EveryDay with Rachael Ray January/February 2014

Home juicing how to -

1. Wash ingredients; remove stems and peel citrus. Thin-skinned fruits and vegetables, like apples or cucumber, don’t need to be peeled.

2. Halve large fruits and vegetable so they’ll fit into the juicer’s tube.

3. Turn the juicer on and feed ingredients into the tube one at a time. Juice hard vegetables at a high speed and softer fruits at a low speed. Pour into a glass and drink it up.

No juicer? No problem - run firm ingredients through a food processor fitted with a grating disk. Transfer to a bowl, remove the disk and insert the standard blade. Puree the ingredients for 5 minutes, then press through a fine mesh strainer.

3 Questions for a Butcher

How long does meat stay fresh?  A good rule of thumb is to cook or freeze fresh meat within two days of buying it. You can also extend its life by cooking it - cooked meats will keep three to four additional days in the refrigerator.

How can I serve steak without breaking the bank? Your best option is to look for affordable cuts like top sirloin steak, which is lean and tender much like the prized tenderloin. You can also try tri-tip, a flavorful sirloin cut. It’s often sold as a larger roast, but you can ask to have it cut into smaller individual steaks. Like the top sirloin, it’s about half the cost of a strip steak.

Any butcher’s tricks shoppers should ask for?  If you’re buying a less expensive, less tender cut of meat, such as London broil or eye round steak, ask your butcher to run it through the tenderizer once, even if it’s thick - the machine separates the muscles, which allows rubs or marinades to permeate and helps the meat cook evenly and quickly.

How to pick the perfect avocado

The best guacamole is made with creamy fleshed hass avocadoes at the peak of ripeness.

1. Look for a forest green fruit. Darker skin means riper flesh.

2. Cradle it in the palm in your hand and gently squeeze. Guac-ready fruit will give slightly.

3. Flick off the stem. If it pops off easily and what’s underneath is bright green, you are good to go. Brown means it is overripe.