We’re assuming you’re asking about chicken.  Other poultry varieties have different meat & with correspondingly different cooking recommendations.

In the case of chicken, white meat (breast meat) is the most commonly sautéed.  This is because sautéing is a hot & fast cooking technique best suited to quick cooking ingredients.  Chicken breasts are leaner than legs & thighs, so they cook faster.  They also have a uniform composition that makes them easier to cut up into similarly sized pieces that will cook at the same rate.

Dark meat (legs & thighs on a chicken) takes longer to cook and tends to contain more connective tissue (which takes time to break down).  This can make it difficult to cook dark meat through evenly using the high heat of a sauté or stir fry.  We’d recommend slower and/or more even cooking methods like roasting, braising, etc. for these portions of your bird.

- Question Submitted by Stephanie

Here are some general guidelines from the manufacturer.  We have not tested these yet, so they may require some adjustments, but hopefully they will give you a ballpark estimate.

Bamboo Rice
Ratio: 2 cups of water per cup of rice.

Method: Put the rice & water in a pot.  Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer.  Cover the pot & simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat & let stand (covered) for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork & serving.

Yield: Each cup of dry bamboo rice will yield about two cups of cooked rice.

Purple Sticky Rice
Ratio: 2 cups of water per cup of rice.

Method: Put the rice & water in a pot.  Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer.  Cover the pot & simmer on low for 40 minutes.  Remove from the heat & let stand (covered) for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork & serving.

Other uses: can also be used in black rice pudding recipes.

Yield: Each cup of dry purple sticky rice will yield about two cups of cooked rice.

Wild Rice
Ratio: 4 cups of water per cup of rice.

Method: Put the rice & water in a pot.  Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer.  Cover the pot & simmer for 45-50 minutes (until the rice bursts). Drain off excess water & serve.

Yield: Six ounces of dry wild rice will yield about three cups of cooked rice.

French Camargue Rice
Ratio: 1 ½ cups of water per cup of rice.

Method: Put the rice & water in a pot.  Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer.  Cover the pot & simmer for 30-40 minutes (until the grains are tender).

Yield: Each cup of dry Camargue rice will yield about three cups of cooked rice.

Himalayan Red Rice
Ratio: 2 1/4 cups of water per cup of rice.

Method: Put the rice & water in a pot.  Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer.  Cover the pot & simmer for 20-25 minutes. Fluff with a fork & serve

Carnaroli Rice
This is a risotto rice variety and is best prepared using the risotto method (see how to make risotto for details & our risotto recipes for examples).  It can also be used to make rice pudding.

Gaba Rice (Sprouted Brown Rice)
Ratio: 3 cups of water per 2 cups of rice.

Method: Rinse the rice.  Put the rice & water in a pot.  Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer.  Cover the pot & simmer for 40 minutes.  Fluff with a fork & serve.

For more ideas for how to enjoy your rice, check out our rice recipes & techniques collection.

- Question Submitted by Dennis L.

What form of chilies you add to pasta sauce is largely a matter of personal preference.  A lot of Italian sauce recipes call for chile flakes, and chile flakes are easy to come by, convenient, easy to measure, and easy to use.

That said, using whole dried chilies does give you a larger range of culinary options.  First, because you can remove or leave in some or all of the seeds (where a lot of the heat is stored) before cooking, you have much more control over how hot the chilies are.

Secondly, you can use whole chilies in a variety of different ways with different affects on the finished dish.  You can rehydrate dried chilies for use similar to fresh chilies, cut them up with a knife or kitchen shears, grind them into homemade chile flakes (which, depending on where you get your flakes, may have more flavor) grind them into chili powder, or put them in your sauce whole and remove them before serving (as you would a bay leaf). Removing them from the sauce after cooking will probably yield the most mild results.

As to which chilies will give you “good heat,” it’s difficult for us to recommend varieties because different people have different tolerances for spice. Why not take a look at our chile heat scale, look up chilies that you consider mild or hot, and pick varieties relative to them?

- Question Submitted by Tom S.

It’s hard to say for sure, having not eaten, sold or seen the clams in question ourselves.

There are several reasons why some clams taste better than others.  According to food science guru Harold McGee, clams and other mollusks store energy in the form of amino acids which give their meat flavor, body, and sweetness.  If the clam has expended those stores of energy, it is correspondingly less tasty.

That said, the most likely cause for clams to be using their stored energy is spawning, and quahogs tend to spawn in the summer, not the winter…so this may not be the cause of your particular issue.  Perhaps the clams were handled in such a way that they were under stress and had used up a bunch of their aminos by the time you cooked them.

The salt content of clams can vary with the conditions of the water where they grew.  Besides making food salty, salt is also a flavor enhancer, turning up the volume on other aspects of ingredients’ taste. It’s possible that the clams you bought this time came from a different source than you were used to and thus had a different flavor.

- Question Submitted by Sharon G.

Unfortunately we cannot supply salmon skin by itself. Salmon fillets tend to be sold skin-on because some people like to serve them with the skin (typically crisped up using a cooking technique like pan searing).

We also are not aware of any other company selling salmon skin for human consumption, though there do appear to be vendors selling dried salmon skin pet treats.

- Question Submitted by Demone G.

Absolutely!  If you’re hoping to make a wholesale game hens order, contact us with your desired quantity, desired delivery date and shipping zip code for a custom quote.

- Question Submitted by P & G Caters

Fuyu persimmons average 3-4 pieces per pound, but unfortunately the case weight we’re shipping can vary from week to week.  If you would like to know how big the cases are we’re shipping in any given week, contact us for more info.

- Question Submitted by Gary

Our whole rabbit fryers include the kidneys and livers, but not the heart.

- Question Submitted by Frank

Unfortunately we haven’t tried decorating our edible flowers with chocolate, so we can’t offer any specific tips.

We absolutely offer wholesale pricing on all our products – simply contact us with info on desired quantities and your shipping address for a custom quote!

- Question Submitted by Annmarie B.

Truffles are the fruit of very special members of the fungi kingdom.  This means their parent organisms have several characteristics in common with mushrooms.

Most varieties of truffle producing fungi live in symbiotic relationships with trees and are found underground around their roots.  Truffles aren’t the main body of the fungus itself, but a special growth that it produces to spread its spores (just as apple trees grow apples to distribute their seeds).  Truffles emit their intense aroma to make it easier for animals to find them and eat them.

Most desirable truffles are in the genus tuber (family Tuberaceae) within the fungi kingdom.  Within the tuber genus there are a wide variety of species with varying characteristics and levels of desirability.  Here are the truffles with the most culinary importance:

Alba White TrufflesTuber Magnatum Pico
Perigord Black Truffles Tuber Melanosporum
Italian Summer Black TrufflesTuber Aestivum Vitt
Burgundy Black Truffles Tuber Uncinatum
Bianchetti White Truffles Tuber Borchii
Oregon White Truffles (two species) Tuber Oregonense & Tuber Gibbosum
Oregon Black Truffles Leucangium Carthusianum

- Question Submitted by Ray S.

Related Posts:
How to Choose Which Truffles to Buy

Blooming gelatin refers to soaking gelatin sheets (aka leaf gelatin, gelatin leaves) or granules in cold water for a few minutes before use.The gelatin absorbs some of the water, becoming more tender and dissolving more readily in warm liquids.

Some recipes specify a specific amount of blooming water and then have you add the gelatin with the water, others have you drain off the water (in the case of gelatin sheets, squeezing out excess too), which keeps it from diluting flavors/throwing off proportions in the finished dish.

While you can add gelatin directly to liquids without blooming, you generally have to get that liquid hotter before gelling in order to prevent the gel from forming an uneven texture and/or appearance. Many of the ingredients used in fancier gelatin dishes have better colors and flavors when not subjected to this level of heat.

Sodium bisulfite is an antioxidant/sulfuring agent that is sometimes used by home cooks (mixed with water) to prevent fruit & vegetables from browning as they’re being dehydrated.

Your best bet for tracking some down is inquiring with companies that sell food dehydrators and related goods.  For example, the Excalibur dehydrator company sells Sodium Bisulfite by the 10oz jar.

- Question Submitted by Adeline A.

Browned butter (aka Beurre Noisette) has a delicious nutty, rich flavor.  It’s really easy to make at home and can be added to recipes or used as a sauce.  It’s a great accompaniment to pasta and fresh herbs (especially sage).

How to Make Brown Butter
1. Melt unsalted butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

2. Continue cooking until you start to see brown specks in the butter (the butter solids toasting) and it emits a nutty aroma.

3. Use in your recipe.

Note: if you over-brown the butter solids (i.e. they start to turn black) they will be unpalatably bitter, so you should start over with new butter in a clean pan.

- Question Submitted by Lisa W.

Related Posts:
Beans & Game Sausage w/ Brown Butter & Sage
Crispy Pumpkin Sage Ravioli with Brown Butter Wild Mushroom Sauce

Nope, our kobe beef sliders are sold as raw, frozen 2oz patties.

- Question Submitted by Bill

Which Is Better?
While frozen truffles are probably the best substitute when the variety you want is out of season, you’re definitely better off getting fresh truffles when they’re available.

How to Use Them:
For tips on using fresh truffles, see How to Use Fresh Truffles.

Frozen truffles are best partially thawed (in a bag in your fridge) just until they’re soft enough to slice, then thinly sliced/shaved while still partially frozen.  The warmth of the hot food you’re finishing with them will quickly thaw them the rest of the way.

Shelf Life:
Fresh truffles will last approximately 4-7 days.
Frozen truffles will last approximately 2 days once thawed.

- Question Submitted by Rob M.

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Related Content:
Truffle Recipes & Tips

Unfortunately no, the black turtle beans we currently sell are not heirloom.

- Question Submitted by Ruby

We actually carry a huge selection of Japanese ingredients.  Based on my experience living and working in Japan for two years, here are some of the ones you’d be more likely to see during a trip.

Soy Sauce
Soy sauce, of course, plays a very important role in Japanese food.  Most of the soy sauce I ate during my two years in Japan was middle of the road every day stuff, but for sashimi, glazing senbei rice crackers, etc, people broke out the tamari soy sauce.  Tamari has a much richer, deeper flavor than basic soy sauce that’s simply superb with raw fish.  You can use it as a more flavorful substitute for conventional soy sauce too…you’ll just want to use less for many dishes.

White soy sauce is used even less often, in my experience, but some chefs use it in really fancy dishes where they want a more delicate soy flavor and a lighter, golden color that lets the bright colors of other ingredients shine.

Seafood
It goes without saying that seafood plays a central role in the Japanese diet, and they eat a huge variety both raw and cooked.  Rather than list all the varieties you might find in Japan, here are some sushi & sashimi favorites: yellowfin tuna, geoduck, uni, mackerel, and fish roes (ikura, tobiko & masago).   Seafood plates are often garnished with pickled ginger, daikon radish and fresh shiso leaves.

Depending on where you are in Japan and the time of year, you might also be served fresh oysters and clams (especially tiny baby clams in miso soup).

Wasabi
We can’t discuss sashimi without discussing wasabi.  Most wasabi paste sold in the US (and a fair amount sold in Japan) is actually fake wasabi made from a blend of horseradish, green food coloring, and Chinese mustard.  When you go out for really nice sushi or sashimi though, the chef will grate real fresh wasabi rhizomes.

Sea Vegetables
Like seafood, sea vegetables play a major role in the traditional Japanese diet.  The varieties that I was served most often were probably hijiki, wakame and nori.  Kombu is a foundation ingredient in a huge amount of Japanese dishes where it’s used to infuse flavor into dashi stock and often removed before the food is served.

Meat
Traditionally people in Japan tend to eat more seafood than meat, though meat consumption has increased dramatically in post WW2.  Kobe beef and Kurobuta pork are widely regarded as the best of the best over there.  They also eat duck, chicken, chicken eggs and, believe it or not, a lot of quail eggs.

Japanese Citrus
Japan is home to at least three varieties of exotic citrus fruits: yuzu, sudachi and kabosu.  Yuzu is probably the most common and most beloved of the three (its flavor is incredible). We offer both yuzu juice & fresh yuzu fruit when in season as well as other yuzu products, sudachi juice and kabosu juice.

Mushrooms
Shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms and maitake mushrooms are consumed very frequently in Japan, whereas matsutake mushrooms are a highly prized delicacy that people look forward to all year.

Traditional Japanese Sweets
Mochi rice and sweetened adzuki beans are very mainstream ingredients in Japan.  They’re used in traditional Japanese sweets, especially those served with green tea and in the winter.  Sweetened adzuki beans can also be used as a topping for summery desserts, like ice cream, agar gel desserts with fruit, and kakigori shaved ice.

Yuzu juice is also used in some Japanese sweets and beverages.  It makes incredible ice cream, sodas, and sorbets.

Produce
Shishito peppers show up a lot as a garnish or grilled/fried as bar food.

If you travel to the south island, Okinawa, you’re very likely to encounter bitter melon in dishes. It’s known as “goya” there.

Kyoho grapes are served for dessert when they’re in season.  They’re highly prized, and particularly perfect crops can sell for a lot of money because fresh fruit is a traditional gift.  They’re often served chilled with a small bowl on the side for discarding the seeds and the skins (which are edible, but slightly sour…so people often peel the grapes).

Persimmons are a winter delight in Japan.  When they come into season you’ll start seeing them on grocery store shelves and in food all over.  Sweet fuyu persimmons are often served simply peeled and cubed with a toothpick on the side as an eating utensil.  Hachiya persimmons are often dried before eating, as they can be rather astringent fresh.  If you visit an area where people have hachiya persimmon trees in their yards at the right time of year, you’ll find their balconies festooned with drying persimmons.

- Question Submitted by Chris S.

A few years ago supply problems caused the price of Italian pine nuts (aka pinioli) to skyrocket and most stores switched to selling cheaper Chinese pine nuts.  It’s now difficult to find true Italian pine nuts in the US. 

While the Chinese pine nuts can be used as a substitute for Italian pine nuts, the two are actually different varieties with different characteristics from completely different species of pine trees.

Italian pine nut on the left, Chinese pine nut on the right.

Marx Foods is proud to offer only 100% Italian Pine Nuts.

Because both beef and mushrooms have an umami element to their flavor, most mushrooms will pair well with beef. Which mushroom you choose is more a factor of what flavors you’re looking for in your dish.

Porcinis, shiitakes, morels and matsutakes are particularly strong. All of them are earthy, but porcinis are particularly so. Morels have a “buttery” element to their flavor and matsutakes are also very resinous/pine-y. Candy cap mushrooms probably also belong in this category and have a sweet, maple-y flavor that may disqualify them for some beef dishes.

Hedgehog mushrooms, chanterelles, black trumpets, portabellos and lobster mushrooms are more medium-volume. Hedgehogs and black trumpets have a buttery note to their flavor, chanterelles are nutty and lobster mushrooms have a seafood-esque flavor can be used to give a “surf and turf” feel.

Enokis, oyster mushrooms, creminis, wood ears, beech mushrooms and maitakes are on the mild side, and thus a good choice for bringing the extra body and texture of mushrooms to dishes without competing with the beef.

- Question Submitted by Kellie

The term “caffeine” is used as short-hand for several substances (including actual caffeine) from a group known as “Xanthine Alkaloids” that have stimulating properties.

Below are some estimates for the average “caffeine” content in most commonly consumed hot beverages.  Note that the caffeine content can vary based on a wide variety of factors (brewing method, etc), so the below is simply to give you a rough idea for comparison purposes.

Estimated Caffeine Content:

Coffee beans actually contain less caffeine by volume than tea leaves, but the brewing methods used for coffee extract more of the bean into the brewing water.

Different “Caffeine” Alkaloids have Different Effects

The actual caffeine in coffee is fast acting and stimulates energy that is more “physical.”  Green tea is a source of the alkaloid Theophylline, which is more “mental,” stimulating the brain more than the body.  Chocolate is a source of the alkaloid Theobromine, which offers a slow release effect.

Though its caffeine level is lower than most beverages, Yerba Mate actually contains all three forms. As a result, it is believed to offer a more balanced caffeine effect (both body & brain) that is longer lasting rather than simply a quick jolt of energy.

Holy Mate is a blend of yerba mate with tulsi & peppermint (which are caffeine free).  Thus it offers the same type of caffeine.

Maltodextrin is a slightly sweet or tasteless polysaccharide derived from starch.

Why do “molecular gastronomy” chefs use maltodextrin?

Chefs use powder maltodextrin, generally tapioca maltodextrin, to “powder” fats like olive oil, bacon fat, and nutella (a pastry chef favorite).

Powdering fat doesn’t affect its flavor, but changes its texture into a dry powder that melts in the mouth, allowing chefs to bring a different look and texture to dishes.

Powdering tends to work better when the fat is chilled (as long as it still maintains a creamy or liquid consistency…many fats solidify when cold).

My understanding is that the maltodextrin isn’t drying or transforming the fat into a solid so much as it is absorbing it.

Why do food companies put it in processed foods?

In its powder form it’s often used as a food additive to increase the volume of powdered mixes or frozen foods without modifying their flavor.

In other words, food companies often use it to make more of things like cocoa mixes with the same amount of expensive ingredients (like chocolate) by fluffing them up with maltodextrin.  It’s cheap and it doesn’t taste like much of anything.

Maltodextrin syrup is used as a food additive to make liquids more viscous and dense without making them much sweeter.

How is maltodextrin made?

Maltodextrin can be made from many different starches.  The most common are corn, wheat, and (to a lesser extent) tapioca.

To make maltodextrin, starch molecules are partially split into smaller polysaccharides by cutting the hydrogen bonds that hold them together through the use of enzymes.  This process is called “hydrolysis” (not to be confused with hydrogenation, which is entirely different).

Once made, maltodextrin is usually spray dried into a powder.  It is also available (probably only to industrial food producers) in a syrup form.

“Molecular gastronomy”, as it is currently used, is a very broad & vague term describing the cooking style of chefs who are trying to challenge the way their customers think about food. They are usually highly trained in classical methods, but are seeking to improvise and innovate beyond them.

Generally it can be said that those who are described as “molecular gastronomists” are using:

• applied food science
• unusual techniques and equipment often originally designed for science labs
• often either modern art style food presentations
or presentations that imitate other foods or objects
• hydrocolloids, enzymes, and other unusual ingredients

to introduce, discover and create new textures, appearances and flavors in food.  Others have called it (more accurately) modernist cuisine, modern cuisine, contemporary cuisine, and a host of other terms.

The most prominent torch-bearer chefs for this movement are probably Ferran Adria (with his brother Albert Adria), formerly of El Bulli in Spain, and Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck in England.  However many others continue to advance this style, take it in new directions, and bring their own discoveries to the culinary community and diners.

A less-than-complete list of other movers and shakers in this culinary genre includes:

• Chef Rene Redzepi
• Chef Grant Achatz
• Chef Homaru Cantu
• Chefs Dominique & Cindy Duby
• Chef Will Goldfarb
• Aki Kamozawa & H. Alexander Talbot
• Dr. Nathan Myhrvold & Chef Chris Young

A large number of other chefs, both celebrity and less well known, are integrating modernist cuisine techniques into their menus on a much smaller scale.  For example, lecithin foams/airs, once “fringe” elements, are now found on many fine dining menus.

Where the term “Molecular Gastronomy” came from:

The phrase “molecular gastronomy” was actually coined by noted chemist and author Hervé This (along with Nicholas Kurti) and was used as the title of one of his books.

This book, and his work in general, do focus on food science, figuring out why cooking techniques and ingredients operate the way they do, and what’s actually happening to food on a molecular level.  However, he appears to regard the term as better applied to the science of food rather than this new style of cooking.

The short answer is that a hydrocolloid is a type of thickener.  Many of them can also make gels with varying properties when used in higher concentrations.

The longer, more correct answer is that “hydrocolloid” is a classification for a group of compounds (proteins and polysaccharides (starches, cellulose, etc)) that act as gelling agents for water-based liquids (juice, milk, cream, soda, coffee, stock, meat juices, etc).

You probably cook with one or two already…the most common ones in American kitchens are wheat flour, gelatin and cornstarch.

Why do home cooks use hydrocolloids?

Most home cooks use hydrocolloids as thickeners. Whenever you make a roux, thicken a gravy, or add corn starch to pie fillings, you’re using starch hydrocolloids to thicken.

Gluten-free households often turn to alternative thickeners like guar gum and xanthan gum, also hydrocolloids, as wheat flour substitutes in gravy, soup and stew recipes.

Hydrocolloids are also used to gel things. If you make a gelatin mold, panna cotta, or Jell-o, you’re using gelatin (a protein hydrocolloid) to turn a liquid into a wobbly, jiggly gel.  When leftover gravy or stock gels in the fridge, that’s also gelatin at work.

If you make your own jams and jellies, you’re using pectin (as an added ingredient or naturally extracted during the cooking process), a hydrocolloid derived from some varieties of fruit.

Why do “molecular gastronomy” chefs use hydrocolloids?

Modernist chefs are using a broader array of hydrocolloids in order to give foods specific textures, thicknesses, and appearances at different temperatures, acidity levels, and concentrations than are possible using more conventional varieties.

They also use hydrocolloids to filter and clarify liquids more effectively than is possible using traditional clarification methods.

Because their use often doesn’t require incredibly expensive equipment like chamber vacuum sealers, autoclaves, roto-evaporators, immersion circulators and centrifuges, hydrocolloids are one of the most affordable and home cook-accessible elements in “molecular gastronomy.”

Why do food companies put hydrocolloids in processed foods?

Food companies use hydrocolloids to help give foods, sauces, etc desirable consistencies consistently.

They are used:
• As stabilizers to preserve textures & flavors in products that would otherwise break down or separate on the shelf. For example: salad dressings, sauces & soups.
• As an addition to baked goods with fillings to keep the fillings from running out during the baking process.
• As thickeners to make sauces & salad dressings consistently thick, yet pourable and to give low-fat products a similar “mouth feel” to their full-fat counterparts.
• In ice creams to keep them from freezing too hard.
• In a multitude of other applications.

A List of Hydrocolloids:   (not a comprehensive list)
Agar (aka Agar Agar, Kanten)
Arrowroot
Carrageenan (Iota & Kappa)
Cornstarch
Gelatin
Gellan (High Acyl & Low Acyl)
Guar Gum
Gum Arabic
Konjac (aka Konnyaku, Shirataki (as noodles), “Devil’s Tongue”)
Locust Bean Gum
Maltodextrin
Methylcellulose (wide variety available)
Pectin (Low Methoxyl & High Methoxyl)
Potato Starch
Sodium Alginate
Tapioca Starch
Ultra-Tex (often #3, but other strengths are available)
Wheat Flour (& modified Wondra Flour)
Xanthan Gum

A “fold” is the FDA’s regulated measurement of potency for vanilla extracts. In order to be a pure “single-fold” vanilla extract, each gallon of the finished extract must have been made with a minimum of 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans.

Pure vanilla extracts sold to consumers are almost always single fold, which is plenty strong for most home recipes. If a recipe simply calls for “vanilla extract” without specifying a fold strength (as most do) it’s safe to assume single fold extract is the ingredient they are referring to.

Double, triple, and four-fold extracts are available, each representing a multiplication of the 13.35 ounce per gallon amount. Thus, a double-fold extract was made with 26.7 ounces of vanilla per gallon, a triple-fold 40.5 ounces per gallon, etc. Generally double-fold & higher potency extracts are only sold to bakeries and other food companies who make very large batches of food and don’t want to use or store correspondingly large amounts of single-fold extract.

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Related Products:
Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Tahitian Vanilla Extract

Removing the seeds from dried chiles reduces the overall heat level of those chiles substantially.  In addition, chile seeds have a different color and somewhat different texture than the rest of the chile, so you’ll get a more uniform result, especially when grinding chiles into powder.

The best method depends on the use you have planned for the chile.

If you’re going to grind the chiles or add them to recipes while still dry:
Snip the top off the chile (often while removing the stem) and give it a shake with the hole pointing down.  Depending on the chile variety, most of the seeds should fall out.  For some varieties you may need to cut further, up the side of the chile, and possibly use your fingers (wearing gloves is a good idea) to scrape out straggling seeds.

If you’re rehydrating the chiles:
Water helps the seeds slip away from redhydrated chiles easily. Rehydrate dried chiles as you normally would (how to rehydrate chiles), then hold them in a bowl under cool water (again, we recommend wearing gloves), tear off the stems (if any) and squeeze/scrape out the seeds.

Remove the chile’s flesh from the bowl and continue with the rest of your recipe.

_____________
Related Content:
Dried Chile Recipes & Techniques

We sell our heirloom potatoes as an edible ingredient rather than seed potatoes, and as such cannot offer growing suggestions or guarantee agricultural performance.

That said, they are non-genetically modified potatoes that will sprout, and we have planted a few varieties after they sprouted. They grew well and yielded a crop with excellent flavor and texture.

Unbrined sausage casings, like most offal, are quite perishable. We recommend storing our natural sausage casings in their brine for no longer than 45 days, and no longer than two days out of the brine.

You mentioned purchasing your casings fresh & unbrined, and hoping to use them to make sausages “near Christmas.” We cannot know exactly how long your casings will stay fresh, it’s best if you ask the meat market you purchased them from directly to be absolutely sure. However, they may have already become unsafe to eat, and we think it’s unlikely that they will last until “near Christmas” even if you brine them at this point.

Our advice is to contact the people you purchased them from immediately. If, based on what they tell you, you believe they’re still safe, your best bet is to make your sausages now, not later, and freeze them raw for use closer to Christmas.

- Question Submitted by Gail A.

Sous vide” (French for “under vacuum”) is a relatively new technique for cooking food where it is wrapped in food safe plastic bags and submerged in temperature-controlled water baths.

Though food cooked sous vide is generally vacuum packed, the water bath is really what’s important.

Sous vide cooking allows you to gently & accurately cook foods to exact internal temperatures you pick.

The Benefits of Sous Vide Cooking

• It’s much harder to overcook food
Sous vide baths are incredibly accurate, usually to within at least .5˚F.  This allows you to reach precisely the internal temperature you want every time, and makes it much harder to overcook food.

In addition, many foods can be “held” at that desired temperature for longer (sometimes hours) without overcooking, which can make sous vide more convenient as the food’s ready when you are.

• Food cooks more gently & evenly
Food cooked using other methods demonstrates something called “the bull’s-eye effect” where outer layers are more cooked than inner layers.  Food cooked sous vide can have the exact same level of doneness from end to end.In addition, lower sous vide temperatures can better preserve foods’ appearance, flavor, nutrient content and texture.

• Food cooked sous vide can be more moist and tender

• You often need less liquids, spices, fats or herbs

• Allows you to further separate cooking time from level of doneness when braising Braised meats need to be cooked low and slow to release their collagen into gelatin.  As a result they usually come out of the oven well done.  Sous vide braised meats can be slow cooked long enough to become fairly tender (more like steak than pot roast) while still coming out rare, medium rare, etc.

The Cons of Sous Vide Cooking

• Sous vide cooking can take longer than using conventional methods
However, as many foods cooked sous-vide can be held longer (see first benefit), with prior planning this con can often be mitigated by starting the cooking process earlier.

• Some fish & vegetables do not react well to being cooked sous vide
Some seafood and some green vegetables develop undesirable textures, colors, and or flavors when held at sous vide temperatures for the length of time necessary to cook them through.

• You need to be more careful about food safety
Done correctly, sous vide isn’t inherently much more dangerous than other cooking techniques, but it allows you to cook food in less safe ways.  In other words, its safety is largely a factor of what you’re doing with it.

If you’re cooking foods at lower temperatures and to lower levels of internal doneness (and that’s a primary draw of the method), you need to be very aware of cleanliness.  As restaurant menus warn you, eating undercooked meats & seafood can be risky.

Searing proteins before or after cooking them is recommended for flavor as well as safety.  It is also possible to pasteurize your food while sous vide cooking – check out Jeff Potter’s book, “Cooking for Geeks” for time & temp guidelines.

• Controlled sous-vide cooking requires special equipment
It’s certainly possible to cook something in a vacuum bag on your stove top or in the oven, but you won’t get the highly accurate temperature control that makes sous vide really effective.

You can get a dedicated, entry level consumer sous vide machine from Sous Vide Supreme for $300. It’s about the size of a crock pot.  They also offer a larger model.

If you’re ok going with a more fiddly solution, you can set up a sous vide rig using a $150 PID controller and a cheap rice cooker.  Cooking for Engineers has an excellent how-to article that’ll explain the process and recommend products.

If you’re looking to start sous vide in a commercial kitchen, you’ll likely want the higher volume and tighter control provided by a real immersion circulator.  PolyScience has a new entry level model that’s about $800 and will clip onto most containers.

Yes! Australian finger limes have a unique inner structure that makes them more freezable than other citrus varieties.

Their outer skin may become more pitted, and the inner vesicle “caviar” will become slightly softer, but otherwise they should be pretty much the same as when you froze them. We recommend freezing whole, uncut finger limes following these freezing tips, and then moving them to an air tight container or vacuum bag for long term storage.

Frozen Finger Limes

When you’re ready to use your finger limes, remove them from the fridge and let them thaw completely before slicing them open and extracting the vesicles as you would from fresh finger limes. They may weep a small amount of juice during the thawing process.

People are used to buying wheatgrass as whole plants in dirt, but we ship just the cut blades to dramatically reduce shipping weight and cost.  Each pound of our organic wheatgrass was harvested from 300 square inches of growing grass. 

This can be extrapolated out to the following estimates for the smaller package options:

- Question Submitted by Carol

Live mussels can be poached similarly to any other seafood, as long as you’re careful not to overcook them (they cook rather quickly).

Discard any that are closed & much heavier than the others (likely filled with mud), or do not close when their shells are pinched together or they are lightly rinsed with cold tap water.  If desired, first soak your mussels in flour water (see how to prep live mussels) for extra flavor and color and scrub the shells with water & a wire brush before cooking.

You can poach in water, but most chefs poach seafood in liquids that impart flavor, like court bouillon, fish stock/fish fumet (quick fish fumet recipe, traditional fish fumet recipe) or beurre fondue.  Many chefs poach seafood in liquid that is about 160 degrees.

Remove the mussels from the pot as they open so they don’t overcook.  If desired, after removing the finished mussels, you can then strain court bouillon, fish stock, or fumet and continue to cook it for use as a soup base or sauce.

Discard any mussels that refuse to open.

Once cooked, poached mussel meat can be used in soups & salads, breaded and fried, or added to a huge variety of other dishes.  If reheating them, make sure to do so only until just heated through.  They’ll toughen if overcooked.

We do not generally recommend storing mussels in their shells after cooking.

Related Content:
Mussel Recipes
How to Store Live Mussels
How to Freeze Mussels
How to Cook Frozen Mussels

- Question Submitted by Sandra C.

Baby corn (aka miniature corn) is exactly what you’d think from the name – immature, un-pollinated sweet corn.

Though the baby corn you find for sale in stores (usually canned or pickled & canned) is usually one of a few yellow corn varieties selected for their particularly high sugar content, they aren’t a special variety of “dwarf” corn.  If nature was allowed to take its course (and the ears pollinated) baby corn would grow into full size, normal ears of corn.

According to food science tome “On Food & Cooking,” baby corn’s sugar content is often between 2-3% at time of harvest, and the practice of harvesting baby corn was first developed in Taiwan, then improved in Thailand.

- Question Submitted by Tara S.

Yes! Our organic camelina seeds are certified organic by the USDA.

- Question Submitted by Patrick J.

Our grass-fed ribeye steaks are cut to specified weights (10, 12 or 14 ounces each) rather than specific thicknesses. As such, they can vary in thickness based on the width of the whole ribeyes they’re cut from (bigger cows = wider ribeyes = thinner & wider steaks and visa-versa).

With that in mind, here are some general guidelines:
10oz ribeye steaks will be around 1” thick
12oz ribeye steaks will be around 1.25” thick
14oz ribeye steaks will be around 1.25″-1.5” thick

Keep in mind that the above numbers are averages/estimates to give you some sense of what to expect. It is entirely possible to get at a 10oz steak that’s ¾” thick (and thus wider) or 1.25” thick (and thus more narrow).

- Question Submitted by Elissa P.

As of September 7, 2011, the following sausages definitely do not have MSG or MSG-like allergens:

All Varieties in the Specialty Sausage Sampler
Venison Sausage with Merlot & Blueberries
Lamb Merguez in Pork Casing
Buffalo Sausage with Chipotle Chilies
Duck Sausage with Foie Gras & Sauterne Wine
Duck Sausage with Orange Liquor
Rabbit Sausage with White Wine
Wild Boar Sausage with Cranberries & Shiraz
Smoked Duck Sausage with Apple Brandy
Elk with Pear & Port Wine
Pheasant Sausage with Cognac
Wild Boar with Roasted Garlic & Marsala
Venison with Red Wine & Demi Glace

If you have an MSG allergy we encourage you to contact us and make sure that the ingredient formulations have not changed.

We are also happy to try to track down information on other specific specialty sausages we sell that are not on the above list.

- Question Submitted by Charles R.

“Flavored waters” are very lightly flavored, far less potent than most beverages.  They’re generally made by adding ingredients to a pitcher of ice water that slowly infuse it with flavor as it sits.

Ideas for Flavoring Ingredients:

Citrus Fruit Slices -  Lemon & lime are the most common, but most citrus fruits will work…just let the flavor of the fruit guide how much you add

Mini citrus fruits like kumquats, mandarinquats and limequats look particularly delicate and elegant in a pitcher because they’re so small. 

Blood oranges are particularly striking, but can impart a more bitter orange flavor…so you may want to pair them with other ingredients to achieve balance if that’s not what you’re looking for.

Lightly Mashed Berries – Mash them just enough to start releasing their juice, but not enough to reduce them to a pulp.  You still want them to look pretty in the pitcher.  Almost any berry will do.  We particularly recommend wild huckleberries for their potent flavor and vibrant color.

Cucumber Slices - Cucumber water is particularly refreshing with an ethereal quality, and often shows up in restaurants and spas.

Fresh Herbs - Spearmint is the most traditional choice, but many other fresh herbs will also work like lavender, lemongrass, peppermint and basil.

In a pinch, an easier but less beautiful option is to simply stir in small amounts of juice or fruit puree until the water has the subtle flavor you’re looking for. 

- Question Submitted by Janet S.

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More Iced Beverage Recipes & Ideas:
How to Make Figuette
Refresco de Avena Recipe
Hibiscus Drink Recipes
Lavender Drink Recipes
Using Szechuan Buttons in Beverages

According to “The Book of Yields”, a great chef’s tool that provides general yield information for a host of common ingredients, your average dressed (headed, gutted, fins & tail off) salmon is about 75% fillet.  In other words, once you cut it into fillets, approximately 12 ounces of every pound you purchased will end up as fillets.

The most common restaurant serving size for fish fillets is probably 6oz, so you’re looking at around two servings for every pound purchased.

If the whole salmon you’ve purchased has only been gutted and had its gills removed (i.e. it’s still got its head, tail & fins on), less of the purchased weight will be usable fillets.  According to The BoY, you’ll be getting an average fillet yield of 70%, or 11.2 ounces per pound (still pretty close to two restaurant servings per pound).

Thus, for a gutted (but otherwise whole) salmon weighing about 20lbs, you can estimate an approximate yield of 14lbs/224 ounces/37 restaurant servings of fillet.

Obviously salmon vary widely, and the Book of Yields is generalizing across all species and origins…so we recommend buying a little more than you think you need, just to be safe.

- Question Submitted by Jeff C.

Related Posts:
Salmon Recipes
Whole Fish Recipes & Techniques

A ready-to-pick vanilla bean on the vine is not a ready-to-use vanilla bean. Though they have the ingredients of greatness hidden within them, fresh beans don’t have much flavor or complexity yet.

In order to develop their unique, spectacular vanilla flavor and aroma, they have to be cured for anywhere from 40 days to six months. During this time they become black, wrinkled, and develop the raisin-like texture we all know and love. They also shrink dramatically.

Each pound of cured vanilla beans was once 3-5 pounds of fresh vanilla beans.

Related Info & Products:
Vanilla Recipes & Techniques
How are Vanilla Beans Grown?
Bulk Bourbon (Madagascar) Vanilla Beans
Bulk Tahitian Vanilla Beans

Frozen mussels are usually cooked before freezing (and we recommend doing so for mussels you’re freezing at home too…see how to freeze mussels for info). Assuming yours were, you want to follow a similar strategy to using precooked crab, canned clams, and fresh poached mussel meat: try to reheat without overcooking.

Precooked mussels can be sautéed, simmered in pasta sauce, added to soups, etc. Just try to add them towards the end of the cooking process to they don’t overcook and get rubbery. Some people recommend cooking frozen mussels while still frozen or only partially thawed, but we don’t have enough experience with them to say whether that’s a good idea or not.

- Question Submitted by Debbie

According to “The Book of Yields”, a handbook used by chefs to estimate quantities of items normally sold by the pound, approximately 56% of basil sprigs’ weight is usable leaves. The Book of Yields also estimates that each cup of chopped (stem off) basil leaves weighs approximately 1.4 oz.

Based on these estimates, we’d guess there are approximately 8.96 oz of leaves per pound of fresh basil, and thus approximately 6.4 cups of chopped basil leaves per pound.

Please note that The Book of Yields describes estimates of fresh culinary herbs in general rather than our product specifically. In addition, they describe their cups of herbs as made up of leaves “stripped from stems before chopping”, “cut chiffonade, than cross-cut and chopped a bit more” and “tapped down but not pressed down hard.” Thus, if your recipe allows basil stems to be included or requires the leaves be firmly packed, your cups per pound will likely vary.

- Question Submitted by Irwin K.

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Related Posts:
Fresh Herb Sprigs/Leaves Per Pound Estimates

The shelf lives of fresh edible flowers range from 5 days to a month depending on the variety (with squash blossoms being the very perishable exception at around two days maximum). You’ll find variety-specific information on the “Storage” tab on each flower’s description. 

If you need flowers that are particularly hardy, we often recommend Szechuan/buzz buttons, karma orchids or micro orchids as great compromises between palatability and shelf life.  Sparklers™ also last for a long time and are visually stunning garnish.

Though the shelf lives we list on each individual product page are good estimates of how long they’ll stay fresh and pretty, edible flowers are at their absolute tip-top best within a few days of arrival.  For major events we recommend ordering them for delivery a day or two before your event, so you can rest easy knowing they’re in your refrigerator ready to go before the deadline, but they’re still looking as pretty as they can.

If you must order far in advance because of travel plans, refrigerator space for your flowers is tight, or you’re still nervous about perishability, crystallized flowers are the perfect solution.  They’re gorgeous, completely shelf stable, and all varieties last six months to a year as long as they’re stored in a cool, dry place.

- Question Submitted by Lisa M

The different cooking times for stocks have to do with beliefs about the amount of time necessary to extract the best amount of gelatin and flavor from the bones being used. Beef and veal bones are thicker, heavier and generally higher in gelatin than chicken bones, so more time is necessary to extract what they have to offer.

That said, the best amount of cooking time for each stock is actually a long running and ongoing debate. For example, when I was in culinary school a few years ago, I was taught 3-4 hours for chicken stock, not 4-6 hours.

While you want to simmer your bones long enough to get the good stuff out, there are also concerns about undesirable flavors developing or flavor compounds breaking down in stocks that are simmered for too long. Other chefs argue that simmering beyond a certain point doesn’t offer any benefits and merely wastes energy and time.

- Question Submitted by Toya

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Related Posts:
How to Make Veal Stock
How to Make Chicken Stock
The Cardinal Rules of Stock Making

There are twelve varieties of sausage in the specialty sausage sampler covering a pretty wide range of flavors.  Here are some sauce pairings we’d recommend:

● This huckleberry sauce recipe is great with most of the game meat & bird sausages – wild boar, venison, duck & elk.

● A simple jus or pan sauce (made by deglazing the pan you cooked the sausages in with stock) will add moisture and a little bit of flavor, but still allow the flavor of the sausages to shine through.  Try reducing the stock with herbs or spices in the pan.

● Wine reduction sauces would work well with many of the links in the sampler, particularly those made with red wine. See What is a Reduction? for more tips & info.  You can even add berries to your reduction for the elk & venison sausages.

● Juniper berries are a good ingredient for sauces being served with game meat sausages.

● Check out our meat & seafood sauce recipes for more possibilities!

- Question Submitted by Jeff L

Unfortunately the answer really depends on the dragonfruit because they vary so widely in size. You can get really big ones and really small ones, and those different sizes can be packed together in the same box…making giving any sort of estimated number per 10lb case extremely difficult.

- Question Submitted by Searc

The interior meat of manila clams is completely edible.

Related Posts:
How to Open Clams
How to Steam Clams
Clam Recipes

- Question Submitted by Mike

Ghost chiles are extremely, extremely hot.  When developing our own ghost chile recipes, we always follow this simple rule: start small!  It’s better to end up with something that isn’t hot enough than something that’s too hot to eat.  You can always adjust the recipe based on your results.

According to the scoville numbers we have on our chile heat scale, ghost chilies have a heat level between 300,000 and 400,000 units.  Habaneros are rated between 100,000 and 200,000.  However, scoville is a rough approximation of heat at best, and can vary with where/how the chiles were grown.  Given that our dried ghost chiles are wild (and thus even less predictable), I wouldn’t bank on those numbers…though they are useful for getting a rough sense of things.

For a recipe calling for 1-2 habaneros per jar, I’d start with a single ghost per jar at the absolute most (and expect it to be significantly hotter).  You could clip the ghost into smaller pieces with culinary shears (or slice after reconstituting it) to use even less.  Just keep in mind that a lot of the capsaicin (the stuff that makes chiles hot) is on the seeds and inner ribs, so if you’re steeping cutting the chile open may actually make the food it’s in hotter by giving the liquid easier access.

Another trick we use to keep ghost chile heat under control is steeping rather than pureeing or steeping for less time.  I’m not sure what technique you use to get the heat in your pickling brine, but if you normally pack habaneros in the jar, you might consider just steeping a whole ghost chile per jar or two in your brine until you like the heat level (taste occasionally) and then pulling it out before putting the brine in the jar with your cucumbers.

In our recent ghost chile hot sauce recipe, we got comfortable heat (noticeable, but not that spicy) just steeping a single ghost chile for the amount of time it took water to boil.

Related Posts:
How to Quick Pickle

- Question Submitted by Gerry

There are several reasons why Tradizionale (Traditional) grade balsamics are expensive:

1. Tradizionale balsamic vinegars must be aged a minimum of 12 years (for Affinato vinegar - Extra Vecchio vinegar must be aged 25 years or more).

2. They must be exceptionally high quality as judged by experts in the Consortium of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

3. These vinegars have legal DOP/PDO status, which means they must be produced in Modena from only the must of Modena-grown grapes. No other ingredients are allowed. By limiting them by age, ingredient quality, and geography, production levels are kept low (see How Balsamic Vinegars Are Made for more info).

4. Over the long periods of time these vinegars are aged, they decrease substantially in volume (roughly 10% evaporates per year).

It has been estimated that each cup (250ml) of tradizionale balsamic vinegar was made from around 70lbs of Modena grapes.* Each tradizionale bottle contains 3.5fl oz of vinegar, which means it was made from about 29lbs of grapes!

Extra Vecchio vinegars are aged longer, and may represent even more fruit.

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More Balsamic Information:
How Balsamic Vinegars are Made
Vinegar Recipes

* Harold McGee, pg 776 On Food & Cooking, Revised Ed.

Because our Italian foods are usually packaged and labeled in Italy for international sale, they often use European or Italian terms for ingredients.  The word “aroma” on truffle oil, lemon-pepper wheat germ pasta and other Italian products’ ingredient lists is the equivalent of “flavor” on American-style ingredient lists.  It’s simply their term for the essence of an ingredient.  Thus, when you see “truffle aroma”…just think “truffle flavor.”

Until recently it was common for balsamic vinegars to have large numbers on the bottle.  Sometimes this was the actual age of the vinegar, sometimes it was just a number (“No. 17” for example) the company had put on the label to make you think it was the age of the vinegar….a marketing ploy.

Recently new balsamic laws have gone into effect in Italy that prohibit prominent numbers on the labels/in the names of balsamic vinegar products (whether they’re the true age or not).

We provide ages where we can for balsamic vinegars on the Marx Foods store, and our condiment-grade balsamic vinegars are aged longer and made using more traditional methods than many on the market, but you won’t find any ages on the bottles when you receive them because of the Italian law.

You can always be sure that affinato balsamic vinegar is at least 12 years old and extra vecchio balsamic vinegar is at least 25 years old…because those ages are a required part of the grading process.

The “crema” is a unique feature of espresso brewed coffee: a delicate foam that develops on the surface of each espresso shot.

The crema forms because the incredibly high pressure under which water is forced through the ground coffee carries a higher proportion of the beans’ flavorful oils and other compounds into the cup than other brewing methods. These compounds gather together forming bubbles and eventually a stable foam.

The crema gets its name from its delightfully creamy texture.

Related Products:
Italian Espresso Coffees

In general, bison meat is considerably leaner than beef, with about half the fat and calories.  It’s also higher in protein.

Using the USDA National Nutrient Database* to compare generalized statistics on the “lean” (i.e. meat as opposed to fat) in raw bison ribeyes vs. conventional Choice beef ribeyes provides this data:

The Nutrient Database provides additional nutritional content should you be looking for specific info, the above are just some of the highlights.

In addition to the above health benefits, bison also possesses a richer, sweeter beef-like flavor and a coarser grain.  It’s a great substitute for beef in most recipes, as long as its lower fat content and faster cooking time are taken into account.

- Question Submitted by Walter

*as of 6/29/11

When you order perishable food from the Marx Foods store, we use the same delivery methods we use with our fine dining restaurant customers.

During the ordering process, you will be asked to select a “preferred delivery date”.  This is the day you want your food to arrive and when you know someone will be there to receive it.  Regardless of whether that day is this week or several weeks from now, we will hold onto your order until the day before.

The day before you want your food, we will ship it via Fedex Overnight (sometimes Priority Overnight to hotter climates during the summer).  The meat/seafood/produce will be packed with frozen gel packs (or very rarely, like when you order molded ice cream, dry ice) by professionals who know just how to pack that particular product. 

Though FedEx promises to get your package to you in a day, we generally try to pack our boxes to stay cool for a second day, just in case.

- Question Submitted by Gloria D.

Generally we do not recommend storing any homemade infused oils at room temperature for long due to safety concerns.  Homemade flavored oils (particularly garlic oils according to the FDA, but also possibly other flavors) can grow botulism bacteria.

Don’t let that stop you from making flavored oils, but for safety’s sake:

          ● Make them in small batches. 
          ● Always store them in your refrigerator.
          ● Use them up quickly. 
          ● Use store-bought garlic oil rather than making your own. 

Commercially made flavored oils are often treated and/or manufactured in a way that makes them safer.  Just store them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Our preferred herb oil method is quick, easy, and actually blends fresh herbs right into the oil, so it’s ready to use right away without infusing…why not just make it as you need it?

Homemade flavored alcohols and vinegars are very bacteria-unfriendly places and thus generally safe to store at room temperature.

Related Posts:
How to Make Herb Oils
How to Make Chile Infused Vinegar
How to Make Chile Infused Alcohol
Roasted Beet Oil Recipe

- Question Submitted by Tom

Szechuan buttons (aka buzz buttons, Sichuan buttons, toothache flowers, Acmella Oleracea) are tiny yellow flowers with a unique tingling effect that feels like light electricity. They’re a great party food or cocktail ingredient, and some chefs are using them in sorbets as a salad ingredient or as a sashimi garnish.

What gives these flowers their unique voltage effect is actually a natural painkiller (an analgesic) called spilanthol that briefly triggers a reaction in a nerve pathway in your mouth. The effect lasts only a couple of minutes and is used in some cultures as a toothache remedy.

Other Szechuan Button Information:
Szechuan Button Recipes
Freezing Szechuan Buttons

Dulce buttons are tiny, super-super-sweet flowers with an anise/thyme/mint flavor. Thanks to a unique sesquiterpene compound called “hernandulcin” they are 500 to 1,500 times sweeter than sugar (on a molecule by molecule basis), depending on how you measure.

Sesquiterpenes are complex terpines, which are organic compounds commonly found in plants’ resins and essential oils.

While the terms “parboiled” and “converted” conjure up images of modern convenience rice products like microwavable rice or quick cooking rice, parboiled rice is actually something quite different.

Parboiling is a very old technique (it has been used for over 2,000 years) which involves soaking the rice grains while they’re still in the hull (aka the paddy), and then boiling or steaming them. This process provides multiple benefits:

   1. It makes the rice easier to mill.

   2. It partially gelatinizes the starch in the rice grains, making them firmer and shinier. The grains are less likely to stick together on the plate.

   3. It imparts a nuttier flavor.

   4. It makes the rice harder to overcook and less likely to get mushy when reheated or kept hot on a steam table. This is why restaurants love it.

   5. It transfers some vitamins and nutrients from the bran to the endosperm (the part of the rice grain we eat). Pearled rice (rice that has had its bran removed) that has been parboiled is actually healthier than other pearled rice.  It’s still not quite as healthy as whole grain rice, which retains the bran and thus has more fiber and a few more vitamins.

Parboiled rice is extremely popular with restaurants, so you’ve probably eaten it several times without realizing it. The one thing to be aware of when substituting parboiled rice for plain rice in a recipe is that parboiling can slightly increase rice’s cooking time (because the grains are firmer), so plan accordingly.

We currently offer parboiled (actually par-steamed) Chinese black rice.

Our roe-on scallops are indeed wild and are caught in the north Atlantic.

- Question Submitted by Laura

Szechuan buttons and dulce buttons both ship in plastic clamshells similar to the ones you find herbs in at the grocery store.  These are the best way to store them, so you can just throw the clamshells in your refrigerator.

Szechuan buttons tend to last up to 14 days in the refrigerator, while dulce buttons are a little less hardy and will keep for about ten days.

We’ve also discovered that Szechuan buttons are quite freezable.  They’ll turn a darker color and go slightly limp, but their “electric” effect is just as strong…possibly even stronger! 

Check out freezing edible flowers for more info and before & after photos.

- Question Submitted by Theresa M.

Generally we feel fresh morel mushrooms don’t need to be washed, but here are the recommended cleaning methods if you would like to clean yours.

What We Recommend:
Give your morels a quick dunk in cool water and then let them drain in a colander or spin them in a salad spinner. For best shelf life, don’t wash your morels until just before you’re ready to cook them or dry them for long term storage (how to dry mushrooms).

The Traditional Method:
Historically chefs have believed that washing morels (and all fresh wild mushrooms) will ruin their flavor because the mushrooms will absorb large amounts of water. The method they’ve used is to slowly clean the mushrooms with a mushroom brush or un-used paint brush.

There are still some who insist that this is the proper method. However, there is scientific evidence that mushrooms do not absorb significant water during a brief rinse or lose much flavor (if any).*

Concerned About Bugs?
It’s true that because morels are a wild-foraged mushroom and their centers are hollow, it is possible for a bug or two to hide inside. Our mushrooms tend to arrive from the foragers extremely clean, so bugs are generally not a problem.

However, if you are concerned, here’s a good pre-washing method to make absolutely sure your morels are bug-free:

1. Preheat your oven 140 degrees.
2. Place the morels on an oven-safe plate or cookie sheet.
3. Bake them in the oven for 10 minutes.
4. Give the mushrooms a quick rinse once they’re removed from the oven.
5. Cook your morels as called for by your recipe.

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More Morel Mushroom Information:
How to Store & Preserve Fresh Mushrooms
Chef Created Morel Recipes
Reader Submitted Morel Recipe Collection

* McGee, “On Food & Cooking”, Rev. Ed. pg 346

Not really. Edible flowers can be frozen, and will look just fine as long as they stay frozen. However, as soon as they thaw (and they’ll thaw out very quickly) they’ll turn limp and their colors will darken. You’ll lose the beauty that you bought them for in the first place.

Here’s an example using edible snapdragons, edible pansies, and the microflower blend:

Fresh:

Thawed:

The one notable exception is Szechuan buttons, which will darken and go somewhat limp, but will keep their mouth tingling effect intact. In fact, in our test it may have even gotten stronger.  Some chefs use them as an ingredient in ice creams and sorbets!

Our kangaroo medallions are sometimes labeled “rump” due to differences between Australian and American meat terminology.  In Australia this cut is sometimes called “rump,” which conjures up images of large roasting cuts for Americans.  However, they’re really small pieces of meat that are meant to be pan roasted, grilled, seared or sautéed, which is why we and other American companies sell them in the US as “medallions” – that’s the term American consumers and chefs use for the cut.

Regardless of whether the packaging says “medallions” or “rump,” our kangaroo medallions are always cut from the loin portion of the kangaroo, and can be cooked using the same methods you would for other meat medallions (veal, venison, lamb, etc).  The difference is merely whether the packer was following American or Australian general labeling practices.

Dried Chinese porcinis (Boletus Aestivalis, Boletus Aereus) are easy to distinguish from dried Italian porcinis and other varieties. 

Porcinis from China are darker in color and very thin, with a straight stem instead of the distinctive rounded “chubby” stem that you’ll find on porcinis from Europe or the US.  Chinese porcinis never grow to be as large as other varieties and thus tend to be sold in smaller pieces. 

Finally, because of the drying methods used in China, their mushrooms have a very potent aroma that is quite different from European & American dried porcinis.  They smell quite smoky and not as complex.

Our wild pacific salmon lox varieties are all brined in the same honey, salt & spice solution.  However, because of their naturally higher oil content (which is responsible for their full, rich flavor), sockeye salmon fillets absorb less of the brine.  Thus sockeye lox has a lower salt content and less salty flavor than keta lox or coho lox.

- Question Submitted by Joe C.

The most commonly smoked beef cuts are beef briskets and ribs (either short ribs or beef spare ribs).  Though less common, you’ll sometimes also see tri tip roasts smoked.

Domesticated animals raised for their meat are generally fed the same feed, live under the same conditions, and are butchered at roughly the same size.  Our kangaroo meat and wild boar meat are 100% wild; the animals have foraged different amounts of food and lived different lives.  They are consequently different sizes when they are harvested.  As such, even cuts within the same case can vary in size.

The term tempering has two different meanings in the kitchen that tend to be ingredient specific.  One can temper eggs and one can temper chocolate.

Tempering Eggs:

The thickening properties of eggs are used in a variety of sauces and custards (flan, crème brulee, pot au crème, chawamushi, etc).  As the proteins in eggs cook, they thicken what they’ve been mixed in to.  However, if eggs are introduced directly into a liquid that is too hot, they will turn into scrambled eggs…not what you want in your carbonara!  The trick is to introduce some of the hot liquid to the eggs slowly while rapidly whisking, this brings the eggs to the correct temperature in an even, controlled manner, keeping them from seizing up.  Once the eggs have reached the same temperature as the rest of the liquid, the two can be mixed together normally.

Tempering Chocolate:

Tempering chocolate is far more complicated.  When discussing chocolate, tempering is the art of creating a specific matrix of cocoa butter crystals within melted chocolate via one of a couple of methods.  Properly tempered chocolate will set faster, have a better (more shiny) appearance, and a delightful snap when bit into.  Tempering is essentially a prerequisite for enrobing chocolate truffles and other candies (giving them a thin chocolate shell). 

Improperly tempered chocolate will set very slowly, be too brittle, and may display unattractive sugar crystals or cocoa butter sheen (known as “sugar bloom” & “fat bloom” respectively).

Tempering involves melting the chocolate, cooling it in a controlled fashion while stirring, then re-warming to a temperature below where the new crystals start to break down.  Though chocolate tempering machines exist, they are rather expensive, so most home cooks temper by hand, which generally requires practice and careful temperature monitoring for reliable results.

The methods most often used for tempering chocolate are:

1) Tabling -  Melted chocolate back and forth across a marble slab with a pair of paddles, cooling the chocolate at a controlled rate while encouraging crystal growth.  This method is the most difficult and really an art, but many artisan chocolatiers swear by the quality of temper it provides.

2) Seeding (aka Block Method) -  Chocolate is melted past the point when its internal crystals dissolve, then pieces of unmelted chocolate are stirred in to cool it down while providing seed crystals.  Seed-tempered chocolate does not need to be rewarmed unless it gets too cool (and consequently too thick for dipping/coating/mold use).

3) Cooling – Melted chocolate is stirred over an ice water bath until it starts to set, then re-warmed until it is melted but the crystals have not dissolved.

4) Direct Warming – Since chocolate is sold pre-tempered, if it is melted but kept below the temperature where its already existing crystals melt, it may be able to be used without using an active tempering method.  However, as soon as the crystal matrix melts it must be re-tempered using one of the above methods.

Important note: tempering chocolate by hand requires top quality, high cocoa butter chocolate to work well.  This grade is referred to as couvertures chocolate and contains a minimum percentage of 32% cocoa butter.  Cheaper chocolates have frequently had much of their cocoa butter replaced with cheaper emulsifiers like soy lecithin.

“Beurre noir” means “black butter” in French.  Though the terms beurre noir and beurre noisette are sometimes used interchangably today, many chefs consider them to refer to two different stages of cooked butter. 

If you continue to cook butter after it has become beurre noisette, it will eventually become beurre noir, where the suspended milk solids have become a very dark brown (but not actually black).  Though beurre noir isn’t for anybody, there are those who consider is a guilty pleasure when used as part of a sauce (usually with an acidic element added) for seafood (particularly skate), eggs or vegetables.

Care must be taken to cool beurre noir rapidly (not until cold, just until the desired service temperature) once it reaches the desired color, as it can continue to carry over cook and become burnt if you aren’t careful.

To ensure they stay fresh and flavorful, store fresh wasabi roots in your refrigerator wrapped in a damp towel.  Check the towel daily to ensure it isn’t drying out, re-wetting as necessary.  If you don’t let them dry out, your rhizomes should last for up to three weeks.

When you grate some of your wasabi, return the partially used rhizome to the towel when you’re done.  Just remember to slice off a little bit of the peeled end before you grate it again, as the small portion of the wasabi’s core that was exposed to air will have lost its flavor.

Related Links:
How to Use Fresh Wasabi
Wasabi Recipes

“Beurre noisette” is a French term often translated into English as brown butter (though it actually means “hazelnut butter”).  It is made by melting down butter, and then continuing to cook it until the milk solids suspended in it are toasted.  These toasted solids give the butter a heavenly rich, nutty flavor and aroma…hence “hazelnut butter.”

Brown butter is a delicious condiment or sauce base that can be used on vegetables, poultry, and seafood…it makes a fantastic (and easy) sauce for gourmet pasta, particularly when fresh herbs like sage are added.  It is also used as an ingredient in some French pastries.

Other Butter Terms:
Beurre Fondue
Clarified Butter
Compound Butter

The Blue Poulet (or Blue Foot Chicken) is an American/Canadian chicken bred to closely resemble the famous French Poulet de Bresse chicken in appearance and flavor.  Poulet de Bresse has long been regarded as the finest chicken available in France. Unfortunately demand in France is such that we almost never see Bresse chickens in the United States, making this domestic version very desirable. What makes these chickens special (besides their blue feet, white feathers, and red comb (the colors of the French flag)) is their complex, slightly gamey flavor which posesses significantly more depth than conventional chickens.

Chickens of this quality shouldn’t really be used in complicated dishes with strong flavored sauces (though they are sometimes paired with truffles). Instead they should be prepared simply (traditionally roasted whole) so that their flavor can be appreciated.

Our blue foot chickens ship as Poulets de Bresse are traditionally sold: with the head and blue feet on. The blue feet are a sign of an authentic blue foot and are often left on when roasting whole so the restaurant patron knows what they are being served.

Clarified butter is plain butter that has been simmered to separate the butterfat from the milk solids and water.  Because the milk solids burn at a lower temperature than butterfat’s smoke point, removing them will allow you to enjoy the flavor of butter even when cooking at higher temperatures that would burn plain butter.  Melted clarified butter also plays an important role in hot emulsion sauces such as hollandaise sauce (see our bearnaise sauce recipe for an example).

Clarified butter is hard to find and often sold for high prices in stores, but it’s relatively easy to make at home as long as care is taken not to burn the milk solids (how to clarify butter).  Though clarified butter will solidify in the fridge, it will melt quickly to become more of an oil consistency when placed in a hot pan.

Just taking a bite of a fresh heirloom tomato will demonstate the answer to this question better than any paragraph on the internet, but the short answer is flavor.  The word “heirloom” tends to be applied to produce, while the word “heritage” is usually attached to meats and poultry.  Their exact definitions are a little hard to nail down, but essentially they are both labels for varieties of food that were selected for different reasons than most found in your grocery store.

Most widely available fruits and vegetables found in American supermarkets these days are designed to reliably grow in large quantities, last longer on the store shelves, and survive what can be a very long trip from the farm to the market.  American supermarket meats have been raised for fast growth and, in the case of pork and chicken, to be extremely lean.

Notice that the word “flavor” has not been mentioned once in the above paragraph.  On the other hand, heirloom tomatoes are significantly more fragile than the beefsteak or roma tomatoes most of us are used to.  They also spoil much faster and don’t look nearly as perfect.  But they taste fabulous.  Heirloom potatoes aren’t as convenient for farmers to grow, but their unusual flavors, colors, and textures are far superior to the ubiquitious russet. 

Heritage chickens can take much longer to raise and aren’t as plump, but they’re much more delicious than grocery store chickens.  Kurobuta pork and Mangalitsa pork have a higher fat content than conventional pork, but it’s much more delicious and less likely to dry out when cooking.

Heritage meats and heirloom produce also represent greater biodiversity in the food supply.  Encouraging farmers to raise them helps to create a food supply that is more resistant to diseases, in addition to being more exciting.

Reduction is an important tool in the kitchen used all the time in the creation of sauces, soups, and stews.  As liquids boil or simmer they evaporate, reducing down and thickening. 

However, you’ve probably seen phrases like ”red wine reduction”, “balsamic reduction” or ”raspberry reduction” on restaurant menus.  Here it refers to a simple type of sauce, called “a reduction” that shows up a lot on menus as part of either savory or sweet dishes.  Usually a reduction contains only a few ingredients, and is prepared by simply cooking liquid down to the point where it reaches nappe or even syrup consistency.  They’re actually very easy to make with only a little practice, and a great way to add flavor and moisture to your dishes.

Probably the most common reduction sauce is the “wine reduction” which can be as simple as simmering a bunch of wine  (often red) on the stove until it has thickened and its flavor has been concentrated.  Other common reduction bases include stock (often veal stock) and fine vinegars (for a kind of sauce called a gastrique).

Ways to dress up a basic reduction sauce:
• Sweat some very finely diced shallots in oil until tender, then deglaze with the liquid and reduce it.
• Use the liquid for your reduction to deglaze an empty pan where you’ve just cooked vegetables, beef, poultry or game meats to dissolve the flavorful fond.  Then reduce. This is also known as a “pan sauce.”
• Add fresh herbs on the stem (thyme and rosemary are probably the most common) or whole spices to the liquid while you’re reducing it, then discard them prior to serving.
• Strain your reduction prior to serving for a more fancy sauce, deliberately don’t strain it for a more rustic one.
• Add other liquids (vinegars, stocks, wines & juices) to your base for a more complex flavor.

Where to use a reduction sauce:
• Grass-fed beef (particularly filet mignons and strip steaks)
• Any game meats (red wine and juniper berries are common pairings.  Sweeter game meats, like venison & wild boar, also pair well with berries.)
• Pork
• Game Birds (particularly duck)
• Desserts that are chocolatey or creamy (usually wine reductions and gastriques)

The most common reduction mistakes and how to fix them:
• Letting the mixture over reduce- If your sauce has gotten too thick, you can add more of your base liquid and reduce down again.  However, if it has burned you need to throw it away and start over, because it’s probably bitter.
• Over seasoning- Remember, the more you reduce something, the more concentrated its flavor becomes.  Because of this, you should wait to add salt and pepper until the sauce is almost finished.  If you salt too soon, your sauce will be over salty at the end.  To fix it, add more of your base liquid and reduce again to dilute the salt’s effect. 

Other Related Terms:
Au Sec
Nappe

Home sous vide machines are still extremely rare, and as such most recipes and information is written with chefs in mind.  Sous vide is a technique particularly popular with the “molecular gastronomy” movement at the moment, so you’re likely to find a few recipes in cookbooks by Ferran Adria, Heston Blumenthal and in Chef Achatz’s Alinea.

However, for books that focus on the techniques and science of sous vide as well as recipes, Thomas Keller’s book, Under Pressure is generally regarded as a top work on the subject of sous vide cooking. It has the added benefit of being available at a (relatively) consumer-friendly price (or from your local library). 

If you’re dying to be on the very bleeding edge of sous vide techniques and science, the upcoming 6-volume tome, Modernist Cuisine, has a 72 page section devoted to sous vide.  But given that it is likely to be highly technical and will cost $440- $600, most home chefs will find it well out of their price range and level of expertise.

For a free online option, check out one of our favorite local blogs, Salty Seattle, where blogger Linda Miller Nicholson often cooks sous-vide (along with performing other acts of culinary wizardry).

- Question Submitted by Jamie

Oyster crabs, tiny crabs that are sometimes found sharing shells with live oysters, have long been considered a delicacy in the US.  Unfortunately they are so rare that they don’t appear to be commercially available.  Our best advice is to become good friends with the closest oyster farmer, but even then, you may have difficulty getting them in any significant quality.

- Question Submitted by Peter B.

Unfortunately, because our heirloom beans come from a variety of origins that may change with availability, we cannot specify their harvest dates.

What we can tell you is that these beans are selected for and sold to the restaurant industry.  This not only means that they’re exceptionally high quality, but also that the supply is being rapidly turned over.  They’re not languishing in warehouses (as is the case with some grocery store exotic dry goods), but being consistently replaced with new beans.

- Question Submitted by Lea Ann

We don’t have an oyster soup/oyster stew recipe using fresh oyster meat on the Marx Foods blog yet, but here are some links to recipes from reliable sources:

Classic Louisiana Oyster Stew Recipe – Saveur Magazine
Phil Harris’ Oyster Stew Recipe – Seattle PI Newspaper
Very Basic Oyster Stew in 15 Minutes – The Huffington Post

 - Question Submitted by Michelle

Should you refreeze your New Mexico chiles?  Probably not.  Refreezing produce that has already been frozen and thawed once can do a lot of damage to its flavor and texture.  We really don’t recommend it.

 - Question Submitted by Vivian

Salsify is one of a couple root vegetables that actually gets sweeter in flavor if left in the ground until after the first frost.  It also stores extremely well in traditional root cellars, sometimes for as long as a year.

Unfortunately, despite these qualities, our research indicates that is not likely to maintain its quality when stored in the freezer, even if pre-blanched as you would other freezable root vegetables.

- Question Submitted by Chantel

For most of our heirloom beans, bulk lentils, and rice we cannot guarantee specific origins because they are subject to change due to various supply factors.

There are, of course, exceptions, such as our Carnaroli, Arborio, Integrale, and Vialone Nano risotto rice varieties, which are all grown in Italy.

- Question Submitted by Lydia

Unfortunately we’ve been unable to locate a source of frozen aji amarillos for you…they appear to be VERY hard to come by right now.

The best substitutes we can suggest are either tracking down some fresh ones or rehydrating dried aji amarillos.

- Question Submitted by Maria

Both Fennel Pollen and Dill Pollen last a very long time if kept in their tins away from moisture, light, and heat.

- Question Submitted by Christine C.

It really depends on how picky you’re being.  “Mangalica pork” is actually the most authentic spelling, because that’s the way it’s spelled in Hungarian, the language of these peculiar wooly pigs’ country of origin.  However, “Mangalitsa pork” is the most commonly used spelling in American English, with “Mangalitza pork” probably the second most common spelling.

That said, the name seems tailor-made to be confusing, and you’ll see all sorts of variations, from “Mangalista” to “Mangleista” (which sounds like somebody assaulting a barista to me).

- Question Submitted by Don

Dried chanterelles can be reconstituted with boiling water just like any other dried wild mushrooms.  Unfortunately, in our experience we’ve often found that they rehydrate to a somewhat “woody” texture that’s best pureed for soups, stews, etc.  We may be running some tests soon to see if we can come up with a better method for this particular variety.

How to Reconstitute Dried Chanterelles

- Question Submitted by Charlotte R.

The answer really depends on which white truffles you’re looking to pick.  If you’re taking a trip to Italy and hoping to hunt the elusive and exclusive white Alba truffle, you want to plan your trip sometime between October and December. 

If you’re staying closer to home and looking for Oregon white truffles, you’ve likely got two seasons to choose from: April-June and November-January (this is because Oregon white truffles are actually two extremely similar truffles with different growing seasons that are sold as one product).

That said, truffles are wild food.  This means that they come and go as they please, and some years their season may be shorter, longer, or may not even happen at all.  Read what is a wild food? and check out our (roughly estimated) wild food season chart for more information.

If you have your truffle hunting plans spoiled, you still have options.  Frozen white truffles are available year round.

- Question Submitted by Marcellius B.

While our bulk baby dill can be used to flavor brines and other liquids to be used in canning, it is much more tender, delicate, and heat-sensitive than mature dill.  It will probably wilt when exposed to canning temperatures, and has a more subtle flavor that chefs love, but is better suited for use raw or only very gently cooked.

At most we’d recommend using it in quick-pickles that will be consumed in a few days (see how to quick-pickle vegetables for more info). 

It’s probably best to use mature dill in canned foods instead, as it’s a little more durable.

- Question Submitted by Peggy

Fresh ghost chilies have just been added to the Marx Foods store!  We can now ship them to you via Fedex overnight (included in the price!), anywhere in the US.

We also offer dried ghost chilies and ghost chili powder in bulk.

While Marx Foods does not currently offer European flours, I’ve found a website that offers a few German flour varieties: GermanDeli.com.

Alternatively, here’s a link to an extremely useful page offering the American equivalents of German flours for substitution purposes.  Note that Dinkel-Vollkornmehl is equivalent to American whole grain spelt flour, which we do sell.

- Question Submitted by Steven

Yes, we do buy chantrelle mushrooms.

For more information, send us an e-mail at .

- Question Submitted by Tammy

Absolutely! 

Because freezing speed effects the resulting quality of the preserved mushrooms, and your refrigerator’s freezer is relatively slow compared to industrial models, home-frozen mushrooms won’t be quite as good as commercially frozen wild mushrooms.  

That said, freezing is probably the best way to preserve chanterelles for later use…when dried they reconstitute woody, making them only suitable for soups & purees.  They’re far more tender when frozen & thawed.

Instructions for Freezing Wild Mushrooms

- Question Submitted by Theresa D.

Frozen squid ink has a shelf life of up to one year.  Leftover thawed ink can be refrozen as necessary for later use.

- Question Submitted by Michelle

The short answer to your question is no, our Chinese Black Rice does not contain gluten.

In general, rice is a gluten-free food that can be safely consumed by people with gluten health concerns.  Believe it or not, this includes “glutinous rice” (aka sticky rice) varieties like mochi rice, which are actually so named because of their glue-like stickiness when cooked (due to high amounts of amylopectin), NOT gluten.  

Some Processed Rice Products May Contain Gluten
Some processed products made with rice or enriched rice varieties may contain gluten due to added ingredients, so if you’re sensitive/intolerant it’s worth examining the packaging closely for a “no gluten” or “gluten free” label (like you’ll find on our gluten free pastas).  If you don’t see one, consider contacting the manufacturer to be sure.

- Question Submitted by Brett

Because of how widely sage leaves can vary in size (and therefore weight), we’re not able to give a helpful estimate of the number of sprigs in each pound.  However, we can tell you that you can generally assume that sage leaves will account for 60% of each pound of sage, with the other 40% being the stems.

Thus, for each pound of bulk sage you buy, you can plan on ending up with roughly 9.6 ounces of usable sage leaves.

- Question Submitted by Becky

Unfortunately, due to processing the seeds in our dried ghost chilies are no longer viable.  If you plant them they will not grow.

We don’t know of a source for plant-able ghost chili seeds that we can refer you to at this time.

While we’re unable to provide an estimate specifically for fresh lemon thyme, we estimate that there are approximately 690 sprigs of common thyme per pound, and lemon thyme sprigs should be fairly similar in weight.

- Question Submitted by Becky

Fresh marjoram is a light, delicate herb, so each pound contains a high number of sprigs.  By our best estimate, there are approximately 610 sprigs of marjoram per pound.

- Question Submitted by Becky

Sweating and sautéing are very similar cooking methods that both involve cooking food in a pan with a small amount of fat (oil, butter, duck fat, bacon fat, etc).  Sweating is essentially sautéing at a lower temperature.  Read on for a more detailed explanation of what that means and why it’s important.

Why Chefs Sweat Vegetables

When you sauté vegetables, you’re browning them.  Browning is the caramelization of surface sugars, and it’s usually a very good thing.

The benefits of browning are:
A) imparts extra flavor and sweetness
B) adds color
C) develops fond (the little browned bits stuck to the pan), which is a delicious foundation for sauces and braising liquids once it has been deglazed (what is deglazing?).

To see the full effect of caramelization on food, try slow-caramelizing onions.  It takes a long time, but they become incredibly sweet, rich flavored, and dark brown.  Classic French onion soup gets its pronounced sweetness purely from the natural sugar in onions, slow caramelized until they’re as sweet as possible.

However, sometimes you’re looking for a different effect.  Sweating is cooking vegetables in fat at such a low temperature that they soften and begin to release their moisture and flavorful essences into the pan without browning.  Often sweated vegetables are finely diced or minced to speed the cooking process, since they are cooked at such low heat.

The benefits of sweating are:
A) better protects the original color of vegetables and doesn’t impart extra brown color to dishes made with them.
B) preserves more of the original flavor without the added sweetness and “nutty” taste that caramelization imparts.
C) leaves no fond on the pan, which could be burned in recipes that do not involve deglazing.
D) requires little to no stirring or tossing, as there’s no risk of the vegetables burning or (unless you overload the pan) cooking unevenly.

How to Sweat Vegetables Without Sautéing Them

1. Prepare your vegetables.  Sweated vegetables are often minced or cut into small or medium dice.

2. Oil a pan just as you would for sautéing.

3. Pre-heat the pan, but on low rather than medium or high heat.

4. Add your vegetables and let them cook over the low heat.  You should hear them cooking as moisture escapes, but they should not be as loud as a sauté.  In addition, if they start to even slightly brown, your heat is too high and you need to turn it down. 

5. Depending on how much is in the pan, you may want to give them a stir once or twice to make sure all the pieces get a chance to cook through.

6. When the vegetables have softened (and turned translucent in the case of shallots, celery, and onions, three of the most commonly sweated vegetables), and you can smell their aroma, they’ve been sufficiently sweated for you to move on with the next step in your recipe.

Check out our culinary techniques tutorial collection to learn more nifty chef tricks.

- Question Submitted by Nadia

It’s hard to say with much certainty due to the fact that fresh herbs are traditionally sold by weight rather than by number of sprigs, but a (very) rough estimate would be forty-five 6-8 inch sprigs of fresh rosemary per pound.

- Question Submitted by Becky

Unfortunately we do not offer mantis shrimp at this time, and are not aware of a source to recommend.  If you need a substitute for cooked recipes (rather than sashimi), lobster tails have a somewhat similar texture & flavor.

- Question Submitted by John L.

Each pound of mint contains roughly 160 five-inch mint sprigs.  It’s imposs