How to Kitchen Stuff

38  tips, hints, and tricks ready for use in the kitchen.

Too Much Salt

If you've added too much salt to a recipe, there are several solutions, 1) add a little sugar. 2) in soups or stews, a raw potato slice added to the mixture will absorb the salt, and 3) a second batch can be made, omitting the salt, and added to the first batch. Combine the two mixtures and freeze half for later.

Too Sweet

Add some salt, or, if the recipe is a vegetable or main dish, a teaspoon of vinegar.

Gravy Too Pale

First to be sure to brown the flour well before adding any liquid, which will also prevent lumps. If the gravy is still too pale, add a few drops of gravy base or soy sauce.

Gravy Too Thick

If your gravy is too thick then add a little more liquid.

Gravy Too Thin

Potato flakes may be added instead of flour to gravy, sauces and stews

Wilting Vegetables

Remove brown edges of vegetables and sprinkle with water. Wrap in a towel and pop into the refrigerator for about an hour. Or, dip quickly in hot water, then ice water with a small amount of cider vinegar added.

Overdone Vegetables

Put the pot in an pan of cold water. Let it stand from 15 minutes to 1/2 hour without scraping pan.

Whipping Cream Problems

If whipping cream won't whip, check to see that the cream, bowl and beaters are chilled. Put the bowl of cream over a pan of ice while whipping. Or, add an egg white, chill, then whip. If that fails, try slowly adding 3 or 4 drops of lemon juice while whipping.

 Soggy Spuds

Soggy mashed potatoes are caused when the milk is added. Use dry powered milk for fluffy mashed potatoes.

Rock Hard Brown Sugar

Add a slice of soft bread to the package of brown sugar, close the bag tightly, and in a few hours the sugar will be soft again.

Thawing Frozen Meat

Seal the frozen meat in a plastic bag and place in a bowl of very warm water.

Caked Salt

Tightly wrap a piece of aluminum foil around the salt shaker. This will keep the dampness out of the salt.

Hurry-Up Baked Potatoes

Boil potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes, then place in a very hot oven.

Chopped Onions

Peel and quarter. Place one layer deep in a small pan and freeze. Quickly pack in bags or containers while frozen Use as needed, chopping onions while frozen, with a sharp knife.

Pancake Syrup

To make an inexpensive syrup for pancakes, save small amounts of leftover jams and jellies in a jar. Or fruit flavored syrup can be made by adding 2 cups of sugar to one cup of any kind of fruit juice and cooking until it boils.

Easy Topping

A good topping for gingerbread, coffee cake, etc. can easily be made by freezing the syrup from canned fruit and adding 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 2 cups of syrup. Heat until bubbly, and thicken with 2 tablespoons of flour

All Purpose Relish

Mix together mayonnaise, mustard, leftover relish, catsup, and chopped pickles and onions to make an easy relish for the whole family.

Tasty Cheese Sandwiches

Toast cheese sandwiches in a frying pan lightly greased with bacon fat for a delightful new flavor.

Jelly Jars

Before discarding jam and jelly jars, fill with hot water and shake. Use the water when making gelatin desserts.

No Spattering

 Another way to keep frying food from spattering is to invert a metal colander over the pan, allowing steam to escape.

Coffee Tip

Before adding ground coffee to the percolator, drop a thimble over the center tube in the top-this prevents the coffee from spilling into the water.

Hurry Up Hamburgers

Poke a hole in the middle of the hamburger patties while shaping them. The burgers will cook faster and the holes will disappear when done.

Shrink-less Links

Boil sausage for about 8 minutes before frying and they will shrink less and not break at all.

Eliminating Corn Silk

Brush downward on the cob of corn with a moist paper towel to remove every strand of corn silk.

Frozen Bread

Put frozen bread loves in a clean brown paper bag and place for 5 minutes in a 325-degree oven to thaw completely.

Removing Ham Rind

Before placing ham in the roasting pan, slit rind lengthwise on the underside. The rind will peel away as the ham cooks, and can be easily removed.

Cracking Nuts

 To quickly crack open a large amount of nuts, put in a bag and gently hammer until they all are cracked open. Then remove nutmeats with a pick.

Allergic to Nuts

If you or a member of your family are allergic to nuts, use Chinese noodles as a substitute in recipes

Creamier Tasting Foods

Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of powdered creamer to such items as pumpkin pie, pancake batter, etc. for a creamier taste.

Spattering and Sticking Foods

Always heat the frying pan before adding oil or butter. This will keep things from sticking to the pan. Boil vinegar in a brand new frying pan to keep things from sticking to it. Spattering can be prevented by sprinkling a little salt into the pan.

Stopping Boil-over

Spaghetti will not boil over or stick together if you add a small piece of butter or a few teaspoons of oil to the water. The same holds true for rice.

Scalded Milk

Add a bit of sugar (without stirring) to milk to prevent it from scorching. Rinse the pan in cold water before scalding milk, and it will be much easier to clean.

Soft Butter

Soften butter by grating it. Or, heat a small pan and place it upside down over the butter dish for several minutes.

Sticky Liquids

To measure honey or other sticky syrups, oil the measuring cup with cooking oil and rinse under hot water first.

Sluggish Catsup

Push a drinking straw to the bottom of the bottle and remove. This admits enough air to start the catsup flowing.

Un-molding Gelatin

Rinse the mold pan in cold water and coat with salad oil. The oil will give the gelatin a nice luster and it will easily fall out of the mold.

Dried Onions

For sandwiches to go in lunchboxes, sprinkle with dried onion.. They will have turned into crisp pieces of onion by lunchtime

Quick Cooking Veggies

Onions, broccoli and Brussels sprouts will cook faster if you make an X-shaped cut at the base of the vegetable.