Happy Wednesday!  With Mother’s day not that far away and lobster season quickly approaching, I thought I would switch gears and present you some facts and tips about lobster.

PEI is famous for lobster that has bright red shells and juicy tender meat.  Lobster was once so common that they were used as fertilizer.  Lobster has now, as you know, become a gourmet delicacy.  Lobsters have ten legs, beady eyes, long antennae and a crust-like shell (like the picture below).  The bright red color characteristic of the lobster is only achieved by cooking.

When alive, lobster are usually greenish-blue and speckled with dark spots. Once the meat is cooked it turns a delicate white tinged with red.
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I thought I would take some time and share with you some tips that I have learned in the past about cooking one of my favorite foods - pasta.

I hear time and time again from people that have problems cooking pasta.  Whether it be over-cooked, under-cooked, tasteless or all stuck together, a lot of people struggle with cooking pasta.

First of all, 90% of cooking pasta is simply being there. That is, letting the telephone ring through to voice-mail; perhaps leaving guests in the living room talking amongst themselves and simply keeping your focus on the task at hand. By tending to the pasta, you’ll be able to do the only test available to judge its doneness: to taste.

These tips today will hopefully help you in the future when you are craving the starch that I love so much.

Follow along and by all means add your tips in the comments below as I may have missed some other great techniques.

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The type of meat in the patty is important. Do not use extra-lean meat. Instead look for meat that is 80 percent meat and 20 percent fat. The ideal size for a burger patty is 6 ounces.
When forming the patty, make an indent with your thumb in the middle.

This will ensure that the meat plumps nicely. Flatten the patty before placing on the grill. Never press down on the patty or flatten it while cooking. This will release the precious juices that are essential to a burger’s flavor.

The best burgers are all beef. I tend to avoid adding anthing to the meat such as vegetables or any other ingredients. Use the toppings and condiments to make the burger more exciting.
Only flip the burgers one time. To form a good crust, set the patty on the grill and leave it alone for several minutes. Over high heat, a burger usually cooks in about four minutes per side.

Properly melt the cheese. There is nothing worse than a burger with half melted cheese. Trap the heat by closing the grill over the patties. If cooking indoors, place a metal bowl over the burgers to melt the cheese.

Don’t overlook the rolls. Ideally, the rolls should be fresh with a light toast.

Be aware of the four main factors — thickness of the patty, the fat content of the meat, the heat of the grill, and the condiments — that affect the burger. Take care when controlling these factors and you’ll end up with sheer burger bliss.

How to Shock Vegetables

Shocking, or refreshing, refers to the technique of plunging just blanched vegetables into ice water to halt the cooking. (They’ll keep cooking if you simply take them off the heat.) It locks in flavor, texture, and color, and you don’t have to worry about undercooking or overcooking. It’s especially helpful when you’re entertaining — you can do the work hours in advance and reheat just before serving.

Step 1: Prepare an ice bath. Fill a mixing bowl halfway with ice and enough water to cover it. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water (so you won’t wash away the salt absorbed during blanching).

Step 2: Blanch. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your vegetables to the desired tenderness.

Step 3: Shock. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables from the pot to the ice bath. Remove when they’re cold, in about 1 minute.

This is a very simple technique that will allow your vegetables to be much crisper and flavorful not too mention not lose as many nutrients. Next time your cooking vegetables try this method either in advance if your short on time or preparing a large meal for a group.