Kitchen Tips, Tricks and more (H)

Here’s a clever–and quick–way to skin a kiwi: Trim both ends of the fruit; ease a tablespoon between the flesh and the peel. Turn the kiwi, pressing the back of the spoon against the peel as you go. The fruit should slide right out in one piece–ready for slicing.




How long does olive oil last? How do I store it? Olive oil will last for about two years, if it goes rancid there will be a smell to it. Store olive oil in a cool, dark place. No need to refrigerate it but if you do, you’ll notice that the oil will get cloudy and solidify. If this happens, remove the bottle of olive oil from the fridge and leave at room temperature–it will return to its normal state.


How do I measure baking pans to see what size they are? Measure from inside edge to inside edge.


Herb & Spice Storage ~~~ To help preserve flavor, herbs and spices are best stored in airtight containers, out of sunlight and away from heat sources. Store the jars and containers in the pantry or a cupboard. Keeping spices and dried herbs in cute glass jars over top of the stove is a popular practice, but it does negatively affect the flavor of your spice collection.


How to Keep Cookies Soft ~~~ Keep cookies moist and chewy by throwing a few slices of apple in your cookie jar to keep cookies soft. Don’t do this if you like crispy or crunchy cookies.


Homemade Non-Stick Spray Recipe ~~~ Fill a pump spray bottle with olive oil or vegetable oil and use as you would commercial non-stick spray products. 


Homemade Non-Stick Spray Recipe ~~~ 1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil
4 TBS liquid lecithin (found at health food stores) Mix ingredients well and store in a pump spray bottle. Recipe can be made in batches with the ratio 2:1 (oil to liquid lecithin). 


Homemade Non-Stick Mix Recipe ~~~ 1 part vegetable oil, 1 part Crisco or vegetable shortening (at room temperature), 1 part flour




 How to avoid over-spilling milk when boiling : Before pouring milk into a pot for boiling rub butter along the top edge and inside lip of the pot. When the milk foams up, it will stop over spilling when it hits the butter.
Beat all ingredients together until completely mixed and smooth. Store in airtight container and refrigerate. Coat on pans with a pastry brush–make sure to cover pan surfaces completely. Recipe can be made in batches with equal parts for all ingredients.

Kitchen Tips, Tricks and more (G)

Greaseless Griddle Cake: When making griddle cake grease the pan for the first cake. After that rub a piece of raw potato over hot griddle instead of greasing. The cakes brown nicely and there will be no smoke. *Found on loose page of from an old cookbook.


Gravy thickening, sauces, etc., can be made smooth by using a small jar with a tight lid. Put the mixture of milk or water and flour into the jar and shake well until all lumps disappear.


Grease drippings can be clarified for further use by straining to remove large particles and then cutting up an Irish potato and frying it in the grease. All the small particles will cling to the potato.


Gelatine in individual form can be handled easier if a muffin pan is used instead of small molds. Pan can be placed in a refrigerator without danger of over-turning and much time is saved.


Grapefruit or oranges can be peeled easily if permitted to stand in boiling water for ten minutes.


Greasing muffin tins, bundt & cake pans is a breeze with a pastry brush first dipped in melted butter or shortening. A pastry brush also makes cleaning graters quick work–just brush off the bits clinging to the grater before washing.


Getting the catsup out of the bottle: insert a drinking straw, push it to the bottom of the bottle, and then remove. Enough air will be admitted to start an even flow.


Grate orange and lemon peel before peeling. Dry and add to spice cake or any cookies or puddings. The dried grated peel will keep well in a covered jar.


Grapes ~~~ To enjoy on a hot summer day, pop your grapes in the freezer. They are delicious frozen.


Get two batches out of one recipe of marinating liquid by marinating meats in a sealed plastic bag. Put half the amount you usually would in the bag with the meat, remove all the air and seal the bag. Squish around the liquid and it will stretch a lot farther than it would if you marinated in a covered container. I like to make two batches at once, one is for that night’s meal and the other is frozen in the bag with the marinating sauce. (Leona)

Kitchen Tips, Tricks and more (F)

For a juicier hamburger add cold water to the beef before grilling (1/2 cup to 1 pound of meat).


For fluffier, whiter rice, add one teaspoon of lemon juice per quart of water. To add extra flavor and nutrition to rice, cook it in liquid reserved from cooking vegetables.


For fresh flavor in orange juice add the juice of one lemon.


For fresh-tasting lemon or lime juice year-round, freeze lemons and limes whole; thaw in microwave before squeezing.


For the perfect boiled egg, cover eggs with cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a full boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cover. Let the eggs sit for 8-9 minutes. Drain the water and place the eggs in ice water to cool and stop the cooking process.


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.


Fresh fish freeze (cute alliteration, and tongue twister) well in a milk carton filled with water.


French toast is made crisper by adding a tablespoon of flour to the egg and milk mixture.


For a variation in meat balls, add chopped apple to ground meat along with other seasoning, roll into small balls and simmer in tomato puree, seasoned with sage.


Fluff Up Mashed Potatoes: Try adding a healthy pinch of baking powder to the potatoes when mashing them. For fluffier mashed potatoes, use an electric mixer to whip air into them. 


Fresh Fruit & Veggies Washing Tip: Sprinkle wet fruit and veggies with baking soda then gently scrub and rinse. This cleaning method safely removes dirt and residue off produce. 


For a super fast fish dish, add some fresh ginger or garlic to some oil in a saute pan. Heat and stir over a medium fire for about 3 minutes. Remove the ginger or garlic and cook the fish in the flavored oil.


Flour Bugs ~~~ Keep a couple bay leaves in the flour canister to help deter the bugs (flour Weevils) congregating in their favorite hangout. You can toss the leaves loose in the flour or make a rough pouch out of one layer of cheesecloth to keep the leaves separated from the flour. Another tip is to tape the bay leaves to the inside of the lid. Always try to keep flour and other grains in air tight containers, this will help keep pantry pests out.


Fill Empty Muffin Tins With Water ~~~ If your muffin or cupcake recipe doesn’t fill all the spots in your muffin pan, fill the empty places 3/4 full with water. This will help protect those slots from darkening or getting scorched.


Fat can be removed from hot soup by straining broth through a cloth wrung from cold water. All the fat will remain in cloth except just enough to enrich soup. Heat soup again before serving.


Fish or onion odor can be removed from utensils and dishes by adding a teaspoonful of baking soda to the dish water.


Fish scales can be removed quickly and easily by first dipping the fish in boiling water.


First rinse raisins, dates and figs in very cold water before putting them through the food chopper. They will not form such a gummy mass.


Frosting that 2 layer cake ~~~ Hate it when you try to frost your cake and it slides off to one side. I found sticking a few broken pieces of spaghetti through the top holds it firmly together.


For crisper salads: Place a saucer upside down in the bottom of the salad bowl before filling with salad. Excess moisture will run underneath the saucer and this will help keep the salad crisp and fresh.


For fried foods that require flouring, try pancake flour for a change, it’s quite nice.


For bananas that are ripe and ready to eat but you have too many, peel the bananas and freeze them then dip in melted chocolate and freeze again, these make a nice treat!


Fill a large hole or sugar shaker with flour and use that when needing to dust surfaces with flour or just pour out a tablespoon as you need it, this is handy way to keep a bit of flour on hand instead of digging in the flour bin.


Food Processor clean-up tip ~~~ Covering food processor bowl with plastic wrap before placing on the lid, saves cleaning up the lid.


Finding Broken Glass Under Soapy Water ~~~ 
If you break glass in soapy water while doing dishes, to prevent cutting yourself while looking for it you can use a tall clear drinking glass or a wide clear glass bowl–keeping the top part above the bubbles, push the glass into the water and use it as a lens to look around and find the broken pieces.


For a lint-less dustcloth, soak the cloth in hot soap suds with a few drops of turpentine for several hours. Wring out and let dry. These dustcloths give furniture a brilliant polish and hold dust. Repeat this process every two weeks.


For removing rust from refrigerator shelves, wash them in mild scouring powder and hot water. Dry well with soft cloth. Apply a thin coating of hot melted paraffin.

Kitchen Tips, Tricks and more (E)

Egg shells can be easily removed from hard-boiled eggs if they are boiled in salty water and quickly rinsed in cold water.


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 the bowl and beaters before whipping.


Egg white can brightened a gilt frame by applying it with a soft brush.


Eggplants Retaining Color ~~~ When cooking eggplant add a spoon of milk to a bowl of water and add the cut up pieces to that water. The eggplant will  retain their color without becoming black. 


 Easy way to remove garlic skins ~~~ Use 'Jar Openers'- round flat pieces of rubber. Put the clove of garlic in the center of the jar opener and fold it in half over the garlic. Then press down with your hand while rolling it back and forth over the garlic. OR you can give it a good whack with the side of a chef's knife and the skin will peel off easy.


Easy Peeling Kiwi ~~~ To peel kiwi, I cut them in half and slide a small spoon between the peel and the fruit.


Easy Peeled Peaches ~~~ Placing them into boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove and place them into ice water to stop the cooking. Their skins will slip off. Sprinkle with lemon juice to retain color.


Egg slicer can be used to slice mushrooms.


Egg stuck to carton ~~~ Wetting the carton should free the egg.


Electric push buttons can easily be seen in the night if they are touched up with a little luminous paint. This saves time, temper and bumps.


Empty aspirin boxes that shut tightly make excellent holders for pins, thumbtacks, small beats, buttons or snap fasteners. Use separate containers for the various items and label each box.


Embroidery floss has a number of uses. It is excellent for mending socks, sweaters and babies’ woolens. The colors are usually easy to match. Also try sewing buttons on a ready-made garment with it.

Kitchen Tips, Tricks and more (D)

Do not use metal bowls when mixing salads. Use wooden, glass or china.


Don't waste pie pastry scraps ... sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake like cookies.


Don't just keep dental floss in your medicine cabinet. Keep some in the kitchen. It's a great tool. Unflavored dental floss is often better than a knife to cleanly cut all kinds of soft foods, soft cheese, rolled dough, layered cake and cheesecake. I learned that watching my daughter, Miriam, work on a potter's wheel.


Don't throw out all that leftover wine ... freeze it into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.


Drain deep fried foods on brown paper grocery bags as opposed to paper towels to retain crispness.


Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.


Dry herbs and spices can lose their flavor when cooking so long, if possible–try adding them the last two hours before the meal is ready to help keep the flavor. Use fresh herbs when possible, these can be added first thing since they’ll hold their flavor better when cooking for hours.


Dropping Cookie Dough - To get cookie dough to drop without sticking, dip the spoon in milk first.


Don't Oil the Pasta Water ~~~ Giving the pasta a good stir about 30 seconds after adding it to the pot will keep it from sticking together.


Dusting Tip ~~~ Save your old pairs of woolen or cotton socks to use as dusters. Simply slip them over your hands and go. When the get dirty, simply toss them in the laundry. 

10 Surprising Foods You Can Freeze

This tip is from StillTasty.com

Click on link for more tips

http://www.stilltasty.com

You already know that the freezer is  a good place to stow   steak and chicken. But it works equally well for some far less obvious items.

Try freezing the following (you’ll find more detailed instructions by clicking on each item). You'll save money, waste less — and make cooking a lot more convenient.

•       OPENED WINE: 6 months
Can't finish the whole bottle? Freeze leftover wine in ice cube trays and transfer to freezer bags. Great for cooking, in sauces, stews and the like.

•       EGGS: 1 year
Crack open and mix in a touch of salt (if using for savory dishes) or sugar (for baking or desserts); place in freezer bags or airtight containers.

•       BROWN RICE (UNCOOKED): 1 year
Brown rice has a higher oil content than white rice, so its shelf life isn’t nearly as long. But it’ll keep for several months longer if you freeze it.

•       BUTTER: 6 months
Butter freezes well, so stash a stick or two in the freezer (leave in the original wrapping and place in a freezer bag) and you’ll always have some on hand when you need it.

•       MILK: 3 months
If you’re constantly running out, freeze a backup supply in an airtight container. Thaw in the fridge and stir well before using — the texture may be a little grainy, but it's fine for cooking and usually okay for drinking.

•       NUTS - INCLUDING  PECANS, ALMONDS, WALNUTS: 1 -2 years (depending on the type)
Thanks to their high oil content, nuts are especially prone to going rancid. Freeze them and they’ll stay fresher longer.

•       FRESH HERBS - INCLUDING BASIL, CILANTRO, PARSLEY: 6 months
Most recipes call for only a sprig of herbs, but you have to buy the whole bunch. Freeze what you don’t use in ice cube trays, covered with a bit of water, and then transfer to freezer bags.

•       TOMATO PASTE: 3 months
Rarely do you need to use the whole can at once. Freeze dollops of leftover tomato paste on a cookie sheet or in ice cube trays and transfer to freezer bags for use in future recipes.

•       BREAD: 3 months
If you can never seem to finish a whole loaf before it gets rock-hard or moldy, freeze it. Bread toasts just fine, straight out of the freezer.

•       MAPLE SYRUP (100% PURE): keeps indefinitely
Sure, it’s more expensive than the imitation stuff. But pure maple syrup keeps forever in the freezer — so you’ll never have to waste a delicious drop.




http://www.stilltasty.com/articles/view/33