Here are some tips on fruits and vegetables come from the Center’s website Good kitchen that may be useful in your kitchen:
• Strawberries:
Strawberries contain more vitamin C to the Berry family. Strawberries must be of your bright red when picked and ceilings should be green and fresh looking. Fresh strawberries are round, usually available year round but their peak period is from April to July. Green or yellow, ripe strawberries and sour taste.
Strawberries are very perishable and should be purchased several days before use. Choose berries that are firm, plump, free of mold and have a cap, bright red and deep green attached. Medium-sized strawberries are often tastier than those that are too large. If you buy strawberries in a prepackaged container, ensure that they are not wrapped too tight can lead them to be crushed and damaged, and that the container has no stains or signs of moisture May indicate a possible deterioration.
Before storing strawberries in the refrigerator, remove any that are moldy or damaged so as not to contaminate others. Store berries unwashed fruit and husk in their original containers if possible, or spread them on a plate covered with a paper towel, then cover with plastic wrap. Fresh strawberries will keep in the refrigerator for one or two days. Strawberries stored at room temperature or exposed to sunlight for too long, will not spoil easily.
To freeze strawberries, first gently wash them and dry. Arrange strawberries in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in freezer. Once frozen, transfer berries to a sealed plastic bag and return to freezer. Frozen strawberries should keep for up to one year. Add a little lemon juice to berries to help preserve their color.
• snap beans:
With most beans, you eat the seeds, usually after they have been dried. Snap beans can be eaten pod and all. Until a century ago, the pods are difficult channels that we had to tear before cooking but the snap beans you find in markets today are almost all wireless.
When you buy green beans and yellow to find a fresh, bright appearance and good color. Choose beans, young tender with Crisp, firm pods. Avoid buying beans that are faded or have soft soft bean pods, serious blemishes or decay.
• SWEET POTATO:
Due to the rapid deterioration, keep sweet potatoes, fresh, storing them in a dry, cool (55-60 °) at a temperature of about 55-60 °. If it is kept in the refrigerator, they may develop a core and an “off” taste. Sweet potatoes will keep for a month or more if stored at proper temperatures. At normal room temperature, they should be used within one week of purchase. Brush off any excess dirt before storing, but do not wash them until you’re ready to cook.
In preparation, wash sweet potatoes well. It is better to cook them whole whenever possible as most nutrients are next to the skin. Also, the skins are easier to remove after they have been cooked. Prick the skin of sweet potatoes with a fork. Place potatoes in a saucepan and cook in an oven heated to 375 ° F for about 45 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly potatoes before removing the skins. To cook sweet potatoes in a microwave oven, wash the potatoes and pierce. Place on paper towel. For the potatoes 2 medium sweet, cook on high for 5-9 minutes, or cook the potatoes for 10-13 minutes 4.
Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamins A and C, and are a good source of fiber.
• GRILLING FRUIT:
Apples: Core and peel 2 large apples and cut into quarters. Brush with melted butter and grill over indirect heat softened for about 45-55 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with rum or brandy and serve with ice cream for a special treat.
Bananas: Put all ripe bananas, unpeeled, directly on the grill and cook turning occasionally until they are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and peel carefully. Slice and serve over ice cream or vanilla frozen yogurt.
Melon: Cut a length of medium cantaloupe and remove seeds. Cut each half into six wedges. Peel the melon and brush with melted butter. Place on grill and cook until hot throughout and slightly marked, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Romaine lettuce:
Compared to the lettuce, romaine is loaded with vitamins, with at least three times more vitamin C and six times more vitamin A.
• Roasted Garlic:
To roast garlic, sprinkle the garlic bulb with a little salt and pepper, olive oil and a little white wine. Wrap garlic cloves in foil and roast at 350 degrees for about an hour.
• BAKING POTATOES:
When the potatoes cook, use a potato with a high starch content such as red or potatoes in Idaho. Look for potatoes that have smooth skin and no seeds. Potatoes that are wrinkled or soft parts should be avoided. Store your potatoes in a cool, dark place away from onions.
• Plantain:
Plantains are a variety starchier bland banana, and are most often cooked and eaten as a vegetable. Plantains are often used in many Caribbean and African dishes and can be boiled, baked, fried, grilled, microwave or pureed. They are rarely eaten raw, unless they have matured to a point where the skins are completely black.
• Pineapple:
Pineapples can be purchased in many forms – fresh, canned, dried or crystallized. When choosing a fresh pineapple, choose one that feels heavy for its size with a rind is dark green, yellow or yellow-red, but contains no bruises or brown spots. The leaves should appear fresh and green – avoid pineapples that appear to have faded and the leaves are turning brown. The pineapple should have a fragrant smell.
• Beans:
Did you know that a cup of cooked beans can provide up to 17 grams of protein? It’s more than half of the 24 grams recommended for women every day. Beans may even help you lose weight because all the fiber creates a feeling of fullness that helps you stay satisfied longer.
Chefs often prefer to use dried beans, because their texture is firmer and the flavor of the finished dish is easier to control, including the level of sodium. Using dried beans, soaking and softening them, should not be difficult.
To use dried beans, just wash the beans and cover with cold water. The ratio of water to beans is about six times the amount of water to the beans (for example, 1 cup beans with 6 cups of water). The beans will rehydrate and almost double in size. Let stand overnight, then drain and rinse to get rid of the starch that can cause flatulence later.
For cooking, the beans in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 45 minutes or until tender. Please do not let the water level go below the top of the beans. Just add more water to cover them. Then the beans ferment, skim away any impurities that float to the surface. When tender, drain and rinse again before using.
• Small onions:
To peel the onions, put them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let stand for 2 minutes, drain and pour cold water over them. Cut the root ends and easily slip the skins off before use.
• Lawyer:
If you want to use a lawyer immediately, select counsel who produce slightly soft when pressed gently on the skin. If you plan to use the lawyer in a few days, buy firm fruits that do not bend when pressed gently and leave them at room temperature to ripen. If the lawyer has light brown irregular marks on the skin outside, these brands generally have no effect on the flesh of the avocado, but avoid lawyers with dark sunken spots or cracks broken surfaces that show signs of decomposition. When lawyers preparation, place the peeled fruit immediately in lemon juice to prevent browning of fruit.
Avocados contain about 22% fat, and support mid-sized Lawyer contains about 300 calories and 30 grams of fat.
The lawyers are rich in nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium and folate. They are cholesterol free and contain no sodium. They contain potassium 60% more per ounce than bananas and are an excellent source of mono-unsaturated.
If you want to read more tips and food advice, and get some great recipes too, visit the website of Good Cooking Central.
A great resource for family meals is the new electronic cookbook, “Good central kitchen cookbook. It offers easy to prepare, delicious family tested recipies. Available at: http://www. goodcookingcentral. com/good_cooking_central_002.
