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Add Flavor with Food Waste: Save the loose skin on onions and garlic to toss
into the fire just before grilling meats or vegetables. And dry fennel tops on
the fire when grilling fish.
Apples: Refrigerated apples last up to 10 times longer than those left at room
temperature. To prevent apples from speeding up the ripening process of other
items in your produce drawer, store them in a plastic or brown paper bag.
Asparagus: Always store uncooked asparagus in the refrigerator, upright in a
container of water (about 1" - 2"). For tender asparagus, gently bend a spear
until it breaks. The natural breaking point should separate the tender spear
from the tough end. Dispose of the end pieces and steam to perfection!
Cabbage: Instead of blanching cabbage leaves to wilt them for stuffing, simply
leave the whole head in the freezer overnight.
Celery: Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator, and it
will keep for weeks.
Chopped Onions & Green Peppers: You can buy frozen chopped onion or green
peppers for a quick recipe shortcut, or since they freeze so well, chop a whole
bunch at once and freeze them in single servings.
Chopping Onions & Grating Horseradish: Hate how your eyes water? Tear off a
section of a slice of bread (I prefer to use the heel, as I don't eat it) and
place it between your lips, allowing it to protrude from your mouth while
cutting.
Citrus Fruit Juice: To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, limes and
oranges, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against
the kitchen counter before squeezing. Another method is to microwave fruit on
high for 30 seconds, let stand a couple of minutes before cutting and squeezing
them.
Citrus Zest: Before you squeeze juice from a lemon, grate off the rind into a
freezer bag and freeze. Then when a recipe calls for lemon zest or rind, just
pull it from the freezer. Sprinkle a little sugar over citrus zest or fresh
ginger before chopping. The sugar not only dissolves and absorbs the juices but
also helps spread the flavor.
Corn: When boiling corn, cooking for 3 minutes is all that's necessary; any
more time will only boil out the flavor. Instead of adding salt to the boiling
water, add a pinch of sugar to bring out the natural sweetness of the corn.
Crisper Drawer: Line the bottom with a paper towel to absorb liquids that make
veggies wilt.
Frozen Vegetables: These are an important staple; don't be embarrassed to use
them. No need to cook before adding to dishes; simply pour boiling water over
them in a colander and then add them to your casserole or stove-top dish to
finish cooking.
Garlic: To mince a garlic clove quickly, rub it over the tines of the back side
of a fork. Save yourself lots of time by using jarred minced garlic that can be
found in the produce or condiment section of the supermarket. Peel garlic by
using the heel of your hand, press the flat side of a wide knife onto an entire
clove of garlic. You can then slip the slightly crushed garlic from its skin.
Hands smell after peeling garlic? Rub hands with the rounded side of a
stainless steel spoon under running water.
Hot Peppers: When working with fresh chilies and peppers, wear disposable
gloves. Don't handle the peppers under water (it extracts painful vapors).
Remember, the spice comes from the white membrane inside the pepper, not the
skin or seeds.
Leafy Greens: The sooner you consume lettuce, spinach and other greens after
they are picked, the crisper they will be. Rinse not-so-fresh greens under cool
water to "revive" them. Dry by running the greens through a salad spinner or
wrapping them in dry towels. Place in a loosely closed bag and refrigerate 1
hour. Leafy greens are packed with vitamins and minerals. When buying fresh
greens, remember that they cook down considerably. One pound of spinach or
mustard greens will yield a cup or two of cooked greens. Serve iceberg lettuce
wedges instead of torn salad greens to save time making a salad. Also, before
refrigerating iceberg lettuce, wash and remove the core so each time you need
some for salad it's clean and ready.
Leeks: To clean leeks: Cut off dark green top and discard or save for stock.
Trim root end, leaving base intact so that leek remains in one piece. Starting
1/2" from base, slit leek through the other end; give it a quarter turn and
repeat, so the leek is quartered and the root end is intact. Soak the leek in
cold water or rinse it under running water, gently spreading the leaves to
remove any grit and dirt.
Mushrooms: Contrary to popular belief, mushrooms do not soak up water when
washed, so rinse away! You may want to use a mushroom brush with soft bristles
to remove all of the organic matter on the fungi.
Onion Leftovers: If you need only 1/2 an onion, save the root half. It will
last longer.
Onion & Garlic Odors: To deodorize a plastic storage container in which onions
or garlic were stored, wash thoroughly, then stuff a crumpled piece of
newspaper in the container, and snap on the lid. In a few days the smell will
disappear.
Parsley: Fresh parsley can be dried or frozen for later use. For either method,
wash and dry parsley then chop. To freeze, simply pace in a plastic zipper bag
and freeze. To dry, spread chopped parsley evenly on a baking sheet and place
in a 200 degree oven with the door slightly ajar. Check occasionally and remove
from oven with completely dry. Store dried parsley in an airtight container.
When selecting parsley, remember that the curly-leaf variety has a milder taste
and the flat-leaf has a bold taste.
Peeling Fruits and Vegetables: Vegetable peelers are good for more than just
carrots and potatoes. Use them to peel avocados, kiwi fruit, and many more
produce items. Try it out next time you need to peel something difficult. To
peel tomatoes, peaches, and pears, scald them in boiling water before peeling
will allow you to peel their skins right off.
Peppers: When buying fresh peppers, choose those that are a little wrinkled but
still unblemished. Wrinkling indicates mellowness.
Potatoes: To keep them from budding, place an apple in the bag with potatoes.
Ripening Fruits and Vegetables: Many fruits and vegetables found in
supermarkets today look ripe, but are hard as a rock. Soften them up by placing
them in a brown paper bag and hiding the bag away in a dark cabinet for a day
or two. This is great for items such as avocados, kiwi fruit, peaches,
nectarines, and more. Once ripe, refrigerate the produce to preserve vitamins.
Saving Herbs For Winter: To preserve summer herbs for winter soups and stews,
make herb cubes in the freezer. Chop up your herbs and place them in ice cube
trays, then cover with water and freeze. To preserve the color and flavor, use
boiling water to fill the tray (this blanches the herbs). Some herbs, like
cilantro, keep better when frozen in oil. Mince the herb in a food processor,
then introduce olive oil until you produce a fine puree. Pour into ice cube
trays or bags and freeze. When introducing the frozen herbs to recipes,
remember that they contain water or oil. If this will throw off the recipe's
consistency, thaw and drain the cubes first.
Tomatoes: Never refrigerate a tomato that is not fully ripe. Most tomatoes sold
in stores are still ripening, and would benefit from a few days on the counter.
Cold temperatures alter the fruit's flavor and stop the ripening process. Once
ripe, a tomato can be refrigerated for several days. To ripen a tomato fast,
put it with an apple in a perforated bag. To peel and seed tomatoes, cut out
the core and score an "X" on the bottom. Immerse in boiling water for 10
seconds. Remove the tomato and plunge into cold water. Remove the skin, cut in
half and squeeze out seeds.
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