A Second Course

Spices are at their highest level of flavor immediately after you grind them and then start to lose flavor rapidly. In fact, ground spices should be tossed after 6 months (you can keep their whole form for years). I realize this doesn’t bode well for all those dusty containers on your spice rack. I’d be willing to bet some of them have been sitting opened for years!!

I encourage you to try an experiment at home. Take some freshly ground black pepper in one bowl and the pre-packaged ground pepper sitting on your spice rack in another bowl. Taste the two. I can guarantee you will identify the difference immediately. So whenever possible, please try to grind your own spices. Not only will they taste better, but whole spices generally cost less than their pre-ground counterparts. Invest in a cheap coffee grinder to do all the dirty work. If your food could talk, it would thank you!

Does the phrase “like oil and water” ring a bell? No this posting isn’t about you and your in-laws. Under normal circumstances, oil and water cannot mix together evenly because oil is lighter than water. Have you ever noticed that your homemade salad dressing breaks apart just a few minutes after shaking? Its about time I share my secret for making a great vinaigrette. I should know, its been about ten years since I have purchased a pre-bottled salad dressing at the grocery store:

1 part acid : 3 parts oil  + mustard (the secret ingredient) to taste

1) Whisk the mustard and acid together and season with salt and pepper.

2) Slowly add the oil in a steady stream, constantly whisking to emulsify the dressing.  You will notice it becomes a little cloudy. Re-season to taste.

I personally like to use fresh lemon juice, red or champagne wine vinegar, even rice wine vinegar for a little sweetness plus extra virgin olive oil, but any oil and acid will work. Use whatever flavor you like best and your food will taste great!

The key to this great vinaigrette is starting with the acid since it weighs more, and incorporating an emulsifying agent like mustard which has enzymes that will help disperse the acid in tiny droplets throughout the oil  (and keep it together).  You’ll never go back to the bottle again!

Have you ever bought a bunch of parsley for a recipe and ended up throwing most of it away a few days later when it goes bad?  That will never happen again! Below is my next food tip of the day for chopping, washing and storing parsley!

1) Gently rinse parsley and shake out excess water.

2) Remove all the leaves (try not to discard the stems, they can be used to flavor a nice stock or sauce).

3) Finely chop the leaves using a rocking motion with your knife –  one hand placed on the handle, the other gripping the tip (see picture below). When you think you’ve chopped the leaves small enough, keep on chopping! It takes me a good 10-15 minutes to finely chop an entire bunch of parsley.

4) Place the chopped parsley in a cheesecloth sachet (a regular cloth dinner napkin twisted at the top will work) and run under cold water until the water changes from green to clear. This ensures the parsley is clean.

5) Squeeze all of the liquid out and then dry the parsley off in paper towel. It should be light, fluffy and clean.

6) Freeze the excess parsley and it will be available whenever a recipe calls! And the best part – no need to thaw out before using…. just sprinkle right onto your food or plate as a garnish!

Did you know that copper is the best heat conductor but can be very expensive and heavy! Aluminum is the second best heat conductor, but the metal itself is very soft so it bends easily. It can also impart a metallic flavor and discolor certain foods. For the majority of my pots and pans,  I personally use stainless steel with either an aluminum or copper core on the bottom. At school, most of our pots and pans are stainless steel as well.

Stainless cleans easily, is food friendly, and is very strong. While it gets a bad rap for having hot  or cold spots on its own, the addition of an aluminum or copper core bottom/sandwich, make this material ideal for most of your pot and pan needs.

Just do yourself a favor, stick with the non-stick pan when cooking eggs!

Thanks for all the great feedback on the watermelon posting + photography. I’m so happy all of you enjoyed learning about how to select ripe melons. I promise to write lots more tips for shopping the market in the coming weeks, especially with all the incredible summer produce just a few short weeks away!