Preparing Kale? Know What You Want To Make
Preparing kale is quick and easy, as long as you know what you’re doing. This healthy, nutritious and tasty leafy green can be prepared in a number of ways, depending on why you are preparing kale: are you making a kale salad, a kale smoothie, a kale juice, a kale soup or perhaps even kale chips? This versatile ingredient is available almost all year round, so it’s handy to have kale on hand in your kitchen. You may also find it can be added to some of your already-loved recipes.
Check your recipe to see if it mentions anything on how to prepare kale. However, one of the most important things when preparing kale, particularly if it’s not organic kale, is to give the leaves a good wash in a salad spinner. The cabbage family, which kale is a part of, is a type of plant which contains the most pesticides, so it’s very important to give kale a good wash before it is cooked or used. If you’re going to use it for a kale chips recipe, you need to make sure to remove most of the excess water to ensure your kale chips are crispy.
You will want to place the leaves in a deep bowl, and fill it with fresh, clean water. Massage the kale leaves with your fingertips to remove any dirt or pesticides from the leaves. You can place the kale on tea towels to dry, or use a salad spinner to remove the excess water.
Whether you decide to keep the kale stems when you are preparing kale depends on what you wish to prepare kale for. However, it’s not always necessary to remove the whole stem of the kale, only if you are making perhaps a kale smoothie, a kale juice recipe or kale chips. If it’s for a favorite kale salad recipe, or if you are going to prepare kale for a soup or stir fry, you have the option of retaining the stems, but just cut the base of the stem off with a knife.
How do you prepare kale? Well, this depends on what you are going to make. Ideal preparations include steaming, frying, boiling, baking or sautéing. Kale can also be eaten raw. Using kale for pesto, raw salad, a slushy or even for flatbread – the options are limitless! Depending on which variety of kale you are using, some kale leaves add a beautiful color and aroma to your salad or stew!
You can store your kale in the fridge for up to five days in a plastic bag or container if you’re not ready to use your kale in a recipe just yet. It’s best to take note of the date so that you know when your kale is past its used by date!
Kale is prepared differently depending on what you’re making
(CC Image courtesy of foodista.com)
