Tips and Tricks in the Kitchen

When I started this blog, I knew one thing I wanted to do was share tips and tricks as often as I could. My goal was to share at least one in each entry. For those of you that follow me regularly, you know I decided to add them as my Better Bonus Tips. Sometimes the Better Bonus Tip is encouraging you to experiment or different suggestions to try. Other times it is simply a cooking tip to help you along the way. I personally feel cooking tips are the little things that make life in the kitchen a little easier.

Today, I decided to do a little summary of some of the cooking tips I have previously shared, in addition to some new ones.  Most all of my tips I have learned from someone else, so I don’t take any credit for inventing these. Food Network has been my personal teacher over the years. Also, last Christmas I received a subscription for the Food Network magazine from my husband, which has tips and tricks scattered throughout the magazine. Before I get to the list, I wanted to share a tip I read in the issue I received earlier this month.

For some reason, despite the heat my basil is growing at a rapid pace. Since my tomatoes aren’t doing too well (although getting better because the temperature has been in the 80s instead of 100+), I can’t seem to keep up with my basil. I can only use basil so many times a week. When I saw this in the September issue of Food Network magazine, I thought it was great idea - Basil Salt! I plan to use this for all sorts of food - cooked veggies, sprinkled on fresh sliced tomatoes, any type of potato or protein, pizza or maybe even as a drink rimmer for a refreshing summer cocktail. I think you could really do this with any of your herbs.

Basil Salt
From the Cooking for a Better Tomorrow kitchen, courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:
Equal parts salt and basil leaves

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Blend salt and basil and then spread on a baking sheet. Bake at 225 degrees until dry, 30-40 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Let cool and pulse again in food processor or blender to make a fine powder.

Easy as that!

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Now onto those other tips and tricks I promised...

Eggs

• Will float in water if spoiled.
• Crack in a separate bowl in case you get a spoiled one - you don’t want to ruin the rest of what you are making.
• Add a little bit of vinegar to the water you are boiling eggs in to help with the peeling later.
• Run under cold water when peeling hard boiled eggs to help remove the shell easily.

Meat

• Let your steak come to room temperature before cooking to allow for more even cooking temperature.
• Cut your steak against the grain (the little lines) to make it more tender and easier to eat.
• Make an indention in your hamburger patties with your thumb, to avoid a bulge in the center when it starts to cook.
• Don’t smash your hamburgers with a spatula while they are cooking. Doing this squirts out all the delicious juices.
• Put salt in a skillet, instead of oil to help the meat from sticking.
• If making chicken cutlets, easier to cut through still slightly frozen breasts than completely thawed ones.

Produce

• Place fruits and veggies in a paper bag to speed up the ripening phase.
• Freeze fruit on a baking sheet so it doesn’t stick together, then transfer to a sealable container and keep for up to 1 year.
• Place onions in the fridge to help prevent the tears (aka crying - it’s okay, don’t be ashamed) when cutting. Keep in mind refrigerating will make the onions spoil faster because of the moisture.
• Make sure to puncture your larger root veggies when placing in the oven - potatoes, squash, etc. This will help prevent bursting when the heat rises.
• Squeeze out the juice from your tomatoes to avoid a soggy salad. This allows you to still get tomato flavor and texture with the flesh, but your salads won’t be runny. Consider using the tomato juice for a base of a dressing.
• Use a grater or microplane if you want the flavor of an ingredient, but not the consistency or actual pieces. Onions and garlic, are two great examples - you either love them or hate them!
• Use a spoon to remove the skin from fresh ginger.
• Add grated zucchini to dishes when you can for extra nutrients. Ground meat dishes and baked desserts are great opportunities.
• Tie string around an herb bundle and place in soups when cooking. This allows for easily removing once done cooking.
• Squeeze your citrus cut side up to avoid seeds falling out into whatever it is you are making.  
• Roll your citrus on the counter and/or microwave for a few seconds to get the juices flowing.

Boiling

• Always salt your water.
• Add potatoes to water prior to it boiling to allow for more even cooking temperature.
• Use all broth or half water/half broth when making grains, veggies, etc. for added flavor.
• Add citrus peels for extra flavor.
• Slowly add liquid when making arborio rice, otherwise known as risotto. If you add it too fast, the rice will cook on the outside and not the inside. If you add it too slow, the rice will get mushy.
• Use the water that veggies were cooked in for a base in sauces or soups.

Utilize your freezer

• Store fresh ginger in a plastic bag in your freezer to prolong life.
• Store nuts in freezer to prolong life.
• Fill an ice tray with left over broth, baby food, pesto, applesauce, or yogurt and fruit. This allows you to not have to throw away leftovers, and pull out what you need when you are ready to use again.

Misc

• Drizzle oil on cooked pasta until ready to mix with remaining ingredients. This helps to keep the pasta from sticking together.
• When measuring something sticky...honey, molasses, peanut butter, etc....spray your measuring container with cooking spray for easy cleanup.
• Use cooking spray on top of the dish to help it brown in the oven. This is especially helpful with anything using breadcrumbs.
• Use a wine bottle in place of rolling pin.
• Use a ziploc bag with the tip removed for drizzling any cream based sauces.
• When making a grilled sandwich and no panini maker in sight, place a second skillet over the sandwich and a can on top to apply pressure.
• Try steam frying - instead of butter or oil, use water or broth. Make sure you have a very high temperature on your pan and continual movement to avoid sticking. Check out a video demonstration here.

Check out Tips & Techniques tab for more information. There are links to working with tricky foods, in addition to other previous blog entries.

If you have other questions, let me know and I can do my best to answer them!

~Ashley