Kate's Cuisine » Cooking Tips

The Differences Between Olive Oils

kate — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:46:53 +0000

It’s something so simple that many of us use on on a daily basis. While it serves such a practical purpose, olive oil also adds tremendous flavour to anything it touches, and the quality and the type you use will greatly determine how your finished dish tastes at the end. I’ve often wondered what the difference is in olive oils, always choosing extra-virgin just because I know it’s “the best.” But why, and will it really make a big difference when you’re cooking with it?

An olive oil can be called “virgin” if there were only mechanical measures taken to extract the oil from the olive. Olive oil is produced by crushing the oil out of the olive. The crushing or the pressing is what’s considered to be the mechanical measure so if that’s all that’s involved, an olive oil can rightfully be called “virgin.” If any heat has been applied to the olives, or radiation, or solvents, then it cannot be called virgin olive oil. It is still however, olive oil. So if you see a label that just says, “Olive Oil” some other measure than just pressing it or crushing it has been used.

There are a few additional requirements, in addition to only mechanical measures being used, that an olive oil must meet to be deemed “extra” virgin olive oil. The main one is that the oil can have no more than 1% oleic acid, which is the major fatty acid in olive oil. Because there’s less of this fatty acid, extra virgin olive oil is much lighter than other olive oils, which makes it perfect for things like salad dressing. Other qualities of the olive oil will be analyzed to see if the olive oil can be called “extra virgin.” Some of these are colour, aroma, and of course, flavour.

There are other olive oils that are called “light” or “mild.” These oils are not virgin, and so some other element besides just the pressing came into play to extract the oil from the olives. Aside from that, the regular olive oil that’s used is of lesser quality and has often been refined several times. While you’ll still receive some of the flavour that you’d expect from olive oil, you’ll also find that it has a much milder taste and the colour is also much lighter. However, because it still has much of the fatty acid, this oil will taste and feel much heavier.

So there are actually differences in the different types of olive oil and the type you choose might depend on what you’re going to cook with it, or what your own personal preference is. I generally try to buy extra-virgin olive oil but it is of course, the priciest of the olive oils and so other times I’ll choose another type. I do find that the taste varies greatly between different manufacturers though so, check some out from a few different brands to see which one you like the best.

Time-Saving Tips

kate — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:14:52 +0000

Anybody who cooks on a regular basis wants to make sure that they are saving time whenever they can in the kitchen while still preparing delicious meals. The good news is that the kitchen is one area where you can make your own shortcuts and find time where you need it! Here are some of the tricks I use to save myself time in the kitchen.

I cook and freeze whatever I can. This means that if I’m making a lasagna for my family of 4, I’ll make a huge baking tray of it. Once we’ve eaten our share, I’ll transfer the cooled meal into another container and freeze it for another night. It’s so handy to be able to just reach in and grab something when you’re running about after work and preschool!
Planning your meals for a week will save you hours in the kitchen. You will not only not waste time wondering what you’re going to cook but you can also save time by roasting a chicken for your barbecued chicken one night and saving the breasts to be used for stir fry later in the week.
Buy produce when it’s on sale and chop up what you won’t use right away. Place in baggies or airtight containers and you have your prep done when you want to cook with them! Veggies are fine to freeze as long as you plan on cooking with them later.
A tip that I learned from watching Rachel Ray – use a bowl as a garbage can when you cook. This will stop you from wasting time going back and forth to the garbage but will keep it all nice and neat for you when it’s time to throw it away.
If you’re browning ground beef, pork, or chicken, brown large quantities at once and freeze it in 1-cup portions. Simply heating it up when you need it will be the same as freshly cooking it!

Helpful Cooking Supplies

kate — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:01:26 +0000

Every cook needs tools that they feel comfortable using and that make the job of feeding a small army (or your family) much easier and simpler. I have found along the way that there are some items that I simply cannot live without because they save me so much time and effort in the kitchen. Here are a few of my ‘must-have’ kitchen tools.

Potato Masher – These can be bought at a dollar store and are simply two pieces of plastic. One is a handle and the other is a masher that’s used to squish down potatoes and make them creamy and smooth. I’ve tried mixing my potatoes with a hand mixer but my husband and I both prefer them mashed by hand.

A Steamer – Whatever kind of steamer you want, make sure you have one! There are steamers that are pots inside of another pot, or that are simple folding platforms that can fit inside of another pot. Steaming is a great way to prepare fish and vegetables and every kitchen should have one.

Salad Spinner – For years I thought of a way I could get my lettuce completely dry without wringing the crap out of it. There isn’t one. If you don’t have a salad spinner, get one. Your salads will never taste better or crisper and you’ll save yourself a lot of effort. I bought mine 5 years ago for 10 bucks.

Roasting Pan – Roasting pans aren’t just for meat anymore. Use them to roast potatoes, squash, or lay your fish flat while it bakes, roasting pans are marvelous inventions! Invest in one that’s sturdy and if possible, has a grate at the bottom so your meat will always be perfect, crispy, and minus the fat!

Apple Slicer – Maybe it’s because I have kids who love sliced apples but I couldn’t live without this little gadget that makes preparing snack time simple and easy instead of time consuming and a pain in the neck!

Slotted Spoon – It seems like such a simple thing but when you have carrots in water or perogies bubbling away that you need out of liquid but don’t want to drain, slotted spoons are just the thing!

Kitchen Shears – These are great tools that make snipping parsley, cutting though tough meat, or cutting up your kid’s food a breeze!

Serated pairing knife – This is the perfect thing for when I want to dig into my plump, juicy tomatoes but want to do so with precision and not lose too much of the juice!

Shelf Lives of Common Items

kate — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:49:49 +0000

It’s easy to turn over a carton of sour cream or milk and check out the expiry date. But what about those noodles or flour in your pantry? Dry goods, although they certainly last much longer than fresh food, certainly have a shelf life and although it may be longer, it’s certainly not unlimited. Here are some common items and the shelf lives you might not have even known they have!

Flour: A bag of flour left unopened will keep for up to a year. But always mark your bag after you open it because it will only keep 6-8 months after that.

Sugar: A bag of sugar that is not open will keep its same flavour for 2 years. Sugar doesn’t go bad but the flavour of it can change.

Brown sugar: Brown sugar is only white sugar that’s had molasses added to it. Because of this, brown sugar still hardly ever goes bad but it does change flavour, and it does happen much faster than white sugar. A bag of unopened brown sugar will only stay good for 4 months.

Confectioners sugar: Good news for bakers! Confectioners sugar, or icing sugar, will keep its delicate and light flavour for 18 months if left unopened.

Solid shortening: Shortening that’s not opened will keep for 8 months. Once opened though, it only has 3 months.

Cocoa: Cocoa is one ingredient that really can sit on your shelf unopened forever and not go bad. And even once you open it, it still has a year before it will start to change.

Baking Soda: Baking soda has 18 months on the shelf if unopened. It will expire after 6 months once it’s opened.

Baking Powder: Baking powder is much more delicate than baking soda. Perhaps this is why powder only stays good for 6 months unopened and only 3 months once it’s been opened.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch usually has 18 months if not opened and about 12 if it has been.

Dry Pasta/no egg: 2 years if not opened, one year if it is opened.

Dry Egg Noodles: Because of the egg in them, these noodles will expire quite quickly once the package has been opened. They only have 2-3 months. However, they can remain unopened in their package for 1-2 years.

Salad Dressing: Think all those bottles will last until you use them up? Once opened salad dressing actually has a pretty short life – only 3 months. They can keep unopened on your pantry shelf for a year usually though.

Honey: Honey goes bad within a year. This is true whether it has been opened or not.

Jams, Jellies, and Preserves: Kept in the pantry, these items will usually last 2 years. Once they are open however, they’ll only stick around for about 6 months.

Tips on Herbs & Spices

Tips on Herbs & Spices

kate — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:35:51 +0000

Herbs and spices really are what makes average-tasting dishes taste like they just came out of a gourmet kitchen. And wherever you go, there seem to be different theories on how to store them, how to buy them, and how to use them. Here’s the truth about herbs and spices that I’ve found from my very own kitchen.

The general rule of thumb is that herbs and spices should be kept in a cool and dry place. This eliminates your counter top and it eliminates the top of the stove. Supposedly. But the top of the stove is exactly where I keep most of my spices and I also have a spice rack that sits on the counter beside my stove. Both seem to work out fine.
Herbs and spices generally keep their potency for about a year. Whole herbs such as coriander or cloves may keep for as long as 3-5 years.
Whole spices are wonderful to use because you can grind them up just before you use them, which brings more flavour or you can toast them, which will do the same thing. Be warned however, that neither of these are time-saving tips.
If you buy your herbs in large quantities and want to keep them fresh, place them in an airtight container and freeze them. Do not place them in the fridge as it’s not cold enough and it’s too humid. The herbs will break down quite easily.
Rubbing dried herbs in the palm of your hands before adding to your food can help release even more flavour.
Dried herbs are much more potent than fresh. If substituting dried for fresh, only use 1/3 of what is called for.

Cooking Fish

kate — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:21:32 +0000

Including fish into your diet is not only a tasty way to give your family something different to eat but it’s also something that’s incredibly healthy for you because of the fatty oils that fish contains. I was at first a bit hesitant to try cooking fish because I knew nothing about it and it seemed so completely foreign to me. But I started out with salmon (thanks to the plethora of recipes available) and have moved on into halibut and sole fillets. These are a few things that I have noticed, or have found helpful, when preparing fish.

Fish cooks extremely quickly and delicate fish even more so. It’s important not to overcook it or to cook it over too hot a surface. This is what makes fish very rubbery.
When battering fish, always be sure to use cold batter. If the batter is warm, the fish will absorb too much of its oil, leaving you with greasy fish. The oil you use on the other hand should be extremely hot so that the fish browns nicely. To test the oil, drop a small amount of batter in. If it browns within a minute, your oil is hot enough.
If you’re done frying one batch of fish and don’t want it to get cold while you fry another, lay the fish on a plate that’s been lined with paper towels and keep it in a warm oven on a wire rack.
Always take the bones out of your fillets unless you need them for calcium intake – it’s much more appetizing.
When I have leftover salmon, I like to flake it all up and mix it in with a salad full of garden greens and a nice dill dressing!

Roasted Turkey Tips

kate — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:08:33 +0000

There’s nothing that will make you feel like a down-home cook more than roasting a turkey. Making sure that it’s perfectly seasoned, perfectly basted, and perfectly moist are all parts that make it worth the day’s effort it usually takes to cook. But most cooks who have never roasted a whole turkey before are intimidated to do so simply because it does seem like sort of an involved process. My mom always told me that any roast is the easiest supper to prepare and that turkey’s no different. As usual, mom was right on this one but it’s still good to arm yourself with a few tricks. Here are some tips I’ve found helpful in getting perfectly golden and perfectly moist roasted turkey.

Any turkey that I’ve ever bought, or have seen my mom buy, has come frozen. However, I’ve heard that buying fresh-killed turkeys does make a difference in the tenderness of the bird.
When it comes to choosing a size for your turkey, think middle of the road. You can get turkeys as little as 6 pounds but they can get as big as 26 pounds. You’ll have problems with the wee turkeys because they can become blotchy and the massive birds may not be able to cook all the way through, which will present a safety issue.
Trussing a turkey is important so that it can be made into a ball, which prevents areas such as the wing tips from burning because they are ‘sticking out.’ To properly truss a turkey, first bend the wing tips under themselves, which may take a little bit of force. Then, with the trussing tucked under the turkey, run it up along both sides of the bird. Making sure that the wing tips are flat under the trussing, move to the drumsticks. Truss the drumsticks close to the rest of the turkey, pulling the trussing tight up against the drumstick. Run both sides of the trussing to the flabby tail flap and tie it tightly so it will remain on the bird during the cooking time.
A turkey lifter is a must-have for when you’re making a turkey dinner. Turkey lifters come in two main styles. One is a giant metal prong that is placed into the cavity of the bird with a long handle sticking out. When it’s time to pick up the bird, you can do so with one hand by simply taking hold of the handle. Other lifters come made from a silicone material and are placed underneath the turkey. The sides then come up over the sides of the bird when it’s time to take it out of the pan, giving you a little turkey sling to make things easier!
Placing the roasting pan on a heavy cookie sheet can help you pull it out of the oven.
An instant-read thermometer is essential when you’re roasting a turkey. This way you not only make sure that the entire bird is cooked and safe to eat before anyone digs in but you can also make sure you don’t overcook your meat and end up with dry bird.

Chicken Tips

kate — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:37:34 +0000

One of the best things about chicken is that there are so many great things to do with it! Whether you want to chop it up for a stir-fry or chicken fingers, or barbecue breasts, there is never an end of things you can do with a simple chicken! There’s not only a ton of things that you can do with chicken but it’s super simple to cook with too. Chicken really will stand up to just about anything you have to throw at it but there are a few tips that can make it not only withstand your cooking, but show it off beautifully!

When you’re buying chicken, there are a few things you want to look for. Chicken should be pink, both along the skin and at the tips of bones. Bones that have greying tips or chicken with yellowing skin is not very fresh and should be avoided.
Also before you buy it, squeeze the package some to see if you notice any ice crystals within it. Chicken, if possible, should not be frozen as it can damage the proteins and make it harder for you to determine how fresh the chicken really is.
Keeping the skin on chicken does give it more fat but it also locks flavour inside and makes it very tasty!
If you need to cut your chicken into strips, cut it across the grain. This gives it smaller fibres and makes it much more tender!
Cutting your chicken when it’s partially frozen can also help make the job easier. It takes away some of the mess and slime that comes with raw chicken and can make it much faster too!
After roasting a chicken, stand it on its end so that the juices run into the breasts, which are much drier cuts. You can do this while you’re waiting for the chicken to be carved, which should be about 10 minutes anyway.
If a recipe calls for cooked, cubed chicken, you can assume that you will need 1 pound of boneless chicken for every 3 cups of cooked and cubed chicken.
White meat (the breasts), cook faster than dark meat (the thighs, legs, and wings.) When cooking chicken in separate pieces, add the breasts last so they can finish at the same time as the rest.
Crowding chicken on a grill, in a pan, or in a roasting dish will block steam from coming up between the pieces and can result in chicken that’s not browned nicely.

Baking Tips

kate — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:20:49 +0000

Baking is both an art and a science. While some of the most luxurious and tasty treats in the world require them to be baked, the process of baking is something that needs to be methodical and done exactly according to instructions.

It’s always important to use the freshest ingredients possible when cooking but this is especially important with baking. Using baking soda that’s slightly too old could result in flat biscuits or using flour that’s expired could mean a lumpy or grainy mess. Always make sure you know what the expiry dates are on the products you’re using and use only fresh, fresh, fresh!
Over-mixing can be deadly to delicate pastries and doughs so be sure to read the recipe to see how much you need to mix it. Over-baking is another crucial mistake. Even just two minutes too long in the oven can ruin those 60 cookies you just slaved over.
Preheating the oven is very important in cooking so that the food can be cooked at an even temperature the entire time.
Temperatures, just like measurements and everything else involved with baking, must be exact. Buy a cheap oven thermometer to make sure that you’re cooking at the temperature you should be.
Aluminum baking pans shouldn’t be used, even for the easiest and lowest-maintenance recipe. For things such as cakes and cupcakes metal, non-stick pans are generally best but for pies, glassware will cook those best.

Broiling Tips

kate — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:10:59 +0000

The biggest broiling debate seems to be whether or not you should broil with the oven door open or closed. I keep mine closed when I broil but I can also see some benefits to leaving the door open slightly. Leaving it open a bit lets you peek inside to make sure that your food isn’t burning and it also lets you make sure there are no flare-ups, which sometimes happens with broiling. But I find that leaving the door closed also helps lock the heat inside and I also don’t need to worry about one of my kids bonking their head against the open over door.

However you choose to position the oven door, it’s most important that you keep a close eye on the food as one minute of over-broiling can be dinner disaster. Other than watching your food like a hawk, here are some other tips that I hope you find helpful.

Food usually needs to be broiled 4 inches away from the heat away source. This means that the top of the food should be 4 inches away and you should try to measure it as accurately as you can.
Food that is at room temperature before going into the oven is best for broiling.
Many people don’t like broiling because it can create a bit of a mess. Try covering the dip tray and the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil that you can toss after cooking or spray it with vegetable oil so that when you slide it out, washing it’s a breeze!
Hot oil dropping down into the drip pan can be a source of easy flare-ups. Placing a piece of bread in the pan will soak up the oil and prevent it from the splattering that causes the flare-ups.
Preheating the broiler is crucial. This cooks your food extremely quickly at an extremely high heat, which gives the best broiling results.
If you are basting meat while you’re broiling it, warm the basting sauce up a little before placing it into the broiler. Covering hot food with cold basting sauce can make cooking times longer and can burn or dry out the food.