Veggie care/storage

[kevin20422]

For celery they say upright in the frig in water but I heard open water in a no-no in the frig?

For chicken stock can you just quarter the onion and toss it all in, celery/ carrot all too?

Other questions please:

For browning onion can I brown it slow so I am not stirring all the time, when is high heat need, when it says saute I suppose it must be really hot otherwise slow is okay?

I soaked my black bean for bean/quinoa instead of out of a can like the recipe says. I assume that is all kosher but, now I have a ton of extra bean, store in water?

Try making candied garlic, it is a gas. Thanks to all and seasons greetings!

 

[ed buchanan]

To keep celery weeks in the fridge without going bad or going limp wrap it in aluminum foil. Don't believe me? Try it.

 

[mikelm]

For more than you ever wanted to know about fruit & veggie storage, visit

Postharvest Technology Research & Information Center, University of California, Davis - Home Page

for a little more concise information, see

7 Ways to Make Fresh Produce Last Longer - iVillage

Mike

 

[kevin20422]

Thanks for the links Mike. I may start putting my milk in glass from now on. Very interesting information.

Thanks for the celery tip too Ed. I will give it a whirl in my....... test kitchen........

 

[adaml]

My general rule is brown stock, brown mirepoix, light stock, light mirepoix. I usually just roast my veg for any dark stock, and sweat my veg for light stock. Eg. Roasted mirepoix for dark chicken stock, light mirepoix for my usual chicken stock.

 

[suzanne]

You have extra soaked beans? Cook them, portion them into containers (with some of the cooking liquid), and freeze them. Or if you mean that you cooked them all and have extra cooked, portion and freeze. Works fine! And then you have cooked beans all ready for another meal (or a few).

 

[petalsandcoco]

ED.

"To keep celery weeks in the fridge without going bad or going limp wrap it in aluminum foil. Don't believe me? Try it. "


You are so right on that one !!!!

 

[kyheirloomer]

Kevin, you raise an issue, i.e., what's the conversion from dry to cooked for beans, grains, etc.

Because there are variations, it's best for you to establish a chart for yourself, so that next time you know that a cup of dry beans equals X quantity of cooked. Etc. (This is such an obvious thing to track that one of these days I'm actually going to do )

While you're at it, if you're going to be doing a lot with legumes and grains, keep track of how much liquid goes with how much dry, and how long to actually cook them. As I'm sure you've already discovered with the black beans, most of the literature overstates the amount of time needed.

Basically, you're just establishing parameters that work for you.

 

[petemccracken]

FWIW, Mastercook uses a 2.5:1 ration of cooked:dry for typical Navy, Pinto, Black, etc. beans and a 3:1 ratio of cooked:dry for Lima beans.

 

[nichole]

I am also following that kind of method and its goes well to me.

 

[kirstens]

Ha. You sound so serious about the celery. Celery, I've noticed, lasts a good time for me at least. Are you supposed to keep tomatoes in the fridge? I hear mixed feelings on this. I always keep in the fridge. Also avocados, I keep them on my counter, never refridge them.

 

[dc sunshine]

Celery is a very serious vegetable

Tomatoes - on window sill till they get really ripe and tasty..,never in fridge. Icky.
Ditto that with the avocados. Love 'em

Once kept some potatoes in the fridge. Never again.