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After reading and posting in the Food Forum for years, I thought it would be good for all of us to post some of our tips to make cooking/roasting/baking easier. These are a couple of things that I do---
Parchment paper on a cookie or baking sheet. Food won't stick and there isn't any cleanup.
I always put a pan of hot water on the bottom rack in the oven when making pasta & cheese dishes. The pasta pan goes on the top rack as the hot water steams from the bottom. Cheese and pasta does not stick to the pan.
After boiling Lasagna noodles, layer the noodles on wax paper or foil. Pasta does not stick together. I don't care for no-boil noodles, they seem to soak up too much of the sauce. IMO
I cook a lot with the crock pot & always use Reynolds crock pot liners--just wipe out the pot after cooking.
What are some of your tips? kelsie
As for item #2, I don't really get what you are trying to achieve. I would put the casserole IN the water which would prevent hot spots in the oven from burning some of the product.
As for #3, I never boil the noodles NOR do I use "no boil" noodles which are inferior in my opinion. Rather, I prepare the lasagna with the raw noodles, seal the pan with both plastic wrap AND aluminum foil, and cook for 3/4 of the required time. After that is done, I remove the covering, top with additional cheese, and cook for the remaining time.
Rather, I prepare the lasagna with the raw noodles, seal the pan with both plastic wrap AND aluminum foil, and cook for 3/4 of the required time. After that is done, I remove the covering, top with additional cheese, and cook for the remaining time.
You put plastic wrap in the oven? Doesn't it melt?
1. I like foil sheets and wax paper sheets like restaurants use. I also use lots of paper plates & bowls. Less china to own and dishes to wash.
2. Buy quality frozen meals for bottom of freezer - good for stacking and to eat when you're not feeling ambitious.
3, Frozen bread is awesome - garlic knots: put crushed garlic from jar on top for fancy treat. Garlic & cheese toast, sourdough rolls, biscuits and more are great frozen now. I don't toss out bread like I used to.
When I bake or make chex cereal mix I make several packages and freeze. .
You can freeze Chex mix then it thaw out & not be mushy?
I buy ground beef 10# at a time bring it home divide it up in 1# packages before freezing the burger I take finger to put 3 holes all the way down the meat. That way when I bring it out to thaw it will thaw quicker than if the block of meat was all solid.
Just recently bought a food saver it is awesome since I cook in smaller portions now and don't have to worry about freezer burn before I use stuff up. So I'm making my regular recipes like I did when the kids were still home & freezing them in individual portions. Not getting burned out on leftovers this way either.
One thing I don't understand why more folks don't use is a pressure cooker, not a pressure canner, it cuts cooking time way down. The meat comes out so tender a person with no teeth could eat it. I can have a melt in your mouth roast, potatoes & carrots in about an hour & 20 minutes. Of course leftovers get put in food saver bags.
Time saver & I find I don't snack around as much when I eat breakfast. So I make sausage gravy freeze it in 2 portion size containers, pull out & put it in the fridge when I go to bed to have the next 2 days for breakfast. Also make breakfast burritos and have them frozen in the freezer they go straight to the microwave for 1:35 and I don't worry about all the preservatives store bought ones have. French toast same thing cook up a whole loaf freeze on single layer sheet then put in Ziploc freezer bag. Take out a couple pop in microwave and breakfast is done.
Always bake extra potatoes so I can dice them up & fry them for a side dish or scramble in some eggs with them for another meal.
Nuke garlic cloves for 10 seconds and the skin slips off.
I'll try this, but never have that much of a problem with the garlic. I chop off the stem end and the rest peals
off easily, but will try as I'm open to new suggestions to save time.
Also will try using parchment paper (i think that was the suggestion, whatever it was will give it a go) in the crock pot..Winter and crock pot go hand in hand around here.
And Mainebroker was helpful about knowing about your cooking ware and such..good advice..
My best advice is to clean while you cook, so whatever your cooking..u don't have a mess of pans to clean
at the end.. Doing some Prep work for your meal saves time too. If u know u need x,y,z for your recipe, prep
them ahead of time, like any eatery does..
Also i like Reynolds non stick foil for certain meals.. I cover the pan with the stuff, cook, and cleanup
takes about a minute..
Another tip is using your sink when preparing things like chicken parm, or anything that requires egg, breadcrumbs and such. Clean your sink well, and do all that work in the sink, and then place your coated
Parm in the frying pan..It saves a big mess on the counter..
Good thread OP..
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