Hard Boiled Eggs:

To hard-boil, place the eggs in a sauce pan, and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil quickly over medium high heat. As soon as the water boils, reduce heat, and simmer about or approximately 10 minutes. Transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water until cooled completely. Peel shell from egg; the yolks should be bright yellow.

Spring Onions

Spring Onions look like oversized green onions. Since they were picked before full maturity, they have a milder flavor then pungent full-grown onions. Look for Spring Onions in the produce section of your super marker or at a farmers market.

Toasted Croutons

Croutons are often used as a garnish for salads and soups.

To toast croutons; Cut bread (crusts removed or not) into desired size. Spray, rub or toss the cubes or slices lightly with oil or clarified butter. Add salt and pepper.

To toast croutons in the oven, spread them in a single layer on a pan. Turn them from time to time to toast them evenly and check frequently to avoid burning. After toasting, grated cheese may be tossed on while still hot. Good croutons are light in color, not to greasy , and well seasoned with a crisp crunchy texture throughout.

Baked Potatoes:

To bake potatoes whole in the skin, scrub them, blot dry, and rub with oil or salt if desired. Pierce them with a fork to let steam escape as the potatoes bake. Whole potatoes may be placed on the oven racks or on sheet pans. If placed on sheet pans, turn the potatoes once during baking because the sides in contact with the pan may become slightly soggy.

Bake potatoes until they are tender (about an hour for average sized potatoes). Serve baked potatoes immediately. If this is not possible, they can be held uncovered ,for less then an hour in a warm place.

Salting Egplant:

Although eggplant is available all year round it is at it’s best in the summer. You may want to eliminate some of the excess water and bitterness in it. To do that, arrange the sliced eggplant on a rack, sprinkle with kosher salt, and allow it to drain for about an hour. Before breading, baking or frying, rinse it off and pat dry with a paper towel.

Parchment Paper:

Parchment Paper is a nonstick cooking paper that is heat resistant up to 400˚- 450˚F. It is great as a pan liner and allows for easy cleanup. Parchment Paper may also be used when making a dish en papillote (cooked in a paper pouch). ** Note, it is flammable, do not use under the broiler**.

A different kind of bread crumbs.

Panko is Japanese-style bread crumbs. Because of their coarse, uneven shape, the crumbs lay irregularly on top of each other, creating a light, extra crispy coating on food (they are especially great for frying). Panko is gaining in popularity, and is available at many grocery stores. If you can’t find it, use coarse fresh bread crumbs instead.

Tiny Tomatoes:

Over the last few years, a wide variety of small tomatoes have hit the market. Like large tomatoes, these smaller kinds (Romanita, Cherry, Campari, Grape) have a wide range of textures and sweetness. Because of their amazingly fresh and consistent flavor, any of these small tomatoes make a great substitute when big ones aren’t that good or unavailable.

In the bag:

Whenever a recipe calls for grated chocolate, the stray flakes of chocolate make a mess. To keep your counter top tidy, put the grater into a re-sealable plastic bag and grate into the bag. This take care of cleanup and storage all in one shot.

Blanching Lasagna:

To blanche lasagna sheets, cook about 4 sheets at a time (to prevent sticking and tearing) in boiling salted water. It will not take long, just 2-3 minutes - they just need to be pliable and will finish cooking in the oven. Lift the sheets out of the water and place on lightly greased foil in a single layer; do not overlap or they could stick to one another. Dry them thoroughly before assembling the lasagna.

Zesting Lemons:

Lemon zest (the outer most layer of the lemon's skin) contains aromatic oils that give foods a great lemony flavor. The easiest way to remove the zest is to use a zesting tool - it is designed to leave the bitter white layer behind. If you don't have a zester use a vegetable peeler to remove the colored portion of the peel. After zesting, mince if called for.