In this page, I plan to add my tips on cooking and other things around the house.
How to store chopped garlic
Chopped Garlic for the freezer
Garlic is a very important ingredient in Korean cooking and the store bought ones really don’t have the full flavor. So I like to chop my own garlic in the blender and store it in a plastic bag and store in the freezer for later use. Trick is to press the garlic into a thin layer and press/score the plastic bag so that the garlic will easily break off when you want to use just a small amount straight from the freezer.
How to refresh wilted vegetables
If your vegetables are a bit wilted, you can freshen them by cutting the stems and soaking them in cold water.
Ssukat that’s wilted
Ssukat that’s fresher
Left is before it was in the water and the right is after the Ssukat stems were cut and soaked in water for few minutes.
How to make dried anchovy stock (멸치다시국물 myulchi dashi gukmool)
dried anchovies in water
Most recipes will tell you to make the anchovy stock by boiling dried anchovies in water. This method works fine but another way to make really flavorful (more flavorful than boiling) anchovy stock is to just let the dried anchovies soak in cold water for couple hours or even overnight. This way, you can make the stock in advance and use it later when you need it – as long as it’s not too much later (not longer than 8 hours at room temperature or 2 days in the refrigerator).
If you don’t have time to make the anchovy stock in advance, here is how you can make them in 25 minutes or less:
Use about a handful of large anchovies (for stock – called 국물멸치 Gukmool myulchi) for 6-8 C of water. Bring the anchovies and water to a boil in an uncovered pot. When it starts to boil, reduce heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes. It is important to make the stock in an uncovered pot – boiling anchovy stock with the cover on may sometimes leave a fishy smell in the stock.
How to unshrink a shrunken sweater and even a 100% cotton blouse!
If you search online about how to unshrink a shrunken sweater, you will find different advices (using shampoo, just water etc). The method below really works on both wool sweaters and even on a 100% cotton blouse (an Indian Kurta blouse).
Fill a sink with room temperature water, mix in 2- 3 Tbs of hair conditioner and then let the garment soak for 15 minutes. Take it out of the water, squeeze the water out (do not wring or twist) and then use a towel to further absorb the water. Hang dry. Do not use a clothes hanger since that will ruin the shape. I dry mine over the bathtub or over a chair (make sure the chair is OK when wet).
How to store Saewoojeot
Today someone asked me about how long Saewoojeot can be stored in the fridge. It’s hard to say exactly how long since each Saewoojeot may be a bit different on how long it has been fermenting already but it can keep up to 2-3 years in the fridge if they were relatively fresh. A better way to store Saewoojeot for even longer periods (some say up to 5 years) is to store in the freezer. Because of the high salt content, it will actually not fully freeze which means you don’t have to defrost before using it. In the old days, saewoojeot was kept outside with no refrigeration and it kept fresh for up to a year even through the hot summer. One thing to note, if you store the saewoojeot for a longer period, you may notice that it becomes more liquid. And this is OK. It just becomes Saewoo-aek-jeot at this point which you can also use to make sauces and kimchi. “Aek” means liquid.
Hi, I love your tips section – especially the one about storing fresh garlic. I will definitely do that soon, but I had a few questions first. What size ziploc bag do you use – quart? What is the best way to “score” the garlic after it is in the bag – i.e. what do you recommend using to make the score lines? How deep should the score marks be so that the garlic will break off easily?
Thanks and keep the Tips coming!!!
-Carlo’s Chef
Hello Carlo’s Chef
Thanks for asking! Yes, I peel about 1 to 1 1/2 C of garlic cloves (approx 3 large bulbs or 5 small bulbs) which fills up a quart size bag. The thickness of the flattened out garlic just depends on how much garlic you have. The thickness doesn’t matter too much since you will “score” the garlic to break into squares anyway.
When filling the bag, fill the bag with all of the garlic, close about 3/4 of the bag, put it on a flat surface and spread the chopped garlic out to fill up the bag. Once the garlic is totally flat, close the bag completely. Then “score” the garlic by pressing down and sliding across the bag with the edge of your hand (as if you’re doing a karate chop!) so that when it’s frozen, each square can easily break off. Make each square 1″x 1″. This should equal roughly to 1 -2 tsp of chopped garlic depending on the thickness. Freeze on a flat surface of course and when you need it, just take it out, break off enough squares without defrosting and put it right back in the freezer! Good luck!!
April 19th: Our class learned about So. Korea and we have Multicultural Day next week, April 27th. I thought to buy prepackaged items from a Korean market to simplify for parents who will cook the food the evening before. Do you have any suggestions? thank you, Tori
Hi! Sounds like a wonderful class!! Are you planning to buy the items from the market the day before and serve? Or are you talking about food items to suggest to parents to buy and bring? Also, does your market have a Korean deli (freshly made foods like korean sushi(kimbap))?
If you can give me a bit more detail, I would be happy to suggest items to you. Thank you for asking!