Tips and Kitchen Tricks (restaurant, pancake, chicken, steam)

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Onions in a salad? Too pungent?
Always sweeten them by cutting them a bit and placing in ice water for 15 minutes.

Or leave them out.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by Meyerland

Put a slice of bread in with hardened brown or white sugar. It will soften right up.

This is the best way to soften cream cheese and butter! Seriously...it will be perfect.

Take either butter or cream cheese and put it on a plate. Then take a glass or ceramic bowl and fill it with boiling water until it gets hot. Empty the bowl and place it on top of the butter/cream cheese like a lid. Wait up to five minutes. Remove the lid to perfectly softened butter/cream cheese. No melting! No gooey/oozing center. Never use the microwave again!

slices of bread also keeps chocolate chip cookies soft

[historyfan]

Originally Posted by Meyerland

This is the best way to soften cream cheese and butter! Seriously...it will be perfect.

Take either butter or cream cheese and put it on a plate. Then take a glass or ceramic bowl and fill it with boiling water until it gets hot. Empty the bowl and place it on top of the butter/cream cheese like a lid. Wait up to five minutes. Remove the lid to perfectly softened butter/cream cheese. No melting! No gooey/oozing center. Never use the microwave again!

Brilliant!

[PennyLane2]

Originally Posted by GiGi603

Do you want nicely rounded cupcakes and muffins?

Example, if the recipe calls for a 350 oven, preheat to 325, as soon as you put the cupcakes/muffins in turn the oven to 350--voila, perfectly round.

I learned this from Alton Brown.

(Whatever the recipe calls for reduce 25 degrees for preheat and pop to correct temp when you put them in...)

I'm assuming this will work with cornbread too. About 90% of the time my cornbread comes out with a big bulge on the top, so I'll give this little trick a try next time. Thanks!

[no kudzu]

I used to peel ripe bananas, mash them up in containers and then freeze them for baking later. Now I just toss them in the freezer, let them thaw and then squeeze it out for my recipe.



I used to make up mashed potatoes just enough for the meal. Now I always double the recipe and use leftovers for potato pancakes, etc.

I used to fret about how to use up all my cherry tomatoes before they went bad. But now I pop them in the freezer and add them to sauces and casseroles and Ragu spaghetti sauce for a more homemade taste.



I used to discard cut ends of celery, onions, asparagus, broccoli, squash- all veggies really. Then I got smart and started keeping a large baggie for Veggie Butts in the freezer to make my own veggie broth.

What things did you use to do and then you got smart?

[Mikala43]

I have a cherry tomato bush coming back this year, it's wild and it gave me sooo many last year I couldn't use them all...... I'll be freezing them after that post!!

[Almrausch]

I used to buy my bread and now I bake my own German bread. I used to use butter for cake forms,making omelettes now I make my own ghee and use it for baking/casserole forms,and frying.
Great ideas kudzu

[no kudzu]

Originally Posted by Almrausch

I used to buy my bread and now I bake my own German bread. I used to use butter for cake forms,making omelettes now I make my own ghee and use it for baking/casserole forms,and frying.
Great ideas kudzu

Is there anything you CAN'T do???
Such an industrial and talented woman.

[Almrausch]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

Is there anything you CAN'T do???
Such an industrial and talented woman.

Kudzu I am not very good to cook a steak,filet mignon maybe because we do not eat it very often.

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by Almrausch

Kudzu I am not very good to cook a steak,filet mignon maybe because we do not eat it very often.

That's merely the exception that proves the rule.