll give your seasonings time to sink in, too. Be careful though. If it’s very hot, leaving the meat out for too long isn’t safe. Use your best judgement here. You want the beef to lose the refrigerator chill, but you don’t want it out too long, or bacteria will start to grow.
  • When cooking roast beef, you don’t want it sitting in its own juices, and you want it to cook evenly all around. The best way to cook roast beef is to have it sitting directly on the oven rack, with a tray underneath to catch the drippings. I know, it sounds like a hassle, but it creates air flow all around the roast which helps it cook evenly. If you don’t feel like having to clean the oven rack, a shallow roasting pan with a rack works too. It keeps the roast out of its own juices, but it doesn’t create quite as nice an air flow, especially if the edges are on the high side.
  • A good way to keep the meat moist is to baste it. Be sure to baste it in its own juices every 15 to 20 minutes. It’ll keep the outside moist and prevent it from burning. If you have a layer of fat on the meat, place that on the top when you put your roast on the rack. That way, when the fat starts to melt, it’ll baste your roast for you!
  • Use a meat thermometer. The only way to tell if a roast is done is with a thermometer. You can estimate how many minutes per pound you need, but the truth is that the cut of beef, its shape, and your oven’s own little quirks make those estimates just a best guess. A meat thermometer makes sure you get it at just the right doneness. Just insert it into the center of the thickest part of the roast. Make sure it doesn’t touch any bone, though, because that can affect the reading. Here are the temperatures for cooking roast beef:

    • Rare: 125 F
    • Medium Rare: 130F to 140F
    • Medium: 145F to 150F
    • Well done: 155F to 165F

    It’s worth mentioning that the USDA recommends that beef be cooked to 145F to be completely safe. If you’re worried about food-borne illnesses, it might be best to settle for a medium cooked roast beef.

    Method 1: Slow cooking roast beef

    Want to know how to cook roast beef that’s evenly cooked the whole way through? Slow cooking roast beef is the best way to do it. Whether you want it rare, medium rare, or well-done, slow cooking will make sure the whole slice has the right doneness for you.

    The catch? It’s slow! Slow cooking roast beef can take 4 to 8 hours depending on the size of your roast and how cooked you like it.

    It also generally won’t give a nice brown crust around on the outside of the roast. The temperature just isn’t hot enough to brown the meat. If you really want a browned exterior, try Method 2 instead.

    Here’s how to slow cook roast beef:

    1. Cook the beef at 200F until its internal temperature reads 5-10 degrees below the desired doneness. This can take 4 to 8 hours. It depends on the size of the roast and how done you like it.
    2. Remove it from the oven, and let it stand for 20 minutes. The temperature will keep going up while it stands, so it actually finishes cooking outside the oven.

    Method 2: Slow cooking roast beef with a crust

    This method lets you get a pretty evenly cooked roast on the inside and a nice crust on the outside. It’s a little bit more work than just slow cooking roast beef though.

    If you oven sear your roast to get a browned outside, it takes a while. The oven gets really hot, and the outer edges of the roast cook a little bit too much. You get a nicely browned roast, but your roast won’t be evenly cooked on the inside – a good portion near the edge will be more cooked than you want it. And then it takes time for the oven to cool down, so you’re actually cooking your roast hotter than you need to.

    So, what we do in this method is pan-sear the roast quickly enough that the interior doesn’t get much of a chance to cook, and then oven sear it at the end of the cooking time. The meat is already hot, so the outside doesn’t take very long to sear and the inside stays evenly cooked.

    Here’s how you do it:

    1. Heat some oil in a skillet over medium-high or high heat. You want it to be hot enough to sear the beef quickly without cooking too much of the inside. Sear each side of your beef.
    2. Cook the beef at 200F until its internal temperature reads 25-30 degrees below the desired doneness. This can take 4 to 8 hours depending on the size of the roast, and how cooked you like it.
    3. Turn the heat up to 500F and cook it until it reaches 5 to 10 degrees below the desired doneness. It shouldn’t take much more than 10-15 minutes.
    4. Remove the roast from the oven and let it stand about 20 minutes. The temperature will keep going up, so it’ll finish cooking as it stands.

    Method 3: Cooking at 350F

    What if you want to know how to cook roast beef, but you don’t a whole lot of time?

    This method is probably the most convenient one for cooking roast beef if you don’t have all day. It’s also really simple.

    Unlike slow cooking, cooking roast beef at 350F lets the oven get hot enough to brown the outside nicely, so there’s no need to pan-sear or oven-sear the roast. It won’t be as evenly cooked as a slow cooked roast though. If you cook it until the center is rare, there might still be meat near the outside that’s medium rare or even well-done.

    Here’s how you do it:

    1. Cook the beef at 350F until its internal temperature reads 5-10 degrees below the desired doneness. It’ll take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes per pound, depending on the shape of the roast, and how well done you like it.
    2. Remove the roast from the oven, and let it stand for 20 minutes. The temperature will keep going up while it stands, so it’ll finish cooking outside the oven.

    Now that your roast beef is cooked, you’re just about ready to sit down and enjoy a great meal.

    Be sure to let the roast stand about 20 minutes before carving (I included that in the cooking instructions, but it’s important so I’m saying it again!). This gives the roast time to finish cooking, but it also lets the juices redistribute through the meat. That’ll make it much easier to carve the meat, and each slice will be perfectly evenly juicy. Yum!

    Well, now you know all about cooking roast beef!

    All that’s left is to slice the roast, serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!

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