# Ask Chef Tom: Colicchio Answers Your Cooking Questions - Made In

We asked our community what they'd most like to know from Chef Tom Colicchio, and you delivered. We brought your questions to Temple Court in New York, where Tom shared his take on everything from steak and scallops to salt, sauces, and the only pans you really need. Here's what he had to say.Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

## **What's your go-to method for cooking a great steak?**

"It all depends. I'm not going to tell you what the best way is, because there are various ways to do it, but I'll tell you how to do it.

**On the grill:** When you build your fire, build it off to the side so you can use direct and indirect heat. If you have a good piece of meat and it has a lot of fat in it, when it starts to drip, it can cause flare-ups. You don't want that steak catching fire; I've seen it happen, and it can ruin a really good piece of meat. With indirect heat, you can move the steak so it still gets heat without sitting right on top of the coals.

**In a pan:** You don't need screaming hot heat. More important is what you're buying. If I'm cooking for 2 people, I'd rather get 1 thick steak than 2 thin steaks, because the longer it takes something to cook, the more flavor you develop. A thin steak cooks very quickly; with a thick steak, you can take your time.

A few things to keep in mind:

- **Dry it and season it.** I always have paper towels nearby when I cook at home. Before anything goes in the pan, it gets dried on both sides.
- **Use more oil than you think you need.** Home cooks typically don't use enough. It doesn't have to be swimming in oil, but use a good amount.
- **Don't move it.** Don't shake the pan back and forth. Just put it in and leave it alone.
- **Choose the smallest pan that fits the steak.** The area of the pan the steak isn't touching is where the oil will start to burn.
- **Skip the high heat.** You want it sizzling when the steak goes in, but you don't want flames shooting out of the pan. Save that for TV.
- **Be patient.** When you hear the sizzling speed up, lower the flame. You don't need high heat to get it brown; you just want to maintain that contact.
- **Turn it more than once.** With a thick steak, I'm not searing one side, then the other, and calling it done. It'll be flipped a couple of times.
- **Finish in the oven if needed.** If it's browned on both sides but still on the rare side, put it in a 375°F oven with a good amount of butter and some herbs in the pan, and baste it. You can also keep it on the stovetop over medium to medium-low heat and baste, but it's harder to keep the butter from burning.
- **Let it rest.** For a good 2-inch steak, give it at least 4 minutes before cutting. As it cooks, the juices get pushed to the center; when it rests, they move back out to the edges. Cut it too soon and those juices end up on your cutting board."

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## **Why do my pork chops always turn out dry?**

"If your pork chops are dry, you're overcooking them. There hasn't been an incident of trichinosis in this country since around World War II; pork doesn't have to be well done. I'm not saying medium rare like a steak, but if you compare it to steak, aim for medium, maybe toward medium-well.

Pork chops are also really lean, especially commercial pork, so there's not a lot of fat to keep them juicy. You can buy well-marbled pork that will stay juicier, but either way, just don't overcook it."

## **How do I get a nice sear on scallops?**

"Make sure they're really, really dry. Here's the problem: most scallops you buy are treated so they absorb water. The second they hit the pan, that water starts to come out, and it's almost impossible to get a sear. Go to a reputable fish market and ask for dry pack scallops. That's what you want.

Then, season them right before they go in the pan, and pat them dry with a paper towel. Use medium to medium-high heat; it doesn't need to be high. Once they're in, don't move them, don't overcrowd the pan, and don't shake it back and forth. Just let them sit, and you'll get a good sear.

One more thing: you'll typically only get a great sear on one side. It's really hard to sear both without overcooking them."

## **Which mother sauce do you use most in everyday cooking?**

"I don't think I do. Sometimes I use chicken stock, but that's not a mother sauce. In everyday cooking, I don't use one. New mother sauce? Olive oil."

## **How do you fix a broken sauce?**

"It depends on the sauce. For a hollandaise, put a small amount of warm water in another bowl, then slowly add the broken hollandaise back in while whisking really vigorously. That usually brings it back.

Sauces typically break when there's not enough liquid to hold the fat. A simple butter sauce like a beurre blanc will break if it gets too hot, too cold, or doesn't have enough liquid. As soon as you see oil forming around the edge, add some water, whisk, and take it off the heat, but keep it warm."

## **Can you fix a sauce that's too salty?**

"No. Some people say to put potatoes in it, but if something's oversalted, you really can't save it.

Instead, don't just grab a bunch of salt and throw it in, especially with a finished sauce. Taste it. If it needs more salt, add a tiny bit, taste it again, and add a little more. It's a great way to train your palate. I like to practice with chutneys and relishes, since salt affects the sweet and sour elements differently. I do the same thing with the cooks in my kitchen: add a pinch, taste, add a pinch, taste. Don't dump it in at the end, because you won't come back from that."

## **When should I use oil, and when should I use butter?**

"Start in oil, finish with butter."

## **When would you use stainless steel vs. carbon steel?**

"I use them interchangeably, but if I'm going to add acid to a pan, you don't want carbon steel. You want stainless. For searing meat or fish, carbon steel is a good choice, but you can use them either way.

With carbon steel, just make sure you clean it really well after using it. If it's not cleaned properly, that's when those black bits end up in your eggs."

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## **What's the best reliable workhorse pan or pot?**

"More and more, I find myself going to enameled cast iron. That's something I'm reaching for a lot these days."

## **If you could have only 2 knives and 2 pans, which would you choose?**

"For knives, a 10-inch chef's knife (I like a longer one) and a 10-inch slicer. I don't need a paring knife or a boning knife; I can bone out anything with a chef's knife or a slicer if I have to.

For pans, a 10-inch frying pan and an enameled cast iron Dutch oven."

---
URL: https://madeincookware.com/blogs/tom-help-line