Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Jack's really small kitchen.



Click through the link to see more pics from his kitchen. He chooses his cutlery with care, buys limited things, and uses his chopping board over the sink to serve as a dining table. :)

How to Defrost Frozen Meat

Thawing Frozen Meats (and no, leaving it on the counter isn't one of them!):

The absolute best way to thaw frozen meats is by leaving it in the fridge until it's completely thawed. If you're crunched for time, take the meat out of it's package, put it on a plate, and place it under cool RUNNING water. This carries away any bacteria that is already present or that grows on the surface of the meat and gently thaws the meat in about 20 minutes (for small cuts) or an hour or two (for large cuts).

You can also safely thaw meat in the microwave, though be careful since your microwave can actually start to cook the meat before it's completely thawed.

(Source: thekitchn.com)

How Long Can You Leave Cooked Food Unrefrigerated?

Leaving Food at Room Temperature: Four Hours

Four hours is a good rule of thumb for most buffet foods. After four hours, the potential for you to get sick from eating food left at room temperature increases drastically. If you're throwing a party and afraid you might forget, try setting a timer to remind yourself when four hours is up.

Ice cream and other frozen foods are of course another story - try putting those back in a little sooner!

(Source: thekitchn.com)

How to blanch asparagus.

Don't try this with really thick spears - use the thinnest, freshest ones you can find.

Put a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Wash the asparagus spears. Trim the dried or hard ends off the bottom of the spears and lay them in a thin layer in a glass baking dish.

When the water comes to a boil, pour over the spears and let them sit for 3-5 minutes. Pull out a spear and test it after a couple minutes - it's easy to check for your preferred texture. When they are crisp-tender pour off the water and salt lightly.

Serve with melted butter or a vegetable dip.

(Source: thekitchn.com)

How to peel ginger.

Begin by cutting off the amount of ginger you need and then trimming it of any small nubs so that you have a relatively uniform piece to work with.

Then, hold the ginger in one hand and use the tip of your spoon to scrape off the peel. You’ll find it comes off very easily and that you get a smoother, more uniform end result than when you use a knife or vegetable peeler.

(Source: thekitchn.com)

How to hard boil an egg.

• First place the eggs in a small sauce pan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch.
• Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
• Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit for exactly 12 minutes.
• Rinse with cold water until the eggs are cool.

The whites will be light and tender, not rubbery, and the yellows will be bright and creamy, not greenish and powdery. Perfect for egg salad, deviled eggs or just a nice little snack.

(Source: thekitchn.com)
 

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