What are Pressure Processed (HPP) Lobsters?

Live Maine lobsters are loaded into a high pressure processing machine, which uses pressure at or above 40,000 psi (pounds per inch) to kill the lobsters almost instantaneously. This process also separates the meat from the shell inside the lobster, …
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How would you prepare fresh porcinis?

My favorite application for fresh porcini mushrooms is probably simply grilling them and then finishing them with a spritz of lemon juice.  Slice them and put them over pasta or risotto with parmigiano reggiano cheese – heaven!  Of course, you …
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Can you dry szechuan buttons…

…and still maintain their potency? We’ve experimented with drying szechuan buttons in a dehydrator, and they do indeed keep their tingling effects!  Our best results probably came from dehydrating at 120°F for four hours, but we also experimented with dehydrating …
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What are chizliks? Where can I buy them?

According to wikipedia, chizliks/chislics are a specific dish native to South Dakota rather than a specific cut: cubes of grilled or fried meat on skewers or toothpicks.  It looks like chizliks can be made from beef, lamb, mutton or game …
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Can I buy florist roses & clean them to make them edible?

…I’m hoping to infuse them into water to flavor it and want to save money. We really wouldn’t recommend it.  We’re not experts on how florist roses are grown, but we suspect they’re fed things as well as sprayed with …
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What are Certified Maine Lobsters?

Certified Maine Lobsters have been caught in Maine. Because “Maine lobster” is the name of the species (which is found up & down the East coast of the US & Canada), not all Maine lobsters are actually caught in Maine. …
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What is Oleo Saccharum?

Don’t let the name intimidate you, Oleo Saccharum isn’t some sort of chemical laden preservative or artificial colorant.  It’s a classic (and classy) bartending ingredient/technique with a highfalutin’ Latin name (which translates to a less intimidating “sugared oil”). Oleo Saccharum …
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We’re picking too many morels to eat right now…

…what should we do with the leftovers? What a delicious problem to have!  We would recommend a) dehydrating them (here’s how) or b) par cooking & freezing them (here’s how). I recommend dehydrating of the two.  Rehydrating dried morels is …
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Can I freeze a cake with a whipped cream center…

…without mixing in gelatin? We don’t regularly freeze pastry here at Marx Foods, but assuming I remember my pastry classes correctly, that’s not a good idea.  It’s likely that the cream will separate (at least partially), damaging its texture and …
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Can you freeze mussels in their shells?

There’s a fair amount of conflicting info on this.  We think you’ll better preserve their quality by freezing the mussel meats out of their shells and generally recommend doing that instead.  They’ll freeze faster, have less contact with air during …
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What’s the best way to preserve fresh piri piri chilies?

While you can pickle or freeze chilies, with a small, very hot pepper like the piri piri, we’d recommend drying/dehydrating. A dehydrator will probably give you the best results (drying without cooking as an oven would). While you can dehydrate …
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How are chilies’ heat levels measured?

Our chilies‘ hotness is measured in average scoville units, meaning that their hotness has been calculated using the scoville organoleptic test (a somewhat subjective test where levels of necessary dilution to avoid a spicy flavor are measured). By comparing scoville …
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What is beurre meuniere?

Beurre meuniere (“miller’s butter” or “miller’s wife’s butter”) is an evolution of beurre noisette (browned butter) – a sauce of browned butter with lemon juice (and often parsley) added.  It’s often served with fish, frog’s legs, or scallops cooked “a …
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How do the new Vermont Maple Syrup Grades work?

…What happened to Fancy & Grade B maple syrups? If you’re used to buying Vermont maple syrup, you’re probably used to seeing things like “Grade A: Fancy” and “Grade B” on the packaging of your favorite brand. Now they’re gone. …
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What’s the best way to thaw frozen pasta?

…is there a special tray I should use?  If so, what’s it called? We’ve never heard of a special tray for thawing pasta.  Though we sell frozen ravioli on the webstore, we haven’t experimented much with freezing & thawing pasta …
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