Cooking Tips & Techniques

Be a Pro with the following Cooking Tips & Techniques

You can be a Wizz in the kitchen by using the following Cooking Tips & Techniques.

Ice cream – getting it right

this For later use

• You love ice cream and you want it now.
• But the problem is that once you take it out of the freezer it will take time for it to thaw before you can serve it.
• But there is an easier way.
• Take your ice cream container, at the consistency you want it to be, and put it into a zip lock bag.
• Then put it into your freezer.
• And the next time you want ice cream it is ready to serve just the way you like it.

Easy and delish.

Mashed Potatoes

• When making mashed potatoes, poke a few holes in your potatoes, place your favorite herbs, and spices in the pot & boil until soft.
• Remove whole herbs and spices peel & mash with butter and milk/cream and enjoy.

How to crack an egg

• Never crack an egg on the side of a bowl or the edge of something like your worktable, for the simple reason that you will end up with little bits of shell in the egg. ⠀

Just smack it on a flat surface, and voila, It will crack just the same if not better!⠀

Mayonnaise

• Believe it or not.
• Mayonnaise is the secret ingredient that makes just about anything taste better.
• You can brush fish, any meat, and vegetables with a bit of mayonnaise and it will improve the taste and flavor.
• And don’t worry, the mayonnaise flavor will disappear when cooking your food.
• So use mayonnaise when grilling, frying, or cooking in your oven.

Apple Peels

• A great healthy snack.
• When cooking with apples, don’t throw the peels out.
• Keep them.
• And turn them into a healthy, nutritious, full of fiber, snack.
• Just add a bit of salt.
• And you’re good to go.
• Easy and delish.

Still some more Cooking Tips & Techniques

How to keep the root of the onion intact

• Keep the root of the onion intact to help with slicing.
• Onions can be difficult to slice into without making a mess.

An easy way to cut them evenly would be to not remove the root. While keeping it intact, peel the onion and slice in a horizontal direction. Then, cut down vertically to create perfectly minced pieces.

Bananas ripen quickly and then spoil quickly.

• But there is a way to prevent them from spoiling quickly.
• And it’s so simple.
• Just separate them and wrap each stem end with some plastic.

Get more juice from a lemon by microwaving it

• Nuke any citrus fruit for ±20 to 30 seconds in a microwave oven.
• Lightly roll in on the countertop or in the palm of your hands.
• Cut it in half and continue to squeeze out the juice as it will be softer and produce way more juice.

15 Kitchen tips to remember

1. To prevent the butter from over-browning in your pan, add a little bit of lemon juice.
2. After handling garlic, rub your fingers on stainless steel, like your sink, to get rid of the odor.
3. If you need to revive celery, cut a thin slice off the root end and stand it in a bowl of ice water for up ½ hour. It should be good and ready for immediate use.
4. If you run out of buttermilk: replace it and use regular milk with lemon juice.
5. Stop crying 😢 and cut off the root of the onion before you slice.
6. No problem, you can store butter in the freezer for up to six months.
7. Need even slices of fruit: Use an egg slicer to cut small fruits like kiwis
8. Waste not, want not: Freeze leftover tomato paste in small ice cube containers for later use.
9. If you need to grate any type of soft cheese, first freeze it for 30 minutes, then it’s so much easier and will be much easier to grate or slice.
10. Looking for a more healthy substitute for mayo, sour cream, heavy cream, use Greek yogurt.
11. Sure you can store your opened flour bags in the freezer and they will last longer.
12. Forgot to take the butter out of the fridge to soften?  No problem, all you need to do would be to cut slices into a bowl and let them sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes.
13. How do make leafy greens last longer?  Just wrap it in a damp paper towel and place it in a sealable plastic bag before storing it.
14. Pasta should never, ever be rinsed for a warm dish. The starch in the water is what helps the sauce adhere to your pasta. The only time you should ever rinse your pasta is when you are going to use it in a cold dish like a pasta salad or when you are not going to use it immediately
15. Put the rock-hard sugar in a microwave-safe bowl, lay a moist paper towel on top, and microwave it for 20 seconds.

How to check for the freshness of Eggs

1. Fill a bowl with cold water and place the eggs in the bowl.
2. If they sink to the bottom and lay flat on their sides, they’re very fresh.
3. If they’re a few weeks old but still good to eat, they’ll stand on one end at the bottom of the bowl.
4. BUT, if they float to the surface, they’re no longer fresh enough to eat.

Not sure of an Abbreviation in a recipe

• T., tbs., tb., tbsp. = tablespoon
• tsp., t. = teaspoon
• c. = cup
• spk. = speck
• lb., or # = pound
• qt. = quart
• pk. = peck
• bu. = bushel
• oz. = ounce
• min. = minute
• pt. = pint
• doz. = dozen
• hr. = hour
• f.g. = few grains
• mod. = moderate
• °C. = degrees Centigrade
• °F. = degrees Fahrenheit

FOOD WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

• dash, speck, a few grains = less than 1/8 teaspoon
• 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
• 16 tablespoons = 1 cup
• 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup
• 4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup
• 5 1/3 tablespoons = 1/3 cup
• 8 ounces = 1 cup (liquid)
• 2 cups = 1 pint
• 1 cup = 1/2 pint
• 2 pints = 1 quart
• 4 cups = 1 quart
• 4 quarts = 1 gallon
• 8 quarts = 1 peck (dry)
• 4 pecks = 1 bushel
• 16 ounces = 1 pound
• 1 pound butter = 2 cups of 4 sticks
• ½ pound butter = 1 cup or 2 sticks
• 1/4 pound butter = 1/2 cup or 1 stick
• 1 pound granulated sugar = 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 square chocolate = 1 ounce chocolate
• 1 square chocolate = 3 Tbs. cocoa + 1 T. fat
• 10 miniature marshmallows = 1 standard size marshmallow
• 4½ cups of min. marshmallows = 1/2 pound marshmallow

OVEN TEMPERATURES

• Very Slow 250° to 300°
• Slow 300° to 325°
• Moderate 350° to 375°
• Hot 400° to 425°
• Very Hot 450° to 475°

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