Chef's Secrets Page Four | Fitness and Freebies

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2001 to 2003 Chef's Secrets: Page Four

Highly acidic ingredients such as citrus or fruit juice help to tenderize low-fat meats. For a flavor twist, add 1/4 cup cranberry juice cocktail to your favorite marinade for really tender "juicy" results.
To keep a fruit pie from spilling over, stick a piece of uncooked ziti or penne - or several if the pie has a lattice top - in the center. The juices will bubble up inside the pasta tube instead of dripping all over your oven.
Use kitchen scissors to chop fresh mint, chilies and coriander finely and without any mess.
When rolling cookie dough, sprinkle board with powdered sugar instead of flour. Too much flour makes the dough heavy.
To soften cream cheese, quickly remove it from the foil wrapper and microwave it on medium for 30-40 seconds.

To remove excess oil in any fried vegetables, sprinkle a little gramflour over the vegetables. Gramflour absorbs the excess oil and makes the vegetable tastier.
For delicious grilled avocado on the half shell, cut an avocado in half and remove the seed. Drizzle with fresh lime or lemon juice and brush lightly with olive oil. Gently place it, cut side down, on a hot grill for two to three minutes. Fill with salsa or sliced red peppers.
When freezing cookies with a frosting, place them in freezer unwrapped for about 2 hours -- then wrap without worrying about them sticking together.
To prevent icing from running off your cake dust the surface lightly with cornstarch.
For the fresh-from-the-field flavor of corn steamed in its own husk, hold an unshucked ear of corn upright under cold running water until the water soaks well down inside the husk. Then lay it on a plate, microwave for two to four minutes, shuck and dig in.
Steak Sauce With A Kick: Deglaze your frying pan (after searing your steaks) with brandy. Add two tablespoons of butter, a little white wine and a splash of Grand Marnier. Serve over steaks - you'll never use steak sauce again.
Instead of the water your recipe calls for, try juices, bouillon, or water you've cooked vegetables in. Instead of milk, try buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream. It can add a whole new flavor and improve nutrition.
If potatoes or carrots get over-cooked, mash them well and serve with butter or use it as a batter for preparing cutlets.
To keep garlic skins from sticking to your hands while peeling, soak the garlic flakes in a cup of water for five minutes before peeling.
Green vegetables lose color if subjected to continuous heat - do not overcook them.
Adding thin strips of citrus zest to a sauce or gravy will enhance the flavor. We suggest using lemon or lime as a compliment to grilled meats, chicken, or fish.
If a sauce or gravy has become lumpy you can transfer it to a food processor and process until smooth, or press through a sieve.
To reduce the strong flavors of raw garlic and onions, saute for several minutes before adding to other ingredients or adding other ingredients to them.
Instead of meat, try adding vegetables to a light tomato sauce for plenty of flavor and crunch.
For a change of taste, try pureed roasted red peppers as a sauce.
When creating an impromptu pasta dish, remember that "less is more" and limit the number of ingredients that you use. Oil, garlic, crushed tomatoes, fresh basil and hot pepper flakes is one delicious combination.
Hate the smell of broccoli cooking? Place the florets in a steamer and toss in a few cubes of stale bread into the cooking water. The bread absorbs the odor.
Rescue stale or soggy chips and crackers: Preheat the oven to 300-degrees. Spread the chips or crackers in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about five minutes. Allow to cool, then seal in a plastic bag or container.
A dampened paper towel or terry cloth brushed downward on a cob of corn will remove every strand of corn silk.
Brown gravy in a hurry with a bit of instant coffee straight from the jar... no bitter taste, either.
Add a little lemon and lime to tuna to add zest and flavor to tuna sandwiches. Use cucumbers soaked in vinegar and pepper in sandwich instead of tomatoes. Use mustard instead of mayo to cut the fat and add a tang.
Ground spices really should be replaced every 6 months or so. Your cooking will benefit from fresh spices.
Iced Tea taste bitter? Add a pinch of baking soda to your glass or a teaspoon in your gallon pitcher. Makes it perfect every time!
When a recipe calls for wine, do not use what is called "Cooking Wines" as they contain salt and flavorings. Use a wine that you would like to drink.
Deglaze a pan by adding wine, stock or cream to the sediment left in the roasting pan after cooking meats, poultry, and fish. Bring to a boil and stir well. Reduce to a desired thickness and serve.
Blend your blender to clean it! Fill the container half full with water, add a two drops of dish soap, then put the lid on and fire it up. Empty the pitcher, fill it half way with just water, and blend again. This will rinse the blade. Pour out the water and blend the blade dry for a few seconds.
Gravy can be thickened quickly by adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of instant potatoes.
By adding 2 or 3 shots of brandy or 1/3 to 1/2 cup of port wine to plain gravy and bringing it to a quick boil you will add a little extra pizzazz to a roast
To hasten the cooking of foods in a double boiler, add salt to the water in the outer boiler.
Marshmallows won't dry out when frozen.
For fluffier, whiter rice, add one teaspoon of lemon juice per quart of water. To add extra flavor and nutrition to rice, cook it in liquid reserved from cooking vegetables.
When separating eggs, break them into a funnel. The whites will go through leaving the yolk intact in the funnel.
Make your own celery flakes. Just cut and wash the leaves from the celery stalks; place them in the oven on low heat or in the hot sun until thoroughly dry. Crumble and store in an air-tight container.
When tossing a salad with a basic vinaigrette, always make the vinaigrette at least 1/2 hour ahead of time and let the mixture sit to allow the flavors to marry. Pour the vinaigrette down the side of the bowl, not directly on the greens, for a more evenly dressed salad.
Poke a hole in the middle of the hamburger patties while shaping them. The burgers will cook faster and the holes will disappear when done.
When braising meat, cook it at a low temperature for a long time to keep the meat tender and have it retain all the juices.
Chefs pound meat not to tenderize the meat, but to help even the meat so it cooks evenly.
Fat can be removed from the surface of stocks by adding a few ice cubes. When the fat collects around the ice cubes remove and discard. Or place cubes in a baggie so the sauce doesn't dilute from the melting cubes.
Leftover vegetables, mushrooms, and trimmings can be added to stocks for additional flavorings.
To store cooked stocks for future use, reduce by boiling until it has thickened. Allow it to cool and then pour into ice trays, or baggies placed in small containers and freeze. Lift the baggies out of the molds, seal and store frozen until needed.
Pumpkin seeds can be soaked in the refrigerator over night in salt water and baked the next day. The next day: place the drained seeds on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes (check often).
Glaze a roast (pork, beef, lamb, or poultry) by brushing on a fruit flavored jam fifteen to twenty minutes before it is done. This adds an attractive sheen to the meat and gives a sweet tasting flavor. It will also add a delightful flavor to the pan juices when making a sauce.
Sauces that are too salty can be improved by adding a few chunks of peeled potatoes - simmer until the potatoes are soft and remove. Adding cream or unsalted tomatoes will also help reduce saltiness.
Add 3/4 cup of wine, beer or stock to a beer can or similar container. Place it in the center of a roasting pan and place a well-seasoned chicken opening over the can and roast. The flavors in the can will moisten and flavor the chicken. The drippings will enter the can and mix with the liquid. When the chicken is done, remove the can and make a pan sauce with the remaining liquid.
Instead of water use wine, tea, or beer in stews and sauces. It will help tenderize tough cuts of meat and add a rich flavor to the gravy.
Avoid using cooking wines as much as possible. They are salted as an additional preservative. Use a good quality wine. Make sure that the wine compliments the dish and does not dominate the other flavors.
Avoid using aluminum or cast iron pots when cooking with wines. Especially extended cooking like stewing or braising as it leaches into the metal.
If a brown sauce becomes too acidic it can be balanced with a small amount of port or Madeira wine. If the sauce becomes too sweet finish with just a touch of wine vinegar before adding butter or cream.
13 minutes to perfectly boiled eggs: Cover eggs with water and boil rapidly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cover with a tight fitting lid for 11 minutes. No more greenish looking hard boiled eggs!
If you are making a lunch that will not be eaten for several hours, keep food cool by placing a frozen juice box (wrapped in a paper towel) in the bag or lunch box.
Reduce cooking time and splatters by laying slices of bacon on a cookie sheet with a edge; bake 350-375 until done the way you like it. The pieces stay flat with no fuss.
Separate hamburger into zip locks and roll with rolling pin until evenly flat. Takes up less space in freezer and thaws much more quickly.
Tomatillos are smaller than regular tomatoes, and have a papery husk. Similar in taste to tomatoes, they add a sharp, sour-like flavor to recipes.
To cook meat loaf use a glass pie dish and lay 2 pieces of bread side by side in the middle. Make the meat loaf the normal way and form a loaf. Place the loaf on top of the bread. Cook at the normal temperature. The bread absorbs all the grease.
Throw a spoon into boiling pasta and it won't boil over.
Keep pasta water from bubbling over by spraying the pan first with nonstick spray.
To prevent pasta from boiling over and sticking together, add some butter or oil and salt. Always add the pasta to the water after it has boiled, not before.
Carrots cook faster if you slice them along their length rather than their width.
Speed up the cooking time of fried potatoes by first peeling, chopping into small squares and boiling the potatoes until softened, but not too much. Then drain and place into skillet with heated oil. Cook while adding seasoning until the outsides are lightly browned and crisp.
To have vegetables retain their color, add a lump of sugar, or vinegar, or a tad of lemon juice.
Before adding vegetables, toss them with a little flour to keep them from sticking to the bottom of your pot or kettle.