CHOW Tips
Summary: CHOW Tips are the shared wisdom of our community
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Podcasts:
What's a Healthy Replacement for Sugar?
How Do You Make Vegan Brownies Chewy?
How to Avoid Dense Gluten-Free Batter
What's a Vegan Substitute for Eggs?
How to Prevent an Avocado from Browning
How to Sear Mushrooms
Caramelizing Versus Sweating Onions
Michael Symon, chef, author, and Iron Chef, has removed a lot of pith in his time. To create the perfect supreme (a skinless, pithless citrus segment) for a great winter salad, he moves his knife this way and that, and ta-da. Much easier seen than explained, and that’s why we made a video.
Domenic Chiaromonte, executive chef of Match Restaurant just outside Toronto, uses a soda charger to carbonate fruit, which he then puts on desserts and in salads to add extra zing. The fizzy fruits are also great as a garnish for sodas or cocktails.
Domenic Chiaromonte, executive chef of Match Restaurant just outside Toronto, shares his secret for ridding your hands of the strong smells of cut garlic and onion. Hint: It involves your breakfast's leftovers and doubles as an exfoliant.
Douglas Ford, sous-chef of LA's Lucques, always uses farm-fresh eggs when he cooks, insisting that they taste different than mass-produced ones. He adds some vinegar to the boiling water (it makes the shell easier to remove later), and then cooks an average-sized egg for 8 minutes. A smaller egg only needs 7 minutes, and a larger egg, like a duck egg, needs up to 9 minutes to reach the perfect consistency.
Douglas Ford, sous-chef of LA's Lucques, sharpens his vegetable peeler every day to keep it in tiptop shape. Most of us sharpen ours ... never. Douglas demonstrates a great technique for sharpening in this CHOW Tip!
Douglas Ford, sous-chef at LA's Lucques, uses a mortar and pestle a lot for things like grinding spices or garlic. It's often preferable to a mechanical device like a blender or Cuisinart, because the heat those devices create will cause some ingredients to oxidize more quickly and turn brown.
Douglas Ford, sous-chef of LA's Lucques, uses kosher salt to help break down garlic in a mortar and pestle. It's a small tip, but it can make a real difference for your aioli.
Julie Chai, associate garden editor of Sunset magazine, says that with lots of sun, a large container, and plenty of fresh potting soil, your tomatoes will grow hale and hearty. Staking the seedlings is important too.