Food Tips
76 tips, hints, and tricks ideal for cooking food
Cabbage Smell
To avoid the awful odor of cooking cabbage or onions,
add a lemon wedge to the pot.
Leftover Squash
Squash that is left over can be improved by adding
some maple syrup before reheating.
Frozen Tomato Cubes
Save the juice from canned tomatoes in ice cube
trays. When frozen, store in plastic bags in freezer for
cooking use or for tomato drinks.
Tomato Juice
To improve the flavor of inexpensive tomato juice,
pour a 46-ounce can of it into a refrigerator and add
one chopped green onion and a cut-up stalk of celery.
Crisp Vegetables
By lining the crisper section of your refrigerator
with newspaper and wrapping vegetables with it, moisture
will be absorbed and your vegetables will stay fresher
longer.
Angel Food Dessert
In a loaf pan, alternate slices of stale angel food
cake with layers of chocolate and strawberry ice cream.
Freeze.
No-Spill Cupcakes
An ice-cream scoop can be used to fill cupcake papers
without spilling.
Icing a Layer Cake
Slide three dry sticks of spaghetti through the
layers to prevent them from sliding before the icing
sets.
Slicing Cake or Torte
Use dental floss to slice evenly and cleanly through
a cake or torte--simply stretch a length of the floss
taut and press down through the cake.
Crisp Crust
Sprinkle vanilla wafer crumbs over the bottom crust
of fruit pies to avoid soggy crust.
Rolling Pie Crust Dough
Cut yardstick in half and lay one half at each end of
your pastry board or cloth. Rest the ends of the rolling
pin on them and dough will roll out evenly.
Surprise Parfaits
Store parfait glasses in the freezer and add leftover
dessert ingredients to them--ice cream, broken cookies,
whipped cream, etc., to make surprise parfaits.
Ice Cream Saver
Buy bulk quantities of ice cream and pack in small
margarine containers. These provide individual servings
and save freezer space.
Salad Dressing Base
Add vinegar or pickle juice to mayonnaise jars that
are nearly empty for a good base for salad dressing or
sweet-sour cabbage. Shake well.
Rejuvenating Apples
Sprinkle cider over apple pieces that have become
tasteless and dry. Their flavor will be restored.
Sugar Substitute
Maple syrup may be substituted for sugar when making
applesauce or apple pie
Lemon Juice Tip
When a small amount of lemon juice is needed, insert
a skewer into the lemon rind and squeeze juice out. The
lemon will stay fresher longer than if it were cut.
Leftover Orange Juice
Save orange juice left from breakfast for use in
gelatins, salad dressings and icings.
Canning Peaches
Don't bother to remove skins when canning or freezing
peaches. They will taste better and be more nutritious
with the skin on.
Angel Food Cookies
Stale angle food cake can be cut into half-inch
slices and shaped with cookie cutters to make delicious
"cookies." Just toast in the oven for a few minutes.
Onions Minus Tears
Peel onions under cold water or refrigerate before
chopping.
How to Chop Garlic
Chop in a small amount of salt to prevent pieces of
garlic from sticking to the knife or chopping board.
Easily Peeled Tomatoes
Place tomatoes in a bowl, add boiling water and let
them stand for one minute. Tomatoes will peel easily
with a sharp knife.
Rid Yourself of Excess Fat
Remove fat from stews or soups by refrigerating and
eliminating fat as it rises and hardens on the surface.
Or add lettuce leaves to the pot--the fat will cling to
them. Discard lettuce before serving.
Degreasing Soups
Another way to remove fat from the top of soups and
stews is to lay a piece of wax paper over the surface of
the liquid before refrigerating. When cool, remove the
and the grease will come off with it.
Broiled Meat Drippings
Place a piece of bread under the rack on which you
are broiling meat. Not only will this absorb the
dripping fat, but it will reduce the chance of the fat
catching on fire.
Recycled Gelatin
Add any leftover gelatin salad to some whipped cream
or cream cheese and put in the blender. Refrigerate
until set.
Fake Sour Cream
To cut down on calories, run cottage cheese through
the blender. It can be flavored with chives, extracts,
etc., and used in place of mayonnaise.
Browned Butter
Browning brings out the flavor of the butter, so only
half as much is needed for seasoning vegetables if it is
browned before it is added.
Cooking Dried Beans
When cooking dried beans, add salt after cooking; if
salt is added at the start, it will slow the cooking
process.
Tasty Carrots
Adding sugar and horseradish to cooked carrots,
improves their flavor.
Carrot Marinade
Marinate carrot sticks in dill pickle juice.
Corn Cob Holder
Corn can easily be removed from the cob by pounding a
3 inch nail into a board that is one foot square in
measurement. Insert the end of the cob onto the nail,
and the ear will turn easily as you cut.
Clean Cukes
A ball of nylon net cleans and smoothes cucumbers
when making pickles.
Fresh Garlic
Peel garlic and store in a covered jar of vegetable
oil. The garlic will stay fresh and the oil will be
nicely flavored for salad dressings.
Leftover Waffles
Freeze waffles that are left; they can be reheated in
the toaster.
Ready-Made Waffles
Waffles can be made ahead of time and kept in a
low-heated oven until they are ready to be eaten.
Chip Tip
Top casseroles with potato chip crumbs. They can also
be added to salads immediately before serving.
Crack-less Eggs
Pierce the round end of eggs with a needle before
hard-boiling to prevent shells from cracking.
Separated Eggs
Use a small funnel to easily separate the egg white
from the yolk. The yolk will remain in the funnel while
the white will fall through.
Warming Cold Eggs
Eggs can be brought to room temperature quickly by
placing them in a bowl of very warm water and covering
for 3 to 5 minutes.
Whipped Butter
Whip your own butter to save money and calories by
combining a pound of butter and a pound of margarine and
whipping by hand or with a mixer. Store in small
containers in the refrigerator.
Potato Pancakes
To keep potatoes from discoloring, add a little sour
cream when grating for potato pancakes.
Potato Salad Stretcher
Serve leftover salad in green peppers that have been
boiled for 5 minutes in salted water and brushed with
barbecue sauce, Serve cold.
Sorting Potatoes
When buying a large-size bag of potatoes, it is
easier to sort them before using them. Separate them
according to size and place them in a storage area.
Fluffy Rice
Rice will be fluffier and whiter if you add 1
teaspoon of lemon juice to each quart of water.
Nutritious Rice
Cook rice in liquid saved from cooking vegetables to
add flavor and nutrition. A nutty taste can be achieved
by adding wheat germ to rice.
Perfect Noodles
When cooking noodles, bring required amount of water
to a boil, add noodles, turn heat off and allow to stand
for 30 minutes. This prevents over boiling and the chore
of stirring. Noodles won't stick to the pan with this
method.
Easy Croutons
Make delicious for soup or salad by saving toast,
cutting into cubes, and sautéing in garlic butter.
Non-Soggy Fried Chicken
Wrap hot fried chicken that will not be eaten right
away in aluminum foil. Punch holes in the foil and steam
will escape, keeping your chicken from becoming soggy.
Grilled Chicken
When cooking chicken or other fowl over a fire, tie
to the grill and truss with un-waxed dental floss. It is
very strong and will not burn.
Baked Fish
To keep fish from sticking to the pan, bake on a bed
of chopped onion, celery and parsley. This also adds a
nice flavor to the fish.
Fishy Odor
To remove the odor of fish from cooking and serving
implements, rinse in vinegar.
Tuna Salad Stretchers
Tuna fish salad may be stretched by adding diced
apples or celery to your mixture.
Mashed Potatoes
Save some of the water in which the potatoes were
boiled--add to some powdered milk and use when mashing.
This restores some of the nutrients that were lost in
the cooking process.
More Mashed Potato Tips
Use a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese in place
of butter for your mashed potatoes; try using sour cream
instead of milk when mashing
Instant Stew Vegetables
Store leftover corn, peas, green beans, carrots,
celery, potatoes and onions in a container in the
freezer. Add to other ingredients when making stew.
Roasting Lamb
When roasting lamb, attach garlic bread (butter side
down) to outside of meat with toothpicks. Sprinkle with
water and roast. The garlic butter will flavor the meat
and the bread makes a tasty dressing
Easy-to-Fry Sausage
Pin sausages together with a meat skewer before
frying them. They can be easily turned at the same time
with a spatula. This also reduces splattering.
Non-Sticking Bacon
Roll a package of bacon into a tub before opening.
This will loosen the slices and keep them from sticking
together.
Tasty Hot Dogs
Boil hot dogs in sweet pickle juice and a little
water for a different taste.
Picnic Tip
Before going on a picnic, place hot dogs in a
wide-mouth thermos and add boiling water. They will be
cooked and ready to eat by the time the picnic site is
reached.
Golden-Brown Chicken
For golden-brown fried chicken, roll it in powdered
milk instead of flour.
Crusty Jars
Before screwing the lid on jars of mustard, chili
sauce, honey, etc., place a piece of plastic over the
top to prevent a crust from forming.
Double Boiler Hint
Toss a few marbles in the bottom of a double boiler.
When the water boils down, the noise will let you know!
Flour Puff
Keep a powder puff in your flour container to easily
dust your rolling pin or pastry board.
Year-Round Fresh Herbs
Chop fresh herbs in a blender with a little water.
Spoon into foil-lined egg cartons and freeze. When
frozen, put in a plastic bag for use throughout the
year.
Filling Jelly Jars
When making homemade jelly or jam, use a gravy boat
to fill the jars. The handle allows you to dip into the
hot liquid and the spout will fit into the jars easily,
preventing spills.
Recycling Paraffin
Store paraffin that has been removed from the tops of
jelly jars in a large glass jar. When jelly-making time
comes, place the jar in a large pan of water on the
stove and melt the paraffin down. Not only does this
save the cost of new paraffin, but also the chore of
cleaning wax out of a pot.
Jar Labels
Attach canning labels to the lids instead of the
sides of jelly jars, to prevent the chore of removing
the labels when the contents are gone.
Frozen Soup
Freeze homemade soup in bread pans and ice-cube
trays. When frozen, store in plastic bags in the
freezer. This will take up much less space than large
containers.
Instant Breading
Store bits of cereal, crackers and bread crumbs in a
tightly closed glass jar. Add some flour and use the
mixture for breading meat patties, fish, etc.
Bread Crumb Substitute
Crush pretzels can be used as a substitute for bread
crumbs.
Different Meatballs
Try using crushed cornflakes or cornbread instead of
bread crumbs in a meatball recipe. Or use onion-flavored
potato chips.
Seasoning From a Shaker
When a recipe calls for meat, poultry or fish to be
floured, instead of rolling in flour or shaking in a
bag, try putting flour and seasonings in a salt shaker.
This saves a lot of mess and waste.
Bread Sticks
Cut hot dog buns in half lengthwise, and cut each
piece into three bread sticks. Butter, sprinkle with
cheese, and toast in the broiler.
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