Tips and Tricks for Grilling Pork

I recently discovered pork tenderloin. I have no idea why it took me so long, but it is quite possibly my most favorite meat to cook and enjoy. You really can't go wrong - it will nearly always come out juicy and tender!

I looked up some tips and tricks when it comes to selecting, preparing, and cooking pork since besides frying bacon and roasting the occasional ham, I previously didn't do much with pork.

What to look for:

• Meat should be light to redish pink. Avoid anything pale or grayish. 
• The fat should be creamy white and smooth. 
• The meat should feel firm to the touch, with a fine, smooth grain. 
• If the pork is packaged, there should not be much moisture in the package, and what there is should be clear. 

To prepare pork:

• Remove the sinewy layer on the surface (silver skin) by slipping the tip of a sharp, thin knife under one end of the silver skin. Grab the loosened end with your fingers and slide the knife away just under the skin at a slightly upward angle. 
• Spareribs and baby back ribs have a thin, tough membrane attached to the bone. Use a blunt tool such as a flathead screwdriver to get under the membrane and remove it so that seasonings and sauces can penetrate. Once under the membrane, slide the tool around under the membrane to loosen it. Using the tool, stretch the membrane up to open up a flap. Using a paper towel, get a good grip and peel the membrane off the ribs (sounds yummy, no?)
• Pork is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F, however many believe this is overdone (I cook mine to 170 because I'm meat-paranoid), so many cook pork to an internal temperature of 150 to 160 degrees F (when there is still a light shade of pink on the inside).

Tender cuts for grilling include rib chop, loin chop, center-cut chop and tenderloin. 

For a fresh and quick tenderloin recipe, click here.

Reference: Weber's Real Grilling by Jamie Purviance

A Brief Reflection on Creme de Tartre

As part of my daughter's cookie decorating birthday party, I obviously needed to make cookies. The sugar cookie recipe I have from my mother-in-law called for cream of tartar. I had no idea what cream of tartar was. 

At the grocery store, I set off to the dairy section and when I had no luck there I headed for the aisle that contained condensed milk. I mistakenly thought (as the name would imply), that cream of tartar was some sort of cream. I tracked down a store employee who looked like they might bake (i.e. a woman in the bakery section versus the 15 year old boy in the produce isle). She promptly took me to the spice aisle. It's a powder sold with the spices! 

After I got it home, I got curious about what exactly this stuff was. Here is what the jar says; "Cream of tartar is indispensable for a number of cooking and baking applications. Essential for use as a stabilizer for beaten egg whites, it is commonly required in angel food cakes and meringues. Cream of tartar helps prevent the crystallization of sugar in candy making and is often an ingredient in fondants and fudges". Ingredients: Potassium Bitartrate.

Despite a number of university chemistry courses under my belt, I felt no closer to understanding what this ingredient was. So I dug a little deeper. Turns out is is an acid. 


Cream of tartar is obtained when tartaric acid is half neutralized with potassium hydroxide, transforming it into a salt (sounds impressive, doesn't it). Grapes are the only significant natural source of tartaric acid, and cream of tartar is obtained from sediment produced in the process of making wine (how it ever crossed someone's mind to use wine sediment in baking, is beyond me)


Basically, it gives more volume to beaten egg whites and creates a creamier texture in candy and frosting by preventing the formation of sugar crystals . It is an essential ingredient in play doh and gingerbread house icing.


Tips and Tricks:

• If you are beating eggs, and don't have any cream of tartar, you can use white vinegar (~1.8 tsp per egg white), but your baking may turn out coarser. 
• It can be used with white vinegar to make a pasty cleaning agent, which can be used to clean brass and copper cookware, and used as a stain remover for sinks and bathtubs.
• Cream of tartar and hydrogen peroxide can remove rust stains without scratching the surface (always test a small area first though). 
• If mixed with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), the two will neutralize each other, creating carbon dioxide and a sodium acetate solution, which mimics the action of baking powder. This is how most cooks made baking powder before it became commercially available (apparently, you need to be careful when doing this however).

After all this, I have yet to understand where the "cream" part of it's name comes from, except to link it to the fact that it makes frosting and icing creamier (if any of you know, please do tell!), but at least I learned something today.

Sources:

O Chef

Safeway Cream of Tartar bottle

Wikipedia

Tips and Tricks for Cooking with Fish Fillets

Growing up, I didn't eat much fish. My mom didn't like it and I always assumed, to my dad's frustration, that I didn't like it either. It wasn't until I was in college that I realized, fish is okay. My relationship with it is improving. Given it's health benefits, I have been making an effort to include more of it in our diet.

I am creeped out by the idea of fish eyes staring back at me when I cook, so for now I am sticking with fillets. Here are some tips and tricks for cooking with fish fillets that I've come across in my search for recipes.

1. A fillet is a boneless or nearly boneless piece cut lengthwise from the sides of the fish. It may or may not have skin.
2. When shopping for fillets, fresher is better. Look for vibrant flesh. If there is still skin on the fish, it should be shiny. Give it the smell test - it should not have a pungent or overly fishy smell. If there is any liquid on the flesh, it should be clear, not milky.
3. Fish perishes quickly. Only store it in your fridge for a day or two. If properly sealed, and kept in a deep freeze, fish can keep in the freezer for up to six months. When thawing frozen fish, thawing it in milk helps keep the fish tasting fresh (don't ask me why).
4. Sturdier/fattier fish (such as grouper, salmon and tuna) are better for grilling, as they practically baste themselves. Thinner cuts are great for frying or baking. Lean (such as cod, haddock, sole or halibut) fish can dry out at high temperatures, so a protective coating is a good idea when frying. 
5. To remove skin from a fillet, make an incision near the tail, hold firmly and cut down at an angle with the knife. 
6. Rinsing fish in cold water and lemon juice helps to maintain its color and enhance its flavor.
7. Once you start cooking your fish, leave it be! Turn only once (fish less than 1/2 in thick do not require turning). This helps develop a nice crust on the fish.
8. A general rule for cooking fish fillets, is to cook it 10 minutes for every inch of thickness.
9. Fish can easily be overcooked. Remove fish from heat a couple of minutes before end of estimated cooking time as it will continue to cook after you have removed it.
10. Many fish-eaters prefer tuna and salmon when it is still raw on the inside. This is not my cup of tea. The best way to check for doneness, is to use a thermometer. Cooked fish should have an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. You should remove the fish from the heat source when the internal temperature is around 140 degrees F, to avoid overcooking. Flesh should be opaque, firm, moist, and easily separate or flake. 
11. Don't be afraid to experiment with different herbs, spices and flavored butters, but try not to overwhelm mild tasting fish. 
12. Lastly, I always make "fish night" the night before garbage pick-up. That way all the packaging, skin, etc. doesn't sit around stinking up the kitchen or garage.

Coming soon: a simple way to prepare oven roasted cod!

Sources:

About.com
Cook's Kitchen Handbook; 500 Basic Recipes

recipetips.com

Tips and Tricks on Making S'mores

The S'more. A staple in camping culture. A s'more (as in "some more, please") is not difficult to make, and some might say there is no wrong way to make one. Which is nearly true, with one exception: I really do not think microwaved s'mores are the same.

Here are the basic steps to s'more success...

What you'll need:

• 1 box of graham crackers
• 1 bag of large marshmallows 
• 3-5 bars of hershey milk chocolate bars
• paper towel (baby wipes work better), for cleaning your hands afterward

Have a campfire going. The only true way to make a s'more is over a campfire.  (Waiting until the fire has burned down and there are lots of glowing embers is best).

Upon a graham cracker, lay enough chocolate (I use about 3 pieces) to cover cracker.

Toast the marshmallow until golden brown. I find it's easiest to go marshmallow by marshmallow instead of roasting multiple marshmallows at a time. This helps to ensure the marshmallow is hot enough to melt the chocolate.

Using another graham cracker, push the marshmallow off of the roasting stick onto the piece of chocolate. Top with the graham cracker and smoosh to ensure complete chocolate meltage.

Let cool (many a tongue have been burned!). Enjoy! Serves ~5.

Papaya Facial

"Fruit of Angels" (Christopher Columbus)

Turns out papayas are magical fruits. Not only are they rich in proteolytic enzymes (enzymes that aid the digestion of protein), many claim they have rejuvenating properties, especially for the control of premature ageing. I personally had never given any thought to papayas until I came across the recipe for an exfoliating facial in Lisa Johnson Mandell's Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want (I recently notified my boss that I will not be returning from maternity leave, prompting an immediate run to the library for literature on careers. Early mid-life crisis you ask? I'll get back to you).

Papaya Facial 

I used half of a papaya to make this papaya facial (and the other half to make Black Bean and Papaya Salsa - stay tuned!). 

1. Peel and remove the seeds from a ripe papaya

2. Chop the papaya into small pieces and blend in a blender until smooth (you may need to stop the blender after a couple of seconds to scrape the edges down)

3. Apply the facial to cleansed neck and face, but avoid eye area. Wait 15 - 20 minutes before rinsing with warm water.

Do I feel like 5 years have been taken off my face? Not really, but my skin does feel fresh and soft and there is plenty left over for tomorrow. 

1. 
   
2. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Kitchen-inspired Mother's Day Ideas

With Mother's Day right around the corner, I can't help but notice the increase in advertisements for such things as spa packages, appliances,  and jewellery for your mom. I enjoy the spa and something shiny as much as the next person, but I can't help but feel what many of us feel, and that's the commercialization of holidays. Did you notice that the Easter isle in Walmart this year, was bigger than ever?

At the end of the day, what I want most is to know that I was thought of on Mother's Day, and to have my family spend a little time with me. I think Mother's Day, the same as Family Day or Father's Day, should promote connecting with loved ones, and not annoy people by reminding them they have to run out and buy yet another gift.


So here are seven simple ways to make your mom feel thought of this Mother's Day:

1. Cook your mom's favourite dish and have her over for lunch or dinner (pretty basic, but you can make it special by putting some real thought and planning into what you make)
2. Compile yours, your mom's and some of your mom's mom's recipes if possible, into a recipe box or recipe binder (which you can easily decorate yourself for an added personal touch)
3. Buy some fabric paint and decorate an inexpensive plain apron (enlist your kids for help!)
4. Sign yourself and your mom up for a cooking class
5. Start a little boxed herb garden that your mom can maintain in her kitchen
6. Do a surprise clean-up in your mom's kitchen. Include tackling some of those more annoying jobs like shining up the kitchen sink and pots, organizing her cookbooks, tupperware drawer or pantry (unless she has a system going - never mess with a woman's system!); cleaning the fridge, and washing the windows
7. Make your mom some homemade soup, lasagne or casserole and stock up her freezer to give her a few nights off from the kitchen

Know of other simple ideas?

FEVBWMMQPJTH