HELPFUL HINTS:
COOKING HELPERS

Latest addition: Article on Garnishes (submitted by Chris Bublin)

I always have a problem in converting butter (submitted by Kenee Campo)
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Uncommon Uses for Common Kitchen Tools & Appliances

Scissors - cutting pizza, snipping vents in pastry, cutting scallions, cutting stems of dried mushrooms, cutting phyllo dough

Microplane - grating cheese, nutmeg, ginger, garlic, shallots and chocolate

Vegetable peeler - thin slices of cheese, shaving coconut, ribbons of carrots, cucumber and Parmesan cheese

Tongs - rotating a cake during baking, steadying a roast while carving, removing ramekins from a hot water bath, reaching for an overhead item

Grapefruit spoon - scraping out the seeds and ribs of chilies

Improvise a mortar & pestle - use a sturdy stoneware mug and a heavy spice bottle.

Other uses for the microwave
- cleaning the microwave - Microwave a bowl full of water on High for 10 minutes - the steam will loosen dried food and can easily be wiped off
- citrus - To get the most juice from lemons or limes, microwave citrus fruits for 20 seconds before squeezing
- decrystallizing honey - Uncover the jar and heat on medium power for 30 seconds to 1 minute
- disinfecting and deodorizing sponges - Soak the sponge in water spiked with white vinegar or lemon juice, heat it on High for 1 minute, remove with an oven mitt. This will also disinfect if you used the sponge to wipe up raw chicken juices
- disinfecting plastic cutting boards - Wash the board well, rub with the cut side of a lemon, then nuke for 1 minute.

Super "Saves"

Lumpy gravy? Put mess in blender and whirl around briefly.

Grainy or seized chocolate? When melting chocolate and confronted with this problem, add a little more water and whisk in - the chocolate will become smooth again.

Broken hollandaise? Remove pan from heat, add small amount of cold water, and whisk in over an ice water bath.

Time-saving Tips

To quick chill soups or stews - fill a large plastic beverage bottle with water and freeze. Use the frozen bottle to stir the soup or stew.

Holding mashed potatoes - add an extra 1/4 c. half and half. Put the potatoes in a bowl over a pot with about 3 in. barely simmering water. Cover with a damp, lint free towel, a layer of plastic wrap, and the pot lid or aluminum foil. Will keep well for 2 hours.


Deviled Eggs - Everyone's Choice

Hard boiled eggs, or natural?? Briskly spin them on the counter top; the hard boiled eggs will keep spinning, natural will slow/stop.
Deviled eggs - for a different and more stable presentation, cut off a small slice at each end of the egg, then halve crosswise, not lengthwise.
Another method for preparing a large amount of hard-cooked eggs - Preheat oven to 325F, position racks in center of oven, place baking sheet on the bottom floor of the oven, place eggs on racks and bake for 30 minutes. Remove, place in ice water, and proceed as usual.
Hazel's Super Tip - to ensure evenly centered yolks, the night before preparing, take the eggs out of the carton, and position on their sides in fridge.

Making it Easy...

Preventing scorched pans - when steaming over a small amount of water, add some marbles. If the water drops too low, the marbles will rattle, and alert you to add more water.

Fresher ice cream - lay plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream before replacing the lid.

Herbs - Freeze thyme, oregano, sage, tarragon, parsley, and dill. Tarragon and parsley will discolor, but will smell and taste fresh. Clean and thorough dry the herbs, layer in a tightly sealed plastic container. Packed tightly, they will last up to 4 months.
Store fresh herbs in a container with a small amount of water on the bottom, covered with a plastic bag, in fridge.

Knox gelatin packages have weight discrepancies up to 20% - one envelope should weigh 1/4 oz. or equal 2-1/2 tsps. To avoid errors, dump a few envelopes into a small bowl, then weigh or measure.

Grating hard cheeses - use a microplane or wrap plastic wrap around the bottom of a box grater and secure with a rubber band.
Spray the box grater with cooking spray - cheese will shred cleanly without sticking.

When making a dark-colored cake, dust the greased pan with cocoa powder instead of flour.

Checking on reductions - Use a chopstick or a wooden skewer - if you need 1/2 c. of a reduction, measure 1/2 c. water into a pan and into that, stand a chopstick or wooden skewer for several seconds until the water marks the wood. Pull out and mark the level with a non-toxic marker. You now have an accurate guide for the amount.

All you Wanted to Know About...Vanilla Beans

Vanilla beans, a member of the orchid family, are picked green and flavorless, then cured for several weeks. The pod contains 110 volatile flavor compounds. They dry out quickly, even those in glass vials, so store in a simple sugar syrup (equal parts water and sugar, cooked together until sugar is dissolved, cooled) in fridge. However, if the pod is dried out, grind up in a spice grinder and add to some sugar - use in desserts.

All you Wanted to Know About...Garlic

Garlic - for a bold garlic flavor, mince or puree - to puree, mince garlic, sprinkle with kosher salt, and mash with side of knife.
For a subtle garlic flavor, roast or toast:
To roast, preheat oven to 400F. Cut a whole head of garlic 1/2 in. from top, place cut side up on a square of aluminum, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. olive oil and a pinch of salt. Pull corners up and twist to seal. Cook about 45 minutes.
To toast, heat unpeeled cloves in a dry skillet, over medium heat. Shake pan occasionally, until cloves are fragrant, and there are some small brown spots on all sides, about 8 minutes. When cool, slip off skin.

Have you Tried Brining?

Brining- A brine is nothing more than a solution of salt and sugar dissolved in water (sometimes other ingredients - herbs and spices or other liquids). Brined meats are juicier and are more forgiving of overcooking.
Some simple brines -
Whole turkey - 2 c. kosher salt or 1 c. table salt dissolved in 2 gallons water for 6 - 8 hours, refrigerated
Whole chicken - 1/2 c. kosher salt and 1/2 c. sugar dissolved in 2 qts. water for 1 hour, refrigerated
Pork Tenderloins - for 1 Kg. pork - 3T. kosher salt, 3/4 c. sugar dissolved in 2 c. hot water, add 2 c. cold water, pork, refrigerate 1 hour.
Other ideas - for pork loin, pork chops, poultry - use some vegetable stock, salt, dark brown sugar, peppercorns, bay leaf, orange juice. Just for pork - juniper berries, peppercorns, cloves, salt, molasses, and water.

Some of the more common EDIBLE FLOWERS in your garden:

Hyssop Iceland Poppy
Impatiens Jasmine
Johnny Jump Up Lavendar
Lemon Verbena Lilac
Linden Mallow
Marigold Marjoram
Mint Mustard
Nasturtium Oregano
Okra Onion
Orange Blossom Pansy
Passionflower Pea
Pineapple Sage Primrose
Radish Red Clover
Redbud Rose
Rosemary Rose of Sharon
Runner Bean Safflower
Sage Savory
Scented Geranium Snapdragon
Society Garlic Squash Blossom
Sunflower Sweet Marigold
Sweet William Thyme
Tuberous Begonia Tulip
Viola Violet
Winter Savory Yucca

Pick your flowers in the morning when their water content is at its highest. Then bathe the flowers gently in a salt-water bath.
Immediately drop them in ice water for 1 minute. Dry on a paper
towel. For best results, use your flower petals immediately (not the stamen or the stems), or store the whole flower in a glass of water in the refrigerator overnight.

Flowers can be used for a multitude of dishes:
from garnishes to salads. Try freezing petals in ice cube trays
filled with water for a unique addition to your favorite lemonade or iced tea!

A Final Tip... or do you have some to add?
If so, send them by e-mail.

And remember, two verses of Happy Birthday while washing your hands with HOT soapy water before you start preparing food.