Tips
Source of Recipe
KFVS 12
1. Don't add salt to meat until right before you cook it. Salt can leech out the moisture, turning your meal dry and tough.
2. Use either a glass dish or a resealable plastic bag when marinating food. Metal containers can give a metallic flavor to the food.
3. Because precooked and frozen dished will need to be reheated before being served, plan to undercook your dishes before freezing them. This ensures that the finished, reheated product is not overcooked.
4. When measuring sticky ingredients, such as jelly, honey, molasses and syrup, lightly coat the inside of the measuring cup with vegetable oil or spray with cooking oil. The oil will allow sticky ingredients to slide our easily.
5. Tomatoes are loaded with vitamins and have as much fiber as a slice of whole-wheat bread. Best of all, their cancer-fighting properties are enhanced by cooking.
6. The biggest berries aren't always the best tasting. Look for brightly-colored strawberries that are smaller...but still plump. Their flavor will be more concentrated and delicious.
7. Refrigerate fresh mushrooms in a paper bad for up to three days. Clean mushrooms just before cooking by wiping or brushing them; never drench them. Tough stems can be removed and saved for making stock.
8. While all pears can be eaten raw, the best for cooking are those that take the heat without losing their texture like Bosc, Comice & Anjou.
9. The freshness of eggs can be determined by a simple test: Fill a pna with cool water and add salt. Add an egg to the water. If the egg sinks it is fresh If the egg floats to the top, it should be discarded.
10. If a recipe calls for raw meat to be cut into strips or cubes, place it in the freezer for approximately one hour, just long enough for it to be partially frozen, or if it is already frozen, do not thaw completely. Cutting the meat while it is still partially frozen will make the cutting a lot easier.
11.To get more juice from your lemon, microwabe it for 15 seconds before squeezing the juice out. Choose those that are as thin-skinned as possible and heavy for their size, because they will produce the most juice. Avoid lemons that have any green tinged areas indicating they are not fully ripe.
12. When you need to chop fresh herbs, hold a small bunch with your fingers and use a scissors to snip into fine pieces. The herbs will be fluffier and nicer cut than if you try chopping with a knife. Chopping with a knife has a tendency to tear and bruise the herbs when they are fresh.
13. To prevent fruits and vegetables from turning brown, break up and crush a 500-milligram vitamin C tablet and dissolve in a gallon of cold water. Place the fruit or vegetable in the water immediately until ready to cook or ready to cut to desired size. Dip fruit slices in lemon-lime soda to prevent browning, also.
14. To store corn, leave the ear in the husk and refrigerate as soon as possible. If corn has been husked, place it in a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator. It is best to eat it as soon as possible. Corn cut off the cob can be frozen for six months to a year.
15. It is best to tear lettuce by hand than cutting with a knife. Lettuce tends to brown quicker if a knife is used. If your lettuce is still a bit wet after spinning, try ripping a paper towel in four to six pieces and tossing with your lettuce. The towel with soak up any remaining moisture.
16. When selecting broccoli, be aware that the stronger ts smell, the older it is. Throwing a few chunks of bread into the water when cooking broccoli will help remove the smell. Do not overcook broccoli or it will break apart, lose it's color, diminish in taste and lose many nutrients.
17. Rather than shredding cabbage, cut it into wedges and steam until it is just tender. When cooking cabbage, place on 1/2 to 3/4 inch of water in the pan. Too much water will cause the cabbage's color to fade, nutrients and flavor to be lost, and the cabbage to become soggy & limp.
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