To chop parsley successfully in the food processor, make sure the leaves are veiy dry by first whirling them in a salad spinner or patting them diy with a heavy towel. Citrus zest used in a dessert recipe can be chopped in a food processor with a steel blade if some of the sugar from the recipe is placed in the work bowl with the zest. To slice soft cheeses, such as Swiss or moz- zarella, in the food processor, place the cheeses in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes before slicing. The firmness of the cheese will make for more even slices with less strain on the machine. When grinding hard cheese, such as Parmesan or Romano, in the food processor, be sure the cheese sits at room temperature for several hours before processing. Then cut the cheese into small cubes, and with the machine running drop them through the feed tube.
To slice flank steak, pork tenderloin, or boneless chicken breast in your food processor, partially freeze the meat before slicing. The meat will cut evenly into thin slices. If unsalted butter is unavailable, you can make your own fresh butter in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process some cream until butter forms (about 5 minutes). Drain off the water and dry the butter well in a towel. One pint of heavy cream will make about 7 ounces of butter. Almost any recipe can be adapted to the food processor. Carry out all the recipe directions involving dry ingredients first and then just wipe the bowl clean with a paper towel. Process the wet ingredients last.
Select cooking pans that are durable and made from a good heat conductor, such as copper, cast aluminum, heavy rolled steel, or cast iron. Specially treated aluminum pots and porcelain-lined cast iron pans won't react to acid or cream foods. Top-quality carbon steel or combination carbon and stainless steel knives are essential to good cooking. Knife edges should be sharpened on a sleel or ceramic sharpener before each use. Knives should be reground professionally every 4-6 months, depending on use.
When cooking with a wok on an electric stove, position the ring so that the narrow opening is on the bottom. This will bring the wok closer to the high heat needed for successful stir frying. The best type of pastry bag is plastic lined. The canvas makes the bag easy to grip, and the plastic lining makes it easy to clean. You'll ingest more iron if you cook in cast- iron pots because foods absorb iron from the pots. For example, stew simmered for several hours in an iron pot contains at least 25 times as much iron as stew simmered in an aluminum pot. To sweeten a sour-smelling waste disposer, feed it orange, grapefruit, or lemon rinds. A tablespoon of borax or baking soda also does the trick.
Create extra counter space when cooking for a crowd or baking for a holiday by placing trays or cookie sheets across pulled out drawers. If you put marbles or a jar lid in the bottom of a double boiler, their rattling will alert you if the water boils away. To make a tray of fresh ice cubes quickly, leave 3 or 4 cubes in the tray when you refill it. The already frozen cubes help cool the fresh water and speed the freezing process. To prevent ice cube trays from sticking to the freezer shelf, line the shelf with waxed paper. To be sure that cake tins are completely dry before you store them, place them in a warm oven for a few minutes.
To avoid burning your fingers when lighting a pilot light with a regular-size match, clamp the match with kitchen tongs that will extend your reach. If one drinking glass is tightly nested inside another, don t try to force them apart. You may crack both. Rather, fill the top glass with cold water and immerse the lower one in hot water. The top glass will contract slightly, and the bottom one will expand, so they'll come apart easily. If you keep plastic wrap in your refrigerator, it won't cling to itself when handled. If the rubber gloves you're wearing won't come off because you've forgotten to sprinkle powder on your hands, hold your gloved hands under the cold tap water The gloves will slip right off. To start a fresh bottle of ketchup flowing, push a drinking straw to the bottom of the bottle. When you remove the straw, the ketchup will pour easily.
An electric beater won't sound so loud ifyou put a damp dishcloth under the bowl to muffle the noise.
A gravy boat makes a good server for spaghetti sauce. A squeaky oven door can be silenced by rubbing the point of a soft lead pencil across the hinges. If salt pours out of your salt shaker too liberally, plug up some of the holes with clear nail polish. Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker to keep the salt from caking. If you put a dab of butter under the spout of a pitcher the contents won't run down the side after you pour.
New drinking glasses sometimes crack when you pour hot liquids into them. They won't ifyou "season'' them this way: Put them in a large pot filled with cold water, bring the water slowly to a boil, and then turn off the heat and let the water cool. When you buy an electric coffee maker, look for one with water markings on the inside. They're easier to read than markings on the outside. Potholders protect against cold as well as heat, so wear your kitchen mitts to protect your hands when rearranging frozen foods in the freezer.
When driving home from the store, strap seat belts that aren't being used around bags containing items that could be spilled or broken. Selling your offerings at a bake sale? They'll move faster ifyou include the recipe. People like to know the ingredients and how to duplicateyour goodies. You can improvise a sink or tub stopper from the plastic cover of a coffee can. Lay the cover across the drain and suction will hold it firmly in place. Is the key or tab on a can missing or damaged? Just turn the can over and open it with an ordinary can opener.
You can do more with toothpaste than brush your teeth or remove spots. It also works as an adhesive, perhaps for hanging lightweight pictures and posters on your kitchen walls. When you eventually remove the pictures or posters, just wipe away the toothpaste with a damp cloth. There will be no nail holes to repair. You can sharpen garbage disposer blades by running ice cubes through them. Because instructions on bottle labels are frequently in tiny, almost unreadable print, it's a good idea to keep a magnifying glass handy.
To slice flank steak, pork tenderloin, or boneless chicken breast in your food processor, partially freeze the meat before slicing. The meat will cut evenly into thin slices. If unsalted butter is unavailable, you can make your own fresh butter in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process some cream until butter forms (about 5 minutes). Drain off the water and dry the butter well in a towel. One pint of heavy cream will make about 7 ounces of butter. Almost any recipe can be adapted to the food processor. Carry out all the recipe directions involving dry ingredients first and then just wipe the bowl clean with a paper towel. Process the wet ingredients last.
When cooking with a wok on an electric stove, position the ring so that the narrow opening is on the bottom. This will bring the wok closer to the high heat needed for successful stir frying. The best type of pastry bag is plastic lined. The canvas makes the bag easy to grip, and the plastic lining makes it easy to clean. You'll ingest more iron if you cook in cast- iron pots because foods absorb iron from the pots. For example, stew simmered for several hours in an iron pot contains at least 25 times as much iron as stew simmered in an aluminum pot. To sweeten a sour-smelling waste disposer, feed it orange, grapefruit, or lemon rinds. A tablespoon of borax or baking soda also does the trick.
Create extra counter space when cooking for a crowd or baking for a holiday by placing trays or cookie sheets across pulled out drawers. If you put marbles or a jar lid in the bottom of a double boiler, their rattling will alert you if the water boils away. To make a tray of fresh ice cubes quickly, leave 3 or 4 cubes in the tray when you refill it. The already frozen cubes help cool the fresh water and speed the freezing process. To prevent ice cube trays from sticking to the freezer shelf, line the shelf with waxed paper. To be sure that cake tins are completely dry before you store them, place them in a warm oven for a few minutes.
To avoid burning your fingers when lighting a pilot light with a regular-size match, clamp the match with kitchen tongs that will extend your reach. If one drinking glass is tightly nested inside another, don t try to force them apart. You may crack both. Rather, fill the top glass with cold water and immerse the lower one in hot water. The top glass will contract slightly, and the bottom one will expand, so they'll come apart easily. If you keep plastic wrap in your refrigerator, it won't cling to itself when handled. If the rubber gloves you're wearing won't come off because you've forgotten to sprinkle powder on your hands, hold your gloved hands under the cold tap water The gloves will slip right off. To start a fresh bottle of ketchup flowing, push a drinking straw to the bottom of the bottle. When you remove the straw, the ketchup will pour easily.
An electric beater won't sound so loud ifyou put a damp dishcloth under the bowl to muffle the noise.
A gravy boat makes a good server for spaghetti sauce. A squeaky oven door can be silenced by rubbing the point of a soft lead pencil across the hinges. If salt pours out of your salt shaker too liberally, plug up some of the holes with clear nail polish. Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker to keep the salt from caking. If you put a dab of butter under the spout of a pitcher the contents won't run down the side after you pour.
New drinking glasses sometimes crack when you pour hot liquids into them. They won't ifyou "season'' them this way: Put them in a large pot filled with cold water, bring the water slowly to a boil, and then turn off the heat and let the water cool. When you buy an electric coffee maker, look for one with water markings on the inside. They're easier to read than markings on the outside. Potholders protect against cold as well as heat, so wear your kitchen mitts to protect your hands when rearranging frozen foods in the freezer.
When driving home from the store, strap seat belts that aren't being used around bags containing items that could be spilled or broken. Selling your offerings at a bake sale? They'll move faster ifyou include the recipe. People like to know the ingredients and how to duplicateyour goodies. You can improvise a sink or tub stopper from the plastic cover of a coffee can. Lay the cover across the drain and suction will hold it firmly in place. Is the key or tab on a can missing or damaged? Just turn the can over and open it with an ordinary can opener.
You can do more with toothpaste than brush your teeth or remove spots. It also works as an adhesive, perhaps for hanging lightweight pictures and posters on your kitchen walls. When you eventually remove the pictures or posters, just wipe away the toothpaste with a damp cloth. There will be no nail holes to repair. You can sharpen garbage disposer blades by running ice cubes through them. Because instructions on bottle labels are frequently in tiny, almost unreadable print, it's a good idea to keep a magnifying glass handy.
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