Blog Archives
Food 101: Simple Syrup
You may not need to use simple syrup super often, but it’s handy to have in your cooking arsenal. While the “simple” in simple syrup presumably refers to the fact that it’s pretty much the most basic syrup you can make, it is also incredibly simple to make. As I commented to Erik after making it for the pictures, this was probably the fastest thing I’ve ever made for a post.
Simple syrup is useful to keep on hand if you have cold beverages to sweeten. Because the sugar is already dissolved you don’t have to worry about it not doing so in your drink. Pretty much anything you want to sweeten that’s too cold for sugar to dissolve in is where simple syrup shines. Lemonade, iced tea, flavor infused water – all of these can get a kick of sweet from simply syrup. It’s also used a lot in the making of cocktails.
Cheat Code: Saving Avocados
We’ve touched upon the somewhat unstable nature of avocados in the past on this blog. Once you cut into an avocado you have a limited amount of time to use it before it turns brown and unusable. This happens because of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase in the flesh of the avocado. When it’s exposed to oxygen polyphenol oxidase changes the chemical structure of the avocado’s flesh and increases the amount of melanins. So the same pigments that cause you to get a tan in the summer also cause your guacamole to go kaput. While it’s easy to finish up guacamole before it goes bad (because, you know, it’s so delicious), there are times when you want just some avocado, but don’t want the rest to go to waste. I usually encounter this problem when I want to put some avocado on a sandwich since I don’t make sandwiches large enough to use an entire avocado on. So I’m left with half of an avocado that’s now a ticking time bomb. Avocados are kind of expensive, so you should try your best to make sure you use that other half and don’t just end up throwing it out. How does one do this?
You could buy one of those “avocado saver” things I’ve seen various places.
It’s like a sandal for your avocado I guess.
I have no idea if things like this actually work though. A quick scan of reviews on Amazon.com gives a pretty mixed bag of results.
Happy Fall Recipe! How To Make Momiji (Fried Maple Leaves)
For whatever reason, both Meg and I have a soft spot for weird Asian stuff. We love exploring Asian marts looking for intriguing foods and ingredients, both because it’s exciting and because Asian cuisine is legit yummy. Last year however, we happened upon one of the more out-there food ideas we’ve come across, a Japanese snack food called momiji. In short, these are just battered, fried maple leaves. That’s it. They’re a Fall tradition hailing from the village of Minoo (mee-nohh) and actually are pretty yummy. Now trust me, I don’t like lettuce or salads at all. But despite the fact fried leaves sounds kind of bland, these are definitely worth your time for both the fact they taste good, and also just the fun whimsy of eating maple leaves during the Fall.
We Can Do it Better: Loaded Fries
As much as we may try to eat healthy, sometimes we all just crave some good old fashioned junk food. If you’re like us that usually occurs sometime around 1 in the morning. But time of day isn’t really that important. The main point I’m trying to make is that when you do have that junk food craving, try to resist the urge to go out and buy the junkiest food from a restaurant or fast food place. Because you can, actually make junk food yourself at home that, while not necessarily healthy, will certainly still be better for you than something you purchase out.
Homer Simpson is sometimes everyone’s spirit animal.
This brings us to loaded fries. I will fully admit that some places have awesome loaded fries. But there are also a lot of less than great loaded fries out there. Between soggy, limp fries and questionable cheese sauces, ordering loaded fries can be very hit or miss. Luckily they’re super easy to make at home. And while they’re never really going to be good for you, when you make them yourself you have control over what all gets added to them, and that’s always a good thing.
Food 101: Know Your Milks
I know what you’re thinking…how much can I really need to know about milk? It’s milk! While back in the day milk was milk, there are now a lot more milk options. There are also certain types of milk better for certain types of applications. Hopefully this post will be a nice little guide for what milk is best for what and which can be substituted for another.
Cow’s Milk (whole milk, 2%, skim): This is your standard milk. The different names refer to the fat content of the milk, with whole milk having the most and skim having the least. I’ve found that whole milk and 2% are pretty much interchangeable in recipes, but I wouldn’t recommend using skim for cooking.
Did someone say milk?
The Poor Couple's Food Guide 
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