How to Crack Open a Coconut
Pick a coconut that’s heavy for its size and makes a sloshing sound when shaken. To open it, find the three dark indentations, or “eyes,” on the bottom of the fruit and press each with the tip of a wine key until you find the softest one. Screw the wine key into the eye and then remove it, creating a hole. Drain the water into a cup, then taste it. It should be lightly sweet; if it’s sour at all, the fruit is past its prime. Place the coconut on a bed of towels and strike near its equator with a hammer or mallet, turning the coconut slowly with your other hand. After the shell cracks, place the halves facedown, then use the hammer to tap around each shell until the white meat separates from it. Remove the thin brown…
17 Genius Shortcuts to Help You Save Time While Cooking
I live by the words “It’s never too early to start prepping dinner.” Whenever I have a few minutes during the day or on the weekend, I do something for dinner ahead of time, whether it’s chopping an onion, throwing together a quick salad, or making pasta or quinoa. —Emily Smith, Greenville, South Carolina I use what I have in the kitchen and create meals that are loosely based on a recipe, or no recipe at all. —@paulajsheldon Make sure the tools, pots, and food items you use the most are the most accessible items on every surface and in every cabinet and drawer. While you’re at it, put everything you haven’t used in a year up high. —Liora Seltzer, New York City Keep your staple ingredients on hand at all…
How to Store Wine, Beer, and Other Beverages
Most unopened drinks sold at room temperature should be kept in the pantry or in a cool, dark place. Items from the refrigerator cases should be refrigerated at home, even if they’re labeled shelf-stable: Fluctuating temperatures can compromise flavor. Beer, bottles and cans Pantry: 9 months (unopened) Refrigerator: 1 day (open bottles) Champagne and sparkling wine Pantry: 1 year (unopened) Refrigerator: 1 day (open) Iced tea, bottled shelf-stable Pantry: 2 years (unopened) Refrigerator: 1 week (open) Juice, bottled shelf-stable Pantry: 1 year (unopened) Refrigerator: 10 days (open) Juice, boxes Pantry: 6 months (unopened) Refrigerator: 10 days (open) Juice, freshly squeezed Refrigerator: 5 days (unopened); 3 days (open) Juice, pasteurized refrigerated Refrigerator: 3 weeks (unopened); 1 week (open) Liquor Pantry: Indefinitely (brown spirits, such as whiskey and scotch); 2 years (clear spirits, such as gin and vodka) Soda, bottles and cans Pantry: 6 months (unopened) Refrigerator: 2 days (open bottles) Wine, red and white…
How to Fix 17 Basic Cooking Mistakes
1. Boiling Pasta in a Pot That’s Too Small Why it’s bad: For starters, if you use long noodles, they might not fit unless you break them first. But regardless of the pasta’s shape or size, it will probably end up sticky and gummy. “When you add pasta to a small amount of water, it lowers the temperature of the water substantially more than if you added it to a large amount of water, so the water will take longer to return to a boil. In the meantime, the pasta will sit at the bottom of the pot and start to clump up and become mushy unless you are vigilant about stirring,” says chef Michael Symon, the owner of five restaurants in Cleveland and an Iron Chef on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America. Also, your ratio of pasta starch…
The Secret to Cooking Three Grains at Once (With Perfect Results)
I used to be big into meal prepping. On Sundays, I’d typically make a big batch of farro, toss it with a Greek-style chopped salad, throw a handful of arugula on top, and divvy it up into five to-go containers for lunch. On Mondays, I’d be ecstatic. Come Fridays, I’d be suffering from farro fatigue. So I set out to create my own grain medley—a combination of multiple grains that could cook together for a more interesting base to my lunches. I found success with brown rice, farro, and quinoa for a blend that’s nutty, chewy, and utterly satisfying. Though many recipes (and package directions) ask you to cook grains in a specific amount of water, I find it easiest to cook them using the “pasta method:”—boil in salted water until al dente, then drain and serve. It’s much less…
How to Pit Olives Like a Pro
This week on RS Cooking School I showed you how to pit olives. But because the show was 99% focused on cooking potatoes you may have missed it. It’s a trick so simple I was sure I had already taught it. But when I looked up to see jaws on the floor, I knew it was worth reviewing. Yes, you can find lots of different types of olives already pitted but, unless I’m drinking a martini, I like to pit my own. I find the rough edges and irregular shape of a home-pitted olive more aesthetically pleasing which makes my brain think they taste better: you eat with the eyes first, they say. Plus, un-pitted olives tend to stay firmer and juicier than their pitted counterparts. Here’s how to pit olives like a pro: 1. Working with one at a time (you can build up to…