 | ||||||
| ||||||
More Cooking Tips
Basting Shortcut ~ Fill a squeeze bottle with barbecue sauce or marinade. Sauce can be squeezed directly onto foods while grilling, reducing cleanup.
Cheese Garnish - Use a potato peeler to create cheese peels for garnishing salads, soups and more.
Chop Sticky Things - Next time you need to chop sticky ingredients (dried fruit, etc.), coat a pair of kitchen shears with nonstick cooking spray and snip away.
Prevent Cheese Mold - Put sugar cubes in cheese containers to keep the cheese free of mold.
Testing Your Kitchen Scale - Is your kitchen scale accurate? Here's a way to tell: Place 9 pennies on the scale. They should weigh exactly 1 ounce.
Flavorful Ice Cubes - When ice cubes melt, they water down your drink. Prevent dilution by making flavored ice cubes from punch, soft drinks or even milk.
Keep Track of Loose Recipes - If recipe printouts are taking over your kitchen, invest in a simple 3-ring binder. Organize the recipes into intuitive categories and store it with your cookbooks. Flag favorites with a Post-It® note and be sure to jot down comments and modifications as you experiment!
Opening Jars - Having trouble opening a jar? Slip on a pair of latex dishwashing gloves. Their nonslip surface makes it much easier!
Remove Fat from Soups - To remove fat from soups, refrigerate until the fat hardens. If you place waxed paper on top, it will peel away the hardened fat. No time to refrigerate? Try dropping a lettuce leaf in the soup. Let it collect fat, then remove it.
Removing Muffins - Having trouble removing muffins from the tin? Place a wet towel beneath the hot pan and they'll lift out easily.
Steam Foods - Steaming can be an effective way to preserve food flavor, color, and nutrients. Water is the most common liquid for steaming, but broth, beer or wine can also be used to impart extra flavor. Use a steaming basket to prevent foods from contact with the boiling liquid. CAUTION -- steam is hotter than boiling water and can cause severe burns.
Stir-frying Tips - Stir-frying requires high heat and high speed. Here are a few tips to make the process go smoothly:
Prepare all ingredients ahead of time. Add dense vegetables (carrots) first. Tender vegetables (mushrooms) and leafy greens (spinach, bok choy) require less cooking time. Meats can be stir-fried first, set aside, then reintroduced at the last minute. (This will prevent overcooking).
All you see, I owe to spaghetti.
Sophia Loren
South Pittsburgh, Tennessee, better known as "The Cornbread Capitol of the World," has an old ordinance pertaining to the cooking of this southern staple. The law declares: "Cornbread isn't cornbread unless it be made correctly. Therefore, all cornbread must be hereby made in nothing other then a cast iron skillet." Those found in violation of this ordinance are to be fined one dollar.
|
