- Use pasta cooking water in sauce.
- Peel ginger with a spoon.
- Add flavor to tea with hard candy.
- Use a salt shaker to dust flour.
- Instant potatoes help thicken soups and stews.
- Do not refreeze cooked, thawed foods.
- When cooking greens, add a little sugar to retain color.
- Place lemon in the microwave for 15 seconds to get the most juice.
- Salty gravy: add a few balls of wheat flour dough, it will absorb salt, then discard.
- Prepare recipe ingredients in muffin tray cups instead of separate bowls.
- Score potatoes around their equator before boiling, when done, place in ice water. When cool enough to handle, slide the skin off.
- Briefly place onions in the freezer to avoid teary eyes.
- To spice tea, tie cinnamon, cloves and orange peel, in cheese cloth and steep for about 10 minutes.
- Never soak vegetables after slicing, they will lose some of their nutrients.
- A few drops of lemon juice in the simmering rice will keep the grains separate and extra white.
- Ripen fruit faster by placing it in a paper bag or wrapped in newspaper.
- Wrap each banana stem in foil to last longer.
- Use frozen food within two months, write date.
- Thaw food in the refrigerator or under cold water, not hot.
- Place bay leaves in a flour container to deter insects.
- Meat should be cooked or reheated to 165 degrees to kill all bacteria.
- To defat broth, chill it, saturated fat hardens and floats and can be easily scooped.
- Freeze leftover sauce or any liquids in ice cube trays then Ziplock bags.
- Freeze unpeeled over-ripe bananas in Ziplock bags to use for baking
- Nuts shelled or not, kept better and longer in the freezer.
- Store coffee in the fridge or freezer to retain freshness.
- To dress up buttered cooked vegetables, sprinkle sesame seeds; toasted nuts; French fried onions; grated cheese; crushed seasoned croutons. Add raw rice to the salt shaker to keep it free flowing.
- To make self-rising flour, mix 2 C all purpose flour, 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp baking powder.
- Toast nuts in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes to enhance the flavor in recipes.
- Avoid hot oil from splattering by sprinkling a little salt or flour in the oil before frying.
- Strain frying oil with a folded paper towel placed on the strainer to remove bits.
- Spray oil on a grater before grating cheese to prevent sticking.
- Spray oil on the grill rack to prevent food from sticking.
- Soak wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes before use, to remove food easily.
- Grind salt in a food processor to sharpen the blades.
- Use dental floss for perfect cake cuts and cheese slices.
- Rub lemon juice on your hands to remove onion/garlic odor. Sharpen knives by rubbing on the unglazed part of the ceramic mug base.
- Rub chopping board with salt and lemon to clean.
- Use ketchup to clean copper based cookware.