appletun-pies

[appletun-pies]

Cooking with Pokémon

The real secret to cooking with Pokémon is understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the different types. For example, almost any normal flying type is going to taste good roasted with vegetables, but you won't find the same to be true with a fairy or ghost type. Water types and grass types can often be eaten raw, but dragon types must be cooked.

It's also important to understand basic preparation techniques. Below, I've listed a few important techniques you might want to look into before beginning your culinary journey.

I always start my cooking with a Mise en Place, which means preparing everything beforehand. Measuring, cutting, peeling, slicing, etc. Having all of that done before you start cooking can help with stress, cleaning afterward, and keeping organized.

Cooking Techniques:

Sauté: Very little oil in a high heat pan. The high heat helps retain moisture in the ingredients, which can be added when the oil starts to smoke.

Pan Fry: More oil and a slightly lower (medium-high) heat than sautéing.

Roasting/Baking: Food is cooked in the oven over a long period of time. This process is called baking for baked goods and roasting for meats and vegetables.

Broiling: Similar to roasting, but uses heat from above exclusively. This can be useful when browning the top of a dish, or melting cheese on top of something among other things. Most ovens have a broil setting.

Grilling: can be done on a grill or in a cast iron pan. This uses high heat and no oil, and if done over a grill can infuse flavors of the wood/charcoal used to burn for the fire.

Poaching: ingredients cooked in hot but not boiling water. Typical poaching temperatures are around 160-180° F.

Simmering: Similar to poaching, but at a higher temperature, around 185-205° F.

Boiling: Water should be over 212° F.

There are plenty of other techniques, but if they come up in any dish here, either I will explain or a quick Google search should help!

Also, don't be scared of Pokémon dishes just because of their type! A lot of people see that a dish is made with a bug type and won't touch it, but they don't realize what they're missing out on. Bug types are full of protein, and when cooked right can be nearly indistinguishable from, for example, a water type. Poison types have a bit of a bad reputation because it's right in the name, but in a lot of cases only part of the Pokémon is toxic, or sometimes the toxicity will cook out when correctly prepared.

Even though we’re cooking Pokémon here, don’t forget that some of them can be very useful tools in the kitchen! Mr. Mime can be great help with kitchen prep (but don't put them in charge of the actual cooking), and a Rotom can replace kitchen appliances you don’t have on hand. Local classes can be a good resource for increasing your cooking I.Q., and don’t forget to regularly check my blog for more tips and tricks that will help you on your culinary journey!

That said, please let me know if you have any requests! And feel free to send me any suggestions you have or recipes you want me to post here!

Happy Cooking,

Sage

[appletun-pies]

My Story

I wanted to start off my illustrious writing career with a down-to-earth cookbook, but my editors insisted that I build a blog presence first. They also insisted that I name my blog "Pokéball Poké Bowls" because they can't resist a pun. I, for one, hate puns almost as much as I hate Weepinbell. The things I do for my editors.

I started down the path of chef back in 2005 when my father said something that inspired me for the rest of the life. He said, "If you put half the effort into your internship at the salt mines that you put into your little cooking experiments you'd make a mighty fine miner." Well, I really took that to heart, and put all of my effort into my cooking. Once I had finished my internship at the mines, I set off for culinary school.

My world exploded once I got to the city. Culinary school was an incredible experience. We had so many guest chefs from around the city who came to give us their advice and tell us about their experiences, and that was what really unlocked my creativity. It finally occurred to me that the classic dishes that had started to fade into the background for me could be so easily revitalized, and that's what I plan to do with this collection of recipes.

It's my goal to show you all that you can take even the most mundane recipe and elevate it to a point of extravagance. Never let the Pokémon be the star of the show. It needs to be a perfect balance. Flavor, texture, and making the right choices of sides and beverages are all things that go into making the perfect meal.

This is, primarily, a recipe blog, but I want to intersperse it with advice because what I want to leave you with is more than just a few quick dinners. I want to leave you with the skills you need to start building your own recipes.

Happy Cooking,

Sage