{"id":151,"date":"2011-11-03T00:56:48","date_gmt":"2011-11-03T00:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mrsbutterfingers.com\/wp\/?p=151"},"modified":"2012-03-17T23:27:49","modified_gmt":"2012-03-17T23:27:49","slug":"the-cooks-notebook-chefs-tips-and-tidbits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mrsbutterfingers.com\/?p=151","title":{"rendered":"THE COOK’S NOTEBOOK…CHEF’S TIPS AND TIDBITS"},"content":{"rendered":"

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NO ANCHOVIES FOR YOUR CAESAR DRESSING??? \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When you’re out of anchovies a few drops of fish sauce added to your Caesar dressing is a reasonable substitute.\u00a0 Fish sauce is made from fermented anchovies.<\/p>\n

AN EASY WAY TO ROAST BUTTERNUT SQUASH\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ……\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Some recipes call for the squash to be peeled and cubed and then roasted.\u00a0 It’s not my favorite chore.\u00a0 Here’s an easy way to\u00a0 roast squash.\u00a0 Have your oven at 400degrees F.\u00a0 Wash your squash and prick with the tip of knife so it doesn’t explode when it is baked.\u00a0 Place on rimmed baking sheet and roast until soft to the touch and a knife penetrates the skin easily (around l hour).\u00a0 Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.\u00a0 Half the squash and remove the discard seeds and fibers with a large spoon.\u00a0 Scoop the pulp into a bowl and proceed with your recipe.<\/p>\n

SOFTENING BROWN SUGAR<\/p>\n

Brown sugar can become hard if not stored in an airtight container.\u00a0 To soften it quickly, place it in a microwave-safe dish with a few apple wedges.\u00a0 Cover tightly with plastic wrap; microwave on high in 20 second increments until soft (but not melted)<\/p>\n

STEADYING A BOWL<\/p>\n

If you need to pour and whisk at the same time (as when making vinaigrettes) and don’t have a mixing bowl with a rubber-rimmed bottom, place your bowl on a dampened dish towel, and bunch the towel up around the base.\u00a0 The bowl will stay put while you mix or whisk.<\/p>\n

PITTING OLIVE<\/p>\n

The easieset way to pit an olive is to lay the blade of a large knife over it and smack the blade with your fist or the heel of your hand.\u00a0 The olive should split open, causing the pit to pop right out.<\/p>\n

CUTTING CANNED TOMATOES<\/p>\n

Whole canned tomatoes are a better quality tomato than crushed or diced.\u00a0\u00a0 To use them in your recipe use kitchen shears to cut them right in the can.<\/p>\n

If you puree canned tomatoes in a blender or a food processor they loose their deep read colour and turn pink.\u00a0 We don’t want that!<\/p>\n

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The best canned tomatoes are Italian.\u00a0 The best canned Italian tomatoes are San Marzano’s.<\/p>\n

REDUCED TO A GLAZE.\u00a0\u00a0 A glaze is not so reduced as you might think.\u00a0 When you pull a wooden spoon through the mixture, the resulting line, exposing the skillet’s surface, should stay intact for a second or two before the liquid flows back into place.\u00a0 A glaze does not mean that the liquid has been reduced until it lacquers the ingredients.<\/p>\n

NOODLES.\u00a0 Dried noodles should be first cooked and drained before they are added to your soup.\u00a0\u00a0 If cooked in the soup, they absorb too much of the liquid.<\/p>\n

Slice soft fresh cheese without crumbling.\u00a0 Use dental floss\u00a0 or fishing line stretched taut between your hands.\u00a0 You can slice a log of soft, fresh cheese into rounds that stay intact instead of crumbling.<\/p>\n

Peel ginger with the edge of a spoon.\u00a0 You’ll easily remove just a thin layer of skin.\u00a0 Then you can dice or shred the ginger.<\/p>\n

Salads are so good for you and rounds out almost any meal.\u00a0 The first ingredient of most commercial\u00a0 salad dressings is water. \u00a0 You can make your own and keep an all-purpose vinaigrette on hand. Combine olive oil and balsamic or herb vinegar (three parts to one part) with salt, pepper, mustard, garlic, and herbs to taste.\u00a0 Transfer to a clean wine bottle and stop it with a new cork;\u00a0 the dressing will keep for weeks refrigerated.\u00a0 And the bottle is attractive enough to bring to the table.\u00a0 This also makes a most welcome gift.\u00a0 Just be sure your mark it “keep refrigerated and enjoy”.<\/p>\n

Home made pita crisps are perfect with your home made dips, especially humous.\u00a0 Brush the pita rounds (the thin kind not the pita pockets) with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cut into eighths and put on a baking sheet.\u00a0 Broil until crisp and brown.\u00a0 Watch them carefully so they don’t burn.<\/p>\n

The next time you are roasting meat use a nest of herbs as an impromptu roasting rack and infuse the meat with flavour at the same time.\u00a0 Arrange sage, thyme, or other stalks in a roasting pan, and place meat on top.\u00a0 Large, woodier stalks, such as the ones in the garden at the end of summer work best.<\/p>\n

Select asparagus that is\u00a0 crisp and green with tight, unopened tips.\u00a0 It’s best eaten the day it’s purchased, but it can be stored for up to three days.\u00a0 Wrap the bottom ends in damp paper towels and seal in an airtight plastic bag and refrigerate.\u00a0 Before cooking, snap the bottom off each spear; it breaks naturally just where it should.\u00a0 If the stalks are tough, peel the bottom third of each one.<\/p>\n

Don’t cry for onions.\u00a0 Cut them near a flame and the gaseous sulfur compounds released from onions will burn off before they irritate your eyes.\u00a0 Don’t forget to turn off the stove when you’re finished.\u00a0 Or try lighting a votive candle near the cutting board instead.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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