Chapter 1: General Cooking Tips

Chapter 1: General Cooking Tips
1. Add a little zest. When a recipe calls for a “zest” of a citrus fruit, it’s
referring to the colorful outer part of the skin, not the inner white part,
which is known as the pith. The zest contains all of the aromatic citrus oils
and provides a hint of citrus tang to the recipe. A simple method of
obtaining a fine zest is by rubbing the fruit against the smallest holes of a
cheese grater.
2. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Good cooks are never afraid to deviate
from a recipe and add their own flair. Whenever you make a substitution
or addition be sure to make a note on the recipe so you remember next
time whether you liked the change or not.
3. Salted butter vs. unsalted butter. Butter is available both with and
without salt. The salt is added for extra flavor and to help preserve it so it
has a longer shelf life. The problem is that sometimes the salt in butter can
be more than a recipe needs. Choosing unsalted butter gives you more
control over how much salt your dish contains. If you only have salted
butter, the best thing to do is omit approximately ¼ teaspoon of salt per
½ cup (one stick) of butter used in the recipe.
4. Use your kitchen scissors. Right now you probably only use your
kitchen scissors for opening packaging and bags of milk. But next time
you’re trimming fat from a roast, opening pitas or cutting chicken into
strips, consider using your scissors! Chefs use them all the time for cutting
meats and other food items. It’s probably best to have a pair that are
designated as food scissors only. And be sure you clean them very well
after each use because they do have crevices where bacteria can hide.
5. Keep your recipes organized. Nothing is more frustrating when you’re
ready to start cooking then not being able to find your recipe. Keep things
organized by finding a system for filing your recipes that you can keep
close at hand in the kitchen. A great option is to buy one of those photo
albums where you peel back a plastic sheet and underneath is a sticky
surface. This makes recipes easy to find and at any time you can remove or
replace them!
6. Stop foods from sticking to the pan. To keep food from sticking to
the bottom of your pans, try to avoid ever putting cold foods into a hot
pan. Also, don’t put food into a pan that is not perfectly clean, otherwise
the resulting build up could lead to burned food.
7. Stop water from boiling over. To keep pans from boiling over when
cooking, add a thin layer of butter around the rim of the pan. This works
well for rice, pasta and potatoes.
8. Avoid oozing egg whites. Do your eggs ooze out some of their whites
when you boil them? This is because every egg contains an air pocket at
the larger, rounded end. When placed in simmering water the air pocket
expands and creates a higher atmospheric pressure within the egg than in
the water. The fragile shell cracks from the built-up pressure. Avoid this
problem in the future by removing eggs from the refrigerator and piercing
the larger end with a pin. This will give the air a hole to escape through!
9. Cut breads and cakes perfectly every time. It may sound strange but
dental floss can be used to slice bread and cakes for a perfect slice every
time. This is also the easiest way to cut a layer cake in half so you can add a
filling. For perfect results freeze the cake before cutting it.
10. Get more juice from citrus fruits. When a recipe calls for the
juice of lemons, limes or oranges, make sure you get every last drop by first
rolling the fruit under your palm on a hard surface. Press down as hard as
you can as you roll. Then simply slice it in half and squeeze. You’ll find you
get significantly more juice to add lots of flavor to your dish.
11. Peel garlic easily. Peeling garlic can be frustrating unless you know this
little tip that the pros use. Lay a clove flat on a hard surface and then
pressing down hard on it with the flat side of a large knife. Once you’ve
pressed hard enough you’ll hear a “pop” that tells you the peel has
separated. Even with this trick your fingers will undoubtedly smell like
garlic. Get rid of that odor by washing them well with salt.
12.Repair cracked eggs. If you have an egg that cracks while boiling, just
add a capful of vinegar to the water and watch as the eggshell seals itself.
Unfortunately though, if the whites have begun to ooze out this trick won’t
work.
13.Make sure the oil is hot before frying foods. Although they’re not
the healthiest option, fried foods sure do taste good. The key to perfect
frying is to get the oil hot before you put the food in. (Not so hot that it is
smoking though – be careful!) If you don’t get the oil hot, your food will
absorb too much oil and taste greasy. To test whether the oil is hot enough
for frying, throw in a drop of water or even a small piece of what you’re
cooking. If it bubbles rapidly then you know it’s ready.
14.Get the right temperature for deep frying. Does your oil always
seem to be the wrong temperature? A simple way to find out if your oil is
hot enough is to use a bread cube. If the bread browns in a minute, the oil
is between 350 and 365 degrees, 40 seconds – 365 and 382 degrees, 20
seconds – 382 and 390 degrees. Or, if you have one, you can use a
thermometer. Just be sure that it is a metal thermometer designed for
deep fryers.
15.A substitution for eggs. Need an egg for a recipe but you’re all out? You
can substitute two tablespoons of real mayonnaise for a large egg in any
recipe. Be sure not to use whipped salad dressing though unless you want
the extra salt that it contains.
16.Interesting uses for apples. You may have heard before that it’s best to
keep apples stored separately from other fruits and vegetables because
they give off gases that speed up ripening. Well those same gases are
actually useful for some things. An apple wedge in the bag will soften
clumped brown sugar over night. It will also keep your potatoes from
sprouting.
17. Remove the fat from soups. Remove the fat from homemade soups by
tossing in four ice cubes. The fat will congeal around the ice, which can
then be removed. This will cool the soup, so you may need to reheat after
completing the process.
18. Serve a perfect punch. When serving punch it is usually left on a
buffet table for everyone to help themselves to. So it’s important to keep it
cold. However, instead of ice, which will dilute the punch, freeze some of
the punch itself beforehand and use that.
19.Stop pre-made sandwiches from going soggy. To prevent lunchtime
sandwiches from becoming soggy, spread both pieces of bread to the edges
with butter, mustard or mayonnaise. Then wrap the sandwich in waxed
paper or plastic wrap. Or is possible, assemble the sandwich just before
eating. Just pack the bread and filling separately.
20. Always marinate foods in a glass or ceramic dish. Most
marinades contain an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice, vinegar or
wine that can react with metal and cause off-flavors in your food. To save
on cleanup, try marinating your fish or meat in a large plastic bag with a
zip closure. Set the bag on a plate or in a shallow bowl and refrigerate,
turning the bowl occasionally to distribute the marinade.
21.Reduce grease splatters. Few things are messier than splattering
grease. And if it gets on your skin it can be painful. Reduce grease splatters
by sprinkling hot grease with salt prior to adding the food to be fried. If
this is not completely effective, you can buy grease splatter shields at
kitchen stores.

22. Easily grate cheese. Make grating cheese a snap by tossing your
cheese into the freezer for an hour before shredding. This will make the
cheese hard enough to grate without compromising the taste or texture.