Cooking Tips | Kitchen Advice

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"Mise en Place"- Prep is the Key to the Kitchen"

People often ask me what it takes to be a great cook. There are a zillion things I could mention here, but if there is one thing that stands out in my mind, it would be that funny sounding phrase "Mise en Place"(pronounced: meez on plahss).

Translated, "Mise en Place" means "To Put in Place". In other words, organize yourself and your workspace. There is nothing more important. Anyone who works with me (or near me), knows how much I use and apply this rule.

If you can recall some of your kitchen disasters, I would bet that it resulted from disorganization and rushing around. All it takes is a little practice to avoid this unnecessary stress.

Here is a short list of guidelines to help you:

1. Study your recipe. Make sure you have everything.
2. Have all food items ready to go. Measured, cut, and prepped.
3. Have all necessary cookware and utensils at hand.
4. Have all necessary serving items ready.
5. Clean as you go! It's impossible to work in a mess!

Put this technique to work for you, and your kitchen experiences will all be a pleasure!

"One Simple Way to Reduce Fat in Food

Using herbs, spices and additional flavorings to make up for removing fat when cooking meats is a method I've used forever.

Since fat makes everything taste good (hence the reason we're all hooked on it), compensating with things like basil, curry, cumin, chillies, garlic, ginger, etc... enhance the flavor of the dish so you won't even miss it.

Experiment with different combinations and amounts of flavorings that you like. Simply stay within the cultural cuisine you're working with, whether it's Mediterranean, Asian, Cajun, etc... and the sky's the limit.

Hey, you might even create a new recipe to call your own :-)

"How To Cut Your Cooking Oil in Half!"

Here's something that always amazes the students at my cooking classes...

When you're going to use cooking oil to saute, don't put it in before you heat up your pan. A hot pan uses much less oil to cover the surface, usually as little as half!

Hot oil spreads faster and farther, since the viscosity (fancy word for thickness) is greatly reduced.

Do yourself a favor, and try this one next time you saute... You'll be pleasantly surprised :-)

Other Assorted Tips:

Start your meal preparation by using the freshest ingredients you can find. Fresh flavors go much further to enhance a meal's taste and satisfaction than using extra fat and sodium.

When seasoning a dish with salt, such as a stew for example, put a little bit of salt in the pot (1/4 tsp.) with each new ingredient. This technique works much better than putting in a large amount of salt at the end. The salt sprinkled in incrementally will blend with the different vegetables and meats for better flavor.

When chopping vegetables or meat for quick, hot cooking, make sure they are completely dry before putting them in the pan. Excess water detracts from the flavored reaction of the heat and oil.

For a higher smoking point while cooking in a hot pan, try grapeseed oil or clarified butter (butter not containing the milk solids - also known as ghee). They work more effectively than olive oil or regular butter.

Focus on ingredients that are in season. A tomato salad is much tastier in summer than in November.

For added flavor, after you remove the cooked ingredients from the pan or skillet, pour a little wine, sherry or wine vinegar into the pan, whisk it and pour it over the cooked dish.

You'll find honey, corn syrup and molasses much easier to measure if you remove their lids and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds at 100% power. That's for a 12-ounce bottle. Smaller amounts need even less time.

When cooking oatmeal, coat the pan with non-stick cooking spray. It keeps the oatmeal from boiling over and sticking to the pan.

To prevent boil-overs, apply a thin coat of cooking oil around the top of the inside of pots.

To keep a bowl steady while you mix or whip ingredients, place it on a dampened cloth.

To chop or grind nuts fine in a food processor without turning them into nut butter, add 2 or more tablespoons sugar from the recipe.

To clean wooden cutting boards, once a week rub them with baking soda, then spray on full strength white vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes, then rinse in clear water. It will bubble and froth as these two natural chemicals interact.

When cooking with wine, leave the pan uncovered so the alcohol will burn off. The resulting liquid will have a rounder, firmer, fruiter flavor.

Too salty: Add cut raw potatoes to soups or vegetables and then discard once they have cooked and absorbed the salt.

If you've over-sweetened a dish, add salt.

A slice of soft bread placed in the package of hardened brown sugar will soften it again in a couple of hours.

A little salt placed in a frying pan will prevent splattering.

Vinegar brought to a boil in a new frying pan will prevent foods from sticking.

When scalding milk, first rinse the pan in cold water to prevent sticking.

Marshmallows won't dry out when frozen.

Uses for vinegar:

A teaspoon of cider vinegar will take care of too-sweet main dishes or vegetables.

A teaspoon each of cider vinegar and sugar added to salty soup or vegetables will also remedy the salty situation.

Use a vinegar and water mix to clean glass and the outside of the appliances.

Kill grass on walks and driveways. Kill weeds. Spray full strength on growth until plants have starved.

Deter ants. Spray vinegar around doors, appliances, and along other areas where ants are known.

Polish car chrome. Apply full strength.

Remove skunk odor from a dog. Rub fur with full strength vinegar; rinse.

Keep dogs from scratching his ears. Use a clean, soft cloth dipped in diluted vinegar.

Tenderize meat. Soak in vinegar over night.

Boil better eggs. Add 2 tablespoons water before boiling eggs. Keeps them from cracking.

Relieve dry and itchy skin. Add 2 tablespoons to bath water.

Fight dandruff. After shampooing, rinse with vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.

Deodorize the kitchen drain. Pour a cup down the drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water.

Eliminate onion odor. Rub on your fingers before and after slicing.

Remove fruit stains from hands. Rub with vinegar.

Cut grease and odor on dishes. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to hot soapy water.

Clean a teapot. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in the teapot. Wipe away the grime.

Clean the refrigerator. Wash with a solution of equal parts water and vinegar.

Unclog a drain. Pour a handful of baking soda down the drain and add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Rinse with hot water.

Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through.

Clean the dishwasher. Run a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once a month to reduce soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on glassware.

Clean stainless steel. Wipe with a vinegar dampened cloth.

Clean china and fine glassware. Add a cup of vinegar to a sink of warm water. Gently dip the glass or china in the solution and let dry.

Clean the microwave. Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.

Unclog steam iron. Pour equal amounts of vinegar and water into the iron's water chamber. Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes in an upright position. Then unplug and allow to cool. Any loose particles should come out when you empty the water.

Clean a scorched iron plate. Heat equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Rub solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains.

Get rid of lint in clothes. Add 1/2cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.

Freshen up the washing machine. Periodically, pour a cup of vinegar in the machine and let in run through a regular cycle (no clothes added). Will dissolve soap residue.

Clean eyeglasses. Wipe each lens with a drop of vinegar.

Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar for each quart of water.

Run a solution of vinegar and water through the coffee machine to get rid of built up taste.

Occasionally wipe cooking pots and pans and cooking machines with vinegar then rinse with water.

To remove baked on food from your baking dishes, scrape off loose bits of food. Put a couple of tablespoons of dishwasher detergent in the dish and add hot water. Stir the solution - a small wire whisk helps. The solution should be so heavy with detergent that it doesn't all quite dissolve. Leave it overnight. By morning, the baked on food will have lifted right off the surface of the dish. This works particularly well with glass baking dishes. Don't use this method on non-stick surfaces.

To remove cooked on rice, pasta or other starchy food, soak the pan in cold water. Cold, not warm, not hot. By the time you finish eating, your pan should have released the cooked on food. If not, try the method above for removing blackened, baked on food.

Use a potato peeler to make garnishes: cheese curls for savory dishes, chocolate curls for desserts.

If honey becomes crystallized, it is still good, just warm it up in a microwave or put in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes. A quick stir and it will be as good as new.

Open cans of things that settle (like beans or chili) from the bottom. The ingredients come out much easier. If you have a can that can't be opened from the bottom, storing it upside-down will also help.

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