| How to Pare an Apple Posted: 05 Mar 2022 08:00 AM PST Paring an apple, or removing its peel, is not difficult once you know what to do. However, the sharp knife or vegetable peeler required to perform this task can cause cuts if held incorrectly. Take your time while you are learning how to pare for the first time, and always stop and readjust if you feel your grip slipping. [Edit]Paring an Apple with a Knife - Hold the apple in one hand. Hold the apple in your non-dominant hand, keeping it stable against your palm and fingers.
- Learn how to hold a short, sharp knife. Select a sharp knife no longer than the width of the apple, typically between 2 and 4 inches (5–10 cm) long. Hold it in your dominant hand, wrapping your fingers around the handle and the dull, back edge of the knife. Keep your arm straight, with the knife extending outward as though it were part of your arm.
- This type of knife is often called a paring knife, because of their use in this task.
- Hold the knife firmly against the surface of the apple. Hold the blade steady against the fruit by pushing gently against the dull edge of the blade. Make sure your grip on the knife is steady, with no wiggling, but don't strain or press against it.
- Most people start by holding the knife within 1 inch (2.5 cm) of the apple's top or bottom, at a point on the round portion of the apple's surface.
- Decide which way to point the knife. The best method for handling a paring knife depends on your level of comfort and control.[1] If you are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with knife use, or using a larger knife than instructed above, point the knife away from you to minimize the chance of cutting yourself if the knife slips. Once you have had some practice using a paring knife, and you know your grip is firm, you may find you have more control over the knife if you point your knife at a slight inward angle.
- Puncture the apple peel with your knife. Press the apple gently against the knife, until the peel is cut and the knife is resting under the surface of the peel.
- Rotate the apple to remove most of the peel. Turn the apple slowly against the blade of the knife, holding the knife steady in the same position or using minimal pressure to push it against the apple. Keep rotating the apple as the knife removes the peel, turning it in a spiral pattern until all the peel is removed. Leave the flattened ends of the apple alone for now.
- If the knife slips through the peel again, simple place it back onto the apple at any position where peel remains.
- Remove the ends of the apple. The top and bottom of the apple are typically more difficult to peel, due to their uneven shape. Hold the apple down against a cutting board, rounding your fingers into a "claw" shape so your fingertips are pressed onto the apple, but your knuckles are the closest part of your finger to the knife. Slowly press the knife down against the apple end until it is stable inside the apple, then push down hard to cut off the apple end.
- Do not attempt to cut the apple ends if the apple is sliding against the cutting board. Stop and make sure the apple and cutting board are both dry, instead, or try a different cutting board.
[Edit]Paring an Apple with a Vegetable Peeler - Cut off each end of the apple. This method of peeling is usually much quicker if you remove the uneven ends containing the stem, resulting in two parallel surfaces instead.[2] In preparation for cutting, hold the apple firmly against a cutting board with your non-dominant hand, curling your fingers inward in a "claw" shape. This keeps the tougher skin on your knuckles closer to the blade, which reduces the chance of a painful or serious injury when the knife slips.
- Identify your type of peeler. There are two main types of vegetable peeler. Straight peelers, with the metal section extending straight out of the handle like a knife, is meant to be pushed away from you. Y-shaped peelers have two "arms" forking out from the handle, with the metal blade extended between them. These work with a pulling motion instead. Some people tend to cut themselves more with one type than another, so if you find one peeler difficult to control, try the other type.
- Try holding the peeler like a pencil. You may have a steadier grip on your peeler, especially a Y-shaped peeler, if you place your thumb and index finger on opposite sides of the handle.[3] Curl your other fingers around the handle to make your grip firm.
- Grip the apple, keeping your fingers on the sides. Hold the apple firmly in your non-dominant hand, but keep your fingers on the sides of your apple, not on either end. Leave a wide strip of peel visible running between the two cut ends, with your fingers and knuckles nowhere near this path. Position your apple according to your type of peeler:
- If using a straight peeler, hold the apple so this strip is flat, angled so you can move the hand holding the peeler straight across it without bending your arm uncomfortably.
- If using a Y-shaped peeler, hold the apple so this strip is almost vertical, angled slightly away from you so you can pull the peeler down over this strip.
- Use the vegetable peeler to scrape off the first strip of peel. Double check that the apple and your fingers are in the position described above. Slowly draw the blade of the vegetable peeler from one of the cut surfaces to the other, removing the strip of peel. Remember, push a straight peeler away from you, but pull a Y-shaped peeler down toward you.
- Rotate the apple and repeat. Continue to remove short strips of peel until all of the peel has been removed. Consider holding the apple over a cutting board, bowl, sink, or trash can to catch the peel as you remove it.
- Practice moving slowly for at least three or four apples before you try to speed up. Even if you become comfortable cutting more quickly, switching to a different type or size of peeler may cause injury if you do not slow down and get used to it first.
[Edit]Using Apple Peels - Turn the apple peels into snacks. Toss the peels with a small pinch of cinnamon and sugar, adding a few drops of water to help the spices stick. Spread out the peels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 120ºC (250ºF) for about 2 ½ hours, or until the apple peels are crisp and curled.[4]
- Make the peels into potpourri. Dry the apple peels for several hours in a dehydrator, or in an oven on the minimum setting. Mix them with spices, perfume, or other scented ingredients to create potpourri mixes. Place these in bowls around your home to cover unpleasant odors or add your own scent to a room.
- Add peels to homemade jam. Cut the peels into small pieces and add them to other fruit while making jam. If you have enough peels, apple cores, or other waste fruit, you may not need to add pectin, or reduce the amount of pectin you need to form jam.
- Start a compost. If your cooking creates a fair amount of waste ingredients, consider starting a compost. This can create high-quality soil for your garden, and reduce your impact on the environment. If you do not have a use for the compost yourself, ask your city government whether curbside compost pickup services are available.
[Edit]Warnings - If you cut yourself, wash the cut area immediately to reduce the chance of infection.
[Edit]Things You Need or - Vegetable peeler
- Any knife
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
| How to Color White Chocolate Posted: 05 Mar 2022 12:00 AM PST To color chocolate, you'll need to melt it first. This is always a tricky process, and even more difficult with white chocolate, which burns easily. If possible, allow extra time to track down the right ingredients and work on a test batch. [Edit]Setting Up - Choose a white chocolate. The ingredient list should tell you whether a white chocolate is made with real cocoa butter, or with a cheaper vegetable oil substitute. Imitation products are less likely to seize (turn gritty) than chocolate made with real cocoa butter. Experts tend to back real chocolate in terms of taste, but some brands of imitation chocolate compete well in blind taste tests.[1]
- Use freshly purchased chocolate. Chocolate suffers in flavor and texture when stored too long, especially if it's the real deal.
- For detailed chocolate artwork, use a thin dipping or coating chocolate.
- Pick your food coloring. Even a drop of water can turn your melted chocolate into a gritty mess. For best results, buy powder or oil-based food coloring from a specialty baking store or online.[2] You can use the instructions below with regular liquid food coloring, but the process is much more difficult.
- Oil-based food coloring is best used for light colors, since too much of the coloring can add a bitter taste and stain mouths.[3]
- These food dyes are more concentrated than liquid dyes. They will stain clothing, skin, and countertops.
- Warm oil-based coloring in advance. As though keeping the chocolate dry weren't difficult enough, chocolate can also seize if the food coloring is a different temperature than the chocolate. If you are using oil-based food coloring, raise it above room temperature first. (Keep other types at room temperature.)
- Place the closed bottle in a zip-locked bag. Remove as much air from the bag as you can, then seal tightly.
- Submerge the bag in a bowl of warm water for 10–15 minutes. The water should feel comfortably warm to the touch, not scalding.
- Shake the bottle once or twice during the process to distribute heat evenly. Replace water if it has cooled to room temperature.
- Remove the bottle from the bag and dry it thoroughly.
- Bring a double boiler to a simmer. If you do not have a double boiler make one from a large pan, plus a heatproof mixing bowl or small pan that can sit atop the larger one. Start with just the large pan, uncovered. Heat 1–3 inches (2.5–7.5 cm) of water until it reaches a low simmer.
- Dry the top container and a stirring utensil thoroughly while you wait, even if they don't look wet. A rubber or silicone stirrer is ideal, since wooden spoons may contain absorbed moisture.[4]
[Edit]Melting and Coloring - Decide when to add the food coloring. The timing depends on which type of food coloring you are using. Read the full instructions below before you start, since you may need to change the order of the steps:
- Add powdered dye as soon as the chocolate starts to melt.
- You can add oil-based dye after the chocolate melts, as long as you warmed the dye as described above.
- Liquid dye is less likely to cause seizing if added right away, before the chocolate melts.[5] (This is why there is no need to warm the dye in advance.)
- Place the chocolate in the smaller container. Put the chocolate into the top portion of the double boiler, which should still be at room temperature. Place this container on top of the simmering pan. The indirect heat from the steam will warm the chocolate slowly, keeping it below seizing temperature.
- If using a chocolate bar, break it into small pieces of roughly equal size.
- Make sure your hands are completely dry. Any moisture could ruin your chocolate.
- If using chocolate with real cocoa butter, you may set aside 1/3 of the chocolate for later use. This is only necessary if you want your chocolates to look glossy.
- Stir until melted. White chocolate burns very easily, and should never get above 115ºF (46ºC).[6] Keep the heat on the lowest setting, or turn it off completely if melting a small batch of chocolate. Stir slowly and constantly until smooth, then remove from heat.
- If the instructions above call for adding the dye before the chocolate is melted, see below for more information.
- If melting a large batch of chocolate (several pounds or kilos), a chocolate thermometer or an instant-read thermometer with 1 degree increments is highly recommended.[7] Keep the chocolate between 100 and 110ºF (37–43ºC).[8]
- Add the dye slowly. Most powdered and oil-based food dyes are more concentrated than the common liquid type. Add in small increments and stir in thoroughly before deciding whether to add more.
- Shake bottled food coloring well before adding.
- If the chocolate seizes (turns gritty), remove it from heat and stir in a neutral-flavored vegetable oil a spoonful at a time. The chocolate will usually smooth out again, but this can affect the flavor.[9]
- Temper the chocolate (optional). If your white chocolate contains real cocoa butter, it may end up dull and slightly soft after melting and setting. This doesn't affect the taste, but you can restore the gloss if you like by "tempering" the chocolate. There are many ways to do this. Here's a common approach that doesn't require any extra equipment except an accurate thermometer:[10][11]
- Remove the chocolate from heat and wrap a towel around the base to keep it warm.
- Add chopped, unmelted chocolate until you have a ratio of 1 part unmelted chocolate to 2 parts melted.
- Stir constantly until the chocolate reaches 80–82ºF (27–28ºC), and all the chocolate has melted.
- Let the chocolate set. Many chocolatiers cool their chocolate slowly at room temperature, so it is less likely to crack or sweat. Others prefer to let it set in the refrigerator for 10–20 minutes, which may work better if your kitchen is warm or humid. Store your finished chocolate in a cool, dry room away from light.
- For best results, place paper towels in your refrigerator to absorb moisture.
- If you are pouring chocolate into molds or using it as a dip, keep it warm until you've finished working with it.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Double boiler (bain marie)
- Rubber or silicone spatula or stirrer
- Food coloring — powdered or oil-based strongly recommended
- Bowl & zip-locked bag (if using oil-based food coloring)
- Additional white chocolate for tempering (optional)
[Edit]Warnings - Melting chocolate is very difficult if humidity levels are above 50%. Run a dehumidifier in clammy weather.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário