Our Blog: What's Cookin' At Potash Bros.
Category: Cooking Tips
September 02, 2010 | Permanent Link
With summer coming to a close, you may not be sitting around by the campfire as much. That doesn’t mean you couldn’t savor a summer treat like the classic S’mores. You could even consider serving S’mores as part of your Labor Day menu as S’more supplies are on special this week in our store.
So, here’s how you can make delicious S’mores…Indoors. You will need graham crackers, 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 bag of mini-marshmallows.
Preheat the oven broiler on high heat. Place parchment paper or aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Break graham crackers at score. Place cracker in rows, not allowing any gaps. Keep aside enough cracker halves to complete sandwich later.
Spread marshmallows across the crackers, then top each one with chocolate chips. Broil for approximately 5-7 minutes, with the oven door slightly cracked. Watch closely that they do not burn. When they are golden brown, remove from oven, top each S’more with its other graham half. Press each one down gently, allow to cool and serve.
Filed Under: Cooking Tips, Dessert
August 13, 2010 | Permanent Link
It’s August, time to savor summer and enjoy the first harvests. We’ve heard that the corn stalks are over 8 feet tall in some areas!
When buying corn, the husks should be bright green and fit snugly around the ear of corn. The kernels should be tight in their rows, plump and juicy right up to the top of the ear. Here’s some ideas for enjoying fresh corn on the cob.
Grilled corn. Soak the corn in the husks for at least 15 minutes, completely submerging all the ears. Then, remove and drain excess water. Once your grill is hot, place corn, still in the husks, on the grill and cover. Turn every 5-10 minutes, depending on the grill. Remove when the husks are dark, crispy brown, even burned. Shuck and rinse under warm running water and serve.
Steamed or boiled corn. Shuck the corn and rinse under cool water to remove excess silk. Place in steamer basket, cover and steam for 8-10 minutes. To boil, place enough cold water to submerge corn, bring to boil and add corn. Boil for about 7-10 minutes, or until done.
Microwaved corn. If it’s too hot to heat up the stove-top or the grill, you can microwave your corn, especially if you only cooking 2 or 3 ears. Submerge corn (in husk) in water and let it soak for about 1/2 hour. Place in microwave safe dish and microwave for about 5-7 minutes. Or, you can shuck the corn, rinse and place in a dish with a few tablespoons of water. Cover with plastic wrap, create a steam vent, and cook on high for about 6 minutes.
Filed Under: Cooking Tips, Fruit & Vegetables, Seasonal
July 23, 2010 | Permanent Link
Summer is here and its hot! Time to eat light, cool meals. Salad fills that bill nicely. A good balsamic vinaigrette is a flavorful, light way to top a salad.
Balsamic vinegar is made from white Trebbiano grape juice. It gets its dark color and pungent sweetness from aging in barrels of various woods and in graduating sizes. It is ages over a period of years.
You can make balsamic vinaigrette in a manner of minutes. It is also wonderful on spinach salad with mandarin oranges, almonds, red onion and cucumber. Or, try it on asparagus or grilled vegetables.
Filed Under: Cooking Tips, Chef Notes, Fruit & Vegetables, Seasonings
May 25, 2010 | Permanent Link
1. Preheat grill. The grill is ready to cook on when you can hold your hand five inches above the grate for 2 seconds.
2. Have everything nearby. Tongs, platters, etc. should be ready close by so you don’t risk burning your food to run inside for something.
3. Be safe. If the flames flare up, turn off burners. Use baking soda instead of water to quell the fire.
4. Be gentle. For juicier meat, use tongs instead of a fork, so you don’t stab the juices out.
5. Let it rest. Before slicing meat, let it rest for a few minutes to let the juices distribute. You can also lose precious juices by slicing too soon, even to check the meat for doneness.
Filed Under: Cooking Tips, Meat, Poultry and Fish
February 25, 2010 | Permanent Link
Pepper comes in more colors than just black. There is also white, green, and pink peppercorns. They all come from the same plant, except for the pink ones, which are actually not related to the others.
To produce black peppercorns, clusters of berries are picked when they begin to ripen. The berries shrivel and turn dark as they dry in the sun. White peppercorns are just the core of the ripe peppercorn berries. They are soaked in water so the outer skin can be rubbed off, then the smooth, gray, inner peppercorns are dried until they turn creamy white. Green peppercorns are picked when still green and immature, then freeze-dried to retain color and flavor. Sometimes they are brined, which produces an entirely different product.
Always store your pepper in cool, dark, dry place. Whole peppercorns have a 3 year shelf life; ground pepper one year. However, I like to buy my pepper in small fresh batches and grind it fresh each time I use it.
I live to make pepper swiss bread. Defrost one loaf bread dough. Flatten it and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and swiss cheese. Roll it up, shape itnto a loaf, brush top with olive oil and black pepper, let rise, bake and enjoy!
Spice up your life! Chef Pearl
Filed Under: Cooking Tips, Chef Notes, Seasonings
January 13, 2010 | Permanent Link
Did you know that “hard” boil is a misnomer when it comes to eggs? You should not “boil” eggs at all, as this will toughen your eggs and turn your yolks green.
The best way to hard cook eggs is to place them in a pan of cold water in one layer. Bring this just to the boiling point, shut off the heat and cover the pot. Set the timer for 13 minutes. When it rings, chill your eggs immediately by putting them in ice water.
Filed Under: Cooking Tips, Chef Notes
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