I’ve decided to post some cooking tips to help you save time and sanity.  I prefer if my readers would send in specific questions; just send a comment below or email me with your questions.  If it is your wish that I not publish your comment but still want the answer simply type the word “Private” in the first line of the comment.

Here we go:

Putting 1 Tb of white vinegar into your rice while it is cooking will make it fluffier.

Always have meat and fish at room temperature prior to cooking so that it will cook evenly.

No matter how hard you try; the area around the bone on chicken legs and thighs remains pink.  Try heating it in the microwave for 1 minutes just before serving it.

To get better browning when sautéing put a teaspoon of butter into the pan along with your oil.

The oil in a pan is ready for cooking when it appears to shimmer and slightly smoke.

Leave meats and fish in the pan, don’t keep flipping them as you want them to develop “caramelization”… the browning that gives added flavor.

Start pan-roasted meals on the stove top to develop the flavor then finish them in a 325 degree oven, to ensure even cooking.

Be careful when adding salt and pepper to a sauce before you are done reducing it… reducing will maximize the flavors and you should adjust the final salt and pepper just prior to serving.

And my personal favorite: Always peel your asparagus!

BTW – I still have  a few asparagus peelers to give away.  (see promo)

Products I like: SACO cultured  Buttermilk  Blend – in the baking aisle of your grocery, powdered buttermilk that keeps forever in the frig and you just make as much or little as you need.

Next time: Finding your Cooking Comfort Zone!

(from www.emealsforyou.com/Vegetables/Flame Roasted Asparagus)

It’s hard to make a believer out of you without you actually trying the asparagus. I promise you this is the best tasting asparagus you will ever have. The reason lies not in the flame-roasting but in the peeling. That’s right, I said peeling. You see what makes this asparagus stand out from the crowd is that it is peeled prior to cooking. Even my wife struggled with the sanity or is it insanity of this procedure.

So let me tell you why you would go the extra step and peel the asparagus. First of all is the fact that nobody really likes the tough outer skin of the asparagus– it’s a bit stringy isn’t it? You go to the market and you spend time picking through the pile of asparagus to find the skinniest stalks to avoid the problem. Now you get home and you cut off most of the stalk anyway, leaving the tip and maybe a little of the stalk… a little wasteful don’t you think?

Enter the amazing asparagus peeler. A simple device designed to peel only the outer most layer of the stalk leaving you with only the tender, tasteful inner soul. No need to pick through the pile anymore… buy the biggest stalks you can find, peel them and you will be amazed at the taste. I am such an advocate of the asparagus peeler that I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. For the first 10 readers who sign up for www.emealsforyou.com using the Sponsoring Identifier PEELER-37 not only will you get $5 off the membership price but I will send you an asparagus peeler for free.

A quick note about cooking the asparagus, try cooking it on the grill. If you can’t grill it you can cook it in a grill pan on the stove or even just a frying pan or even roast it in the oven on a cookie sheet. The main point is to stop boiling or steaming this wonderful vegetable… once you try our recipe I doubt you will ever go back. The photo shows the asparagus with Oven-dried Tomatoes, the recipe appears under Appetizer here on the blog.

Flame Roasted Asparagus

Cut bottom 1 -1 1/2 inch off of stem. Peel, yes I said peel the asparagus. Place in bowl, add oil and salt and pepper. Toss, retain bowl.
On a very hot grill, place asparagus crosswise to grill. Grill for 3 minutes. Remove and place back in bowl, toss with oil remaining in bowl. With a vegetable peeler shave the romano cheese over the top and serve.

Can be made in grill pan on stove top, cook for 4 minutes.

From the Backyard Soiree (Picnic Meal Plans) at emealsforyou.com

Flame-roasted asparagus

So let me tell you why you would go the extra step and peel the asparagus. First of all is the fact that nobody really likes the tough outer skin of the asparagus– it’s a bit stringy isn’t it? You go to the market and you spend time picking through the pile of asparagus to find the skinniest stalks to avoid the problem. Now you get home and you cut off most of the stalk anyway, leaving the tip and maybe a little of the stalk… a little wasteful don’t you think; besides the Asparagus Council says that thicker asparagus is better tasting.

Enter the amazing asparagus peeler. A simple device designed to peel only the outer most layer of the stalk leaving you with only the tender, tasteful inner soul. No need to pick through the pile anymore… buy the biggest stalks you can find, peel them and you will be amazed at the taste. I am such an advocate of the asparagus peeler that I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. Sign up for www.emealsforyou.com using the Sponsoring Identifier PEELER-37; not only will you get $5 off the membership price but I will send you an asparagus peeler for free.