Vegetable - Broccoli - Other Tips

Broccoli

1. Selection :Fresh broccoli heads are available year around. In the market, choose fresh, bright, compact, firm textured flower heads with rich flavour. Avoid those with over mature florets featuring yellow flower buds, excessive branches and hollow stem. Whenever possible, go for organic farm products to get maximum health benefits.
2. Cleaning :Once at home, rinse flower heads by dipping it upside down in salt water for up to 30 minutes and then clean in running cold water before use in cooking in order to remove any pesticide residues and dirt. Broccoli greens should also be treated in the same way as you do in washing any other greens like spinach.
3. Storage :Eat broccoli while they are fresh. Otherwise, it can be placed inside the refrigerator wrapped in a zip pouch where it may keep well for few days.
4. How to Grow Your Own Broccoli Sprouts :Actually growing them in soil is far easier and produces more nutritious and abundant food. It is also less time consuming, as with Ball jars you need to rinse them several times a day to prevent mould growth. Trays also take up less space than jars. You can consume one whole tray of sprouts every 2-3 days, and to produce that much food with Ball jars
5. Usage :This vegetable is used in different ways of Cooking and even in more areas as a different substitute. Read more >>

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Vegetable - Sweet Corn - Other Tips

Sweet Corn

1. Selection :
   • Choose ears with green husks, fresh silks and tight rows of kernels.
   • Corn is a summer season crop in the temperate regions. However, it may be cultivated around the seasons in the tropical belt. In the US markets, fresh corn ears appear on the shelves by May and lasts until September. Fresh packs in the form of cobs or processed canned kernels may also be sold frozen in the markets all around the year. The cobs are generally available as yellow, white, or bi-colour seed types. One may also collect them from neighbourhood retailers or for even more enthusiasts may collect from the pick-your-own farms from the local farmers.
   • Fresh baby corns are usually come in small packages wrapped in plastic paper like button mushrooms. Choose to buy medium sized, firm, and fresh arrivals.
2. Cooking :To prepare, organic produce would not necessitate washing. Just remove the husk and silk and used as a vegetable. However, you may wash the de-husked cob in cold running water or dipping them in salt-water for about 15-20 minutes. Mop them dry using a paper towel.
3. Storage :
   • While buying, look for the well-formed ears with light green coloured tight husks and clean, just about dry golden-brown silks. Gently pull down the husk from the tip-end to check for colour as well as the milk-stage of kernels. You may buy fresh-husked cobs wrapped in plastic paper. Look for the harvest date; buy only if they are fresh as the kernels soon turn sugars to starch and lose their sweet, juicy flavor. Avoid if the husk is dry as it indicates the stock is old and hence out of flavour. Do not buy overtly matured cobs either.
   • Once at home, use them as early as possible. If you have to store, keep them inside the refrigerator, preferably along with its husk, to maintain flavour, taste, and moisture. They stay well for up to two to three days if stored at 90 percent humidity 32 °F.
4. Usage :This vegetable is used in different ways of Cooking and even in more areas as a different substitute. Read more >>
   
   

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Vegetable - Garlic - Other Tips

Garlic

1. Selection :
   • Purchase garlic that is plump and has unbroken skin. Gently squeeze the garlic bulb between your fingers to check that it feels firm and is not damp.
   • Avoid garlic that is soft, shrivelled, and mouldy or that has begun to sprout. These may be indications of decay that will cause inferior flavor and texture. Size is often not an indication of quality. If your recipe calls for a large amount of garlic, remember that it is always easier to peel and chop a few larger cloves than many smaller ones. Fresh garlic is available in the market throughout the year.
2. Special Tip :Before you go to bed at night, prepare this magic portion:
   • Finely chop or use the food blender to chop up two cloves of fresh garlic and let it expose to the air for a few minutes while you wash up your blender or chopping board.The chopping releases the enzyme allinase in the garlic.
   • Gather the chopped garlic on a spoon and swallow it with water.
   • The garlic will travel your entire digestive tract while you sleep and scavenge and neutralize all the toxins, carcinogens, harmful bacteria, fungi, viruses, foreign chemical before they can harm your healthy cells.
   • Swallowing the chopped garlic will not give you garlic breath, as long as you don’t chew it.
   • You brush your teeth and rinse your mouth before you go to bed anyway.In the morning, drink a big glass of water.
   • Your first bowel movement will have a strong garlic odour and you will know that the harmful stuff have been eliminated from your body.
   • Try it, especially if you have had a bad eating day.
3. Storage :
   • Store fresh garlic in either an uncovered or a loosely covered container in a cool, dark place away from exposure to heat and sunlight. This will help maintain its maximum freshness and help prevent sprouting, which reduces its flavor and causes excess waste. It is not necessary to refrigerate garlic. Some people freeze peeled garlic; however, this process reduces its flavor profile and changes its texture.
   • Depending upon its age and variety, whole garlic bulbs will keep fresh for about a month if stored properly. Inspect the bulb frequently and remove any cloves that appear to be dried out or moldy. Once you break the head of garlic, it greatly reduces its shelf life to just a few days.
4. Cooking :Too much heat for too long will reduce the activity of the health-promoting sulphur compounds that have formed by letting it sit for 5-10 minutes; it will also make garlic bitter. Therefore expose garlic to heat for as little time as possible (5-15 minutes).
5. Usage :This vegetable is used in different ways of Cooking and even in more areas as a different substitute. Read more >>
   
   

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Vegetable - Cluster Beans - Other Tips

Cluster Beans

1. Selection :When you’re visiting the market to purchase the cluster beans, make certain that the beans usually are not too ripe. They must be gentle as well as soft. The more mature it will likely be the harder and much less delicious it will become. It is because it might be woodier as it grows old. Ensure that the beans don’t have any dark spots or even stains onto it, since it is a sign of the beans becoming old.In case you are purchasing the canned beans, then you need to make certain that the store features a excellent reputation, as well as the container ought to be air-tight as well as sealed.
2. Storage :Once you have purchased fresh cluster beans through the marketplace, and wish to keep it and also have it after a couple of days, then to keep them healthy and balanced, you need to take good care whilst saving it. Like the majority of veggies, the cluster beans shed their taste as well as quality in just a couple of days right after being purchased. Therefore, they must be ingested as quickly as possible. They must be covered with a plastic bag or perhaps a towel, or perhaps sealed within an air-tight package and after that chilled. Ensure that the beans are totally dry whenever you store them.
3. Usage :This vegetable is used in different ways of Cooking and even in more areas as a different substitute. Read more >>
   
   

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Vegetable - Capsicum - Other Tips

Capsicum

1. Selection :
   • Look for capsicums that are brightly coloured, plump and shiny with a tight skin.
   • Make sure that they are free from blemishes. Any dark spots on the surface could mean that capsicum has started to decay and rot.
   • Capsicums need to be heavy and firm. Avoid the ones which are soft, dull, shrivelled or pitted.
   • Also, make sure that the stem is intact, fresh and green.
2. Storage :
   • Fresh capsicums can be stored in a refrigerator for a period of 5 days in a plastic bag. It is a fact that green capsicums stay fresh longer than the yellow and red ones.
   • Cooked capsicums can be stored in airtight containers and then placed in cold storage. But this will remain edible for only a day or two.
   • Capsicums can also be frozen so that it can be stored for longer period of time. Whether blanched or not, they need to be cut into halves first and seeds removed before freezing. Unblanched ones should be tightly packed and sealed. Blanching means to cut the capsicum into small pieces and boil in water for 2-3 minutes and then tightly pack, seal and place inside the freezer. Remember that blanched capsicums stay fresh longer than the unblanched ones.
3. Usage :This vegetable is used in different ways of Cooking and even in more areas as a different substitute. Read more >>
   
   

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Vegetable - Onions - Other Tips

Onions

1. Selection :While buying, look for fresh ones that are clean, uniform, well-developed without having opening at the neck and feature crispy, and dry outer skins. Avoid those that show sprouting or have signs of black mold (a kind of fungal attack) as they indicate that the stock is old. In addition, poor-quality bulbs often have soft spots, moisture at their neck, and dark patches, which may all be an indications of decay.
2. Storage :At home, store them in cool dark place away from moisture and humid conditions, where they keep fresh for several days. They can also keep well in the refrigerator; however, you should use them immediately once you remove from the refrigerator since they tend to spoil if kept at room temperature for a longer periods.
3. Usage :This vegetable is used in different ways of Cooking and even in more areas as a different substitute. Read more >>
   
   

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Vegetable - Cucumber - Other Tips

Cucumber

Cooking Tips :

1. Selection:
   • Look for cucumbers with a bright, even colour of skin without dullness or sweating. The cucumber should look fresh.
   • A good cucumber is firm and does not bend. This firmness should be right through to the tips of the cucumber.
   • Smaller cucumbers are crisper and have finer seeds, making them more appealing to many people, especially kids.
   • Avoid cucumbers with blemishes, soft spots, yellowing, or easily bent.
2. Storage :Given the high water content of cucumbers, they are best consumed within days of picking. Avoid storing near fruit, as this will cause cucumbers to yellow and deteriorate quickly.

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