sprinklefingers

in preparation for tomorrow’s post, i’m here now to give you a tip for peeling peaches! fantastic! (obviously if we’re talking peach-peeling today you should be looking forward to tomorrow!)

first, let’s talk about why we peel peaches in the first place:

of course for jams & preserves you want to peel peaches, right? right. the fuzzy-textured skins won’t break down & disappear into the jam. instead you’d be left with a jar of jam that’s most likely delicious, but is riddled with weird stringy bits of previously fuzzy skin. not good.

and if you’re using your peaches for a dessert that’s a bit more high-brown than, say, a slump/cobbler/crisp or buckle, you’ll most likely want to take the skin off. a rustic dessert like a cobbler can handle the skins, but poached peaches? a delicate tart? you just don’t like peach fuzz? take the skin off, please!

here’s how you do it:

1. set a large pot of water to boil.
2. wash your peaches.
3. in the bottom of each peach, cut a 2” X.
4. drop 2-3 peaches into the boiling water at a time. let float in the boiling water for approximately 60 to 90 seconds.
5. remove the peaches from the boiling water and let cool slightly. then, starting at the area where you made the X, slip the skins off the peaches. so easy!

ps: you can also de-skin tomatoes using this handy technique!

thanks to the guardian, you’ll never store your potatoes next to the onions again. and you’ll have a new use for all your shower caps.

see the guardian’s best kitchen tips here.

oh, hey! lots of you are asking for links to the delicious-sounding items described in the fan letter i posted yesterday.

i wanted to post this last night, but i went to a holiday party - see! i’m not as boring as you think! i went to a party and stayed out past 10pm! and i ate beef! now, that’s a party!

happy christmas & all other holidays to you, here you go!

• homemade whole wheat crackers
• frozen cookie dough
• deluxe baby food
• sausage! so meaty!
• homemade croutons
• cheese rinds! they’re good as gold!