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.
