Cooking Tips

FIRST IN, FIRST OUT: 

When Cooking, always remember to slice first the first ingredient that will be cooked. When cooking sinigang, slice the pork and beef first, as these should be boiled to tenderize. All other ingredients  shoul follow depending on the amount of cooking time needed.

SOURING INGREDIENTS: 

Cooking sinigang but don’t have tamarind to sour it with? Don’t fret. Souring ingredients like camias, batuan and santol-all of which are sour fruits-can be used. If these are not available, leaves and bloosoms can be used instead, such as the young and tender alibangbang leaves(bauhinia or lubas in bikol), mango leaves and young tamarind blossoms.

AIRY CONTAINERS: 

Do not place onions and potatoes in the same covered container. They will easily rot. Place them in a container where air can pass through. The same goes for tomatoes. Another tip is to always check if any of these vegetables show signs of spoilage. If there are, use these first and remove the bruised or spoiled part.

SALT AND TIN: 

Do not place anything salty in a tin container. The container will easily rust. Place salt and other salty items like fish sauce in a glass or bottles instead. The same goes with soy sauce and other oriental sauces that are salty as well. If placing salt in jars, choose one that has a big opening so that scooping salt will be easier.

FISH AND SHRIMP BAGOONG:  

Because it has salt, fish and shrimp bagoong can stay for a longer period of time without spoiling compared to other foodstuffs. Just be sure to place them in tighly sealed containers. When scooping some bagoong, always be sure to use a dry spoon or scooper to prevent possible spoilage.

LEFTOVER SLICED ONIONS: 

Left with excess sliced onions? Don’t throw them out just yet. Wrap them in wax paper and refrigerate. They can still be used up to 2 days and will be just as fresh.

REUSING COOKING OIL: 

Filipinos love fried food and although it is ideal to use fresh cooking oil every time, it would be vary costly. WHAT TO DO: Refresh cooking oil by frying some potato cubes in it. The potato will remove the taste of the cooking oil and make it clearer. Another method is to mix cooking oil with hot boiling water. Stir the mixture and place in the coolest part of the freezer. Allow the oil to freeze. While still frozen, remove the impurities that will settle either on top or the bottom of the oil mixture.

REUSING ACHUETE SEEDS:  

Achuete is a very common food colorant in local cooking and is indispinsible in kare-kare and a host of other dishes. However, they’re frequently thrown out after use. Well, guess what? They can still be re-used. The trick is to dry them under the sun for at least a day, Store in a dry container and reuse when needed.

OIL SPLATTER: 

Afraid of oil splatters when fring food? Here’s what to do: Place some salt on the hot oil and the splattering will stop like magic. This is the secret of chicharon makers when deep-frying pork cracklings.

TOO MUCH SPICE: 

The use of spices can easily be abused especially in local cooking. Actually, the excessive use of some spices like bay leaf, kanela(kanhela in bikol) or cinnamon and achuete can make some dishes taste like medicine. Usually, a teaspoon of such spices is enough to flavor a dish. Always remember  that dry spices are stronger than fresh ones.

SALAD DISTRESS: 

Filipinos love salads and today’s variety of dressings and sauces are heaven sent. However, salads do not keep well in the country since the environment is very humid. So consume salads immediately. Do not even think of refrigerating salads and consuming them in a day or two-food poisoning and stomach aches might result.

MILK IN CANS: 

Do not store half-consumed milk in cans in the refrigerator for a long period of time. Rust and bacterial growth might affect the quality of the milk. Instead, remove the contents of the milk can and place in a sterilized bottle or plastic container. Do the same with other can items.

LUMPIA WRAPPERS:

 Lumpia wrappers are very delicate food wrappers made from rice flour(although commercial lumpia wrappers sometimes use wheat flour as well). Since they are very thin, they have a tendency to dry out and be easily ripped if not handled properly. Cover the lumpia wrapper with a damp cloth and place in a coll, dry place. Otherwise, use them immediately and make a fresh batch if needed.