Fun Cooking Tips

Chop sweet red peppers, green peppers, and onions, put them in plastic containers and keep them in the fridge.  When you cook eggs, a stir fry, hamburgers or any recipe that calls for peppers or onions.  You can have them handy.  I like to using fresh veggies rather than frozen ones because they don't add so much extra moisture to the dish I am making.

It's helpful to freeze honey to keep it from crystallizing.  It will never freeze solid since the moisture content is low.  It will, however, become thick and sludgy until thawed to room temperature, when it should return to its original consistency.  When buying a large amount of honey, divide it into freezer-proof containers and freeze.  When needed, defrost at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Choosing an olive oil can be confusing.  Bottles simply labeled "olive oil" (also called pure olive oil) contain oil with up to 3% acidity.  It is usually a blend of refined olive oil and virgin or extra virgin oil.  It has a light color and mild flavor.  "Light" olive oil is also available.  "Light:" refers to the color and flavor, not its calorie content.  Light olive oil also contains up to 3% acidity.  It has gone through a fine filtration process, so it has a very milk flavor and light color.

For fast homemade freezer waffles, bake and cool on a wire rack; freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet.  When frozen, store in heavy duty freezer bags.  When ready to use, pop the waffles into the toaster or toaster oven to defrost and reheat. 

Opened cheese should be wrapped with waxed paper, then wrapped again with a tight seal of plastic wrap or foil.  Mozzarella cheese stored this way in the refrigerator will keep for several weeks.  If mold develops, trim off the mold plus 1/2 inch extra of cheese and discard it.  The rest of the cheese can be eaten.  High moisture cheeses such as cream cheese or cottage cheese should be discarded if they develop mold.

Chopping an ingredient before or after measuring it can make a difference in the outcome of the recipe.  Here's a trick that might help you remember.  If the word "chopped" comes before the ingredient when listed in a recipe, then chop the ingredient before measuring.  If the word "chopped" comes after the ingredient, then chop after measuring.  Using the example of "1 cup nuts, chopped" you should measure 1 cup of nuts and then chop them.

Light and dark brown sugar are both a mixture of granulated sugars and molasses.  Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar.  Light brown sugar has a delicate flavor, while dark brown sugar has a stronger, more intense molasses flavor.  They can be used interchangeably depending on your personal preferences.