Archive for Tips & How To…
10 Ways to Make Cooking Enjoyable for Kids
Posted by: | Comments
For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while now, you know that I enjoy cooking with my family in the kitchen, especially with my daughter, Maggie. The best part about it is that Maggie enjoys cooking with me. This is a tradition I plan to continue for as long as Maggie wants to hang out with me. From what I hear, once they get into those teenager years, “dads” become nerdy. What kids don’t understand is that some of us have always been nerdy–but we can talk about that at a later time.
Today, I want to share with you some ideas to get your youngsters involved in the kitchen.
If you’re lucky, your kids will want to know what you’re doing in the kitchen and they’ll take an interest in it and even pitch in voluntarily. Maybe you’re not so lucky and your kids think the kitchen pretty much sucks and is just another way for you to torture them. Who knows, maybe they’re right–but it doesn’t have to be that way.
The Difference between Yellow, White, and Red Onions
Posted by: | Comments
Welcome to The Cooking Dish blog! This is one of the highest read articles about onions, and I hope you find the answer you’re looking for. If not, please leave a comment below and I’m more than happy to answer your question.
If you’ve ever been in the grocery store buying onions and couldn’t figure out which color of onion to buy, you’re not alone. Or perhaps you’re cooking and realize your recipe calls for a white onion and all you have are yellow onions… dont’ worry. There are many onions out there, each with their different purposes, but typically they fit into two categories, green and dry onions. This post discusses the dry onions (red onions, yellow onions, and white onions). Although there are many types of each of these dry onions, the general rules for them are as follows.
All about Watercress
Posted by: | Comments
My first memories of watercress are at my grandma’s house. I was spending the evening with her after elementary school and she gave me a sandwich with a stringy, small-leaf herb packed between the sandwich meat and bread. I didn’t know my herbs back then and thought she had packed it full of sprouts. It was quite a shock when I took a hefty bite full of fresh watercress and its vibrant flavor filled my mouth.
Watercress is an excellent herb you can use in salads (watercress salad), salad dressings, herb butters, soups, hamburgers, sandwiches, brussels spreads, etc. I’m not quite sure how to explain the flavor, it’s a little different than other herbs, but I’d say it has a zippy, peppery, fresh, maybe pungent taste (as if that description helps). Additional from a unique flavor, it’s also high in vitamins and minerals and is often recognized as a super food.
When you prepare watercress, thoroughly rinse it in cold water and then cut off the stems. once the stems are cut off, you can chop the rest of it up and mix it in with your spreads or add it to your soups. If you’re using it fresh in sandwiches or salads, consider adding it to the dish without cutting it up. Also, if you want the original flavor, you can eat it fresh; cooking the watercress diminishes the flavor substantially and also eliminates some if it’s health benefits.
As a word of caution, if you’re new to watercress, I’d recommend taking it in easy doses first, or you might find the flavor overwhelming.
What is Kosher Salt, and What is It Used For?
Posted by: | Comments
The other day I posted a short article regarding the differences between Sea Salt and regular Table Salt, but I didn’t mention Kosher salt. And why didn’t I mention kosher salt? There’s a deep physiological reason behind this, so think deeply. Have you figured it out yet? The truth is, I just didn’t feel like writing any more about salt, so I stopped after sea salt and table salt. But, one of my co-workers caught me on it… so now here’s a post dedicated especially to my coworker (you know who you are). So, what is kosher salt and what is it used for?
I like to think that kosher salt belongs somewhere in between sea salt and table salt because it’s an excellent salt to both cook and cure with. Kosher salt has larger crystals which make drawing out a meat’s moisture and blood easier. (This also is the reason it’s called kosher salt, as this is part of the process to make meats kosher.)
Because kosher salt has a larger surface area that absorbs the moisture more readily than regular table salt and because of it’s subtler flavor, it might take a few trial and error dishes to learn how to use it instead of table salt. But once you start cooking with it, chances are you’ll learn to love it. And, by the way, this is a great salt to top homemade pretzels with.
As a quick note, kosher salt doesn’t contain iodine, but no fears, there’s plenty of iodine in other foods you consume.
Read about sea salt and table salt by clicking here.
Sea Salt vs Table Salt: Which One Do You Use?
Posted by: | Comments
Sea salt vs. table salt: which do you choose? They are the two most common salts used in your kitchen. Both salts have the same nutritional value. You can argue about the differences in the minerals and iodine, etc. but in the end, they’re both sodium chloride crystals. Good ol’ NaCl.
As a kid I remember going to a large salt mine and was amazed at the process that salt when through from start to finish, meaning earth to table. It really is amazing what the earth produces. It’s a good thing too, because without it some foods would be pretty bland! I hear from my non-American friends though that they think our food here in America is too salty. I guess that wouldn’t surprise me, I know a lot of people who over-salt their foods, and this rising generation seems to be raised on potato chips and popcorn. Well, that’s a little off topic–stay focused, Chris– salt is staple in any kitchen, and when it’s used correctly makes food tastes amazing!
But enough of the ranting, I’ve created just a short summary of the difference between sea salt and table salt that I think you’ll find helpful if you’re trying to figure out if you should use sea salt or the regular table salt. Keep in mind that these are short descriptions, and there’s gad’s more information out there on salt. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments and I’ll answer them for you.
How to Deglaze Your Pans + Recipe
Posted by: | Comments
Deglazing a pan is the key to making delicious sauces and gravies for your meats and vegetables. After cooking meat or vegetables instead of scrapping all the leftover fat and dregs into a grease jar, make it into a divine sauce. Deglazing a pan is simply adding stock, lime juice, water, or some other liquid to break up and dissolve the dregs left over from sauteing, searing, or roasting. I especially like to deglaze my cast iron pans, as it helps the cast iron’s flavor–not that I eat cast iron or anything.
If you haven’t deglazed your pans before, now’s a good time to get started. You’ll be surprised how well you can get the junk off your pan when doing so ad also the delicious sauces you can make. So for starters, here’s how to deglaze your pots and pans and make a delicious sauce.
