Sunday, March 6, 2011

Kitchen Tips

These kitchen tips are a collection i've gathered from a variety of cookbooks and magazines.

1)To keep cheese from getting hard,cut off enough for immediate use and spread the remaining portion with a thin film of butter or margarine.Put it in a cool place.This keeps out the air and prevents the cheese from drying out.

2)To thin a small portion of peanut butter,use orange juice.It makes it spread much easier and adds taste appeal.

3)Sprinkle pantry shelves,window sills and door sills with a mixture of red pepper and sage to rid them of ants.

4)To clean and freshen wooden chopping blocks,counter or rolling pins,sprinkle table salt on these surfaces when they are wet and scrub dry.

5)Bread crusts are ideal for cleaning the meat grinder; then add to the meat dish for flavor and food.

6)A smooth shiny egg shell is a sign of old age.Fresh eggs have a chalky rough shell.

7)When in doubt about an egg,make this test: add 2 tsp of salt to a cup of water and put the egg in it.A fresh  egg will sink,a doubtful egg will float.

8)Lemons will stay fresh longer if you store them in a bowl of cold water in the fridge.
   They’ll keep up to 3 months this way.

9)A little salt sprinkled in the frying pan will keep fat or lard from splattering.

10)Warm Brazil nuts in the oven before cracking them.

11)To make peeling hard-cooked eggs easier,butter your thumbs.

12)When working with hot peppers and the heat gets into your hands,wash your hands in diluted bleach to stop the burn.

13)Some vinegar in a glass or cup placed in the refrigerator will do away with that ice box odor.

14)To remove any disagreeable odor from your hands or a cooking vessel,wash with apple cider vinegar.

15)If hands get stained from chopping vegetables,rub them with slices of raw potato.

16)Use vanilla extract to sooth cooking burns and to keep them from blistering.Cider vinegar also helps –   just dab on the burn,reapply if necessary.

17)A cloth dipped in lemon juice will clean discoloration on aluminum pots and cookware.Rinse and wipe dry.

18)Bring back some shine to aluminum pans by boiling apple peels in them.

19)To pick up slivers of broken glass,wet a piece of paper toweling and apply gently to surface,the slivers will cling to the wet towel.

20)When stirring anything hot,always use a wooden spoon.It never gets hot nor does it scratch the cookware.

21)Place a jar lid on the bottom of the double boiler.It will rattle when the water gets too low.

22)If two glasses are stuck together,fill the top glass with cold water and set the bottom glass in hot water. Try to carefully twist the two glasses apart after a minute.

23)Make sure you let your metal pans cool before washing otherwise they may warp.

24)Boil a bit of vinegar and salt in an iron skillet to remove burned on bits.

25)Put the potato masher into cold water as soon as you’re done using it,it will clean easier.

26)Use an egg slicer to slice butter into individual pats.This tip also works for fresh mushrooms.

27)Squeeze a wedge of lemon after handling fish,will remove the fish smell from your hands.

28)Mark eggs to use up first with a pencil before filling tray with fresh eggs.

29)Fish or onion odor can be removed from utensils and dishes by adding a teaspoonful of baking soda to the dish water.

30)Milk,in being boiled,frequently sticks to the pan.To prevent this,rinse the pan in hot water before using.

31)Onion odor can be removed from the hands by rubbing them with dry salt.

32)Salty tastes in gravies,soups,etc.,can be eliminated by dropping a piece of raw potato into the liquid for a few minutes before removing from the fire.

33)Spaghetti or macaroni frequently boil over when cooking.This can be prevented by adding a tablespoon of cooking oil or lard to the water.

34)Spicing of fruits,pickles,relishes,etc.,is made easier by putting the spices in a tea ball.It can be removed from the hot syrup at any time without trouble.

35)Grapefruit or oranges can be peeled easily if permitted to stand in boiling water for ten minutes.

36)Peaches will not discolor if immersed in solution of half milk and half water after peeling.

37)Fish scales can be removed quickly and easily by first dipping the fish in boiling water.

38)Scrambling Eggs:Add a tablespoonful of cream for each egg.It makes them light and they will go farther.

39)Cabbage odor can be avoided by dropping two English Walnuts (uncracked) into the kettle while cooking.

40)Cabbage is much sweeter if cooked in open kettle 8 minutes.

41)Cauliflower will remain white and give off no odor while cooking in half milk and half water.Use liquid for soup or cream sauce.

42)Onions,held under water while being peeled,will not make you weep because the fumes are thus prevented from rising.

43)Peas should be washed thoroughly and cooked without hulling.The hulls will soon rise to the top and can be taken out.The flavor of the peas will be greatly improved.

44)Potatoes - To improve the flavor of old potatoes,add a little sugar to the water in which they are boiled.

45)Spinach should be cooked in open kettle with no water.Cook slowly until juice is drawn,then quickly. The color will be bright dark green.

46)Sweet potatoes and apples will not turn black if placed in salt water immediately after peeling.

47)Vegetables that have become withered can be freshened by soaking them with a strong solution of baking soda.It will make the withered veggies crisp again.

48)To help rid the house of the odor of cooking vegetables,put a little vinegar in an open saucepan on the stove.

49)Vegetables that are to be cooked by steaming will preserve their color in the process if,after being washed in the usual way,they are given a final rinse in boiling water containing a little soda.

50)A little oatmeal adds much flavor and richness when used as a thickener for soups.

51)Lemon juice or vinegar in the water cauliflower is cooked in makes it keep its snowy-white color.

52)To preserve the color of green vegetables,put them on to cook in boiling water with a pinch of soda,or keep the cover off the kettle while boiling them.

53)A teaspoonful of vinegar added to the water in which eggs are poached keeps the whites from spreading and makes the whites cook over the yolk.

54)To prevent milk or cream from curdling when used in combination with tomato, add a bit of bicarbonate of soda to each before they are mixed.

55)Wash leafy vegetables,such as spinach,thoroughly just before cooking.Add no water–the water that clings to the leaves is enough to cook them in.

56)To keep cauliflower snowy white, soak for half an hour in cold salt water before cooking it.

57)Lessen the odor of cooking turnips by adding a teaspoonful of sugar to the water.They’ll be more flavorful,too.

58)If cooking vegetables that are slightly over mature,add a little sugar to the water to improve the flavor.

59)Bring water to boiling point,then add vegetables.A lot of vitamin content is lost and dissolved out when vegetables are added to water and then brought to boiling stage.

60)Cook green vegetables in very little water and cook as quickly as possible.

61)Cook white vegetables such as potatoes,cauliflower and corn in water to which a little lemon juice has been added.

62)Drain vegetables and add melted butter or other seasonings.

63)Save the cooking water,which contains minerals and vitamins and use to flavor soups,gravies or for part of the liquid to mash potatoes.

64)Remember to serve vegetables as soon as possible after cooking and make sure they are hot.

65)Stir frying is a fast way to cook but it’s the prep work that can take a lot of time.Solve this problem by prepping what you can the night before.Wash, chop and store food items in airtight containers,meat and vegetables separate and refrigerate overnight.

66)Choose lean cuts of meat and trim fat so that there isn’t much grease added to the dish.

67)Have all your meat and vegetables prepped before you start cooking.Arrange all ingredients in piles on a large cutting board or in individual bowls and placed within reach of the stove.Have your seasonings and sauces at hand too.Successful stir frying relies on fast paced cooking, be ready.

68)When beating eggs separately for a recipe,beat whites first and add a little to yolks before beating them. Yolks thicken quicker and will not stick to dish as they do when beaten alone.

69)When making a cake,always add 2 tblsps. boiling water to the butter and sugar mixture.This makes a fine textured cake.

70)Use orange juice instead of water to make a sponge cake more flavorful.

71)When boiling milk,first stir in a pinch of baking soda.This will help keep the milk from curdling.

72)Add one teaspoon of lemon juice to each quart of water when cooking rice,this will keep rice fluffy.

73)Salt added to flour used for thickening gravies, etc.,will help to prevent lumping.

74)Keep brown sugar in a closed container with an apple in it,the brown sugar will stay soft and moist.

75)For fried foods that require flouring,try pancake flour for a change,it’s quite nice.

76)To keep peeled potatoes from turning dark without putting them in water,wrap in paper towel and wet under the faucet.

77)Toast oatmeal in the oven before adding to other ingredients when making oatmeal cookies - delicious !

78)If you scorch milk by accident,put the pan in cold water and add a pinch of salt.Takes away the burned taste.

79)For bananas that are ripe and ready to eat but you have too many,peel the bananas and freeze them then dip in melted chocolate and freeze again,these make a nice treat !

80)Rinse measuring cup in hot water before using syrup,oil,etc.Will pour out clean and not stick to cup.

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