Avocado Tips, Tricks and Recipes!

Oh those delicious avocados!
The avocado is the fruit of a tall evergreen tree (Persea americana).  More specifically the avocado is a single seeded berry that is also known as the "alligator pear" due to its shape and rough leather like texture of the skin.

Why are avocados so healthy for you?
Did you know that an avocado is a great source of fiber and has more potassium and magnesium than a banana?  These nutrients are known to reduce blood pressure.

Although avocados are known to be high in fat (30%), it is a healthy fat.  Avocados are full of mono-unsaturated fat and vitamin E that can reduce bad cholesterol in your blood. Avocados can be used to replace fat in baked goods for a healthier snack. 

Avocados also contain little to no sugar or starch.

 

Speeding up the Ripening Process

 

An avocado commercially ripens after harvesting.  Unfortunately, right when  you want to make guacamole, most of the avocados in the store are hard as rocks.  A way to speed up the ripening process is to place your avocados in a brown paper bag with ripe bananas or apples.

 

The science behind this - Ripe fruit, such as bananas and apples, release a hormone ethylene.  This gas will speed up the ripening process of the avocados.  An avocado that is hard and not ripe placed in a brown paper bag will ripen in 3-6 days at room temperature while an avocado placed in a bag with an apple or bananas will ripen in 1-3 days.  Place ripe avocados in the refrigerator until ready to use.  Do not put an unripe avocado in the refrigerator as the cold damages the cell structure and it will never ripen.

 

Cutting an Avocado

 

To remove the flesh of the avocado;

• Run a knife around the avocado lengthwise.
• Twist the two halves and pull apart.
• Force a knife into the seed, twist and remove from flesh.
• Slice or dice the flesh with a dinner knife cutting down to the skin, but not through it.
• Remove flesh with a spoon running it close to the skin and gently remove the flesh.

If you are not comfortable with a knife, you can always pick up a gadget such as the Avocado Slicer that does the slicing and scooping for you!

 

Preventing browning of  your avocado or guacamole

 

When avocados are exposed to air they brown.  This starts to happen as soon as you cut into an avocado.  There are several things you can do to prevent browning.

• Adding acid, such as lemon or lime juice, prevents oxidation and therefore prevents browning.
• Cover guacamole with plastic wrap or spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over the top.  This eliminates the air.  When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap or scrape off the layer of mayonnaise.
• Immerse sliced avocado in cold water.  They will stay fresh for up to 4 hours

The science behind this - Omega-3 fatty acids found in avocados are sensitive to light, air and heat and oxidize when exposed to them causing the avocados to brown and break down.

Avocados are available all year round.  Enjoy this healthy fruit on sandwiches, salads, in soups or as guacamole!  Here are a few of our favorite uses for this tasty fruit.

• Corn and Black Bean Salad
• Salsa Verde Guacamole
• Lobster, Avocado and Mango Salad
• Crostini with Tomato, Avocado, Red Onion and Balsamic Dressing
• Traditional Guacamole using our Guacamole Spice Mix





Making a pie can be as easy as...pie!

"Easy as Pie" is a slogan that we all catch ourselves using...but have you ever made a pie from scratch?  It's not all that easy.  The crust is finicky requiring you to use the correct temperature water and butter to create the perfect flake, and you have to make the filling just right to ensure that it does not all run out the second you cut a piece.  After a bit of research, it turns out that the phrase "easy as pie" does not actually refer to the making of the pie as most people think, but the eating of the pie.  That makes a little more sense, a dollop of ice cream and a spoon is all you need!

Of course, there is nothing better than a homemade pie, still a little warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream on top.  For those of you do not find making a pie from scratch "easy as pie" we have come up with some great alternatives! 

Our Wild Maine Blueberry Pie Filling is a new product that was just launched in June, and is our Product of the Month for the month of August.  We took the sweet Wild Maine Blueberries, combined them with the necessary ingredients for a perfect pie filling and all you need to do is empty the jar into a prepared pie crust.  And after a recent experience of picking wild Maine blueberries, I have a new appreciation for this pie filling!  This new pie filling, paired with our Pie Crust Mix allows baking the pie to be "easy as pie" too.  And if you are looking to make it even easier, try baking mini pies in an electric pie maker.

In addition to our Wild Maine Blueberry Pie Filling, we have recently launched a Mixed Berry Pie Filling that combines the most popular berries of summer; cherries, blueberries, red raspberries and strawberries.  Our Apple Pie Filling is made with fresh apples with a touch of cinnamon and spice and our Pumpkin Pie Filling is a hit during the fall months, which as much as we don't want to admit it, are right around the corner! 

If you are up to the challenge of creating a pie from scratch, we have some great recipes on our website;

Apple Pie with Fig & Walnut Butter

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

With so many kitchen gadgets, what deserves a space in your cabinets?

Now a days, there seems to be a kitchen gadget for just about everything.  Sometimes I find myself wondering where people store all of these gadgets because often they take up an entire cabinet in your kitchen!  Unfortunately, most kitchens have limited space so you need to choose your gadgets wisely.  Recently, at our Holiday kick-off meeting, some of our staff members had a chance to share with us their favorite gadget that they use on a regular basis, here are a few that we found deserve a place in the kitchen.


Polder Cooking Thermometer

Our talented recipe developer, Kim, is in the kitchen developing new recipes with our latest products on a daily basis.  Cooking meats can often be difficult because typically the done-ness is determined by the inside temperature, not a set time.  The Polder Cooking Thermometer can be inserted into the piece of meat you are cooking, while the thermometer itself stays outside of the oven.  With pre-programed temperatures to choose from, simply pick whatever you are cooking and the timer will go off when the inside comes up to that temperature range. 

Pot Minder Chef



There are few kitchen gadgets that are only the size of a poker chip!  Eddie from our Portsmouth Store uses the Pot Minder on a regular basis.  For some reason a watched pot never boils, but an un-watched pot?  That boils over in no time and you are left cleaning up!  We can thank the Ancient Greeks for this fantastic idea!  They used to place a piece of antique pottery in their pots to prevent them from boiling over.  Since most people don't have chunks of pottery laying around their homes, the Pot Minder works as a perfect replacement!

Personal Popcorn Popper



I am a big popcorn lover, but as much as I love the convince of microwave popcorn, the ingredient lists often have me attempting the paperbag trick and filling my kitchen with the smell of burnt popcorn.  This little gadget has saved my poor kitchen!  You simply fill the bottom with a layer of kernels, and microwave just as you would a bag of popcorn.  You can even place a pat of butter on the lid so it perfectly melts and pours onto the popcorn, or enjoy it with a little salt and pepper or seasoning.

Please share with us what kitchen gadget deserves a space in your cupboard!