Now I’m not going to tell you anything like you should absolutely consume bunny meat because it’s considered to be the healthiest, most sustainable, and whatnot. After all, in America, rabbits are the most beloved pets. So all I’m doing here is talking about what they taste like whenever consumed.

So let’s get straight to the point below…

What Does Rabbit Taste Like?

Rabbit meat is very much comparable to chicken meat. Although the former is slightly gamier than the latter. In fact, it could also be a little too dry than chicken. But then, despite that, many people still find the taste of rabbit very delicious.

And now here’s the short version of the section that comes next. Wild rabbits are surely tougher than their farmed counterparts. In that case, wild rabbit meat is also tougher.

What about the age factor? Young rabbits, meaning rabbits that are 2 to 3 months old have very soft and tender meat. On the other hand, older rabbit meat is more chewy, thus demands more cooking.

Now if you would allow me to elaborate below…

What Does Rabbit Taste Like – Types of Rabbit

The taste is very much like chicken they say. But then rabbit meat is gamier with a more intense flavor. And needless to say, the texture is also not completely identical. Rabbit meat texture has a more dry consistency than chicken.

Now let’s find out more about the taste of rabbits based on a very important factor – where the animal comes from.

Domestic or Farm Rabbits

Farm-raised animals, be it rabbit, chicken, etc., contain a greater amount of fat. And that’s pretty obvious because they don’t really need to fend for themselves. Unlike rabbits living in the wild.

The meat of farm or domestic rabbits is more tender with a light pinkish color. But then this meat and its texture harden with age. These types of rabbits breed more intensively in comparison to wild rabbits and have a milder flavor.

Field or Wild Rabbits

The meat, in this case, is finer and lighter when compared to that of farm rabbits. The wild breed surely consumes a more diverse variety of foods in the wild, right? That makes their meat harder, but then you get more flavor from it. The color of the meat is more reddish, along with less fat content.

What You Might Want to Know About Rabbit Meat In General

Rabbit is white meat, thus perfect for low-calorie recipes that don’t include too much fat. So if you’re on a low-cholesterol and/or low-fat diet, then consuming rabbit seems like a good idea. Its nutritional value is also perfect for those dealing with cardiovascular diseases or disorders.

The meat is soft, hence very chewable. And even more when braised, stewed, or combined with veggies and sauces. BUT there’s a catch to it – rabbit meat consists of large amounts of muscle fibers. And that means not the easiest to digest. So in case you happen to have a sensitive or delicate stomach, consuming rabbits may not be such a great idea anymore.

Here’s the Best Way for Preparing Rabbit Meat

Now it goes without saying that you should cook the meat well if you want it to taste delicious. But then how to prepare rabbit meat the right way? You can roast it or braise it in stew. At the same time, many also cook rabbit meat curries and burgers. So let’s find out the most common methods of cooking rabbit meat…

1. Fast Cooking

Much like chicken cooking, rabbit meat can be fried for 20 minutes at a temperature of around 71 degrees Celcius.

Now for how long you should cook the meat depends on how many joints and how much fat content is present. Fewer joints and less fat require a shorter cooking time. Then people also roast rabbit bone for enhancing the taste and retaining the meat moisture.

2. Slow Cooking

For tasting the real meat of a rabbit, slow cooking is the way to go. When you cook slowly, you’re actually adding more juice to the meat. No doubt, the time taken increases. Plus, you have to cook at a lower temperature while the meat is covered with liquid.

On top of that, did you know that rabbit meat consists of plenty of connective tissues? So, at such times, cooking slowly seems like the perfect way to remedy that.

What All Can You Cook with Rabbit Meat?

Here’s the list…

• Rabbit Stew
• Roasted Rabbit
• Braised Rabbit with Mushroom Sauce
• Beer Basted Rabbit
• Rabbit Fricassee Cuban-Style

And of course, there are many more. But these are supposed to be the most common and most delicious recipes of all. That you’re sure to never forget the taste of once your taste buds get acquainted.

What About Storing Rabbit Meat?

Make sure you begin with clean hands when working rabbit or any other type of meat.

As for the right temperature of storage, it should be 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Or it could be lower.

Storing cooked rabbit meat within 2 hours is of the utmost importance. Much like the case of salmon, which is also stored within just 2 hours of cooking. And then make sure to consume it from your refrigerator within 4 days. Meaning if the rabbit meat is cooked on Monday and then you store the leftovers within 2 hours of cooking that day, then finish it off before Thursday.

You may also like: guest post on Food/kitchen site.

The End Note

So now you have an idea of what does rabbit taste like, right? Rabbit meat is light, pretty much like chicken they say. Plus, it is nutritious, it is deliciously flavored, and it is packed with low calories and low fat. Then there are the differences between farm rabbits and wild rabbits. The latter being gamier with a more intense and stronger flavor/taste.

But then keep in mind that the taste varies greatly based on how you choose to cook rabbit meat. And what ingredients and flavors you use. Always make sure to cook rabbit meat properly if you really wish to savor every ounce of it.

The post What Does Rabbit Taste Like – Farm vs. Wild Rabbits (Differences You Need to Know) appeared first on Lafianna.com.

Everyone knows what risotto is made of. Risotto is rice combined with rich flavors like broths, aromatic herbs, and vegetables. It’s a rich and creamy dish that is made creamier and smoother with parmesan cheese, butter, and caramelized onions.

All these tempting ingredients in a single dish; so you must know how to reheat risotto at home. If you have a well-equipped kitchen, you won’t need to start up the stove to reheat risotto. Your microwave oven will have a pre-programmed setting to reheat a dish like risotto.

If you don’t, let this informative article guide you through every method of reheating risotto the right way.

How to Reheat Risotto – 4 Easy, Quick Ways

That’s right – you can reheat risotto in not just 1 or 2, but 4 different ways. Whether you use the stovetop more than a microwave, or you use an oven for all your cooking, these tips you can follow easily with basic kitchen utensils and some amazing common pantry ingredients like butter and parmesan cheese.

1. Steamer Basket

Reheating risotto in a steamer basket is easy but requires a little bit more effort than say reheating it in a microwave. But the steam heats up the risotto really well so it’s definitely worth the extra effort.

Here’s what you do to reheat risotto in a steamer basket.

While it’s better to have a stainless steel steam basket with a lid, you can also use a colander at home. Use a heatproof and sturdy plate as a lid and wear oven mitts to avoid burning your hand once the colander and plate get hot.

Add the water to a pot and place it on the stove to get it to the ideal boiling temperature. Make sure the colander or steam basket you use doesn’t have big holes because the risotto will fall into the water as it starts to expand while warming up.

If that is the case, you can use a thin baking sheet, and keep the risotto on top of the sheet inside the steamer basket or colander. Then stab small holes around the edges and a few in the middle to allow the steam to enter without the rice falling down.

Cover the basket with a lid and reduce the heat once the water is boiling hot. Since you’ve placed a sheet underneath, you can add some butter or broth to add a creamy texture after the risotto starts to warm up evenly.

2. Sauce Pan

Another stovetop method to reheat risotto is with a saucepan. Add some water or broth with butter or wine (if you like) to the saucepan. Let it warm up first, your kitchen should smell really good at this point, then add the cold risotto and let it simmer. You can keep adding water 1/4 cup at a time until the risotto looks creamy and hot.

3. Microwave

All you need for reheating risotto in a microwave is a microwave-friendly glass bowl. Put the risotto in the bowl and quickly reheat the risotto for 4-5 minutes using the microwave setting. Some microwave appliances offer a special reheating function to evenly reheat and warm up cold, leftover food.

Once you know the risotto is warm enough, you can add some butter to maintain its creamy and rich texture. This also makes sure the risotto doesn’t dry up too quickly during reheating at a higher temperature.

4. Oven

Better than a microwave to reheat risotto is an oven. You can use different ingredients like broth, parmesan cheese, eggs, butter, etc. to reheat risotto. I think of this as re-cooking risotto to make it taste exactly like it’s being freshly served in a restaurant.

What you need is a bowl and a plate to get started. Keep the risotto in one bowl. While the risotto shifts to room temperature, grate parmesan cheese into the risotto and combine well without flattening the risotto rice.

To add some texture to the dish, you can also mix some breadcrumbs, butter, and broth. Some people even add an egg or two to improve the flavor and texture of risotto.

Once all the ingredients are combined well, transfer the risotto to a baking plate. And place it in the oven and bake the risotto for 10 to 15 minutes at a slightly lower temperature.

Yes, this method is more time-consuming than the previous ones but the results are so good you wouldn’t mind the wait.

Can You Freeze Cooked Risotto?

This is one thing you absolutely SHOULD NOT do.

Freezing risotto won’t spoil the texture and flavor of the dish. But thawing it will. Instead of creamy, you’ll find that thawed risotto tastes dry, lumpy, and sticky. The temperature changes during thawing and then reheating will ruin the richness of the risotto. So it’s best to refrigerator risotto and you can do so for up to 4 days for reheating.

Final Thoughts

Honestly though, reheating risotto is one of the most versatile and simplest things ever. You don’t have to settle for dry, chunky risotto the next time you have leftovers. Just keep the risotto in the refrigerator and reheat it the next day using these simple, stress-free reheating methods.

Every time I find some cooking hack, it blows my mind because it makes cooking not only fun but super easy. I can turn leftover risotto into fritters or baked cheesy rice balls in a matter of minutes. Or add some of my favorite flavors or herbs to spruce up the texture and flavor of risotto so it tastes nothing like leftover risotto!

The post How to Reheat Risotto – 4 Easiest and Quickest Methods You Need to Know appeared first on Lafianna.com.

Throwing out spoiled potatoes every week is a common sight if you don’t cook potatoes very often. You always end up buying potatoes in bulk and then forget to incorporate them in recipes for the week.

Potatoes are nutritious and delicious but they do spoil faster since they grow beneath the soil. So replicating that environment in order to prolong the shelf life of potatoes, here’s everything you need to know.

How Long Do Potatoes Last?

Let’s get this out of the way. Potatoes, when stored correctly, can last for as long as 3 months. But what do you mean by “stored correctly?”

Raw

When you store potatoes raw, you can store them in any 1 of 2 ways – at room temperature or at 10-degrees Celsius. That sounds crazy, right? Who would care enough to store potatoes at 10-degrees Celsius?

But what if I told you that storing potatoes at 10-degrees Celsius means that it’ll last for up to 3 months? Do you think it’s crazy now?

10-degrees Celsius is 50-degrees Fahrenheit which means it’s cold since a refrigerator’s ideal temperature is about 40-degrees Fahrenheit.

Storing raw potatoes at room temperature, however, will keep them fresh for about 1-2 weeks maximum.

Cooked

Cooked potatoes last for several months depending on where you store them.

Cooked potatoes kept in a refrigerator can last for up to 2 weeks. And cooked potatoes kept in a freezer can last for 10 months to a year.

The cooking method of storing potatoes is very simple. Boil the potatoes in water and transfer them to a bowl of ice water for a few minutes. You can also steam or bake the potatoes. The cooking technique may differ, and it won’t affect the shelf life of potatoes.

But, having said that, the more ingredients you add to cook the potatoes with such seasonings, the shorter will be its lifespan. Keeping the potatoes cooked but unseasoned and plain is a good idea to prolong their shelf life and avoid spoilage.

How to Spot Spoiled Potatoes?

Do you know how to figure out when potatoes have gone bad? These are the signs you need to look out for…

1. Appearance

The first sign of spoilage is wrinkly, sagging, and spotty skin. If the outer layer of the potato looks hardened and wrinkly, those are the first signs of spoilage. But do not throw away the potatoes right away. Cut one open to inspect the condition inside. If there are black spots, then throw the potatoes out.

Green or black spots are common signs of spoilage.

Dampness is also a sign that the potatoes are going bad. And also that they are not edible anymore so there’s no need to salvage what’s good. Rotten potatoes become damp and attract moisture; hence the mushy appearance which means the potatoes have gone too soft and squishy from inside as well.

2. Odor

Usually, sagging skin and odor appear together when a potato turns rotten. But just in case you can see the bad, rotten appearance, you can smell it. Rotten potatoes have a strong, moldy, and bitter scent.

There have been cases when the potatoes look fine from outside but they stink horribly! That is when the potato starts rotting from inside out. Do not assume that a bad-smelling potato is fine to eat even though it looks good. Throw it out immediately.

3. Growing Shoots

In most cases, a potato keeps developing or sprouting, even after harvesting. So they form shoots or eyes that grow from various spots on the surface. This is often coupled with tiny green or brown spots on the exterior.

When you buy potatoes from an organic produce stand or a supermarket, do not pick potatoes with growing sprouts.

It’s completely fine to remove the shoots before cooking. And as long as the potato smells and looks fine, you have nothing to worry about. But sometimes, these sprouts grow all over and that’s when you need to throw the potatoes out.

The green spots growing around the sprouts contain a toxin that should not be digested. Cutting around those green spots when they are tiny is fine. But once they start growing out of control, do not eat them. It may cause an upset stomach, acidity, bloating, pain, or worse.

Some Tips Before You Go

If there’s one thing that has helped me become a better cook is stuff I’ve learned from practice.

If you’re storing raw potatoes outside, always keep them in a dry, cool, and dark place. Never keep them next to a kitchen appliance like a refrigerator, oven, or stove. The heat will spoil them quickly. Heat and moisture cause mold and growing sprouts so be careful where you store the potatoes.

Even if people tell you that it’s alright, never store raw potatoes in the fridge. It will double the sugar content of the potatoes causing them to soften and become moldy soon.

And the last thing, even if you’re storing cooked potatoes in the freezer, do not use them for longer than a few months. They will lose most of their quality in the freezer. Becoming saggy and soft only means that after thawing, it will become moldy and squishy.

Final Thoughts

Everywhere, potatoes are a staple in kitchens. They are nutritious and appetizing no matter how you cook them. That is why putting thought into how to store potatoes and how long do potatoes last can be of big help to you.

You can avoid risking food poisoning and wasting potatoes once you know how long potatoes last. And from this article, you can also take with you the basics of storing potatoes in versatile ways.

The post How Long Do Potatoes Last, Raw and Cooked? How to Store Potatoes? appeared first on Lafianna.com.