Tag: Practical Tips
How to Select, Store and Cook Chicken and Other Poultry
How to Select Chicken and Other Poultry When choosing poultry, the skin should be a light creamy colour and it should be moist. It should also be unbroken with no dark patches. The breast should be plump and the tip of the breastbone should be pliable. Free-range poultry is usually easily identified by the layer…
How to Select, Store and Cook Meat
You may also listen to the recipe by pressing the play button below: How to Store Meats Selection of Meats Pan Frying Casseroles/Currying Roasting Barbecuing or Char Grilling Stir Frying Different cuts of meat suit different cooking methods. There are two main methods: dry heat, which includes char grilling and stir frying, and moist heat,…
Methods to Prepare Vegetables
You may also listen to the recipe by pressing the play button below: Mashing Mashing or puréeing is a great way to serve a variety of vegetables including potatoes, parsnip, pumpkin and celeriac. Food processors are often used to puree vegetables, although mashing potatoes in the food processor gives them a starchy, gluey texture, so…
How to Peel Tomatoes, Peaches, Apricots and Other Fruits With Thin Skins
Although they have thin edible skins, which are also full of nutrients, it is standard practice in the kitchen to peel off the skins of these fruits when a recipe asks for it. Blanching is required to slip off the skin easily. The removal of skins is necessary for a fine delicate end product. A…
How to Peel Pineapple and Cut it Into Rings
⇓ You may also listen to the instructions by pressing the play button below INSTRUCTIONS STEP 1: With a chefs knife, cut off the plume and base of the pineapple and set it upright, base-end down, on a chopping board. Cut away the peel in strips, working from top to bottom following the curve of…
How to Clean a Whole Fish Through the Gills
Fish to he served whole are cleaned through the gills in order to maintain their shape. If the fish is cleaned by your fishmonger, make sure you specify “through the gills”. If the stomach is cut open, it will curl unattractively during cooking. ⇓ You may also listen to the instructions by pressing the play…
How to Peel and Chop Garlic
The strength of garlic varies with its age and dryness. Use more when it is very fresh. ⇓ You may also listen to the instructions by pressing the play button below INSTRUCTIONS STEP 1: To separate the garlic cloves, crush the bulb with the heel of your hand. Alternatively, pull a clove from the bulb…
How to Chop Herbs
Parsley, tarragon, thyme, chives, rosemary, dill, and basil are herbs that are usually chopped before being added to other ingredients. Do not chop delicate herbs like basil too finely because their leaves bruise easily. INSTRUCTIONS STEP 1: Strip the leaves or sprigs from the stalks. Pile the leaves or sprigs on a chopping board. TIP:…
How to Make Croutes
Croutes – larger versions of the well-known croutons – are the classic accompaniment to a Provençal bouillabaisse. Here, they are brushed lightly with olive oil and toasted until crisp and browned. ⇓ You may also listen to the instructions by pressing the play button below
How to Core, Deseed, and Chop hot Chillies
Be sure to wear rubber gloves and avoid contact with eyes; hot chillies can burn hands and eyes. ⇓ You may also listen to the instructions by pressing the play button below INSTRUCTIONS STEP 1: Cut the chillies lengthwise in half with a small knife. Cut out the core and fleshy white ribs. STEP 2:…