This is a good tip, but sanitize the garlic and peppers first - put the peeled cloves into a bowl of 1 teaspoon household bleach per 6 cups (1 1/2 quarts) of water for about 30 seconds before rinsing with clean water and drying very, very thoroughly.
There’s still a small chance of botulism if you do this, and the [del]Food Police[/del] FDA recommends refrigeration and using all homemade flavored oils within 10 days, but frankly your chances of getting sick are pretty low. I do refrigerate mine, and I don’t serve it to kids under 2 - the same age group at risk of botulism poisoning from honey. The rest of us, frankly, can handle botulism spores without dying - we’ve got enough air in our guts to kill the spores.
Ok, um, why is it called the minimum safe temperature and you’re telling me not to get it to that temp? Doesn’t that mean it won’t have heated up to the temp at which all the little beasties are dead?
Because it’s a big hot thing on the outside, and it keeps getting hotter in the middle when you take it out. The heat of the outer layers moves into the middle through conduction, and the whole thing evens out. Leave the thermometer in if you’re nervous (my kid loves to watch the temperature increase while the roast is sitting on the counter). It’s called “carryover” heat or “resting the meat”.
It *will *get hot enough to be safe if you take it out of the oven 10 degrees too cool. It will achieve minimum safety guidelines just fine. If you take it out once it’s reached the minimum, it will still increase, only now it will get too hot and be overdone.
The exception to this would be individual chicken pieces or small bits of fish, which don’t have enough mass to equalize - they lose their heat to the outside air before the middle gets much warmer.
The inside of the meat will continue to heat up another few degrees until it is at the safe temperature before it starts to cool down again. If you leave it in the oven until it gets to the minumum temperature, it will heat up further and dry out the meat.
Use this roasted chicken recipe if you’re just using the chicken for “parts” and not serving it whole (the skin doesn’t get crispy, but the meat is GREAT).
Get 1 whole chicken, take out the baggie of parts and use those however you want. Stuff the cavity with as many sliced lemons as will fit, plus cloves of garlic. Stick some slices of garlic under the skin, too. Salt, pepper, etc, whatever spices you like.
Roast breast side down. The juices all flow into the breast instead of seeping out the bottom. You probably won’t get enough drippings for gravy, either. The skin doesn’t look pretty, but I use this for making ahead of time and putting on salad, sandwiches, or just eating plain.
When you cook the rice a little too long, take it off the heat and throw in a little water. Depending on how much damage you did, it will either salvage the bottom layer or at least loosen it from the pot.
When making risotto take your time, and never stop stirring. Introduce liquid a little at a time, and do not add more until it is absorbed. If the recipe says it will take 20 minutes, aim for 35 or 40.
Cheesecake is easier to make than you think so don’t be intimidated even if you don’t bake very often.
No matter what the recipe says, I always cut the cooking time back by 5 or ten minutes, and just leave the cake in the oven after I’ve turned it off (for maybe 15 more minutes). Then I crack the oven open a few inches to let the heat out slowly. Before it is entirely cool in the oven, I close it again and let the cake cool in the oven over night.
That was a long way of saying that the key is allowing the cake to cool slowly. If you don’t, the top will tend to crack. And if you just slam dunk a hot cake into the fridge, moisture from the condensation will make the top of the cake soggy.
And butter makes it inedible for vegans. And peanut oil makes it inedible for people with peanut allergies, etc. So what? As usual, know your audience. Obviously, I would not cook with lard were I cooking or baking for a vegetarian.
I’ll second that! I made Osso Bucco for my gf. It was a ton of work plus I had to special order the veal shanks. Yep, veal. Turns out my gf hadn’t touched veal in many decades and she assumed she was eating lamb. It was delicious, but it made her a little sad. :smack:
I should add that whenever I cook a large meal for a group of people, I always ask if there are any dietary restrictions if I don’t know. As a good host, you have to make sure everybody has something good to eat. Usually, I will make two separate main courses if there are any major conflicts.
Speaking of dietary restrictions, if you’re cooking for a party or potluck, stick a tag with it listing common taboos or allergens like mushrooms, wine, seafood or nuts.
This will save people from panicking as they’re gasping for breath and asking what was in those brownies. :eek:
Speaking of brownies, undercook 'em by at least five minutes if you like them gooey, which we do.
I also use kitchen shears so much that it didn’t occur to me to recommend it! They’re great for cutting pizza as well as snipping up other stuff into kid-size bites. I find them especially wonderful for cutting up chicken into bite-size pieces for saute or stir-fry. I cut right over the skillet into the hot oil. (I make cajun type dishes and white chili a good bit, so it seems like I’m always cutting up chicken.)
I also wear cheap non-medical grade gloves when handling said raw chicken (HA I accidentally typed ‘children’ instead of ‘chicken’ ). I’m not overly paranoid about bacteria, but this eliminates the sensible need to wash hands thoroughly after messing with raw chicken. You can buy them by the box, and if for some reason you need to touch the chicken again, just grab another pair! They’re cheap.
Dear god, yes. After screwing up a casserole with these I will always buy the fresh ones and chop them up. The canned ones not only taste weird, but they take over the flavor of other food they’re mixed with.
Here’s my tips:
Bananas - Do you have 2 or 3 bananas that got overripe on the counter? Don’t chuck 'em, peel them and put the mushy bruised bananas in a freezer bag. Once frozen, mix with cold pink grapefruit juice and blend for an excellent (and healthy) smoothie.
Also, bananas are much easier to open by pinching and peeling from the bottom then opening by pulling back on the stem. Go ahead, try it.
Tip: A pressure cooker will yield tender beans in well under an hour (time depends on cooker and bean variety…25 min. for the black/turtle beans I like the best) You do need to soak the beans for at least a couple of hours first, though. I can start the beans soaking in the 'fridge before I go to work, come home, start them first, and they will usually be done before I can make the rest of the meal.
). I’m not overly paranoid about bacteria, but this eliminates the sensible need to wash hands thoroughly after messing with raw chicken. You can buy them by the box, and if for some reason you need to touch the chicken again, just grab another pair! They’re cheap.
I’m so terribly, terribly sorry for making a comment. I’ll never do it again.