Friday, March 16, 2007

Sherri's Helpful Hints












Kitchen Tips

Bring more ice than you think you'll need to your barbecue or picnic. Make sure you keep your salads and cool food as cool as possible, and in the shade.

Turmeric is an inexpensive substitute for saffron, the world's most expensive spice and food coloring. Turmeric's flavor is stronger than saffron's, so go easy on it.

To make tarragon vinegar, simply steep a sprig or two of freshly cut tarragon in a bottle of white distilled vinegar. Continue steeping until you reach the desired flavor.

The term saute means to jump. In cooking, it means to place food in a hot pan with some butter or oil and to shake the pan so the food jumps around (preventing it from burning).

When poaching, the liquid (water, stock, wine) should be just below a simmer and just barely moving.

Reducing is when you heat a sauce or liquid over high heat until it's volume is reduced.

"Dredging" in flour is simply when you lightly coat food (meat or fish) with flour in preparation for frying or sauteing. After dredging it in the flour, lightly shake off the excess and proceed with the recipe. You should dredge your ingredients just before you are ready to cook them. Dredging is not the same as breading.

You "deglaze" a pan by adding wine or stock to a pan that has been used to brown meat or vegetables. Add the liquid to the pan over high heat and scrape the browning remains to combine with the liquid.

If you store shallots in a cool, dark place, they can stay fresh for up to four weeks.

Three to four medium shallot bulbs equals the flavor of one medium yellow onion.

You can use the green tops of shallots as a substitute for scallions or chives.

Frozen concentrate juice cans make good cookie dough molds for refrigerator cookies. Pack the dough in the cleaned out can. When ready to use, just push dough out from the bottom or slice open the can lengthwise.

When frosting a layer cake, use skewers or toothpicks to secure the layers of cake together (just stick two skewers through the top). Now you can frost the sides without pushing the layers off line.

If a cake layer bumps, shave it off flat with a long sharp knife.

Don't be impatient when frosting a cake. Let it cool thoroughly before frosting.

For a change of pace add escarole, chicory, and spinach to your salads.

The 2 egg omelette is one of the best, thriftiest ways to use leftover meats, cheeses and vegetables.

Most cheeses taste better served at room temperature. Remove from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before serving and keep covered (it will dry out if left uncovered). Exceptions include cream cheese and cottage cheese, among others.

Cooked rice freezes very well, for up to 6 months. Freeze in 2 cup portions for quick side dishes and additions to soups, etc.

Freezing chives is the best way to preserve the flavor, and there is no need to defrost them before using.

You can add to the flavor of chili powder, and make it more interesting, by adding one of the "sweet" spices: allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and onion.

It is always best to heat your oven for a few minutes before baking your cookies.
For more even baking of cookies, do not let the cookie sheet touch the sides of the oven.

Only grease pans when stated in a cookie recipe, otherwise the cookies may come out improperly baked.

Cookies should be baked in the center rack of the oven. Avoid placing one sheet above another one as this can cause uneven baking.

Warm cookies should never be stacked on top of each other. They can stick together, lose their shape, or break apart.

Sift powdered sugar for frosting when using a pastry bag. Clumps in the sugar can clog a pastry tip, and cause problems.

If frosting is too thin, but you have already put it in a pasty bag, then refrigerate for awhile. It will thicken up a bit.

Draw your design with a toothpick before decorating a cake. Then you can just follow the stenciling as a guide.

If you are working cookie dough with your hands, such as rolling into balls, wet your hands first. This will keep the dough from sticking.

Cake flour is usually too tender for cookies, use all-purpose flour unless otherwise instructed.

Oatmeal cookies will taste better if you toast the oatmeal first. Sprinkle over a pan and heat in an oven on low heat for about 10 minutes.

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