We all have problems dealing with certain foods, whether we are home cooks or professional chefs. And we devise our own methods of solving the food preparation problems and get by. But how many times, while seeding bell peppers or chasing liquid fat around the top of a hot pot, have your wondered ‘there’s got to be a better way’? These chef’s solutions solve those issues, plus tell us how to have our cake and keep it fresh too.
Quickly Seed Bell Peppers
Use a sharp knife and slice the bell pepper in half, starting at the bottom and stopping just short of the stem. Pull the two halves apart so they break off, leaving the stem, bulb and seeds behind.
Easy Way to De-fat Hot Soup
Trying to skim the fat off the top of a hot pot of chicken soup is sometimes an effort in futility, unless you know this chefs trick – Move the hot pot part way off the stove burner so only one side will have contact with heat. The simmering bubbles on one side will push the fat to the cooler side of the pot so de-fatting the hot soup is easy.
Keep Cake Moist
I used to eat all the remaining cake so it wouldn’t dry out and go to waste. My overindulging excuse was ruined with this chefs solution – Place leftover cake in an airtight container along with a slice of apple. The moisture from the apple keeps the air inside the container moist so the cake won’t dry out. Spritz the apple slice with lemon juice to prevent it from turning brown.
Temper Raw Onions
If raw onions are slightly too pungent for you, temper their strong flavor and bring out their sweetness with this chef’s solution – Place raw onion slices on a plate, cover a microwave on high for 15 seconds . That’s long enough to kill some of the onion’s sulfur compounds which cause it’s strong bite, but not too long to cook the onion.
Keep Fruit Salad Fresh
Keeping a bowl of fresh fruit salad on hand makes healthy snacking easy, but cut up fruit does not stay fresh long unless you know how to store it. Store chopped fruit salad in your salad spinner so the excess fruit juices can drain to the bottom of the bowl, leaving fruit firm and fresh.
Add Mayonnaise to Vinaigrette
If you have problems with getting your homemade vinaigrettes to combine and stay combined, add ½ teaspoon of mayonnaise to the mix. Mayonnaise contains lecithin , a substance that latches on to both the oil and water in the vinaigrette, preventing the from separating.
Sources:
GMO Compass
ikea
Art of Living Well
Personal Cooking Experience
