A Miscellaneous Collection of Tips
A collection of brief kitchen tips.
Adding yogourt to
recipes while cooking:
To prevent curdling,
whisk the yogourt until smooth and then add to the hot dish slowly.
Peeling tomatoes:
Drop the tomatoes
into boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove and drain under cold, running
water and then gently rub the peel off the tomatoes.
Cleaning chilis:
Pull out stalks of
the chilis and, holding them under cold running water, slit them open with
a sharp knife. Remove the seeds. (The seeds are hottest part
of the chili and can be used in recipes if you really want a strong "kick".)
Be careful not to put your hands near your eyes whem handling chilis.
For particularly strong chilis, wearing disposable gloves is advisable.
Toasting fresh chilis:
Remove the seeds of
the chilis and cut the flesh into large flat strips. Place them on
a baking sheet and broil the chilis in the top of the oven until the skin
is blistering and black. Remove from the grill and then place the
chilis in a plastic bag or container to steam for 20 minutes. This
will make the chilis easy to peel if peeling is necessary. This also
works for common peppers.
Toasting large dried
chilis:
Remove the seeds of
the chilis and tear the chili itself into large flat peices. Heat
a frying pan until very hot. Place flat strips of chilis in the pan,
holding them down with a fork or spatula for a few seconds on each side.
Do not allow them to burn or they will become bitter.
Braising vegetables:
Cook veggies over
moderate heat with sufficient vegetable stock to cover them. Reduce
the liquid to 15 percent (one sixth) of the original amount and then add
seasonings to make a sauce.
Preventing browning
of fruits and vegetables:
Some fruits and vegetables turn brown
after they've been peeled and sliced. This happens because compounds
called phenols in the fruit react with air to form brown piments or melanins.
Browning isn't harmful, but it can be a nuisance Cooking will destroy
the enzymes involved in this process, but there are other ways to prevent
this process. Refrigeration will slow the browning process since
chemical reactions usually happen more slowly at lower temperatures.
It will also help keep your food fresh and bacteria-free. A second
option is to add a barrier between your food and the air. This can
be done by coating the fruit in a ligh syrup or sugar water, or keeping
them soaking in water. The latter works great if your pealing potatoes,
but isn't such a great idea for bananas. Changing the acidity of
a fruit also works to slow browning. This can be done by coating
the fruit in lemon or lime juice; a wonderfully refreshing idea in the
summer, especially if a touch of sugar is added to the lemon juice.
email AmandasKitchen@yahoo.ca
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Page last updated: December 4, 2000
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