Cooking Hints & Tips Archive 29
Cooking Tip: Plums are high in carbohydrates, low in fat and low in calories. Plums are free of sodium and cholesterol. Plums are a good source of vitamin C.
Cooking Tip: Plums should be stored at 33F degrees at high humidity. They will keep 1 to 2 weeks maximum.
Cooking Tip: The domestic plum season extends from May through October, with Japanese types coming on the market first and peaking in August, followed by European varieties in the fall.
Cooking Tip: Plums should be plump and well colored for their variety. If a fruit yields to gentle pressure, it is ready to eat, however, you can buy plums that are fairly firm, but not rock hard and let them soften at home. They will not increase in sweetness.
Cooking Tip: To soften hard plums, place several in a loosely closed paper bag and leave them at room temperature for a day or two; when softened, transfer them to the refrigerator. Ripe plums can be refrigerated for up to three days.
Cooking Tip: Dried beans should be soaked, and the water changed, to soften them (which reduces cooking time), but mainly to dissolve some of the gas producing compounds which make the beans easier to digest.
Cooking Tip: Legumes may cause intestinal discomfort. You can minimize this effect by changing the soaking water several times when you prepare dried beans, or switching to canned beans. When canned, some of the gas-producing substances are eliminated. Be sure to rinse the beans well to wash off excess salt. Another option is ???Beano', which contains an enzyme that breaks down gas-producing substances in the beans.
Cooking Tip: Dried beans or legumes are an inexpensive and healthy way to include into your 5 A Day diet. A serving (1/3 cup of cooked beans) contains around 80 calories, no cholesterol, lots of complex carbohydrates, and little fat. In addition, beans are a good source of B vitamins, potassium, and fiber, which promotes digestive health and relieves constipation. Eating beans may help prevent colon cancer, and reduce blood cholesterol.
Cooking Tip: Be sure to serve beans with vitamin C rich vegetables to help iron from the beans be better absorbed.
Cooking Tip: It takes about 2 pounds of dried beans to make 1 1/2 gallons of soup.
Cooking Tip: Fresh horseradish should be stored at 35F degrees. One tablespoon fresh grated horseradish is the equivalent to two tablespoons bottled horseradish.
Cooking Tip: The bite and aroma of the horseradish root are almost absent until it is grated or ground. During this process, as the root cells are crushed, volatile oils known as isothiocyanate are released. Vinegar stops this reaction and stabilizes the flavor. For milder horseradish, vinegar is added immediately.
Cooking Tip: To relish the full flavor of processed horseradish, it must be fresh and of high quality. Color varies from white to creamy beige. As processed horseradish ages, it browns and loses potency. Replace with a fresh jar for full flavor enjoyment.
Cooking Tip: Varieties of prepared horseradish include Cream Style Prepared Horseradish, Horseradish Sauce, Beet Horseradish and Dehydrated Horseradish. Distinguishing characteristics may be ingredients or texture - fine or coarse ground. The true horseradish enthusiast has several favorites, depending on the end use.
Cooking Tip: Mustard with prepared horseradish adds a rich and spicy zing to cold cuts or hot entrees.
Cooking Tip: Pineapples, like melons, do not have any starch reserves, so they do not get sweeter after they are picked. They must be harvested after they begin to ripen. The sweetest part of the pineapple is at the base.
Cooking Tip: Pineapples should be ripened at room temperature. Ripe pineapples can be stored at 40F degrees for several weeks.
Cooking Tip: Select pineapples with a nice fragrant smell. If possible choose pineapples that have been jet shipped from Hawaii or Central America because they will be the freshest.
Cooking Tip: Avoid those pineapples with sour or fermented odors. It is really ripe if you can easily pull one of the leaves out of the top.
Cooking Tip: Store pineapple at room temperature for 1 or 2 days before serving to allow the pineapple to become softer and sweeter. Store in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days or cut pineapple into chunks and store for up to 7 days.
Cooking Tip: Lettuce leaves should be torn by hand; cutting with a knife will turn the edges brown faster. If you must cut lettuce, be sure to use a stainless steel knife.
Cooking Tip: The outer, greener leaves of lettuce contains more vitamins and minerals then the paler inner leaves.
Cooking Tip: Lettuce is a vegetable that is pretty much immune to any form of preservation. You can't freeze it, can it, dry it, or pickle it.
Cooking Tip: Generally lettuce is eaten raw, so consider removing any browned, slimy, or wilted leaves. For all lettuce types, you should thoroughly wash and dry the leaves to remove any dirt or lingering insects. If you eat lettuce often, it's wise to invest in a salad spinner. Simply rinse the leaves and place in the spinner to remove the excess water.
Cooking Tip: In addition to their most common use in salads, you can also braise, steam, saute and even grill certain lettuce varieties to create a wonderful and different taste treat. Try halving a head of radicchio or romaine lengthwise, and brush on some extra virgin olive oil, and grill until they soften and just begin to brown-absolutely delicious.
Cooking Tip: Blueberry season is from May to September. Look for berries with a silvery bloom, this is a natural protective coating. They should be refrigerated as quickly as possible and kept dry. Do not wash until you are ready to use them. They will last for up to 2 weeks if stored properly. Blueberries are a good source of Vitamin C.
Cooking Tip: Select blueberries that are firm, dry, plump, and smooth-skinned. Berries should be deep-purple blue to blue-black; reddish berries aren't ripe but can be used in cooking.
Cooking Tip: Blueberries tend to change color during cooking. Acids, like lemon juice and vinegar, make the blue in blueberries turn red. In an alkaline environment, such as a batter with too much baking soda, the blueberries may turn greenish-blue.
Cooking Tip: When making pancakes and waffles, add blueberries as soon as the batter has been poured on the griddle or waffle iron. This will make the pancakes prettier and they'll be easier to flip. If frozen blueberries are used, cooking time may have to be increased to be sure the berries are heated through.
Cooking Tip: Blueberries contain significant quantities of both antibacterial and antiviral compounds, and have a reputation in northern Europe of fighting infections.They may also help protect against heart disease.
Cooking Tip: Select high quality, fresh shrimp for freezing. Shrimp can be frozen cooked or raw, in or out of the shell. For maximum storage life and quality, freeze shrimp raw, with heads removed but shells still on. Be sure to wash and drain the shrimp if frozen raw.
Cooking Tip: Quickly chill shrimp cooked before freezing. Package in freezer containers or bags, leaving 1/4-inch headspace, seal and freeze.
Cooking Tip: Shrimp are sized and sold by count (number of shrimp per pound) either whole or headless. For example, headless shrimp of 16-20 count means there are 16 to 20 headless shrimp per pound. Counts for headless shrimp range from under 10 (the largest shrimp) to 300-500 (the smallest).
Cooking Tip: Shrimp should have a mild aroma (similar to the ocean), tightly adhering shells and firm flesh.
Cooking Tip: Store shrimp in the coldest part of your refrigerator at 32F degrees and use within two days, or freeze at 0F degrees for up to six months.
Cooking Tip: All-purpose flour is a mixture of the two types, with about 11-12% gluten.
Cooking Tip: Bread flour is made from hard wheat which produces dough that is elastic and can expand well.
Cooking Tip: Cake and pastry flour is made with fine textured soft wheat, producing tender dough with little stretch for products needing a crumbly texture.
Cooking Tip: Generally speaking, flour made from hard winter wheat contains 13% to 15% protein (gluten).
Cooking Tip: Flour made from wheat grown in the hot months of summer is soft wheat with only 4% to 9% gluten.
Cooking Tip: Ginger is available year-round. When selecting gingerroot, choose robust firm roots with a spicy fragrance and smooth skin. Gingerroot should not be cracked or withered.
Cooking Tip: Fresh ginger can be stored tightly wrapped in a paper towel or plastic wrap (or put into a plastic bag) in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks and it can also be placed in a jar of sherry and refrigerated for 3-6 months.
Cooking Tip: Ginger is supposedly more effective than Dramamine in combating motion sickness.
Cooking Tip: The powdered, dried form of ginger has a more spicy, intense flavor and is often used in baking (gingerbread, gingersnaps, ginger cookies).
Cooking Tip: The flavor of Ginger is characterized by its unique combination of lemon/citrus, soapy and musty/earthy flavor notes. It is warming to taste.
Cooking Tip: Tomato puree contains from 8% - 15% solids and comes in light, medium, heavy or extra heavy.
Cooking Tip: Tomato paste contains from 24% - 39% solids and comes in light, medium, heavy or extra heavy.
Cooking Tip: When baking tomatoes, whole or stuffed, use a muffin tin liberally coated with oil pan spray. The tomatoes will sit straight and hold their shape.
Cooking Tip: Tomatoes make an excellent base for homemade soups or sauces and especially compliment pasta dishes.
Cooking Tip: Tomatoes combine well with just about any type of food, such as, poultry, fish, rice, pasta, as well as other vegetables.
Cooking Tip: Onions produce the chemical irritant known as syn-propanethial-S-oxide. It stimulates the eyes' lachrymal glands so they release tears. Scientists used to blame the enzyme allinase for the instability of substances in a cut onion, but recent studies proved that lachrymatory-factor synthase is the culprit.
Cooking Tip: Onions not only provide flavor; they also provide health-promoting phytochemicals as well as nutrients. Onions contain quercetin and allium.
Cooking Tip: Most onions are sold loose by the pound, although some types are sold in bags or small boxes. Look for onions that feel dry and solid all over, with no soft spots or sprouts. The neck should be tightly closed and the outer skin should have a crackly feel and a shiny appearance. Onions should smell mild, even if their flavor is not. Avoid selecting onions with green areas or dark patches.
Cooking Tip: Onions should be kept in a cool, dry open space away from bright light. Onions do best in an area that allows for air circulation. Because onions absorb moisture, do not store onions below the sink. Also, do not place onions near potatoes because potatoes give off moisture and produce a gas that causes onions to spoil more quickly. Spring/summer onions usually store for about two weeks and storage onions for about three to four weeks.
Cooking Tip: Onions come in three colors: yellow, red, and white. Approximately 88 percent of the onion crop is devoted to yellow onion production, with about 7 percent red onions and 5 percent white onions.
Cooking Tip: Persimmons are widely available September through December, with a peak during November.
Cooking Tip: Choose persimmons with deep red undertones. Look for persimmons that are round, plump, and have glossy and smooth skin. Avoid fruits with blemishes, bruises or cracked skin and missing the green leaves at the top. Select ripe persimmons only if you plan to eat them immediately. Otherwise, buy firmer fruits and allow them to ripen.
Cooking Tip: Ripen persimmons at room temperature in a paper bag with an apple or banana. Store them in the refrigerator when ripe. Be sure to eat the fruit as soon as possible because overripe persimmons quickly turn to a mushy texture.
Cooking Tip: Ripe Fuyu persimmons, which look kind of like flattened tomatoes, will be crisp, while the acorn-shaped Hachiyas will be very soft and juicy.
Cooking Tip: Unripe Hachiya persimmons taste very bitter and will suck all the moisture from your mouth. The tartness will go away as the fruit ripens.
Cooking Tip: Cream will whip better better if you add a pinch of salt.
Cooking Tip: Egg whites will beat faster and higher if you add a pinch of salt.
Cooking Tip: Rub your hands with salt and lemon juice to remove fish odors.
Cooking Tip: To test eggs for freshness, place the egg in a cup of water to which two teaspoonfuls of salt has been added. A fresh egg will sink.
Cooking Tip: Soaking pecans in salt water for several hours before shelling will make nut meats easier to remove.
Cooking Tip: Garlic is available year-round. When buying fresh garlic, choose from plump, dry heads that feel firm. Avoid soft, mushy or shriveled cloves. Garlic should be stored in a cool, dark place (though not a refrigerator) and can be kept for several weeks.
Cooking Tip: When you use a garlic press or crush the garlic cloves, you get a stronger flavor than when you mince it fine with a knife. This is only noticeable when using the garlic raw.
Cooking Tip: Small bulbs of garlic can be as much as 20 times as strong as larger bulbs.
Cooking Tip: Cooking garlic decreases the strength of its flavor, making it much milder. The longer it is cooked, the more mild it tastes. Be careful not to saute garlic too long at too high a temperature, it will brown very quickly and can become bitter.
Cooking Tip: To bake garlic, place whole, unpeeled bulbs rounded side down in a shallow baking dish, drizzle with oil, cover with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 325F degrees.
Cooking Tip: Fresh figs are available July through September. Dried figs are never out of season, and are available all year. You can find them in your favorite grocery store in the produce or dried fruit section.
Cooking Tip: Look for figs that are soft and smell sweet. Handle carefully because their fragile skins bruise easily.
Cooking Tip: Store fully ripened figs in the refrigerator up to 2 days; bring to room temperature before serving.
Cooking Tip: One pound of figs will yield about 3 cups chopped.
Cooking Tip: Figs should be stored at 50 - 60F degrees with low humidity (they will mold easily). Will keep for up to 6 months.
