Onion slices are versatile. In quick-cooking dishes, they stay distinct enough from the other ingredients that they don't permeate every bite as diced onions would. In longer-cooking dishes, they have enough surface area to turn soft and brown, but their natural shape and length keeps them intact.
To make contoured half-round slices, first cut the onion in half through the root.
Next, slice away the both ends of each half and pull away the onion's skin. Since the ends hold the slices together, cutting them off frees the slices to fall into individual pieces.
Starting on one side of the onion with the knife at an angle, make slices as thick or thin as you like.
Rotate the knife around the contour of the onion, bring it closer to perpendicular to the cutting board as you go.
How to select and ripen a mango
How to select and ripen a mango
Following a post on the Cookthink blog about OXO's mango splitter, several people emailed asking how to pick a ripe mango. We asked Aliza Green, author of Field Guide to Produce, for advice. Fresh off of six weeks on the road to promote her new book, Green just emailed back with some thoughts on mangoes:
Mangoes vary greatly in size and consistency, depending on variety. My favorite at the moment is the Ataulfo (AKA champagne) mango, a small kidney-shaped mango that has rich jellyish flesh with little stringiness.
Look for mangoes that are football shaped rather than thin or flat. The flatter mangoes may be stringy. Avoid stringy looking, shriveled mangoes. The mangoes that are fuller and rounder usually have the deep color of a ripe peach instead of the yellowish green that the other varieties have.
Avoid mangos with a sour or alcoholic smell. Because of their high sugar content, mangoes will ferment naturally.
Most mangoes when you buy them in the store are hard. They must be fully ripened before eating. Leave in cool room temperature till the flesh is yielding but not mushy. Peel color does not indicate ripeness, but most varieties will turn yellow as they ripen (except the Keitt and Kent, which can be ripe while they are still green).
Check the area around the stem; if it looks plump and round, the mango is ripe. With the stem end up, smell the mango. A ripe mango will have a sweet, fruity aroma and be slightly soft to the touch, like an avocado or peach. A few brown speckles is also a normal indication of ripeness. Once you've ripened the mango, you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days.
Recipe: Mango Wontons (Cook & Eat)
Recipe: Mango Lassi (Take-Out Menu Cookbook)
Do I need to rinse canned beans?
Do I need to rinse canned beans?
Yes, it's always a good idea. Why? Most canned beans are packed in a thick, salty liquid that adds unwanted texture and taste to a dish. Like many other canned foods, beans also contain a popular color preservative called calcium disodium EDTA. No bad side effects of the compound have been identified (though EDTA did have a role in the O.J. Simpson murder trial).
To wash canned beans, just pour them in a colander, rinse well with cold running water, and swish the beans around until most of the water drains off. If you don't use the whole can, toss the remaining beans with a splash of vinegar to preserve them longer. Store them in an airtight container (not the can) in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Why are some jalapenos hotter than others?
Why are some jalapenos hotter than others?
When it comes to peppers, being beautiful and popular does not make one hot. To wit, the year-round demand for prettier jalapenos has compromised some of the pepper's hotness.
To meet the demand, jalapeno breeding has promoted varieties that are flawlessly pretty, easy to ship and easier to grow in cooler climates. Jalapenos used to be grown mostly in the high deserts of New Mexico, Arizona, and Northern Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico. Hot, dry climates promote the production of capsaicin, the chemical that makes a hot pepper hot. Now, some varieties can be grown in wetter, cooler climates that don’t create enough heat for a spicy chile pepper.
If you like a hot jalapeno, look for Biker Billy, Early and Mitla varieties. For a milder version, try Delicas or Tam.
Recipe: Mexican Pilaf With Cumin And Jalapeno (Cookthink)
Reference: Help! I ate a hot pepper! (Cookthink)
Reference: How to seed a chile pepper (Cookthink)
