Tips For Chefs
Use salt water when blanching. About 1 cup per gallon of water will help retain the color of the vegetable and enhance the flavor. Be sure to use enough water so as not to crowd what you are blanching.
When dicing tomatoes, slice the tomato in half and scoop out the seeds using a spoon first.
When shucking corn, leave the knob on the end. This will provide something to hold onto when cutting the corn off the cob and reduce the risk of injury. A serrated knife works best for cutting uncooked corn off of the cob.
Did you know that you can make your own butter at home with a cup of heavy cream and your food processor? Make sure you’ve chilled the bowl and blade for 4 – 5 hours in your freezer first, pour the cream into the feed tube and process for ten minutes. Drain excess liquid through a fine sieve. Refrigerate butter for one hour before using. Makes about ¾ cup. Good for one week.
When making your own liqueurs, start with the best ingredients: the best brandy or vodka and the best fruits available in season. As in all cooking, beginning with the best will net you the best results.
Sharp knives are essential to cooking anything. A worthy investment.
Add fresh fruit or jams to butter for use with breakfast rolls, popovers, pancakes and waffles. Choose your favorite preserves and whip together with butter, return to the refrigerator.
So easy to make! Blend together ¾ cup butter, 3 finely chopped garlic cloves, and 2 tsp. chopped fresh shallots. Cover tightly and return to the refrigerator. Use with bread, fish, steamed vegetables. Mmmmm.
If you don't keep buttermilk in the house and tend to avoid recipes that use it because there's always so much left over, try this! Dried buttermilk is available at the grocery store, located where the regular dried and canned milk are stocked, and it's wonderful! Just leave the canister in the freezer and use what you need.
An easy and wonderful treat for salad lovers. Make your own herb flavored vinegars by steeping white, red, rice or balsamic vinegar with your favorite herbs. Be patient – the steeping should take 2 – 3 weeks so the vinegar absorbs the full flavor of your herbs. No cooking necessary!
Oils flavored with herbs and spices make great vinaigrette salad dressings.
Mix two parts oil to one part flavored vinegar. Adjust to your taste with additional oil or seasonings.
Mix together 1 T. each dried thyme, savory and food grade lavender; 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, ¼ tsp. ground sage, 2 tsp. anise seed. Sprinkle on vegetables, chops, or, stuff under the skin of poultry before roasting.
When making flavored oils using herbs like tarragon or basil, make your base an olive oil. To get more intense herb flavor, use canola oil (has no flavor so it does not compete with the herbs). Allow to sit for a couple of days, strain and voila!
Two tablespoons of grated horseradish added to your usual mashed potatoes recipe creates a real treat!
What is ‘non-reactive’ cookware? Glass, enamel, stainless steel and anodized aluminum are considered non-reactive – they have no reaction when used to cook foods. Reactive cookware includes copper, plain aluminum or cast iron. Using stainless steel spoons is a good idea as they are also ‘non-reactive’.
Store condiments and flavored vinegars in a cool, dark place away from the heat of your stove. Definitely check labels to find out if they need to be refrigerated after opening.
When sautéing fish the best way to ensure it does not stick is to make sure the pan is very hot and has been coated with just enough oil to cover the surface.
When using fish or garlic, rub your hands on a stainless steel bar while you wash your hands. The steel neutralizes the odor.
It is important to note that not all ovens cook the same. Make sure to check your product before removing it to make sure it is done. The time limit given by the recipe may need to be adjusted.
When using seasoning, remember you can always add more, but you cannot take it away.
Fines Herbes are made by mixing equal amounts of tarragon, chives, parsley and chervil. Fresh is best for seafood; dried versions are used for both fish and poultry dishes.
When blanching vegetables, seasoning your blanching liquid will impart more flavors and it raises the boiling point of the cooking medium, which means the vegetables will cook faster and lose less color and nutrients in the process.
Soak sliced onions in milk before making onion rings.
Do you add a bit of oil to your boiling water when making pasta? Adding oil will keep the sauce from penetrating your cooked pasta. This prevents a true melding of sauce flavors with the pasta. Skip the oil but DO add a touch of salt to boiling water for flavor.
Pizza dough should be tacky to touch but not stick to your fingers. When portioning the dough, be sure to work out any air bubbles. This ensures a round, smooth crust. (See a great recipe for Pizza Dough in the Martini Italian Bistro Polaris Recipe section!)
Use dried beans as pie weights...very inexpensive
After rolling pie dough and placing it in a "sprayed" pie pan, freeze it about 20 minutes before baking. It helps prevent shrinking.
Would you like to start a hot debate among pasta sauce aficionados? Ask if they add sugar to their sauce. Chef Joe McKean says, "That little tomato's been growing his whole life to be appreciated on his own and you're going to dump sugar on him?!?" If you're making sauce during a season not famous for sweet tomatoes, his advice is to add a little unsweetened applesauce to the sauce. Or, make your sauce using his favorite -- canned, peeled, imported tomatoes of the San Marzano brand.
Always season, taste, season, taste. Never serve bland food. Be careful not to overcook food. So many people were raised on dry, overcooked meat, seafood, vegetables and poultry. When cooking for other people, cook for their tastes, not your own.
When cooking marinara sauce, skimming the surface as it cooks will help to cut down the acidity.
Did you know you don’t have to buy a fancy smoker to smoke meats, fishes and more? If you’ve got a standard kettle grill, you can do it! Smoking is accomplished by adding hickory, mesquite or other wood chips to water, soaking for an hour, and then adding them to white-ash hot coals. So, find some great smoking recipes and head for the kettle grill!
When you make recipes resulting in excess broth, freeze it to use as stock in other soups, toss with rice, or to experiment with your own cooking.
A good starting knife set would be a Chef Slicer, Pairing Knife, and Boning Knife. With these knives you can do most kitchen cutting. It is very important to have the right knife for the job. A sharp knife is always better than a dull knife because you’ll have more control.
Fine grade cheesecloth can be used in single thickness for straining and is available through cheese supply houses. Commercial grade cheesecloth, more commonly found, should be folded into double thickness for best results.
For creamier mashed potatoes, use more butter.
When packing meat into the loaf pan, use a second pan to fully press the meat down. The harder it is packed, the better the meatloaf will retain its shape.
A good way to finish cream sauces is to whisk in a small amount of butter or temper in an egg yolk directly before serving. This will thicken the sauce slightly, giving it more luster and make it smoother on the palate.
When boiling potatoes, you should start with cold water and the liquid should not heat above a simmer. This will ensure consistent cooking and will keep the potatoes from breaking apart.
After boiling and straining potatoes for mashed potatoes you should allow them to slightly dry out over very low heat. This will not only make them a brighter white, but will also assist in keeping them the proper consistency.
When making brandied fruits, choose black raspberries over the red variety. They hold their shape better. Alcohols popular for preserving fruit include: vodka, brandy and cognac.
Extra virgin olive oil is not a good saute oil. As a first press it burns easily. Extra virgin is best used in salad dressings.
When picking out fresh fish, remember that it should never have a “fishy” smell to it. A slimy texture to the fish is also an indication that it is not fresh. Don’t be afraid to ask to smell and touch the fish before buying it.
Flavored vinegars are great for adding zing to steamed vegetables.
SPICED WALNUTS
Ingredients:
1 c. Walnuts (toasted) whole, shelled
1/2 c. sugar
3 tbs. chili oil
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cumin seed (toasted-ground)
Method:
Place sugar into a sautee pan and heat until light brown in color. Add the chili oil and mix, add the rest of the ingredients and mix, add walnuts, mix again and set aside to cool.
Crème fraiche is not such a sweet treat. It’s made by combining heavy cream and buttermilk, kept at room temperature for about 20 hours then refrigerated (keeps for about a week). Like a cross between whipped and sour cream, crème fraiche is served over fresh fruit and can be used to flavor savory soups and sauces.
When making wine vinegar, remember, the better the wine, the better the vinegar. No one likes a salad that give you a headache.
Chef Joe McKean's favorite home cooking leans toward Italian. His pick for best canned tomatoes to start a homemade sauce are peeled, imported San Marzano brand -- found at quality Italian import stores.
When cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving, flip the turkey over on the breast meat during the second half of cooking. This makes the meat juicier.
