Cooking Tips: Fruits
While lemon juice is sour, it is a flavor enhancer for sweet fruits, such as apples. Sprinkle some lemon juice on fresh fruit salads or add a few teaspoons to the fillings of fruit pies or other baked desserts.
If making your own guacamole or other dishes containing avocado, place the avocado in a heavy resealable plastic bag. Eliminate as much air as possible, and "mash" the avocado by squeezing the bag. Then add additional ingredients and combine them in the same fashion. Store the dish refrigerated this way, and there will be no mess and no discoloration.
If you use a citrus fruit such as an orange in your fruit salad, fruits like bananas and apples will not discolor as quickly. Squeeze the orange juice right over the other fruits, and add the pulp to the salad.
If using fresh lemon juice, use the small holes on a box grater to add some of the yellow part of the peel, called the zest, to the sauce. This outer layer of peel contains all the aromatic oils. And if your grater is coated with Crisco Oil prior to use, it is easier to clean.