How to Peel Ginger
Using a spoon to peel ginger is the best option because it is quick, efficient, and minimizes waste. A peeler or a paring knife will likely peel off the layer right under the skin, which is the most flavorful part of the root, while a dull spoon will easily lift the skin off. Additionally, using a spoon gets into all the hard-to-peel nooks and crannies of a ginger root.
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Types of Fruit and Vegetable Cutters
You'll hear fruit and veggie cutters referred to by many names like slicers, dicers, and choppers. Some cutters are specialized to process one type of fresh produce or perform a single cut. Other models are all-purpose cutters that can be used on a variety of fruits, vegetables, and even cheese. The one thing they all have in common is that they will save you precious time in the kitchen. You can produce consistent, quality cuts that ensure customer expectations are met, portions are controlled, and food waste is reduced to a bare minimum. Keep reading to learn more about the types of cutters, or check out our commercial vegetable slicer reviews. Shop All Fruit and Vegetable Cutters
How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables
Every foodservice professional must understand the importance of washing fresh produce and establishing a restaurant cleaning routine. According to the FDA, coronavirus is not spread by eating contaminated foods. However, you can protect your customers and staff by using the same food safety practices you would use to prevent food-borne illnesses like norovirus. This includes washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly to remove any contamination from pesticides, waxes, and pathogens. Click below to learn more about washing produce: Produce Washing Tips How to Wash Vegetables Washing Vegetables with Vinegar Why Wash Fruits? Tips for Washing Produce When washing produce, remember that there are multiple precautionary steps you should take. Before you get started, here are a few tips to keep in mind to make the process easier: Wash your hands with soap for 20 seconds or longer Designate and sanitize a produce washing station Remove produce from bags and boxes immediately Discard all bags and containers Do not use hand soap, bleach, or alcohol on produce How to Wash Vegetables To learn how to properly wash produce, watch the video below for a step-by-step guide on the process: <iframe itemprop="embedURL" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4TJRR_KtvfY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> How to Wash Produce Soaking and spraying are the two common methods for washing produce. Use a soaking method to clean softer produce or leafy greens and use a spray solution to clean firmer-skinned vegetables. Below, we outline these two methods of cleaning fruits and veggies so you can serve your customers safe, fresh foods. 1. How to Wash Produce with the Soaking Method The soak method is ideal for washing tightly packaged fruits like berries and vegetables with crevices like broccoli. Not only does soaking produce rid it of harmful germs or chemicals, but it can also revitalize its flavor and extend its shelf life. If you purchase local, organic fruits and vegetables that contain no chemicals or harmful preservatives, you can use warm water to rinse your produce. To correctly use this method, you’ll need the following items on hand: Stainless steel sink Food storage bin Vegetable wash or distilled vinegar Colander Fresh water Follow these steps to clean fruits and vegetables with the soaking method: Sanitize sink, wash hands, and use soap and water to clean all areas coming into contact with your fresh produce. Fill sink with either diluted wash or vinegar solution. If you are using a commercial wash, use a 1:30 ratio of wash to water, or approximately 4 to 6 oz. of wash to 1 gallon of water. Soak vegetables for at least 30 seconds. Place them in a colander and use hands to rub the produce while rinsing with cold water. Let produce air dry and enjoy. What Should You Use the Soaking Method For? While effective, you can only use the soaking method on certain fruits and vegetables. Discover the fruits and vegetables you should use the soaking method for below: Lettuce Spinach Kale Cauliflower Broccoli Cabbage Grapes Raspberries Strawberries Blueberries 2. How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables with the Spray Method Use a spray or scrub to remove dirt and pesticides from produce with firmer skin such as eggplant, potatoes, or cucumbers. This method is also ideal for large, smooth fruits and vegetables without crevices or cracks. To clean your fruits and vegetables with the spray method, you’ll need the following items: Kitchen sink Spray bottle Distilled vinegar Vegetable prep brush (optional) Fresh water To effectively clean your fruits and vegetables using the spray method, be sure to follow the steps below: Wash hands and all areas coming into contact with your fresh produce with soap and water. Fill a spray bottle with your solution and mist the entire surface of each vegetable or fruit. Let the coated produce sit for at least 30 seconds. Use your hands or a vegetable cleaning brush to scrub produce and rinse the solution off under cold running water. Let produce air dry and enjoy. What Should You Use the Spray Method For? You should only use the spray method with certain types of produce. This method works best with these types of fruits and vegetables: Tomatoes Eggplant Potatoes Cucumbers Peppers Apples Oranges Melons Lemons Limes Back to Top Cleaning Vegetables with Vinegar Adding vinegar to your fruit and veggie cleaning can help remove extra bacteria. Cleaning with just water removes 98% of the bacteria on fruit and vegetables, but adding vinegar will not hurt the process. Washing your fruits and vegetables with vinegar can increase the shelf-life of produce. If you’re opting for vinegar instead of water, we recommend using a ratio of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water. You can use vinegar in the soaking method with the steps above and the spray method. Why Do You Have to Wash Fruits? Washing fruit and vegetables is an important part of food safety because it can help prevent cross-contamination while ridding your produce of pesticides or chemicals. Examining and washing vegetables before service increases helps you avoid a food-borne illness outbreak caused by contaminated produce. Plus, the chemicals used in pesticides can irritate guests with sensitive stomachs or allergies. Back to Top By washing every piece of produce, you’ll reduce the chance of your customers getting a food-borne illness, and you’ll execute safe food preparation practices in your restaurant, deli, bar, or catering business. Additionally, obtaining a food handling certification is critical in the foodservice industry and will help you serve safe and clean food to your customers.
How Much Juice Is in Citrus Fruits
If you're using a recipe that calls for a certain amount of fresh citrus juice, you may be wondering how many fruits you actually need. The number could depend on the individual fruit, because some are more or less juicy than others. The amount of juice in a single citrus fruit may vary depending on where you're purchasing it and the season you're in. That being said, there are some general numbers we can use for how much juice is in a single lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, or other citrus fruit. Shop All Manual Juicers Click below to learn about fresh juice conversions: Juice in One Lemon Juice in One Lime Juice in One Orange Juice in One Grapefruit How Much Juice in One Lemon? On average, there are 3 tablespoons of juice in one lemon. So, for a cup of fresh lemon juice, you would need 5 and a quarter lemons. But, because some lemons are less juicy than others, it's safe to say you'd need 5 and a half lemons for a cup of lemon juice. Typically, a pound of lemons is around 4 or 5 fruits, so a pound of lemons would yield between 12-15 tablespoons or 3/4 cup to 1 cup of lemon juice. Lemon Juice Conversion Use this conversion guide to measure fresh lemon juice: 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice - 1/3 Lemon 3 Tbsp Lemon Juice - 1 Lemon 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice - 1 1/4 Lemons 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice - 2 1/2 Lemons 3/4 Cup Lemon Juice - 4 Lemons 1 Cup Lemon Juice - 5 1/4 Lemons How Much Juice in One Lime? An average lime yields 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice. To make a cup of fresh lime juice, you would need 8 limes. In a pound of limes, there are usually 4-5 limes, which means that a pound of limes has between 8 and 10 tablespoons or 1/2 to 2/3 cups of fresh lime juice. Lime Juice Conversion Use this conversion guide to measure fresh lime juice: 1 Tbsp Lime Juice - 1/2 Lime 2 Tbsp Lime Juice - 1 Lime 1/4 Cup Lime Juice - 2 Limes 1/2 Cup Lime Juice - 4 Limes 3/4 Cup Lime Juice - 6 Limes 1 Cup Lime Juice - 8 Limes How Much Juice in One Orange? There are 4 to 5 tablespoons or 1/4 to 1/3 cups of juice in one orange. To make one cup of fresh orange juice, you need three oranges. It's important to note this amount is for common oranges. Different varieties of orange, such as Valencia, navel, mandarin, or blood oranges will produce different quantities of juice. A pound of oranges typically equals two medium-sized fruits, which would equal 8 to 10 tablespoons of fresh orange juice. Orange Juice Conversion Use this conversion guide to measure fresh orange juice: 1 Tbsp Orange Juice - 1/4 Orange 4 Tbsp or 1/4 Cup Orange Juice - 1 Orange 1/2 Cup Orange Juice - 2 Oranges 3/4 Cup Orange Juice - 3 Oranges 1 Cup Orange Juice - 4 Oranges How Much Juice in One Grapefruit? A standard grapefruit has about 12 tablespoons or 3/4 cup of juice. A pound of grapefruits is approximately 1 1/2 to 2 fruits, which yields about 1 1/2 cups of fresh juice. Grapefruit Juice Conversion Use this conversion guide to measure fresh grapefruit juice: 1/4 Cup Grapefruit Juice - 1/3 Grapefruit 1/2 Cup Grapefruit Juice - 2/3 Grapefruit 3/4 Cup Grapefruit Juice - 1 Grapefruit 1 Cup Grapefruit Juice - 1 1/4 Grapefruit Tips for Juicing Citrus Fruits The amount of juice in one citrus fruit will depend on the fruit itself, but there are some tactics you can use to get the most juice out of each fruit. Here are a few simple tips you should keep in mind: Use a hand juicer or citrus squeezer instead of your hands. Microwave your fruit for 10 seconds before juicing it. Microwaving the fruit helps break down the membranes that hold the juice. Firmly roll the fruit on your countertops before cutting it in half to further break down the fruit's membranes. If you're planning on juicing fruits regularly, it is worth it to upgrade to a manual juicer. Knowing how much juice on average is in one lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit can come in handy, especially when using a recipe that requires fresh fruit juice.
