Tips for buying food items

Food related tips
APPLES
To see if a Cox’s Pippin apple is ripe, shake and if the pips rattle, it is ripe.

FISH
To ensure fish is fresh, look for shiny eyes and body and slippery outer skin
When filleting plaice, start on the white side, remove fillet, turn over and then the dark side will be easier to remove. When skinning fish, dip fingers in salt as this will help you grip the skin.

Cut horizontally across the fish tail to reveal skin, pull back skin firmly with one hand and pushing down using a sawing motion, work knife down fish between flesh and skin. After gutting a salmon there is a line of blood running down the back bone.  This can be removed by using a teaspoon to scrape out from one end to the other, in one movement.
BEEF
Beef with bright, white fat will be good to eat.

CRABS
If you like the white meat, choose the male crab as this has bigger claws.  If you prefer brown meat pick the female, as this has the bigger body (don’t we all!!!)

To remove meat from claw, tap joing with knife and separate the two halves.  Use handle of teaspoon to scoop out the meat from inside the claw.  Hit the nipper end sharply a couple of times and the outer shell will slide off easily.
craft knife.
PARSLEY
Freeze parsley in a polythene bag.  When frozen rub bag between hands and the parsley will not need chopping.

DRYING HERBS
When drying herbs use the clean bags provided with the tablets for washing machines.  Put in the fresh herbs, hang them to dry, when ready just rub between your hands onto a piece of paper and then store them in empty herb jars.  All the stems will be left in the bags so it is very quick and easy.