Unpopular opinion: I stopped using a timer for my stocks three years ago and it was the best call I ever made.

Back in a Chicago kitchen, my old head chef would scream if a stock pot wasn't pulled exactly at 90 minutes. Last week, I let a chicken stock go for almost five hours because it just didn't smell right yet. The flavor was insane, way deeper than any clock could give me. How many of you still cook by time instead of by sight and smell?

3 comments

3 Comments

hart.ryan2mo ago

Totally get that. My old boss was the same way, a real tyrant about the clock. But you can't smell a timer, right? Letting things go until they just taste done makes so much more sense.

the_val2mo ago

Oh man, that reminds me of my grandma's kitchen. She never owned a timer in her life. She'd just poke a cake with a broom straw to see if it was ready. Always turned out perfect, too. Makes you wonder what we lost when we started trusting beeps over our own senses.

skylerg171mo ago

Yeah I mean timers are just a tool. You can use them wrong for sure but they're not the enemy. A timer doesn't stop you from also using your nose or your fork to check things.