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

[ahammons]

You can demo the can strainer by putting right side up into a can of tuna or chicken, it will press all of the water or oil of the tuna and it stays in the can.

Great tip! I would never have thought to do this!

 

[mrsmacskitchen]

pamperedposey
thanks this is super helpful.

 

[dannyzmom]

* Do not refrigerate potatoes. The temperature in your cooler will
turn the potato starch into sugar. you will then have to store the
potatoes for up to two weeks at 50 degrees to convert the sugar
back to starch. Always store your potatoes in a dark, cool, dry
area with good air flow.

* Roasting your meats fat side up will allow for continuous basting.
As the meat roasts the fat will run down the meat as it renders,
adding moisture and flavor.

* Garlic's flavor comes from sulfur compounds that are exposed when
the membranes of the individual cells are severed or broken and
come in contact with the air. So...understanding this we can assume
that a clove of garlic that is run through a garlic press or
smashed under your chefs knife will offer your dish a stronger
flavor then will garlic that has been sliced or quartered. A
roasted or simmered bulb will be even milder.

* When beating eggs, it is always best to allow them to come to room
temperature first; 30-45 minutes will do it. If you add a little
water instead of milk, you will get more volume and a fluffier
cooked product.

 

[RebelChef]

I don't think I've read these yet, so forgive me if they're repeats.

If you lay a wooden spoon across a pot, it will prevent boil-over. Much easier than oiling or buttering the rim.

Instead of putting rice into your salt shaker to combat humidity, use a toothpick. It will serve the same purpose.

 

[peache2me]

when you cut your bell peppers or onions keep the membranes (seeds/stem) intact wrap with a dry paper towel then put in a ziploc bag. It will last 2 or 3 times longer. Good money saving tip as well

 

[pregochef]

Not sure if anyone already mentioned it, but if you put a slice of bread on top of your homemade cookies when storing them, it will keep them soft. The bread becomes hard, but the cookies stay nice and soft.

 

[missyciccolella]

Not sure if anyone already mentioned it, but if you put a slice of bread on top of your homemade cookies when storing them, it will keep them soft. The bread becomes hard, but the cookies stay nice and soft.

This is strange as a friend just reminded me of this today! Wow, great minds...

 

[buckeyefan08]

You can demo the can strainer by putting right side up into a can of tuna or chicken, it will press all of the water or oil of the tuna and it stays in the can.

You cut the top off of pull tab cans (Pineapple) with the can opener. It is easier on your fingers and then you can flip the stainer over and use it in the can too!:chef:

 

[elizabethfox]

You can demo the can strainer by putting right side up into a can of tuna or chicken, it will press all of the water or oil of the tuna and it stays in the can.

I just figured this one out the other day and was thrilled! Who knew a little thing like that could get me so excited! HA HA My husband came in the kitchen wanting to know what I was "Whoo hooing" about...LOL

 

[chefallison53]

Pineapple!I recently got back from Hawaii and had a wonderful time touring the dole plantation. Did you know that once a pineapple is picked, it will ripen no firther. It takes 18-24 months to grown an entire pineapple and they don't grow on trees! Crazy I tell ya!!!!

 

[pamperedmomto3]

Grate hard brown sugar with the Microplane adjustable grater.

 

[Jayme]

Frying oilIf you are frying food and need to see if the oil is hot enough stand a wooden spoon up in the pot. If bubbles come out from the spoon then it is ready to go.. Thanks Rachel Ray for that one.

 

[cookinthehouse]

Any one have any tips for peaches? I am making a peach cobbler this weekend in the DCB .... i gave my hostess a list of very interesting recipes that i was dying to make and she picks the peach Cobbler... simple and easy... not to many products represented.... any ideas would be wonderful

 

[byrd1956]

Peaches are best picked when the fruit separates easily from the twigs. If it is hard to pull off the tree, it isn't ripe! Peaches will not ripen further once removed from the tree (they only "soften")

Fill a box with peaches and cover them with newspaper to speed up the ripening process.

To store in the freezer, slice the washed peaches into chunks, sprinkle on some lemon juice and pack them in freezer bags.

A pound of peaches equals 3 medium peaches, 2 cups sliced peaches, 1 ½ cup peach puree (approximately).

To peel peaches, place whole peach in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove from boiling water with slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Pull skin off using blade edge of paring knife to grab peel. Also use this method to peel other fruits such as apricots and tomatoes.

Two Easy Peach Tricks (I have not tried these…..) 1. Just pick a fresh, juicy peach, cut a slice from it, and rub the slice on your face. Leave the juice on for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. 2. After you've peeled peaches for a pie, save those skins to save your own! Before bed, just massage your face gently with the inside of the peach peelings for a few minutes and then go to sleep. The astringent sag-busting action of the peach juice will give you firmer, fresher skin in the morning.
Peach Moisturizer
This works as beautifully on hands and fingernails as it does on your face or anywhere on your body.
2 tablespoons almond oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons peach juice
Mix ingredients well and apply all over.

 

[karaboo2]

Peaches are best picked when the fruit separates easily from the twigs. If it is hard to pull off the tree, it isn't ripe! Peaches will not ripen further once removed from the tree (they only "soften")

Fill a box with peaches and cover them with newspaper to speed up the ripening process.

Wouldn't the newspaper be speeding up the softening process?? LOL

 

[byrd1956]

I thought that, too, but I got all my information from a peach farm website....
you would think they would know....

 

[pregochef]

:chef: So here it is! I compiled everyones tips into a well-organized handout. Let me know what you think.

If you are using the PDF version, all you have to do is add your info to the right of "This information was provided by:"

If you are using MS Word, go to "view", header/footer...go into the footer and change the info to the right of "This information was provided by:".

Hope it helps! These are the only 2 formats I have the file in, so if you need a different format, sorry I can't help...

 

[obxchef]

I just learned this tip from one of my guests who has triplets (Lord, thank you for not giving me 3 at one time). Put the baby shampoo/wash (she said the Johnson & Johnson no more tears) in the suds pump. Makes it easier for us parents and the wash lasts longer!!!

 

[PamperedDor]

:chef: So here it is! I compiled everyones tips into a well-organized handout. Let me know what you think.

If you are using the PDF version, all you have to do is add your info to the right of "This information was provided by:"

If you are using MS Word, go to "view", header/footer...go into the footer and change the info to the right of "This information was provided by:".

Hope it helps! These are the only 2 formats I have the file in, so if you need a different format, sorry I can't help...

Love it - thank you so much!!

 

[pamperedposey]

:chef: So here it is! I compiled everyones tips into a well-organized handout. Let me know what you think.

If you are using the PDF version, all you have to do is add your info to the right of "This information was provided by:"

If you are using MS Word, go to "view", header/footer...go into the footer and change the info to the right of "This information was provided by:".

Hope it helps! These are the only 2 formats I have the file in, so if you need a different format, sorry I can't help...

That must have been extremely time consuming! Thanks!! :love:

 

[ChefLoriG]

nice document thanks for typing it up, I did notice one thing that isn't true, aluminum foil will NOT sharpen food chopper blades, neither will chopping ice (another one I have heard of).

 

[krley]

wow PregoChef, thanks!

 

[alw_athome]

To keep your Gladware or Tupperware from staining when putting tomato sauce in them, first cool the sauce to room temperature, then spray the inside of the container with Pam before putting the sauce in.

 

[merego]

If you have an avacado that is not quite ripe, you can also put it in a brown lunch bag and it will ripen up overnight.
Do not wash mushrooms, take a damp papercloth or towel and wipe them down.

 

[Langrco]

lettuce leaf in soup

and dropping a lettuce leaf into your cooked soup for the last few minutes will absorb a great deal of fat/grease.

Any kind of lettuce leaf

 

[merego]

this is an odd tip but for any pregnant moms who will not be nursing after their baby...
put cabbage leaves in the freezer and get them ice cold then stick them in your bra, it will reduce the swelling when your milk comes in and help with the pain. Don't leave the house with them on though, once they "defrost" they wilt and get kind of stinky, but it feels really good for awhile and helps!!

 

[Stephaniecafe]

Did you know that the best way to check a loaf of bread to see if the center is cooked is to insert a meat thermometer and if it reads 170degrees the protein is set an ready to come out of the oven! No more frosty the snowman... thumpity thump thump... is this bread all done????

 

[missyciccolella]

Pineapples and Upside Down CakesSince the current Season's Best has the Pina Colada Cake in it (really good by the way) I looked up some info on pineapples...this is from one website, and is just some neat (maybe even useless) facts:

PINEAPPLES
Pineapples can weigh up to 20 pounds.

Pineapples most likely originated in Brazil, but there are no known native or wild pineapples known today, They are probably a cultivated species that developed under conditions of artificial selection.
More than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
The term 'upside down cake' wasn't used very much before the middle of the 19th century, but the style of baking probably dates back much further, probably to the Middle Ages.

The early recipes for fruit upside down cakes were made in cast iron skillets on top of the stove.

The classic American 'Pineapple Upside Down Cake' dates to sometime after 1903, when Jim Dole invented canned pineapple.

The Hawaiian Pineapple Co. (now Dole Pineapple) held a pineapple recipe contest in 1925, with judges from Fannie Farmer's School, Good Housekeeping and McCall's magazine on the judging panel. The 100 winning recipes would be published in a cookbook the following year. Over 60,000 recipes were sent in, and 2,500 of them were for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. So it is obvious that between 1903 when canned pineapple was first available, and 1925 when the contest was held, Pineapple Upside Down Cake had become a very popular item. The Hawaiian Pineapple Company ran an ad campaign in 1926 based on the fact that so many recipes for the cake had been submitted, naturally making the Pineapple Upside Down Cake even more popular.

 

[jbdowd0798]

this is an odd tip but for any pregnant moms who will not be nursing after their baby...
put cabbage leaves in the freezer and get them ice cold then stick them in your bra, it will reduce the swelling when your milk comes in and help with the pain. Don't leave the house with them on though, once they "defrost" they wilt and get kind of stinky, but it feels really good for awhile and helps!!

I can attest to this! LOL Thankfully, I stayed at home any time I did this but my 2yr at the time thought when I took the cabbage out of my bra he could eat it- had to use the garbage disposal not the can.

 

[dannyzmom]

* Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help
pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

* To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of
spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and
then beat them up.

* For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes
mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for
a wonderful minty frosting.

* 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.