Cook's Tips

Little Things Every Cook Should Know:

FOOD PREP

Reviving wilted produce:
Revive wilted veggies and herbs by immersing the produce in a large bowl with cold water and ice.  Soak 15 to 20 minutes.  Dry thoroughly. 


Shredding semisoft cheese:  

Grating mozzarella and other semisoft cheeses can be messy, frustrating, and dangerous … those box graters are sharp!  Next time, keep your fingers in one piece.  Place the wrapped cheese in the freezer for 30 minutes or until firm. The cheese will now glide easily over the the grater. 

Creating a quick pan sauce:

Cook onion, garlic, and several sprigs of fresh thyme in the pan in which you seared meat or poultry. Add some wine (red for beef, white for poultry or veal) and chicken stock, a little at a time, until the sauce thickens with each addition. When you have about ½ cup of liquid in the pan, stir in a little butter.

Making chicken cutlets:  
1) Place a boneless, skinless chicken breast on a cutting board.  Place your hand flat against the chicken and, using a chef's knife, carefully slice the chicken in half horizontally.
2) Open the chicken breast like a book.  Make a cut to separate the 2 halves.  Trim any ragged edges.
3) Place each piece between 2 sheets of waxed paper.  Roll with a rolling pin, pressed down firmly.  Continue to roll until each piece is flattened to a 1/2 inch thickness
4) Use the prepared cutlets in the recipe of your choice.

Making a simple syrup:

Simple syrups can be used to sweeten liquids such as iced tea or coffee, poured over desserts or ice cream, or added to recipes in place of sugar or honey.  To make, combine 1 cup water with 2 cups sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar has completely dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes.  Let it cool and add to beverages as needed.  (Use 3/4 to 1 teaspoons of simple syrup for every teaspoon of sugar you would usually use.)  Store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.  Simple syrups can be flavored with vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, lemon peel, mint or other herbs.  Simply add flavoring agent to hot syrup and allow to steep.

Cleaning a mango:

Hold a fresh mango upright on a cutting board with the stem end down.  The flat, oblong pit is in the center of the mango.  It should be obvious where the pit lies when holding it this way.  Cut from top to bottom along one side of the pit.  Repeat on the other side.  Using a paring knife, score both mango slices lengthwise and crosswise, taking care not to cut through the peel.  Turn the mango pieces inside out and peel or cut the pieces away from the skin.  

  

Softening brown sugar:

When brown sugar turns into a brick, don't toss it, soften it. 

1. Place the sugar in a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of water.
3. Cover with a damp paper towel.
4. Microwave in 30-second intervals until soft.

After use, store the remaining brown sugar in an airtight container or zip-loc bag.  Add an orange peel or a marshmallow to the container to keep the sugar soft. 

Baking perfectly baked cookies:
If you want cookbook perfect cookies, start with a cool cookie sheet.  When re-using cookie sheets for multiple batches, cool off a hot pan by running the underside of the pan under cool water.

Cooking in Papillot:
Also known as cooking in an envelope, cooking in a bag, or campfire cooking.  Prepared this way, food steams in it's own juices, retaining moisture and maximizing taste.  It is also fast, easy, and reduces clean-up!  To cook in parchment paper the traditional way, follow these simple steps:

Cut folded parchment paper into a heart shape

Place the food in the center of one half the heart

Seal the parchment by folding the edges of the paper  in
small overlapping folds all the way around the heart

Place parchment packets on a baking sheet and put in the oven

Remove from oven.  Slice open parchment and serve.

You can substitute a small paper lunch bag or an aluminum foil packet for the parchment.  Bake in the oven or cook on the grill.

Clean Up And Utensil Care

Removing stuck on food without scrubbing:

1) Fill the dirty pan almost to the rim with warm water.  Add 1/4 cup baking soda.  Simmer the mixture until most of the liquid is gone.  A chalky film should coat the bottom and sides of the pan.  With a sponge, wipe the pan clean.  Wash with soap and hot water.

2) Fill the dirty bowl or pan with warm water.  Place 1 dryer sheet with fabric softener in the pan and swish around to release more fabric softener.  Allow to sit for 1/2 to several hours.  Using the fabric softener sheet, scrub the area of the stuck-on bits.  Pour out the water and wipe the pan/bowl clean.  Wash with soap and hot water.

3) For very tough stuck on food, fill pan/bowl/etc with water and add a small amount of liquid dishwasher soap.  Allow to sit for 1/2 to several hours.  Drain, wipe clean, and wash with soap and hot water.

Cleaning up grease:
Use table salt to clean up grease from cooking.  Sprinkle table salt on top of oil or grease splattered on the stove or countertop.  Allow the salt to absorb the oil, then brush it off and clean as usual.  This can also be done with a greasy non-stick pan.  Sprinkle salt, allow it to absorb oil, brush away, and clean as usual.

Caring for non-stick cookware:

1) Always use plastic or silicone utensils with non-stick cookware.  NEVER use metal utensils.

2) Allow non-stick cookware to cool before submerging in wash water. Extremes of heat will cause non-stick coating to crack and peel.

3) Non-abrasive cleaners like soft scrub and baking soda should be used with this type of cookware.  Do not use steel wool, harsh chemicals, or strong abrasives.

4) Never put your non-stick cookware in the dishwasher.  The lye in dishwasher soap will ruin your cookware.

Cooking Methods

Sear:

Searing is cooking with very high heat under the pan or grill grate. Searing cooks the meat quickly while sealing in the juices to make meat moist and tender.

Blanch:

Blanching is quickly cooking something in boiling water, then plunging it into ice water to stop the cooking process and lock in bright color. To blanch green beans, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby. Add beans to the rapidly boiling water and cook 3½ minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the ice bath. Drain the beans, pat dry with paper towels, and saute briefly in a little butter or olive oil.

Braise:

Braising is cooking slowly in a flavorful liquid. First, brown meat or poultry on both sides. Deglaze the pan with wine and simmer the meat with fresh herbs and chicken stock in a low oven for 1 to 1½ hours until the meat is just falling part. Allow the meat to rest in the cooking liquid 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Dealing With Leftovers

Storing Leftover Tomato Paste:

If a recipe calls for just a few tablespoons of tomato paste (or similar item like pesto) freeze the remainder for future use. Measure the leftovers by table spoons and freeze in an ice cube tray. When frozen, pop the cubes out of the trey and store in a plastic bag. The next time you need tomato paste, add the frozen portion to your recipe - no thawing necessary.

Freezing And Reheating Rice:

1) Allow leftover rice to cool.  Spoon meal size portions into freezer safe, microwave safe containers.  Refrigerate for several days or freeze for up to 3 months.

2) Remove the lid from the microwave safe container.  Sprinkle the rice with 1 to 2 Tablespoons of water.  Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 1 to 3 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve.

OR

3) Place the cold or frozen rice in a steamer insert over a pan of boiling water.  Steam for 3 to 5 minutes, or more for a larger amount of rice.  Fluff and serve.

Freezing Fruit:

When your bananas start to turn brown, you have more strawberries then you can eat, or those mangos are on sale - freeze them.  Frozen fruit is great to use in smoothies.  Whirl it in the food processor, then turn it into sorbet or mix into ice cream.  Defrost and add to quick breads, muffins, or make an easy fruit crisp.  

Storing Leftover Soup Stock:

If a recipe calls for just a few tablespoons of soup or soup stock freeze the remainder for future use. Measure the leftovers by table spoons and freeze in an ice cube tray. When frozen, pop the cubes out of the trey and store in a plastic bag. The next time you need a small amount of soup stock, add the frozen portion to your recipe - no thawing necessary.