How to choose and store fresh scallops:
1.)
Smell fresh scallops; they should be odorless or slightly
sweet in scent. If you note a displeasing smell do not purchase.
2.)
The flesh should be firm and spring back when pressed.
3.)
The scallops should be fairly dry and there should not be
liquid at the bottom of the package, if they are packaged.
4.)
Upon bringing the fresh scallops home, place them in a
container lined with paper towel to avoid excess liquid. Place the
container over another container of ice and refrigerate immediately.
5.)
Keep the container in the back of the refrigerator where it
is coldest and use them within a couple of days.
Some tips on purchasing avocados:
Unlike other fruits, avocados do not ripen on
the tree. They actually ripen after they have been picked which is
why they are often hard when you find them in the store. Unless you
are going to be serving the avocado immediately after purchasing, it
is better to buy one that is still hard so that you can control the
ripening process and determine when it will be ready for
consumption.
An avocado is ripe when its skin turns
from green to a dark brown-green color and becomes slightly soft
when it is gently squeezed. You can select the best, ripe and
ready-to-eat avocado by looking for one that is slightly soft,
without dark sunken spots or cracks.
How to store avocados at home:
Never refrigerate unripened (hard)
avocados because they will not ripen in cold temperatures.
Unripened (hard) avocados are best
stored in a cool dark place until they have ripened.
Place unripe avocados in a brown paper
bag to ripen. This traps the ethylene gas they produce and helps
them to ripen. A firm avocado placed in a paper bag will ripen at
room temperature in about three to six days. As the fruit ripens,
the skin color will darken.
Add a tomato, apple or banana to a
paper bag in which you have placed an avocado. This will produce
more ethylene gas and speed up the ripening process. It will usually
only take one to three days to ripen.
How to segment a citrus fruit:
1.)
Using a sharp knife, cut off both ends of the fruit.
2.)
Place fruit on flat end and cut away the peel from the top to
the bottom
3.)
Cut down along the fruit section to center, then turn knife
to loosen section and lift out. Remove other sections the same way.
BOKA Kitchen + Bar
1010 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
206-357-9000
www.bokaseattle.com
Angie Roberts
found herself wearing a chef’s toque while studying to be a
nutritionist. A job as a caterer’s prep cook led her into the pastry
kitchen. Blissfully knee deep in brownies, cakes and scones, she decided
to pursue formal culinary training and shifted curricula by enrolling in
culinary programs at Seattle Central Community College. She jumped into
preparing breakfast in a high volume Seattle neighborhood restaurant and
never looked back. 