tips in the kitchen

A kitchen tip I learned the hard way.

When cutting up Habanero peppers don't go to the restroom afterwards and handle your manly parts.

Let's just say that lesson is burned into my memory....among other things.


Wear gloves when cutting up peppers.

a reply to: nomoregmo


You are absolutely right! When I lived in the country I got a compost pile started and literally put everything and anything organic in it (except meats).. The soil I had to work with was heavy clay. My neighbors thought I was nuts: Raised beds, no row planting, compost...

The third year of applying compost was... amazing!! I got more out of the 1/4 acre garden of beds than my neighbor did in his whole acre garden, by far! I had beefsteak tomatoes that were huge and to die for flavor!! I had the sweetest and juiciest cantaloupe I had ever eaten! Beans, okra, peas, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage etc.. I wound up getting 3 crops, an early spring, summer and finally a fall crop of sweet corn.

Compost rocks!!

I saw the bread and spoon tricks here but I didn't see this tip for dealing with onions:

hold a match-stick between your teeth (sulfer-end out, unlit) and breathe through your nose. I saw this on "The Help" and tried it the next day. I have not shed a single tear since while chopping onions. It's amazing.

This is one of my favorites for peeling garlic.

Next time you need to peel garlic, if you need only a clove, smash it with a knife and the skin comes right off.

If you need alot of garlic, take the whole head of garlic and break it apart into cloves. Throw the cloves unpeeled into a bowl and place another bowl upside down on top. Shake vigorously and when you open it the garlic will be peeled. Presto!

For preparing homemade hamburger I found that using the container for 3m electrical tape made a nice sized burger. Pack your fav. hamburger mix right in there, don't be shy.
Oil the container with some cooking oil spray or grease with veggie oil so they slide out easy.
Great for camping too.

a reply to: scar

That's a genius idea.

a reply to: bbracken677

My trick for garlic is taking the two ends off and then cutting it in half length ways (not chopping through the middle)! It may be a bit tricky but it's fine with a sharp knife. The skin then comes straight off.

This is good topic for me here is some tips:
1.Make Sure Eggs are Fresh
If you're unsure of an egg's freshness, see how it behaves in a cup of water: Fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.

2.If you need only a few drops of lemon juice, avoid cutting the lemon in half — it will dry out quickly that way. Instead, puncture the fruit with a metal skewer and squeeze out exactly what you require.

3.Keep Herbs Fresh
To keep herbs tasting fresh for up to a month, store whole bunches, washed and sealed in plastic bags, in the freezer. When you need them, they'll be easier to chop, and they'll defrost the minute they hit a hot pan.

When you are chopping chillies/ginger/garlic or handling fish or shellfish rub oil on your hands first
it stops the juice/smells being absorbed into your skin and you only have to give your hands a quick wash and there is no lingering smells or chillie juice left on them.

About the wine: If I have some leftover wine, I freeze it in ice cube trays for easy addition to soups and sauces in the future.

Making a soup or sauce that ends up too fatty or greasy, I drop an ice cube in it, the ice attracts the fat, which I can then scoop out.

a reply to: ThePrankMonkey

Hi this is my first post ever!
Have read ats for many many years! Anyway im a qualified chef with many years experience as a head and executive chef in lil ol Christchurch NZ!
Here in New Zealand we have chefs hats which are the equivalent of Michelin Stars ( well the closet to that grading) eg: 1-3 hats just like 1-3 michelin stars.
Many chefs have quite closely guarded secrets as could be imagined. Even Gordon Ramsey had I.P. problems with recipes, techniques stolen? from his kitchens.
Lets start with eggs. One of the most versatile products in the kitchen. Eggs in the shell are slightly porous. Storing eggs directly with other strong fragrant items (truffles, black garlic, rosemary) can impart delicate flavours in to the eggs. Eggs in the kitchen are always used at room temperature unless asked for specifically differently in recipes. if you want to check if eggs are still good to eat fill a bowl with cold water, put whole eggs in, if they sink and lay on their side they are quite fresh, ideal for poaching.
If they sink and the stand upright theyre a bit old but ok, perhaps use for clarifying. Any that rise to the surface do not eat. Clarifying is making a stock clear and shiny. A whole egg minus the yolk but keeping the shell, cracked and mixed is used to clarify. Also used to sometimes clarify wine.
If youre on a diet stay clear of double yolk eggs! They tend to pack 4 to 6 times as many calories!
To make a perfect poached egg, boil a pot of water add 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar (i recommend white wine vinegar) then use a spoon to swirl the water and add the egg into the middle of the swirl. Use a slotted spoon to remove and leave on a towel for a few seconds and trim any messy egg whites. Season.

a reply to: danielpoison

Chef Poison?

Hmmmm....

But nice first post. What took you so long?

a reply to: ClownFish

Haha yip the poisoner. Its my last name Poissonnier (its french).. Funnily enough running a fish section in a restaurant makes you a poissonnier (loosely fish chef i think)
I tried to join quite a while ago and it didnt work for some reason so i just read without logging in etc..
Tried again and it worked!
Plus i also never really knew what id write? i mean i love lots of forums, especially the aircraft one but i never had anything to add? No real knowledge about the subjects just fascinated i guess.
Had never even known about the food forum until i saw someone complaining about it on a different forum here the other day.
And i thought wow something i could help in! I have real knowledge in that! ha like 17 hour days for a long time knowledge. Im by no means at the top of the game but i take great pride in my trade, its my craft and i have great respect for it!
What would you suggest people would like to know about cooking?.. recipes? costing? what it really costs to run a restaurant and turn profits? Thanks again
By the way also from Christchurch so ive been in some nasty earthquakes in some pretty now decimated restaurants

originally posted by: JustAnotherHologram
Does anyone have a sercret to lessen onion fumes? Onions make me cry like a baby!

My secret tip for kitchen: drink wine


-JAH

HAHAHA! I was just thinking of that this morning! I was slicing a couple of red onions for some asian slaw i was making and they were nasty! I'm usually ok with them.

My good friend is in Ecully, France right now at Paul Bocuse's cooking school for 3 weeks and he asked me if i had an idea of what to ask his teacher a couple days ago.

I was going to tell him to ask that as a joke.

My prep gals would wrap plastic wrap around their face when cutting onions for onion soup.

How about chopping ginger?

slice the ginger cross grain into rounds a little thicker than a quarter.

a chinese cleaver is best to use to crush or the flat side of a meat hammer.

just lay them out flat and place the flat of the knife on the round and hit it.

you can chop it more once they are all flattened.

you'll catch on fast enough. makes dealing with fresh ginger more fun.

ahahah, guys, your tips are very useful! I`m not a good hand at cooking, but I hope, I will improve my skills soon.

I enjoy cooking quite a lot and have achieved some success at it. I have won a few contests for various things and enjoy time in the kitchen.

Some tips I would suggest:
1. Buy an egg ring. They usually run in the $3-$5 range. I use the 4" diameter ring. It is great for many things. You can, of course, make breakfast sandwiches with them. First I use the ring to shape some bulk breakfast sausage and start it frying, then crack an egg into it. It helps to cover it loosely with a piece of tin foil when cooking the egg. When you can see the edges of the egg firm up remove the ring and flip the egg. The sausage should be ready to flip also by now if you havent done it yet. Put on toast or an English muffin with a slice of cheese and there you have it. You can also use the egg ring to make burgers, cut dough, form rice, etc. I have two and use them all the time.

2. Use plastic lids to cut things like cherry tomatoes. Use two plastic lids that are the same size. If they have a lip around a quarter inch high that is perfect. Put all the items you want to cut in one layer on one of the lids and cover with the other lid. Hold the top lid in place and slide a knife through the gap between the two lids. You can cut a dozen small tomatoes, or whatever, at a time.

3. When you put meat on a grill, don't flip it until it releases the cooking grate and moves freely with little effort.

4. If you are cooking polish sausage or hot dogs run the tip of a knife down one side of each link cutting no deeper than the middle of the link. When cooking make sure each link spends a minute or two with the cut side face down. One of the reasons grilled food tastes so good is the sear on the outside of the meat. With sausages the sear often lands on the casing but no deeper. The cut allows the link to open a little and gets a sear flavor on the meat itself. It makes a difference!

#1 wash yer damn hands.
#2 diff types of meat require differernt internal temps to be safe.
#3 Grocery stores spray hormones on unrippeded fruit/veg in their warehouses so that the products will be ready for your home.... wash off that #.
#4 pink slime should never be added to foodstuff.
#5 Imitation Vanilla is Beaver secretion. It is all natural.

That should get ya started.

I have a lot of cool tips!
1/ If you like cold coffee, it is best to freeze cubes, and then in a glass add milk, cream, or other components.
It does not have to wait for the coffee to cool down and get a drink of ice, not cool watery muck.
2/ To cool white wine, you can use frozen grapes. Unlike ice cubes, grape wine is not diluted with water.
3/ To minced meat thawed quickly, before freezing distribute it in small portions in different packages.

a reply to: JustAnotherHologram

Yes, your knives are not sharp enough and you are crushing the cell walls while you cut them. Sharp knives equal happy eyes! I am a restaurant cook