Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Super Bowl

Here's another very useful little tip I picked up during my brief stint in cooking school. You may have noticed that I don't have a lot of good habits in the kitchen, so when I actually do something properly, I like to brag about it. Kind of like when I wear socks that actually match, and I insist on pulling up my pant legs to show them to my husband and go, "What do you think? Nice, right?"

While preparing a meal, I always place a big mixing bowl next to my cutting board into which I dump the wrappers, onion skins, and veggie scraps that I discard during cooking. Even though there is a garbage can right in my kitchen island, it really saves a surprising amount of time and effort using the bowl, instead (plus, I don't have to touch the cabinet door with tomato juice or nasty chicken goo on my hands). I also like being able to peel things over the bowl, which keeps my cutting boards and counter tops cleaner while I cook. This is pretty standard practice in restaurant kitchens, where they really have to be efficient and organized.

I have since learned that Rachel Ray does this on her show, as well, and even sells a special "garbage bowl" in her product line on QVC. But let me assure you about two things I know for sure: She was not the inventor of this idea - some genius cooking Frenchman was, many many, years ago. And pretty much any old bowl will do- you don't need to start watching television home shopping channels to get in on this action (although I would stick to metal, glass or ceramic- plastic can get scratches that trap bacteria). Just use something you've already got, and remember to throw it in the dishwasher afterward. Try it- it may just bowl you over.

3 comments:

Everyday Mama said...

Brilliant! I need a garbage bowl!

kallu said...

Lovely idea. I've seen my sis do all her cutting over a spread out piece of newspaper - she just wraps all the peel and waste in the paper and chucks it in the bin. I thought it a waste of newspaper. But this is good.

kallu said...

Forgot to add that the blog now has nice sporty fresh look :-)