Thanks for Angie Freel of the Saline County Extension Office for sharing these tips on today's show.
Tossing Cooked
Pasta with Oil to Prevent Sticking
Why it’s bad: The sauce won’t adhere to the noodles. Period.
Do this instead: To stop cooked pasta from clumping, toss it with a
little sauce immediately after draining. Or, if you won’t be serving the pasta
for 15 minutes or more, rinse the noodles under cold water to remove the
starch. Then, just before sitting down to eat, reheat the pasta directly in the
pot of sauce.
Boiling Pasta in a Pot that’s Too Small
Why it’s bad: For starters, if you use long noodles, they might not fit
unless you break them first. But regardless of the pasta’s shape or size, it
will probably end up sticky and gummy. “When you add pasta to a small amount of
water, it lowers the temperature of the water substantially more than if you
added it to a large amount of water, so the water will take longer to return to
a boil. In the meantime, the pasta will sit at the bottom of the pot and start
to clump up and become mushy unless you are vigilant about stirring,” says chef
Michael Symon, the owner of five restaurants in Cleveland and an Iron Chef on
the Food Network’s Iron Chef America. Also, your ratio of pasta starch
to water will be too high—another cause of sticking.
Do this instead: Unless you are cooking a single serving of pasta, do as
Italian grandmothers do: Fill a large pot (5 to 6 quarts) with water and let it
come to a rapid boil. Then add 2 tablespoons of salt. Finally, add the pasta
and stir it occasionally until its al dente.
Adding Garlic
Too Early
Why it’s bad: Garlic browns in less than a minute. If you add it to the
pan with, say, chicken breasts—which need about 15 minutes to cook through—the
garlic will scorch and turn bitter long before the meat is finished.
Do this instead: Whenever possible, use sliced garlic or smashed whole
cloves, which are less susceptible to burning than minced or pressed garlic.
And add garlic close to the end of the cooking process. (The exceptions are
long braises, stews, and sauces; the liquid will keep the garlic from
scorching.)
Cooking With a
Cold Pan—and Cold Oil or Butter
Why it’s bad: If the oil isn’t hot enough, those sautéed vegetables will
adhere to the pan like glue, giving you a tough scrubbing job later on. A hot
pan and oil bond to create a surface that’s virtually nonstick.
Do this instead: Heat an empty pan for at least 1 or 2 minutes. The pan
is ready when you can hold your hand about 3 inches above it and feel the heat
radiating from the surface. Then add the fat. Oil will shimmer when it’s hot;
butter should melt and foam. One exception: If you’re using a nonstick pan to brown
delicate foods, add the oil or butter before turning on the heat, since some
nonstick pans release fumes when they’re heated up empty for an extended
period. Please make sure your pans are safe for pre-heating!
Overmixing
Doughs and Batters
Why it’s bad: Over mixing flour activates the gluten, a protein that can
give baked goods a firm and elastic structure—delicious in a chewy pizza crust
but less so in a delicate pastry.
Do this instead: Go slow and gentle for tender cakes and flaky
piecrusts. When adding dry ingredients to cookie and cake batters, use the
lowest speed on an electric mixer or mix by hand until just combined. A few
lumps in the batter are fine. For piecrust, whether you use a food processor or
mix by hand, work the dough as little as possible. Visible bits of butter and
streaks of flour are desirable.
Putting Good
Knives in the Dishwasher
Why it’s bad: The high-pressure water jets in a dishwasher cause knife
blades to knock against other utensils in the silverware basket, dulling and
damaging them over time. Additionally, the intense heat of the drying cycle can
cause knife handles to warp, which will eventually loosen the rivets.
Do this instead: Wash knives by hand. Hold the handle so the blade faces
away from you and wipe it clean with a sponge. Dry knives immediately to avoid
the risk of discoloration from water droplets left on the blades. Just a few
seconds of work will add years to the lives of your knives.
Storing Tomatoes in the Refrigerator
Why it’s bad: Tomatoes have delicate cells, and excess cold (or heat, for
that matter) causes the cell walls to burst. The flavor-producing enzymes are
also destroyed, rendering the tomatoes tasteless.
Do this instead: Keep tomatoes on the kitchen counter in a single layer
for maximum air circulation, and avoid putting them in direct sunlight. (You
can leave cherry and grape tomatoes in their packaging, so long as it contains
holes.) To speed ripening, place tomatoes in a paper bag with an apple, which
emits ethylene gas, a ripening agent. Once ripe, they’ll last for up to 3 days.
Some varieties, like plum tomatoes, will keep longer.
Using a Tiny
Cutting Board
Why it’s bad: You won’t have room to maneuver a knife, which increases
your risk of cutting yourself. You’ll also make a mess and waste time corralling
ingredients that fall off the board.
Do this instead:
