Some of my favorite kitchen tips to make some common chores easier. These tips will help you get some hard job done a little bit easier.
- Kitchen Shears: Use them for cutting pizza, trimming fat off meat or poultry. Use Shears instead of a knife to cut apart a whole chicken, or separate ribs.
- How to crack an egg: Strike the egg on a flat surface, the egg will separate easily without any eggshells getting into the dish.
- To test if a dish is microwave safe: Put the dish in the microwave next to a glass of water. Turn the microwave on for one minute. If the water is cool and the dish is warm, don’t use it in the microwave.
- How to find if an egg is hard-boiled: Place egg on counter top and spin it. If it spins round and round it is hard-boiled. If it wobbles and will not spin, it is raw.
- How to decide if an egg is fresh: Place egg in a container of cool salted water. If it sinks to the bottom it is fresh. If it floats on top, toss the egg out, it is not fresh.
- How to clean a scorched or burnt pan: Sprinkle burnt pots with baking powder, adding just enough water to make a paste. Let stand for several hours, generally the burned part will lift right out of the pan.
- How to clean coffee stains: Remove tea or coffee stains from light covered cups by rubbing stained areas with salt and a little water, rinse.
- How to clean a stubborn stain out of a non-stick pan: Boil a mixture of 2 tablespoons baking powder, 1/2-cup vinegar and 1-cup water for 10 minutes. Re-season pan with vegetable oil.
- How to keep your grater clean: For a fast and simple clean up, rub vegetable oil on the grater before using.
- Clean excess grease from a roasting pan: Sprinkle the pan with salt, then wipe pan with a damp sponge or paper towel. Wash as usual
- Unclog a kitchen sink: Mix equal parts vinegar, salt and baking soda and pour solution down drain; let it sit one hour, then pour very hot water down the drain.
- How to easily peel and chop garlic: Store the garlic cloves in the freezer. Take out as much as you need and peel and chop while still frozen.
- How to keep garlic cloves from drying out: Store them in a bottle filled with cooking oil. After the garlic is used up, the oil can be used for garlic-flavored oil, or for salad dressing.
- How to save honey that has sugared: Place the jar in a pot of boiling water.
- Deodorize wooden bowls: Use a baking soda solution to deodorize and remove stains from wooden bowls.
- How to keep fresh corn yellow when cooking: Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the cooking water, a minute before you remove it from the stove.
- How to keep bacon from curling while cooking: Dip the strips in cold water before frying
The Author:
Patricia M. Hines
Photo. Open Clipart Vectors