Kitchen 101

Kitchen 101 is a collection of kitchen and cooking tips designed to help you in the kitchen.

Cutting Boards, Knives and Other Utensils

Wipe away debris with a dry cloth or paper towel
Wash board with soap and water, using a clean brush to get into the grooves of the board
Finalize the sterilization process by apply bleach to the cutting board, rinse with hot water, place board in a clean area and allow to air dry
Clean knives in the same method; make sure knives are sharp=a sharp knife is a safe knife

Temperature Danger Zone: foods should be kept at temperatures between 41°-135°F
Refrigerators should be maintained at 40°F or less
The FDA Food Code requires that foods be cooled from 135° to 70° F within two hours and from 70°-41° F within an additional four hours
Thaw foods in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave, but never at room temperature
High Altitude Cooking: increase liquid and flour; decrease leavening agent and time
If you have multiple dishes to cool, do not stack them in the refrigerator; put them side by side at first, until they've cooled to a minimum of 41°F
Do not rinse chicken prior to cooking; rinsing raw poultry increases the risk of spreading salmonella throughout the kitchen and sink. Poultry manufacturers mechanically wash the chickens prior to packaging.

The best way to boil an egg is to actually simmer it; then cool in ice water
Prevent that green ring in boiled eggs: use fresh eggs, simmer, don't boil, cool in ice water
Best way to store eggs is on the top shelf of the fridge; not low or in the 'egg bin' in the door
Egg whites can be frozen without harm
Whole eggs or egg yolks can be frozen but must have sugar, salt or syrup added to them first
Egg whites are excellent foaming agents and two ingredients stabilize the egg foam: cream of tartar and sugar
Salt and fat (oil/butter) suppress foam, so if you need fluffy meringues, don't use oil or salt
If a recipe calls for raw eggs, best to use a pasteurized egg product
When making an egg foam, always use room temperature eggs

Buttermilk substitutes:
- 1 cup milk and juice of one lemon for buttermilk; let it stand for 3-5 minutes before incorporating into recipe
- Plain yogurts
- Kefir
- Sour cream
Milk substitute: 1 part evaporated milk to 1 part water
Homogenized milk has been processed so that the fat globules are broken up, which prevents a cream layer forming
Pasteurized milk is milk that has been processed to kill pathogens
Homogenized, pasteurized milk is not sterile, only UHT milk is sterile (ultra-heat-treatment)
UHT milk and creams are in the boxes on the shelves at the grocer; not in the cold dairy section
The best way to cook with milk is low heat; high heat causes the whey proteins to form a skin on the bottom and sides of the pan.
When making a whipped cream, use cold cream, a cold bowl and cold mixing utensils, otherwise, you'll end up with butter
When cooking with milk, always add acid to the milk at the end of the heating period

When melting cheese, a sharp cheese melts better than a mild cheese due to the aging process; aging breaks down proteins which allow the cheese to melt
High fat cheese melts faster and leave an oily residue
Low fat cheese separates when melted
Cheddar cheese has more calcium than cottage cheese
- cheddar cheese is a rennet cheese, wherein the calcium is retained in the curd
- cottage cheese is an acid cheese, wherein the caseins (proteins) coagulate and the calcium is lost in the whey
When cooking with cheese, select the best cheese, shred, grate or cube cheese before melting at a low temperature; in sauces, add the cheese at the end of the heating period to prevent separation
The best way to make a cheese, or Mornay sauce, is to start with a roux and slowly add the cheese.

When using whole or ground spices, add whole spices at the beginning of the cooking process; ground spices at the end
Fresh vs. dried herbs: use a 3:1 ratio for fresh : dried herbs
White pepper is stronger than black pepper because it is ripe; black pepper is not ripe

Common thickening agents are flour and cornstarch; if you use flour, you'll need twice as much than if you were using cornstarch
Flour contains proteins and starch, which makes the gravy cloudy instead of translucent; cornstarch will provide a clear gravy, or thickening sauce (think Chinese food)
Roux: a mixture of a liquid, starch and melted fat; used to make white sauces and dark roux for savory dishes
Slurry: a cold water thickener, usually made with flour or cornstarch