salad tips

Here are tips for cleaning, storing, and preparing the greens you have selected for your great salad recipe.

Cleaning

How to Wash Greens Place leafy greens in basket of salad spinner. With salad spinner in sink, run cold water through spinner while turning the basket. Repeat once or twice, if necessary, to make sure greens are clean and dry. Pat dry with paper towels, if necessary. If you do not have a salad spinner, rinse greens under cold running water until clean. Then, pat dry with paper towels. How to Wash Fresh Herbs Always wash fresh herbs before use. Rinse small bunches under cold running water, then blot dry. Or when needing to clean a large amount of herbs, fill the sink with cold water and swish the herbs around to remove any dirt. Remove the herbs from the sink and place in a salad spinner to spin dry. Or, place on paper towels and gently blot dry.

Storing

How to store Leafy Greens Store greens wrapped between dry paper towels, if desired, in a perforated plastic bag or loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. How to Store Long Stemmed Herbs Place long-stemmed fresh herbs, such as parsley, cilantro and dill, in a tall glass with the stem ends down. Fill with about an inch of cold water. Cover the leaves with a plastic bag and refrigerate until ready to use, changing the water every 2 days. Herbs should stay vibrant and fresh for about 5 days.

Preparing

How to Core Lettuce Holding head of lettuce so that bottom, or core end, faces a flat surface, bring the lettuce down hard against the surface to loosen core. Pull out core and discard. How to Prepare Lettuce Remove the core from the head of lettuce, then pull the lettuce apart from the core end and tear into bite-sized pieces. Do not chop tender lettuces, such as butterhead, with a knife since this can cause the lettuce to turn brown around the edges. Less delicate lettuces, such as romaine, can be cut but be sure to use a sharp knife. How to Shred Lettuce Cut head of cored iceberg lettuce in half. Place each half, cut side down, on cutting board. Cut across the halves into thin slices, then separate slices into shreds.

Ground Beef Selection and Storage

Chuck or sirloin? Choosing the right cut for your recipe

By Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

Ground Beef Selection
When buying packaged ground beef, be sure there are no tears in the packaging and always check the expiration date. Bulk ground beef is often sold in round chub rolls, vacuum-packed in a wrapper you cannot see through. With this type of packaging, you are pretty much at the mercy of the market, because you cannot see the meat to make any visual judgments. Since it is usually the best bargain, pay attention to the expiration date and cross your fingers. 

Clear-wrap packages give you more of a visual choice. The meat should be red, with the fat marbling uniformly mixed. 

For most recipe applications, ground chuck is the best choice. Chuck comes from an area of the cow that is more exercised, giving it more robust flavor. It has enough fat to make it juicy, but not so much that it shrinks down to nothing when cooked. Keep in mind that the flavor compounds in fat also stimulate saliva flow, hence succulence and a pleasurable dining experience. 

Ground sirloin and ground round make adequate burgers, but only if cooked to less than medium doneness. Longer cooking renders the meat dry and flavorless. Although the USDA now recommends all beef be cooked to at least medium doneness, many gourmands still opt for flavor and cook to rare or medium-rare. Choose your ground beef according to your tastes.

Ground Beef Storage
Fresh ground beef should be stored in the coldest part of your refrigerator and used or frozen within 2 days. 

To freeze ground beef, remove it from the market packaging and divide into specific recipe portions (1/2 pound, 1 pound, 2 pounds, etc.). Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and place in airtight plastic sealable bags. Freeze up to three months. 

Burger patties can be formed, separated by butcher paper or plastic wrap, sealed in a zip-top bag, and frozen for quick individual meals. 

Plan in advance to thaw frozen ground beef in the refrigerator.

Four ounces of cooked ground beef is considered 1 serving. One pound raw beef will equal 2 cups ground beef.           http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodstorage/a/groundbeefstore.htm

Storing basil

You can store basil:
1) In a glass of water
2) In a paper towel/plastic baggie
3) Container in the fridge
4) Pulverize them with olive oil and then freeze in ice cube trays
5) Pick basil leaves and leave in paper bag to help dry basil (wicks moisture away)
6)  rolled loosely in suran wrap
7) put stalks in oil to get a nice basil oil
See video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbrbQ64-P7I

There are many other ways to store basil. Serve the web and you'll find creative ways to dry them, freeze them, and refrigerate them for your basil fetish.

Storing herbs

You can flash freeze them or freeze them in ice cube form to have all winter long!