All posts filed under: Tips & Tricks

Is the egg still good?

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The worst thing that can happen to me in the kitchen is to crack a rotten egg. It happened to me once and never since because I learned it the hard way. In fact, expiry dates on eggs are not really accurate and bad eggs are easy to identify if you follow below simple steps: 1. Shake the egg: hold the egg up to your ear and shake it gently. If it’s fresh, it won’t make a sound. If it’s old, the egg will make a slight rattle.The reason is that the yolk and white begin to dry out and shrink once the egg gets older, so the air pocket inside the egg  becomes bigger which gives the egg more room to move around inside the shell and create that sound. 2. Drawn the egg: Place the egg in a glass of cold water and look at its standing. If the egg stays in the bottom of the bowl, it is safe to eat but if the egg is floating, it is not fresh anymore! the scientific story is that there is a tiny air pocket inside …

Great Cappuccino Topping

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It’s me myself and my awesome cappuccino! Indulging mornings or afternoons need a savory crunchy cappuccino.This Praline topping has it all to make a major difference in the way you serve a latte or a cappuccino (anything that has a sumptuous mousse). It can be refrigerated for at least a month if it lasts that long 😉 Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup mixed nuts or just almonds 1. Heat the sugar over high heat to dissolve it by just tilting the pan carefully to move it around until color starts to change into caramel. 2. Quickly add the nuts and swirl them in the pan to coat them. 3. Transfer the praline to an oiled baking tray and let it cool for an 1 hour before breaking it. Tip: I’ve put it in plastic bag and smash the praline pieces with a rolling pin to get a dusty praline. Enjoy your Coffee. The Urban Apron

Strawberries 101

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It is a Berry season! Who can resist a ripe strawberry? I surely can’t.. especially when you know its health benefits: Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamins C and K as well as providing a good dose of fibre, folic acid, manganese and potassium. They have been used throughout history to help with digestive ailments, teeth whitening and skin irritations. Their fibre and fructose content may help regulate blood sugar levels by slowing digestion and the fibre is thought to have a satiating effect. You get to use the leaves as well as they can be eaten raw, cooked or used to make tea. The best part is that a 100g serving of strawberries contains: 32 Calories, 0.3 Fat, 7.7 Carbs & 2g Fiber. Now the FAQ about strawberries is mainly how to wash them and store them without having a washing after taste: First rinse the strawberries quickly before washing them in a diluted vinegar bath (1 cup vinegar for 4 cups water). The vinegar will destroy the bacteria and will help the strawberries to stay fresh for al …

How to peel & store Ginger?

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I consider fresh ginger to be a super food. I like to use it in my cooking, baking and my tea remedies so I need always to have fresh ginger on hand. My first encounter with the ginger was not that fruitful. I actually used a knife to peel it and I ended up having just half of it to be used! Few years back I discovered the real technique on a French channel, it is incredibly… easy: – Break one lobe of the ginger to easily reach all the skin and hold it firmly with one hand. – Hold the bowl of the spoon in the other hand, make sure the convex is towards you. – Scrap away the skin by using the edge of the spoon. Now that you have fresh ginger you can grate them, put them in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer. It will be super handy when a recipe requires freshly grated ginger! Hope it helps! The Urban Aprong    

How to store Cilantro – Garlic

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This mix is used in several dishes especially Mediterranean, whether you are making “batata harry” (spicy potato), “chich barack”  or simple grilled shrimps.. For 1 step faster and less dish washing, you can prepare this mix in advance and put it in the freezer. I usually crush 2 garlic cloves and heat in 1 tbs of olive oil for 1 small cilantro sprig roughly chopped. Cook for 2 minutes until leaves have shrink. > Store in a freezer container (up to 3 months) > I don’t add salt or pepper because it all depends on the dish you’re making. Hope it helps! The Urban Apron    

Magic T

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Good morning cold weather & soar throat!💨❄️⛄️☂ Its the flu season, make sure to have this “magic tea” every morning and night. Its a natural remedy that will help fight your illness and boost your immune system: Ingredients: serving for 1 mug 1 Cinnamon stick Hot water 1 tsp Honey 1 tsp Lemon juice 1 tsp grated ginger Optional: Green Tea • Boil water with a cinnamon stick • Pour the hot water in your mug on the grated ginger and your favorite green tea (optional) • Add honey and lemon juice • Mix well and drink up Get well soon! The Urban Apron

Healthy plan for 2016

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It is the first post of the year! Yes, I’ve been late to log in here and share some food recipes but getting back from holidays, resuming work and getting rid of a flu was quite time consuming. Looking at the bright side, I can say that I started the year with a healthy food plan and I surely intend having it as routine. I am cutting down on all the sinful dishes that usually contains refined sugars, avoiding processed foods, and making sure to balance  my meal plan to: 4 days grains, 2 days fish, 1 day poultry or meat. Here are some basics that needs to be considered for “clean eating”: Start by eating wholesome fruits and vegetables, especially the seasonal ones. Check out this seasonality calendar for easy reference. Choose whole grains and whole-grain products over the refined ones: white rice, pasta, bread and products like candy, regular soda, syrups, table sugar, cakes, cookies, pies, sweet rolls, pastries, fruit drinks and dairy desserts. Picking a “cheat day” will limit  for one day the saturated fats, sodium and added sugars in your cooking and …

How to peel the Beets

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I always watched my mom boiling beetroots then rinsing them in cold water and peeling them with a knife. It looked complicated especially that everything turned magenta red in the kitchen. Beetroot is an underestimated vegetable in my humble opinion, none cooks it because of its complicated peeling and transferring color. But here is the 4 steps solution to make peace with the beets: 1. Clean the beetroots: wash and cut stem and greenery from both side. 2. Cut them in halves and put them on wax paper in a tray. 3. Roast the beetroot in a preheated oven at 350°C for about 40 minutes (depending on their size). Beets are done when the skins are puckered and a toothpick is inserted easily till the center. 4. When beets have cooled a little bit just peel off the skin, I usually wear gloves to avoid the color transfer. >> You can store them in a container in the fridge up to 3 days or in the feezer up to 1 month. Hope it helps! The Urban Apron

How to peel Bell Peppers?

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Bell peppers contain high quantities of vitamin C and add great taste to dishes but sometimes they are tough to digest so it is better to peel off their skin by roasting them. What you might not know is that roasted bell peppers are tender, smoked, and delicious. They add flavor and texture to a variety of dishes and sauces. The method I use guarantees a faster way to peel off the skin without loosing any tasty flavor. This method can be used with any peppers; bell or chiles. 1. Chargrill the bell peppers on an open grill at medium flame, use the tongue to turn them until completely black, it should take about 10 minutes. 2. Remove the bell peppers and rub off their black skin. 3. Remove the stalk and pips and cut the bell peppers into large strips. >> Make sure to peel the bell peppers without holding them under water since it will make the sweet smoked flavour disappear.