How to...Boil an Egg
If
your eggs are straight from the chicken via the local Babushka, clean your egg.
Then add cold water to a small sauce pan. Place the egg in the water, so that
it is covered. Slowly bring the water to a boil. Boil for about ten minutes if
you want hard boiled eggs, three minutes if you want soft boiled eggs.
How to...Cook Rice
Steamed
rice: Bring two cups water and a pinch of salt to a boil. Add one cup white
rice and stir, reducing heat to low. Put a tight fitting lid on the pot for 20
minutes. After 20 minutes, lift the lid. You should see dimples in the rice
surface, and all water should be evaporated. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Boiled
rice: This is not the same as steamed rice. The recommended proportions are
nine cups water to one cup of rice. Add one teaspoon of salt to the water,
bring it to a boil, then add the rice. Shake the pot gently so that rice
settles. DON’T STIR. Keep the water boiling 15-18 minutes (white rice) or 35-40
minutes (brown rice), then test a piece at the minimum time. It’s done when
it’s firm, but not hard and not mushy. Drain and serve.
How to...Cook Potatoes
In
Ukraine
Baked
potatoes: Scrub and wash your potatoes well. Poke them once with a fork. Wrap
them in a layer of aluminum foil and bake on medium heat for about one hour.
Enjoy with smetana.
Boiled
potatoes: Peel, wash and quarter the potatoes. Place them in a pot filled with
cold water. Bring the water to boil and cook the potatoes 10-15 minutes, or
until they can easily be stabbed with a fork. (Smaller pieces will cook faster,
larger ones will take longer.) Drain and serve.
Mashed
potatoes: Follow the instructions for boiling potatoes, but let them cook a
little bit longer. You want the potatoes to break apart easily. Drain and
return the potatoes to the pot. With a masher, or a fork, begin to mash the
potatoes. Many Ukrainians simply add butter at this stage. You may also add a
little milk and/or sour cream, as well as salt and pepper. Start with a little,
then keep adding to get the desired consistency.
How to...Cook Beans*
First,
wash your beans in cold water. Second, if possible, soak your beans overnight
prior to cooking them. They triple in size so make sure to add plenty of water.
(Lentils don’t need to be soaked.)
Third, look at the following chart:
|
Type of
beans (1 cup)
|
Cups of
water
|
Cooking
time
|
Yield (cups)
|
|
Black beans
|
8
|
1 ½ hours
|
4
|
|
Chick peas
|
6
|
2 ½ - 3 hours
|
4
|
|
White beans
|
7
|
1 hour
|
4
|
|
Kidney beans
|
6
|
1 hour
|
4
|
|
Lentils
|
6
|
35 minutes
|
4 ½
|
|
Pinto beans
|
6
|
1 ½ hours
|
4
|
|
Small beans
|
6
|
1 hour
|
3
|
*
These times are for pre-soaked beans. If you’re not the pre-soaking
type, cooking time and water needed to cook them in will increase a lot.
How to...Handle Poultry
Chicken.
Turkey
First
and foremost, always wash your hands, utensils, cutting boards, counter tops,
etc., with HOT soapy water after handling raw poultry. Also, if possible, cut
up your bird on a plastic cutting board rather than a wooden one.
Next,
if you bird still has its insides, remove them, you can make pate with them. It
is not recommended to stuff your birds.
If you’re going to marinate the bird, do it in the refrigerator. Also,
any and all marinade that has touched the bird must be thoroughly cooked.
If
you buy a chicken or turkey and don’t plan to eat it immediately, you can
freeze it for up to 3 months. It’s best to wrap it up in a plastic bag the
aluminum foil, or have some freezer bags sent from the USA
When
thawing frozen birds, do so in the refrigerator. Plan on 1 day for every 5
pounds. An alternative (and quicker option) is to submerge the wrapped bird
into a large bowl of cold water. Allow 30 minutes for each pound.
Skillet
cooking times vary, depending on the thickness of the meat. It’s always done,
however, when the center is no longer pink. When in doubt – cook it longer.
Oven Cooking Times for Poultry:
|
Type of
Bird
|
Oven
Temperature
|
Time
|
|
Chicken pieces
|
375F or 190C
|
45-55 minutes
|
|
Whole chicken
|
375F or 190C
|
1
¼ hours (2 ½ - 3 pounds)
Add 30 minutes for each half
pound.
|
|
Whole stuffed turkey
|
325F or 170C
|
3
½ hours (8-12 pounds)
Add 15 minutes for each additional
pound.
|
How to...Bake in an Oven-less
Kitchen
If you are dreaming of chocolate chip cookies or
homemade bread, but do not have an oven, here is the solution! You can bake
almost anything, from pizza to cakes, in a makeshift oven called a Dutch oven.
What you
need:
·
A large, heavy pot with a tight fitting lid
·
Small baking pans that will fit within the pot
·
2 empty “tuna” cans with the tops and bottoms removed
·
Stove-top burner or hot plate
What
to do:
Place
the large pot on a burner. Place the tuna cans on the bottom, inside the pot.
Turn on the heat at low. Cover with the lid to allow the pot to preheat.
Put
whatever you are baking into the small baking pans. Place these pans on top of
the tuna cans. This allows air to circulate, thus baking evenly and preventing
burning. Cover and bake. Note that it will take some trial and error to find
the right temperature and cooking time. Check progress of baking by frequently
lifting the lid slightly to peek at
your dish.
Tips:
·
Check baking frequently, especially the first few times
using this method.
·
Once you figure out correct flame height, baking times and
other tricks for a particular recipe, write it down for next time.
·
Tight lids keep the heat in better, prevent longer baking
times and thus, dried out baked products.
·
Keep this pot just for baking, if possible.
·
The heavier pot, the better. Thin, aluminum pots tend to
warp and will not last as long.
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