The Tipster

 

• When I started this blog, I promised advice to help make all aspects of your kitchen experience easier, planning, shopping, cooking–everything. Then I realized I’ve been a bit remiss, because I have yet to devote any time to a discussion of real work-saving cooking tips. Well, what better time than the middle of the summer to share ideas on how to get out of a hot kitchen faster?  So this week, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite” hints”.

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Fittingly in warm weather, let’s start with Uses for the Freezer:

• Ice Cubes can be made from fruit juice, wine, and stock, then used as flavorings when making drinks, sauces and gravies. Meanwhile, store cubes in plastic bags: 1cube = 2Tbs.
• Fresh Herbs, with a little water added, can be preserved frozen, in ice cube trays, and added to recipes as they cook. Again store cubes in plastic bags.
• Fresh Ginger Root is easier to work with frozen. Keep it in plastic wrap and simply peel back the “bark” and grate or chop. Stores frozen for months.
• Open both ends of a can of Tomato Paste, use one end to slide it, in tubular form, unto a piece of plastic wrap and roll it up. Freeze and simply slice off pieces as needed. No mess, no waste.
• To Freeze Food in zip-lock bags, gently press out the air, and lay the bags flat in a pan or cookie sheet until frozen. They need less storage space and the contents remain intact.
• Small bags of Fruit or Grapes can be frozen and used in place of ice to chill drinks without watering them down, and consumed with the drinks or as snacks, toppings etc.
• This newly in and I haven’t tried it yet, but Fresh Tomatoes, after a short time in the freezer, will peel when run under cold water.
• This I have done. Bamboo Skewers will burn if not soaked in water before using. Soaked and stored in the freezer, they’re always ready to go.

Chopsticks and Skewers are really useful!  If you don’t have any, do get some. Chopsticks are free with any order from a Chinese restaurant, and a 12 pack of skewers are @$1.00 in any market.

• These offer a safe way to remove food from a toaster.
• To easily pit cherries, cut a small “X” in the bottom. Remove the stem, insert the narrow end of the chopstick and push the pit out.
• They are excellent for rearranging food on a platter without ruining the effect or in an oven while cooking without getting burned, especially rearranging roasting vegetables.

Cooking Spray isn’t just for pans anymore. I always buy Canola oil. It’s tasteless, has a very low fat content and a high smoke point, which makes it a good choice for nearly any cooking task.

• It alone can prepare most cake pans for baking, eliminating the mess of greasing and flouring. Be advised, however, older pans and cookie sheets may acquire a yellow tint.
• Sprayed on foil, it can replace parchment paper.
• If you need to lift foods that tend to stick while cooking, such as cookies or pancakes, spray the spatula first, and they’ll come right up.
• I lightly spray the outsides of sandwiches I’m going to grill or broil. When pressed with the spatula they get an even golden brown and a silky crust.

So much for categories, now for a list of unrelated, but helpful, kitchen hints. Be sure to read the last, it’s my favorite!

• To avoid being burned when checking the temperature of the contents of a pot while cooking, put the stem of an instant read thermometer through the openings in a slotted spoon, and lower it until you can get an accurate reading.
• Use corn holders to secure round objects like tomatoes, onions and lemons, for slicing
• Stand the grater in a shallow bowl, rather than over a plate, when grating. It keeps the shavings in one place.
• Likewise, when stripping an ear of corn, stand the cob in the center opening of a tube pan . The kernels fall into the bowl for easy collection.
• When using a mortar and pestle, add a few drops of oil to the herbs. It keeps them together and won’t affect the recipe.
• When using a hand mixer, to prevent splattering, cut two holes in a paper plate and, holding it upside down, insert the beaters through the holes before mixing.
• To make a diet vinaigrette dressing creamy, without adding to the calories, blend it on high for a couple of minutes with a cracked ice cube.
• For easy removal, when making a dish that need to be inverted onto a plate, foil line the pan bottom.
• For a less messy application of barbeque sauce while grilling put it in a plastic squeeze bottle, squirt it on then spread it over the food with a brush or a long handled sponge.
• To slightly thicken gravy in an almost finished dish, put the flour or cornstarch in a tea strainer, and stirring constantly, shake it over the pot. This prevents clumping .
• For smaller jobs, to seal stuffed chicken breasts, or wrap food in bacon for example, buy “T” Pins in the needle section of a crafts store. They’re unbreakable, easier to work with, better looking and reusable, all advantages over wooden toothpicks.
• Reheat pizza in a non-stick skillet, over medium-low heat for 3-5 mins. The crust crisps and the toppings don’t overcook.
• To stuff cupcakes, and keep them neat, in lunchboxes say, hollow out the center with an apple corer and fill as desired. This is also a way to “ice’ them without the mess.
• To emulate the appearance of a fondant icing or a glaze, heat canned icing in the microwave for about 30 sec. until it becomes fluid, then spoon or pour it over the cake. Flavorings can be added at this point as well.
• Use florists glass corsage tubes to hold flowers, or other objects, to easily and freshly decorate cakes.
• To neatly fill plastic bags for food storage, hold a clean, label peeled, open ended can, size appropriate, upright in the bag, on a flat surface and use it as a funnel  through which to pour  the food. I keep a small, a medium and a large can in my equipment closet.
• Roasting garlic, wrapped in foil, in an oven, takes about an hour and uses electricity. I had a Garlic Roaster, but lost it in my last move, so I’ve improvised- successfully. Get a 3 X 4 inch, unglazed terra cotta flower pot and matching saucer. Plug about ¾ of the pot’s bottom hole. I used cork, but foil would work. Prepare a garlic bulb as usual, by cutting 1/3 off the top, revealing the cloves. Put it on the saucer, spoon over 1 ½ Tbs. oil; cover with the pot and microwave on high 1 to 2 mins. depending on the size of the head and the power of the oven. Remove, cool and squeeze the bulb to force the cloves out into a jar. Add the cooking oil and kept refrigerated. Lasts for several weeks. The garlic can be mashed and used as a spread, or added to other dishes. Roasted garlic is much milder than other forms, lending a more subtle flavoring.

I’ve used these tips so often, most have become automatic for me, but I still keep a list handy, in case I’ve forgotten anything. Hope they’re as much  help to you as they have been for me.