Tips for Sucessful Phyllo Manipulation

Do you have “Fear of Phyllo”? Here are some tips to get you on the
road to recovery.

1.  Buy your phyllo in the grocery store. We do not have time
    nor the room in modern American kitchens to make it.

2.  Phyllo is frozen when you get it. It needs to thaw slo-o-owly
    in the refrigerator. DO NOT leave it on the counter to thaw
    or it becomes sticky and hard to manage.

3.  Have all your ingredients ready and available when you are
    ready to begin assembling your dish.

4.  Because phyllo dries quickly and becomes brittle, keep a damp
    towel or plastic wrap ready to throw over it between layers.
    Unless your home is particularly dry, working quickly may 
    be the only thing you need.

5.  I cover my counter with newspaper or something else I can 
    throw out when the job is completed. We are talking about 
    messy.

6.  Use REAL sweet, unsalted butter. Some of the magazines say
    that PAM or other spray is a good alternative but they
    are wrong.

7.  Get a 1 to 3 inch paint brush that you can reserve for butter
    and keep it handy.

8.  Clarify your butter. Means to simply warm the butter so that 
    you can pour off the butter separate from the fat solids.

9.  Work quickly and do not worry about occasional shredded pieces.
    Phyllo chunks can be hidden inside your dish.

10. Watch it as it bakes because butter browns quicker than sprays.

See more great recipes at http://food.barasch.com