Wow, it has been a hot August! You know what else is hot? These tips and tricks, fresh out of the COOK kitchen to help you close out summer and all of the fresh produce it brings. Read on and use these tips while the weather permits!

Tip #1: Corn Lovers, Lend Me Your Ears

Becca O’Brien of Two Birds Catering and Canning featured corn in every dish of her a-maize-ing class. Her hot tip for grilling corn is to soak it in water for 30 minutes, in the husk. Then, drain the water and throw it on the grill. Once it is done cooking, the charred husks and pesky silk will be so much easier to remove. Plus, the added water helps steam the corn!

Tip #2 Fruit Cubes

Registered dietitian Katie Cavuto put on a sensational summer dinner teeming with fantastic healthy cooking tips. One was to take any berries that look past their prime and throw them in an ice cube tray. You can then toss those fruity cubes into a cocktail, in a blender for an instant smoothie boost, or, yep, simply into your tall glass of water! Check out Katie’s other useful tips, recipes and more on her blog Nourish. Breathe. Thrive. and stay hydrated out there!

Tip #3 Pineapple Butter

Dionicio Jimenez of El Rey shared his secret for a great achiote-braised pork belly… pineapple butter! Not only is it great for meats, but it’s also really simple to make. Just poach fresh slices of pineapple in your desired amount of butter for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a glass jar. Once it’s room temperature, you can put it in your fridge and use it for pineapple buttered toast in the morning!

Tip #4 Choosing Chorizo

Jezabel Careaga of Jezabel’s Studio and Nick Macri of La Divisa Meats both used chorizo in their classes this month. However, they used very different versions of the spicy sausage. During her Argentine inspired dinner, Jezabel and her brother Jesus grilled up links of Argentinian chorizo, which, similar to Mexican chorizo, is raw. Nick, on the other hand, diced up Spanish chorizo, which is dried and cured. Spanish chorizo tends to be used to flavor broths – Nick used it to spice up some steamed clams. Jezabel let the Argentinian chorizo shine as a choripan sandwich, in an aioli-slathered roll and topped with chimichurri. So when it comes to chorizo, make sure to choose the appropriate variety!

Tip #5 Go Wild With Chanterelles

Martin Gagne of La Maison put on a French feast featuring foraged food from Food Hedge‘s Heather McMonnies (holy alliteration). Heather brought in a basket of chanterelles that were as golden as the sun. The extra hot weather has extended this fungi’s seasonal window. When prepping the chanterelles, Martin said to tear, not cut them. Using a knife on them breaks the mushrooms’ fibrous structures that hold in water. By ripping them with your hands where they naturally come apart, the exposed surfaces you form are nice and dry when they make contact with your oil or butter. This results in a better sauté. Don’t rinse your mushrooms with water, just brush them clean. The sponge-like mushrooms will soak up water, and you don’t want that! Martin even had a brush designed specifically to clean both chanterelles and truffles.