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Just when a good dose of spring cures the winter
blues, summer races in like the Indy 500 to keep us satisfied for a few
more months. Summer brings with it picnics, backyard parties and
BBQ’s. It’s a time to enjoy all that is great about summer especially
the food. Our favorites are fresh berries, sweet corn and anything on
the grill. Below are some helpful tips from Kraft Foods to get you in
the mood.
Freezing Berries
This is a peak time for good berries. We like to
eat them fresh but enjoy them frozen as well. Here are some tips for
freezing berries. Use them later to keep your fruit recipes chilled
(Fruit salad is awesome with frozen berries.), or save them for fall and
winter when you need some summer flavor!
1. Use
ripe, firm fruit for freezing. Rinse fruit under cold water; drain
well. Peel and cut into bite-sized chunks (if necessary).
2. Place
prepared fruit on baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze for 1 to 2
hours. This step allows you to have individual fruit pieces instead of
frozen blobs.
3. Pack
partially frozen fruit into containers and return to freezer. Always
use freezer quality containers or bags. When using hard plastic
containers, leave 1-inch headspace. Fill freezer bags 2 to 4 inches
from the top and squeeze out air to allow for expansion during
freezing. Don’t forget to label and date all containers.
Sweet Corn
Yum! That’s all that comes to mind. I could eat
fresh sweet corn every day in the summer. It is wonderful on the grill
and easy to prepare. It’s also a hit with the kids! I get a good laugh
out of watching them eat corn on the cob especially with a tooth or two
missing.
How to Pick
1. Buy
sweet corn when it’s in season—between July and September.
2. Select
ears with bright green husks and moist, golden brown silk. Strip back
part of the husk to check for tightly packed rows of plump glossy
kernels. When you pop a kernel, the juice should be milky.
3. Try
different colors. Corn can be white, yellow or bi-colored, and color is
not an indicator of taste.
4. Check
for a full cob and a firm, full, blunt tip if the supermarket won’t let
you strip the husks.
5. Buy
fresh and keep cool.
How to Cook
1. Boil:
Drop husked corn into lots of boiling water. Cook until hot and tender,
4 to 7 minutes and remove with tongs.
2. Steam:
Place whole or cut-up ears in a vegetable steamer with an inch or two of
rapidly boiling water in the pot. Cover tightly and cook over high heat
until tender, about 7 minutes.
3. Grill:
Pull back husks, remove silk, then rewrap ears in husks. Soak cobs in
cold water for 5 minutes. Grill over medium heat about 15 minutes,
turning several times. For pre-husked corn, simply wrap in foil and
grill as directed.
4. Microwave:
Rinse one or two ears of husked corn and wrap individually in waxed
paper. Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes per cob or just until tender. Let
stand 2 minutes before carefully unwrapping.
Grilling
1.
Lightly oil the grill. Use a barbecue basting brush to apply a
thin coat of vegetable oil to the grill to prevent sticking and
charring.
2. Make
sure the grill is hot. The high heat will sear the meat on the outside,
giving it that great grilled flavor and sealing the juices inside to
keep it moist.
3. Don’t
use a fork. Piercing the food will release the delicious juices that
you have tried so hard to sear inside.
4. Go
easy with the spatula. Pressing down on the meat squeezes out its
flavorful juices, causing it to dry out, and can also cause dangerous
flare-ups. Turn meat only once during cooking to ensure good searing.
5. Baste
at the proper time. Brush with barbecue sauce only during the last few
minutes of grilling. Because barbecue sauces contain sugar, they’ll
burn if added too early.
6. Use
an instant-read thermometer to check if done. Boneless chicken breasts
should reach 165 degrees while other red meats should reach 160 degrees.
7. Remove
cooked meat from the grill and place on a clean plate. Cover your plate
with foil to keep warm and juicy.
Enjoy the food of summer! For more summer food
tips, ideas, and recipes go to
www.kraftfoods.com. Also watch for delicious recipes from our site
expert, Karen Tipps. You can find her current recipe and recipe archive
under Cooking with Karen.
Angie Meeks |
