Ask Culinary Cory: Finale & Cookbook Giveaway!
November 25, 2008 by Culinary Cory
Filed under Tips
The boxes are unpacked and we are settling in pretty well. Now it will be time to focus my energies on creating fabulous holiday meals in my new kitchen. Brent jokes the reconfiguration has transformed a very modest domestic space into a mini studio test kitchen. Well, once I finish building my light box for food photos, then I guess it will be a mini studio. Best of all, you get to reap the benefits as much as me.
With the move complete, I felt it was time to put closure on the Ask Culinary Cory series. Thank you to everyone who shared your favorite cooking tips and suggestions. It was neat to see people linking some of the topics featured in the series to their own blogs. Even my real estate agent told me he learned about zesting from my blog.
Now in grand finale style, I have decided to giveaway a cookbook to one lucky winner that submits a comment to this post. It’s simple and easy to enter. So here goes…
The Prize: Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks
This book is jammed packed with tips and suggestions about some of the most frequently asked questions about cooking. I can honestly say this book is wonderfully user-friendly and the tips are easy to implement.How to Enter: Simply submit a comment to this post sharing a favorite tip or trick you use in your everyday cooking. The winner will be selected by using the random number generator and will be notified via email. One entry per person.
Note: This giveaway is CLOSED
Giveaway Dates: Comments will be accepted from the time this blog is published until Friday, November 28 at 7:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time. You will be able to continue commenting, but any comments after this time will not be included in the random number generator.
Comment Note: I moderate my comments, so don’t get scared if you don’t see your comment right away. They will be approved as quick as I am able. They are stamped on my end with the time the comment is submitted for fairness.
Good Luck! Remember, anyone can enter the contest by commenting to this post. So don’t forget to forward it to your friends. If you have any additional questions, send me an email by clicking “Contact”.
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If I have fruit that is ready to expire in the next few days, I freeze individual slices on a plate and then place in a plastic bag. I use as ice cubes in water and it adds a sweet taste to the water as it thaws.
To thicken sauces or braising liquids and to avoid extra fat, we simply use a cornstarch slurry. Mix about a tablespoon or so of cornstarch with water, then add to the liquid. It should thicken quite fast.
Always keep your knives sharp and in a knife block. A dull knife will slide off the ingredient increasing the likelihood of cuts. Keeping it in a block will keep it sharp longer as the other tools in the drawer won’t be able to jostle and nick your nice sharp blade.
Whenever I bring food to a friend, or a potluck, I never try a new recipe.
Don’t be grossed out, but in my meat loaf I add spam. I got the idea from the Stephen King movie, Misery, and do it all the time now.
In any Italian dish that calls for beef, or also in my chili, I will sometimes substitute sausage.
premix items that you tend to bake a lot–i tend to make biscuits a lot for people in my family and so i premix all the dry ingredients. pretty basic but it saves me time =)
Whenever I have to add any sort of thickener to a soup or something, I always pour a little bit of the soup into a small bowl and add the thickener to the little bowl rather than to the whole pot of soup. I then mix it up really well until all the thickening agent is well incorporated and then pour that into the big pot. It prevents any sort of clumps from forming and it also is much easier to work with.
Great job on the series!
A great and easy way to fill taco shells is to put a muffin tin, upside down on a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment. You put the taco shells inbetween the dividers. So easy because the taco shells stand up.
Hi!
I’m from Spain, since i found you i read your post every time!!! I like so much!!!
bye!
My tip (or maybe it’s more like a philosophy) is don’t be afraid to try new recipes or techniques, even if they seem totally intimidating and advanced. Chances are, they’re not as difficult as they’re made out to be, and even if the recipe turns out to be an epic fail, you probably will have learned something new.
Tip: Use a non-skid pad to keep bowls and cutting boards from scooting around during use.
One of my favorite tips, and I have many LOL, is before you eat or use (in a recipe) an orange, lime or lemon, zest the rind first. Put the zest into a zipper bag and squeeze out all of the air. Store in the freezer for later use
I learned this in my 7th grade home ec class (dating myself with that moniker, huh?)…. When a recipe calls for solid ingredients and liquid ingredients (such as peanut butter and milk as in my favorite no bake cookie) pour the called for amount of liquid into the measuring cup and then add the solid to the cup to reach the measurement of both ingredients combined. The stuff in the measuring cup can then be added to your other ingredients separately or together. This makes clean up a breeze because your measuring cup isn’t coated with a sticky solid since it “floats” in your liquid.
Rather than plunk them in my dishwasher, I always wash my good and sometimes expensive chef knives by hand in mild detergent and hot soapy water and then rinse well. I dry the knives thoroughly before putting them away in a knife block or knife roll. I try not to let them soak in the hand wash water, as that can warp wooden handles.
The harsh chemicals of the dishwasher soap and the extreme high temperatures of a washer itself can damage the blades and the wood or composite handles.
The expansion and contraction of the handles can loosen the rivets causing the blade to shift in time.
In the dishwasher, the knife blades can also be accidentally nicked when coming in contact with other silverware or dishes and lose their edge.
Even though’ it can be a pain at times, taking the extra effort to care for my knives has rewarded me with knives that remain sharper, safer and newer looking longer (I have had some knives for 15+ years). It has also saved me a bit of cash, as I have to make fewer trips to the professional knife sharpener.
I like to divide all the meat (chicken, pork or prawn) into the smaller portion before freezing. It makes the de-freezing process faster. Another faster way is to place the frozen meat on a stainless steel dish or pot.
So glad you’re settling in well!!
**My tip = make sure all ingredients are handy BEFORE trying the recipe; and don’t follow the recipe to a “T” – make it your own!
I make stock ahead of time and freeze it when I need it. I also just bought 25 lbs of oatmeal from my co-op.