Cooking Hints & Tips Archive 33
Cooking Tip: The Latin name for shallot is Allium Ascalonicum. The name refers to Ascalon, an ancient Palestinian city where the shallot is thought to have originated.
Cooking Tip: The flavor of a shallot is a pungent blend of onion and garlic. The color can vary from pale brown to rose, and the flesh is off-white and barely tinged with green or purple.
Cooking Tip: Shallots burn easily because of their high sugar content. For this reason, saute briefly over low to medium heat.
Cooking Tip: When using raw minced shallots in salad dressings, lessen their pungency by reducing the juice; wrap the minced shallots in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze the shallots so the cloth absorbs some of their juices, then add the shallots to the recipe as directed.
Cooking Tip: Shallots will keep for approximately six months if stored in a cool, dry location.
Cooking Tip: Rosemary's beautiful dense evergreen foliage is native to the Mediterranean coasts. In late spring through summer, rosemary has white, pink or pale blue flowers.
Cooking Tip: Rosemary's strong aroma is warm and peppery with notes of pine and camphor. The taste is reminiscent of nutmeg and camphor with a woody, balsamic aftertaste.
Cooking Tip: Rosemary is used whole, chopped and ground. Unlike many other herbs, rosemary's strong flavor is not diminished with cooking so use with care.
Cooking Tip: Rosemary is often cooked with meat as it counteracts the richness and fatiness.
Cooking Tip: The tough leaves of rosemary do not soften during cooking so it is best to use a whole sprig, then remove it after cooking.
Cooking Tip: Breads begin to stale once removed from the oven. Keep pan breads tightly wrapped and store at room temperature.
Cooking Tip: Refrigerator storage has a tendency to stale bread quickly. Refrigerate only those breads that have a custard or meat filling. Crusty breads should be stored in paper bags that breathe.
Cooking Tip: To freeze bread, wrap in air-tight, freezer-suitable packaging. Freeze and hold breads and rolls at 0°F up to three to six months. Commercially baked breads may be frozen in their own wrappings if they are used in one or two weeks.
Cooking Tip: Thaw frozen bread at room temperature. Microwave thawing is not recommended because bread may dry out and become over-heated, which results in toughening.
Cooking Tip: 1 cup soft bread crumbs equals 1 1/2 slices bread and 1 cup dry bread crumbs equals 4-5 slices of oven dried bread.
Cooking Tip: A roast with the bone in will cook faster than a boneless roast because the bone carries the heat to the inside of the roast quicker.
Cooking Tip: It's important to let a roast sit 10-15 minutes before carving. That allows the juices to retreat back into the meat and helps the meat remain moist.
Cooking Tip: When slicing a hard boiled egg, wet the knife just before cutting.
Cooking Tip: Fresh eggs' shells are rough and chalky; old eggs are smooth and shiny.
Cooking Tip: When mincing garlic, sprinkle on a little salt so the pieces won't stick to your knife or cutting board.
Cooking Tip: Save butter wrappers in the freezer to use for greasing pans when baking.
Cooking Tip: When using all-purpose flour, keep in mind that one pound flour is the equivalent to 4 cups.
Cooking Tip: When using granulated sugar, keep in mind that one pound sugar is the equivalent to 2 cups.
Cooking Tip: Pancakes are lighter and fluffier when you substitute club soda for milk in the batter.
Cooking Tip: Let cookies cool completely before storing. Store different types of cookies in separate containers so they'll keep their original flavor and texture.
Cooking Tip: Once opened, milled rice should be stored in a tightly closed container to keep out moisture, dust, etc. With proper storage this type of rice will keep almost indefinitely.
Cooking Tip: Because of the oil in the bran layer of whole grain rice it has a shelf life of about 6 months. Refrigerate or freeze to extend shelf life. If not eaten immediately cooked rice should be cooled quickly. Store in a tightly covered, shallow container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or frozen up to 6 months.
Cooking Tip: Add a tablespoon of oil to the water when cooking rice so the grains stay separate and don't stick together.
Cooking Tip: Never stir rice while it cooks because it will crush the rice grains, releasing starch, and make the rice gummy.
Cooking Tip: Most U.S. rice is enriched with iron, niacin, thiamin, and folic acid. Rinsing rice, or cooking rice in excess water and draining, results in loss of enrichment and other water-soluble vitamins and minerals.
Cooking Tip: Food safety experts recommend thawing foods in the refrigerator or the microwave oven, or putting the package in a water-tight plastic bag submerged in cold water and changing the water every 30 minutes. Gradual defrosting overnight in the refrigerator is best because it helps maintain quality.
Cooking Tip: When defrosting in the microwave, follow package directions. Leave about 2 inches (about 5 centimeters) between the food and the inside surface of the microwave to allow heat to circulate. Smaller items will defrost more evenly than larger pieces of food. Foods defrosted in the microwave oven should be cooked immediately after thawing.
Cooking Tip: Do not thaw meat, poultry and fish products on the counter or in the sink without cold water; bacteria can multiply rapidly at room temperature.
Cooking Tip: When buying dates, avoid ones that are sticky or ones that have crystallized sugar on the surface. Fresh dates should be firm and springy, and should have a fresh smell, not sour. Fresh, soft dates should be kept in plastic bags in the refrigerator, and will keep for several weeks.
Cooking Tip: Dried dates should be firm, but not hard. Dried dates will keep for up to a year, refrigerated.
Cooking Tip: When working with dough, don't flour your hands; coat them with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Cooking Tip: A dampened paper towel or terry cloth brushed downward on a cob of corn will easily remove corn silk.
Cooking Tip: For a juicer hamburger, add 1/2 cup cold water to one pound of beef before grilling.
Cooking Tip: Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour before frying to improve the crispness of french fries.
Cooking Tip: Lettuce keeps better if you store it in refrigerator without washing it first so that the leaves are dry.
Cooking Tip: Add a small amount of lemon juice to the artichoke cooking water to retain the color of the artichoke.
Cooking Tip: Instead of adding raw garlic to sauces, saute the garlic first for a milder flavor.
Cooking Tip: Drain deep fried foods on brown paper grocery bags as opposed to paper towels to retain crispness.
Cooking Tip: Pancakes are lighter and fluffier when you substitute club soda for milk in the batter.
Cooking Tip: Bread will stay fresh longer if a celery rib is stored with it in the package.
Cooking Tip: Known for its feathery leaves and clean, fragrant lemon and anise aroma, dill is used as much as a garnish as it is a seasoning. Fresh leaves have the taste of anise and parsley.
Cooking Tip: Fresh dill pairs well with seafood, creamy sauces and vegetables such as beets, carrots, cucumbers, and potatoes. Many Scandinavian, Russian, German and Greek recipes call for dill.
Cooking Tip: Wait until the end of cooking to add fresh dill, because it looses flavor when overheated.
Cooking Tip: When using dill leaves, it is best to use fresh rather than dried to get the most flavor.
Cooking Tip: Wrapped loosely in a plastic bag, dill will keep in the refrigerator for one week as long as the leaves are not wet. Dried dill will keep for up to 3 months if stored in a sealed container in a cool, dark place. Fresh dill freezes well, Just put the feathery leaves in a plastic bag and freeze.
