Okra

Okra, my friend, let's talk about that slime everyone complains about. You cut the pod, and the juice comes out sticky, almost like egg white running off a spoon. This is normal, this is what okra does. Cook it in a stew, and that sticky juice turns into something thick and silky that holds the whole pot together instead of letting it run thin on the plate.

Choose okra the way you choose any living pod: look at it, feel it. Fresh okra is bright green, firm to the touch, with no soft spots or wrinkles, and the smaller pods are usually the tender ones. Smell it too — fresh okra smells green and faint, almost like nothing. If it smells sharp or sour, leave it.

Now, some people say the slime means the okra is spoiled or badly cooked. No! That silky, stretchy liquid is simply what okra brings to the pot: cut the pods small and let them simmer a long while, and you get more of it; keep the pods whole and cook them fast and hot, and you get less. The mistake this belief leads to is a sad one — people rinse the pods too long, boil them half to death trying to "wash out" the slime, and end up with a mushy, flavorless mess instead of a proper stew.