Kitchen Tips

64

By Bendy's Ideas

Helpful Tips

  • Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.
  • Use a meat baster to "squeeze" your pancake batter onto the hot griddle - perfect shaped pancakes every time.
  • To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
  • To prevent egg shells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.
  • To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature & roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.
  • To easily remove burnt-on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top-skillet will be much easier to clean.
  • When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead-no white mess on the outside of the cake.
  • If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato-it absorbs the excess salt for an instant "fix me up."
  • Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
  • Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up.
  • When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn's natural sweetness. (ah, an old 1940’s Fannie Farmer trick!)
  • To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh-if it rises to the surface, throw it away.
  • Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
  • Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
  • If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dish washing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
  • Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.
  • To get rid of itch from mosquito bite: try applying soap on the area, instant relief.
  • Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march-see for yourself.
  • When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.
  • Clean a toilet-drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush, and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.
  • Clean a vase-to remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets.
  • Polish jewelry-drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
  • Clean a thermos bottle-fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
  • Unclog a drain-clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water.
  • For cleaning smelly hands after chopping onions or garlic, just rub them on a stainless steel spoon. The steel is supposed to absorb the odor.
  • Never put citrus fruits or tomatoes in the fridge. The low temperatures degrade the aroma and flavor of these persnickety fruits.
  • To clean cast iron cookware, don’t use detergents. Just scrub them with salt and a clean, dry paper towel.
  • Will milk curdle if it is allowed to boil? It turns out that this age-old piece of wisdom isn’t true, after all. Milk that has been boiled is perfectly safe to consume.
  • To clean an electric kettle with calcium buildup on the heating element, boil a mixture of half white vinegar and half water, then empty.
  • When storing empty airtight containers, throw in a pinch of salt to keep them from getting stinky.
  • If you are making gravy and accidentally burn it, just pour it into a clean pan and continue cooking it. Add sugar a little at a time, tasting as you go to avoid over-sugaring it. The sugar will cancel out the burned taste.
  • Burned a pot of rice? Just place a piece of white bread on top of the rice for 5-10 minutes to draw out the burned flavor. Be careful not to scrape the burned pieces off of the bottom of the pan when serving the rice.
  • Before you chop chili peppers, rub a little vegetable oil into your hands and your skin won’t absorb the spicy chili oil.
  • To banish ants from the kitchen, find out where they are coming in and cover the hole with petroleum jelly. Ants won’t trek through the jelly. If they are coming under a door, draw a line on the floor with chalk. The little bugs also won’t cross a line of chalk.
  • Before making popcorn on the stove or in an air popper, soak the kernels in water for 10 minutes. Drain the water, then pop as normal. The additional moisture helps the popcorn pop up quicker and fluffier with fewer “old maids.”
  • Don’t store your bananas in a bunch or in a fruit bowl with other fruits. Separate your bananas and place each in a different location. Bananas release gases which cause fruits (including other bananas) to ripen quickly. Separating them will keep them fresh longer.
  • When you clean your fish tank, the water you drain can also be used to water your house plants. The nitrogen and phosphorus in fish droppings make aquarium water a great fertilizer.
  • When defrosting meat from the freezer, pour some vinegar over it. Not only does it tenderize the meat; it will also bring down the freezing temperature of the meat and cause it to thaw quicker.
  • The substance in onions that causes your eyes to water is located in the root cluster of the onion. Cut this part out in a cone shape, with the largest part of the cone around the exterior root section.
  • Taking the top layer off of a onion can also reduce the amount of eye-watering misery.
  • Toothpaste is a great silver cleaner.
  • Baking soda isn’t as effective a deodorizer for the fridge as that baking soda company would like you to believe. Activated charcoal is much better at absorbing fridge and freezer odors.
  • Baking soda is an extremely effective cleaner, though. Use it with vinegar to deodorize drains and clean stove tops and sinks.
  • A favorite tip of thousands of grandmas: when you nick your finger while cutting veggies, wait until the bleeding stops and paint on a layer of clear nail polish. It will keep juices out of the wound and won’t fall off into the spaghetti sauce like a bandage.
  • The jury is still out on what to put in the bag of brown sugar to keep it from going hard: a slice of apple, a piece of bread, and a shard of a Terra cotta pot have all been used.
  • When you burn yourself in the kitchen, just spread mustard on the affected area. Leave it for a while and it will ease the pain and prevent blistering.
  • For aluminum pans that are looking dull, just boil some apple peels in them. This will brighten up the aluminum and make your house smell yummy.
  • To keep cookies fresh, savvy grannies like to put some crumpled-up tissue paper in the bottom of the cookie jar.
  • If your salt is clumping up, put a few grains of rice in with it to absorb excess moisture.
  • To clean fruit stains off of your fingers, rub them with a fresh, peeled potato. White vinegar can also do the trick.
  • Keep iceberg lettuce fresh in the fridge by wrapping it in a clean, dry paper towel and storing lettuce and paper towel in a sealed baggie in the fridge.
  • If your loaf of bread is starting to go stale, just put a piece of fresh celery in the bag and close it back up. For some reason, this restores a fresh taste and texture to the bread.
  • Always keep an aloe Vera plant in your kitchen. It’s invaluable when you scrape your arm or burn your finger. Just break off a leaf and rub the gel from the inside on the injury.
  • When making a soup, sauce, or casserole that ends up too fatty or greasy, drop in an ice cube. The ice will attract the fat, which you can then scoop out.
  • To reuse cooking oil without tasting whatever was cooked in the oil previously, cook a 1/4″ piece of ginger in the oil. It will remove any remaining flavors and odors.
  • If your milk always goes bad before you can finish it, try adding a pinch of salt to the carton when you first open it. It will stay fresh days longer.
  • Water that has been boiled and allowed to cool will freeze faster than water from the tap. This comes in handy when you’re having a party and need ice pronto.
  • Remove tea or coffee stains from your fine china by mixing up a paste of baking soda, lemon juice, and cream of tartar. Rub it over the stains and they’ll come off easily.
  • If two drinking glasses become stuck together after stacking, it’s not impossible to unstick them. Just put ice in the inner glass and dunk the outer glass in warm water. The warm glass will expand and the cold glass will contract, making the glasses separate easily.
  • For splinters under the fingernail, soaking the affected finger in a bowl of milk with a piece of bread in it is said to draw out the splinter.
  • Did grandpa ever give you a drink of cola for an upset tummy? It turns out that this is actually a pretty effective remedy. The sugar and carbonation can soothe many tummy problems - but it can also exacerbate others.
  • Putting salty bacon on a boil is said to “draw the poison out” of boils.
  • To help old wooden drawers (without runners) open and close smoothly, rub a candle on the tracks.
  • A cotton ball soaked in white vinegar and applied to a fresh bruise will reduce the darkness of the bruise and help it disappear sooner.
  • Drinking cranberry juice and eating blueberries regularly will help stave off urinary tract infections.
  • To rid a cutting board of food smells, such as fish or onions, cut a lemon or lime in half and rub the board down with it.
  • Clean stuck-on food from cookware by soaking it in baking soda and water for 10 minutes. After soaking, wash as normal. Baking soda can also be used as a scouring powder on the cookware.
  • To make your copperware shine, cut a lemon in half, sprinkle it with salt, and rub the surface of the copperware.
  • To make stainless steel shine, rub it down with lemon peel. You can also soak it in club soda until the fizz is gone. After either process, wash in soapy water and dry.
  • To clean darkened aluminum cookware, boil a quart of water with 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar for about 10 minutes.
  • Make cleaning the stovetop easier by covering unused burners with a baking sheet or aluminum pie tins.
  • Clean up grease or oil spills by sprinkling flour over the spill. The flour soaks up the spill and can then be easily scraped up and disposed of. This prevents the grease or oil from being spread around while trying to wipe it up with a paper towel or rag.
  • Remove odors from your hands by rubbing them with lemons. Washing hands with a couple of tablespoons of mouthwash will also remove the odors.
  • After grating cheese, grate a raw potato to clean the cheese out of the holes.
  • For plasticware that has been stained, place in a gallon of warm water, which has one cup of bleach added to it. Let it soak in this solution for at least 20 minutes. Take out and rinse well, and then wash as you normally would with hot soapy water.
  • To get rid of smells in your microwave, cut half a lemon up into several small pieces and place in a cup of water. Add a couple of whole cloves. Place this in the microwave and boil for 5 minutes.
  • If your meat grinder has pieces of meat stuck in it, run a piece of bread through it to remove the pieces before you wash it.
  • To freshen a smelly garbage disposal, grind up some lemons, oranges, or grapefruits. Save lemon and orange rinds in a plastic bag in the freezer to use for this purpose. When the disposal begins to smell, take a rind from the freezer and throw it down the disposal.
  • Use an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb food odors. Replace it with a fresh box every few months and pour the old box down the kitchen drain to freshen it.
  • To preserve your wooden cutting board, occasionally rub it down with a couple of drops of oil. This will also help prevent food from sticking to the board.
  • Prevent the cutting board from moving around while in use by placing a piece of the cushioned mesh shelf liner under it. The liner holds the board in place and can be rolled up for easy storage when not in use.
  • To prevent new wooden utensils from absorbing food odors, soak them overnight in white vinegar before using.
  • To quick dry metal strainers and sifters, place them in a warm oven for 2 minutes. Use oven mitt when removing.
  • Kitchen shears can be sharpened by cutting through a piece of steel wool.
  • Boil vinegar in the bottom of a new frying pan before using it. This will help prevent food from sticking.
  • Do not use metal utensils when cooking with non-stick cookware. To prevent scratching the non-stick surface, use wooden or plastic cooking utensils.
  • Protect the surface of non-stick cookware from being scratched during storage by placing protective sheets between stacked pans. Use materials such as paper plates, paper towels, sheets of bubble wrap or sheets of thin cardboard.
  • Make cleaning cooked-on splatters from the inside of the microwave easier by first boiling a cup of water in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Then let it set for a couple of more minutes to allow condensation to form. The condensation will help loosen the cooked on splatters and make clean up much easier.
  • Check oven temperatures frequently with an oven thermometer. If temperatures are not accurate, adjust oven temperature setting until the oven thermometer shows the correct temperature you are checking. Learn to adjust the oven settings for the correct temperatures. You could also have a professional come in to recalibrate the oven.
  • Check scales for accuracy by weighing several different items that the actual weight is known. Choose items that have packaging that will not affect the weight, such as a chocolate bar or a stick of margarine. You can also weigh nine pennies, which should weigh 1 ounce.
  • When opening a new bottle of sauce, place a straw into the bottle, turn it clockwise and counter-clockwise, and then remove the straw. After removing the straw, the sauce should pour freely from the bottle.
  • Keep covers from sticky ingredients, such as honey, syrup, and molasses, opening with ease by coating the threads with oil the first time the bottle is opened. Apply a little vegetable oil to a paper towel and wipe the threads of the bottle with the oil.
  • For soft cookies that have started to dry out, re-soften by adding a piece of bread or a slice of apple to the container they are stored in.
  • For crispy cookies that have started to get soggy, make them crispy again by placing them on a cookie sheet and heating in the oven at 300° for 3 or 4 minutes.
  • To keep the cut edge of a cake from drying out, place half of an apple at the end where the cake has been cut in the cake pan.
  • Use a hot, wet knife to cut cakes with sticky frosting and cheesecakes. Dip the knife in hot water and wipe with a paper towel after each cut.
  • Freeze a frosted cake first by placing it in the freezer unwrapped. Once the cake is frozen, take it out and wrap it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and then return to the freezer. When ready to thaw, let it thaw slightly, remove the wrap and then finish thawing.
  • Cut both ends out of a can and use the can as a cookie cutter or to cut biscuits.
  • To warm bread before serving, place the bread in a paper bag, seal it, and moisten a portion of the outside of the bag. Place it in a 350°F oven for 5 or 6 minutes. Bread will be warmed and ready to serve.
  • To prevent meringue from sticking to the knife when you are slicing a meringue pie, lightly butter both sides of the knife.
  • When having to remove that first piece of pie or cake, the piece will slid out easier if you cut an additional slice. Before trying to remove the first piece, make a cut as if you were cutting a second piece.
  • To prevent ice crystals from forming on ice cream, cover the surface of the ice cream with a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper before closing the container.
  • Crumbled brownies or cookies make a great topping for ice cream.
  • If marshmallows have started to harden, place a slice of bread in the sack, seal it, and let it set for a couple of days. The marshmallows will soften to their original texture.
  • Use thin pretzel sticks to spear hors d' oeuvres instead of toothpicks.
  • Salads that are soft or in liquid form when prepared and then refrigerated to firm, can be remolded after they have been partially eaten to give them a fresh look. Microwave just enough to liquefy the salad and then pour into a smaller bowl and place back into the refrigerator.
  • If a baked dish needs to be covered with aluminum foil while it is cooking or is going be covered to transport somewhere, spray the foil with cooking spray to help prevent the food from sticking to the foil.
  • When reheating leftovers in the oven, check to see if it is heated throughout by sticking a table knife in the center of the dish. Leave it inserted for 15 to 30 seconds. Pull out and test on the back of your hand. If the knife is hot, the leftovers are hot.
  • When heating items in a dish in the microwave, cover the dish with a damp paper towel rather than plastic wrap. The paper towel absorbs splatters, does not collapse and will not melt.
  • To dispose of used cooking oil, open up 4 or 5 plastic grocery bags, place them inside of each other, and when oil has cooled, pour it into the center of the layered grocery bags. Tie the bags shut and dispose of properly.
  • When baking cakes or bars, place them on the middle rack in the oven.
  • When baking cookies, place them on the top rack of the oven. If baking two sheets of cookies at one time, place them on different racks at different angles to allow proper air circulation. Switch racks about half way through the cooking time.
  • Cookies will burn less easily if they are baked on a light silver cookie sheet rather than a dark colored sheet.
  • If the outer edges of the cookies are getting browned and the center is not completely cooked, reduce the temperature 15 to 25 degrees. Your cooking time will increase slightly. Increasing the baking temperature would only brown the outer edges faster and the center of the cookie would still be underbaked.
  • Allow cookie sheets to cool in between batches to kept cookie dough from melting and becoming too thin at the edges.
  • Test doneness of bars, cakes, muffins, and quick breads by inserting a toothpick in the center of each. If they are done, the toothpick should come out clean or only have a couple of crumbs on them.
  • If you have difficulty removing muffins or cakes from the pans, place the hot pan on a wet towel and then remove from the pan.
  • To help phyllo dough cups keep their cup shape when baking, place approximately two tablespoons of baking stones or beans on a piece of aluminum foil, pull up the corners of the foil and twist together to form a small pouch. After placing the phyllo dough in the muffin cups, place a stone pouch in the middle of each one and then bake the dough. When done baking, remove the stone pouches and store to reuse.
  • To eliminate messy hands when greasing a baking pan, use a small plastic bag to cover your hand. Place your hand in the bag and scoop out a portion of the shortening with the covered hand and spread the grease on the pan. When finished remove the bag and throw it away. Your hands should be free of any shortening.
  • For golden brown, flaky pie crust, use a lightweight aluminum pie tin like the old fashioned type.
  • When making candy that is cooked to a high temperature, be sure you have a surface that can take the heat without causing damage when it is poured out of the pan. A large cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil works well. Once the candy has cooled, the foil can be removed.
  • To foil line a baking pan or sheet, turn the pan upside down and mold the aluminum foil to the bottom of the pan. After the foil is molded to the pan's shape, slip it off and turn the pan over. The molded foil should slip right into the pan and fit perfectly.
  • Add instant potatoes flakes to soup to thicken. Add small amounts at a time and stir. Continue to add small amounts of flakes until the soup is at the desired consistency.
  • If your soup becomes too sweet from the addition of too much sugar or an ingredient added too much sweetness, try adding a little salt to tame down the sweetness or 1 teaspoon of apple cider or white vinegar. Be sure to taste test after each addition so that you do not change the taste of the soup too much or make it too salty.
  • The cooking water from most vegetables can be added to soups and gravies for extra flavor.
  • Add a different flavor to a recipe by using juices, bouillon, or vegetable cooking water instead of the water that is called for in that recipe.
  • Add a little milk to the water or a few drops of vinegar when cooking cauliflower to help it keep its white color.
  • Do not add salt to the water when cooking sweet corn because the salt will toughen the corn. Add a little sugar to the water to boost the flavor.
  • To cook a couple of pieces of sweet corn in a hurry, place two or three ears in a resealable plastic bag and add 1 tablespoon of water for each ear. Leave a slight opening in the bag and cook on high in the microwave for 2 minutes. Check for doneness and if not done, cook for an additional 30 seconds.
  • When deep-frying french fries, do not overload the basket. Trying to cook too many at one time will result in greasy and soggy fries.
  • Reduce the amount of grease splattering, when frying foods, by sprinkling the bottom of the pan with salt.
  • When frying onions, speed up the process by adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt while frying.
  • Prepare recipes that call for onions and garlic to be cooked in oil starting with the onions. Add the garlic at the end to help prevent it from burning and becoming bitter in taste.
  • If gravy needs salting, try adding a little soy sauce instead of salt. The soy sauce will add saltiness and color to the gravy.
  • Cook tomato sauce slowly on low heat to produce a sweet, mellow sauce. If boiled rapidly the tomatoes will become acidic.
  • Reduce a sauce or liquid using a pan with a large cooking surface. This will speed up the reducing process.
  • To save a curdled sauce, remove it immediately from the heat and plunge the bottom section of the pan into cold water to stop it from cooking any further. Then blend the sauce by stirring vigorously or placing it in a blender until it is smooth again.
  • Before carving meat, allow it to stand for 10 to 15 minutes after removing from the heat source to allow the juices to be redistributed through the meat. The standing period will result in firmer, juicier meat and will make carving easier.
  • No roasting rack? If you don't have a roasting rack for roasting meat, you can use a layer of celery or onions to hold the meat off the bottom of the pan so it will not set in its juices as it cooks. The layer of celery or onions also provides an added benefit of additional flavor to the meat and pan drippings.
  • When cooking burgers, create a small hole, about ½ inch wide, in the center of the burger before cooking it. The hole allows the burger to cook from the inside and outside, producing a more evenly cooked burger.
  • Sprinkle a little flour in the pan before frying bacon to decrease the splattering of grease.
  • When cooking chicken pieces, start with the dark pieces and then add the white chicken. The dark takes longer to cook than the white, so starting the dark first will assist in the white and dark getting done close to the same time.
  • To remove fat from pan drippings before reducing the liquid, deglaze the pan and pour the liquid into a small metal mixing bowl. Place the bowl in an ice water bath and wait a couple of minutes for the fat to begin to solidify on the surface. Scrape the fat off the surface or twirl the bowl so the fat will collect along the edges and then it scrape off.
  • Rub lemon juice on fish before cooking. This will help the fish maintain its color and add to its flavor.
  • Watch shrimp closely for doneness when cooking. If they form a half-circle, they are done, and if they have coiled into a circle, they are overdone.
  • Cook extra poached eggs and then store the extras in cold water in the refrigerator to be heated later. Heat the poached eggs anytime by cooking in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.
  • When boiling potatoes or rice, add a tablespoon of butter or margarine to avoid having the water boil over while they are cooking.
  • Adding a thin coat of oil along the top edge of a pot will prevent food from boiling over.
  • A few drops of vinegar added to the water when boiling potatoes will help maintain their white color.
  • To make fluffier mashed potatoes, add a pinch of baking soda with the milk and butter before mashing.
  • When making rice or instant potatoes, use chicken broth in place of the water to add extra flavor.
  • Add a few drops of lemon juice and a teaspoon of oil to rice when cooking. This will allow the rice to separate and not stick together after it is cooked. You can also try just adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the water to prevent rice from sticking.
  • When boiling lasagne noodles, because of their size, it is best to add 1 tablespoon of oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Avoid using oil when boiling other noodles because the oil will prevent the sauce from sticking to the noodles properly.
  • Undercook pasta by 1/4 to 1/3 of the suggested cooking time when it is going to be added to another dish that requires additional cooking time. It will finish cooking when cooked with the dish it is added to. If pasta is fully cooked, it may become overdone when cooked in the other dish.
  • Toss pasta with a dry grated cheese, such as parmesan, before adding the sauce. The grated cheese will stick to the pasta and allow the sauce to cling to the pasta better.
  • Fresh herbs added to soup may lose their flavor when cooked for a long period time. Add more herbs shortly before serving to boost the flavor.
  • If your soup becomes too salty when you are preparing it, try adding a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of cider vinegar to combat the saltiness. Another method to try is to add a raw potato to the soup to absorb some of the extra salt.
  • When trying to cut thin slices or strips of raw meat, it is easier if you put the meat into the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour before cutting to help firm up the meat, or if the meat was frozen, slice it before it is completely thawed.
  • Thaw frozen fish in milk to help remove the frozen taste and provide for a fresh fish flavor.
  • To remove pin bones from a fillet of fish, lay the fillet, bone side up, across an inverted mixing bowl. The curve of the bowl will cause the bones to stick out, making them easy to find. Use a needle-nose pliers to pull the bones out.
  • Cut hard-boiled eggs smoothly by dipping the knife into a glass of cold water or run it under cold water for a few seconds before making each cut.
  • Sprinkle a little salt on garlic when mincing or chopping the cloves to prevent the pieces from sticking to your knife or working surface.
  • To obtain more flavor from parsley, remove the stems and only use the leaves. Use a scissors to cut the leaves into pieces instead of chopping with a knife. Chopping generally causes the leaves to become mushy.
  • For an easy way to pour out just the right amount of pancake batter, pour the batter into an empty, clean squeeze bottle, such as a ketchup or syrup bottle. Squeeze out the desired amount into the pan for the size pancake you want. This will also make a nice round pancake.
  • Potatoes will cook faster if they are soaked in salty water before they are baked.
  • Potatoes can be peeled a day ahead of cooking and then stored in the refrigerator. Place the peeled potatoes in a bowl of cold water that has had a few drops of vinegar added. Be sure potatoes are covered with water and then place in the refrigerator.
  • When cooking potatoes to use in potato salad, add a little vinegar to the water when boiling the potatoes. The vinegar causes the potatoes to form a thin crust, which helps them hold their shape.
  • Do not overcook potatoes that will be used for potato salad. Overcooked potatoes will turn the salad into mush.
  • Boiled potatoes can be easily sliced in even thicknesses to use for potato salad or for frying by using a metal egg slicer.
  • Slice mushrooms using a metal egg slicer.
  • Do not peel mushrooms because the outer layer contains most of its flavor.
  • To produce good tasting, crisp onions, slice or chop onions and place them in a bowl. Cover the onions with water and then add some ice to the water. Let the onions soak for 15 minutes to an hour and then drain before serving.
  • For crispier fried onions, soak the sliced or chopped onions in milk before frying.
  • To seed a tomato, cut it in half crosswise and squeeze to remove the seeds and excess juice.
  • If you need to peel tomatoes before adding them to a recipe in which they will be cooked, cut them in half and place them face down on a microwave safe plate. Microwave the tomatoes for approximately 5 minutes and the skins should peel off easily.
  • Tomatoes that have become too ripe and soft to use for sandwiches or salads can be chopped up with a little garlic added and then boiled for three minutes in the microwave. They can then be stored in the freezer to use later in casseroles, soups, stews or sauces.
  • If you have a large crop of bell peppers or purchase more than you can use at one time, you can freeze them to use for future recipes. Slice, remove seeds, and chop into desired size pieces. Place them single layered on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Once they are frozen you can place them in a freezer proof sealable bag and store them in the freezer. When you are ready to use, remove the desired amount from the bag.
  • Sauteing vegetables in oil or butter before adding them to a soup will seal in their flavor and help keep them firm after they are added to the soup.
  • When peeling vegetables, peel over an open plastic bag and allow the peelings to fall into the bag. Clean up will be much easier.
  • Use an ice cream scoop to remove the seeds from a squash.
  • Do not cut salad greens with a knife because it may cause the greens to become discolored. It is best to gently tear the greens into pieces the size you desire.
  • Dry lettuce and other salad greens before adding dressing by tossing a couple of paper towels with the greens in a large bowl. Once the towels have picked up the excess moisture, pull them out and throw them away.
  • Slice fruit immediately after removing from the refrigerator. It is firmer and easier to slice when cold.
  • To chop dried fruit in a food processor, freeze the fruit first and they will chop better.
  • When it is desirable to remove the white membrane from a peeled orange, the process can be simplified by first placing the unpeeled orange in boiling water for 5 minutes.
  • Save the rinds from lemons, limes and oranges to use for citrus zest. Place the rinds in a sealable bag and store in the freezer until you need it.
  • To prevent the seeds from getting into you citrus juices when squeezing fresh juice, place a piece of double thick cheesecloth over the cut end of the fruit and squeeze the juice through the cheesecloth. The seeds remain behind.
  • Do not use fresh pineapple in a salad that contains gelatin. The fresh pineapple contains an enzyme that will prevent the gelatin from setting. Use canned pineapple instead.
  • To keep apples, bananas, avocados, peaches and pears from turning brown, sprinkle with lemon or lime juice. Keep a spray mister with lemon juice or lime juice in the refrigerator so it is handy for when you need it.
  • If only using half of an avocado, leave the pit in the half you are not going to use, wrap it in plastic, and store in the refrigerator. The pit will help slow down the discoloration. If the cut edge does become discolored, it can be cut off and the fruit underneath will be usable.
  • When whipping cream, the cream, bowl, and beaters should be chilled to produce the best volume.
  • Chill a glass or stainless steel bowl for whipping cream by filling a sealable bag with ice cubes and then placing the bag in the bowl for 5 or 10 minutes.
  • When making a two-crust pie, moisten the edge of the bottom crust with water before placing the second crust on top. The moistened edge will help create a good seal once the two crusts are crimped together.
  • Keep the crust of a custard pie from becoming soggy by carefully adding a raw egg in the shell of the pie crust. Slowly swirl the egg around the pie crust shell until the crust has all been coated with egg white. Once it is coated, pour the remainder of the egg use it in the filling.
  • Prevent meringue from shrinking by adding it to the pie while the filling is still hot and making sure that it is touching the crust around all the edges.
  • Rather than discarding pie crust scraps, lightly butter them, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake until golden brown.
  • For best results when making pastries, use whole milk rather than low-fat or fat free milk.
  • White or milk chocolate make better chocolate shavings because they are a softer chocolate and will curl better.
  • For cake-like brownies, increase the amount of eggs used. For chewier brownies, decrease the amount of eggs used.
  • For baking recipes that call for oil, replace half or all the oil with applesauce to produce a low-fat version of the recipe. Reduce baking time to prevent the recipe from becoming too dry.
  • To keep a layer cake in place on the cake plate, place a dab of frosting on the cake plate before adding the bottom layer. This will hold the cake in place while you are frosting it.
  • When making powdered sugar frosting, add a pinch of baking powder to make the frosting creamier and keep it from cracking.
  • Dust the surface of a cake with cornstarch to prevent the frosting from running off.
  • Have drop cookie dough on hand and ready to bake by making up a large batch of dough, roll the cookies into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer. When the cookies have frozen, take them off the cookie sheets, place in a freezer proof sealable bag and store in the freezer. When you want fresh baked cookies, just take them from the freezer, place them on a cookie sheet and bake. They do not need to be thawed.
  • Use powdered sugar instead of flour when rolling out sugar cookies. The powdered sugar will add sweetness to the cookies and you won't have to worry about adding too much flour.
  • If you have bread rising and your schedule is interrupted so that you will be unable to attend to the bread when it is done rising, you can slow down the rising process by placing the bread in the refrigerator.
  • Use a flour dredger or sifter to flour cake pans, cookie sheets, and work surfaces.
  • To hold a mixing bowl in place when you are whipping or blending ingredients, place a damp cloth under the bowl.
  • If sifting of dry ingredients is called for in a recipe, instead of sifting, add all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix with a wire whisk.
  • When baking, it is best to allow ingredients, such as eggs, butter, and milk, to become room temperature before mixing with other ingredients.
  • When mixing batter for pancakes, muffins or cupcakes, mix the batter in a large liquid measuring cup with a spout. This will make it easier to pour the batter into muffin tins or pancake batter onto a hot griddle.
  • Be sure eggs are fresh and cold when you have to separate the whites from the yolks.

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Comments

lex123 profile image

lex123 Level 3 Commenter 21 months ago

Thanks for posting this hub. Some of them are really useful to me.

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