Tips Archives - Page 14 of 21

Kitchen Equipment Basics

February 5, 2015February 5, 2015 Rachel Sherwood

(When you know how to use a knife you will never need a “watermelon slicing” gadget. Save money and get the kitchen equipment basics that really help you)

I was shopping this weekend to pick up new cutting boards for the kitchen. I have to admit I laughed out loud when I saw this “watermelon slicer” on the shelf. I could not imagine how this flimsy over-sized apple-slicer-looking contraption would ever safely slice a watermelon, let alone where someone would store this large item. As you know I will only ever feature products that I use myself and I believe will truly help you in the kitchen. In this case I am warning you not to get sucked into one-purpose gadgets like this that disguise themselves as helpful kitchen tools.

Getting meals on the table quickly and consistently starts with having the proper kitchen equipment. If you don’t have the right tools and don’t know how to use them the task at hand will be that much harder and time-consuming. It is easy to get caught up in the assortment of kitchen “gadgets” that are out there. It seems there is one for every task all claiming to make your life easier. The amount of kitchen equipment needed can be a little excessive if you rely on too many of these. The good news is you can do most everyday kitchen tasks with a few kitchen equipment basics. Here is the Kitchen Equipment Basics Check List to get you set up for confident kitchen success.

If you want to learn more about setting you and your kitchen up for success and get hands-on experience contact me about joining the next Small Group Session starting soon.

http://blog.newhomesource.com/2014/09/first-home-every-new-homeowner-needs-new-kitchen/

Knives: The knife is the most important and also most dangerous tool in the kitchen. When you have one that works well for you you can feel comfortable preforming many essential kitchen tasks with ease and without injury. Click here to learn if a forged knife or a stamped knife is best for you.

The 3 knives you need: If you are ready to purchase some knives these are the 3 knives that will handle the majority of all your kitchen tasks. If you are investing in quality knives start here and build upon your set.

Paring Knife: For all the little tasks: cutting small fruits, cheeses or hulling a strawberry or tomato.
Serrated Knife: For breads and cakes.
Chef’s Knife: For all your main chopping tasks: onions, vegetables, meats. This is the main workhorse of the kitchen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxDNrDaLz_c&width=560

Cutting boards: Choose Plastic, bamboo, wood or composite materials for best results. Glass boards will damage your knives.
Pans

Sheet pan: For cookies and bacon
Baking pan: For cakes, brownies, casseroles
Sauté pan: For cooking meats and vegetables
Sauce pan, for soups and sauces

Wondering if stainless steel or non-stick is right for you? Watch here!

Utensils: These are all the tools that make tasks easier. There is a mass amount of kitchen “gadgets”. Remember you want tools that will work well for more than one purpose. Here is a basic list of essentials.

Small and large mixing bowl: For holding and mixing items, salads, meatloaf, cookie or cake batter.
Whisk: Makes for fluffy eggs, creaming batters, blending sauces and whipping cream.
Rubber spatula: To scrape the sides from a pan or bowl, good for wet mixtures, get a heat proof one to use with warm items or get a wooden spoon to stir as well.
Turner or firm spatula: To flip items like burgers and pancakes without them breaking.
Tongs: To easily grab or flip items that are not as delicate like steaks, chicken, hot dogs or pull larger items from a pot such as corn or boiled lobster.
Grater: For shredding cheese, vegetables, chocolate, they come in a variety of sizes a Box grated will have several options in one.
Strainer: To remove a substance from a liquid, draining pasta, vegetables and removing particles from sauces or soups.
Peeler: To remove the skin from vegetable like potatoes and carrots, but can also make “vegetable ribbons” and shave items like chocolate and cheeses.
Can Opener: To open a variety of canned food items.
Measuring cups and measuring spoons great for actuate amounts a must for baking.

Optional items that are also very useful:

Slotted Spoon: Good for removing items from a liquid like frying or serving items without sauce.
Garlic press: To quickly add garlic to something without using the cutting board and knife.
Zester: Easily adds flavor to items by removing the rind from citrus, grates fresh spices like nutmeg, and can finely grate chocolate and hard cheeses.

Appliances: Just as there is a wide variety of kitchen utensils there are even more appliances. You need to be careful here as it is easy to purchase these items that are advertised to help you in the kitchen but they only really do one task well. Look for items that are well made and can serve multiple purposes to maximize efficiency. These items are to make a task easier if it is not doing that consistently get rid of it. Appliances usually take up a lot of space so keep your kitchen storage space in mind with every new appliance you purchase.

My Top 3 Appliances for Efficacy and Most Practical Uses:

Crockpot: The crock-pot is wonderful for making meals ahead and can be used used as a warmer for parties. Perfect for when you don’t have the access to a range or stove but still want a hot meal; or when you need to transport hot foods. Perfect for the pot-luck.
Stand mixer/Hand mixer: Perfect for quickly and easily mixing butter, and whipping cream. If you like baking it’s a must for saving your arms from doing all the stirring. Some stand mixers even come with helpful attachments to help reduce space while they still have those specialty items like a pasta maker, ice cream maker or meat grinder.
Beverage blender: The classic beverage blender for fruit smoothies, milkshake and margaritas; it can also be used to pure soups and sauces.

Optional items that are also very useful if you have the space:

Rice cooker: Makes perfect rice every time. Also good for steaming items; perfect for making delicate hot items without using the stove.

Stick blender/Immersion Blender: A must if you like pureed soups as this can blend directly in the pot.

Food Processor: makes chopping, grating and slicing much quicker when working in large batches. Perfect for chopped vegetables, grounding nuts, making breadcrumbs and coleslaw.

Are you a new homeowner, looking to organize or downsize your kitchen for more? You will also enjoy this article.

What kitchen tool do you find most useful? I would love to hear your thoughts, thanks for sharing.

Homemade Sauce in 5 Steps

January 30, 2015February 2, 2015 Rachel Sherwood

1. Sear your protein. Works well with any meat, chicken, pork, steak etc…

A pan sauce requires a “fond” which are the caramelized “bits” that are left in the bottom of the pan after cooking. Think of them as of residual flavor crystals. In order to sear the meat you must have medium to high heat, but not too high so that it will burn the fond. If you burn the fond do not make the sauce as it will be bitter and carry that flavor with it.

2. Sauté Aromatics. What do you think of when I say aromatics?.. Yes, garlic, onions, shallots are the most common, but also can include celery, carrots, even peppers. To sauté the aromatics lower the heat a little to medium, add fat to the pan. Your protein may release a little fat while you are cooking it and you can use this as part of your “fat”. So use your judgment and add 1-2 tablespoons of butter or oil to the pan so you can sauté the aromatics just until tender 1-3 minutes. You can pick one or combine a few if you would like.

*A note about fats: Watch your heat as butter has a lower “smoking point” and will burn faster; oil’s “smoking point” is higher. I tend to use light olive oil as I am Italian, but sometimes I use half-and-half as butter adds great flavor.

*A note about thickening: You can also add a bit of flour at this point. Cook it for a minute making a simple “roux”. Add equal parts flour to fat, it should not be dry but the fat should absorb the oil. You can also thicken at the end as well.

3. Deglaze. To deglaze the pan you are going to add a flavorful liquid that will release all the particles from the bottom of the pan, (also helping with the clean-up). Your choice of liquid could be wine, juice, broth/stock, or cream. When in doubt: chicken or vegetable broths are the most versatile.

4. Add Flavor. Let your choice of meat and liquid help guide what flavorings you want to add. Flavorings are the extra sublet touches that add uniqueness to each sauce such as capers, lemon, herbs, and mustard.

5. Finish: Thicken and Strain if desired. When you have achieved the flavor you like decide if you would like to thicken your sauce more. A good consistency of a sauce should coat the back of a spoon. To thicken your sauce at the end you have 3 easy options:

Add a pre-made roux to the sauce.
Add a slurry. 1 teaspoon of cornstarch or arrowroot mixed with 2 teaspoons of cold water. (Cornstarch will slightly cloud the sauce, arrowroot will be more clear).
Add very cold butter. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in very cold butter for a slight thicken and rich finish.

Lastly, you may like to strain your sauce to remove any particulates or added flavorings and serve.

Guide to Picking and Handling a Perfect Pineapple

January 22, 2015February 2, 2015 Rachel Sherwood

In order to make delicious meals every kitchen needs good working tools. This month we are getting you set up with the equipment you really need a good knife that fits you and your cooking style and the 3 knives you need to start your collection and complete most kitchen tasks well.

Now that you have what you need lets put those tools to work. I get a lot of questions from clients who are paying premium prices for fruits that are already cut up and processed for them because unsure of how to select, prepare and store these delicious fruits. Enjoy this video on how to cut some favorite fruits that can be challenging like cantaloupes and pineapples and start enjoying them year round.

Get your Guide to picking and handling a perfect cantaloupe here.

Guide to Picking and Handling a Perfect Pineapple

Did you know that pineapple’s ripening stops when a pineapple is harvested, so even green pineapples can be fully ripe. The best way to pick out most produce is to use your senses: Look, Feel and Smell, as these will all give you clues to the quality of the item and guide you to pick the best pineapple.

Look: Seek for healthy green leaves and a firm consistent shell, no wrinkles or dry leaves.

Feel: Choose one that feels heavy for its size and is free from lumps, soft spots. The leaves in the center of the pineapple should be able to be removed with little resistance, if they come out too easily, it may be overripe.

Smell: A good pineapple should smell sweet, but not fermented with the sent of alcohol or vinegar: this means they are overripe.

How to prepare it:

Cut the crown and the bottom of the pineapple off and set them aside. Then stand the pineapple on a flat surface and carefully cut the peel off with the knife by slicing down and away from you being sure to get all the pointy eyes out. Do this rotating around the fruit until all the skin has been removed.

Next cut around the core of the pineapple with 4 long slices removing two large pieces and two smaller chucks of the fruit. Cut the pieces into the desired serving size and enjoy.

Storage:

Keep an un-cut fruit at room temperature until fully ripened. When ripened refrigerate for up to 5 days before cutting. A cut fruit can be sealed in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic for 3-5 days, but is best if consumed quickly.

Guide to Picking and Handling a Perfect Cantaloupe

January 22, 2015January 21, 2015 Rachel Sherwood

Click here for How to pick and handle a perfect pineapple

Guide to Picking and Handling a Perfect Cantaloupe

The best way to pick out most produce is to use your senses: Look, Feel and Smell, as these will all give you clues to the quality of the item and guide you to pick the best cantaloupe.

How to know when it is ripe:

Look: Look for golden tones in the skin and that it is firm, free from major blemishes.

Feel: Choose one that is heavy for its size and is free from lumps and soft spots. When ripe one should yield to a little pressure at the flowering end of the melon.

Smell: A ripe melon should smell slightly sweet. However you won’t be able to smell anything if it is refrigerated as most of them are in the grocery store. Take it home and let it rest at room temperature on the counter for a few days to achieve a nice, juicy and flavorful fruit.

How to prepare it:

Just like with any fresh produce wash and dry thoroughly first.

When cutting any item it is always best to make cuts to keep flat surfaces, as it is difficult and dangerous to cut items that roll around.

First carefully slice off both ends to remove the skin and create a flat surface. Next run your knife down along the fruit trimming away the skin from the flesh. Do this moving around the melon until all the skin has been removed.

Now that you have a perfectly peeled melon you can slice it into chunks, again wanting to keep flat surfaces for safety. Slice the melon in half top to bottom. Remove the seeds and place the half flat side down. Then cut into slices, then chunks. Repeat with the second half of the melon and enjoy!

Storage:

Keep un-cut fruits at room temperature until fully ripened. When ripened, refrigerate for up to 5 days before cutting. A cut fruit can be sealed in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic for 3-5 days, but is best if consumed quickly.

The Three Knives You Need

January 15, 2015 Rachel Sherwood

Want to make your life easier in the kitchen? It all starts with having and knowing how to use the equipment that will serve your best. Last week I shared How to pick the best knife for you. There are many types and varieties of knives, but don’t get overwhelmed. You can do any standard culinary task with having just 3 knives. You don’t need to have a full set of quality knifes to have success in the kitchen.

(paring knife, chef’s knife and serrated knife)

If you are ready to purchase some knives, these are the 3 knives that will handle the majority of all your kitchen tasks. Whether you choose Forged or Stamped knives, here is where you can start and build upon your set.

The 3 knives you need:

Paring: The Paring knife is usually 3-4 inches long. It is best used for cutting small items like fruits: slicing a kiwi, pear or hulling a strawberry or tomatoes. Perfect for peeling items or slicing a bit of cheese for a snack.

Serrated knives have a saw-like blade that make it easy to cut through delicate items like breads, cakes, slicing a whole citrus with a thick rind.

Chef’s Knives can range from 4 inches to 16 inches. This is the workhorse of the kitchen, and should be used for the majority of all cutting tasks from onions and carrots, to melons, squashes and meat. This is your main chopping knife.

If you notice a job in the kitchen is becoming difficult or taking too long, it may be because you are using the wrong knife for the job, or that the blade of the knife is too dull. It is important to properly care for and store your knives for safety and for keeping them in the best condition long-term.

Pick up your copy of The Pretty Plate for more simple techniques and recipes, and learn about the five elements to make your everyday meals magnificent.