COOKING TIPS AND KITCHEN SHORTCUTS
Food shopping is an increasingly time consuming chore, especially with the growing trend to make fewer trips and shop for longer periods. I know my advice to start early stocking up for the holidays adds pressure but it really does bring savings in both time and money. So it’s only fair that I offer some advice on dealing with the extra quantities as well.
The following advice comes from three sources. In 2020, Bon Appetit Magazine interviewed several restaurant chefs on what they had learned when Covid forced them to cook at home. I had to smile because restaurant chefs don’t retail shop, or worry about prices, unless they’re chef-owners, or going over budget, and they have assistants. Usually their advice on domestic cooking sounds like re-inventing the wheel, but these responses were very ‘uncheffy’ and they did have some good points on food storage since they deal in quantities.
The second source is Cook’s Magazine. They concentrate on comparing ingredients and improving technique and can be relied on for sound, down-to-earth cooking information on kitchen utensils as well as using food products.
My third source of advice is the Cooking Club of America Magazine. Their membership of incredible home cooks, monthly share the tips and tricks they have discovered to make food prep easier and more fun. They’re truly ingenious but decidedly for domestic use and would be impractical in a commercial venue.
Bon Appetit follows restaurants, interpreting recipes for home serving. Restaurant chefs buy in bulk their paramount concern in planning ahead is getting food safely stored as soon as possible. Freezing is the fastest way to do this and the best way to preserve freshness. See posts Sept. 13, 2018 and Sept.20.2018..
1) Ground meat needs special attention because it has more surface areas which spoil quicker than a single piece. I advise freezing it in portions which allow for individual servings and/or divided use, about 4 per pound.
a) I freeze meat, especially beef, in individually wrapped balls, which can be baked or broiled as separate entrees, centered on a plate of pasta or thawed in correct amounts for a casserole.
b) Try ground pork, lamb, and sausage as well as beef and poultry, opening a variety of recipe options
c) When buying Valu-Packs, I use 1 lb. to make and bake tiny meatballs. Stored bagged, they can be added, frozen , to a sauce or microwaved and served as canapes with a dipping sauce
2) Freezing produce is covered in the links provided above but I’ll add a trick I devised while living in Italy. Italians are focused on seasonal vegetables but as an American, missed non-seasonal options. The green goods grocer sold tennis-sized balls of trimmed, blanched, drained spinach and kale which I could wrap and freeze. It’s simple to do at home and great way to deal with leafy vegetables on sale or in valu-packs.
a) Potatoes are too watery to freeze well domestically unless mashed but I often opt for the 10
lb. bag. Separate the ones of suitable size for baking. Bake and stuff but hold the second baking. Wrap, freeze and bag them, then simply garnish and bake for a quick, elegant side. Do not microwave-the skins won’t crisp.
b) Eggplant doesn’t freeze domestically. A good rule is if an item isn’t frequently found in the glass freezer cases; don’t try to freeze it at home.
3) Grains freeze well and the chefs advice cooking and bagging extra to have on hand.
4) Fresh Produce in the refrigerator is still subject to the FIFO law-First in=first out but there are exceptions.
a) A head of cabbage will last longer than a bunch of fresh herbs, apples longer than pears. So check often and use good sense.
b) Get to know the more durable produce. Cabbage for example can do so much more than most people realize, steaks, stir-fries, grilled sides. Fennel is delicious both raw and cooked.
c) If herbs are wilted, blanch and puree them. Make into a pesto or freeze in ice trays and bag the cubes to use as flavorings. 1 cube=2 Tbs. Pears and other fruits can be used in baked goods or c cooked, pureed and frozen as can vegetables. They are good sauce bases and for pesto.
5) The best way to extend the life of fresh vegetables, beans, snow peas, celery stalks and especially those with roots, carrots, radishes, scallions, is to store them immersed in water not in the crisper.
a) Store celery, the outside stalks halved, scallions and herb upright in containers as flowers in a vase, roots left on.
6) Dated refrigerated products are also subject to FIFO, but that too has changed. Chefs used to be all about pitching anything over date, now they advise caution and testing. The white coating on the Parmesan can be ground in and the cheese frozen. A crust forming on sour cream merits inspection. Perhaps it can be scraped off, the remaining cream repackaged for quick use.
a) The best tools to determine spoilage are your nose, and dipping a finger-tip in for a small taste. If these tests say O.K.-go with it.
b) Have a few recipes to use ‘iffy’ products handy, rather than letting them expire while you seek ways to use them.
7) Find a multi-purpose sauce to perk up dishes and other sauces which suits your cooking style and tastes. It may be based on tomatoes, peppers, anchovies, there’s even a good, hot eggplant one. Just be sure your family likes it and it can be added to or passed with recipes to give them a bit of ‘newnesss’.
8) Beans are indigenous to every cuisine and always there to provide an economic, flavorful, satisfying meal but, news flash, they should always be cooked in a broth flavored to fit the finished dish.
a) People claim beans take too much time but no longer. Instant Pots and Slow Cookers changed that but the stove top method has changed too.
b) No long soaking required. Rinse the beans and simmer them in the flavored fluid of choice. It will take 2 or more hrs. depending on the type bean. So take that zoom meeting, cook it after dinner or on the weekend. Beans are better the next day.
c) If you want a quicker method, first hard boil the beans in their liquid for 6-10 min., depending on size of bean, turn off heat and allow to sit covered for about 30 min. to expand them. Return to a boil, then simmer for 30-45 min. more-continue with prepping the finished dish.
Cook’s Magazine is focused on techniques, the best utensils and proper and extended uses of ingredients. Its advice is always solid and I’ve incorporated many of its suggestion into not just my recipes but my regular cooking routine. Here are some which will help with holiday prep.
1) Onions cut lengthwise are milder in taste. For more bite cut them crosswise
2) To give commercial broth the fuller taste and body of homemade, add ¼ tsp. unflavored gelatin to 1 cup broth. I add 1 Tbs. to ½ cup broth, let it soften, then microwave it to dissolve, add it to the quart carton. It really enriches the taste of gravies, sauces and stocks.
3) When browning ground meat, add ¼ tsp. salt and baking soda and let it sit for 20 min. before cooking. This prevents it from getting thin and watery.
4) Garlic powder tastes like fresh if mixed with an equal amount of water and sautéed in butter before added to mashed potatoes or other dishes.
5) Stop any vinaigrette from separating by adding 1 Tbs. molasses. .Makes a much better presentation.
6) When coating a roast with a rub, sparingly sprinkle with granulated sugar just before roasting. It doesn’t taste, but it melts and holds the rub on as well as browning.
7) To give a two-crust pie a crunchy, sweet crust, brush the top thoroughly with water, then sprinkle 1 Tbs sugar over it before baking.
8) This I haven’t tried but I trust Cook’s advice. For a perfect, 4 lb.medium rare, boneless rib roast, preheat oven to 500 deg. and put meat in for 12 min. Turn the oven OFF and leave it alone for 2 hr. DON’T PEEK. Remove the roast and let it rest for 20 min. Slice and serve.
a) To economize substitute a Top Sirloin roast for the rib one.
The Cooking Club of America is filled with members who love to cook and are really good at it. They are experts at devising efficient ways to use appliances and finding short cuts to working with food. (posts July 9, 2012, June 16, 2019) It’s important to know your appliances, utensils, and to take advantage of cooking tips especially how to make objects multi-task.
1) Put the roast on the second to the bottom shelf and a sheet of vegetables on the bottom shelf. It’s a lower temperature for the veggies, but they make it up in time. Put any vegetable side dishes or bake potatoes next to the meat pan.
2) Once an oven or other appliance is ready, don’t turn it off after one task. Bake that cake. Boiling a vegetable? Throw in a couple of eggs for eating during the week. Use the hot burner to sauté another vegetable or toast nuts.
3) To avoid being burned when checking the temperature of the contents of a pot while cooking, put the stem of an instant read thermometer through the openings in a slotted spoon, and lower it until you can get an accurate reading.
4) Use corn holders to secure round objects like tomatoes, onions and lemons, for slicing
5) Chopsticks are handy in the kitchen to remove food from the toaster, to rearrange food on a platter or roasting vegetables and to easily pit cherries, cut a small “X” in the bottom. Remove the stem, insert the narrow end of the chopstick and push the pit out.
6) To quickly chop nuts, put them in a plastic bag and pound then with the bottom of a can.
7) To coarsely chop herbs, place them in a glass and snip with a scissors.
One of my favorite suggestions: If at all possible, grow your own herbs. I grow them in pots and in the fall, I either bring them in (several last well in a heated house and a sunny kitchen) or I lightly chop them and freeze them in ice trays with a bit of oil and water and use as described above. I love having fresh herbs available.
Let’s look at Uses for the Freezer:
1) Ice Cubes can be made from fruit juice, wine, and stock, then used as flavorings when making drinks, sauces and gravies. Meanwhile, store cubes in plastic bags: 1cube = 2Tbs.
2) Fresh Herbs, with a little water added, can be preserved frozen, in ice cube trays, and added to recipes as they cook. Again store cubes in plastic bags.
3) Fresh Ginger Root is easier to work with frozen. Keep it in plastic wrap and simply peel back the “bark” and grate or chop. Stores frozen for months.
4) Open both ends of a can of Tomato Paste, use one end to slide it, in tubular form, unto a piece of plastic wrap and roll it up. Freeze and simply slice off pieces as needed. No mess, no waste.
5) To Freeze Food in zip-lock bags, gently press out the air, and lay the bags flat in a pan or cookie sheet until frozen. They need less storage space and the contents remain intact.
6) Small bags of Fruit or Grapes can be frozen and used in place of ice to chill drinks without watering them down, and consumed with the drinks or as snacks, toppings etc.
7) This newly in and I haven’t tried it yet, but Fresh Tomatoes, after a short time in the freezer, will peel when run under cold water.
8) This I have done. Bamboo Skewers will burn if not soaked in water before using. Soaked and stored in the freezer, they’re always ready to go.
9) Chopsticks and Skewers are really useful! If you don’t have any, do get some. Chopsticks are free with any order from a Chinese restaurant, and a 12 pack of skewers are @$1.00 in any market. These offer a safe way to remove food from a toaster.
10) To easily pit cherries, cut a small “X” in the bottom. Remove the stem, insert the narrow end of the chopstick and push the pit out.
11) They are excellent for rearranging food on a platter without ruining the effect or in an oven while cooking without getting burned, especially rearranging roasting vegetables.
12) Cooking Spray isn’t just for pans anymore. I always buy Canola oil. It’s tasteless, has a very low fat content and a high smoke point, which makes it a good choice for nearly any cooking task.
a) It alone can prepare most cake pans for baking, eliminating the mess of greasing and flouring. Be advised, however, older pans and cookie sheets may acquire a yellow tint.
b) Sprayed on foil, it can replace parchment paper.
c) If you need to lift foods that tend to stick while cooking, such as cookies or pancakes, spray the spatula first, and they’ll come right up.
d) lightly spray the outsides of sandwiches I’m going to grill or broil. When pressed with the spatula they get an even golden brown and a silky crust.
Now for a list of unrelated, but helpful, kitchen hints. Be sure to read the last, it’s my favorite!
1) To avoid being burned when checking the temperature of the contents of a pot while cooking, put the stem of an instant read thermometer through the openings in a slotted spoon, and lower it until you can get an accurate reading.
2) Use corn holders to secure round objects like tomatoes, onions and lemons, for slicing
3) Stand the grater in a shallow bowl, rather than over a plate, when grating. It keeps the shavings in one place.
4) Likewise, when stripping an ear of corn, stand the cob in the center opening of a tube pan. The kernels fall into the bowl for easy collection.
5) When using a mortar and pestle, add a few drops of oil to the herbs. It keeps them together and won’t affect the recipe.
6) When using a hand mixer, to prevent splattering, cut two holes in a paper plate and, holding it upside down, insert the beaters through the holes before mixing.
7) To make diet vinaigrette dressing creamy, without adding to the calories, blend it on high for a couple of minutes with a cracked ice cube.
8) For easy removal, when making a dish that need to be inverted onto a plate, foil line the pan bottom.
9) For a less messy application of barbeque sauce while grilling put it in a plastic squeeze bottle, squirt it on then spread it over the food with a brush or a long handled sponge.
10) To slightly thicken gravy in an almost finished dish, put the flour or cornstarch in a tea strainer, and stirring constantly, shake it over the pot. This prevents clumping.
11) For smaller jobs, to seal stuffed chicken breasts, or wrap food in bacon for example, buy “T” Pins in the needle section of a crafts store. They’re unbreakable, easier to work with, better looking and reusable, all advantages over wooden toothpicks.
12) Reheat pizza in a non-stick skillet, over medium-low heat for 3-5 mins. The crust crisps and the toppings don’t overcook.
13) To stuff cupcakes, and keep them neat, in lunchboxes say, hollow out the center with an apple corer and fill as desired. This is also a way to “ice’ them without the mess.
14) To emulate the appearance of a fondant icing or a glaze, heat canned icing in the microwave for about 30 sec. until it becomes fluid, then spoon or pour it over the cake. Flavorings can be added at this point as well.
15) Use florists glass corsage tubes to hold flowers, or other objects, to easily and freshly decorate cakes.
16) To neatly fill plastic bags for food storage, hold a clean, label peeled, open ended can, size appropriate, upright in the bag, on a flat surface and use it as a funnel through which to pour the food. I keep a small, a medium and a large can in my equipment closet.
17) Roasting garlic, wrapped in foil, in an oven, takes about an hour and uses electricity. I had a Garlic Roaster, but lost it in my last move, so I’ve improvised- successfully. Get a 3 X 4 inch, unglazed terra cotta flower pot and matching saucer. Plug about ¾ of the pot’s bottom hole. I used cork, but foil would work. Prepare a garlic bulb as usual, by cutting 1/3 off the top, revealing the cloves. Put it on the saucer, spoon over 1 ½ Tbs. oil; cover with the pot and microwave on high 1 to 2 mins. depending on the size of the head and the power of the oven. Remove, cool and squeeze the bulb to force the cloves out into a jar. Add the cooking oil and kept refrigerated. Lasts for several weeks. The garlic can be mashed and used as a spread, or added to other dishes. Roasted garlic is much milder than other forms, lending a more subtle flavoring.
I’ve used these tips so often, most have become automatic for me, but I still keep a list handy, in case I’ve forgotten anything. Hope they’re as much help to you as they have been for me.
