Cooking tips for solving those little cooking quirks

If you've ever been continually mystified by common cooking problems but never seem to have the time to find solutions, the following may help you out a bit. Here's a few of my trial and error discoveries. Most of you may know these solutions already, but for the few that don't - here's to enlightenment!

P: Soggy stir fry

S: Using no oil, high heat and short cooking time in a preheated non Teflon pan will give a grilled effect to your veggies much like Fajita veggies: firm yet slightly charred on the edges. Be sure to crack some windows, this method is a little smoky, but so worth the grilled flavor. Don't add salt until after cooking, (salt brings out the moisture in food).

Using very little oil, high heat and short cooking time in a preheated non Teflon pan time will give your stir fry a bit of juice left in the bottom of the pan and still keep your veggies crunchy. Add salt at the end.

Teflon pans are not a good choice for making stir fry. The key to stir fry is high heat and short cooking time and high heat eventually destroys your Teflon pan causing it the Teflon to flake off. Preferably use a wok or a metal fry pan.

P: Bitter eggplant / Eggplant that sucks up all moisture in the pan like a sponge and takes forever to cook

S: There are many different types of eggplant. Unfortunately, the large purple eggplants that are most commonly found in grocery stores are the most bitter. If you can find them, (Asian markets would be your best bet), the long slender purple eggplants are less bitter, they are much more flavorful and easier to cook with.

If you still need the use the common eggplant, use the following technique: Chop the eggplant into the desired shape, place in bowl, sprinkle generously with salt and mix. Let sit for 30 min to 1 hr and watch the salt do its magic. The salt will cause the eggplant to "sweat" in turn, tenderizing the eggplant and getting rid of the bitterness. Rinse eggplant thoroughly then, cook with it how ever you choose.

P: Limp or chewy asparagus

S: The thinner the asparagus the easier it is to cook. The trick is to cut enough of the fibrous ends off before throwing them in the pan and also to not overcook them. Place them in a preheated non stick pan over med heat with a thin amount oil and a splash of water, add your seasonings, cover and let steam. Rotate spears periodically. Keep your eye on them, just when they start to turn to a nice translucent bright green check them. The tips should have a bend to them but still have a bit of crunch.