Storing Foods

As soon as your food is delivered and has been properly checked in, it should be placed into storage. There are 3 types of storage namely refrigerated units, freezers and dry storage.

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Steaming with a steamer

To cook in steam by suspending foods over (not in) boiling water, in a covered pot or steamer. The method is simple. A small amount of water (sometimes scented with fresh herbs or aromatic vegetables) is brought to a rapid boil in the bottom of the steamer over a high heat.

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Standard Breading Procedure

This process, while optional, is a common way to prepare foods for pan-frying. If it is done correctly, the finished item will have an even coating that is extremely crisp, golden and delicious. Breading needs a little time to firm up before it is pan-fried for the best possible results.

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Slow Roasted Meats

The theory behind slow-roasting has the simplicity of genius. If the oven is set at the desired internal temperature of the meat, then the meat can never overcook because no part of it is subjected to a temperature above the optimum.

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Nutrients and Benefits of Asparagus

Asparagus has some dietary fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It is an excellent source of the B vitamin folate. A serving of six cooked fresh asparagus spears has 1 g dietary fiber, 490 IU vitamin A, 10 mg vitamin C and 131 mcg folate. Besides, it is also low in fat, sodium and practically no cholesterol.

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Slicing Vegetables

Slice vegetables by hand or with a vegetable slicer. A vegetable slicer is the easiest way to make very thin and even slices. When slicing by hand, hold the vegetable with one hand, with your fingers curled under so they don't get in the way of the knife.

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Serving Sauces

Most of the grand sauces and some contemporary sauces can be prepared in advance, then cooled and stored. When you are ready to serve them, you will need to reheat the sauce quickly and safely. This is most easily accomplished over direct heat, although in the case of some very delicate cream sauces, you may prefer to use a double boiler.

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Apricots - How processing affect it

Ninety-eight percent of all juices, including apricot juices, sold in the United States are pasteurized to stop the natural enzyme action that would otherwise turn sugars to alcohols. Pasteurization also protects juices from potentially harmful bacterial and mold contamination. Following several deaths attributed to unpasteurized apple juices that contain E.coli, the FDA ruled that all fruit and vegetable juices must carry a warning label telling you whether the juice has been pasteurized.

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Buying, Storing and Preparing Apricots

When buying apricots, always look for those that are firm, plump orange fruit that gives slightly when you press with your thumb. Bruised apricots should be avoided. Like apples and potatoes, apricots contain polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that combines with phenols in the apricots to produce brownish pigments that discolor the fruit.

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Apricot - Nutrients and Benefits

Apricots are a good source of dietary fiber with insoluble cellulose and lignin in the skin and soluble pectins in the flesh. The apricot's creamy golden color comes from deep yellow carotenes (including beta-carotene) that make the fruit a good source of vitamin A. Apricots also have vitamin C and iron.

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Salad dressings

A simple vinaigrette is all you need to dress a salad of greens. Made from a mixture of oil, vinegar and seasonings, vinaigrettes are very easy to prepare and store indefinitely in the refrigerator. Aside from their classic use of salads, vinaigrettes also make great marinades and sauces.


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Roux as a thickener

A cornerstone of sauce making, roux is made by cooking flour and fat together until they form a paste. Roux is used primarily as a thickener, but it also adds complex flavor to whatever dish it's used in. When making roux, begin by heating the fat in a heavy saucepan.

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Roast vegetables

Roasting pulls the water out of vegetables and concentrates their flavor. Try tasting a roasted carrot next to a boiled carrot and you'll see how roasting emphasizes the vegetable's natural sweetness.

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Risotto

A magnificent, simmering stew of rice, broth, and seasonings, risotto is one of the great dishes of Northern Italy. To make authentic risotto, use an Italian short-grain rice, such as Arborio superfino or Carnaroli. These plump rice have a high starch content, which helps give risotto its characteristically creamy and chewy texture.

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Reheating foods

Foods should be kept chilled at 40 degrees F or less until you are ready to reheat them. At that point, they should be heated as quickly as possible to a safe service temperature. Liquid or semi-liquid foods should be placed in clean pots and reheated over direct heat.

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Rendering and clarifying fats

Occasionally, the fat from ducks, geese or pork may be required for such dishes as confit or cassoulet. Salt pork, another example, should be gently rendered, or melted down, so that the fat can be used to smother the aromatic vegetables used in the preparation of soups, stews and braises.

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Reduction in sauces

Any liquid cooked until reduced in volume can be referred to as a reduction. By reducing the volume of a cooking liquid, either rapidly over high heat or more slowly over low heat, you concentrate the flavors and thicken the consistency, making a quick, flavorful sauce.


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Ratio for using stocks

When you use these ratios, you will produce stocks that meet all the criteria of a good-quality product - flavor, clarity, aroma, body and color. This is not to insist that there are no exceptions or modifications that may not also be appropriate, depending on an individual operation's needs.


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Buying, Storing and Preparing Apples

When buying apples, look for those that are firm and brightly colored. Shiny red for Macintosh, Rome and red Delicious. Clear green for Granny Smith and golden yellow for Delicious. Always avoid bruised apples. When an apple is damaged, the injured cells release polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that hastens the oxidation of phenols in the apple, producing brownish pigments that darken the fruit. It's easy to check loose apples. If you buy them packed in a plastic bag, turn the bag upside down and examine the fruit.

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Apples - About the Nutrients

Apples are a high-fiber fruit with insoluble cellulose and lignin in the peel and soluble pectins in the flesh. Their most important vitamin is vitamin C. One fresh apple of 2.5 inches in diameter, eaten with the skin, has about 3 g dietary fiber and 8 mg vitamin C. The sour taste of all immature apples and some varieties, even when ripe, comes from the acid. As an apple ripens, the amount of acid declines and the apple becomes sweeter.

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To Shred, Julienne and Chiffonade

You can shred cabbage by hand or with a vegetable slicer. To cut vegetables into julienne, thinly slice the vegetables, stack the slices and slice them again. The size and thickness of the julienne is determined by how thick you make the slices.


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To mince garlic and make garlic paste

Garlic paste has an even finer texture than minced garlic. Use garlic paste when you want a very smooth texture, as in a mayonnaise or in a soup or for making pesto without using a mortar with a pestle.


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How to Chop and Mince

Vegetables can be chopped or minced by rapidly moving a chef's knife up and down over the vegetable. This is simple to do, but there are a few tricks that make the process more efficient.

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Three Components of Marinades

Originally, marinades were intended to both preserve and tenderize tough meats. In contemporary kitchens, they are more often used to add flavor to naturally tender meats, fish and vegetables. The three components of marinades are oil, acids, and aromatics (spices, herbs and vegetables).


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Thickening with Cornstarch

Cornstarch is best known for its thickening power in sauces, gravies, soups, pies, custards and puddings. To store cornstarch, keep it in an airtight container and like other starches, cornstarch loses its thickening power when exposed to air over a long period of time.


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Washing vegetables the proper way

Always wash the greens carefully, but never under running water as the force of the water will damage the leaves. Instead, place the leaves in a bowl filled with cold water and very gently move them around in the bowl. Let it soak for a few minutes, then gently lift out the greens, leaving the dirt and grit behind, and transfer them to another bowl. Change the water in the first bowl and keep washing the greens until there's no sand or grit left in the bottom of the bowl. Usually two washings is enough but very sandy or gritty greens may require three.


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The Fundamentals of Making Yeast Bread

The structure of yeast-leavened breads is formed by wheat flour. When water is stirred into wheat flour, two unique proteins in the flour connect with each other and overlap, forming elastic sheets known as gluten. If you've ever watched someone spin a ball of dough into a flat disc for pizza, you've witnessed the magic of gluten. One type of protein in the gluten allows the dough structure to stretch, while the other provides the snap, so that the dough doesn't just fly out into the room.


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Thawing Foods

There are a number of foods purchased in a frozen state for most of us, including vegetables, fruits, meats, processed foods, prepared items, and more. Handling these foods properly as they thaw is of great importance in order to retain the quality of the food, as well as to avoid possible contamination.

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Placing the Thermometer

When cooking using a thermometer, we should ensure that the thermometer is placed at the correct place to get an accurate temperature reading. When cooking whole chicken, place the thermometer stem starting at the thickest part of the breast near the wing, so that the thermometer stem points in the same direction as the drumsticks to ensure that it is parallel to the breast bone and approximately 1 1/2" or 4 cm away from the bone. If the chicken is stuffed, then insert the thermometer stem into the center of the stuffing for proper readings.

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Cooking Temperatures

Cooking foods properly will ensure that bacteria are destroyed. Different types of foods will require temperatures of different degrees to kill the bacteria. It is by using a thermometer that will help us to determine the internal temperature that the food must achieve. It is not the cooking temperature of the oven or the burner.

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Handling Chili Powder

Commercial chili powder is a blend of various ground, dried chili peppers with seasonings such as garlic and onion powder. It is fine for most traditional purposes, but for more flavor, use pure chili powder, made only from dried, ground chili peppers.

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