Asian Recipes

Asian Recipes Blog

The Unrivaled Practical Guide for Asian Cooking

Why should potatoes be soaked before French-frying them?

If the surfaces of the cut potatoes are too dry, a sticky layer of gelatinized starch will develop on the exposed flesh soon after the potatoes are put in the hot oil. This can cause the potatoes to stick to each other and the pan. For best results, soak the freshly cut potatoes for several minutes in ice-cold water. Rinse them briefly under a fast stream of cold tap water and drain them in a sieve or colander. This step removes some of the surface starch. Pat them dry with paper toweling - you don't want any water droplets clinging to the potato surface lest the hot oil splatter when you lower the pieces into the pan. Promptly add the potatoes to the preheated oil before their surfaces lose their remaining moisture.

** Asian Recipes **

12:39:46 on 09/29/07 by Webmaster - Quick Cooking Tips -

What to look out for when buying garlic?

Avoid heads if they have started to sprout or have exterior soft spots. The fresher the garlic, the keener the flavor and the less bitter any internal green sprouting will be. Buy large garlic heads (relative to their variety) because you will have fewer garlic cloves to peel per volume of chopped garlic and chopping will be easier. Even more important, your stored garlic supply will not dry out as fast. If you buy elephant-type garlic because you do not relish a strong garlic flavor, consider buying regular garlic and using less of it. This will save you money and reward you with a more enticing garlic aroma and flavor.

** Asian Recipes **

07:20:44 on 09/26/07 by Webmaster - Quick Cooking Tips -