CHEFS’ TIPS FOR 2020 COOKING
Let’s face it, quarantine may be lifted, but as long as social distancing persists, food shopping is an increasingly time consuming chore. The trend is growing to shop for longer periods. I spoke with the mother of toddler triplets recently, a lawyer, who has shopping down to once a month. It takes a day, but that’s better than 4 half-days. However, she admits it took some time and self-training to work it out.
The sub title of this blog is Kitchen $centse and its motto is ‘Creating wonderful; scents, while saving cents by using sense.’ The first statement is the goal of every cooking blog. I truly believe the second is best achieved by following the 3 steps in my proven Diet for the Food Dollar plan as outlined in the book How to Control Food Bills. The third, using good, common sense,’ kitchen sense’ applies to all culinary endeavors from menu planning, as illustrated in Dinners With Joy, (See December 20, 2018), to how to shop as discussed in connection with controlling food bills, to how and what to choose as defined in Food Facts for Millennials (See May 23, 2019) and ,of course, how to handle the food once it’s home.
This includes storing and preserving food, mainly nowadays by freezing( see posts Sept.13, 2018 and Sept. 20, 2018), learning efficient ways to use your appliances, finding short cuts to working with food ( posts July 9, 2012, June 16, 2019) and profiting by your experiences as well as being willing to listen to the advice of others.
Evidently Bon Appetit magazine also feels strongly about this. Their September issue features an article titled Quarantine Kitchen. They recognized most food professionals have to content themselves, for the duration, with cooking for just their families, in their homes, using products they, personally, had to shop for in local markets and pay for out of pocket. It’s been a unique situation and the magazine seized the opportunity to canvas many of these people as to what they had learned and asked them to share any insights.
The responses surprised me in two ways; they were distinctly ‘uncheffy’, tailored for home cooks and I felt quite proud because I have been using, as well as preaching many of them in this blog, for years. The article is worth a read, but I do want to discuss a few of the more valuable pieces of advice here.
Paramount is getting food safely stored as soon as possible to prevent aging. Freezing is the fastest way to do this and the best way to preserve freshness.
1) Ground meat needs special attention because it has more surface areas which spoil quicker than a single piece. The article recommends always having a 1 lb. package on hand. I advise freezing it in 4 portions which allows for individual servings and/or divided use.
A) Try ground pork, lamb, and sausage as well as beef and poultry, opening a variety of recipe options
B) When buying Valu-Packs, I use 1 b. to make and bake tiny meatballs. Stored bagged, they can be added frozen to a sauce or quickly microwaved and served with a dipping sauce.
2) Freezing produce is covered in the links provided above but one chef advised an old Italian trick for freezing leafy vegetables. Italians are focused on seasonal vegetables. Living there, I loved the freshness but as an American, missed non-seasonal options. Then I noticed the green goods grocer sold tennis-sized balls of trimmed, blanched, drained spinach and kale which I could wrap and freeze. Problem solved! It’s simple to do at home and great way to deal with leafy vegetables on sale or in valu-packs.
A) Potatoes are too watery to freeze well domestically unless mashed but I often opt for the 10 lb. bag. Separate the ones of suitable size for baking. Bake and stuff but hold the second baking. Wrap, freeze and bag them, then simply garnish and bake for a quick, elegant side. Do not microwave-they don’t crisp.
3) Grains freeze well and the chefs advice cooking and bagging extra to have on hand.
Fresh Produce in the refrigerator is still subject to the FIFO law-First in=first out but there are exceptions.
1) A head of cabbage will last longer than a bunch of fresh herbs, apples longer than pears. So check often and use good sense.
A) Get to know the more durable produce. Cabbage for example can do so much more than most people realize, steaks, stir-fries, grilled sides. Fennel is delicious both raw and cooked.
2) Don’t simply discard. If the herbs are wilted, blanch and puree them. Make into a pesto or freeze in ice trays and bag the cubes to use as flavorings. 1 cube=2 Tbs. Most of the people who reported this side effect also best viagra pills had dibetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes in a group of more than 4,500 men. You also save travel expenses by getting online medical help. viagra pills price The muscle pains felt will be removed with the therapy sessions are performed because of muscle injuries acquired and treatment recommended by the doctor. viagra canada pharmacies http://cute-n-tiny.com/category/cute-animals/page/22/ Try not to give the name a chance to cialis canada cheap trick you: CFS is significantly more than just being fatigued. Pears and other fruits can be used in baked goods or cooked pureed and frozen as can vegetables. They are good sauce bases and don’t forget any vegetable can make pesto.
3) The best way to extend the life of fresh vegetables, beans, snow peas, celery stalks and especially those with roots, carrots, radishes, scallions, is to store them immersed in water not in the crisper.
Dated refrigerated products are also subject to FIFO, but that too has changed. Chefs used to be all about pitching anything over date, now they advise caution and testing. The white coating on the Parmesan can be ground in and the cheese frozen. A crust forming on sour cream merits inspection. Perhaps it can be scraped off, the remaining cream repackaged for quick use.
1) The best tools to determine spoilage are your nose, and dipping a finger-tip in for a small taste. If these tests say O.K.-go with it.
2) Have a few recipes to use ‘iffy’ products handy, rather than letting them expire while you seek ways to use them.
Find a multi-purpose sauce to perk up dishes and other sauces which suits your cooking style and tastes. It may be based on tomatoes, peppers, anchovies, there’s even a good, hot eggplant one. Just be sure your family likes it and it can be added to or passed with recipes to give them a bit of ‘newnesss’.
Beans are indigenous to every cuisine and always there to provide an economic, flavorful, satisfying meal but, news flash, they should always be cooked in a broth flavored to fit the finished dish.
1) People claim beans take too much time but no longer. Instant Pots and Slow Cookers changed that but the stove top method has changed too.
A) No long soaking required. Rinse the beans and simmer them in the flavored fluid of choice. It will take 2 or more hrs. depending on the type bean. So take that zoom meeting, cook it after dinner or on the weekend. Beans are better the next day.
2) If you want a quicker method, first hard boil the beans in their liquid for 6-10 min., depending on size of bean, turn off heat and allow to sit covered for about 30 min. to expand them. Return to a boil, then simmer for 30-45 min. more-continue with prepping the finished dish.
It’s important to know your appliances, utensils, and to take advantage of cooking tips especially how to make objects multi-task.
1) Put the roast on the second to the bottom shelf and a sheet of vegetables on the bottom shelf. It’s a lower temperature for the veggies, but they make it up in time. Put any vegetable side dishes or bake potatoes next to the meat pan.
2) Once an oven or other appliance is ready, don’t turn it off after one task. Bake that cake. Boiling a vegetable? Throw in a couple of eggs for eating during the week. Use the hot burner to sauté another vegetable or toast nuts.
3) To avoid being burned when checking the temperature of the contents of a pot while cooking, put the stem of an instant read thermometer through the openings in a slotted spoon, and lower it until you can get an accurate reading.
A) Use corn holders to secure round objects like tomatoes, onions and lemons, for slicing
B) Chopsticks are handy in the kitchen to remove food from the toaster, to rearrange food on a platter or roasting vegetables and to easily pit cherries, cut a small “X” in the bottom. Remove the stem, insert the narrow end of the chopstick and push the pit out.
C) To quickly chop nuts, put them in a plastic bag and pound then with the bottom of a can.
D) To coarsely chop herbs, place them in a glass and snip with a scissors.
One of my favorite suggestions: If at all possible, grow your own herbs. I grow them in pots and in the fall, I either bring them in (several last well in a heated house and a sunny kitchen) or I lightly chop them and freeze them in ice trays with a bit of oil and water and use as described above. I love having fresh herbs available and it’s a budget saving too.
However, my favorite suggestion of all is ‘Give a kid a wok’ I have long advocated cooking with kids and written books on the subject. Children love creating, especially when their efforts yield fast delicious rewards and learn quickly. Cooking with them is an excellent bonding tool and teaches them useful life skills.
A) Go further and get the whole family involved. If you can’t enjoy dinner together in your favorite restaurant, bring the desire for companionship into your kitchen. Get everyone together to help make meals, or at least to record the effort for fun. Sharing the work, the rewards and the memories can be priceless connections. Don’t miss this opportunity. For recipes modified to make this a happy experience for all, especially novices see the May 28, 2020 posting on my book Can I help?
