Chef Tom's Cooking Class Minute: Week 2

Cooking Rice: creating socarrat—

One of the joys of teaching is I'm constantly learning. When Chef Katherine Polenz asked if I would discuss creating socarrat—the irresistible golden crust on the bottom of a great paella—I knew it would make a wonderful Cooking Class Minute. I also knew Chef Polenz is an expert in rice cookery... ❤️

In recent years I’ve traveled in Spain researching local paellas. My favorite was seafood paella in Alicante. The paella was brought to our table so we could enjoy the socarrat (the delicious, crispy golden brown rice at the bottom of the pan)

 

Several years ago, while consulting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I watched chefs prepare a variety of rice dishes in pans nearly four feet across. They were preparing hundreds of portions of various rice dishes for home meal delivery customers. It was hot and very busy yet there wasn't a hint of panic in the kitchen. After the chef created the sofrito base with olive oil, garlic, onions and peppers, and parched the rice, he began adding delicious, hot stock. What caught my attention wasn't the expensive seafood & saffron being added —it was what the chef didn't do.

After adding the hot stock, he never stirred the rice again.

As the rice absorbed the stock, the simmering stock literally stirred the rice with the agitation; the kitchen filled with the amazing aroma. The chef listened more than he looked, waiting for the faint crackle that signaled the rice had begun caramelizing against the bottom of the large pan.

He smiled and said, “the rice is talking to me~"

 

The final minutes of cooking the rice dish produced what chefs treasure most: socarrat—the thin, golden layer of toasted rice on the bottom of the pan. As the final liquid is absorbed, you'll hear a gentle crackling sound as the bottom layer begins to caramelize. Raise the heat slightly for the final minute or two. Do not stir. That's the sound you're waiting for. The rice should be tender with just a slight bite.

The flavor and texture of soccorat is amazing. It isn't burned rice. It's the reward for experience, patience, proper technique, and knowing when to leave the pan alone. Let the rice rest and then enjoy.

 

Later that day, the Egyptian chefs prepared a family meal for us featuring Hekaka, their version of the delicious toasted rice scraped from the bottom of the pot. The name itself comes from the Arabic word meaning "to scrape." It reminded me that many cultures celebrate those caramelized bits that so many people mistakenly think are burned.

 

Let's Keep Learning Together

What topic would you like me to cover in a future Cooking Class Minute? I'm always looking for ideas from fellow cooks, chefs, and food enthusiasts.

 

Chef Tom Griffiths, Certified Master Chef

Former CIA Instructor • R&D • Mentor

"Helping chefs, entrepreneurs, and food companies create exceptional food products."

Beginners recipe: Pork Spare Ribs

By Tom Griffiths • August 8, 2026
Years ago I traveled around the south for a few weeks researching some of the amazing foods of each region. In Charleston, I was introduced to a local pig farmer, Tank Jackson who manages Holy City Hogs. Tank and his wife raise heritage breed pigs and distribute the pigs around the country. He offers on-site cooking whole pig roasts, primal cuts and sausages, and I believe he produces the best pork in the country.

Seafood; Griddled Swordfish Steak

By Tom Griffiths • August 8, 2026
Years ago, while working as a chef in a busy continental restaurant, we featured grilled, fresh swordfish on the menu—finished with a generous spoonful of herbed compound butter and capers. It was popular and delicious. One afternoon, a seafood purveyor stopped by with a sample of frozen swordfish steaks, fully thawed and ready for evaluation. Curious, we grilled it side by side with the “fresh” swordfish we had been serving—fish we believed to be of high quality. The result was surprising. The frozen swordfish was superior—firmer, cleaner in flavor, and more consistent in texture. In contrast, our “fresh” fish, likely several days out of the water, lacked the same integrity. It was a defining moment and an important reminder: in many cases, properly handled and quickly frozen seafood can offer better quality than fish labeled as fresh. For chefs, understanding sourcing and handling is just as critical as technique—especially with a product as prized as swordfish.

Week 1 – The Biggest Mistake People Make When Cooking Scallops

By Tom Griffiths • August 6, 2026
Chef Tom's Cooking Class Minute: Week 1 The Biggest Mistake People Make When Cooking Scallops 

Eggplant Caponata

By Tom Griffiths • July 27, 2026
The name "caponata" itself has a fascinating origin story. One popular theory suggests it derives from capone, the Sicilian word for mahi-mahi. Historically, wealthy Sicilian aristocrats enjoyed a sweet-and-sour fish dish. Because seafood was too expensive for the working class, local home cooks substituted fish with affordable, meaty eggplant. Over time, this creative peasant food evolved into the beloved antipasto we celebrate today, often rounded out with celery, olives, and capers.

Children's lunches cooked by Chefs

By Tom Griffiths • July 23, 2026
From Talk to Action: A Chef’s Challenge for School Lunches 

Dessert; Lemon Cheesecake

By Tom Griffiths • July 22, 2026
The legendary New York-style cheesecake was famously popularized by Lindy’s Restaurant , an iconic Theater District deli opened in 1921 by German-immigrant Leo "Lindy" Lindemann and his wife Clara . A NY-style cheesecake has a dense but velvety cream cheese base, citrus zest, and a distinct cookie-dough pastry crus t. For years, I took the bus into NYC to work in amazing restaurant kitchens. On one bus ride I met and became friends with a manager at the legendary Lindy’s Restaurant. One day, he did the ultimate honor: he shared the closely guarded, original cheesecake recipe with me. This new recipe is directly inspired by that legendary Lindy’s classic, capturing its iconic velvety richness and signature flavor profile, but re-engineered for a modern, protein-packed lifestyle.  Why This Recipe Delivers High-protein swap : Cottage cheese provides a clean, protein-packed base that replaces heavy fats without sacrificing richness. Silky texture : Blending the batter thoroughly ensures a velvety smooth consistency that rivals any NY-style cake. Savory-approved : Simple, foolproof assembly that requires no pastry-chef precision to get a perfect bake every time.

Rigatoni with Pesto & Asian Greens

By Tom Griffiths • June 28, 2026
One of the great pleasures of my career is spending time each year working as a Culinary Educator aboard a cruise ship alongside my wife. She teaches baking & pastry while I focus on savory cooking and culinary techniques. Our travels take us to fascinating ports around the world, providing opportunities to explore local markets and study regional cuisines. I have a particular affection for the Mediterranean and always make it a point to seek out local variations of pesto, one of the world's great culinary treasures. One evening aboard ship, the pasta station served rigatoni with a choice of pesto, marinara, or Alfredo sauce. The cook prepared each order by reheating the pasta in hot water and then finishing it briefly in a sauté pan with the selected sauce. I watched in disbelief as he prepared to heat the pesto exactly the same way. "Horror!" flashed through my mind. Pesto is not a cooked sauce. Heating it aggressively dulls the fresh basil aroma, darkens its vibrant color, and diminishes the delicate flavors of basil, garlic, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil that make pesto so special. I may have startled the cook when I quickly called out, "Please don't cook my pesto!" Instead, I asked him to simply toss the hot rigatoni with the pesto off the heat, allowing the warmth of the pasta to gently release the fragrance and flavor of the basil. The result was exactly as pesto was intended to be enjoyed—fresh, vibrant, aromatic, and unmistakably Mediterranean.

Chicken Sauté, Fines Herbs & Champagne Cream

By Tom Griffiths • May 13, 2026
As chefs, we spend years mastering sauté work. I remember my early days working the sauté station for lunch in a French restaurant in NYC. We served over one hundred guests in an hour-and the food was excellent — a dozen hot pans on the flat top, stocks simmering, mise en place of freshly chopped herbs, minced shallots, butter for mounting into sauces à la minute. There is rhythm to good sauté cooking. You learn quickly that great sauté work is not about rushing — it is about organization and control .

Beyond Sweet Basil: An Herb with History, Health, and Global Range

By Tom Griffiths • April 23, 2026
Beyond Sweet Basil: An Herb with History, Health, and Global Range 

Dessert; Italian Wheat Pie

By Tom Griffiths • April 11, 2026
Our Easter and Christmas meals were feasts... my mother's family all met at Aunt Flora's home in Jersey City to enjoy and celebrate the holidays. Dinner began with platters of fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, olives, Italian bread, then a pasta course (manicotti or lasagna for the religious holidays), a roast or sausages with plenty of vegetables and traditional Italian desserts with dark coffee.We ate Italian Easter Wheat Pie one day each year—and it was never store-bought. My Aunts brought Easter cookies and baked goods-the wheat pie was my favorite. I loved the slight 'bite' of the wheat and flavors of cinnamon, vanilla and citrus. My father sometimes let me have a sip of his espresso with the dessert. I'm not sure if my mother used lard for the pie crust-she was a fan of butter and Crisco but the crust was always flaky.