| Tip #105: When grilling and using wooden skewers, soak the skewers in water overnight to prevent scorching. |
| Tip #106: Try an old time remedy of 1 tablespoon honey and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda for a cough or chest congestion. It will soothe the throat and the cough. |
| Tip #107: A great old time tea to relieve cold symptoms:
3/4 cup hot water,
1/2 teaspoon sugar,
1/4 teaspoon baking soda,
a non-coated aspirin (Bayer aspirin was our choice),
1/4 teaspoon ginger.
If you were an adult, you could add 1 to 2 tablespoons whiskey. |
| Tip #108: Window Washing Solution
1 cup rubbing alcohol
1 cup cold water
1 tbsp white vinegar
|
| Tip #109: When you go to the meat store ask them for filet mignon medallions. 1 medallion per person. Soak the toothpicks in water prior to using them to fasten the bacon around the filet mignon medallions.
|
| Tip #110: Flour Equivalents - 1 cup flour equals
¾ cup whole wheat flour
7/8 cup rice flour
1¼ cups rye flour
1 cup rye meal
5/8 cup potato flour
¾ cup buckwheat flour
7/8 cup corn meal
1½ cups oatmeal
¼ cup bean flour
|
| Tip #111: If your cracklings have become too hard to eat, simply heat oil to hot in a heavy cast pot. Drop the cracklings (be careful to avoid popping hot oil) in for a minute or so and the cracklings will soften right up! |
| Tip #112: Baking soda keeps for about 12 to 18 months if stored on a shelf in its original box. It will keep much longer - almost indefinitely - if sealed in a container that keeps out moisture and air. To determine whether baking soda is still active, sprinkle a pinch into a small amount of vinegar. It
should bubble vigorously. |
| Tip #113: For refreshing ice cubes..fill your plastic ice cube trays half way with water and add a maraschino cherry or some piece of small fruit. Freeze and when frozen, fill the cubes to the top with water and return to freezer. Great for punch and ice teas. You can also make your watermelon juice and freeze it in cubes..really great in any drink!!!! |
| Tip #114: OIL EQUIVALENT: 7/8 cup oil = 1 cup shortening |
| Tip #115: You can keep leftover cooked pasta in the refrigerator for
up to three days. When it's time to reheat, simply put it
in a colander and then place it directly into boiling water
for one minute. |
| Tip #116: If you are preparing your own lemon or orange zest; scrape only the utmost top of the rind as right below the skin it is bitter. |
| Tip #117: A dark roux will thicken less than light roux.
|
| Tip #118: SUBSTITUTE FOR BUTTERMILK - 1 c. milk plus 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Let stand 5 minutes. Beat well.
|
| Tip #119: For better resilts, use the size pan specified in a recipe. To check the width of a pan, measure across the top from inside edge to inside edge. |
| Tip #120: Per USDA tomatoes are easy to freeze. Just peel and pack. You can chop them or not, depending on what style you want. There's no need to add salt or lemon juice for frozen tomatoes. It's actually better if you don't add salt or spices because sometimes those cause bitter or metallic flavors later.
|
| Tip #121: The quickest way to make grated lemon or orange peel is to slice off big pieces of the peel and grind them for just a few seconds in a food processor. |
| Tip #122: Whipped cream will stay fluffy and hold up longer if you sweeten with powdered sugar instead of granualted sugar. |
| Tip #123: When preparing a can of frozen juice concentrate, pour the concentrate into your pitcher and mash with your potato masher; it will dissolve faster. |
| Tip #124: Don't ever try to freeze mayonnaise or food made with mayonnaise. While the other ingredients may freeze fine, the mayo holding everything together will separate creating an oily mess when defrosted. |
| Tip #125: Do not use aluminum pans when cooking eggs...the aluminum will turn the eggs green.
|
| Tip #126: Do not use aluminum pans when cooking eggs...the aluminum will turn the eggs green.
|
| Tip #127: A tip on whipped cream...soupy whipped cream can be
revived by adding an egg white to it then chilling thoroughly before re-whipping it to its former fluffy glory. |
| Tip #128: Never add salt to legumes until they are tender, as salt added too soon toughens them and they seem to never get done. Another rule is, always start vegetables cooking in cold water.
|
| Tip #129: To preserve the fresh green color of beans, peas and greens, add a pinch of baking soda to the cooking water. A pinch is less than 1/8 teaspoon. |
| Tip #130: For a more pleasing appearance, add a little vinegar to the water when cooking red vegetables. A little vinegar in water will also keep white vegetables from yellowing. |
| Tip #131: Fried Raw Potatoes - Hint for non-greasy potatoes; when melting the shortening in frying pan, add 1 teaspoon vinegar. Then add the sliced potatoes and fry as usual. The potatoes will not be greasy and the top of your stove will remain clean. |
| Tip #132: CASSEROLE TOPPING TIPS: Adding any of these to your casserole either before or during the cooking will make it even more tasty.
French fried onions, crushed potato chips, bread crumbs,
crumbled bacon, grated or shredded cheese added near end
of cooking, cracker crumbs, buttered herbed bread crumbs,
chopped pecans, other nuts. |
| Tip #133: To those who understand ~ No explanation is necessary
For those who don't understand ~ No explanation is possible
|
| Tip #134: When shelling pecans, if you want them to come out whole, pour some boiling water over the pecans and let them sit for thirty minutes before cracking.
|
| Tip #135: If you hate to throw out cookies just because they have gotten a little hard, place them in a ziplock sandwich bag with a piece of bread overnight. The next day you'll have fresh, soft cookies again. |
| Tip #136: In general, the larger the shrimp, the lower the
count -- and the higher the price. How much? About 1 pound
whole shrimp, 1/2 pound headless unpeeled shrimp or 1/4
pound headless peeled shrimp per serving. |
| Tip #137: There are two kinds of measuring cups. One is for measuring
dry ingredients and has a round top. The other is for measuring liquids and has a lip for pouring. Be sure to use the correct cup for the job or else the measurement will be wrong. |
| Tip #138: When taking the fat out of a recipe, add some liquid to
make up the difference in liquid volume and moistening power.
|
| Tip #139: Always preheat the oven to desired temperature 10 to 15 minutes prior to baking. And when baking cakes or other desserts, don't peek until the minimum baking time has elapsed. A blast of cold air can cause a cake or souffles to fall. |
| Tip #140: If a recipe calls for dried herbs and you are using fresh always double the amount of herbs needed. |
| Tip #141: Pack a plastic container of frozen lemonade or iced tea in
the a.m., to keep food chilled and have as a drink by lunchtime.
|
| Tip #142: Add seltzer water to grape, cranberry or orange juice, even fresh watermelon juice to make a carbonated fruit drink.
|
| Tip #143: Cooking corn an easy way is to take an unhusked ear of corn, cut off the exposed silk protruding from the end, and place the in the center of a microwave oven and cook on high for 3 minutes.
Turn the ear over and cook another 3 minutes on high. Very carefully remove the corn to a plate; remove the husks and the silk. Apply butter and seasonings and enjoy. |
| Tip #144: To prevent foods such as honey or molasses from sticking, spray spoons or measuring cups with a non-stick vegetable spray before measuring. |
| Tip #145: 1 cup sifted flour = 1 cup unsifted flour minus 1 1/2 tablespoons. |
| Tip #146: Measuring Cups - Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill it with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. |
| Tip #147: Foggy Windshield? - Hate foggy windshields common in South Louisiana? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
|
| Tip #148: Good-bye Fruit Flies - To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
|
| Tip #149: Reheating refrigerated bread - To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
|
| Tip #150: Expanding Frosting - When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar/calories per serving. |
| Tip #151: Easy Deviled Eggs - Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
|
| Tip #152: Use only canning or pickling salt. These products can be found next to the regular table salt or in the home canning section of your local grocery store. Using table salt may result in soggy or disclored pickles. |
| Tip #153: When heating pickling liquids, never use copper, brass, iron or galvanized containers. The acid in the pickles could react with these metals and affect the color, flavor and, most importantly, the safety of the product. |
| Tip #154: For muffins and quickbreads, simply substitute each egg with 2 tablespoons of corn oil and 1 tablespoon of water. You won't miss the eggs at all.
|
| Tip #155: Add a pinch of salt to onions when sauteing. This draws out the moisture and softens them more quickly. |
| Tip #156: To prevent crumbling, cool your brownies completely before you cut them into squares, unless the recipe states otherwise. Use a plastic knife or table knife for smooth-sided bars. |
| Tip #157: Before you remove your cake from the pan you should cool it for 15 minutes, or as the recipe recommends. Then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. |
| Tip #158: To loosen skins off of garlic, smash the cloves with the flat side of a meat mallet. |
| Tip #159: To easily pour condensed milk, place the opened can in a pot filled with hot water. Wait 10 minutes and pour. |
| Tip #160: To avoid soggy pie crusts, brush a beaten egg white on the bottom and sides of an unbaked pie before you fill it. (This prevents the filling from seeping into the crust during baking – and causing a soggy crust). |
| Tip #161: When using a bread machine, greasing the dough beater shaft with shortening, or coating with a cooking spray before installing the beater will make for easy clean-up. Soaking the beater in warm water for a few minutes after removing the bread can help loosen any baked-on ngredients. |
| Tip #162: For a shiny, deep golden pie crust, brush with egg yolk beaten with a little water or milk before baking.
For a sugary, sweet pie crust, brush lightly with water, milk or cream then sprinkle with sugar. |
| Tip #163: To prevent pie shells from shrinking when baking do not stretch the dough when placing shell into the pie pan.
|
| Tip #164: For soft, chewy cookies, remove from oven about two minutes before they are done as they will continue to bake on the hot baking sheet. |
| Tip #165: To avoid the strong cooking odor of Brussels sprouts that are boiled or steamed, add a rib of celery or a sprinkling of caraway seeds to the cooking water. |
| Tip #166: To easily remove marshmallow creme from jar, remove lid and seal. Microwave on high 30 seconds.
|
| Tip #167: New potatoes should start cooking in boiling water; old potatoes in cold water and brought to a boil |
| Tip #168: On average, a head of broccoli, or the bunches of 2 or 3 small heads that are sold wrapped together these days, will give you about 3 to 3 1/2 cups of broccoli florets or 5 1/2 to 6 cups if you chop the stems with them. |
| Tip #169: When making caramel, don't stir sugar with a spoon — swirl the skillet.
|
| Tip #170: Baking Substitutes:
Baking Soda *1 t soda, 1 t cream of tartar
Allspice *Equal amounts - cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg
Cream *3/4 c milk, 1/4 c melted butter
Corn Syrup *1 1/4 c brown sugar, 1/2 c water |
| Tip #171: For extra flavor, loosen any stuck-on brown bits in the saucepan by deglazing with wine, beer, chicken broth or cola drinks. |
| Tip #172: Remember the 2-2-4 formula:
2 hours--If food has been out more than 2 hours, toss it.
2 inches--Store food in containers 2 inches deep to prevent bacteria growth.
4 days--Eat left overs within 4 days.
|
| Tip #173: For added flavor in your gravy, use chicken bouillon granules instead of salt. Chicken bouilllon is noted for being very salty, and adding it in place of the salt will make a big difference in the taste. Do not use the powdered form (it will make lumps). Avoid using cubes, as these must be dissolved first. |
| Tip #174: Meringue won't "weep" if you blend a teaspoon of cornstarch into the sugar before beating it into the egg whites.
|
| Tip #175: Lard and shortening produce the most tender pie crusts. You may use half lard or shortening and half butter if you want the buttery flavor.
|
| Tip #176: Don’t store soft chewy cookies and crisp cookies in the same container. The crisp cookies will soften. |
| Tip #177: Lost your rice cooker measuring cup - just measure 3/4 cup of raw rice for every cup of rice you want cooked. |
| Tip #178: Do NOT store them in the refridgerator or they will turn brown and have develop a strange flavor. |
| Tip #179: For a crustier chewier roll, spray the rolls with cold water from a fine mist spray bottle a couple of times during baking time. |
| Tip #180: What about parsley? While the taste of parsley is very mild, its peculiar smell is strong. When chewed after a meal, it can neutralize the odors given to the breath by onions, garlic and other hardy delicacies. |
| Tip #181: If the egg is refrigerated, leave it outside for about five minutes before placing it in a bowl of hot water. Add vinegar to the pan of water and place the egg fully submerged in water. Boil the egg for about 15 minutes.
|
| Tip #182: Water Kettle MethodFor Cooking Eggs - Place eggs in the bottom of an electric water kettle. Add enough cool tap water to the kettle to cover the eggs by an inch.
Turn the kettle on and either wait until the unit reaches a boil and unplug it use the unit's automatic shut off boil sensor Leave the eggs in the kettle for 13 minutes. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath for rapid cooling which will prevent a green yolk.
|
| Tip #183: Add lots of salt to the water before boiling to make peeling easier. |
| Tip #184: Cooling the eggs in ice water also them peel easier. The idea behind this is with rapid cooling, the egg white will shrink away from the sturdy shell. Make sure to have a bowl of ice water ready after eggs have been boiled. Once the ice has melted, drain water and store eggs in refrigerator for no more than one week.
|
| Tip #185: Cooling the eggs in ice water also them peel easier. The idea behind this is with rapid cooling, the egg white will shrink away from the sturdy shell. Make sure to have a bowl of ice water ready after eggs have been boiled. Once the ice has melted, drain water and store eggs in refrigerator for no more than one week.
|
| Tip #186: With ducks or geese, soaking the meat overnight in water and salt will pull a lot of blood and "wild" flavours out, after which, papaya based tenderizers will help reduce the "gamey taste"
|
| Tip #187: Try thawing frozen fish in milk. The milk draws out the frozen taste and provides a fresh-caught flavor.
|
| Tip #188: When freezing fresh fish in water, add a small amount of lemon juice to preserve the flavor.
|
| Tip #189: Warm the milk before adding it to pasta and vegetables dishes—this allows the mixture to heat quickly and avoids overcooking. |
| Tip #190: To have lint free and streak free glass windows, spray windows with window cleaner and use a doubled up coffee filter. Coffee filters have no lint; therefore no lint and no streaks. |
| Tip #191: To save a step when making pie crust, shape the dough into a disk - not a ball - wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. |
| Tip #192: Roll out pie crust dough between pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper to make transferring it to the pie pan simple |
| Tip #193: When making piecrusts from scratch - have all the ingredients well chilled, including the flour. Use water with ice cubes to keep the water cold. Cut the butter and shortening in pieces and place them in the freezer to chill. |
| Tip #194: If you plan to make your own pie, you can make the dough three days ahead and refrigerate it or two months in advance and freeze it. You also can make pies up to three days in advance.
|
| Tip #195: When freezing fresh fish in water, add a small amount of lemon juice to preserve the flavor. |
| Tip #196: Try thawing frozen fish in milk. The milk draws out the frozen taste and provides a fresh-caught flavor. |
| Tip #197: dave ashbrook suggest:
Proper way to season a heavy (cast iron) pot or skillet is to soak in lye to clean, then melt LARD and rub on pan. Heat at 200 degrees for a couple of hours, repeat a couple of times. When thru using to cook, do not wash with dishwahing soap, wipe clean with a damp rag. Do not cook stews with high tomato content in cast iron as it will attack the metal. If you use cooking oil to season the pan it will build up to a gummy surface.....ALWAYS use lard.
|
| Tip #198: When boiling milk, first stir in a pinch of baking soda. This will help keep the milk from curdling |
| Tip #199: When a recipe calls for butter the size of an egg, use four tablespoons. |
| Tip #200: Salt added to flour used for thickening gravies will help to prevent lumping. |
| Tip #201: Too much parsley for your gumbo; Wrap the parsley in foil first, then freeze. Shave off as much as needed, rewrap and return to the freezer. It will retain its flavor and freshness. |
| Tip #202: A tablespoon of minute tapioca sprinkled in apple or fruit pies will absorb excess juice while baking. |
| Tip #203: Cleaning Corn - If u zapp ears of corn (in the husk) in the good old zapper (microwave) for 3 minutes, let cool a little & peel back the husk & silk at same time, you will come out with a clean ear of corn. |
| Tip #204: Cooking perfect corn on the cob - microwave 2 ½ minutes one side, flip do it 2/12 more minutes…perfect corn to eat right off the cob! I introduced this to my son and his wife and that is the only way they want to eat since it is so easy!
|
| Tip #205: Boiling Quail Eggs and hate to peel: Boil in pure vinegar 7 to 8 minutes; Remove and cool until firm. Remove outer skin membrane. The shell dissolves in the vinegar. The vinegar will have only a slight oily film - skim and reuse. |
| Tip #206: For fluffier fried shrimp - try this tip from the Riverside Inn that a Facebook visitor shared that he learned that from years ago: Ice cold water mixed in with the eggs. I even add a couple of cubes of ice to the egg mixture that I'm dipping my shrimp or crawfish into. |
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