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Experience is the best teacher... |
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On this page I've include some of my tips and tricks to make cooking easier and your food taste better. Where appropriate, I'll include steps or pictures to help clarify my explanations.
Please feel free to contribute your own cooking tips -- I'll post the best ones so everyone can see them.
When baking, always bring eggs to room temperature first. Cold eggs may cause the batter to curdle, which could affect the cake's texture. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, let them soak in a bowl of warm water for about a half hour.
Mix one cup ammonia,1/2 cup vinegar,and 1/2 cup
baking soda together for a cheap, powerful cleaner.
You can use baby shampoo for fine delicate washables.
For soups and stews that is too salty,add a raw potato
and discard after cooking.the potato absorbs the salt.
Bacon will lie flat in the pan if you prick it thoroughly
with a fork as it fries.
If you rub the skin of a chicken with mayonnaise before
baking,the skin will get crisp and brown.
Put flour in a large salt shaker and use for dusting pans,
meat etc. it is less messy and doesn't waste flour.
To improve an inexpensive cake mix,add one tablespoon
butter to the batter for a richer-tasting cake.
To keep egg yolks from crumbling when slicing hard boiled
eggs,wet the knife before each cut.
Out of ginger ale? Mix equal parts coke and 7-up.
Use styrofoam egg cartons as trays when you need extra
ice cubes for parties.
Vinegar brought to a boil in a new frying pan will
prevent food from sticking.
When frying,turn a metal colander upside down over the
skillet.this allows steam to escape,but keeps the oil
from spattering.
When cooking on the stove,point pot handles toward the
back of the stove to prevent spills.
Clean up spills on the floor immediately to prevent
slipping
Read the entire recipe first,then gather all the ingredients
and utensils you need before you start cooking.
To make filling taco shells easier,invert a cupcake pan
and place taco shells in the spaces between the
cupcake wells. |
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Using a round dish instead of a square one
eliminates overcooked corners in baking cakes.
A roast with a bone in will cook faster than a boneless
roast---the bone carries the heat to the inside of the
roast quicker.
Use greased muffin tins as molds when baking
green peppers.
The coldest place in the refrigerator is the back part
of the bottom shelf.
Get to know your oven.just because you set the dial to
350 degrees doesn't mean that's the internal
temperature of the appliance.calibrate it first using an
oven thermometer.
Try flavored canned broths to enhance simple recipes.
Add a little salad oil in when you cook macaroni or
spaghetti and it will not boil over or stick.
Rinse pan with cold water before heating milk in it
to prevent scorching and make cleaning easier.
A bowl of vinegar placed in a stuffy or smokey
room will absorb tobacco smoke or the smell
of paint,and keep the air fresh.
Put a layer of marshmallows in the bottom of a
pumpkin pie,then add the filling.you will have
a nice topping as the marshmallows will
come to the top.
Cut drinking straws into short lengths and insert
through slits in pie crust to prevent juice from
running over in the oven and permit steam
to escape.
To save mess in making bread or graham
cracker crumbs,place in plastic bag and
roll with rolling pin.
To make sour milk from sweet milk,add 1
tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup
sweet milk.
Rubbing alcohol will remove ball point
ink marks.
Candles chilled for 24 hours in refrigerator
will burn longer and not drip.
Baking soda on a damp cloth will remove
grime and grease from glass on oven door.
To obtain the most juice from a lemon,
heat before squeezing.
To moisten brown sugar which has hardened
place 1/2 apple in with it.
To remove fish odors from cooking utensils,
add 2 tablespoon ammonia to dishwater.
Buy lemons in season and place in zip-lock
bag in freezer.when you need fresh juice
place one in the microwave for one minute.
Frozen unbaked pie shells do not need to
be thawed and can go right into the oven.
Washing greens several hours before using
will make them crisper.
Peel onions under water to prevent them
from affecting eyes.
To core lettuce,smack head stem end down
on counter top,then twist core out.
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