tips in the kitchen

Need to thicken up any sauce?

Add corn starch!

But don't just dump it in....mix it, with a fork, with a tiny bit of hot water first, then slowly mix it in....

Need a double boiler?

Try this trick...

Get two pots (one of smaller size...)

Boil a little water in the bigger pot, then drop in a glass, ceramic, or good plastic small dish (like a salsa one from restaruants, etc.) and have it hold up the smaller pot..

Works great. I've only got one double boiler, and I've been melting candy melts like crazy, so it helped, and worked great!

I do dishes right away so they don't pile up...

I don't use the dishwasher unless i'm making a big dinner and have people over.


I also cook as many things as I can at once so i'm not waiting to start the next project... multi tasking.


I also let the dishes air dry so I can get out of the kitchen faster, and come back later when I think they are done.


Also having a pot and pan rack on the ceiling is better
so your not bending over all the time when your putting them away.

Tip: Clean the stove off right away so that the food doesn't stick to it later on when you go and clean it off.

Yes be very careful where you put those hands. I chopped up some jalepenos for my chile a few weeks ago. Washed my hand and all, had an itch in the inside of my nostril..............whoa!

I had to shove sour cream up my nose. Nothing would wash that pain away. Sour cream did help alot though.

Funny though, everytime I drink while I cook (which is always) I pick up flaming hot pans by accident. Dang it.

For all types of Great kitchen tips, watch "Good Eats" with Alton Brown on the the Food Network, the guy is funny as hell, and has all sorts of Mcguyver like tricks..

The tearing effect of onions is due to substances carried to your nostrils not your eyes. Try holding your breath while cutting the onion. You can also immediately rinse the chopped onion under water and wash your hands and knife.

Want fluffy scrambled eggs? Beat them with a wisk and just a little milk.

Here's a few things I thought of....I think I might start a thread for people who need some help in the kitchen - always glad to lend a hand in the one field I can actually hold my own in

1. Always remember to season with salt and pepper with each layer of ingredients that you add.
   
2. Don't stick to the recipe - throw in something new and different, or add something you like and think will go well with the dish.
   
3. Go against the grain...Try a light red wine with fatty fish (sea bass) and a mellow dry white with steaks.
   
4. Speaking of going against the grain - always cut against the grain when you're cutting meat - it provides a less chewy and more palatable texture.
   
5. Sauce it up! Try making your own sauces - they don't always have to involve labor-intensive stocks or hours and hours of simmering.
   
6. Looks are as important as taste...think of colors mixing and matching on the plate, as well as flavors.
   
7. Go to the grocery store without a list and buy what looks freshest - see what you can do with what you've got...
   
8. Dull knives are more dangerous than sharp knives.
   

put the pots and pans in to soak as you empty them, ithey are a lot easier to clean later that way, and as for cutting up onions nothing beats a mini food proccer or getting your spouce or kids to do it for you.

1 . absolutely ! If you drink regularly , careful on the salt if you are feeding others . hard to remove if you overdo .

2 . This does not apply to baking , follow the recipie . wet fruits can be "masserated" * in sugar and a touch of salt and they will release alot of liquid you can strain so you don't get a sloppy cobbler ( that is not a reference to a drunken shoe maker) Also good to do with apples before you make a pie so it doesn't turn to mush .

3 . Yep , no rules , whatever tastes best to you .

4 . It is called a "bias" cut , great for flank steaks and corned beast .

5 . Those handy little propeller on a stick things are awesome for a nice sauce !

6 . Corn with red and green peppers , parsley on your yams , peruvian purple (yes PURPLE) potatoes . Color adds so much when you are presenting for others .

7 . DO NOT indulge in any hemp burning activites before shopping , and try to have a snack before you go . Munchies and blind shopping are a bad combo ! Can get expensive , and you wind up with wierd stuff (or so I am told )

8 . And never put a knife in the dish water , clean it and set it aside as soon as you are done using it , soak it seperate if needed , but reaching under sudsy water and gashing your hand is no fun !!

Todds Tips :

Use Kosher salt , not only can it effectively bless the food for Jewish (or other religios folks ) when the directions are followed , it is less harsh than the stuff in the blue tube . This is not the same as sea salt.

If you hate mushy grilled veggies like zuchinni , egplant , squash and any other water filled veggies ..... sprinkle them with a little Kosher salt on the exposed faces and it will draw the water out . This is called " leeching " . You can pat them dry with a paper towel before grilling and you will have a more crisp end product (this also seasons them , so easy on additional salt ). *This is the veggie version of "masserate" for fruits stated above .

Make a BRINE ( TRY THIS !!!!! )
Instead of marinating meat in acidic oils / fruit juices , vinegars or what have you , try making a "brine" . To do this , add Kosher salt (only) to enough water to submerge your meat entiely in , until it tastes like sea water , then add enough brown sugar to equal it out , salty sweet (I use about 1part salt to 3-4 parts sugar , do it to your taste) . Then heat a small pan of water and throw in fresh or dried herbs to make an herb "tea" throw this in the brine and let it cool .

You can put the meat in this for a couple days , or a few hours . The salt makes the meat give off its water , and then the sugar makes it absorb the sweetened seasoning into it . Back an forth this will happen , try to pull them out after they have absorbed and are plump . (periodic observation needed) no seasoning necesary , grill em up . Best meat you ever tasted .

( I have only used this on pork loin and pork chops , corned beast is similar , but uses less sugar and pickling spices)

Over salting soups : throw a whole peeled potatoe in and let it cool , spud will absorb a bunh of salt , then remove it . Better than thinning it down and spoiling the consistency .

pork fact : Oscar Meyer Inc . requires a driver who has been on the road over a certain amount of hours to pull over and find a Rabii to "re-bless" the load . This is of course refrigerated , but has been in transit longer than Kosher rules allow......



[Edited on 27-8-2004 by oddtodd]

I know this is a little after the fact, but here's a trick with onions that I learned from my father (who learned it in culinary school): rinse the onion well after peeling it, and then run slightly cool water (still cool to the touch, but not straight cold tap temperature). Before each slice, briefly rinse your knife in the cool water. Cut right next to the sink, with the water running continuously. The water helps to quickly dissipate the onion "fumes", and rinsing the knife keeps the oils on the knife to a minimum, therefore helping keep you from crying.

If you make salsa with jalapenos in it don't leave it in the refrigerator for a week before eating. My ex-gf did that once, and asked me to test it after it had been in there about a week. Good lord my sinuses cleared immediately after my head blew apart from the heat.

I'm not so sure about onions affecting the nasal membranes and not the eyes. Wearing contact lenses has stopped my suffering from chopping onions 100%. Next time I do, I'll check to see if I'm not unconsiously holding my breath.

A big pot of veggie soup will keep for days in the fridge, I can eat it all week long. But unless you're doing like OddTodd said, to use them to eliminate excess salt, don't leave potatoes in it. They spoil quickly, begin fermenting, and will sour the soup before you can use it up. Freeze some for next week.

I would love an overhead pots and pan rack, but fear the pet hair they would collect would get in the soup! Till then, scootching down to open cupboards is good exercise. Caste iron pans are too--love my black pans.

A bottle of plain ole Windex, like the dad in "MY Big Fat Greek Wedding" says, is a must on my sink and works in an amazing amount of places. Just never spray it directlly on a fish bowl, you'll poison your little friends with the aerosole that mists the air above them.

Good tips here everyone. A bit too much salt for me, but it has it's uses.



Carry on!


[edit on 26-9-2005 by psyopswatcher]

Your freezer is your best time saver.
If you make cabbage rolls for supper, don't just make enough for you and yours.
Make 80 of the suckers and shove some in the freezer. It won't take much longer and they can be pulled out at any time for a quick meal.

The same goes for soup and stews, and so many other things.


The Onion Thing......

Cut both ends off the onion and hold under cold running water.
Remove the skin, rinse under cold water again and slice, chop or dice.


Hot Peppers

I've grown many peppers and even had some success in cross pollinating sweet reds with some of the hot varieties.
The rule for handling the hot varieties is rubber gloves.
With no gloves, even after washing your hands, capsaicin(C18H27NO3) will hold on and come back to haunt you and your mucus membranes. (eyes, nose, mouth, penis, vagina, anus and even your ears).
(several hand washings with dish-washing liquid and hot water will minimize this.)


Go forth and cook, it's a noble art.............

To test for bad eggs....
Place enough cold water in a container/bowl deep enough to allow an egg to drop to the bottom.place the egg in the water, fresh eggs will lie flat(bottom of bowl),slightly stale eggswill tilt a little,stale eggs will sit upright in the water, and bad eggs will float....
Do as you will, with the eggs.

to keep salt from going damp and getting clogged in salt shaker.......add some uncooked rice grains in the shaker....

helen

Anxiety disorder tip is great for me. I always cook double with six kids they always raid the fridge looking for leftovers. I make doubles and freeze half before cooking of most things like patties pies and rolls
my tip...well this is my big secret of why everyone says I roast such succulant meat. besides using an oven bag or cooking in foil for roasts....is

*whispers.... turn the oven off half hour before serving roasts. As the meat cools slightly in the oven it falls from the bones... so tender. Do not open the oven in that cool off time

[edit on 17-11-2005 by Mayet]

"Standing Time" is the big meat secret. I always let a roast or leg of lamb stand for 20 min - 1/2 hour before serving.
It makes all the difference............

Good tip Mayet.

You should try my cabbage roll recipe, it makes a big batch.
With the size of your brood (6 kids), the recipe should be perfect for you.....
www.belowtopsecret.com...

[edit on 17/11/2005 by anxietydisorder]

The best tip that I know is "mis en place". It's a French term that basically means to have everything measured and prepared before you start cooking. To me this is the key to great cooking. Cooking is all about timing.

Peace

Line the bottom of your oven with aluminum foil, its so easy to clean, when its dirty you just pull it out.

when making fish make a parcel of foil by folding it in half twice and folding the edges, then place your fish and veg in side with a knob of butter. Place this in side a deep dish with about 2 inch of water. then place it in the oven on a very low heat for about 4-5 hours. lovely.

This is so true:


"mis en place" is the chef's reputation.
I spent a few years as a "prep cook" before I worked on my own, and it's the prep cook that makes the chef. (but the chef trains the prep cook???)
It's a two way street.

Your guests will be amazed as you throw together a meal, with apparent ease, if you plan ahead and have all your ingredient ready to go.


My Tip.....

Don't wash your bread pans.
I bake bread a couple times every week and the pans have never been washed. At the most, I rinse them under hot water and clean any flour off with a dish cloth, but I don't use any soap. Mostly I just wipe them with a dry cloth and put them away.
I put the pans back in the warm oven to dry, if they're wet.

I've never had bread stick to the pan, ever.........



And what picklewalsh said about foil........
Absolutely your best friend in the kitchen.

I might pick up some Alcoa stock.




Go forth and cook, it's a noble art.............

A bit off, but wearing contact lenses almost removes it. I never cry when cutting onions..

Another thing is rubbing your hands against some plant material, like leafes. Workes wonders too! Especially parsley is good, also for removing the taste in your mouth. (Got a chick on the way? )