Recipe Wednesday: Be a better cook

Shannon Smith was at Pepper Moon Catering learning how to make easy recipes for people of all skill levels.

Fruit and Vegetable Tips

1. Keep potatoes from budding by storing them with an apple
2. Don’t store bananas with apples or oranges, they will ripen too quickly
3. When making fried chicken, add a whole potato to the oil and your oil won’t burn (you can also eat the potato).
4. Keep lettuce fresh by storing it in a Ziploc bag with damp paper towel.
5. Store ripe banana with unripe avocado to ripen it up quickly.
6. Fresh avocado will turn brown, when making guacamole, keep the pit in the quac to keep it from browning.
7. How to slice grapes or grape tomatoes

General Cooking Tips

Keep a basic seasoning salt blend on hand to season meats, vegetables, etc.We have created our own called Moon Spice.

Recipe is:

• 2 parts kosher salt
• 1 part granulated garlic
• 1 part black pepper

To remove fat from a sauce or gravy cool it, then skim off the hardened fat. Some say using a piece of bread will soak it up too, but takes a bit longer.

If you reuse oil, after using it, add cut up peeled potatoes and let sit. The potatoes will draw out old flavors.

Make grilled cheese sandwiches with mayo instead of butter, it doesn’t burn as easily and will keep the pan coated for the next batch, and adds great flavor!

Summer Party Tips
Traveling with food – don’t just wrap the top of the pan/dish with plastic wrap, wrap the entire thing.

To chill drinks, add water to the ice, making an ice bath. This will chill the drinks more quickly. Also, you don’t have to layer drinks with ice; nor do you have to ice drinks for hours upon hours.

A refreshing non-alcoholic drink: Minted Water

• Water – bottled or tap
• Wheels from limes and lemons
• Cucumber wheels
• Fresh mint (from garden or store – if from garden, then wash thoroughly

For more information, check out this site: http://www.peppermooncatering.com/

Internal Meat Temperatures:

Poultry                 165 degrees

Beef:

Rare                       125 degrees

Medium Rare    135

Medium               145

Medium Well     155

Well Done           165

Pork:

Medium               145

Well Done           165

Fish                        140