All Things Kitchen; Knives, Cookware, and Cooking - AMA with Well Seasoned Chef Mike Garaghty

What do you think are the best types of pots and pans to cook with in terms of the material they're made of and how they're made? Also safest?

I’ve always thought that stainless steel (3-clad and above) are your best bet for material and safety. The problem with stainless is a lot of people don’t know how to cook with them. I’m going to link a video on how to use stainless steel pans, and if you follow the techniques in the video it’ll take your cooking game to new heights!

Stainless Video

My god. Thank you. I bought $500+ for all clad last year. I've hated cooking with them and have stuck with my $25 cast iron pan which I also love.

I didn't realize I was using too much heat. The water bead example was very eye opening. Just made some eggs that slid, slid, slid.

Glad you found something that works better for you!

How sustainable do you think the hospitality industry is in the medium-to-long term, considering the extremely low pay of most restaurant workers, the extremely high and rising cost of food, and the current general cost of living crisis?

I think this is a great question but I'm not sure I'm the expert to answer it for you. It's complex and nuanced and requires more thought than a quick paragraph answer. I like that you're thinking of this, and am a big supporter of the local people involved in the industry, as well as hospitality on a global scale. There are lots of changes on the horizon, and am looking forward to supporting the hospitality workers in whatever comes next. It's all about the people for me.

what is your favorite most unexpected "random" kitchen gadget and why?

This is a fun one - I am going to admit I am late to the party on this one. I have a cherry pitter that can pit 8 cherries at the same time! After I use it I lift the top up and I’m amazed that it gets every pit every time.

What are 5 essential Kitchen Utensils for an average kitchen?

Average Kitchen:

- 3 Basic Knives (chef's knife, paring knife, and serrated bread knife)
- Cookware (2 frying pans, sauce pot, and dutch oven)
- Utensils (tongs, rubber scraper, some type of spatula for flipping)
- Strainer and Mixing Bowls (small, medium, large)
- Someone to do you dishes - kidding, but not really

Random: What South American country has the best food and why is it Peru?

HA! I'm going to have to agree with you! I'll never forget driving through Washington D.C. and seeing a shack on the side of the road with a handwritten sign that said "Peruvian Charcoal Chicken". After smelling it for about a half mile, I had lost all conscious thought and pulled in and ate the best chicken of my life. My mouth is watering now - I'll never forget that! I still make it for employees and family, it's a fan favorite for sure. And we won't even get into the ceviche!

That sounds really good! Would you be able to share the recipe for this?

Here you go!

Chef Mike's Peruvian Chicken

What cooking practice triggers you because it's just so wrong in your opinion?

For me a lot of it comes down to kitchen and food safety. There are some people in the kitchen that take risks beyond their abilities. Like when someone doesn't have knife skills, or people ignore proper food temperature guidelines.

How old is your daily-used favourite knife?

which knife is it, how do you keep it sharp and how often do you sharpen it?

I have a 9” carbon steel rosewood handle chef knife that is about 8 years old. All I ever have to do is hone it regularly and I put it on a stone once or twice a year. It’s as close to me as the rest of my family - haha!

What is the best at home knife sharpener?

I like anything made by WorkSharp. Great products and super cool people. Really when it comes to sharpening you need to find what makes sense to you and what gets you good results. Whetstones can be difficult to learn but once you master it you have a skill for life.

I recently started getting into knives after realizing I had never used a good knife before. What’s your opinion on Wusthof Classic and Gourmet vs other options? Are stamped knives really inferior to forged knives?

The short answer is: forged knives are made to last a lifetime when properly cared for. There are many other brands that offer a forged line and a stamped line. The best thing you can do is get one in your hand and take it for a test drive! A forged knife will hold its edge longer but will be harder to sharpen while a stamped knife will need to be sharpened often but is usually easier to sharpen. There are benefits to both and it's up to you to figure out which will work best for your kitchen and budget.

I am a young professional who can handle some basic recipes, but gets overwhelmed quickly when I have to improvise because I didn’t do much cooking in university (blame dining halls).

I would love to “learn by doing” by working my way through a cookbook and making every recipe, but I am just overwhelmed by all the different options. Ideally my goal in this would be building confidence with different skills, how to handle basic kinds of meat and veggies confidently, and learning how to build different flavour profiles—if you had to recommend one cookbook for this purpose, what would you recommend?

Bonus question: which one cookbook has influenced you the most as a chef?

When I was young I learned so much from The Joy of Cooking. It’s been in print since 1936 and they do a pretty good job of keeping it up to date. As you progress, I recommend moving onto books like The Professional Chef or Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. The number one thing that will up your skills and confidence in the kitchen is repetition. Just like a professional baseball player does batting practice every day or a basketball player shoots free throws, you need to make your technique in the kitchen muscle memory. That's really the only way to calm that overwhelm.
Bonus Answer: Kitchen Confidential

i'm making steak au poivre for thanksgiving, and would like a good cast iron or stainless (or something better?) pan for this as well as a knife to slice the steak nicely in preparation to plate. what would you recommend?

i currently use a minimal set of set of kyocera ceramic knives for vegetables and circulon ultimum cookware and am slowly rebuilding my set of kitchen tools as i need them due to a fire a number of years ago when my idiot ex-roomates destroyed my previous kitchen using the sink sprayer on a minor grease flareup.

thanks!

Glad they are ex-roommates - Yikes! That sounds delicious, room for one more? Here are my suggestions:

Cast Iron
Carving Set

How many times a year do you personally use a cleaver and for what?

I do use a vegetable cleaver from time to time - maybe 30 times a year just to change things up. But a heavy meat cleaver only comes out around Halloween until someone in my family yells at me. It's an old bit but I can't quit it.

How can I best maintain my cast iron pans at home?

Luckily, most cast iron pans sold on the market today come pre-seasoned. If you buy a skillet that isn’t, it’s pretty easy to do at home if you follow the right steps! First preheat your oven to 350 and wash your skillet with water and very light soap. After it’s been washed you can just put it on the stove on a low heat to dry it completely. After it’s dry coat the entire pan (interior and exterior) with canola oil or shortening and rub it in with a paper towel to get a nice, even, thin coat. Place the skillet upside down on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Put a sheet pan or foil under the skillet in case of any drippage. You can do this several times to get a really nice seasoning on your skillet. You can even do this on a preseasoned skillet if you want to build up the seasoning a little more.

The maintenance for after it’s seasoned is also pretty easy if you keep up with it. After you use it, wipe the skillet out of any residue. Add hot soapy water and wipe out the inside with a sponge and wipe it completely dry. Every once in awhile I like to turn my stove back on low, put some of that canola oil on the bottom of the pan and wipe it on the inside of the skillet. I leave it on low for about 5 minutes and just wipe the excess out before putting it away.Hope this helps, cast irons are an awesome addition to any kitchen. Don’t be intimidated by them, you can do it!

You're going to offend millions of cast iron fans (intentional) that scream "how could you use soap?" every time someone else cleans their pans. Thanks for being the voice of reason but I'm predicting a barrage of comments advising you that you're out to lunch (intentional).

To all angry Cast Iron Fans:

Just don't scrub off the seasoning.

Do you have any suggestions for avoiding bits of residue left when I rub my griddle down with paper towels? I do use decent quality paper towels!

You could use a clean, old dishrag instead. That may help!

How much do cutting board surfaces matter?

What are the best cutting board surfaces?

Should glass/marble/granite cutting boards be avoided?

They matter a ton! You don't want to damage your knife.

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The surface should have some give to it - I like using wooden and poly boards, but my favorite is wood composite boards like Epicurean.

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YES! Avoid them and give them as a gift to that coworker you don't like! (just kidding)

Former chef here! Excited to see you on here. As far as catering is concerned, what's the most ridiculous, nonsensical BEO you've ever gotten? Or similarly, strangest request from a client?

Nonsensical? I'll put this one on me. I catered an afternoon barbecue pork picnic for about 200 people. For dessert I thought it would be great to serve dove ice cream bars. Who doesn't love a cold dessert at a picnic?! Well, to keep them cold I used dry ice. Which happens to be -165 degrees F. They were more than rock hard. I think they defied physics! I was wondering if my business insurance would cover dental care for 200.

Are you an Anthony Bourdain fan?

Firstly may he RIP. I could identify with his book Kitchen Confidential in so many ways. It's so sad what the pressure of fame and stardom can do to a person. I am a fan of his work and miss his perspective and the way he told a story in a relatable way.

With Thanksgiving coming up, any tips for making a delicious gravy? Or maybe a perfectly roasted turkey?

For your turkey:

Make sure you leave it uncovered and in the refrigerator the night before. Doing this will take away excess moisture and dry the skin. Dry skin = crispy skin! Use a meat thermometer! Be sure to take out your turkey when the breast reads about 160 or slightly higher and the thigh reads 175 or slightly higher. Cover it and let it rest 25-30 minutes before carving.

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For the Gravy:

Use the pan juices! Separate the fat from the broth and you can use the fat to make a roux to thicken the broth. If need be, you can add a little chicken or beef stock to add more depth and flavor. Remember to always season with salt and pepper.

Is there any point upgrading from a basic 20cm victorinox, or I should get better sharpening stones instead?

It's just personal preference. But if I were you I would get a better sharpening stone. When you're ready to upgrade your knife I recommend chatting with an expert at Curated (like me!). All of the experts are super knowledgable and they will listen to exactly what you're looking for and match you with products that fit your lifestyle and budget. Here's my profile, I'll be on today!

Chef Mike at Curate

When is the best time to add garlic to a dish? (Please settle a bet for me.)

That’s a little bit of a trick question! Sometimes you add it early and sometimes you add it late. But to settle your bet, I’m going to guess you said early so I’m going to say that! If I guessed wrong and you said late..just go with that! 😉 It really just depends on the dish, most of the time you add it early but there are times when later is better!

What is your preferred method for garlic prep? Press, grate, finely chopped, or the Goodfellas style thinly sliced with a razor blade?

I like thin sliced for aglio e olio as long as it's not burnt! I prefer crushed personally. The finer you chop it the more flavor you're going to get!

At what price do you start seeing Diminishing returns with chef's knives? As an extension, what should you prioritize when buying cutlery?

A good forged chef knife will be at minimum $130. If you pay less than that you’re going to get what you pay for. The tools most people use the most are the chef knife, serrated bread knife, and paring knife. I would also add a boning knife if you break down proteins or if you do lots of vegetables I love a Nakiri.

are copper pots and pans a worthwhile investment?

They are if you have the money to spend and the time to maintain them! For me, the answer would be no.

Why not? What does it take to maintain?

The copper reacts to heat and the color darkens so if you want to maintain the beautiful copper finish, you have to clean it and polish it with copper cleaner. Just a few extra steps that I don't (or don't want to) have time for!

What’s the best brand(s) overall for kitchen utensils? What do I look for to buy a good cutting board?

Kitchen utensils...I'm guessing you're talking knives? There are a few German brands that are tried and true and hold up forever. There are several Japanese brands that are great however for my style of cooking the German brands work best. The Japanese have a long history of making awesome blades and they still have many spots that put out unique and super sharp beautiful knives, but you need to know how to use them and care for them.

How do I learn how to sharpen my knives? I feel like every time I break out the whetstone I make it wirse

There are many techniques on how to use a whetstone. Find one you can understand and practice on a knife that you don't care if you ruin it. Keep practicing until you're ready to use your better cutlery. It's all about repetition and practice! I believe in you!

What are some good value options, styles, and sizes for new cooks when improving their k ife collection?

I recommend talking to an expert at Curated (like me!). All of the experts are super knowledgable and they will listen to exactly what you're looking for and match you with products that fit your lifestyle and budget.

Chef Mike at Curated

I'm clumsy and regularly cut myself whole chopping sth.
My husbands has (jokingly) revoked my "knive rights" a couple of times :D

Any tip/tips on how to keep all 10 fingers on my hands?

Go to a local kitchen store and take a knife skills class! It can change your whole perspective on how to hold, use, and care for knives. Hopefully you'll get your rights reinstated!

What tool would you say that is not used commonly when you cook but is extremely useful when the need to use it arises?

I will say this all day every day - THERMOMETERS! Meat, candy, oven, and even surface temp. They are so useful for proteins and knowing how to use them can elevate your cooking outcomes!

Knife sharpening!

I'm an amateur cook, I don't love cooking but I do want to take care of my tools! I need to keep my knives sharp but feel like steels and whetstones have proper techniques that may cause me to do more damage than good.

Are the draw-through knife sharpeners actually a better option for people like me? Or are they just a gimmick?

Yes draw through works for the time being. But long term you should take the time to learn how to use whetstones.

What's a good starter knife set that you would recommend?

I recommend talking to an expert at Curated (like me!). All of the experts are super knowledgable and they will listen to exactly what you're looking for and match you with products that fit your lifestyle and budget.

Chef Mike at Curated

If you want a quick recommendation:
Cangshan TC 3 Piece Set

Zwilling 3 Piece Set

What's better? An $800 knife that hasn't been sharpened in 6 months or a $15 knife that's sharpened every week.

I agree with u/OmniClam!

I have some knives that are starting to rust. What should I do with them?

You can clean rust off with a little Barkeepers Friend and a soft sponge. I'm guessing the knife is a carbon steel knife, so the maintenance I would usually recommend is to oil the blade after each use. I would have to see the knife to give you specific recommendations, but this will at least get rid of the rust!

I have what I think might be a silly question lol Would you recommend a smaller chef's knife for a smaller person?

I'm short with small hands lol so I've been eyeing the 6" but currently have an 8" Victorinox. I love my chef's knife but I feel like I sometimes don't get to use the entirety of it.

Second, can I bother you for some advice on how the actual fuck do I make my glass top stove stop ruining my recipes :') I hate it so much

The size of the chef knife should match the size of the prep job. For example, a 6" chef knife for most people at home is probably enough. If you're cooking for more than a couple a people, an 8" or 10" knife is more appropriate.

As for the glass top, I had one once for only a few months and hated it. My best advice is to move or save up for a new range! In the meantime I find trying to maintain an even heat helps, practice and anticipating your stoves next heating pattern will help too.

Iron skillet on induction range (full range not just a singular burner…. Is it ok to get this bad boy hot enough to reverse sear stakes?

Do it up! You don't need the surface temperature to be above 425 or so. If you go too high you risk pan warping and getting too dark of a crust if you know what I mean. What I recommend is starting off at that 425ish temperature and then adjust your heat to maintain.

When I use my ceramic honer, do I need to wash or wipe down the newly straightened knife edge? I'm mostly sure that there probably isn't microscopic bits of metal or ceramic on the blade, but I'd like to just know once and for all so that I can get on with my prep.

Also, do you still call it a "steel" when it's made of ceramic?

Cleaning something is never wrong! I think you can call it whatever you want, I suggest "Sharpy".

What's your favorite way to peel garlic?

Ask your kid to peel it for you! They have small fingers. I also like the two stainless steel bowls method, it can help get the aggression out.

Any recommendations for non-stick pans for frying eggs, making pancakes, etc?

The stainless pan I have usually gets bits stuck on it if I do not use a lot of oil.

The nonsticks I have used so far from Amazon and Costco usually discolor/chip in 6 months to 1year.

I want to buy once, cry once if such quality is indeed available for nonstick.

This is exactly what Curated is for! All of the experts are super knowledgable and they will listen to exactly what you're looking for and match you with products that fit your lifestyle and budget.

From your post it sounds like you may be cooking at too high of heat. All pans surfaces are different, be sure to read their recommendations for how to cook in their specific pans.

Here's a quick recommendation:

Anolon 2 Piece Set

What's your go to soup recipe?

I make this all the time for breakfast for my wife and myself. First rough dice onion, carrot, celery and sauté with butter and a little sesame oil. Then I add a little chicken, pork, or whatever leftover protein I have around. At this point I toss in granulated garlic and ground black pepper. Add in spinach and sauté until it wilts. Add in a little chicken or beef stock (I like to do 50/50). I crack an egg or two on top and stir until the white is no longer translucent. Finish with a little more sesame oil and hot sauce if you like! It's so satisfying in the morning.

Is non stick cookware actually useful for anything?

Sure it is! There are all types of cookware for all types of lifestyles and budgets!

What's your advice in maintaining cutlery? I got a set of Shun Premier but never did any maintenance on them...should I be worried?

If you haven't maintained them in awhile you can send them into Eversharp in Minneapolis. I recommend them because I know them, they do a fantastic job and really know their stuff.

Eversharp

Can you recommend a good knife set for a home chef? Quality/investment is what I'm looking for. Maybe under 1000 USD?

At Curated we have a huge stock with many brands. Get connected to one of our experts and they will match with your dream set! You can connect with me on there today, but all of our experts are super knowledgable and will be able to help you out.

Chef Mike at Curated