17
The main property that is different is that fresh chili peppers contain water. That means a significant difference in the kinds of flavors that are perceived when you consume them. Probably, most specifically, that fresh, "green" flavor and aroma that you perceive when using fresh. There are probably volatile aromatic properties that lost during dehydration....
13
Store them in a well ventilated place. Cool (15 degrees Celsius) and dark will probably do them good too. And buy green bananas.
Your bananas are alive. Seriously, they continue to live after they have been picked. Breathing, cell metabolism, hormone production, etc. goes on. You cannot stop this process, you can slow it a bit.
In many plants, fridge ...
13
The skins turn black in the fridge, but the fruit itself is fine. Cooks Illustrated tested if refrigerating bananas keeps them good longer, and they found it does—five days longer. Extract below:
Most people store bananas on the countertop, and we wondered if chilling the fruit could slow ripening. To find out, we left 12 pounds of bananas at room ...
10
No, it is not safe anymore.
The scombridae family of fish (mackerels, tunas, bonitos) decay in a way that does not necessarily cause a bad smell, as the bacteria just convert amino acids of the fish into a harmful version. The bacteria that does this is unfortunately facultative anaerobic, which means it prefers oxygen, but will do without, too.
So, the ...
9
Fat
That depends on what consistency you like, how oily/fatty you like your food, and the kind of food you are preparing.
For things cooked on high heat, like hamburgers, more fat will give the meat more flavor and tenderness.
For things cooked on lower heat, like spaghetti sauce or a casserole, less fat is generally preferable as the looser ground meat will ...
8
Good question! Corn is very versatile. I've found that fresh and frozen whole kernel corn are very interchangeable when used in casseroles. Most casseroles cook long enough that you could use either without making any adjustments.
However, canned corn is a different animal. Because it is more processed I would use it in recipes that call for it but I would ...
8
Yes it is still good.
A lettuce that is kept outside (as in a farmer's market) will get wilted outer leaves, and the merchant will usually cut them off to make the heads nicer.
Depending on the resulting size; if they cut out too much compared to other lettuces, I might ask for a lower price if sold by the unit.
Personally, I will buy the lettuce with as ...
8
Dousing your herbs with fertilizer is not going to preserve your herbs, and could make you sick as many fertilizers are toxic.
If you want really fresh herbs you can keep them in pots on a windowsill, otherwise your spraying water method is about as good as you are likely to get.
8
Ground pepper begins to lose it's flavors very quickly. You can try this yourself by grinding your own, then tasting over the course of a couple of days. I find it is always best right after I grind it. Sealing a container of ground pepper might help, but who knows how long between grinding and sealing? Then, once you remove the seal, flavor is degrading ...
7
I have found that the problem with thicker batters not adhering to peppers generally is to do with the outer membrane protecting the flesh of the jalapeno. Essentially, you need to try to remove or weaken its effect.
You can minimize the effect of the membrane by:
roasting the pepper, then steam in a brown paper bag and remove it
scoring the membrane with ...
6
I think the issue is that your nori will get soggy if you make the rolls in advance and store them overnight. Nigirizushi may be a better bet for making ahead.
Chirashizushi is an older style of sushi which is essentially a bowl of the sushi rice, with the garnishes either mixed in or on top. It should be well amenable to advance preparation.
6
Two sprigs of thyme will yield perhaps a tablespoon of leaves when stripped from the stem, depending on the size of the sprigs.
Using the typical ratio of 1/3 unit dried to substitute for 1 unit of fresh herbs, you would then want about a teaspoon for dried thyme.
Thyme--or herbs and sprices in general--usually does not contribute to the chemistry of a ...
6
My advice is simple -- don't plan ahead.
Being fresh produce, most of us have no idea before you get to the store what the current stuff coming out of the local fields are.
This is going to affect both price (in season stuff that hasn't been shipped from the opposite hemisphere is typically cheaper, especially w/ today's fuel prices), and quality (how long ...
6
These terms are not mutually exclusive. A given loaf of bread could be both organic and fresh, organic and not fresh, fresh but not organic, or neither fresh nor organic. The term "fresh" also has both technical definitions used by government agencies and commercial producers as well as a variety of non-technical definitions used commonly.
Technical ...
6
Fresh just implies that the bread was never frozen (or canned, irradiated, salted, pickled or otherwise preserved, but those almost never apply to bread).
Organic, at least in the US implies following a set of FDA guidelines regarding prohibited methods or techniques or ingredients in producing the product.
From the USDA's Labeling Organic Products Fact ...
6
The way fish (shelfish included) is dispatched impacts both its flavor and texture. The Japanese have a long history of this knowledge. This type of fish killing is called ike jime.
Dave Arnold did some interesting research on this. You'll find it here: http://www.cookingissues.com/index.html%3Fp=5731.html
Bottom line: How you kill a lobster does ...
6
The cut end of your zucchini (courgette) looks like it's exuding some water/sap that was previously in the fruit. The colour is due to the rest of the "stuff" in the sap besides water: e.g., perhaps sugars, starches and other stuff. As the water evaporates, it looks like what you show in the picture, which will also explain the beads of goo being stiff or ...
6
You can test an egg for its freshness by placing an egg in a bowl of water as seen here.
If the egg sinks to the bottom and lays on its side, it should be fresh and safe to eat.
If the egg sinks to the bottom and stands upright on one end, it should still be fine to eat.
If the egg floats to the top, it's not fresh but not necessarily unsafe to eat. In this ...
6
As many people here have noted, these "sell by" and "best by" dates are not very consistent, accurate or well defined. If your broccoli looks fine and smells fine, chances are it's fine.
Signs of spoilage to look for are: sliminess on the surface, mushy areas in the broccoli flesh, small dark areas dotting the "canopy" or the tops of the florets, or furry ...
5
It depends on your oven and how big the hams are. If you try to cram 2 big hams into your oven and it's not a fan oven then you probably need to add extra time. If they are moderate size then it shouldn't make much difference at all. If they are big but you have a fan oven then you shouldn't need to add time.
The best way to make sure something is done is ...
5
BobMcgee's answer (the accepted one) is great (as far as it goes), as well as all of the comments. Absolutely salt the water, use stock or add flavorings if you like.
You can blanch the beans way in advance of the meal, even the day before.
Remove the beans from the ice water, shake to remove excess water, roll them in a paper towel and put them in your ...
5
I am not aware of any method of freezing herbs that will maintain their freshness, in the general case, especially for delicate herbs such as basil.
The best method I know of to freeze herbs, which I personally would not do and have never tried, is to mince or puree the herbs, then freeze them with water. You might do the freezing in an ice cube tray to ...
5
The yellow color could be just a sign of what it was fed. According to the USDA:
THE COLOR OF POULTRY
What is the usual color of raw poultry?
Raw poultry can vary from a bluish-white to yellow. All of these colors are normal and are a direct result of breed, exercise, age, and/or diet. Younger poultry has less fat under the skin, which can cause ...
5
Acid is your friend here. You have some lemon, and tomatoes are acidic, but apparently that isn't enough. You should get at least a good week out of fresh salsa (mine lasts longer than that). Try adding a good shot of plain, distilled vinegar. Many recipes for salsa (including my own) include vinegar; add as much as you can without negatively affecting the ...
5
Does cooking a lobster alive alter the flavor/texture?
No, not really.
Is there any truth to the claims that lobsters don't feel pain?
Absolutely not. They feel pain just like you do.
Does killing a lobster before cooking alter the flavor/texture?
Nope.
Are there other ways to kill a lobster so it doesn't suffer the horrible pain of being boiled alive?
Yep.
...
5
Your zucchini (courgette) was loosing sap at the stem end. Apparently, someone by mistake cut the fruit and not only the stem, which will lead to "weeping".
The photo below shows an extremely fresh zucchini that was harvested midday in full sun (= lots of water rising within the plant) and then cut into the flesh, mimicking the cut on your specimen: Note the ...
5
Sushi fishes are usually flash frozen for a few days before being used for safety (to kill off bugs)
It might change the texture of the fish as it is unfrozen; the better the restaurant the better the fish will be unfrozen.
http://www.pbs.org/food/fresh-tastes/myth-sushi-grade/
For fish that contain parasites, the FDA provides guidance under their
...
4
As stated by Jefromi back in a similar question;
The crisper provides a somewhat enclosed environment, which prevents moisture from escaping as rapidly. Vegetables keep best at a certain humidity, higher than that typically found in the rest of the fridge, but not so high that condensation starts accumulating on them. Vegetables kept in too-dry air in the ...
4
If you are making maki sushi or other sushi with nori on the outside, then the simple trick is too roll or wrap it in baking paper (or plastic film, or waxed paper) just as you would with a sheet of nori. And stack them in an air-tight box or bag in the refrigerator until needed
Then just before serving unwrap carefully and wrap some nori around them as ...
4
The trick I've seen used in Asia is to place a sheet of plastic or cling wrap between the rice and the nori. For example, you could make a long roll with several layers like so:
plastic (outermost layer)
nori
plastic
rice
other ingredients
Roll it up in a long roll, and when you want to eat it, 'jerk' the inner layer of plastic out, thus allowing you to ...
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