Even if you have a cool attitude to cooking and prefer to keep it at arm's length, there still comes a time when a meeting with the stove and the products becomes inevitable. Novate.ru proposes to treat this philosophically and try to facilitate the process of cooking as much as possible, using effective culinary tricks. By the way, you can find them not only in the family recipe book, but also from other cultures, such as Chinese
1. Washing fruits and vegetables in salt water running water will not wash pesticides off apples Running water will not wash pesticides off apples The Chinese take the purity of food very seriously, so they thoroughly rinse fruits and vegetables, not limited to rinsing them with running water. The second, no less important step is the use of salt water. According to a 2006 study by Chinese scientists, salt water effectively removes pesticide residue from the surface of fruits and vegetables. If you want to adopt this technique, use 1 part salt to 10 parts water to wash your produce.
2) To use the starch in a different way
How about giving your cooked food a nice glossy coating? That's where starch and the culinary wiles of Chinese housewives come in handy. The product is present in every kitchen in the Celestial Empire, as it is a real "cure-all" when it comes to cooking beautiful and delicate dishes. Almost no sauce can do without it when it comes to cooking at high temperatures. It is thanks to the starch that meat or fish has a deliciously glossy coating.
3. Softening meat with egg whites
Tricks of the trade that Chinese housewives know how to make even the toughest meats soft and tender if you don't want to throw them away at first. It is very simple: you only have to marinate the meat in egg white for a quarter of an hour. Europeans may be perplexed and mistrustful of this method because we are used to making meat softer with such ingredients as vinegar, brine and lemon juice.
However, the Chinese are ready to argue with our opinion and defend theirs. According to them, egg white gives meat a smooth shell, which protects it during further heat treatment. This, in turn, does not allow the liquid to evaporate from the fibers. As a result - tender and appetizing meat, which melts in your mouth. By the way, the same functions are performed by the starch added to the marinade.
4. Cooking perfect rice without measuring cups
Most home cookers cook rice at the rate of one cup of uncooked grains to two cups of water, or use a different ratio if the final dish is to be larger. However, women in China do not use scales, charts, or measuring cups. They simply pour the necessary amount of rice into the pot and then place their index finger at right angles to the surface. The last step is to pour just enough water into the pot to cover one phalanx.
5. Boil the meat in advance
Before they start the main cooking process, the Chinese put a piece of raw meat in water, bring it to a boil, then pour off the liquid and start boiling or stewing it again, but with fresh water. Local housewives do not consider it to be a waste of time, on the contrary, according to them, such a procedure has several advantages. First, pre-cooking helps get rid of excess blood and wash out all the dirt and bacteria. Secondly, it can soften some kinds of meat, such as pork. Thirdly, famous chefs often resort to this technique: they cook the meat in water and then roast it with vegetables and spices in a pan to give it the desired flavor and aroma.
6. Making healthy dumplings
In Russia, it is customary to cook dumplings with minced meat or pieces of meat. Sometimes pork is used, sometimes beef, less often chicken. The Chinese do not share this passion for fatty foods. In their opinion, dumplings should be not only tasty, but also healthy. For this reason, many Chinese families use 50% vegetables and 50% meat as a filling. It is no less nourishing and original. You can use any vegetables at your discretion.
7. Steaming without special electric devices
Continuing the theme of healthy Chinese cooking, it is impossible not to mention that many dishes are steamed by local hostesses. And it's not just about the cauldron.
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