Paprika on Deviled Eggs
To obtain an even dusting of paprika on deviled eggs, place a small amount of paprika in a tea ball and sprinkle away.
Corn Collector
Cutting corn from the cob makes it easier to eat, but it also makes a mess of my kitchen. To keep the corn in place, I set the end of the corn cob in the center hole of a Bundt pan. While holding the corn cob steady, I make long downward cuts between the cob and the kernels.
No Muss, No Fuss
Cutting whole canned tomatoes often makes a mess and wastes a lot of the juice. Using kitchen shears to cut the tomatoes right in the can is a neat way to eliminate the problem
Twist & Tie
The search for twist ties is over–make your own! When using a bag of frozen food, just cut a 3/4 inch strip from the top of the bag. After using what you need, twist the bag and tie with the strip!
Fruity Wine
Use dry white wine instead of lemon juice to keep freshly cut fruit from turning brown. The wine enhances the flavor of the fruit instead of masking it, and the leftover juice makes for great sipping!
Measuring Meatballs
Without a scoop, making meatballs the same size can be a challenge. To solve this problem, shape the ground meat into a cylinder as wide as you want the meatballs to be. Then slice even portions and roll them into neat and uniform balls.
Ice Grabber
To easily refill glasses with ice, forget the tongs! A spaghetti ladle works great! It can scoop up several cubes at once while draining away water!
Perfect Pasta
How to cook dry pasta: Bring salted water to a boil and add your pasta. Boil only for 3 minutes. Cover the pot and set it off the heat. In 10 minutes, the pasta’s done perfectly–no testing required!
Making a clean break
When I separate eggs, I crack the shells on a folded, damp paper towel to soften the blow. The resulting edge of the break is straighter, which makes it much easier to separate the eggs.
Instant Crust
Instant potato flakes are a great alternative in recipes that call for coating with flour, bread crumbs, or cracker crumbs. The resulting crust is crispy and light.
Parmesan Flavor
Save the rind from Parmesan cheese. It’s full of flavor and makes a delicious addition to soups, stews and chilies.
Little hands holding glasses
Your child will be able to hold onto a glass better if you place two tight rubber bands around the glass an inch or so apart. This makes it easier for little hands to hold.
Baking in glass pans
When baking in glass pans, always reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees.
Scaling Fish
To make scaling a fish easier, try rubbing vinegar on the scales first.
Use Tomatoes to Tenderize
Tomatoes added to roasts will help tenderize them naturally. Tomatoes contain an acid that works well to break down meats.
Zesty Hot Chocolate
Try placing fresh or dried mint in the bottom of hot chocolate for a zesty taste.
Hot Oil Splatters
To keep hot oil from splattering, sprinkle a little salt or flour in the pan before frying.
Microwave Steam Bath
To clean a messy microwave, heat 1 cup water with 3 tablespoomns lemon juice on high for 5 minutes. The steam will loosen splatters for a quick wipe-down.
Cake in a Cone
Use flat bottomed ice cream cones. Fill 3/4 full of any cake batter and bake as usual. After they are cooled, frost with your favorite frosting. Kids favorite!
NO-More Tears Peeling Onions!
Put a stick match (unlit) in your mouth (I use two and position each of them where my eyes are) and peel and chop your onions with no tears!!!
No-Crush Croissants
It is hard cutting those soft croissants but here is a handy trick to try. Instead of using a knife, try using kitchen shears. Just gently put the points of the shears in at an angle and start snipping. Perfectly sliced every time and they are still soft and puffy.
Goodbye Fruit Flies
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 with
Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies
drawn to the cup and gone forever!
Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot
water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Next, add your ingredient
(peanut butter, honey, etc.) and watch how easily it comes right out..
Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in
a microwave next to a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food
moist and help it reheat faster.
Easy Deviled Eggs
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal; mash till they are all
broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up
mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy; squeeze mixture into egg.
Just throw bag away when done – easy clean up.
Garlic Tips
Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste
of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of
garlic.
Rich Scrambled Eggs
To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of
spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream; then beat them.
Pulling Grease Away
Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.
It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
Storing Cheese
Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.
It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!
Reheating Pizza
Heat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat
to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.
I saw this on the food channel and it really works.
Bell Pepper Tip
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
BANANA TIP
Peel a banana from the bottom and you won’t have to
Pick the little ‘stringy things’ off it. That’s how the primates do it.
Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.
If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
Freezing Berries
Wash the fresh berries; then freeze them in single layers on parchment paper. When frozen, transfer to freezer bags and put in the freezer. You can remove just the amount you desire without having them in one big clump.
Serving Cold Shrimp
To keep the shrimp cold for a buffet, place a frozen freezer ice pack on a small, flat surface, cover with a pretty cloth napkin and place your serving platter of shrimp on top. The shrimp will keep for hours and no melting ice.
Prevent a sticky Grill
To keep meat from sticking to the grill, pierce half of a peeled onion with a large fork at the root end. Then dip the cut side of the onion in vegetable oil and rub on the preheated grill. Keeps the meat from sticking and adds flavor.
A new way to sprinkle
When making deviled eggs, put your paprika in a tea ball and sprinkle away. It works with ground nutmeg or cinnamon also.
Cutting Canned Tomatoes
Here is a great tip on cutting canned tomatoes. Leave them in the opened can and using your kitchen scissors, put them right into the can and cut the tomatoes. No mess to clean up.
Cutting Corn of the Cob
A neat trick to keep the mess off the counter when cutting corn. Stand the corn cob upright in the hole of a cake tube or Bundt pan. Holding steady with one hand, use the other to run the knife down the sides, turning the cob with the other hand.
