Don’t miss out on opportunities for adventure from your local supermarket. We bring you “WTF Is This?!”, a new series exploring the unfamiliar ingredients from our market. By tasting and learning about new produce, we can travel via origins and cuisines and also, hopefully encourage you to be brave and explore your markets boldly!
How to Use Ingredients You’re Unfamiliar With
When faced with an unknown ingredient, here are some steps to help you get some creative culinary juices flowing. Before starting, do a search to make sure it’s not toxic in any of its forms or parts. Wash it thoroughly and if safe, taste a little of all its parts raw and keep notes of flavor tones as well as texture. Taste the ingredient at every stage of cooking to keep track of how those characteristics change. Notice if there are any physical changes when you cut it; we know that potatoes tend to turn color once you cut it which is why we put them in water to prevent browning. Does your new ingredient oxidize or are any juices coming out? Being aware of all these things, especially when working with a new ingredients will not only help you with the direction of where to take it, but also give you confidence in the kitchen: which is what we are all about! Join us as we expand our horizons and check out the recipes and ingredients below!
