Food Tips - better ways with them....

[creative]

I checked this section and couldn't see this topic, so here goes. How to get the most out of your food, re. selecting, brief storage (before eating) etc.

Globe Artichoke
Once I get it home, I take a very thin slice off the stalk base, then place the artichoke in a sturdy cup with water to slightly cover the base of the stalk.

Celery
As above, but I cover the stalks with the upturned plastic bag.

Strawberries
Wash before hulling, since otherwise the water penetrates the fruit

Limes
I have recently read (and found to be true) that buying the yellow ones have more juice. Also, rolling the lime on a table will yield its juice more (same for lemons and oranges)

 

[menumaker]

Carrots stay fresh longer if they still have their green leaves attached.
Left over onion doesn't smell ( much ) if covered firmly in clingfilm and stored in the fridge.
Never leave mushrooms in plastic wrapping and never wash, just wipe with a damp cloth or they will absorb the water.
This Ok for starters on this thread??

 

[creative]

Yes great! Thanks for contributing.

If someone has a successful way of storing cheese, i.e. without it going sweaty or mouldy, I would like to know. I have tried wrapping it in greaseproof paper and then in foil but it is not very effective. I read today that it needs some air (to not go mouldy) and that storing it in a loose plastic bag that has some kitchen paper towel in it, crumpled is good. Anyone tried this or have another method?

 

[Aunt Bea]

Carrots stay fresh longer if they still have their green leaves attached.
Left over onion doesn't smell ( much ) if covered firmly in clingfilm and stored in the fridge.
Never leave mushrooms in plastic wrapping and never wash, just wipe with a damp cloth or they will absorb the water.
This Ok for starters on this thread??

Try storing your piece of leftover onion in a wide mouthed jar with a tight fitting lid, it will last several days and the butter in the fridge will not taste like onion.

 

[jennyema]

It's fine to wash mushrooms with water. In fact, for some kinds of mushrooms it's a huge mistake not to.

Here's Harold McGee on the topic:

"I was skeptical about the mushrooms-absorb-water idea and so did the soaking experiments with standard white mushrooms for “The Curious Cook” back in 1990. I’ve since tried a number of others, and if you make sure to shake the water out of the nooks, fresh mushrooms absorb little if any water. I’d also say that since they’re already around 90% water, a little more or less isn’t going to make much of a practical difference in the subsequent cooking....

So I wash my mushrooms with a clear conscience.

Harold"

 

[Aunt Bea]

When the bunch of celery starts getting limp and tired looking I trim it up and stand the stalks in a large glass of water, in the fridge, overnight to restore its crispness.

I also rinse mushrooms under running water to remove the clumps of dirt and horse poop! Just a quick rinse, don't let them soak.

The most important tip I can offer is only buy what you can use, stop feeding the garbage pail!

Better that you should run out of something than have to toss it out!

 

[GotGarlic]

I think this thread is pretty much the same: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12139

I store cheese in zip-top plastic bags with the top of the bag folded over, not closed. Feta comes in a little plastic box with salt water in it, so I just keep it there.

jennyema, Alton Brown did the same experiment with the same result.

I don't wash strawberries until I'm about to use them - not because they will absorb water (they won't) but because if they're stored damp, they will mold more quickly.

Re: limes, we had a discussion on this recently. I microwave them for 15 seconds, roll them on the countertop, cut in half and use a fork to break the juice pockets open, then use a citrus squeezer to get as much juice as possible.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Yes great! Thanks for contributing.

If someone has a successful way of storing cheese, i.e. without it going sweaty or mouldy, I would like to know. I have tried wrapping it in greaseproof paper and then in foil but it is not very effective. I read today that it needs some air (to not go mouldy) and that storing it in a loose plastic bag that has some kitchen paper towel in it, crumpled is good. Anyone tried this or have another method?

The only cheese I have any experience with is real cheddar cheese, not processed cheese. If a chunk begins to mold I trim the mold and rub the cheese with a paper towel that has been soaked with apple cider vinegar.

 

[Addie]

It's fine to wash mushrooms with water. In fact, for some kinds of mushrooms it's a huge mistake not to.

Here's Harold McGee on the topic:

"I was skeptical about the mushrooms-absorb-water idea and so did the soaking experiments with standard white mushrooms for “The Curious Cook” back in 1990. I’ve since tried a number of others, and if you make sure to shake the water out of the nooks, fresh mushrooms absorb little if any water. I’d also say that since they’re already around 90% water, a little more or less isn’t going to make much of a practical difference in the subsequent cooking....

So I wash my mushrooms with a clear conscience.

Harold"

Jacques Pepin did the experiment right on his show. And with the scales. He weighed them before placing them in the water and then again after he lifted them out. And he let them sit in the water for a bit of time. The difference in the amount of water taken in by the mushrooms was so miniscule that it wouldn't even show on his scale. So I wash mine. Jacques told me it is all right. And if someone who has cooked for a President says to do it, then I will.

 

[Addie]

11 Ways to Keep Cheese Fresh & Mold-Free for as Long as Possible in Your Fridge « Food Hacks

Easy to store right.

 

[creative]

Ah thanks Addie...so I was doing it right, re. wrapping hard cheese in parchment/greaseproof paper and foil but I should have replaced the paper each time unwrapped. Must be an easier/less costly method.

To admin: I see that, despite my careful search, that there is already a similar thread to this. I don't mind if these posts can be amalgamated/incorporated into the original thread. Thank you.

 

[Addie]

Ah thanks Addie...so I was doing it right, re. wrapping hard cheese in parchment/greaseproof paper and foil but I should have replaced the paper each time unwrapped. Must be an easier/less costly method.

To admin: I see that, despite my careful search, that there is already a similar thread to this. I don't mind if these posts can be amalgamated/incorporated into the original thread. Thank you.

Replacing the moldy Parm cheese can be more expensive than wrapping it in new wrapping each time you open it. A roll of parchment paper or foil is a lot cheaper than a hunk of Parmesan cheese. .

 

[creative]

Replacing the moldy Parm cheese can be more expensive than wrapping it in new wrapping each time you open it. A roll of parchment paper or foil is a lot cheaper than a hunk of Parmesan cheese. .

It never gets to that stage Addie, i.e. totally mouldy. With the greaseproof paper and foil method, it can start to show signs of initial mould on just one side. I will wrap it up more loosely - seems to be the solution.

 

[taxlady]

I usually put my cheese in a plastic bag and clip it shut. My clips make it fairly air tight. I don't try to remove all the air from the bag. It works quite well. It usually takes a month or more to get mouldy. When it does, I cut off the mould and use a new bag.

I bought about a kilo of Parmigiano Regiano in March and it hasn't gotten mouldy. Of course I use it fairly frequently.

When I buy feta, the counter guy cuts off a piece and wraps it. I ask for some brine and he gives me a plastic tub of brine, already wrapped in cling wrap. I put the feta in one of my plastic containers with the brine and it stays good for months.

Soft cheeses like Brie or cream cheese are a whole different story.

 

[taxlady]

Carrots stay fresh longer if they still have their green leaves attached.
Left over onion doesn't smell ( much ) if covered firmly in clingfilm and stored in the fridge.
Never leave mushrooms in plastic wrapping and never wash, just wipe with a damp cloth or they will absorb the water.
This Ok for starters on this thread??

I was under the impression that the carrot leaves drew moisture and nutrients out of the carrots. I was taught to cut them off, leaving an inch or two of stem, as soon as I got them home from the store.

 

[GotGarlic]

I was under the impression that the carrot leaves drew moisture and nutrients out of the carrots. I was taught to cut them off, leaving an inch or two of stem, as soon as I got them home from the store.

They do. The purpose of the carrot is to provide nutrients to the tops so they can produce flowers and then seeds for reproduction. So if you leave them on, that's what they will do

 

[PrincessFiona60]

When I open a cheese, I do not take the whole wrapper off, I only remove as much as I need to access the cheese. I noticed that most mold growth starts where you have touched the cheese, so I don't touch what I will be storing.

I wipe the wrapper with vinegar before storing, also.

 

[creative]

I was under the impression that the carrot leaves drew moisture and nutrients out of the carrots. I was taught to cut them off, leaving an inch or two of stem, as soon as I got them home from the store.

I buy carrots that still show some greeness where the leaves have been chopped off. They appear fresher than those whose tops are just a black circle.

Also with lemons and oranges - I seek out those with green calyx. Cherries with green stalks (rather than dark, thinner/dried stalks) ...a lot of this is common sense I feel.

Oh and I always go for fruit/veg from the box underneath the top box - for the freshest ones!

 

[GotGarlic]

I buy carrots that still show some greeness where the leaves have been chopped off. They appear fresher than those whose tops are just a black circle.

I don't think the person who posted that was talking about a little nub of green, but the entire green tops.

 

[taxlady]

I don't think the person who posted that was talking about a little nub of green, but the entire green tops.

I'm pretty sure you are right. The word "leaves" was used.