Let’s say you need zest and juice. Is it easier to juice then zest the peel? Or do you get better results zesting then juicing? How about separating eggs? Fingers, spoon with holes? Egg shell? Which way is less likely to bust the yolk? Or let’s take something as simple as seasoning meat. I typically put all the meat pieces on my cutting board, season one side with all the seasonings, flip and season the second side. The Boy likes to put the meat in a mixing bowl, add the seasonings and use his hands to mix it all up. I once read a recipe that boiled potatoes and then peeled them-- so much easier!
What methods do you find easier and/or more effective?
Separating eggs: strike firmly on the inner edge of the bowl for the whites, carefully pull apart cracked shell into more or less equal halves, pour the unbroken yolk back and forth from one half-shell to another while letting the eggwhites spill into the bowl. When all the eggwhites have been separated off (or as soon as the yolk breaks and starts contaminating the remaining albumen in the shell), dump the yolk (and whatever contaminated albumen you weren’t able to separate) into a different container.
Slicing potatoes: Cut in half longways first and lay the flat half face down for more stable cutting. Also applies to onions.
Seeding cucumbers: Cut in half longways and scrape seeds out of each “canoe” with a teaspoon.
Mincing garlic: Peel garlic clove and grate on a small grater rather than trying to fine-chop it or crush it. Also applies to raw ginger.
Adding melted chocolate to batter: Don’t let the melted chocolate cool for more than a minute or so, as it becomes harder to mix properly. But don’t just dump it into the batter in a big hot mess, as you may end up curdling the egg in the batter. Do like this:
Hold the chocolate bowl/pot a foot or so above the batter bowl with one hand, and let the hot melted chocolate fall in a thin stream (like the mile-high teapot for mint tea in a Middle Eastern restaurant) while you mix it in vigorously with a spoon or whisk in the other hand. (Yes, this means that you have no hand left over to hold the batter bowl with, so it will spin a bit in place, but you can control it with the spoon/whisk.) When you’ve poured off most of the chocolate, scrape out the remainder with a spatula as usual and blend it promptly (but by this time it will have cooled enough not to overheat the batter).
Never boil hard boiled eggs, steam them. Put them in a single layer in a steamer above boiling water, covered, for the appropriate time, 12 minutes for extra large eggs, then plunge into ice water to cool. They’re always cooked perfectly, they peel easily, and it takes less time and energy than boiling. Pro tip: If you’re making deviled eggs store the egg carton on its side for 24 hours before boiling the eggs to allow the chalazae to center the yolk. It’ll improve the presentation.
I separate eggs using Meryl Streep’s method in The Hours: Crack the egg and let the contents fall into one hand. Let the white flow between your fingers and you’re left with a nice clean yolk.
Zest citrus first, then roll it on the countertop or microwave for 15-20 seconds. This releases a lot more juice. I’ve switched from a juicer http://foodequipment.co.nz/images/il_fullxfull.353186148_d7hx.jpg to a citrus reamer http://image.dhgate.com/albu_278571668_00/1.0x0.jpg which I find more thorough.
A friend told me about this backwoods family (when he was tree-planting) who had a giant hole in the middle of their kitchen floor that they just dumped everything in.
Nice.
edit - I guess i should have read the first post - I just saw “kitchen-y things” in the title and didn’t realise this is just recipes, no?
you know a kd dinner can really be spiced up with a wiener.
How’d they clean the hole? Or did they just live with the rotting food in the middle of the kitchen?
I should’ve asked but was too repulsed to when buddy mentioned there was a gigantic swarm of flies and the place smelled like a municipal dump.
I also wish I had asked if he had actually peered into the thing. He mad a big circle with his arms to indicate its size, so, that was all I really cared to know at the time, I guess.
I’ve had good results by just putting the eggs in a pan, cover with water, bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover and let stand 15 minutes, put in cold water.
I separate eggs with the back and forth shell method.
And, as stated above, zest and then juice.
I use the The Boy’s method for seasoning cubed or chopped meat. For larger cuts, I use Biggirl’s method.