Everyone has their favorite tips, tricks and clever ways in the kitchen…a few I think are worth passing on below. So here they are, in all their glorious miscellany. If you’re on a post and you see the tag Cooking Hacks, click on it to see others. Or just view them all here. What’s your favorite to add?
Meats & Poultry:
Slice through bacon while frozen, then return to freezer.
Remove silverskin by hanging onto edge and slicing up.
Roll the roll on the counter, letting the ends tighten up.
A potato masher makes short work of breaking down ground meats.
30 to 35 bucks – never buy lunch meat again & cuts so many things a food processor won’t.
If something is too juicy, strain, boil juices down and return,
Scoops portion and make even shapes for rolling & stuffing.
Bacon Drippings can be saved – use instead of cooking more bacon.
Mixers easily shred meats – use the guard if you have one.
Make extra & Freeze for another meal.
Slice through the fat and the pork chop won’t curl when cooking
Miscellaneous Hints:
Make emergency funnel – paper for dry, plastic (sheet protectors?) for liquid.
Homemade Hollandaise
No soggy bottoms; turn & rest of spatula for a minute or place on a grate.
These little clips are super handy& cheaper than “Chip” clips
Use a large skillet like a chef uses a flat top!
Pizza Rollers cut dough – and all kinds of stuff!
Fold over end, then close with rubber band. Pull apart to open.
Use Microwave!
Baking Hacks:
Measure butter/shortening by displacement of water.
Pizza Rollers cut dough – and all kinds of stuff!
Keep home-made pie shield in with beans.
Make home-made pie shield!
Make your own Bisquick – see Forgotten Arts. So much better!
Have a large bowl out for pie beans/weights
Pie Beans store well in a canister – Keep forever!
Turn bottom lip down before filling and remove desserts intact.
Unless instructions say to use, turn down temperature 25 degrees when using.
The standard rolling pin is 10 1/2 inches – knowing the length saves you from measuring
Streusel is even better frozen – double and freeze
These rings will make sure everything is uniform when rolling dough.
Sticky items will come out cleanly if spoons or cups are sprayed with cooking spray.
Soften butter 5 seconds on DEFROST in the microwave
Keep butter wrappers in freezer to oil pans or press down sticky substances
After you use them for your pan, set messy items on the wrapper for easier cleanup
Portion & Serving:
Use Veggies or Fruit if you’re short on bowls.
Scoops portion perfectly, maximize your time and help avoid a big mess.
Fancy dishes make even ordinary desserts seem special – savor more, eat less.
Egg Hacks:
Push eggs through a cooling rack.
And they’ll be perfectly cubed for egg salad.
The eggs take seconds if grated rather than chopped
Freeze yolks & whites. If refrigerating yolk, cover with water.
Sieve yolks for smooth fluffy deviled eggs
Spices:
No one will tell you to “Doctor” if needed -Check Ethnic section & reduced bin to save money.
Grow your own herbs – bring them inside during winter – photo from outdoor.com
organize & cooking is SO much less of a pain!
store excess spices in jars in cool cupboard – use smaller jars to work from
Freeze ginger & grate while still frozen
Never Waste Bread:
Make herb topping with herbs, spices and either olive oil or melted butter.
For best topping, press buttered crumbs on then gently sprinkle a few on top
Irish Bread Pudding -Bread & Butter Pudding
Improve Health – Prevent Produce Waste:
Big Fat Green Smoothie
Fruit & Veg waste goes in Spa Water on a Budget
Onion, Carrot, Celery – save for soup; it makes a raft & flavors & clarifies the stock
Save & add one every day to green smoothie
Mushrooms Stems – go in Smoothies
The parings from the stems go in – you got it, Green Smoothies!
use tops of beets, radish, carrot, etc. in salads, smoothies or sautes
lightly steam – microwave – even the “inedible” stem has lots of fiber
Fruit & Veggie Hacks:
Use a SPOON instead of a knife to clean ribs from ANY pepper.
Drain things like olives, capers, etc. over something to catch the liquid, then use the liquid to store what you don’t use.
Whack iceberg lettuce on the core and it will come right out.
Choose citrus by WEIGHT not color – color means nothing.
Many items with seeds can be smashed to make removal easier.
Slice mushrooms & strawberries with egg slicer
Make your own Dressings – most will save money and they’re so good.
Baked Potato Hash Browns from Leftover Potatoes – my original photo
Slice round objects between two lids! Run knife horizontally thru center..
Save extra zest & freeze for emergencies!
Regrow Green Onions in a sunny window.
Grow your own herbs – bring them inside during winter – photo from outdoor.com
Salt & Strain wet veggies so they don’t weep into creamy salads
Don’t automatically toss – Can this be used to flavor something?
Slide mango down the lip of a glass
To separate from skin intact
We all know this trick – but slide it down the glass, too, instead of messing with a knife.
Core Strawberries Easily
Push a straw through from the bottom and the tops pop out!
Avocados:
Slice or dice as you wish
Use an appropriate sized spoon to scoop out the avocado
The slices (or dices) come out beautifully and intact
Beverages:
Big Fat Green Smoothie
Fruit & Veg waste goes in Spa Water on a Budget
Cheese:
Freeze Cheese – it will be crumbly but fine for Casseroles.
It’s almost always cheaper to slice your own cheese.
Cook Grains, Rices, Legumes & Freeze:
Wild Rice takes a long time to cook, cook & portion & freeze for “Instant Wild Rice.”
Bag & Tag long cooking grains and freeze (short term) to make the most of your time
Freeze Short term only!
Make your own “kits” & Convenience Food:
Bomb Baked Potato Wedges freeze well!
Nix 1x Month Cooking – just increase and freeze using sale priced ingredients:
Make large quantities when items are on sale and divide
Double & Freeze brownies, bars, cookies, and dough!
Many casseroles freeze – line the casserole first then remove and wrap
Most Soups Freeze like a Dream. including this Cuban Black Bean Soup
Most dough freezes very well – instant convenience food.
Grandmother’s Old Fashioned Ham Loaf – this was an original photo, one of the first on my site…
Grandmother’s Pumpkin Bread
Keep items together to make complicated recipes easy:
Spice kits – for Indian, Asian, Barbecue make cooking easy!
Store baking items together in a small box – when ready to bake you won’t have to find items. Salt, vanilla, baking powder, soda, etc.
So much better & cheaper to make your own:
Make your own Bisquick – see Forgotten Arts. So much better!
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