Tuesday, June 28, 2011

More Kitchen Tips and Tricks

*Too salty?? Add cut raw potatoes to soups or vegetables and then discard once they have cooked and absorbed the salt.  A teaspoon of each of cider vinegar and sugar added to salty soup or vegetables will also remedy the salty situation.

*Two drops of yellow food coloring added to boiling noodles will make them look homemade.

*Vinegar brought to a boil in a new frying will prevent foods from sticking.

*When cooking any kind of strawberry dessert, add a splash of aged balsamic to the recipe to enhance the flavor of the strawberries.

*You can correct greasy gravy by adding a little of baking soda to it.

*Ice cubes will eliminate the fat from soup and stew.  Just drop a few into the pot and stir; the fat will cling to the cubes; discard the cubes before they melt.  Or, wrap ice cubes in a paper towel or cheese cloth and skim over the top.

*If you need only 1/2 onion, save the root half.  It will last longer

*If your cake recipe calls for nuts, heat them first in the oven, then dust with flour before adding to the batter to keep from settling to the bottom of the pan.

*Instead of the water your recipe calls for, try juice, bouillon or water you've cooked vegetables in.  Instead of milk try buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream.  It can add a whole new flavor and improve nutrition.

*Drain deep fried foods on brown paper grocery bags as opposed to a paper towel to retain crispiness.

*Egg whites should always be at room temperature before whipping.  Be certain there is no yolk in the whites and that the bowl and beaters are perfectly clean.  Cream on the other hand, should be well chilled.  For the largest volume, chill bowl and beaters before whipping.

*Freeze tomato paste in the can.  Open both ends and punch out the paste.  Wrap the frozen paste in foil and freeze, then slice off what you need as you need it.

*If a recipe calls for 1 cups sour cream, you may substitute 1 cup cottage cheese blended until smooth with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/3 cup buttermilk.

*Chefs pound meat not to tenderize the meat, but to help even the meat so it cooks evenly.

*Choosing eggs..fresh eggs' shells are rough and chalky;  old eggs are smooth and shiny.

*Cookie will spread if your dough is too pliable by allowing butter to get too soft.  If you cookies are spreading too much, try refrigerating the dough for a couple of hours before baking.

*Cure for headaches...take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

*Don't just keep dental floss in your medicine cabinet.  Keep some in the kitchen, it's a great deal.  Unflavored floss is often better than a knife to cleanly cut all kinds of soft foods, cheese, rolled dough, layered and cheese cakes.

*A few drops of lemon added to simmering rice will keep the grains separate.

*A roast with the bone in it will cook faster than a boneless roast, the bone carries the heat to the inside of the roast quicker.

*A simple way to sharpen kitchen shears....cut a piece of steel wool.

*Add a small amount of lemon juice to the artichoke cooking water to retain the color of the artichoke.

*Bread will stay fresh longer if a celery rib stored with it in the package.

*Cheese won't harden if you butter the exposed edges before storing.

*A dampened paper towel or terry cloth brushed downward on a cob of corn will remove every strand of corn silk.

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