CHOW Tips

Emily Luchetti, executive pastry chef of Waterbar and Farallon, warns against unleashing a gush of water onto fresh strawberries, as this can bruise their tender flesh. Her approach is gentler: Submerge the fruit in a bowl of water.

CHOW Kitchen Editorial Assistant Amy Wisniewski has a more environmentally friendly way to wash dishes: She soaps them up in a tub, and then rinses them all at once. That way, she uses less soap and water. We've got more green tips that will put a little ecofriendly spring in your step: Employ your leftover coffee grounds as an exfoliant. Learn how to extend the use of scallions, veggie scraps, and a chicken carcass. Plus, how to clean your counters the environmental way.

Matt Duggan, general manager for LA's Lucques, shares this primer on tasting spirits. Do not swirl, swish, or suck in air (this isn't wine), because all you'll taste is alcohol. Instead, take one sip to get past the initial shock and burn of the alcohol. Let the next sip sit on your palate so you can really appreciate the flavor.

Anne Le, co-owner of Tamarine restaurant in Palo Alto, California (and former co-owner of Bong Su in San Francisco), shares this tip for making Vietnamese spring rolls at home: Dip your rice paper once in warm water. By the time you've placed your fillings on the paper, it will have softened to the right consistency. Once your rice paper is soft, follow Le's counsel on assembling spring rolls, keeping them fresh, and what to dip them in.

Karen Solomon, author of Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, includes some great recipes for frozen pops in her book, including this mango-lime-cayenne version.

Patricia Becker, center director for Common Ground Organic Garden Supply and Education Center in Palo Alto, California, gives the rule of thumb for planting seeds: Big ones go deeper than small ones.

Gabrielle Feuersinger, owner of San Francisco's Cake Coquette, makes her own piping cones (also known as pastry cones) with parchment paper. They are quick and easy to do-all it takes is some folding, cutting, and forming-and they allow for very precise detailing.

Robert Camuto, author of Corkscrewed, says there's a lot of confusion about what organic means to wine drinkers. It doesn't automatically mean better.

Matt Duggan, general manager for LA's Lucques, thinks that people have it all wrong when they inhale deeply from a glass of spirits right after it's been poured. He suggests blowing a quick puff of air into the glass to get rid of the alcohol smell and release the liquor's true aromatics.

Michael Cecconi is the mixologist at New York's Back Forty; he also works at the Savoy and teaches at the Institute of Culinary Education. He uses two glasses as a workaround when he's without a strainer.

Karen Solomon, author of Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, shakes her way into some deliciously fresh homemade butter using heavy whipping cream, a tightly lidded jar, and her own muscles.

Gabrielle Feuersinger, owner of San Francisco's Cake Coquette, recommends mixing different gel-based food colorings for variety and depth.

Top Chef Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard uses this quick, simple white miso marinade for beef or lamb. It provides a good salty flavor and tenderizes too.

Stephanie Izard uses a Microplane to prepare garlic and ginger for cooking, not a knife. It's much easier to get a fine mince (ban the chunks), plus it's quicker.

Our favorite wine guy, Matt Skinner, has done some swirling in his time. He recommends that beginners keep the glass on the table to swirl. (Beginners: You must lift the glass to sip.) To learn more from Matt, check out his new book, Heard It Through the Grapevine.