Kitchen Hints and Tips - Let's list them!

nortx

I thought I would start a new thread that might be of interest to lots of people. I know we all have our special "Kitchen Hints and Tips" that we use all the time and although we might not think they are special, I suspect that others will find them useful. So, just add your special tips to this thread and we can see how many we can collect. By adding a hint or tip, it will automatically add it to "Your Topics" for later reference.

So I will start:

- If your cutting board is slipping and sliding, just wet a dish cloth and slip it under. Your cutting board will stay in one place.
- If you are having trouble opening a jar or bottle, just wrap an elastic band around the top and you will be able to open it easily.
- If you are peeling a potato, zucchini, carrot or other vegetabe, you might find it easier if you insert a wooden or metal skewer in the end to act as a handle.
- Instead of adding oil to your water when you are boiling pasta, spray the top surface of the water in the pot with some cooking spray - save those calories
- Want to peel a tomato? Bring a small pot of water to the boil, cut an X in the bottom of your tomato and dip it into the boiling water for 1 minute. When you take it out, plunge it into a bowl with ice cubes and water and let it swish around for a couple of minutes. The peel will easily come off.

Ok, now y'all add to this list and we will have some fun!

Enjoy:flowerforyou:

Atarahh

Use a skirt/pants hanger (the one with the 2 slide-up tabs, or the duckbill clips) to hang recipes on cabinet handles while cooking.

ktbug1186

since im getting married in less than 2 months and definitely a beginner cook, these are great!! Thanks!!

MFPfriend

Bump! Already I'm stealing some ideas, haha.

Debbe2

You know how veggies can get wetand slimey after cutting off a piece and storing the remainder back in the refridgerator? When only using a portion, cut vegetables like peppers, onions, zucchini from top leaving the root side in tack. They will last longer in the refridgerator and be in much better shape when you're ready to use the remainder.

skinnylove00

-squirt apples or avocados with a bit of lemon juice to prevent them from browning after cut

-you can air pop popcorn kernals in the microwave by putting 2 tbsp in a brown paper bag and popping them for 3 minutes.

-use a black office clip to hold sponges in an upright position

-windex is the best refrigerator door cleaner!!

-pouring coffee grounds from your coffee maker in the trash really helps keep the odors away.

MrsWilsoncroft

How to get tasty crispy brown skins on your jacket potatoes.....I microwave my spuds for around 10 minutes in the microwave, then cover with foil & cook in the oven for around 30 minutes on gas mark 6. Take them out remove the foil, spray with frylight & sprinkle a little bit of salt over them. Oven cook for a further 10 minutes. They come out gorgeous & golden


I have sachets of Butterbuds, great for on the go or at work when you want butter on your jacket potato without having to worry about weighing out your butter to work out the calories.


When cooking spaghetti I spray abit of frylight in the boiling water, this stops the spaghetti from sticking together.


And I love to make low calorie mashed potato by cutting up my potatoes, put them in a pan of boiling water with a teaspoon of mustard powder & 1 vegetable oxo cube.


I weigh out all my cereals & my cheese into low calories portions.Handy for those mornings when I am in a rush and do not have time to weigh them out.Also handy to know when I am running out of cereal & cheese as i know exactly how many bags I have got left.

Also when I buy meat in plastic packs, I take the meat out of the packs and freeze them into portions in sandwich bags to save room in the freezer.

When doing batch cooking of soups instead of using up your tupperware put your soup into portion sizes into sandwich bags. Not only does it save room in your freezer for more goodies but means you still have your tubs to use if you need them.

I also was told if you wash your hands with a blob of toothpaste after chopping up strong foods like garlic, onion, chillies etc this get rids of the odour

And I also keep my wholemeal loaf of bread & wholemeal pitta breads in the freezer and take a couple of pieces out when I need them. That way you never have to throw it away

pixtotts

- Instead of adding oil to your water when you are boiling pasta, spray the top surface of the water in the pot with some cooking spray - save those calories

myth skip it all... having oil floating on the op of the water does absolutely nothing to your pasta... the pasta is under the oil... the oil and water is drained off... pasta never meets said oil...
*shrugs*

- hate onion/garlic smelly hands find lemon juice doesnt work for you.... run vinegar on your hands before hand and the onion and garlicness doesnt stick WOO! also helps you find every teeny weeny cut or scratch on your hand... lol

Troll

Slice around a potato, through the skin in one line before boiling it. when its tender, drop it in ice water. the skin will come off in two solid pieces.

Freeze brewed coffee in ice trays to make a frozen coffee drink without dilluting it.
Also works for koolaid and fruit juice.

If a recipe calls for just the yolks of an egg, freeze the whites in ice cube trays for later use.

if you need buttermilk but dont want to go shopping, add 1tbs of lemon juice to 1 cup of regular milk and stir.

Mix pure vanilla extract into a spritz bottle with water until its a dark amber. this works as an all natureal mosquito repellant on people and pets, even on those nasty salt marsh mosquitoes.

If you avcidentally oversalt food while cooking, drop in a raw peeled potato .

Vinegar before a shower rubbed on sunburn takes away the sting.

2tbs of white vinegar+2tbs of baking soda with laundru detergent removes grease stains and fast food worker stink.

Lemon juice and baking soda paste applied to pimples heals them faster.

Dark chocolate gets rid of onion and garlic breath.

Freeze nuts and they keep longer, but dont freeze coffee beans or thet will get bland.

A good solid smack with your palm on the base of a jar that wint open will open it easiet.

Troll

Oh, also. keep an open box of baking soda in your fridge . it cuts food odor. change every other month.

And if you have stuck on food, fill the pan with water and add a dryer sheet. let it sit for an jour or more. the solids will break loose.


Toothpaste will take the tarnish off of metals such as jewelry.

luvmycats6197

Run your dish sponge through the dishwasher with your dishes ( up in the glasses area) to sanitize and clean it.

When cooking recipes with lots of ingredients, measure them all out and have them all ready in separate prep Cups /
Bowls. It will save you time and keep you organized.

Sort your dry goods pantry / cupboards by like foods and to store more, use vertical space-- turn boxes of rice mix or dry potato or pasts mixes on their side laying flat and stack on top of each other. You get more boxes stored using less shelf space.

If you have a pantry door that swings open versus slides side to side, you can hang a plastic hanging shoe sorter/holder on the inside of the door and use it to store small things like pouch gravy/sauce mixes, extracts, jello/pudding boxes, teas, drink mixes /cool aid, dip packets, carry out sauces like soy sauce /mayo /mustard/ketchup, sugar /sweetener packets...etc.

Use cooled down water from steaming green vegetables for watering house plants--adds nutrients to the soil.

Use a tooth pick to clean out grime stuck along the edge of you sink or stove, and keep a couple old tooth brushes on hand for these cleaning jobs too.

If you have a cycle delay setting on your dishwasher, use it and run your dishwasher later at night during off peak hours to save money and energy.

FitzyFitzpatrick

If you have lots of hard water build-up in your dishwasher, place a glass measure cup full of white vinegar in the top rack of your dishwasher. Run through a regular cycle. You'll be amazed!

I also now put a glog of white vinegar into the base just before I start the washer with a regular load of dishes. It seems to be helping prevent future build-up. (Use the regular amount of dishwashing soap per directions.)

Vinegar is also awesome to run through the drip-coffee maker (followed by several rinses with clear water afterward).

donnab83

Bump

BerylX

Bump! These are good!

ckish

Rinsing your pasta will remove the starch and keep if form sticking together. Spraying oil on the inside edges of the pasta pot will help reduce boil overs.

jo3y20

bump

gaylynn35

bump

sharkfrenzy

bump

butterflylover527

bumping for later!

havs23

bump

karmickristina

bump

Priincess_Natalie

Bump. These are awesome

LoraF83

Keep a pair of swimming goggles in the kitchen and wear them when chopping onions to prevent burning eyes and tearing.

Good olive oil comes in a dark bottle - clear or light colored bottles can let in too much light and ruin the flavor.

Freeze soups and sauces in freezer bags laying flat on a cooking sheet. When they are frozen, remove the cookie sheet and the bags can be stored in a stack or upright to save space.

If you only use part of the container of beef, chicken or vegetable stock or broth, freeze the rest in ice cube trays to use later (since the unused portion stored in the fridge needs to be used within 7 days).

Use lemon juice on apples to prevent browning.

utahgirl247

if you place 1 tsp of baking soda in the water that you boil eggs in, they peel easier.

Snoopaloop63

Make your own salad dressings. Most store bought ones have partially hydrogenated oils and such, terrible for you! I have yet to find a dressing I couldn't make and they taste great, and save you money too!

If you're making a pitcher of iced tea, put a pinch of baking soda in. It makes it smoother tasting taking away any bitterness

AbiCusPeck

B b b b bump! Thanks y'all!

yeabby

I need all the help in the kitchen I can get. Thanks for the great ideas.

allnewellie

Super quick egg salad method -

Place boiled, peeled eggs on an egg slicer, and make the slices
Then turn the whole (now sliced) egg to the opposite direction and slice again.
Now you have lots of perfectly sized egg bits, and it took about 2 seconds per egg!!!

Black office clips (aka "binder clips") are cheaper, last longer and do a better job that most chip clips - I used them on everything from cereal bags to potato chips.

briebear77

Bump something I need to remember...freeze coffee, brilliant!

cblevitron

bump

beekuzz

Bump