Tips and Tricks from the Professionals
Shopping
Walk into a grocery store in North America and ask where you can find the milk, and you’ll be directed to the refrigerated section. Ask the same thing in a grocery store in Europe, and you’ll be directed to a regular old room-temperature beverage aisle. Milk is perishable wherever you go, so how can one …
Why Most Of The World Buys Their Milk At Room Temperature Read More »
Sometimes it’s hard to pick out the perfect fish! For those of you who wonder what a fresh fish should look and smell like, we have five tips for you from Executive Chef John Critchley from Siren by Robert Wiedmaier! 1. It’s all about the eyes If you’re thinking about buying fish, a good tip to knowing if …
The right amount of salt will elevate food’s flavour. Good old table salt is perfect for cooking. As any cook will tell you, salt is much more than just a dining table afterthought. “Salt is vital for building layers of flavour,” says Shelagh Ryan, co-owner of London’s Lantana Cafes. “I like to add it at …
How to pick the right salt or substitute and when to use them Read More »
Anthony Bourdain thinks so Cat Stevens Victor Churchill’s in Woollahra has been a magnet to the meaty since 1876. Marbled wagyu steak and an Italian marble floor. A shop window with chunks of rich red flesh artfully arranged atop an altar of illuminated ice. A door handle made from a string of sausages, cast in …
Sultanas belong to the grapevine family (Vitaceae) and are native to the Caspian Sea. Currants, sultanas and raisins, including those still on the bunch, are known collectively as “raisins. The difference between these three dried fruits is explained below: Sultanas: seedless, large-berried, sweet and light yellow or gold in color. Larger than currants and smaller …
Much of the salmon labelled as “wild caught” is actually farm-raised, a report found. Credit Andrew Sullivan for The New York Times The wild-caught salmon sold by restaurants and fishmongers is frequently farm-raised fish that has been mislabelled, said a report released Wednesday. Using DNA analysis, the nonprofit ocean conservation group Oceana studied 82 samples and found …
Photo Twenty percent of seafood samples tested worldwide are different species from what their labels say. Credit Jenn Hueting/Oceana Seafood lovers, are you getting “catfished” at the dinner table? It’s very possible. One in five seafood samples tested worldwide turns out to be completely different from what the menu or packaging says, according to a report on …
Cooks use vinegar to make pickles, deglaze pans, marinate meats, and add tang to vinaigrettes, sauces, and even desserts. Vinegars are made by adding a bacteria called Acetobacter aceti to diluted wine, ale, or fermented fruits or grains. This creates acetic acid, which gives the liquid a sour flavor. Unopened, most vinegars will last for …
Sell by, best if used by, expires on, display until; the shelf life of food seems like it’s a well regulated, concrete affair, but it’s not: It differs by region and type of food. In the end, those labels mean almost nothing, which leads to both food waste and an assumption of safety. Where Expiration …
Today, a quick tip when buying whole fish, what to look for when you buy it so you get the freshest possible fish there is. Couple of things, the eyes. The eyes should be clear and not glossed over. The other thing that we really want to pay attention to is the gills, and the blood in …
Chilly weather or no space for a garden doesn’t have to stop you from growing your own food. A trip to the garden store for some bulbs—which you can even get in cold weather months—some soil, and a five liter plastic bottle are all you need for a near-infinite supply of fresh onions. Kitchen Scraps …
Left to right): Cinnamon basil, ‘Red Rubin’, bush basil and ‘Greek Mini’. Sally Tagg Sweet or ‘Genovese’ basil is the most popular variety, with its large, fresh green leaves prized for pesto. Lemon and lime basil have a distinctive, citrusy kick to their flavour and scent. ‘Mrs Burns Lemon’ is the best of the bunch. Purple …
Author Daniel Tapper explores some myth and misconceptions about food. If you live in the city (like much of the population) you probably only ever see your food in supermarket-ready form. Unless you’re an avid Googler – or a fan of programs like TVNZ’ The ITM Fishing Show – there’s a chance you don’t know …
Think of choosing food as choosing a new car. At one time, simplicity ruled. Most people would just find something familiar, salivate at the colour, and buy. Then terms like “hybrid” and “flex-fuel” and “continuously variable transmission” started buzzing around. You had no clue what they meant, but they sounded important so you bought the …
Avocado is the Anglicisation of the Spanish word ”aguacate”, which in itself is the Hispanicisation of the Nahuatl word ”ahuacatl”, or ”testicle”. With that in mind, the Australian Avocado Association recommends giving your avocado a gentle squeeze or prod to see if it’s ripe, particularly with the green varieties such as Reed. The emphasis is …
It so depends on your hands and your technique. Contrary to what the weirdos on Telly tell you, there’s not one “correct” technique even though they’re all derived from the same four or five handling instructions. That said, here’s some contemplations as to the right knife for you… If you are familiar and comfortable with a whetstone …
When shopping for fruits and vegetables, it’s natural to pick the ones that look the best and the freshest, but there might be a better way to judge produce – Use weight instead. Why? Because heavier produce holds more water. This is a good way to judge all produce: This is true of almost all produce …
If I were to pick one brand that experts throughout the world consider the perfect coffee bean, it would be Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans from the Wallenford Estate. This is the rarest and most expensive coffee bean in the world. It is grown high in the mountains on the isle of Jamaica. At one …
