Like the title says, here are a few random tips and tricks that I would recommend to you to make your life a little easier in the kitchen:
1.) Got garlicy or oniony smelling hands? Find something that is stainless steel in your kitchen and rub your hands on it. Seriously!! Trust me. Rub your hands on your sink faucet or a spoon, you can even buy something called "Stainless Steel Soap" and the garlic smell comes right out. The stainless steel soap looks like an actual bar of soap that you pretend to lather in your hands to get the smell out. Works every time!!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=stainless+steel+soap&x=0&y=0
2.) If you want to boil water faster try these two tips: When you are actually filling up your pot with water, start with hot water, it will boil much quicker! Also, if you have a lid that fits the pot you wish to boil in, the lid will keep in heat that is being lost as steam and will also make the water boil faster.
3.) Non stick pans: Just because a pan is non-stick, doesn't mean you shouldn't use some kind of oil to cook with. A lot of people use these pans so they can reduce the amount of cooking oil for health reasons. But under no circumstances are you to use an abrasive cleaner with these pans. To get the most life out of them, use a mild soap, very soft cloth, and clean immediately after cooking in it. Don't soak it for too long either, it wears out the tephlon.
4.) Ripening Produce: If you want any kind of fruit or vegetable to ripen, put it in a plastic/paper bag with a banana. The gas given off by the banana ripens the produce itself and will ripen anything next to it.
5.) As seen on TV: Please do not fall for every "convenient" piece of cookware you see on television. I'm talking about the slap chop or a stupid strawberry huller, you really don't need to waste your money on them. The slap chop is a waste because the food has to be cut small enough to fit inside the container, and you can just as easily hull a strawberry with a paring knife. Use common sense with what you already have at your disposal. Please do not succumb to the lazy man's way of cooking.
6.) Cutting Board: When you are using a cutting board, put a damp towel underneath it to prevent it from slipping. I have had a few close calls with a very sharp knife and I could have easily prevented it had I thought to put a towel under it. Paper towels work great on smaller cutting boards.
7.) Dull Knives: Just because a certain knife can't cut through a tomato, doesn't mean it isn't sharp on your skin. There are those dull knives in everyone's kitchen that nobody uses to cut food because they are so dull. But they are still sharp on the skin. It sounds silly but it is safer to sharpen that knife so you don't have to hack your way through your food and risk cutting a finger off. The sharper your knife is, the less work you have to do. Let the knife do the work for you.
8.) Thermometers: NEVER, EVER use a mercury filled thermometer to check the temperature of food. Not only is the mercury poisonous, but the glass surrounding it is a hazard to eat. Use a digital thermometer. They give very fast temperature readings, never need calibrating, and are super easy to clean.
9.) Measuring ingredients: Measure out ingredients in their appropriate measuring cups. Liquids are meant to be measured in fluid ounces.Pyrex measuring cups are in just about every household, they are clear with red markings. Dry ingredients you either weigh on a scale or measured in their own cup. These measuring cups are typically not clear and clearly labeled from 1/4 cup to 1 cup. Anything smaller than that gets measured with measuring spoons, like tablespoons and teaspoons.
10.) Understanding Recipe Abbreviations: For those who get confused with abbreviations in recipes, this might help you out:
-tsp. = Teaspoon. (Note: All lower cased letters used and a period at the end.)
-TBSP. = Tablespoon. (Note: All letters are upper cased. 3 tsp. = 1 TBSP just fyi. lol)
-lb. = A reference for a Pound. Like a pound of flour or a pound of beef.
-c. = Cup. I don't see this too often in recipes now a days, but I see it a lot in my families recipe box. I'm talking like, my grandma's recipes that she got from her mom!
-ct. = Count. This is used for things like lemons, or eggs. It represents how many individual items you need for a recipe. So if a recipe says Lemons 6ct. that means you need 6 lemons.
11.) NOT ALL RECIPES YOU FIND WILL TURN OUT RIGHT.
If you are looking at recipes online be sure to read a good amount of reviews to see if it's worth even cooking it. Often times people who comment on the recipe, they will change the amount of ingredients which saves other people a lot of trouble. Another thing to remember is this: there are different ways to measure out ingredients, such as pounds, ounces, and cups. I always get screwed when I measure out flour in a measuring cup. The flour can pack differently if you are measuring it straight from the bag or if you are measuring it out from a large canister sitting on your counter. If you have room to sort of fluff the flour before leveling it off you will get a better measurement of the flour versus scraping the flour off the side of the actual bag it comes in and risk increasing the flour amount. lol get it?
12.) Tiny Amounts of Ingredients: When people say add a pinch of something, a pinch usually equals out to 1/8 of a teaspoon. There is no real measurement for an 1/8th of a teaspoon, so it ends up being called a "Pinch". Practice making a pinch by pouring some salt or sugar in a bowl. Grab what you think would be an 1/8th of a teaspoon and test it out! This would mostly be used in a savory application where salt is something that is to taste. Such as soup or a sauce.
13.) Grilling technique: If you want to perfect grill marks on food, try this method: Imagine you are looking at a clock on your grill. Visualize where the 10:00 and 2:00 positions would be on the clock. Lay the food that's about to be grilled pointing towards 10:00 with one end. While the food is still on that same side, rotate it to the 2:00 position. Flip over to the other side and repeat. This will create perfect hatch marks which is desirable when grilling.
14.) Onions: Get teary eyed while cutting onions?? Yeah it's not something you can really avoid. People will tell you that if you put the onion in the freezer for a few minutes or run it through cold water, that it will decrease the pungency but those will not work. If you have a sharp knife, you will not damage the cells in the onion as much and will make for happier eyes! Also if you have a candle handy preferably a strong scented one, it can help distract your nose from the oniony fume. lol so light that sucker up! I have seen some people go as far as having a pair of "Onion Goggles" so the fumes won't reach their eyes. LOL
15.) Pasta Trouble: Ever find a clump of spaghetti noodles stuck together after you boiled them? They stuck together thanks to the starch and lack of room to boil. When you are boiling pasta you need to use the largest pot you have or just a big pot in general. Each pasta strand should have room to "swim" in the boiling water so they won't stick together. Stir the pasta throughout it's cooking time to agitate the starch in the water. Oil doesn't help because water and oil don't mix and it just floats to the top. So give your pasta plenty of room to cook in a large pot.
16.) Dried Herbs: Dried herbs DO NOT last you a life time. Believe it or not, there are essential oils stored in dried herbs that help give them that extra oomph that fresh herbs sometimes can't give you. Dried herbs are to be used cautiously because their flavor is more concentrated. If you know that you aren't going to be using dried herbs all that often, buy the smallest container possible, or don't buy them at all. They are 3 times more potent than fresh and are best kept in a cool dark environment, I.E. your pantry.
17.) Cooking Oil: Be cautious when using oils in your kitchen. Olive oil has a very low smoke point meaning that the oil will begin to smoke and break down at a certain temperature. A better substitute would be vegetable oil or peanut oil. Also, olive oil has a very distinct flavor and is often used in uncooked applications, so use it sparingly. Grape seed oil and Canola Oil are great because they are flavorless and have high smoke points. These can be used to simply sautee or even deep fry. There are oil blends out there, but just read the labels to be sure you are using the correct oil for the correct application.
18.) Thawing Meat: The best way to thaw meat at home, is to do so in your refrigerator. We do not always plan our meals but if you can, please thaw meat this way. Leave the meat in it's original container, place it on a plate, and put it in the lowest part of your refrigerator. Allow it to thaw overnight or for a few hours until completely thawed. The plate catches any water or juices the meat might give off. If you thaw meat at room temperature outside the fridge, bacteria will grow on the surface of the meat and can get you very sick. This bacteria cannot be cooked out either.
19.) Veggie Nutrition: If you want to get the most nutrition out of your vegetables, keep them as close to raw as you can. By that I mean eat them raw or cook them minimally. Steaming vegetables instead of boiling retains much more nutrients. Quick sauteing is also another great method, you are still retaining a slight crunch and most of the nutrients! By the way, vegetables do NOT have to be boring in flavor. Example: Core and remove the white pithy parts of a few red bell peppers. Slice them thin, add them in a large bowl, add a tiny splash of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cumin and toss to combine. This makes a great antipasto side dish or salad topper.
20.) Fridge storage and spoilage: If you want to get the most out of your food in the refrigerator follow these tips:
If you can help it, don't allow items in your fridge to touch because that cold air won't circulate between them.
Store your milk in the back of the fridge to get the most life out of it. Keep the humidity in the produce drawers to a reasonable level.
If you need to cool anything down in the fridge, put it on the top shelf. The residual heat can damage other foods if the hot foods are placed below already chilled foods.
My list could literally go on and on but I must stop here. I hope some of these tips were helpful to you. They are pretty random but I have had these tips stuck in my head all day and had to get them out. Have a wonderful day!!
