A question was posed to me by CindyGardenBee: should beef roast be sliced for or against the grain (for easiest chewability)? The answer is against the grain. Tough cuts of beef (flank steak, beef roast, etc) are made up of long strands that need to be chopped up to make eating easier. Another helpful method is marinating the beef. The acid in the marinade will help break down tough fibers.
DtC
Capers add a subtle but tasty flavor to many dishes – especially fish and tomato sauces. Read more on the caper at All About Capers
DtC
Our garden has been a great producer of potatoes in the past several years (Yukon gold are my favorites). However, some of the potatoes near the surface have green spots on them. The green spots are from the exposure to sunlight and can occur during growth, while on display at a store, or when stored at home. The green is from chlorophyll, like a leaf turning green. Fluorescent lights induce more greening than regular light. Cooked potatoes cannot turn green because the high temperature kills the necessary enzymes to produce chlorophyll.
With chlorophyll, also comes bitter-tasting solanine which resides on the surface of the potato. Solanine may cause allergies to some people. To remove the green, use a potato peeler – the potato should then be fine to eat.
For more in-depth information, see:
Green Potatoes: the Problem and the Solution
dtc
I love pizza. When I make it from scratch, I usually use a bread machine to mix and knead the dough. It does a decent job and saves time. The dough would turn out inconsistent, though – sometimes it would rise ok, other times not.
I’ve always assumed the bread machine spent the first several minutes heating up the bread pan to about 115 degrees F so the yeast would activate. Never assume. What I do now (this also goes for bread) is mix all the liquids in a microwave dish and nuke it until it is 115 degrees (I use a digital thermometer) about 1 minute or so depending on the temperature of the liquid. Then I pour it in the bread pan and continue the recipe. It has made an enormous difference in breads and pizza doughs.
dtc
My normal breakfast includes frying an egg. Every morning was an adventure on how to get it to cook correctly and not stick to the pan. Finally I discovered by letting the egg sit for an hour at room temperature before cooking took a few frustration points out of my life. It spread better in the pan, did not stick (I use a very thin coat of oil but it still stuck when right out of the fridge), and cooked more consistent.
I can’t say enough on how scrumptious these are. They are excellent on potatoes, salads, steaks, and by themselves – so cook up a lot! Since there are so many variations on how to cook them, I have been experimenting on how to get them right…and make them easy to prepare.
Recommended cooking temperature is all over the map – from medium-high to low to using a crock-pot. Cooking time varies from 15 minutes to 24 hours in a crock-pot. Should they be covered? Which cooking fat is best – olive oil, butter, canola oil, or ? How do you cut them? Whole, sliced, chopped, or minced? How wide? And additives – brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, or other odds and ends. And of course the onions: yellow, white, vadalia, …
The idea is to get them golden brown which brings out the natural sugars in the onions. It is too easy to burn them which imparts a bitter taste. I have had pretty good luck with using yellow onions, sliced in 3/4 inch slices, cut in half, using light olive oil or peanut oil. For 2 onions, heat 2 TBL of oil in a 12 inch skillet on medium until a slight wisp of smoke appears. Coat the onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Turn down the heat to low and cook them, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes or until golden brown. The house smells sooo good. Optionally, stir in 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar just before turning off the heat. I’ll keep you posted on more results.
I’ve noticed many recipes call for bringing to a boil then lowering the heat, generally to simmer. Why not go straight to simmer? Because bringing to a boil kills most germs.