Knife Safety

I hope this will help you keep all your fingers cooking in the kitchen, whether is it you're earning a living in the kitchen or simply wanna please yourself, family or friends with your culinary skills.

#1 : A sharp knife is a safe knife - using a dull knife in an invitation to disaster, forcing a dull knife through the surface of a food product, its more likely to slip and cause and injury.

#2 : Never, ever grab a falling knife - the best way to avoid having to think about this rule is to make sure your knife is always on your work surface and in sight.

#3 : Use the right knife for the right job - many injuries occurs when laziness induces us to use the knife in hand rather than a correct one for the job.

#4 : Always cut away from never towards yourself - sometimes this is a hard rule to follow. again! dont be lazy, if the angle is not right move the product.

#5 : When you have a knife in hand, keep your eyes on the blade - dont be all masterchef chattering away while the blade is chipping off the tips of your fingers.

#6 : Carry a knife properly - most of us chefs carry knife pointing downwards when moving around in the kitchen, so you should do the same at home. =)

#7 : Never, ever put a knife in a sink full of water - first if the water is soapy and not clear you might forget that its in there, second the soap might cause you to lose grip allowing the knife to slip and cut yourself.

#8 : Always cut on a cutting board - dont cut on metal, glass or marble. this wont do any damage to you but it will ruin the knife.

this is the proper way to hold a chef knife. *sorry its not my hand couldnt get a nice shot* =)

Have fun and always be safe in the kitchen! Cheers!



Chef Kim. =)

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients
butter                                 4tbsp (divided use)
w' button mushroom           8oz
salt                                    1tsp
onions                               medium sized (diced or rough chopped)
w' pepper                         1/2tsp
chicken stock                    10oz (use measuring ladle)
heavy cream                      1-1 1/2 cup (depending how creamy you want it)




#1 : saute mushrooms with 2tbsp butter until coloured, then remove from pan and set aside.

#2 : saute onions with remaining 2tbsp butter, cook till fragrant then add in mushrooms and flour.

#3 : constantly stirring to avoid lumps, cook till the mix is smooth and slowly add in chicken stock. cook at low heat while constantly stirring till mix thickens.

#4 : add in heavy cream and bring to simmer (not boiling!)

#5 : have a taste and adjust to your liking

#6 : using a spoon drip cream droplets on the top of your soup and finish with parsley for a gourmet look.

Chef Kim. =)

Grilled Salmon w' blanched asparagus

Ingredients
salmon steak            6oz
asparagus                7-8 stalks
lemon butter
salsa verde             *refer to salsa verde recipe*
salt                         1tsp
paragon                  1tsp
olive oil                   4-5tsp
mustard                  1tsp
lemon juice             1tsp


#1 : get a pot of water boiling, salted but not heavily.

#2 : trim the salmon steak and remove and bones in it. (do not wash the fish!!!), brush with lemon butter season with salt and paragon then set aside.

#3 : blanch the asparagus briefly (45secs-1min) in the boiling salted water, get a bow mix together the olive oil and mustard season it with a dash of salt and stir well to mix.

#4 : remove asparagus fr water and into the bowl, coat the stalks with the mix.

#5 : on a medium to high heat pan, grill the salmon fillet making 4 turns. get those char marks!!! cook for 6-7mins.

#6 : place the asparagus 9-3 o'clock of the plate, remove the salmon and place 12-6 o'clock of the place.
1tsp of salsa verde on the 12 o'clock side of the salmon.

#7 : enjoyyyyy!! 

Chef Kim. =)

Tomato & Basil Bruschetta

Ingredients
tomato                 500g (should be around 4-5 medium sized tomatos)
garlic                   4 cloves
basil leaves          7-8 leaves
olive oil               1/2cup
sea salt                1 1/2tsp
black pepper       3/4tsp
lime juice             1 1/2tsp
french baguette    10-12 slices



#1 : dice the tomatos 1'10 in size and place into mixing bowl, finely chop the garlic and add into the mix.

#2 : wash basil leaves and make sure its dry before u slice, thinly slice basil leaves with sharp knife to 1mm slices. add into mix and stir well.

#3 :  add in olive oil and stir well with spatula, season with sea salt and pepper.

#4 : drizzle in lime juice and continue mixing, once done wrap with cling film and store in fridge to marinate for about 20-30mins. (can be kept for one day)

#5 : preheat oven to 95-105 degrees celcius, slice baguettes into 1 1/2 cm thick slices. carefully spoon the bruschetta mix onto the baguette. cook in oven for 7-12mins.

Cheers! 

Chef Kim. =)

French Creme Brulee

Ingredients
heavy cream         2cups
egg yolks              5
granulated sugar   1/2cup
vanilla extract       1tbsp
brown sugar         1/2 cup


#1 : preheat oven to 135-140 degrees celcius

#2 : whisk cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.

#3 : pour into remakins (lil ceramic dishes) about 3/4 the way up.

#4 : place remakins into a baking pan filled with hot water (half way up the remakins)

#5 : place baking pan into oven for 45mins-1hour (check every 10-15mins after 45mins of cooking), use a trusted needle or a knife, stick in into the mix. it should not stick to the knife or needle to indicate its ready.

#6 : remove remakins and set them on counter to allow cooling for 15mins.

#7 : store in fridge overnight!! *the next day wake up with a smile remembering you've got a treat for yourself, get your lazy ass outta bed and walk to the fridge*

#8 : sprinkle the brown sugar evenly on top and torch it till sugar melts creating a caramel crust on top.

wallah! worth getting outta bed for?

Chef Kim. =)

Garlic Bread

Ingredients
french baguette          (as many pieces as you want)
garlic                         6tbsp
parmesan cheese       1/2tsp on every piece
butter                        3/4-1cup (softened)
salt                            1tsp


#1 : peel garlics and finely chop

#2 : get a pan going on medium heat, add in butter constantly sitring with spatula to allow butter to melt evenly and not burn.

#3 : once butter is melted turn to low heat and add in chopped garlic and salt.

#4 : slice baguette 1-1 1/2 cm thick which ever way you like it.

#5 : you'll know when the garlic butter is ready by the fragrance of the garlic being realeased. remove from the pan place in a bowl and allow to cool.

#6 : butter the surface of the bread with generous amounts of garlic butter, spread pieces on garlic evenly on top to avoid some parts being burnt.

#7 : sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top and whack it into the oven at 95-105 degrees celcius for about 4-5mins.

Chef Kim. =)

Fettucine Carbonara

Ingredients
fettucine                              120g
white button mushroom       1cup
bacon                                 1cup
red capcicum                      2tbsp
butter                                 1tbsp
water (from pasta)              1/2cup
english parsley                    1/2tbsp
egg yolk                             1
heavy cream                       1cup




#1 : get a pot of water boiling, (a pot big enough it should only leave 1/4 the length of the pasta sticking out) throw in couple tbsp of salt and a dash of olive oil.

#2 : while waiting for the water to boil, cook your bacon strips on high heat giving them some colour. set aside to allow to cool.

#3 : remove the butt of the mushrooms and thinly slice them length wise (do not wash! the most you can do is wipe it with a piece of clean cloth).

#4 : cut the capcicum into half, remove the stalks slice them up thinly and then dice.

#5 : rough chop the leaves of the english parsley and set aside, once the bacon has cooled enough cut or chop them up into small bits

#6 : at this point your pot of water should be very well boiling, so get the pasta place them straight in and cook for 7mins, when draining save some of the water to use in the sauce later on.

#7 : get a pan going on medium to high heat, add in butter (allow butter to colour a little bit), add in the mushrooms and give em a good toss. add salt and black pepper(coarse balck pepper) to taste.

#8 : once the mushroom has slightly browned (do not cook too long as the mushroom will release all the moist it has absorbed), add in the diced capcicum giving it a good toss. 2mins later add in the bacon.

#9 : cook for another 2-3mins and then add in the water fr the pasta pot, then add the heavy cream and stir well. put to low heat and cook for 3mins before adding pasta. mix well!

#10 : turn off the heat, throw in the yolk and stir well before adding the chopped parsley.

fettucine carbonara done! happy days. =)

Chef Kim.