Katie offers Cooking Newbie Help every Tuesday
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 1:00AM 
Happy New Year! All this week, we will be re-introducing our bloggers by re-posting their very first post for Special Fork. Next week we’ll be back blogging with more cooking insights, helpful tips and delicious recipes that take no more than 30 minutes of prep time, all to solve your daily dinnertime dilemma: what to cook now!
Today we feature Katie Barreira’s introductory blog. Katie posts every Tuesday especially for cooking newbies.
Katie is a freelance food writer and chef living in Manhattan’s West Village. Currently, she is the Senior Test Kitchen Associate at Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine, where she develops recipes and writes the “Get Fresh” column, a monthly spotlight on seasonal produce.
For more of Katie’s stories please follow this link to Cooking Newbie.
Sandy
Co-Founder, Special Fork
Cooking Newbie Help
I’m Katie, the cooking newbie blogger, and I’ll be coming to you from my snug, kitchen-centric Greenwich Village apartment in New York City.
By day, I operate the test kitchen at Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine. It’s a pretty neat gig for a gal who would classify food shopping as a hobby/recreation.
Have you ever flipped through a cooking magazine and wondered, does someone actually make all these recipes? The answer is, yes, and often more than once. Conservatively, we’re talking along the lines of 100 recipes per month!
With all that cooking in the test kitchen, I’m bound to pick up some helpful hints along the way. I can also draw on my other culinary experiences. After graduating from Bucknell in 2004, I worked as a chef in Boston restaurants and completed an internship at Cook’s Illustrated, before shipping off to New York to attend The Institute of Culinary Education.
In my blog, I’ll share all the little tips, tricks and aha! moments that I’ve accumulated so even newbies can feel as confident as experienced cooks.
First Things First
If you only know how to make one thing, it should be an omelet. Endlessly versatile, deceptively simple, classy, yet comforting and economical, the omelet may be the most satisfying thing you can achieve in less than 5 minutes.
1. Break 2 eggs into a medium bowl. Add a splash of water and a pinch of salt; whisk until frothy and no strands of egg white remain.
Tip: Don’t box (or bowl) yourself in. Choose a high-sided bowl that allows you to whisk vigorously, without losing your eggs to the counter.
2. Heat a pat of butter in a small, nonstick pan, over medium-high heat. Pour in the eggs and use a rubber spatula to pull the cooked edges towards the center of the pan, allowing the uncooked egg to fill in the exposed surface of the pan.
3. When the eggs are no longer runny, sprinkle the surface with chopped chives and shredded Cheddar cheese. Fold one side over the other and slide onto a plate.
Tip: Fillings aren’t the only way to change the flavors of an omelet. Try whisking a tablespoon of prepared salad dressing into the egg mixture. I like a zesty Italian!
Special Fork is a recipe website for your smartphone and PC that solves the daily dinnertime dilemma: what to cook now! Our bloggers blog Monday through Friday to give you cooking inspiration. Check out our recipe database for quick ideas that take no more than 30 minutes of prep time. Join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
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Reader Comments (1)
Honestly, I've never cooked an omelet before. I've eaten it several times but I never dared to cook. But as I indicated in my New Year's resolution, I should be able to learn cooking basics. Thanks for these tips! :)