Blog Posts by YumSugar

Source: 5 Ways to Use a Chinois at Home

If you've never heard of a chinois, it's a cone-shaped strainer that's often seen in professional kitchens and used for a multitude of purposes. While household strainers are more commonly round-shaped (better suited for straining pasta, sifting powdered sugar or flour, and the like), the conical chinois is more functional for extracting the liquids out of meats, vegetables, and fruits. Want a case for adding the chinois to your home kitchen? Here, we offer five foods that work well with the chinois.

• Stock: Make your stocks clear and fiber-free by straining out the bones and vegetable pieces. The cone shape helps trap everything, so bones don't go flying into the strained stock.
• Pureed soups and sauces: Leave behind even the most minute fibrous material after blending soups and sauces into a puree.
• Gravy: Trap small particles from pan gravies, so you are left with a silky, thick finishing sauce.
• Custard: Strain

YumSugarSource: 5 No-Cook Meals You'll Have Time to Make This Week (We Promise!)

When it comes to weeknight cooking, Summer days are both bad and good things. On the one hand, with longer, warmer days, it's easier to be out and about than behind the stove in a kitchen. On the other hand, balmier evenings call for fast, superlight, no-cook meals that come together in a heartbeat. Keep reading to see five of our favorites right now.

• Vegetarian Taco Salad: No stove is required to brown beef in this meatless taco salad. Rather, it's chock-full of different textures and flavors, from crunchy jicama to salty queso fresco.
• Roast Beef Sandwiches: These aren't just any roast beef sandwiches: we love the tangy combination of chive spread, ripe tomatoes, beef, and sourdough bread.
• Smoked Salmon Salad: Get both your greens and your protein from a mixed greens salad with cold-smoked salmon.
• Pita Bread With Mint and Feta: In a serious time crunch? A pita filled with

Source: Whip Fluffy, Floral Honey Whipped Cream

Whipped cream is one of those basic recipes that requires a little bit of patience and a watchful eye, but with some practice, you'll be whipping together billowing dollops in no time.

Some use a stand mixer, but because whipped cream is so time-sensitive, I prefer a hand mixer. It forces me to keep an eye on my stopwatch and the foamy alchemy taking place in the bowl. When the whisks start to leave tread marks behind in the cream, that's a sign that the whipped cream's less than a few minutes away from being done.

Rather than calling for powdered sugar, this particular whipped cream is sweetened with honey, which imparts a floral aroma and flavor. Especially when it's too hot to bake for Summer parties, guests always go wild for fluffy, white whipped cream peaks, served alongside Summer's sweetest fruits like raspberries, strawberries, and peaches. Try mixing your own batch; whipped cream is simple, sweet, and always appreciated.


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Source: In Season: Honeydew Melon

While honeydew is categorized as a Winter melon, it's actually at its tasty peak during the Summer months. The sweet, refreshing flesh of honeydew pairs perfectly with the warmer weather, and because of its cooling effect on the palate, it's one of the favorites at the farmers market that I look forward to all week long. When choosing, make sure to select honeydews that are nearly spherical and feel heavy, with a waxy skin. After you cut your melon, make sure you remove all the skin and scoop all the seeds out of the pumpkin-like center. Whether you cut it into cubes, slices, or take a melon baller to get a little fancy, this sweet tasty fruit is one of the best early-Summer treats straight from the Earth. Looking for a little recipe inspiration?

• For a tasty, Summer-inspired savory snack, make melon and prosciutto skewers, but opt for honeydew instead of cantaloupe.
• If you're going to turn on the grill, then consider covering your burger in

Source: Brilliant Kitchen Hack! Reheat Poached Eggs at the Office

When looking to round out a meal come brunch, lunch, or dinnertime, I stick to a simple motto: put an egg on it (not to be confused with "put a bird on it" . . . ). While fried and scrambled are nice, I hold a special place in my heart for the oozing yolks of a perfectly poached egg, but until now I hadn't thought of them as portable. It turns out, with an ingenious kitchen hack, these luscious eggs can become a protein-packed part of the brown-bag lunch rotation.

To brown-bag poached eggs:

• Simmer up a batch of poached eggs - we swear, it's easy and takes just a few minutes!
• Gently pack the cooked eggs into a thermos filled with cool water. The water helps insulate the delicate yolks from breaking and acts as a short-term refrigerant.
• At lunchtime, carefully pour out the cold water (no need to get every drop) and refill the thermos with hot water from the spigot of the water cooler and let sit for 2-3

YumSugarSource: What USA's Olympians Eat, Both on and Off the Clock

We've seen this year's group of Olympians flip, sprint, and leap to fame - awe inspiring to be sure - but mostly, we're curious to find out what fuels these superhuman athletes. While high-protein diets are (not too surprisingly) a resounding trend amongst the group, we were heartened to find that this year's crop of contenders involves some serious foodies. Read on to find out their top picks!

• Natalie Coughlin: Known for her prowess both in the water and in the kitchen, Natalie is an ardent gardener, growing a variety of herbs and vegetables and even raising a coop of laying hens in her backyard. Some of her favorite foods include homemade bánh mì sandwiches, fava bean hummus, and open-faced radish and butter sandwiches. She told us that her first post-Olympic race indulgence will be bangers and mash.
• Venus Williams: Venus told FitSugar she's "one of those people that eats to live, not lives to eat," but if

Source: Double Bake French Bread For Crunchier Crust

Bread bakers are constantly seeking out trade secrets to mimic professional French breads with crusty exteriors and soft, spongy innards. While nothing compares to state-of-the-art bread ovens, home bakers each have their tips for creating the "steaming" effect that contributes to the crystallization of the crust, whether it's baking the bread with a bowl of water-soaked stones or occasionally spritzing the loaves with water during bake time.

Here's a tip I recently stumbled upon while dining at Café de la Presse in San Francisco. My waitress let me in on a little secret: executive chef Patrick Albert is so serious about his bread that he ships in loaves from New York City each morning that are partially cooked and frozen. Once the loaves arrive in San Francisco, they're popped in the oven a second time to finish baking. The bread develops its awesomely crunchy exterior due to this process.

My hunch is that icy crystals form on

Source: Squeeze Every Penny Out of Limes This Summer

Lately, limes have been incredibly cheap at my grocery store, clocking in at less than 50 cents a pop; my parents recently hosted an enchilada dinner, and they bought a huge cardboard box full of gorgeous, plump limes for just $10. That got me thinking that the best ways to prep and store lime juice while the citrus fruit's at such a good value.

• Loosen the juices: Roll the limes across a flat, hard surface like a cutting board, pressing down firmly with the palm of your hand to help loosen the juices.
• Extract lime juice: Cut the lime horizontally in half, and then use a citrus or a lime juicer like a Chef'n Lime Juicer ($18) to extract the juice. Otherwise, juice the limes by inserting a fork into the half-lime and squeezing the lime as you twist the fork around the lime innards.
• Using your juice soon? Then refrigerate it: Pour the fresh lime juice in an airtight container, and store it in the fridge for