Cooking Tips
Herbs: What Is The Best Way To Store Fresh Herbs?
Put leafy herbs, such as basil, parsley, dill, and cilantro in a glass or glass measuring cup with water in the bottom (like cut flowers), cover with a plastic bag loosely over the top, and store in the fridge. They will keep for a week if set up this way.…
Clams: How do you store and clean clams?
Bob e-mailed the Kitchen Shrink to find out how to store and clean shellfish such as clams before cooking. It is best to purchase clams just before cooking them so there should be little storage to worry about. Clams are purchased alive and must be kept alive. If you do…
Tripe: How do you cook tripe?
Last week Randy asked me this about tripe, “I see this all of the time in the grocery store and I have to be honest, while it sort of scares me, it also fascinates me. Is there a way to cook this so that is actually tastes good? Is it…
Salad Dressing: Can you give me an easy all-purpose salad dressing?
The Kitchen Shrink has gotten several requests for a good homemade salad dressing recently, so it seems like a good time to remind you of my favorite vinaigrette. My refrigerator is never without it. It is good on any basic savory salad and can be varied by changing the oil…
Burgers: How can I keep burgers from plumping in the center?
Whenever I demonstrate one of my burger recipes, someone asks if there is a way to keep burgers from plumping in the center and becoming smaller in diameter as they cook. My favorite trick to solve this problem is to create an indentation in the center when I shape the…
Sauces: How do you use cornstarch and arrowroot to make clear thickened sauces?
Michael e-mailed the Kitchen Shrink with this question. He said that he wanted to make clear dessert sauces and had heard that cornstarch or arrowroot was the answer but he had never used either. Cornstarch and arrowroot are similar ingredients to work with. Both have almost twice the thickening power…
Coconuts: How do I open a fresh coconut?
A few weeks ago Blondell asked the Kitchen Shrink how to open a fresh coconut and, with the spring holidays just around the corner, this seems like the perfect time to share my favorite method for this tricky procedure. I have tried lots of different ways of cracking a coconut…
Garlic: Is there an easy way to peel garlic?
Frank e-mailed the Kitchen Shrink that he likes to use lots of garlic but hates to pick the white papery skin off. He wondered if there is an easy way to do this. I usually arrange the cloves, with a flat side down, on my work surface and whack them…