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& A Archives:
Q: I would like to know the shelf life of butter and margarine when stored in the fridge and freezer. Thanks, Joyce
A: Great question! I had to do a little research to find a good answer for you. I go through a lot of butter so it never has time to get old here.
Butter - refrigerate for two weeks past the date on the carton - freeze for up to 4 months in a ziploc bag to prevent it from absorbing odors.
In Europe, it's not uncommon to see unrefrigerated butter left out on the countertop. This is perfectly safe for a couple of days, but not in the summer!
Margarine - check the use by date on the package and don't use past this date. There is no evidence that freezing margarine extends its shelf life.
Q: My garden is exploding with cilantro and parsley. But not
much else...yet...hopefully. What recipes you could recommend
that use a lot of parsley and/or cilantro. For the parsley,
I was thinking tabbouli, lasagne, or shrimp scampi. For the
cilantro, I was thinking salsa, guacamole, or sesame noodles.
What else can you think of?
-
Rick "Captain Broccoli" Rosenthal
A:
Captain, your ideas sound great! I like to find ways to use
produce in season and re-use it once it's out of season. Here
are some more ideas. Good Luck!
The
parsley can be dried easily if you have lots of extra. Just
chop it well (you can use a knife of food processor) and set
it in a bowl on your counter. Leave it until it's completely
dry but stir it daily to bring the moist stuff to the top.
Once it's dry store it in an airtight container and use it
all year long.
Try
making cilantro pesto. It's great tossed with pasta or over
chicken or spread on a Boboli for an interesting pizza. You
can make a huge batch then freeze it in ice cube trays. Once
it's frozen, pop out of the trays into a ziploc bag and use
it as you need it. It'll stay frozen for a long time.
Cilantro
Pesto
1 bunch fresh cilantro
4
ounces pecans
4 cloves garlic
2 ounces parmesan cheese - grated
1/4 cup (+/-) extra virgin olive oil
Combine all the ingredients, except the oil in a blender or
food processor. Blend until chopped. With motor running, slowly
drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Q:
Whenever
I ice a cake, it ends up leaving loads of crumbs in the icing
& doesn't look pretty. What's going on and how can I make
it better?
A:
Simply put, a warm cake is going to be crumblier than a cool
one. Icing the cake in two stages will help. First, allow
the cake to cool completely, then if you do a very thin coat
of icing it will catch all the crumbs. Place the cake with
the" crumb coat" in the fridge and chill for about
15 minutes. After you've done this step, you can frost your
cake crumb free.
Q:
How do I check the ripeness of a pineapple?
A:
If you can easily pull out one of the green leaves, the pineapple
is ripe and ready.
Q: There's lots of different
brands of knives, each claiming to be the best. Are the
expensive ones really "better?"
A:
A knife forged from one solid piece of metal is best. These
are usually the more expensive brands, but they will last
a lifetime. You should go into a store that sells knives
individually and hold a couple of them. It is important
to buy one that feels comfortable in your hand. Everyone
who loves to cook should own a good quality chefs knife.
This is the all-purpose knife and is available in lengths
of 8, 10, and 12 inches.
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