Hints & Tips
Posted By: Roxy
Date: 2004/3/14 7:44 p.m.

Chopping
Before chopping sticky foods, flour the pieces in a paper bag OR dip your shears or knife in hot water while cutting.

Colander
Use plastic berry boxes to drain pasta or vegetables. This is especially useful on camping trips.


Confectioners' Sugar
It takes very little liquid to thin to spreading consistency for icing. Add the liquid 1 teaspoonful at a time; otherwise you may need more sugar to thicken it again.

Coupons
Always check the price of a coupon item against the price of a generic item. Often, the "name brand" item is more expensive even with a coupon.

Crackers
To crisp soggy crackers, put them on a cookie sheet and heat in the oven for a few minutes.

Crepes
Just add extra milk to your favorite pancake recipe and spread it thinly on the griddle.

Custard
If you plan to unmold a baked custard, beat the eggs only slightly before you add them to the liquid. This will keep the custard firm when baked. Too much beating produces a light, porous custard. A knife inserted near the center of custard will come out clean when custard is done. Remember, overcooked custards have watery textures. If you want to unmold the custard, such as custard for a creme brulée, bake the custard in a metal container. The metal cools more quickly than glass and will release more easily.

Deep Frying
Hot fat rises several inches when you drop food into it. Choose a pan that is deep enough. Re-use the oil by frying bread slices in off-flavor oil until bread absorbs the extraneous odors and flavors.

Dips
To make a colorful bowl for dip, hollow out red, yellow or green bell pepper, artichoke, eggplant, zucchini, squash or red cabbage. Remove a thin slice from the bottom of the vegetable so that it will stand upright.

Serve vegetable dips in round bread or black pumpernickel. Cut off the top and cut it into strips to be used with the vegetables. Scoop out the middle of the bread, making a bowl, and fill with dips such as chopped spinach whirred with grated onion, cream cheese and sour cream in the blender. Arrange on a platter.

Double Boiler
Always place a jar lid or marbles in the bottom part of your double boiler. The rattling sound will signal if the water has boiled away.


Doughnuts After forming doughnuts, let them stand about 15 minutes before frying. They'll absorb less fat.

Drying
Spread a layer of washed and dried celery leaves on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 325ºF until leaves are dry and brittle. Let them cool. Crumble leaves, and store in an airtight container. Sprinkle them on soup, stew or casseroles as a delicate flavor enhancer.

Dumplings
Dumpling batter will drop from the spoon if you dip the spoon in the boiling liquid before scooping out the batter.

Electric Mixer
The blades of your mixer won't clog when creaming cold shortening if they are placed in hot water for a few minutes before using.

Fat
Lettuce leaves absorb fat. Place a few into the pot and watch the fat cling to them. To remove fat from stew, soup or pot roast, wrap an ice cube or two in white paper toweling and skim the surface. Fat will cling to the toweling.

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