How to Cut & Peel Food
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Tip: How To Roast and Peel Chestnuts
To me, few things signal the arrival of autumn better than the sweet chestnut. As soon as I see them at the farmer’s market, I happily scoop them up, filling a bag with them. Chestnuts have to be cooked before they can be eaten. The meats are large and sweet, and do well on their own as a snack, chopped and added to savory stuffings, or added to desserts. Peeling and roasting them is a bit time-consuming, but knowing a few tricks can help expedite the process.
Nov 2, 2009
How to Cut Cauliflower
Cauliflower was one of the first vegetables we actually liked as kids, and we’re still eating them today! Despite their rather impenetrable-seeming appearance, cauliflowers are actually pretty easy to break down into bite-sized florets. Here’s how we do it:First of all, we usually wash cauliflower after cutting it. There are so many nooks and crannies that we think it’s easier to get any grit washed out once it’s broken into pieces.
Jul 9, 2009
How Would You Julienne Scallions?
If you receive Sara Kate’s weekly Kitchn Email (quick, sign up here!) then today you’re in for a treat. She’s sharing the Korean grilled ribs we had a couple nights ago at an Apartment Therapy editors’ retreat. They were delicious and totally addictive. But the side dish we prepared to go with them was nearly as good: a simple salad with lettuce, Asian pear, and julienned scallions.
May 21, 2009
Knife Skills: The Claw
We briefly mentioned this technique in our round-up of knife skills lessons last week, and today we wanted to spend a little more time with it. The “claw” is all about being safe with knives and preventing any kitchen misadventures. Here’s how it’s done!Perhaps obviously, this technique is called “the claw” for the shape your hand should be making while you do it!
Feb 9, 2009
How To Peel Squash: An Easier Way
Many dishes, including one of my favorite pastas require roasted cubes of squash, so I can’t just cut the squash in half and roast it. It has to be peeled and cubed. Up until very recently, when confronted with a butternut squash waiting to be peeled, I would sigh and pull out the sharpest peeler I had. I would cut the squash in half, lay the cut side down, and painstakingly peel it like a cucumber. This would take a long time, and it was invariably tiring and tedious.
Dec 16, 2008
Use Pie Dough Cut-Outs to Top Pies
One of our favorite pies in last month’s great Best Pie Bakeoff was Deb’s Cherry Berry Pie, and this was partly because of her creative use of pie dough cut-outs to create a top crust.We like doing this too; in fact, we look forward to making our fancy shapes at the end of filling our pie crust! It’s the fun part. Deb’s pie, pre-baking.Deb’s pie, after baking.Here are a few tips for making pie cut-outs.• Make sure your dough is well chilled.
Dec 10, 2008
How To Cut Carrots into Flowers
Carrot coins? Yawn. Matchsticks? Too much work! Next time you’re making a stew or miso soup or gingered carrots, take a few minutes and make carrot flowers. It’s simple, not too much extra work and the pay-off is big. Carrot flowers add a sweet, graphic visual to your dish and are an effort that is always appreciated. Step-by-step instructions below the jump.
Nov 17, 2008
How Do You Slice an Apple?
We’re not going to claim there’s a right way and a wrong way. But we’re all slicing a lot of apples these days (and will be for months), so we’re wondering how our method compares to yours. See step-by-step photos, below…First we slice it in half, then into quarters.Then, to get out the core, we slice diagonally along the inside of each quarter.
Nov 11, 2008
Quick Tip: How to Keep Your Cutting Board from Slipping
Trying to use a cutting board that slips against the counter with every motion of your knife is not only annoying, it’s dangerous! Don’t worry – this is one kitchen grievance that’s easy to solve.The easiest and cheapest way to keep your cutting board from slipping is to put a damp paper towel or damp kitchen cloth under your cutting board. This creates friction between your board and the counter to keep things from slipping.
Oct 20, 2008
Knife Skills: Keeping Your Knife Sharp
Once you’ve gone to all the trouble of sharpening your knife, the next step is keeping that way! This is easy to do and only takes a few seconds. Here’s how…As you use your knife, the sharp edge will gradually start to curl under. When you sharpen your knife on a steel, you’re actually just straightening the edge back out again. (This is as opposed to sharpening your knife on a whetstone, where metal is being removed to form a sharper edge.
Aug 25, 2008
Technique: How To Remove the Skins from Nuts
In our post last week on Dried Fig and Nut bars, we mentioned needing to remove the skins from the hazelnuts we were using. If left on, these skins can discolor your baked goods or make them taste bitter.These days you can find most nuts with their skins already removed. If not, it’s simple enough to do yourself. And there are actually two ways to choose from!Method #1: ToastingHeat your oven to 400-degrees.Spread the nuts on a sheet pan in a single layer.
May 19, 2008
Knife Skills: How to Hold Your Knife
When it comes right down to it, the best way to hold your chef’s knife is the way that feels the most comfortable to you.But if you’re looking for a little more control and speed in your cutting, here’s how!With your thumb and first finger, pinch the blade of your knife where it runs into the handle.Alternatively, you can wrap all four fingers around the handle with your thumb touching the heel of the blade.
May 16, 2008
Skeptical Shopper: Born Free Hard Boiled Peeled Eggs
Our first reaction to seeing this bag of ready-to-eat, hard-boiled eggs in the grocery store was along the lines of, “That’s ridiculous.” In fact, that’s exactly what our husband said when we put them in our basket.Why did we buy them when we are perfectly capable of hard-boiling our own? Because to give you a full report, we needed to slice and taste a few. Could this new convenience product have a place in our kitchen?The short answer is no.
Apr 11, 2008