If you want rich, brown beef stock, add beef bones that have been browned in the broiler (about 6 inches from the heating unit). Your homemade soup will be free of fat ifyou make it ahead of time and then store it in the refrigerator until the fat solidifies and rises to the top of the container, where it's easy to remove. If fatty soups and stews aren't your dish, render them fat-free by stirring either lettuce leaves or ice cubes into the pot (don't allow the cubes to melt). Fat clings to both substances, which then can be discarded.
Worried about scorching and boil-overs when cooking soup in a large stock pot? You needn't be. Position 2 or 3 bricks around the burner so that the pot is elevated above the heating coils or the gas flames. Then simmer the contents as long as necessary over low heat. If you want a soup to have more body, add bones to the pot; marrow bones and veal bones are especially good. Thev contribute gelatin, which is a thickening agent. To maximize flavor when making soup, start heating bones and meat in cold, salted water, instead of dropping them into boiling water.
If the stew or soup you're preparing seems too salty, add sugar or a few slices of raw potato. (Discard the potato slices before serving). Soup too thin? Add mashed potatoes or instant rice, stirring until you get the desired consistency. When saving meat juices for stock, leave the fat in place on the surface. When it solidifies, it'll seal the stock and its flavor as if it were paraffin. If you want to clear a broth, add a few eggshells to the stock, and simmer it for 10 minutes. The eggshells will attract the "sediment.''
When cutting chickens into pieces, save the carcasses, necks, and gizzards. Freeze them, along with roast turkey and chicken carcasses; when you have enough, use the carcasses to make delicious chicken stock. It's easy to make a concentrated stock that will add a chefs touch to your soups. Reduce brown beef or chicken stock to a heavy, syrup-like consistency, being careful not to burn the stock. Store it in the refrigerator or freezer and just break or cut off small pieces as needed to flavor soups or sauces.
Here's how to clarify stock and make aspic in one step; For every quart of stock, sprinkle 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin into a cup of cold water. Set aside to soften. Beat 2 egg whites to a froth; crush the shells into the stock in a saucepan add the egg whites and the softened gelatin to the pan. Over high heat, stir until the mixture boils. Then turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. Strain it through a fine sieve lined with a wrung-out kitchen towel. Allow the stock to drip through the sieve without disturbing it. Use the aspic as directed in your recipe.
To save money, trim beef and veal roasts yourself. Store the bones in a heavy bag in the freezer, and use them to make beef stock. When making stock never allow the liquid to boil. Boiling will make the stock cloudy. There's no need to thaw frozen stock before using. Just pop a frozen block of stock into a covered saucepan and heat it gently until boiling. If freezer space is tight and you want to store homemade stocks, simply cook down the stock until it's reduced by half, then freeze it. To use, you can restore the stock to its original volume by adding water.
To avoid having all your plastic containers filled with frozen stock line each container with a heavy-duty freezer bag and fill it with stock. Cover and freeze. Slide the bag with the frozen stock from the plastic container. Seal the bag with tape or a twist tie, and return it to the freezer. For tastier clam chowder, add the minced clams at the last moment and cook just long enough to heat. As a bonus, the clams won't become mushy. To keep milk from curdling when you prepare tomato soup, add the soup stock to the milk instead of the milk to the stock.
The vitamin-rich water used for cooking vegetables can be frozen and used later for making a soup base. Roast, steak and chicken bones enhance the flavor of any soup stock, so freeze them for future use instead of throwing them away. Pureed leftover vegetables lend additional flavoring to soup stocks. If soup isn't on the menu, freeze the puree in ice cube trays and use the vegetable "cubes'' later as needed. Your brown sauce won't thicken if you add acids, such as citrus juice or vinegar, before the sauce has been reduced.
If your brown sauce is too thick you can thin it with more meat stock or a tablespoon or two of light cream. Don't cover meat sauces while keeping them warm. Moisture will build up and will dilute your sauce. Substitute beef, veal, or pork fat for butter when making a brown sauce for gravies. To give your sauce an extra-shiny appearance, whip in 2 tablespoons of cold butter just before serving. If a sauce begins to separate, add a little cold water. If the sauce begins to cool too quickly, alternate cold and hot water.
One way of making rich brown gravy for your roast is to put flour in a pie pan and let it brown in the oven along with the roast. When the meat is done, mix the toasty brown flour with a little cold water and heat it with the meat juice. To skim fat from stock add a tablespoon of cold water while the stock is simmering and discard the film that rises to the surface. You can freeze leftover hollandaise sauce in boilable plastic bags. Thaw as needed bv running warm water over the bag. If you make bearnaise sauce several hours ahead of time, keep it in a tightly closed, preheated vacuum bottle. If gravy's too salty, add several pinches of brown sugar. It'll remove the salty taste without sweetening.
Does your gravy taste burned? It won't if you stir in a teaspoon of peanut butter. There are two quick ways to darken gravy. The first is to mix a tablespoon of water with a tablespoon of sugar, heating the blend in a pan until the sugar browns and the water evaporates. Pour the gravy into this pan. The second method is to add coffee to the gravy it will add colorwithout affecting the flavor. If you want greaseless gravy, let the pan drippings sit for a few minutes. The grease will rise to the top where it can be skimmed off, leaving stock for grease-free gravy. If an egg-based sauce curdles, it's probably because it's been boiled. Keep the temperature moderate when making egg sauces.
A beurre manie makes a useful sauce thickener. For eveiy tablespoon of softened butter, mix in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour. The beurre manie' can be formed into small balls and stored well covered in the refrigerator for several weeks. To thicken a sauce, just break off part of a ball and whisk it into the sauce just before serving. Continue adding pieces of beurre manie until the sauce is the desired consistency. If you don't have a bowl large enough to hold the turkey dressing you're mixing try using a large plastic bag. Here's a quick way to stuff a small turkey: Sprinkle several bread slices with herbs and chopped onion, fold them in half, and push them into the cavity.
You'll be able to remove the dressing from a turkey easily if it's held in a cheesecloth bag that you've pushed into the cavity. When you're ready to serve, pull out the bag and turn the dressing into a bowl.
Here's how to prepare fresh chestnuts fora stuffing: With a small, sharp knife, slit the flat side of each chestnut; put the nuts in a saucepan, cover them with cold water, and bring to a boil. Cook for several minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. Working quickly with only a few nuts at a time, peel the outer and inner shells. Cook the peeled nuts in a saucepan covered with water or stock. Simmer until tender (about 30 minutes).
Worried about scorching and boil-overs when cooking soup in a large stock pot? You needn't be. Position 2 or 3 bricks around the burner so that the pot is elevated above the heating coils or the gas flames. Then simmer the contents as long as necessary over low heat. If you want a soup to have more body, add bones to the pot; marrow bones and veal bones are especially good. Thev contribute gelatin, which is a thickening agent. To maximize flavor when making soup, start heating bones and meat in cold, salted water, instead of dropping them into boiling water.
If the stew or soup you're preparing seems too salty, add sugar or a few slices of raw potato. (Discard the potato slices before serving). Soup too thin? Add mashed potatoes or instant rice, stirring until you get the desired consistency. When saving meat juices for stock, leave the fat in place on the surface. When it solidifies, it'll seal the stock and its flavor as if it were paraffin. If you want to clear a broth, add a few eggshells to the stock, and simmer it for 10 minutes. The eggshells will attract the "sediment.''
When cutting chickens into pieces, save the carcasses, necks, and gizzards. Freeze them, along with roast turkey and chicken carcasses; when you have enough, use the carcasses to make delicious chicken stock. It's easy to make a concentrated stock that will add a chefs touch to your soups. Reduce brown beef or chicken stock to a heavy, syrup-like consistency, being careful not to burn the stock. Store it in the refrigerator or freezer and just break or cut off small pieces as needed to flavor soups or sauces.
Here's how to clarify stock and make aspic in one step; For every quart of stock, sprinkle 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin into a cup of cold water. Set aside to soften. Beat 2 egg whites to a froth; crush the shells into the stock in a saucepan add the egg whites and the softened gelatin to the pan. Over high heat, stir until the mixture boils. Then turn off the heat and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. Strain it through a fine sieve lined with a wrung-out kitchen towel. Allow the stock to drip through the sieve without disturbing it. Use the aspic as directed in your recipe.
To save money, trim beef and veal roasts yourself. Store the bones in a heavy bag in the freezer, and use them to make beef stock. When making stock never allow the liquid to boil. Boiling will make the stock cloudy. There's no need to thaw frozen stock before using. Just pop a frozen block of stock into a covered saucepan and heat it gently until boiling. If freezer space is tight and you want to store homemade stocks, simply cook down the stock until it's reduced by half, then freeze it. To use, you can restore the stock to its original volume by adding water.
To avoid having all your plastic containers filled with frozen stock line each container with a heavy-duty freezer bag and fill it with stock. Cover and freeze. Slide the bag with the frozen stock from the plastic container. Seal the bag with tape or a twist tie, and return it to the freezer. For tastier clam chowder, add the minced clams at the last moment and cook just long enough to heat. As a bonus, the clams won't become mushy. To keep milk from curdling when you prepare tomato soup, add the soup stock to the milk instead of the milk to the stock.
The vitamin-rich water used for cooking vegetables can be frozen and used later for making a soup base. Roast, steak and chicken bones enhance the flavor of any soup stock, so freeze them for future use instead of throwing them away. Pureed leftover vegetables lend additional flavoring to soup stocks. If soup isn't on the menu, freeze the puree in ice cube trays and use the vegetable "cubes'' later as needed. Your brown sauce won't thicken if you add acids, such as citrus juice or vinegar, before the sauce has been reduced.
If your brown sauce is too thick you can thin it with more meat stock or a tablespoon or two of light cream. Don't cover meat sauces while keeping them warm. Moisture will build up and will dilute your sauce. Substitute beef, veal, or pork fat for butter when making a brown sauce for gravies. To give your sauce an extra-shiny appearance, whip in 2 tablespoons of cold butter just before serving. If a sauce begins to separate, add a little cold water. If the sauce begins to cool too quickly, alternate cold and hot water.
One way of making rich brown gravy for your roast is to put flour in a pie pan and let it brown in the oven along with the roast. When the meat is done, mix the toasty brown flour with a little cold water and heat it with the meat juice. To skim fat from stock add a tablespoon of cold water while the stock is simmering and discard the film that rises to the surface. You can freeze leftover hollandaise sauce in boilable plastic bags. Thaw as needed bv running warm water over the bag. If you make bearnaise sauce several hours ahead of time, keep it in a tightly closed, preheated vacuum bottle. If gravy's too salty, add several pinches of brown sugar. It'll remove the salty taste without sweetening.
Does your gravy taste burned? It won't if you stir in a teaspoon of peanut butter. There are two quick ways to darken gravy. The first is to mix a tablespoon of water with a tablespoon of sugar, heating the blend in a pan until the sugar browns and the water evaporates. Pour the gravy into this pan. The second method is to add coffee to the gravy it will add colorwithout affecting the flavor. If you want greaseless gravy, let the pan drippings sit for a few minutes. The grease will rise to the top where it can be skimmed off, leaving stock for grease-free gravy. If an egg-based sauce curdles, it's probably because it's been boiled. Keep the temperature moderate when making egg sauces.
You'll be able to remove the dressing from a turkey easily if it's held in a cheesecloth bag that you've pushed into the cavity. When you're ready to serve, pull out the bag and turn the dressing into a bowl.
Here's how to prepare fresh chestnuts fora stuffing: With a small, sharp knife, slit the flat side of each chestnut; put the nuts in a saucepan, cover them with cold water, and bring to a boil. Cook for several minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. Working quickly with only a few nuts at a time, peel the outer and inner shells. Cook the peeled nuts in a saucepan covered with water or stock. Simmer until tender (about 30 minutes).
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