Grating in a HurryUse the
microplane-style grater/zester for garlic, ginger and cheese too! It gives great results.
Thickening SaucesCornstarch produces what is called “blind” thickening- the sauce acquires a cloudy finish. Potato starch produces the opposite effect known as “clear” thickening and is the best choice if you want a glossy finish to your sauce.
How to Peel a TomatoTo peel the skin from a tomato with out damaging it simple bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Make a cross-shaped cut on the base of the tomato, then place it in the boiling water. Count to 10 or 15, remove the tomato from the pan and shock it under cold running water. The skin will have begun to peel off at the cut, allowing for you to remove the rest easily.
Need a good paring knife?
Roll Out the Perfect DoughWhen trying to get a desired thickness even, getting it right the fisrt time prevents you from having a tough end product. Wrap the ends of a
rolling pin with several clean rubber bands. The kind you get on produce from the grocery store work nicely. Layer until you have the approximate desired thickness of the dough. Roll the dough out until it is a uniform thickness. The rubber bands will elevate the rolling pin, keeping you from rolling your dough out too thin.
How to Refresh Vanilla BeansRefresh
vanilla beans that may have dried out after prolonged storage by placing the bean in a closed container overnight( or even 2) with a fresh piece of white bread. The moisture from the bread should soften the bean enough to let you split it and scrap out the seeds.
Freezing Fresh HerbsRecipes tend to call for small amounts of things like fresh parsley, thyme or sage and depending on the time of year you may need to buy a bunch at the grocery store instead of clipping it from your own garden. Don’t let any go bad simply do the following: Chop the leftover freash herbs either by hand or in the food processor. Transfer by spoonful to ice cube tray and top with water to cover. For a standard size tray, use 2 tablespoons of herb and 1 tablespoon of water in each cube. Once the cubes are frozen transfer them to a zipper- lock bag and seal. Store them in the freezer until you want to use them in sauces, soups or stews.
Washing LettuceTreating your greens roughly will cause it to wilt more quickly. Treat them kindly- wash and dry them gently. Fill large bowl with cold water and gently put in the leaves. Stir them around a bit then let them sit for a couple of minutes. Transfer them with splayed fingers to anther bowl or to a salad spinner. Make sure there is not layer of grit residue at the bottom of the first bowl- if so, repeat the soaking process to remove any remaining grit. Certain green like arugula or chard may require 2 or 3 soakings.
If you are using a
spinner, do so gently so that greens are not crushed against the side of the spinner. If you do not have a spinner, you may make do by using a pillow case or kitchen towel- placing the greens inside, folding up the four corners (if using a towel) walking outside and with your arm extended making a propeller-like motion as fast as you can make with the lettuce.
Great Baking at HomeEnhance your baking results with one easy step. Use a pizza stone or what can be referred to as a baking stone. The stone creates bread oven-like conditions, even heat being of the utmost importance in baking. Of course, they are great for pizza too. Place the stone on the bottom of your oven prior to pre-heating. Allow up to 50% more time then a recipe states for this to make sure the stone is heated through, then follow your recipes baking time.
