Stripping Kale | Tuesday's Tip of The Day!

Tough greens with a woody core can be intimidating and just plain frustrating to deal with. Plus, if the leaves are consumed while too large and before massaging, chances are you might not even care for it! Regardless of your current relationship with kale, understanding a few fundamentals on its anatomy can help ease the frustration.

First of all, make sure you thoroughly wash the leaves, stem and inner woody spine from top to bottom. Kale tends to be extremely dirty so pay special attention to each “nook and cranny.”

Secondly, as I am sure you already guessed, the tough woody core should be discarded. My jaw hurts just thinking about it! To do this, start at the stem end by peeling back an inch of the leaf away from the spine. Grasp your entire hand around the greens (where you just pulled it down) and quickly, pull your hand down toward the other end. Doing so creates a zipper like affect quickly remove the leaves from the cord in one quick “zip.”  Alternatively, simply use a pairing knife or your hands to remove the leaves from the core.

Thirdly, kale is a sturdy (and sometimes stubborn) green that is best enjoyed when thinly sliced. Instead of tearing the leaves into bite size pieces, stack the leaves on top of each other and thinly slice across into super thin strips.

And, last but not least, stemming from the above comment, kale should be broken down into a more manageable state. The best way to do this, beside thinly slicing, is by massaging. As the word massaging suggests, tightly squeeze handfuls of kale until it breaks down in size resulting in a softer texture. 

As far as cooking is concerned, kale is excellent served raw and tossed with a delicious vinaigrette or even added to soups at the last minute of cooking. Personally, I love it in my minestrone soup!

For other terrific tips for cooking at your best, subscribe to my blog and I will send them straight to your inbox every Tuesday morning!

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Segmenting Oranges | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!

As we embrace cooler weather and the bounty of citrus at our local farmer’s markets, finding ways to incorporate them throughout our weekly menu rotation can be daunting and repetitive. Quickly segmenting oranges and grapefruit of any variety is an excellent – and impressive – way to take any dish to the next level.

Follow these easy steps to segment citrus like a pro:

1. Trim the bottom and top of each so that it can freely stand upright.
2. Using a sharp knife, carefully trim away the peel going just deep enough to remove the pith while not wasting any of the fruit.
3. Lay the orange or grapefruit on its side and using a small pairing knife, trace each segment by placing your knife just inside the membrane on both sides of the segment. Gently remove the segment with the tip of the knife. Repeat all the way around either holding the orange in your hand or on a cutting board (the safest option!).
4. Once you have removed all segments, squeeze the leftover membrane (if appropriate) into a small bowl reserving the juice for a quick vinaigrette or even a sweet (pun intended) addition to a sauce or marinade.

For other terrific tips for cooking at your best, subscribe to my blog and I will send them straight to your inbox every Tuesday morning!

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Quickly Peeling Hard-Boiled Eggs | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!

Hard-boiled eggs are a synch to make, but peeling them can be quite the frustrating feat. Here is a quick tip to peel your eggs quickly and efficiently:

1. Lightly tap the bottom of the cooked egg on your counter top to gently crack the shell.
2. Using a spoon, tuck the end under the shell. As the shape forms to the egg, gently lift the shell away from the egg.
3. Still a little “sticky?” Try doing this same method under cold running water.  

For other terrific tips, subscribe to my blog and I will send them to your inbox every Tuesday morning!

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Shopping for Meat Thermometers | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!

If someone asked me to name one essential kitchen tool, I would say an accurate and calibrated meat thermometer! There are numerous types from dial instant-read to digital instant-read, to pop-ups (mostly used for chicken and turkeys, it literally pops up when the meat hits the correct temperatures), steak thermometers (that usually come in a set of 4 and allow you to perfectly monitor and pull steaks according to people’s preferred doneness”), wireless BBQ thermometers, dial oven-safe, and even the very high-tech and pricey infrared.  My personal favorite is sophisticated in that it offers an “on/off” switch (digital instant-read) but simple enough that it’s really as simple as it sounds.

Whichever thermometer you fancy, having one on hand is a great way to not only make sure your food is cooked to it’s prime, but that you keep your friends and family safe.

Now that you are In The Know, cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Quickly Drying Salad Greens | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!

We all know that washing our salad greens is the first step to enjoying a delicious green salad. However, now we have wet leafy greens…what to do!!!

If you don’t have a salad spinner, which are incredible by the way, consider adding your greens to a clean dry kitchen towel, securing the edges with your hands, and gently shaking to release excess water. If using a large quantity of greens, work in batches to not bruise them.

And with that, we have fresh salad greens ready for tossing!

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together…and delicious salads of course!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Pronto Whipping Cream by Hand | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!

When looking to make a quick whipping cream by hand – let’s say your hand mixer is already in use or you want to impress your guests – here is a quick way to whip up a batch without the electricity!

Place a metal bowl in the freezer with a whisk and allow them to get really cold. When ready, add the heavy whipping cream and whisk as fast as you can until soft peaks form. Add 1 tablespoon (give or take) of powdered sugar and vanilla extract (if using) and whisk again till medium – stiff peaks form.

At this point, you deserve two dollops of whipping cream for the effort. Don’t let me stop you!

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Easily Crumbing Goat Cheese | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!

The next time you add crumbled goat cheese to your menu, pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes! This way, the cheese easily crumbles and doesn’t leave a creamy residue on your fingers.

Now how is that for genius?

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Come to a Boil Faster by Lidding your Pot | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!

They say, “a watched pot will never boil,” and quite frankly that is true because in order to see the water there probably isn’t a lid on it! Right? Ok, so this may seem obvious but it constantly surprises me with how impatient people are when waiting for water to boil. One simple and effective way to bring water – or any liquid for that matter (see “side note” below) – to a quick boil is simply by putting a lid on it! Your pot or pan doesn’t have a lid? Foil, a baking sheet or even a large sauté pan will do just as well! Just keep in mind that when removing the lid, it is hot so act with caution!

So whatever you want to simmer or boil, tonight is the night to put this new information to test!

As a side note, you should never cover hot oil or alcohol…let that come to the proper temperature naturally with a little patience.

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together, and to getting dinner on the table faster of course!!!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!

Properly Preparing Fennel | Tuesday's Tip of the Day!

For those that don’t have much experience cooking with or eating fennel, it can look a little intimidating.  So, where do you begin? After understanding a few quick tips on how to properly shop for, purchase, store and cut fennel, you can, and may enjoy, finding ways to incorporate more fennel into your diet! So here is the skinny…

Shopping:

When shopping for fennel, the first thing I look for are that the fronds (the leafy green part at the top of the stalk) look bright green and free of blemishes or spotting. Feel it, smell it, heck even taste it – if no one is looking – before placing it in your basket. Secondly, the actual fennel bulb itself – the part you will be eating – should be white without any bruising, cuts or blemishes. Give it a gentle squeeze making sure it is solid without much resistance.

Preparing:

When preparing your fennel, follow these steps:

• Step 1:
  • Remove the stalk by cutting just above where they attach to the bulb.
    
• Step 2:
  • Reserve the fennel fronds for a beautiful garnish. Finding ways to bring the ingredient from inside to finishing touches (i.e. garnishing with its leaves) is a great way to fully represent an ingredient.
    
• Step 3:
  • Cut the fennel bulb in half from top to bottom.
    

• Step 4:
  • Remove the core and stem by cutting a triangle in the bottom.
• Step 5:
  • Depending on your desired purpose, quickly and efficiently thinly slice or chop each half as they will discolor due to oxidation. The most common use for fennel is sautéing, pureeing into a soup or roasting.
    

Now that you know how to shop for and prepare fennel, let’s hit the store! We have some shopping to do.

Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Lewis

Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!