Peeling lots and lots of potatoes
- Score the potato around the equator
- Boil the potato for 3-4 minutes
- Plunge in ice water
- Skin should slide off
Keeping food Warm
- To keep served food warm, heat your plates in a 200º oven before serving
Frying and Browning
- For a nice brown cheese sandwich use mayonnaise rather than butter
- Put a metal bowl over top of your cooking grilled sandwich with a drop of water to melt the cheese and keep the bread soft.
- To reheat fries bring up to room temperature, put on wire rack, spray with oil, bake at 400º until browned
Salads
- Dress the SIDE of your salad bowl to more evenly coat your salad leaves
Pasta
- Don’t start your hot pasta water with hot water from the tap. This includes MUCH more dissolved solids than cold water.
- While on the subject, don’t start your pasta in non-boiling water. It changes the texture and can make it gummy
Butter and Oil
- If you run out of butter, just use canola oil in a 1 to 1 ratio. The fats in the oil behaves exactly like melted butter.
- Use old toilet paper rolls to scoop up the congealed grease from your pan. These can then be used as fire starter logs.
Food Preparation
- Spread sour cream on a tortilla. Add lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and meat. No wet stuff.
- To peel ginger, use a spoon and scrape the skin off
- Old eggs float. Fresh eggs will sink. This is because of the gasses produced as it begins to spoil. If an egg floats, do not eat it.
- To truss meat, use a double loop on your first knot, and it will hold itself.
- Cook your roast on a bed of mirpoix veggies: carrot, onion, celery
