Kitchen Optimization Hacks

IKitchenByte * KITCHEN OPTIMIZATION HACKS HAVE A MORE EFFICIENT AND PLEASANT COOKING EXPERIENCE EVERY TIME YOU ENTER THE KITCHEN Storage Times - Organize Your Refrigerator - Vegetable Cooking Times - Meat Cuts & Cooking Recommendations - Cooking Measurements Conversions REFRIGERATOR & FREEZER STORAGE TIMES TABLE These short but safe time limits for home-refrigerated foods will keep them from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely. CATEGORY FOOD REFRIGERATOR FREEZER 40°F or Below 0°F or Below Salads 3-5 days Egg, chicken, ham, tuna & macaroni salads Does not freeze well 1-2 months 1-2 months 1-2 months Hotdogs Opened package 1 week Unopened package 2 weeks Luncheon meat Opened package of deli sliced 3 - 5 days Unopened package 2 weeks 1-2 months 1 month 1- 2 months Bacon & Bacon 7 days Sausage 1 -2 days Sausage, raw - from chicken, turkey, pork, beef 1-2 days Hamburger & Other Ground meats 3 - 4 months Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb & mix- tures of them 3 - 5 days 6 - 12 months Fresh beef, veal, lamb & pork Steaks Chops 3 - 5 days 4 - 6 months Roasts 3 - 5 days 4 - 12 months 1-2 days 1 year 9 months Fresh poultry Chicken or turkey, whole Chicken or turkey, pieces 1-2 days Soups & stews Vegetable or meat added 3 - 4 days 2-3 months Leftovers Cooked meat or poultry 3 - 4 days 2 -6 months Chicken nuggets or patties 3 - 4 days 1-3 months Pizza 3 - 4 days 1-2 months HOW TO ORGANIZE FOOD IN THE REFRIGERATOR The Strategy DOOR The refrigerator door is the warmest part of the fridge, so only condi- ments should go there. Don't put eggs or milk in the door, as they should be placed in a colder part of the refrigerator. So how do we adopt their way of organization? Here's the strategy that uses the same principles, tailored to the configurations of a home refrigerator: UPPER SHELVES: LEFTOVERS, DRINKS, AND READY-TO-EAT FOODS (LIKE YOGURT, CHEESE, AND DELI MEATS). 15 Refrigerator: 4°C (40 F) or lower 5 Freezer: -18°C (O'F) or lower. * This will keep your food out of the 10 temperature danger zone between 4°C 20 (40 F) to 60'C (140 F) where bacteria can grow quickly. Don't cut fruit or vegetables until you are ready to prepare for a meal. LOWER SHELVES: RAW INGREDIENTS SLATED FOR COOKED DISHES Drawers Prepare only the amount of products you will use in a meal. These can be tricky. Since they're designed to hold produce at specific humidities, it makes sense to store fruits and veggies there. But they're usually at the bottom of the fridge, so we risk contaminating our fresh vegetables if we put meat on the shelf above. Some solutions? • If you have two drawers, make one of them exclusively for veggies and the other exclusively for raw meat. • If one drawer is above the other, use the lowest side-by-side, either drawer would be fine. Clean the drawer you're using for meat often. • Need both drawers for fruits and veggies? If it's unavoidable to put raw meat above other foods, improvise your own meat drawer by using a clear plastic bin that will catch any accidental drips and keep the meat safely away from everything else. drawer for meat. If they're Don't store wet fruit and vegetables - wash just before preparation or dry thoroughly before placing in the refrigerator. VEGETABLE COOKING TIMES & RECOMMENDATIONS When cooking vegetables, fresh or frozen, it's recommended to use steaming to preserve vitamins and minerals to the maximum. Steaming also retains the nature look of the vegetable, adding aesthetic value to your dish. Fresh/Frozen Vegetables FRESH, FROZEN, VEGETABLE COOKING TIME COOKING TIME Mins Mins VEGETABLE Beet, small roots, 11-13 13-15 whole Brussel sprouts, 3-4 4-5 whole Carrots, whole or chunked 2-3 3-4 To Boil: In saucepan, heat 1 inch water to boiling, unless stated otherwise. Add vegetables. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cook for amount of time in chart; drain. Escarole, chopped 1-2 2-3 Green beans, whole 2-3 3-4 Onions, sliced 2-3 3-4 Parsnips, sliced Peas, in the pod 1-2 2-3 To Steam: In saucepan or skillet, place steamer basket in 1/2 inch water (water should not touch bottom of basket). Place vegetables in steamer basket. Cover tightly and heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Steam for amount of time in chart. 1-2 2-3 Peas, green 1-2 2-3 Potatoes, whole, baby 10-12 12-14 Pumpkin, large slices or chunks 8-10 10-14 To Sauté: In skillet, cook in butter or oil over medium-high heat for amount of time in chart. Sweet potato, whole, large Tomatoes, whole Turnip, chunks 12-15 15-19 3-5 5-7 2-4 4-6 To Bake: Heat oven to 350°F. Place vegetables in oven as directed. Bake for amount of time in chart. • Cook vegetables until soft, but so they still have a bite to them (think green beans that remain firm rather than droopy). • The cooking time is for small or medium amount of food. For large amount, please add more water and increase the time by 20-40%. To Roast: Heat oven to 425°F. Toss cut (unless stated otherwise) vegetables with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and season as desired. Place vegetables in baking pan. Roast for amount of time in chart. Tips MEAT CUTS & PREPARING RECOMMENDATIONS PORK PORK CUTS Pork Butt Roast Grill Roast, BBQ, Roast, Braise Pork Shoulder Grill Roast, BBQ, Roast, Braise Rib Chop Center-Cut Chop Grill, Pan Sear, Braise Sear, Grill Grill, BBQ Baby Back Ribs SPARE RIB Country-Style Ribs Braise, Grill, Pan Sear LOIN Blade-End Roast Roast LEG Boneless Blade-End Roast Roast, Grill Roast Center-Cut Loin Roast Roast, Grill Roast BLADE Center-Cut Rib Roast Roast, Grill Roast Roast, Pan Sear, Stir-Fry BELLY Tenderloin Roast SHOULDER Crown Roast Roast St. Louis-Style Spareribs Roast, BBQ Fresh Ham, Shank End Roast, Grill Roast Fresh Ham, Sirloin Half Roast Spiral-Sliced Bone-In Half Ham Roast Country Ham Roast BEEF BEEF CUTS Chuck & Blade Stew, Braise, Pot Roast Brisket Braise TOP SIRLOIN Fore Shank Braise Grill, Pan-Sear Grill, Pan-Fry, Broil, Braise Short Plate TENDER LOIN TOP SIRLOIN RUMP RIB Flank Round Braise CHUCK Grill, Fry, BBQ Grill, Pan Sear Grill, Pan Fry, Roast, Braise SHORT BOTTOM Sirloin SHORT I LOIN SIRLOIN RIB ROUND Short Loin Rib SHORT PLATE FLANK Simmer RISKET FORE SHANK Tongue Bake, Boil, BroilI, Fry, Stir-Fry AHIND SHANK Livers --- OING TENDER Heart Simmer, Bake, Braise LAMB CUTS Butterflied Leg Of Lamb Carvery Leg Of Lamb Carvery Shoulder Of Lamb Roll, Roast LAMB NECK Roast Roast Fry, Grll Stew / Braise, BBQ Centre Loin Chops Diced LOIN Fry Stew / Braise Stew/ Braise, Roast, BBQ Fry, Grill, BBQ Fry, Grll Fillet Shank SHOULDER RACK Gigot Chops Leg Steaks LEG Loin Canon Loin Saddle (Bone In) Loin Saddle (Boneless) Roast Roast Roast, Fry BREAST Noisette Rack Of Lamb Roast Roast, Fry, BBQ Roast, Grill Rump (Boneless) Shoulder Rack Striploin Roast, Fry, Grill, BBQ CHICKEN CHICKEN CUTS Whole Chicken Roast Breast Steam, Pan-Fry, Grill, Deep-Fry, Oven Roast Cockscomb Braise WINGS Drumsticks Braise, Grill, Bake, BBQ Braise, Grill, BBQ, Simmer, Deep-Fry, Steam Pan-Fry, Grill, Braise, Deep-Fry Grill, Pan-Fry, Simmer Pan-Fry, Simmer, Grill, Oven Roast Feet BREAST Gizzard THIGH Heart Kidney Liver Pan-Fry Simmer, Pan-Fry, Braise Steam, Pan-Fry, Grill, Deep-Fry Pan-Fry, Oven Roast, BBQ, Grill, Deep-Fry Pan-Fry, Grill, Oven Roast, BBQ, Deep-Fry LEG Neck Tenderloin Thigh Wing FISH FISH CUTS Whole Fish Bake, Bake In Foil, Deep Fry, Grill Bake, Bake In Foil, Pan-Fry, Small Whole Fish Deep Fry, Oven Fry, Grill Fillet BACK MEAT Bake, Pan-Fry, Deep Fry, Grill Bake, Bake In Foil, Pan-Fry, Grill TAIL Steak HEAD TAIL MEAT ABDOMEN MEAT Steak Fillet COOKING MEASUREMENTS & UNIT CONVERSION TABLE ABBREVIATIONS LIQUID MEASUREMENTS When using a recipe from another country, you should be aware that standard measuring utensils vary greatly American Liquid Measurenments Grams KG Kilograms Ounces FL OZ Fluid Ounces METRICS ' IMPERIAL LB Pounds 1 gallon 1 quart 1 pint: Litre 3.79 L 128 fl oz (4 quarts) (2 pints) (2 cups) ML Mililitre 0.95 L 32 fl oz Mм Millimetre 450 ml 16 fl oz Teaspoon Tablespoon TSP 225 ml 8 fl oz 1 cup TBSP 1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon *16 ml 1/2 fl oz PT Pint 5 ml QT Quart Gallon British Liquid Measurements GAL METRICS ' IMPERIAL : * Spoons 5 ml 10 ml 1 teaspoon !1 dessert spoon : 1 tablespoon 1 Australian tablespoon = 20 ml 1 UK tablespoon =15 ml 1 American tablespoon = 16 ml 1 liquid ounce (UK) = 0.96 liquid ounce (USA). 15 ml 1/3 pint i 1 tea cup 1 breakfast cup 10 fl oz *20 fl oz 570 ml 1/2 pint 1 pint COOKING/OVEN TEMP °F °C GAS DRY INGREDIENTS Freeze Water 32°F O°C BY WEIGHT Room Temp 68°F 20°C (To convert ounces to grams, multiply the number of ounces by 30.) Boil Water 212°F 100°C Bake 325°F 160°C 350°F 180°C 190°C 1 oz = 1/16 Ib = 30 g 16 oz = 1 lb = 480 g 375°F 200°C 220 C 400'F 425 F 450°F 230°C Broil Grll Length Measurement METRICS IMPERIAL 6 mm 1/4 inch 1/2 inch Why a length chart in cooking? It can be helpful when you get a recipe that says, "place the cookie dough 2 inches apart to allow for expansion during cooking" or "cut the dough into 10 inch lengths." 13 mm 19 mm 3/4 inch 25 mm 1 Inch 51 mm 2 inch 76 mm 3 inch 102 mm 4 inch 127 mm 5 Inch 254 mm 10 inch 305 mm 1 foot 610 mm 2 feet 915 mm 1 yard BROUGHT TO YOU BY KitchenByte www.KitchenByte.com References https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html http://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-way-to-organize-your-fridge-tips-from-the-kitchn-48286 http://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-5403 http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/eating-nutrition/healthy-eaing-saine-alimentation/safety-salubrite/tips-conseils/storage-entreposage-eng.php http://www.circlecity.co.uk/kitchen/vegetable-cooking-times.php http://instantpot.com/cooking-time/fresh-or-frozen-vegetable/ http://www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/tipslibrary/charts-timetables-measuring/fresh-vegetable-cooking-chart https://cimeatbook.com/pork-cuts-a-visual-guide/ http://www.businessinsider.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-beef-cuts-2013-4#variety-cuts-tongue-liver-kidney-heart-10 http://www.irishcountrymeats.com/using-lamb/cuts-cooking-hints-and-tips/ http://nosetotailapp.com/meat-cuts.php http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t--1231/fish-cooking-guide.asp http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/sea-fishing-aquaculture/community-resources/cooking-fish/fish-cooking-methods http://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/metric-conversion-charts http://alldownunder.com/australian-convert/measurement-chart.htm http://www.everest.co.uk/products/kitchens/kitchen-cheat-sheet/ носк KAMA НОС FRUIT