As a rule of thumb, roast any
meat (beef, pork, poultry, lamb, etc.) for 20 minutes per pound
at 350*F.
For crisper skin, uncover the
turkey the day before roasting and let stand in the refrigerator
overnight.
When roasting a whole chicken
or turkey, try adding flavor by stuffing some aromatic vegetables
in the cavity – carrots, celery, onion, or garlic work nicely.
Sprinkle a bit of salt in the
frying pan before adding meat. It will cut down on the amount
of grease splattering.
To help lower a recipe’s fat
content, place cooked, ground meat in a colander and rinse with
hot water after draining off the excess fat.
Rub both sides of a burger with
water before grilling. It will make the burger juicier.
Meatloaf won’t stick to the
pan if you put a slice of uncooked bacon beneath the loaf before
baking.
Chill chicken for 1 hour after
coating it. The coating will stick better when cooking.
To keep hands clean, try using
a potato masher next time you are mixing a meatloaf, or…
If you don’t like getting your
hands messy when mixing meat loaf, put the ingredients in a large,
zip-lock style plastic bag, seal, then mash the contents together
until well mixed…and there’s no bowl to clean!
You can make individual servings
of meatloaf by using muffin tins. Remember to adjust the cooking
time.
Pour cooled broth from meat
or poultry into a glass jar with a securelid and
refrigerate upside down. The fat will harden and remain in the
bottom of the jar when you pour out the liquid for use in your
recipes.
Roast diced onions, carrots,
and celery in the pan right along with meat or poultry. With
the vegetables cooked down and flavored with the meat juices,
you’ve the base for a wonderful gravy.
Roasts should be allowed to
"rest" 10 to 15 minutes after being removed from the
oven. This allows the juices to settle before carving.
Let your eyes and nose be the
judge. Good quality seafood smells sea-fresh. It should not have
a strong odor or smell "fishy." Fish fillets and steaks
should appear moist, firm and freshly cut. Shellfish should be
bright in color with no discoloration or dryness.
To know how long to cook fish,
measure at the thickest point, then allow 10 minutes per inch.
This applies to all methods of cooking, such as broiling, frying,
grilling, poaching, and steaming.
Thaw fish filets
in milk. The milk absorbs the "frozen" taste and adds
a "fresh caught" taste.
Place a "bed"
of celery and onions under fish when baking. Besides adding flavor,
it will prevent the fish from sticking.
When recipes
call for meats or poultry to be sliced or cubed, it is easier
to do so when the meat is slightly frozen. Fresh meats can be
placed in the freezer for about 30 minutes before preparation.
Also, make sure you use a sharp knife. Few things are more dangerous
in the kitchen than a dull knife because you have to use more
strength to try and cut or slice something and the possibility
of the knife slipping is more apt to happen, perhaps causing
injury.
Use tongs or a flat utensil
to turn meat during cooking. A fork will puncture the seared
crust, releasing the meat’s juices and leaving it dry.
Wine corks contain tannin. Drop
one into a pot of stew to tenderize the meat.
Don’t salt meat before you cook
it. The salt forces the juices out and impedes browning. Instead,
salt meat halfway through cooking, then taste when the meat is
done and adjust the salt as needed.
Marinate in ziptop plastic bags
instead of bowls or containers you have to clean. Be sure to
flip the bag from time to time to make sure everything gets a
good soak!
At the grocery store, look for
meat cuts that have the most lean meat for the money. Be sure
when you buy less expensive cuts you are not paying for large
amounts of gristle, fat and bone.
When grilling meats, trim off
excess fat with a sharp knife to keep fire flare-ups to a minimum.
When grilling chicken, place
bony or rib-cage side of chicken down next to heat first. The
bones act as an insulator and keep chicken from browning too
fast.
When freezing large quantities
of steaks, chops, chicken pieces, meat patties, etc., place a
piece of the wrapping material between each. They’ll separate
easily to make thawing quicker.
