X

Kitchen Shrink

Here is a Cool Hack I Learned

When I was aboard Vista, Oceania’s newest ship, taking one of their very excellent cooking classes, I learned this little trick: when you are making an individual cake in a ramekin, butter the ramekin well, line it with two long strips of parchment so they are sticking out and then,…

More


Kitchen Shrink answers, “How can I keep chocolate chip cookies from spreading during baking.”

My answers are based on the assumption that you used the original Tollhouse cookie recipe.There are several reasons why your cookies might be spreading: The dough is too soft. It might have sat out too long on the counter before you baked the cookies, or you might have let the butter…

More


“How can I keep chocolate chip cookies from spreading during baking. I love a plump cookie” 🍪 is a question from Karen McCarthy Pratt addressed to my website column, “The Kitchen Shrink.”

My answers are based on the assumption that you used the original Tollhouse cookie recipe. There are several reasons why your cookies might be spreading: The dough is too soft. It might have sat out too long on the counter before you baked the cookies, or you might have let the…

More


Kitchen Shrink answers, “When frying breaded chicken, how do you keep the coating on the meat?”

First of all make sure the chicken pieces are dry, coat them with flour (I like to use Wondra instantized flour) or cornstarch and shake off any excess. Then dip them in beaten egg or buttermilk, or a combination of the two, and finally coat them with bread crumbs, panko,…

More


Kitchen Shrink: Can I freeze potatoes?

A viewer recently asked, “Can I freeze potatoes?” Although you can’t freeze raw potatoes (they discolor and the texture changes), if you suddenly have way more potatoes than you can use before they wrinkle, you can freeze some for a short period of time with the right preparation. You might…

More


Kitchen Shrink: How can you keep Scalloped Potatoes from curdling?

I recently got a question from Phyllis who asked, “Every time I make scalloped potatoes my sauce breaks. What am I doing wrong.” This seems to be a frequent problem with scalloped potatoes particularly when you use a recipe that calls for layering the potatoes, onions, and cheese and pouring…

More


Kitchen Shrink: Is it true that you can only freeze raw meat once and cooked meat once? Why?

Randall, a viewer, asked “The rule had always been, you could freeze raw meat once and cooked meat once.  Is this true and why?” I think it is a pretty good rule of thumb. However, the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service web site which gives…

More


Kitchen Shrink: How to select and cut a mango.

I got a question on my web site from Tammy who said “I was wondering, if you could tell me how to select a good mango and the proper way to cut it?” Both very good questions. First of all a mango’s color indicates its variety not its ripeness, so red…

More


Kitchen Shrink: How do you decide which level of the oven to use?

I recently received a question from Wendell who asked, “ how do you decide which level of the oven to use for a given task.” In most cases selecting the rack in the middle of the oven is a good choice unless the recipe tells you to use the upper…

More


Kitchen Shrink: How can you make sure fruit pies don’t become too soggy when baked?

I got a question entitled “Soggy Fruit Pies” from Audrey, a viewer. That got my attention! She asked for my best tip for “making sure fruit pies don’t become too soggy when baked.” She particularly asked about blueberry and peach fillings. Here are my thoughts. If you are making a…

More


Kitchen Shrink: How do you clean burned-on fats from baking pans and keep them clean?

The other day I got a question on my web site from Aletha who is having trouble cleaning burned-on fat from a baking pan. She wondered how to clean the pan and then asked how I keep my pans clean. I’ll answer the second question first. I have had some…

More


Kitchen Shrink: How do you decide which cornmeal to use when a recipe doesn’t tell you?

I recently got this question from John: “Every recipe that I read that includes cornmeal never states what grind to use. How can I determine which grind to use? Should it be Coarse, Fine or Corn flour?”  Until the last decade, it was very difficult to find anything but steel-ground…

More


Kitchen Shrink: Is there a way to save lemon rinds after squeezing out the juice?

I received an e-mail from a viewer asking, “Is there a way to save lemon rinds after squeezing out the juice . . . .  I hate tossing those beautiful lemon shells.” I put on my Kitchen Shrink apron and thought of lots of ways empty lemon shells could have a…

More


How do you buy and prepare Octopus?

  Grilled Octopus is a favorite on menus all across the country but people tell me that they are afraid to try to prepare it at home. I thought that would be a great topic for my show and my latest book so I enlisted the help of Dave Pasternack,…

More


Kitchen Shrink: What is the easiest way to roast peppers?

There are a number of ways to roast peppers; all are easy. I have used roasted red peppers in all of my books and here are the instructions include to help readers make them: If you have a gas stove, turn on one burner to a low flame for every four peppers you want…

More


What is Farro and how do you cook it?

I’ve been getting questions about farro ever since we cooked it in Season 2, Episode 211. This delicious, nutty, crunchy grain is now appearing on restaurant menus all over the country and is finally pretty easy to find in supermarkets as well. Farro can be any of three ancient species…

More


Kitchen Shrink: What is the best way to melt chocolate?

One of the most frequent questions that come in to the Kitchen Shrink is, “How can I melt chocolate without the risk of it scorching or suddenly getting firm.” Chocolate is very sensitive to heat and it is best to melt it slowly. I like to melt it in the…

More


Onions and Garlic: What does a medium onion or a medium garlic clove measure when chopped?

Linda recently e-mailed the Kitchen Shrink to ask, “when a recipe calls for a medium onion, chopped, or a clove of garlic, chopped, what do they measure in standard measuring cups and spoons?” What a good question! Not everyone’s idea of medium is the same. When I wrote my second…

More


Rice: How do you cook rice?

A while ago I got an e-mail from Brent asking, “How long do you cook rice?” I thought I would just send him a link to my recipe for cooking rice and discovered that although I recommend serving my Simple Boiled Rice with several entrées, the recipe wasn’t up on the…

More


Turkey: Where can I learn how to carve a turkey?

One of the questions I frequently get at this time of year is, “Where can I find out how to carve a turkey?” I have lots of information on the site about cooking and serving turkey and decided that carving the bird was the missing piece. Of the many guides…

More


Rice Vinegar: What is the difference between rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar?

Angelia recently e-mailed the Kitchenshrink to ask, “What is the difference, if any, between rice wine vinegar and rice vinegar?” There really isn’t much difference between rice vinegar and rice wine vinegar and they can certainly be used interchangeably in a recipe. To make rice vinegar, rice is fermented until it…

More


Shallots and Onions: Can they be interchanged?

There are many varieties of both shallots and onions within the species Allium cepa. They vary in appearance in that shallots grow in clusters attached at the bottom and each onion is an individual. But there doesn’t seem to be a consensus as to which is stronger in flavor. Perhaps…

More


Packing Safely: How Can I Safely Pack and Carry a Picnic?

Now that summer picnic season is in full swing, I have had several requests for information on safely packing and carrying foods. Whether you are driving miles to a park or the beach or going next door for supper on the deck, the heat is on and you need to…

More


Equipment: All about my bench scraper

Each time I use my special extra-large bench scraper on the show I get many e-mails from viewers who would like to have one. My search for a source was unsuccessful until I found out that I was looking for it by the wrong name. So here’s the scoop. My giant…

More