10 useful tips for your kitchen

1. To serve your dishes at the perfect temperature, use either the classic oven or the microwave. Heat the oven until it reaches 50 degrees, turn it off, and while cooking, put in the dishes you are going to use. A very convenient alternative is the microwave oven. Just put the dishes in it to heat for a minute or two before serving but making sure they don’t have any golden patterns. It also applies to a coffee cup. It sounds trivial but once you start using this rule, you won’t be able to do without it. How long does it take even a simple fried egg on a plate to cool to room temperature? Not even time to set it on the table.

2. But how many pans could we have saved? And all it would take to do that is to put greaseproof paper on the bottom of the pan we are going to use. We prevent food from sticking and it is easy to clean.

3. Traditionally we are used to cleaning cutlery, steel and glass with water and vinegar. But we use vodka: effective and above all odorless. In catering it is used a lot to have a perfect mise en place, without fingerprints and halos.

4. This advice, on the other hand, concerns the use of spices and herbs in cooking. When one reads recipes where basil is “prescribed” to be cooked for two hours, the question begs itself: but what did this poor basil do to us to want to “kill” it twice? Herbs have the wonderful characteristic of aromaticity and freshness and therefore are best expressed when used raw, perhaps chopped. In addition, several herbs and spices, such as pepper, bring out the bitter notes when cooked. Unless a recipe calls for it, as in the case of peposo, always use it raw and it will give you the elegance and aromaticity of its flavor. The same thing for basil, parsley, for which you can also have fun using the extractor: try making the extract, using the minipimer whip them incorporating air. In this way you will create a froth with maximum extraction of scents and flavors that will go in a scenic and substantial way to finish your dishes.

5. Still regarding the use of spices and herbs, to always have them fresh chop them well, making sure they are well dried, seal them in the container or in foil and store them in the freezer. While chili and garlic I recommend storing them whole or in cloves. This is not only true for spices but is also very convenient for bread. If you only need a few slices of bread it is extremely convenient. You already cut it into slices and when needed the slice is heated on a pan in just over a minute.

6. The freezer is also useful for keeping stock on hand at all times. A vegetable or fish broth is always most convenient in small quantities for stirring pasta, stretching or preparing sauces. Just freeze it in the icebox and keep the mini portions aside.

7. Since the mantecatura of pasta has been mentioned let us dwell on this fundamental but often neglected phase. With a few rare exceptions, the success of a good pasta dish lies precisely in the mantecatura, taking for granted that the raw materials used are excellent and the cooking times are respected. The attention lies precisely in the timing. The pasta should be removed a couple of minutes beforehand from the water, always keeping some cooking water aside, it should be placed in a pan with the sauce, and its cooking should be finished by adding cooking water or broth, the bisque, olive oil or other ingredients such as, for example, a splash of soy sauce and at the end of cooking, if needed, a little seasoned cheese. The pasta should absorb the sauce and maintain a creamy texture. For long pasta, it is extremely convenient to use long kitchen tongs, which also come in handy for serving.

8. Tongs are also very useful in cooking meat or fish. It allows you to turn the slices or steaks without piercing them and making them lose their succulence. This tip is really about their cooking. To have very tender slices of fish or meat, two-step cooking is highly recommended. Blanch your slice or slice the first time, remove from the heat and arrange in a possibly warm environment (oven at 30 degrees off is perfect otherwise on a hot plate): by doing this the meat releases its fibers after a heat shock. After 5/10 minutes quickly sear your slice over high heat perhaps using some aromatic herbs and you will undoubtedly notice the difference.

9. From main courses we move on to side dishes. To maintain the bright colors of the vegetables, add a pinch of baking soda. The advice is to opt for the shortest possible cooking time. Vegetables are wonderful when they retain some crunch and freshness: spinach or zucchini try them just blanched with some herbs, it’s pure poetry. Returning to baking soda, there is a downside. It’s perfect in short cookings to maintain colors but, because it softens the vegetable in the cooking stage, it should be used judiciously and also making it handy for shortening the cooking of vegetables such as kale or legumes.

10. Finally, the fruit. How often do you buy fruit that ripens right away? Bananas are a perfect example for this tip. When they start to get ahead of ripening peel them, cut them into pieces and put them in the freezer. With the use of a powerful blender, which I recommend always having in your kitchen, you can create sorbets or smoothies in an instant. The texture of the banana is perfect for a sorbet and with the addition of berries, cocoa beans or any other ingredient to your fancy and taste, you will get a fantastic dessert is healthy.

Try it, you won’t be able to do without it!