Speaker A
And now we're moving on to Carol Fiorentino's tricks. Carol Fiorentino knows everything about the kitchen, and today she's going to teach us something cool. Oh, Carol, how are you?
Carol Fiorentino shares practical kitchen tips to improve cooking and food preservation, including pasta tricks and roasting potatoes.
Key Takeaways
- Pasta water contains starch that helps emulsify sauces and improves sauce adhesion to pasta.
- Proper drying and spacing of potatoes before roasting prevents steaming and results in crispiness.
- Storing herbs in water and limiting oxygen exposure extends their freshness.
- Crushing garlic more finely releases stronger flavors, enhancing dishes.
- Tasting and adjusting seasoning is key to avoiding bland food.
What the video covers
- Carol Fiorentino demonstrates how to use pasta cooking water to emulsify sauces and enhance flavor.
- She explains the importance of adding pasta water gradually to avoid overcooking.
- Carol shares a tip to add soy sauce or fresh cream to buttered pasta for extra taste.
- She discusses how to achieve crispy roasted potatoes by drying them and spacing them on the tray.
- Carol advises using a hot oven (400-425°F) and roasting potatoes for 25-30 minutes for best results.
- The video covers techniques to keep herbs and greens fresh longer by proper washing and storage.
- Carol explains how to store herbs in water and cover them to reduce oxygen exposure.
- She talks about garlic usage, crushing techniques, and how it affects flavor intensity in dishes.
- Carol emphasizes the importance of seasoning and tasting food to avoid blandness.
- The tips focus on practical, everyday cooking improvements to save time and enhance meal quality.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Pasta Water Trick
- 01:35Using Pasta Water to Emulsify Sauce
- 03:48How Restaurants Use Pasta Water
- 04:50Butter Pasta Sauce Demonstration
- 05:38Roasting Potatoes Tips
- 06:44Drying and Spacing Potatoes for Crispiness
- 07:53Oven Temperature and Roasting Time
- 08:51Transition to Greens and Herb Storage
- 09:59Washing and Storing Greens
- 11:20Garlic Usage and Flavor Tips
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
I'm good, and you? Welcome. Thank you. Thank you. And you know a lot of tricks that sometimes we sit at home wondering, how do I do this? How is it? It's like this.
Speaker A
And she is going to teach us. Who hasn't opened the fridge and found a wilted leaf, a sad little herb, or some fruit already sitting there?
Speaker A
Right? Let's understand what we can do that can make a big difference. We can preserve food better. That's exactly it. Exactly. We can also use it to improve the flavor of the food, right, Gloria? Because I think in our
Speaker A
daily lives we're always in a rush, so we end up doing things haphazardly. And when we know the "why," the function, or the chemical reaction that happens there, it becomes much easier to understand and to give a longer life to our food.
Speaker A
First thing, let's talk about pasta. Pasta. Pasta cooking water. Huh, everyone throws it away. Do you throw it away? I throw it away.
Speaker A
But you don't even save a little bit? I don't. That's an Italian trick, okay?
Speaker A
No, I don't. I just dump the pot into the colander. Splash. No, let me tell you. It's such an Italian trick that even my 7-year-old daughter, Angelina, the other day she said: "Mom, I was making—she loves pasta with butter, right?"
Speaker A
And she said: "Mom, add the pasta water so it tastes better." I said: "You're absolutely right, daughter. I swear, I swear to you." What happens here? I already have, look, some cooked pasta, right? Regular pasta, it could be
Speaker A
spaghetti, angel hair, penne, basically whatever pasta you like, okay? And what do I do? I take the little pot, the pasta is cooked, I'm going to take a ladle of the pasta water and put it in the
Speaker A
pan. Hmm. And you add the water little by little, okay? Don't just take a cup of water and dump it in the pan. We don't want to cook this pasta again.
Speaker A
The pasta water—you agree that pasta, wheat flour, has starch, right? This starch transfers into the pasta water.
Speaker A
Hmm. The starch helps to emulsify the sauce. So, when I'm going to make, for example, a simple little sauce here, the kind we sometimes order at a restaurant, you know, the kids' meal, there's always that little pasta with butter sauce,
Speaker A
right? It’s this pasta with butter sauce. Pasta that kids like. I used to make it for my son too.
Speaker A
But I didn't use the pasta water. So what do I do? It's on here. Let me turn up this water a bit so it starts to boil, okay?
Speaker A
I add the little pasta which is already cooked, which is already cooked, cooked pasta.
Speaker A
That's good. Right. And I'll add the butter, because if I just put, look, I put a lot of butter. I'll take a little out because it's too much, right? Whoops.
Speaker A
It is, it is the real pasta. Actually, it's butter with pasta, right? Butter with pasta. I'll take some out.
Speaker A
It was too much, it was too much. We can't be tricksters here, right? It's not a trick, it's a tip. I mean, a trick is also good once in a while. And now here, look, uh, it's going to start boiling. And you
Speaker A
will see, because if I just add the butter, what happens? It's tasty. It is, but it gets very dry. When we add a little bit of the water and mix it, can you see here, look, that it starts to
Speaker A
emulsify, it starts to form a little sauce. Look here. It's no longer just water, nor is it just melted butter. It starts to form a little sauce even with the butter, because it emulsifies and helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
Speaker A
So, generally in restaurants, what do they do? They take the tomato sauce, the white sauce, whatever sauce you're going to use, and you add a little bit of this water, because it helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
Speaker A
Are you kidding? And look here, look. In a few seconds, we have a little sauce, see? I'll even turn it down here since it's already wow.
Speaker A
And here we already have a little butter sauce. For butter pasta. It's not that sauce, it's not that, that dry pasta with butter. I'll put it in the I used to, I would drain, when I made it for my son, I would drain the pasta
Speaker A
water, throw the butter in there, put it back in the pan, throw the butter in there. And that's it.
Speaker A
It's tasty too, let's not lie. It is. He liked it, but this way it has this, which I think is very delicious. Then of course, you can grate some nice parmesan on top, you can add a little salt, some chopped
Speaker A
herbs, and then you have a little pasta ready in what? 3 minutes? Not even that.
Speaker A
And how it really turns into a little sauce. It does. Look here, see. Look at the little sauce here, see.
Speaker A
It’s because mine wouldn't turn into this little sauce, it would just stay butter. See? It turns into a little sauce. Look here. And it's not melted butter, it's really a little sauce. Right.
Speaker A
I knew about this one. Oh, can I give one more little tip for this?
Speaker A
Sure. That I love too. Add a little bit of shoyu. Soy sauce. I know.
Speaker A
Right along with this mix, okay? You have no idea how it turns out. If I had it here, I’d add it just for you to try.
Speaker A
Are you kidding? I’m telling you. It's wonderful. Wonderful. Or some fresh cream with a little bit of—oh, I’m like this. I am I am I am the queen of quick pasta.
Speaker A
Practicality, guys, with kids, especially, isn't it? They're starving. Let's go, guys, keep going. Let’s solve this.
Speaker A
So, that’s the little pasta. Now we’re going to talk about the potato. The potato.
Speaker A
Many people tell me: "Oh, Carol, I make potatoes in the oven. My potato never gets crispy, it always stays that boiled kind of potato." Yes. Mine too.
Speaker A
Why? I’ll even grab a pan to show you. That happens to mine too. Yours gets like that too when you make potatoes. Either it gets very dried out, or it gets very dried out.
Speaker A
Yeah, and it even gets this kind of hard crust. It’s not a crispy crust, right?
Speaker A
It’s not. So what are we going to do? It can be with raw potatoes or boiled potatoes, okay? I actually like doing it with boiled potatoes because I think it roasts faster, uses less gas.
Speaker A
All right? Okay. Another important tip, because gas is also expensive. Nowadays, gas, electricity, water, everything is robbing us, we do what we can. Add a little olive oil, oil, whatever you want. Place the potatoes, arrange them in the pan,
Speaker A
huh, with space between them. What happens? Usually we just toss them, right? You put them in, grab them, toss them all.
Speaker A
Then what will happen when I leave the potatoes like that, one on top of the other? It starts creating steam here because there's moisture, there's water. First, we dry the potato well too.
Speaker A
You can't put the potatoes in completely wet, right? Dry them well, then place them separately on the tray. If I pile them all up, what will happen?
Speaker A
They will start to release steam. This steam will boil the potatoes. So, I'll have boiled potatoes, not roasted potatoes.
Speaker A
I see. And there's a big difference, right? So here, look, we arrange the potatoes with, it doesn't need to be a huge space between them, but you arrange them so that they can evaporate their moisture, right?
Speaker A
Add a little bit of salt. I'm already getting a recipe here, huh? Yeah, I see, I'm already, I'm almost copying it. Let me just grab a napkin to here. I'm going to add rosemary, yum, for some aroma. But it could be oregano,
Speaker A
parsley, whatever you want, okay? This is more for aroma than anything else, alright?
Speaker A
If you want, you can also add a little more olive oil on top. Coconut oil is also tasty.
Speaker A
And put it in the oven. We even have some roasted potatoes here that are in the oven. Let me get them.
Speaker A
Look. So? Will it be crispy like this? It will. Are you kidding? Put it in the oven at 400, 425 degrees, a hot oven, okay?
Speaker A
How long? Oh, about 25, 30 minutes. And look how it turns out. See how it gets much crispier, look?
Speaker A
No way. You can. I didn't slice them like chips, so they aren't potato chips. But you can see they get, they get crispier, understand?
Speaker A
And they don't get dried out. They don't get dried out. And it even puffed up here. Look how c
Speaker A
I think it's so cute when it does that. That potato, what's the name of that Argentine potato? Isn't it the one served with steak? I can't remember the name.
Speaker A
It comes, I don't know the name either. It comes all fluffy like that. Because it came puffed up. Good.
Speaker A
Hmm. That's the little potato tip. A lot of people can't do it, and it's so simple. It's just that when we think about it, you say: "Wow, how obvious, right? How did I not think of this?" I love that Gloria just keeps eating
Speaker A
everything we make. I think that's great. Well, let's move on to the greens now.
Speaker A
Let's because I want to leave the apple one for last because I find it very interesting.
Speaker A
The greens. Hmm. Another tip that's kind of like: "Oh, I buy greens at home, it's no use. I buy the greens, two days later, they're all spoiled in the fridge, they start to wilt, they start to get slimy, I'm not
Speaker A
buying salad anymore." Repetitive. Then I say, two weeks ago we gave a tip, in the first Carol's Tip , which was really cool, we gave a tip on how to save wilted greens, right?
Speaker A
Put them in water with an ice cube, cold water or water with an ice cube, and leave the leaves there to rehydrate .
Speaker A
It resurrects, it really resurrects. Resurrects. Exactly. Here we have fresh greens. I just got back from the market. I arrived from the market. Instead of taking this head of lettuce, putting it in the drawer, and forgetting it, what am I going to do?
Speaker A
Take this head of lettuce, I'm going to organize it in my fridge, right? Wash it properly in a solution of water with a little bleach or that, what's it called?
Speaker A
Those little drops there. Those little drops. Exactly that. Those little drops. Sanitize it just the way you sanitize at home, okay? Sanitize it nicely. Take it out, rinse well. And then? Then comes the secret trick, which I'm trying to understand. Let's
Speaker A
go. Are you understanding? Are you following along? I'm trying to understand. It's wet, my salad is already washed well washed. What do I do? I dry these leaves.
Speaker A
Oh Carol, I'm going to be drying leaf by leaf. It'll last two weeks in the fridge, okay?
Speaker A
Ah, so wait a minute. I wash and then I dry. I wash. It's sanitized, guys. Then later just open the container. You'll open the container, grab the leaves, and serve. Oh my gosh, this is a blessing.
Speaker A
Pick one day to do it and then the whole week it's there. In 40 minutes you finish five heads of lettuce, okay? You will dry the leaf well, because that is important. If you have that salad spinner, oh, that works
Speaker A
great, because it removes, you know, that one we spin. Ready. But then it's important, I also shake it, you know? Like this, to remove the excess water. But we have to dry the leaf well. Drying the leaf, what do I
Speaker A
do? In a container that I'll keep in the fridge, one that has a lid, I start storing these leaves. So, I put paper in first, it's that paper towel, paper towel, paper towel, and I start organizing the leaves here. If it's a
Speaker A
leaf, you have to dry it, okay? Because it's that moisture that ends up ruining the leaf. But why is it that when we buy it at the market or at or at the produce stand, uh, it starts getting like that? So, it's because it
Speaker A
already has its own moisture. It has, you know, Glória, it's the very moisture of the fridge, right?
Speaker A
There's the fridge moisture, the leaf also loses moisture because the fridge, even though it has humidity, it also dries things out, right? Put some cheese out uncovered, it starts to get that crust, because it dries out too.
Speaker A
Just because an environment is cold, it doesn't mean it's dry; it's cold and humid. Exactly.
Speaker A
So here, it's the same thing with the salad. We have to start, I think one more fits here. We have to think that I need to remove the moisture from the salad, leave it here, because, why? Between the layers of salad leaves, I place
Speaker A
paper towels which will then pull, will absorb the moisture, it won't dry out the leaf, you understand? It won't dry out to the point where we have to take this leaf and put it in ice water to hydrate it.
Speaker A
But it will preserve it because it will hold it. Just think, I'll put just one more in here to show you. I'm actually creating an environment conducive for this leaf to stay in perfect condition, so it lasts longer. So, I dry the
Speaker A
little leaf well here, guys. I'm being super careful, but at home, we go a bit more Carol, does it work for lettuce, does it work for the others too?
Speaker A
All greens. All of them, every leaf, guys. Arugula, watercress, kale, all greens. Now, look, just think. I put the leaves in here, right? I washed my whole head of lettuce. Lastly, I will put paper towel, right?
Speaker A
I'll cover it OK, this container inside. What will happen? I won't lose the moisture from here no.
Speaker A
And at the same time, no moisture will get in, nor will it dry out.
Speaker A
And it won't mold. Exactly. So here I have my leaves dry and well-preserved because it's in an environment that has a certain humidity so it doesn't dry out, and at the same time it won't wilt because it won't lose all its moisture.
Speaker A
Wonderful. I loved it. This really lasts, okay? I am so lazy when it comes to washing greens.
Speaker A
It lasts. I'm really lazy about washing greens. I tell my husband, sometimes I don't even buy it because I'm lazy, but when I do buy it, I do this because I buy a bunch, and it really works.
Speaker A
And I always have fresh salad. And I always have fresh salad. I joke that my husband is a caterpillar.
Speaker A
Very good. Well, let me grab this, let me move this little paper over here.
Speaker A
Hmm. Well, vegetables, that's another subject too, that you buy. Oh my God, what do I do? Because I always buy extra. I just want a little bit of parsley to, I don't know, garnish a dish or make something.
Speaker A
Exactly. And then you have to buy that huge bunch this big. You think: "What do I do now?" Cilantro is the same thing. I want to add a little cilantro.
Speaker A
What do I do with the rest of the cilantro? A few things. First, my cilantro even wilted a bit here, look.
Speaker A
What a shame. A few things. First, we can keep it like this in water, remembering not to let the leaves come into contact with the water.
Speaker A
Just the stems. Just the stems. So you take the stem there, the parsley stem, cilantro, chives, whatever it is, you can trim a little bit here, because when we cut it , think, it was plucked from nature, already cut, it sort of killed the
Speaker A
bottom part. When you cut it again, you're reaching a living part of the stem. So, when you put it in water, sometimes I make basil cuttings like this, okay? Cut it, put it in water, it starts growing roots and then I plant
Speaker A
it. Look, it's super good for having a little garden at home, guys, okay? It doesn't necessarily need to sprout roots because it grows them. I do this with parsley, I put it in a little water. Be careful not to let the
Speaker A
leaves touch the water. It's just like we do with flowers, exactly like that. A flower bouquet.
Speaker A
Glory. That's it. Look, I had never linked that. Look at how we're exactly the same. How does a flower last longer ? When you put it, its stem in the water. If you put the leaf in the water
Speaker A
, it will rot. It will rot, right? Now, if I put only the stem in the water, it lasts, see. And it will last a long time, see. And I usually do this. When a flower bouquet arrives, I trim the tip
Speaker A
before placing it exactly. And it lasts longer, right? Ah, Carol. Yes. A wonderful duo.
Speaker A
So, and then you can leave it, obviously, we don't need to need to. You don't need to. There are more sensitive leaves, like cilantro, for example. It's important to put it in the fridge. Some people even put, there are even containers sold
Speaker A
specifically for storing herbs now, which is a little pot that has water at the bottom, so you take it, or, you know, when it looks really nice, you cover it, so not as much oxygen gets in and it stays fresher.
Speaker A
Another way to preserve it too, oh I don't want to put a little water in the fridge, in a pot, man. I won't, I don't have the space. That's fine. Chop it well. Add a bit and freeze it. Guys,
Speaker A
this works really well. Freeze it. Every time you want to use it, open your freezer, take a little bit, and it loosens up really quickly, right? It's not something that turns into a block.
Speaker A
Put it in a little container, no need to portion any of that. Put it in the container, take a little bit, garnish, do it, everything's fine.
Speaker A
Can I give one more tip about herbs? I have enough tips to make an entire show just talking about herbs. Another important tip is that, depending on the herb, there's the right time to add it to the recipe.
Speaker A
So, let's do the following. Hold that thought. I'm holding it. Hold that thought. So you're going to continue. Okay. Continue this one. Soon I'll hold onto the garlic one.
Speaker A
The garlic one is good. The garlic one is really good. So, look, I'll make this one quick.
Speaker A
The garlic one. Just you wait. Make this one quick. Depending on the seasoning, it goes in at a specific moment in the recipe. So, for example, the leaves, think about it , it's more delicate, and so on. If I
Speaker A
put it in at the beginning of the preparation until the end, I'll just have the weed itself. I don't have the flavor anymore, no. It's already wilted, it's already disappeared.
Speaker A
The flavor is gone, the flavor vanished . So what do I do? I add it at the end, you know that recipe, my Aunt Kell's pie, you do all the seasoning, and then at the end you add the parsley, stir,
Speaker A
stir, stir, the seasoning is ready, you have the aroma. If we add it before, it loses the aroma . Now, rosemary, thyme, which are stronger seasonings and are a bit tougher, drier.
Speaker A
Uh-huh. You need to add them earlier because they start releasing flavor. Oregano. Oregano, right? You're going to make some meat, you add the rosemary a little bit before. It releases that aroma as it cooks, as the dish gets ready.
Speaker A
Very cool, right, everyone? Wonderful tips. And then there's the garlic tip. We're going to understand how to cut garlic, the way you cut it, and how that influences the flavor of our food.
Speaker A
But I'll hold off on that one. And now, yes, now we're going to discover that famous garlic tip that Carol is going to show us, because I want to understand everything about this one, Carol.
Speaker A
Well, here's the thing, garlic is an ingredient that I think every Brazilian uses. Yeah, yeah. I love it, actually.
Speaker A
Truly, everyone loves it. And it's that thing, you never know how to use it.
Speaker A
You chop more, you chop less. You, you kind of go by instinct. Right? You go by instinct. Oh, my grandmother did it this way, so I'll do it. Anyway, this, what did I bring here? What are the ways we use garlic?
Speaker A
It changes the recipe completely. So, for example, sometimes I'm going to make rice and I don't want it very seasoned. I just want a little aroma. I put in a whole clove of garlic. What happens? The more I break the garlic, the more aroma I
Speaker A
release from it, right? So, if I take garlic and slice it, chop it, crush it, I'll be releasing more and more aroma. That's why when we put, you know when you make confit garlic, when you take the garlic, put it to
Speaker A
roast with the meat, and then you eat that garlic, it even gets sweet, it's delicious, delicious. It's also delicious. With bread, right? So this garlic, why does that happen? Because I didn't break its molecules. So it remains entirely whole.
Speaker A
Hmm. It stays more delicate. It even gets a bit sweet. Yeah. It doesn't get strong. It doesn't get that strong garlic flavor.
Speaker A
It doesn't get strong. Even if I take this garlic and cook it in, in, in rice , for example, when I'm kind of in a hurry, I take a clove of garlic, put it in the rice and let it cook just like
Speaker A
that, whole. Then you eat it, it's not sharp, it's more sweet. If I slice it, that's the most balanced one. It releases a little aroma, but it also holds back. It's how you'll make it golden, nice and toasted
Speaker A
to serve over a salad or meat. In little slivers like that, slivers, because it releases some aroma but doesn't get so strong. When we chop it or press it in a press, chopped, it already releases much more aroma. crushed is an explosion of
Speaker A
flavor, it’s a garlic explosion. A garlic explosion. You want to explode the garlic, yeah, yeah. Crush it.
Speaker A
That’s why sometimes, you make beans with the same amount of garlic, if you chopped or crushed it, the flavor is different.
Speaker A
Look, that’s why sometimes we say: " But I make it exactly like my grandma did and it’s not the same." The same because grandma usually she she crushed it with the tip of the knife, you know, and so on. She
Speaker A
released a lot of flavor. Ah, get it? we just give it a quick, practical chop to get it done.
Speaker A
Yeah. Or we crush the garlic and grandma didn't crush it. Exactly. Some people even use a mortar and pestle. So all of that makes a difference. So that’s it. The more I crush, I grind, I break the molecules of this garlic,
Speaker A
the more aroma I release. Another important thing is the aroma, toasted garlic, super tasty. Garlic when it turns bitter. Garlic cannot be saved, folks. You burned the garlic, pick it up, toss it in the trash. Such a shame. I think so too, but toss it
Speaker A
and make more, because otherwise it will ruin the recipe, since it gets really bitter. And it’s a strong bitterness, right?
Speaker A
Yes, yes, yes. And then, when we are going to season meat, for example, and we want to rub a little garlic on the steak?
Speaker A
Then it depends. And sometimes what do I do? I cut the garlic in half and rub it like a bruschetta.
Speaker A
Ah, look at that, right? Bruschetta, the classic bruschetta. You heat the bruschetta, take the raw garlic and rub it on to get that slight aroma, right? It’s not garlic where you say: "Wow, garlic paste." No, just to have a garlic aroma
Speaker A
. Get it? Got it. And what is the next tip? Tip. I'll show you.
Speaker A
Don't tell, just say, just mention it, grandma. You know that food you made that turned out a little bland? You don't know what it is. Sometimes it’s not salt that you need.
Speaker A
Hmm. So, let's do this, we'll go for a quick break now, but we'll be right back with this and other tips.
Speaker A
There’s also a delicious cake that Carol is going to teach us how to make here today. Let's go, quick. Quickly.
Speaker A
Back. Stay here, stay here. We are back with our "Mulheres" show and Carol Fiorentino is sharing everything here in the kitchen. All kinds of tips.
Speaker A
Tips for everything, right? Tips for everything. I tell you, there's a tip for potatoes, a tip for greens, a tip for storing, a tip for everything.
Speaker A
And you said something before the break , you said that sometimes we make a little dish and it’s kind of bland, so we add salt, right?
Speaker A
Exactly. But salt isn't always the secret. Hmm. When we cook, we have to understand that salt enhances flavor, without a doubt. Let's do a test, then. Okay. Here I have some cooked vegetables, okay? So here I can add a little bit of
Speaker A
salt. Go ahead and taste it. Cooked vegetables with a little salt. Tasty. It’s perfectly fine to eat. " Oh, my food is so bland." Uh-huh.
Speaker A
The acidity of lemon or vinegar helps to balance it out. It helps bring something extra.
Speaker A
Hmm. If we take a little bit of lemon and squeeze it in. What did you eat? Carrot . What?
Speaker A
Carrot? If we squeeze a drop of lemon onto the carrot. I don't think this one had salt. And a little bit of salt.
Speaker A
Taste it. It gives it a sort of astringency, brings something extra. Hmm. See? So, sometimes you say, "Wow, it was bland," but it wasn't actually bland. " I already knew that." Liar, you didn't know anything.
Speaker A
But doesn't it make a good difference? Hmm. It enhances the flavor for real. It gives it a, "Wow, hmm, this is delicious," right? Before it was like, "Oh, nice little meal," now it's, "Hmm, how delicious." So, sometimes it’s not a lack of salt,
Speaker A
it’s a need to balance the flavors. And acid plays that role, it manages to adjust it. Just like fat brings a more sumptuous, more prominent flavor, right ? You add butter to a béchamel sauce, for example, it gives it that sumptuous
Speaker A
quality, right? Sugar helps remove some bitterness and vinegar or lemon help exactly to provide that balance, that something extra that we sometimes can't find in a dish. A plus.
Speaker A
A plus. Did you like it? I loved it. Guys, so many tips.
Topics:kitchen tipsCarol Fiorentinopasta cookingpasta waterroasted potatoesfood preservationherb storagegarlic cooking tipscooking hackseasy recipes
