Kitchen Basics Series - What Does That Mean?

illustration via here.

sometimes we can get tripped up or intimidated to try new recipes by all the lingo we see before us. here are some common terms to familiarize yourself with to help make any recipe you come across that much easier to understand.

chopped vs. diced vs. minced

• chopped: cutting your vegetables into large pieces. typically you will see this for larger vegetables  like squash or potatoes.
• diced: similar to chopping, dicing means cutting into smaller sized pieces. You likely will see this term used with ingredients like onions or celery.
• minced: this means cutting the item into the smallest pieces you can. in the case of garlic, a garlic press minces perfectly.

blanching: cooking a vegetable very slightly and then immediately stopping the cooking process by rinsing under cold water. blanching is great if you are planning a big dinner party and you want to precook a vegetable dish to get a jump on your preparation. you can then quickly finish cooking just before serving to ensure the dish is nice and warm.

bouquet garni: this is a tied bunch of fresh herbs that is added to stews, or pots of simmering food for a little while and then taken out before serving.

dash: who has ever really measured a dash? well it turns out someone has and it is equivalent to about 1/16^th of a teaspoon. this is a very small amount that is a little more than a pinch.

dust: this term appears often in baking recipes and it refers to lightly spreading a small about of a spice or sugar over the baked dish. most often this is part of a finishing step before serving.

julienne: this means to cut your vegetable or item into very thin slices, kinda like a very skinny french fry.

puree: to mash up or mix together your food until it's completely smooth, ideally in a food processor is easiest.

thin: if you see this term is means adding more liquid to thin out what you are cooking.

sauté: cooking your food in a frying pan with a little oil.

steep: you might often see this term if you are making a tea, or a simple syrup. it means to soak something (like tea leaves) in a liquid almost until boiling for a set amount of time until the flavours come out.

zest: pulling off small sections of the skin of a citrus fruit, in many cases a lemon, lime or orange. This is most often done with a fine grater called a zester so the pieces remain small.

Kitchen Basics Series – Fiddleheads

image from here and here

have you ever seen those little dark green vegetables that look very much like the top of a violin? well those tasty things are fiddleheads, which appear in the spring and are the funniest looking vegetable you can find (i think). they are actually little curled ends of a fern plant that when cooked are very delicious! they have a short growing season so you don't see them in stores or at farmer's markets for very long, if you blink you might miss it, but they are by far one of the easiest vegetables to cook and are a fantastic healthy addition to any meal. 

Basic Sautéed Fiddleheads

1. 1/2 tbsp. butter
2. pinch of kosher salt
3. two handfuls of fiddleheads
4. 2 chopped garlic cloves
5. salt and Pepper to taste
6. juice of half a lemon

The How: sauté your garlic in the melted butter then quickly add your fiddleheads. add your lemon and kosher salt. sauté them for about 8-10 minutes on a medium to low heat. now add your salt and pepper to taste. should you like, you can add a sprinkle of dried hot peppers or even some freshly ground parmesan before serving. 

A Cooking Helpful Hint!  it is recommended to not add salt to a pot of boiling water or a pan before placing your vegetable or food inside? if salt is added beforehand it can often settle to the bottom and create white little spots on your stainless steel pots and pans.

Kitchen Basics Series – Simple Sweet Potato Fries

i am happy to announce the start of a new element of the blog called the Kitchen Basics Series! in this exciting new section i will showcase some of the best tips and suggestions i've come across for those just starting out and hoping to master some basic culinary skills, or those looking to get a better handle on some classics that they can build upon. while i am by no means a formal teacher (although i do have one sister who works as a chef and offers up lots of good tips), i have a ton of tried and true experiences. this series is also open to anyone of you who wishes to send in good tips to be featured. blogs are all about sharing!

sweet potatoes are a staple in my house when it comes to starchy treats, and one the most basic ways to cook up these potatoes is as tasty sweet potato fries. this kitchen basic is a simple, no fuss, no muss, crowd pleaser that you can easily handle on a busy weeknight or weekend.

the how:

preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

peel and rinse one large sweet potato (typically one is a serving size for two people). square off your potato into a long rectangular cube. now chop into evenly sized strips. the key here is evenly sized. if you want them to bake consistently they must be the same size. now grab an egg and separate so you only use the egg white, and give that white whisk before rolling your chopped fries through the mix. the egg will help make them crispy and not soggy when cooking. you can bake them without the egg, but for better crunch i recommend using the egg white mixture. now throw some parchment paper on a cookie sheet and place them on top spreading them out with space between, or at least so they aren't overlapping. bake for 10 mins on one side, then flip and bake for another 10-15 mins on the other side. just watch out for burning ends but allow them to get a little brown before pulling them out.

a perfectly yummy sweet potato side dish is a wonderful kitchen basic.

if you wanna get more exciting here are some of my tried and true spices combos we to dress our fries in fresh out of the oven.

• Cinnamon & Nutmeg
• Paprika & Chipotle Powder
• Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar
• Rosemary & Garlic Powder