How To Make Rice Pilaf
By | May 21, 2009
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What Is Emulsification
By | May 20, 2009
Emulsification is the process by which generally unmixable liquids, such as oil and water, are forced into a uniform distribution. Acidic liquids like lemon juice help the process by changing the pH of the mixture. The liquids are combined very slowly, usually drop by drop, while beating vigorously, which suspends drops of liquid throughout each other. Bearnaise, hollandaise, vinaigrette, and mayonnaise are examples of emulsified foods.
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How To Prepare Homemade Vinaigrette
By | May 20, 2009
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Pan Frying Tips
By | May 19, 2009
• Pan frying is a form of frying characterized by the use of less cooking oil than deep frying; using enough oil to, at most, cover the food to be cooked only half way.
• Avoid water and oil because they do not play well together.
• Keep an eye on your temperature and monitor the heat/flame. It is important to adjust the heat/flame as the oil gets very hot. You do not want the oil to smoke.
• Consider how much oil you are using. Remember as you add food the oil will begin to rise. You do not want the hot oil to overflow out of the saute pan or pot.
• Be careful as the hot oil tends to splatter. I always like to wear long sleeves to avoid any splash burns on my arms.
• Don’t over crowd the pan. You must make sure the oil can cook all around the food. You can hold cooked food in the oven at 200 degrees F while you fry the rest of the batch.
• If the frying pan catches fire, quickly cover it with a lid and turn off the heat or remove from heat. It’s not a bad idea to always have a full chemical fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
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How To Pan Fry
By | May 19, 2009
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Breading Tips
By | May 18, 2009
• When breading food there is one simple rule to follow. It goes flour, then egg wash, and finally bread crumbs. First dip your product in flour and be sure to shake the excess flour off. Then transfer your product into the egg wash. Next, take product out of the egg wash and place in bread crumbs. Be sure to submerge product entirely into bread crumbs so it is completely covered. Now you are ready for pan frying or deep frying your product.
• A tip when breading is to use one hand to dip product into the flour and into the egg wash. Use the other hand to handle the bread crumbs. The object is you only want one hand to get wet from the egg wash. Therefore you want the hand that goes into the flour to be your designated wet hand.
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How To Prepare Breaded Foods
By | May 18, 2009
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Spinach Tips
By | May 17, 2009
• Storing Spinach - If spinach is already bagged and sealed leave as is. If spinach is opened only clean the leaves you will use for that meal. Store additional spinach in plastic bag. Only keep for 3-4 days.
• Spinach is known as a rich source of iron and calcium.
• The iron in spinach is poorly absorbed by the body unless eaten with vitamin C.
• When using spinach you generally have to blanch or wilt it first. This means you put it in boiling water for less than a minute. Be sure to add salt to the water to the keep the color of the spinach. Or saute in saute pan with butter for a minute.
• Spinach makes a great vegetable with any dish and is easy to prepare. Simply remove the stem and clean some spinach leaves. Then you can add to boiling water to blanch or just add to saute pan with butter and garlic. Depends how much spinach you have. You do not want to over crowd the saute pan.
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How To Clean Fresh Spinach
By | May 17, 2009
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Sautéing Tips
By | May 16, 2009
Tips for Sautéing Foods
• Cut food items the same size to ensure even cooking.
• Preheat pan over medium to medium-high heat
• Add a small amount of oil to your hot pan. Choose oil with a high smoke point - for example, canola, corn, safflower, or soybean. (I avoid peanut oil in case someone has a peanut allergy.)
• Leave some space about an inch between pieces of food. Do not overcrowd pan or food will not cook evenly.
• Food should release easily from the pan when it has browned enough.
• Be sure to toss and turn food. It is important to keep food moving or it will stick and burn.
• When heating your oil it has 3 stages. First oil “dimples”, then it ripples, then it smokes. You want to add food when it ripples, before it reaches the smoking point. Different fats and oils have different smoke points.
Foods That Are Better When Sauteed
• Onions, peppers, and mushrooms are best used if sauteed prior to using them in a dish. For example when I make my vegetable egg white omelets I always make sure to saute my onions, peppers, and mushrooms before adding them. In addition, these sauteed items are great on cheesesteaks and any other sandwich you make.
• The first step of making any stock and most sauces is sauteing mirepoix.
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