How do I cut and serve my ribs?

Question

I slow-cooked spare ribs on my grill yesterday:

I'm not sure if that picture does it justice, but they were very tasty.

The problem I had was cutting and serving them to my family. Is there a particular knife I should use to cut these ribs?

Also, is there a particular way I should cut them? I'm trying to avoid making a mess.

Asked by ray023

Answer

I'd personally go with a standard carving set: Very sharp non serrated long carving knife and a carving fork to help hold the meat steady without getting in-there with your hands.

Assuming you're right handed I'd start on the right with the with the ribs running up away from you, maybe slightly pointing to the left. Then cut along the bone, close to the bone so all the meat is on one side the finished cut. You should be able to get your fork one rib along the rack from where you're cutting but work out what feels best

Answered by vwiggins

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Optimal shape to cut apples for apple pie

Question

I have always enjoyed a slice of apple pie... in the morning... afternoon... and after dinner. Or anytime actually. And as such, I had to learn to bake my own apple pie to satisfy my deep affinity with them.

When I bake apple pies, I make sure to use the best apples I can find. I typically always go for Honey Crisp for its sweetness/slight tang and firmness to stand up to the baking. For the longest time, I have been cutting the apple by first peeling the apple, cutting the apple into 4 pieces down the middle and coring each piece. I then cut the apple pieces into slices in the shape of the apple so I get crescent shaped slices.

I have alway had success with my pie and I'm actually quite proud of it. Recently however, I shared a slice with one of my roommates. He enjoyed it but he made a passing comment about how strange it was that I cut the apple in crescent slices(that ungrate... haha jk). That bruised my ego a bit.

So now I want know how other people cut their apples when they bake their apple pie? And has anyone tried the crescent shaped method and a different method and found that one worked better?

Answer

I've eaten plenty of apple pies with crescent slices. Nothing wrong with it at all. If you don't have any special tools, it's probably the best way to get slices that are the full length of the apple. It's probably what I'd do if I made a pie tonight.

A lot of people probably slice differently, though. In particular, if you have a corer (which doesn't also slice) you can peel, core, and halve the apple, then cut thin slices perpendicular to where the core was. It's easier to get thin slices this way, since you're making parallel vertical cuts. Of course, it's a pain to core a whole or half apple without a special tool.

Perhaps some people out there, especially if using very large apples, peel, quarter, core, and then slice, getting quarter-circle slices. Some people prefer small pieces; they might use a corer/slicer to get get 8 wedges, then slice those further.

People who make a lot of apple pies might have a device like this peeler/corer/slicer. It does all three simultaneously, rotating the apple to peel it, pulling it across the corer, and slicing in a spiral as the apple rotates and moves horizontally. Theoretically you end up with a peeled, cored apple that's thinly spiral-sliced the whole way through. At that point you can just cut it straight down the middle, and end up with half-circle slices.

I expect your friend was simply used to one of those methods. But any kind of apple pie you can think of is being made out there. Slice them how you like!

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Is it true about a dull knife being more likely to cut you?

Question

I've heard people argue that a dull knife is more likely to cut you than a sharp one. The argument is that you are more likely to cut yourself by applying too much pressure with the dull knife. When too much pressure is applied, you jeopardize your control over the knife and it puts you in a position to cut yourself.

Is this true?

Answer

To my experience, the cutting "trajectory" (not sure if that's the right vocab) of a dull knife is less consistent and less controllable than a sharpened one, and is more subject to be influenced by the texture of the material being cut, especially cutting something hard, thick and fiber-ish such as carrot or big melon.

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How to cook cubed fish for a fish taco (tortilla)

Question

Today someone at work described eating a delicious halibut taco. I've never had one before but it sounds awesome, so I'm going to try to make one some time this week (but since I have a lot of salmon in stock, I'm going to make it with salmon instead of halibut). I'd rather not grind the fish - ground fish does not sound like something that's too interesting to eat. So, I was thinking I'll just cut the fish into cubes, and fry them up, then throw the cooked cubes into a tortilla, roll up with some sauce, and serve (to myself). If it turns out good it would be a great recipe to share with friends and family.

However this is not something I've done before. I know fish breaks apart quite easily when cut into small bits, so is it even possible to preserve "fish-cubes" in a frying pan or will all the little cubes break into a flaky mess? Or, maybe it would be better to cook the whole fish first and then dice it afterwards?

If anyone has any advice or suggestions on how to create awesome fish-cubes (or just any general advice about how to prepare a salmon for a fish taco) please let me know.

Answer

Don't cut it up before cooking, do it after cooking. This is a common issue with many Mexican style recipes

Coat the fish with your spice mix, and cook as desired. When done, cut into cubes/chunks or flake onto your tortilla

Usually thinner fillets work best for this style in regards to surface area exposed to spices etc

Do the same for beef tortilla, spice and cook a steak, then slice it up thin and add it to your tortilla

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How to cut an egg without the yolk sticking to the knife?

Question

I cut a number of eggs for a salad and had most yolks stuck to the knife. The problem, to me, is that the egg falls apart. The yolk is loose and the white as well.

Does anybody know a way to cut the egg without that happening?

Answer

the wire egg slicers seem to be free of this problem. Perhaps you could use a wire, or better yet the wire cutting tool that potters use for clay.

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Cutting boards: What are some general tips on purchasing and using a cutting board?

Question

I have heard various debates on the merits of wood versus synthetic cutting boards, and their affect on food safety, knife edges, and ease of cleaning and storage.

What are the pros and cons of the following and why?

• Wood versus plastic or other materials
• Affect on food safety and cleanliness
• Cost to purchase
• Affect on knife edge and ease of use

Answer

I use two types of cutting boards: wood and [soft] plastic. The plastic is for meat, or anything that could ruin a wood cutting board. Wood is for everything else. If you can afford it, try to get an end-grain wood cutting board.

Bamboo is a popular choice right now (it's affordable and sustainable), but I don't have any personal experience with it.

Most other materials, especially glass, will ruin your knives.

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