Fun With Food

Cooking Tips
from Chef Vargo
Can't get sugar to disolve in your fresh brewed iced tea? You won't--sugar will not disolve in a cold liquid. Options: Add the sugar while it is still hot (but not everyone likes the same amount of sugar). Use artificial sweetner (but--yuuch). Or try SIMPLE SYRUP. Add 1 cup of sugar to 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil--simmer for 5 minutes. Now everyone can sweeten their tea to their liking. The syrup will keep for up to a month in the fridge.

Does cutting onions bring tears to your eyes? Onions have a scent gland which creates those nasty (sulfuric acid) fumes(a natural defense). To remove it, cut away about an inch of the onion from the ROOT side before cleaning it. For even more protection, chill the onions before handling. You'll SEE the difference.

Want more flavor from your soup? Start with cold water, or stock. Hot liquid will seal the veggies, trapping the flavors in. Starting with cold, will allow the flavors out into the broth.

Have trouble eating grapefruit because it wobbles in the bowl? Slice a little off the bottom (before wedging) to level it--it will sit firmly on your plate. Can't remember which way to slice it? Think of the grapefruit as a globe, w/ the navel as the North Pole. Slice at the Equator.

Lumpy Gravy? Allow your drippings to cool, so that the fat seperates. Collect the fat, melt it, beat in the flour to make a roux, then add the remaining liquid to thin it. If more liquid is needed, use cold, not hot. This will also prevent lumping.
Want to kick up your french toast? Replace some of the milk in the batter with orange juice--I like to use some of the newer 'blended juices' ie. strawberry, banana, orange. You can even put a little cocoa powder into the batter for chocolate french toast.

Want a low fat iced cream sandwich? Put some low fat cool whip between two chocolate covered grahm crakers, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

Commander & Chef
Alfred Henningsen
Is hard at work making sure your dinning experience will be a pleasent one.

Still More Cooking Tips
The Egg Files
Cracking some eggs, and there's a little piece of shell you can't get out? Use a larger piece of egg shell to get it. The smaller piece will cling to the larger, and come right out.

Hate chunks of 'scrambled eggs' in your custard? Temper the eggs first, before adding them into the pudding. First, wisk the eggs for 2 minutes, then take some of the hot liquid from the cooking pudding, and SLOWLY wisk it into the eggs. Next, SLOWLY stir the tempered egg mixture into the pudding---perfect custard every time. For an even creamier custard, use only the egg yolks--save the whites for breakfast, or maybe Angel Food cake!!

Want a perfect hard boiled egg--for Deviled Eggs, Easter, or a quick snack? Start with fresh eggs--old eggs will never peel easily. Place the eggs in a pot (enough so they cannot roll around)--add LOTS of salt--aids in shell removal, and cover with water. Bring pot to a rolling boil, then turn off heat, but leave eggs in the hot water for 20 minutes. Next, place eggs either in the fridge or an ice bath to stop the cooking process---perfect eggs every time---with no green in the yolk(green yolks mean that the egg is over cooked).

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Look Here for Cooking Tips and Fun Food Facts
Cooking Tips from Chef Vargo Can't get sugar to disolve in your fresh brewed iced tea? You won't--sugar will not disolve in a cold liquid. Options: Add the sugar while it is still hot (but not everyone likes the same amount of sugar). Use artificial sweetner (but--yuuch). Or try SIMPLE SYRUP. Add 1 cup of sugar to 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil--simmer for 5 minutes. Now everyone can sweeten their tea to their liking. The syrup will keep for up to a month in the fridge. Does cutting onions bring tears to your eyes? Onions have a scent gland which creates those nasty (sulfuric acid) fumes(a natural defense). To remove it, cut away about an inch of the onion from the ROOT side before cleaning it. For even more protection, chill the onions before handling. You'll SEE the difference. Want more flavor from your soup? Start with cold water, or stock. Hot liquid will seal the veggies, trapping the flavors in. Starting with cold, will allow the flavors out into the broth. Have trouble eating grapefruit because it wobbles in the bowl? Slice a little off the bottom (before wedging) to level it--it will sit firmly on your plate. Can't remember which way to slice it? Think of the grapefruit as a globe, w/ the navel as the North Pole. Slice at the Equator. Lumpy Gravy? Allow your drippings to cool, so that the fat seperates. Collect the fat, melt it, beat in the flour to make a roux, then add the remaining liquid to thin it. If more liquid is needed, use cold, not hot. This will also prevent lumping. Want to kick up your french toast? Replace some of the milk in the batter with orange juice--I like to use some of the newer 'blended juices' ie. strawberry, banana, orange. You can even put a little cocoa powder into the batter for chocolate french toast. Want a low fat iced cream sandwich? Put some low fat cool whip between two chocolate covered grahm crakers, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.			Fun Food Facts How did strawberries get their name? When first cultivated, farmers noticed that berries that touched the ground rotted faster. Solution: pack straw around the base of the plants to raise the berries. Henceforth: Straw Berries. The story of CHARCOAL: Ever see the car ads showing Henry Ford and his millionare buddies going camping and off-roading in a Model A? If you've ever been camping, you know its a lot of work to gather kindling for the fire--in fact, it was too much work for a bunch of businessmen in wool suits. Henry and the guys usually didn't build one. Until one trip, when Henry told his friends that he had way to many wooden pins in stock (they were used to fasten the canvas tops to the Model A). One friend, named Kingsford, offered to buy the pins, converted them into the world's first charcoal brickettes, and the cook-out has never been the same since. Additionally, until the 1950s you could only buy Kingsford Charcoal at your local Ford dealership. Vegetarians beware: Do you know what Jello is REALLY made of? Gelatin is actually colagen which is extracted (by boiling) from the hooves of animals, such as cows, pigs, and horses. Add some strawberry flavor--YUM. President Thomas Jefferson once recieved a 1,235 pound wheel of cheese as a gift, coining the phrase: "Big Cheese". On a similar note, Macaroni & Cheese was first invented in his kitchens at Monticello, making this dish one of Americas first contributions to the culinary world. Jefferson also designed his own pasta machine, for the Macaroni and Cheese, after the company in Italy sent the wrong kind. He is also credited as bringing egg plant to the New World. Boy did he LOVE food!! Did you know that Cinnamon didn't start out as a spice for food? Originally, it was used in ancient Egypt as an 'air freshener' in mortuarties. Why is tin foil shinny on only one side? Foil is so thin that they have to press 2 sheets of it together so that it dosn't tear in the machinery. Pyrex glass was originally used in railroad lanterns, and did make its way into the kitchen until 1915. It's proudest moment was when it was used as window glass for the Apollo space missions. Corning Wear glass (created by mistake--it was left in the kiln too long) has been used as missle nose cones.
Find more ideas at Foodtv.com More Fun Food Facts Strawberries got their name because the farmers would pack straw around the plants to keep the berries from touching the ground. How'd they do that? The ancient Irish made their jack o'lanterns from red beets. Mellow Yellow: A great song from a troubled time. In their quest to get high, people would dry banana peels and smoke them: it was called 'mellow yellow'. Personally, I think bananas should be eaten, not inhailed. Did you ever wonder why some Orthodox Church towers have that 'bulb' shaped top? ONIONS. They are shaped like onions because the onion was an old world symbol for health, wealth, fertility, etc. They were often used for wedding gifts in the ancient world. In Egypt, Noblemen would swear oaths on an onion. And they were used as an external wound medication up to the 20th century. In fact, Civil War General Grant refused to march on Richmond until his onions arrived. Do you know where Cream of Tartar comes from? It is derived from sediment on the sides of casks, formed during wine making. In Italy, they hire short people to crawl into the empty casks to scrape out the residue. cool history in the Chef Talk Archieves			Commander & Chef Alfred Henningsen Is hard at work making sure your dinning experience will be a pleasent one.
			Still More Cooking Tips The Egg Files Cracking some eggs, and there's a little piece of shell you can't get out? Use a larger piece of egg shell to get it. The smaller piece will cling to the larger, and come right out. Hate chunks of 'scrambled eggs' in your custard? Temper the eggs first, before adding them into the pudding. First, wisk the eggs for 2 minutes, then take some of the hot liquid from the cooking pudding, and SLOWLY wisk it into the eggs. Next, SLOWLY stir the tempered egg mixture into the pudding---perfect custard every time. For an even creamier custard, use only the egg yolks--save the whites for breakfast, or maybe Angel Food cake!! Want a perfect hard boiled egg--for Deviled Eggs, Easter, or a quick snack? Start with fresh eggs--old eggs will never peel easily. Place the eggs in a pot (enough so they cannot roll around)--add LOTS of salt--aids in shell removal, and cover with water. Bring pot to a rolling boil, then turn off heat, but leave eggs in the hot water for 20 minutes. Next, place eggs either in the fridge or an ice bath to stop the cooking process---perfect eggs every time---with no green in the yolk(green yolks mean that the egg is over cooked).