New Kitchen Tip

After a wonderful weekend camping I cam home to an email box full of stuff. Amongst all the "stuff" was an email from an old childhood friend with whom I recently reconnected on Facebook. He tells me that he is an avid reader of my food blog. Anyhoo, his name is John and he sent me a bunch of kitchen/home tips that he received from his wife, but there are some that I'm not familiar with so I thought I'd pass one on to you.

Here's one in particular that I found interesting, and thanks again, John!

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Can anyone either confirm or deny this about peppers? I assume the green bell peppers are what's being addressed. Please leave a comment if'n ya know!

Be well, eat well, love well, live long!!

Handy Quick Tip

After frying a morsel of edible goodness, instead of using paper towels flatted on a sheet pan to absorb the oil, crumple up the paper towels and lay them out loosely. The crumpled up towels reach up into the nooks and crannies of the food and help absorb even more oil.

And for goodness sakes, don't use shortening/Crisco(TM) when frying. That stuff's got NASTY trans fats in it. It'll lower your good cholesterol, raise the bad stuff and harden them arteries quicker than you can say, "OUCH, THAT HURTS!" Use canola oil or olive oil. They contain lots of good fats. More on this topic later.

I don't remember where I got the crumpled paper towel tip while blog-hopping, but I think it was at The Paupered Chef . If not, it's still a great blog worth reading.

Be well, eat well, love well & live long!

Kitchen Tip of the Week

Got sticky pasta?

Many people shy away from cooking pasta because too often the results are a gooey sticky mess. A long time ago I learned a tip about the secret to preventing pasta from sticking. And no, it's not about adding olive oil to the pasta water.

Two things are very important in making pasta. One is to salt the pasta water before putting the pasta in to be cooked. This thoroughly seasons the pasta while it's cooking. The second tip(and the one that prevents stickygooeyness) is to use a LOT of water. I mean a LOT!! A gallon per pound of pasta is the general rule. The third facet of pasta cooking is to heat the water to a "rolling boil."

There you have it! Well-cooked pasta. Buon appetito!

Bonus Tip: Don't throw away that pasta water. Use it in the sauce that you make. It adds a wonderful flavor and, as an added bonus, helps thicken the sauce just a bit.

Be well, eat well, love well & live long!