Anything that cuts prep time in the kitchen, prolongs the life of fruits and veggies or helps your cooking life easier is our goal at Daily Harvest Express.
Here’s some great tips I’ve gleaned from the web and years and years of cooking at home
12 Fresh Food Hacks to help you prepare food like a pro – short, simple and sweet tips. Pick one or a few to try this week and let me know if it helps!
Keep Fruit from Browning
Now pack sliced apples for lunch and they won’t become brown before you eat them! Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the slices before packing and they’ll look like they’ve just been cut when it’s time to enjoy (and add a delicious boost of flavor!) It also works great for cucumbers, avocados, radishes, etc.
Blanch Those Veggies
Blanch in boiling water or steam until just bright green, then quickly dunk your veggies into icy water. This halts the cooking process so you end up with vibrant green veggies. Drain and let sit until you’re ready to serve them. Then just toss in a hot pan with a tablespoon of melted butter (or coconut oil & a little salt) to heat up. This works for broccoli, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, snap peas…everything really!
Keep Celery Longer
Instead of storing in its original packaging, wrap celery in aluminum foil or a sealed plastic bag and store in the crisper drawer in the fridge.
New Life for Lettuce
Keep salad greens from wilting with paper towels! They can be placed on top of a serving bowl, put inside a plastic storage bag or used to wrap large leaf lettuce before storing to absorb excess moisture.
If you find your lettuce is already wilting, then bring them back to life by filling your sink with ice cold water. Fully submerge the lettuce into the water as much as possible for 15-20 minutes. This will allow the lettuce to absorb water and crisp up. Dry over towels or in a salad spinner.
My Favorite! Juice a Lemon
If you need to juice a lemon without a juicer handy, try this quick fix. Simply roll the lemon with your palm then use a sharp tipped knife and poke it through one end of the lemon. Give the lemon a squeeze and juice as needed!
Manage Ripening
Keeping bananas bunched together is one way to slow the ripening process, but you can also wrap the stems with plastic wrap to keep them fresh longer. Be sure to store at room temperature as well. If you want your pears to ripen more quickly, put them in a bowl on the counter next to bananas, which release ethylene gas, and in turn, causes the pears to ripen much faster.
Peeling Garlic
Place cloves in a metal bowl and cover with a second metal bowl to create a dome. Hold together and shake till the skins loosen. Another way is to press the garlic clove with the flat bottom of a glass to loosen the skin.
Prepping Veggies
Next time you’re cutting an onion, go at it and chop up more than you need and store the rest in a plastic freezer bag put into the freezer. Freezing small bags of chopped onions, celery and carrots to have a perfect base for soup. You can even freeze onions and chopped bell pepper to add in with eggs for a quick breakfast omelet.
Storing Avocados
To help prevent sliced avocado from browning, pop it into an air tight container with some large slices of red onion. It keeps for 1-2 days.
Peeling a Winter Squash
Butternut squash is certainly not the easiest thing to peel. Before peeling, cut the end off each side, then carefully poke holes throughout the squash with a fork. Place in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. Let cool. Then, use your peeler or a knife to get the skin off- it will be much easier!
Cutting Your Produce
When you’re preparing veggies or fruit, cut each item into equal size pieces. This will allow for even cooking when you’re sautéing or roasting. It also makes salads more enjoyable because enjoying food is as much about texture as taste!
Use One Pan
Chicken (or any meat) and veggies can all be baked on one sheet pan. It makes for super easy cleanup! Basically, cut your veggies into equal sizes (see above tip), coat your ingredients with olive oil, kosher salt, and turmeric (or your favorite spices), and roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Google “one pan meals” and see all the wonderful ideas you’ll find!