When mashing potatoes warm the milk before adding to the potatoes, and add one teaspoon of sugar to each pound of potatoes. You won't believe the difference in taste. (the sugar is undetectable!)
For those difficult hard to open bottles, such as catsup, vinegar, oils, etc., use your trusty nutcracker. It has grippers and is perfect for opening small hard to open bottles.
To remove the smell of garlic and onions from your hands after chopping, first run the knife under the tap for a few seconds to clean it off. Then, rub your fingers along the flat side of the knife, taking care not to cut yourself. There is a chemical process going on there which I can't explain, but this method works better than lemon juice and any other trick I've tried!
When rolling pie crust, place a large piece of wax paper down on the countertop. Place your dough on top of the wax paper and then place another piece of wax paper on top of the dough. Roll out the crust to the desired size. You then only have to remove the top piece and using the bottom piece of wax paper, it is much easier to transfer to your pie plate. There is no need to add any extra flour.
Greta says: My spice cabinet contains a two-level 12 in. rotating surface. I put my spices in alphabetical order on the two levels, and just spin for the spice I want.
Use peanut butter to remove sticker residue from glass, plastics, and fridge doors. Just spread a thin layer of peanut butter over the residue and let sit for a few minutes, then wipe clean with a damp cloth. It also works great for getting gum out of hair.
Also, never have rice boil over again. Put amount of rice and recommended amount of water in a roaster, cover put in cold oven-turn oven to 350F and 25 minutes later, you have perfect rice with no mess and almost no sticking to the roaster. Try it-it really works.
To clean a metal colander, spray with PAM before draining spaghetti; spaghetti won't stick and it's easier to clean out.
Rolling out pie crusts: roll between wax paper, no need for extra flour, keeps counter and rolling pin clean and it's easier to transfer the dough to the pan.
Kathy says: Once I accidentally forgot to flour a cake pan. The cake turned out fine. As a matter of fact, frosting the cake was easier, I didn't get bits of cake sticking to the spatula - it is generally that flour that coats the pan that comes off when the cake is frosted. I haven't floured another pan since.
From Pam: I learned this quite by accident. I misplaced my bbq scrubber brush and needed to clean the grill in a hurry. I wadded up some heavyweight foil and scrubbed. It worked better than the metal brush that I've been using for ages!
Tired of outdated spices, or buy a whole container for only a teaspoon full? Buy bulk spices. I have bought as little as a teaspoon full for a special recipe. I save my old spice jars to store the new ones.
Don't go into sticker shock when you see the price such as $36.00 a pound for dried chives or $10.00 for whole peppercorns. These are so light that for 25 or 30 cents you can buy an ample supply. Many spice containers only have 1/2 ounce or less, and start in about the $2 or $3 range. You're paying for that container thru the nose. The bulk are always fresh when you buy them. I buy mine at the local supermarket in their bulk food department, and can buy a dozen spices in small quantities for the price of one container. Of course, there may be a few highly specialized spices/herbs not available.
Looking for unique recipe cards? Why not make your own...buy the card stock in a variety of colors and check around the web for some cute clip art...there's tons of it. You can even print your recipes directly on these, if you want.
You'll never have crunchy or undercooked beans (dried beans, that is) if you add about a half a teaspoon of baking soda to the water when cooking them.
If you don't want to use honey in a particular recipe, try making a syrup with about 3/4 cup sugar and stir in just enough water to dissolve it. Cook over high heat without stirring until it starts to thicken and just begins to turn golden. Remove from heat and let cool, again without stirring. Measure out what you need for your recipe.
Turkey Tip: You can buy one of those turkey slings which you place under the turkey before putting it into the oven. When it's done, you just lift the handles on both sides. Or you can make your own by weaving kitchen string through the holes on both sides of several layers of cheesecloth, allowing enough excess to tie into a large loop. Place this in the bottom on your pan or cooking bag and lay the turkey on top.
To keep your sos pads from getting all rusty, let the used pad sit on a piece of aluminum foil....it will NEVER RUST!
From Peggy: I like to decorate our salads with a ring of boiled egg slices. When I fix a salad, I don't like to take the time to boil eggs...and burn my fingers, peeling them. So...when I'm in the kitchen and have the time, I boil some eggs, cool them off in cold water, dry them on a towel, and use a marker to mark each one with "B" (for boiled). I return them to my egg storage shelf...and they're ready whenever I need a boiled egg. I use my marker again when I buy more eggs. I mark "1" on the tips of the eggs I already have, so that I'll remember to use them first.
When making Jello, measure the amount of water needed for hot water and boil. While boiling, add the dry Jello directly into the kettle used for boiling the water. It will mix perfectly and not leave any gelatin residue. Then just add the cold water, stir, and pour into container and allow to set.
For the perfectly seasoned iron skillet/pan, rinse in hot water (no detergent) and dry. When dry, pour about 1/4 cup kosher salt into pan and scrub gently inside and out. Discard salt and coat pan evenly with lard, not thick but enough to give it a shine (lard is the secret). Place in oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. Never wash with detergent or any other cleaning product. To clean after using, rinse in hot water and dump some kosher salt in skillet/pan and as above, scrub all surfaces and discard salt. Occasionally, when pan begins to dull, rub with a little more lard. It works wonders and keeps your pans rust free and easier to clean. Lard and kosher salt is the only way to go.
When marinating beef or chicken, to save on marinade use a ZipLock freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. Instead of using a bowl or pan.
For a creamy pancake syrup nuke 1/4 stick unsalted butter (NOT margarine) to a creamy consistency. Make sure butter does not separate. Then whisk into 1 cup of your favorite syrup and put back in the microwave until hot (use your judgment). Whisk again until creamy. For extra creaminess, whisk in a dollup of Cool Whip.
I have found an alternate method to microwave use for making stale tortilla chips crispy again is to spread as many as you will be using onto a baking sheet. Place in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. This not only makes them deliciously crispy, but you get warm tortilla chips with a little less grease. The oil in the chips comes out a little when baked. After baking it's good to place chips onto paper towels to soak up some of this grease. You can also salt unsalted chips at this point as the salt will stick to the light coat of grease (which by the way will dry up quickly).
No comments:
Post a Comment