Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks: 5,000 Ingenious Kitchen Hints, Secrets, Shortcuts, and Solutions

616 Pages·2001·64.08 MB·English

by  David Joachim

POOD TIPS

AND

COOKING
TRICKS

5000 ingenious kitchen Hints,
SECRETS, SHORTCUTS, AND SOLUTIONS
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“BE A FASTER; SMARTER, BETTER COOK”

AND HAVE MORE FUN, TOO! Cookbook editor David Joachim ee
has teamed up with leading food experts across the country to bring ==
you the most comprehensive home-cooking reference book ever. =z
Get down-to-earth answers to the cooking questions that you face | S==—=
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every day. From A to Z, you'll discover more than 5,000 insider e
kitchen tips and over 900 recipes for incredibly easy, incredibly good =
food. Finally, you can enjoy yourself in the kitchen and still win raves. a

“Do you want to cook like a pro? Then Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks
is your answer. This exhaustively researched, masterfully organized book will
help you be a faster, smarter, better cook. And isn't that what we all want?”

—Pam Anderson, author of How to Cook without a Book and The Perfect Recipe

“Move over Joy of Cooking. Make way for Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks.
‘There’s enough culinary wisdom and savvy food tips packed into this book
to keep you cooking and eating well for a lifetime.”
—Steven Raichlen, author of the award-winning Barbecue Bible, Healthy Latin
Cooking, and How to Grill

“Here, finally, is a great reference book for novice and experienced cooks
alike. The A-Z arrangement and accurate cross-referencing make it easy to
find all the information you need—especially when another cookbook gives
incomplete or unclear instructions. Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks
is destined to become a classic.”

—Nick Malgieri, author of Chocolate and Cookies Unlimited

ISBN 3-57354-301-
900

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slirais? 3

54304

‘ToD 07-1850
These equivalents have been slightly rounded to make measuring easier.

Volume Equivalents:

1 dash or
apinch

less than
Yatsp (dry)

0.018 floz 0.5 mi

30 drops

Matsp

0.03 floz 1m

60 drops

‘etsp

0.06 floz 2m

Ya tsp

Ye Tbsp

0.12 floz 4m

1 tsp

Tbsp

O18 floz

“Ve tsp

% Tosp

0.25 fioz

tsp

1 Tbsp

OS thoz

2Tbsp

‘oun

689

3 Tbsp

Se

1Sfloz

4 Tbsp

cup

12 tsp

is Thsp,

"a oup

5 Thsp +1 tsp

8 Tbsp

‘oun

24 tp

10% Tosp,

34 cup

10 Thsp +2 tsp

12 Thsp

%oup

36 tsp

14 Tbsp

‘oun,

42 tsp

16 Tbsp

1cup

Yapt

tet

2 oups

*a

tat

2et

cups

2ats

aot

i gal

Spt
"2 Thep sugar diasolved in 2 Thep diy shenry

4.02 drained canned sliced mushrooms

1 tsp dry mustard + 1 tsp water
‘Onion, chapped, 1 medium 2 Tbsp jarred minced onion OR 1%étsp onion powder
‘Orange zest, graiod, 1 Tbsp ‘Ktpomngectet
Pecans, 1 cup 1 ep walnuts OF 1 cup rolled oats, toasted (for baking)
Peppers, red bell, roasted Equal amount of drained jarred pimientos
Poultry seasoning, 1 tsp 1d tap dried thyme + % tap dried sage cents

‘step ground cinnamon + % tsp ground nutmeg + tsp ground
ginger + Ys tsp ground cloves

cup finely chopped soft prunes or dates

Rice wine, % cup Yeoup dry shery _
um or brandy, 2 Tbsp 2 Tbep rape o api oo + Hise ona or brandy

Sake, % cup Yecup beer - ol
‘Sherry or bourbon, 2 Thsp 1-2 tsp vanilla extract

Sherry (sweet), fruit-flavored liqueur, or
__Port wine, % cup or more:

Equal amount of unsweetened orange juice or apple juice + —
1 tsp vanila extract

‘Sugar, confectioners’, 1 cup

Ye cup granulated sugar ground in a blender or food processor
with 4 Thsp comstarch

‘Sugar, granulated, 1 cup

Sugar light brown, packed, 1 cup

1% cups confectioners’ sugar OR 1 cup packed light brown
__sugar OR 1 cup superfine sugar

1 cup granulated sugar +9 Thsp molasses OR cup dark

brown sugar + ‘cup granulated sugar us
Tapioca, 1 Tbsp 1 Tbsp flour (for thickening) eninge
Tomato juice, 1 cup ‘Ye .cup tomato sauce + % cup water

‘Tomato sauce, 1 cup

11 can (8.02) stewed tomatoes, blended in a blender, OR + cup
‘seasoned tomato puree OR % cup tomato paste + ¥ cup water

‘Tomatoes, fresh, chopped, 2 medium

1 cup drained chopped canned tomatoes:

‘Vanilla bean (10° piece) 1 tsp vanilla extract

Vinegar, distiled, 1 tsp 2 tsp lemon juice

Wine, red, Ye cup ‘A.cup red grape or cranberry juice
Wine, white, cup —_Reup apple juice orcider

Yeast, active dry, 1 envelope (/4 02)

1 scant Tbsp active dry yeast OR 1.6 oz compressed frash
yeast, crumbled

1 up buttermilk OR 1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice
| Guide to Pan Sizes

When measuring pan sizes, always measure from inside edge to inside edge.

Common Pan Size ‘Type of Pan Approximate Total Volume.

1" XH ‘Mini mutfin cup
ht x Te Mutfin cup
ax te Jumbo matin cup

| t-quart EL ” Casserole
axe Pie round cake ai
"x 1" Ey
ox te

| axe Round cake
ox te Round cake
8 x 8 x TH Square
10" x 1%" Pie
Wx 7 x 2 Rectangular
TERS Bundt
BY" X 4s x DK Loat

cat 2quart Casserole

xe x3 Loaf
oxo Pie (deep dish) or round cake
ex axe Square
oxox Square
9 x 24" Ring mod
exe
axa
oxo" xe"
15" 10" <1"

| S-quart

Ke 7

io Kae
10" x 2%
we Xe
10" x 4" Tube

44" 104" 25 Roasting
Common Temperatures and Conversions

To convert Fahrenheit into Calsius, subtract 32, multiply by 5, then divide by 9. To convert Celsius into
Fahrenheit, multiply by 9, divide by 5, then add 32, The equivalents below have been rounded slightly.

Fahrenhé Gas Mark

Water freezes
Ideal temperature of butter for creaming
loom temperature 68°72" 20°22"
"Ideal temperature for rising yeast dough a5" 29°
Poaching temperature 160°-180° 718-82"
185°-205° 35-06"
212" 100°
225°-250° tore
275°-300" 435°-149°
463°
177491"
205°
218-209"
246°

Container Size Equivalents

Approximate Total Volume

M12 oz can
12 0z vacuum-packed can

14-17 oz can

29 oz can

46 fluid oz can

6 02 can frozen juice concentrate
10 oz package frozen vegetables
16 oz package frozen vegetables
FOOD TIPS

AND

COOKING
TRICKS

5.000 INQENLOUS KITCHEN HINTS,
SECRETS, SHORTCUTS, AND SOLUTIONS
David Joachim
with
Andrew Schloss, Jan Newberry,
Maryellen Driscoll, and Paul E. Piccuito

= i i
80PH-D6Y-DOY6 ji
For Christine and August

© 2001 by Rodale Inc.
Illustrations © by Judy Newhouse

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval
system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free @, recycled paper ©

Cover and Interior Designer: Carol Angstade
Cover and Interior Photographer: Kurt Wilson
Ilustrator: Judy Newhouse
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Joachim, David.
Brilliant food tips and cooking tricks / David Joachim.
Pom
Includes index.
ISBN 1-57954-301-4 hardcover

1, Cookery—Encyclopedias. 2, Food—Encyclopedias. I, Title.
TX349.J32 2001
641.5103—de21 2001019193

Distributed to the book trade by St. Martin’s Press
24 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 hardcover

Visit us on the Web at www.rodalestore.com, or call us toll-free at [phone].

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|: to Cutting Boards... . 84 | o ees fee ew ayerry SOD!

Paella to Puree. 0 326,
“3 q
Eggplant to Evaporated Milk... 155 Quiche to Quinoa... ........401
if | Fat Replacement to Frying... . 171 [x |
is |
Bell Garlic to Guacamol: 204 Salad Dressings to Sweet Potatoes. . 421
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Jam to Julienne... 241 ‘Wafiles to Wok 539
kc | Kabobs to Kni 245 Ly | ‘Yeast to Yogurt . aegis SBM
Acknowledgments

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN A LABOR OF LOVE.
Tam lucky to have worked with such a talented
group of cooks, colleagues, contributors,
writers, researchers, tip testers, and friends
Without them and many other behind-the-
scenes people, this book would neyer have
made it into print.

My sincere thanks to the contributing
writers, including:

Andrew Schloss, for his inimitable ex-
pertise in how to do everything in the
kitchen faster. I'll never look at leftovers the
same way again.

Jan Newberry, for her rock-solid knowl-
edge of essential cooking techniques.

‘Maryellen Driscoll, who swiftly resolved
hundreds of common cooking problems with
inspired ingenuity.

‘And Paul E. Piccuito, an inventive cook
who knows how to get the most nutrients as
well as the most flavors from food.

Thanks also

Neil Wertheimer, Susan Clarey, and
Anne Egan at Rodale Books, who lit the way
for this project and guided it with gentle hands.
Carol Angstadt, a gifted designer who
made a very complicated book look easy.

The Rodale Test Kitchen staff, who
spent countless hours making sure that these
tips and recipes work?

Kathleen Hanuschak, for her help in or-
ganizing this sometimes unwieldy volume of
information.

Kathy Everleth, a terrific recipe editor
whose special touch made many of the
recipes easier to follow.

Susannah Hogendorn, for her dogged
copyediting and attention to accuracy.

Barbara Thomas-Fexa, for verifying
hundreds of food facts.

Julie Kehs Minnix, who phoned, faxed,
muiled, typed, and helped process hundreds
of thousands of words into electronic form.

Donna Rossi, whose knack for crystal-
clear layouts made these pages more user-
friendly.

Judy Newhouse, for her clean illustra~
tions that helped many hard-to-visualize tips
see the light of day.

And Janine Slaughter, Sindy Berner,
Cindy Ratzlaff, and the rest of the staff at
Rodale Books, who worked tirelesly to
bring this book into your hands.