Kitchen Tips

At Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre 2014, the Cooking School will offer something for everyone with lessons covering a variety of topics, from cooking leftovers to teamwork in the kitchen, all of which embrace the Slow Food philosophy.

Check out the full program of events.

In order to celebrate the inauguration of the Cooking School at Salone, we bring you some top tips from the chefs who will be on hand to help improve your culinary skills.

• Remove the gills before you cook or conserve fish: they are full of impurities.

• If you don’t want your eggplant to turn black after you cut it, rub it with salt or lemon juice.

• The rind of citrus fruit can be a great ingredient but can sometimes be bitter. To get rid of the bitterness, put the fruit in some boiling water first.

• To scale a fish, just use the back of a stiff knife. If you prefer to remove the skin after filleting: don’t remove the skin before cooking.

• When cooking with fresh pulses always start with hot water, removing any foamy build up if necessary. Don’t add anything acidic, like lemon, tomato or vinegar as it hardens the skin. Add salt once the skin is soft.

• What’s the right kind of potato for your dish? The yellower potatoes are great for frying and roasting. The whiter floury potatoes are best for mash, gnocchi and croquets.

• If you hold a fish vertically, it should stay firm, level and not bend. A bendy fish has most likely been defrosted and refrozen.

• Pulses should be cooked until soft and floury. When making a stew with pulses, it is best to use a crockpot and a wooden spoon.

• Roast a garlic head in its skin at 140 degrees for 50 minutes. The garlic will become a soft, sweet cream that can be spread on toast or used as a condiment.

• Don’t cry! Always cut onions with a fine-bladed knife.

The cooking school will be coordinated in conjunction with the University of Gastronomic Sciences. We can’t wait to see you there. In the meantime – happy cooking!