Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2: Always wash your turkey thoroughly, inside and out, until the water
runs clear. Then pat it dry with paper towelling before seasoning. Trim off extra
fat and the "pope's nose" at the rear of the turkey. Make certain you remove all
giblets, neck bones or other bits from the turkey before cooking.
3: Since it's not recommended you bake your bird with dressing inside,
you can season the interior with a bit of sea salt, crushed black pepper, thyme,
and basil. I also quarter either 2 whole apples or potatoes in the cavity to
absorb extra fat.
6: Spray your roaster with olive oil cooking spray thoroughly, covering
bottom, sides and the rack the bird rests on. If you're really on a strict
cardiac/high cholesterol regimen, you can also use this to oil the bird, rather
than using butter or olive oil. If not, use a premixed blend of softened butter
and seasonings, and tuck it under the breast skin to season the meat.
7: When buying herbs and spices, buy the best you can find. It's
worth the extra cost. The differences in taste alone are worth it.
8: Don't cook anything, especially high fat foods in the microwave,
using plastic containers. Johns Hopkins discovered that the plastics weep dioxins
which are highly carcinogenic into the foods being heated. Cover your bowls or
plates with paper towels, and only use ceramic or Pyrexware to cook or reheat your
dishes in.
10: Many people think margarine is much healthier for you than
butter. Wrong. Margarines are filled with hydrogenated oils and often high in
transfats. Unless they're the new "heart smart" brands, stick with real butter.
The small amounts used in cooking can be balanced by using good olive, grape or
safflower oils, and an all round healthier diet.
11: Soften raisins for cookies and cakes by soaking them in pure
vanilla for an hour or so.
12: Use Bakers sugar for your dessert recipes. It's finer, and
blends much more smoothly then ordinary granulated sugar. This is super important
when making candies or caramels, and you get that annoying crystallization during
cooking.
15: If you have sterling silver flatware, use it often. The more
it's used, the lovelier it becomes, developing a soft patina and glow. Clean it
periodically with catsup. Yup, I know I'm the Mad Housewife, but catsup really
does clean copper and silver beautifully.