Welcome to another edition of Tips & Tricks from the COOK kitchen! On this sunny day, we look back on the cold, snow-plagued month to see what useful tricks our guest chefs brought to the table. This March round-up has a couple seafood related tips for those warmer days on the horizon. Additionally, you will learn a couple of techniques helpful for plant-based meals. Read on to gain some chef knowledge, and then put your skills to the test at home!

Tip #1: Crustacean Breakdown

Bringing freshness into COOK was Urban Farmer‘s Chef de Cuisine Eric Schlicht‘s goal, quite literally. Crawling on the counter was a live Maine lobster, Eric’s preferred lobster of choice. Eric started by saying when breaking down the lobster keep in mind they don’t have an advanced nervous system, so don’t feel too bad when its time comes; just make sure you get everything out of it! You can kill the lobster quickly and humanely by flipping the lobster upside down, taking a knife and slicing it from the tail to the head. To remove the claws from the lobster Eric wrapped them in a towel, then used the back of his chef’s knife to smack the towel and peel away the claw shells. He then repeated the “towel and knife smack process” on the tail. Save those shells to make lobster stock! 

Tip #2: Knock, Knock Clams, Open Up

E-A-G-L-E-S… Eagles! Ned Maddock, Executive Chef at the new P.J. Clarke’s location opening in Center City in the Summer of 2018, brought some South Philly classics to our kitchen to celebrate the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory. Ned showed guests how to cook clams, perfect for those warm days at the shore which can’t come soon enough! First, make sure all the clams are clean. Take a brush or sponge and using cold water and coarse salt scrub the clams to remove all the sand. Watch for sand inside the clams as well, they do live in it after all! When cooking the clams in a pan with some white wine, tap the shells or shake the pan to help them open up. If after a while some clams aren’t opening, discard them as they are most likely dead and can be harmful to eat. 

Tip #3: Don’t Cry Over Cold Onions

Ever start crying uncontrollably while cutting onions? I’ve got a trick for you! During a brunch special with Becca O’Brien of Two Birds Canning & Catering, I overheard a tip which I tried out myself immediately after class. Becca advised refrigerating onions before cutting them in order to reduce crying. While making dinner later that night, I chilled my onions prior to cutting them and was pleasantly surprised that my eyes weren’t burning! Towards the end of cutting my second onion, my eyes began to water a bit, but significantly less than usual. 

Tip #4: More Than One Way To Skin A Cashew 

Christina Martin of Cooking To Nourish put her vegan cooking skills on display with her afternoon tea class. She proved that vegan sweets can be quite delicious with her chocolate chip scones. Served with the chocolatey scones was a cashew cream that guests raved over. Since Christina was making the cashew cream from scratch she needed to skin all the cashews. Her quick method is to pour boiling water over the cashews to remove their skins. Blend the cashews on high for 2 minutes until smooth. For a thicker, milkshake-like cashew cream simply use less water than Christina’s usual ratio (1 cup cashews to 3 cups water).

Tip #5: What A Pair!

Recently at COOK we had a great pair come in to teach cheese and cider pairings! Ben Wenk of Ploughman Cider walked COOK guests through the world of ciders while Jaime Png of Cheese Journeys guided guests through the evening’s cheese selections. Someone asked an important question for a cheese and cider pairing class: “How do you properly taste the cheese and beverage together?” Jaime recommended eating some cheese and once you start to get a sense of the flavor profile, take a sip of your drink while the cheese is still in your mouth. Once finished with that bite and sip, clean your palate with another sip of your beverage. Ben agreed with Jaime’s method, but went on to say that do what you like best, there is no right or wrong way to enjoy cheese and cider!

It’s been delicious, March. Enjoy the holiday weekend, everyone, and happy cooking!