219 Cooking Tips & Techniques You Might Find Useful! (2 page)

~
Fish and
Shellfish ~

63.
             
DON'T pooh
pooh
frozen fish; if it has been
properly frozen on the boat soon after being caught it could be in better
condition than 'fresh' that has been held on ice till the boat docked.

64.
             
Thaw frozen fish and shellfish slowly in the fridge.

65.
             
Make raw shrimp happy by
marinating them in salted cold water before rinsing, shelling and using as
intended.

66.
             
Farmed
mussels are usually quite clean but if you do forage them yourself then put
them in a bucket of cold salted water overnight and they will filter out any
impurities.

67.
             
Remove the
beard from mussels before cooking - this is what looks like a piece of seaweed
caught in their closed shell, get hold of it and waggle it about till you can
pull it out.

68.
             
DON'T cook
any cracked mussels or any open mussels that refuse to close when tapped on the
counter (they are sick or dead). Once cooked, don't serve mussels that are
still closed (they were already dead before you cooked them).

69.
             
DON'T
overcook shellfish as it toughens easily, this is particularly true for
scallops.

70.
             
Another
way to toughen shellfish is to over salt it because it is already naturally
salty, go carefully.

71.
             
Get fish out of the fridge a
little before cooking to warm up a bit but not more than about 20 minutes.

72.
             
It is far
easier to remove skin from cooked fish when warm than when cold.

73.
             
Check for
stray bones even in filleted fish by running your fingers over the surface. If
you find any pull them out with tweezers.

74.
             
Fresh fish
should not smell fishy but rather clean and of the sea.

75.
             
To cook
fish correctly cook it for 10 minutes per inch at its thickest point. This
applies to grilling frying and poaching.

76.
             
DON'T take
any notice of the above point when cooking fresh tuna which is much nicer (in
my opinion) cooked rare.

77.
             
DON'T
worry about the white stuff (albumin) which appears on cooked salmon and other
fish. It is harmless; just mop it up with apiece of kitchen roll.

~
Dair
y ~

78.
             
Colder cheese is easier to
grate than room temperature and in the case of soft cheese it's a good idea to
partially freeze it first.

79.
             
Dental floss is great
for slicing soft cheeses.

80.
             
Cheese is best served at room
temperature but keeps best in the fridge so only take out as much as you think
will be eaten and let it warm up before serving.

81.
             
DON'T over-beat cream or it
will turn to butter! Nice butter if you add a pinch of salt but not what you
were aiming for.

82.
             
Keep milk in the cooler body of
the fridge rather than the door.

83.
             
To serve many portions of ice
cream turn out the block and cut with a knife.

~
Eggs ~

84.
             
To test for freshness place
eggs in about 100mm depth of cold water; if they stay on the bottom they are
fresh, if they semi float better use them as soon as
poss
,
if they completely float they may well be past it.

85.
             
If an egg
cracks when it's boiling add a load of salt, especially on the crack, and keep
on cooking. It may not be perfectly shaped but will be OK for salads, sarnies,
etc.

86.
             
Use
the freshest possible eggs for poaching as their whites are firmer and will
hold their shape better. A splash of white vinegar added to the water when
poaching eggs helps the whites coagulate properly.

87.
             
Use a piece of egg shell to remove
bits of shell in raw egg. This also works to remove a speck of yolk in whites
if you work carefully

88.
             
Use
older eggs for meringues, their whites whisk up better.

89.
             
Room
temperature whites whisk better than chilled.

90.
             
When separating eggs for
meringues or similar drain each white into a cup before adding to the bulk so
that if a yolk does break it won't spoil the whole batch.

91.
             
.Stop whisking egg whites when
they are stiff but not dry; if you beat for too long they will re-liquefy.

92.
             
Stiffly beaten egg whites must
be folded into or together with other ingredients NOT stirred. To fold
ingredients using a large metal spoon or a rubber spatula cut across the middle
of the mixture right down to the bottom and
scoop
the
bottom of the mixture up and over the top. Turn the bowl and repeat till all is
merged. This keeps the mixture light and airy.

93.
             
Having said that, when folding
egg whites into a thick mixture it is permissible to stir a little beaten egg
white into it first to loosen the texture.

94.
             
Avoid making meringues in humid
weather; they tend to be less successful.

95.
             
Stop cooking scrambled eggs
just before you think they are ready as they continue to cook for a short while
off the heat - to further prevent this stir in a knob of cold butter as soon as
you stop cooking them.

96.
             
To stop dark circles forming
round the yolks of boiled eggs as soon as they are cooked drain, cover with
cold water, add a few ice cubes and leave till the eggs are cold.

97.
             
If you haven't got your heart
set on a whole peeled hard boiled egg the easiest way to peel it is to cut the
egg in half and scoop out the two halves.

98.
             
To clean up a smashed raw egg sprinkle generously
with salt and leave 20 minutes by which time it should have firmed up and be
easily scooped up with a piece of kitchen roll.

~
Vegetables
~

99.
             
DON'T wash salad leaves, herbs,
leeks etc in cold water and then pour through a colander as the dirt will then
stick straight back onto the food! Instead wash the leaves in A Large Deep
Amount of Water, enough that they can easily float. Agitate until they have
released all their dirt and grit and then allow the water to become still – the
soil will have sunk to the bottom. Set a strainer beside the bowl over a dish
and use your hands to gently skim and lift the leaves out of the water and
plonk them in the strainer. This way they really will be clean.

100.
         
Store onions and potatoes
separately - they will both be happier.

101.
         
Limp vegetables - leaves,
carrots, celery, radish etc. can be considerably cheered up by putting them in
iced water for a while.

102.
         
Asparagus, helpfully, has a
natural snapping point separating the tender spear and tip from the tough ends.

103.
         
Tomatoes (yes, I know, they are
fruit really) are best if not refrigerated as this makes them pappy and
destroys their flavour.

104.
         
DON'T use bicarbonate of soda when cooking veggies to maintain their
bright colour or when cooking beans to help soften them; in both cases it
destroys nutrients and can affect flavour and not in a good way.

105.
         
To keep vegetables bright, as soon as they are perfectly cooked drain
them and immediately submerge in icy cold water. This stops them cooking any
further or their colours fading. Reheat when needed by dunking back into
boiling water or briefly tossing over high heat with a little butter.

106.
         
To stop vegetables browning as
you prepare them or for storing before cooking drop them into cold water
together with a the juice of half a lemon.

107.
         
Disgorging - this is so much better
than it sounds. Some vegetables can be salted, drained and rinsed to make
various improvements. Cucumbers will become much crisper (especially if then tossed
in a little seasoned vinegar), courgettes will keep their shape and body better
when cooking and aubergine will be less prone to absorbing oil. Slice the veg
(removing the seeds from cucumber is also a good idea) and toss together with a
handful of salt in a nylon strainer set over a bowl. Leave a while, (20-30
minutes) rinse well and dry with kitchen towel before continuing with your chosen
dish.

108.
         
DON'T wash mushrooms as they
are very absorbent, brush dry soil from them or wipe with a piece of damp
kitchen roll.

109.
         
DON'T peel
mushrooms unless they really need it; much of the
flavour is in the skins.

110.
         
DON'T
overcrowd mushrooms when sautéing or they will exude a lot of liquid and steam
rather than fry.

111.
         
DON'T 'bake'
potatoes wrapped in foil; this makes steamed potatoes which are an entirely
different thing. For a great baked potato, wash it, dry it, rub with olive oil
and a little sea salt and prick a few times with a fork. Bake in a medium hot
oven (about 375ºF/190ºC/170ºC fan/gas 5 but a bit either way is fine) till soft
when squeezed which for a medium potato will take about an hour. Now
that
is a baked potato with a crisp
tasty skin and a fluffy interior.

112.
         
ALWAYS
start boiling potatoes in cold salted water.

113.
         
DON'T
over mash potatoes they can only take so much before becoming gluey. Drain
cooked potatoes and allow
to steam
dry for a few
minutes. Add butter, cream, milk etc. cover and rest 2 or 3 more minutes. They
should now mash easily, quickly and perfectly.

114.
         
For
crisp roast potatoes put a roasting pan containing about 5mm oil or fat (not
butter) in the oven and preheat to 400ºF/200ºC/180C fan/gas 6. Bring the
potatoes to a boil in salted water and cook for a few minutes. Drain, return to
the saucepan and allow
to steam
dry for a few minutes
then shake to rough them up a bit before adding to the oil. This way they will
have more edges for more crispiness.
 
Roast till golden - about 30-40 minutes.

115.
         
As a
general rule smaller vegetables are
more tender
than larger
ones.

116.
         
The
hottest part of chillies is not, as popularly held, the seeds but the white
membrane inside the chilli.

117.
         
An
easy way to peel fresh ginger is to scrape it with the edge of a sharp
teaspoon.

118.
         
To
chop tinned tomatoes snip them up with scissors whilst still in the tin.

119.
         
Pierce
whole baby tomatoes a few times before adding to a salad, they will then absorb
some of the dressing.