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Meat,
Poultry & Seafood Tips
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- Cover a plate well with plastic
wrap to carry raw meat to the grill. Throw the plastic wrap away.
Use the clean plate to carry cooked meat back in!
- Thaw fish filets in milk. The
milk absorbs the "frozen" taste and adds a "fresh
caught" taste.
- Place a "bed" of celery
and onions under fish when baking. Besides adding flavor, it
will prevent the fish from sticking.
- When recipes call for meats
or poultry to be sliced or cubed, it is easier to do so when
the meat is slightly frozen. Fresh meats can be placed in the
freezer for about 30 minutes before preparation. Also, make sure
you use a sharp knife. Few things are more dangerous in the kitchen
than a dull knife because you have to use more strength to try
and cut or slice something and the possibility of the knife slipping
is more apt to happen, perhaps causing injury.
- Use tongs or a flat utensil
to turn meat during cooking. A fork will puncture the seared
crust, releasing the meat's juices and leaving it dry.
- Wine corks contain tannin. Drop
one into a pot of stew to tenderize the meat.
- Don't salt meat before you cook
it. The salt forces the juices out and impedes browning. Instead,
salt meat halfway through cooking, then taste when the meat is
done and adjust the salt as needed.
- Marinate in ziptop plastic bags
instead of bowls or containers you have to clean. Be sure to
flip the bag from time to time to make sure everything gets a
good soak!
- At the grocery store, look for
meat cuts that have the most lean meat for the money. Be sure
when you buy less expensive cuts you are not paying for large
amounts of gristle, fat and bone.
- Never reuse marinades that have
come in contact with raw meat, chicken or fish, and don't put
the cooked food back into an unwashed container or the dish that
contained the marinade.
- When grilling meats, trim off
excess fat with a sharp knife to keep fire flare-ups to a minimum.
- When grilling chicken, place
bony or rib-cage side of chicken down next to heat first. The
bones act as an insulator and keep chicken from browning too
fast.
- When freezing large quantities
of steaks, chops, chicken pieces, meat patties, etc., place a
piece of the wrapping material between each. They'll separate
easily to make thawing quicker.
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