| Chosing apricots Try to pick plump and juicy looking apricots with a shiny, smooth, orange color. To check if an apricot is ripe, give it a gentle press with your thumb. If it is ripe, it will give in slightly. |
| Helping apricots ripen Place apricots at room temperature in a paper bag with an apple. The ethylene gas that is release by the apple will help the apricots ripen much faster. |
| Preserving the color of peeled pears Drop peeled pears in cold, lightly salted water, to preserve their color. |
| Preserving the color of peeled apples Drop peeled apples in cold, lightly salted water, to preserve their color. |
Using apples to ripen fruit faster Apples emit ethylene, a gas that makes other fruit to ripen faster. Just add an apple in a bag, together with the fruit you want to ripen.
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| Facts on egg whites Egg whites or albumen, become thinner and more transparent as the egg ages. Use fresh eggs to get taller, more concentrated fried eggs. |
How many tomatoes in an ounce? Many times recipes ask for a certain amount of tomatoes in ounces. To find out how many tomatoes to use in a recipe use the following equivalents:
1 small tomato yields 3 to 4 ounces
1 medium tomato yields 5 to 6 ounces
1 large tomato yields 7 to 10 ounces
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| Easy tomato peeling Put tomatoes in hot water for 30 seconds. Remove
from hot water and cool under cold water. Remove stems and peel off the skins. |
| Making tomato shells (for stuffed tomatoes) Cut the top off of the tomato (about 1/3 of an inch) and using a spoon scoop out the pulp. |
| Keeping pesto from blackening Basil leaves when cut are exposed to oxygen and eventually turn black. Pesto turns black as well. To keep this from happening, cover pesto with a layer of olive oil (about 1/4 of an inch) and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before using. |
