Four-Star Cooking Tips from Domino Magazine
Posted by Cate O’Malley on Paper Palate.
I love Domino magazine, a great source of how-to decorating tips, tricks and ideas, peppered with features on entertaining, cooking and green living. In the June/July issue, one of their columnists headed off for a week of Basic Boot Camp at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. She went in knowing only the basics of heating up fish sticks, but came out with five top-notch French-cooking tricks.
Start with High Heat. Searing imparts taste, in everything from mushrooms to meat. Turn the flame way up, and let food sizzle for a minute.
Shallots Instead of Onions. In any simple sauteed dish, try subbing shallots for onions. They’re sweeter, with less of a bite.
Ditch the Iodized Salt. Use kosher salt for cooking (it’s milder and sticks well to food) and sea salt for finishing (delicate and tasty).
Blanch for Color and Flavor. Restaurants’ carrots are more orangey and beans are greener because they’re boiled for a minute in salted water, then thrown in an ice bath (which halts the cooking process).
Perfectly Dressed Salad. Delicate greens need something light, like lemon and olive oil. Heavier lettuce, like romaine, wants heartier dressing, with a balsamic or mayo base. Always pour dressing into the bowl first, then throw in greens and toss gently. It keeps leaves from getting weighed down.
