La liste Truc
Until I gain some technical savvy, I’ll archive the “tricks” in a list form here.
What sex is your eggplant?
The male eggplant typically has a reasonably smooth bottom. Females usually have narrow bottoms that are deeply indented. Which tastes better? Well, the male fruit have fewer bitter seeds. You decide. (07/11)
Hot peppers to slice? No gloves?
No worries. Slather vegetable oil on your hands and get chopping! The oil offers protection from the heat for at least 3-4 peppers (then reapply). Now, go buy some disposable gloves! Oil’s for cooking! (08/11)
You might as well plant that avocado pit
Though it might make your guacamole look more homestyle, placing a pit in the dip <i>won’t</i> keep it from browning. Instead, sprinkle a little more lime or lemon juice on the surface. Making it for later? Sprinkle with the juice, press plastic wrap against the surface, seal, and refrigerate. (09/11)
Spices not so spicy anymore?
Whole peppercorns, allspice and everything in between sit in the cupboard for months on end and lose their pungency. It happens. But there’s an easy fix. Place them in a 350F oven for a few minutes. When you start catching the aroma, it’s time to pull them out and use them. (11/11)
Eliminate garlicky fingers
Ever noticed that you can’t buy garlic-scented soap, lotion or perfume? Unless you expect to fight off vampires with your bare hands in the coming days, you probably don’t care for sulfurous fingertips, a common side effect of peeling fresh garlic. Try this trick to remove the cloves from their papery covering: Place individual garlic cloves in a medium metal saucepan, then put on the lid. Holding the lid in place, shake vigorously for about 30-45 seconds. Viola! Your cloves are now paper-free. (03/12)
Wars have been fought over it; it’s been used as currency; and it makes our eggs taste better. But salt also toughens bean skins, and breaks down egg whites when added at the beginning of cooking. Sodium chloride also pulls moisture from raw vegetables, which is great for eggplant, but not so good for mushrooms. Salt soups and stews near the end of cooking as well. Why? Because they reduce as they cook, enhancing any salt that might already be in there. Added too much salt? There might be a fix. Add additional liquid, or peel and quarter a potato, add a chunk or two and simmer with the soup. Discard the salty potato. (7/12)
When you are looking for a rich brown crust on meat or seafood, steam is the enemy. Here are a few tips on achieving what you see on all of those magazine covers.
- Blot the surface of meat, shrimp or scallops with a dry paper towel before placing into a hot oiled pan.
- For fish, let it rest — skin side down — on a paper towel, then sear the skin side first.
- Sprinkle just a small pinch of sugar onto the meat that is to be seared (this works great for scallops). In most cases, it won’t affect the end flavor result, but nothing caramelizes more quickly than sugar itself.
- Looking for a beautiful brown-crusted burger? Cook it in cast iron on medium-high heat.
- Whatever you’re cooking, don’t crowd the pan! (12/12)
Waste not, want not
Stop! Don’t toss those raw shrimp shells, or the scraps from the rotisserie chicken. Leave be those beef and pork bones and know that there’s still plenty of life in that rancid garlic bulb.
Delicious homemade shrimp stock
Heat a TB of oil, toss in a clove of minced garlic and a thumbnail-sized chunk of ginger – and shells from 1 lb. of shrimp. When they turn pink, add a quart of water and simmer for about 20 minutes. Allow liquid to cool. Strain. (May be frozen.)
Easy homemade chicken stock
Put the carcass in a large saucepan. Add any herbs or vegetables that you typically would. Bring to boil then simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Allow liquid to cool. Strain. (May be frozen.)
Beef and pork bones are the beginning of another excellent stock, or a demi-glace. Just keep them in a large freezer bag or container. Add bones as you go.
Plant that garlic bulb in a pot or, better yet, in your herb bed. It’ll grow and multiply. As for the other vegetable scraps, toss them in the garden to improve the soil. And, for goodness sakes, gardens love coffee grounds (and paper filters) — but insects don’t! (6/13)
second garlic/onion smell free tip – if you’ve juiced a lemon or lime don’t throw out the dregs (you can freeze, just thaw before use) rub it over your hands then rinse, and you’ll have citrus fresh scent rather than pungent garlic….
That works for getting garlic smell out of cutting boards and knives, too.
The male/female eggplants seem backwards to me. The males are usually narrower with a pointier blossom (not stem end) and the females are usually plumper and have more of a “belly button” type of blossom end.The females are plumper because they need the “hip room” to hold the majority of the seeds.
The females are best to use for stuffed eggplant type dishes where you have to scoop the seeds out as opposed to the eggplant parmigiana or babaganoush dishes you can make with the males because they have 1) less seeds and 2) the seeds aren’t as bitter.
Adam, have you read Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl? If not, it’s a blast, you’d love it.
Kris – Indeed male eggplants aren’t as bitter, because they don’t hold a grudge. Oh, sure, they tend to have eyes for many of their female eggplant counterparts, but it’s nothing personal. It’s genetic. After all, the male eggplants think with their seeds.
People always think “Oh! I will get the biggest eggplant!” well, it’s not always the best thing to do! But I love the rest of the tips. I remember in Food ID class our entire class dared some crazy (not right in the head) classmate to eat an ENTIRE habanero pepper stem, seeds, and all. And wouldn’t you know, ding dong did it! I had nothing to do with it but I just sat there and shook my head. He was sick for days. UGH!
J’aime les trucs! These food trivia things are so interesting! What a good idea to put them in your side bar. Thanks for posting!
Thanks, Sharon. I stole the idea from myself … the days of running a dwarf citrus tree farm and website. Glad you like it.