Cooking Tips

Searing is a cooking method that uses high heat to capture the natural juices and flavor of a cut of meat or fish. It can be used on its own or in combination with other cooking methods, such as roasting or braising. Keep heat medium-high to high throughout the searing process. It's a smoky process, so don't be alarmed by a smoking pan or the setting off of a sensitive smoke alarm. If you turn down the heat, you will hamper the searing process.
Heat a small amount of oil in a heavy-bottomed saute pan. Pat dry and season whatever cut of meat you are using, such as a chuck roast. When the oil is just beginning to smoke, add the meat to the pan. Once the meat has been set down in the pan, it is very important not to move it until it has developed a rich brown crust. Lift the meat with tongs and turn it onto another side once it has been suitably seared on the first side, and continue creating crusts. Crusts should be created even on the edges, which may have to be seared by holding the cut of meat upright with the tongs. When the meat is properly seared, it will be completely crusted and brown on all surfaces and rare on the inside.

Always season your food while you are cooking. The seasonings work while the food is cooking and will not be the same if you add it at the table. And, always salt your meat before cooking will not become tough - it will bring out the juice and flavors.

The Latin name for shallot is Allium Ascalonicum. The name refers to Ascalon , an ancient Palestinian city where the shallot is thought to have originated.
The flavor is a pungent blend of onion and garlic. Their color can vary
from pale brown to rose, and the flesh is off-white and barely tinged with green or purple.
Shallots burn easily because of their high sugar content. For this reason, saute briefly over low to medium heat. When using raw minced shallots in salad dressings, lessen their pungency by reducing the juice; wrap the minced shallots in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze the shallots so the cloth absorbs some of their juices, then add the shallots to the recipe as directed.
Shallots will keep for approximately six months if stored in a cool, dry location.

Did you ever wonder what to use when a recipe calls for shortening? Shorteningi is usually used in making pastry, dough and batters. You may use butter, margarine, salad and cooking oil, solid vegetable fat, such as crisco. You may also use drippings, but remember this may make a difference in the flavor of your pastry. Do not use fat scraps. Can turn Rancid easily.

Tiger Shrimpi - Mild flavor, with a sweet taste and a crunchy texture.
White Shrimp - Mild flavor, with a slightly salty, shrimpy taste and firm texture. Great for salads and stir-fry.
Pink Shrimp - Mild to medium flavor, with a medium texture. Perfect for shrimp cocktail.
Browni Shrimp - Full, robust flavor, with medium texture. Best when used for full-flavor dishes like gumbo or for frying.

Melt butter in a small, heavy pan over low heat. (For most recipes, three tablespoons of butter and three tablespoons of flour are the right amount.) When the butter is melted, whisk in an equal amount of flour, continuing to whisk until the mixture is smooth. Allow the mixture to bubble slowly, whisking constantly so that it does not burn. Keep heat very low throughout the cooking process. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is pale golden in appearance. At this point, it will have lost some of its raw flour taste.
Some roux are cooked longer than this typical white roux. The longer you cook it, the more flavor it has.
Slightly darker, blond roux is darker and thinner in texture than a white roux, while brown roux is more pungent and nutty in flavor. A blond roux cooks for approximately 6 minutes. Browni roux, which has much less thickening power than white roux, is used primarily to thicken classic brown sauces and gravies.

Saffroni is the dried, bright red stigmas of the flower Crocus sativus, which is a relatively easy-to-grow perennial. It lies dormant all summer, then pushes its purple blossoms up through the mulch just as other plants are succumbing to frost. Each blossom offers up to three scarlet stigmas. Plant the bulbs in summer and harvest the stigmas in fall. A starter supply of about 50 bulbs costs about $30 and will produce about a tablespoon of the spice the first year. However, each year more flowers will grow, and therefore you'll get more of the spice. Ultimately, your investment will pay off. Fresh saffron threads can be used
immediately for cooking, or they can be dried and stored. To dry them, place on paper towels and leave for several days in a warm place. Then transfer them to an airtight container and keep in a cool, dry place.

Make a delicious salad dressing by thinning leftover party dip with buttermilk.
Substitute grapefruit juice for vinegar in oil-vinegar dressings.
Top-of-mold trim and side trims must be firmly chilled in gelatin before filling the mold or design will move in the mold.
To add some crunch to fruit salads, use almonds and dried banana chips as 'croutons.'
If salad greens are wet and you need them right away, place in a clean white pillow case and spin dry in your washing machine for a few seconds. This is especially good to know if you are serving salad to a large crowd.

To prevent salt from clogging in the shaker, keep 5 to 10 grains of rice inside the shaker.
If you have over-salted a dish, try to save it by adding a teaspoon each of vinegar and sugar to the dish and simmer for a short while. This may save the dish.
Slices of raw potato will absorb extra salt. For a stew or soup, you can try adding thick slices of potato. The potato will attract and hold some of the excess salt and can be removed before serving the dish.

When making sandwiches for brown bag lunches, pack the bread and the fillings separately. Putting them together at lunchtime will avoid soggy bread.
French-toast your humdrum sandwiches by dipping the entire sandwich in a mixture of milk and egg. Fryi it in butter or margarine until it's golden-brown.
Spread mustard or chili sauce on slices of cold meat, then place under broiler just before serving.