Roasting vegetables can be a great way to bring out the best flavors in almost any veggie. You can toss most vegetables — including potatoes, broccoli, carrots, artichokes and more — on a baking tray with a little olive oil, salt and other seasonings and pop them in the oven until they develop that toasty, hearty flavor.
But even a simple cooking technique such as roasting vegetables can have some challenges.
Previously, we’ve shared tips on dry roasting your veggies to make sure they don’t get soggy. But what if you want to keep a little bit of that olive oil in your favorite recipe, either for flavor or for health benefits?
Turns out, there’s a simple ingredient that can boost the crispiness of roasted vegetables and most of us already have it in our pantry: cornstarch!
Summer is fast approaching, and while most of us will likely forgo the large family barbecues, picnics in the park, camping trips and more that we typically enjoy yet again this year, that doesn’t mean we should hold onto some of the common myths about summer foods and food safety.
It turns out many Americans believe some totally false things about how we eat, use, harvest, prepare, combine and store our food and beverages. But it’s time to put an end to that.
Join us as we dispel each of the following 27 food myths. You may be surprised by how many you actually thought were true!
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If your parents never told you as a child that you had to wait at least 30 minutes after eating to get back into the pool, call them right now and thank them for not ruining your childhood.
While the 30-minute rule is a common misconception (You’ll get a cramp! Your food won’t settle! You could drown!) there’s literally no truth to it. So, if you want to take your plate of ribs directly into the pool and swim around while eating them, follow Nike’s line of reasoning and “just do it.” If you don’t believe us, just ask your doctor. But not your parents. Do not ask your parents.
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We love iced coffee season just as much as anyone, but in reality, it probably isn’t doing much toward keeping you cooler on your morning commute than a steamin’ cuppa joe would. In fact, it could be just the opposite.
The science goes something like this: When you drink a hot drink, there’s less potential heat stored inside your body, as long as the sweat caused by drinking the hot drink can evaporate. So, unless it’s really humid out, chances are you’ll end up with a cooler core body temperature if you go with the hot option.
Don’t believe us? Fine. Go read the study for yourself.
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Same reasoning as with the hot drinks, though with food you’re likely to run a higher internal temperature while your body digests the food you just consumed.
Add some spice to your dish and you’ll get an even more rapid cooling effect because it can more quickly induce sweating. Who doesn’t just love sweating at a summer dinner party?
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This one’s a little tricky. There are varying degrees to which this is true, but saying that all grilled foods cause cancer is patently false.
Let’s break it down.
Meats: Meats that are in any way browned go through a chemical reaction that not only creates flavor and that lovely caramelization (it’s called the Maillard Reaction) but also heterocyclic amines (HCAs). And the more well done your meat, the more HCAs that are probably present. If your diet consists of a lot of HCAs you may be at greater risk for some cancers. But it’s not just grilling that creates them.
Veggies: Unless you’re charring your veggies over hot coals doused in petrochemicals, you can rest easy that your grilled veggies probably won’t give you cancer. Veggies don’t contain the necessary chemicals that produce HCAs. And that leads us to…
Different types of grills: Gas grills burn cleaner than wood or charcoal grills. That also means you don’t get that delicious smoky quality that so many people love (unless you’re using wood chips). But if keeping your food as carcinogen free as you can, it’s probably your cleanest option for outdoor cooking.
Looking for some great grilling ideas? Check out these nine foods you’d never think to grill (that are actually delicious).
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We can hear you now: “But that char that causes the HCAs is what seals in the juices and makes my grilled steak tender.”
Sorry. That char is crunchy and flavorful, but it doesn’t do anything to “seal” your meat. In fact, that char actually causes some moisture loss. So don’t worry about your steak being less juicy just because you didn’t brown it as much.
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No, cutting your meat to test for doneness doesn’t result in all the juices draining from your beautiful pork tenderloin. However, unless you want to look like a grilling amateur, we don’t advise you start doing this. Why?
Looking at the internal color of your meat to test for doneness isn’t really effective. It also can make your final product less attractive. You’re better off using the “hand method” or a thermometer to check whether your meat is adequately cooked.
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Nope. Nope, nope, nope. There are too many dry pork chops in the world already, so don’t add to the problem by clinging to this myth.
Sadly, overdone pork was something that even the USDA promoted until 2011. That’s when they changed their guidance for cooking pork to an internal temperature of 145 degrees instead of the previously recommended 160 degrees.
So lighten up on your grill (or pan or oven) time and serve your guests some juicy chops and other cuts this summer.
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Again, nope. If you want to serve juicy burgers, dial it back a notch on how long you cook your patties. And watch those flareups. High heat and a couple of minutes on either side will do the trick.
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All grills are dirty. They sit outside, they get food particles all over them, not to mention all those sooty bits from flareups and/or charcoal.
If you’re going to use a public grill, you’ll want to proceed just as you would with your own personal grill. Get it good and hot, give it a good scrub with a grill brush and you’re good to grill.
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This myth goes something like this: Keeping raw chicken at the correct temperature during loading, transport, unloading and storage at your favorite restaurant is nearly impossible in summer, allowing bacteria to run rampant.
Maybe there was some truth to this before the advent of modern refrigeration and refrigerated trucks, but today the chicken at restaurants using proper food safety guidelines is just as safe if not safer than what you’re preparing at home.
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Hydrating is especially important in the summer months, but unless you’re incredibly active you probably don’t need to drink eight glasses of water every day, and especially not on top of all the other types of liquids you’re consuming.
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Some people love beer as a recovery drink after a long bike ride or other active outdoor sport. And while it’s true that beer contains carbohydrates and electrolytes, the alcohol causes your body to lose more liquid than you’re consuming. So, have that beer, but chase it with a good amount of water so you don’t end up further dehydrating yourself.
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This myth suggests that the alcohol is more potent in the wine simply because it’s hot outside. While red wine can be less than refreshing on a hot, summer day there’s absolutely no truth to it being too strong to enjoy a nice glass. Red wine typically contains between 12% and 15% alcohol compared to whites with 10% to 14%, so if red’s your thing, go for it. You can always try a lighter red that still pairs brilliantly with your steak. (Just be sure to keep hydrating too.)
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Have no fear? Don’t believe it, especially in summer months when alcohol can more quickly dehydrate you. The truth is the order you drink different types of alcohol really doesn’t play a role in whether you become intoxicated or even sick. That has everything to do with how much alcohol you consume and whether you’ve eaten adequately, not the order in which you consume your booze.
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Most foods are safe to consume at room temperature for up to about two hours. That’s when any harmful bacterias that may be present can reach a level substantial enough to cause an adverse reaction, like food poisoning.
If you aren’t familiar with the “danger zone” for different foods, you may want to acquaint yourself so you can keep your family and friends safe while serving foods at their most delicious temperatures, which isn’t always cold right out of the refrigerator.
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If you’re constantly opening the lid and reaching into a cooler to grab this and that, chances are it’s not keeping your foodstuffs at a consistently safe temperature. Likewise, if you didn’t put enough ice or cooling packs into your cooler, it’s probably not going to keep everything at a safe temperature.
To ensure you keep everyone who’s eating out of the cooler safe, check out some instructional videos or articles for how to properly pack and use a cooler.
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If you grew up believing that you shouldn’t eat shellfish during the summer months because it could make you sick, well, that’s mostly a myth. It once was true that algae blooms known as “red tides” could cause sickness in people who ingested shellfish from these areas, but these blooms are now closely monitored and harvesting is not allowed. It’s also true that a lot of bivalves reproduce during the summer months and they actually taste differently during this time, but so many of these and other seafoods are farmed these days, that it’s not necessarily a concern. Check with your fishmonger or restaurant server about whether their seafood is wild or farmed.
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A nice squeeze of lemon juice may make shellfish (and other seafood, for that matter) taste better to some folks, but it doesn’t do anything to inhibit any bacteria that may be living in or on your fresh catch.
To safeguard against possible food-borne illness always buy your seafood from a reputable seller.
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Ever had clam chowder? How about linguine Alfredo with shrimp or scallops? If so, you’ve consumed a combination of milk (cream) and shellfish, so just stop believing this and go have a big glass of milk with some raw oysters. Or don’t. Eww.
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Studies have shown that shellfish, in fact, can reduce LDL levels (bad cholesterol) while raising HDL levels (good cholesterol).
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Wouldn’t it be nice if this were true? We could all just sit around outside chawing on garlic cloves like cows on cuds. Sadly, garlic doesn’t do anything to keep mosquitos from bugging us, but it does totally keep vampires at bay. What? You don’t believe it? Name one person you know who loves garlic and has been bitten by a vampire. See? Proof.
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It must have been somebody’s drunk uncle who came up with this myth just to mess with the kids who were having a grand old time chowing down on their watermelon. Can’t you see it? All the kids’ eyes beginning to bug out as they envisioned their distended bellies filled with huge watermelons? Yeah. Drunk uncles are fun.
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The part of rhubarb commonly sold is the stalks. They aren’t toxic at any time of the year, but the leaves can be, so avoid those — but do feel free to wear a giant rhubarb leaf as a hat if you’re growing your own. You’ll be fine.
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Thank the ice cream gods this isn’t true! Otherwise, we’d all be sitting around sipping boozy, sabayon-esque cocktails and that wouldn’t be nearly as refreshing as boozy ice cream.
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Not true. Totally, totally not true. And it also didn’t originate in Italy. Or in Las Vegas, for that matter, which is another Caesar salad myth.
The closest thing we can get to fact on this one is that the Caesar salad was the brainchild of Caesar Cardini, a restaurateur in Tijuana, Mexico, who ran out of food items one particularly busy Fourth of July and made do with the ingredients he had on hand. Et voila, the Caesar salad was invented.
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If you are absolutely, positively 100-percent certain that your soil and any fertilizer you’ve used are contaminant free and that no animals have gotten into your garden and defecated anywhere, or that no birds have flown over and pooped on your prize tomatoes, then by all means don’t bother washing your produce.
Or you could just give them a good rinse. You know, just to be sure. Your choice.
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Poor mayonnaise. Why does it get such a bad rap? Anytime someone gets sick at a picnic it’s always the chicken salad or the egg salad or the mayonnaise on the sandwiches.
It’s not fair, especially since the acid in mayo can actually counter some harmful bacterias. So just quit blaming the mayo. It was probably the lettuce.
Read more:
This article originally appeared on MediaFeed.org.
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Yes, the same ingredient chefs use to make velvety sauces and gravies can also add a satisfying layer of crispiness to roasted vegetables.
To achieve this crispy sensation with cornstarch, Lifehacker recommends seasoning the vegetables with oil, salt and spices, and then tossing them with about a tablespoon of cornstarch per pound of veggies to achieve a thin, even coating. Then, spread the vegetables on a baking sheet and roast as usual. It’s that simple.
Why does adding this basic ingredient help keep roasted veggies crispy? According to Lan Lam of America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated, it’s all in the fine texture of the cornstarch.
“Like those of potato starch, its particles are quite small, which is why we’ve had good luck in the past using it as a fry coating on everything from chicken wings to sweet potato wedges,” Lam wrote in Cook’s Illustrated. “Plus, its starch granules — much finer than those of potatoes — don’t hold on to much water and don’t hold on to it tightly, so it can easily form a crispy crust.”
Lam’s technique, which I have tried in my own kitchen, is a little different. She mixes cornstarch and water together and then puts it in the microwave to make something that looks like pudding.
Then, she coats the vegetables with the solution before they are roasted. I use Lam’s suggestion regularly for thick-cut oven fries, and they are never soggy.
So, before you roast your next pan of veggies, make sure to check your pantry for cornstarch to get that crispy texture — even in your healthier side dishes.
This article
originally appeared on SimpleMost.com and was
syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
If you feel like grocery shopping has become more expensive, you’re not imagining things! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food prices rose 2.6% in 2020. That’s the biggest increase in nearly 50 years.
Whether the pandemic is the reason you’re spending more on food or you’ve just never taken the time to figure out a money-saving strategy for your grocery bill, now is the perfect time to turn that around. These smart grocery bill hacks will save you time and help you keep your hard-earned bucks in your wallet without the hassle of clipping coupons.
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Hands down, the easiest way to save thousands of dollars each year on your grocery budget is to get on board with meal planning. No matter the size of your family, when you take time to plan your meals you’ll always be ahead of the grocery game. Having a plan, and a shopping list to match, will not only save time, but you’ll be less inclined to buy things you don’t need. Bonus: You won’t have to waste gas on extra trips because you forgot to pick up a key ingredient.
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A free meal planning app will eliminate the guesswork. Two of my favorites are Spoonacular, which syncs with your google calendar, and Yummly, where you can search for recipes based on meal course (such as entree or side), prep time, or fun new menu trends.
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You don’t need to have tons of extra space in your home to have a well-stocked pantry. You know what your family loves to eat, so make sure you always have the basic ingredients (like pasta, rice, seasoning mixes, and more) on hand. If you always have the basics to whip a meal together, you’ll be less likely to opt for pricey take-out. So, before you make your weekly grocery list, shop your shelves first. What do you have that you could use in your meal plan this week? What’s running low?
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Take advantage of sales to stock up. My rule of thumb for sale items is to buy one to use now and two for later. Just make sure you’re buying versatile, family-tested items you know you’ll use. Impulse items might end up abandoned on a pantry shelf long past their expiration date.
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My grandmother taught me early to take advantage of seasonal produce. Whether it was berry-picking season or time for autumnal root-veggies—nature always provided a palate of seasonal goodness. As tempting as it is to buy juicy strawberries in January, you’ll likely pay more for out-of-season produce. Pay attention to mother nature’s timetable.
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Grocery stores have scales for a reason! I can’t tell you how many times I thought I could eyeball a bunch of cherries or a few heads of broccoli only to find that I bought way more than I needed.
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Your friendly grocer stocks the oldest products at the front of the shelves so they’ll get purchased before they expire. If you’re using that produce in a meal soon, go ahead and grab from the front. But if you’ll need to store your produce for a while, reach in and grab from the back to get something fresher that will last longer in your fridge or pantry.
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Of course, fresh produce is great! But don’t be afraid to buy from the “reduced” section in your favorite store. Bell peppers, tomatoes, bananas—there is always something that needs to be used immediately. If you’re going to use bell peppers in tonight’s recipe, go ahead and get the ones that are marked down for a quick sale. They’ll still be fresh and tasty, but you’ll save money. You’ll also make sure that produce doesn’t end up wasted when your grocer has to discard it.
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As tempting and timesaving as the pre-cut straw carrots or apple wedges are, you’re probably paying way too much for the convenience. Buy the whole fruit or veggie and take a few minutes to prep yourself.
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Freezing meals, leftovers, and fresh produce reduces waste and saves time and money, so keep the necessary supplies on hand. You’ll need sealable storage containers and bags. (Bonus points if they’re reusable—you’ll be both frugal and eco-friendly!) Have masking tape and markers on hand to date and label your items so you won’t have mystery contents taking up valuable space. I keep a simple freezer inventory sheet on a magnet on my freezer where I note the date and the item that was frozen.
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Some surprising items that freeze beautifully: whole avocados, breadcrumbs in canisters or bags, dairy products such as cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, shredded and sliced cheese, pancake mix, nuts, chocolate chips, hummus, or even premade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Soups and sauces freeze well in Mason jars (be sure to leave one or two inches at the top of the jar for expansion.) Buy chicken breasts and other meats in bulk when on sale and slice and bag individually in marinades or plain. Even cake mixes and containers of frosting freeze well.
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Batch cooking means making a double batch of a favorite recipe. You serve one batch and freeze the other. This technique requires planning and some extra work up front, but the reward is having a variety of your family’s “go-to” recipes available in a pinch. Betty Crocker has a helpful article full of great tips: Thirty Day Batch Cooking. I learned about batch cooking during my early pregnancies. The time and energy, and indeed the money I saved by employing this technique, was priceless.
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Many come from the companies you already love.
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These are items reduced for a quick sale. They’re still safe to eat, of course. Or you can add them to your freezer stockpile.
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You’ll be able to take advantage of digital coupons or sales you didn’t see in your flier.
This is when most stores offer their weekly deals.
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You’ll be able to see your order tally right before your eyes, and you won’t be as likely to make impulse purchases.
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This is like putting free money in your pocket every time you shop. Simply scan your receipts each time you shop and you’ll earn rewards and bonuses that you can cash in for gift cards at Amazon and your other favorite online shopping sites.
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Several years ago, I switched to shopping with cash. Knowing I have a set budget helps me stick to my grocery list. And speaking of grocery lists …
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You’ll buy stuff you don’t need and forget stuff you do! Pinterest has lots of free templates to get you started.
Read more:
This article originally appeared on QuickAndDirtyTips.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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Featured Image Credit: aga7ta / iStock.
