Here's a foolproof way to hard boil eggs. They'll have creamy whites and tender yolks every time.
First, put the eggs in a saucepan and cover them by about an inch with cold water.
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Lower the heat so that the water simmers. You don't want the water to boil and bounce the eggs around -- aim for consistent gentle bubbling. Simmer them this way, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Use a lid to hold the eggs in the pan while you pour the water out. Then shake the eggs around in the pan. They'll bang against each other and the sides of the pan, cracking their shells. This will make them easier to peel.
Cover the eggs with plenty of ice and cold water. Let them sit in the water at least five minutes. This will ensure that the yolks don't discolor. Then just drain and peel the eggs.
When no-cook lasagna noodles came on the market a few years back, it seemed like a wonderful development. No longer would we have wrestle with sticky, fragile noodles during the layering process. No-cook noodles do work great in lasagnas with plenty of liquid or sauce -- tomato-based lasagnas, for example -- that can completely cover the noodles during the baking.
But for dryer lasagnas, parboiling regular lasagna noodles is still a good idea. With the right tools, pre-cooking lasagna noodles isn't very hard.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles to the pot, using a pair of tongs to keep them from sticking together as they simmer. Meanwhile, spread out a couple of large clean kitchen towels. Pull the noodles from the boiling water when they're barely pliable but still very firm. As you take them out of the water, line them up on the towel. Layer more towels on top as needed. Let the noodles cool a little before starting to assemble the lasagna.
How much salt should I add to a pot of boiling water?
How much salt should I add to a pot of boiling water?
The wisdom about how much salt to add to a boiling pot of water is vast and varied.
Cooks will recommend anything from 10 to 50 grams per liter. Traditionally, it is thought that salty water helps green vegetables hold their color and makes pasta water boil more quickly, although both theories have their naysayers.
French culinary guru Joël Robuchon always adds two giant pinches of gros sel to a pot of boiling water for pasta or green beans with his pudgy and knowing fingers. He tells us that salting the water is our only chance to flavor pasta and help the vegetables stay bright. And while both pasta and vegetables will need additional salting after they're cooked, they will need less than if you neglect to salt them during the cooking process.
What to watch for when heating milk
What to watch for when heating milk
The first rule of boiling milk is this: Don't walk away. Boiling milk -- or scalding it to just beneath the boiling point -- is a delicate operation.
Even though milk is mostly made up of water, its protein and lactose contents are potential troublemakers when boiling, as they can burn and stick to the bottom of your pan, creating both a mess and a terrible taste. When milk climbs toward its boiling point of roughly 100 degrees celsius, the cream rises to the top and the water beneath creates steam, causing the milk to rise and spill over as soon as you turn your back.
When heating milk, many chefs advise rinsing out your (preferably heavy bottomed) pan before adding milk, which can help prevent burning. Also, keep the heat down. Milk will boil just as easily on medium heat. And don't be afraid to stir the milk every few minutes to keep it from sticking.
Reference: What's the point of scalding milk? (Cookthink)
A court-bouillon is an aromatic liquid or stock made with everything from simple sea salt to thyme, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, onion, carrot, celery, parsley, milk, wine, lemon or vinegar.
When cooked gently in a court-bouillon, delicate foods—notably fish and other shellfish, as well as eggs, veal and chicken—absorb a hint of the liquid’s flavor. Court-bouillon is usually prepared ahead of time and cooled (and strained) before using.
Fish cooked in court-bouillon that will be served hot is removed from the liquid once cooked through; if you intend to serve your fish cold, leave it to cool in the liquid before removing and skinning. Lemon or vinegar added to court-bouillon preserves the color of salmon and turns shellfish bright red.
In some places, you can buy court-bouillon freeze-dried. But it’s pretty simple to make yourself in about 30 minutes. A court-bouillon is not served with the final preparation, but that doesn’t mean you have to throw it out. Strained, used court-bouillon can be kept refrigerated in a sterilized jar and reused or incorporated into soups and white sauces. Reusing the court-bouillon only intensifies the flavor.
What's the point of putting oil in my pasta water?
What's the point of putting oil in my pasta water?
There is no point. Oil and water don't mix, remember?
Some people -- including certain Italian grandmothers -- add oil to their pasta water because of the received wisdom that it will prevent pasta from sticking. In fact, if you add oil to your pasta water, it will merely float to the top of the pot. Worse, it may give your pasta a slick surface, preventing sauce from being properly absorbed, which is the trick to a good marriage of pasta and sauce.
If you want to prevent pasta from sticking, stir it. The only thing you need to add to pasta water is a good dose of salt to season it. Properly seasoning your pasta -- while it cooks -- may result in less salt consumption overall, since you won't need to compensate by adding extra salt at the table.
A cardoon is a vegetable, also known as the artichoke thistle, that looks a bit like celery on a bad day and has a flavor reminiscent of artichoke hearts and salsify.
Popular in Italy, Spain and France, the cardoon is related to the Globe artichoke. An invasive, frost-sensitive plant that needs a lot of space, the cardoon grows as a weed in the Argentine pampas, California and Australia.
Cardoons can be baked, braised or boiled, and it's often a good idea to blanch them for up to 30 minutes before using them. (Beware of sneaky thistles that may be lurking on the outer stalks -- it's best to peel the outside a bit.)
High in sodium, cardoons are nevertheless recognized as a good source of potassium, calcium and iron. Artichoke oil, which is similar to sunflower or safflower oil, can be extracted from cardoon seeds. It is currently being studied and tested for its biofuel potential.
What's the point of covering a pot of water you've set to boil?
What's the point of covering a pot of water you've set to boil?
A watched pot never boils? Well, put a cover on said pot and it will boil before you know it, even right before your very eyes. Putting a cover on a pot of water you've set to boil is one of those time- and energy-saving tricks that is so obvious that it just may take years for it to dawn on you.
Covering your pot will trap heat, prevent evaporation, build pressure, and get your water boiling faster. Just remember that once you remove the lid, it will take the water a moment to return to a full boil.
Peeling eggs: do it underwater
Peeling eggs: do it underwater
It never occurred to me that I still had something left to learn about peeling boiled eggs.
However, the other day when I was running some oeufs mollets—boiled eggs with firm whites and gooey yolks—under cold water to make them tolerable to peel, I dropped one onto the bottom of the pan.
The shell splintered, so rather than taking it out of the water and rolling it around to break up and loosen the shell, I did it in the water. To my surprise, the fragile egg became much easier to peel. The water got under the shell and seemingly liberated it and the thin membrane underneath. After that I had an absolute orgy of egg boiling and peeling.
Reference: How to hard boil an egg (Cookthink)
Reference: What's the difference between white and brown eggs (Cookthink)
I love the smooth mildness of cooked garlic. This is a quick way to get that while boiling your pasta.
When the salted water comes to a boil and the pasta is tossed in, also toss in any number of unpeeled garlic cloves. If the pasta being used cooks more quickly (like fresh pasta), add the cloves to the boiling water about 2 minutes before adding the pasta. If the pasta -- such as ziti -- takes longer to cook, wait until about 7 minutes of cooking time are left and then add the garlic.
When the pasta is al dente -- after 6 to 9 minutes -- drain it. To peel the cooked garlic, hold the papery tip of the garlic peel in one hand and use a wooden spoon to press downward, towards the root end of the clove. The clove should just pop it out.
Reference: What does al dente mean? (Cookthink)
Reference: What's the point of putting oil in my pasta water? (Cookthink)
Russet or Idaho potatoes have a high starch and low moisture content, meaning they bake well, are fluffy when mashed and make excellent French fries. Because they tend to fall apart when cooked, use a waxy variety when making a potato salad or a gratin.
Potato starch or potato flour, made by grinding cooked, dried potatoes, is a gluten-free thickening agent. Be careful not to boil a preparation once it has been thickened with potato starch. Potato starch is also an approved ingredient for Jewish Passover preparations, because it is not grain-based like cornstarch.
Store potatoes in a cool, dark place. Refrigeration will turn their starch to unwanted sugar, making them grow unpleasantly dark when cooked.
Cooking lobster is quite easy, but eating it (especially for the first time) can be another matter. This video by Handmade TV provides directions for a successful lobster-eating experience.
