This is a fun little segment of the blog where I share the tips that I have been learning along the way.  I am forever googling things to make sure I am not missing any of the finer details of different cooking processes.  Maybe I can save you a little time and share what I have learned.

Q:  What do you do with chutney?

Chutney was always just the girl who shot her father in Legally Blonde - you know, the one who lied on the stand about showering since her curls were perfectly intact?  Laughs aside, there are 4 different chutney recipes in the Aarti Paarti cookbook, so I needed to learn about real chutney.  My favorite description that I have come across so far is that it is a mix of preserves and relish.  The ones I have tried thus far are spicy yet fruity and sweet.  They can be made from a number of things and are used as a condiment.  Sort if like there is 100 ways to use mayonnaise, the same goes for chutney.  A really good article explaining all the ways can be found here.  The ones I am eager to try are adding chutney to grilled cheese, using it as a tempura dip, and watering it down slightly and using for a marinade.  Did you know that ketchup is actually a chutney?  The more you know.

Q:  India's health rankings

I am a weirdo probably, but whenever I eat something that is really fresh or vegetable laden I am always looking up the health benefits of said food.  Aaron does the same thing.  We got a catalogue in the mail about all these walnut things, and now he is on a mega walnut kick because of all their vitamins and such.  I wanted to know if eating Indian food as frequently as natives meant any sort of betterment in our diets.  First off, be careful from falling into an internet back hole of statistics like I did, lol.  If anything, there are healthy and unhealthy foods in any cuisine on the earth, but in a CNN article I found, Indian cuisine ranks #5 in the most healthy ethnic cuisines list.

5. Indian

Say "Indian food," and you probably think of its aromatic spices, such as turmeric, ginger, red chilies, and garam masala (a mixture of cumin, cardamom, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, and other spices).

These distinctive flavors do more than perk up your favorite curry: They may actually protect against some cancers. And turmeric and ginger help fight Alzheimer's, according to recent studies. Researchers point to the fact that rates of Alzheimer's in India are four times lower than in America, perhaps because people there typically eat 100 to 200 milligrams of curry everyday. 

Turmeric, a main ingredient in curry, may have anti-inflammatory and healing properties; its benefits are now being studied at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Other good-news ingredients in Indian cuisine include yogurt and lentils, a fiber-and-RS all-star that has significant amounts of folate and magnesium, and may help stabilize blood sugar. Lentils are often combined with Indian spices to make dal, usually served as a side dish. 

"A vegetable curry with dal is a great choice at an Indian restaurant," Largeman-Roth says.

Danger zone: Avoid anything fried, like samosas (pastry puffs) as well as heavy curries made with lots of cream and butter.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/25/healthiest.ethnic.cuisines/

Q:  Gloves for peppers?

Because I have touched my eye on accident one too many times after slicing up a serrano pepper.  The burn just doesn't quit!  Now I know better and just use gloves if I am going to be chopping any hot pepper.  You can get what is probably a several years supply of gloves for under $10.  Yes please!



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Q:  Food Photography staging?

There is infinite amounts of information about food photography on the internet.  It would take a lifetime to read it all.  I think my best takeaway from all my reading is that I will find a few different food bloggers/photographers whose style I admire and look to them for ideas and inspiration, while following tried and true techniques like using natural lighting and such.  Like anything, it takes getting your feet wet and practicing to refine your style and skill.  I really liked this article.

Q:  Houston Foodie Groups?

Check Facebook, because there are a few!  Also there seemed to be several on Meetup.com.  I joined a few Facebook groups, so maybe I will have a chance to meet other Houston food enthusiasts sometime soon.  If you know of or belong to any good food groups, let me know!

Q:  Ingredients Totino's Pizza?

A certain husband of mine likes to act like the deliciously crispy Totino's Party Pizzas are the ultimate garbage food.  Like you may as well eat poison.  I wanted to dig a little deeper.  The party pizza is not the best food you can eat, but at least it isn't full of partially hydrogenated oils.  Those are real poison according to my college nutrition professor.  They are however made with imitation cheese, and the meat stuff on them is no better than cheap bologna.  They are delicious and I love them either way.  Info can be found here.

Q:  Why is Kosher salt capitalized?

I noticed this because it is in every recipe I make.  Is it a proper noun?  Just an adjective?  Well it is capitalized all through the cookbook, but I can't find definitive evidence that the capitalization is necessary.  Aaron, resident know-it-all, claims it shouldn't be capitalized but people might just because it is a foreign word.  If anyone has any information to the contrary, I will just go with that reasoning.

Edit 10/6 - a lightbulb went off when I was making a recipe tonight.  Kosher salt isn't capitalized when there is a measure in front of it in the recipe.  So I believe it is only capitalized because it is the start of an ingredient, like how the beginning word of a sentence is capitalized.  #Englishscholar

Things I've Googled This Week #4

This is going to be a fun segment of the blog where I share the tips that I have been learning along the way.  I am forever googling things to make sure I am not missing any of the finer details of different cooking processes.  Maybe I can save you a little time and share what I have learned.

Q: How to tell if a pomegranate is ripe?

A good pomegranate will be heavy, which indicates that the fruit is loaded with juice.  Poms are usually not picked until they are ripe, so you should be able to consume right after purchase.  They are typically in season in North America from late summer to early winter.  Thank goodness I decided to make High Five sweet potatoes in September.  That was totally a fluke!

Q: Is this grapefruit rotten?

I think my grapefruit was mere hours from being past the point of edible.  When I cut it open, it wasn't the bright pink glow, rather a dull dusty pink color which looked rather sad.  When I cut the sections, the fruit wasn't very firm.  The tiny juice 'vesicles' (I had to google the name for those too.) didn't seem to stay attached to their neighbors very well.  It was definitely almost in too mushy to eat territory.  To keep your grapefruit fresh, keep it in the refrigerator or use it within 3-4 days.  It is 100% rotten when it is slimy, moldy, dried out, spotted, or smells bad.

Q: How to steam a pita?

The direct method with a steamer basket.  Fill a wok or pan with water, bring to boil and sit the pita in the top (not touching the water) and allow the steam to heat the pita through.  I don't have any of this stuff, so the next neato suggestion is to wet a paper towel, and wad it up loosely.  Take a brown paper bag, and put your wet towel wad in the bottom.  Keeping the bag on it's side, add the pita, but not letting it touch the towel, and fold the bag shut.  Microwave of 30 seconds-1 minute.  The wet paper towel + microwave heat in a bag creates a little steam oven for your pita.

Q: Onions in ice water?

Turns out this does in fact take the bite out of the onion.  (Not that I didn't believe you, Aarti)  I learned you can also use milk, it will mellow out the taste.  Someone on the chowhounds forum suggested that the acids in the onions that burn your eyes are water soluble, so soaking them dilutes/removes them from the onion.  I don't know if that is confirmed with science, but I suppose it makes sense?  It makes a big difference when you are eating a raw onion, so remember this tip for your next burger cookout or dinner salad.

Q: China pine nuts?

Let me tell you.  I needed pine nuts as a mere garnish for a sweet potato dish and a hummus recipe I was making.  I am talking like 10 seeds per person total.  Well I was at the store with Aaron, about to throw the three dollar pine nuts into the cart and it was like the record player in a dance hall screeched to a halt.  We can not buy pine nuts that are from China.  Dead serious with a fear in his eyes.  Well here I am googling it, and apparently pine nuts from China can be known to cause 'Pine Nut Syndrome' and they pretty much mess your tastebuds up and everything tastes bitter and metallic.    Kind of crazy.  Annoyed, I spent the extra $$ to get the $10 pine nuts from Italy.  All for a stinkin' garnish.

Q: Tips for grits

More cheese is better, and take your time.  They need more seasoning than you think, and also more time.  A rushed grit, is a lumpy, unpleasant one.  Slow and steady wins the race.  I used instant, but apparently that is a no-no.

Q: Pinterest tips for food blogging

I was looking to get some tips on how to get my recipes seen more.  I learned that in order to be followed and re-pinned more, you need to pin A LOT.  Also a good tip is to have a lot of different boards that are specific.  For example, I originally had my recipes into feasting (meat), fasting (vegetarian) and desserts.  Now I have chicken recipes, freezer meals, cakes and pies, cookies and bars, and everything in between.  If you found this site via Pinterest, welcome!  If you'd enjoy following my perfectly curated boards, find me here.

Things I've Googled this week #3

This is going to be a fun segment of the blog where I share the tips that I have been learning along the way.  I am forever googling things to make sure I am not missing any of the finer details of different cooking processes.  Maybe I can save you a little time and share what I have learned.

Q: Do graters get dull?
Yes, kind of?  I ran into some people who are using their grandmother's box grater and it is still going strong.  Then there are others who claim they need to use lots of pressure to grate anything, and worry about their delicate fingers paying the price.  I am an in-between.  My grater is fine, but it does seem dull-ish.  It can be done, sharpening a grater that is, but it hardly seems worth the time and effort.  Below are just a sampling from amazon, and they run around $7-$20.  I did learn some good advise though.  The dishwasher will dull your grater faster.  You should clean it right away to prevent dulling from having to scrub off dried up cheese or vegetable goop.  And if you are grating something soft and having trouble (soft cheese or fruits) freeze those things first and you will have an easier time grating.  The more you know.



Q: Sliced into half moons?
One of the recipes I made called for a serrano cut into half moons.  I thought at first it meant slice the whole pepper in half, length wise so you half of the long tube, then sliced so you have a bunch of little 'c' shaped pieces.  Turns out my instincts were correct, yay!

Photo source

Q: What does curdling look like?
Curdling seems like one of those things that you'd know it if you see it.  I needed more information though.  Answer, very chunky.

Q: Sirloin vs NY strip
I am not yet a meat expert.  If it isn't ribs, I have no idea where cuts of meat come from on a cow.  My only concern between sirloin and NY strip was that the recipe I was making called for sirloin.  So I am wandering my grocery's meat department looking for sirloin.  There were 100 Ny strips, and 3 sirloins, however to my naked eye, I could see little to no difference.  Though that could be said for most all cuts of meat!  I found out that these two are very similar.  They come from a muscle that goes down the spine of a cow (kind of like where a girdle would go?) .  The end closer to the spine is a bit more marbled with fat, which is sirloin.  The NY strip is leaner and further down the side of this muscle.  I think this is right...I start reading this stuff and my eyes glaze over a bit.  Long story short, I could have used either.

Q: Cleaning inside crock pot
I was way too nervous about ruining my crockpot when the mango pulled pork incident happened.

#amateurs.

Thankfully this isn't a rare problem, so the internet was super helpful.  I knew of course not to submerge the inside in water, that would ruin the electrical components.  I read that you can either leave a cup of ammonia inside the crockpot with the lid on.  Those harsh fumes clean the gunk right off.  You can also use over cleaner with really stubborn messes.  Both options were a little harsh for my liking, so I just took dish soap and my trusty scouring pad and scrubbed it all off.  The heating element is pretty well protected in the wall of the unit, so nothing was damaged with the minimal wetness that got in there.

Q: Can you freeze pulled pork after 3 days?
Aaron and I ate pulled pork sandwiches for like six meals in a row and we still had over half of it.  We need more friends to invite over!  I didn't know if it was safe to freeze after it had been cooked for a while.  I couldn't find any information against this idea.  So I went ahead and froze it, but I froze it in single serving amounts.  I didn't want to unfreeze three day old pork and not use it all the day I unfreeze it.  Stay tuned to see if I have any food poisoning to report in the coming weeks, lol!

Q: Why do people like sweet pickles?
I couldn't find the answer.  They are disgusting and I have no idea why Aarti suggested they go on the pulled pork sandwich and not dill.  I used dill and they were amazing.  Sweet pickles, blegh!

Things I've Googled this week #2

This is going to be a fun segment of the blog where I share the tips that I have been learning along the way.  I am forever googling things to make sure I am not missing any of the finer details of different cooking processes.  Maybe I can save you a little time and share what I have learned.




Q: Fennel vs Anise?
Boy was I having a time trying to find fennel at the grocery store.  I only sort of knew what fennel was prior to walking in, so thank goodness for smart phones! So I am looking and looking.  I see something called anise, but no fennel?  So the best I could gather was the grocers in America will use the names interchangeably but if it has the bulb and the fronds, it is fennel.  They are actually different plants, so I have no idea why this name confusion exists.  Fennel is pictured below

Q: Do you butter naan?
Apparently yes, according to wikipedia.  I was mainly curious because when I buy naan from the bakery aisle in the plastic bag, I just heat and serve.  I never was really a fan of this naan, but I didn't have much of a choice.  That was until Trader Joe's came to town, and we tried their naan from the freezer section.  It is out of this world, but the instructions say to top with butter after heating and I didn't know if that was unusual.  The naan we get at out favorite Indian restaurant never appears to have butter on top, but it too is delicious beyond measure.  Was butter the secret this whole time and I never knew? Or is this naan just superior?  I'm going with butter, for the win.

Q: How to tell if a mango is ripe?
I have mangoes for a recipe I am making for next week and I just bought two that seemed relatively unbruised.  I cut into one of them and it was beautiful orange pulp as expected.  The other one, identical on the outside, was hard and almost white inside.  I made it work, but needed to know if I could prevent this in the future.
Ok so it is ripe is it gives a little when you squeeze it (similar to a peach).  It may also smell fruity around the stem. The color on the outside means nothing, so ignore that when looking for signs of ripeness.  Speckles could mean ripeness similarly to a banana, but those may or may not be present.  Also a mango will feel a bit heavy when it is ripe vs under ripe.  Thank you to the very thorough wiki-how page for the info.

Q: Best food instagrams?
Because I want to know if there are good people I need to be following!
I took a sampling from several articles claiming 'these are the people to follow!!!!' and came up with:
(these aren't linked because you need to make a little bit of effort, it is character building)
@spoonforkbacon @food52 @alice_gao @ashrod @davidlebovitz @bonappetitmag @utosh @iamafoodblog @alisoneroman
and I'm at @nataliehinkley but it isn't very pretty at all #badwithfilters

Q: Fall TV lineup?
Mainly for new food shows.  No one here needs to know my excitement and devotion to Sisterwives...
Super bummed that The Taste isn't returning.  I loved that show.  I am really liking Food Fighters, but that is ending next week.
Looks like Masterchef Junior will be one I tune in to, also Parts Unknown with Anthony Bordain.  It seems impossible to find if anything new on Food Network is happening in a structured 'fall 2015' sort of way, to that is to be continued for now.

Q: Houston Restaurant Weeks? 
I was looking for the ending dates because I have got to try a few places before the deadline.  This is an annual event our city (and many other cities) put on to raise money for the local food bank.  All the hippest and tastiest restaurants in town offer a set menu of multiple courses for a set price - usually $25 lunch/$35 dinner.  Each meal they sell includes a $5 donation to the food bank.  It is all really cool, and livens up the restaurant scene in a typical slow month.  Info can be found here, and yay it doesn't end until September 7th!

Things I've Googled This Week #1

This is going to be a fun segment of the blog where I share the tips that I have been learning along the way.  I am forever googling things to make sure I am not missing any of the finer details of different cooking processes.  Maybe I can save you a little time and share what I have learned.

Q: How to make chickpea flour

I was having a time trying to find chickpea flour in my grocery store for the pealafels recipe.  Turns out you can buy dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans and grind them into flour using a spice/coffee grinder.  You grind them up then just shake them through a fine mesh strainer and boom, chickpea flour!

Q: Crispy falafel crust tips

It seems like the best bet is to form your patties and chill them before frying.  Another sure fire way is to deep fry them, which isn't the recipe so I am not even going to try it.  Through trial and error though I found that if you flour the outside of the little rounds it helps to crisp up the exterior.  Also you want to be sure you have your oil hot enough and don't flip them to early.

Q: Shakshuka Indian?

I was curious because I know there was a recipe in our Jerusalem cookbook, so maybe its roots were Jewish in nature?  Wikipedia says it is believed to be of Tunisian origin.  Either way, I consider it to be the Middle East and Northern Africa's tastier version of huevos rancheros.

Q. Can you freeze tikka masala?

Yes, but ideally you will freeze before adding the heavy cream.  Making a double batch next time, for sure.

Q. Kosher Salt vs regular salt

I knew Kosher salt was bigger, but I wanted to know why.  I found that it is the same, just bigger.  It is used in the process of preparing kosher meats.  I also learned that in baking you definitely want to use table salt and not kosher salt.  I think it is better for meat dishes to use kosher salt because something about the flavor being more earthy salty and the large crystals are able to slowly dissolve during the cooking process.   I will probably just going to use what the recipe calls for and not over think it for now.

Q. Aarti social media

Easy.  On her website: http://www.aartipaarti.com top right corner.

Q. Brown onions fast

So fast I can't even form a complete sentence!  I learned more about cartelized onions in this search, which is the extreme version of just browning onions for a recipe.  I learned two different methods (but have tried zero thus far).  First method is to brown your onions in a dry pan.  Just onion straight on the pan, and once they brown a bit, then add the oil and salt.  Seems clever.  The second and more popular tip was to add a pinch of baking soda.  This raises the pH apparently, and thus you get brown onions in a faster time frame.  It was mentioned however that you don't want to use any more than a small pinch or you will alter the taste of your onions and in turn your dish.  Don't you love a great food hack?

Q. Ginger benefits

Almost every dish I have been making is loaded with fresh ginger, thus I was curious if there were any notable health benefits from ginger consumption.  Seems like it is a solid way to help gastrointestinal issues and nausea.  It has anti-inflammatory properties and is also possibly helpful in prevention of colorectal and ovarian cancers.  Wonderful!