Quick Tips During Shows (Let's Share!!)

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Discussion Overview

This thread features participants sharing various quick tips they use during cooking shows, focusing on food storage, preparation techniques, and enhancing flavors. The tips range from practical advice on ingredient handling to interesting food facts.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based

Main Points Raised

  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, suggests keeping garlic cloves attached to the root for longer freshness.
  • Another participant shares that to sharpen food chopper blades, one can chop on tin foil or crushed ice.
  • Several users mention that tomatoes should not be stored in the fridge to maintain flavor.
  • One participant notes that bananas should be separated to slow down ripening.
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of using fresh citrus, garlic, and hard cheeses for better flavor in dishes.
  • One participant shares a tip about using the eggshell to retrieve pieces of shell from cracked eggs.
  • Another participant mentions that breaking bananas apart can help keep them fresh longer.
  • One participant discusses the benefits of using a wooden spoon to prevent boiling over when cooking.
  • Several participants express confusion about whether certain tips, like sharpening blades with tin foil, might dull the blades instead.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ on the effectiveness and safety of certain tips, particularly regarding the sharpening of blades and the storage of specific fruits and vegetables. No clear consensus emerges on some of the more debated tips.

Contextual Notes

Participants share personal experiences and tips that they have found useful in their own cooking practices, reflecting a variety of cooking styles and preferences.

Who May Find This Useful

Consultants looking to enhance their cooking shows or those interested in practical cooking tips may find this thread informative.

any more ideas?
 
I was getting ready for a Halloween Themed show this weekend and ran across this...
Did You Know?
For Halloween, American candy manufacturers produce about 20 million pounds of candy corn each year. That's 8.3 billion kernels.
 
To make stew/soup, use the garlic press to press a bouillon cube through. It helps dissolve better. First, soften the bouillon cub in the microwave for a few seconds prior to pressing.
 
Another idea for our timer, in the bathroom, when your children are brushing their teeth set it for 2 minutes. This is the recommended time by dentists.
 
I have heard of lots of uses for our garlic press.. anyone know more of them?? Those are so fun!
 
feather18 said:
I have heard of lots of uses for our garlic press.. anyone know more of them?? Those are so fun!

Play-doh hair or cookie dough, red or black licorice, clay or fimo clay.

--Jenny L
 
Update About Food Chopper From Test KitchensHi Leah,

Thank you for contacting The Pampered Chef Test Kitchens with your
product question. We do not have a tool in our line to sharpen the
blades of the Ultimate Mandoline or Food Chopper. If these products are
still within the guarantee and the blades seem dull - contact the
Solution Center. If the products are out of guarantee the product may
be taken to a hardware store or sewing shop in your area to see if they
can sharpen the blades. Please let us know if you have more questions.
 
mommyhugz1978 said:
Hi Leah,

Thank you for contacting The Pampered Chef Test Kitchens with your
product question. We do not have a tool in our line to sharpen the
blades of the Ultimate Mandoline or Food Chopper. If these products are
still within the guarantee and the blades seem dull - contact the
Solution Center. If the products are out of guarantee the product may
be taken to a hardware store or sewing shop in your area to see if they
can sharpen the blades. Please let us know if you have more questions.

Thanks for nothing HO! At least they got back to you! I have guests ask me ALL THE TIME about sharpening the food chopper blades. I wish I had an old one so I can practice on the ice.....
 
Christ Follower said:
Thanks for nothing HO! At least they got back to you! I have guests ask me ALL THE TIME about sharpening the food chopper blades. I wish I had an old one so I can practice on the ice.....


But the weird thing is that my up line told us in a cluster meeting a year ago that to sharpen them to chop crushed ice.... SO I DON'T" KNOW............:confused:
 
I got this tip from this site;

When buying your garlic, you want to shop for it like men shop for their underware: Tight and White.:D

When buying a pineapple, give a tug to one of the leaves (stems?) on top, if it comes out easily, it's ripe.

Also, tuning the pineapple upside down for a day or two before cutting it will allow the sugars to flow through the whole pineapple...
 
mommyhugz1978 said:
But the weird thing is that my up line told us in a cluster meeting a year ago that to sharpen them to chop crushed ice.... SO I DON'T" KNOW............:confused:


I'm not sure if I want to chance it, but your upline probably has more knowledge on the subject than I do.
 
Christ Follower said:
I'm not sure if I want to chance it, but your upline probably has more knowledge on the subject than I do.


I have had my chopper a year and half and haven't had to sharpen the blades... but I am not going to chance it either ....
 
Christ Follower said:
Thanks for nothing HO! At least they got back to you! I have guests ask me ALL THE TIME about sharpening the food chopper blades. I wish I had an old one so I can practice on the ice.....
Really!! Ok well i have 3 food choppers, no, none of them are really old, but ok how will i know if it dulls them?? will i be able to see it? if i find out anything i will let yall know!!
 
If you dont want to cry when you cut into an onion place it in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting.

TAke 1/2 cup soft butter, 1 tsp Bell; Pepper Rub and 1/2 tsp salt combine all ingredients and refrigerate. This is delicious on sweet corn, any cooked vegtables or warm biscuits. Ust on italian bread then toast on the gas grill.
You could switch any of the herbs to do this.
 
If you dont want the smell of onions to bother you while cutting place the onion in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting.

Bell Butter
1/2 cup soft butter, 1 tsp Bell Pepper Rub, 1.2 tsp salt. Mix ingredients together and refrigerate. Delicious on sweet corn, any cooked vegetable or warm biscuits. Can be used on sandwiches also. Ust on italian bread the place on gas grill to toast.
 
Do not store tomatoes in the fridge - it kills their flavor really fast.
 
To keep green onions and celery fresh in the fridge, take them out of plastic bags that you put them in when you buy them at the store.....they don't' get soggy!!
 
I love this thread! Thanks for getting it started
 
I am all about the quick tips and fun facts at my shows. I could fill a whole page myself, I am sure of it! :eek:

Some of my favorites:
If you add an apple to your bag of potatoes once you get home from the grocery store, it will keep your potatoes from sprouting.

Kiwi is a natural meat tenderizer. If you have a cheap cut of meat, rub a cut kiwi on it. Kiwi is also very good for men with impotence... of course, with this course of action it should be eaten and not rubbed! :blushing:

If you slice a small bit off a garlic clove and put it on a wart, covered with a bandaid, your wart will disappear within a day or two.

If you have to cut lettuce with a metal knife, dip it in vinegar first, it will keep your lettuce from browning.

Room temperature ingredients for cakes. Eggs and milk brought to room temperture will yeild a higher cake.

However, a pie crust will be more easily made if all the ingredients are kept cool.

If your brown sugar has turned hard as a rock, break a piece off and run it through our Deluxe cheese grater. You can grate it right into your measuring cups!

If you want the frosting on your chocolate cake to really shine, use your blow dryer on it for a few seconds.

When making hamburgers, add a little flour to it to make them hold together better.

Grate an apple into hamburger to add moistness.

Bacon dipped in flour will not shrink. Soaking it in ice water a few minutes also works.

For golden brown fried chicken, roll it in powdered milk instead of flour.

Peeling onions under cold water will keep the tears from flowing. Or if you hold a match between your teeth, it will keep the tears away... of course, it would be un unlit match, unless you really think you can chop faster with it lit! :rolleyes:

When celery loses its crispness, throw it in some ice cold water.

To keep celery longer in your frige, wrap it in aluminum foil.

Red peppers are simply more ripened green peppers and contain twice the amount of vitamin C.

To improve the taste of old potatoes, add a little sugar to the water which they are boiled.

Also, boil your corn on the cob with sugar added... it brings out the sweetness of the corn.

Remember, soup boiled is soup spoiled. Soup should be cooked gently and evenly.

Lots of garlic facts!!
Garlic eaten during pregnancy reduces the risk of pre-eclampsia. Studies also show that garlic may boost birth weight of babies desitined to be too small.

If you are taking any sort of blood thinning medication, or regularly taking aspirin, consult your doctor before taking garlic supplements. Garlic has anti-boagulant properities, meaning, it thins your blood.

Garlic is a great defense against Tick bites and mosquito bites.

Garlic used in the garden has been known to ward off many different types of animals and insects.

One clove of garlic is TEN TIMES STRONGER when pushed through a press than a clove minced fine with a sharp knife.

Garlic Breath?? Try chewing on a sprig of fresh parsley with lemon squeezed on it. Or eat a strawberry to cleanse your breath.

Ok... off to search for more! :D
 
Green peppers are either the smartest vegetable, or the dumbest... I can’t decide!. A pepper won’t know it has been cut into if you cut from the bottom and leave the stem in tact. Hence, they keep longer that way.

If you cut an onion from the opposite end of the mustache (the hairy end) it will also keep longer in the fridge!


Use The Corer, normally for apples, to core the seeds out of your cucumbers. It’s the seeds that cause gas! Plus, if you then shove a fat carrot in that cuke hole, and slice, you will have an attractive vegetable combination!

You can use the V-shaped cutter, crinkle cutter, and The Corer for carving jack-o-lanterns! Plus, if you sprinkle cinnamon inside before lighting your candle, it will smell great too!

Use the Garlic press for Ginger root too! To get optimal flavor, first freeze your ginger root, then microwave for 15 seconds. Freeze it again, and microwave it again for another 15 seconds before pressing it.

When grating cheese ~ microwave it for 10-15 seconds first! The natural oils will come out and the cheese will easily fall from your cheese grater.

If you over salt a dish on the stove top while boiling.... drop a peeled potato in it. The potato will absorb all the salt for you!

If your potatoes grow arms and legs and party it up in the bag after you bring them home, try throwing an apple in the bag with them! Potatoes are real party animals when alone, but throw in a stranger, and they will keep to themselves! Guaranteed, your apple will go bad before your potatoes start to sprout!

A slice of apple in your cookie jar will keep your cookies soft as the minute you took them out of the oven!

When you saute’ onions and garlic, be sure to add the garlic at the very end. Saute less than a minutes if possible. Garlic cooked on the stove top longer than that will become bitter.

If you place your bananas in a ziploc baggy when you get them home from the grocery store, they will continue to ripen, but won’t turn black!

If you love bacon, but hate the splattered mess, try baking it on your bar pan! 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes will give you the best bacon you have ever tasted!

Room temperature lemons will yield more juice. Also, if you roll them on the counter or microwave them for 10 seconds, that will also get the juices flowing.

When sending your significant other to the grocery store for a lemon, make sure he picks out a good one! Ripe lemons will have a smooth surface, and the top “nub” will be elongated. The bigger the nub, the riper the lemon.... So when your man comes home with a big nub, everyone is happy!

Turn a carton of eggs sideways in the refrigerator the night before you make deviled eggs and the yolks will be in the middle!

When baking a chocolate cake, dust cake pan with cocoa powder instead of flour. It will cause the same non stick effect without the white residue.

Want a hint of garlic on your salad? Cut a clove in half and rub it on the rim of your salad bowl.

Kitchen knives should be sharpened after every 5 uses.

Peach skins come off smoothly when peeled with the Vegetable Peeler.

To easily peel a kiwi, cut it in half and then slide a spoon between the skin and fruit. Spoon around the entire fruit for a perfect kiwi!

Quickly cut a medium sized onion into wedges for a stir fry by using the apple wedger.

Steam your broccoli for one minute, then dip into cold water to keep a beautiful vibrant green color.

Use your kitchen sheers to cut biscuits into quarters for a quick garlic biscuit treat!

When making mashed potatoes, instead of cutting them into chunks, try slicing them when the Ultimate Slice and Grate. They will cook MUCH faster!

Try squeezing a bunch of lemons at one time. Put the juice in an ice cube tray and freeze for when you want to make a quick lemon aid or extra flavor for your tea.

If you place a piece of bread in your brown sugar bag, it will keep it from getting hard.

If your brown sugar is all ready hard, throw a bit of peeled apple in the bag, and it will soften right up!

The Skin from a garlic clove will slip right off if you place the clove in the microwave for 15 seconds first!

Place bay leaves in kitchen drawers and flour/sugar containers to keep crawling insects away!

Keep your Saran Wrap in the freezer. It is easier to unroll, doesn’t stick to itself until it warms up and it is easier to tear!

Don’t throw out that leftover wine. Freeze it into an ice cube try to use in casseroles or sauces at a later date.

To test whether an egg is still fresh, put them into a bowl of water. If it floats, throw it out.

To save time, add salt to the pasta water AFTER it comes to a boil. Salted water takes longer to boil than unsalted.

Storing tomatoes with the stem side pointed down will help the tomato stay fresher longer.

Add fluff to your mashed potatoes by adding a pinch of baking soda during mashing.

To keep peeled apples and bananas from turning brown, soak them in Sprite, 7-Up, lemon juice or pineapple juice!

To keep potatoes from browning, place then into a bowl with 4 cups of water and 4 Tbsp. Lemon juice.

Rubbing a cut lime on your forehead will get rid of a headache!

Eating a cut garlic will get rid of a husband!! Hehehe.

Use the Pizza Cutter to quickly cut cooked spaghetti noodles! Much easier to cut, and perfect for bite sized kid pieces!

Crafters in a pinch? Try using our Pizza Cutters to cut fabric with ease!

Use our Easy Accent Decorator for more than just frostings! Fill your deviled eggs, manicotti shells or jelly doughnuts with ease!

Take your cheese from the plastic it came in and wrap it in aluminum foil, cheese cloth or parchment paper instead. It will take the shelf life in your refrigerator to 5 or 6 months or more!

Want a quick clean up tip? Try baking on Parchment paper instead of a bare pan. Makes clean up a breeze and doesn’t alter the cooking time or flavor!

When making soup, to absorb the grease that settles to the top, place a leaf of lettuce on top of the soup while cooking. Remove when it has done its job!

Sprinkle a little salt into your frying pan before cooking to keep the grease from splattering.

Butter the rim of a pan in which you cook rice or macaroni so it won’t boil over.

When making apple pies, sprinkle 1 Tbsp. Lemon gelatin over apples before you put the top crust on. It not only adds flavor, but also prevents spillovers!

Use the Cooks Corer to get those stray apple seeds from a wedged apple.

Try grating carrots with the Deluxe Cheese Grater. No slippery carrots to keep a hold of, and better yet, no grated knuckles!

A marshmallow stuffed into an ice cream cone will prevent dripping!

Instead of ditching the grease and fat from browned meats, use a slice of stale bread to soak it up while still in the pan. Let the bread dry a bit and then crumble it to feed to outdoor birds. A good way to safely rid yourself of grease and the birds will love you for it!

To keep salad greens and cut veggies fresh ~ put a paper towel with them in a plastic bag. It will absorb the moisture so your produce will last longer!

Did you know, garlic juice and its constituents can slow, or kill more than 60 different fungi and twenty type of bacteria? WOW!

Boil the remnants of your lime, lemon and oranges after juicing them. It will make your house smell wonderful!

Use your garlic press for bits of sugar cookie dough during the holidays. Makes wonderful angel hair and santa beards for cookies!
 
Ooh- your egg tip reminded me of another one.

If you have both raw and hard-boiled eggs in the fridge and can't tell which is which, spin them on the fat end. Raw eggs will not spin.
To keep from having to do that, put a dash of balsamic vinegar into the water when you boil eggs. The dark color of the vinegar will turn the shells beige, so you can identify those as the cooked eggs.
 
When using dried herbs, rubbing them between your hands before throwing them into the recipe will help bring out a little of the oils and fragrance, thus making them more flavorful.
 
"chopped" BaconWhen needing to chop crispy bacon, (after baking it in a bar pan lined with PC Parchment Paper) put it in a large zippy bag and use the baker's roller to break it into small pieces. Put the bag in a folded dishtowel before rolling so sharp pieces don't puncture the bag. Did this today with a bunch of bacon and it worked great. Saved lots of time & mess in chopping and didn't need to clean a knife and cutting board when done. Then use as needed and store any leftovers in the fridge.
 
mommyhugz1978 said:
But the weird thing is that my up line told us in a cluster meeting a year ago that to sharpen them to chop crushed ice.... SO I DON'T" KNOW............:confused:

i wouldnt suggest doing this, a host told me he used to make mixed drinks without a blender and he would crush the ice with it, it got really dull he said. i dont know if it helps like once or twice and because he used it all the time thats why it got dull? and i dont know if it was a pc food chopper.
 
If you have a box of hardened brown sugar, toss it in the freezer for a couple days. It will soften right up.

Use sea or kosher salt on meat... it won't cause the meat to dry out like iodized salt does.
 
feather18 said:
I have heard of lots of uses for our garlic press.. anyone know more of them?? Those are so fun!
Peel ginger and press it for stir fry (or whatever)...this does take a little more muscle than garlic though.

Also, a customer told me she pressed her animals pills in this so she could mix the meds into the dog's food. I loved this one!
 
missyciccolella said:
Also, a customer told me she pressed her animals pills in this so she could mix the meds into the dog's food. I loved this one!

I had forgotten this one! Thanks for the reminder.

--Jenny L
 
"to keep ice cream fresh & avoid ice crystals from forming
Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of ice cream and then replace lid"



You have ice cream that lasts that long??
 
To make your cookies soften up, put a slice of bread in the container with them.
 
Anyone know if there is a limit to how long a "NEWS" post can be on your website? I thought about having one of my posts be tips and referring my guests out to the site. ???? Hmmm, I could have a tip of the month think and put that in my newsletter.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some effective ways to engage guests during a Pampered Chef show?

Engaging guests can be achieved by asking open-ended questions, encouraging participation in cooking demonstrations, and sharing personal stories related to the products. You can also involve them by having them taste-test recipes or vote on their favorite products. This interaction keeps the energy high and makes the experience memorable.

How can I handle questions about product pricing during a show?

When questions about pricing arise, it's important to be transparent and confident. Provide clear information about the value of the products, any current promotions, and the benefits of investing in quality kitchen tools. You can also highlight how these products can save time and enhance cooking experiences.

What are some quick tips for demonstrating products effectively?

To demonstrate products effectively, focus on showcasing their unique features and benefits. Use real-life scenarios to illustrate how the products can solve common cooking challenges. Keep your demonstrations concise and engaging, and encourage guests to ask questions or share their own experiences with similar products.

How can I create a fun atmosphere during my shows?

Creating a fun atmosphere can be achieved by incorporating games, giveaways, or challenges related to the products. Use upbeat music in the background and maintain a positive attitude. Encourage laughter and camaraderie among guests, making them feel comfortable and excited about the products.

What should I do if a guest seems uninterested during the show?

If a guest appears uninterested, try to engage them directly by asking for their opinion or inviting them to participate in a specific task. Sometimes, a personal touch can reignite their interest. Additionally, be mindful of your pacing; if the show is too fast or slow, it may affect guests' engagement levels.

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