Category: Kitchen Tips & Tools

Tips & Tools for the home cook.

Chef’s Tuesday Tip – Waste Not, Want Not

Keep herb stems for stock, infusions, or sauces Use celery leaves in stock or salads. Save vegetable ends in a bowl in the fridge to simmer at the end of the week for a vegetable stock. Strain and freeze or use. When using a jar of sauce, after emptying the jar, add a couple of…

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Chef’s Tuesday Tip – Smoke Point And Cooking With Oil

Recently my mother-in-law asked me why she had an issue with roasting a big batch of garden tomatoes that her neighbor had given to her. After asking a few basic questions, I knew the problem. She had followed a recipe/method online that advised her to use olive oil and roast at 450 degrees. The smoke…

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Chef’s Tuesday Tip – Consistency of Cut

If you’re roasting, boiling, sauteing, simmering, steaming, or otherwise cooking food, cut pieces consistently in size to ensure consistency in cooking through. Whether sliced, diced, cubed, or minced, consistency matters.

Pro-tip: Mise En Place

The French have a lovely phrase “mise en place” which means basically prep (wash, cut, measure, etc) all of your ingredients before you begin cooking or baking. This technique is actually pretty helpful. You can apply it to things like slowcookers meals where on a Sunday while prepping dinner, throw together all of the ingredients…

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On Trend: Charcuterie

If you want to use up things you’ve got, it is brilliant but you can also go with a plan and a shopping trip too.