Southern Cooking Techniques

You can find hundreds of recipes for Southern Cooking on the internet, but what they fail to tell you is the techniques needed to turn those recipes into real southern dishes.

On the subject of Southern recipes, I'm sorry to say that what is often represented as a Southern recipe, is not. For instance, when you see a recipe for Southern cornbread that includes sugar, that is NOT Southern. I lived all my life in the South and traveled the world but have never met a Southerner that puts sugar in cornbread. We call that "Yankee" cornbread. That is cake, not cornbread.

Back to the subject at hand, assuming you have real Southern recipes, you can still wind up with a dish that is not truly Southern if you do not employ Southern cooking techniques. You may produce something that is good but the technique makes it more than good, it makes it special.

Cooking Method:

Southerners fry more of their dishes than any other people I know. Therefore, for the most part, Southern cooking is not low fat. However, you can lessen the fat content with the choice of cooking oil you use. If this is a concern, don't use animal fats, lard or saturated oils. I generally use corn or safflower oil. Believe it or not, with dishes that do not require high temperatures, I use olive oil. The point here is to just be prepared to fry a lot with Southern cooking.

Cookware:

Traditional Southern cooking calls for cast iron. You should obtain an 8 and 10 inch skillet and medium pot for your cookware. Cast iron is inexpensive and can frequently be found at thrift stores for two or three dollars, if you have one near you.

The cast iron retains heat a long time and burns fingers readily. But it transfers heat like no other material. You must "cure" or "season" your cast iron before using or you will have a problem with sticking and rust. While the manufacturers instructions for curing are inadequate, they will do. Never use anything but cast iron for cornbread and never cook anything but cornbread in your "cornbread skillet". For most recipes, you will want to heat the cast iron (like pre-heating the oven) before you add the ingredients.

Regular Milk vs. Buttermilk:

In most situations, when a recipe calls for milk, in Southern cooking, you would use buttermilk. You should always use buttermilk for your cornbread and biscuits. It provides a unique flavor that screams "Southern". Here's a tip: if you do not keep buttermilk on hand (I don't), you can make your own by adding about a spoon of white vinegar to a cup of regular milk. Stir and let sit about a minute. You will have a substitute buttermilk for cooking purposes (I do not recommend drinking....although I have never tried it).

Cooking Time:

Many Southern dishes (mostly vegetables) are cooked much longer than you would find in restaurants or homes in other parts of the country. Specifically, green beans, okra, turnip greens, mustard and collards. Vegetables cooked Southern style are NOT bright colored and crunchy (like Chinese stir fry). They are tender and flavorful. An exception to the "crunchy" observation is fried okra. Okra is cooked until nearly burned. It is coated with cornmeal and is, indeed, crunchy. On the other hand, other vegetables such as green beans are cooked around two hours until they are tender and dark green in color.

Seasoning:

This is one of the most important techniques that distinguishes Southern cooking from other styles. Spicy (hot) flavors are seldom used except for cajun cooking, which is a style of cooking all it's own. Onion, bacon and salt are used extensively for seasoning. All greens, black eyed peas, green beans, most anything cooked by boiling in water, is seasoned with salt, a chunk of onion and a slice of bacon (or bacon drippings).

While not a technique, it is important to combine certain foods to produce a traditional Southern meal. Combinations of the following are typical. Fried chicken, fried pork chops, greens (turnip, mustard, collards), black eyed peas, fried okra, cornbread and green beans. So, for a real Southern treat, get an authenic Southern recipe, follow these techniques and watch your family ask for more.

Cooking Tips and Techniques

I have prepared again another cooking technique for you to do at home. Have your Rachael Ray cookware set prepared as we are about to begin the fun of cooking. Now, am going to show you the secrets on how to prepare very delectable brioche dough that your family will surely go craving for.

- Ingredients of Brioche Dough:
- One half cup warm 125ml
- 2tsp sugar 10ml
- 2pkg dry yeast 2pkg
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour 250ml
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour 750ml
- 1tsp salt 5ml
- 2tsp sugar 10ml
- 6 eggs 6
- one half pound cold butter 225 g

You measure water into small bowl, and then add 2 tablespoon (10 ml) sugar and stir well to dissolve it. Next, evenly sprinkle yeast over water and let it stand for 10 minutes. Stir it well. Then stir it in 1 cup (25 ml) flour. Beat it hard with a wooden spoon then turn it out on floured board and knead it until it becomes smooth and elastic. Next to that, you shape it into a ball and cut a deep cross in its top with a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Then, you drop the ball of dough into a bowl of warm water and let it stand until it rises to the surface and opens up like a flower.

Finally, you combine the 3 cups (750 ml) of flour, salt, and 2 tablespoon (10 ml) sugar in a large bowl. Then, make a well in the centre of the mixture and then add the eggs. Mix it with a spoon and then with your hands. You beat the dough against side of the bowl by picking it up and slapping it down into the bowl and kneading it until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

On top of it, you carefully wash the butter under cold running water, at the same time kneading it with hands until it becomes very pliable. And then, you hold it in one hand and hit it hard with other hand until all water is beaten out. You add to second dough and work it in with hands.

Above it all, you lift the ball of risen dough out of water and hold in your hands until water drains off. Then, you add the mixture in a large bowl and beat it using your bare hands until the dough will be perfectly soft. Put the combined dough in a greased bowl, sprinkle it lightly with flour, and cover it with damp towel and then let it rise in a warm place until its size doubles up. Do this for about an hour. Lastly, cover it with transparent wrap and chill it overnight. Then, punch it down and roll it to wrap meat as directed.