Add Flavour With Food Waste:
Save the loose skin on onions and garlic to toss
into the fire just before grilling meats or vegetables. And throw 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.
Cabbage:
Instead of blanching cabbage leaves to wilt them for stuffing, simply leave the
whole head in the freezer overnight.
Celery:
Wrap celery in aluminium 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. Rolling it between your counter and hand also does the trick.
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 flavour.
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, a quick way to
separate them is to 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 always 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 chef's 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).
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.
Mushrooms:
Mushrooms soak up water like a sponge, then
release it later while cooking (which can change the consistency of recipes).
Try "dry cleaning" your favorite fungi. You can find a "mushroom brush" with
soft bristles at most kitchen stores. Lightly moisten the brush (or a rag) with
water, and gently wipe the mushrooms clean.
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.
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.