5 tricks to make your life easier in the kitchen

5 Kitchen "Hacks" to Make Life Easier in the Kitchen
By: Chef Cristian Feher
www.tampabaychef.com

 If you were to do the math - and I did - the average person spends 35 to 45 full days in the kitchen each year! That’s a lot of time. And while I’m not proposing that you try to spend less time in the kitchen - as cooking should be a relaxing and therapeutic activity - I am proposing that you make that time as enjoyable, and easy, as possible.

The following “kitchen hacks” should make time spent in your food cave a little brighter!

Save the bananas!

How often do you have to buy bananas? And how many bananas do you end up throwing out when they over-ripen? To make bananas last longer, simply pull them apart and wrap them individually  in plastic wrap (or wrap tightly in a plastic bag) this will slow down the ripening process and your bananas should last long enough for you to eat them all!

You can also refrigerate bananas. Although the skins will turn brown, the banana inside will still be good, and will last for 1 to 2 weeks in this state.


Cut Calories and Healthy-Up your Baking! 

Do you want to avoid refined oils, fats and calories in your baked goods? How about these substitutions?

When a recipe calls for butter, you can substitute with equal parts mashed avocado,  or mashed bananas. Instead of sugar, you can lower the calories by adding equal parts apple sauce. And instead of vegetable oil, you can add equal parts Greek yogurt. These substitutions may not work for all recipes, but they do work for most.


Chill out, man!

So, you forgot to chill the white wine, and now you have guests over. What to do? Not problem, because you froze a bag of grapes after reading this article. Frozen grapes are a great way to chill a glass of wine without watering it down. Simply place large seedless grapes in a freezer bag and leave in your freezer for emergency situations. How long do they last? Until they are visibly frostbitten.


 




The Pot is Boiling Over!

Don’t you hate it when a pot boils-over on the stove? Aside from the messy clean-up and menacing hissing sounds, it’s just plain annoying.

To prevent your pot from boiling over, simply add a little vegetable oil to the water, and rest a wooden spoon over the pot. This will break the foam and prevent it from spilling over.


 

Send your herbs to Alaska!

Cooking with fresh herbs is great! Unfortunately, when you only need a pinch, you end up having to buy a whole bag at the grocery store. And what do you do with all those leftover fresh herbs? They will certainly go bad in your fridge after a few days, and you most likely end up throwing them in the garbage.

To keep fresh herbs for future use, simply chop them up coarsely, stick clumps of herbs in ice cube trays, fill them with olive oil and freeze. The olive oil will freeze solid. Every time you need fresh herbs, simply pop a cube out of the tray and use it for cooking!

I hope these tips will make time spent in your kitchen much more enjoyable. Until next time, happy cooking!

Sushi Chicken Wings Recipe | Superbowl Snacks

Sushi Chicken Wings
By: Chef Cristian Feher
www.tampabaychef.com

Sushi wings are a combination of my two favorite TV-watching snack foods - sushi and chicken wings! This is a great recipe for a Superbowl Party or hanging around watching movies with your friends and family.

Because I, personally, try to avoid gluten (wheat) as much as I can, I have made this recipe without using any wheat. However, it will turn out just great with regular wheat flour and Japanese soy sauce.

You may think to yourself that it might be difficult to get some of these ingredients. But they are readily available in most grocery stores. The only ingredients that you may not find at a conventional grocery store might be the Capelin Roe (which are fish eggs used for sushi). They can be found at most Asian grocery stores in the freezer section. And rice flour (although I get it at my regular grocery store) can be found at health food stores like Whole Foods, and it can also be found at Asian grocery stores.

Ingredients:
- 2 dozen wings
- Kikkoman Soy sauce or Gluten-free Japanese soy sauce
- 6 chopped scallions
- Black sesame seeds
- Capelin Roe
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Terriyaki Glaze or Gluten-Free Terriyaki Glaze
- 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
- Srirachia (Thai chili sauce)
- 1 large bag of regular potato chips
- Rice Flour OR wheat flour
- Cooking Spray (optional)


NOTE: You will need to make potato chip crumbs. The easiest way is to put potato chips into a food processor, and process until they are crumbs. The hard way is to crush them by hand - put them in a freezer bag and crush them by hand until they are crumbs.

1. Sprinkle fresh, raw chicken wings liberally with soy sauce and let marinade in fridge for 20 minutes to 2 hours.

2. Dredge chicken wings in rice flour and put them on a non-stick baking surface with a little cooking spray. Spray the top of the wings too. Do not pile wings on top of each other, only make one layer and lay them all flat on the baking sheet so that they bake evenly and crispy.

3. Roast wings in oven at 450 for 30 minutes.

4. While wings are in the oven, mix the wing sauce by combining 1/2 cup of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup terriyaki glaze and a little sesame oil (1/2 tsp). Mix together well.

5. When wings are done, remove from oven, put them into a large food container with a lid, add the wing sauce and shake lightly to coat wings. Transfer coated wings onto a platter.

6. Garnish wings with spicy srirachia chili sauce, black sesame seeds, chopped scallions, potato chip crumbs, and capelin roe. I like to serve these on banana leaves with a colorful garnish.

Gluten free bread that tastes like bread!

Gluten-Free Bread That Tastes Like Real Bread!
By: Chef Cristian Feher
www.tampabaychef.com

 "This has to have something bad in it, 'cause it tastes too good." That's what my wife said as she tried an Udi's gluten-free bagel. Finally a gluten-free baked good that, well... tastes good! 

Udi's was nice enough to send me a box with several of their products to try. And before you think "Oh ok, right, that's why he's writing this article." I want to say that this is my honest opinion.

Going gluten-free is a choice that my wife and I made a few weeks ago. And for us it makes a big difference. I've actually gone gluten-free in the past and have always been rewarded by feeling good, more energetic, and losing weight. Every time I've gone back to eating gluten (even though wheat products taste really good) I've always paid for it with weight gain, and really low energy levels.

Everyone is different. Some people are tolerant to all foods, while others are intolerant to several. Aside from soy products, and corn, wheat seems to be one of those things that many people are intolerant to - and many of those people don't even know it. They notice how tired they are, or how they've gained weight, or how they're getting skin problems, but they chalk it up to other things.

I recommend that everyone try going two weeks without eating wheat (gluten), soy and corn and see how they feel. If it makes no difference - fine. You are probably tolerant to those foods. But the rest of you may notice some positive changes. Then what you do is you start to add one item at a time and see how those foods affect you. 

Let's get back to Udi's. I tried several of their products along with my wife and very picky daughter and these are the results:

Udi's gluten-free sandwich breads (white and whole wheat) were light, airy and had a really good consistency. They taste just like regular wheat bread, and when you toast them, they have a really nice, crispy texture! A little organic butter and you're ready to kiss gluten good-bye! I've found other gluten-free breads that I've tried to be too thick, dense and heavy - especially the ones made with brown rice - and a few even taste like Play-Doh!

Udi's gluten-free brownies were very good (apparently). My wife and daughter polished off the container before I could get to them, so I have no first hand experience.

The last of Udi's gluten-free chocolate chip cookies was quite good. They are slightly soft, have a great taste and the chocolate chips melt in your mouth.

Udi's gluten-free harvest crunch muffins with cranberries, sweet potato, quinoa flour and pumpkin seeds were moist, sweet and delicious. It's surprising that they had no wheat flour.

This is the first time that I have tasted a gluten-free product that was just as good as a product made with wheat! Whether they hired nuclear physicist from abroad, or they stole a secret recipe from NASA, all that matters to me is that I can eat something that tastes good and won't make me want to go to sleep five minutes later. 

You can find Udi's products near you by checking out their website at www.udisglutenfree.com

New Year's Eve Appetizer Ideas | Quail Egg Hors D'euvres

Quail Egg and Smoked Salmon Appetizers
By: Chef Cristian Feher
www.tampabaychef.com

© Cristian Feher 2012 | Quail Egg and Smoked Salmon App

Quail eggs are a lot of fun to cook with. I love to make miniature food every once in a while. It reminds me that it's OK to play your food! 

You can find quail eggs at most Asian grocery stores, specialty food stores, and you can even special order them at your local grocery store. 

These little appetizers are a good conversation piece, as well as a delicious hors d'oeuvre. People love to ooh and ahh at the little tiny eggs! And if you can fry an egg, you are qualified to make this recipe - easy!

Ingredients:
- Mini rye or pumpernickel bread
- Norwegian smoked salmon slices
- Chives
- Quail eggs (fresh)

Instructions:

NOTE: For this television segment on Fox 13 I took a serrated bread knife and sawed a straight shallow cut along the surface of the quail eggs, being careful not to go very deep, so that the shells would crack perfectly while still keeping the yolk intact. 

1. Lay your mini-bread slices on a tray

2. Put a slice of smoked salmon on each piece

3. Carefully crack the quail eggs so as not to break the yolk, and fry them on a non-stick pan (sunny-side-up) just like a regular egg.

4. Place cooked quail egg on top of the smoked salmon and garnish with sliced chives.

(OPTIONAL) Sometimes I squirt the smoked salmon with curry mayonnaise for added flavor.

New Year's Eve Appetizer Recipes | Greek Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad

Greek Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad
By: Chef Cristian Feher
www.tampabaychef.com

© Cristian Feher 2012 | Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad

Fruit and cheese have had a long marriage in the Western culinary world. This salad is just another example of a perfect pairing. 

Watermelon pairs very well with salty cheeses like Havarti, Parmesan and Greek Feta. The addition of fresh herbs, garlic and extra virgin olive oil add to this flavorful and refreshing dish.





Ingredients:
- Watermelon Cubes
- Feta cheese slices
- chopped herbs (parsley, oregano)
- Minced garlic (fresh - don't use the jarred stuff)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Cut the feta cheese into square slices.

2. Using the feta slices as a guide, cut the watermelon cubes the same width and length as the feta slices.

3. Mince the garlic and chop the fresh herbs.

4. Plate the watermelon cubes and put a slice of Feta on each cube. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, garlic and drizzle with olive oil.

5. Season with fresh pepper and salt and enjoy!

New Year's Eve Appetizers | Raw Oysters with Champagne Mignonette

Raw Oysters with Champagne Mignonette
By: Chef Cristian Feher
www.tampabaychef.com

© Cristian Feher 2012 | Oysters with Champagne Mignonette

Oysters are not for everyone. But to those who have a taste for the ocean, a well-dressed raw oyster hits the spot. 

There are just as many ways to dress an oyster as there are oyster varieties. And while some prefer to eat them with horseradish and Tabasco, or plain lime juice, I enjoy them with a fresh shallot and vinegar mignonette.

A Mignonette is the French classic way to eat raw oysters. Red wine vinegar, is mixed with shallots, sugar, salt and pepper. To this basic mignonette, you can add all sorts of different things like: tarragon, dill, garlic, and diced anise. You can also use many different kinds of vinegars. I enjoy red wine vinegar, and champagne vinegar (both bi-products of the wine making process). 

What oysters are the best? That would be better discussed in an article all of its own. I will say this from personal experience though; I like cold water oysters much better than Gulf oysters.

To open oysters you will need an oyster shucker and a kitchen towel. Using a knife or a screw driver can lead to a badly cut hand. You can find good instructional videos on YouTube on how to properly shuck oysters.

Champagne Mignonette Recipe:

Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup of Champagne Vinegar
- 2oz of Champagne
- 1/4 cup of diced shallots
- Salt and pepper to taste

Holiday Christmas Appetizers | Festive Chicken Wings Recipe

Festive Holiday Chicken Wings Recipe
By: Chef Cristian Feher
www.tampabaychef.com

 This appetizer can be as complex, or as easy as you want. You can marinade and deep-fry your own wings, or you can buy pre-cooked chicken wings at your local grocery store - like I did for the Good Day Tampa Bay segment.

I wanted to make these chicken wings “festive” by making them red and green. The red part was easy; most BBQ sauces are red. And you can use any type of BBQ sauce you wish. For really simple “BBQ Sauce”, I like to add a pinch of smoked paprika and Crystal hot sauce to tomato ketchup. Just make sure that the tomato ketchup is made with sugar, and not high-fructose corn syrup. Sugar caramelizes, HFCS does not.

I wanted to make the green sauce stand out, so I chose to make a spinach pesto, as spinach tends to stay bright green a lot longer than basil.

And no matter what flavor, I love to dip my wings in buttermilk ranch dressing - which is what I put in the middle of the platter.
Super-Simple BBQ Sauce Ingredients:
- 2 cups of tomato ketchup (per 16 wings)
- 1/4 tsp of smoked paprika
- A dash of Crystal hot sauce

Instructions:

1. Mix the ketchup, paprika, and hot sauce.

2. Cook, or heat your chicken wings. Put them in a large bowl and toss with the Super-Simple BBQ Sauce. Serve with ranch dressing on the side.

Spinach Pesto Sauce Ingredients:
- 2 cups of baby spinach leaves
- 1 tsp of dry basil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/3 cup of salted roasted peanuts
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until it’s a smooth paste. If too dry add more olive oil. Test for salt and season accordingly.

2. Cook, or heat your chicken wings. Put them in a large bowl and toss them with some of the pesto. Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing.