Whenever you're planning to cook a big batch of greens (collards, mustards, kale, etc.), dedicate a couple of clean kitchen towels for their prep.
First, fill a large bowl with cold water and submerge the greens. Swish them around in the water, lift them out and repeat with another bowl of clean water. Then spread 2 large kitchen towels onto the counter, overlapping end to end. Lift the greens out of the water and shake them to remove some of the excess water. Then line the greens up on top of the kitchen towels and roll them up.
If you're not ready to cook them, just put the big cylinder of greens into the refrigerator — the moist towels keep them fresh.
An oyster knife is a short-bladed, dull knife designed shuck oysters. The tip is flat and pointed enough to penetrate the tightly closed hinge of an oyster shell, but rounded enough on the tip that it doesn't cut into the oyster's flesh.
Even though its blade isn't sharp, an oyster knife can be dangerous. When shucking an oyster the knife is usually pointed toward the hand that holds the oyster as you're trying to pry open the shell with the knife. Guard against slipping by protecting your hand with a stainless steel-mesh glove or a kitchen towel.
Reference: How to choose oysters
Reference: How to shuck an oyster
To shuck an oyster, you'll need an oyster knife and something to protect your hand. A glove or a doubled-over towel will do, or you can be extra safe with a metal mesh glove. Be sure to take your time and use caution to avoid injuring your hand.
Start by holding the oyster flat-side-up with the glove or towel in one hand and the oyster knife in the other.
Find the narrow point on one side of the oyster that marks the fulcrum, or hinge where the oyster shell opens and closes. With all fingers out of the way, carefully wedge the pointed end of the oyster knife between the shells.
Next, twist the knife to pry open the shell, and slide the knife along the opening between the shells.
Scrape the knife underneath the oyster to detach it from the shell, taking care not to lose any of the oyster's prized briny juices.
Reference: How to choose oysters (Cookthink)
Reference: What is an oyster knife? (Cookthink)
What's the point of letting dough rise?
What's the point of letting dough rise?
If you don't allow your bread dough to rise, you'll end up with a heavy and disagreeable loaf.
When you let dough rise, you're giving yeast a chance to leaven the dough. This happens when fermentation produces carbon dioxide gas that puffs it up. Dough should be left to rise in a warm place without draughts and covered with a clean kitchen towel to prevent a crust from forming.
The formal name for this process is proofing (sometimes calling proving).
What does it mean to proof dough?
What does it mean to proof dough?
Proofing is the formal name for the process that happens when you let dough rise.
During proofing (or proving), yeast leavens the dough when fermentation produces carbon dioxide gas that puffs it up. Dough should be proofed in a warm place without draughts and covered with a clean kitchen towel to prevent a crust from forming.
Depending on the recipe, dough may be proofed once or more.
