Cherished Bits of Wisdom

One of my favorite things about reading - be it books, magazines, or blogs - is the knowledge that can be gleaned effortlessly from people who have shared a wealth of years and years of experience and research. 

Here are a few bits of knowledge I have collected over the years. I hope you find something new and useful - Enjoy!

4 Tablespoons = 1/4 cup

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Two cups of water is equal to one pound of ice.

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Polenta Portions:

Stiff polenta = 1 part polenta to 4 parts liquid

Soft polenta = 1 part polenta to 6 parts liquid

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Freezing pies prior to cooking helps prevent soggy crust.

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When baking strudel, add breadcrumbs to fruit to absorb the juice and

prevent sogginess.

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Cookie Textures:

Chewy: Use melted butter, bread flour (high in protein), darkest brown sugar.

Thin and Crisp: Use baking soda, solid butter, and a higher ratio of white sugar to brown sugar.

Puffy and Light: Use shortening, cake flour and a higher ratio brown sugar to white sugar.

(Tip: Refrigerate dough prior to baking to help cookie puff up rather than spread out while baking).

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Deep fry fresh herbs and serve as garnish with fried foods.

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Use stripped rosemary stems as kabob-skewers for grilling shrimp and vegetables.

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To pit olives: place olives on a sheet of plastic wrap. Cover olives with another layer of plastic wrap - then smash gently with rolling pin.

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For seafood stock base: When you cook with raw shrimp, save the shells in a gallon-size zip-lock baggie in the freezer. When the bag is full, use in your favorite seafood stock recipe.

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To finely grate blue cheese, freeze the cheese prior to grating.

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Remove bitterness from radicchio by soaking it in ice water for approximately one hour. This not only removes any bitterness but also helps keep it crisp.

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Soak sliced red onion in ice water to mellow harsh flavor when eating raw in salad or whatever.

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Moist meat:

Whenever you cook any kind of meat let it rest a bit before you slice into it. Otherwise, if you slice right into it straight from the oven or grill, all the juices will run out and your meat will be dry. Instead, cover the cooked meat with foil and let sit for 10-12 minutes to let the juices redistribute themselves back into the meat.

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Prevent soggy cole slaw by placing the shredded cabbage in a glass bowl and salting it with a coarse salt. Stir well so that salt is evenly distributed. (The salt will draw out any extra moisture from the cabbage). Let it set for approximately 20 minutes. Rinse well and pat dry. Make slaw per recipe instructions.

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For less starchy and fluffier mashed potatoes:

Soak peeled potatoes in cold water in fridge over night. Before boiling, drain potato water and add fresh water; boil as usual. This process will remove a lot of the starchiness and give you fluffier mashed potatoes.

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Perfectly Steamed Baby New Potatoes:

After boiling whole, small potatoes (red or white) with skins on, drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot (off the heat) and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Leave the potatoes to steam for 15-20 minutes, until tender but firm. This will insure the potatoes steam evenly, all the way through to the middle.

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Keep mashed potatoes warm for hours:

Make as usual then put in an oven proof bowl, cover with foil and place inside a pan with 1inch or so of water over low heat. The potatoes will stay warm without drying out.

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To remove rust from a cast iron pan try soaking the pan in a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water. Others have recommended soaking the pan in Coca Cola, but I've not tried this myself.

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Keep hot dogs juicy and warm for a serve-yourself-BBQ: Bring hot dogs just to a simmer on stovetop or grill. Turn heat off and leave dogs in water. Guests can serve themselves and dogs will stay warm in the meantime.

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Hot Pepper Jelly makes a great glaze for grilled meats. Simply brush a dollop of jelly right on the meat just before you take it off the grill.

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For a quick twist on your normal dipping sauce or finishing sauce add lemon curd or lime curd.

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Fresh Herbs:

As soon as you bring them home from the market, wash them and pat them dry. Gather the stems together and tie in a bunch with kitchen twine, then place the stems in a glass of room-temp water (change daily).  You are less likely to forget you have fresh herbs when they are sitting on your countertop and they make a beautiful addition to any kitchen.

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Experiment with flavored balsamic vinegars!
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Final tip of the day:

Recreate that beautiful beach hair look by making your own saltwater spray using a spray bottle, warm water and a couple tablespoons of sea salt. Spritz and scrunch!
(Okay - so this wasn't about food, but it's one of my favorite tips!)