Tips for the Kitchen

Quick tip for peeling garlic cloves.

If you aren't using fresh garlic, you should be. Powdered garlic, or worse yet, garlic salt, just doesn't have the wonderful flavors and aromas of the fresh stuff.

Some folks are put off by the hassle of peeling each and every garlic clove before mincing -- but there's a quick and painless way! First off, always buy garlic with fairly large cloves. That may seem silly, but it makes a lot of difference when you only have to peel and mince half the cloves you'd have to otherwise...

When you're ready to peel the garlic, use a wide-bladed knife and chop off the ends of the clove, husk and all. Next, lay the flat of the blade atop the clove and give the blade a firm whack with your fist. The clove will smash out a bit and you'll find you can easily remove the husk. You're also already partway done with mincing!

Use fresh herbs whenever possible!

I cooked for years with garlic powder and dried oregano and basil. Meals turned out just fine, but I never knew what I was missing until I finally started using fresh garlic, oregano and basil. Fresh garlic is cheap and it’s a huge jump over garlic powder or garlic salt. Basil, oregano, and rosemary are incredibly simple to grow yourself. All they take is a small corner of your garden or a pot or three in a sunny windowsill. Pluck off a few leaves, crush them in your hands before mincing, add them to your dishes and you’ll find a huge improvement!

Speed up your cutting and chopping.

I've been sort of a brute-force person when it comes to chopping and slicing up things in the kitchen. Thankfully, I've had a couple folks point out some good tips. When you're chopping or dicing up long vegetables like carrots or celery, slice the vegetable first into short lengths, then put them side-by-side and chop across several pieces at once. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's a simple trick that can speed up your preparation time.

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