1. Save rind from Parmesan cheese, store in freezer, and add to soup for extra flavor.
2. For a quick cooking meats such as fish, sprinkle a bit of sugar over the top so that it will instantly caramelize when it hits the hot pan.
3. For a bit of a meaty mystery taste, add a little soy sauce or anchovy. Something with umami .
4. Season things to be served cold more aggressively. Use vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice, etc. just before serving.
5. Don’t over cook things with a chocolate base. As soon you start to smell them consider taking them out of the oven, or turning the oven off.
6. Sautéed meat when it has been dried. If there is liquid, that will turn to steam and cook the meat, but will not brown it. This is called the Pallard reaction.
7. Herbs fall into two categories. Those added early, and those added late. Herbs that are added early are things such as rosemary, Thyme… Full flavored herbs. Herbs that are added near the end are things such as basil, parsley, cilantro, and chives.
8. If you are cooking something that uses butter or oil and other spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, etc., melt your butter and put the spices into the hot butter to more fully develop the flavor of the spices.
9. When sautéing chicken, heat your skillet up to about 450° before putting the meat into it.
10. When sautéing onions, use 1/2 tsp of baking soda to speed up the process.

SOFT CHEESES
Cover is light mold.
Mozzarella, provalone, or fontina cheese are fairly interchangeable

HARD CHEESES
Rind will be hard. It is actually not bad for you and can pack lots of flavor.  Use the crust of parmesan cheese rind to flavor and thicken your pasta sauce.  Remove it before serving.  Cheese is squeezed and compressed. Nutrition is about 14
times more than the milk used to make it.

Parmesean Cheese – Grate your own, don’t use the round green box either.

Eg: Cheddar, machengo, parmesean, gruyere

KEEP AND CARE OF CHEESE
Likes cool moist environment, but not COLD and not WET
Likes to breathe
Soft and medium in plastic container with a slice of apple.
Hard cheeses lightly wrapped in waxed paper secured with rubber band or aluminum foil.

MEDIUM CHEESES
Reddish or brown rind is more natural
Milk is pasturized at 145 degrees for 30 mintues
At 160 degrees for 15 seconds kills everything. Applies to most cheeses.
You can use dental floss to cut soft cheeses

FREEZING CHEESE
You can wrap cheese in Saran Wrap and then put it into a zipper lock bag. This will keep it for about three months.

GOOEY CHEESE
The melty stringy cheeses are those with a lower fat content.  That’s why low moisture, low fat mozzarella cheese is so great for pizza.  Mozzarella, provalone, or fontina cheese are fairly interchangeable

Chops- Bone like porterhouse, Pork tenderloin, Pork filet, Pork roast (fresh ham),
Smoked ham, pork ribs (baby backs most tender), dry rub, the same Chinese style ribs.

Ribs

$$ Spare ribs are meaty, rich and big – 3-4 ribs per guest

$$$ St. Louis cut ribs are just trimmed spare ribs – you pay extra for their work – Easy to eat, and they cook evenly

$$$$ Baby Back ribs are lean, tender and short – 6-7 ribs per guest

Chicken Breasts
Tight seal on package, keep on bottom shelf near back for up to 3 days.
Avoid cracked packaging & any pink discoloration spots.
Pooled juice in bottom of container can mean it’s been on the self for a while.
Check expiration date.

White skin = grain fed
Yellow skin = corn fed
Taste is the same.

Generally better to buy chicken with the bone in.

Cutting a whole chicken

Turn up side down, Crack breastbone w/knife, push down & lift out breastbone. Separate rib meat, follow down rib w/sharp knife – remove ribs. Use bones for stock.

Use bones for stock.

GARLIC
1. Crush with bottom of drinking glass, then remove peel
2. Head should be tight, and feel heavy for its size
3. Should have no splits, and is not sprouting
4. Store in cool dark place

GINGER:
1. Grate finely, then squeeze or Measure liquid from it.
Measures 1:1 (e.g. 1 tsp) in recipes

Gadget tips @ http://www.xml3.com/family/Recipes/Tips_2.pdf

1. Timer – Big readout, Digital, West Bend Long Cycle Triple timer $40.00
2. Polder Neck Timer $15.00
3. Polder Thermo Timer w/ sensor
4. Bench Knife
5. Egg Slicer w/ wires

ThermoWorks infrared thermometer gun $45

{Olive Garden Breadsticks}

From:   http://readableeatables.blogspot.com/

Oh man, I loved these! These would just complete any meal really. Pasta, soup, salad…you name it. Make these when you get a chance. Make sure you serve them hot out of the oven.

*These are a little more dense than Olive Garden’s. But the flavor is incredible and pretty right on with the garlic butter. I also updated the picture, because the other one was too dark. Enjoy 🙂

Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs yeast
1 Tbs salt (yes, the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon, which I use every time and they turn out great.)
2 Tbs butter, softened
4-5 Cups flour

Topping:
3 Tbs butter melted
sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder

For the dough, pour the water into a stand mixer with the sugar and yeast, let that sit and froth for about 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, and 2 cups of flour. Mix the dough on low. Add the rest of the flour a half cup at a time, until dough scrapes the sides of the bowl clean. Mix the dough about 5 minutes on medium speed, until its soft and easy to work with.
Let the dough rest in the bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour and then roll it out. Roll the dough out into a long log, spray a knife with cooking spray and cut the dough into 12-14 pieces. Roll those pieces into about 6 inch long snakes. Spray 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray, ( I usually only use one) and lay the breadsticks out leaving about 2 inches between each one.
Place them in the oven with the temperature turned to 170 degrees. Let them rise for about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size.( I have also let them sit at room temp until they are doubled in size and then bake them in the oven)
Once risen, brush them with the 1 1/2 T of melted butter and sprinkle them with salt. Now preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. While they are baking combine the rest of the melted butter with 1 tsp garlic powder. When the breadsticks are golden brown, remove them from the oven and brush them with the butter/garlic mixture.

Other Breadstick Notes

Basic ingredients:
Flour, EVOO, Water, Yeast, Milk, Butter

Grissini Bread sticks are thin crisp bread sticks, rather than the chewy ones shown above.
Good flavor enhancers and combinations for this type of bread stick (from Greatest British Cooking Show) follow:

• Nigella seed and Parmesan cheese
• Poppy seed, caraway seed and Kalamata olives
• Lemon and rosemary
• Ras el hanout is a flavor from Africa
• Garlic, Parmesan cheese and Bleu cheese
• You can also entwine two different colors

Knead your dough until you achieve the Window Pane Stage, where it can stretch so thin that light goes through it.
A slow bake will drive out the moisture, making it crispier.

Grissini

• • 1 1/3 C water (warm)
  • 2 tsp yeast
    • Let rest 5 minutes
  • 1/4 C EVOO
  • 1 C AP flour – whisk to combine – this removes lumps
  • 2 C more flour
  • 1.5 tsp sea salt
    • Put on Kitchen Aid with paddle attachment
  • Change to dough hook
    • Add 3/4 C more flour
  • Mix 3-5 minutes with dough hook on medium-slow speed
  • Finish on counter, kneading by hand
  • Stretch dough into a rough rectangle
  • Put dough on surface oiled with EVOO
  • Continue to stretch until it is relatively flat
  • Roll using rolling pin to about 1/2 inch thickness
  • Brush the top with sesame oil
  • Cover with plastic wrap while still on counter
  • Cover plastic with a towel for about 90 minutes
    • You will have only one rise
    • OPTIONAL:  Sprinkle with sesame seeds or caraway seeds
  • As time nears, oil a large baking sheet with sesame oil
  • Cut into half (lengthwise) with a pizza cutter
  • Cut dough about the width of your fingers and move fingers to the baking sheet, stretching to width of baking sheet
  • OPTIONAL:  Stretch far, then twist into a spiral breadstick
  • Bake at 400º for 18-20 minutes
    • Cook until golden/tanned

Vidalia Onions – Sweet and Mild

White Onions – Sweet with a bit of a sharp taste

Yellow Onions – no info

Red Onions – Good, hearty, sweet

Spanish Onions – no info

1. Red Onions are good for things like French Onion Soup
2. When cutting onions, cut in half THROUGH the root. Cut horizontally, then vertically. Finally chop as you would normally, and what you end up with are small pieces

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Onion Soup, Madera

Ingredients

2 Vadalia Onions
Grapeseed Oil (high smoke point)
1.5 CU Madera Wine
2 CU Chicken Stock
Chives
Butter
Thyme
Bread Crumbs

Instructions

1. Shave onions as thinly as possible.
2. Heat oil to very hot.
3. Carmelize onions for about 15 minutes
4. Add thyme and Madera Wine
5. Cook another 15 minutes
6. Add chicken stock and butter, and bring to boil
7. Cook till browned
8. Pour into soup tureen
9. Garnish with minced chives, garlic, thyme and bread crumbs

Ingredients When buying chicken in the store, look for the following characteristics…

When storing, follow these guidelines…

Instructions

1. Tight seal on package
2. Keep on bottom shelf near back for up to 3 days
3. Avoid cracked packaging & any pink discoloration spots.
4. Pooled juice in bottom of styro container can mean it’s been on the self for a while.
5. Check expiration date.
6. White skin = grain fed… yellow skin = corn fed… taste is about the same.
7. Generally better to buy chicken with the bone in.

Use an instant read thermometer:
Chicken –e.g. 140 F = underdone, needs to be 165 F
Cook chicken to 160 F. If to 180 F it gets tough