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121 Cooking Secrets to Impress Friends and Family
15
Chapter V: Fruits and Vegetables
61. Quick and easy corn on the cob. The simplest way to cook perfect corn on the cob is
to toss an ear into the microwave for three minutes. Then, remove the husks, add
some salt and butter and enjoy.
62. Blanching vegetables. Blanching vegetables means to boil them for five or six
minutes prior to using them in a recipe. This is particularly helpful for harder
vegetables such as carrots, broccoli and cauliflower that take longer to cook.
Otherwise you end up with vegetables that are too crunchy.
63. Plump up limp vegetables. Give limp vegetables a second chance by soaking them in
ice water to make them crisp after prolonged refrigeration. This is a great technique
for lettuce and celery, which seem to go limp fastest. This trick also works for limp
herbs.
64. Stir-frying vegetables. Stir-fried vegetables are a quick and easy side dish option. Or
serve them over noodles or rice for a delicious meal. The secret to stir-frying is to
have the pan or wok very hot and the
vegetables cut into similar sized pieces so
they cook evenly. Great choices are
peppers, mushrooms, onions, carrots,
snow peas and beans. Avoid starchy
vegetables such as potatoes and yams.
Stir-fried vegetables should be flavored
near the end of the cooking time for the
best results.
65. Stop white vegetables from yellowing. When cooking white vegetables, use a light
colored pot and add a pinch of sugar to keep the white color and avoid yellowing.
66. Measure vegetables and fruits properly for recipes. When using a recipe that asks
you to include a specified amount of a fruit or vegetable, it can be confusing
sometimes to know just how much they mean. The general rule of thumb is that if
the recipe states “1 cup of diced carrots” then you dice them first and then measure
out 1 cup. If it calls for “1 carrot, diced” then it wants you to dice up one carrot. Most
recipes are pretty forgiving though; so don’t stress too much over getting the prefect
amount.
67. Roasting vegetables. There are lots of vegetables that can be carrots, potatoes,
onions, peppers and squashes. For the best results, coat the vegetables evenly in oil
and add seasonings before putting them in a non-stick roasting pan. A great way to
ensure they don’t stick (and to make cleanup easy) is to line your pan with