A happy hello, my fantastic internet darlings! Today I give you my some of my nifty little tips and tricks I’ve picked up to make life in the kitchen a bit easier. These are designed to be for just about anyone (i.e. you don’t have to love the kitchen to get something from this post!).
First up is how to de-corn corn on the cob. Don’t feel like you have to buy some fancy dancy tool that you only use twice a year. I think most of us would agree that we have too much junk as it is, so why add to it? Instead here are a couple of ideas:
This is one I’ve used to some success. Take your bundt pan and insert the end of the corn cob into the hole in the middle. This stabilizes the corn and provides a nice landing pad for the corn kernels. The only problem I had when using this method was when the kernels would try to make a break for it by flying half way across my kitchen.
To help with that problem I suggest skipping the bundt pan and putting the corn in a bowl. Assuming you have a bowl wide enough to fit your knife into. Placing a non-slip mat under the bowl will come in handy. Both of these methods work quite well, but my favorite method is the good ol’ teeth technique, demonstrated last summer by my little boy thusly:
Next! Storing tomatoes! According to Alton Brown you never, ever want to put a fresh tomato in the refrigerator! Why? The flavor compound Z3 Dexanol will flip itself off, permanently. I follow that advice and have been able to keep tomatoes on the counter for more than a week. Also, keep the stems up. The flesh right around the stem is the most fragile.
And lastly, brown rice. Brown rice is amazing! Absolutely amazing! Brown rice contains “more fiber, folacin, iron, riboflavin, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and trace minerals such as copper and manganese, than other types of rice. Moreover, brown rice is the only form of the grain that contains vitamin E.” Follow this link to read the rest of the article where the benefits of brown rice are heaped upon you.
I can almost hear you saying, “but, it takes like, 4 days to cook!” Have no fear! Once you know one simple method for cooking it, brown rice is simple and, as far as rice goes, quick to make. The mistake most people make is to cook it on a stove top like you would white rice. What you really want to do is bake it, like so:
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain (You won’t find this stuff in a box labeled “minute rice”)
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place the rice and salt into an 8-inch square glass baking dish or similar oven safe vessel. I use a ceramic soufflé pan.
3. Bring the water just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
4. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.
5. After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork.
Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown
And just like that you know how to make a super nutritious power food that will sustain you for anything life throws at you. Heck! I’m reselling myself on it as I type!
Do you have any nifty little tricks up your sleeve? What are they doing up your sleeve!? Leave ’em in the comments below and help us all out!
Now, go forth and be bold!
:)
Courtney
Psst! Hey you! Yeah, you! Check out my Spread the Love Giveaway and find out how you and a friend could get some free gooey cinnamon rolls!
Happy Friday to all you awesome people! I was a busy bee last week with lots and lots of Cinnamon Rolls! So, you know, I can’t complain! I just have to say, my Cinnamon Rolls are pretty fantastic. I’ve been making them since I was in middle school and they were what made my husband fall in love me. Like I said, pretty fantastic!
And, who was fortunate enough to partake in the lovely, yeasty goodness depicted above? Why none other than Mrs. Alisa, the winner of my Spread the Love giveaway! (Isn’t her hair amazing!) She and her sweet family won a half dozen of my Cinnamon Rolls plus another half dozen to share with their neighbor Rachel.
Sprinkle Me Pink 