Cooking tricks not only make cooking easier, they also cut time and possibly reduce expenses. Keep them in mind in your next cooking routine!
- To keep parsley crisp and fresh, place a bunch upright in a wide mouthed jar with airtight lid. Add just enough water to the jar to cover the stems without it touching the leaves. Store in the refrigerator.
- Wash a bunch of green onions. Cut off roots. Pat dry with a paper towel and mince. Store in tightly covered plastic containers in the refrigerator. Keeps better and longer than when left in the crisper.
- Cut off about half an inch from both ends of cucumbers to remove bitterness. To bring out their taste, slice them ahead of time, sprinkle with a little salt and refrigerate until ready for use.
- To avoid tears when cutting onions, leave them in the refrigerator for a few days before using them. (Or peel and cut them in half under cold running water. Keep under running water for about a minute or let soak in cold water for a time before slicing.)
- Roll lemon with palm over a hard surface or heat lemons before squeezing to get more juice from them.
- Scale fish under water to keep scales from flying around.
- Frozen raw meats defrost faster when submerged in cold water rather than when left standing at room temperature.
- For fluffier and higher pancakes, double the number of eggs called for in the recipe. Put yolks in the batter, beat the whites separately until stiff and gently fold in the batter.
- When preparing sauces, add flour to melted butter off the heat for a smoother mixture. When adding any liquid to a sauce base, stir it in off the heat also. Add hot sauce to cold sauce two tbsp. at a time so the cold sauce warms up gradually and does not curdle.
- If a recipe calls for a covered casserole or skillet and none is available, use a piece of aluminum foil as a lid.
- Marinate meat in clear plastic bags. Close tightly and press occasionally to distribute fluid.
- To coat meats or chicken pieces, measure seasoned flour into a paper bag, drop in a few pieces at a time and’ gently shake bag.
- To keep open boxes of raisins and prunes, keep them in tightly covered jars. Hard dried out prunes and raisins may be revived by dropping them in boiling water for 2 or 3 minutes. Drain and dry and they will be tender again.
- Store peeled ginger root in a plastic bag in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator and they will not dry up. When a recipe calls for ginger root, simply grate frozen root.
- To center gelatin mold on serving plate, smooth a few drops of water on plate with fingers; unmold gelatin.
